Anti-Japanese War: I have unlimited assistance

Chapter 118 Everyone dies in despair?

In Yangjia Village, the division headquarters and headquarters.

"The 771st and 772nd Regiments have completely wiped out the Japanese baggage train, transport convoy, and combat troops, and are currently rescuing the wounded and transporting combat supplies."

"The Independent Regiment and the New Third Regiment have completely wiped out the Japanese cavalry that entered the ambush circle. A large number of Japanese infantry reinforcements have arrived at Songqu Village."

The second battle report made both the commander and the division commander very satisfied.

This kid Li Yunlong turned the blocking battle into an annihilation battle and came up with new tricks.

You know, this battle is not about besieging a point and attacking reinforcements, but mainly about surrounding and eating up the Japanese's baggage train.

But then, the blocking force sent back the latest news:
"The Japanese reinforcements used poison gas bombs, but the blocking positions were still in our hands."

"Japanese planes bombed the New 769st Regiment, the th Regiment, the Special Forces Regiment, and other blocking positions. The enemy in the west has captured Songqu Village, and in the east has reached Dahankou."

This made the division commander, the chief and the deputy chief of general staff all look solemn.

There is no way around it. The Japanese weapons and equipment are really too good.

There were aircraft support in the sky, mountain and field artillery and howitzers on the ground, and the Japanese even used poison gas bombs during the battle.

According to the original battle plan, the troops have already retreated.

Who could have imagined that the troops could encircle the Japanese division headquarters? This was also an unexpected situation, and no one had anticipated it beforehand.

The Deputy Chief of General Staff said solemnly, "The casualties are too great. Why not have Li Yunlong and his men withdraw from the battle? Once Li Yunlong and his men withdraw, the blocking troops should also withdraw immediately. The transport team and the troops of the 771st and 772nd Regiments have already taken their supplies to a safe place."

Many military horses and mules were also killed in the battle, which provided fresh meat.

However, the troops' transportation capacity was limited, and they could only take away the wounded and captured supplies.

The chief paced back and forth, frowning and not answering.

It was as if he didn't hear what the Deputy Chief of General Staff said.

The leader suddenly stopped and asked in a deep voice, "What time is it now?"

The Deputy Chief of General Staff rolled up his sleeves and checked his watch. "It's 5:12. There are about 20 minutes until dark. It's been three hours since the ambush began."

The division commander stared at the map, his eyes flashed, and he said nothing.

The current situation is not optimistic for the Eighth Route Army.

Judging from the map, the nearest Japanese reinforcements were the 39th Japanese Brigade that attacked Dahankou, which was only about 3 kilometers away from Hufeng Village.

After dropping their bombs, the Japanese planes returned to the airport. By night, they were unable to provide air support.

But the Japanese infantry were already furious and continued to use poison gas bombs to attack the Eighth Route Army's blocking positions.

Once the blocking troops were penetrated by the Japanese using poison gas bombs, the main forces of the 686th Regiment, the 769th Battalion of the New st Regiment and the rd Battalion of the th Regiment that were attacking the Japanese division headquarters would be surrounded on both sides by the main forces of the two Japanese brigades.

By then, Li Yunlong, Cheng Shifa and others...

"Wait another 20 minutes!"

Suddenly, the leader stopped and said in a firm tone:
"If we still haven't destroyed the Japanese 20th Division Headquarters after 20 minutes, we'll order a retreat!"

It is obvious that the leader has also taken this into consideration.

The troops suffered heavy casualties and were in danger of being surrounded and eaten by the Japanese.

but!

This opportunity is really rare. If we can capture the Japanese division headquarters and kill the Japanese division commander, it will be of great importance to the entire anti-Japanese war situation. For any Chinese, it will be like a shot in the arm.

The division commander nodded: "After dark, it will be easier for the troops to retreat and quickly break contact with the Japanese."

At this moment, the head of the headquarters communications department suddenly hurried in with a happy look on his face.

"Reporting to the commander, the division commander, and the deputy chief of staff," the communications chief exclaimed with a beaming expression. "Good news! Terrible news!"

