Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1489: Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet!

Yuelu Mountain in Tanzhou!

While the Chinese troops in Hengyang were desperately trying to fight for a chance of survival, Yokoyama Isamu was also staring at the large map of Hengyang in a daze.

Colonel Shimanuki Takeshi walked in from outside, holding the information just delivered by the Intelligence Department.

"According to intelligence, the Chinese garrison in Hengyang consists of the 10th Army, the Four-Line Regiment and a guard regiment in Hengyang City. The current strength of the troops is unknown." Shimanuki Takeshi said with a little excitement to Yokoyama Isamu, who was staring at the map in a trance.

Yokoyama Isamu is not a general named Xue. After conquering Tanzhou and heading straight for Hengyang, he immediately asked the intelligence department to find out the number of the Chinese garrison and the name of the commander before the war. Knowing yourself and the enemy is a basic operation.

The Japanese intelligence department was also very diligent. Within three days, it had thoroughly investigated the Chinese troop sequence in Hengyang City. Even the 3th War Zone Command and the Military and Political Department were not very clear about the strength of the 10th Army and the Four-Line Regiment. This mistake, which should not have happened, made the Japanese confused at this time.

"The Four-Line Regiment is there too?" Yokoyama Isamu turned around suddenly, with surprise in his eyes.

Shimanuki Takeshi was also stunned. He did not expect that his commander was not concerned about the ambiguity of the opponent's troop strength, but was actually concerned about the number of an infantry regiment.

Moreover, based on his understanding of Yokoyama Isamu during this period, he actually felt that this army lieutenant general who was famous for his "bravery" was afraid.

Afraid of an infantry regiment?

Shimanuki Takeshi didn't understand!

"Yes, the Sihang Regiment was originally an engineering corps, and was built in the Hengshan area under the order of the Chinese 9th War Zone Command. This time, Hengyang was short of troops, so they were transferred to Hengyang City to serve as garrison troops." Shimanuki Takeshi suppressed the doubts in his heart and answered.

"If the Four-Line Regiment is there, Mr. Shimanuki, I'm afraid we have to replan the plan for the main attack direction of Hengyang." Yokoyama Isamu took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the Hengyang map on the wall.

"Reformulate? But that was carefully planned by the General Staff, and also guided and approved by the Expeditionary Force Staff. Even you, Commander-in-Chief, said two days ago that this plan was most suitable for my 11th Army to launch a decisive battle with the Chinese side in Hengyang?" Shimanuki Takeshi was shocked.

  When a large army is fighting, the most taboo is to change orders every day. Let alone that this battle plan was carefully planned by himself and his people, the battle plan had already been transmitted to each division yesterday, and each division was marching towards Hengyang from three directions according to the battle plan. How can it be changed?

"Mr. Shimanuki, have you seen the battle report of the Four-Line Regiment?" Yokoyama Isamu suddenly asked.

"I've heard a little about the battle record of the Four-Line Regiment, but that was a few years ago. In recent years, for some reason, the regiment became an engineering corps and has long been unknown and no longer a threat." Shimanuki Takeshi thought for a moment and answered honestly.

The glory of the past does not represent the present. No matter how powerful a unit is, if it neglects its military operations for a few months, it will lose its combat effectiveness. What's more, it has been several years since the last time the Four-Line Regiment participated in a war.

"Yes! Time flies. It has been more than three years since the Battle of Shipai." Yokoyama Isamu suddenly sighed.

This time, Shimanuki Takeshi wisely did not respond. He knew, of course, that the Battle of Shipai was the biggest Waterloo in the military career of the lieutenant general of the army. If it were not for the defeat in the Battle of Shipai, he might have been promoted to army general long ago, or at least a commander of a higher-level front.

"Mr. Shimanuki, sit down!" Yokoyama Isamu suddenly stretched out his hand and asked his chief of staff, who had experience in large-scale troop combat, to sit down.

  He personally made tea, sat cross-legged opposite the Japanese army colonel who had already prepared it, sipped the hot tea, and then said slowly: "Shimanuki-kun should also know that I, Yokoyama Yong, have rarely lost in my life. Although I lost two battles in a row under Tanzhou City, that was because I judged the situation and believed that Tanzhou City would sooner or later be in the hands of the empire, and it was not worth paying a large number of casualties for it!

