activa-t Chapter 245 The 3rd Column Refuses to Retreat, Zhang Zizhong Personally Leads the Charge
Chapter 245 The 3rd Column Refuses to Retreat, Zhang Zizhong Personally Leads the Charge
The author, Wu Yun, in his twilight years, awaits you with "I Let You Guard the Sihang Warehouse, and You Developed a German-Style Division."
"If he insists on fighting, we, the Fifth War Zone, will risk our lives to accompany him and gamble with him!"
"If he also feels it's not safe, we'll cover their safe retreat even if it means sacrificing our entire rearguard!"
On the east bank of the Shi River, the lights in the front-line command post of the Third Column remained on all night.
The beeping of the radio went on and on, mingling with the sporadic sounds of artillery fire in the distance.
Li Jianghe frowned deeply as he looked at the telegram from the command headquarters.
Lin Yongzhi, who was standing to the side, was the first to lose his temper and cursed, "Captain, I think the higher-ups are making a mistake again!"
"At this point, of course we have to grit our teeth and wipe out this group of Japanese devils in Huoqiu County!"
"At this critical juncture, why are you suddenly thinking about retreating?"
Li Jianghe knew perfectly well that the content of this telegram must have been influenced by the situation in Wuhan.
If it were in accordance with Commander Li's usual fighting style, he would never mention the word "retreat" at this time, but would only order a desperate fight.
At this point, even though there were considerable risks ahead, he was absolutely unwilling to give up the opportunity to wipe out the Sixth and Tenth Divisions.
Even if we can't annihilate them all, as long as we can severely damage them, we can completely eliminate the deadly threat posed by the Japanese army to the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains.
Thinking of this, Li Jianghe slammed the telegram shut and slammed his hand hard on the table.
"Reply to headquarters with just six words—'Third Column, no retreat!'"
The reply was brief, but the attitude conveyed between the lines was unwavering, leaving no room for wavering.
The third column, never retreat!
When Commander Li saw the brief reply at the Fifth War Zone Headquarters, the hairs on his body stood on end.
A surge of adrenaline rushed to his head, and he abruptly stood up, issuing a stern order to his staff officer.
"Excellent! What spirited young man! Fighting to the death without retreating!"
"Send a telegram to Wuhan! The Third Column will not retreat! The Northwest Army will not retreat! The Guangxi Army will not retreat! The Fifth War Zone will not retreat!!!"
"yes!!!!"
The staff officer stood at attention and responded, then turned and rushed quickly toward the radio room.
At the Wuhan headquarters, the principal looked at the telegram from the Fifth War Zone, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
Standing to the side, Commander He was also deeply moved as he looked at the short line of words.
"Principal, look..."
Commander He spoke cautiously, testing his attitude.
The principal pondered for a long time before finally waving his hand slowly.
"Let's wait and see how the battle unfolds."
He paused, then added, "Don't send out the evacuation order to Hu Zongnan yet."
"Yes!" Commander He bowed in response, and silence fell over the office once again.
The night was as dark as water, slowly flowing over both banks of the Shi River, enveloping the entire battlefield in thick darkness.
Only sporadic gunshots and artillery fire could be heard intermittently across the wilderness.
But this brief period of calm did not last long.
In the southern part of Gushi County, a deafening roar of artillery and a sudden burst of gunfire shattered the silence on both banks of the river.
The explosions lit up the sky one after another, like bolts of lightning tearing through the black cloth, turning the southern night sky crimson.
It was a special task force of the Japanese army that, after successfully crossing the Shi River, launched a surprise attack on Gushi County, which was poorly defended, under the cover of night.
Inside the town of Gushi, at the temporary command post of the 27th Army Corps, Zhang Zizhong was coordinating the replenishment of supplies and the deployment of troops at the front.
The sudden sound of gunfire made his brows furrow instantly.
He grabbed the binoculars from the wall and rushed out the door without saying a word.
From the south of the city, the flashes of explosions came one after another, turning the night sky a blinding blood red.
"Reporting to the Commander! A large force of Japanese troops has been spotted ten miles south of Gushi City!"
The communications soldier rushed in from outside the door like a madman, his voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.
"Several forward positions of our army on the southern front have been breached by the Japanese army!"
At this moment, Gushi County only had a little over four thousand soldiers stationed there.
The vast majority of them were logistics personnel, with extremely limited combat effectiveness.
The only truly capable fighter was Zhang Zizhong's personal guard regiment, with a total strength of less than two thousand men.
The rest of the main forces had long been transferred to the east bank of the Shi River to participate in the encirclement and annihilation of the Eighth Brigade.
No one expected that the Japanese army would bypass the main force on the front and penetrate straight into the undefended rear area.
"All guards, assemble! Follow me to the city wall!"
Zhang Zizhong grabbed the flower-patterned weapon from the guard's body and gave a stern order.
"Today's battle is a fight to the death! I, Zhang Zizhong, will live and die with my brothers!"
"The city stands as long as the people live; the city falls when the people die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead and strode towards the south gate of the city wall.
At this moment, on the Japanese front line south of Gushi City, Major General Okamoto, commander of the special task force and brigade commander, was holding up his binoculars.
He looked at the Nationalist army's front-line positions, which were being overwhelmed by the Japanese army like a tidal wave, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Reporting to the brigade commander! Our vanguard has approached the enemy's city walls. Should we launch a general offensive immediately?"
Staff Officer Changjiu bowed to Dahe and asked, his tone carrying a hint of flattery.
Mitarai Okamoto narrowed his eyes slightly, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in them.
"Attack. After the city falls, kill everyone in the city, soldiers and civilians alike, leave no one alive."
His tone was icy and chilling, devoid of any human warmth.
Taiga Hisayo paused for a moment, then cautiously asked another question:
"Commander, does that include the civilians within the city?"
Mitarai Okamoto didn't speak, but simply turned his head slightly and gave him a cold, piercing look.
Hisayo Taiga trembled, immediately straightened up, and loudly replied, "Hai! Understood!"
In the latter half of the night, at three o'clock in the morning, when the darkness was at its deepest.
Two Japanese tank companies, under the cover of fire from a heavy artillery regiment, launched an assault on the walls of Gushi.
The troops left outside the city were utterly defeated in less than two hours.
The morale of the soldiers of the 27th Army Guard Regiment stationed on the city wall was inevitably shaken as they watched the Japanese tanks roaring towards them under the illumination of flares.
Everyone knew in their hearts that if they couldn't stop these steel behemoths...
Perhaps just one charge would be enough to completely collapse the defensive line they had built on the city walls.
Just as morale was wavering, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the city wall.
"The Commander is here! Commander Zhang is here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers saw their commander, Zhang Zizhong, stride past them, a submachine gun in hand.
As he walked, he shouted loudly at the soldiers on the city wall, his voice booming like a bell, making people's eardrums vibrate.
"Brothers! I am Zhang Zizhong! Today, in this battle, there is no chance of survival!"
"I will live and die with you! As long as you live, the city will stand; if you die, the city will perish!!!"