"What great news?" The deputy chief of general staff asked subconsciously, "Has the Japanese division headquarters been destroyed?" The chief and the division commander stared at the communications chief, their eyes shining with anticipation. At this time, this was the only great news.

"That's right!" The communications chief looked excited, nodded, and said loudly, "It's done! We just received a radio call from the New 686st Regiment. The 769th Regiment, the New 20st Regiment's th Battalion, and the th Regiment's rd Battalion captured two Japanese machine gun positions on the left and right sides of Hufeng Village and then attacked from all sides. They successfully wiped out the Japanese th Division headquarters and killed the Japanese division commander. The troops are currently retreating along the original planned route."

"Great!"

"Good job!"

"..."

The chief, division commander and deputy chief of general staff were all overjoyed.

The combat staff at the headquarters were also cheering.

The commander looked at the head of the communications section and said, "Pass my order. Inform all blocking forces of this news and order them to retreat immediately!"

"Yes!"

The communications chief saluted, turned around and walked out quickly.

After the communications chief left, the commander looked at the deputy chief of general staff and said, "Hey, draft a telegram immediately and send it to YA to make the YA chiefs happy."

The division commander said, "Should we verify it before reporting it?"

"No need," the commander said with a smile. "Li Yunlong always likes to discount the amount of weapons and ammunition he reports, but he has never made a mistake in reporting the results of his battles."

Last time, Li Yunlong earned 36 mountain cannons, but reported that he only earned 30 and handed over 30.

As a result, when the commander of the headquarters arrived at the new regiment, he found that there were 36 75mm Forbos mountain guns.

As he was speaking, the Deputy Chief of General Staff had quickly drafted a telegram and handed it to the Communications Department to send out.

Then the headquarters also began to pack up the map and prepare to retreat to Liao County and Wuxiang area.

……

Beiping.

Japanese North China Front Headquarters.

War Room.

The atmosphere in the entire operations hall has become extremely solemn.

The 20th Division Headquarters was surrounded by the Chinese Eighth Route Army in Hufeng Village, Zhanshang Town, Shanxi Province, and the situation was extremely critical.

This made the hearts of General Terauchi Hisaichi, commander of the North China Front Army, Major General Okabe Naosaburo, and a number of high-ranking officials and staff members suddenly hang in the balance.

If something happened to the 20th Division Headquarters or the 20th Division Commander, it would have a huge impact on the morale of the entire 20th Division and even the entire North China Front Army. It would definitely boost the morale of the Chinese army and destroy the prestige of the Japanese army.

As the other Japanese troops were unable to quench their thirst, they could only hope that the 39th and 40th Brigades could get to Hufeng Village as soon as possible, and then quickly mobilize the Eighth Route Army in the Hufeng Village area to rescue the besieged 20th Division commander and division staff.

Terauchi Juichi stared at Hufeng Village on the map for a long time, then asked without turning his head, "Okabe-kun, what time is it?"

Major General Okabe Naosaburo looked at his Swiss gold watch and immediately said, "Your Excellency, it's five-eighteen."

"Five-eighteen," Terauchi Juichi said gravely, "The 20th Division Headquarters has been surrounded in Hufeng Village for nearly three hours. Haven't the 3th and 39th Brigades arrived in Hufeng Village yet?"

"Hey!" Okabe Naozaburo said bravely, "Reinforcements should be arriving soon!"

"Your Excellency Commander!"

At this moment, a Japanese communications staff officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel walked in quickly and reported:
"The 39th and 40th Brigades just reported that the Eighth Route Army has retreated, and the two brigade commanders are personally leading reinforcements to Hufeng Village at the fastest speed!"

Terauchi Juichi and Okabe Naosaburo's hearts suddenly tightened.

At present, the radio signal of the 20th Division Headquarters has been interrupted.

Was the retreat at this time due to the Eighth Route Army being unable to withstand the heavy casualties, or was it because the entire 20th Division Headquarters had been annihilated?

(End of this chapter)