Chapter 434: The Imperial Navy Wants to Try Their Luck

Thirty minutes later, Hata Shunroku, Okamura Yasuji, and the others each left the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, everyone had already formulated the upcoming strategy.

Inaba Shiro at the airport also received the latest telegram from the Central China Area Army, stating that a brigade from the 11th Army was about to reinforce the airport.

"Yoshi!"

Inaba Shiro shouted happily; once this Independent Mixed Brigade arrived, the forces at his disposal would increase, allowing him to expand the search radius around the airport to locate the main force of the Chinese army and encircle and annihilate them.

Meanwhile, in a cave in a large mountain, Yu Hua and Liu Zhangqing learned that Guo Xunqi and Rao Guohua, along with the Sichuan Army's 28th Group Army of the Third War Zone, had dispatched a division under Guo Rudong to secretly arrive in the Anqing area.

"Great!" Yu Hua jumped up with joy.

Rao Guohua pulled a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Song Wuming: "Director Song, you've handled this well. My Sichuan Army will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Inside the Hada Detachment's command post, Boda Chongyi looked at everyone: "Gentlemen, this war cannot continue to be fought like this, otherwise the Imperial detachment will be completely exhausted by the Sichuan Army."

"Old Yu!" Liu Zhangqing excitedly came to Yu Hua's side: "Let's give this airport another blast, damn it."

Hearing this, Guo Xunqi's expression changed: "Brother Yu, is a general who doesn't charge considered a good general? You know me, I just love leading my troops to charge and kill in the enemy's camp."

Within the ranks of the Sichuan Army, Guo Xunqi and Rao Guohua were the two who loved doing the job of personally leading charges to capture enemy positions the most.

After the 6th Division withdrew, the Japanese army's strength dropped by two-thirds, and after entering the city, they had to garrison various buildings, making their forces even more dispersed.

"Shenqi Jun, this won't do!" Boda Chongyi stopped him: "According to the Imperial Special Higher Police's investigation, the factories built by the Sichuan Army in Sichuan Province already have the capability to produce special smoke, and the Sichuan Army units are now the only ones in the Republic of China Army that possess complete gas masks."

From the hillside, Zhang Yungang was startled when he saw the dense convoys of vehicles and pack animals of the Sichuan Army on the road.

Song Wuming, the director of the Hankou Railway Transportation Administration, went straight up to greet Rao Guohua upon seeing him: "Greetings, Division Commander Rao. I have arranged the trains; five special trains will ensure the Sichuan Army brothers reach their destination safely and steadily."

Inside the cave, Guo Xunqi looked at Yu Hua with a smile!

"You kid have a wife, do you think I don't? When I was in my bridal chamber, you were still playing with mud!"

"I've been training troops in Sichuan Province for so long that my hands have gotten rusty. This time, I must practice well while fighting the devils."

Immediately, Yu Hua began to arrange for the men of the New 144th Division; with so many people, it had to be arranged as quickly as possible, otherwise, the Japanese planes would arrive after dawn and cause trouble for the Sichuan Army.

Song Wuming nodded and tried to get on good terms with Rao Guohua; Song Wuming had a cousin who was a director at the Railway Transportation Administration during the Xuzhou Battle and had dealt with the Sichuan Army, as the Sichuan Army used the railway to transport goods back to Sichuan Province.

This made many train drivers and conductors very happy; after working for so long, it was the first time they had encountered troops who spoke so nicely. After this incident, the people from the Railway Transportation Administration of the Xuzhou Battle evacuated to Wuhan.

"Not allowed!" Yu Hua's expression was very stern: "You are a division commander, yet you actually go to do the work of a Company Commander or Battalion Commander in a charge. To think you'd come up with that; it's simply nonsense."

"Guo Laoge, you stay put in the command post and command the army properly for me. If you want to charge when the time comes, I will have the Military Police detain you and tie you up in the command post."

The train let out a series of whistles and headed into the distance! Song Wuming couldn't wait to return home and began having his wife pack their things to take a Fujian Province Company steamer back to Sichuan Province overnight.

These days, the Japanese naval guns and the Boda Detachment's artillery units had been indiscriminately bombing Anqing City, throwing everything from sulfur bombs to heavy bombs at it; the entire Anqing City was almost bombed into ruins.

Speaking of this Guo Panda, there is actually a little story: a writer from the United States came to China for an inspection; Harrison Salisbury was very interested in the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army at the time, and he consulted a large amount of material to write a book about the Long March.

Along the way, the Sichuan Army provided meals and even gave everyone cigarettes; they were very considerate to the conductors and the people from the Railway Transportation Administration, treating everyone with their best efforts and speaking very politely without shouting or yelling.

Now that a major battle was about to take place in Wuhan, all trains were under direct military management; for a Sichuan Army division to request a few trains was an easy matter.

"We fought well along the Taihu coast before; this time in Wuhan, we will continue to create brilliance. If gods block us, we kill gods; if Buddhas block us, we kill Buddhas. Even if that old guy Jesus comes, we'll stab him twice."

