20demayo Chapter 145 Another Telegram to Tang Enbo
Chapter 145 Another Telegram to Tang Enbo
"The more I think about it, the more regrettable it is. Perhaps we should have tried to win him over back then."
"With the introductions of Xiao Shanling, Zhu Chi, and others, and our help, he might have ended up on our side instead of going to the Guangxi clique."
Commander He was taken aback, after all, he thought that the principal would be extremely happy with such good news.
However, it seems that while the principal is happy, he also feels a sense of regret and resentment.
"Chairman, this can be discussed in the long term. Right now, we should reward Li Jianghe's Third Detachment."
Commander He said this.
"What other rewards can we give them? Let the Fifth War Zone handle the rewards. We'll decide on our rewards after the battle is over."
As he spoke, he looked at the map again. The battle around Taierzhuang seemed to have reached a critical turning point.
Although he was somewhat reluctant to admit it, the principal knew in his heart that the turning point was when Li Jianghe annihilated the Japanese First Mixed Brigade last night.
"I think this battle can't always be about Li Jianghe taking the lead, nor can it always be about the Guangxi Clique, the Sichuan Army, and the Northwest Army. Shouldn't our Central Army also make a contribution?"
After saying that, he looked at the telegram again, which contained the message that the Japanese army's retreat route had been cut off.
"Telegram to Tang Enbo: He must perform well in the subsequent encirclement and annihilation operations and not let the local army overshadow him."
The principal said, with his hands behind his back.
In his view, if the Central Army wanted to overshadow Li Jianghe and the Guangxi Clique, the only way was to annihilate the Japanese 10th Division.
Tang Enbo's current position is in the Baodugu mountain area, which is very suitable for cutting off the Japanese army's retreat route.
And the 20th Group Army has this capability.
"yes!!"
Commander He was well aware of this as well.
These victories in battles were building prestige for the Guangxi clique and reputation for Li Jianghe.
The most worrying thing would be if Li Jianghe, or Commander Li, ever gained widespread support within the Party and the military.
There's no need to worry about it right now, but what about later?
After all, even Commander He deeply admired Li Jianghe's fighting skills.
If he were to choose a general to fight against the most elite Japanese troops, Commander He would definitely choose Li Jianghe.
The emergence of such a prodigy is a blessing for the nation and the people.
The only unfortunate thing was that he was not a graduate of the Whampoa Military Academy, nor was he a close confidant of the principal.
The destruction of the First Mixed Brigade was a huge blow to Rensuke Isogai.
Although the Setani Detachment is still deployed in the western part of Taierzhuang, maintaining a superficial standoff.
However, at this moment, the 10th Division had already lost a considerable number of men in the fierce fighting over the past few days.
Should the offensive continue? Can Taierzhuang be captured? Will Li Jianghe's Third Detachment target the Tenth Division next?
These confusions and worries lingered in Rensuke Isogai's mind.
He was inclined to retreat, but the army headquarters' voice remained firm, leaving no room for compromise or negotiation.
"Continue the offensive. The main force of the 20th Division is about to capture Hanzhuang and is only one step away from Xuzhou."
Upon seeing the telegram personally sent by Terauchi Hisaichi, Isogai Rensuke knew that the 10th Division's attack on Taierzhuang no longer seemed to be the main focus.
The real main direction of attack was the route from Hanzhuang to the Grand Canal and then to Xuzhou, which was being attacked by the 20th Division.
He was unwilling, but that was the reality, and now Isogai Rensuke had no choice but to accept it.
Chief of Staff Atsuro Umemura looked at the map and had a bad feeling about it.
"Your Excellency, there is a unit that has never actually appeared on the battlefield."
I'm worried that if our army continues fighting in the Taierzhuang area, there's a risk that this enemy force will cut off our retreat.
"Are you referring to the 20th Group Army of the Central Military Commission?"
Rensuke Isogai understood Atsuro Umemura's meaning.
"That's right, especially now with the 20th Division, that guy Kawagishi Bunzaburo has started to gamble everything, concentrating almost all of his troops in the Hanzhuang area, wanting to cross the Grand Canal and head straight for Xuzhou City."
Our rear defenses are weak, while the 20th Group Army has a complete combat organization and better weapons and equipment than these local armies.
In addition, the armored units of Li Jianghe's Third Detachment can also be mobilized to our rear at any time.
Once they regroup, they will cut off our retreat, and we may even face the risk of being completely annihilated by the enemy.
Atsuro Umemura said in a steady voice.
If it were before, he wouldn't have been worried.
But last night, the First Mixed Brigade was completely annihilated, and they lost a sharp knife and a powerful weapon.
Will they still be able to break through the defenses and escape the encirclement by then?
"The army headquarters must have considered this as well. We have no way to retreat now; we must continue forward and capture this city ahead!!"
As he said this, Isogai Rensuke pointed in the direction of Taierzhuang.
Even now, Rensuke Isogai still doesn't want to give up.
He wanted to give it his all, and now with the support of the Sakamoto squad, he wanted to give it another shot.
Even now, Rensuke Isogai still doesn't want to give up.
He wanted to give it his all, and now with the support of the Sakamoto squad, he wanted to give it another shot.
The battle in the direction of Taierzhuang resumed and continued until nightfall.
At this moment, the defense of Taierzhuang was almost entirely taken over by the guard brigade.
Li Jianghe had no choice but to call in more combat squads to the front lines.
Because Chi Fengcheng's 31st Division had already lost more than half of its men, leaving less than 3,000, more than half of whom were logistics personnel.
The more than 4,000 people who were killed or wounded earlier were mostly combatants.
Under these circumstances, Chi Fengcheng had only a little over a thousand soldiers capable of fighting.
The Northwest Army was also fighting fiercely with the Japanese army outside Taierzhuang and in the Hanzhuang area, and the entire Second Army Group suffered heavy losses.
The battle raged into the night, and Taierzhuang remained completely still.
Especially after the guard battalion took over, it repelled more than ten fierce attacks by the Japanese army, causing thousands of elite Japanese soldiers to be killed or wounded in a single day.
Sakamoto Jun's troops also joined the attack, but were repelled in less than half an hour.
Enraged, the Japanese army began to frantically launch attacks on Taierzhuang, using every means possible, including dropping incendiary bombs from planes and firing poison gas shells from artillery.
However, the guard battalion, under the leadership of Long Wenzhang, displayed a level of courage and tenacity that far exceeded the Japanese army's expectations. They fought to the death without retreating and showed no intention of withdrawing.
By the evening of the following day, the Japanese army was not only unable to advance further, but was even pushed back by two blocks.
However, due to the superiority of Japanese artillery and the incendiary bombs dropped from the air, the guard battalion suffered considerable casualties.
On the Fifth War Zone headquarters side, Commander Li was extremely anxious.
The telegram sent to Tang Enbo yesterday has gone unanswered, with no response to date.
Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Telegram to Tang Enbo again, instructing him to lead the main force of his troops and swiftly move out from the Baodugu mountain area to cut off the Japanese army's retreat!!!"