Zhu Tian: Beginning to Cross the Changjin Lake

Chen Chaozhang's 54st Regiment of the Provisional th Division made great contributions by blocking the Japanese invaders at Xiaozhu Mountain and successfully covering the retreat of the troops, and was commended by the military.

Li Guotao and Yang Jihe led their troops, escorting a large amount of spoils, and temporarily retreated to Hengyang City for rest.

After making arrangements for his brothers, Li Guotao could finally have a good rest.

At this time, Li Guotao suddenly remembered that he still had one chance to draw a lottery.

I got the third chance to draw the lottery last night, but at that time Li Guotao was leading his troops to attack the Japanese camp, so Li Guotao didn't have time to draw the lottery.

Now that he had some free time, Li Guotao quickly opened the system page.

"Start the lottery immediately!"

Li Guotao gave instructions to the system without hesitation.

【Lottery starts! Please wait...】

The crisp system prompt sounded, and Li Guotao's heart was full of anticipation, hoping to be able to withdraw more troops so that he could achieve greater results in the subsequent counterattack.

[Ding Dong~! Congratulations to the host for successfully drawing the Qu Hu Yuan Xueyong company with a total of 200 soldiers from the Chinese Brotherhood world. ]

The crisp system prompt sound rang again.

There are two companies, Qu Hu and Yuan Xueyong, with a total strength of two hundred people, which is relatively good.

Chinese Band of Brothers! Li Guotao had some understanding of the plot. He knew that the soldiers of these two companies were also elite troops. The strength of these two hundred troops should not be underestimated.

Thinking of this, Li Guotao was also very excited.

This is only the third day, and there are still forty-four chances to draw lots. If we can draw two hundred people each time, or even more troops, then in the end we will be able to draw a force of at least tens of thousands of people.

With so many troops, it would become much easier to launch a counterattack or breakout.

Thinking of this, Li Guotao felt completely relieved. In the next period of time, Li Guotao only needed to lead the troops and survive the next forty days of hell.

Of course, during this period of time, Li Guotao also had to try his best to ensure that the defenders reduced casualties and retained as many troops as possible, so that he could achieve greater results in the future counterattack.

Li Guotao was basically busy for a whole day and night. He was a little tired now. After finally getting some time to rest, Li Guotao quickly fell asleep and had a sound sleep.

However, in the 10th Army headquarters, there was a tense atmosphere at this moment.

Commander Fang stared at the sand table in front of him with a frown on his face.

The chief of staff, Sun Mingyu, pointed at the sand table and said, "According to the latest intelligence, the main forces of the 116th and 68th divisions of the Japanese army arrived in Hengyang from the south and went around to the west of Hengyang. They have now formed an encirclement of Hengyang."

"Our retreat has been basically cut off by the Japanese, and judging by the current situation, the Japanese are actively preparing to launch a full-scale attack."

Commander Fang frowned and said, "What is coming will eventually come. The real battle has just begun."

Sun Mingyu went on to say: "And according to what we know, the main forces of the Japanese 11th Army are on their way south, gradually deploying around Hengyang to block our reinforcements."

"Judging from this trend, the Japanese are determined to capture Hengyang."

Commander Fang said: "It's not just Hengyang. According to the current trend, they want to open up the entire continent's transportation line."

"As the war situation develops, the Japanese are already on the decline, especially their navy has been severely damaged, making it impossible for them to fully support the Japanese troops in Southeast Asia."

"That's why they wanted to open up the mainland transportation line from north to south, all the way to Southeast Asia, so that they could support the Japanese invaders in Southeast Asia through the land transportation line."

"So they must take Hengyang and continue southward to attack Guangxi until they have completely penetrated the north and south."

"What we have to do now is to stop them with all our strength and make sure they are kept in Hengyang to ensure the safety of Hengyang City."

Sun Mingyu sighed slightly and said, "But now we are fighting alone. Although the whole army has four divisions, the number of troops is relatively small, with a total of less than 20,000 people."

"The Japanese troops directly attacking Hengyang from the 68th and 116th Divisions alone are estimated to number as many as , and there are even more Japanese troops coordinating in the surrounding areas."

"And now they have surrounded Hengyang. It is difficult for us to get enough reinforcements. But the enemy is different. They can get support continuously."

