Chapter 376: The Regiment Wants to Run

Changsha direction.

Xue Yue looked at the telegram in his hand in disbelief.

"You mean they just captured Yichang a moment ago, and now they're launching an attack on Dangyang," Xue Yue said in disbelief.

In the entire Staff Department, not to mention Xue Yue, everyone else wore expressions of surprise.

"Madman, simply a madman!"

"Do these people not need any rest! Are they going to fight all the way to Wuhan?!"

Recapturing Yichang, defeating the Japanese Army's 13th Division, and capturing Division Commander Nei Shan Yingtai Lang alive—these are monumental achievements, and now is the time to rest and consolidate the territory.

Yet, under these circumstances, they still counterattacked and broke through.

Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi walked over at that moment and said, "Commander, good news! The 150th Division and the 11th Division have already taken Jingmen, and are preparing to move south to Wuli Pu to link up with Jiang Anguo's Independent Regiment and attack Jingzhou."

The entire operations room fell silent in an instant, with only faint breathing sounds.

No one knew whose cup had fallen.

Clang—

It snapped everyone back to attention.

Even though Xue Yue commands the 9th War Zone, directing thousands of troops with decisive authority, and has never faltered against Japanese Army assaults, the telegrams of the past two days have left him somewhat overwhelmed.

"Since when have we become this strong? Why is the attack speed so fast? How has the Japanese Army become so weak?" Xue Yue said, his face full of bewilderment.

He even wondered whether the Little Devil had voluntarily withdrawn its troops.

For this tiny Yueyang, Xue Yue pushed the elite 10th Army forward, while the main divisions lost seventy percent of their strength.

But now, looking toward Yichang, the Japanese Army seems utterly powerless, city after city returning once again to Huaxia Army's control.

"Chief Xue, there's also an urgent telegram from the Chongqing Military Committee ordering my 9th War Zone to swiftly dispatch forces to support the Independent Regiment, with the troops placed under Jiang Anguo's command," Wu Yizhi produced another telegram.

Xue Yue took the telegram; its content essentially ordered the deployment of two Group Armies' forces to quickly gather on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, not only to support the Independent Regiment but also to hold the hard‑won territories.

Xue Yue nodded, stood up, his expression solemn, "Order: the 30th Group Army dispatch the 72nd Army and the 78th Army, speedily advance north toward Jingzhou."

Immediately following, Xue Yue issued a second order.

"Order: the 27th Group Army dispatch the 20th Army, move north to Shanling, and keep an eye on the Japanese forces in the Jiangling direction."

"Tell Wang Lingji that once the Independent Regiment attacks Jingzhou, launch an immediate assault."

Xue Yue thought, "Forget it, let Wang Lingji take orders directly from Jiang Anguo."

Xue Yue didn't realize how foolish his order was; a Group Army commander who is also one of the current key leaders of the Sichuan Army.

Having Wang Lingji answer to a colonel.

Yet now this very colonel has already turned the entire Jianghan region upside down.

Even before this, Xue Yue and Hu Lian regarded Jiang Anguo with the same disdain, because who could have imagined that a single division and a single regiment could be taken down at Yichang so directly.

From the troop movements in the telegram, Xue Yue also deduced that Hu Lian's 11th Division joined the offensive later, meaning the main forces were still Jiang Anguo's Independent Regiment and Xu Guozhang's 150th Division.

"Since when has the Sichuan Army become so capable!" Xue Yue exclaimed to the surrounding staff.

It is true that the Sichuan Army is fierce, but its outdated weapons forced Xue Yue to employ them only on the flanks of the Japanese Army during several Battle of Changsha engagements.

Nevertheless, retaking Yichang is a monumental boon for the 9th War Zone and greatly uplifted the troops on the Yueyang front.

Once Yichang returns to Huaxia Army's hands, supplies from the rear can be shipped via the Yangtze River by water and land to Changsha, minimizing losses en route, and crucially Xue Yue can concentrate forces to confront the Japanese Army.

And there is no need to worry that his left flank will be exposed under the Japanese Army's gaze.

Xue Yue saw an even deeper layer: if the 5th War Zone and the 9th War Zone could be linked, then by occupying the terrain along the Han River and using it as a boundary, they could recreate the situation before the Zao‑Yi Campaign.

