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Volume 2 Setting the Sail, 1938 to 1939 Chapter 460 Urgent Support

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    Chapter 460 Urgent Support

    "We must capture Xi'an!" Itagaki Seishiro had been preparing for this for a long time.  In his plan, Xi'an and other places have long been listed as targets.  There are a large amount of military supplies in the city of Xi'an that can supplement the consumption of the Japanese army. This is why he is not stingy with his little wealth and is determined to attack Xi'an.

    "If Xi'an is obtained and the fortified city is in hand, he can calm down.  There are many ways out from now on.  Or you can enter Henan to the southeast and evacuate from Henan.  Even if the vanguard army has blocked the road from Henan to Anhui, they can cooperate with the remaining enemies in Henan to create a passage.

    This is also Itagaki Seishiro's first plan. After all, 50,000 troops seem to be a lot at this time, but there is no root.  Eventually it will be slowly consumed.  Only by returning to the main force can we get supplies.  But to open up the road to Henan or even to Anhui, it is difficult to conquer it in one go.  Especially at this time, the vanguard army was still attacking the Japanese in Henan.  This requires a stable place to stay.

    In order to prevent the Japanese from doing this, Hu Zongnan concentrated military supplies in Xi'an and Baoji.  Baoji was not suitable for the Japs' attack direction, and there were many vanguard troops nearby, so Itagaki Seishiro was not sure.  That's why he chose Xi'an, which has a large amount of military supplies.

    "Hold on! The reinforcements are coming soon!" Hu Zongnan encouraged the soldiers while urging the reinforcements to arrive.

    The Central Army scattered in Baoji and Weinan were the closest and had already received the news that day. Under the urging of Hu Zongnan, they hurried over.

    "Let them be careful, the Japanese are forcing them very hard!" Hu Zongnan ordered.  The Japanese were fighting with their last ditch effort. In just half a day at the top of Xi'an, the Central Army defending the city suffered six to seven thousand casualties.  You must know that they are relying on the protection of the city wall, and the losses to the Japanese outside will not be small.

    But before his warning could be transmitted, he was intercepted by the Japanese.

    "The Japs defeated the reinforcements from Weinan?" Hu Zongnan said in surprise after receiving the information.  The reinforcements from Weinan were the first to arrive, but they were ambushed by the Japanese. The 30,000-strong army was overwhelmed and retreated to Weinan.

    The Japanese did not chase, but quickly cleaned up the battlefield.  At this time, places such as Yuncheng and Yongji in Shanxi were occupied by the vanguard army, and Sun Liren's New First Army was there.  Once the Central Army asks for help from the Pioneer Army and recruits the Pioneer Army, there will be no good results even if the Japanese attack them.  Itagaki Seishiro prohibited his men from attacking Weinan in order to let the central army block the passage of the vanguard army.  The same is true in Baoji.  As long as Weinan and Baoji are in the hands of the Central Army, Chiang Kai-shek will not let the vanguard troops in easily.

    "The thirty thousand troops were retreated by the Japs. This is simply" Hu Zongnan was so angry that he almost took out his guns and killed the division commanders who led the troops. However, he calmed down and ordered, "Remind the troops coming from Baoji,  Be careful of Japanese ambush."

    He didn¡¯t need to remind him about this, Baoji¡¯s reinforcements had already slowly started to make soy sauce.

    "Shoushan, we must send more reinforcements, otherwise Xi'an's city defense will be in danger." Jiang Dingwen said with a smile.

    He is the commander-in-chief of the Tenth War Zone, but the real power is controlled by Hu Zongnan, a direct student of Chiang Kai-shek.  It's just that Hu Zongnan is still junior and will temporarily serve as deputy.  However, with the rise of the Pioneer Army, Meng Xiang was promoted to second-level general and theater commander at a young age, and the line of seniority became much looser.  In addition, the more than 200,000 troops in Shaanxi basically listened to Hu Zongnan. Jiang Dingwen also expected that Hu Zongnan would take his place soon, and he even intensified his efforts to make money.

