But the situation below was very complicated, and there was a flickering flash of fire everywhere, which was the light from the rifle and light machine gun rubbing against the breech and the gunpowder itself, and the grenade exploded and left behind a cloud of flashes. There was an intermittent and intense sound of gunfire on the ground, which was tight and loose.

Zhang Fei shouted: "The front line of Miyang has arrived, but the current situation is unclear, where do we choose to land, or ask Commander Han to give an idea." ”

Anyway, he often takes helicopters, and Han Xing is also bolder, and said to Zhang Fei: "Don't be busy landing first, observe the situation." ”

Han Xing said to Zhang Zuogan again: "Director Zhang, contact Sun Lianzhong and ask them to give us a direction to land." ”

In a few moments, three fires rose on the ground. Han Xing said to Zhang Fei: "Just land where the three fires are raised!" ”

Zhang Fei shouted: "Yes!" "Slowly lowered the altitude of the helicopter and slowly fell towards the three fires.

Sun Lianzhong had already released a warning force and imposed martial law on the area. He was still very excited about the helicopter that asked to land, and at the most critical moment of the battle, the Southern Expeditionary Army always did not come calling. For him, for the 2nd Army, it was always a blessing in disguise.

When the book is used, there is less hatred, and when the soldiers are used, there are not too many, and Han Xin will be a soldier, and the more the better. For the way of the general, I know this truth well.

The helicopter drove a huge wind down, and at the moment of the fall, it blew the ground with flying sand and rocks, and the fire was blurred, which was still quite shocking.

As soon as the helicopter landed, Sun Lianzhong came over with a group of adjutants and guards. Han Xing led Zhang Xiaosan and they hurriedly got off the helicopter, and before Han Xing could speak, Sun Lianzhong said excitedly: "Commander Han, it's a good thing, we are surrounded by a Japanese engineer wing, and now we have a big bun." ”

As soon as he heard that a Japanese army was surrounded, Han Xing was also extremely happy, and said to Sun Lianzhong: "It's better to come early than to come by chance, and now, we are also in time for dinner." ”

Sun Lianzhong said to Han Xing: "Commander Han, don't be too happy. I guess the Japanese will not give up, and they will definitely send reinforcements. It's a big battle, and you're coming at the right time! ”

"What do you need us to do at the moment?" Han Xing asked.

"You don't need to do anything yet, but soon, you'll be in business. Japanese planes, artillery, and tanks will definitely come to join in the fun, but it really won't work without your heavy weapons! ”

Han Xing nodded and said, "Okay, let's hurry up and deploy troops and get ready to deal with their planes, tanks, and artillery." ”

After Sun Lianzhong said these words, he hurried to the front line to command his troops.

By this time, all the troops had been disembarked. Han Xing hurriedly ordered the helicopter formation to fly back quickly and load the rest of the troops, and asked Zhang Xiaosan's guard battalion to quickly occupy this place and arrange a guard to receive the rest of the troops. Then he led a company commander Wu Xiaoming's company to the front line to check the situation.

At this time, the main force of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army had already arrived at the front line of Zaoyang and Xinye, but the Japanese army needed rear transportation and road construction in the rear. The 3rd Engineer Wing of the Japanese Army deserved to be unlucky, and was caught by Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army and surrounded here.

This engineering wing was a non-combat unit, with only 600,700 men and extremely poor weapons, with only a small number of self-defense guns, let alone light machine guns and heavy machine guns. was caught and beaten by the 2nd Army, and almost collapsed.

Han Xing took a company of guards and walked forward again, and when he saw the battle scene, he was a little laughed to death.

The attacking troops were all the Northwest Army, and the soldiers were extremely brave. Carrying broadswords on their backs, these fighters rushed to a distance of several tens of meters from the Japanese sappers, threw grenades, and then drew their broadswords and fought hand-to-hand.

Originally, the Japanese sappers were only building bridges and paving roads, but where had they seen such a scene, they were so frightened that they hurriedly ran around. Some of the sappers ran slowly, and when they saw the broadsword soldiers of the national army rushing in front of them, they hurriedly danced with iron pickaxes. After dancing for a while, the iron pickaxe was no match for the broadsword, and they were hacked to death.

Despite this, these Japanese sappers were still the stones of the thatched hut - smelly and hard, and they would not surrender to death. If people are not afraid of death, this battle will be a bit difficult to fight.

At this time, the commander of the 3rd Division, Yamawaki Masataka, was in a front-line military tent in the area of Shinno and the Tang River, and he couldn't sleep at night, and he was studying the enemy situation with Chief of Staff Ono.

Yamawaki Masataka said to Ohno: "Chief of Staff, Commander of the Corps and Commander of the Garden Department, what do you think of telling us to go south and participate in the battle to attack Yichang?" ”

Chief of Staff Ohno said, "Don't dare to compliment! In this Zaoyang Campaign, we did not take the slightest advantage, after a big battle, we could only cast a big net to catch small fish, and caught the 173rd Division of the 84th Army of the Chinese Army, for the large troops of the Chinese Army, the damage is not big!

