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Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 543 Battle of Xuzhou (1)

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    Chapter 543: Battle of Xuzhou (1)

    Zhang Zizhong's worries are not unreasonable. Shangqiu has a flat terrain and is almost unsafe to defend. The Sulu Garrison Corps, which was adapted from the 29th Army, is not only inferior to several units of the ** Division in terms of combat quality and firepower equipment.  The main force, even compared to Su Jingfeng's force, was slightly inferior.

    This was the level reached after Tang Qiuli ordered Zhang Quan to replenish several times. The troops had been fighting, and Tang Qiuli did not spare time to change the situation. Therefore, for the Sulu garrison to hold off the Japanese army in Shangqiu for two days  , he was full of worries. Su Jingfeng's death made Tang Qiuli not want to suffer any more blows. Being outnumbered has always been a way of fighting that he tried to avoid.

    However, he has no other troops to take on this task. Li Zongren's troops will not be all in place until the afternoon of December 19. Before that, Zhang Zizhong's troops can only be used to block Shangqiu and prepare for Li Zongren.  Deploy calmly and gain enough time.

    Tang Qiuli thought for a long time and decided to send a telegram to Zhang Zizhong. It was this telegram that made Zhang Zizhong feel vaguely unhappy. In the telegram, Tang Qiuli warned Zhang Zizhong that if the Japanese offensive was violent and the casualties of the troops were too large,  The Sulu garrison can evacuate Shangqiu after dark on December 19, and the remaining blocking tasks will be completed by the five brigades of deputy division commander Tang Qiuli.

    In addition, Tang Qiuli also specifically reminded Zhang Zizhong to learn from the lessons of Kaifeng and prevent small groups of Japanese troops from penetrating behind the defense line and causing casualties to the command organ. He also notified Zhang Zizhong of the specific situation of the Kaifeng blockade and the news of Su Jingfeng's death, as well as the Japanese troops  Next possible action time.

    Only then did Zhang Zizhong understand why Su Jingfeng, who had been in contact with him in recent days, suddenly lost contact. From the report, he also clearly grasped the battle situation. Su Jingfeng's troops had withdrawn from Kaifeng, which meant that at the latest  No later than the morning of the 19th, the Japanese forward troops will arrive at the outskirts of Shangqiu.

    As a passionate soldier, Zhang Zizhong saw the worry in the telegram from his division commander. Although it was well-intentioned, it also contained an element of care. This made him feel uncomfortable. The unit was willing to be taken care of by the supreme commander. He was determined to fight.  After this battle, the actual results proved that although the 29th Army did not have as many artillery pieces as other troops, it also had many hot-blooded men. The swords in their hands would frighten the little devils.

    He knew what his decision meant. Perhaps, the old 29th Army would fight all in this battle. Kaifeng is an example. The casualties of the Yellow River and Henan Garrison Corps reached one-half, and the 29th Army would not be lower.  This ratio is also used in positional blocking warfare, which is conducive to giving full play to the Japanese army's firepower advantage.

    Therefore, he personally inspected all the terrain of Shangqiu, and based on the experience of the Kaifeng Interdiction War, he also adopted the strategy of blocking the perimeter layer by layer. After killing the Japanese army, he contracted his troops and carried out street fighting in the urban area. This was what he should do  Having done everything, Zhang Zizhong did not feel much relieved. What made him feel at ease was that five brigades with more than 70,000 troops led by deputy division commander Tang Qiusheng had formed a third line of defense behind him in Xiao County, Anhui.

    On the morning of December 19, in the wilderness west of Shangqiu, with smoke and dust billowing and motors roaring, the vanguard of the Japanese army appeared in Zhang Zizhong's telescope. Isotani Rensuke still adopted the tactic of tank troops taking the lead, followed by infantry.  I don¡¯t believe that the Chinese ** team will still adopt the tactics outside Kaifeng and concentrate artillery fire to destroy most of the tanks.

    However, for the sake of safety, he ordered the artillery troops to march in a combat posture to ensure that they could enter the battle at any time. He also ordered Yamasaki to change the way of advancing on several routes and adopt the approach of advancing in two routes to increase the distance between the chariots. After receiving the order, the Japanese army  The artillery commander was almost going crazy. What bullshit order did the commander give?

    Artillery soldiers are marching in a fighting posture. They can't push the cannon with the shells in the chamber, right?  After searching through the army marching regulations of various countries, there was no such whimsical order. There was really no way. He had to compromise and ordered some light artillery to follow the tanks to provide artillery support at any time. As for the heavy artillery dragged by eight mules and horses, he could only  At the end of the marching sequence, the battle begins.

    Zhang Zizhong's army did not have the capital of Su Jingfeng's army. He had three artillery regiments, but they were all light artillery. When a heavy artillery came that could overturn the tank, there was no one. However, Zhang Zizhong had his own way of fighting. He ordered the troops,  In front of the first defensive position, a large number of anti-tank trenches were dug.

    The top was camouflaged with wood, so it was impossible to tell that there was a deadly trap below, and there were bombs buried in the trenches. As long as the little devil's tanks plunged into it, and the iron turtles were kept safe to fly into the sky, they would at least be able to delay the tanks.  mobility and breakthrough capabilities.

    Yamazaki commanded the tank to advance in two directions. This time, he was much more careful. He ordered the leading tank to advance for a certain distance and then stop. He fired artillery and machine gun fire to conduct fire reconnaissance.The fighting stopped and gradually approached the outskirts of Shangqiu. Yamazaki breathed a sigh of relief. This time, he was not attacked by intensive artillery fire from the Chinese army.