But in the Battle of Shipai, I was determined to win, and that was also the biggest defeat of my life!"

Listening to his superior's heartfelt words, Shimanuki Takeshi felt a little embarrassed. He knew that for a soldier, defeat was the greatest shame of his life, the greatest trauma in his heart, which could not be healed by comfort alone.

The only way to heal this scar is to defeat the opponent who once defeated you.

  "Many people say that the Battle of Shipai was the masterpiece of the 18th Army, one of China's five elite infantry armies. Even when the Expeditionary Force Command reported to the headquarters, it specifically wrote about how the 18 Chinese th Army soldiers were fearless and unafraid of death. The lieutenant general named Hu under his command became famous because of this battle and became famous in one battle!

Haha! But history is always written by the victors, that is true. Chinese newspapers are full of praise for the 18th Army and the Lieutenant General Hu, but they don’t know that in my heart, Isamu Yokoyama, the 18th Army is at most a tough opponent, but it is still a long way from defeating my 11th Army.

What really caused the 11th Army to lose at Shipai was not the 18th Army, but the Four-Line Regiment that quietly entered the battlefield to deploy defenses before the battle, and their commander Tang Dao. "At this point, Yokoyama Yong's voice was actually not loud.

But Shimanuki Takeshi clearly heard the sound of teeth colliding.

There was real gnashing of teeth when the name Tang Dao appeared.

“If the Four-Line Regiment had not held the left wing of Shipai tightly, our 11th Army would have broken through the area long ago. No matter how brave and fearless the 18th Army was, under our two-pronged attack, all the more than 1.2 Chinese in the main position of Shipai would have died on the spot, and Shipai would have become a bridgehead for the imperial army to capture the mountain city.

It would have been fine if they had just blocked us, but the Tang Dao was extremely treacherous and vicious. They took advantage of our disadvantageous attack and withdrew, then they used their familiarity with the terrain to chase us closely, surrounding more than 11 soldiers of the 6000th Army in the mountains.

Not only did they obstruct our negotiations, but they also used the Americans to hype up the war in an attempt to undermine the morale of our Chinese Expeditionary Force. Fortunately, our 11 soldiers of the 6000th Army did not lose face for the empire and fought to the last moment. "Yokoyama lowered his eyelids, and his low voice echoed in the small room.

However, Shimanuki Takeshi felt as if his hair was standing up.

He had studied the Battle of Shipai, but the Imperial Headquarters seemed to be concealing some information about this battle. The information available to his level of inquiry only said that the Chinese side used its large force to surround the 6000 Imperial officers and soldiers who were unable to retreat, and the 11th Army tried to rescue them several times but failed. They could only watch as the 6000 Imperial officers and soldiers were besieged in the mountains for more than 40 days before being completely wiped out.

The so-called fighting until the last moment was more like starving for more than 40 days, and eventually all starved to death in the mountains of China.

Who would have thought that the cause of all this was the Four-Line Regiment and their commander, who was called a "devil" by the imperial officers and soldiers on the battlefield in North China.

  No wonder Lord Yokoyama Isamu looked strange when he heard the name of the Four Lines Group!

"If, as you said, Your Excellency the Commander, the defeat in the Battle of Shipai was caused by the Four-Line Regiment, then this time when they are in Hengyang, our 11th Army must annihilate them completely to wash away the shame of the defeat!" Shimanuki Takeshi raised his head and said in a sonorous and powerful voice.

"If possible, our army will kill all the members of the Four-Line Regiment from the Colonel Tang Dao down, leaving only this one person, and send him to the Nanjing Expeditionary Army Headquarters for trial, and then execute him at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum for war crimes, and order all Chinese in Nanjing to go and watch the entire execution process."

Shimanuki Takeshi's move was extremely vicious. It not only helped the 11th Army to avenge its revenge, but also dealt a heavy blow to China's anti-Japanese morale. His words showed that he had already regarded Hengyang as a sure thing.

