Chapter 316

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"Lu Commander, the Tsuchiya Maru's Fourteenth Division has fled northwest!" Liao Yaoxiang reported the latest military intelligence.

Hearing this news, Lv Muzhi let out a breath of relief.

The Youth First Army and Second Army encircled and attacked the Tsuchiya Maru's Fourteenth Division from the north, south, and east, deliberately leaving the west side open; this was intentional.

To evade the Youth Army's attack, Tsuchiya Yuan desperately sought a way out and indeed chose to flee northwest, thereby moving away from the Japanese friendly forces coming to reinforce from the northeast.

Lv Muzhi said: "Let Tsuchiya Yuan run with all his might! Xue Yue's First Army Group has already stationed at Lanfeng, and our Youth First Army is driving them from behind — let Tsuchiya Yuan crash straight into Xue Yue's arms!"

"Tell Qiu Qingquan and Zhang Fei's Youth Second Army to keep their troops at Cao County, monitoring the Japanese forces in the Heze direction; if Japanese reinforcements dare pass through Heze to support the Tsuchiya Maru's Fourteenth Division at Lanfeng, the Youth Second Army must strike immediately — we must create the opportunity to annihilate Tsuchiya Yuan completely!"

"Rest assured, Lu Commander. The reconnaissance force just reported that the Tsuchiya Maru's Fourteenth Division has thrown away helmets and armor; after the Southwest Air Force's air strikes, the division's tanks, artillery, and other heavy equipment have been lost in large numbers — this so-called heavy equipment division is already at the end of its rope!"

Lv Muzhi nodded and said: "You stay here as Frontline Commander-in-Chief to command the pursuit of Tsuchiya Yuan; I will go to Zhengzhou immediately to attend the war zone conference."

At this moment, Tsuchiya Kenji sat inside an armored vehicle covered in mud, his internal organs nearly shaken out by the jolting road.

Looking at the scenery outside — where was the once imposing, well-equipped heavy Fourteenth Division?

All along the road, abandoned vehicle wreckage could be seen everywhere.

A Type 97 Medium Tank lay overturned in a roadside ditch, its tracks broken, turret hatch wide open, empty inside — the crew had obviously abandoned the vehicle and fled for their lives.

Farther away, several overturned 105mm field guns lay alone in the fields, their muzzles pointing feebly at the sky.

Under the Southwest Air Force's air strikes, many trucks had been blown into heaps of scrap iron.

The devils had lost most of their transport vehicles and could only drag their exhausted legs, stumbling through the fields on both sides of the road under their officers' curses.

In the sky, fighters dispatched by the North China Area Army circled above the 14th Division, observing the Tsuchiya Maru's Fourteenth Division's condition.

"Division Commander, rear reconnaissance cavalry report: the Youth Army First Army's armored vanguard is less than fifteen kilometers from our rearguard!

They are advancing very fast; our rearguard will find it hard to delay them!" The Chief of Staff climbed into the armored vehicle, bringing yet another piece of bad news.

Tsuchiya Kenji closed his eyes — the pursuers were biting too tight! Lv Muzhi's Youth Army was like a shark smelling blood, giving him no chance to catch his breath or reorganize his troops.

If he followed General Terauchi Hisaichi's order to hold his ground, the 14th Division would likely have been eaten up by the Youth Army, and he could hardly wait for reinforcements to arrive in time.

His only thought now was to reach Lanfeng as fast as possible, to approach the Yellow River! Only by reaching the Yellow River's edge, with his back to the safe Japanese-occupied zone on the north bank, relying on the ferry crossing, could he possibly obtain supplies and pickup.

"Order the troops to discard all unnecessary baggage!

Objective — Lanfeng! Full speed toward the vicinity of Lanfeng!"

"Send a telegram to the Front Army Headquarters! Tell General Terauchi Hisaichi that my Fourteenth Division has suffered strong pursuit by the Youth Army main force, has successfully broken out northwest, and now intends to turn toward Lanfeng, relying on the Yellow River to reorganize the front.

