20demayo Chapter 291 The Advantage Lies with My Japanese Army, 6 Reinforcements Approaching
Chapter 291 The Advantage Lies with My Japanese Army, 6 Reinforcements Approaching
"In that case, our encirclement and annihilation operation in the Wanjialing area can continue."
"Whether Li Jianghe annihilates the Third Division or not, it buys Xue Yue's First Army Corps more time."
"They have more time to wipe out the Japanese 7th and 106th Divisions without worrying about being outflanked."
The principal stared at the map, his brows furrowing again, and tapped the location of Huangkan Village a few times with his finger.
"I'm not that optimistic, Jingzhi, look closely," he said slowly, his tone becoming serious.
"Huangkan Village is located very far forward, like an outstretched knife, but the back of the knife is exposed to the enemy."
"At that time, we will likely be attacked from both sides by the Japanese troops in Chaisang and the Third Division within the encirclement."
"If the Third Division cannot be completely annihilated in a short period of time, and Huangkan Village falls into enemy hands, then the overall battle situation will remain unchanged."
"On the contrary, the main force of the third column, which had been hidden, was also exposed, and they lost their biggest trump card, which was a loss outweighed the gains."
He said this partly because he was unwilling to admit that his skill level was inferior to Li Jianghe's, and his arrogance was still at play.
On another front, it was also genuinely believed that relying solely on Li Jianghe's Third Column to wipe out a Japanese Class A division, along with two artillery regiments, and withstand the fierce attack of tens of thousands of Japanese reinforcements would be far too difficult.
Lifting hundreds of kilograms of weight while maintaining balance is an almost impossible task.
Commander He looked at the map, remained silent for a while, and then slowly spoke.
"Chairman, you are right. From the perspective of conventional military theory, this is indeed too risky."
"Anyway, I have no idea how to fight this battle; it's beyond my comprehension."
"But since Li Jianghe has already fought like this, it means that he already has a countermeasure and is confident enough."
"Let's choose to believe him; after all, he's never let us down before."
The principal gave a cold smile, a smile that carried a hint of bitterness and helplessness.
"Whether we believe it or not, we have no other choice but to put our hopes on him."
"Hopefully he can wipe out the entire Japanese 3rd Division, otherwise the situation in the entire Ninth War Zone will collapse."
As dawn approached, the night receded slowly like the tide.
The morning mist hangs over the fields and mountains like a semi-transparent veil, covering the earth's scars.
Yet a faint smell of blood and the stench of burnt human flesh permeated the fog, making people instinctively cover their mouths and noses.
Those were the traces left from last night's fierce battle; hundreds of lives were lost, leaving only the smell of burning flesh.
Long Wenzhang stood on the position north of Huangkan Village, the corner of his clothes fluttering in the morning breeze.
A scout ran back from the front, panting, and stood at attention to report.
"Report: The forward reconnaissance post has confirmed that the main force of the Japanese 107th Division has entered the range of our artillery fire."
"The vanguard is less than three kilometers from my forward position. Should we launch an artillery barrage? Please advise."
Long Wenzhang waved his hand, a cold smile appearing on his lips, like a hunter watching prey slowly walking into a trap.
"Don't rush. Wait until they get a little closer, within 500 meters of our positions, then give them a good beating."
Under his orders, the entire northern defense line of Huangkan Village fell into absolute silence.
The soldiers lay prone in the trenches, their fingers on the triggers.
Hold your breath and remain still.
Even the air seemed to freeze, with only the occasional bird call breaking the eerie silence.
Before the main Japanese force arrived, artillery fire from the rear had already begun to cover the area.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!! Rumble!!!"
Shells rained down like hail, sending dirt and gravel flying everywhere, with shrapnel whistling through the air.
Many soldiers lay prone in the trenches, letting shrapnel fly over their heads, motionless, like nails driven into the position.
The shelling lasted for nearly half an hour before it gradually subsided.
Before the smoke of battle had cleared, the infantry of the Japanese 107th Division began to slowly deploy and charge towards Huangkan Village.
They held guns, crouched low, and appeared and disappeared in the morning mist like a group of gray ghosts.
Based on their reconnaissance and calculations, the enemy forces deployed in the Huangkan Village area would not exceed five thousand men.
In contrast, the 107th Division had a total strength of about 22,000 men, giving it a force advantage of almost four to one.
With four times the enemy's strength, the fight should be a piece of cake, and there shouldn't be any major problems.
Commander Hachijuro Tasaka of the 107th Division stood atop a Type 97 medium tank, using his binoculars to observe the gradually dissipating fog ahead.
The tank's engine was humming softly, its exhaust pipe spewing out dark gray smoke that was difficult to discern in the morning mist.
The Huangkan Village position ahead had been covered by artillery shells, turning it into a scorched wasteland with craters and rubble everywhere.
The Huangkan Village position ahead had been covered by artillery shells, turning it into a scorched wasteland with craters and rubble everywhere.
"Charge! No need for probing! Charge forward in one fell swoop!" Tasaka Hachijuchi coldly ordered.
He did this because the military situation was urgent and the Third Division couldn't wait that long.
On the other hand, they simply didn't take the enemy seriously, thinking they were nothing more than a defeated and remnant force.
In particular, the force attacking Huangkan Village this time was not just the 107th Division.
At the same time, two other independent mixed brigades, totaling tens of thousands of people, came in a grand procession.
The 9th Division is also on its way and is expected to arrive at the front line this afternoon to join the battle.
At that time, they can gather nearly 60,000 troops in just one direction, covering the entire mountainside.
The enemies blocking their way numbered no more than five thousand at most.
Tasaka Hachijuchi couldn't figure out how they could have lost, with a troop advantage of 60,000 to 5,000, a ratio of 12 to 1.
It's no wonder he was so arrogant; anyone in his shoes would probably feel confident of victory.
What he didn't know was that the five thousand men under Long Wenzhang's command were not guarding a defensive line, but an impregnable fortress.
The German-made MG34 and MG42 machine guns had already been set up, with ammunition belts coiled like snakes in the ammunition boxes.
The Panzerfaust 60 anti-tank rocket launchers have also been distributed to each anti-tank team, and the gunners are doing final checks.
There were also dozens of mortars hidden on the reverse slope, and the gunners had already neatly stacked the shells.
Once the Japanese troops entered firing range, these weapons would open fire simultaneously, annihilating them completely.
In Li Jianghe's Third Column Command Post, telegrams were being placed on his desk.
Compared to the relaxed atmosphere last night, the contents of these telegrams have made the atmosphere in the command center much heavier.
The Japanese 107th Division, along with the 9th Division and two mixed brigades, totaling around 60,000 troops, are rapidly approaching Huangkan Village.