in2ebook Chapter 696 Iron Bucket Tactics
Chapter 696 Iron Bucket Tactics
Li Zhuang was captured by the vanguard of the Independent Column, which completely shattered Okamura Yasuji's fantasy. The reason why the Independent Column did not immediately attack the Yellow River Bridge seemed very simple. It was not because it did not have the troops to launch an attack, but because it did not want to launch an attack.
As for why they didn't want to launch an attack, there is no way of knowing.
Now Okamura Neiji felt unprecedented pressure.
Zheng County, which was only a few miles away from the Yellow River Bridge, did not have many defenders. There were only the remnants of the 1st Division, the 110th Division and the Tank Division that retreated from Luoyang. In total, there were less than troops, and the losses of heavy weapons were heavy.
If the troops coming towards the Yellow River Bridge with great momentum were those of the Central Army, then relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River, only one division would be needed to stop the huge army.
But the other side is an independent column! Can a unit that constantly refreshes his worldview and cognition consider problems with conventional thinking?
The Japanese troops now participating in the Battle of Central Henan are like an octopus, with Zheng County as the center and their tentacles extended. They thought they would be able to achieve success in many places and advance at the same pace.
But they never expected that they would be cut off one by one by the independent column.
There is only one way to defeat the Independent Column, that is to hold the Yellow River Iron Bridge, force the Independent Column to wade across the river, and take the opportunity to attack. Perhaps this is the only way to fight!
Therefore, Okamura Neiji made up his mind to withdraw the garrisons from Xuchang, Yuzhou, Dengfeng and Yanshi, and have them all guard near Zheng County to fight a decisive battle with the Independent Column at the Yellow River Iron Bridge!
"Commander, I think this is inappropriate! We have already decided on a battle plan with Zhengxian and Xuchang as two points and the Pinghan Line as one line, and deployed our troops based on this principle.
If we suddenly make such a big change and give up Xuchang, it will probably be extremely difficult to mobilize. Moreover, we cannot rule out the possibility that the independent column will launch a surprise attack while we are mobilizing troops.
We may still be able to fight if we rely on the defenses of Xuchang, Yuzhou, Dengfeng and Yanshi. If we don't have strong fortifications, the enemy's air strikes will be a problem!"
Okamura Neiji narrowed his eyes. How could he not have thought of these factors? He was able to take the position of commander of the North China Front Army, so he was definitely not an unknown person.
"What you said makes sense, but I have a question. If you don't concentrate your superior forces to hold a defensive point, are you sure you can hold on to Xuchang and Zhengxian?"
"I... our Imperial Army can defeat the enemy's tanks and planes with our willpower!"
"Okay, stop talking! If there is no better solution, just follow this plan!"
After giving the order, Okamura Neiji began to look for available troops in North China. Now he could only prepare for the worst. If he could not hold Zheng County, he would have to retreat to Kaifeng again.
Perhaps a new line of defense should be established in Kaifeng.
The Japanese soldiers south of the Yellow River began to get busy, preparing to retreat to Zheng County.
Because they were afraid of bombing by the Independent Column's planes, all the Japanese troops were ready to set out in the middle of the night, either by marching on foot or by train.
The Japs' every move was discovered by the Liangshan Special Forces teams that had infiltrated these cities long ago. The coordinates of the assembly areas had all been reported to the Independent Column Aviation Division.
As soon as it got dark, the Japanese troops in Yuzhou prepared to set off. They thought they could escape disaster under the cover of darkness, but they did not expect to hear the terrifying roar of airplanes again.
The Japanese looked at the sky in horror and panic.
"Don't panic, stay calm! Turn off all the lights and march according to the established plan! Without lights, their planes in the sky are blind and can't see anything. They won't bomb the city at will, because there are civilians here!"
"Hayi!"
The Japanese put their worries at ease and began to prepare for assembly, moving closer to the Pinghan Line.
At this moment, three bright flares hit the sky, illuminating the Japanese assembly area.
The Japanese soldiers looked at the flares, then looked at each other, and were stunned.
"Baga! Who fired the flare? We can't find it right away!"
The flares fired were timed devices set by the Liangshan Special Forces. They would be automatically fired around eight o'clock in the evening, but they had already run away.
The bombers in the sky have discovered the fireflies in the dark night and began to lower their altitude, dropping heavy bombs on the heads of the Japanese.
After twenty minutes of bombing, the scene was more than tragic, with broken limbs everywhere, countless casualties and heavy losses.
It was not just Yuzhou that was attacked. Xuchang, Yanshi and Gongyi also suffered considerable losses.
Okamura Neiji had planned everything, but he did not expect that the independent column's planes would be able to find their assembly area in the dark and drop bombs accurately.
"Don't worry about the specific losses, gather towards Zheng County immediately!"
The more serious the situation was, the quicker Okamura Neiji made a decision, for he knew that now was not the time to hesitate.
Indecisiveness leads to disaster.
The railway from Zhengxian to Xuchang was not damaged, so the Japanese soldiers in Xuchang and Yuzhou quickly headed north by railway and all arrived south of Zhengxian early the next morning.
The Japanese troops in other areas also arrived at Zheng County on the morning of the third day under the continuous bombing of the independent column.
Ningji Okamura immediately reorganized defenses around Zheng County.
The 9th Independent Mixed Brigade, the remnants of the 1st Division, and the remnants of the 3rd Tank Division, totaling more than Japanese devils, were stationed in Xingyang, west of Zheng County.
The 5th Independent Mixed Brigade and the 7th Brigade, totaling Japanese troops, were stationed in Xinmi, southwest of Zheng County.
The 32nd Division, with a total of Japanese soldiers, was stationed in Xuedian in the south of Zheng County.
The 35th Division, with a total of Japanese soldiers, was stationed at Bagang in the southeast of Zheng County.
The defense of the south bank of the Yellow River Bridge was handed over to the remnants of the 110th Division, with more than 5000 Japanese soldiers remaining.
The defense of Taohuayu on the north bank of the Yellow River Bridge was handed over to the 27th Division, which consisted of a total of Japanese devils.
Okamura Neiji deployed these 88,000 little devils around the Yellow River Iron Bridge and Zheng County, like an iron barrel. He spent so much effort for one purpose, to guard the iron bridge and wait for reinforcements from somewhere!
Taking advantage of the fact that General Okamura Yasuji was shrinking his defense, the Fourth Army of the Independent Column took advantage of the situation and effortlessly recovered a large area of land in central Henan.
The armored forces of the Fourth Army led the way, clearing out scattered Japanese devils and intimidating those stubborn forces that wanted to cause trouble.
Zhao Gang's political work team and mobile group arrived shortly afterwards and worked non-stop to set up local governments, restore economic order, and promote the renminbi.
Originally this was a huge victory, recovering a large area of land in central Henan, but there were still some different voices heard.