Chapter 35 1. The battle continues

When the news of the Taierzhuang victory spread to the whole country and the whole world, the Chinese people cheered for it, celebrated and paraded, and carried out one activity after another with great vibrancy. This is a matter for the rear.As the rear of the War of Resistance, they should do this, be happy for the victory of the anti-Japanese heroes in front, and cry for the tragedy of the anti-Japanese heroes in front.It is very meaningful to connect the front of the Anti-Japanese War with the rear of the Anti-Japanese War and unite the hearts of the entire Chinese nation. After the major victory in Taierzhuang, the battle in southern Shandong was still tense.The various troops participating in the Taierzhuang battle did not get enough rest and reorganization. They had no time to celebrate their achievements, let alone sit down and enjoy the relaxation and joy after victory.

Most of the troops who participated in the war went to the battlefield before they even had time to wipe off the blood and dirt on their faces. The early spring in southern Lunan was still very cold. Many soldiers who fought continuously for three or four months had never had a hot bath, and some hadn’t even changed their clothes.This is nothing to worry about, the Chinese have been able to endure hardships since ancient times, and now the most urgent question they think about is how to defeat the Japanese devils.Other things can be discussed later. The 10th Division of Isoya Rensuke was not completely wiped out in Taierzhuang, and the remaining Japanese troops retreated to Yi County and Zaozhuang area. They occupied favorable terrain in Yi County and Zaozhuang, and defended the city to resist the Chinese army Take advantage of the victory to pursue.

According to the order of Li Zongren, the commander-in-chief of the fifth war zone, the Chinese army pursued and defeated the enemy northward for less than sixty or seventy miles, but was stopped by the retreating Japanese army at the outskirts of Yixian and Zaozhuang.Before the Jigu Division attacked Taierzhuang, the enemy set up a rear base in this area and placed a certain amount of troops. When Tang Enbo's 20th Army fought in the field outside Taierzhuang, they did not attack Yi County and Zaozhuang at all, which led to the current situation. The Chinese army pursued to the vicinity of Yi County and Zaozhuang, seized the favorable terrain in the periphery, and controlled three or five commanding heights, such as Shuangshan and Gusao Mountains in the east of the city, and guarded Tianzhu Mountain in the south and Balitun in the west.

The terrain of Yixian County is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The south of it is a flat and open area. The Japanese army took advantage of this terrain to build fortifications on the south of Yixian County, the front and both sides of the Taizao Branch Line. There is an enemy artillery position near Guoliji. Its There is also a part of the enemy occupying positions in the east, and there is an enemy plane landing field near Zaozhuang. Under the leadership of Commander Guan Linzheng, the 52nd Army was ordered to attack Yi County along the branch line of the Taizao Railway, and its 1st Field Artillery Battalion bombarded the villages north of Jiuding Mountain.The 52nd Army's attack focused on the Japanese positions at Jiudingshan.Jiuding Mountain is a rocky mountain facing east-west, without vegetation, and the slope in the northeast direction is relatively gentle.The 2nd Division attacked west of Jiuding Mountain, and the 25th Division attacked villages north of the eastern end of Jiuding Mountain.The Japanese army was condescending, and the target of the upward attack during the day was exposed, making it difficult to win.The 2nd Division decided to adopt a night attack, attacking from several directions at the same time, catching the enemy by surprise, and launching close combat.After a night of fierce fighting, the enemy's position in the eastern half of Jiuding Mountain was occupied by the 2nd Division. The division commander Zheng Dongguo went up the mountain in person and urged the troops to continue the attack.Commander Guan Linzheng also came up the mountain in the afternoon and ordered the artillery to concentrate firepower to support the 2nd Division in operations.