    This "corrupt general" as everyone calls him has amassed a huge amount of private property through corruption, bribery, speculation and business. According to Lu Yilin, Jiang Dingwen's private accountant: "The property of Mao Yuqin and Gu Fengxiang, the largest capitalists in the northwest, is only a fraction of Jiang Dingwen's."  .  ¡®

    With such a large amount of property, he was most afraid of the Japs storming the city of Xi'an.  If the city of Xi'an is destroyed, nothing may be left of his Wan Guan family property.  The five tiger generals back then had lost their courage due to money and beauty. After all, some of his behaviors could no longer be explained by avoiding disaster and self-destruction.

    "Teacher, I have informed the principal!" Although Hu Zongnan called Teacher Jiang Dingwen, his tone was just polite and looked down upon him.  The students in Huangpu Department at least still have some enthusiasm, and there are few who are as promiscuous and gambling as Jiang Dingwen.

    Lao Jiang was also angry at this action of the Japanese: "Niang Xipi, these heartless people. Instead of attacking Meng Ribai, you came here to plot my ideas." He was angry, but he still hoped  Direct this Japanese attack towards the vanguard army or the Red Party.

    During this period of time, due to the existence of this group of Japanese, northern Shaanxi has been in turmoil, which Lao Jiang is still very satisfied with.  Even the vanguard army, which he could not figure out, stopped attacking Shaanxi. He could onlyIt is also speculated that the vanguard army also planned to use this group of Japanese soldiers as swords.  Based on this calculation, the benefits of this group of devils staying in northern Shaanxi are greater.

    And at this time, he could not tell that the Japanese planned to attack the city, but to break through.  So Chiang Kai-shek issued an order to intercept:

    "Hold Xi'an and stop them!"

    But the front line in Xi'an was also a bit unstable. He had no choice but to start dispatching Wei Lihuang and Tang Enbo from Shangcheng and Funiu Mountain in Luoyang to support Xi'an. People from Hanzhong were also sent out to support Baoji.  In addition, vigilance has been strengthened at various checkpoints from Shaanxi to Sichuan.  To prevent this stream of devils from escaping in.  If you are not careful, even if a few people are rushed in by the Japanese, they will be slapped in the face.

    "Commander, the Japanese artillery fire is too fierce!" the staff officer reported.

    "Hold it!" Hu Zongnan shouted, "Whoever dares to retreat will be killed!"

    Although he knew that the Japanese artillery shells would not be enough, the explosions that kept ringing in his ears were dozens of times stronger than Liu Zhenhua's artillery team back then. He was worried about whether Xi'an's city wall could hold up.  At this time, two places had already been blasted open by the Japanese with bomb bags under the cover of artillery fire.  The two sides were constantly entangled there.

    "The reinforcements haven't arrived yet?" Hu Zongnan asked anxiously, but seeing the eyes of the staff officers, he knew they were still far away.

    "Commander, the Pioneer Army is calling." At this time, a lieutenant colonel staff member walked in quickly and handed an urgent message to Jiang Dingwen, but as he spoke, he glanced at Hu Zongnan.

    "Shouwen, the Pioneer Army is planning to come to support us!" Jiang Dingwen raised the message, said with a smile, and kicked the ball to Hu Zongnan.

    The support of the Pioneer Army is already well-known. Except for Wuhan due to the direct intervention of the central government, other supported areas have become the territory of the Pioneer Army.  He knew in his heart that Chiang Kai-shek would never let the vanguard troops in.

    "Report to the Chairman for his decision!" Hu Zongnan pushed him out directly.  He also knew what Lao Jiang meant. If he didn't pay attention, this would be a greater sin than losing Xi'an.  The city defense of Xi'an that he arranged at the beginning was not only to guard against the Japanese army and the Red Party, but also to focus on guarding against the vanguard army.

    "The Japanese artillery fire has put the city defense in danger. What will happen if the vanguard army comes?" Looking at the message Jiang Dingwen handed over with a smile in his hand, such a thought flashed through his mind.

    "The artillery fire of the Pioneer Army is too fierce, please ask for tactical guidance!" Colonel Yasushi Inoue, captain of the 15th Regiment of the 14th Division, had to report in mourning at this time.

