The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 506: The Chinese and Japanese Armies Are About to Collide in the Storm

The Japanese military has always done a very good job in intelligence work on the Chinese military. Its advanced and detailed intelligence work has basically kept the Chinese military's deployment in a unilateral blank state facing the Japanese military. This campaign in southern Guangxi is no exception.

In preparation for the Qinzhou Bay landing attack, the Japanese army did a lot of intelligence work in advance, including the collection of landing naval hydrological data, the detection of telegrams sent and received by the Chinese army, the redeployment of various Chinese military units, and the situation of the chief officers of each unit. The Japanese army conducted strict and detailed investigations on all of them.

Therefore, Ando Toshiyoshi is well aware of the current situation of the Chinese military troops deployed in southern Guangxi, and most of these troops are not enough to attract Ando Toshiyoshi's excessive attention. The main forces of the Chinese army stationed in southern Guangxi are the 31st Army and the 46th Army of the Guangxi local troops. The 31st Army is a broken army withdrawn from the Anhui battlefield and suffered heavy losses. According to intelligence, the unit has not yet recovered. Although the 46th Army is relatively intact, most of its subordinate troops are newly formed, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

What really caught his attention was a troop called the "Advance Detachment into Guangxi" that had recently arrived in Guangxi. This troop was not a local army of Guangxi, but a standard troop of Chiang's Central Army. Its subordinate main units were the 200th Division of the Chinese Army and the Army Assault Corps.

Among them, the 200th Division is a combat unit within the Chinese Army's so-called 5th Mechanized Army. It should not be underestimated and must be given great attention. The so-called assault corps is even more frightening to Ando Toshiyoshi.

After reading through the intelligence investigation, Ando Rikichi learned that this assault corps was not a central army unit with a long history at all. This unit seemed to have suddenly emerged from the ground. Its earliest traceable history was actually a small unit of the 10th Division of the 14th Army of the Chinese Army during the so-called Battle of Xinkou. It was this unit that inflicted a devastating blow to the 16th Infantry Regiment in the Battle of Xinkou and seized the 16th Regiment's flag, making it the greatest shame in the history of the Imperial Army.

Afterwards, this unit was further expanded and participated in the Nanjing Campaign. It was also this unit that inflicted a devastating and annihilating blow to the 41st Regiment of the Fifth Division at Xiaguan in Nanjing.

And this is far from over.

On the eve of the Battle of Wuhan, this unit was expanded again and was given the designation of the Army Assault Corps.

During the Battle of Wuhan, it was this unit that annihilated the brigade-level unit of the Hata Detachment at the strategic pass of the Yangtze River, Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town, sank naval warships, and severely damaged the Marines attacking along the river.

The appearance and combat record of this army were so bizarre that Ando Rikichi instinctively did not believe it was real. What made him feel even more bizarre was the chief officer of this Army Assault Corps.

The commander of this Chinese Army assault corps was actually just a 1937-year-old young officer named He Wei, who had just graduated from the 11th class of the Central Army Officers School in Jinling, also known as the 11th class of Whampoa Military Academy in the Chinese military, when the Chinese Incident just began in . Not only was he young, but his education level was only the junior officer training education at the Central Military Academy. In the Japanese Army, officers of this level of education and age could only serve as second lieutenants or lieutenant squad leaders.

This person did not have any wealthy family background. His native place was Fengtian, the capital of the LN province in the "Manchuria" region. During the Manchurian Incident in 1931, he was just an ordinary Manchurian high school student. After the incident, he left Manchuria and went into exile in the interior. Then, like many "Manchurian" youths who went into exile in the interior, he applied for the Central Military Academy of the Chiang Kai-shek faction.

It can be said that there are countless Whampoa Military Academy graduates and junior officers like him in the Chinese army. However, it is such a young officer with ordinary resume and no background who has repeatedly dealt serious blows to the Imperial Army and personally killed countless officers and soldiers of the Imperial Army.

