Wang Jingjiu didn't come to the city just to show off.
After he entered the city, he was indeed preparing for the war.
Including the troop garrison situation, etc., they are all understood in great detail, and can even be said to be crystal clear.
But within two days, Zhang Fakui, commander-in-chief of the Second Corps, came to Jiujiang County with his troops.
Also arriving with Zhang Fakui were Wu Qiwei's Fourth Army and Huo Kuizhang's 54th Army.
These tens of thousands of troops gathered in Jiujiang County and immediately crowded this small county that was not a big city.
Zhang Fakui is not an idle person. After arriving at the county seat, he immediately organized a meeting for these officers above the division level. Except for the commander of the division stationed at Xingzipu who did not need to rush back, they all gathered in the small city defense headquarters. A meeting was held in the conference hall.
As for the content of the meeting, Zhang Tianhai had no way of knowing, after all, he was not able to participate in a meeting of this level.
So to what extent have Zhang Tianhai's troops fallen to now? It has probably become a guard force, and it is a real guard force. Apart from guarding the city defense, it is basically out of his turn to intervene in other matters.
Even his position in front of the Meijiazhou Bridge was taken over by troops of the 54th Army.
"Old Zhang, our army has been pressed to this point now, can you still bear it?" Guo Qiliang couldn't stand it anymore, so he interjected.
In fact, he was not the only one who thought so, but also Chief of Staff Li Yinglun.
As soon as the troops arrived, the First Guard Regiment of the Ninth War Zone became much more passive, both in terms of camp and garrison.
"Otherwise, what can we do? Pull up the posture and fight with the 25th Army, or fight with the 2nd Corps?" Zhang Tianhai scolded Guo Qiliang. It is better not to say so much about some things, although he Zhang Tianhai was indeed unhappy in his heart, but he would never say it out so easily.
Some things have been said, but they cannot be taken back.
Listening to what Zhang Tianhai said, Guo Qiliang was speechless - yes, even someone as powerful as Zhang Tianhai wouldn't be able to do much in this situation.
"Right now, hundreds of thousands of troops are squeezed into a small area like Jiujiang County. Moreover, three battalions of our troops have already entered the mountains. If we disobey orders, we will either be dismissed from our posts. Or be transferred to the rear, there is no third possibility. Now is the most critical moment of the War of Resistance. Our army has mobilized millions of troops to start a decisive battle with the Japanese army. If we hold back, the result will be yours too. I understand, no need for me to say more." Zhang Tianhai said in a deep voice.
Yes, Zhang Tianhai was standing at the top of Jiujiang City and said exactly this.
The wind from Poyang Lake blew gently on Zhang Tianhai's face, and Zhang Tianhai seemed not to be moved at all.
"Lao Zhang, I understand what you mean now. Should we... make some follow-up preparations?" Guo Qiliang asked.
"No need, we are already prepared for the worst." With that said, Zhang Tianhai pointed in the direction of Lushan Mountain.
Yes, from Zhang Tianhai's point of view, his worst plan was to lead his troops into the mountains and face the Japanese army across the mountain.
Of course, if the Japanese army exposed its weaknesses, he would not let them go.
"Okay, I understand what you mean." Guo Qiliang said helplessly, perhaps because he was already used to his original status.
Compared with when they were taken seriously in the Fifth War Zone, or when they fought under Song Xilian, Commander Song, at that time, whether it was Li Zongren or Song Xilian, they all had one thing in common - that is, they looked up to Zhang Tianhai. Military talent.
But it's different now. The old officers who trust him and the officers who appreciate him are not here. If he is a tiger, he must lie down, and if he is a dragon, he must lie down!
"Wait! It won't be long before there is a big battle to be fought. Don't get too happy too early. At this stage, you can only relax a little. When the Japanese army comes to Jiujiang, you are still afraid that there will be no little Japs to kill you. Those are hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops..." Zhang Tianhai frowned slightly, not too optimistic in his expression.
For example, in the morning, when Wang Jingjiu went out to greet the arrival of Commander-in-Chief Zhang Fakui of the Second Corps, Wang Jingjiu led his troops, and Zhang Tianhai's troops were not used. Even Zhang Tianhai was not sent to greet Commander-in-Chief Zhang.
One can imagine how insignificant these thousands of people were among the hundreds of thousands of troops.
Even if Zhang Tianhai's army has eight thousand soldiers, he is still a regiment commander, not a division commander, and his political status is still inferior.
"It seems that you are not very optimistic about the Cantonese troops on the front line." Guo Qiliang said.
"I wasn't very optimistic about them all the way. Now that they have enough troops, they may be able to hold on for a while, but when the casualties start to increase later, they may not be able to hold on." Zhang Tianhai analyzed, "Look Wait, wait until the Cantonese army begins to retreat, then this little devil will start to attack Jiujiang. By then, Hukou Town may not be able to defend it..."
"Hukou Town can't be defended? Doesn't the 29th Army also have the 70th Army here? Although the 70th Army only has one division, it can at least carry one, right? "Guo Qiliang has seen the military appearance of the 70th Army, so he still has a certain degree of confidence in the 70th Army.
"Just watch! The defeat is like a mountain. This sentence is not just talk. Let's see what will happen in the future." Zhang Tianhai has no memory of the Jiujiang Defense War, but from his intuition and military common sense To put it bluntly, the Japanese army must be able to capture Hukou.
Only by capturing Hukou Town can they reach Jiujiang County. Only after defeating Jiujiang County can they continue to Wuhan.
If they couldn't defeat Jiujiang, there would be no subsequent battle at Wanjialing.
It should be noted that the opponent of the Chinese army in the Wanjialing battle was not the powerful enemy in front of them - the Japanese 106th Division headed by Matsuura Junrokuro.
The Japanese 106th Division came from Kyushu. The folk customs of Kyushu have been strong since ancient times. In addition, there are many steel plants here. A large part of the soldiers of these reserve divisions also come from these steel plants.
The unique tough folk customs, coupled with the fact that these steel workers are inherently strong and possess a certain degree of combat effectiveness, make the 106th Division much stronger than the troops of other reserve divisions.
If not, how could Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji, commander of the Eleventh Army, use them as the main force?
It should be noted that this is not the Sixth Division of the Reserve Division, but a unit that Okamura Neiji and others are known as the "Empire's First Elite Division."
In Zhang Tianhai's view, if their troops were not sent to the battlefield at the first moment, they would still be very likely to be able to fight with this troops.
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PS: The first update is here.
The second update will be made tomorrow! So be it! Good night everyone.
