BSI Chapter 274 Okamura Yasuji's Plan to Annihilate the 3rd Column
Chapter 274 Okamura Yasuji's Plan to Annihilate the 3rd Column
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As he spoke, the outline of a battle plan had already vaguely appeared in his mind.
Li Jianghe wanted to make dumplings for the Japanese soldiers, but he himself was in an even bigger pot.
As long as the reinforcements from Jiujiang and the two divisions at Wanjialing exert their strength simultaneously, working together from both inside and outside, the Third Column will become a sandwich.
Okamura Neiji's smile deepened.
He believed that what Kawabe Torashiro was thinking at that moment was the same thing he was thinking about—to take advantage of Li Jianghe's isolated advance, and with the help of the 106th Division, the 7th Division, and the reinforcements mobilized from the front, to encircle and annihilate Li Jianghe's Third Column from three sides.
"Pass on my orders." Okamura Neiji turned around, his voice steady and powerful.
"First, order the 106th and 7th Divisions to hold their ground and not retreat a single step, in order to hold back the Nationalist troops and Li Jianghe's 11th Army on the front."
Second, he ordered the troops in the Jiujiang direction to assemble immediately, consisting of two divisions and two mixed brigades, in preparation for heading south.
Third, a telegram was sent to the army group headquarters requesting full air support.
He proceeded step by step, his tone as calm as a precise machine.
Although the atmosphere in the command center was tense, it was no longer as oppressive as before.
The staff officers began to get busy; the sounds of telegrams, telephones, and footsteps mingled together, like a machine restarting.
Okamura Yasuji stood in front of the map again, his gaze shifting back and forth between Ma Huiling Town, Wutailing, and Wanjialing. His right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, then slowly relaxed.
Li Jianghe, you want to devour two of my divisions in one bite? Isn't your appetite a bit too big? I'd like to see whether your knife is faster or my network is more secretive.
Outside the window, the faint sound of military vehicle engines could be heard from the direction of Jiujiang City; it was the Japanese army assembling and mobilizing.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, turning the hazy morning mist a pale gold. In the distance, several transport ships were docking on the river, unloading crates of ammunition and supplies.
The enormous meat grinder of war is turning faster and faster.
In the coming days, every road, every mountain, and every village on this land will become a battlefield.
Xue Yue's order to launch a counterattack has been issued to all units of the First Army Corps.
The soldiers crawled out of the trenches, checked their guns, strapped on their ammunition, and awaited the order to charge.
Some people squatted by the trench, silently smoking, the smoke dispersed by the morning breeze; others were wiping their bayonets, the blades reflecting the cold morning light.
Meanwhile, on the highway north of Mahuiling Town, the armored convoy of the Third Column was advancing northward.
The tracks rolled over the gravel road, raising a cloud of grayish-yellow dust.
The main force of the Third Column is advancing towards Minshan Township, where a Japanese battalion is stationed.
Li Jianghe sat in the command vehicle, his gaze calmly fixed on the road ahead. In his hand lay a newly received intelligence report—Japanese troops were assembling in the Jiujiang direction on a large scale.
"There are quite a few Japanese soldiers in the Jiujiang direction this time."
He spoke slowly, his voice heavy with suppressed emotion, "The Japanese devils attacking us from the south are so numerous they blot out the sky. I don't think even two divisions could hold them off."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at Li Jianghe.
Li Jianghe didn't seem surprised at all; he just twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
"The Japanese army originally had a considerable number of mobile troops in this direction."
Li Jianghe spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, "In addition, we've made too many enemies before. Now, both Okamura Neiji and Hata Shunroku wish they could suck the marrow out of our Third Column."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the field not far away.
From the direction of Minshan Township, the firelight appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the sound of cannons rolled in like muffled thunder.
The land was being repeatedly plowed by artillery fire, with soil and gravel being thrown into the air and then falling back down like a dirty rain.
The vanguard's offensive has begun. According to plan, they should be able to take this place before noon.
But Li Jianghe knew in his heart that this was just the beginning—once they had a firm foothold, the Japanese reinforcements drawn from the Jiujiang direction would come crashing down on them.
That will be the real battle.
The straight-line distance from Mahuiling Town to Chaisang is less than 20 kilometers.
This narrow strip of land is relatively flat, like a gray cloth spread out.
Li Jianghe stared at the map, thinking to himself: as long as this area is used well, it can be turned into a slaughterhouse for the Japanese army.
Meanwhile, at the Wutai Ridge line, Xiao Shanling was holding a telescope, observing the scene ahead without moving.
Through the telescope, the Japanese troops drew closer and closer, like a gray venomous snake writhing on the ground.
Those were the counter-offensive forces dispatched by the 7th and 106th Divisions, including an infantry regiment and a field artillery company, with a total strength of no more than three thousand men. Xiao Shanling lowered his binoculars, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
"The Japanese really don't take our 11th Army seriously," he couldn't help but say, his tone laced with sarcasm. "They think they can take Wutailing with such a small force?"
Gao Zhisong, standing nearby, added in a deep voice, "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence. The Japanese don't understand this principle."
As he spoke, he crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and his eyes revealed a kind of eager excitement. Zhu Chi also put down his binoculars, turned around, and wore a disdainful smile.
"They've overestimated them," Zhu Chi said slowly. "If they could understand the Zizhi Tongjian, then the Japanese wouldn't be Japanese."
As soon as he finished speaking, he volunteered for the mission:
"Commander, my unit requests permission to launch a preemptive strike and teach those Japanese devils a lesson."
Zhu Chi's confidence is not without reason.
Currently, the weapons and equipment of the entire 11th Army have been upgraded, and the soldiers' shooting skills are improving day by day with sufficient ammunition supplies.
Previously, they were reluctant to fire bullets, but now they can practice freely, and their accuracy has naturally improved. Zhu Chi and his men have been itching to practice their skills against the arrogant Japanese soldiers on the other side.
But Xiao Shanling was much more composed than them.
He shook his head, his tone calm yet undeniable:
"No rush. Many of our brothers are going to the battlefield for the first time. We need to let them get used to defensive operations first."
Although the Japanese troops were few in number, their individual soldier skills were extremely high—remember back in Shanghai and Nanjing?
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Zhu Chi and Gao Zhisong's heads.
The two men's thoughts were immediately drawn back to those two fierce battles.
Back then, the Japanese soldiers were terrifyingly accurate marksmen. The brothers carried back from the front lines were almost all shot in the head, their heads blown off. Even now, thinking about those scenes sends chills down my spine.