The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 361 Lying about military information
In the early morning, when the rising sun shone on the west bank of the winding Fuchi River, the Fuchi River, which was calm and beautiful the night before, had become a horrible purgatory.

The positions of the two infantry regiments of the 54th Brigade of the 18th Division on the west bank of the Fuchi River had become a ruin after a night of attack by the landing Japanese Marines. Both the positions of the 107th Regiment of the 54th Brigade and the 108th Regiment of the 54th Brigade had been occupied by the landing Japanese Marines.

From the 54th Brigade's position to the bank of the Fuchi River, there were corpses of officers and soldiers of the 54th Brigade who were killed by the Japanese army in the night battle, and wounded soldiers lying wailing in the mud mixed with blood.

All kinds of supplies, weapons, equipment, materials, ammunition, etc. were thrown everywhere. Rifles, light machine guns, grenades, heavy machine guns, mules and horses pulling carts and many unopened ammunition were scattered all over the 54th Brigade's route of defeat.

After completely defeating the 54th Brigade, the Japanese troops that landed last night relentlessly organized a long-term coordinated pursuit by infantry and tanks and firepower pursuit.

Especially the 5th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Garrison among the landing Japanese Marine Corps. Many of the Japanese officers and soldiers in this unit were veterans of the former Shanghai Special Marine Corps of the Japanese Marine Corps who had experienced the Battle of Shanghai. They had excellent combat qualities and rich combat experience.

In the battle last night, when the defeated 54th Brigade escaped from the fire pursuit range of the Japanese artillery, the infantry cameras of the 5th Special Marine Corps of the Wu Garrison took advantage of the situation and divided into several small groups under the cover of the six Vickers tanks of the Special Tank Squadron, and launched an infiltration, roundabout and exploitative pursuit of the defeated 54th Brigade, causing the officers and soldiers of the defeated 54th Brigade of the 18th Division to further collapse, and were pressed to the Fuchi River in the dark night by the pursuit of the Japanese Marine Corps infantry and tanks.

Since most of the 18th Division were new recruits, there was almost no order after they lost their organization and were defeated. The defeated troops of the 54th Brigade, which were chased all the way by the Japanese army, even panicked and rushed into the Fuchi River, trying to swim to the east bank of the river to survive, which led to a greater tragedy.

A large number of fleeing officers and soldiers were crowded together and swam in the river, and were attacked by the pursuing Japanese infantry. They were killed by the Japanese firepower in the Fuchi River. Countless soldiers drowned in the Fuchi River.

Under the indiscriminate shooting of the pursuing Japanese troops on the defeated officers and soldiers who jumped into the Fuchi River, some mines placed in the river were detonated, blowing many officers and soldiers of the 54th Brigade swimming in the river to pieces.

This morning, the originally clear water of the Fuchi River had been dyed by blood into a turbid yellow-red color. Rotting corpses, broken limbs, and all kinds of weapons and ammunition were floating in the river, colliding with each other and moving slowly forward, emitting a foul stench and bloody smell that reached the sky.

In just one night, the 54th Brigade of the 18th Division, which was deployed on the west bank of the Fuchi River, was quickly defeated by the Japanese army and suffered extremely heavy casualties.

On the east bank of the Fuchi River, at the 18th Division Command Post, the 18th Division Commander Li Fangbin looked pale and sat in a camp chair like a wooden chicken, with his mouth wide open and unable to utter a word for a long time.

Standing in front of him were a major general and two colonels. All three looked ashen and were shivering in their blood-stained and wet military uniforms. Their trousers and cloth leggings on their calves had holes all over them, making them look in a very disheveled state.

The aura emanating from the three men was even more decadent than their attire. There was an air of dejection all over their bodies, and the soldiers' heads, which should have always been held high, drooped weakly.

These three people were none other than Major General Liu Gang, the brigade commander of the 54th Brigade of the 18th Division, Colonel Yuan Nansan, the commander of the 107th Infantry Regiment, and Colonel Xie Shiqing, the commander of the 108th Infantry Regiment.

In the battle last night, the two regiments of the 54th Brigade were completely defeated by the Japanese army's surprise attack, suffered heavy losses, and lost their command. The troops suffered huge losses and casualties. However, the three main officers of the 54th Brigade, including the brigade commander and two regiment commanders, were all saved. Under the protection of the guards, the three of them swam across the Fuchi River at all costs. They finally saved their lives in the defeated army and escaped to the east bank of the Fuchi River.

As for the commander of the 18th Division, Li Fangbin, this mediocre general returned to his old ways after He Wei won the Battle of Banbi Mountain and began to relax his control over the troops and the requirements for combat readiness.