    If he knew that someone was talking about the fierce Japanese artillery fire under Xi'an City, he would not know how to describe the heavy artillery bombardment of the Pioneer Army.  In his opinion, there were at least a thousand large and small artillery aimed at various fortresses built by the Japanese in Zhumadian.  At this moment, his ears were filled with the sound of heavy artillery. Hiding in the semi-underground fortress, he felt that his internal organs were shaken by the sound of the artillery so much that it was about to jump out of his throat.

    The Japanese mobilized not much cement and steel bars. Although they organized labor to build various fortresses, large and small, they were far inferior to the French Maginot Line. However, the heavy artillery of the vanguard army was no worse than the German heavy artillery.

    Inoue Yasushi knew that the fortress above his head could withstand the bombardment of a 150mm cannon, but not far away, the heavy artillery shells of the vanguard army that fell were at least 350mm.

    His guess was absolutely correct. What was bombarding those fortresses at this time was the 380 mm caliber artillery. It was not the Pioneer cannon, nor the shore artillery modified from the naval gun, but the Assault Tiger self-propelled assault artillery.

    Meng Xiang still remembers some of this kind of street fighting weapon. Although Chinese cities do not have as many concrete buildings as European and American cities, Zhumadian at this time was covered with fortresses built by the Japanese.  This is just the right time for the Assault Tiger to show off its power by driving to the front line and directly bombarding the fortress.

    The 380mm heavy artillery is rare to see on land.  The heavy artillery on the Assault Tiger, which is said to knock down any building with just one shot, is as easy as smashing a watermelon with a stone against the Japanese fortress with reduced materials.  Every shelling seemed to lift up the earth, and after the smoke dissipated, only the huge crater that was still steaming was left, and every trace that could identify the fortifications was smashed into the soil.

    Although the Assault Tiger's barrel length is only 5.4 times the caliber and its attack range is 6 kilometers, it is enough to cover all the Japanese fortresses by constantly moving on its own.  As the price of weapons dropped in the late World War II, Meng Xiang produced three experimental products, and this time they were all transferred.  Three heavy artillery pieces bombarded together, and there really was no building that could withstand it.  Sometimes with one shot, several surrounding fortresses would be destroyed at the same time.  Even if the fortress is not crossed, the people inside have been shocked to death.

    "Come for support quickly!" Inoue Yasushi, whose face was covered with blood at this time, asked for support again.This time he didn't even bother to speak politely to the tactical instructor.  Although a heavy artillery shell that landed not far away did not hit his head, all the personnel in the semi-underground command post were knocked down. Several soldiers lying on the ground were bleeding from their orifices and never got up again.

    Even at this moment, Inoue Yasushi's head felt as if a big bell was ringing in his ears, and he was groggy. The blood in his nose kept flowing out, but there was more blood in his heart at this time.  He confidently arranged the fortress position and wanted to give the vanguard a powerful look.  Even the idea given by the people of the 106th Division to carry the people with them was dismissed and put behind them.

    In order to prevent common people from tipping off the vanguard army, those common people were specially placed under centralized surveillance.  This just facilitated the artillery attack of the vanguard army.  The 14th Division did not have many confrontations with the Pioneer Army. Like Inoue Yasu, they all disdained to use ordinary people as amulets, which also made the Pioneer Army's artillery attacks even more unscrupulous.

    But at this time, Inoue Jing felt regretful. If he had to choose again, he would have to surround his soldiers with a Chinese civilian, so that the artillery fire of the vanguard army would not be so fierce.

    At this time, he could only cry silently, with blood dripping from the corners of his eyes. Under such fierce artillery fire, his 15th Regiment had little hope.

    The 14th Division, which has been motorized very early, has a strong artillery firepower. However, faced with the bombardment of at least a hundred large-caliber heavy artillery pieces of 150 mm or more, the artillery fire supporting the 15th Regiment has not heard any movement for a long time.  Not to mention hitting the Assault Tiger that keeps wandering around.

    "Why haven't you come to support?" Hu Zongnan was also very anxious at this time.

    The Japanese were driven to northern Shaanxi by the vanguard army. Although he knew that the Japanese were stronger after fighting against them, he still slightly underestimated this group of Japanese.  But after the actual fight, he realized that this group of Japanese soldiers was no worse than the Japanese soldiers he had come into contact with before.

