binnovel Chapter 498: The 21st Brigade is Destroyed
Chapter 498: The 21st Brigade is Destroyed
Colonel Motoichi Sakata, acting commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army, felt unusually calm as he listened to the shouting and screaming outside the command post that was getting closer and closer. He knew that the 21st Brigade was finished and the current resistance was only to delay time.
The attacking force of the Chinese army has completely broken through the crude defense circle of the 21st Brigade. With the remaining strength of the 21st Brigade, it is impossible to drive the Chinese army out of the position. Therefore, once the large number of Chinese troops rush into the defense position, the outcome is doomed.
The acting brigade commander, Colonel Motoichi Sakata, first burned the brigade flag of the 21st Brigade with his own hands. Looking at the brigade flag burned to ashes in front of him, the acting brigade commander, Colonel Motoichi Sakata, also knelt in the command post facing the east, pulled out his service pistol from his holster, and then pointed the muzzle of the gun at his head.
Colonel Motoichi Sakata, acting commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army, adjusted his mood and shouted loudly: "Long live the Empire of Japan! Long live the Emperor!"
After a gunshot, the acting brigade commander, Colonel Motoichi Sakata, fell to the ground like a pile of mud. Only the bullet hole on his head, which was still bleeding, reminded everyone that he was completely dead.
The resistance of the remaining officers and soldiers of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army did not stop with the suicide of the acting brigade commander, Colonel Motoichi Sakata. After all, the battlefield was already in chaos, and the remaining officers and soldiers of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army had no idea that their acting brigade commander had gone to see Amaterasu. These remaining Japanese troops were still using all means to resist the attacks of the Chinese offensive forces.
However, in the face of the overwhelming advantage of the Chinese offensive force, the remaining troops of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army were finally completely and thoroughly wiped out at three o'clock in the morning.
When the news of the complete annihilation of the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army reached the headquarters of the Fourth War Zone, thunderous cheers immediately broke out in the entire headquarters. Since the counterattack began in the Battle of Southern Guangxi, not only had the strategic location of Kunlun Pass been recovered, but the 21st Brigade of the Fifth Division of the Japanese Army was also completely wiped out.
The consecutive victories greatly boosted the morale of the participating troops, which laid a very good foundation for the subsequent recovery of Nanning and driving the Japanese army out of southern Guangxi.
However, the Chinese army also suffered heavy casualties in the continuous fighting during this period. Take the Third Regiment of the First Honor Division of the Fifth Army as an example. In this battle, seven company commanders of the nine infantry companies of the Third Regiment were injured or killed. The regiment commander Zheng Tingji himself was also wounded in three places. The casualties of all officers and soldiers in the regiment exceeded 70%.
The highest commander of the Japanese Yongqin Corps, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, commander of the 5th Division, also received the final death telegram sent by the 21st Brigade. He knew that his 21st Brigade was really gone, and the next target of the Chinese army would definitely be the city of Nanning where he was.
Therefore, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, commander of the Fifth Division, sent another telegram to the Ninth Brigade, which was retreating from Longzhou and Zhennanguan, asking the brigade commander, Major General Ichikawa Genshichi, to speed up the retreat and make sure to withdraw the Ninth Brigade back to Nanning City before the Chinese army attacked Nanning.
Commander Bai also knew that the Japanese troops that had occupied Longzhou and Zhennan Pass were retreating to Nanning. He quickly sent an urgent telegram to the West Route Army of the Fourth War Zone, ordering the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army, the Guangxi general Wei Yunsong, to stop the Japanese troops fleeing back to Nanning from Longzhou and Zhennan Pass, and not to let these Japanese troops affect the main force's upcoming war against Nanning.
If the Japanese army is allowed to withdraw to Nanning smoothly this time, Commander Bai will not be able to fight for anything for the Guangxi clique after the war. In the face of national public opinion and political interests, those generals in the Guangxi clique's army who fight poorly will be punished or shot, and he will have no good reasons to exonerate them.
However, the commander of the 9th Brigade, Major General Ichikawa Genshichi, did not give the Guangxi clique's troops a chance to prove their merit. After receiving a telegram from the commander of the 5th Division, Lieutenant General Imamura Hitoshi, the brigade commander, Major General Ichikawa Genshichi, also learned of the destruction of the 21st Brigade.
He knew that the Fourth War Zone of the Chinese government would definitely send troops to block the Ninth Brigade along the way. In order to rush back to Nanning City as soon as possible without wasting time, the brigade commander, Major General Ichikawa Genshichi, also ordered the troops "not to rest until they reach Nanning City."
This very strict order from the brigade commander, Major General Ichi Kawagenshi, also prevented the Guangxi clique's blocking troops from successfully intercepting the 9th Brigade's retreat, and once again failed to complete the combat mission assigned by the war zone.
When the news that the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army had been completely wiped out reached the mountain city, the highest level of the government happily ordered the propaganda department to quickly inform the people of this great victory and establish a more glorious image of the government among the people.
On the morning of the second day after the 21st Brigade of the Japanese Army was completely wiped out, the top government leaders secretly flew from Yamashiro to the headquarters of the Fourth War Zone. The purpose was to express encouragement for the previous operations of the Fourth War Zone and to discuss the next combat plan with the bigwigs of the Fourth War Zone.
From the beginning of the meeting, the top leaders of the government kept smiling, which made all the bigwigs participating in the meeting understand that the top leaders of the government were quite satisfied with the previous combat results. After the top leaders of the government said some encouraging words, they also changed the subject and asked Commander Bai: "Brother Jiansheng, how do you think the next step of the Fourth War Zone should be planned? Does your Fourth War Zone Command have any suggestions?"
When Commander Bai heard the question from the highest level of the government, he quickly stood up and answered, "Reporting to the highest level of the government, after studying the Japanese army, our Fourth War Zone believes that our army should take advantage of the fact that the Japanese army has just lost Kunlun Pass and the 21st Brigade has been completely wiped out and their morale is low, and concentrate the government's Second Army, Sixth Army, 36th Army, New 22nd Army and Fifth Army that have already arrived in Guangxi Province, and launch an attack on Nanning before the Japanese reinforcements arrive, and strive to recapture Nanning in one fell swoop."
After watching Commander Bai finish talking about the battle plan, the top government officials still had a faint smile on their faces, but they were already very happy in their hearts. Just now, when Commander Bai was reporting the battle plan, he did not even mention the Gui army that he once was proud of, but instead replaced the main force of this battle with the government's own troops.
What does this prove? It proves that his own troops have firmly suppressed the old rival, the Guangxi army. Through this Battle of Southern Guangxi, the old rival, Commander Bai, had to lower his proud head and know that to recapture Nanning, he had to rely on the government's own troops.