RPAGF Chapter 49 Tang Shengzhi abandoned his preconceived notions; Li Jianghe did have some ability and de
Chapter 49 Tang Shengzhi abandoned his preconceived notions; Li Jianghe did have some ability and de
The commander's death plunged the already chaotic Japanese regimental position into a new round of chaos.
In less than ten minutes, the Japanese soldiers here either fled or were wiped out, and there were no survivors.
Li Jianghe picked up Sato Masakazu's officer's sword, thinking to himself that he was really lucky. He had killed a Japanese artillery regiment commander once, and now he had killed a Japanese infantry regiment commander.
The fighting here is basically over, and the soldiers are cleaning up the battlefield.
At this moment, Long Wenzhang ran over and reported to the leader:
"Commander, Japanese troops have also been spotted on the flank of Niushou Mountain. They should be their main attacking force. Wang Dayong is asking whether we should continue fighting?"
"beat."
Without almost any hesitation, Li Jianghe said decisively.
Upon hearing this, Hua Pinzhang's eyes lit up and he said:
"Rise up! We, the 88th Division, can't back down either! Let's charge together!"
The Japanese troops at the front were originally launching a fierce attack on the flank of Niushou Mountain.
However, the commotion at the rear command post quickly made them realize that something was wrong.
The arrival of Japanese troops to reinforce the position brought a sigh of relief to the Nationalist troops on Niushou Mountain.
Their defenses are already in grave danger and could be completely breached at any moment.
Now that the Japanese army has suddenly withdrawn its forces, their defenses can hold out for a while longer.
Feng Shengfa, in the command post, looked at the distant battle area through binoculars with great surprise.
"Which unit attacked the Japanese rear? Could it be reinforcements from the garrison?"
The chief of staff, standing to the side, shook his head and said:
"Impossible. The garrison regiment probably hasn't even left Nanjing yet. How could they possibly launch a surprise attack on the Japanese rear? Could it be the 51st Division from the Chunhua direction?"
However, Feng Shengfa rejected this idea.
"They can barely take care of themselves, so how could they possibly send troops to support us? I called Wang Yaowu before to ask for reinforcements, and he was even more anxious than I was."
Just then, gunfire and explosions rang out again from the flank.
Li Jianghe, Xu Dingguo, and two battalions of the 262nd Brigade led by Hua Pinzhang encountered the Japanese troops who were turning back to reinforce them midway.
The Japanese troops were caught off guard. They never expected that the enemy would dare to continue their attack after destroying the command post. They were incredibly arrogant.
The Japanese troops didn't tolerate it and immediately engaged in battle.
Then I realized that I really had to spoil them.
Because of the sheer force of the motorized infantry regiments in these skirmishes, the Japanese soldiers simply couldn't withstand them.
Before they could even find cover, their formation was broken up.
In the chaos of battle, the firepower advantage of the submachine gun was fully demonstrated.
Whether it's the rate of fire or the sustained firepower, it's far superior to the bolt-action Type 38 rifles used by the Japanese.
When the Nationalist troops on Niushou Mountain saw that the Japanese were in disarray, they decisively launched an attack, organizing more than 200 men who were still able to move to harass the Japanese from behind.
Caught between two attacks, these Japanese troops had no choice but to retreat to avoid annihilation, leaving behind a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and supplies.
The two battles, combined, lasted less than an hour, which can be described as incredibly smooth.
The main reason was that under the cover of darkness, the Japanese side had no idea what was going on.
Furthermore, with the regimental command headquarters destroyed, the Japanese troops lacked unified command and fought independently. Caught in a pincer attack, they collapsed at an extremely rapid pace.
The advantage is that it can maximize the survival of soldiers. The disadvantage is that in the rush, a large amount of supplies and equipment were lost and became supply packs for Li Jianghe's troops.
The two Nationalist troops quickly joined forces. After Li Jianghe reported his unit number, he left them some ammunition and supplies before leading his troops back to Yuhuatai.