    The Japanese artillery fire was fierce, not because of the high density of their bombardment, but because their bombardment was particularly accurate.  Not only were the artillery of the Central Army disabled by him and the others, but even the heavy firepower points of the defense were knocked out one by one.  Without the fire suppression at the top of the city, the Japanese could easily place the bomb bag at the root of the city wall.  The Doudin tanks guarding outside the city also blocked rounds of destruction by the death squads.  This resulted in more and more gaps in the city wall becoming larger and larger.

    The Japanese could not help but fire fiercely with artillery and rifle fire, and almost no one dared to show their heads on the city wall.  Hu Zongnan, who only hated it, regretted giving more bullets to the Japanese.  Who would have thought that these Japs, who were driven like dogs by the vanguard army and hid with the Red Party for a long time, could be so strong.  Even at the gap, the Japanese who rushed up desperately used bayonets to repeatedly push back the blocking Central Army there.

    In terms of assassination technology, the Japs are indeed stronger. In a one-on-one confrontation, it is difficult to say how many soldiers can withstand the Japs' assassinations.  However, the Northwest Army's broadsword team still left a legacy here. The broadswords flew at the gap, forcing the little devil out again.

    But with a few grenade blasts from the gap, the little Japs rushed up again stepping on the blood-soaked city brick fragments.

    Xi'an is in danger.  It stands to reason that Hu Zongnan's troops are well equipped, but under the heavy pressure of 50,000 Japanese soldiers, the missing parts of the city defense can only be filled with lives.

    "If I don't see you coming in an hour, I'll wait to be shot!" Hu Zongnan said angrily.  The reinforcements from Baoji were still thirty miles away from Xi'an City, but they had been moving slowly and cautiously, for fear of being ambushed by the Japs.  Hu Zongnan couldn't help but feel annoyed.

    At this time, Major General Takashi Sakai, the brigade commander of the 28th Brigade of the 14th Division in Zhumadian, was in no need of Hu Zongnan, but it was useless for him to use human life to fill it.  Even if the vanguard army's intensive artillery fire continues, no matter how many lives it takes, it won't be enough.  The Japanese army had always relied on accurate artillery fire, accurate shooting, and sharp bayonets to defeat the Central Army, but it no longer had much effect against the vanguard army.

    The sound of the Japanese artillery was a few notches lower when faced with the overwhelming bombardment of the vanguard's heavy artillery and even giant artillery, not to mention the fact that there were no airplanes pounding overhead.

    Their grenades had little chance to speak in the face of such fierce artillery fire, and the remaining ones were knocked off by the vanguard's mortars.

    It is said that the Japanese veteran rifles are accurate in shooting, but they cannot stop the heavy rain impact of the mg-42 machine gun.  Veterans are afraid of machine guns. Before the Japanese can get close to them, a hail of metal bullets will hit you. No matter how clever you are, you will still be caught in the hail of bullets.  What's more, the vanguard army also has many sharpshooters. The sharpshooters wearing sniper scopes can snipe more efficiently than the Japanese, and they will be hit wherever they are exposed.  The officers who took the lead were the most likely to be shot in the head.

    As for the Japs¡¯ bayonets, it was even more of a joke. Before the Japs rushed to the side with clatter, they were directly knocked down by Somi submachine guns and pistols.

      Even if the Japanese wanted to hide in the fortress and fire hidden guns, they could not stop the heavy artillery bombardment.  At this time, there has been no news from the 15th Wing Captain Inoue Yasushi for a long time.  Sakai Takashi didn't have much hope that he was still alive. The area defended by their 15th Regiment had been blasted twice by artillery fire from the vanguard army.  At this time, the artillery fire of the vanguard army had extended to the position of the 50th Regiment behind.

    A heavy artillery shell landed not far away, making the ground tremble several times.  But Sakai Takashi knew that this 203 heavy artillery was far less terrifying than the larger caliber heavy artillery.  The roar of heavy artillery comparable to that of a naval gun made his eardrums vibrate even from a distance.  You can imagine how many lives can be filled in such a bombardment.

    The 15th Regiment has been filled in, but the artillery fire of the Pioneer Army is still there.  As a last resort, he also started asking for tactical guidance.

