Chapter 474: Isn't It Just Acting Like a Dog? I Can Do That Too!

Wanjialing, Command Post of the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army!

Liu Zhangqing shouted: "Old Yu, I just received news from Wuhan; Li Yunhang and Xue Weiying have already been executed by firing squad."

"This time, the Military Tribunal's trial was extremely swift; the two were executed on the very day they were sentenced."

Yu Hua, standing to the side, let out a long, heavy sigh upon hearing this. To tell the truth, Yu Hua had truly been a bit afraid that Li Yunhang might escape this trial.

Because, in the original timeline, Li Yunhang did not know what maneuvers he used, but he successfully escaped the Military Tribunal's trial, while his subordinate Xue Weiying was sentenced to death!

Learning that Li Yunhang had been executed, the heart Yu Hua had been holding in his throat finally settled!

"Old Liu, there isn't much time left for our Sichuan Army to rest and reorganize; we must hurry to prepare for battle."

Fortunately, the 11th Division and the 60th Division had sufficient combat strength; amidst the Japanese Army's attacks, they counterattacked and took Meilankou and Tanlong Mountain, giving the defending troops a glimmer of hope and allowing them to retreat in an orderly fashion.

Okamura Yasuji said one sentence to the 106th Division's Division Commander Matsuura Junrokuro: "Matsuura-kun!"

The army stationed at Hukou was the 11th Division of Huang Wei's 2nd Army, and the Division Commander was Peng Shan.

Matsuura Junrokuro said loudly: "Reporting to Your Excellency the Commander, my division has no difficulties, and my division will certainly not lose face for the 11th Army."

In view of this situation, Liu Zhangqing believed that they should immediately report to the 9th War Zone Command so that they could quickly make deployments.

That night, the Chinese defending troops assembled six divisions and one Independent Brigade to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese Army at Gutang, but among them, only the 19th Division and the 128th Division had successful counterattacks.

"Yosh!" Okamura Yasuji was even more satisfied now. "You must work hard. Once Wuhan is taken, according to your military merits, as long as you do well..."

Li Yannian's 2nd Army troops were stationed at Tianjiazhen Fortress, Huo Kuizhang's 54th Army troops were stationed at Madoutou and Fuchikou Fortress, and Wu Qiwei's 9th Group Army troops controlled the main traffic routes and commanding heights between Huanglaoliu and Mahuiling.

Immediately, Liu Zhangqing also held a discussion with Yu Hua. At present, the two had reached a similar conclusion: that after the Japanese Army took Madang Fortress...

After Okamura Yasuji got off the plane, he personally helped Xiashan Haoye up and said in a gentle, soft voice: "Your... what is your name?"

Because, although the 106th Division was a newly formed Special Division, its soldiers came from the Kumamoto region of the 6th Division.

After the rest period ended, the Japanese Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade and the 106th Division began their march toward Jiujiang!

Okamura Yasuji also moved his command post to Hukou. Okamura Yasuji's command post was established here on Shizhong Mountain, from where one could overlook Poyang Lake.

"Reporting to Your Excellency the Commander, your subordinate Xiashan Haoye currently serves as the Infantry Regiment Commander of the 106th Division!"

The two routes of the Japanese Army converged here, and the Japanese forces greatly increased. Yu Jishi's troops of Huang Wei's 2nd Army had originally prepared to counterattack Pengze County, but in view of the Japanese Army's increased forces...

"Regarding the Wuhan Strategy, does your division have any difficulties?!"

After the battle for the Gutang defenders began, Zhang Wenmei also informed Li Yutang by phone, and Li Yutang dispatched reinforcements to support them. However, after the Japanese Army took Gutang, it was already too late to reverse the defeat.

In front of Okamura Yasuji, Matsuura Junrokuro wore a fawning smile!

"The position of Brigade Commander is not impossible to appoint!"

Many Japanese officers were filled with regret; isn't it just acting like a dog? I can do that too!

Chen Cixiu of the 9th War Zone mobilized Chen Pei's 60th Division, the 16th Division, and the 77th Division—three divisions of troops—to rush to the aid of Hukou.

