readytorunbook Chapter 519 Successfully Recaptured Yichang
Chapter 519 Successfully Recaptured Yichang
The Minister of the Army must ask this question. This method of using political strategy to solve China's war problems was proposed by your government departments. This is not the intention of His Majesty the Emperor himself. In this case, your government departments must give our army a clear garrison time, and our army must prepare the corresponding troops and supplies for garrisoning Yichang.
The bigwigs of the Japanese government looked at each other and began to think about the problem of the Army Minister. If they asked for too long, the Army Minister would definitely use this matter to ask government departments for money and materials. Now all government departments have been constantly saving money to maintain this war. If the Army Minister proposed to increase the budget, it would be a real trouble.
Therefore, after heated discussions between the two sides, Emperor Hirohito finally decided to limit the occupation period of Yichang to one month. During this period, government departments needed to force the Chinese government to surrender as soon as possible, while the army needed to ensure the occupation of Yichang during this period and pose a military threat to the Chinese government in the mountain city.
However, Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, was unaware of all these things. After sending the telegram to the headquarters and the expeditionary army, he still ordered the troops to withdraw from Yichang according to the previous combat plan. From the perspective of Lieutenant General Kazuichiro Sonobe, commander of the 11th Army, it was impossible for the headquarters and the expeditionary army to agree to his previous request to send additional troops.
Therefore, it is time to retreat and just pretend that the previous telegram suggestions from the headquarters and the expeditionary force had never appeared.
Mainly, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Sonobe Kazuichiro, was afraid. He was afraid that the troops of the Fifth War Zone north of the Yangtze River would suddenly attack the rear of his three divisions. If that happened, his three divisions would be in danger.
The information that the Japanese army was withdrawing from Yichang was also continuously reported to the Chinese government by the intelligence personnel of the Chinese government's intelligence department lurking in Yichang and the three towns.
The news that the Japanese army was retreating made the Chinese government and Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone overjoyed. It would of course be best if the Japanese army took the initiative to withdraw from Yichang. In this way, they could take back such a strategically important city without losing any troops. Why not do it?
Therefore, Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone also telegraphed the intelligence that the Japanese army was retreating from Yichang to Commander Peng of the 18th Army. Commander Chen asked Commander Peng to pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese troops in Yichang and recapture Yichang with the least loss of manpower.
After receiving the telegram from Commander Chen, Commander Peng of the 18th Army immediately adjusted the combat tasks of various units, ordering the attacking 11th Division to slow down the attack, and to pursue the Japanese army if it was found to be retreating.
Then, Commander Peng of the 18th Army called the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike. During the call, Commander Peng explained that according to intelligence, the Japanese troops stationed in Yichang were likely to retreat eastward, and ordered the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, to be prepared. Once it was confirmed that the Japanese troops had withdrawn from Yichang City, the 199th Division would quickly enter Yichang City and complete the recovery of Yichang. At the same time, defensive positions should be built as soon as possible to prevent the Japanese army from making a counterattack.
After receiving the order from Commander Peng of the 18th Army, the 11th Division Commander Fang Jing personally went to the front line to observe the Japanese defensive positions. After carefully observing with a telescope for a long time, he found that the Japanese defensive forces on the Zhenjing Mountain side had not withdrawn. Instead, these Japanese troops were strengthening their fortifications. Obviously, this was to continue to deal with the attack of the 11th Division.
The commander of the 11th Division, Fang Jing, saw that the Japanese troops in Zhenjing Mountain were still engaged in fierce fighting with the troops of the 11th Division. It was unclear whether the Japanese troops really wanted to retreat during the fighting. So, he immediately ordered the troops of the 11th Division to suspend the attack, gather their officers and men, and send a large number of scouts to closely monitor the movements of the Japanese troops. If the Japanese troops retreated, the troops would be ready to pursue them separately and not let them retreat comfortably.
After receiving the order from Commander Peng of the 18th Army, the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, personally led the troops that had been assembled long ago to Nanming Mountain, preparing to approach and observe the situation of the Japanese troops in Yichang City.
Through feedback from a large number of scouts, the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, was basically certain that the Japanese troops in Yichang had indeed retreated, and only a small rearguard covering force remained.
Regarding this good opportunity, the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, felt that they should immediately intercept the small Japanese rear guard units responsible for providing cover and not let these small Japanese troops escape from Yichang.
Therefore, the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, immediately issued a combat order to the entire division, requiring all units to launch an attack on Yichang immediately, with the attack ending at Dongshan Temple and Zhaoshang Wharf, and to make sure that all small rear guard units of the Japanese army were completely annihilated.
The 596th Regiment was ordered to be the left column, starting from Xiaoxi Tower and attacking along the Sichuan-Han Railway towards Danianzigang and Dongshan Temple. After occupying Dongshan Temple, troops were sent to carry out defense tasks in Dongshan Temple, while the main force continued to attack in the direction of Zhaoshang Wharf to cut off the Japanese army's retreat to the east.
The 597th Regiment was ordered to form the right column, to attack the airport directly, and then to capture the north gate and east gate of Yichang City, to surround the Japanese troops in Yichang City, and to completely eliminate the small rear guard of the Japanese army.
The 595th Regiment was the division reserve, advancing towards Dongshan Temple via Jinjiadi and Danianzigang, and the division headquarters followed the 595th Regiment.
Following an order from Song Ruike, commander of the 199th Division, each regiment of the 199th Division quickly advanced towards the designated area in attack formation, and a major battle seemed to be about to begin soon.
However, the small rear guard force of the Japanese army in Yichang City had already withdrawn to Zhenjing Mountain, and after joining the Japanese defense forces on Zhenjing Mountain, they began to withdraw eastward in an orderly manner.
The officers and soldiers of the 199th Division successfully recaptured the city of Yichang that had been abandoned by the Japanese army with almost no resistance. Seeing that the Japanese army was running away so fast, the commander of the 199th Division, Song Ruike, had no choice but to order the troops that had not yet fully entered the city of Yichang to build defensive fortifications as soon as possible and prepare for garrison duty.
At the same time, Song Ruike, commander of the 199th Division, sent a telegram to Commander Peng of the 18th Army, telling him that Yichang had been recaptured and the Japanese troops had completely withdrawn.
After Commander Chen received the news that the Japanese troops had indeed withdrawn, he immediately ordered all troops to adjust their formation and prepare to pursue the retreating Japanese troops.