When the sound of gunfire rang out on the west bank of the Fuchi River last night, Li Fangbin panicked and was terrified. He kept using the radio to contact the 54th Brigade on the west bank of the Fuchi River. However, under the powerful offensive of the Japanese army, the 54th Brigade had quickly collapsed, let alone establishing effective battlefield communications with the command post of the 18th Division.

In this way, having lost contact with the 54th Brigade, the commander of the 18th Division, Li Fangbin, spent the whole night at a loss in the command post. It was not until the morning that the frightened Li Fangbin met the three main officers of the 54th Brigade who escaped from the defeated army. However, the news they brought was a heavy blow to Li Fangbin.

Just in the short night of yesterday, the Japanese suddenly landed and attacked and completely defeated the 54th Brigade. A fully-strength infantry brigade of more than 5,000 people was destroyed and dispersed!
After hearing the news, Li Fangbin was shocked and felt like the sky was falling. In shock, he hurriedly asked the three escaped officers about the losses of the 54th Brigade.

But the 54th Brigade suffered a complete defeat last night. The entire unit was in chaos, and they were attacked in the dark night. Commanders at all levels lost control of their troops.

The commander of the 54th Brigade and two regiment commanders who escaped in a hurry were left with only a few guards when they swam to the east bank of the Fuchi River. How could they know the losses of their own troops? In response to Li Fangbin's questions, the three of them could only look at each other in silence.

Li Fangbin was angry and anxious about the three people who knew nothing about anything. He soon became panic-stricken as usual and could not come up with any solution. He could only sigh and be at a loss in the command post.

At this critical moment, thanks to the timely action of Luo Guangwen, deputy commander of the 18th Division, who took over part of the command responsibilities of the division commander Li Fangbin and went to the east bank of the Fuchi River to gather the scattered troops of the 54th Brigade that had crossed the river, the situation was barely stabilized and the normal operation of the 18th Division command post was guaranteed.

As for the commander of the 18th Division, Li Fangbin, who had been frightened by the sudden Japanese attack and the precarious battle situation, he was waiting for the deputy division commander Luo Guangwen in the command post with the three brigade commanders of the 54th Brigade who had escaped by chance.

However, the commander of the 18th Division, Li Fangbin, had no time to think about the defense of the east bank of Fuchikou and how to deal with the Japanese troops that had already occupied the west bank, and he did not perform the duties that a division commander should perform in such a situation.

"Master, I'm back!"

Luo Guangwen, deputy commander of the 18th Division, rushed into the command post and finally woke up Li Fangbin from his trance with a loud shout. Li Fangbin saw that it was Luo Guangwen who went to collect the troops of the 54th Brigade, and asked with a slightly more serious expression: "Guangwen, how is it, how many troops have you collected?"

Luo Guangwen's face darkened, and he said sadly, "We have basically taken them in. The 108th Regiment of the 54th Brigade is in a slightly better situation, taking in 1,700 people. The 107th Regiment suffered heavy losses, taking in only over 1,200 people. There are still a few officers and soldiers retreating to the east coast. It is estimated that no more than 3,000 people from the entire brigade will retreat to the east coast. I have also asked the officers and soldiers who were taken in. The lieutenant colonel of the 107th Regiment was killed, and two battalion commanders have been confirmed dead. At least one battalion commander of the 108th Regiment was also killed, and the rest of the situation is unknown."

After Luo Guangwen finished speaking, Li Fangbin was stunned on the spot. The three brigade commanders of the 54th Brigade standing nearby also looked as desperate as eggplants hit by frost.

A complete, fully equipped, two-regiment infantry brigade with a total strength of more than 5,000 people that had never fought with the Japanese army collapsed in just one night, losing more than 2,000 people in one go. Nearly half of the troops were easily wiped out by the Japanese!
Then, Li Fangbin asked in a trembling voice, "Guangwen, how much equipment and supplies did the troops bring out?"

Luo Guangwen shook his head and said, "The soldiers who retreated to the east bank all swam over. Most of our soldiers are new recruits and lack the awareness of protecting their weapons. They only brought out rifles and some light machine guns. They didn't bring any heavy machine guns, mortars, communication equipment, or ammunition. They were all lost on the west bank."

The 54th Brigade lost nearly half of its personnel and almost all its weapons, which meant that the 54th Brigade had actually lost its combat effectiveness. After listening to Luo Guangwen's report, Li Fangbin immediately paced back and forth in shock, saying repeatedly: "What should we do? What should we do?"

Then, Li Fang's repeated "What should I do?" quickly changed to "Let me think about what to do."

