Chapter 295: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 295 Liao Yaoxiang: Severing Isogai's Main Artery!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

West of Linyi, darkness shrouded the land of Lunan.

The gunfire of the day had temporarily ceased, but a more tense, more grand movement was unfolding.

At the assembly area of the Youth First Army, the low rumble of engines converged into one.

Truck after truck, loaded with soldiers or towing artillery, formed a long dragon, heading west along the road.

Under Liao Yaoxiang's arrangement, the three divisions of the Youth First Army concentrated their tank battalions, reconnaissance battalions, and a small number of elite infantry together, forming an armored cluster as the first echelon to seize Yi County and cut off Isogai Rensuke's Tenth Division's retreat.

The tank column, with the tracks of Type 3 tanks and T tanks rolling over the road, made the earth seem to tremble slightly.

The armored vehicles and motorcycles of the reconnaissance battalion served as vanguards, having already advanced to scout routes and enemy conditions.

Liao Yaoxiang sat in an open-top jeep, feeling the cold night air brush his cheeks.

Beside him, the radio operator's radio was turned off, implementing radio silence, with no sound at all.

Watching this huge and orderly mechanized column advance firmly westward in the darkness, his heart was filled with the heroic spirit of controlling power.

"Commander-in-Chief, all divisions report: marching order normal, no enemy interception encountered, the vanguard armored forces are rushing to the designated flanking position," the staff officer reported beside him.

Liao Yaoxiang nodded: "Ask about the situation of Division Commander Chu and Division Commander Chen!"

At this moment, Chu Yunfei stood on the firing step of a heavy artillery tractor, his body swaying slightly with the vehicle's jolting.

The three division commanders of the Youth Army First Army: Liao Yaoxiang led the armored cluster; Chu Yunfei led the artillery cluster; Chen Minren led the main infantry force.

In the artillery cluster commanded by Chu Yunfei, there were not only the 105mm howitzers of each division, but also an artillery regiment directly under the army possessing 24 155mm heavy howitzers.

These steel beasts were dragged by heavy tractors, their marching speed not fast, but every step was extremely steady.

Cavalry rode back and forth in the column, messengers galloped out of the darkness on horseback, occasionally reporting orders quickly in low voices.

Under radio silence, these signalmen riding war horses, bicycles, and even motorcycles became the only link between the various units.

Chu Yunfei felt the weight of those silent giant cannons behind him; once these big fellows were set up behind Isogai Rensuke, the doom of the Tenth Division would have arrived.

……

Xuzhou, Fifth War Zone Headquarters.

Li Zongren looked at the marker on the map representing the Youth First Army's westward advance arrow, tapping his finger at Linyi's position: "Wei Yue, the main force of the First Army's three divisions shifting west to cut off Isogai's rear is indeed clever, but what about Linyi?

Pang Bingxun and Yu Xuezhong, they have to face the Japanese Fifth and Sixteenth Divisions, the pressure is too great? They can't hold out.

What if Itagaki and Nakajima discern the real from the false and seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, Linyi falls, and they also go to support the west side?"

The old man also looked over; the Linyi direction indeed made him somewhat uneasy.

Lv Muzhi, however, seemed to have long had a plan, calmly replying: "De Gong, do not worry; as for Linyi, I still have a card left; Song Xilian's Seventy-First Army has not been committed to battle from beginning to end."

He walked to the map, pointing to Xin'an Town on the Longhai Line: "The main force of the Seventy-First Army has already been secretly transported by train to Xin'an and is now disembarking to assemble; subsequently they will march north on foot overnight to take over the Youth First Army's main defensive positions on the outskirts of Linyi.

The Seventy-First Army also has a German-equipped division foundation, with acceptable equipment; relying on existing fortifications, holding the Japanese army for a period of time is absolutely no problem."

After listening, the old man pondered for a moment, still feeling it was not secure enough: "Although adding the Seventy-First Army, facing two Japanese divisions, it is still barely enough.