"So it is extremely difficult for us to defend Hengyang."

Commander Fang said seriously, "But we have no choice now. We must defend the city with all our strength and hold on as long as we can. I believe the summit will dispatch reinforcements to support us."

"As long as we can hold on and defend Hengyang City, we will eventually be able to defeat the Japanese."

“I believe we will win this battle.”

Commander Fang paused for a moment, then said, "Immediately send a message to the 190th Division and the Provisional 54th Division in Jiangdong. Tell them to hold on until dark, cross the Xiangjiang River under the cover of darkness, and retreat to Hengyang City."

"Yes!"

A staff officer nearby responded quickly and turned around to convey the order.

Abandoning the Jiangdong region and concentrating troops to defend Hengyang was actually a strategy that had been determined long ago.

The previous purpose of holding out in Jiangdong was mainly to delay time and distract the enemy's attention.

However, it seems that the Japanese were well prepared and did not use their main forces in this direction. Instead, they directly sent the main forces of the 116th Division and the 68th Division to bypass from the south and formed an encirclement of Hengyang.

However, Jiangdong's blocking was not useless. At least it killed a lot of Japanese soldiers and seized a large amount of spoils, which greatly boosted the morale of the defenders.

Especially Li Guotao and his team's performance was quite outstanding.

Thinking of this, Commander Fang specifically instructed: "When the 190th Division retreats, let the 190th Division serve as the reserve force of the entire army, especially Yang Jihe and Li Guotao's 568th Regiment. Such an elite force must be used properly."

Sun Mingyu nodded and said, "I think it's mainly because Li Guotao is really amazing. If it weren't for him, the 568th Regiment would never have achieved such a brilliant victory."

Commander Fang nodded and said, "Li Guotao is indeed a talented guy."

"Not only is he strong enough, but he also knows how to use his brain in a war. He is truly a rare talent."

"Where are they now?"

Sun Mingyu said: "They have retreated to the city and are resting. They fought all night last night and traveled dozens of miles back and forth. They are really exhausted."

"According to the commander's instructions, we have sent them a batch of wine and meat to reward them."

Commander Fang nodded with satisfaction and said, "Let them rest first. Let them serve as a reserve force and be ready to go to the front at any time." "If I'm not mistaken, the Japanese will probably launch a full-scale general offensive today."

Sun Mingyu frowned and said, "There is no movement at the moment."

Commander Fang said thoughtfully: "Maybe in the afternoon. I guess the Japanese want to end the battle quickly and don't want to waste too much time."

"Order the 3rd Division and the th Reserve Division to hold their defensive positions. If the Japanese dare to attack, they must be stopped to ensure the safety of the positions."

"Yes!"

In order to defend Hengyang City, the 10th Army has been making preparations.

Commander Fang and his men had guessed before that the main attack direction of the Japanese would probably be in the south or west of the city, so a large number of defensive fortifications were built in these two directions, and there was also sufficient terrain to rely on.

Judging from the current situation, there will be no problem at all as long as we hold these positions and resist the Japanese for a period of time.

……

At the same time, the Japanese 11th Army Headquarters also held an emergency military meeting.

Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama, commander of the 11th Army, stared at the sand table in front of him with a serious expression.

The Chief of Staff, Major General Kunio Kosono, pointed to the sand table and said, "Commander, the 68th Division and the 116th Division have already formed an encirclement of Hengyang according to the original plan, and the progress is relatively smooth."

"It's just that the 57th Brigade encountered stubborn resistance from the enemy in the area east of the Xiangjiang River, suffered defeat and incurred heavy losses."

"Bagaya Deer~!"

Yokoyama Isamu couldn't help but curse: "Shima Genkichi is such an idiot. He has completely disgraced the locust army."

"Hai~! Commander, calm down." Kosono Kunio carefully advised: "I think this cannot be blamed entirely on Shima-kun."

"The enemy had obviously made preparations in advance and sent elite troops to the Leishui and Xiangjiang areas to use the terrain to block the locust army and consume its manpower."

"They want to lure us into launching a general attack from the east, deploying the main force in the area east of the Xiangjiang River and attacking Hengyang."

"But the commander is too wise to be fooled by them."

