As daybreak approached, the fire in Yichang was basically brought under control thanks to the efforts of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade and other soldiers and civilians.
However, in places such as Huancheng South Road and Tonghui Road, many blocks have been burned to rubble due to the huge fire intensity and lack of professional equipment to put out the fire.
Many people saw their homes burned into ruins. They stood helplessly on the streets, covering their faces and crying.
"These naughty little devils will die a good death!"
The officers and soldiers of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade were all scorched black. Seeing this scene, they cursed with indignation.
Although they tried their best, there were too many fire points in the city, and they were powerless as the fire spread.
Thousands of houses were reduced to ashes in the raging fire, and people's faces were filled with sadness, anger and helplessness.
Facing their dilapidated homes and the little devils who are like tigers and wolves, the people of this era bear an unbearable burden.
Despite the grief, life must go on. They had to contain their sorrow, cheer up again, and began to clean up the ruins and look for useful things in the ashes.
While the ruined city of Yichang was shrouded in sorrow, the headquarters of the 18th Army outside the city was filled with an atmosphere of joy.
"Report! Our army has captured the outer positions from the Japanese, and the Japanese have retreated eastward!"
"Good news! Good news! Our 53rd regiment's pursuit force has surrounded a Japanese army of about a hundred people, and now the two sides are fighting fiercely!"
"Commander Feng's 77th Army has launched a flank attack on Dangyang!"
"The 32nd Division of the 85th Army has attacked from the south!"
"The fifth division of the newly formed 12th Army has arrived in the suburbs of Yichang!"
"Our 18th Division intercepted 15 transport ships from the Japanese and recaptured a large amount of supplies."
"The Japanese stranded in Yichang City have been eliminated, the fire in the city has been controlled, and the losses are being estimated."
…
The Japanese were retreating eastward, and the troops returning to Yichang immediately turned to pursuit operations and launched a counterattack against the retreating Japanese.
Peng Shan, the commander of the 18th Army, was relieved of his previous depressed mood. They lost Yichang and I recaptured Yichang in just four days. I finally felt bad.
"Order all units to pursue them with all their strength, and be sure to annihilate all the Japanese troops in the rear to pay tribute to our fallen soldiers!" Peng Shan, commander of the 18th Army, ordered.
"The Japanese don't just come to Yichang. They have to pay a price for leaving." The chief of staff also said viciously.
"At the same time, we are sending electricity to Chongqing. After a bloody battle, our troops have recaptured Yichang. The Japanese are retreating eastward and I am preparing to launch an all-out pursuit."
Just as the 18th Army headquarters was planning to launch an all-out pursuit of the Japanese, the Japanese 13th Division, which was responsible for breaking up the rear, was passing through Tumenya in the east of Yichang.
"Division Commander, a large number of Chongqing troops have been chasing us from behind. The captain would like to ask if we should send troops to intercept?"
A Japanese cavalryman galloped from the rear, reined in a military horse in front of a military vehicle, sat upright on the horse, and saluted the division commander Shizuka Tanaka with a military salute.
"Division Commander, should we fight back and eliminate them?"
Hearing that the Chinese ** team was pursuing from behind, the Japanese combat officer's face was filled with anger.
They were not driven out of Yichang by the Chinese ***, but retreated on their own initiative. They did not expect that the Chinese *** would dare to pursue them.
Although the commander of the 13th Division, Tanaka Shizuichi, was also very unwilling.
But he had already received intelligence that the squadrons of several armies returning to support Yichang had surrounded him from other directions.
If they cannot break away from contact in time, they are likely to fall into a hard battle, because the other two divisions have already evacuated before them. They are the last unit to evacuate. If they are surrounded, no one will rescue them.
"Order the troops to speed up their evacuation march and quickly break away from contact with the Chongqing Army!"
If it were in the past, he would not have minded a counterattack to eliminate the pursuing squadrons, but now the situation was stronger than the others. In order to avoid being surrounded, he could only resist the impulse in his heart and lead his troops to speed up the retreat.
.
"The Chongqing Army is too cheap this time."
They were originally the victors, but they still had to retreat in disgrace, which made these devils hold their breath and feel very depressed.
But there is no other way to do this, because their troops are limited, and in order to save troops, they can only withdraw to their original defense.
If they occupy Yichang, it will lengthen the front line and put them into a passive state.
Therefore, the purpose of each of their attacks was mainly to consume the effective strength of the Chinese Army and put pressure on Chongqing, rather than to expand the occupied area.
Just as the commander of the Japanese 13th Division, Shizuka Tanaka, issued an order to speed up the evacuation.
A Japanese military vehicle drove quickly along the highway, causing confusion among the Japanese infantry marching troops along the way.
Seeing this scene, the Japanese division commander Tanaka Shizuo suddenly darkened his face and had the military vehicle intercepted.
"We want to see the commander of the Tanaka Division, and we have brought orders from the headquarters!"
Just as the combat staff was preparing to reprimand the driver of the military vehicle, a communications staff officer got out of the vehicle.
The Japs' communications staff came from the 3rd Division. They evacuated before the 13th Division and have now evacuated to the Dangyang area. When they arrived in Dangyang, they received an order from the headquarters, which was to let the retreating troops
The troops turned around and went back to reoccupy Yichang, which they had just abandoned.
In fact, the Japanese base camp decided to occupy Yichang for a long time one day ago, but when conveying the order, the delay was too long.
The order from the base camp first arrived at the China Dispatch Army Headquarters and then was forwarded to the 11th Army Headquarters.
Because the Japanese troops who occupied Yichang were already on the way to evacuate, and the radio station had exceeded the prescribed contact time, the headquarters of the 11th Japanese Army could not contact the divisions.
So they had to contact the local 3rd Cavalry Regiment through Jingmen's phone and asked them to send cavalry to convey the order.
The cavalry of the 3rd Regiment set off quickly. When they were in Dangyang, they encountered the Japanese 3rd Division that had withdrawn. The Japanese 3rd Division then sent a car to continue to forward orders to the 13th Division. At this moment, the 13th Division
The regiment has evacuated Yichang.
"Reoccupy Yichang?"
The leader of the Japs Division, Tanaka Shizuichi, was also stunned when he received this order. Wasn't this a torment for them?
Moreover, they have destroyed military facilities inside and outside Yichang City and set fire to the city. Now if they fight back, it will be very difficult to hold on.
"Our 3rd Division has quickly turned back from Dangyang Highway to Yichang and will assist you in reoccupying Yichang." said the Japanese staff officer of the 3rd Division.
The commander of the Japanese 13th Division fighting on the front line did not understand the orders from the base camp, because reoccupying Yichang would make their troops stretched thin and fall into a passive state.
But what he didn't know was that internationally, after the German army had occupied Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands, it was launching a fierce attack on France and was about to capture Paris.
The Japanese base camp believes that the current international situation is extremely favorable to them. When the German allies capture Paris, they should occupy Yichang, which is only 480 kilometers away from Chongqing, put pressure on Chongqing and force China to surrender in order to completely solve the China problem.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient troops in occupying Yichang, the Japanese have ordered the 4th Division of the Kwantung Army to go south immediately and assign it to the 11th Army's battle order.