Gunshots rang out in the east and north of Ruichang County. The surrounding troops were fully engaged with the Japanese 106th Division. The gunfire was dense in the vast area, and the Japanese 106th Division was approaching menacingly.
The 74th Army swept away Maruyama Masao's 6th Brigade, beating them to a pulp. Even Maruyama Masao almost became a prisoner, and their brigade was completely defeated.
Although the 106th Division and Maruyama Masao's 6th Brigade are not a combat unit, they are all army units after all. The failure of Maruyama Brigade made them lose face, so they swept over and wanted to launch crazy revenge.
Another important reason is that the 106th Division suffered a bloody blow on the Nanxun Line, with more than 8,000 casualties. It felt evil in its heart. Now that it has refurbished its soldiers and weapons, its confidence has swelled again.
The 74th Army is the main force of the Chinese army, and the 106th Division is now eager to defeat the 74th Army in order to wash away its poor record on the Nanxun Line.
The Japanese 106th Division rushed toward Ruichang menacingly, and the surrounding troops and the Japanese were already engaged in a full-scale exchange of fire.
In the temporary military headquarters in Ruichang City, the disgraced division commanders and brigade commanders were huddled in a dilapidated room, sitting or standing, holding an emergency meeting.
The room was dark and filled with heat. The faces of the senior officers of the 74th Army no longer had the joyful expression of defeating the Maruyama Brigade. Everyone looked solemn.
"According to the intelligence from the investigation, the main force of the Japanese 106th Division and the remnants of the 6th Brigade have swept towards Ruichang. Whether we will fight or flee, please tell us your stance."
Army Commander Yu Jishi's uniform was stained with dust. He looked at the sad-faced officers of each division and brigade with a look of reluctance on his face.
Their troops finally fought a victorious battle with pride and pride. Before they had even warmed up to Ruichang, the Japanese counterattack came. This made them feel happy.
"Damn it, they can't attack the 70th Army in Jinguanqiao, and now they want to break through from us. What I mean is to fight them back and let these little devils who are afraid of the weak know that our 74th Army is also
It’s not made of clay!”
One of the deputy brigade commanders had a bad temper. He immediately stood up and shouted for a fight. The last thing these officers who had grown up in the war were afraid of was fighting a tough battle.
"Let's fight. Our 74th Army has just dealt with Maruyama Masao's 6th Brigade. Since the 106th Division wants to join in the fun, we will work hard to deal with them together!" Another brigade chief of staff stood up and spoke.
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Looking at these officers clamoring for a fight, Army Commander Yu Jishi turned his attention to the two division commanders and several brigade commanders who were silent.
"You all tell me, don't pretend to be dumb."
Commander Feng of the 58th Division threw away the cigarette in his hand, dusted off the dust on his body and said: "It was already very difficult for us to defeat the 6th Brigade. Now many companies and platoons have lost more than half of their brothers, and we can no longer afford to fight.
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Although Commander Feng Shengfa did not explicitly say that he would not fight, he had used facts to explain the state of the troops and that they were no longer capable of fighting a fully equipped elite division.
"Mr. Wang, what do you mean?" Yu Jashi turned his attention to Wang Yaowu, the commander of the 51st Division.
Commander Wang Yaowu also answered: "The ammunition we stored before the war has been exhausted. If we are to fight until the end, we just have to replenish enough ammunition."
Seeing that the two division commanders had stated that they had no intention of continuing to fight me, Commander Yu Jashi also knew that if their troops continued to fight, they would be the ones who were defeated by then.
"The Japanese 106th Division is approaching fiercely. With our army's current strength, I am afraid it will be difficult to contend with it. I decided to avoid its edge and the entire army will take turns to cover and turn towards Dongguling."
The order from the military headquarters to move in was quickly issued to all the troops near Ruichang. Facing the menacing Japanese 106th Division, the brothers who had not had time to take a breath began to move in in a hurry again.
Groups of brothers with hurried expressions ran through the streets of Ruichang County and began to turn in. The captured Japanese ears and light and heavy weapons that could not be taken away were thrown away and exploded. Suddenly the whole Ruichang became a mess.
Yang Ling and his troops from the 301st Regiment fought bloody battles with the Japanese 6th Brigade in Minshan for several days and nights. Later, brothers from two battalions followed him deep into enemy lines to carry out dangerous missions.
Now, except for the lightly and seriously injured soldiers who were transported back to the regiment, there were only more than 400 soldiers in the entire regiment who could fight. It can be said that the fighting was extremely brutal.
"Brother, why did you just withdraw?" Looking at the friendly troops who were rushing in, Lu Xing and his two-foot-old monk who were eating were confused and asked hurriedly.
They have now defeated the Japanese 6th Brigade. Although they are exhausted, their enthusiasm for fighting is high. They heard that the 106th Division is approaching and are about to roll up their sleeves.
But seeing the friendly troops withdrawing in a hurry, they couldn't accept it for a while.
"We were ordered to retreat, so you should pack up and leave quickly." The other party replied while running, leaving Lu Xing and the others where they were.
When Yang Ling saw the troops hurriedly withdrawing and moving in, he had already expected this. It was not that the officers did not want to fight, but that the Chinese army was really short of supplies.
The ammunition they receive in each battle is only enough to fight one battle. Because there is not enough ammunition to support their continuous battles, they have to retreat after the battle. Once they are bitten, it will be a big defeat.
"Report, the brigade asked you to go to a meeting." A messenger rushed over to Zhang Handuo and Yang Ling for a meeting.
They didn't waste any time and rushed to the brigade headquarters. The brigade headquarters was already packing up and preparing to evacuate. Everything seemed in a mess.
"The military has decided that the whole army will take turns to cover and move towards Dongguling. Our brigade will be the first wave of blocking troops. You go back and prepare to be the defense for the east of the city. Remember to evacuate after two hours."
Brigadier Zhou Zhidao didn't know whether it was due to fatigue or a bad mood. His face looked a little ugly, his speech was weak, and he lost his usual power.
"Yes!" Although we received an order to block the attack, we can retreat as long as we hold on for two hours, which is much better than holding on until the end.
"Brigade leader, we are out of ammunition, can you give us some ammunition?" Zhang Handuo, the regiment leader, said, lowering his saluting hand.
Brigadier Zhou Zhidao said: "Go to the munitions director to get it, but I'm afraid he doesn't have much there."
Yang Ling and the others bid farewell to the brigade commander Zhou Zhidao and quickly found the somewhat stout munitions director. Perhaps the munitions director disliked the trouble of carrying ammunition when he moved in, so he waved his hand and threw all the bullets and grenades in the two carriages to Yang Ling and the others.
Although the more than 400 brothers heard this and tried to stop them, and although some of them cursed in their hearts, the military orders were overwhelming and they had no choice but to obey.
Fortunately, the ammunition of the two large carriages gave the brothers a lot of confidence. With sufficient ammunition, at least they did not have to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese, and could greet the Japanese to their heart's content.