The situation in Huaiyin City took a turn for the worse. The Japanese had entered the city and could no longer defend it. Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao also panicked and hurriedly shouted for retreat.
At this moment, the Japs have appeared in the three directions of east, west and south. If we don't leave, when the Japs block the north of the city, we will really become a turtle in a urn, and no one will be able to survive.
Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao's face was full of reluctance. If he could defend Huaiyin and repel the Japanese, he would be able to add to his list of achievements.
Unfortunately, the plan was not as good as the change. Xie Zhengxiang, the commander of the fourth battalion who was killed by God, at this juncture, coerced three companies to rebel and surrender to the enemy, putting them into a passive state.
Now deputy captain Yuan Guangtao has forgotten about merit and promotion. Survival is the most important thing at this moment.
When the order to retreat was given, the staff officers of the general command all got busy in a panic, packing various things into boxes and preparing to take them away.
"What time has it been? Throw away all the useless things. It's important to retreat quickly."
Seeing everyone packing a lot of things, deputy captain Yuan Guangtao cursed angrily.
"Sir, what should we do with the people in the city?" A staff officer came forward and asked.
Deputy Captain Yuan Guangtao said: "We can't control that much now, let's withdraw first."
Now Yuan Guangtao feels regretful. If he had listened to Zhang Liechen and prepared to evacuate in advance, he would not have evacuated in such a hurry.
When the commander-in-chief was preparing to evacuate Huaiyin in a panic, a staff officer also called the troops fighting the Japanese to convey the order to retreat.
"Jingle Bell......"
Amidst the trembling sound of artillery, the phone at the headquarters of the 5th Battalion rang rapidly.
"Hello, this is the Fifth Battalion." The communications soldier who had been standing by the phone hurriedly grabbed the phone.
"This is the commander-in-chief. The Japanese have invaded from the east gate. Chief Yuan ordered you to retreat from the north of the city immediately." The urgent voice of the staff officer of the commander-in-chief came over the phone.
"yes!"
After the communications soldier put down the phone, he hurried out of the battalion headquarters, plunged into the thick smoke, and went straight to the fifth battalion commander Liu Zhi who was directing the battle at the front.
More than two hundred Japanese soldiers are launching a fierce attack on the defenders at the west gate. The position outside the city has been lost. At this moment, the troops are relying on the houses, windows, steps and pillars along the street to resist the Japanese.
"Da da da......"
The streets have been shrouded in the smoke of explosions, roaring bullets are rampaging on the streets, shocking explosions occur one after another, and the battle has reached a fever pitch.
Although there were only about two hundred Japs in the attack, they were all powerful Kwantung Army troops with well-equipped equipment and strong combat effectiveness. The fifth battalion was unable to hold its head high, and casualties continued to rise.
"Hold it! Hold it!"
"Go to a platoon and take back the commanding heights of the wooden building on the corner of the street!"
The commander of the fifth battalion, Liu Zhi, was covered in blood and gunpowder smoke, and his rough face was smoky black. At this moment, he was braving a hail of bullets from his gun and trying to push the Japanese out.
Unfortunately, the firepower of the Japs was too strong. Several Japs' machine gun groups seized the commanding heights and built up fire support. Several counterattacks by the Fifth Battalion were beaten back. The Japs behind them kept coming, making them unable to fight.
Extremely strenuous.
"Battal Commander, Battalion Commander, command us to retreat!"
Just as Liu Zhi, commander of the fifth battalion, was fighting with the Japanese inextricably, the communications soldier rushed along the base of the wall and lay down next to Liu Zhi, shouting loudly.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
Fifth Battalion Commander Liu Zhi's ears were buzzing from the grenade explosion just now. Amidst the dense gunfire, he could not hear clearly what the communications soldier was shouting.
The communications soldier hurriedly approached the ear of Liu Zhi, commander of the fifth battalion, and shouted loudly: "Commander Yuan told us to retreat from the north gate. The Japanese have already invaded from the east gate."