    "We can't hold it anymore!" Lieutenant General Jingguan Longchang, commander of the 14th Division, sighed in a low voice, and he was the only one who heard it.  However, the chief of staff next to him, Colonel Tadayoshi Sano, saw frustration in his expression and guessed the meaning behind it.

    The sky was now filled with bombers and attack planes from the Pioneer Army, which directly bombarded the artillerymen of the 20th Regiment of the 14th Division's Field Artillery Regiment from showing their faces.  The front line of defense had been destroyed by the artillery of the vanguard army, but there was nothing they could do.  The vanguard army either attacks in the sky or blasts them with artillery fire from a distance. How can they attack if they can't see their opponent?

    The 18th Cavalry Regiment originally wanted to go around and outflank the artillery positions of the Pioneer Army, but was discovered by aircraft in the sky. After being continuously bombarded by more than fifty Il-10 attack aircraft and Havoc attack aircraft, the entire cavalry  Except for the little wealth left behind, the 18th Wing can basically be said to be empty.

    The more than 30 Zeros that came from Hefei to support are still fighting in the air with the 40 Thunderbolts and Hellcats of the Pioneer Army, but the 12-3 record made everyone understand that they cannot count on the reinforcements in the air.  .

    The 14th Division had no reinforcements because the crippled 13th Division and the 5th Division were sent to Hefei. Except for the 59th Regiment, which was stationed in Nanyang, the rest of the 14th Division were deployed to support the Zhumadian area.  The resting 106th Division is guarding Xinyang.  The 6th and 6th mixed brigade guarding Gushi and other places were defeated by the 56th Army, blocking their way eastward.

    The 57th Army, which had conquered Biyang, was attacking Queshan, and together with the 56th Army, they blocked the retreat of the 14th Division.

    At this time, the 14th Division could only wait for the vanguard army to use heavy artillery to smash their fortresses and fortifications bit by bit, waiting for the final defeat of the battle.

    "You can't fight with the vanguard army on the plains! If you want to offset the firepower of the vanguard army, you can only do it in the mountains." Jingguan Takanchang stared at the water in the water glass on the table that was shaken by the heavy cannon, and said suddenly.  Although he did not mention street fighting, Sano Tadayoshi also understood that if there were no hostages to worry the vanguard army, street fighting alone would not be able to stop the vanguard army's attack.  In the previous street battles, the Japanese army did not take advantage of them.

    "We must leave immediately! If it's too late, we will be surrounded by the vanguard army!" Sano Tadayoshi advised. This kind of words is not suitable for Iseki Takamasa to say, but in order for the 14th Division not to be completely annihilated by the vanguard army, a decision must be made.  .  Shunroku Hata, who was above, already knew that the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force was a hot yam, but a trace of luck left him still hesitant.

    "Go to Xinyang and return to the 106th Division first." Sano Tadayoshi said again.

    Having been bombarded by the artillery fire of the 57th Army, he absolutely did not think that the 14th Division, which had lost its troops and generals, could easily cross the front line between the 56th Army and the 41st Division. At this time, on the Anhui side, the 13th Division and  The 3rd Division has already begun to attack this front line.  When the time comes, the 106th Division may be able to cooperate with Anhui to attack.  If that doesn't work, you can also hide in Tongbai Mountain and Dabie Mountain.

    Although it is more difficult, there is still hope compared to directly hitting the artillery fire of the vanguard army.  At that time, we can not only return east along the Dabie Mountains, but also go south to cooperate with Okamura Neji and others to threaten Wuhan, or go west to meet the Japanese in Shaanxi.

    "What about Nanyang?" Jingguan Longchang pondered for a moment before asking.  The 59th Regiment is still in the Nanyang area, waiting for new orders. A brigade of the Pioneer Army has already attacked there.

    "Collect enough supplies and withdraw into Tongbai Mountain immediately!" Sano Tadayoshi immediately spoke up.

    "Yeah! Withdraw!" Jingguan Longchang breathed heavily in relief.

    At the same time, Xi'an City has ushered in a new turning point.

    "Plane! Our reinforcements are here!" Hu Zongnan was surprised by the shout from the top of the city. When he walked out of the command, he happened to see the conspicuous logo of the Pioneer Army on the fuselage of the aircraft swooping down from the sky.
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