After learning about this man's background, Ando Rikichi had to admit that this young officer in the Chinese army was able to achieve such results thanks to his excellent command ability.

Therefore, when he learned that this "Army Assault Corps" appeared in the battle sequence of the Chinese army in southern Guangxi, Ando Riji still felt a little uneasy, especially since the Fifth Division under his command had suffered a great loss at the hands of He Wei, which also cast a shadow on the unexpected and vigorous landing operation commanded by Ando Riji, as well as the subsequent Nanning attack operation.

Although according to intelligence, the Chinese Army's Army Assault Corps is only a force with a total strength of less than 18 people and was only recently expanded, the troops under Anten Rikichi's command include not only the 38th Division and the Guards Mixed Brigade that will be used in the Qinzhou landing operation, but also the 104th Division, 106th Division, th Division and th Division in Guangdong. He can also dispatch one or two of them at any time and send them to southern Guangxi by sea transport to reinforce.

With the power at his disposal, it seemed that this assault corps was nothing to be afraid of, but Anten Riji still remained rational and clear-headed. Such a small force that had caused serious losses to the Imperial Army must not be taken lightly. If the enemy was underestimated, this Chinese army might cause the Imperial Army to fall.

This assault team must be given extreme attention!
Ando Rikichi looked through the porthole of the conference room at the endless sea, and repeatedly reviewed the Qinzhou Bay landing operation plan that had been formulated in his mind. After a moment, Ando Rikichi called his staff and issued an order to modify the operation plan.

To be precise, an order was added to the already formulated Qinzhou landing and Nanning attack plan of the 21st Army - "Make the Chinese Army's Army Assault Corps the primary target of attack, give priority to attack and annihilate it."

At the same time that Anten Liji gave orders to He Wei and the assault corps, He Wei's forward troops also took quick action. After agreeing on the battle plan with Dai Anlan, He Wei quickly set out with the forward troops under his command and rushed to Qinzhou and Longmen at the speed of a combat readiness march. After all the troops were transported, He Wei immediately contacted the local garrison.

He Wei first established contact with the local Guangxi 46th Army and visited the headquarters of the 46th Army. The army's lieutenant general He Xuan also warmly received He Wei. The actions of the forward troops led by He Wei had been reported to the Guilin Headquarters, and the Guilin Headquarters informed the 46th Army. Therefore, although the two armies were from different factions, the 46th Army did not show any abnormality towards the arrival of He Wei's Central Army troops.

On the contrary, the 46th Army warmly welcomed and entertained this friendly Central Army force, and did not show any estrangement or grudges between factions.

He Wei also learned about the deployment of local garrisons. As He Wei had expected, the coastal defense forces in Longmen and Qinzhou were indeed very weak. The national army's coastal defense forces in Qinzhou and Beihai consisted of only two divisions of the 46th Army of the Guangxi Clique.

Among them, the headquarters of the 46th Army was stationed in Qinzhou, and its subordinate 175th Division was responsible for guarding the coastal defense in the Beihai area and was stationed in Hepu and Lingshan areas near Beihai. The newly formed 19th Division guarded the coastal defense in Qinzhou and Fangchenggang areas. The two divisions were dispersed along the coastlines in their garrison areas, guarding the long coastal defense. Their troop density and garrison strength were extremely insufficient.

The 175th Division responsible for guarding the Beihai coastal defense was a new unit established in late 19 and had little practical experience. The new th Division guarding Qinzhou and Fangchenggang was a new unit established just last year and its combat effectiveness was relatively average.

Under the possible heavy attack of the Japanese army, it is obviously impossible to resist using such a force to guard Qinzhou and the coastal defense of Beihai.

After understanding the basic defense situation and after consulting with the 46th Army, He Wei led his troops directly to Qinzhou and Fangchenggang, where the newly formed 19th Division was stationed. As for why he did this, the answer is very simple. According to his memory, in another time and space, the Japanese army launched a landing operation in the defense zone of the newly formed 19th Division.

