Chapter 173: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 173: Telegram Tianya Brigade Again

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Ziqing's Reconnaissance Company has now been upgraded to a Reconnaissance Battalion, undertaking the task of covering Zhou Weiguo this time.

The defensive line of the Reconnaissance Battalion was a river. Seeing Zhou Weiguo's convoy pass through the bridge and move behind their line, Lv Ziqing ordered his Reconnaissance Battalion to begin blocking fire.

After anti-tank guns, 20mm cannons, and heavy machine guns fired across the river, the Japanese reinforcements, seeing that pursuit was hopeless, could only retreat.

In the command headquarters, Lv Muzhi received news that the artillery positions of the Eleventh Division and the 101st Division had been destroyed, and he was greatly heartened.

The Japanese heavy artillery was gone, and for the time being they were unable to launch an effective attack; now was the time for our counterattack.

"Hey, call your division commander Qiu Qingquan over!"

"Yes, Lu Commander, I am Qiu Qingquan."

"The artillery units of the Eleventh Division and the 101st Division have been annihilated. I want you to take back everything we temporarily lost!"

"Understood!"

In Jiangwan Town, after hearing that their artillery had been completely wiped out, and that they had also lost two cavalry battalions, half an infantry battalion, and an entire artillery regiment, Yamamuro Sōbu and Ito Masanishi, the two division commanders, began to sit on pins and needles.

Eleventh Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu directly picked a fight: "Now look, the artillery is gone. Division Commander Ito Masanishi, I reminded you long ago: don't push the infantry forward too fast!"

101st Division Commander Ito Masanishi wouldn't take the blame: "Trying to shirk responsibility? We formulated the plan to protect the artillery together, and I remember this plan was proposed by you first. At the time, I obeyed unconditionally."

"The main reason the artillery was annihilated was that the forces sent to protect them were insufficient, allowing that 'Imperial Destruction Dragon' of the Youth Army to take advantage of the opening. Your plan was not thorough!"

"Sigh, of course I am also at fault. My fault was trusting you too much..."

Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu flew into a rage: "What are you saying? Nearly two thousand troops were sent to protect the artillery regiment—is that considered too few? It's simply that the enemy is too strong. That 'Imperial Destruction Dragon' is practically a monster. By the way, the efficiency of the Radio Monitoring Center is still too slow. Why wasn't it reported earlier?!"

These words won Ito Masanishi's support: "I agree. This tank unit codenamed 'Imperial Destruction Dragon' is actually something we cannot stop at all. It's... a coordination problem from above... an underestimation of the difficulty of the Songhu campaign..."

The two reached a reconciliation and began to consider how to hold onto Jiangwan Town, this piece of fat already in their mouths, which cannot be spat out again.

There was also the Tianya Brigade landing at Huishan Wharf on the flank; they still had to exercise their subjective initiative and find a way to open a breach in Lv Muzhi's defenses.

Thinking of this, Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu sent a telegram to the Tianya Brigade at Huishan Wharf.

Huishan Wharf. The Tianya Brigade Commander looked at the telegram in his hand: "Order the Tianya Brigade to launch an advance attack on Hongkou at exactly 11:00 PM tonight, mop up the enemy in Hongkou, and the division's main force will coordinate the attack."

The Tianya Brigade Commander's head was about to split: "Send me to mop up Hongkou?"

Wasn't I supposed to be the one coordinating? How did I become the main attack?

With doubts, the Tianya Brigade Commander used the radio to inquire around, only to learn that the dozens of heavy guns assigned to support the attack had all been written off by the Youth Army.

As the only force to land on Lv Muzhi's flank, now his Tianya Brigade was the hope of the entire army.

The breakthrough point would have to be opened by the Tianya Brigade.

"Brigade Commander, it is already dark now, and there are still four hours until 11:00 PM!" the brigade staff officer reminded him.

The Tianya Brigade Commander asked: "Since we landed, has the enemy not launched a single attack against us?"

The staff officer shook his head: "The enemy hasn't fired a single shot or bullet. I don't know what plot they have. Our troops have been scattered along the Huangpu River defending against artillery, without advancing forward."

The Tianya Brigade Commander touched his hygienic mustache: "Something is fishy. Order the troops to remain alert, and send a telegram to the division commander saying that we came under enemy artillery fire at the wharf, and that since it is too dark, it is truly difficult to organize an effective attack before 11:00."

Just as the Japanese army hesitated to advance, in the Hongkou area, the Youth Army had already gathered the strength of two brigades. Qiu Qingquan, as commander of the Second Division, led one brigade, while Chu Yunfei led the other, accepting Qiu Qingquan's command.

The Japanese Navy Marine Corps Command Headquarters in Hongkou had now become the command headquarters of Qiu Qingquan and Chu Yunfei.

Regarding the Tianya Brigade that landed on their flank, the two were not afraid at all.

"Commander Qiu, the Tianya Brigade has been sent to our flank. I think this time they are coming with no return!" Chu Yunfei laughed boldly.

Qiu Qingquan was quite confident about taking down the Tianya Brigade: "Two field artillery companies are already in position, and the mountain gun companies of each regiment are also ready. After all this work, it's just to integrate these guns. Whether it's the Tianya Brigade on the flank or Yamamuro Sōbu and Ito Masanishi at Jiangwan in the front, they cannot possibly take our Hongkou."

"That's right. Sun Yuanlang's 88th Division is now in the Miaohang area, and there are other German-equipped 87th Divisions there. The enemy cannot move. If the enemy wants to advance west toward Sun Yuanlang, then don't blame us for taking advantage of their vulnerability."

Qiu Qingquan now had two brigades and four regiments, each regiment with a mountain gun company, and he himself had four mountain gun companies. Plus the two field artillery companies given by Lv Muzhi, and the Guangxi Army brothers of the 21st Group Army, holding Hongkou was no problem, and retaking Jiangwan was a certainty.

At 11:00 AM, the Tianya Brigade indeed did not launch an attack.

Eleventh Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu allowed the Tianya Brigade to attack at 12:00, but was again refused by Major General Tianya Direct Next with an excuse.

The old Japanese devil Tianya understood that Jiangwan, occupied by the division's main force, seemed like a great gain on the surface, but the enemy's main force was still there. If he went up, wouldn't he be sending himself to his death?

Thus 12:00 was delayed to 12:30, 1:00 to 2:00. Five or six telegrams were sent. Finally, Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu was furious beyond endurance: "Send another telegram to the Tianya Brigade. Launch the attack precisely at 2:00 AM. The transport ships on the Huangpu River have been withdrawn by me. The Tianya Brigade has no retreat."

"The Tianya Brigade is only allowed to advance forward. The main forces of the Eleventh Division and the 101st Division will simultaneously attack Hongkou, forming a pincer attack from two sides!"