When the officers in the command post saw Li Fangbin start to talk about thinking of countermeasures, they felt relieved. After all, as the commander of the 18th Division, Li Fangbin was the chief officer of a division. If Li Fangbin was still as panicked as he was when he learned that the 54th Brigade was defeated, it would be a disaster. The most taboo thing for a chief officer of a unit is to panic in the face of battle.

Now Li Fangbin can at least calm down and think about how to deal with the enemy, which is considered an improvement. Especially for the deputy division commander Luo Guangwen, who has always been covering for Li Fangbin, he feels "very relieved" to see that his immediate superior has finally begun to shoulder the responsibilities that a division commander should bear. However, what Li Fangbin said next left Luo Guangwen dumbfounded.

Li Fangbin paced around the command post for a few circles, mumbling to himself for five or six minutes, then suddenly stopped and looked at Luo Guangwen, saying, "Guangwen, the commotion on the west bank of the Fuchi River last night was too loud. I'm afraid it can't be hidden from Banbi Mountain, let alone Li Yannian in Tianjia Town. Now our division belongs to Li Yannian's 11th Corps. If Li Yannian tracks us down and asks about the battle last night, I'm afraid we won't be able to explain it directly."

Luo Guangwen was stunned and asked, "What does the Master mean?"

Li Fangbin took a few more steps with his hands behind his back, a sly look in his eyes, and said, "Guangwen, no matter what, we must prepare a countermeasure in advance. How about this, let's prepare a story first, saying that a group of Japanese troops suddenly landed on the west bank of Fuchikou last night and raided our 54th Brigade guarding the west of Fuchi River. The officers and soldiers of our 54th Brigade faced a strong enemy and fought to the death. They held their positions and fought bloody battles. Now they are fighting with the enemy on the west bank of Fuchi River and are trying their best to regain their positions. In short, if the higher-ups ask about what happened last night, we will report it like this. The general meaning is that we are fighting with the Japanese troops who raided the west bank, and the positions on the west bank have not been lost."

"But, Commander, all of our brigade's positions on the west bank have been lost. Reporting this won't be a good idea. This is, this is, this is a lie."

Liu Gang, commander of the 54th Brigade, asked in confusion.

Li Fangbin snorted coldly and said, "If we report it truthfully, I, the division commander, and you, the brigade commander who is directly responsible for the defense of the west bank of the Fuchi River, will probably be punished. If we want to be safe, we can only report it this way for the time being. Anyway, if the higher-ups ask, we can say that the west bank has not been lost and we are in a tug-of-war. In addition, we must quickly mobilize troops here and find a way to launch a counterattack on the west bank. It is best to counterattack the lost positions on the west bank as soon as possible. When we report it, it may be a credit."

After hearing Li Fangbin's explanation, Liu Gang immediately shut up and stopped raising any objections.

What Li Fangbin actually meant was to play a trick to deceive the public and fish in troubled waters. He concealed the military situation from his superiors when the positions on the west bank of Fuchikou were completely captured by the Japanese army and the defenders were defeated by the Japanese army. Instead, he reported a false situation that the positions had not been lost and that the defenders on the west bank were in a fierce battle with the Japanese army.

Then, while concealing the report, they quickly mobilized troops to launch a counterattack on the west bank of the Fuchi River in order to recapture the position as soon as possible, control the situation, and cover up the defeat.

In Li Fangbin's opinion, by doing this, the defeat of the west bank positions lost overnight could be concealed. And if the counterattack on the west bank was successful, perhaps a bad thing could be turned into a good thing, and he could get a reward for his meritorious service in defense!
Li Fangbin is indeed a mediocre general. He is not good at leading troops or being a person. However, he does have a lot of cleverness and wisdom. Especially in times of crisis like now, this kind of person will always take risks and do some opportunistic things when he is forced into a corner.

Now that the 11th Division has lost the west bank of the Fuchi River, Li Fangbin of course knows that the first person responsible is him, the division commander. The th Division currently belongs to the combat sequence of Li Yannian's th Corps. Before this, Li Fangbin had always ignored Li Yannian and had already offended him completely. If Li Yannian knew that his troops had lost the west bank of the Fuchi River, Li Yannian would definitely take advantage of the incident to take revenge on Li Fangbin who had made him suffer repeated setbacks.

Li Fangbin knew very well that if he wanted to keep his position as division commander, or even his life, he had to cover up the defeat in which all the positions on the west bank of the Fuchi River were lost overnight.

