Chapter 358: Republic of China: Starting from Whampoa Phase One, Chapter 368: Decisive Move: The Great Battle of Huangchuan!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

"The Battle of Wuhan has already lasted three months; Gangcun Ningci of the Japanese army on the north bank of the Yangtze River is increasingly exhausted. Now it seems the decisive hand of this campaign lies on the Huangchuan battlefield!" said Soviet Olesky Ambassador.

Shanov, general of the Aid China Air Volunteer Team, nodded: "The Japanese army has brought several hundred thousand troops to attack; this battle might be the first time Xia Guo wins in a large-scale campaign......

I must say, Xia Guo is not beyond help; it is indeed worthy of strong support, to be used to restrain and wear down the Japanese army's ambitions."

"General Shanov, what you need to do is order the Air Volunteer Team to take off with full force to support the Huangchuan battlefield, helping Lv Muzhi achieve victory in the Huangchuan Campaign!"

"Now Li Zongren's Fifth War Zone and Chen Cheng's Ninth War Zone have successfully restrained Gangcun Ningci's 11th Army on the front;

as long as the Huangchuan Campaign is won, the Japanese army will be powerless to strengthen its offensive against Wuhan; the two divisions of the Higashikuni Palace in the Dabie Mountains are nothing more than turtles in a jar."

"Understood! My Air Volunteer Team will fight alongside the aviation troops of the Youth Corps to seize victory in the Huangchuan Campaign!"

Below Huangchuan City, cannons roared.

Under the fierce bombardment of artillery fire, Huangchuan City had long been riddled with holes, but on the city head, the Japanese troops below the city wall were still resisting desperately.

Inside the city were the Imperial Guard Division and the Fifth Division; the two divisions combined still had nearly forty thousand men, indeed a city-defending force not to be underestimated.

Hu Gongnan said: "Our army launched three probing attacks; the Japanese army's will to defend the city is quite stubborn, with some meaning of fighting to the death with their backs to the water."

Qiu Qingquan said: "Willpower will eventually be exhausted, especially in such a high-pressure environment. I think we should continue to wear down the enemy's combat will with our artillery superiority, then deliver the final blow!"

Lv Muzhi understood that the Japanese army defended the city so stubbornly for no other reason than to pin him down here, so that the two divisions of the Higashikuni Palace could cross the Dabie Mountains in peace.

However, Lv Muzhi was not in a hurry. Xiaojieling in the Dabie Mountains was easy to defend and hard to attack. He had given Huang Wei's 18th Army a large quantity of chemical weapons; the Higashikuni Palace could not possibly cross the Dabie Mountains quickly. After taking Huangchuan City, he would head south to deal with the Higashikuni Palace in the deep mountains and old forests.

"Don't rush; the battle has only begun for one day. For the first phase of the campaign to liberate Huangchuan City, the initial target is to clear and occupy the outer perimeter positions outside the city one by one, driving the Japanese troops on the outer perimeter into the city.

After that, bombard Huangchuan City with powerful artillery fire, and see what Iida Sadakata and Lieutenant General Itagaki Seishiro will do!

All units surround Huangchuan City, strictly prevent the Japanese army from escaping; let a single Japanese soldier escape, and be executed without mercy!"

Inside Huangchuan City, the Japanese army's command post was set in a cellar.

The artillery fire shook the electric lamps, swaying back and forth; the flickering lamplight illuminated the helpless faces of the two Japanese lieutenant generals.

"Our mission has already been determined; I never expected my Imperial Guard Division would become cannon fodder in this Huangchuan City!" Iida Sadakata said indignantly.

"From the moment we entered Huangchuan City, we should have been mentally prepared for this. I remember clearly that you were eager to fight a decisive battle with Lv Muzhi's troops back then!

Now Lv Muzhi has brought two armies and five divisions; where is your boldness?"

Iida Sadakata gave a wry smile: "Is there any point in mocking me now? What we can do now is follow Hata Jun......"

"Truly optimistic! Whether Wuhan can be taken or not, the Fifth Division and the Imperial Guard Division are definitely already in Lv Muzhi's pocket!

