Chapter 423: The Sichuan Army Got the Short End of the Stick

Yu Hua looked at Wan Guoguang: "Magistrate Wan, do you think I believe this?!"

Wan Guoguang said with a cold gaze: "Adjutant Yu, you are also a military man; you know that we often cut corners internally regarding provisions, Weaponry, and the like. This is the norm!"

"When these provisions leave the warehouse, the higher-ups skim a bit, and with layer upon layer of deductions, there isn't much left by the time it reaches me."

Magistrate Wan wore the expression of someone telling the truth, and furthermore, he deliberately spoke of the standard operating procedure within the Republic of China Army.

Yu Hua's gaze sharpened, "Magistrate Wan, you might actually succeed in fooling others with this talk, but it has no effect on me."

Why did Yu Hua not believe it? First, for this Wuhan Battle, the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army was specially invited by the Nanjing Command.

It was Magistrate Wan's secretary who, upon seeing the Sichuan Army resort to force, quietly slipped away through a dog hole, then proceeded to a Military Statistics Bureau stronghold to report the situation to Director Dai in Hankou, preparing to use the Nanjing Command to pressure the Sichuan Army.

Regarding the orders from Director Dai and Principal, Hankou kept a tight grip, so surely no one dared to defy them; it must be that Wan Guoguang had embezzled in secret here in Yangqing County.

Xu Yuanquan's 26th Group Army had to bear the brunt of the responsibility. Now Chu Ming also deeply understood why Adjutant Yu had previously resented the Sichuan Army units being split up and used by the War Zone; he had feared exactly this kind of situation.

After verifying the count, Yu Hua signed the list and glanced at Wan Guoguang, "Magistrate Wan, my Sichuan Army was only transferred from the Fifth War Zone to the Ninth War Zone after repeated requests from Principal."

He hurriedly conceded to Yu Hua, "Adjutant Yu, I was wrong, please spare me."

"If you take another step forward, I will open fire."

"If we open fire, we will definitely be the weaker side!"

The vanguard unit's Squadron Leader Ono Masao recorded his reconnaissance findings and then came before Detachment Commander Boda Chongyi.

Yu Hua looked at Liu Zhangqing: "I understand the logic, but if we pull our entire brigade of fourteen thousand men to Anqing to go head-to-head with the Japanese Army, we will only end up suffering."

"This lowly one had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai; I had the gall to offend you."

"Your Excellency Detachment Commander, according to our reconnaissance, the Sichuan Army units have strengthened their defenses."

Under Yu Hua's signal, Wan Guoguang's secretary came before him: "Adjutant Yu, I have received orders from Director Dai; this is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

At three in the morning, cannons roared. Although the Sichuan Army inside Anqing City had strengthened their defenses, they had not expected the Japanese Army elites to arrive so quickly.

As he spoke, Ono Masao came to the map, "Detachment Commander, here, here, and here—based on the number of mules and horses entering and exiting the Sichuan Army units, I suspect these few places are where the Sichuan Army stores its supplies."

"It's only one stop from Hankou to Yangqing County; you're telling me now that the people above embezzled? You're spouting nonsense, damn you!"

"Yosh!" Boda Chongyi smiled happily. Having scouted so much information, they could now use artillery fire to strike and destroy the Sichuan Army's supplies and artillery positions.

Now the two armies could encircle Anqing and take this important strategic stronghold.

Director Dai had dealt with the Sichuan Army for so long that he had a clear grasp of their temperament: during wartime, as long as the Sichuan Army's military pay, provisions, Weaponry, and so on were provided, they would never take the initiative to stir up trouble.

At the Sichuan Army Regiment Headquarters defending Anqing City, Regimental Commander Chu was in a state of total chaos, because judging by the phone calls from various units, his regiment's supplies and artillery units had all been blown up by the Japanese Army.

At this time, the front line of Anqing was being defended by a regiment of the 27th Group Army.