    Before he could be happy enough, the dozens of tanks in front suddenly fell into the deep ditch. Yamazaki thought for a moment, and secretly screamed, "The Chinese army dug anti-tank trenches, and if they rushed forward, they would be delivered to their doorstep."  Waiting to be beaten, he quickly ordered the tank regiment to retreat immediately. As for the tanks in the trench, they had no choice but to ask for help.

    Yamasaki's words came true. There was a series of loud noises and clouds of gunpowder smoke rising into the sky. The Japanese tank that fell into the trench was blown up into flames and black smoke was rising. The Japanese tank soldiers jumped out of the iron coffin with fire in their bodies and scrambled to escape.  But they couldn't avoid the light and heavy machine gun fire from the forward position, and they fell down one after another with their bodies covered in flames.

    There was an unlucky Japanese tank that happened to plunge into the tank, and was immediately turned upside down by the huge explosion. As for the Japanese tank soldiers inside, they had to admit that they were unlucky. Then, the ammunition in the tank was detonated by the high temperature and died.  The ammunition tore the Japanese tanks into pieces, with broken tracks and bent gun barrels flying all over the ground.

    Finally, Yamazaki was more careful and did not lose more tanks. If he had followed the multi-channel advancement method, Zhang Zizhong could have wiped out more than half of the Japanese tanks. The Japanese artillery following behind immediately built a position, and then,  The artillery shells roared towards the first blocking position of the Sulu garrison.

    The battle started like this. After hearing the battle report from the front, Isotani Rensuke groaned and covered his head. He almost fainted in pain. Here he comes again. That China devil, how many troops are waiting on the road to Xuzhou?  Thinking of himself, if Shangqiu fights for another three days and Xuzhou fights for another few days, it is still unknown. If Tang Qiuli mobilizes troops to surround him, his first army will be in danger.

    It's also strange. The dispatched army headquarters reported that Tang Qiuli's troops were fighting the imperial army on various battlefields. There was no longer the main force of the Imperial Army in Henan, but what was he facing in front of him?  So many troops, forming multiple lines of defense?

    Isotani Rensuke didn't understand, but he understood one thing. Shangqiu had to be fought like Kaifeng. The Japanese army stopped and began to organize an attack. The old method was to launch a fierce shelling first. This time Isotani Rensuke became fierce.  He must eliminate most of the strength of the Chinese army on the opposite side in the open area outside Shangqiu. He didn't want to fight anymore. The street fighting in Kaifeng's urban area made him sweat just thinking about it.

    Zhang Zizhong was well prepared and knew the Japanese attack routines well. After killing dozens of Japanese tanks, he immediately ordered his troops to evacuate the first line of defense. Even so, the rapid response of the artillery following the Japanese tank regiment gave him a  The troops suffered some casualties.

    After the Japanese artillery fire extended, the troops quickly returned to their positions, just in time to meet the first wave of attacks. Immediately, fireworks were everywhere outside Shangqiu, and the sound of gunfire was loud. Isotani Rensuke listened to the fierce sound of gunfire coming from the front line, and knew  After receiving the news of the Yamazaki Tank Regiment's setback, they immediately knew that this time, they had encountered a difficult opponent again.

    At around five o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Zizhong ordered his troops to abandon the first line of defense, which had changed beyond recognition, and move to the second line of defense. After the Japanese troops occupied the first line of defense, they did not stop and immediately began to attack, with the same result.  , was beaten to a bloody head again, and stopped at the second line of defense.

    According to Zhang Zizhong's plan, the peripheral defense fortifications of Shangqiu should block the Japanese army at least until tomorrow morning. His strength is about 10,000 more than the Yellow River and Henan Garrison Corps. Therefore, he made a plan for a large-scale defense system in depth and had the capital to build it.  Four outer lines of defense.

    The biggest advantage of this style of fighting is that it can try to avoid sticking to one position and suffering a lot of damage from the superior artillery fire of the Japanese army. Until dark, the second line of defense is still in the hands of the Sulu garrison, watching the night gradually cover  In the Central Plains, Isotani Rensuke sighed and ordered the troops to stop attacking and consolidate the existing positions.

    The plan to enter Shangqiu before dark failed. From the familiar fighting methods, Isotani Rensuke saw the shadow of Kaifeng's ** division troops that blocked him. Soldiers with the same powerful combat power and the same effective fighting methods, but he  It was also discovered that the firepower of this unit was not as good as that of the ** Division in Kaifeng. At least it had no artillery.

    When Isotani Renjie commanded the troops to storm Zhang Zizhong's defense line in Shangqiu, he did not know that the cavalry regiment recruited by Ying Zuo, whom he sent as a suspect, was in danger.

    The 2nd Tong Batu Cavalry Brigade roared out from the Taihang Mountains. With lightning speed, they arrived at the designated position before the Japanese cavalry arrived at Gongyi. They then set up an ambush in the Mengjin area west of Gongyi, waiting for Ying Zuo to arrive.  Come to die.

    After all the troops were ready, he immediately telegraphed to the division commander that the Second Cavalry Brigade had completed combat deployment. The reply from division commander Tang Qiuli only had ten words: "Completely annihilate all, make sure one person slips through the net." Tong Batu's eyelids jumped when he saw it, division commander  ¡¯s call back, with a fierce energy.

    Use a cavalry brigade to deal with a Japanese cavalry regiment and an infantry brigade in a sudden attack. If you can't win, you might as well cut your neck with a saber. The key is not to let a single Japanese soldier escape. This is a difficult task. The Japanese army  The ocean horse was faster than his own war horse. Tong Batu started thinking, how could he complete the division commander's order?

    (To be continued)
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