I, Itagaki Seishiro, am not a man greedy for life and afraid of death. Since we are already cannon fodder, then I insist on nailing myself here, firmly pinning Lv Muzhi down here!"

"Well said! Fighting side by side, for the victory of the Wuhan Campaign, the Imperial Guard Division is willing to burn itself!"

The two were full of heroic spirit in the command post, quite having the flavor of "dying generously for righteousness."

"Report to the two division commanders: east of Huangchuan City, our army's last outer perimeter position has been taken by Xia Guo troops; the Inoue Battalion defending the position has been totally annihilated!

Our army now relies entirely on the city wall for defense!" a staff officer ran back to report.

Itagaki Seishiro was both shocked and angry: "Immediately organize an offensive to retake the outer perimeter position east of the city. Relying solely on the city wall, it is impossible to defend Huangchuan City for long!"

The outer perimeter position east of the city was successfully captured by Hu Gongnan's troops under the fire support of the Youth Army's artillery.

Li Zhengxian of the Central First Division dispatched troops to station there, completing the encirclement of Huangchuan City.

"Division Commander, the Japanese army has rushed out from inside the city, trying to retake the position!" a regimental commander ran to report.

Li Zhengxian had not yet replied when superior Hu Gongnan called: "Li Zhengxian, the Central First Division must hold the position. If I lose face before the old man, you can prepare for retirement!"

"Yes!"

After hanging up the phone, Li Zhengxian understood that in this great battle of Huangchuan, all the armies were Central Army, and they were all Whampoa clique officers.

Lv Muzhi, Hu Gongnan, Song Xilian, Du Yuming...... including Qiu Qingquan and Li Zhengxian.

Everyone was singing the same play; if any unit were taken advantage of by the Japanese army in this battle, the Whampoa First Phase commanders would lose face along with them.

If word got back to the old man, it would certainly not be a good story.

"Order the entire division: hold the position at all costs. Whoever makes me lose face before Commander Hu will have to take off their military uniform!"

The great battle of Huangchuan intensified; the Xia State Army seized all outer perimeter positions outside the city, while the Japanese army launched frantic counterattacks, hoping to retake the outer perimeter positions and strive to hold Huangchuan City for a few more days.

Although the Japanese troops inside Huangchuan City were stubborn, the Central Army troops attacking the city were equally tenacious.

"These Whampoa clique officers are simply unshakable!" said Division Commander Iida Sadakata: "Request the 18th Division and 116th Division on the east to speed up their march and come to support Huangchuan as soon as possible; otherwise, tens of thousands of locust troops will all die in this city!"

Lieutenant General Itagaki Seishiro called a communications soldier: "Send a report to the Dispatch Army Headquarters: Huangchuan is in critical danger; mobilize the Air Corps to come support!"

At present, the 18th Division and 116th Division coming from the east to support were the most urgently needed reinforcement for the Japanese troops inside Huangchuan City.

But such an important reinforcement force was at this moment blocked in Gushi County.

The Youth Third Army deployed in Gushi County, just intercepting the 18th Division and 116th Division coming to support.

Over one hundred thousand men on both sides fought a fierce battle on the land of Gushi County east of Huangchuan.

The Youth Third Army, mainly composed of Sichuan Army troops, firmly blocked the approaching 18th and 116th Divisions.

18th Division Commander Ushijima Sadanao and 116th Division Commander Lieutenant General Shimizu Kiyoshige were utterly baffled: the Youth Corps, with one army, three divisions, and over fifty thousand men, had hard-blocked two divisions including themselves, with a troop ratio of almost one to one.

In conventional combat, even at one to five, the Japanese army was in no way inferior to the Xia State Army.

But now, they were actually firmly blocked by this Youth Third Army.

Not only that, intuition told Division Commander Ushijima Sadanao that he should not now rush to rescue the Imperial Guard Division and Fifth Division in Huangchuan City, but should worry about himself.

This Youth Third Army seemed to have the strength to launch an active attack against him!