lovenovelstory Chapter 233 Encirclement and Severance, the Principal Orders a General Offensive
Chapter 233 Encirclement and Severance, the Principal Orders a General Offensive
The remaining armored units under Li Jianghe's command had already completed their deployments in various directions and were ready to attack at any time.
It is simply because of the absolute superiority of these armored units in terms of firepower, impact force, and mobility.
They were always able to put tremendous pressure on the Japanese army from the front, making them mistakenly believe that they were facing the absolute main force of the Third Column.
Ogisu Ritsuhei, standing to the side, also looked grim. He spoke in a deep voice, his exhaustion barely concealed.
"From what we can see, the personnel and equipment of Li Jianghe's Third Column are far larger than the intelligence we previously obtained."
"More importantly, the armored units of the Third Column have an absolute advantage in mobility."
"They can always form an absolute numerical superiority over our army in local areas and use mobile warfare to defeat our key nodes one by one."
Ogizu Riki's words hit the nail on the head regarding the current war situation.
Even if they understood the problem, they had no way to solve it.
Upon hearing this, Tani Hisao took a deep breath and could only forcefully suppress the anger in his heart.
Now, he can only pin his hopes on the frontal counter-offensive forces to achieve some results.
"In any case, our connection with Gushi has been severed."
"But the troops on the front have already launched a counterattack, and I believe they will gain something in the future."
He spoke tough words, but deep down he was already uncertain.
They were only thinking that if they could break through the enemy lines head-on, they could then free up their forces in the rear to slowly clear out the enemy troops that had infiltrated their ranks.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a communications officer rushed in, his face pale.
"Reporting to the Division Commander! The enemy has suddenly launched a full-scale counterattack. Our vanguard has suffered heavy losses and has retreated back to its original positions!"
"What?!"
Tani Hisao exclaimed in surprise, staggered back half a step, and almost lost his balance.
He suddenly turned and lunged at the map, his eyes bloodshot as he roared:
"Where are the air forces? Where is our second wave of air support? Get them to the battlefield immediately!"
"In coordination with ground forces, launch a second wave of counterattack!!!"
At this moment, Tani Hisao resembled a gambler who had lost, his eyes bloodshot and his tone filled with morbid madness.
Ogisu Ritsuhei, standing to the side, remained clear-headed. He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I don't know."
"It was clear from the morning's battle that the main force of the air force was mostly drawn to the enemy's outer air defense positions."
"Even the bomber groups that supported us before came around from the west."
"But now the towns of Madian and Longtan to the west have been captured by the enemy. I suspect that the enemy's air defense forces have already completed their deployment in this direction."
As he spoke, Ogisu Ritsuhei stretched out his finger and slowly traced it across the map.
As his gaze swept across the entire defense zone, his heart sank, and he instantly saw the desperate situation before him.
The main forces of their 6th and 10th Divisions were, in fact, already in a state of being divided and surrounded.
If they wanted to retreat, there were only two options left.
One option is to break out to the south and breach the enemy's defenses in Madian Town and Longtan Town.
The other route is to cross the Huai River to the north, where there are currently no enemy troops operating.
But the Huai River is not a small river in the countryside. It is no easy task to lead tens of thousands of troops and heavy equipment across such a large river.
If the unit is attacked by enemy armored forces during the river crossing, the entire force will be instantly wiped out, with no chance of turning the tide.
Hisao Tani looked at the map, remained silent for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Immediately deploy troops to launch a counterattack towards Longtan Town and Madian Town!"
"The troops on the west bank of the Shi River must also be redeployed for a simultaneous counter-offensive. At the very least, we must retake Madian Town!"
This is the only choice they have to make right now; there is no turning back.
Otherwise, given the current situation, the Third Column troops in Madian Town and Longtan Town would likely join forces with the Nationalist troops on the west bank of the Shi River.
The 8th Infantry Brigade of the 10th Division, which was besieged in this area,
There were also attached combat troops to carry out a complete encirclement and annihilation.