The troops under He Wei's command are not small. Almost all the members of the assault corps, except for the artillery battalion, have arrived. In addition, there is Zhao Huzhen's 1st Tank Battalion and a tank repair team. The total strength is nearly people, and they are equipped with a large amount of heavy firepower, vehicles, tanks, etc.

However, these troops were only a drop in the bucket for the long coastline between Qinzhou and Beihai. He Wei would not, and could not, disperse his troops along the long coastline to guard against the Japanese landing. Even if he did so, it would not have any effect. Once the troops were dispersed, the combat effectiveness would also be dispersed. As the saying goes, setting up defenses everywhere is equal to not defending anywhere. He Wei also roughly remembered the landing site of the Japanese army in another time and space, so He Wei naturally concentrated all his forces and waited for the Japanese army to land in the defense zone of the newly formed 19th Division.

He Wei's approach can be said to be like a time traveler's cheat, but it is not without risks. After all, with the arrival of this little butterfly, many things in this time and space have changed. He Wei cannot be sure that the Japanese army will land at the time and place he remembers, but he can only take this gamble.

In order to completely defend the coastline of Qinzhou and Beihai, it is necessary to send another army up, but this is obviously unrealistic. Therefore, He Wei can only adopt this gambling tactic, waiting at a fixed location for the landing Japanese army to crash into him.

On November 11, in Qinzhou and Longmen, violent winds and rain came in waves from the coastline. The fierce winds and heavy rains mixed together, roaring and whistling, wreaking havoc on the coastline around Qinzhou and Fangchenggang.

The weather suddenly changed. Strong winds pulled up dark clouds all over the sky, sweeping and raging like an army attacking a city, destroying everything in its path and invincible.

In a civilian house that served as a temporary command post for the assault corps, He Wei sat on a camp chair, looking out the window at the rain outside thoughtfully, while thinking about the current situation in his heart.

The heavy rain poured down with the help of the strong wind. The bean-sized raindrops fell like a torrential rain, covering the sky and the earth. The sound of wind and rain mixed together, incessantly, even covering up the conversations of the assault corps staff in the command post and the ringing of telephones from various departments reporting on the situation.

The dark clouds and bad weather really make people feel depressed.

After He Wei led his troops to the defense zone of the newly formed 19th Division, he still conducted a handover with the newly formed 19th Division first. Since most of the elite troops of the Gui Army with strong combat effectiveness were fighting in other provinces, most of the garrisons in the province were new troops, and the same was true for the newly formed 19th Division.

What disappointed He Wei even more was that this unit was not only new and had limited combat effectiveness, but also had very lax combat readiness and very weak combat readiness awareness.

The only thing that made He Wei feel relieved was that this division showed a very friendly attitude towards He Wei's troops. They did not have any defensiveness or vigilance, and they cooperated with He Wei's defense work. After He Wei inquired openly and secretly, he learned that it was the New Guangxi Clique that had issued orders to the Guangxi troops in these provinces, requiring them not to conflict with the Central Army troops entering Guangxi. Therefore, there was a scene of cooperation between the host and guest armies.

In terms of defense, the newly formed 19th Division, with the strength of a division, was responsible for the defense of the entire area west of Qinzhou Bay. The division had three infantry regiments and one supplementary regiment. The three infantry regiments were lined up in a row, scattered along the coastline, and built relatively solid fortifications. The supplementary regiment, division headquarters, and directly affiliated troops were deployed in deep areas far away from the coastline.

Compared with the defense it was responsible for, although the new 19th Division was well-rested and relied on strong fortifications to hold its ground, its manpower was not sufficient and its combat effectiveness was relatively weak. Once the Japanese army launched a sudden landing operation, it would be difficult for the New 19th Division to withstand the sharp attack of the Japanese army.

After He Wei led his troops to the scene, he immediately took the staff of the assault corps for an on-site investigation. Through careful analysis and combined with his memory as a time traveler, He Wei quickly identified two possible landing sites for the Japanese army. One was Qisha on the west coast, and the other was Longmen on the east coast. As for where exactly the Japanese army would land, He Wei could not be sure.

