Almost at the same time as each road was going on, a telegram from the headquarters was conveyed to all ministries:
The First Corps immediately marched southward and divided its forces into two groups. One group went south from Huzhanhu to attack Rongguang, and the other group along the coast and Pingluo Railway captured Xinpu and Jiulongli.
The Third Corps gave full play to the advantages of infantry and advanced through the mountains and valleys. It wanted to cut off the 20th Division's retreat to Pyongyang and the central part of the country and wait for opportunities to harass the 19th Division so that it would not dare to support the 20th Division. It is possible to take action, and the second is to threaten its retreat, shake its determination to stick to it, and force it to make plans to retreat.
On August 18, the forward troops of the Japanese 6th Division entered Pyongyang. On the same day, the various units of the 3rd Corps of the People's Army completed their insertion and unexpectedly occupied Daxing, the middle line between Heecheon and Hamhung, cutting off the connection between the two brigades around the 20th Division.
On the same day, Division Commander Hayashi Ichiro received a reconnaissance report that the People's Army was found on the banks of the Longxing River originating from the Dafeng Mountains. The stationed 8th Border Guard Team was fighting fiercely with an infantry regiment of the People's Army in Sichuan. The People's Army The army designation is the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Construction Division.
Longxingjiang River is an important thoroughfare from Northeast Korea to and from Pyongyang. Sichuan is also the gateway to the central and northern parts of the country. The Pingluo Railway is an important fulcrum in the direction of Seoul. The strategic location is very important. When he suddenly discovered that his retreat was cut off, Lieutenant General Lin Xian, who had rich combat experience, keenly felt that the People's Army was about to attack his 20th Division.
If we wisely abandon Hamhung at this time and move the main force southward, we will not only have the opportunity to annihilate part of the People's Army deep inside the territory, but also be able to retreat to Pyongyang calmly; the other brigade can also retreat from Heecheon along Myohyang Mountain to the 19th Division position , thus preserving all strength, gathering the strength of three divisions to form a strategic confrontation with the People's Army in Pyongyang, and waiting for continued domestic support to wait for an opportunity for a decisive battle.
But Lieutenant General Lin Xian had another glimmer of luck: the People's Army that broke into Longxing River was only a small group. According to calculations, an infantry regiment of the People's Army only has more than 3,000 people, which is about the same number as the 8th Border Guards. However, the Japanese army is well-trained, equipped with better weapons, and has a convenient location for long-term operations. The 8th Border Guards completely wiped out this group of people. The military is not impossible.
Subsequently, a telegram from the General Staff Headquarters strengthened his idea. Frankly speaking, he didn't want to make any further plans to retreat. After the Kwantung Army was completely wiped out, the clamor for war in Japan reached a climax, and public opinion for revenge for the Second Division was overwhelming. The Japanese Army was also under pressure from the Navy, which was eager to counterattack in terms of political and military influence, and could no longer retreat. possible.
The order given to him by the Army Staff Headquarters was: "The first part of the 6th Division will ensure its rear defense. The task of the 20th Division is to hold on to this line of defense and open up the connection with the 39th Brigade, that is, to reoccupy Daxing, so as to Give domestic support forces time."
Therefore, he ordered the 39th Brigade and the 40th Brigade accompanying the division headquarters to attack the enemy in Daxing from both sides to ensure that the defense line was not lost. He also ordered the officers and soldiers of the 6th Division to cooperate with the 8th Border Guards to encircle and suppress the People's Army stranded in Longxing River. 3rd Corps Troops.
The eyes of the high-level officials from both sides were all fixed on the hard-to-find tiny place on the map of Daxing. If China wins it, the Japanese 20th Division will be under attack from the north and the south and will inevitably retreat across the board. The People's Army will easily attack Pyongyang from the north and east, and will lose nearly 1/3 of North Korea's territory. owned by the Japanese army;
"And if the Japanese army captures it, the People's Army deep behind enemy lines will have no way to retreat and will be completely wiped out.