Yu Hua pondered for a moment, and just as he was thinking of a countermeasure, suddenly, the security troops outside got into an argument with someone.

The friendly forces had routed or run away without even notifying him, causing him to fall into the Japanese Army's encirclement. Chu Ming made up his mind: if he did not die in this defense of Anqing, he would report to the War Zone Command and smear Xu Yuanquan's 26th Group Army.

On the city wall, soldiers of the 27th Group Army were patrolling, while the vanguard unit of the Japanese Army's Hada Detachment was observing Anqing's defenses from outside the city.

Magistrate Wan had originally wanted to resist, but after one rifle butt from Wei Dayong, this Magistrate Wan became completely docile.

Just as the Battalion Commander of the supply depot was struggling with his conscience, Wan Guoguang's secretary came running over in a hurry, shouting, "Don't move your guns, don't move your guns..."

"Yosh!" Boda Chongyi's face broke into a wide grin. With the 6th Division under Inaba Shiro attacking so rapidly, the pressure on the Anqing defenders was increasing; Boda Chongyi was confident that with one charge, he could take Anqing.

"Old Yu, our troops must resolve the siege of Anqing now!"

Wei Dayong lowered his head, "I was wrong, old commander, I promise you, there won't be a next time."

"This lowly one understands... understands..." As he spoke, Wan Guoguang looked at his secretary: "Take my warrant and go transport the grain we hid to this place."

"These little devils arrived too quickly; a whole Japanese division appeared in Anqing so fast. I don't know what the front-line troops were doing, routing completely in one night."

"This courtyard in the northeast corner is very suitable for setting up an artillery position. According to reconnaissance from our inside agent in the city, we discovered signs that Sichuan Army artillery had been active in this courtyard."

The Hada Detachment used their radio to contact the Third Fleet on the river, asking the fleet to provide fire support.

A quarter of the entire city of Anqing had now fallen into the hands of the Japanese Army, and Chu Ming's regiment inside the city had also suffered significant losses.

Now that they could find a countermeasure, under Boda Chongyi's command, the front-line 1st Infantry Regiment quickly adjusted its strategy, and the fighting became much easier.

"You had better spit out the provisions for me, otherwise the gun in my hand won't recognize anyone."

"Order the Taiwan Garrison 1st Infantry Regiment to storm Anqing City for me; you must make the defenders feel the military might of the Imperial Army."

Squad after squad of armed Sichuan Army soldiers arrived, scaring the Battalion Commander guarding the supply depot silly—was this an attempt to seize it by force?!

The Battalion Commander stood behind a bunker and shouted to the Sichuan Army, "This is a restricted military area; no one is allowed to approach without orders."

Yu Hua couldn't be bothered with nonsense, "Men!"

Now that the airfield on the outskirts of Anqing had been taken by the Japanese Army so quickly, it truly made Chu Ming very angry. The 26th Group Army's rapid collapse had plunged his troops into a crisis.

Wan Guoguang felt that Yangqing County was far from the emperor, and since he was the top official, plus the fact that this place was about to become the front line, he could easily line his own pockets if he played his cards right.

The Military Statistics Bureau in Hankou must have received orders from Director Dai to strictly manage the release of provisions and allow no embezzlement.

"Boom—!"

"What happened?"

After receiving the telegram from Yangqing County, Director Dai was so angry he cursed. Although Wan Guoguang's secretary claimed the Sichuan Army was stirring up trouble over provisions and ignoring central orders.

After everything was prepared, Boda Chongyi issued the attack order to each regiment, attacking Anqing at three in the morning.

With Yu Hua's warning, the defense of Anqing this time was much stronger.

After Chu Ming issued the order, the entire regiment executed it resolutely; the Hada Detachment made contact with Inaba Shiro, and Inaba Shiro, leading the 6th Division, had successfully routed Xu Yuanquan's 26th Group Army and taken the airfield on the outskirts of Anqing.

