The headquarters of the Chinese 18th Army was crowded and chaotic, with the ticking of telegrams and the ringing of telephones intertwined with each other. From time to time, hurried-looking intelligence officers broke into the room.
The combat staff of the military department are surrounding the map spread on the table, constantly revising the situation of the enemy and ourselves with red and blue pens based on the latest war situation.
On this one-fifty-thousandth military map, Yichang is just a small black dot, and at this moment three huge red arrows are approaching Yichang from three directions.
Army Commander Peng Shanmian had just arrived here from Chongqing. He was so tired that he didn't even have time to rest, so he had to immediately command the troops to fight against the Japanese who were rushing towards him.
The 18th Army is the ace unit of the Chinese Army. Commander Peng Shan has three divisions under his command: the 18th Division, the 11th Division and the 199th Division, with a total strength of more than 30,000 troops and better equipment than the local troops.
It can be said that the army is strong and the horse is strong.
But in fact, because the 18th Army was undergoing training, the three divisions under Commander Peng Shan were not in one place.
Among them, the 18th Division and the 199th Division are training in Chongqing, Sichuan, while the 11th Division with the strongest combat effectiveness is far away in Changsha, Hunan, and is coming here urgently.
Because of the urgent military situation, he only had one day to prepare from the time he received the order to set off. Now, only the troops directly under his military headquarters and the 18th Division arrived in Yichang along the Yangtze River from Sichuan.
After Army Commander Peng Shan led the troops directly under the Military Headquarters and the 18th Division to Yichang, he immediately ordered the troops directly under the Military Headquarters and a regiment of the 18th Division to build bunkers and fortifications in the city.
The other two regiments of the 18th Division were deployed on the periphery of Yichang, one part of which defended Yichang Highway, and the other part of which was responsible for river defense.
But now the Japanese who are swooping over are three field divisions. The troops responsible for guarding Yichang actually only have a little more than one division. You can imagine how difficult it is to hold on.
"Where is the 199th Division?"
Facing the rapidly advancing Japanese troops, Peng Shan, commander of the 18th Army, really had no confidence and could only hope that the 199th Division would arrive in time.
"Military seat, there is a call from the 199th Division. The first regiment assembled will be able to land at Nanjinguan in the evening. They encountered bombing and strafing by Japanese planes on the way, and a ship was sunk." The communications staff reported hurriedly.
.
"Okay, once their team arrives, they will immediately deploy outside the city and serve as a mobile combat unit, ready to support various positions at any time."
"At the same time, we urge other troops of the 199th Division to arrive in Yichang before dawn tomorrow. The military situation is urgent. Who dares to neglect? Military law will be engaged!" Commander Peng Shan said with a hint of murderous intent.
The 18th Army is the ace unit under Chen Cheng, and Peng Shan has only taken over as commander for less than a year, and his control over the army is still slightly insufficient. At this juncture, he has no choice but to resort to military law.
"yes!"
"Where is the 11th Division located?"
After just asking about the situation of the 199th Division, Peng Shan became concerned about another unit under his command that departed from Changsha, Hunan.
"The 11th Division just received a call. They have passed Changde and are marching towards the entrance of the Grand Gorge and the Fenghe River area."
"Send an order to let them set up defenses on the spot when they arrive at their destination to contain the Japanese on the outside."
"Yes!" Immediately a staff officer responded, then turned around and went to the confidential room to send a telegram."
"What's going on with our friendly forces?"
The intelligence staff pointed to the map and said: "Since Commander-in-Chief Zhang Zizhong was martyred, the various units of the 33rd Army are now in chaos. They have been defeated by the Japanese one by one and are retreating to nearby mountainous areas. The 75th and 94th Army are quickly returning to Jiang Fang.
The military establishment is probably too late..."
Commander Peng Shan felt deeply worried when he heard that the friendly troops were either defeated by the Japanese one by one, or were still on the way to reinforcements.
"We are now defending Yichang alone and can only fight with our backs!" Commander Peng Shan ordered: "Tell every brother, behind us is Chongqing. If we don't defend Nanjing, we will still have Wuhan. If we fail to defend Wuhan, we will still have Chongqing.
As the capital during the war, if the Japanese break through Yichang and attack Chongqing, and if Chongqing is lost, they will really become slaves to the country. If this battle is not successful, we will be benevolent. We can only fight bloody battles to the end! There is no way out!"
"Fight to the bitter end!"
The officers all had serious expressions on their faces, and their murderous roars made people's eardrums buzz.
"Ding ring ring..." The phone rang rapidly.
A communications soldier guarding the phone quickly picked up the phone: "This is the 18th Army Headquarters..."
"Reporting to the military, a Japanese regiment has broken through Yaqueling. The 54th Division of the 18th Division has been unable to fight and has suffered heavy losses. It has now retreated to the front line of Longwang Cave. Please ask for support."
"Let the artillery battalion directly under the army provide artillery support." Commander Peng Shan thought for a while and ordered.
"Reporting to the military, the 3rd Battalion of the 53rd Regiment encountered the Japanese near Huangjiachang, and the two sides were fighting fiercely!" Before the words could finish, the phone on the other side rang again.
"Let the 53rd Regiment stop the attack on the spot and find out the enemy's strength and numbers!"
"yes!"
"Boom! Boom!"
At this time, suddenly there was a deafening sound of artillery near the headquarters, and a shell fell in the yard outside the headquarters. The violent explosion shook the headquarters violently, making people unsteady and filled with smoke.
"Protect the military seat!"
The sudden shelling caused chaos in the headquarters, and Army Commander Peng Shan was also knocked down, leaving him disgraced.
"Cover the military seat transfer!"
A smoking crater was opened in the yard. Before the smoke cleared, the chief of staff shouted.
Army Commander Peng Shan got up from the ground, patted the smoke and dust on his body, and said in a cold voice: "Why are you panicking? Send someone to see what's going on?!"
There was a rumble of artillery outside, and some buildings were hit and collapsed. Staff officers quickly rushed out to inquire about the situation.
Soon, the staff officer rushed back again, stood upright in front of Army Commander Peng Shan and saluted him with a military salute.
"Reporting to the military base, three Japanese gunboats broke through the defense line of our river defense troops and fled to the nearby river. They were responsible for the shelling just now, and they have been repulsed."
"What the hell, what are the Jiang Defense troops doing for food?" The Japanese gunboat almost hit their 18th Army headquarters, making the chief of staff furious.
Army Commander Peng Shan waved his hand and said: "It is understandable that they are short of troops. Let the 52nd Regiment dedicate a battalion to assist them. We must not let the Japanese gunboats do evil again."
"yes!"
"Military seat, it's too dangerous here. Do you want the headquarters to be moved to a safe place?"
The officers were frightened by the shelling and persuaded Peng Shan's headquarters to move back.
"I think it's good here. It's convenient for commanding the battle. I don't think there's much trouble." Commander Peng Shan didn't care much and refused directly.
"Military seat..." Someone still wanted to persuade.
"This matter has been settled. I heard that a troop from the Sulu War Zone has arrived in the city. Their commander's name is Yang?" Army Commander Peng Shan changed the subject.
"My name is Yang Ling." Someone reported.
"Oh, yes, Yang Ling, send someone to ask him to come to the military headquarters."