mtl008 Chapter 386 Strengthen Again
Chapter 386 Strengthen Again
"It seems that the Japanese army is not united. I think there should be no problem with the new 100th Division's assessment of the situation on the Xiangzao Highway. This is a godsend opportunity. Let the Second Army and the new nd Army rest as soon as possible, and then launch an attack on the Japanese th Division." Commander Li stood up from the sofa happily and said loudly.
Just when everyone was very happy, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, commander of the 16th Division, was in a very bad mood. At first, the air force sent by the headquarters to airdrop supplies and ammunition, but more than half of the parachutes floated to the Chinese army. This made Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke so angry that he cursed.
There was already a severe shortage of supplies and ammunition, and when an airdrop finally came, half of it was given to the Chinese army for free. To put it in a serious way, this meant that the Air Force was suspected of aiding the enemy.
Although he was angry, the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, immediately asked his chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuyoshi, to collect the airdropped supplies and let the officers and soldiers have a meal first. The troops of the 16th Division have been out of food since yesterday noon, and the officers and soldiers have not eaten for almost a day. They must quickly eat a hot meal so that they will have the strength to hold their positions.
At the same time, the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, sent another telegram to the 11th Army Headquarters. While accusing the Air Force, he also again requested to continue airdropping supplies. There was not much food in the supplies just collected, and it could barely last until tomorrow noon. If he did not continue to airdrop supplies to his troops in time, the troops would be out of food again tomorrow.
At this critical moment, the Chinese army may launch a full-scale attack at any time. If the officers and soldiers cannot even get enough food, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. You know, in a fierce battle, the physical and energy requirements for the officers and soldiers are very high.
The commander of the 11th Army, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, also quickly sent a telegram to the division commander, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie. In the telegram, the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, also told the division commander, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, that the 11th Army Headquarters was already in contact with the Air Force and would try to provide airdrop supplies to the 16th Division again by tomorrow morning at the latest, and asked the division commander, Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie, not to worry.
At the same time, Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura also told the division commander Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie that he had once again transferred an artillery regiment from the 3rd Division to strengthen the battlefield in the direction of the Xiang-Zao Highway, and asked the division commander Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie to hold on, and the commander of the 13th Division Lieutenant General Rikuhei Ogisu would lead reinforcements to the rescue as soon as possible.
After seeing the contents of the telegram, the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, felt relieved a little. As long as supplies and ammunition were guaranteed, he still had the confidence to hold on for a while, since the commander, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, had strengthened the strength of the reinforcements.
Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke also believed that within two days, Lieutenant General Ogisu Tachibei, commander of the 13th Division, would arrive with reinforcements. He did not think that the Chinese army had the ability to hold its position under the fierce attack of the reinforcements led by Lieutenant General Ogisu Tachibei.
"Your Excellency the division commander, the supplies have been distributed to various units, but the supply situation has not changed much." Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa walked into the tent of the division headquarters with a tired face and reported to the division commander Lieutenant General Keisuke Fujie.
"Well, Mr. Nakazawa, I have already sent a telegram to Commander Okamura Yasuji about the supplies, and the commander has already replied. The Air Force will airdrop supplies and ammunition to us again by tomorrow morning at the latest." The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, also mentioned the concerns of the chief of staff, Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa.
"In addition, the Commander has transferred an artillery regiment from the 3rd Division to reinforce the 13th Division Commander Lieutenant General Ogisu Ryuhei. Now the reinforcements can arrive faster." The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, also comforted the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo.
After hearing the words of the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, the tired face of the Chief of Staff, Major General Nakazawa San'ao, also showed a smile. He has been very busy during this period and has tried to use supplies as economically as possible, but they were still used up yesterday. Fortunately, some supplies were airdropped this morning, otherwise he would have been ready to mobilize the soldiers to dig grass roots as food.
Now, there is finally some good news. These days, nothing has made people happy. Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa feels that now he has finally gotten some good news and sees some hope.
"Your Excellency the division commander, now we can hold out longer, that's great." Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa also expressed his determination to hold on at the right time.
"Well, Mr. Nakazawa, the Chinese army behind us probably won't launch an attack today. They also need to rest. We need to use this time to quickly reorganize the troops. This will require you to work hard. Starting tomorrow, we will be under a full siege by the Chinese army. We must be prepared for a tough battle. I estimate that the reinforcements led by Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuei will take at least two days to break through the Chinese army's blocking positions on the Xiangzao Highway. Therefore, we must be prepared for the defense mission in these two to three days. If necessary, we can abandon some outer positions and concentrate our forces more." The division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, also seriously discussed the follow-up work with the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Misao.
"Yes, please rest assured, sir. I will reorganize the troops as soon as possible. This is also my responsibility." After hearing the order from the division commander, Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke, the chief of staff, Major General Nakazawa Mitsuo, quickly stood at attention and accepted the task.
As for the reorganization of the troops, Chief of Staff Major General Mitsuo Nakazawa already had a plan in mind, but he had never had the time to do it. The troops had been retreating and each unit was badly damaged. Now, with half a day, he could reorganize the troops, which would make subsequent defensive operations more certain.
Throughout the day, there was no change in the 16th Division's defense line, and the 31st Army's attack was mainly aimed at containment. They needed to wait until the 2nd Army and the new 22nd Army behind the 16th Division had rested before launching a fierce attack together.