Following closely, Wei Dayong and the others rushed into the room and, under Yu Hua's signal, directly tied up Magistrate Wan.

After the old devil Boda Chongyi received the news, he was overjoyed—this was a good omen! However, bad news followed immediately: the troops entering the city had encountered stubborn resistance from the Sichuan Army.

When Wan Guoguang heard this, his heart trembled, but he still spoke stubbornly, "You say you're close with Director Dai? You're lying to ghosts, damn you."

"This is a losing business. Our brigade just came down from Xuzhou, and the troops' combat effectiveness is still recovering; if we are dragged to Anqing, we will only be beaten to a pulp by two or three tens of thousands of Japanese troops."

Yu Hua glanced at Wan Guoguang's secretary, "Dayong, you didn't handle this well."

First of all, there weren't many Military Statistics Bureau people in this Yangqing County, and their weapons were all Mauser C96s; the Sichuan Army had an entire brigade, so in terms of numbers, the Military Statistics Bureau definitely couldn't beat the Sichuan Army.

Yu Hua had people bring Wan Guoguang up; after hearing his secretary's words, the old Wan was trembling with fear.

"Who doesn't know that your Sichuan Army is currently at odds with the Military Statistics Bureau, and even bombed the 'Low-key Club' in Hankou? Director Dai was furious at the time; your Sichuan Army disrupted his plans."

"Enough... enough... you had better gather the provisions for me. I am leaving tonight. As long as the provisions are ready, your dog life will be spared."

Hankou!

Wan Guoguang wiped the sweat from his forehead.

According to news sent back from the front-line troops, Boda Chongyi knew this was a new style of urban warfare adopted by the Sichuan Army, a type of urban warfare the Japanese Army had studied in depth.

County Magistrate Wan's head bobbed like a chick pecking at rice, "This subordinate understands, understands. Adjutant Yu, please rest assured, such a thing will absolutely not happen again."

Yu Hua's words were filled with gunpowder; he did not want to beat around the bush with Wan Guoguang now and laid his cards directly on the table.

Just at this moment, a phone call came into the Regiment Headquarters, "This is Chu Ming."

The Battalion Commander guarding the supply depot had never seen such a massive display; this Sichuan Army had both machine guns and artillery.

Yu Hua had Liu Zhangqing call out that the Sichuan Army had only come this time to retrieve their own provisions; as long as the soldiers guarding the supply depot cleared the road, the Sichuan Army would not make things difficult for everyone.

Therefore, Yu Hua did not believe for a second that Wan Guoguang said the Independent Brigade's provisions had been skimmed by superiors; the provisions allocated by the Nanjing Command in Hankou only had one stop before reaching Yangqing County.

At this time, Yu Hua led his troops to the supply depot, preparing to take over the place directly to replenish provisions for his own troops.

"Battalion Commander, are we going to fight?"

At the same time, the Japanese Army Third Fleet also moved a batch of warships to the river surface outside Anqing City, their long gun barrels already aimed at Anqing City.

Because Chu Ming ordered his troops to enter the city to fight urban warfare, the First Regiment of the Hada Detachment easily captured the city gate and successfully fought their way into Anqing, simultaneously reporting the good news to Boda Chongyi.

"Chu Ming's troops held out for one night, but now the Japanese Army occupies a quarter of Anqing City. If we keep fighting like this, I fear Chu Ming won't be able to hold on, and half the city will fall into the hands of the Japanese Army."

Regarding the provisions, ammunition, and weaponry requested by the Sichuan Army, Chang Kaishen handled them as special cases and satisfied all of the Sichuan Army's requests.

Yu Hua shouted, "County Magistrate Wan, to tell you the truth, I am very familiar with Director Dai. When these provisions left Hankou, not a single bit was missing, and furthermore, I witnessed it with my own eyes."

The First Infantry Regiment of the Hada Detachment launched an attack on Anqing City after the artillery fire ceased.

