Chapter 1060 Blood-stained Han Water

During the Battle of Zaoyi, the international situation changed drastically, the German offensive was unstoppable, and the Netherlands surrendered in three days, and Belgium was also dying. (7*

For this reason, Emperor Hirohito of Japan asked about the progress of the Battle of Zaoyi almost every day, and the commander of the 11th Army, Kazuichiro Sonobe, suddenly became the most concerned general in the base camp, and his ambition was also extremely inflated, and he was bent on creating a miracle on the battlefield of the Battle of Zaoyi.

What discouraged Kazuichiro Sonobe was that the Third Division, which he had placed in the area east of Xiangyang and Fancheng to cover the battlefield, suddenly fell into the encirclement of the squadron.

According to the report of the 3rd Division, on the 12th, the 31st Group Army, an elite unit of the squadron, suddenly appeared in the Fancheng area, and six divisions of the two armies pressed towards the 3rd Division. In this way, the situation of the entire battlefield became clear, six divisions of the 31st Group Army were in the north, six divisions of the Second Army were in the west, five divisions of the 33rd Group Army were in the south, and the two armies of the 11th Army and the 22nd Army followed the Japanese army, and the little devils were surrounded by the squadron.

After figuring out the battlefield situation, Kazuichiro Sonobe was not afraid of rejoicing, because he was very confident in the combat effectiveness of the 3rd, 13th, and 16th Divisions, and felt that the opportunity to annihilate the main force of the Fifth Theater had arrived, and the opportunity for Kazuichiro Sonobe to become famous in the world had arrived.

Kazuichiro Sonobe immediately reported to the General Headquarters and Base Camp of the Chinese Dispatch Army, saying that the main force of the Fifth Theater of the Squadron had been seized, but the strength was insufficient, and the base camp was asked to quickly transfer the Fifth Division, the First Guards Division, and the Second Division to the battlefield by ship.

After sending the telegram, Kazuichiro Sonobe still ordered the 16th Division and the 13th Division to move south along the east bank of the Han River to find and annihilate the main force of the 33rd Group Army, and ordered the 3rd Division near Fancheng to withdraw to Zaoyang, block the ** squadron besieging on the North Road, and cover the 13th Division and the 16th Division.

After receiving the telegram from the Japanese commander and the headquarters of the Chinese Dispatch Army, they did not ignore it, but quickly studied it, and finally drew the 4th Division from the Kwantung Army to strengthen the 11th Army.

There was no way, the Fifth Division and the Guards Division could not be withdrawn from the Guinan battlefield, and the Second Division was the first-class elite of the Kwantung Army, so it could be temporarily transferred, but it should be transferred to the 11th Army, and the commander of the Kwantung Army, Umezu Mijiro, did not agree, and also asked the base camp to transfer the 11th, 12th, 28th, and 29th Divisions in North China back to the northeast to carry out the task of preparing for war against the Soviet Union.

Umezu Mijiro was as cunning as a fox, he was advancing as a retreat, and he knew that these four divisions in North China would not be able to be transferred back for a while, but he still brought it up, in order to keep the second division, which had the most elite combat effectiveness. (7* As a result, the 2nd Division was retained, but the 4th Division was transferred.) Umezu Mijiro secretly called Amaterasu to bless him in private, and finally kicked this first abandoned division of the Japanese Army to the Eleventh Army. Umezu Mijiro would rather have a new division based on the border garrison than a fourth division.

Kazuichiro Sonobe wanted the most elite three mechanized divisions, but the fourth division came instead. That's it, the basket is full of vegetables, Sonobe and Ichiro have already thought about it, although the Fourth Division is known as the first abandoned division of the Japanese Army, and it is slow to fight, but after all, it is a well-equipped, well-trained, and fully equipped first-class division, and the attack does not take the initiative to defend the headquarters, let them replace the defensive ground of the Sixth Division, and free up the elite Sixth Division to join the battlefield of Zaoyi, hehe, the main force of the Fifth Theater is waiting to be eliminated!

On the 15th, another piece of good news made Sonobe and Ichiro jump in shock, and the Japanese army's radio detection unit actually deciphered the radio code of Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army, and at this time, the combat deployment of the 33rd Group Army was completely exposed to the Japanese army.

The surprise was inexplicable that Kazuichiro Sonobe immediately ordered the 13th Division to send powerful troops to besiege the troops led by Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army, and ordered the aviation to dispatch to bomb the location of Zhang Zizhong's headquarters.

General Zhang Zhizhong, commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army, was a 49-year-old native of Tangyuan Village, Linqing, Shandong.

Since the Lugouqiao Incident, Zhang Zizhong has been mistaken for a traitor by the Chinese people because he served as the mayor of Tianjin, and the newspapers have been scolded. After escaping from Pingjin, Zhang Zizhong embraced the heart of death and was determined to use the blood of the Japanese invaders to wash away his injustice.

After returning to the army from Pingjin to the south, Zhang Zizhong led the troops to fight in Linyi, participated in the Battle of Wuhan, and after being promoted to the commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army, he was stationed in Jingmen, participated in the Suizao Campaign and the Winter Offensive, and was awarded the Baoding Medal for his merits and promoted to general.

