At 5 o'clock in the night on February 26, Jiang Qiang once again led his team to set off from Yishui County! 4 infantry regiments, a heavy artillery regiment, 12 tanks, a baggage regiment, an engineering regiment, and a large number of construction personnel, a total of 20,000
The rest of the people fought towards Taierzhuang in a mighty manner. Taierzhuang is a small town in the southeast of Yixian County, Shandong Province, adjacent to Pixian County of Jiangsu Province. The canal goes around the city, so it is a land and water terminal. Taierzhuang is also the Taizao Branch of the Jinpu Line and the Taierzhuang Branch.
The intersection of Wei Highway and Xuzhou is the gateway and its strategic position is very important.
The city wall of Taierzhuang is made of bricks and stones, and the city is bustling with commerce. Small Western-style buildings built with bricks and cement can be seen everywhere, which is not much different from ordinary county towns. Coal is produced near Taierzhuang, and there are many coking plants outside the city. There are about 1,000 residents in the city.
The street is only wide enough for carriages to pass, and the road surface is paved with bluestone. In order to ensure the safety of Xuzhou, before the Battle of Taierzhuang, the Chinese defenders had built some fortifications here, built stone walls, and built 75 bunkers.
The troops currently stationed in Taierzhuang Town are the 186th Regiment, which is a reinforced regiment. The commander of the regiment, Wang Guanwu, also serves as the commander of the city defense, and the division commander Chi Fengcheng commands outside the city! The 31st Division of Chi Fengcheng is the backbone of Sun Lianzhong, who once served as the commander of the regiment.
Division Commander.
Because it is Sun Lianzhong's "direct line" unit, although it is a few grades behind Chairman Chiang Kai-shek's direct line unit in terms of equipment and ordnance, it is much stronger than the other two divisions of the Second Group Army, so Sun Lianzhong was placed at the top of the list.
The key town is Taierzhuang! Sun Lianzhong arrived at Hanjiasi, 5,000 meters south of the Taierzhuang Canal at 4 o'clock this morning, and set up the Second Army Headquarters here.
Huang Qiaosong's 27th Division, Zhang Jinzhao's 30th Division and Wu Pengju's Independent Brigade have successively assembled in the northeast of Jiawang and south of Taierzhuang, about 30 kilometers southwest of Taierzhuang. At 9 a.m., Bai Chongxi, accompanied by Sun Lianzhong, visited the front line of Taierzhuang to inspect
, when they learned that Sun Lianzhong's troops only had rifles and mortars and were in urgent need of artillery support, they called Li Zongren and Cheng Qian respectively at the 31st Division. After several communications, Li Zongren and Cheng Qian agreed to immediately mobilize field artillery for battle defense.
The artillery and tank teams arrived at Taierzhuang.
The heavy weapons unit transferred by Li Zongren was the 200th Division, which was expanded from Du Yuming's armored corps on January 15, 1938. The 200th Division attached the three battalions of the 52nd Regiment that had been equipped and the infantry artillery battalion directly under the division.
Given to the troops participating in the Taierzhuang Battle. Each of these four battalions has 37 combat vehicles and 18 combat artillery, and is currently being transported by rail to Taierzhuang South Station.
"Sir Bai, thank you so much! If it weren't for your help, these guys in our hands would not be a match for the Japanese at all!" Sun Lianzhong thanked and sighed from the bottom of his heart. Bai Chongxi still has more face than these two.
As soon as the phone call came out, so many weapons were mobilized, which greatly increased the defensive strength of the Second Army! "Haha, Commander Sun is so polite. You are all national heroes who have suffered a bloody battle. I just did my best."
Strength! The key to the success or failure of this battle lies with your second group army!"
The Military Commission was reorganized on January 1, 1938, and Bai Chongxi was appointed Minister of Military Training, responsible for the training and organization of the army and navy, and the construction and improvement of military schools. This time, Bai Chongxi accompanied the Chairman of the Committee to Xuzhou for an inspection, and stayed in Xuzhou to assist Li Zongren in commanding the Taierzhuang Battle! Arriving at the Fifth
After the war zone, Bai Chongxi often went to the battlefield to communicate with senior generals of various armies and divisions, expressing condolences and boosting morale on behalf of the Wuhan base camp.
After a pause, Bai Chongxi looked at Sun Lianzhong meaningfully and said: "Commander Sun is the pillar of the party. Your military exploits are shining brightly. Not only did you make the little devil suffer a lot, but even Jiang Qiang looked at you differently!" Sun Lianzhong instantly understood what Bai Chongxi meant.
