Under the instructions of Okamura Ninji, the headquarters of the Central China Front, all the Japanese troops participating in the Battle of Changsha immediately launched an attack on the defending side.

The 33rd Division, under the leadership of the division commander Shigetaro Gansu, launched an offensive in southern Hunan, while others, such as the 6th Division, the 101st Division, and various detachments, also launched general attacks in various positions, coordinating and advancing each other.

In addition, the Central China Front also mobilized a large number of fighters from North China to support the final decisive battle of the Battle of Changsha.

In such a situation, the Japanese army can be described as menacing, and in the face of the ferocity of the Japanese army, the defenders did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly went all out to block it.

As for the Japanese army, according to the plan they formulated for the final general offensive, their main purpose was to avoid the two defensive lines set up by the defenders along the Xinqiang River and Miluo River from the east, and to attack the defending 15th Army deployed on the defense line of the Xinqiang River and Miluo River with the main force of the Japanese army in northern Hunan in the Pingjiang area.

The 33rd Division of the Japanese Army was formed in February 1939 in Sendai, the Japanese army's homeland, as a special three-unit division for garrisons.

In the face of such an enemy, the 9th Theater Command, under the command of General Xue Yue, placed Yang Sen's 27th Army here to defend the southern Hunan, intending to block the advance of the Japanese army.

The Japanese 33rd Division attacked from the south of Tongcheng, first with one force to carry out a feint attack on the 79th Army's frontal position Nanjiang Bridge, and at the same time, with another part of the army prepared to bypass the eastern side of Mufu Mountain and advance to Changshou Street through Baishaling.

Faced with this situation, Yang Sen quickly determined that the Japanese army was trying to cut off the retreat of the 79th Army, and then encircle and annihilate it.

After finding out this, Janssen was disdainful.

If it had been before, he might have been a little panicked in the face of this method of the Japanese army, but at this moment, after this half-month confrontation, he had already found out the heels and catties of the Japanese army.

The little devils want to encircle and annihilate, not to mention whether they can do it or not, even if they are really surrounded, how can the surrounding friendly forces be indifferent?

However, although he did not look down on the Japanese army's plan and did not prevent mistakes, he immediately reported to Xue Yue of the General Headquarters of the Theater of Operations. At the same time, the 20th Army south of Tongcheng was urgently ordered to attack the Japanese army from west to east, intending to block it slightly.

However, Xue Yue in the theater command did not dare to slack off after receiving the report.

Although this Japanese army is not a big threat to them at the moment, if it meets with the Japanese army in northern Hunan Province, it will still be a big trouble after all, and even form an unforeseen accident!

After all, for them, the general trend has been achieved, and the next step is to move steadily and step by step, and the last thing they want is an accident!

However, if the Japanese army is allowed to do so, then the 15th Army deployed on the defense line of the Xinqiang River and the Miluo River will be flanked, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

So, thinking of this, he hurriedly transferred the 8th Army to reinforcements, and at the same time ordered Fan Songfu, the guerrilla commander-in-chief of the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border region, to attack the enemy from the south to the north and from the east to the west with troops from Dahu Mountain and Jiugong Mountain, so as to form a situation of pincerizing and encircling the Japanese army from the north and south in the general direction.

As soon as such a situation is achieved, the Japanese army will be quite uncomfortable!

Although in the ensuing battle, in order to forcibly open up a situation, the Japanese army spent a lot of damage, occupied Gaochong, Tanghu and Ligang in the northwest of Maishi, and then besieged Maishi.

Even because the 140th Division of the 79th Army stationed in Maishi withdrew from Maishi due to heavy casualties, this place was temporarily captured by the Japanese army.

However, it did not take long for the 140th Division of the 79th Army to regroup in the area south of Maishi and fight side by side with the 134th Division of the 20th Army, which rushed to reinforce it, and continued to block the enemy's southward advance.

Although the two divisions joined forces and resisted desperately, under the fierce attack of the Japanese army and the assistance of a large number of fighters to bomb, they finally suffered heavy losses and had to retreat.

After repulsing the 140th and 134th Divisions, the Japanese successfully captured Maishi and Peachtree Harbor, and then continued to attack and advance southward.

In order to block the Japanese army from continuing to the south, the 133rd Division under the 20th Army set up defenses in the areas of Kuzhuling, Nanlouling, and Gedoushan, but due to the lack of troops, it was forced to withdraw under the attack of the Japanese army.

But randomly, the 140th Division made a comeback, and a regiment under its command came to reinforce, and after a fierce attack, counterattacked the Japanese army and recaptured the two heights of Nanlouling and Gedoushan.

As a result of this incident, the 33rd Division of the Japanese Army was stopped between Dabaiyan, Jilongshan, Panshi, Arrowhead, and Maishi, and could not advance.

In view of this situation, Gansu Shigetaro had no choice but to reformulate the battle plan and change the target, and after consulting with other troops, they believed that the hope of advancing from Maishi was slim, so they had to attack in the area of Kuzhuling instead, and then enter Taoshugang in Xiushui County and advance in the direction of Changshou Street.

However, they had just turned around, and before they arrived at Kuzhuling, they were ambushed by the 133rd and 134th Divisions of the 20th Army in the area of Baishaling, in addition, the 79th Army and the 82nd Division together with the 98th Division launched a flank attack on the right side of the enemy.

The 33rd Division of the Japanese Army, along the way, was forced to change lanes several times, and encountered several blockades, not only the progress was slow, but even the damage was very large, and the fight was very aggrieved, which made the division commander Tataro Gan Ji have a belly of fire in his heart.

But at the same time of anger, there is some distress and helplessness.

The distressing thing is that the casualties of his soldiers are too tragic, and helplessly, in the face of such a situation, he has no way at all!

The opponent's soldiers, even if they have more soldiers than them, are set up in ambushes everywhere, that is, they want to fight wheel battles with them, and the defenders can be rested and replenished, but their 33rd Division cannot get the slightest replenishment, and it is very difficult to deliver even the most basic supplies and military supplies.

It can be said that this battle is very sad.

But this is also a matter of no choice, in this battle, His Excellency the Commander made it clear that he was desperate, if his troops did not want to be completely annihilated and did not want to disobey the battlefield orders, they could only obey orders!

And to obey orders is to fight the enemy first!

This is their helplessness, they are completely helpless!

Looking at the battle reports and losses sent by his various troops, the 33rd Division that took a break in Peachtree Harbor, Gansu Shigetaro couldn't help but sigh.

"It's the big picture...... It's not at all something that I can control as a division commander! ”

……

Just when the war between Southern Hunan and Northern Hunan was in full swing, when the commanders of the two armies, Xue Yue and Okamura Ningji, were paying close attention to the trend of the battle and issuing orders at any time, at the same time, people who were not directly related to this battle were also closely watching and influencing this battle.

(End of chapter)