On October 10th, word of the great victory at Wanjialing spread throughout the country, and with the help of major newspapers, the enthusiasm for cheering was unprecedentedly high.
This huge victory not only swept away the gloom hanging over the heads of the Chinese people, but also dealt a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Japanese army.
It also coincided with the Double Tenth Festival. For a time, the Chinese people changed their previous pessimism and despair and became more determined than ever to defeat the Japanese invaders and win victory.
Even those elites who had always advocated peace talks were like grasshoppers, changing their tune one after another and criticizing the Japanese.
The victory inspired the confidence of the people across the country to resist the war. Under the heavy pressure of the Japanese troops, the entire Wuhan area was as lively as the Chinese New Year. It seemed that defeating the Japanese and regaining the country was just around the corner.
"Counterattack! Comprehensive counterattack! Recover the lost ground!"
Under this hearty victory, many people began to run around and shout fanatically, hoping that the troops would seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and drive the Japanese out of China in one fell swoop.
Although the victory was inspiring, the generals all understood that the victory at Wanjialing was only a partial victory, and launching a counterattack now would be tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg.
Although the Japanese 106th Division was killed, the troops on the entire southern front battlefield also suffered heavy losses. Countless supplies and ammunition were consumed, and they were no longer able to resist the next wave of Japanese attacks.
On the southern battlefield, the Japanese 11th Army also had many other units including the 101st Division, 27th Division, and 9th Division, which were more powerful than the 106th Division.
On the northern battlefield, heavy Japanese land, sea and air forces have fully pressed into the three towns of Wuhan. The Chinese officers and soldiers who have been fighting for several months are exhausted and unable to stop the Japanese's further offensive.
In the south, on the sea near Guangdong, Japanese warships also gathered, preparing to attack China's seaport in the south while the main force of the Guangdong army was still in the Wanjialing area. The situation was still grim.
Therefore, the Military Commission was not dazzled by this great victory, but ordered the victorious troops to seize the time to clean up the battlefield and prepare to retreat to De'an to rest and defend.
The Chinese side was cheering, but one can imagine the mood of Commander Okamura Neiji of the 11th Army who lost a division. The entire headquarters was gloomy.
"Trash! Bastard!"
After Okamura Neiji learned that the 106th Division had been annihilated, he was like an angry lion. He dropped the cup, overturned the table, and his roar was heard throughout the headquarters.
A division was wiped out, which was something they had never done since they entered the battlefield in China. Not only did they lose more than 10,000 soldiers, it also severely damaged the morale of their troops and disrupted their plan to attack Wuhan.
The high-spirited Okamura Neji was like a furious volcano at this moment. He wanted to rush to Wanjialing and shoot Matsuura Junrokuro himself. He was a sinner of the empire!
"Report, Central China Commander's call..." Just when Okamura Neji was extremely angry, the phone rang, and a Japanese communications staff member carefully picked it up.
Upon hearing the call from Junroku Tsukuda, commander of the Central China Front, Okamura Neji had to take a deep breath to calm down his angry and bad mood.
"Bagaya Road..."
Okamura Neiji had just picked up the phone, and before he had time to speak, Commander Tsukuda Junroku's roar came over the phone.
"Hi...Hi!"
Facing the angry commander of the Central China Front, Okamura Neiji, the commander of the 11th Army, could only keep nodding and bowing, and silently endured the curses, who made himself unlucky.
However, although Tsukuda Junroku was furious, he did not want to remove Okamura Neiji from his position as commander of the 11th Army. After all, it was difficult to find someone to replace him at that time. Changing generals before the battle was a taboo for military strategists, let alone during a battle.
In case of defeat.
Besides, Okamura Neiji himself had to clean up the mess he made, and he had to get this place back.
After Tsukuda Junroku scolded him fiercely, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and stopped scolding Okamura Neji.
"What are you going to do next?" Shunroku Hata asked on the phone.
Okamura Neiji replied respectfully: "In view of the fact that the 106th Division has been destroyed, in order to prevent the China Army from taking advantage of the situation to counterattack, I have prepared to order the troops who went to relieve the siege to retreat to a safe place to rest..."
"Asshole! Who told you to withdraw!" Before Okamura Neji could finish speaking, Tsukuda Junroku's anger that had just calmed down on the other side of the phone couldn't help but start to explode again.
"Hi! I will obey the orders of His Excellency the Commander!" Hearing the vague anger on the other end of the phone, Okamura Neji had to change his words immediately.
"According to intelligence, the China Army is exhausted. I need you to cheer up, let all divisions attack, and defeat them to save the face lost this time. Do you know?!"
"Hey!" Okamura Neji quickly understood what Tsukuda Junroku meant, and a fierce murderous look appeared on his face.
In fact, he most wanted to send troops to attack and regain the situation, but the 106th Division was wiped out. He was really scared, so he prepared to be more cautious. After all, he did not dare to fail again. If he failed again, he, the 11th Army, would be afraid.
The commander will have to go back to jail.
But now that Tsukuda Junroku has given him the order to attack, he no longer has any scruples. He has to use greater victory to cover up this failure.
After hanging up the phone, Neji Okamura's face was full of murderous intent: "Give me the order, all divisions will attack De'an with all their strength! Defeat the China Army!"
Okamura Neji was completely furious. Tsukuda Junroku gave him the opportunity to atone for his sins, and he had to seize it.
The frontline divisions that received orders from Okamura Neiji quickly attacked De'an with murderous intent, trying to save some face.
"Sir Xue, according to the intelligence...the Japanese 27th Division, 101st Division, 9th Division, Suzuki Detachment, and Saeda Detachment have all pressed forward."
The Japs began to act with murderous intent, and the Japs' movements were quickly reported to the commander of the First Corps, General Xue Yue.
At this moment, General Xue Yue's face was still filled with the joy of victory. He smiled when he saw the news sent by the intelligence staff.
"It seems that this old devil Okamura Neiji is not willing to give in, haha." General Xue Yue joked, and there was a burst of chuckles in the commander's department.
"We have defeated one of his divisions. If it just dies like this, it will not be in line with the arrogant character of the old Japanese Okamura..." Chief of Staff General Wu Yizhi also laughed.
"But the Japanese are coming with great force this time. I'm afraid the next battle won't be easy to fight." General Wu Yizhi looked worried.
Commander Xue said with a smile: "Who said I would fight him? Since the Japanese are coming to collect the corpses, let him do it. Instead, we will be left alone."
"Chief Xue, what do you mean?"
"The troops have been fighting for several months, and neither the supplies nor the ammunition are enough to fight another big war. Wuhan is already organizing people to retreat, and we are probably going to have to retreat too."
They had just won a great victory and were about to retreat. In fact, they were reluctant.
But now the enemy on the northern front battlefield has approached Wuhan. Even if they continue to pay some price to block the enemy's crazy counterattack on the southern front, it has no strategic significance. It is better to accept it as soon as possible, conserve their strength to seek fighter opportunities, and give the enemy a chance in the next battle.