Immediately send a telegram to the Ministry of Military Administration, tell He Yingqin, order Wu Keren's Sixty-Seventh Army, which retreated from Songhu and is resting and replenishing in the rear, to set out immediately, rushing to aid Linyi at the fastest speed, coming under the command of the Fifth War Zone!"

"Yes!" The staff officer recorded the order and hurriedly left.

Li Zongren saw the old man had adjusted reinforcements, his heart somewhat eased; such an increase in troops was also adding an insurance.

Lv Muzhi nodded, his gaze once again turning to the north.

Now it all depended on Liao Yaoxiang's blade, whether it was fast enough, whether it was ruthless enough.

……

The darkest moment before dawn, Yi County, Shandong.

This small city located north of Taierzhuang, along the Jinpu Road, was still asleep.

Inside and outside the city were stationed some logistics units and a small number of guard troops of the Tenth Division; no one would have thought that a huge armored force had already crept like a ghost right under their noses.

On the abandoned dirt road outside the county seat, Liao Yaoxiang jumped down from the jeep.

In the distance, the low city wall outline of Yi County was faintly visible in the dim dawn light.

The vanguard armored reconnaissance battalion that arrived first had already cleared out the scattered Japanese outposts on the outer perimeter.

"Report to the Commander-in-Chief! My armored spearhead group has already controlled the east and north exits of Yi County; there is about one company of Japanese guard troops inside the city, and inside the city is the Tenth Division's field hospital!" The Reconnaissance Battalion Commander came to report.

Liao Yaoxiang looked at his pocket watch: "Launch the attack immediately, take Yi County, and have Chu Yunfei's heavy artillery and Chen Minren's main infantry force arrive even faster!"

He walked to a slightly higher dirt slope; from here, he could already see the Jinpu Railway like a black ribbon passing through Yi County, leading to Taierzhuang.

Farther away, to the southeast, a dull rumbling sound faintly came—it was from the direction of Taierzhuang; Isogai Rensuke's general offensive against Taierzhuang had already begun.

"The time has come." Liao Yaoxiang nodded to the communications staff officer beside him: "Lift radio silence. Connect me to the forward command in Xuzhou, Lu Commander's direct line."

Shortly after, the radio connected.

Liao Yaoxiang picked up the microphone: "Lu Commander, this is Liao Yaoxiang. My First Army's armored vanguard force has successfully flanked to Yi County, the way has been smooth all along!

We have now controlled the city's transportation arteries; Isogai Rensuke's retreat route has actually been cut off by me. My heavy artillery force and main infantry force are successively arriving at the designated positions.

Please inform the Taierzhuang garrison that they must hold the current Japanese offensive and pin down their main force. Our army will deliver a fatal blow from behind them!"

"Good! Watch out for the Tenth Division's counterattack; you must hold on, don't let Isogai Rensuke escape from your hands!" Lv Muzhi's voice came from the earpiece.

Not long after dawn broke, Isogai Rensuke indeed sent out counterattack forces, but they were all repelled by Liao Yaoxiang's armored cluster forces.

At noon, Chu Yunfei brought his artillery command post and some vanguard heavy artillery, arriving by tractor.

Chen Minren also brought a vanguard force of infantry and arrived.

Isogai Rensuke's hope of escape became increasingly slim.

The three division commanders of the Youth Army First Army gathered in Yi County, meeting outside the platform of Yi County Railway Station, where Japanese slogans and scattered supplies still remained on the platform.

Although Liao Yaoxiang had not slept all night, his spirits were excellent; pointing at the station sign beneath the station house eaves bearing the two characters Yi County, he laughed and said: "Gentlemen, do you know what the station sign behind me means?"

Chu Yunfei and Chen Minren both exchanged smiles.

Liao Yaoxiang excitedly said: "Isogai Rensuke's great artery has already been severed by me!"

"Ammunition and grain cannot be delivered up; let's see how many more days he can hold out!"