, hurriedly waved his hand and explained: "Mr. Bai, there must be a misunderstanding here. Jiang Qiang and I have never met. I have always been loyal to the party and the country! Please tell me, Chief Bai!"
"Haha, I just said it casually and didn't mean anything else! Don't get me wrong!" Bai Chongxi grinned, glanced around, pointed to the sky and said: "It's just that there are some things in the melon fields and plum trees that are easy to talk about and not easy to hear.
To avoid suspicion, you have to avoid suspicion!" Sun Lianzhong nodded quickly and said: "Please don't worry, Sir Bai, I know what to do!" Bai Chongxi smiled and said: "I am really looking forward to meeting Jiang Qiang this time. I didn't expect that it would be here.
Place to meet him!
To be honest, I admire this guy from the bottom of my heart. He can actually make the little devil suffer big losses. Even now, I don’t dare to directly fight with him! Well, I just don’t know what he can bring to us this time.
What kind of surprise?" "Hey, it's really fascinating!"
Sun Lianzhong nodded with fiery eyes, already thinking about how to deal with Jiang Qiang and how to jointly defend Taierzhuang. Bai Chongxi looked thoughtfully at the sky in the distance and said: "Can we make a big difference this time? With this support
The army is very important, and we must make a careful calculation then!" At ten o'clock in the morning, Jiang Qiang led the mechanized vanguard force to Taierzhuang, with 9 heavy tanks and hundreds of transport vehicles. It was almost blinding at first glance.
Titanium dog eyes!
"Oh my God, what kind of tank is this? Is it too big?" "There are so many heavy artillery?" "Oh my god, all mechanized transportation?" "This Jiaodong Group Army is so powerful?" "No wonder it can beat the little devils.
I have no temper at all! Haha!" "Yeah, it's better now! We can have a head-on battle with the little devil!"
Bai Chongxi, Sun Lianzhong, Tian Zhennan, Feng Anbang and others who came to greet him were all dumbfounded. They knew that Jiang Qiang was well-equipped with luxurious weapons, but they still couldn't help being shocked when they saw it for the first time today! If you don't know the goods, you are afraid of comparison.
Dude, Bai Chongxi has seen the world, and he can tell at a glance that the tanks brought by Jiang Qiang definitely belong to his grandfather's generation! If they fight tanks alone, even if all the tanks of the 200th Division are used, they may not be able to win a battle.
A heavy tank from the Jiaodong Army!
All tanks and combat vehicles of the Nationalist Government are imported. At present, they are mainly French-made "Renault" ft-17 light tanks (machine gun type), American-made M-1917 light tanks, Italian-made "Fiat" light tanks, and British-made "Vickers" mke types.
Tanks, British-made "Vickers" m1936 light tanks, German-made command light tanks, etc.! These tanks are much different from the Japanese 95 light tanks. Their armor thickness ranges from 6 to 22 mm, and their attack power is thin.
It’s so weak! Even heavy machine gun fire can cause a lot of damage. As long as you hit the anti-war artillery accurately, you can basically kill a kid with one shot! “Haha, Chief Bai, I really didn’t expect to see you here.
!Nice to meet you!Nice to meet you!”
After a while of greetings and mutual introductions, Jiang Qiang had the opportunity to talk to Bai Chongxi alone to build a relationship, because Jiang had always been inexplicably curious about this "handsome" talent in the national army, known as Little Zhuge! Bai Chongxi looked at it with a smile.
Zhuo Jiang said forcefully: "Commander Jiang has a great reputation. We have admired him for a long time. Only when we meet him today do we know what it means to be a worthy scholar despite his great reputation! Commander Jiang is indeed a hero of the world who can scare the little devils. He is so charming!"
Sun Lianzhong smiled and answered: "Commander Jiang, it has been a long and dusty journey. It has been really hard. We have prepared a small amount of wine to wash away the dust for Commander Yang. We also ask Commander Jiang to move to our military headquarters!" "Haha, thank you very much.
Chief Bai and Commander Sun gave us their warm hospitality!"
Jiang Qiang was not polite. He nodded in agreement and ordered the troops who got off the bus to station in Taierzhuang. The vacated transport convoy returned to pick up other personnel who were still on the way. Then Jiang Qiang, under the protection of the guard battalion, arrived in the canal by car.
Hanjia Temple on the South Bank.
Drinking can bring people closer together. After drinking for three rounds, everyone gradually opened up their chat boxes and began to call each other brothers. "Brother Lu, since we parted ways in Jiyang 30 years ago, we have been apart for more than 8 years in the blink of an eye."