For all armies, it is good news.

Now the only thing separating the 9th War Zone from the 5th War Zone is Xiangyang; once Xiangyang is captured, this vast tract of land can be unified.

Xue Yue could no longer even imagine.

Similarly, the Military Committee sent a telegram to Commander Li of the 5th War Zone, also ordering him to dispatch troops to support operations in the Jianghan area and, if possible, open a route to Jingxiang.

The Military Committee likewise hopes to link the 9th War Zone with the 5th War Zone.

In contrast to the good news for the 9th War Zone, the loss of Jingmen is a catastrophic bad news for the 39th Regiment, whose commander Zuozuoqi Dao Yi is holed up in Jingzhou, unwilling to venture out.

"Baka! Has Commander A Naganuma not responded yet?" Zuozuoqi Dao Yi said, unusually angry.

Chief of Staff Zhuan Tian Shengshou wore a gloomy expression, "Regiment Commander, what do you think we should do next?"

Zuozuoqi Dao Yi calmed down and approached the map, "Zhuan Tian, according to Wuhan intelligence, this group of Chinese troops comes from the 150th Division in Changde and the Independent Regiment under the 200th Division operating in Myanmar."

"Yes, Regiment Commander," Zhuan Tian Shengshou nodded.

"Since when has the Chinese Army become so strong? Now we can't even get out of Jingzhou, and there are Chinese Air Force reconnaissance planes in the sky," Zuozuoqi Dao Yi said, even hearing the roar of P38 engines overhead in the command post.

Indeed, Nick's Ghost Second Squadron has been patrolling Zhijiang and Jingzhou, with part of it flying toward Wuhan to support the 9th War Zone's defense of the Yueyang area.

"The Chinese Army's speed is too fast, so fast that Wuhan hasn't even reacted; their next step must be an attack on Jingzhou," Zuozuoqi Dao Yi said.

As a Lieutenant General and Regiment Commander, Zuozuoqi Dao Yi could naturally discern Huaxia Army's intentions: having already seized Jingmen, the next step must be a southward push into Jingzhou.

But the Chinese Army's advance speed exceeded Zuozuoqi Dao Yi's expectations; even the Imperial Japanese Army could only march thirty to forty kilometers a day, which is the fastest possible rate.

Now, after the Chinese Army captured Yichang, they immediately moved north to Dangyang; shortly after Dangyang fell, Jingmen was again taken by the Chinese Army.

"Regiment Commander, Jingzhou has become an isolated island," Zhuan Tian said hoarsely, "To the north is the Chinese Army; intelligence has discovered that the 9th War Zone is also redeploying troops to prepare to move north to Jingzhou. The west, Yichang, is already lost; the east, Wuhan, is preoccupied… The regiment now has fewer than eight thousand troops, Regiment Commander, should we retreat!"

Retreat!

That is, a withdrawal.

Zuozuoqi Dao Yi now sees only two options: the first is to hold Jingzhou to the death; the second is to retreat, pulling back directly toward Wuhan.

"Zhuan Tian, at this moment, if we gather our forces and march south to attack Changde, do you think it is feasible?" Zuozuoqi Dao Yi went mad.

Chief of Staff Zhuan Tian Shengshou looked at the Regiment Commander's frantic face and said, "Regiment Commander, you intend to strike the Chinese Army's air base."

"Yo, Zhuan Tian, exactly that intention; since the Chinese Army's air force takes off from Changde, we will head straight south to Changde and eliminate them," Zuozuoqi Dao Yi said seriously.

"Then, Regiment Commander, what about Jingzhou?" Zhuan Tian Shengshou asked.

Zuozuo Mu shook his head, "No more. As long as we can destroy Changde Airport, we can make up for it; it's nothing more than losing a Jingzhou."

Zhuan Tian Shengshou couldn't help but approve the Division Commander's order.

It must be said, this may be the 39th Division's only way out; not only will they not be punished for losing Jingzhou, but if they can capture Changde Airport, they will even receive commendation from above.

However, what they did not know was that Jiang Anguo's flight squadron had already headed to Dangyang Airport, toward Changde, and the place had been empty for a long time.