After a night of fierce fighting, because the 190th Division failed to complete the operational requirements, the Chinese and Japanese forces fell into a stalemate. Through the frontline exchange of fire and Japanese reconnaissance, Okamura Yasuji discovered a large number of Chinese defending troops.

Now that the Imperial Army was conscripting troops to form new divisions, Matsuura Junrokuro had returned to the frontline troops, and he desperately wanted to rely on military exploits to go further.

The defending troops near Gutang were a part of Li Yutang's 8th Army, the Reserve 11th Division. This Reserve 11th Division was a newly formed unit; many officers and soldiers were newcomers, and most had just put down their hoes and sickles.

However, the combat strength of the 16th Division and the 77th Division was lackluster. So much so that in the Hukou Defense Battle, the troops of Peng Shan and Chen Pei still had to divert forces to aid the friendly units.

Huang Wei had no choice but to abandon the counterattack plan; after all, the Japanese Army had the cooperation of the Navy and the Air Force, and once a counterattack went poorly, the losses would be heavy.

Speaking of which, this Matsuura Junrokuro was actually Okamura Yasuji's senior at the Army Cadet School; he was already fifty-seven years old and about to turn sixty.

Because the Jiujiang region had many rivers, lakes, and seas, the defenders lacked naval support, while the Japanese Army used a trinity of sea, land, and air firepower, which put the defenders at a disadvantage.

After the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade took Pengze County, the Japanese 106th Division, with the support of the Navy, also successfully landed in Pengze County.

After the plane landed, because the plane's boarding ladder was malfunctioning, Okamura Yasuji could not get off the plane immediately, and the pilot was still tinkering with the ladder.

From the force configuration above, Zhang Fakui's 2nd Army Corps served as the main attack force, becoming the main force.

Although there was only a one-rank difference between a Regiment Commander and a Brigade Commander, many Japanese officers from ordinary families could only stop at the position of Regiment Commander in this life.

Yu Hua pointed at several places in succession: "These places are now facing the Japanese Army's massive pressure; they are definitely hard to defend. The little devils have a trinity of sea, land, and air firepower, and we are at a disadvantage!"

Gui Yongqing's 46th Army troops constructed fortifications against the enemy to the north in Tongcheng, Linxiang, and Chengling. The 197th Division defended Changsha, and the Wuhan Police Force strengthened the construction of fortifications.

"Only my Yamato race can enjoy scenery like this; how could the foolish people of the Republic of China be worthy of this piece of land."

After Xiashan Haoye learned of this, he ran to the plane and shouted: "Your Excellency the Commander, time is pressing; your subordinate is willing to serve as a boarding ladder for the Commander."

The Hukou Defense Battle ended in less than a week; behind Hukou was Jiujiang!

After Okamura Yasuji learned that Hukou had been taken, he was as happy as a three-hundred-pound fat man.

Sun Tongxuan's troops had now been incorporated into the Sichuan Army system. The Sichuan Army Second Route Army Headquarters was aware of the transfer of this army to the south; at the time, the Old Man personally spoke on the phone with Deng Xihou and Pan Wenhua.

It was very likely that they would take two actions: the first was to concentrate the strength of more than five divisions to land at Xingzi Village south of Jiujiang.

As the saying goes, a person's name is like a tree's shadow; the 6th Division, formed from soldiers from the Kumamoto region, had strong combat power, which made Okamura Yasuji believe that the 106th Division would certainly not be inferior to the 6th Division.

At the moment, the weather was fine, and Poyang Lake and the mountains looked very good amidst the mist-shrouded clouds.

"Work hard, strive for the Imperial Army's Holy War, and fight for His Majesty the Emperor!"

In attacking Jiujiang, Okamura Yasuji still used the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade as the vanguard. After this brigade was replenished, its personnel and Weaponry were almost equivalent to a Permanent Division.

However, the 190th Division ran into problems, and multiple attacks were beaten back by the Japanese Army. The other three divisions and the Independent Brigade immediately rebuilt a second line of defense and occupied commanding heights to cope with the deteriorating situation.