, I didn’t expect to be able to fight side by side again in Taierzhuang today, it’s really a sigh of relief!” After a few glasses of wine, Gu Liangmin officially entered the role with a bit of alcohol, and began to renew his old relationship with Sun Lianzhong.
In 1907, at the recommendation of his third brother Gu Liangyou, he joined the Feng Yuxiang camp in the 20th town of the Qing Dynasty's new army in Xinmin Prefecture, Fengtian. Because he was strong, smart and studious, he was soon transferred to Feng Yuxiang's guard. He followed Feng to participate in the Luanzhou Uprising and defended the country.
During Yuan's campaign against Zhang Xun, the Zhi-Wan War, the First Zhi-Feng War, etc., he escorted Feng out of danger many times, and was promoted from a soldier to a guard company commander, brigade commander, and division commander. Gu Liangmin's third brother Gu Liangyou entered Baoding to "train the army" in his early years.
, served as soldiers in the same shed as Feng Yuxiang, and they had a close relationship and became brothers with different surnames. He died of illness in Jinan on October 17, 1934!
Sun Lianzhong was one of Feng Yuxiang's Thirteen Taibao. He was deeply appreciated by Feng Yuxiang. Naturally, he had a very good relationship with the two Gu brothers in his early years. In 1930, after Sun Lianzhong was reorganized by the Chairman, he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the 26th Route Army and led his troops.
Heading to Jining, Shandong, to reorganize and eat.
At that time, the governor of Shandong Province was Han Fuju, who had a close relationship with Sun Lianzhong. After Sun arrived in Shandong, Han made a wishful thinking and tried to use Sun's power to strengthen himself. Sun Lianzhong also had the idea of relying on each other with Han at this time. But the Chairman
It is believed that Han Fuju was ambitious and changeable, so he took precautions against him at that time; while Sun Lianzhong was brave in fighting and loyal to his superiors. Once he was pulled over, he would be willing to drive him, so he was very supportive of Sun.
The Chairman of the Standing Committee sent Cao Haosen, who had been the chief of staff of Feng Yuxiang's Ministry, to Jining to do Sun's persuasion work; and then invited Sun's generals in batches to Nanjing to summon them one by one, with generous gifts. Sun Lianzhong sent his military supplies director and secretary-general Yuan Qixu and others to Nanjing
When they visited Jiang, the Chairman of the Generalissimo hosted a banquet in person, during which he praised Sun Po a lot. Sun Lianzhong was gradually moved by the Chairman's tenderness, and decided to serve for the Chairman. "Yes, things are really unpredictable!"
Thinking about the past, Sun Lianzhong was quite moved. He almost joined forces with Han Fuju and settled in Shandong. However, now Han Fuju has been dealt with by military law, and Gu Liangmin is a rising star who defected to the Third Route Army! However, it is this rising star Jiang Qiang, today
But he turned into a national anti-Japanese hero and a dazzling general who frightened the Japanese and inspired the Chinese officers and soldiers! After the meal was full, Jiang Qiang said straight to the point to Bai Chongxi and Sun Lianzhong: "Sir Bai, Commander Sun, Xiao
The Japanese attack from the north and the south is coming fiercely. The Battle of Xuzhou will be a hard and bloody battle, and Taierzhuang is currently a key node!
The main purpose of leading my troops here this time is to assist in the defense of Taierzhuang. As for other strategic deployments in the fifth theater, I will not interfere too much! Regarding this point, please forgive me, Chief Bai!" Jiang Qiang's words were simple, direct and rude. If it were changed to another
For others, I am afraid that this is a sign of disobedience. Even if they are not punished, they will be put in the shoes of others in the future.
Bai Chongxi did not show any displeasure, but instead spoke for Jiang Qiang: "Commander Jiang not only blocked the frontal attack of the Japanese 10th Division and 22nd Division, but also led his troops to stabilize Fei County and Teng County.
Now he personally leads an army to come to Taierzhuang's aid. This is already a role model for us. What else can we ask for? I believe Commander Li will have the same idea as me!" "Haha, thank you Commander Bai!"
Jiang Qiang smiled and nodded, and then Sun Lianzhong said: "Commander Sun, my engineering troops will arrive at Taierzhuang soon. At that time, I will build stronger defenses in Taierzhuang and the surrounding areas. I need the cooperation of your army brothers.
! In addition, Commander Sun is asked to relocate all the people in Taierzhuang, because Taierzhuang will become a flesh and blood mill for the Japs, and all irrelevant personnel must be cleared!" "There is no problem with this at all, we will fully cooperate with Commander Yang!" Sun Lianzhong did not hesitate.
