"That's probably the only way to go!" Zhou Fangjie said.
There is no way. Currently, only the 1st Guard Regiment and the 2nd Guard Regiment of the 9th Theater Guards Regiment have strong combat effectiveness. The 3rd Guard Regiment can only follow them and fight, and has not yet formed a strong combat effectiveness. .
Seeing the troops he had worked so hard to lead suffer such heavy losses, Zhou Fangjie's heart felt extremely painful.
"Commander-in-Chief, I also agree with Deputy Commander Zhou's statement. We are not fighting a decisive battle now. We are just fighting a blocking war. It might be better if the 15th Group Army can be involved." Li Yinglun said as The chief of general staff, generally speaking, is more able to assess the situation.
"Then let's do it!" Zhang Tianhai nodded, then turned to Xu Xun and said, "Xiao Xu, you carry out this task immediately."
"Yes! Commander-in-Chief!" Xu Xun responded.
About ten minutes later, a telegram was finally presented to Guan Linzheng, commander-in-chief of the 15th Group Army.
"Report to the Commander-in-Chief. Urgent call from the theater security forces." A combat staff officer came to report.
At this time, Guan Linzheng was sitting on his office chair rubbing his temples. The fighting on the south bank of the Xinqiang River was beyond his expectation - this group of Japanese soldiers seemed to be really just coming for the war zone security forces, and they really He was trying his best to attack and did not stop the attack.
What made Guan Linzheng even more depressed was that Zhang Tianhai actually sent Liu Yuzhang's Eighth Regiment directly to Sanniang Bay in the rear instead of holding on directly.
"Read it!" Guan Linzheng sighed softly.
"To Commander-in-Chief Guan Linzheng of the 15th Group Army, nearly half of the army has been killed or injured and it is no longer sustainable. The 8th Regiment of the Second Division has now sent to the front line of Sanniang Bay to set up defenses to prevent our army from opening up on the south bank of the Xinqiang River. , our troops will retreat to both sides of Sanniang Bay to prevent the Japanese army from attacking Sanjiang Town. Is this appropriate? Please give me your instructions. Zhang Tianhaidian, the former enemy commander-in-chief of the Ninth Theater Guard Force," the combat staff officer said.
After hearing this, Guan Linzheng frowned tightly and said, "Zhang Tianhai is not asking for instructions. This is clearly a threat. As soon as they retreat, a huge gap will appear in the defense zone of our 15th Group Army. If the Japanese army Taking advantage of the opportunity to advance in will pose a great threat to our army."
"Then what should we do? Please let the commander-in-chief make it clear." the combat staff asked.
"Now, we can only be forced to go to Liangshan. So let's call Zhang Tianhai back and agree to their retreat. In addition, order the 52nd Army and the 79th Army to move closer to each other, especially the positions of the theater guard troops. , we must hold on. They can retreat. After retreating, we will block the gap and see if the little devil has the courage to continue moving forward. Let's do it like this!" Guan Linzheng said.
With this order, Guan Linzheng also knew what kind of situation was going to happen, and his mind was like a mirror!
"Yes! Commander-in-Chief!" the combat staff responded.
After the combat staff left, Guan Linzheng tapped his index finger on the table and murmured to himself: "I, Guan Linzheng, can only do this. Little devil, it depends on whether you have the courage to come."
Half an hour later, Zhang Tianhai finally received a reply from the 15th Army.
Zhang Tianhai immediately decided to lead his troops to withdraw from the existing positions and rush to the two wings of Sanniang Bay!
The next morning, just like the previous two days, the Japanese army carried out a routine and violent bombing.
However, after the advancing Japanese troops invaded the opponent's position, they discovered that the opponent had already withdrawn, and the entire position was empty with no one in sight.
"Report to General Ushijima. No enemy troops have been found in the forward positions. All enemy troops in the front have been evacuated! Report completed!" A combat staff officer ran to Ushijima Mitsuru and reported.
"It seems that our enemies have also suffered heavy losses. They retreated so hastily." Mitsuru Ushijima analyzed, and then he asked: "Besides the absence of enemies at the front line, what other discoveries have been made? ?"
"Your Excellency, General, our army has not found anything. Except for the bullet casings left on the ground, even the firearms have been taken away." the combat staff reported truthfully.
"Nani?!" Ushijima Mitsuru's eyes widened, because in his opinion, the enemy's behavior was even worse than that of beggars. They even took away all their firearms!
"Your Excellency, General, this is indeed the case!" the combat staff confirmed Ushijima Mitsuru's idea.
Shocked, but Ushijima Mitsuru quickly realized the problem. He murmured: "We have been beaten to this extent. Our enemies still have such organization and strength. It shows that they have not lost their strength." Those who retreated due to lack of fighting power must have a bigger conspiracy!”
In the next scene, what happened confirmed Ushijima Mitsuru’s suspicion.
I saw another combat staff running to Ushijima Mitsuru and reporting: "Report to General Ushijima, according to the latest intelligence, a large number of Chinese troops were found on both sides of my southward advancing troops. After analysis, this unit is most likely to be a Chinese army." The main force of the 15th Army Group. Report completed!"
After hearing the news, Ushijima Mitsuru's eyes closed slightly. He looked up to the sky and sighed: "Our army is just wrong after all. The enemy is planning to deploy pocket formations against us."
"Then what should we do?" Ushijima Mitsuru's chief of staff asked.
"Retreat! Take our soldiers and retreat! Our set goal has been achieved." Ushijima Mitsuru's eyes narrowed slightly, and there seemed to be endless regrets in his expression. "Call the commander of the division, Shiro Inaba, and inform him The situation on the front line, and tell him that we have severely damaged the enemy's ninth theater guard force, and they should not be able to recover in a short time."
"Hai!!" the combat staff officer in front of Ushijima Mitsuru responded. Someone must carry out this matter, and he is the most suitable person.
The Japanese troops just withdrew. Even though they suffered such heavy losses, they also retreated.
If I had to use one word to describe this battle, it would be "anticlimactic". No one expected that it would end like this.
When Zhang Tianhai, who was far away in Sanniang Bay, received the news, he almost jumped up and scolded his mother because he had made a miscalculation, and it was not an ordinary miscalculation.
"Old Zhang, this kid is not a fool. Commander Ushijima Mitsuru is a veteran of the Sixth Division. If he can be fooled so easily, then he is neither Ushijima Mitsuru nor the Sixth Division. He is the backbone commander of the division. Besides, haven't we suffered a loss now?" Zhou Fangjie looked at the very angry Zhang Tianhai and said lightly.
ps: Update sent!