There were those who took the lead and there were those who flattered others. Liu Gang, the commander of the 54th Brigade which had lost its position, was still hesitant about Li Fangbin's proposal. But after a reminder from Li Fangbin, Liu Gang knew that once he truthfully reported the loss of the west bank position, he, as the brigade commander in charge of guarding the west bank position, would definitely not end well.

As a result, Liu Gang immediately changed his tone and began to praise Li Fangbin's strategy. Yuan Nansan, the head of the 107th Regiment, and Xie Shiqing, the head of the 108th Regiment, also had the same idea as Liu Gang, so they also followed Liu Gang and echoed Li Fangbin's "brilliant plan."

At this time, Luo Guangwen, the only rational deputy commander of the 18th Division in the command post, frowned and poured cold water on Li Fangbin, saying, "Commander, this is absolutely not allowed. The first principle of military operations is strict discipline, and we must not lie about military intelligence. Now it is a fact that all our positions on the west bank have been lost. If we lie about military intelligence and it affects the overall situation, and then a big mistake is made, won't our division be held more responsible?"

"Besides, the loss of the west bank position cannot be covered up. The Japanese have completely occupied the west bank. Most of my division is new recruits. You should know better than me how strong our troops are. Under the current circumstances, organizing a counterattack on the west bank will only increase casualties. It is best to report the truth. Division commander, please think twice, think twice."

Luo Guangwen burst the bubble of Li Fangbin's brilliant plan with just a few words, but Li Fangbin had lost the ability to think rationally at this time, and was only thinking about how to cover up the defeat and how to reduce his guilt.

He no longer wanted to consider the possible impact of concealing the defeat and lying about military intelligence on the entire war situation, nor whether his so-called counterattack on the west bank of the Fuchi River was feasible.

Li Fangbin said: "Guangwen, this is not considered a false report of military intelligence. If we launch a counterattack and take back the position on the west bank, then the position will still be in our hands."

Luo Guangwen shook his head, sighed, and said anxiously: "Commander, this is not how you fight a war. We must report the truth."

"That's it. I'm the division commander and I have the final say. Guangwen, quickly draft the telegram and the draft report according to my ideas in case of emergency. After drafting, you will immediately gather the troops of the 54th Brigade and the troops of the 52nd Brigade on the east coast will also be under your command. Quickly organize a counterattack on the west coast."

Li Fangbin waved his hand and said impatiently.

Seeing that his persuasion was useless, Luo Guangwen's face turned cold. After standing at attention, he said to Li Fangbin in a deep voice: "Master, I still insist on my opinion. If you do this, it will cause big trouble. If you still insist on your own opinion, then I have nothing to say, but I will not carry out your orders. Please seek other help."

Seeing that Luo Guangwen, the deputy division commander, actually refused to carry out his orders, Li Fangbin immediately flew into a rage and pointed at Luo Guangwen and cursed: "Okay, okay, you actually dared to disobey orders."

Luo Guangwen said coldly: "If I carry out your order today, I will be unworthy of being a soldier of the Party and the country."

Seeing that Luo Guangwen refused to buy his words, Li Fangbin stopped talking and turned to Liu Gang, the commander of the 54th Brigade, and said, "Commander Liu, you will draft the report telegram and telephone report according to my instructions. Commander Yuan and Commander Xie, quickly gather your troops and prepare for a counterattack on the west bank."

"Yes!"

"Yes! Commander, we must prepare for the counterattack as soon as possible."

Liu, Yuan and Xie, the three defeated generals who had just lost their positions, all knew that Li Fangbin's false reporting of military intelligence would be of great benefit to them. Naturally, they carried out Li Fangbin's orders 200%, and immediately rushed to carry them out after receiving the orders.

Deputy Division Commander Luo Guangwen was angry, and even more furious at Li Fangbin and Liu Gang for not fighting back. In a fit of anger, he snorted a few words and walked out of the command post.

When Li Fangbin saw that his brilliant plan had been deployed and executed, he let out a long sigh of relief, and even had a faint feeling of complacency that he was full of clever plans and quick wits, and that he even had a brilliant plan of his own. Not only did he completely ignore the various loopholes in his plan, he even threw the principle of keeping things secret, and completely forgot that his series of plans and discussions that should have not been seen in the light were carried out in front of many officers and soldiers in the command post.

All I can say is that sometimes when people are trying to be clever, they are actually being completely stupid. This sentence is the best description of Li Fangbin's behavior at this moment.

Just as Li Fangbin was feeling proud of his so-called plan, he did not notice that in the corner of the command post, a captain with a sneer on his face was looking at him as if he were a fool, and then quietly left the command post of the 18th Division.

(End of this chapter)