The Kuomintang army was defeated inexplicably, just because its retreat was cut off. The Eighth Route Army had been surrounded and suppressed from all sides for a long time, so why didn't it hold on well?
On the Jade Kingdom battlefield, not long after the Independent Division had won a great victory, Zhongcai issued a general retreat order because of the loss of Lashio on the main battlefield. He easily gave in and skipped General Luo and sent it directly to Du Guangting, with a strict order. They returned to China.
The first thing that Zhongcai thinks of is to protect his beloved Fifth Army, but the ideal is very full and the reality is very skinny.
"Deputy Commander Du, we still have hundreds of thousands of people with sufficient food and ammunition. The Independent Division has just crippled the 18th Division in Mandalay. We can completely abandon the rear and the main force alternately cover and move closer to the Independent Division. In Mandalay A decisive battle with the Japanese;
We have more than 100,000 people and we can't defeat three Japanese divisions? "
Yan Haoyu, commander of the New Seventh Division, suggested to Du Guangting.
"I agree with Commander Yan's proposal. Our New Ninth Division has been serving as a reserve force. Its combat strength is intact and its morale is high. If we withdraw to Mandalay, my brother is willing to lead the New Ninth Division to cut off the entire army's rear!"
Zhang Yu said while the iron was hot.
Du Guangting started to feel a little tempted, but when he thought of the strict order of cultivation, he immediately gave up the idea and said firmly:
"General Yan, General Zhang need not say more. This is an order from Zhongcai. There is a loss on the Jade Kingdom's battlefield. The door to the rear of the southwest of the country is wide open. There is an urgent need for capable troops to return to the country to protect the southwest. The main force of the expeditionary force must withdraw. Zhongcai has a strict order not to bargain. .
What we are discussing now is not the question of whether to withdraw our troops, but the question of how to withdraw and which route to take back home. "
Du Guangting quickly set the tone, and others had nothing to say. As for which way to go, Zhongcai had already stipulated the general direction, and the discussion was of little value. It was finally decided to go through the Hukang River Valley and return to China over the Foreigners Mountain.
Chu Xiong had explained in his message to Yan Haoyu that he would stop him if he could, and if he could not, he would give advice to minimize losses. After defeating the Japanese pursuers, he would send small and capable troops into the mountains to collect the defeated troops, and save as many as they could. Thinking of this, Yan Haoyu He stood up and said:
"Deputy Commander Du, brother is willing to lead the New 7th Division to break up the army's rear. Since we have decided to go to Savage Mountain, I suggest that all the heavy equipment that should be thrown away be thrown away, and carry more food and drinking water. I also warn the soldiers to avoid drinking raw materials in the jungle. water, and collect more medicinal materials to prevent poisonous insect bites;
Brothers, I promise to hold off the Japs for more than half a month. If there are no pursuing troops, you can withdraw more calmly and minimize unnecessary attrition of soldiers. "
Zhang Yu also stood up and said:
"The New Ninth Division is also willing to cut off the main force and cooperate with the New Seventh Division to hold off the pursuing troops for more than half a month. After that, it will move closer to the Independent Division and continue to fight. Loulan will not be returned until Loulan is defeated!"
Du Guangting was completely moved. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Those who are willing to stay behind when the army retreats are those with great responsibility;
As the two division commanders Yan and Zhang said, if they could hold off the pursuing troops for half a month or even ten days, then he would have confidence in safely withdrawing the Fifth Army into the country.
He was not pretentious and said directly:
"Commander Yan, Commander Zhang, brothers, I have thanked you for this on behalf of the 100,000 soldiers of the expeditionary force. Without further ado, I will inform the Sixth Army and the Sixty-sixth Army to withdraw to the country as planned. The heavy equipment we cannot take away will be destroyed." I’ll leave it to you, and my brothers’ backs will be left to you!”
Yan Haoyu and Zhang Yu both stood up and said:
"Promise to complete the mission and not let a single Japanese pursue him into the Hukang Valley within half a month."
After agreeing on the retreat plan, Du Guangting began to command the Fifth Army, Sixth Army, and Sixty-sixth Army to retreat calmly. All heavy equipment that could not be taken away was discarded, waiting for the New Seventh Division and the New Ninth Division to send troops to receive it.
