Bright Sword: Leading the Special Operations Squadron to Fight the Japs

Chapter 820: Like a stuck in the throat

Before leaving, Wang Meng repeatedly told Wei Heshang that if there were surplus gas masks in the city, they must be supported to the 10th Army, because the Japanese would definitely use poison gas bombs.

Now the Japanese Third Flying Division has all moved to an airport closer to Changsha. Part of it will support the attack on Hengyang, while the other part will assist in the defense of various cities on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

However, the Independent Column deployed four flying divisions in the Hunan and Hubei battlefields, which was slightly more numerous than the Japanese, and also had a considerable number of anti-aircraft guns.

Therefore, the Japanese Third Air Division is being consumed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Therefore, in the attack on Hengyang City, Hengshan Yong could only rely on the ground troops at hand. As for the four warships, they could only block the troops attempting to cross the Xiangjiang River.

"Tomorrow morning, use the yellow bomb!"

"Hayi!"

Early the next morning, fog from the Xiangjiang River drifted into Hengyang City. If the Japanese attacked, it would probably be a peaceful morning.

The Japanese soldiers wearing gas masks delivered batches of shells from trucks, and then placed a batch of artillery in front of the position.

One shell after another landed in Hengyang City, but there was no explosion. Instead, there was a "puff" sound, and bursts of yellow smoke spread out.

"Fuck! The damn Japs are really using gas masks. Contact the Yongzhou Air Force and bomb them!"

After giving the order, Monk Wei immediately asked the soldiers to transfer all the wounded into the air-raid shelter, then block the entrance and prepare for poison gas protection.

The soldiers on the position stared at the front, because usually after the poison gas bomb attack, the Japanese would immediately launch a fierce attack on the position!

Sure enough, half an hour later, Yokoyama Isamu looked at his watch, then looked at the dead city of Hengyang, and gave the order to attack again.

Tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers rushed up from all directions of Hengyang City again! They wore gas masks on their heads, bent over, like a group of zombies, and launched an attack on Hengyang City.

At this time, under the sunlight, the dense fog gradually thinned, and thirty planes appeared again in the clear morning sun.

About ten planes appeared in the sky east of Hengyang City, so the group coming from the south split into two, one part fought with the group in the east, and the other part flew straight to Hengyang.

Aerial bombs fell on the Japanese again. In just three days, the bombers and the bombed were reversed.

But the Japanese still rushed forward. Now is the time when the defenders in Hengyang city are at their weakest. If they cannot take Hengyang now, there will be no other way.

When the Japanese assault team finally arrived at the front of the battlefield after going through 81 difficulties like the Journey to the West, they saw the silent defenders' positions empty and a feeling of revenge and fulfillment came over them.

"Onboard!"

Although the Japanese soldiers' shouts through their gas masks were not connected, it seemed as if they were shouting for themselves to hear, to cheer them up, and finally they rushed up with "telepathy"!

But what they didn't expect was that the defenders on the position suddenly popped up from the position like ghosts and started shooting at them frantically.

The fog completely dissipated, and the yellow smoke in the city also basically disappeared.

Monk Wei took off his gas mask, looked at the quiet position, breathed a sigh of relief, and asked the soldiers to rest.

"Check for any signs of poisoning. If you feel unwell, seek medical attention immediately!"

Monk Wei took a sip of water, and his thirsty throat finally felt a little better. He thought to himself: The Japanese will not launch another attack in a short time, unless Yokoyama Isamu is a fool.

At this moment, Yokoyama Yong was really confused. He never thought that the defenders in Hengyang City even had gas masks? And they seemed to have received comprehensive training.

It seems that the troops of the Independent Column that airdropped into Hengyang City are the elite among the elite.

"Has the Chinese Expeditionary Force Headquarters responded? Suizhou has been breached, Jiujiang is in the midst of a fierce battle, and a large number of independent column armored units have appeared outside Xiangyang, Jingmen, Hankou, and Nanchang. The situation is extremely critical!"

"Commander, the Expeditionary Forces Headquarters has ordered the 23th Division of the 104rd Army to attack Guilin, Guangxi from Guangzhou, the 22nd Brigade to attack Liuzhou from Shantou, and the 23rd Brigade to attack Yulin and Nanning from Guangzhou Bay!"

Yokoyama Isamu looked at the map and then used a ruler to measure it. The 23rd Brigade was the closest to the battlefield and was expected to arrive in Liuzhou in eight days.

If we can gain a foothold in Liuzhou and move northward along the Guiliu Ning Railway, we will soon be able to threaten Hengyang, which will greatly relieve the pressure on Hengyang.

"Order the troops besieging Hengyang to tighten the encirclement and attack cautiously to ensure no further huge losses! Also, urge the 23rd Army to move westward quickly! Attract enemy firepower from the south!"

"Ha Yi! But Commander, what about Hankou, Jiujiang, Nanchang and other places? Should we just give up?"

"It's too late to rush to help now. We don't have the mobility of an independent column. Even if a small force returns to the major cities, it will be useless!"

Yokoyama Isamu had made up his mind and ordered the garrison troops, puppet troops and police forces remaining in major cities to live and die with the cities, and the Jiujiang Guard to defend the Ma'an Fortress to the death.

In addition to the four divisions besieging Hengyang, the remaining two divisions plus a brigade set up defense lines around Changsha, holding on and waiting for reinforcements!

Now Hengyang is like a bone stuck in the throat of the 11th Army, which can neither be swallowed nor spit out, like a thorn in the throat.

After giving the order, Yokoyama Isamu locked himself in the office and stared at the map in a daze.

Time! Time! Or fucking time!

Now every minute of delay will cause huge casualties and strategic passivity to the 11th Army, so he must now come up with a way to break the deadlock.

Staying around Hengyang was a bad idea. The battles in the past few days had made him realize that once the main force of the independent column crossed the Yangtze River, their seven divisions and one brigade would be beaten. If they were lucky, they could escape to Vietnam. If they were unlucky, they would have to commit suicide on the spot.

Moreover, according to the firepower of the independent column, even if they captured Hengyang, what was the point of guarding this empty city? Waiting for reinforcements? But where were the reinforcements!

Moreover, even if there were reinforcements, how long could they defend an empty city? If the heavy artillery and aircraft of the independent column bombed these ruins, wouldn't they be integrated with Hengyang City in a matter of minutes?

Although the 11th Army also had a heavy artillery regiment, it did not dare to show up easily, otherwise it would inevitably become a target of the independent column's aircraft.

Yokoyama Isamu lowered his eyes, and suddenly a flash of inspiration hit him!

"Call a meeting of all division commanders immediately!"