binnovel Chapter 474 Multiple Reinforcements
Chapter 474 Multiple Reinforcements
The 1st Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Brigade, which set out from Nanning, launched a frenzied attack on the blocking defense line of the New 22nd Division in Liutang with the support of aircraft. However, the troops of the New 22nd Division, under the command of the division commander Qiu Fengzi, not only repelled the Japanese attack, but also took advantage of the opportunity when the Japanese were repelled and used the mobility of tanks and armored vehicles to launch several counterattacks against the Japanese.
Colonel Lin Yixiong, commander of the 1st Regiment of the Taiwan Brigade of the Japanese Army, also concentrated all the rapid-fire artillery to prevent the tank and armored assault of the New 22nd Division on the opposite side, and dispatched a large number of volunteer soldiers carrying explosives in an attempt to blow up the tanks and armored vehicles of the New 22nd Division.
Seeing that the Japanese army's defensive preparations were relatively comprehensive and the Japanese army's crazy behavior, the commander of the newly formed 22nd Division, Qiu Fengzi, immediately ordered the counterattacking tank armored units to withdraw to Liutang to avoid being entangled in the Japanese army and losing too many precious tanks.
When Colonel Lin Yixiong, commander of the 1st Regiment of the Japanese Taiwan Mixed Brigade, saw that the counterattack of the Chinese army was repelled by him, he immediately called for air support again and organized troops to launch an attack on Liutang. However, the defense line of the newly formed 22nd Division remained as solid as a rock.
After nearly a day of fierce fighting, both the 1st Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade and the 22nd Division of the Chinese Army suffered heavy casualties. When it got dark, the Japanese army stopped the attack, and both sides temporarily let their troops rest to reserve strength for the next day's battle.
After a day of fighting, Colonel Lin Yixiong, commander of the 1st Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army, realized a fact clearly, that is, with the existing strength of his regiment, it would be difficult to break through the Chinese army's blocking defense line in Liutang in a short period of time. Moreover, if both sides continued to consume each other, even if they finally broke through the Chinese army's defense line in Liutang, there would be only a few people left in his regiment, and it would not play any role in the battle of Kunlun Pass.
Therefore, the regiment commander, Colonel Hayashi Yoshio, sent a telegram to the commander of the 5th Division, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, to report his situation and opinions. He hoped that the commander would send reinforcements from other directions, which might play an unexpected role.
Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura, commander of the Fifth Division, did not expect that the First Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade, which he sent, despite being reinforced with so many rapid-fire artillery, could not break through the Chinese army's defense line in Liutang in just one day. Moreover, it was not difficult to see from the telegram from Colonel Hayashi Yoshio, commander of the First Regiment, that Colonel Hayashi believed that his troops could only contain the Chinese army in Liutang. As for a breakthrough, Colonel Hayashi did not mention it at all in the telegram.
Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, commander of the 5th Division, looked at the map, thought for a moment, then called the communications staff and ordered, "Send a telegram to the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade, and order the commander of the 2nd Regiment, Colonel Watanabe Nobuyoshi, to immediately lead his troops from Qin County to quickly reinforce Kunlun Pass."
Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, commander of the 5th Division, also adopted the suggestion of Colonel Lin Yixiong, commander of the 1st Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade, and decided to send reinforcements from other directions to reinforce the battle at Kunlun Pass. After all, the Chinese government only had two or three mechanized troops, and it was impossible to set up defenses everywhere.
The Second Regiment of the Taiwan Mixed Brigade is now stationed in Qin County. This force can quickly reach Kunlun Pass via the Yongqin Highway. Even if the Chinese army has blocking troops here, they are definitely not the elite troops of the Chinese government, at least there will be no tanks and armored vehicles.
While the Japanese army was busy mobilizing its troops, Commander Du of the Fifth Army of the Fourth War Zone of China was also preparing to use the night time to narrow the encirclement of the Japanese army on Kunlun Pass.
Commander Du ordered the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Honor Division to temporarily come under the command of Commander Dai of the 200th Division, and to join forces with the 600th Regiment of the 200th Division to attack the Japanese troops west of Jiutang from the right wing, occupy the high ground on the west side, and while making the encirclement smaller, give the Japanese troops at Kunlun Pass a greater sense of oppression.
Commander Dai of the 200th Division also personally commanded the troops of the two regiments. Using the cover of night, they secretly detoured from the right wing to the high ground where the Japanese army was stationed. Because the commander of the 21st Regiment of the Japanese Army, Colonel Miki Yoshinosuke, felt that he was now surrounded by the Chinese army, and most of his troops were deployed in the front to attack the main position of Kunlun Pass, the defense of the high ground behind him was somewhat weak.
When the Chinese offensive force suddenly launched a surprise attack on the high ground behind them, the commander of the 21st Regiment, Colonel Miki Yoshinosuke, did not understand for a moment what the Chinese army was going to do. They had already surrounded his troops, so was there any need to compress his troops' movement space? He came here to capture the main position of Kunlun Pass, not to fight a war of attrition with them.
When Colonel Yoshinosuke Miki, commander of the 21st Regiment of the Japanese Army, learned that the Chinese army's night attack force was of a large scale, he immediately ordered the troops on the high ground behind to retreat to avoid excessive consumption of energy with the Chinese army at night. Since the Chinese army wanted the high ground behind him, he gave it to them.
In the view of the regiment commander, Colonel Miki Yoshinosuke, as long as they could capture the main position at Kunlun Pass, all the actions of the Chinese army would be in vain. When the troops coming from the periphery could then attack the Chinese army from both sides, the final victory of the battle would definitely belong to them.
After all, the division commander, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, had already sent a telegram to tell him that two regiments of troops were coming from different directions to reinforce him. As long as he occupied the main position of Kunlun Pass, he could rely on the fortifications on the main position to defend Kunlun Pass.
As a result, under the attack of the two Chinese regiments' night attack troops, the high ground on the west side of Jiutang was completely occupied by the Fifth Army's troops in less than one night, and the Japanese army's activity space on Kunlun Pass was further compressed.
When the Fifth Army's troops launched a night attack, Colonel Watanabe Nobuyoshi, commander of the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Brigade in Qin County, also assembled his troops and began to quickly reinforce Kunlun Pass along the Yongqin Highway. However, as soon as the troops of the 2nd Regiment of the Taiwan Brigade left Qin County, they were discovered by Chinese intelligence personnel lurking in Qin County and the situation was reported.
In the headquarters of the Fourth War Zone of China, Commander Bai was the first to receive the news of the dispatch of the Second Regiment of the Taiwan Brigade. Commander Bai knew that this force was heading for Kunlun Pass. Now there was only the 175th Division of the 46th Army of the 16th Group Army of the Guangxi Clique. The mission of this force was to attack the Yongqin Highway from the rear of Kunlun Pass.