Just as the Japanese 6th Division was dispatching troops to launch a large-scale encirclement and suppression campaign in Longxingjiang to save face for the Japanese army, an unexpected situation occurred: the Japanese 8th Border Guard Corps, which responded to the order, came out from its home base of Sichuan Defense Lines. Suddenly he was surrounded by a large army that seemed to fall from the sky, unable to advance or retreat;
And the People's Army in Daxing changed from a regiment to a division, and then new numbers kept appearing. The strength of no less than 3 divisions pinned the 40th brigade in the depression between Daxing and the Dafeng Mountains;
Immediately after Hamhung's defeat, the People's Army forward appeared on the north bank of the Longhung River, 50 miles west of Jiajin in East Korea Bay, and was likely to join the surprise troops of the 3rd Corps.
This strange force is the 1st Division of the 1st Corps of the 3rd Corps. According to the deployment of Zhang Hanqing and Ji Yiqiao, as an infantry unit, the 3rd Corps was mainly used as an interlude to interfere with the actions and judgments of various Japanese military units.
This "mud-legged force" who was able to navigate the white mountains and black waters of the Northeast also performed well in North Korea: the 1st Division was responsible for inserting near the Longxing River, and first used a small force to pretend to attack the local Japanese army. After the Japanese army was deployed in full force, the main force surrounded them. , to support the 20th Division with the delayed Japanese advance northward.
It was the three infantry divisions of the 2nd Army that trapped the Japanese 40th Brigade. The two armies were ordered to encircle rather than attack, and each took advantage of the Japanese army's leisure to speculate on the movements of the People's Army to reinforce their positions.
Caught in a tight siege, Hayashi Genichiro was not panicked. In his view, the three infantry divisions were not able to form an overwhelming majority against his elite 40th Brigade. As long as he held on for 1 to 2 days, the 39th Brigade was close at hand. will be with myselfIt is easy to break the 2nd Army's camp by attacking from inside and outside.
Therefore, he fully demonstrated his strengths in defense and built a solid position densely with heavy artillery and machine guns, waiting for the People's Army to surrender.
What puzzled him was that the scene of the People's Army braving the fierce Japanese firepower did not appear. The People's Army that besieged him seemed to be more patient than him and wasted no time in building fortifications with the intention of trapping him to death.
A hint of ominousness came to Lieutenant General Lin Xianyilang's heart.
His hunch was correct. Ji Yiqiao did not regard him as the main target of the attack. Instead, based on Zhang Hanqing's suggestion, he besieged the city for reinforcements.
I think back then, when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were in conflict, the tactic of besieging a city and bringing reinforcements had been tried and tested many times. The dominant Kuomintang army is often caught in a dilemma: Facing the People's Liberation Army besieging a city, if they don't save the city, the city will be destroyed; if they do, they have to face the PLA's trick of sieging the city in vain and calling in reinforcements.
Zhang Hanqing also deployed his troops according to this idea: at this moment, the People's Army has more troops and has the upper hand; the Japanese army has fewer troops and is passive, and domestic reinforcements have not arrived. At this time, it is completely wrong to divide the troops and defend them. It is just suitable for the People's Army to use more to attack fewer and spread on all sides, leaving the Japanese army exhausted.
Therefore, the 1st Division surrounded the 8th Border Guards, and the 2nd Army surrounded the 40th Brigade, both of which were strictly defensive to prevent trapped enemies from escaping. In his opinion, the Japanese army could no longer bear the pain of the entire brigade and entire division being wiped out, and they would definitely make every effort to rescue them. The main force of the People's Army is ready and waiting for you to enter the urn.
Sure enough, when the news of the siege of the division commander reached the 39th brigade headquarters, Xichuan's Takeshita brigade commander immediately mobilized troops quickly. Except for leaving an infantry regiment to defend, he abandoned all the baggage and led the cavalry regiment. The infantry regiment followed and attacked Daxing.
After receiving the battle report, Lieutenant General Juichi Terauchi, commander of the 19th Division, also ordered support for the Japanese troops in Xichuan. A cavalry regiment quickly moved northward with the intention of strengthening the Xichuan position.
As soon as the commander of the Takeshita Brigade stepped forward, the Ma Longxiang Division of the 30th Army, which had been waiting for a long time, quietly surrounded Xichuan; at 11 o'clock, when the roaring sound of artillery in the distance came to his ears, Su Bingwen knew that it was the Yang Sen Division of the 35th Army and the Japanese Army 39 The brigade was on fire. (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com