Of course, Shimanuki Takeshi had enough confidence to say this. The 11th Army had more than soldiers this time and had already conquered Tanzhou, the capital of Hunan Province. More than troops were marching towards Hengyang with a victorious momentum. They were no longer considering conquering this small place, Hengyang, but besieging the city and attacking its reinforcements. They were seeking a decisive battle with the main force of China in Hengyang, and one battle could decide the outcome of the war between Hunan and Guangxi provinces.

To put it bluntly, the capture of Hengyang was just a small point in this round of war, and it could not even be said to be that important. The 11th Army did not take Hengyang seriously from the very beginning. All that was in Shimanuki Takeshi's eyes was the main Chinese force that was about to approach the periphery of Hengyang.

For example, the 74th Army, an elite Chinese division from Guangxi Province, was the "Iron Army" that had fought against tens of thousands of imperial troops who attacked on 16 days in the Battle of Changde with the strength of a single division. Not only did the Chinese side award it the Flying Tiger Flag, but even the Chinese Expeditionary Army Headquarters was extremely wary of it. It was generally believed that at least two divisions would be needed to completely annihilate the army.

But Yokoyama Isamu was obviously not as confident as his "brave" chief of staff. He shook his head slightly and said, "The equipment of the Four-Line Regiment is very different from that of ordinary Chinese troops. Even light tanks and large-caliber heavy artillery appeared in the Battle of Shipai. According to the investigation of the imperial intelligence department, it can only be found that these weapons and equipment were imported from Europe, and many of them were even purchased from a famous German arms company. But how they were transported from Europe to China and finally arrived in North China, the intelligence department could no longer find out." "Baga! Damn it! If we check the arms company of the German Empire, everything will be clear." Shimanuki Takeshi reacted very quickly and quickly grasped the key point of the problem.

But soon, the Japanese Army colonel also kept silent on his own initiative. The arms company that even Yokoyama Isamu didn't want to name must undoubtedly occupy an extremely important position in the military-industrial system of the German Empire.

The alliance between the Empire and the German Empire was based on the needs of the global grand strategy. If a rift were to arise because of an arms company, it would be more costly than gain.

"No matter how well-equipped the Fourth Regiment is, it is just an infantry regiment. A brigade cannot deal with them, so we can use a division. If one division is not enough, then we can use two." Yokoyama Isamu spoke again.

"But Tang Dao, the leader of the Four Lines, is indeed a difficult person. I wonder if Shimanuki-kun still remembers the assassination in Jiangxia City in June of 42?"

"Is it the case of the murder of Major General Tanabe Moritake? Didn't I hear that the case was finally solved by searching the entire city and capturing or killing more than 400 Chinese intelligence personnel?" Shimanuki Takeshi was slightly surprised.

Takeshi Shimanuki worked in the military department on the Japanese island for a long time. In the past two years, he went to the European battlefield. He did not have a particularly good understanding of the Chinese battlefield, and he only learned a lot of information after cramming before coming to China.

But he had read the battle report of the famous assassination case in Jiangxia. Major General Moritake Tanabe, then Deputy Chief of Staff of the China Expeditionary Army, was assassinated by a sniper shot from a distance of more than a mile away while he was heavily protected. It was simply unbelievable.

“So, what you see from the information will never be the truth.

The truth is, those Chinese intelligence officers were just small fry of the Chinese Military Control Commission. How could they be caught by us? How could they be able to kill a general in a room with one shot from 700 meters away, and successfully escape from the pursuit of thousands of people, and swagger into the Jiangxia Garrison Command that night and strangled a lieutenant general of the army to death with their bare hands! "Yokoyama Yong's voice was faint.

"It was not until much later that a high-level Chinese intelligence officer reported that the assassin was no one but Tang Dao, the leader of the Four Lines Regiment. His purpose was to avenge the Empire's assassination attempt by the Eagle Special Attack Team, which resulted in the death of 13 of its guards.

It is said that he once told someone that if time was not running out, he would go to Nanjing, and what he wanted most was the head of Chief of Staff Shiro Itagaki.

"This..." Shimanuki Takeshi was speechless, finding it difficult to express how frightened he was at the moment.

This was really a bit beyond his acceptance. It was hard for him to imagine that a commander-level soldier with a similar rank to him was actually a super assassin. For the sake of a dozen ordinary guards, he actually risked his life to break into the city and attack high-ranking generals. How crazy must he be?

