mtl008 Chapter 350 Such a big appetite?
Chapter 350 Such a big appetite?
"Commander, now we only know that the positions on the north side of the highway were attacked by the Chinese army. We have not received any follow-up information about the specific situation. The troops on the positions on the south side of the highway also learned the news after hearing the gunshots." Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also reported the only information he had.
"Is there no further news yet? The Chinese army has been attacking for more than ten minutes, so why is there no follow-up news yet?" Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji was a little unhappy about the untimely report on the battle situation.
In the view of Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, the attack of the Chinese army was something that had been anticipated in the previous combat plan. From the intelligence obtained before the war, they also knew that the Fifth War Zone of the Chinese government was likely to send troops of the New 22nd Army to launch the attack.
However, their own troops were defending their positions. Although the number of defending troops was not as large as that of the Chinese government's New 22nd Army, the firepower of their own positions was much stronger than that of the Chinese army.
But after fighting for so long, even if the Chinese army's attack was not repelled, specific combat information should have been sent back. Otherwise, how could the headquarters analyze and arrange subsequent operations?
"Your Excellency the Commander, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, the commander of the 116th Division, Lieutenant General Ogisu Rikuhei, sent a telegram. The commander of the th Regiment, Osamu Yamamura, reported that the position of the rd Battalion on the north side of the Xiangzao Highway has been occupied by the Chinese army. The commander of the nd Battalion, Major Kensaku Oda, died in battle. Only more than one hundred people from the entire rd Battalion retreated to the position of the nd Battalion on the south side of the highway. According to the description of the officers and soldiers who retreated, the Chinese army's attack force is at least at the scale of a division." A major communications staff officer quickly walked up to the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto, and the commander, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura, and reported respectfully.
After Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi took the telegram and read it, he handed it to the combat staff. The staff needed to make accurate markings on the sand table based on the real-time situation in order to facilitate subsequent deduction and judgment of the battle situation.
"Let Lieutenant General Ogisu Tachibe organize the troops to retake the position as soon as possible. We cannot let the Chinese army occupy this place for too long. Also, mobilize the entire 13th Cavalry Regiment to intensify patrols of the gaps in the defense line. If the 31st Army of the Chinese government retreating from Zaoyang is discovered, the escape of the Chinese army must be stopped." Commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji was still thinking about the troops of the 31st Army.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi nodded, and then asked the communications staff to quickly pass on the commander's order to the troops.
"Commander, do you think the troops attacking the positions on the north side of the highway are the new 22nd Army of the Chinese government in Xiangyang?" After seeing the staff leave, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto also asked Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura this question.
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji nodded, then said casually: "Yes, Mr. Yoshimoto, the only army that the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone can currently use is the New 22nd Army in Xiangyang. But the Chinese government cannot rescue the 31st Army in Zaoyang with just the New 22nd Army."
Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto actually knew that it could only be the New 22nd Army of the Chinese government in Xiangyang that attacked the positions on the north side of the road, but he still deliberately asked this obvious question so that the commander would have a chance to show his skills.
Ten minutes later, the communications staff trotted into the operations hall and respectfully handed a telegram to the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, who was studying the battle situation on the sand table.
"What? The 58th Regiment of Shinno was attacked on a large scale by the Chinese army from three directions? This is impossible. Where did the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone get so many troops?" Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto exclaimed involuntarily when he saw the contents of the telegram.
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji, who was leisurely looking at the sand table, heard the exclamation of Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi, and snatched the telegram to read it.
"Send a telegram to the 58th Regiment in Shinno and ask them to find out the scale of the attacking Chinese army. Then send a telegram to Lieutenant General Fujie Keisuke of the 16th Division and ask him to send a regiment of troops to reinforce the 58th Regiment in Shinno for defense." Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura no longer looked relaxed.
He was a little curious now. The troops sent by the government to attack Xinye should be the troops of the New 22nd Army.
However, the New 22nd Army had just attacked the positions on the north side of the Xiang-Zao Highway and attacked Xinye from three sides almost at the same time. No matter how you look at it, the New 22nd Army did not have so many troops to complete the two attack missions at the same time.
Therefore, Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura asked the 58th Regiment to clarify the situation. Such a vague battle report would not be of much help to the decision-making of the headquarters.
But just over ten minutes later, another telegram came from the 58th Regiment, and this time the communications staff ran over even faster.
"What? There are no less than three Chinese divisions attacking Xinye? The southern defense line has been breached by the Chinese army? The regiment commander, Colonel Kunito Kurayashi, has already led the regiment headquarters to the northern defense line?" Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto looked at the telegram in his hand and told aloud the contents of the telegram in surprise.
This time, Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji did not take the telegram from the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi. He had already learned the content of the telegram from Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi's exclamation. However, what he could not understand was where the Chinese army had transferred the troops from?
This was definitely not an operation that the New 22nd Army could complete independently. To break through the 58th Regiment's defense line in Xinye at such a fast speed, the Chinese army must have invested a lot of troops.
"Tell the intelligence department to quickly find out where the Chinese government's Fifth War Zone got the troops from. These are definitely not troops that the Fifth War Zone has recently assembled. This is a long-planned action. Ask all troops to report the current situation. We need to find out what the Chinese government's goal is. Let the 16th Division pay attention to their backs and guard against the Chinese army launching an attack from behind them from Xinye." Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura also issued a series of orders.
Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi were looking at the real-time symbols on the sand table. Based on the current battle report, a possibility suddenly occurred to them: the Chinese army wanted to occupy Xinye and then encircle the 16th Division.
The Fifth War Zone of the Chinese Government has a really good appetite!