activa-t Chapter 298 Xue Yue and Chen Cheng, who were extremely impressed
Chapter 298 Xue Yue and Chen Cheng, who were extremely impressed
Yu Chuan Xiangtai pondered for a moment, his gaze lingering on the map for a while, before slowly speaking.
"Let's find a way to transfer some more troops and launch an attack from the south of Huangkan Village, attacking from both sides."
"Otherwise, if we rely solely on a frontal assault, I don't think we'll be able to achieve a breakthrough even if the enemy wipes out the entire Third Division."
His voice carried a hint of despair and mockery, as if he had given up all hope of reinforcements.
Shota Yuukawa has really given up hope of getting reinforcements.
As expected, the 107th Division's attack last night yielded no results, as if it had hit an iron wall.
On the contrary, during the night operation, the Third Column seized the opportunity to launch a brilliant counterattack.
The soldiers of the Third Column, like night owls, crept up to the Japanese front lines in the darkness and then suddenly opened fire.
Hand grenades, submachine guns, and flamethrowers were all used at once, causing chaos and destruction on the 107th Division's positions.
As the two were talking, an even more deafening and intense barrage of artillery fire erupted, rattling the windows of the command post.
The shells landed not far from the command post, and the flashes of light from the explosions shone through the windows, casting flickering shadows on the two men's faces.
The artillery fire that was originally concentrated on the 29th Brigade was now being shifted to the remaining troops of the 3rd Division.
The large-caliber howitzers adjusted their firing parameters and turned their muzzles toward targets further north.
"It seems... the entire 29th Brigade has indeed perished." Yuukawa Shota muttered to himself, his voice filled with exhaustion.
"Is it our turn next?" he said, a wry smile playing on his lips.
His eyes were coldly fixed on the map. Finally, he gritted his teeth and slammed his hand on the table with a loud "bang."
"Hold on! Order the troops on the outer perimeter to hold on no matter what! Do not retreat a single step!"
His voice echoed in the command post, but everyone knew that shouting alone wouldn't be enough to hold the line.
Li Jianghe's Third Column launched an offensive with almost no respite, like a meat grinder that never stops.
After completely defeating the 29th Brigade, the artillery fire was extended northward to launch the next offensive against the remaining Japanese troops.
The shells rained down wave after wave, their impact becoming increasingly precise, and the firepower becoming increasingly concentrated.
As dawn broke, everything around the Japanese soldiers remained shrouded in darkness.
The smoke from the explosion had obscured the sky above them, preventing sunlight from getting in.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and blood, mixed together like an invisible hand gripping everyone's throat.
Inside the headquarters of Li Jianghe's Third Column, a telegram sent by Wang Dayong was already placed on the table.
The handwriting on the telegram was somewhat messy, clearly written hastily on the battlefield, but every word was clear.
"The 29th Brigade has been completely annihilated, and the main force of the detachment is advancing northwards, making good progress."
Zhang Kewei was also looking at the contents of the telegram, and he felt like it was all unreal, like he was dreaming.
The battle report is untrue, the rapidly advancing battle lines on the map are unreal, it's all like an illusion.
In just one night, they wiped out an entire Japanese brigade, and several thousand men were wiped out.
It should be noted that a Japanese brigade could often withstand an entire army when fighting the Nationalist army head-on.
The firepower and combat skills of those brigades were several times that of the Nationalist Army's equivalent units.
In the historical Battle of Taierzhuang, the core of the Seya Detachment was also a brigade, which, together with other reinforced units, formed a detachment of more than 10,000 men.
To eliminate these 10,000-plus people, hundreds of thousands of troops from the entire Fifth War Zone were mobilized. The fighting lasted for over a month, resulting in heavy casualties.
This formidable Japanese brigade was annihilated overnight by Li Jianghe's Third Column.
Zhang Kewei recalled how difficult it had been to fight against a Japanese battalion in the past, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Of course, the 29th Brigade had already suffered considerable casualties during the previous battles and was not at full strength.
The results achieved that night still left Zhang Kewei speechless, as if he had witnessed a myth come true.
Another telegram was sent to the First Army Corps' headquarters, and the telegraph operator's fingers flew across the keyboard.
Chen Cheng and Xue Yue had been having trouble sleeping for the past two days, and their eyes were bloodshot.
The two men sat in the command post, a map spread out in front of them, their brows furrowed, neither speaking a word.
Li Jianghe's Third Column completed its counter-offensive and surrounded the Japanese Third Division, which was originally a good thing.
Unfortunately, the two of them had no troops left to spare, like an empty pocket, completely drained.
They had already tied down all of the Japanese 7th and 106th Divisions' forces by simply facing their offensive.
Those troops fought terribly, bleeding and losing men every day, but they just couldn't break through the Japanese defenses.
"Zhang Kewei has sent a telegram," Xue Yue said, standing up abruptly as his chair slid backward and crashed into the wall.
"They say Li Jianghe's Third Column has wiped out the 29th Brigade—the entire brigade—overnight!"
Chen Cheng was staring at the map, looking worried, unsure of what to do next. He rested his chin on his hand, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.
When he heard the news, he was stunned and his eyes widened.
"What? The 29th Brigade has been wiped out?" He asked with some surprise, quickly walking over and grabbing the telegram.
His eyes scanned the telegram quickly, reading it word by word, afraid of missing anything.
It was written clearly and plainly above that the Japanese 29th Brigade had been basically annihilated.
Li Jianghe's Third Column is now concentrating its forces and firepower on the remaining troops of the Third Division for a fierce attack.
Chen Cheng took a deep breath, a very deep breath that made his chest bulge, and then slowly exhaled.
He said to Xue Yue beside him, his voice filled with a mix of emotion and disbelief.
"Bo Ling, do you remember? The telegram Zhang Kewei sent when Li Jianghe first launched his counterattack?"
Xue Yue thought for a moment, then quickly remembered and nodded.
"I remember. At the time, Zhang Kewei said that Li Jianghe gave orders to the front-line troops to annihilate the entire Japanese Third Division within three days."
"At the time, I thought Li Jianghe was just saying that to motivate his soldiers and encourage them to fight bravely against the enemy."
"Now it seems that this wasn't just empty talk to motivate people; Li Jianghe really intends to wipe out the entire Third Division in three days."
As he spoke, he shook his head, his expression a mixture of a wry smile and admiration.
Chen Cheng paced back and forth in the command post with his hands behind his back, then stopped and nodded.
"Yes, the most crucial point is that Li Jianghe possesses this ability."
"Now that I think about it, when the Battle of Shanghai had just begun, we concentrated our forces to attack the Japanese Marines in Hongkou."
"Those Japanese troops weren't that many, at most a reinforced brigade, but even when we threw in our most elite troops, we still couldn't take it down."
"As a result, Li Jianghe wiped out the entire 29th Brigade in just one day and one night."
As he said this, he shook his head with a wry smile, his voice full of helplessness and self-deprecation.