"Do you think he is crazy?" Yokoyama Isamu took another sip of tea.

“Perhaps the first reaction of people who hear the truth of this matter is to think that this man is a lunatic, but if you carefully study this man and the political whirlpool that the Four Lines Group encountered at the time, you will find the deep meaning behind his doing such a crazy thing.

Facts have proved that Tang Dao's crazy move directly deterred both China and Japan, and no one dared to attack his troops easily. He was like a dozing tiger, showing his sharp fangs to warn anyone who dared to covet him in the dark forest. He would kill anyone who dared to aim a gun at him. He had the ability to do so. "

"This is indeed a very scary person. I understand what the commander means." Shimanuki Takeshi nodded.

The fact that Tang Dao was able to sneak into Jiangxia City, assassinate and successfully escape has already proved that he has enough wisdom and super manpower. A person with enough brains but also a madman will naturally not play by the rules.

If the 11th Army had followed the previous plan and taken the south of the city as its main attack direction, it would have probably fallen into the opponent's calculations long ago. Shimanuki Takeshi's little brain was working very fast.

So, two days later, the divisions marching towards Hengyang received a revised battle plan.

  Several division commanders stared at the Hengyang map again and again, all of them looked confused!

If they had not repeatedly sent telegrams to the military staff to inquire, they would have really thought that Commander Isamu Yokoyama was crazy.

Otherwise, who could come up with such a bizarre tactical plan?

Three main attack directions, are you kidding me?

That's right, in Shimane Takeshi's tactical plan, except for the Xiangjiang River east of Hengyang as a feint attack direction, the south, west and north of the city were all the main attack directions.

To this end, the original plan of three divisions to encircle Hengyang and two divisions to attack was changed to four divisions to encircle Hengyang and three divisions to attack, with one division each in the west, south and north, with a total force of more than 3 people.

This was nearly 5.5 more than the initial siege of Hengyang City in the previous time and space, all because of the Four Lines Regiment entering Hengyang City.

Shimanuki Takeshi was not only good at military affairs, but also had a good understanding of people's hearts. After clearly hearing the sound of Lord Yokoyama Isamu gnashing his teeth, he forcibly withdrew a main division from the 10-strong army that the expeditionary force headquarters had already planned to have on the periphery to seek a decisive battle with the Chinese army, and marched towards Hengyang.

I wonder if the officers and soldiers of Tang Dao and the Four-Line Regiment would laugh when they knew this.

Really, considering the scale of the killing fortifications that are being built madly, it would be a bit unsatisfying if the Japanese came less frequently!

During the pre-war mobilization, Tang Dao had already informed the entire regiment that the scale of the Japanese army besieging Hengyang this time was even larger than the 10 Japanese troops that besieged Songjiang City.

  There were only 10 devils. Didn't the battalion, company and platoon leaders of the Four-Line Regiment fight their way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood?

The old soldiers who participated in the Battle of Songjiang and are still alive are now at least third-class sergeants or second lieutenants. How many life and death separations have they witnessed in these seven years of war?

As for life and death, I have always said, "Don't mind life and death, just fight if you don't agree!" If I am alive, I will burn incense and pour wine for my old friends and comrades, and live for them; if I die, I will wait in the underground for the brothers who are still alive to come down and continue the friendship of comrades.

  Life is but a few short decades, we will meet each other in the end!

Just like Captain Gu Xishui who lost his lover, now except for feeling sad for a while when looking at the things left by his youngest sister, he smiles all the time.

"We will meet in the end!" This is what Gu Xishui often said.

However, the young and handsome army captain rejected at least five courtships from beautiful female nurses in the medical company!

  His smile never meant that he had forgotten the woman whose eyes were as bright as crescent moons when she smiled!

He had never wanted to live as much as he did now, not because he was afraid of death, but because he wanted to return to the Martyrs Cemetery of the Four-Line Regiment and tell her the news of victory.

The Four-Line Group had already made plans to live and die with the city of Hengyang!

What's more, now it's not only the Japanese who are secretly increasing their troops, but Hengyang City is also facing a counter-current army.