Street fighting is a test of the willpower of both warring parties. Colonel Hashimoto is surprisingly confident in the fighting will of the 13th Regiment. Since the Chinese are willing to fight with them in street fighting, Hashimoto will naturally not give in. Starting from the second day, he will Brigades were also sent in, and the scale of the battle became larger and larger;
No one on either side knew the outcome until the winner was decided. They just gritted their teeth and threw in troops one by one. On the third day, both sides tried their best.
Wanpeng only has one reserve company of guard companies left, and all three infantry battalions have been put in. The Japanese Kumamoto Regiment is not much better. All three infantry brigades have also been sent into the city, and only the regiment is left. Troops and cavalry brigades (chariot units);
Even now, Hashimoto is still holding down one of the most elite chariot troops. His endurance is really beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He could hold back his anger, but Major Fujii, the commander of the chariot brigade, couldn't sit still. He had been waiting to go up and teach the Chinese people a lesson.
He asked Colonel Hashimoto to fight:
"Your Excellency, the commander of the regiment, your Excellency, the division commander, sent us here not to let the empire's chariot troops stand and watch the fun. Fujii requested to lead the chariots into battle."
Hashimoto shook his head and said:
"I naturally rely on the bravery of Mr. Fujii and the chariot warriors, but what we are fighting with the Chinese now is street fighting. Using precious tanks to fight the Chinese in street fighting is a killing of chickens.
The city is full of ruins, and the chariot cannot move at all. The chariot that has lost its speed will become the prey of the infantry!
After the imperial infantry defeats the Chinese infantry, that's when the chariot troops will show their power. At that time, Fujii-kun will be needed to pursue the Chinese defeated troops. "
After being reminded by Colonel Hashimoto, Major Fujii felt that what Hashimoto said was reasonable. The soul of a tank unit was speed, and street fighting was indeed not the tank's strength, so he stopped insisting.
The battle in the city is still going on, and Colonel Hashimoto is also patiently waiting for the winner. He believes that the final winner must be the best Kumamoto United in the world.
Sure enough, to confirm his confidence, at dusk, the defenders in the city finally began to collapse.
"Bagaya Lu, trying to escape under the cover of night!
Mr. Fujii, the Chinese have finally been defeated. It’s up to you to pursue the defeated troops! "
Seeing that the defenders were finally defeated, Hashimoto excitedly told Fujii that he could finally send chariot troops to pursue the Chinese to vent his frustrations over the past few days.
Fujii was also very excited, it was finally his turn to take the field!
Ten minutes later, more than a dozen tanks lined up in a column and chased them out at high speed from the main road in the city with full power. The Japanese infantry in the city also chased them out one after another, chasing after the tanks.
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
"Dong dong dong dong..."
A few hundred meters away, 16 explosive packets from the regiment's artillery battalion roared over and exploded among the Japanese tanks. In an instant, three or four tanks were knocked down. Other tanks and armored vehicles were also blocked in the main trunk. On the road.
"Dong dong dong dong..."
"Dong dong dong dong..."
Two more consecutive rounds of saturation bombing were carried out. This time, the results were better. The bombings made the pursuing Japanese soldiers howl like ghosts and wolves, causing heavy losses.
Major Fujii wanted to die when he saw this scene. The two sides fought for three days, but the defenders never used artillery. The Japanese thought that the defenders had no artillery. They suffered a big loss this time and lost a lot of money. .
Three tanks were destroyed and two were injured, five armored vehicles were destroyed, and more than 100 infantrymen were killed and injured in the pursuit.
"Captain, you are still insidious. Not only did you trick the Japanese in the end, but you also allowed the comrades to withdraw smoothly. Jiang is still very old."
First Battalion Commander Yang Hua couldn't help but flatter him. Wan Peng's face immediately darkened and he said displeasedly:
"Lao Yang, are you trying to flatter me or are you trying to hurt me? What is insidious? This is called wisdom. Do you understand tactics?
Learn more from now on and use good steel on the blade! withdraw! "
At the headquarters of the 13th Regiment, Osa Hashimoto was furious, but it was of no use at all. After receiving a sap, he lost the best opportunity to pursue, and could only watch the defenders escape to the two wings.
He sent people to clear away the bombed tanks and armored vehicles, reopened the main roads, occupied the city of Yangmiding, and opened the channel to attack Mandalay.
At the same time, the two armies on the left and right also launched an attack on the important towns of Magway and Taunggyi. The New Second Army and the New Third Army of the expeditionary force rose up to resist and held the two enemy forces firmly in Magway and Taunggyi.
Kazuo Imai, Chief of Staff of the Sixth Division at the Japanese Central Route Army Headquarters, reported to the division commander Lieutenant General Kanda Masane:
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, Hashimoto-kun is calling. After three days of fierce fighting, the 13th Regiment has occupied Yangmeding City and annihilated two regiments of the expeditionary force. The imperial army also paid the price of more than a thousand casualties;
The channel to attack Mandalay has been opened. Please ask Hashimoto-kun whether to attack Mandalay City as planned? "
Lieutenant General Kanda nodded with satisfaction and then asked:
"Imai-kun, how is the progress of the two wings?"
Imai replied:
"It's not going very well. The Chinese Expeditionary Force's resistance is very tenacious, and Magway City and Taunggyi City are still fighting fiercely."
Kanda Masane couldn't help but cursed:
"Bagaya Road, no need to wait for them, order the 13th Regiment to attack in the direction of Mandalay. The main force will follow up and generate electricity for Lord Iida;
Ask him to urge the left and right wings to speed up the attack. If they continue to grind for a while, our Sixth Division will treat them to a celebratory drink in Mandalay City! "
Kanda Masane did not wait for the left and right wings to advance together, and took the lead in leading the Sixth Division along the railway line towards Mandalay. Three days later, the troops came to the city.
The 13th Regiment and the First Division of the Independent Division fought fiercely on the periphery, causing casualties on each other.
Colonel Hashimoto was not so arrogant that he wanted to capture Mandalay with half of his regiment. After a brief contact with the independent division, he withdrew and waited for the arrival of the main force of the division.
After the main territory of the Sixth Division arrived at Mandalay City, Kanda Masane did not launch an attack. Instead, he camped on the spot and built a defensive position. This was a routine operation of the Japanese. Before launching the attack, he first prepared a good defense.
Then several commanders were called to a meeting to arrange combat tasks. First of all, Colonel Hashimoto naturally introduced the enemy situation. They had the most contact with the Chinese army. Hashimoto bowed and said:
"Your Excellency, Division Commander, gentlemen, the ones defending Mandalay are indeed Chuxiong's Independence Army. They are so arrogant that they put up a flag on the top of Mandalay City that says they are specifically targeting the Sixth Division!
Then people on the ground introduced that all the people in the city had evacuated to the opposite side of the Igwady River. The city was filled with Chu Xiong's troops, about 20,000 people, and they challenged our Mingshi regiment to fight with great fanfare. "
Kanda Masane nodded and said:
"Yo Xi, does Chu Xiong think he is a medieval warrior? He still uses this ancient method to challenge the Sixth Division. It's interesting!
Is he worried that our Sixth Division will not dare to fight?
Gentlemen, what’s your answer? "
Lieutenant General Kanda asked loudly.
Several captains replied in unison:
"war!"
