RPAGF Chapter 180 Terauchi Hisashi's Doubts, the Japanese Army Approaches, Li Jianghe Retreats to Hua
Chapter 180 Terauchi Hisashi's Doubts, the Japanese Army Approaches, Li Jianghe Retreats to Hua
Inside the headquarters of the Japanese North China Area Army, the air was as heavy as waterlogged cotton.
The battle map on the wall still bears the remnants of the Battle of Taierzhuang, the red and blue markings crooked and twisted, like an unhealed scar.
Terauchi Hisaichi stood by the window, his gaze sweeping over the headquarters one last time.
His fingertips lightly touched the transfer order on the corner of the table, the bright red seal of headquarters glaringly obvious—he had received orders to depart for Germany soon to take over political duties.
The person who succeeded him in command of the North China Area Army was Toshizo Nishio, the former commander of the Second Area Army.
This man was already the commander of the Imperial Guard Division in 1937 and had a long and distinguished career in the Japanese army.
Nishio Toshizo walked slowly to Terauchi Toshiichi's side, opened his brass cigarette case, picked up a cigarette, and handed it to him in a steady voice:
"Lord Terauchi Hisaichi, please leave the North China Area Army to me."
The two had always had a good personal relationship. Terauchi Hisaichi's transfer was ostensibly a political mission to Germany, but everyone in the army knew that the main reason was the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Taierzhuang.
The defeat of the main forces of two divisions became the direct trigger for his resignation.
With the Japanese army advancing steadily in the Battle of Lanfeng and the southern battlefield, and having regained the initiative, the General Headquarters decided to change commanders.
Terauchi Hisaichi reached out and took the cigarette, then pulled out a silver lighter and lit it with a "click." The flame licked the cigarette, and the rising smoke blurred his somber face.
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled a smoke ring, and said in a low voice, "Be careful of that guy."
"Li Jianghe?" Nishio Juzo answered without hesitation, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, clearly having noticed him beforehand.
"That's right." Terauchi Hisaichi took a deep drag on his cigarette. The spiciness of the nicotine couldn't suppress the resentment in his heart. That resentment was like a sharp thorn, stuck in the wound of the defeat at Taierzhuang.
"His armored forces are fierce, and his combat concepts are frighteningly advanced."
"During my trip to Germany, I will also learn a great deal from the Germans about their advanced combat strategies."
As he finished speaking, his thoughts drifted to the well-worn translation manuscript—Guderian's "Attention! Tanks!"
When it was first published last year, he asked someone to buy it for a large sum of money and had someone translate and study it overnight.
At this moment, I suddenly realized that many of Li Jianghe's combat strategies were highly consistent with the armored warfare concepts in the book.
Could this person have also read this book?
"Impossible," Terauchi Hisaichi immediately dismissed the idea.
Perhaps there are geniuses in this world, and Li Jianghe is another genius who has a unique understanding of armored warfare, which coincides with Guderian's.
Upon hearing this, Nishio Toshizo's lips curled into a faint smile, his tone carrying a hint of disdain:
"I have studied this man's tactics. He simply uses large-scale tanks as a vanguard and relies on a speed of penetration that far exceeds that of infantry to appear like a ghost in places our army does not expect."
Terauchi Hisaichi looked up at him, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into the contempt in Nishio Hisazo's eyes:
"But I saw disdain in your eyes."
Nishio Toshizo made no attempt to hide his smirk, pointing to the armored forces data on the table: "That's true."
"I've seen the tanks they're equipped with. Their armor plates are as thin as a sheet of cardboard. Even our standard 37mm anti-tank gun can easily penetrate their frontal armor."
"Moreover, this time all units of our army have been supplemented with additional anti-tank squadrons. The latest update is now online and awaits your interpretation. Anti-tank artillery has also been stocked with ammunition."
With thorough preparations, these Chinese armored units will never be as rampant as they were during the Battle of Taierzhuang.
Terauchi Hisaichi was speechless upon hearing these words.
Unable to predict the future course of the battle, he could only furrow his brow and emphasize his words, repeatedly warning, "Be extremely cautious and do not underestimate the enemy."
After saying that, he glanced longingly at the headquarters plaque one last time, then turned and walked out, getting into the black car heading to the airport.
The wheels rolled over the concrete road, kicking up a cloud of dust that gradually disappeared from sight.
Once Terauchi Hisaichi had completely left, Nishio Hisazo's smile vanished instantly, and he turned and strode into the operations command center.
A huge map of the situation between the enemy and our side was already placed in the center, with arrows crisscrossing to mark the deployment and movements of the two armies.
He stood before the map, his gaze fixed on Xuzhou like that of a hawk, and with a wave of his hand, he gave a deep, resonant order:
"Order all units to intensify the attack and complete the encirclement of Xuzhou at full speed!"
On this battle map, the Japanese army's offensive from the north and south was like two steel fists slamming into Xuzhou, which was sandwiched in the middle, determined to seize this core hub of the Jinpu Railway.
At this moment, the Japanese army's forces had already achieved an overwhelming advantage.
In the Henan region alone, the newly replenished 10th Division, as well as the 13th, 14th, and 16th Divisions, and the 38th and 39th Divisions were deployed.
Excluding the 10th Division, which has not yet recovered its combat effectiveness, the remaining five divisions together have a total strength of 130,000 men.
This Imperial Guard Division was an elite force in the Japanese army. Although it was organized as a division, it had 50,000 troops, comparable to two Class A divisions of the Japanese army. In this direction alone, the Japanese army had 120,000 troops.
This does not include the garrison troops along the Jiaoji Railway. If all of them are included, the Japanese army currently has more than 300,000 elite troops deployed in and around the Fifth War Zone.
More notably, after learning of the significant threat posed by Li Jianghe's mechanized forces in the Battle of Taierzhuang, all units urgently reinforced their anti-tank squadrons.
In contrast, only about 200,000 remnants of the Nationalist army remained in Xuzhou.
These soldiers had just fought the bloody battle of Taierzhuang; they were all ragged, exhausted, and their weapons and equipment were severely damaged.
Logistics were like a cut-off water pipe; ammunition and food were severely lacking, a stark contrast to the elite Japanese forces.
Nishio Juzo wanted to take advantage of this numerical advantage to wipe out the Nationalist army in Xuzhou and make his first major achievement since taking office.
Three days later, an urgent telegram was delivered to Li Jianghe at the Third Column Command Post in Zaozhuang.
The telegram, written in hurried handwriting, clearly conveyed the orders of the Fifth War Zone:
Li Jianghe was ordered to lead his troops to cover the flank of the main force of the Fifth War Zone and to make a strategic retreat to the Xinyang and Huangchuan area to the west.
Without the slightest hesitation, Li Jianghe immediately ordered the troops to assemble.
The troops rushed to the canal, crossed it using a pontoon bridge built by engineers, and their wheels splashed water as they rolled over the bridge. They then advanced rapidly towards Xinyang and Huangchuan in Henan, heading west like a torrent of steel.
At this time, the Japanese army's encirclement of western Xuzhou was not yet fully closed, like a fishing net that was not fully tightened, leaving a final gap; the Yellow River dike at Huayuankou was also still intact and had not been damaged.
Taking advantage of this fleeting opportunity, Li Jianghe led his troops on a day-and-night march for several days, finally arriving safely in the Huangchuan area east of Xinyang a week later.
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