"Yosh!" Okamura Yasuji nodded: "Xiashan Haoye... I have remembered you. You are very good."

Okamura Yasuji chose Gutang as the breakthrough point; he intended to take Gutang, tear open the Chinese defenders' line of defense, and then outflank and take Jiujiang to annihilate the nearby Chinese troops.

"Yosh!" After looking at the scenery, Okamura Yasuji sighed in admiration: "The landscape of Zhongtu is indeed extraordinary."

The Yunnan Army 60th Army's Lu Han troops immediately advanced to Dongxiang and Jinxian, and the Guangdong Army 66th Army's Ye Zhao garrisoned Nanchang.

Many Japanese officers who came to meet the plane were stunned for a moment when they saw Xiashan Haoye's actions.

After Okamura Yasuji, Yamamoto Tatsuyama, Matsuura Junrokuro, and others talked in detail for a while, he issued orders to the two: that one Japanese division and one brigade should cooperate with each other and immediately attack Hukou and Jiujiang.

"Old Yu!" Liu Zhangqing stepped forward: "Did you receive some news?"

Peng Shan's 11th Division, as the main force of the 2nd Army, had quite good combat strength, and Chen Pei's 60th Division also had decent combat strength.

The Chinese side quickly made adjustments; first, for the 1st Army Corps, Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue blocked the Japanese Army from invading via Poyang Lake, while a portion of Yu Jishi's 74th Army and the entirety of the Gan Province Security Regiment and Local Militia set up defenses around Xingzi Village.

Damn it! This time we really lost big!

The Japanese Navy's naval guns on the river surface immediately began ranging the Chinese Firepower Points; after several rounds of concentrated naval gunfire, Zhang Wenmei's 11th Division suffered heavy losses.

After experiencing the Battle of Songhu, Peng Shan's 11th Division had been resting and reorganizing in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, when one Japanese division and one brigade surrounded them.

For the 2nd Army Group, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Fakui was stationed at the Jiujiang and Tianjiazhen Fortress, with Wang Jingjiu's 25th Army, Li Yutang's 8th Army, and Li Hanhun's Guangdong Army 64th Army directly setting up defenses in the lake and riverbank areas between Gutang and Jiujiang.

Okamura Yasuji, who was directing operations from the rear, was very happy to learn that the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade had captured Pengze!

Previously, the 6th Division had been annihilated by the Sichuan Army, and the 11th Army had suffered almost nothing but defeats, which had made Okamura Yasuji lose a lot of face; now, they had captured Pengze County!

Days of continuous combat left the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade and the 106th Division unable to hold on, so Okamura Yasuji personally issued an order for them to rest and reorganize for two weeks.

At this moment, Xiashan Haoye's heart was also exceptionally excited; he had finally left an impression in front of the Commander, and he was about to rise in the world!

The Japanese Army landing here was very likely to attack Changsha and Nanchang, or head directly toward Yueyang in Hunan Province to cut the Yuehan Railway and form a grand encirclement of Wuhan.

Yamamoto Tatsuyama and Matsuura Junrokuro indicated that there was absolutely no problem at all!

That afternoon, Okamura Yasuji took his special plane back; after resting in Pengze for two days, the Japanese Army immediately began their march toward Hukou and Jiujiang.

As for Yamamoto Tatsuyama, Okamura Yasuji praised him thoroughly, stating that Yamamoto Tatsuyama had brought honor to the 11th Army.

He immediately mobilized troops, preparing to take advantage of the Japanese Army's unstable footing to quickly annihilate the Japanese forces near Gutang.

The next day!

Okamura Yasuji's plane landed at a makeshift airfield outside Pengze County!

The 106th Division served as the general reserve!

Li Yutang urgently reported to the 2nd Army Group's Commander-in-Chief Zhang Fakui; after Lao Zhang learned of this, he attached great importance to it, for if Gutang were not held, the entirety of Jiujiang would be easily taken by the Japanese Army.

As he spoke, the two arrived in front of a map: "Lao Liu, here is Madang Fortress, here is Pengze, here is Jiujiang, here is..."