Song Wuming's cousin told him that helping the Sichuan Army with transport was simply a pleasure; the Sichuan Army not only gave silver dollars but also arranged small courtyards in Sichuan Province for their families to settle down, while also providing meals for the conductors on the trains.

"Deng Xihou and Pan Wenhua of the Chuan-Kang Pacification Office once publicly declared that if the Imperial Army used special smoke against the Sichuan Army on the Chinese battlefield, the Sichuan Army would implement retaliatory strikes."

Every few days, the conductors could even eat some meat, especially since the Sichuan Army had an exclusive noodle dish, Spicy Beef Instant Noodles; this stuff tasted very good, and the conductors gave it very high marks after eating it.

Many high-ranking military and political officials in the Wuhan area also knew that once the Japanese army attacked Wuhan with full force, the place could not be defended at all; the best method was to engage in protracted warfare and then evacuate Wuhan, leaving an empty city for the little devils.

"If the Sichuan Army brothers see this, I'm afraid they'll spread rumors that you, Old Brother, like men. It doesn't matter if your reputation is ruined, but I have a wife!"

The Navy Marine Corps had also been feeling very stifled these days; even if you knew how to crack the new-style urban warfare, it still required manpower to fight for buildings in the city and then send troops to garrison them.

In the fighting these days, the Japanese Naval Landing Force had completely lost the arrogant posture they had when they first landed.

Hearing this, Yu Hua nodded: "Guo Laoge, don't worry. In this Anqing Campaign, your division will definitely have to chew on the hard bones, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, but don't come complaining to me when the time comes."

"Brother Yu!" Guo Xunqi ran out of the ranks quickly and came to Yu Hua, giving him a bear hug: "Long time no see, I've missed you dearly!"

Zhang Yungang, who was on the side, saw the Sichuan Army generals joking with each other and being very good to their subordinates without any airs, which made Zhang Yungang feel very close to them and feel that the Sichuan Army had a very good spirit.

Daytime!

"Woo woo woo!! ——"

Because the 6th Division had withdrawn, Anqing City was no longer surrounded by the Japanese army, and a commando unit from Yang Sen's 27th Group Army delivered a large quantity of supplies to the Chu Ming Regiment.

At night!

"Brother Yu, you don't know, I was almost driven crazy in Sichuan Province without a war to fight. For this Anqing Campaign, just watch me; I, Guo Mangzi, am not called that for nothing."

In the book "The Long March: The Untold Story", Harrison Salisbury introduced the Sichuan Army units of the time and praised Guo Xunqi for leading his troops well and governing them strictly; for this, Harrison Salisbury gave Guo Xunqi the elegant nickname of "Panda".

"I will have the Military Police watch you when the time comes. As a commander, you must stay in your command post and command the troops in battle."

Regarding Guo Xunqi's statement, Yu Hua patted his shoulder: "Guo Laoge, in this war, as the commander-in-chief, you must never go to the front-line positions to operate a machine gun and strafe the Japanese army."

Seeing Yu Hua joking, Guo Xunqi retorted: "Get lost!"

Late at night, the Sichuan Army's vehicles and pack animals traveled on the road, stretching as far as the eye could see. Because Guo Xunqi learned that the Independent Brigade was active in this area, he directly led a vanguard battalion to take the lead.

Three divisions of troops, that was tens of thousands of men; the little devils' 6th Division had to be given a taste of their own medicine.

"If you have any thoughts, feel free to speak them out!"

Three divisions, all configured as Class A Adjusted German-equipped Divisions of the Sichuan Army, 14,000 men each, totaling over 40,000 troops, plus the Independent Brigade under Liu Zhangqing and the reinforced regiment of Zhang Yungang's 26th Group Army.

The New 144th Division under Guo Xunqi, as the vanguard, had already made contact with the Independent Brigade.

The five special trains were now ready; after Rao Guohua and Song Wuming exchanged pleasantries, he boarded the train!

Guo Xunqi had a nickname in the Sichuan Army called Guo Mangzi; of course, there was also Guo Panda.

Meanwhile, Rao Guohua's troops, after disembarking in Hankou, immediately boarded the train to Anqing!

This time, the Hankou Railway Transportation Administration was all smiles when they saw the Sichuan Army arrive, as if they had seen the God of Wealth.

"Old brother, I've been thinking about you day and night. The two of us can finally fight the devils together again."

Zhang Yungang, who was on the side, saw the Sichuan Army's Adjutant Yu easily handle a General Officer division commander, which made Zhang Yungang's eyes almost pop out.

This was how Guo Xunqi got the nickname Guo Panda!

Yu Hua struggled out of Guo Xunqi's embrace: "Old brother, you're holding on too tight, hurry up and let go."

Currently, Song Wuming had helped the Sichuan Army do a good deed, and Rao Guohua, representing the Sichuan Army, gave Song Wuming several boat tickets to facilitate his family's travel to Sichuan Province on a Fujian Province Company ship as soon as possible.