In Feng Shengfa's command post, he was making a phone call to inquire about the garrison command.
"Are you sure it's not a garrison unit?"
"Of course I'm sure, the garrison regiment hasn't left Nanjing yet."
Chief of Staff Xiao Shen said with great certainty, while a name flashed through his mind.
"Could it be...?"
He thought of Li Jianghe, but couldn't be sure.
Because this kind of surprise attack, quick and decisive, and tactic that gives the Japanese no time to react, looks very much like Li Jianghe's style.
However, Chief of Staff Xiao Shen needed to verify this further, so he hung up the phone and looked at Tang Shengzhi.
"The crisis on the flank of Niushou Mountain has been averted. Troops attacked the command post of the Japanese 42nd Regiment and, incidentally, routed the main force of the Japanese regiment that was attacking from the flank."
Do you know which unit it is?
Commander-in-Chief Tang's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to inquire.
Chief of Staff Xiao Shen said helplessly:
"I don't know either. Feng Shengfa just called to ask if it was the work of our army's garrison regiment, but the garrison regiment probably hasn't left the city yet."
Commander-in-Chief Tang stood with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
"Could it be Wang Yaowu's troops heading towards Chunhua?"
He considered this possibility, after all, the 51st Division was quite powerful, and Wang Yaowu had several capable men under his command, such as Zhang Lingfu.
"No, they have already verified it."
Chief of Staff Xiao Shen then offered his conjecture.
"Actually, I think it might have been Li Jianghe's doing. The lightning attack was swift and decisive, just like his fighting style."
Because of Li Jianghe's outspokenness at the last meeting, Tang Shengzhi had some reservations about him, and his face darkened as he said:
"I don't think he has the guts. The battle hasn't even started yet, and he's already thinking about running away. Would he take the initiative to attack, let alone carry out such a dangerous operation as attacking the Japanese flank and rear?"
As he was speaking, the phone rang again.
Feng Shengfa has confirmed the supporting troops, as the frontline troops have returned to their positions and mentioned the unit's number over the phone.
"Chief of Staff, which unit is this Provisional 3rd Regiment? I've never heard of it before."
Feng Shengfa looked somewhat puzzled.
After all, during this period, Nanjing had been reorganizing its troops and bringing together defeated soldiers from various places, so many unit designations were temporary.
Chief of Staff Xiao Shen then said:
"It really was him. That kid Li Jianghe is really bold and decisive."
"Li Jianghe? That name sounds familiar."
Feng Shengfa couldn't remember for a moment.
"It's the one that broke out of Sihang Warehouse."
As soon as Chief of Staff Xiao Shen mentioned it, Feng Shengfa remembered it.
After all, the entire battlefield was focused on the Sihang Warehouse at the time, so he had heard of the name Li Jianghe.
"Then Chief of Staff, please thank Regiment Commander Li for me. Without his support, Niushou Mountain probably wouldn't have held out until dawn."
Feng Shengfa said with great gratitude.
After hanging up the phone, Chief of Staff Xiao Shen's gaze fell on Tang Shengzhi.
"Commander, what you just said, was it...?"
Tang Shengzhi cleared his throat, put his hands behind his back, and said:
"Well... Li Jianghe is indeed quite capable, but acting without permission is a fair balance of merits and demerits."
Chief Strategist Xiao Shen looked at Tang Shengzhi with a smile.
"Sir, is there anything else?"
Finally, Tang Shengzhi waved his hand impatiently and said:
"Alright, alright, I take back what I said earlier. Li Jianghe does have some skills. Let's issue him a commendation order now."
He was well aware of just how important Li Jianghe's surprise attack was.
Niushou Mountain is the gateway; if it is lost, the Japanese army can directly approach the Nanjing city wall.
However, Commander Tang was unaware that the attack on the 42nd Regiment's command post was only part of Li Jianghe's operation tonight.