After hearing what the communications soldier said, the commander of the fifth battalion, Liu Zhi, was stunned for a moment, then cursed unwillingly.
"First company commander, first company commander!" Liu Zhi, commander of the fifth battalion, waved his arm to the first company commander who was lying on the steps and shooting at the Japanese.
After hearing the sound, the first company commander hurriedly turned around and ran to Liu Zhi of the fifth battalion: "Batalion Commander, what are your orders?"
"You lead people to cover the evacuation of the battalion headquarters and the wounded from the north gate, and I will cover them!" Liu Zhi ordered to the first company commander.
"What? Retreat?" The first company commander was stunned, and then shouted unwillingly: "Batalion Commander, why are you retreating? Give me another ten minutes, and I can suppress the Japanese!"
"Why is there so much nonsense? Execute the order!"
"yes!"
Although the first company commander was very confused, he still buried his doubts in his heart when faced with the serious-faced fifth battalion commander Liu Zhi.
Soon, the first company commander covered the wounded and the battalion and headed towards the north gate. At this moment, the commander-in-chief had already hurried out of the north gate and started to retreat.
Seeing the troops retreating from the north gate, many people knew that Huaiyin could no longer defend it. They packed their luggage one after another and rushed towards the north gate with their children in tow, like a mud flow, sweeping the entire road.
It was so crowded that there was no way to get through.
The retreating troops, wounded and civilians mixed together and fled northward in a noisy and chaotic manner. Panic spread among the crowd, and everyone's faces were filled with fear and uneasiness.
When the deputy commander Zhang Liechen received the order to retreat, and fought and retreated with his brothers to the location of the general command, he found that the headquarters was empty and only documents scattered on the ground were randomly discarded. It was obvious that the commander was retreating.
Very anxious and panicked.
"Damn, she can run faster than a rabbit."
Seeing the retreating deputy captain Yuan Guangtao and others, Zhang Liechen couldn't help but curse.
"Send a few people over to pick up the scattered documents and burn them all. Don't leave them to the little devils." Zhang Liechen ordered.
"yes!"
Some brothers hurriedly rushed to the headquarters to collect and destroy some documents that were too late to take away.
"Daozi, send someone to ask. Which troops are at the rear? Tell them to hold on until dark to cover the evacuation of the people."
"yes!"
The deputy battalion commander of the Fourth Battalion Dao Zi responded, and immediately strode out of the general direction and ran up the street.
Soon the knife came back in a hurry: "Sir Zhang, the commander-in-chief directly ordered the troops to evacuate, without arranging the troops behind him."
"What? There is no rear army?" Upon hearing this answer, Zhang Liechen was stunned for a moment, and then an angry look appeared on his face.
"This Yuan Guangtao has failed in his duties! The people in the staff office have also failed in their duties!" Zhang Liechen cursed angrily.
It's hard to tell in normal times, but now that the situation has become chaotic, everyone is focused on escaping out of the city, and who can care about arranging the rearguard.
"Sir Zhang, what should we do now?" Daozi, the deputy commander of the fourth battalion, asked.
"Order our people to resist layer by layer along the streets and cover the evacuation of people in the city."
"yes!"
When the situation in Huaiyin City was in chaos due to the hasty evacuation of the General Command, the Japanese commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu outside the city also received news that the garrison in the city had evacuated from the north gate.
"Yoshi, let the cavalry squadron attack immediately and kill the Chinese!"
Shankou Chisong did not surround the entire Huaiyin, but surrounded three and one, leaving a gap deliberately to break the will of the defenders in the city to resist.
Because once the entire Huaiyin is surrounded, the defenders in the city will definitely fight to the end. However, if there is a way to survive, if they cannot resist, they will definitely evacuate through the only escape channel.
After leaving the city, there is an unobstructed and flat area. As long as the cavalry covers them up, they can cause heavy losses to the opponent. It has to be said that the Japanese commander Yamaguchi Akamatsu's calculation is very insidious.
Soon, more than 130 Japanese cavalrymen got on their horses one after another and headed straight to the north of the city with murderous intent.