At this time, the 33rd Group Army was under the jurisdiction of the 29th and 74th Divisions of Cao Fulin's 55th Army, the 37th, 132nd, and 179th Divisions of Feng Zhi'an's 77th Army, and the 38th Division, 180th Division, and 9th Cavalry Division of Huang Weigang's 59th Army, with a total of seven infantry divisions and one cavalry division.

When the Japanese army launched the Battle of Zaoyi, the main five divisions of the 33rd Group Army were deployed on the east bank of the Han River, and only two regiments of the 74th Division remained on the west bank of the Han River.

After the Japanese attack on 1 May, the main forces remaining on the east bank of the Han River lacked unified command. Especially in the 179th Division, during the war, the division commander He Jifeng was studying in the Chongqing Central Training Corps, and Li Zongren personally sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek urging him to return to the army to participate in the war, but Chiang Kai-shek did not let him go. Without the command of the division commander, the combat effectiveness of the 179th Division is likely to be greatly reduced.

For this reason, He Jifeng, commander of the 179th Division, believed that Chiang Kai-shek was passive in the war of resistance and could not get used to the style of the bureaucrats in the rear, and complained to the officers sent by Chiang Kai-shek to inspect the troops, saying that the guns were fired at the front, the grinding of the rear pushes, and the teeth of the officers and men on the mats.

This annoyed Chiang Kai-shek, and secretly ordered Zhang Zizhong to remove He Jifeng from his post and send him to Chongqing for justice. He Jifeng is Zhang Zizhong's old subordinate, brave in battle and upright. Zhang Zizhong did not want to lose his right-hand man, so he personally went to report to Chiang Kai-shek that He Jifeng was loyal and reliable, and that he could be sent to the Central Training Corps to study, and asked the chairman of the committee to inspect him for a period of time. As a result, if you go to study, you can't come back, and the anxious Zhang Zizhong and Li Zongren are all in a hurry.

He Jifeng could not return, the 179th Division lost contact with the group army headquarters when the Japanese 13th Division was advancing rapidly, the main force on the east bank of the Han River lacked unified command, and the 33rd Group Army undertook the important task of blocking and encircling the Japanese army on the southern front.

On 7 May, Zhang Zizhong left a letter to Feng Zhi'an, deputy commander-in-chief of the 33rd Group Army and commander of the 77th Army, who was still on the west bank of the Han River, asking Feng Zhi'an to stay on the west bank to command, and he personally went to the east bank, and if he could contact the 179th and 38th Divisions, he would lead these two divisions and the 74th Division to attack northward to cut off the rear route of the Japanese army.

This letter was actually a farewell letter, Zhang Zizhong entrusted the matter to Feng Zhi'an, and led the reserve 74th Division and the special service battalion of the military headquarters to cross the Hanshui River eastward, preparing to intercept the Japanese army's logistics baggage troops, cut off the supply lines of the Japanese army, and plan the main force of the theater to defend Xiangyang and Zaoyang.

At this time, after the Japanese 13th Division broke through the defense line of the 33rd Group Army, it had already pounced on the Zaoyang area. The main force on the east bank of the 33rd Group Army had already jumped to the periphery in accordance with the battle plan of the theater, and after Zhang Zizhong led the 74th Division and the special service battalion of the military headquarters to cross the river, he was unable to contact the 38th and 179th Divisions. Zhang Zizhong, who led the 74th Division, began to attack the logistics baggage troops of the 13th Division of the Japanese Army. This hit hit the waist of the 13th Division, and it was immediately discovered by the Japanese army.

Before Zhang Zizhong crossed the river, he carried out Chiang Kai-shek's operational plan of completely destroying the three divisions of the Japanese army, and wanted to gather and concentrate the main force of the 33rd Group Army on the east bank of the Han River, completely block the rear road of the Japanese army, and cooperate with the main force in the theater to completely annihilate the Japanese army participating in the Battle of Zaoyi.

Zhang Zizhong is a backbone general from the old Northwest Army, from the Great Wall War of Resistance to the present, he has a very good understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, and understands in his heart how unreliable the battle plan of Chairman Chiang and the theater is, with the main force of more than 20,000 people of the 33rd Group Army, even if all the battles are completed, they will not be able to stop the Japanese army. The correct strategy should be to avoid the main force of the Japanese army, or drag the main force of the Japanese army southward, and create a fighter plane for the main force in the theater to destroy the Japanese army. However, the orders of Chairman Chiang and the theater of operations must be carried out, and there is no possibility of negotiation! This is also one of the main reasons why Zhang Zizhong left a farewell and swore to die.

By the time Zhang Zizhong led his troops to engage in a fierce battle with the Japanese army, and the Military Commission ordered the revision of the battle plan and concentrated forces to encircle and annihilate the Japanese Third Division, Zhang Zizhong and the main force of the 33rd Group Army had already fallen into a fierce battle with the Japanese army. The 74th Division and the special service battalion were surrounded in the village of Gouyanli, north of the pumpkin shop, and after a day of fierce fighting, even the special service battalion was thrown into battle, suffering extremely heavy casualties, and Zhang Zizhong's right leg was also injured.

