The clear telegram sent by Yang Ling and others was not only received by the Chinese army, but also by the nearby Japanese troops.
In the headquarters of the Japanese 11th Army, the gloomy-looking commander Okamura Neiji immediately held an emergency meeting.
The Chinese army had conquered Ruichang County, and the news spread with lightning speed. The Chinese soldiers and civilians who received the news were extremely happy. Although it was not a great victory, it also gave them hope of defeating the Japanese.
It made a good start by recovering Ruichang County, so since there is a first time, there will also be a second and third time. If the Chinese army can win a few more such victories, then it is not impossible to recover all the occupied territory.
matter.
The Japanese army pressed heavily against Wuhan, and the Chinese army relied on the vast surrounding lakes and mountains to engage in a tug-of-war with the Japanese soldiers. It was a time of stalemate. Even such a small victory was an encouragement to the entire army.
Compared with the joy of the Chinese side, the mood of Japanese commander Neiji Okamura was not so comfortable. The capture of Ruichang was a small matter, but the impact it brought was huge.
They were invincible on the Chinese battlefield and turned most of China into occupied areas in a short period of time. Now they are attacking Wuhan at the height of their popularity.
Ruichang, which has now been captured, was actually taken back by the Chinese army. This was undoubtedly a blow to their head, which would greatly dampen the morale of the attacking troops and greatly undermine their confidence in winning consecutive battles.
"Has the news been confirmed?" Until now, the commander of the 11th Army, Okamura Neiji, still doesn't believe this is true.
"Your Excellency, Commander, the reconnaissance aircraft of the aviation unit have conducted multiple reconnaissances. There was a huge explosion in Ruichang County, and it was indeed attacked and captured by the Chinese." The intelligence staff officer with a serious face bowed and bowed heavily.
"This is a shame for our Imperial Japanese Army. The county seat in the occupied area was taken back by the Chinese. What does the Maruyama Brigade do for food?" A senior general with headquarters couldn't help shouting angrily.
Although they encountered minor setbacks after entering the Chinese battlefield, they were still invincible in general, not to mention that the towns in the occupied areas were recaptured.
The successive victories had made these generals extremely arrogant and arrogant, and they could not bear to have Ruichang taken back.
"We must retake Ruichang, annihilate the Chinese army, and teach the Chinese a harsh lesson to wash away the humiliation suffered by our Imperial Japanese Army." Some people shouted arrogantly.
Seeing that all the senior officers in the room were filled with indignation, Commander Okamura Neiji turned to the intelligence staff and asked: "Has the number of the China Army unit that attacked Ruichang been clearly investigated?"
The intelligence staff stepped forward and replied: "According to our investigation, it is a unit of the 74th China Army. The commander is Yang Ling. The number is only about one infantry battalion..."
"Yang Ling?" Commander Okamura Neiji heard Yang Ling's order and suddenly felt familiar. After thinking for a moment, he seemed to have remembered something. His eyes flashed with murderous intent and asked: "Did you attack and kill General Kawadahara in Jiangyin County?"
Yang Ling?"
"Sorry, Commander, we currently have very little information about him and further investigation is needed."
Although they had conducted detailed and comprehensive investigations and analyzes on commanders at all levels of the Chinese army, Yang Ling was just a newly promoted deputy commander, and they were not sure for a while.
"Investigate this information about Yang Ling as soon as possible. I don't believe he is an unknown person." Okamura Neiji looked at the door and said: "Whether he is the person who attacked General Kawadahara or not, we must do our best.
Get rid of him."
"Hi Yi!" The intelligence staff officer had already made up his mind to go back and conduct a thorough investigation.
"Everyone, this time Ruichang County was taken back by the Chinese, which greatly damaged the morale of our army and also caused a negative impact internationally. We must eliminate this impact with a more fierce offensive and victory.
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The senior officers in the headquarters are not stupid. They naturally know the extraordinary significance of this matter. If it is not handled properly, the impact will be very bad.
"Send power to the commander of the Matsuura Division, so that the main force of the 106th Division can quickly move towards Ruichang, cooperate with the 6th Brigade to recapture Ruichang, and eliminate this group of Chinese people! I want to annihilate them all!"
"Hi Yi!" The senior officers all responded in unison.
Yang Ling and others who were currently evacuating the people in Ruichang County knew that the Japanese would definitely retaliate against them, but they did not expect that this time the Japanese would mobilize a full division to strangle them.
Ruichang is about to become a new battlefield between China and Japan. What Yang Ling is doing now is to do his best to evacuate the people stranded in Ruichang and let them take refuge in the countryside.
Now the Japanese do not have enough control over this area, and the vast rural areas have not been occupied, so evacuating the people to the countryside has become the best option.
"There's going to be a war here soon, so hurry up and pack your things and go to the countryside to hide for a while."
The brothers responsible for notifying the evacuators knocked on the door of each house to avoid missing out.
Before the people could react to the joy of Ruichang being recaptured, they were about to leave their homes where they had lived for generations. Thinking that this place would be affected by the war, and that if they came back, their homes would be gone, many people shed tears.
"Sir Yang, can you stop fighting the Japanese here? If the house is destroyed, where will we live in the future?" The people surrounded Yang Ling and the others, not wanting the war to destroy their homes.
But war is not something that Yang Ling and the others can decide. This is the only way for the Little Japanese 6th Brigade to evacuate, and battles will inevitably occur.
"Listen to me, guys, aren't you making things difficult for Commander Yang? They have military orders and must keep the Japs away from here. They are fighting the Japs with their lives, even if they lose their lives. It doesn't matter how many houses we lose!"
The elderly man on crutches stepped forward to help Yang Ling and the others.
"Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of a country. If a house is destroyed, it can be rebuilt. As Chinese, we must fully support Chief Yang in fighting the Japanese!"
The elder's impassioned words made those people who cherished their houses suddenly feel that losing their houses was nothing.
"We support Chief Yang in fighting the Japanese!"
"Down with Japanese imperialism, I would rather die than be a slave to the country's subjugation!"
Most of the people were kind and honest. After realizing their righteousness, they supported Yang Ling and others one after another and were willing to sacrifice their own houses. The evacuation of the people went unexpectedly smoothly.
The reluctant people dragged their families with them, wiped their tears, and turned back three times to leave their homes that were destined to be burned in the flames of war.
Looking at the people wiping away their tears and evacuating, Yang Ling also sighed sincerely: "What a good people."
In these difficult years, in order to resist the invasion and not be subjugated slaves, not only the soldiers who defended their homes and country were sacrificed, but ordinary people also sacrificed their own interests and even their lives for this victory.