Moreover, the Japanese army may not only open one landing point. It is also very likely that they will open landing sites in two places at the same time to launch landing operations.

He Wei also made corresponding deployments based on this. On the one hand, he communicated with the new 19th Division, hoping that the troops deployed in these two places would be more vigilant. On the other hand, he quickly formulated a combat plan for the assault corps.

According to He Wei's guess, the landing Japanese troops must have powerful naval and air force fire cover, and every soldier and every gun in his hands are precious. Moreover, he has a complete tank battalion and other mobile armored forces at hand. In this case, he absolutely cannot deploy the forces at hand too close to the coastline to undertake the task of filling the line and guarding. Otherwise, he will suffer heavy losses under the fire attack of the Japanese naval and air force, and the mobility advantage of his armored forces will not be able to be brought into play.

Based on this principle, his combat plan was roughly divided into three stages. The first part was to attack the enemy on the beach, that is, to launch a joint infantry and tank counterattack against the Japanese army in the landing stage when the Japanese army launched a landing, and to inflict heavy damage on them as much as possible during the landing stage.

The second stage is the battle of attrition stage. After the Japanese army lands, they will inevitably attack the New 19th Division troops defending along the coastline. At that time, He Wei will command his troops to cooperate with the New 19th Division in defense. The New 19th Division will rely on the existing positions to fight with the Japanese army in terms of attrition and lives, while his troops will flexibly support the New 19th Division.

He Wei also knew very well that with the troops that the Japanese army would deploy and the situation of the New 19th Division, the New 19th Division's defense line would be broken through by the Japanese army sooner or later, and the coastal defense line would certainly not be able to be held. When the New 19th Division could no longer support and began to retreat, and the battle line was in chaos, He Wei would give full play to the advantages of his armored forces and wait for an opportunity to bite the Japanese hard. It would be best to fight a war of annihilation and deal a heavy blow to the Japanese army.

After making a battle plan, He Wei ordered the three infantry battalions of the assault corps to rotate daily, with one battalion assigned a tank company as a mobile patrol force to patrol and guard the coastline between Qisha and Longmen every day. The troops not participating in the patrol rested and stood by in the deep areas far away from the coastline, ready to join the battle at any time.

After making the above arrangements, He Wei sat back and waited day after day like a fisherman, waiting for the Japanese attack and the arrival of the Japanese army.

To be honest, for Yu Hewei, this feeling of waiting was not good, because there was indeed an element of gambling in his battle plan, and he could not guarantee that the actions of the Japanese army would be within his expectations. The sudden bad weather added a touch of gloom to his mood.

This kind of horrible weather is annoying, but what's more important is that it is really not conducive to combat. Apart from anything else, the observation posts near the coastline are basically useless in this kind of weather.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and rain poured down like pillars. With a "crack", a big tree in the distance outside the house, which was so big that two people could hug together, broke instantly. Immediately, the branches and leaves danced wildly and rustled. He Wei looked at the mess on the ground and couldn't help but frowned.

"Captain, have some tea to warm yourself up."

At this time, Wang Yuanling, chief of staff of the assault corps, handed over a bowl of freshly brewed hot tea, but he was very calm.

There was no way. Only He Wei, the time traveler, knew that the Japanese army would launch a landing operation in Qinzhou Bay soon. Although Wang Yuanling was also stepping up preparations, he could not predict the imminent Japanese offensive, let alone He Wei's worries and concerns about the combat plan. Therefore, his mentality was naturally much calmer, and he could also feel He Wei's anxiety and doubts in the past few days.

He Wei nodded and took a sip of tea. The hot water flowed down his throat into his stomach. He Wei's body suddenly became warm, and his brows relaxed. His eyes left the messy branches on the ground, and after exhaling a breath of hot air, he turned to look at the sky covered with dark clouds, with no end in sight.
(End of this chapter)