Chapter 411: A Fierce Tiger

Fujita Susumu's remarks also led some Japanese Army staff officers to ponder: once all forces were transferred to Xuzhou, leaving the rear empty, would the Republic of China Army dare to launch an attack?!

Ushijima Sadao of the 18th Division then stood up and said: "Fujita-kun, I feel that your concern is superfluous!"

Having said this, Ushijima Sadao swept his gaze over everyone: "Gentlemen! Based on the fighting over these past few months, we all understand that the Republic of China Army in the Third War Zone are all cowards."

"My Imperial Army, even if the main force moves north, the Republic of China Army in this Third War Zone is just like a mouse seeing a cat; they wouldn't dare to take the initiative to attack at all."

"In my view, we can fully afford to transfer troops north to Xuzhou. You must know, my Central China Area Army, since entering China, has first achieved results in the Songhu Region and the Jinling area."

"Now, taking Xuzhou—this achievement is one we absolutely cannot yield to the Pingjin Area Army."

Ushijima Sadao's words also won the agreement of many in the Japanese Army, especially the Chief of Staff of the Central China Area Army, Muto Akira.

Li Delin had to take advantage of the fact that the Japanese Army had not yet noticed the detour behind Taierzhuang to cut off the food and supplies of the defenders in the city, and send more supplies and ammunition to the Yunnan Army and the Northwest Army.

In this Taierzhuang Battle, the Northwest Army and the Yunnan Army did not yield an inch; by day the Japanese Army would take the positions, and by night the Northwest Army and the Yunnan Army would take them back.

Sakamoto Jun, hearing Segaya Qi say this, pondered for a long time: "Segaya-kun, I believe we should keep fighting. We are currently struggling, and the enemy forces should be the same—these two units, the Northwest Army and the Yunnan Army."

Hata Shunroku, now for the sake of military merit, had already committed the majority of the Central China Area Army's forces into the Xuzhou region, so the Japanese Army's offensive on the South Line became fierce.

Furthermore, the Japanese Army had undergone decades of horse breeding, and now the Eastern Ocean horses were already much better than those on the Chinese mainland; that the Chinese side suffered greater losses in cavalry engagements was understandable.

At dusk, the main force of the Japanese Army began to appear outside Taierzhuang; small cars towed artillery, and the little devils, divided into two columns, marched along the road.

"Nagano Yuichiro, you are to immediately lead your regiment to cut off the food supply for the defenders in the city."

The Sichuan Army units under this person's command were no longer pure Sichuan Army; they were localized Central Army. To the Japanese Army, the Sichuan Army 23rd Group Army was no longer a fierce tiger!

A look of joy also appeared on Sakamoto Jun's cheeks; this was indeed good news.

"I think that for this vast occupied area, leaving behind just one division and one brigade is sufficient."

"Commander-in-Chief!" Muto Akira's gaze turned toward Hata Shunroku. "I feel that we need not worry at all about the rear being empty of troops."

The houses in Taierzhuang were originally of mixed brick construction; now that the Chinese and Japanese sides were fighting Urban Warfare, it required fighting for one house after another, and defending or attacking street by street.

On the North Line, the Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment successfully routed the remnants of the Sichuan Army 122nd Division and the 124th Division defending the city, and the Sichuan Army also followed the plan to feign defeat and withdrew from Teng County.

They could not reach Taierzhuang for the time being, which made Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun very anxious. The bloody battle at Taierzhuang made the two of them deeply realize the situation that some Imperial Army units had spoken of during the Battle of Songhu.

Such a scorching battle also made Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun quite unhappy, because if their follow-up troops did not arrive and they continued to fight like this, once the Fifth War Zone mobilized troops to surround and annihilate the two detachments, the two of them would get a headache just thinking about it.

"Your Yunnan Army will hold the west side of the village, and my 2nd Group Army will hold the east side of the village; what do you think?"

As long as they crossed the Huai River and took Su County, Xuzhou would be right before their eyes!

This battle lasted for a whole week!

In one week, the Japanese Army had taken one-fourth of Taierzhuang, while three-fourths remained in the hands of the Northwest Army and the Yunnan Army.

Moreover, the 5th Division and the 10th Division—originally these two divisions were to follow south to Taierzhuang, but now they were being held back by the Third Group Army and the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army.

"Commander-in-Chief, Division Commander Chi Fengcheng reports that his cavalry unit has already collided with the cavalry of the Segaya Detachment."

Japanese Army reconnaissance planes constantly patrolled the skies over Taierzhuang, reporting the reconnaissance situation to Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun.

Regarding this major who took the initiative to speak, Segaya Qi recognized him; his name was Matsushima Ichiro, and he was a capable officer.

"My Central China Area Army now has six divisions and one brigade that can be commanded."

"Hai!" Nagano Yuichiro bowed and scraped.

"Immediately approve another few train cars of ammunition and supplies for Taierzhuang; be quick about it!"

