mtlumby2d Chapter 237: The Fuso Division Besieges Nakago County and Is at the End of Its Road
Chapter 237: The Fuso Division Besieges Nakago County and Is at the End of Its Road
"Baga! You are the shame of the Fuso Empire. Trash like you should commit seppuku and apologize to the Emperor!"
At the Suzuki Division headquarters in Nakago County, Suzuki Yoshinori was furious. He took his military belt and kept hitting the commander of the Hokkaido Division, Kudo Kubo, in the face like a madman.
There were several shocking bruises on both sides of Kudo Kubo's cheeks, caused by the military belt. He was trembling all over and sweating profusely, but he did not dare to dodge at all. He lowered his head and stood still, allowing Suzuki Kasanagi to vent his anger on him.
Finally, Suzuki Kasanagi stopped his movements, panting, and yelled at Kudo Kubo: "Waste! Get out of here, you good-for-nothing! Reflect on your actions and wait for the accountability from the Kwantung Army Headquarters!"
"Ha! It was my incompetence that caused the defeat on the battlefield. I will reflect on my mistakes."
Kudo Kubo dragged his bruised body and left Suzuki Yoshihiro's office.
In the office, Suzuki Yoshihiro calmed down and began to think about how to deal with such a bad situation next.
"Report to the division commander! The 1st Infantry Regiment of the Suzuki Division encountered an attack by an enemy unit during its tentative retreat to the north. The casualties exceeded 20%, and it has now retreated to Nakago County!"
To make matters worse, the news sent back by the 1st Infantry Regiment made Suzuki Kasanagi's heart sink even more.
Although the First Army's strategy of cutting off its supply lines and retreat was anticipated, with the current setback on the front battlefield and the First Army's blockade troops in the rear, the Suzuki Division and the Kitakawa Division are likely to be completely trapped in Zhongxiang County, thus changing the situation on the entire Northeast battlefield.
However, it would be an extremely risky move for the entire army to leave Zhongxiang County, abandon the city defense, and make a full-scale breakout. Once the breakout fails, the main force of the First Army in the rear will launch a siege on the plain terrain, and the Suzuki Division will face an abyss of no return.
After thinking for half an hour, Suzuki Yoshiaki decided to hold on to Zhongxiang County and wait for support from other troops in the rear base.
That night, more than 80,000 troops of the First Army and the remnants of the Third Army of the Northeast Army, totaling 110,000 troops, surrounded the entire Zhongxiang County.
"Commander, should we launch a general attack now? Take down the Japanese troops in the city?"
The commander of the 102nd Division, Wang Yu, showed a hint of excitement in his eyes and looked at Liu Chengxu with anticipation.
Liu Chengxu slowly put down the teacup in his hand, shook his head and said, "No hurry. The Fuso Kwantung Army troops in the city are already at the end of their strength. It is the best strategy to surround them but not attack them, and attract other Fuso troops to come to their aid, so as to relieve the pressure on the Northeast Army in the central battlefield."
"Let Wang Zekai of the 101st Division lead a large force to meet up with their division commander near Xueling County. I have only one request! Whoever dares to go south will be crippled. Let the Fuso Kwantung Army know what a fierce tiger from the northwest is!"
"Don't let the Japanese in the city have an easy life. Send two artillery brigades to bomb the city day and night. I want to make them like frightened birds, living in fear all the time."
"Yes, Commander!"
After Wang Yu left, Gu Chenghai rolled his eyes at Liu Chengxu and said, "You really think you are a local rich man. You keep bombing the city. How many shells will be consumed? The governor will definitely scold you later."
Liu Chengxu grinned and said, "Aren't these shells and bullets used for fighting? As long as they can be used on the Japanese, it won't be a waste. At most, I can complain to the governor and get scolded, and then ask for a batch of supplies for our First Army."
"But then again, I've never fought such a rich battle in my life, and I still have to follow the Governor."
"Hahahaha!"
In Zhongxiang County, a large number of local residents had already been relocated and resettled by the Northeast Army. In the eastern part of the county, outside the gate of a house that originally belonged to a local tycoon, dozens of guards from the division headquarters, each with panda eyes, stood on guard at the gate listlessly.
Not far from them, loud explosions were heard from time to time in the city area. From the second half of yesterday night to now, the two artillery brigades under the First Army have begun to meticulously carry out the bombing orders issued by Liu Chengxu. Countless houses and shops in the city were destroyed, and the Fuso soldiers stationed in the city also suffered heavy losses. Faced with the enemy's completely aimless and random bombing in the city, they had no idea when a shell would fall on them.
Originally, the artillery regiment of the Suzuki Division would launch a fierce counterattack, but they soon discovered that this would only attract more indiscriminate artillery bombardment. The First Army's artillery crushed them both in quality and quantity.
In addition, they had lost their supplies, and the remaining artillery shells were not enough to support them in a confrontation with the First Army's artillery units. Suzuki Yoshinori even gave a death order that no matter how the First Army invaded, the Fuso soldiers only needed to defend the city walls and some important areas in the city, completely ignoring the provocation of the First Army and becoming complete cowards.
After receiving the request for help from the Suzuki Division, the front-line commander of the Kwantung Army, Yamada Uchimoto, immediately mobilized two Class A divisions in the central battlefield, the Shokaku Division and the Umekawa Division, to go to the rescue. Unfortunately, the 101-strong force of the st Division of the First Army had already established extremely tight defensive positions in Xueling County and its surrounding areas. The two major divisions launched several attacks, but returned empty-handed despite the sacrifice of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Today, Suzuki Yoshinori looks expressionlessly at himself in the mirror. He has lost three times as much weight with an unusually numb look in his eyes. The entire Suzuki Division no longer sees any hope. If supplies and rescue cannot break through the blockade of the 101st Division and reach Zhongxiang County, the entire Suzuki Division will be completely out of food in two days at most. The logistics cooking squadron that used to provide soldiers with steaming white steamed buns and noodle soup for every meal has now changed to two meals a day, and the food is half a cooked corn or potato, accompanied by porridge with almost no rice grains.
The mental state of the Fuso soldiers under the Suzuki Division was getting worse and worse, and their tempers were getting more and more irritable. What was worse was that the Suzuki Division believed that it was the incompetence of the Hokkaido Division that led to the difficult situation they were facing now. Several large-scale group fights had broken out between the two divisions.
If this continues, the Kwantung Army forces in the city will completely collapse without the First Army launching an attack.
"Division Commander! The remnants of the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the Beihai Division have once again clashed with our soldiers. The two sides have even escalated to the point of exchanging gunfire, and both sides have suffered casualties!"
Suzuki Kasanagi straightened his military uniform, looked gloomy, with a hint of hostility in his eyes, got on the jeep, and rushed to the canteen of the cooking squadron where the conflict took place.