At the same time, the Japanese army on the branch line of the Taizao Railway in the south of Yi County also launched an attack on the 85th Army. The Japanese army dispatched a large number of tanks and armored vehicles. Commander Guan ordered field artillery and mountain artillery to bombard the attacking enemy.With the coordination of infantry and artillery, the Japanese attack was frustrated.At this time, the enemy's artillery continued to fire at the command post of the 52nd Army, blowing the stones on Jiuding Mountain to the sky. The two sides began to fight until 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Commander Guan Linzheng and Commander Zheng Dongguo heard the roar of the plane on the top of the mountain. They looked up to the sky and saw that there were 9 Chinese formation planes flying from south to north to drop bombs over Zaozhuang. Zaozhuang was immediately shrouded in smoke from the bombs.This is the first time since the Anti-Japanese War that a formation of Chinese aircraft was seen dropping bombs on the enemy. The 52nd Army and the 85th Army made a breakthrough in the Japanese attack and occupied many enemy positions in two days.However, the Japanese army came all the way with its own mechanized equipment and a large number of reinforcements, and implemented an outflank plan towards the 52nd Army.Commander Guan Linzheng judged that this was the reinforcement of the 10th Division by the Japanese army. In order to avoid losses, the Chinese army immediately adjusted its deployment, built a defensive position, and formed a stalemate with the enemy.

In the direction of Linyi, Itagaki Seishiro, who had been defeated by Zhang Zizhong and Pang Bingxun, detoured southward, hoping to join the remnants of the Isoya Division.The main force of the enemy's 5th Division moved southward, and was about to attack the 20th Army from the side.Tang Enbo hurriedly ordered the 52nd Army and the 85th Army to withdraw to the north of Pi County, preparing to meet the 5th Division of Banyuan. Isoya Rensuke refused to admit defeat, he couldn't swallow Taierzhuang's bad breath.Even if he was defeated, he didn't want to retreat too far. The purpose was to wait for reinforcements, wait for an opportunity to counterattack, and avenge Taierzhuang.The Japanese base camp was not convinced, they were trembling with anger, this is not bad, they dared to break ground on the head of the Great Japanese Empire, and killed as many as 10,000 of our Great Japanese Imperial Army.But they pretended to be calm to the outside world, bit the bullet and publicized to the outside world that Taierzhuang was not a defeat, but just a small mistake of the commander, and the rest of the 10th Division and the 5th Division of the Japanese elite troops were not defeated. Instead of running away, make a new strategic shift.

Although the Japanese military high command pretended to be indifferent, the Japanese government, which was furious, immediately held an emergency meeting. The meeting stated to the Japanese military high command: The Japanese government cannot suffer such humiliation.The implication is to let the Japanese military command retaliate against China. In fact, the Emperor of Japan had said at the imperial meeting on February 16, 1938 that he would never launch an attack on a new region before August.When the Isoya Division attacked Teng County, it drew a boundary according to this spirit.It was Isoya's arrogance, overthinking his own capabilities, and making an in-depth attempt alone, so he paid a huge price.After the disastrous defeat of the Japanese army in Taierzhuang, the Japanese base camp could no longer consider strategically in-depth issues, and the words of the Japanese emperor could only be ignored.Their top priority now is to immediately try to defeat the Chinese army in order to restore the reputation of the Imperial Japanese Army as invincible.

The failure of Taierzhuang, the disastrous defeat of the 10th Division and the 5th Division of the Japanese Army, the most embarrassing thing is the supreme commander of the North China Front Army, Terauchi Shouichi, and the commander of the 2nd Army, Nishio Shouzo. They are all the two divisions. Tinkering out.They made a strong request to the base camp to join the war, but the base camp did not approve it at the beginning.Considering the overall strategy, the base camp believed that the front in China was stretched too long and too wide, and the Japanese army was not only short of troops, but also struggled with material and financial resources.They want to stabilize and consolidate the occupied areas before advancing gradually.However, the victories of the Japanese army in various battlefields in China fueled the arrogance of the Japanese soldiers. They arbitrarily expanded their victories in China and used the results of their victories to push the Japanese base camp forward.Under the repeated requests of General Terauchi Toshida of the North China Front Army and Commander-in-Chief Nishio Hisao of the 2nd Army, the base camp agreed to send troops from the 10th and 5th Divisions to Shandong.

Why did Japan's most elite troops, the 10th Division and the 5th Division, fail?The Japanese army in central China was far inferior to Isoya and Itagaki in terms of manpower, equipment, and generals.But they not only conquered Shanghai, but also occupied Nanjing.However, the iron army that attacked Shandong attacked the south of Shandong and only occupied one Teng County.Teng County is incomparable with Shanghai and Nanjing. One is in the sky and the other is underground. It cannot be said.What's more, the Chinese troops guarding Teng County and Linyi are all miscellaneous, and even China's Chiang Kai-shek looks down on them.What is a motley crew?Just holding a shotgun in his hand, which is almost like a fire stick, two grenades hanging from his waist, and a steel knife on his back, it's just a bunch of mobs.