Therefore, when a large number of Japanese troops attacked Taierzhuang, the Northwest Army on the city defense fortifications withdrew after a few rounds of firepower output.

A major took the initiative to stand up and said: "Detachment Commander-in-Chief."

Regarding the city defense fortifications of Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong, following Yu Hua's suggestion, did not conduct a static defense, but instead adopted Urban Warfare.

Sun Lianzhong's heart ached; the foundation of his own Northwest Army, the cavalry he had trained, was second to none in the entire northern region.

"Gentlemen!!" Hata Shunroku's gaze swept over everyone: "Order the 18th Division to move north immediately to participate in the Xuzhou offensive. The 3rd Division and the Garrison Brigade are to remain to guard the rear."

"Yes!" The Communications Soldier saluted Li Delin.

In the conference room of the two armies, Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun both let everyone speak freely; today's battle had gone too smoothly!

Moreover, Ushijima Sadao was not wrong; Gu Zhutong's Third War Zone, even if it had recovered a bit of combat effectiveness, would not dare to take the initiative to attack, and there was also the Sichuan Army 23rd Group Army, Commander Tang Shizun.

"The casualties are likely not small, at least one-third of the soldiers killed in action. Now it is a test of endurance; once the 5th Division and the 10th Division rout the Third Group Army and the 22nd Group Army, we don't have to worry about being surrounded and annihilated by Chinese forces."

"However, according to the news in the telegram, Chi Fengcheng's cavalry suffered quite a loss after colliding with the Japanese Army."

Since the Yunnan Army had no objections, Sun Lianzhong also issued the combat order, and the entire army prepared for battle.

"Adjutant!"

To think that they had such heavy casualties in a battle against Japanese cavalry!

Cavalry is a living fossil of warfare in human history; the Japanese Army units at this time also attached great importance to cavalry, and in the Russo-Japanese War, the little devils' cavalry also performed quite well.

At the same time, in the Xuzhou region, Li Delin also received intelligence from Taierzhuang, which listed the current casualties of the Northwest Army and the Yunnan Army, as well as the ammunition needed.

Taierzhuang backed onto the canal and had over a Battalion Commander; it looked small, a bit like a town, but Taierzhuang was actually a small city.

By the next morning!

The Japanese Army still used artillery to bombard first, then infantry charged, only this time the infantry all followed behind tanks and Armored Vehicles.

"Dean Wang has already established a new government and has troops in his hands; the Imperial Army only needs to leave behind one brigade and one division to hold the line, and local security can be completely handed over to Dean Wang to manage temporarily."

The Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment had a very fast assault speed and had now separated from the 5th Division and the 10th Division, counting as a force deep in enemy territory.

"Hai!" Matsushima Ichiro nodded and bowed heavily, then stood out and roughly explained the method for breaking the New-style Urban Warfare.

"This Japanese cavalry unit is the vanguard of the Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment."

After the city defense fortifications were taken, the Japanese Army, under the orders of Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun, stopped the attack.

He began to report to Segaya Qi, requesting to send out a regiment to cut off the supply of materials to the defenders in the city; in this way, once the defenders inside Taierzhuang ran out of ammunition and food, they naturally would not be able to hold out for long.

Taierzhuang was the border area between southern Lu and Subei; it was the gateway to the northwest of Xuzhou. Taking Taierzhuang meant almost being able to take Xuzhou!

The War Zone Command was in Xuzhou, which for Segaya Qi and Sakamoto Jun was simply like a succulent abalone; they couldn't help but want to take a bite.

Taierzhuang had four city gates and tall city walls; the streets inside the village were also paved with bluestone bricks, and the streets were narrow.

"The Imperial Central China Area Army's offensive on the South Line is also very effective, especially the 9th Division and 13th Division, which are advancing rapidly."

As for the rest of the armies, the little devils still don't think much of them!

Inside the conference room, after Hata Shunroku remained silent for a long while, he decided to take a risk and try, because he had just taken office as Commander of the Central China Area Army and was in need of battle results.

For Ushijima Sadao, having one division and one brigade in the occupied area to supervise the surrendered Chinese troops and have them maintain public order would prevent any major trouble from occurring.

"I conclude that after another week of fighting, the outcome will be very clear."

Lu Han looked at Sun Lianzhong: "Old Sun, how is Chi Fengcheng's cavalry unit?"

"These little devils' cavalry is really damn formidable!"

Based on the fierce resistance of the Sichuan Army over the previous few days, Segu Qi felt that Sun Lianzhong's troops should be the same as the Sichuan Army.

As soon as the battle began, the Japanese Army's aircraft first conducted a massive bombing of Taierzhuang, and then the Japanese artillery units followed up with a bombardment.

After the bombardment ended, the little devils' infantry began their assault on Taierzhuang.

The Communications Soldier finished speaking, then handed the telegram to Sun Lianzhong.

