binnovel Chapter 353: Safety of the 6th Division
Chapter 353: Safety of the 6th Division
"What?" Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the 16th Division, was also shocked. The Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government wanted to destroy his 16th Division. The Chinese army launched attacks on his troops from almost all directions.
"Damn it, where did so many Chinese troops come from? There was no intelligence at all before. How can we be on guard? Order each unit to resist the attack of the Chinese army with all their might and report the situation here to the headquarters and ask them to send reinforcements as soon as possible." The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, said angrily.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, had to be very angry. He brought his troops to attack, but the attack had not lasted for two days when he was suddenly surrounded and had to switch to defensive operations immediately. The change was too fast.
"Your Excellency the Division Commander, I think we should immediately put all the troops into a full defensive state. It seems that the Chinese army has been planning this for a long time. They must have mobilized a very large force to attack us. Xinye has now been occupied by the Chinese army, and our division has now been surrounded by the Chinese army. The troops do not have a lot of supplies and ammunition in stock, and we need to use them as economically as possible." Chief of Staff Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo had to tactfully remind His Excellency the Division Commander that now was not the time to be angry, and he should face reality.
"Well, Mr. Nakazawa, your reminder is very correct. Each unit should take statistics on the supplies and ammunition and use them as economically as possible. In addition, each unit should find out the numbers of the Chinese army on the opposite side. We don't even know which troops of the Chinese government we are fighting with now. It is really ridiculous." The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, also calmed down from his anger after being reminded by the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo.
At the headquarters of the 11th Japanese Army in the Three Towns, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also reported to the commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura about the situation in which the 16th Division was under all-round attack.
Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura looked at the small flag of the 16th Division, which had been completely surrounded on the sand table, and was deeply impressed by the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone's ability to conceal the truth.
Just now, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi had learned from the intelligence department that all the spies who had been lurking in frontline cities such as Xiangyang and Dengxian had disappeared collectively, and none of the radio calls they had sent had received a response.
As for when these undercover intelligence personnel disappeared, the intelligence department could not tell the exact time, because these intelligence teams were lurking in cities controlled by the Chinese government. Generally, after they obtained intelligence, they would send it directly to the intelligence department for collation, summary and analysis. Unless there were special circumstances, the intelligence department would not take the initiative to wake up these undercover personnel.
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji also understood that the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone had already designed all the steps, and now they could only rely on the troops on the front line to find out the troop numbers of the Chinese army.
"When can Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei start attacking the north side of the highway? They should be facing the troops of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government. Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei must be careful. This army has caused too many tragedies for the Imperial Japanese Army." Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura also gave earnest advice to the Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto.
The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, was also awed in his heart. The new 22nd Army of the Chinese government was simply a trouble maker. Wherever this unit was present, no army of the Imperial Japanese Army could escape the fate of being designed. Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei should indeed be careful, so that another division commander would not be killed.
"Commander, the troops dispatched from the 116rd Division will not arrive until tonight at the earliest. For today's attack, Lieutenant General Ogisu Tatsuhei can only let the remaining officers and soldiers of the Quartermaster Regiment and the th Regiment launch the attack. However, without artillery support, it is estimated that it will be difficult for them to make any progress." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi also reported the facts.
Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura had no idea what to do about this situation. All the available troops had been used, and the only unit with complete combat power was the 16th Division. However, the 16th Division was now surrounded by the Chinese army, and there were no organized and sizable troops on the front line that could quickly reinforce Changshoudian.
"Let the 3rd Flying Division scout the situation of the Chinese army for me. We must ensure the air support and cover for the front-line troops. We can only maximize our air advantage to provide effective help to the front-line troops." Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura also used all the forces in his hands.
"In addition, let Lieutenant General Fujita Susumu of the 3rd Division dispatch a regiment-sized force to fight in the direction of Changshudian. One regiment is not enough to deal with the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government." After thinking about it, Lieutenant General Ogamura Yasuji still felt that reinforcements should be sent to Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei in the direction of Changshudian.
"Commander, if more troops are withdrawn from the 3rd Division, the offensive power of the 3rd Division will be greatly weakened. They still need to attack in the direction of Zaoyang." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto was also surprised by the decision of Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura.
"Mr. Yoshimoto, in front of the Third Division, the Eleventh Army of the Chinese government will definitely defend to the death. It is unrealistic to wait for the Third Division to break through the 31st Army in Zaoyang from the south. Our top priority now is to ensure the safety of the surrounded Sixteenth Division. We must not let the strategic goal of the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government be achieved." Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji explained helplessly.
You know, the 16th Division is going to be transferred back to the mainland soon. I just took advantage of the time difference to let the 16th Division contribute to the 11th Army before returning to the mainland.
However, if the 16th Division was severely damaged or destroyed by the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government, how would they report to the headquarters and send the urns of all the officers and soldiers of the 16th Division back to the mainland?
In that case, no matter how close he was to the headquarters and the expeditionary force, he would be unable to escape the fate of being dismissed, so he had to ensure the safety of the 16th Division.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto was also confused at first, but after Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura explained it tactfully, he immediately realized it. So he didn't say anything more, but turned around to arrange the order that the commander had just issued.