He nodded. To fight a defensive war, you must rely on strong fortifications!
The Jiaodong Group Army is best at defense. Now that they are taking the lead in doing something great, Sun Lianzhong can't find any reason to refuse! "Haha! With the addition of Commander Jiang and the Jiaodong Military Region, Taierzhuang will definitely be impregnable! Come on, let's
Let's drink this cup together, and I hope we will be victorious and beat the little devils to the ground! I'll do it first as a token of respect!" Bai Chongxi stood up in a happy mood, raised the wine glass, and raised a toast to everyone, happily
Drink it all!
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Jiaodong Group Army Engineering Corps and follow-up troops arrived at Taierzhuang! As soon as they entered the site, the experienced engineering regiment began construction planning, and then the construction team of tens of thousands of people began intense operations! This time Jiang
Jiang Qiang not only brought a large amount of baggage, but also a large amount of steel bars and special cement. An extremely complete fortification group could be built in a day or two at most. In order to facilitate communication with the Second Army, General Jiang Qiang also set up a headquarters.
At the Hanjia Temple on the south bank of the canal, the direct person in charge is Gu Liangmin.
A former enemy commander was set up in Taierzhuang, and Xu Guangming was personally responsible for the command. This guy had been staying at home to defend and had long been "complaining", so this time Jiang Qiang transferred him from Tianjin and brought him out, which was considered
Let professional people do professional things! The morale here in Taierzhuang is booming and the work is in full swing, but the atmosphere in Xuzhou is a bit depressed! "I know! This Jiang Qiang really knows how to pick the time!"
After listening to Bai Chongxi's report, the Chairman's expression looked extremely calm, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking in his heart. Being used to seeing Jiang Qiang's unrestrained military actions, the Chairman's resistance to toxicity has been greatly enhanced! "Commissioner, you must be on guard against others.
Ah! Jiang Qiang brought Gu Liangmin to Taierzhuang this time, and his purpose has been revealed! Otherwise, according to his villainous nature that does not want to suffer, would he be willing to jump into the fire pit?" Qian Dajun felt very uneasy, Jiang Qiang was too
He has a history of poaching, causing him to suffer from persecutory delusions of worrying about gains and losses.
Bai Chongxi smiled calmly and said: "Director Qian is overly worried. Although Jiang Qiang has many minor problems, he is unambiguous in terms of national justice! In this battle of Xuzhou, Jiang Qiang's troops have tried their best. Not only did they block the Japanese from the front before,
The strong attack by the two divisions caused heavy casualties to the Japanese, and now they have single-handedly defended the fifth theater against three Japanese divisions from the north!" Qian Dajun still said unconvinced: "This is not because of him.
He was forced to send troops because he saw that Shandong was his own territory and wanted to take advantage of it!"
"Okay, stop arguing!" The Chairman waved his hand impatiently, looked down at the sand table in front of him and said: "Anyway, let's finish this battle first. Two Japanese divisions are about to arrive at the Longhai Railway Line.
It's time! No matter who it is at this time, as long as he is willing to fight the Japanese, he must unite!" The chairman was in a very uneasy mood. Since the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance, he has experienced the defense battle of Pingjin, the battle of Guangdong, the battle of Taiyuan, and the battle of northern Hebei.
A series of failures, not only the essence of the sea, land and air that had been worked hard for many years was completely damaged, but also a large area of the country was lost!
Now not only does the Chinese nation need a beautiful and happy victory to boost the morale of the military and the people, but the Chairman also needs a great victory to rebuild his prestige! So no matter what, this carefully designed battle of annihilation of Taierzhuang can only succeed and cannot fail!
At this time, Li Zongren nodded quickly and said: "Jiang Qiang's troops are extremely good at defense. He and Sun Lianzhong jointly defending Taierzhuang are indeed the best combat plan at the moment! It depends on whether the little devil will be fooled. After all, Jiang Qiang is now famous.
The Japanese are quite afraid of him!" Li Zongren's worry is not unreasonable, but the Japanese army is determined to win Xuzhou this time. Even if they know that Jiang Qiang has led a force to station in Taierzhuang, they will never give up halfway! After a pause, Li Zongren said again:
"Commissioned, can we allow the air force to participate in the war? If our air force can come, it will definitely boost morale!"
"Let's talk about this later!" The Chairman did not agree or refuse! In the early days of the war, the main force of the Chinese army was Hawker fighter aircraft. In the air battle over Songhu, the Chinese army lost 202 aircraft, damaged 112, and killed 122 pilots.
