According to the martial prowess of the Japanese army, it is not at an average level. Neither the chief of staff nor the military commander is willing to take the initiative to issue a retreat order - especially in the face of the Chinese army whose weapons and equipment are far inferior to our own.
Now there are not many choices left for Amakasu Jutaro and Sonoda Terumasa: either withdraw or die!
When Lieutenant General Amakasu Jutaro thought of the tragic fate of the friendly 106th Division, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and finally said helplessly: "That's all, order the troops to retreat! At the same time, he telegraphed to Commander Okamura Neiji, telling him He, our troops have suffered very heavy casualties, and it has reached the point where the officers and soldiers of the cavalry regiment need to dismount to fight the enemy. If we do not evacuate, our division will all be 'broken into pieces!'"
"The division commander is wise!" Sonoda Terumasa almost burst into tears, mainly because the division commander's trust in him has only increased.
In fact, there is a reason for Jutaro Amakasu to say this - from the perspective of Okamura Neji, the 106th Division has been almost wiped out. If there is another 33rd Division, If the regiment is wiped out, then the domestic base camp will doubt his ability Okamura Neiji. Can he still be the commander of the Eleventh Army? The only consequence would be to be dismissed and rotated, let alone promoted to general.
…
Sure enough, when Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji received this telegram from the 33rd Division, he agreed without hesitation: Anyway, the current role of the 33rd Division is to serve as a partial division. It is absolutely worthless to sacrifice one's "official career" by diverting the troops. And in this battle in Changsha, aren't the protagonists the Sixth Division, the Thirteenth Division and the Third Division?
In fact, if you calculate carefully, Okamura Neiji used a total of six divisions of nearly 180,000 troops to launch an attack in this battle, namely the 3rd Division, 6th Division, and 13th Division. , the 33rd Division, the 101st Division and the rebuilt 106th Division. Compared with the two main directions of attack, the 33rd Division plays a small role. ——They didn't even reach Changle Town. They couldn't even reach Wukou Town. They were just here to make soy sauce.
It was precisely based on various considerations that Commander Okamura Neiji directly issued the "breakout" and "retreat" orders to the 33rd Division, so as not to destroy the 33rd Division.
Of course, God will not be so "cruel" to Okamura Neji blindly. He soon received a "good news" about the battle report in the direction of Miluo River.
The next day, a telegram about "The Sixth Division's headquarters broke through the enemy's Miluo River direction" was presented to Okamura Neiji.
"Yo Xi, yo Xi! The headquarters of the Sixth Division deserves to be called the 'Beast Division' of our Imperial Army; Division Commander Inaba Shiro deserves to be called the 'Best Division Commander'!" Hold this telegram , Okamura Neji's face beamed with joy. This was the second time he had received good news since the Changsha battle began, and it was all brought to him by the Sixth Division!
For such a "good team", Okamura Neiji will naturally not be stingy with his praise - not to mention, this is what he really thinks, isn't it?
If I have to draw an analogy, then the 33rd Division is below the average level in the class, while the 6th Division is the absolute top student, and the one who has won awards on behalf of the school. As a commander, this is , how could you not like or prefer it?
However, what Okamura Neiji didn't know was that the Miluo River defense line and even the Miluo County defense line were abandoned by the national army on their own initiative, either to lure their Sixth Division to go deep alone.
Even if the Sixth Division achieved an excellent record, it would indeed make Okamura Neiji very happy, but Okamura Neiji is a very cautious person. In his reply to the Sixth Division, he wrote: The troops should moderately slow down the pursuit speed, form a mutual echo situation with the Uemura detachment and the 13th Division, and jointly pursue and annihilate the enemy's main force.
Okamura Neji's starting point is good, but will the Sixth Division really obey the command? Don't forget, the Japanese military has a long-standing tradition of "defeating the superior from below."
That's right, the Sixth Division did not obey the orders of Commander Neiji Okamura——
When Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, the commander of the Sixth Division, received the order from Lieutenant General Okamura Neiji, he couldn't help but sneered: "Your Excellency, Commander Okamura Neiji is still so timid and cautious. He is still a little kid." Look at the strength of our Sixth Division. It’s just the China Army. What do we have to fear? Back then, our Sixth Division fought directly from Nanjing to the outskirts of Wuhan with the strength of one division. Did it ever happen? Can any army compare with my Sixth Division?"
Chief of Staff Ishikawa Kozaburo looked at the division commander who exuded the "powerful spirit" and said loudly: "I also agree with the division commander's point of view. Our sixth division is truly the first division of the empire." Regiment, there is no need to worry about these Chinese troops who are like chickens and dogs in front of us!"
"Hey, what Mr. Ishikawa said is very satisfactory to me. I have ordered the troops to directly pursue the retreating China Army. Our dinner today will be on the north bank of the Laodao River!" Inaba Shiro's narrow eyes There is a little sparkle in the middle - this is a huge ambition!
Yes, for a general like Inaba Shiro who can command the Sixth Division to fight from Nanjing to Wuhan, he is full of confidence in his troops. At the same time, he does not want other troops to steal his military exploits, even in His achievements on this battlefield are even more outstanding than his, because he is Inaba Shiro. He believes that one dazzling pearl on the battlefield is enough, and that is him Inaba Shiro and his Sixth Division!
The Sixth Division was originally given the title of "Beast Division", and its officers and soldiers were fearless in fighting. Compared with the well-equipped and better-born Fourth Division of the "Trader Division," The contrast was extremely sharp, so after they got the order from the division commander, they were quite crazy and went straight after the 52nd Army to beat them.
Well, this scene is also somewhat similar to the scene where the Japanese 33rd Division was being chased and beaten in the direction of Mufu Mountain - it's just that the retreating party and the pursuing party were interchanged.
…
At the same time, Zhang Tianhai and Zhou Fangjie led the Ninth War Zone security forces across the Laodao River and headed straight for Changle Street.
Since the marching routes of the Japanese Sixth Division and the National Army's Ninth Theater Guards were almost fifteen kilometers apart, the two sides missed each other "safe and sound" and did not encounter a fierce battle in person.
…
PS: The second update is here! Go to bed early, good night everyone...
(End of chapter)
