binnovel Chapter 409 Willing to Accept Punishment
Chapter 409 Willing to Accept Punishment
Ouyang Heng did not respond to Zhang Wenwu's judgment. He just hoped in his heart that Zhang Wenwu's judgment was correct. If Zhang Wenwu's judgment was correct, the new 100th Division would minimize casualties.
It is conceivable that after this battle, the combat effectiveness of the New 100nd Army will be reduced to a very low level. As one of the main forces of the New nd Army, if the New th Division can still maintain a certain combat effectiveness after this battle, it will be a big surprise for everyone.
Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, the commander of the Japanese reinforcement force who had been on the mind of Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng, went to bed early on the camp bed in his tent. These days were very torturous for others and they had no desire to sleep at all, but for Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, the commander of the 13th Division, these were completely unrealistic.
Ever since he made up his mind to take revenge on Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the 16th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Ryuhei, commander of the 13th Division, has been carrying out every step according to his plan, eating and drinking as usual every day, and does not look like he is in the state he should be in during combat.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, knew very well that when the Imperial Headquarters and the Expeditionary Force held him accountable after the war, the most he would be held responsible for was poor command of the operations. Moreover, this responsibility was not so obvious, because the troops he commanded were basically not from his own division, and he had countless reasons to exonerate himself.
"Mr. Division Commander, may I bother you for a moment? There is an urgent battle situation that needs to be reported to you." A gentle greeting from Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa came from outside the tent.
After the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, called him several times, the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, finally woke up, and then heard the voice of Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei coming from the tent: "Ishikawa-kun, come in and talk."
After the Chief of Staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, walked into the tent where the Division Commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, was, the Division Commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, first lit the kerosene lamp on the table with a match, and then asked the Chief of Staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, with sleepy eyes: "Ishikawa-kun, tell me, what happened in the 16th Division?"
"Your Excellency the division commander, the Chinese army launched a full-scale night attack on the 16th Division at twelve o'clock." Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa excitedly reported the news to the division commander Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei.
When the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, heard the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, say that the Chinese army had launched a full-scale attack on the 16th Division, he immediately lost all sleepiness, jumped off his camp bed, came to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma, took the telegram and looked at it under the light.
"Well, the Chinese army is really good. They fought all day long and were able to organize such a large-scale comprehensive night attack at night. Well, this time the Chinese army has not wasted our help. Ishikawa-kun, our 13th Division will be avenged soon." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, also said happily to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma.
"Yes, sir, division commander, I think the 16th Division can only hold out for two more days at most. And according to the previous notification, the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, can only fly over from Sanzhen this afternoon at the earliest, and it will be evening when he arrives here. At most, we will organize troops to begin to attack the blocking positions of the Chinese army the day after tomorrow. The blocking forces of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government opposite us did not suffer too many casualties before, and can hold out for more than a day under our attack." Chief of Staff Major General Ishikawa Takuma also analyzed the subsequent events along with the words of the division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei.
"No, Ishikawa-kun, judging from the fact that the Chinese army has launched a large-scale night attack tonight, it is very good that the 16th Division can hold out until tonight. It will be difficult for Fujie Keisuke and his 16th Division to see the sunrise the day after tomorrow." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, very affirmatively corrected the inaccurate analysis of the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma.
Chief of Staff Major General Ishikawa Takuma was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly: "Your Excellency, the 16th Division reported earlier that they still have more than 3,000 troops. It is unlikely that the Chinese army will completely wipe them out in more than a day. Moreover, the Chinese army has been fighting for so many consecutive days, and their troops are also very tired."
"Haha, Ishikawa-kun, your judgment would be fine under normal circumstances, but don't forget that the Chinese army surrounding the 16th Division has a lot of troops. They can completely adopt the method of rotation attack to allow each unit to get some rest, but the remaining troops of the 16th Division can only keep fighting. With the increase of one force and the decrease of the other, the 16th Division will definitely not be able to hold on for too long." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, was also in a very good mood, and patiently explained the reason to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma.
"Then... Mr. Division Commander, you mean that the 16th Division might have been destroyed before Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto could reach us? We don't even have to launch the subsequent attack?" Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa immediately understood the deeper meaning of the division commander.
The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei, nodded in appreciation, and then said affirmatively: "Yes, Ishikawa-kun, it is just as you think. As the Chinese say, this is God's help."
"Then, sir, division commander, should we launch an attack on the Chinese army tonight? After all, the headquarters sent us a telegram saying that the 16th Division was under a full-scale attack. That means they hope we can launch an attack overnight. If we don't take any action, it will be difficult to explain to the headquarters." Chief of Staff Major General Takuma Ishikawa continued to ask for instructions on the current actions with concern.
"Attack? We have already launched the attack, Mr. Ishikawa. We sent out a night attack force to prepare for a surprise attack on the Chinese army's position. However, the Chinese army set up secret sentries halfway and they discovered our surprise attack. So, our surprise attack force withdrew and prepared to defeat the Chinese army on the opposite side openly under the cover of artillery fire after daybreak, and reinforce the 16th Division as soon as possible. In addition, send a telegram to Commander Okamura Yasuji, saying that we must break through the blocking position of the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government on the opposite side within two days. If we cannot break through on time, I will willingly accept any punishment against me." The division commander, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, said with a smile to the chief of staff, Major General Ishikawa Takuma.
(Thanks to the gift support from the Director of Shenlong Library, Zhou Yan who only eats dumplings without vinegar, who loves fried radish cakes, Duke Wei who loves beef jerky, Li Ruofei who likes deciduous trees, and 1980s and 1981s! Thank you all for your support and encouragement!)