Boda Chongyi had made a ruthless statement: "Although my detachment is a brigade-level reinforced detachment, its strength is enough to equal an elite division of the Imperial Army. In this expedition, I will use a sea of blood from the corpses of Chinese soldiers to prove all of this."

"What?" Chu Ming's face changed drastically, "The airport outside Anqing has fallen. How did the 2nd Group Army handle this? Such an important position as the airport, and it has actually fallen now."

"Communications Soldier!" Chu Ming shouted, "Pass on my order: all units are to switch to urban warfare and wait for Adjutant Yu's troops to arrive."

The Anqing front line was defended by the Sichuan Army's 27th Group Army, while the entire outer line from Liu'an and Huo Mountain to Anqing was defended by Xu Yuanquan's 26th Group Army.

At night, the Independent Brigade escorted their provisions and left Yangqing County, advancing toward the Anqing front line.

Time reached three in the morning; the artillery units of the Hada Detachment, combined with the naval guns of the Third Fleet, were aimed at Anqing City.

Chang Kaishen had worn his tongue thin, discussing with Deng Xihou, Pan Wenhua, and others for a long time before finally transferring the 22nd Group Army from the Fifth War Zone to the 9th War Zone.

This was Boda Chongyi's first battle, and he had to make a splash. When the Central China Area Army issued a statement to the public, a reporter had interviewed Boda Chongyi.

After Wan Guoguang's secretary received the reply from Director Dai, he was scared out of his wits; he had not expected the Military Statistics Bureau to be standing on the side of the Sichuan Army now.

In this Japanese offensive, the Sichuan Army suffered heavy losses. Regimental Commander Chu tried his best to rally his troops and strengthen defenses to cope with the Japanese Army's assault on Anqing.

"Use your brain. Even the people above didn't dare to skim, yet you dared to do it. My Sichuan Army is defending the Anqing front line; I don't want to see such a situation happen again with the supplies, provisions, ammunition, and so on in the rear."

"Do you understand?!"

"You actually let that secretary run away."

At six in the morning, Yu Hua's troops were twenty kilometers away from Anqing, but news came from the front-line troops that Anqing was under siege by the Japanese Army; Inaba Shiro's 6th Division and the Japanese Hada Detachment were attacking Anqing from the east and west respectively.

He only had a few broken guns in his hands, and there weren't even many light and heavy machine guns. Seeing the Sichuan Army making such a big move, some soldiers all looked toward the Battalion Commander.

However, Director Dai understood that this must have been Wan Guoguang, that guy, embezzling the Sichuan Army's provisions; otherwise, the Sichuan Army would not have actively stirred up trouble.

Director Dai had someone send a reply, scolding Wan Guoguang severely and demanding he prepare the Sichuan Army's provisions as quickly as possible, otherwise he would be executed by firing squad for the crimes of corruption, bribery, and delaying military intelligence.

At this moment, Wan Guoguang was a mess of tears and snot, kneeling directly before Yu Hua.

Yu Hua couldn't be bothered to pay attention and directly ordered his troops to set up light and heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars, and Type 92 Infantry Guns.

Moreover, Xu Yuanquan's troops had routed without notifying the Sichuan Army, allowing the Japanese Army to drive straight into Anqing through the gap between the two armies; no wonder the little devils attacked Anqing so quickly.

"Now you come to tell me you are familiar with Director Dai; do you think I am a fool?"

"If we don't go to Anqing, relying solely on that reinforced regiment of Chu Ming's, Anqing won't last three days!" Liu Zhangqing sighed, "Especially now that the Japanese Army has already come up with countermeasures for our Sichuan Army's new-style urban warfare."

After receiving the written order, Wan Guoguang's secretary took his men and began to carry it out; about two hours later, the Independent Brigade's provisions were ready.

A Staff Officer came before Yu Hua, "Officer, our security troops discovered a few suspicious individuals and are currently interrogating them."

The people outside were shouting that they were commoners, not spies, and wanted to see the unit commander.

(End of this chapter)