The 5th Division and the 10th Division under the Japanese Second Army can be said to be the elite of the Japanese army. Most of the young and strong factions who are fighting are in these two divisions, and they are invincible.General Toshiichi Terauchi of the North China Front Army of the Japanese Army saw the strength of these two troops, so he agreed to the suggestion of the Second Army to march into the raid, and encouraged them not to listen to any plans of the base camp. Our Great Japanese Empire has no restricted areas in China, and every inch of China The territory is all trampled by my iron army.Therefore, he clearly instructed that the Japanese army should not limit itself.The lone army of the Isoya Division went deep, not on its own initiative, but under orders. There is a famous saying in the Chinese military book, "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles."The commanders of the Japanese base camp and the various armies only saw their own strength and did not understand their opponents at all.On the territory of China, their opponents are of course the Chinese.To fight against an opponent, it is necessary not only to understand the opponent's current situation, but also to understand the opponent's historical and cultural background. In the history of China, there have been countless invasions by foreign powers and foreign nationalities.But who destroyed the Chinese nation?No.The Chinese nation has excellent national traditions. Since ancient times, they have loved peace and paid attention to friendship and friendship. They are a typical hardworking nation, often as gentle as a sheep.But when foreign bandits entered their homes and massacred their compatriots, they would fight back with all their strength, even if it was against sharp guns with bare hands, the Chinese nation would not hesitate.The Chinese nation has had the spirit of not fearing violence since ancient times. This was the case with the so-called miscellaneous troops of the Chinese army during the Anti-Japanese War.Facing the Japanese strong ships and guns, they used their flesh and blood to resist the Japanese tanks and cannons for the country and the nation with the swords in their hands.Another thing that the Japanese base camp did not expect was that the fifth war zone was different from Shanghai and Nanjing. Ordinary soldiers were all shocked and their morale was greatly boosted.Especially ordinary Chinese soldiers, they saw the determination of the commander, and they also saw hope. Terauchi Shouichi and Nishio Shouzo urgently need a victory in order to save face, not to be ridiculed by other troops, and to get rid of the embarrassing situation as soon as possible.So they did their best to quickly replenish the troops and equipment of the 5th and 10th Divisions, so that they could capture Taierzhuang as soon as possible and wipe out the Chinese army in the southern Shandong area, so as to give the Japanese base camp and the Japanese government an explanation in a short time , thus saving face. The good news of the Taierzhuang victory has just spread throughout the country, and the celebrations in major cities have not yet ended, and the faces of the Chinese people are still full of laughter.This is a very critical time. If Taierzhuang is lost in such an atmosphere, wouldn't it spoil the enthusiasm of the people of the whole country and dampen the enthusiasm of the whole country for the War of Resistance?Not only that, but also received a lot of abuse.Li Zongren cannot be defeated. He wants to further consolidate the achievements of Taierzhuang's victory and let the halo of Taierzhuang's victory shine again in the sky of China. Li Zongren is clear-headed, and he has analyzed the entire situation of the War of Resistance.If Taierzhuang were to fall, the whole of southern Shandong would not be able to hold it.That is for the future. Now Taierzhuang cannot be lost, and it must not be lost.For the sake of the country and nation, political influence, and own reputation, Taierzhuang must not be lost. Therefore, the Fifth War Zone issued an order to let the Chinese army, which had besieged the remnants of the Japanese army in Yi County and Zaozhuang, launch an attack on the remnants of the enemy.The enemy must be defeated or driven further before enemy reinforcements arrive.Keep them as far away from Taierzhuang and Xuzhou as possible. Therefore, the Chinese army north of Taierzhuang worked very hard and fought fiercely.Although the 10th Division of the Japanese Army had been defeated in Taierzhuang, this unit still had strength, and in addition, troops from the regiment continued to come behind them, and they were stubbornly resisting the attacks of the Chinese army.This is also a manifestation of Isoya Rensuke's desperate desire for face, otherwise it would be really difficult for him to explain to the higher authorities.It wasn't until the 5th Division of the Japanese Army went south that the two warring parties formed a confrontation.