Zhang Yungang learned that a large force of the Sichuan Army had arrived, so he also thickened his skin and followed Liu Zhangqing, Yu Hua, and the others to welcome the Sichuan Army troops.

Fujian Province Company controlled the shipping on the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River; without Fujian Province Company's nod, the shipping vessels on the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River would never dare to transport people without tickets into Sichuan Province.

Guo Xunqi had a smile on his face: "Little Brother Yu, calm your anger. I was just speaking off the cuff, just speaking off the cuff, please don't take it to heart. In the Anqing Campaign, I, Guo Xunqi, will definitely stay properly in the command post; I will absolutely not do the work of charging forward."

"Oh my goodness!"

Zhang Yungang exclaimed: "This Sichuan Army is truly too wealthy; the vanguard alone has so many trucks and mules and horses."

As the rear base in the Southwest Hinterland, Sichuan Province would become the next location for the Republic of China Government. The military and political bigwigs of the Nanjing Command needed their families to enter Sichuan Province, and the fastest way was by water, which meant they had to take Fujian Province Company ships.

"Little Brother Yu!" Guo Xunqi came to Yu Hua's side: "For the Anqing Campaign, you must arrange a few more tasks for your old brother. Our division will execute according to your campaign plan."

"Good, good, good..." Guo Xunqi said excitedly: "Little Brother Yu, I'll put my words here: if I, Guo Xunqi, say a single word of hardship when the time comes, I'll twist my own head off!"

"Now that the follow-up troops have arrived, we are no longer afraid of the 6th Division. As for the Japanese Army Hada Detachment in Anqing City, if they dare to rush to reinforce the airport, we'll give them a 'hand grenade mixed rice' on the way—it'll be delicious!"

Japanese Naval Landing Force commander Kanzaki Kaichiro stood up: "Major General Boda Chongyi, I believe that by letting my Navy Naval Gun drop Special Smoke on Anqing City, we will completely destroy the enemy's stubborn will."

This Adjutant Yu's influence seemed quite large, especially in terms of campaign planning; the Sichuan Army generals were very respectful toward Adjutant Yu.

However, the Sichuan Army was just like rats; they could never be finished off, which made Boda Chongyi feel a bit weary. Every time he fought Urban Warfare with the Sichuan Army, his Detachment would lose quite a few Imperial Warriors. After calculating for these past few days, Boda Chongyi arrived at a ratio: for the Imperial Army to kill one Sichuan Army soldier, they had to pay with two to three men.

Therefore, as soon as the Rao Guohua Division arrived in Hankou, Song Wuming's Railway Transportation Administration learned that the Sichuan Army was going to reinforce the front line, and every train driver and conductor was excited; everyone scrambled to take on the Sichuan Army's tasks.

This greatly relieved the pressure on the Chu Ming Regiment, allowing the Sichuan Army inside the city to continue fighting against the Japanese Army.

"You must absolutely not arrange my New 144th Division to go anywhere else; I traveled thousands of miles out of Chuan just to fight the devils!"

The Sichuan Army generals saw Guo Xunqi and Yu Hua joking with each other and all laughed as well; after all, such scenes were rare.

They also praised the Sichuan Army for being capable in the Xuzhou Battle, treating the brothers at the Railway Bureau very well, speaking kindly, providing meals, and even handing out Cigarettes—they truly treated them as their own people!

Rao Guohua's troops hid in the mountain forests, waiting for nightfall to quickly infiltrate Anqing City. In Anqing City, Boda Chongyi was furious because the Sichuan Army Chu Ming Regiment was now relying on one-quarter of the city district to continue fighting the Imperial Army.

Having stayed in Sichuan Province for several months, Guo Xunqi thought every day about going to the battlefield to have a good fight with the little devils. He hadn't been able to get his wish in the Xuzhou Battle, but now for the Wuhan Battle, Deng Xihou and the others had finally let him lead troops out of Chuan.

The New 144th Division, the team Guo Xunqi had meticulously built, had to shine in the Wuhan Battle.

Currently, the Fujian Province Company, controlled by the Xiao Family, was actively relocating the populace of the Wuhan area. Many people who wanted to enter Sichuan Province needed boat tickets; without a ticket, they had to queue, and once it was their turn, they could board the ship.

With a total strength of over fifty thousand men, such a large force could completely give the 6th Division a sound thrashing.

Kanzaki Kaichiro frowned: "Major General Boda Chongyi, currently, the Special Smoke is the key to breaking our predicament. Whether the Sichuan Army troops truly possess Special Smoke, we really do not know, especially since the Chinese are particular about using deception."

"Perhaps the two highest-ranking generals of the Sichuan Army are just trying to scare us. For the battle of Anqing City, let my Imperial Japanese Navy test whether the Sichuan Army's Special Smoke is real or fake."

(End of chapter)