Chapter 998: The Juzhang River Defense Line Has Been Lost
Guo Fang hurriedly blocked Wang Sheng's gun and said with a wry smile:
"Commander! The 34th Army only has good intentions. Why do you have to use real weapons?"
Wang Sheng put down his gun and said angrily: "What good intentions do you have? You are clearly showing off. Also, to prevent Japanese spies from infiltrating our division, you must keep a close eye on the 34th Army and not leave a single soldier at Qixingtai."
Guo Fang waved his hand towards Hu Changsheng and said with a wry smile:
"Lieutenant Colonel! Go back and tell your Commander Liu that we appreciate your kindness, but you need to rest after the battle, so go to the rear quickly."
"Farewell!"
Hu Changsheng said something polite and turned to leave.
Guo Fang walked out of the command post and saw that the officers and soldiers of the 34th Army were all dressed neatly and were full of energy and spirit.
Moreover, a large number of the devil's heavy weapons, guns and ammunition were seized.
Their weapons and equipment are extremely sophisticated and cannot be matched by the 78th Division.
He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "This troop has strict discipline, no wonder it can win the battle."
At this time, Wang Sheng's disdainful ridicule came from the command post:
"Chu Xi brought out a group of rabble, far inferior to the 78th Division that I command."
Guo Fang thought to himself, "This guy is really jealous and has no self-awareness. He shouldn't be sent directly to the front line to lead the troops."
Not far away, Xiang Chu commanded the 34th Army to cross the shallows of the Juzhang River.
Hu Changsheng ran to his side and told him what happened at the 78th Division Command Post.
Xiang Chu shook his head and said, "Wang Sheng is stubborn, only knows how to talk about war on paper, and has a bad character. How can such a person win a battle?"
Liu Zhengxiong sneered and said, "This guy is just like Gao Yang. They are both good at talking about war on paper and have no idea how to lead troops in battle."
Xiang Chu smiled bitterly and said, "Forget about him. The Japanese are coming with heavy troops. We must hurry to Anfusi Town and build fortifications to delay the Japanese attack and buy time for the transfer of Yichang's military and civilians."
Liu Zhengxiong said in disbelief: "Commander! Can the Japanese invaders still break into Yichang?"
Xiang Chu said angrily: "Didn't I explain it to you? The gap in military strength between China and Japan is even greater than during the Battle of Shanghai. If necessary, give up Yichang and then counterattack. Go quickly! Wang Sheng is keeping an eye on you, General Liu."
Liu Zhengxiong shouted, "Really? Am I still fat now? You can't keep calling me fat just because I was fat before."
Yangliuwa, where Murakami led the Toyoshima Brigade.
The water in the center of the depression was still knee-deep and had been dyed red with blood.
All that could be seen were the corpses of the Japanese and the destroyed weapons and equipment.
There were no intact weapons and equipment, ammunition, food or supplies to be seen.
Murakami Qizuo was so angry that he yelled, "Baka! He can't even hold on for two hours. Is Ikeda Zhizo a fool?"
The Japanese Toyoshima Brigade Commander echoed, "Your Excellency the Division Commander! It must be Ikeda Jizo who was greedy for merit and rushed forward, which led to such a disastrous defeat and turned him into a dead idiot."
Murakami took a left look at the battlefield and shook his head, saying, "This idiot didn't even send anyone to scout ahead of time. The 34th Chinese Army had already dug a water diversion canal here, and they just needed to wait for his troops to enter and immediately blow up the dike to release the water."
Brigade Commander Toyoshima slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "Your Excellency, Division Commander! Isn't this very similar to the situation in which Doihara Kenji's troops were annihilated in the Sunset Valley?"
Murakami nodded and said, "Yes! It seems that the 34th Army is very good at using water attacks. We must be more careful in the future."
At this time, a scout came forward and reported loudly:
"Your Excellency, the division commander! The Chinese 77th Division is defending our army on the other side of the Juzhang River, but they haven't even dug defensive fortifications."
Murakami laughed loudly and said, "Yoshi! The intelligence Chief of Staff Hideo Yokoyama obtained from the Shanghai Special High Section is indeed true. The people defending the Juzhang River are our own people."
In order to gain more credit, the brigade commander Toyoshima suggested with ulterior motives: "Mr. Division Commander! To make the performance more realistic, we should use artillery to bombard the Chinese 77th Division and scare them away."