The Northwest Army and Yunnan Army, who were lying in ambush inside Taierzhuang, saw this maneuver by the Japanese Army and understood that New-style Urban Warfare could no longer be fought; now, they could only resort to fighting the Japanese Army head-on, contesting it brick by brick and tile by tile.

Following the issuance of Hata Shunroku's order, the little devils in the conference room all bowed and scraped: "Hai!!"

"Yoshi!" Segu Qi nodded happily: "Matsushima-kun, since you know this tactic, how should our Imperial Army respond?"

Taierzhuang—this would be the next target for the Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment to attack.

If it weren't for the natural barrier of the Huai River, his Central China Area Army would have already crossed the river by now and captured Xuzhou, the location of the Fifth War Zone Command!

When the train specially dispatched from Xuzhou pulled into Taierzhuang, a Japanese Army company commander suddenly discovered that the Imperial Army had actually made this huge mistake.

After Segu Qi received this news, he said with a chuckle: "Yoshi!"

The war on the North Line had fallen into a stalemate, while the Central China Area Army on the South Line, the 9th Division and 13th Division, had already pushed to the Huai River!

Could there be a trap in this?!

The Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment had captured the city's defensive fortifications just like that!

Segu Qi and Sakamoto Jun, these two old devils, also felt that the Northwest Army was a bit strange this time, as they hadn't held the city's defensive fortifications to the death.

"At the same time, cooperate with the Imperial Army to harass any troops that dare to approach Taierzhuang."

"Brother Lu Han!"

Furthermore, in the land of Shandong Province, apart from a small amount of mountainous terrain, there are vast plains; on this plain terrain, cavalry can exert their advantages even more.

"Analyzing based on the case of the previous Songhu Campaign, the Northwest Army's Sun Lianzhong unit should be adopting the tactics used by the Sichuan Army at Dunwu Temple."

"Within my 2nd Group Army, this is also an elite force!"

"This kind of tactic is called New-style Urban Warfare; the Sichuan Army used this method to inflict particularly great lethality on the Imperial Army."

After all, the current Chinese troops are inferior to the Japanese Army's cavalry in terms of horses, tactics, and cavalry training.

The two old devils conferred and decided to try attacking Taierzhuang; after all, they now possessed over 30,000 men and were equipped with a Heavy Artillery Regiment, far surpassing the Republic of China Army in artillery strike capability!

After these two old devils sent a telegram to the Commander of the Pingjin Area Army, Terauchi Hisaichi, they began their march toward Taierzhuang.

"I thought these two old devils wouldn't dare! Immediately pass the order to Sun Lianzhong and Lu Han to be prepared for battle."

Segu Qi and Sakamoto Jun, the two old devils, immediately sent a report of victory to Terauchi Hisaichi; they had already captured Teng County.

At this moment, inside Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong and Lu Han were looking at a map, negotiating how to deploy their defenses.

The Empire's remaining troops could fully be committed to the Xuzhou region to snatch the battle results from the Pingjin Area Army!

Ushijima Sadao's words were also recognized by some Japanese Army officers; currently, among the Chinese troops, only the Sichuan Army units made the Japanese Army slightly wary.

"Heaven helps me, the defenders inside the city have no food or ammunition, they will naturally collapse!"

The speed at which these two divisions advanced filled Hata Shunroku with hope; his troops might be the first to reach Xuzhou.

Upon learning that the Segaya Detachment and the Sakamoto Detachment were bogged down in a bitter struggle at Taierzhuang, and that the Pingjin Area Army on the North Line had encountered stubborn resistance from the Fifth War Zone troops, Hata Shunroku even felt a little gleeful inside.

After Segu Qi and Sakamoto Jun finished listening, they had Matsushima Ichiro personally lead the troops to attack the city tomorrow to see exactly how this tactic he spoke of worked.

"Report!"

Under Matsushima Ichiro's command, after the tanks and Armored Vehicles entered the city, they didn't follow the streets at all, but specifically headed toward the ruins.

In Xuzhou, Li Delin received the scout's report that the Japanese Army's Segaya Detachment and Sakamoto Detachment were already heading toward Taierzhuang, and he clapped his hands happily: "Good, good, good!"

Sun Lianzhong finished speaking and looked at Lu Han!

"Brother Sun, my Yunnan Army is here just to kill devils; there's no problem with this arrangement. Let's just hold Taierzhuang well and let Commander Li handle the troop movements."

After hearing Sakamoto Jun's words, Segu Qi let out a long sigh; then they would persist a little longer.

Segu Qi looked at Sakamoto Jun: "Sakamoto-kun, should we continue to persist?"

A regiment of the Japanese Army broke away from the main force and began to outflank Taierzhuang, preparing to cut off the food supply route of the defenders in the city.

However, this regiment of the Japanese Army never expected that they had already been targeted by a fierce tiger.

This fierce tiger intended to first devour this regiment of the Japanese Army as a sacrifice to the flag!!

(End of this chapter)