Following the order from the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, the 100,000-strong army began to withdraw in an orderly manner. The Japs surrounded them like a group of crocodiles smelling the smell of blood. Many Japs and even a squadron dared to stare at the butt of a division and pursue them. I was so excited that I didn’t take the Chinese people seriously at all.
In an unknown valley, there was a scene of troubled times. The 200th Division of the National Army's ace Fifth Army was chased by the Japanese and was defeated here. A large amount of heavy equipment was thrown everywhere. Tanks and heavy artillery that were very rare in the country were thrown like garbage. on both sides of the road;
The leader of the 1149 Mechanized Regiment said to Commander Dai almost in a tearful tone:
"Master, brothers, you can take these equipments with you, but leave some of them behind!"
Commander Dai actually felt uncomfortable, but they couldn't take away these heavy equipment at all, so they could only harden their hearts and say:
"Execute the order! Throw it away, leave nothing behind, only carry light weapons and supplies!"
"Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta..."
There was intensive gunfire in the distance. This was the New Seventh Division responsible for breaking up the rear, blocking the Japanese.
Hearing the sound of gunfire, panic began to appear in the team, a bit like everyone was at war.
Teacher Dai shouted loudly:
"Don't panic, everyone. The brothers of the New 7th Division are blocking the Japs. They can't get here. Everyone enter the mountain in order!"
After all, the 200th Division was the elite of the Central Army. After learning that someone had cut off the rear, they stabilized their formation, threw away all their heavy equipment, and began to enter the mountains.
In another time and space, Commander Dai was overtaken by Japanese soldiers nearby and died after being shot several times.
Now, because of the blocking of the New 7th Division, the 200 Division retreated very calmly and its organization was kept intact.
Not long after the 200th Division entered the mountains, Li Chenxi, commander of the First Brigade of the New 7th Division, led his troops to the valley. A regiment of the First Brigade was blocking the Japanese pursuers. He led the Second Regiment and the Third Regiment to set up pocket formations;
When he entered the valley and saw abandoned cannons and tanks scattered all over the ground, he suddenly had an idea.
The first brigade, second regiment, and third regiment began to set up ambush positions, waiting for the first regiment to lead the Japanese pursuers into the valley.
An hour later, the group retreated into the valley while fighting. A few hundred meters behind him, at least one regiment of Japanese soldiers came after him.
Captain Nakata led more than a hundred Japanese soldiers and chased them into the entrance of the valley. From a distance, they saw a large number of yellow-green figures disappearing into the forest, shouting excitedly:
"Quickly, the Chinese are fleeing into the mountains, don't let them escape!"
After a while, the Japanese entered the pocket formation. They saw the heavy equipment scattered everywhere in the valley and screamed with excitement. However, they did not stop to pick up the equipment, but continued to pursue;
Their goal was to hunt down the defeated troops of the 200th Division, and Nakata could clearly distinguish which ones were more important.
Li Chenxi was also divided very lightly, just a vanguard squadron, not worthy of his pocket;
When they enter the mountain, the group behind them will deal with them. His target is the large group of Japanese soldiers behind them.
A few hundred meters away, the 146th Regiment of the 56th Division followed and chased them all the way. Regiment Commander Yamamoto Jiro Osashi said proudly:
“Okabe-kun, do you see that cowards are cowards, no matter how good the equipment is, it’s useless;
A mechanized division was chased away by a squadron of the Imperial Army and fled like a rabbit. Tanks and heavy artillery were thrown all over the valley. What a waste of such good equipment.
Order the troops to enter the valley and pursue them at full speed! "
Major Okabe, the senior staff officer of the regiment, dissuaded:
"Your Excellency, Captain, the art of war is as follows. Don't enter the forest. Be careful that there is an ambush in the valley."
Colonel Yamamoto said disapprovingly:
"Okabe-kun is overly worried. If he could win the battle if he knew the art of war, the Chinese people would not be driven out all over the mountains and plains. The art of war was summed up by their ancestors, and half of the country was not occupied by the empire.
Strength and bravery are the invincible weapons, attack quickly! "