Hengshan Yong nodded slightly and said: "To the east of Hengyang is the Xiangjiang River and the Leishui River. The terrain is restricted and it cannot be used as the main attack direction."

"There is Zhengshui to the north of Hengyang. It is not wise to attack from the north."

"To the south and west, there are low mountains in both directions. As long as we take these highlands outside the city, Hengyang City will be within our grasp."

Kosono Kunio responded respectfully: "Your Excellency the Commander is right. Hengyang City is just a small city, much smaller than Changsha. Now that we have concentrated so many troops, it will be easy to capture this small city."

Yokoyama Isamu nodded slightly and said, "But this 10th Army still has some combat effectiveness."

Yokoyama Isamu had also experienced the combat effectiveness of the 10th Army before. During the Battle of Changde, the 10th Army fought desperately to rescue Changde and broke through the Japanese resistance one after another. Its powerful combat effectiveness left a deep impression on Yokoyama Isamu.

At this time, Kosono Kunio said: "Commander, don't worry. According to the intelligence we have, since the Battle of Changde, the enemy's 10th Army has suffered heavy losses and has not received sufficient reinforcements."

"Their strength is not as good as before, and their combat effectiveness is naturally not the same as before."

Yokoyama Isamu waved his hand and said, "Don't underestimate the enemy. Although Shima Genkichi is incompetent, the combat effectiveness of the 57th Brigade is still not weak. However, it has been repeatedly hit hard by the enemy. This is enough to show that the combat effectiveness of the enemy's 10th Army is still very strong and should not be underestimated."

Kosono Kunio said thoughtfully: "In my humble opinion, the enemy should have concentrated its main forces. In order to win the first battle, all the elite forces were mobilized to deal with Shima-kun's 57th Brigade. This is why this situation occurred."

Yokoyama Yong nodded slightly and said, "Yoshi, I can't rule out this possibility."

Kosono Kunio pointed to the sand table and said, "In addition to the 116th Division and the 68th Division, the th Independent Brigade is responsible for the security mission between Hengyang and Hengshan."

"The 13th Division is responsible for the security mission in the area east of Hengyang, mainly monitoring the main force of the enemy's 9th War Zone to prevent them from reinforcing Hengyang."

"The follow-up troops are also continuously advancing southwards. In addition, we have assigned a 68nd Field Artillery Regiment to the 116th Division and the 122th Division that are attacking the city, and there is also a chemical warfare unit on the way to the front line."

"And the enemy troops in Hengyang only have about 10,000 remnants. It is simply wishful thinking to defend a small city like Hengyang."

"Yoshi~!"

Yokoyama nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very good. This 10th Army is the enemy's elite force, known as the Taishan Army."

"Now they have been surrounded by us in Hengyang. They can't escape even if they want to."

"If we can take advantage of this opportunity to completely wipe out this so-called Taishan Army, it will certainly be a heavy blow to the enemy's morale."

Kosono Kunio said respectfully, "Your Excellency the Commander is right."

Yokoyama Yong stared at the sand table in front of him and said seriously: "Immediately order the 116th Division and the 68th Division to launch a general attack on Hengyang City."

"I ask them to strive to capture Hengyang City within three days and completely annihilate the 10th Army of the enemy. They must be completely annihilated in Hengyang City and not a single one can be allowed to escape."

"Hayi~!"

Kosono Kunio responded respectfully.

Yokoyama Yong turned around and asked, "Young Sonoe-kun, three days should be enough, right?"

Kosono Kunio quickly responded, "I also think that three days is enough to capture Hengyang."

"Yoshi~!"

Hengshan Yong nodded with satisfaction and said, "Three days later, if we can hang the head of General Fang on the top of Hengyang City for public display, it will definitely give the enemy the greatest deterrent effect."

"Send the order immediately."

"Hayi~!"

Major General Kosono Kunio responded respectfully and turned to convey the order.

At this moment, Yokoyama Yong is also full of confidence and is confident of defeating Hengyang City.

After all, they had mobilized superior forces this time, and Hengyang was just an isolated city, and the 10th Army was just a group of defeated soldiers. Yokoyama Isamu did not think they had the ability to stop the fierce attack of the elite main force of the Japanese 11th Army. (End of this chapter)