Chapter 296: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 296 The Old Man: Send Reinforcements Immediately!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

When news arrived that Yi County had fallen and the logistics artery was severed, the clamor and fervor at the Tenth Division headquarters had completely ended.

Isogai Rensuke had been commanding with vigor at the map table the second before, directing each regiment to launch assaults under tank and cannon cover, but upon learning his rear was cut off, the old ghost's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Ba... Eight Gua! Liao Yaoxiang and them?! How can the Youth Army First Army be at Yi County?! Aren't they facing the Fifth Division and Sixteenth Division at Linyi?!

Itagaki Seishiro and Nakajima Imao, those two wastes?! An entire army of enemies slipped right under their noses, and they noticed nothing?!"

Chief of Staff Tei Bujakuki's face was equally grim: "Reportedly, they only told us the Youth Army First Army had slipped behind us when Liao Yaoxiang's armored cluster attacked Yi County; the Youth Army First Army moved at night, transferring a large number of mechanized vehicles all at once—truly unbelievable."

Isogai Rensuke forced himself to stay calm, quickly marked Yi County's position on the map, and planted a glaring red small flag. "Liao Yaoxiang bringing the Youth Army First Army behind us not only cut off our connection and logistics supply to the north, but more seriously, they occupied this key point of Yi County; advancing, they can directly threaten the flank and rear of my forces attacking Taierzhuang; retreating, they can rely on city defenses and preset positions to block us."

"Taierzhuang... probably cannot be taken."

Chief of Staff Tei Bujakuki nodded: "An elite enemy main force has appeared behind us, and it's the Youth Army First Army with large numbers of tanks and heavy artillery! If our army continues to storm Taierzhuang, Liao Yaoxiang's troops strike from behind, and the Taierzhuang garrison counterattacks in turn, our army will fall into a desperate situation of being attacked from both front and rear! By then, the Tenth Division may face... destruction!"

Isogai Rensuke recalled the fate of the Third Division at Songhu, recalled the miserable state of the Sixth Division outside Jinling City... no, the Tenth Division absolutely cannot follow in their footsteps!

"Order the troops to cease all offensives against Taierzhuang; what matters most now is getting my division out safely!"

"Hai yi!" Tei Bujakuki immediately recorded the order, then asked: "Division Commander, I'll organize a breakout force right away!"

Isogai Rensuke immediately stopped him: "No! We cannot break out easily! We are now attacked from both front and rear; the Xia Guo Taierzhuang garrison has many troops at the front, backed by the Xuzhou Imperial General Headquarters, and the Youth Army First Army behind us is also numerous and well-equipped; a rash breakout might see us annihilated in the movement."

"What we must do now is immediately deploy a defensive position in place, wait for other troops to come reinforce us, and attack the Youth Army First Army from behind or the side; only then can we break out safely, and possibly even encircle and destroy the Youth Army First Army!"

The chief of staff seemed to understand something and asked: "Should we request aid from the Fifth and Sixteenth Divisions in the Linyi direction, asking them to immediately advance west to contain or repel Liao Yaoxiang's troops from the flank?"

"Of course!" Isogai Rensuke said without hesitation, "Linyi no longer has the Youth Army; what reason do the Fifth Division and Sixteenth Division have to stop there?"

"Immediately send telegrams to Itagaki Seishiro and Nakajima Imao, telling them that due to their serious dereliction of duty, causing the Youth Army First Army's main force to shift west, my Tenth Division has been placed in extreme danger!"

"Order them to immediately launch the fiercest attack toward Linyi! Either smash the enemy before them, occupy Linyi, and directly threaten Liao Yaoxiang's flank, or at least draw Liao Yaoxiang's main force back!"

"Also, send a telegram to the North China Area Army Headquarters, reporting the current crisis in detail."

"Request General Terauchi Hisaichi to strictly order the Fourteenth Division's Tsuchiya Kenji to move the entire division south from Jining at full speed to link up with us! Our forces advance from south and north to pincer the Youth Army First Army at Yi County!"