If, at this time, we attack Yichang, which is far away from our rear, what will happen to our entire rear line. If the rear line is cut off by the Chinese army, we will be in a passive situation where we will run out of ammunition and food. ”

Masataka Yamawaki nodded and said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about!" ”

At this time, a staff officer came to report: "Report to Your Excellency the Commander, Your Excellency the Chief of Staff, the 3rd Engineer Wing on the front line of Miyang, has suddenly been besieged by the Chinese army. At present, more than half of the casualties of the 3rd Wing are in urgent need of rescue, and if it is too late, the 3rd Wing may not be able to survive. ”

Yamawaki Masataka was taken aback when he heard this: "Nani, the 3rd Engineer Wing is under a full-scale siege by the Chinese army. What are you really afraid of, what is coming, which army is attacking, and how many people are there? ”

The staff officer replied again: "It is Sun Lianzhong's troops of the 2nd Army who are attacking, and their entire main force is nearly 50,000 or 60,000 men. ”

"Neni!" Yamawaki Masataka was a little panicked, "Sun Lianzhong, our old rival." At the time of the First Battle of Suizao, he led his troops and stopped our cavalry troops, leaving our encirclement unfinished. This time, when we attacked and surrounded them, we did not find them and told them to slip away. Just as we were about to attack Yichang, he hit our rear again. Sun Lianzhong, cunning and cunning. ”

The chief of staff also sighed deeply and said, "This is not easy to do, Sun Lianzhong is a difficult enemy to deal with." If we turn back to rescue our 3rd Engineer Wing, how will the order to attack Yichang be fulfilled. If we don't go to the rescue of the 3rd Wing, the 3rd Wing will be more than lucky. ”

"So what do we do?" Yamawaki Masataka asked Ohno.

"Now there is no other way, I have to report to the commander of the garden department, so please ask the commander of the garden department to adjudicate!" Chief of Staff Ohno said.

Yamawaki Masataka nodded and said, "That's all there is to it." ”

He immediately called the staff officer to send a telegram to Kazuichiro Sonobe, the commander of the 11th Army, to report the encirclement of the 3rd Engineer Wing.

At the headquarters of the 11th Army Corps, Sonobe and Ichiro were also frightened and quite unpeaceful for a while.

Sonobe and Ichiro's original plan was that the battle would be divided into two phases, the first of which would be to repeat the pattern of the Battle of Suizao, and to encircle the main force of the Fifth Theater on a large scale in the Suizao area, especially to annihilate Tang Enbo's 31st Army. After that, regardless of whether the encirclement was successful or not, it immediately entered the second stage, that is, it suddenly transferred its troops to the south and crossed the river to attack Yichang.

In Sonobe Kazuichiro's view, the Japanese army can currently dispatch 200,000 troops, which has an absolute advantage over the more than 300,000 national troops in the Suizao area.

At that time, the Fifth War Zone was in the Suizao area, and except for Tang Enbo, most of them were miscellaneous troops, and their combat effectiveness was not very strong. The Jiangfang Army stationed in Yichang has three armies under its jurisdiction, all of which are elite of the Central Army and have strong combat effectiveness.

However, the Jiang Defense Army was used to defend Yichang, and Li Zongren had no right to mobilize, and during the Battle of Suizao, the Jiang Defense Army did not move.

Sonobe and Ichiro believe that the key to this battle lies in the Jiangfang Army.

If the Jiang Defense Army does not go north to cross the river to support the operation in the Suizao area, then the difference in strength between the Chinese and Japanese armies will be even greater, and the main force of the Fifth Theater can basically be succeeded in the first stage, but it will be almost impossible to occupy Yichang.

If the Jiang Defense Army goes north to support the Suizao area, then although the first phase is likely to fail, the second phase of the occupation of Yichang will be easy.

In short, no matter how the Jiang Defense Army moved, the Japanese army had a good chance of winning.

Fortunately, now the Jiang Defense Army has been mobilized. The Fifth Theater felt that there was a shortage of troops, and under Li Zongren's repeated statements, Chiang Kai-shek had no choice but to order the Jiang Defense Army to advance eastward, and the three armies were transferred out to support the Zaoyang Campaign. This emptied the Hanshui defense and created conditions for the Japanese army to attack Yichang.

Through the implementation of the first phase of the campaign, the Japanese army did not capture the large Chinese forces at all, but only inflicted heavy losses on the 173rd Division of the Chinese army.

Under such circumstances, if the second phase of the combat mission is forcibly implemented, the Chinese army may be copied by the back road, and it will be difficult to take care of it.

However, the military order could not be disobeyed, and the Japanese army headquarters had issued an order to the Chinese dispatch army on April 10 to attack Yichang with the 11th Army.

He also had to ignore his conscience and give the order to attack Yichang.

Since the main force of the Chinese army has not been wiped out, and it forcibly attacks Yichang, it is very likely that it will be attacked in front and the Chinese army will chase and fight in the rear, so that it will be trapped in a situation where it is attacked on both sides.

I was really afraid of something, and Yamawaki Masataka of the 3rd Division suddenly reported to himself the news that the Chinese 2nd Army was besieging the 3rd Engineer Wing of the 3rd Division, and asked himself what to do?

It's really an unsolved question, and another problem has come. At present, the 3rd Division is on the front line of Tanghe and Xinye, and it is time-consuming and laborious to ask them to return to rescue the 3rd Engineer Wing, not to mention the time and effort, and it also affects the overall situation of the entire attack on Yichang.

He thought that the main forces of the 3rd Division could not move, and they had to be ordered to continue to carry out their original combat missions. The only troops that can be used are second-line troops.