Murakami waved his hand and said, "No hurry! When the Nokura Brigade lands on Carp Beach, the battle will start at the same time, which will surely scare the Chinese army into fleeing."
Brigade Commander Toyoshima said with a smile: "Your Excellency, Division Commander! What I mean is that we cannot let them run too freely. We must inflict heavy casualties on them to show the prestige of your Murakami Division."
Murakami nodded and said, "Yoshi! Your suggestion is very good. Quick! Prepare the heavy artillery to bombard the 77th Division on the other side of the river. We must make sure they suffer heavy casualties as soon as they come up."
Brigade Commander Toyoshima said anxiously: "Your Excellency, Division Commander! Why not notify our spy lurking in the 77th Division and have him evacuate in advance to avoid being accidentally injured by artillery fire."
Murakami rolled his eyes at the guy, meaning that he was the one who was going to fight him, and he was the one who was not going to fight him. He had so many evil thoughts. He waved his hand and said, "No need to notify him. He is just a small spy. Just consider him as sacrificing his life for the empire's holy war. Hurry up and deploy the heavy artillery."
"Hello!"
Brigade Commander Toyoshima bowed hurriedly and accepted the order.
"Boom! Boom!"
There was a loud explosion coming from the direction of Liyutan on the bank of the Yangtze River.
The Japanese landing ships' naval guns were bombarding the Chinese defenders on the shore.
Murakami Qizuo smiled and said, "That Nokura guy is pretty fast."
Unwilling to be left behind, Brigade Commander Toyoshima picked up the radio and shouted impatiently: "Artillery Regiment! All artillery fire immediately at the Chinese army positions on the other side."
"Hello!"
The Japanese artillery regiment commander hurriedly took orders and began to deploy artillery attacks.
On the other side of the Juzhang River, the 77th Division Command Post.
Xiao Lin Zhiye was eating bream and sipping the Baiyunbian wine proudly.
Gao Gu said excitedly: "Commander! The 78th Division has started fighting at Liyutan."
Xiao Lin Zhiye waved his hand and said, "Ignore him and see how he asks our army for help."
Gao Gu asked doubtfully, "Then should our army send troops to rescue them?"
Xiao Lin Zhiye scolded, "Send them a fart! This division commander hopes they will be finished."
At this time, the radio transmission sounded.
Gao Gu hurriedly copied and translated the message, and said with a wry smile:
"Commander! It is indeed the commander of the 78th Division, Wang, who is asking you for help."
Xiao Lin Zhiye sneered and said, "Tell him to hold on. This commander will be there soon."
Gao Gu reminded: "Aren't we not going to send reinforcements?"
Xiao Lin Zhiye glared at him and scolded him, "Stupid! This division commander is only providing moral support. Tell him that the Japanese troops have also begun to attack our division, and our division can't protect itself."
"Yes!"
Gao Gu hurriedly took the order and sent a telegram.
"Boom! Boom!" the earth shook.
Several artillery shells flew over from the other side of the river and exploded in the center of the 77th Division's defensive position, only a hundred meters away from the division's command post.
"Oh my god! Our own people are also blown up, run away quickly."
Xiao Lin Zhiye screamed and rushed out quickly without taking anything in his hands.
Gao Gu hurriedly picked up the radio and ran out of the command post, where chaos was already breaking out outside.
Xiao Lin Zhiye had already jumped on his horse and was running towards the west regardless of anything.
When the officers and soldiers of the 77th Division saw that the division commander had retreated, they immediately followed him and fled.
Qixingtai, the command post of the 78th Division.
Wang Sheng was so angry that he yelled, "How despicable! The 77th Division didn't even come to rescue us, and asked us to hold on. Can we hold on?"
Guo Fang smiled bitterly and said, "Commander! The 77th Division also has to guard the Juzhang River on our flank. If the 77th Division loses its position on the Juzhang River, we will become food for the devils."
Wang Sheng nodded and said, "Yes! Gao Yang is not like Chu Xi. After all, he is a returnee from overseas study and is quite capable. He will definitely be able to defend the Juzhang River defense line."
At this time, a scout ran into the command post and reported loudly:
"Commander-in-Chief! The 77th Division fled without a fight. The Juzhang River defense line has been lost."