There are 271 aircraft. Nowadays, the National Air Force only has a few aircraft left, and each one is a treasure. How can it be willing to easily fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army?
The General Headquarters of the Japanese Central Front Army in Qingdao. Stars were twinkling in the huge conference room. A group of old Japanese soldiers were sitting at the conference table. The old Japanese leader was the Japanese general Shunroku Hata, who was also the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army in Qingdao and the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Army in Central China!
On December 27, 1937, Hisao Tani was transferred to the Home Defense Force to serve as the commander of the Central Army. His superiors, Matsui Iwane and Yanagawa Heisuke, were enlisted in the reserves on February 14 of the following year.
Shunroku Hata was promoted to general in 1937 and took up the post of Education Director, one of the three army officers, and became one of the leaders of the Japanese army. Not only did this old Japanese have a higher prestige in the military than Matsui Iwane, but his ability and vision were also far greater than that of Iwane Matsui.
Matsui Iwane can be said to be a very powerful Japanese general. On both sides of the conference table sat the 9th Division Commander Yoshika Ryosuke, the 11th Division Commander Yamamuro Munetake, and the 13th Division Commander Ogisu Tachibana.
Nagasaki Takaaki, as well as Central China Front Chief of Staff Tsukada Gong and Deputy Chief of Staff Akira Muto! Japan is a country that deceives itself. This is the second time that the Sixth Division, the Sixteenth Division, and the Fifth Division have used this name.
, including the 20th Division, which was also re-expanded for the second time.
Yoshika Ryosuke said extremely excitedly: "The Empire's newly produced Type 97 medium tanks are invincible. The 9th Division and the 11th Division are making rapid progress, and the vanguard has not encountered any decent resistance at all!" Yamamuro Munetake was smiling all over his face.
He nodded and said: "Yes, His Majesty the Emperor has now appointed Ishihara-san as the Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, specifically responsible for the construction of Manchukuo's military industry system! As long as the Japanese army has enough new tanks, it will be able to quickly sweep across China and then move northward.
Attack Wang Yizhe from both sides and achieve a prosperous age for the Yamato nation that has not been seen in thousands of years!" "Yo Xi!"
Tsukada responded: "Currently, nearly 200,000 Chinese elite troops have been assembled in the Xuzhou area. The main troops are on the north bank of the Suzhou River. We must seize the opportunity to quickly cut into the rear of Xuzhou and join forces with the North China Front to surround the Chinese army.
! And our Empire of Japan has mobilized nearly 300,000 imperial warriors from the North and Central China Fronts. As long as we can seize the opportunity and concentrate our superior forces, we will definitely be able to cleanly eat these 200,000 Chinese troops, capture Xuzhou and open up the southern line of Jinpu.
!So I think we must speed up the pace of action and launch a comprehensive general offensive as soon as possible!"
After listening to everyone's excited and optimistic speeches, Shunroku Hata's face was still serious, and he did not show a smug smile. He spoke in an unhurried manner: "There is an old saying in China that haste makes waste. The smoother the progress, the better we will be."
Don't take it lightly! Yoshika-kun, Yamamuro-kun, you two divisions must fight step by step! Other divisions must put enough pressure on the Chinese army in their respective defense areas and coordinate the outflanking actions of the 9th Division and the 11th Division.
!”
"Hai!" A group of old Japanese soldiers bent down and nodded. Hata Shunroku then added: "Once our side officially launches a full-scale attack, the North China Front Army must also work harder to break through the northern defense line of the Fifth Theater of China. Only in this way can we form a powerful force.
Encirclement! After eating the Chinese army in the Xuzhou area, we can take advantage of the victory to pursue and attack the strategic military base of Wuhan!
Once Xuzhou and Wuhan are conquered, this grand chess game will be fully alive. It will be just around the corner for our Empire of Japan to conquer China and dominate the Asia-Pacific and even the world!" After saying that, Shunroku Hata looked full of longing, and this time he succeeded Iwane Matsui as the Central China Front Army.
, for him, it is a golden opportunity to make achievements, and he will never miss it!
"His Majesty the Emperor is on board!" "The Imperial Army of Japan is on board!" "The Empire of Japan is on board!"
As soon as Hata Shunroku finished speaking, Tsukada Tsukada, Muto Akira, Yoshika Ryosuke and others raised their arms and shouted enthusiastically, with ferocious smiles on their faces. On February 27, the Japanese 9th Division and 11th Division
The main force of the regiment has all arrived around Guanyun County, leaving only the last 50 miles away from the Longhai Railway line where the 59th Army is stationed!