"As long as the Fourteenth Division arrives in time, with our combined internal and external efforts, not only can the Tenth Division be kept safe, but we might even turn around and encircle this lone Youth Army elite force of Liao Yaoxiang's that has penetrated deep... in the Yi County region!"

Tei Bujakuki's eyes lit up: "Division Commander is brilliant! Using stillness to counter movement, turning attack into defense, holding fast and awaiting reinforcements—thus the battle situation might be reversed!"

Isogai Rensuke's face showed little joy: "This is the most ideal situation; order the troops to centrally manage the carried grain and ammunition, and prepare for a long-term defense."

"Before reinforcements arrive, no unit may sortie without authorization, especially any counterattack north toward Yi County; without my order, besides defense, any attack that might damage our fighting strength is absolutely forbidden! Preserve our strength—every step must be without error!"

Xuzhou, Fifth War Zone Headquarters.

"Latest intelligence!" The staff officer handed over the just-translated telegram and frontline observation report: "The Japanese Tenth Division at the Taierzhuang front completely ceased its offensive two hours ago; its troops are now digging fortifications in place at their original attack assembly areas, showing a defensive posture."

"At the same time, the small units in contact with Liao Yaoxiang's troops at Yi County have withdrawn and contracted, with no active counterattack movements."

The old man took the telegram, his brow tightly furrowed: "Ceased offensive? Digging fortifications to hold? Isogai Rensuke doesn't want to leave?"

Li Zongren walked to the map table, his finger tracing from Taierzhuang to Yi County, then north toward Jining, east toward Linyi, and mused: "Isogai Rensuke is assessing the situation and has made the most rational and hardest-to-deal-with choice."

"Stopping the offensive on Taierzhuang, and not actively breaking out toward the Youth Army direction, he avoids fighting on two fronts and troop consumption. Holding in place, he is waiting!"

"Waiting for reinforcements..." The old man understood: "The Fifth and Sixteenth Divisions at Linyi to the east, and the Fourteenth Division at Jining to the north, are all reinforcements for Isogai Rensuke's Tenth Division."

Lv Muzhi said, "The two relief forces from the Linyi and Jining directions are a major threat to my Youth Army's Liao Yaoxiang troops; the friendly forces at Linyi must be ensured by the War Zone Headquarters to block the Fifth and Sixteenth Divisions; as for the Fourteenth Division at Jining to the north, the headquarters need not worry about it."

Li Zongren thought for a moment and said: "No, we still need to keep sending reinforcements!"

Lv Muzhi looked at the old man: "That's exactly the point; Isogai Rensuke stays put at Taierzhuang to set up a defense, while Liao Yaoxiang also deploys a defense on Isogai Rensuke's retreat route—first to stop Isogai Rensuke from breaking out, and second to stop Tsuchiya Yuan's Fourteenth Division from Jining in the north from moving south to reinforce."

"At Linyi, reinforcements need to be continuously sent to wage a war of attrition against the two divisions there, ensuring Linyi is not lost and guaranteeing the safety of Liao Yaoxiang's flank."

The old man thought for a moment, took out paper and pen, wrote a long string of unit designations, circled some with his pen, and handed them to Li Zongren and Lv Muzhi.

Lv Muzhi took a look; the paper was densely packed: Third Group Army, Twenty-fourth Group Army, Twenty-sixth Group Army, Twenty-seventh Group Army, Nineteenth Army Corps, Second Army, Twenty-second Army, Forty-sixth Army, Sixtieth Army, Sixty-eighth Army, Sixty-ninth Army, Seventy-fifth Army, Ninety-second Army...

"Send reinforcements immediately! The few units I circled, go support Linyi!"

Lv Muzhi circled two more armies: "Reinforcements are also needed at the Taierzhuang front; to guard against Tsuchiya Yuan's Fourteenth Division from the Jining direction, Liao Yaoxiang cannot go all out against Isogai Rensuke's Tenth Army; the Central Government needs to send troops to attack Isogai Rensuke from the Taierzhuang front, intensifying the attrition of the Tenth Division!"