Regarding Matsuura Junrokuro's response, Okamura Yasuji pondered for a moment and actually believed Matsuura Junrokuro.

However, because Madang Fortress had fallen too quickly, the Chinese side had no choice but to adopt such a defensive plan!

While the Chinese side was actively setting up defenses, on the Japanese side, the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade's offensive was exceptionally smooth, and they captured Pengze County!

Guan Linzheng's 32nd Army Corps assembled in Xianning and Puqi, while Shang Zhen's 20th Group Army constructed fortifications between Nanchang and Wanzai against the enemy to the east.

Xiashan Haoye really hit the jackpot this time; if I had known about the human meat cushion, I would have gone too!

In an instant, the eyes of many Japanese officers at the scene turned red!

Damn it! Fuck... missed out on a fortune!

In the middle of the night, under the cover of the Japanese Navy, the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade successfully landed at Gutang; because the Reserve 11th Division had no experience fighting the Japanese.

Now that the Commander had remembered Xiashan Haoye, as long as Xiashan Haoye did not commit any major operational errors during the Wuhan Strategy.

Then, after the war ended, the Commander would certainly bestow rewards, and a Brigade Commander position would definitely be within reach!

"Hai!" Xiashan Haoye nodded heavily: "For the Imperial Army, for His Majesty the Emperor, I will certainly devote my utmost efforts until my dying day!"

Sun Tongxuan's 3rd Group Army, which had pulled one army from Shandong Province to head south, participated in the Wuhan Battle!

Among them, Tang Enbo's 31st Group Army of the Central Army assembled between Fengcheng and Qingjiang, and Wang Lingji's 30th Group Army assembled between Gao'an and Shanggao.

At dawn, the Yamamoto Tatsuyama Brigade had already successfully landed at Gutang, incidentally annihilating the remnants of Zhang Wenmei's division.

"Bullshit news!" Yu Hua waved his hand: "Come, come... look!"

Jiujiang is surrounded by water on three sides: to the east is Poyang Lake, to the north is the Yangtze River, to the west are Sai Lake and Chengmen Lake, to the south are the Naxun Railway, Xingzi Village, and De'an County, and to the southeast is Lushan, which holds the most profound symbolic significance of the Republic of China era.

Immediately, under the escort of Xiashan Haoye, Okamura Yasuji entered Pengze County, and in a small Western-style building at a wealthy merchant's home, Okamura Yasuji met with Yamamoto Tatsuyama and the Division Commander of the 106th Division!

After receiving the report from the Sichuan Army, the 9th War Zone Command, Chen Cixiu, immediately convened a supreme military conference, given how quickly Madang Fortress had fallen.

Therefore, after the Reserve 11th Division near Gutang discovered the Japanese Army's arrival, Division Commander Zhang Wenmei ordered them to open fire; after the defenders opened fire along the entire line, their Light and Heavy Machine Gun Firepower Points and mortar positions were all exposed.

Another possibility was that a portion of the Japanese forces would land at Jiujiang and Gutang to conduct flanking harassment operations, while concentrating the strength of more than three divisions to strike directly at Ruichang and then attack Wuhan.

After speaking, Xiashan Haoye's legs immediately knelt on the ground, sticking his butt up!

Okamura Yasuji felt this method was not bad, and stepped on the human meat cushion to get off the plane.

Here, the Japanese Army had one regiment stationed, and Regiment Commander Xiashan Haoye came fawningly before Okamura Yasuji to curry favor.

Okamura Yasuji was in a great mood and took his special plane to inspect Pengze County.

He ordered the 106th Division to join the battle; after the Japanese Army increased their troop strength, the combat situation began to turn unfavorable for the Chinese side!

First, the Japanese Navy and aviation forces coordinated, and the Chinese side lacked sufficient artillery to suppress the Japanese; among the six divisions and one Independent Brigade, many units had already suffered casualties reaching one-third.

Some units had already reached two-thirds; given the changes in the combat situation, the 9th War Zone also ordered the abandonment of Gutang, allowing the defenders to withdraw toward the Xingzi Village line.

(End of this chapter)