Earnestly request the Front Army to quickly dispatch strong forces to meet us at key points on the Yellow River's north bank, and prepare river-crossing equipment to facilitate my division's crossing or receipt of supply support!"

However, bad news seems to always arrive in pairs.

Shortly after the telegram was sent, a cavalry lieutenant responsible for forward reconnaissance rode back on horseback: "Division Commander! The cavalry squad we sent to reconnoiter the Lanfeng direction reports that Lanfeng City and surrounding towns have discovered large numbers of Xia Guo troops urgently constructing fortifications! They are all Central Army — total strength may exceed one hundred thousand!

Lanfeng's defenses have been comprehensively strengthened!"

"What?!" Tsuchiya Kenji felt his vision go black.

"Could it be… could it be the Xia Guo people long anticipated we would flee to Lanfeng? They've set a trap there waiting for us?"

A bone-piercing chill instantly swept through Tsuchiya Kenji's entire body.

Ahead, Central Army heavy troops blocking the way; behind, the elite Youth First Army chasing; overhead, Southwest Air Force fighters that might appear again at any moment — he truly had become a turtle in a jar!

"Division Commander, what do we do now?" the Chief of Staff asked.

Tsuchiya Kenji thought — most of his heavy weapons were destroyed, the tanks and guns he relied on were few; advancing meant a copper wall and iron wall; retreating meant a steel torrent; stopping meant sitting and waiting for death.

The Youth Army had been driving the Fourteenth Division into a pocket; he had scrambled across the North China Plain in a sorry state, troops exhausted — the Lanfeng region had one hundred thousand Central Army troops, and he no longer had the strength to assault Lanfeng.

Tsuchiya Yuan did not trust General Terauchi Hisaichi, but matters having come to this, he could only pin his hopes on the reinforcements Terauchi Hisaichi might send, hoping friendly forces could break through the encirclement and extend a helping hand!

Zhengzhou, First War Zone Commander's Department.

The atmosphere here was completely opposite to Tsuchiya Kenji's despair — inside it was filled with uplifting cheers.

After suffering multiple defeats in North China, the First War Zone desperately needed a victory to fall within its jurisdiction.

Now, Tsuchiya Yuan had been driven to Lanfeng by the Youth Army — victory was finally about to favor the First War Zone.

In the map room, besides the First War Zone's generals gathering, Fifth War Zone Commander-in-Chief Li Zongren, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lv Muzhi, and others had also come here.

The concluding work of the Xuzhou Campaign was carried out jointly by the First War Zone and the Fifth War Zone.

The old man personally sat in command at Xuzhou, approved the plan by Lv Muzhi, Li Zongren, and others to wage a decisive battle around the Lanfeng region, as the final battle of the Xuzhou Campaign.

"Good! Wei Yue, well fought! The Youth Army's drive has indeed herded Tsuchiya Yuan into this slaughterhouse at Lanfeng!" The old man's face showed uncontainable excitement and a healthy glow, and he continued:

"As we previously agreed, I have already formed the Yudong First Army Group, stationed at Lanfeng — let's see where Tsuchiya Yuan can run!"

Having successively swallowed the Tenth and Thirteenth Divisions, and now on the verge of encircling the Fourteenth Division — such battle results are enough to shake the nation, even influence international perception!

Fifth War Zone Commander-in-Chief Li Zongren also wore a smile, while voicing his own considerations: "Chairman, annihilating the Fourteenth Division now indeed has great certainty.

Xue Yue's Yudong First Army Group awaits at ease at Lanfeng, Wei Yue's Youth First Army pursues fiercely from behind — Tsuchiya Yuan is already a fatigued enemy, unable to fly even with wings.

But the most critical issue now is not how to eat this piece of meat, but how to block the devils' relief forces coming to lift the siege.

I see — why not form two more army groups, and with three army groups' strength, complete this final battle?"