The Japanese already knew that they were surrounded by Zhang Zizhong, commander-in-chief of the Chinese 33rd Group Army and former commander of the 29th Army, and attacked desperately, launching nine large-scale attacks in one day and night.

In the afternoon, Zhang Zizhong's troops were forced to retreat to Xingzi Mountain.

The Japanese were in hot pursuit.

A team of devils actually touched Zhang Zizhong's command position!

At this time, the 74th Division and the special service battalion were fighting fiercely with the Japanese army, and Zhang Zizhong only had a dozen guards around him.

Zhang Zizhong was not afraid of danger, took the official rifle in the hands of the guards, and ordered the guards to meet the battle and resolutely repel the devils.

The formal rifle was much more advanced than the old sleeve originally used by the old Northwest Army, and Zhang Zizhong took a slight aim, fired a shot, and knocked a Japanese second lieutenant to the ground.

At this time, the little devil found the target, the machine gun and grenadier were all hit, and the dirt and weeds in front of Zhang Zizhong were fluttering.

Zhang Zizhong's guards, equipped with medium and submachine guns, had an excellent combination of far and near firepower, and after fighting for 2 hours, the little devils failed to attack.

After a fierce battle until dawn on the 16th, Zhang Zizhong led his troops to retreat to Changshan in the pumpkin shop. It was actually a large mound of earth, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with small rivers on both sides, and the Japanese troops were surrounded on all sides, and there was no possibility of maneuvering.

All morning, the Japanese were on the offensive. The troops did not have time to build a strong position, and they could not contact the reinforcements, and General Zhang Zizhong, the tiger in the eyes of the Japanese army, was completely trapped to death.

From dawn to noon, the Japanese artillery bombarded and the infantry charged, and the shells blew up the flowers and plants in Changshan. Zhang Zizhong, who was wounded in his right leg and shot in his left arm, did not feel pain or hunger, and commanded the troops to fight.

Blood stained every inch of the dirt of Changshan!

At two o'clock in the afternoon, there were only a few hundred people left in the 74th Division and the special service battalion, and Zhang Zizhong was left with eight people, including senior staff officer Zhang Jing and adjutant Ma Xiaotang.

The sky was overcast, and the wind blew through the mountains, causing a low, whimpering echo as if thousands of troops were fighting here.

The Japanese rushed up, machine guns and grenadiers rang out in the mountains, and Zhang Jing and the other brothers threw themselves into the battle, trying to defend the commander-in-chief desperately.

Zhang Zizhong sat on the ground, looking at the Japanese soldiers swarming at the bottom of the mountain, and finally understood that the Japanese army had discovered his identity, so they chased after him and attacked desperately.

At this time, Zhang Zizhong's mind suddenly appeared in the scene of his mother-in-law's tattoo in "The Complete Biography of Yue", the four big characters of Jingzhong serving the country, at this moment, it was actually bloody, and it was shaking in front of his eyes.

Serve the country with loyalty, serve the country with loyalty!

Zhang Zizhong shook his head, cleared his mind for a moment, and whispered to Zhang Jing, Ma Xiaotang and the guards: "The last time has come. Brothers, get down on your knees and kowtow to the ground beneath our feet and say goodbye to our country. Dead, we will go to the Netherworld to the same as the little devil's wandering ghosts! ”

After speaking, Zhang Zizhong crawled on the ground and touched the ground and kowtowed firmly.

After kowtowing, Zhang Zizhong turned around and shouted: "I, Zhang Zizhong, should not be a bad seed, and the brothers are also heroes!" Kill! Kill one is enough, kill two and earn one! ”

Eight people, all staff officers, adjutants and guards, suddenly burst out with extremely strong combat effectiveness. The bullet hit the devils who rushed up fiercely, and it actually opened a small gap in the attack formation of the little devils who came up in the circle.

Zhang Jing turned his head and shouted: "Commander-in-chief, I will cover and let the brothers escort you and rush out!" ”

As soon as the words fell, a grenade exploded in front of Zhang Jing.

Immediately afterwards, the little devils covered Zhang Zizhong with machine gun and grenadier fire at their location.

The Japanese army rushed to the front, and Zhang Zizhong suddenly stood up from the pool of blood, and his majestic gaze frightened the Japanese army to stop moving.

When the Japanese squadron leader Tangye in the back saw that the soldiers were frightened by this tall lieutenant ** officer, he raised his hand and shot Zhang Zizhong's forehead.

Zhang Zizhong stood on the ground, his eyes glaring angrily. Dono shuddered, and the pistol fell to the ground. At this moment, Fujioka, a Japanese soldier who rushed to the front, woke up like a dream, picked up a bayonet and stabbed Zhang Zizhong in the chest!

A generation of loyal and brave generals fell to the ground with a bang!

Dear book friends: tomorrow will explode to ask for subscriptions and monthly passes. Thank you!