On the east bank of the Shi River, in the temporary command post of the Japanese 8th Brigade, gunfire continued to come from the front lines.
As Sei Takehira looked at the telegram from the division headquarters, the veins on his forehead throbbed.
He rushed to the map, slammed his fist on the table, and cursed:
"Damn it! Where did these enemies come from?!"
The brigade chief of staff, who was standing nearby, also looked grim and quickly stepped forward to advise him:
"Brigade Commander, the most urgent task is to immediately dispatch counter-attack troops to coordinate with the main force in the Huoqiu direction and retake Madian Town!"
Sei Takehira shook his head with a troubled expression, his voice full of anxiety.
"That's easy for you to say! Those enemies on the west bank are attacking like madmen, where would I find the troops to spare for a counterattack?"
In the past eight hours, the Northwest Army and the Central Army on the opposite bank have launched seven or eight large-scale assaults on their positions.
Several of their defensive positions on the east bank have already been breached by the enemy, and their defenses are already in grave danger.
The chief of staff leaned forward, his tone tinged with urgency.
"But compared to the Nationalist troops on the west bank, the Third Column in Madian Town has armored units!"
"Their threat is far greater and must be addressed as a priority!"
The chief of staff's words struck Sei Takehira's heart like a stone.
Sei Takehira scratched his head in frustration and paced back and forth in the room several times.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
"Alright! Draw some troops from the west bank positions to form a counterattack force."
"Launch a full-scale offensive on Madian Town before 3 PM!"
In his estimation, the Northwest Army and the Central Army were slightly weaker in terms of attack capabilities and speed of advance.
The chances of quickly breaking through his position in a short period of time are not very high.
However, he also knew in his heart that there was originally a tank brigade in Gushi County, which could have served as the core of the counterattack.
However, this tank battalion had suffered heavy losses after continuous battles and had long lost its original fighting capacity, making it unable to support the counterattack.
At the Wuhan camp, hundreds of kilometers away, the lingering summer heat was still intense, and the cicadas outside the window were chirping incessantly.
Commander He looked at the newly translated telegram from the front lines in his hand, and his expression instantly became incredibly interesting, his steps quickening.
He rushed into the principal's office, handed him the telegram, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.
"Chairman! Great news! A resounding victory!"
"A part of Li Jianghe's third column has successfully captured Madian Town and Longtan Town!"
"This directly separated the Japanese 8th Infantry Brigade from the main Japanese force on the northern front in Huoqiu!"
"Li Jianghe also called to request instructions, hoping to launch a general offensive against the 8th Infantry Brigade before nightfall!"
Upon hearing this, the principal immediately stood up from his chair and strode to the huge battle map.
He stared at the marks around Huoqiu and Gushi on the map for a full half minute before his brows finally relaxed.
He turned around, a long-lost smile on his face, and said loudly:
"Excellent! Well done, Li Jianghe! The troops launched a lightning attack, cutting off the connection between the two Japanese forces. This is a precise strike right at the heart of the problem!"
Commander He stepped forward half a step and asked in a low voice:
"Then do you think our troops along the Shihe line should also launch a general offensive simultaneously?"
The principal's smile vanished instantly, his eyes sharpened, and he turned around without hesitation.
"Immediately send a telegram to Hu Zongnan, ordering him to launch a full-scale attack on the Japanese 8th Brigade before nightfall!"
"At the same time, an order was sent to Li Zongren that the entire Northwest Army should be committed to this counter-offensive!"
"Cooperate with Li Jianghe's Third Column to completely annihilate the Japanese Eighth Infantry Brigade within two days!!"
The order was quickly transmitted to all participating units via radio.
The artillery fire on both sides of the Shi River was destined to continue throughout the night on this land in western Anhui.
The outcome of this encirclement and annihilation battle was already predetermined from the moment Madian Town was captured.
Explore the endless possibilities of military fiction, all in the category navigation.