RPAGF Chapter 232 Defeating the Japanese main force and cutting off their retreat.
Chapter 232 Defeating the Japanese main force and cutting off their retreat.
Almost simultaneously, from the woods on both sides of the plains, dozens of armored vehicles, supporting a large number of infantry, charged toward the Japanese army with shouts.
Thick clouds of dust, like a sandstorm, swept in from both sides, instantly blocking the Japanese army's retreat.
Meanwhile, countless shells continued to rain down on the Japanese troops.
"Boom!!!!!"
The deafening explosions continued in succession, and the advancing Japanese vanguard was instantly swallowed up by the artillery fire and the torrent of steel.
The sounds of exploding shells, roaring tank engines, and blaring machine guns mingled together, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble slightly.
Inside the Japanese command vehicle at the front, the commander gripped the communicator and roared furiously.
"Hold the line! Don't let the enemy break through! Anti-tank artillery, deploy immediately!!!"
"All tanks, charge out! Buy the infantry time to build positions!!!"
Commands were transmitted through the communicator, but they did nothing to help the Japanese troops stabilize their already scattered formation.
Li Jianghe's Third Column tank group, like a surging torrent of steel, was frantically devouring the Japanese troops.
Any Japanese soldiers caught in the torrent were either crushed by the tracks of armored vehicles, torn apart by bullets from vehicle-mounted machine guns, or blown to pieces by the roar of artillery shells.
Large numbers of infantry followed closely behind the armored vehicles, firing their submachine guns and rifles incessantly.
A hail of bullets rained down on the Japanese soldiers who had no time to retreat.
Inside Huainan City, at the forward command post of the Third Column, the beeping of the radio continued incessantly.
On the huge battle map on the wall, attack and defense arrows marked with red and blue pencils covered the entire area around Huoqiu.
Lin Yongzhi rushed in from outside, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement, and loudly reported to the leader:
"Commander! We've won! The frontline troops have achieved a resounding victory in their counterattack, and the Japanese have retreated to their pre-counter-attack positions!"
Li Jianghe showed little surprise at the victory in this counterattack.
All of this was exactly what he expected.
Of the air force units that the Japanese army relied on, only a small fraction reached the designated airspace and carried out bombing missions.
Although it also caused some damage to his troops, destroying some armored vehicles, trucks and other vehicles.
Compared to his massive fleet of hundreds of tanks, this loss was insignificant.
At this moment, his gaze had already moved beyond the battlefield in front of him and landed on the western side of Huoqiu County.
That place is Madian Town.
Madian Town is located north of Longtan Town and was a key transportation hub for the Japanese army connecting Huoqiu and Gushi.
Just as the Third Column launched a fierce attack on the east side of Huoqiu, most of the Japanese troops originally stationed there had already been transferred away.
All the troops that were transferred participated in the Japanese counterattack operation that morning east of Huoqiu.
The direct result was that the number of Japanese troops remaining in Madian Town was reduced to an extreme level.
Meanwhile, the troops led by Bai Chengshan and Yang Ruifu had already taken advantage of the cover of night to outflank Longtan Town and Madian Town.
According to the battle plan, Baichengshan was responsible for attacking Longtan Town.
The task of attacking Madian Town fell to Yang Ruifu.
At this time, only two Japanese companies remained in Madian Town.
The soldiers are busy digging trenches and building fortifications, preparing for any possible attack. A new work by Wuyun in his later years is here, updated first across the entire internet!
However, most of the trenches and firing positions they dug were pointed to the west.
Because these two companies had already received information that the Nationalist army on the west bank of the Shi River had successfully built a beachhead on the east bank and was attempting to advance deeper into the territory.
The Japanese troops remaining on the east bank of the Shi River now consist of only a brigade.
The rest of the troops had already been transferred to fight in the Huoqiu area to the east.
Although the Nationalist troops on the other side were slightly inferior in weaponry and equipment, they had an absolute overwhelming numerical advantage.
Moreover, among them was an absolutely elite force of the Central Army—Hu Zongnan's First Army.
Just as the Japanese soldiers were busy reinforcing the western defense line, a communications soldier rushed into the temporary command post like a madman.
"Report! A large number of enemy armored units have been spotted in the southeast direction and are rapidly approaching Madian Town!"
"Southeast? This..."
The Japanese commander froze on the spot, a chill running from his feet to the top of his head.
His mind raced. Could this be an enemy force that had outflanked from the flank?
Wasn't it said that the main force of the Third Column was located east of Huoqiu? Where did this unit come from?
He simply didn't have the extra time to think about the answers to these questions.
If he doesn't take action soon, he won't even have a chance to think anymore.
"Immediately send a telegram to the division headquarters explaining the situation here!"
"Move all anti-tank weapons to the southeastern defensive line! We must repel the enemy's armored advance!!"
The Japanese commander, his eyes red, roared orders with all his might.
Just ten minutes later, the torrent of steel swept in.
The Japanese army's hastily cobbled-together defensive line in the southeast of Madian Town didn't even have a decent permanent artillery position.
Before the anti-tank gun could fire even a few shells, it was precisely destroyed by the direct-fire gun on the tank.
Also crushed was the Japanese army's fragile and makeshift defensive line.
On this flat plain, the impact of Yang Ruifu's First Motorized Infantry Detachment's charge, with its hundreds of vehicles, was considerable.
Even a full-strength Japanese infantry regiment would have difficulty withstanding such an armored assault with such a rudimentary defensive line, let alone just two companies.
At almost the same time, Longtan Town to the south was also under fierce attack.
The attack was launched by two tank battalions under the Baichengshan Tank Detachment.
As expected, the Japanese troops in Longtan Town had virtually no chance of fighting back.
In just over half an hour, the Japanese troops stationed there were completely annihilated, and Longtan Town was declared to have changed hands.
The news of the successive capture of Madian Town and Longtan Town quickly reached the joint command post of Ogizu Rikihei and Tani Hisao in Huoqiu City.
Upon seeing the few lines of text on the telegram, Tani Hisao's face instantly turned ashen, and his whole body trembled slightly.
He rushed to the map and stared intently at the two red dots on it: Madian Town and Longtan Town, which were the locations that had just been captured by the Eighth Route Army.
"Where did this enemy come from? How many tanks and how many soldiers does Li Jianghe's Third Column have?"
"Isn't what we're facing head-on the enemy's main force?!"
He questioned the staff in the room in a cold voice, but no one could give him a definite answer.
Little did they know that at this moment, the only forces confronting them to the east of Huoqiu were two motorized infantry detachments of the Third Column, plus an artillery detachment.