Unlike the night of December 9, the day after the Ming Empire declared war on Japan, the war seemed to have completely stopped after the sky darkened on December 10. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info the Ming army stopped advancing and no longer pursued the Japanese army, and the Japanese army was in a hurry to flee south, and did not harass and attack the Ming army stationed.

The 9th, 15th, and 18th divisions of the Japanese army retreated along the roads and railways that had been repeatedly patronized by the Ming army, blowing up some small bridges and other facilities along the way, and finally relieved themselves when night came. The Ming army should not be aggressive and continue to chase and fight fiercely at night, and their side can be regarded as having a chance to breathe.

However, the commanders of the Japanese 2nd Army pinched their fingers and calculated their losses, only to find that they had lost much more than they had imagined. The 100,000 elite Japanese army lost a quarter of their troops in almost no head-on battle with the Ming army, which is definitely a thing that makes people want to cry without tears.

Of course, the thing that made them most desperate was the loss of the entire main forces of the 2nd Army in terms of heavy equipment. Abandoning the Yalu River defense line allowed the 2nd Army to lose at least a third of its anti-tank guns and towed heavy artillery in fixed batteries.

Many of the remaining weapons were abandoned on the road for various reasons. There were not even 100 guns of 100 mm caliber or higher that followed the Japanese troops all the way south.

Again, this is only the loss of artillery, and if you count the valuable cars and ammunition, the losses are even more serious. Japan's national steel production and reserves are not much in the first place, and the materials in the hands of the army are also valuable savings, in this case, it is equivalent to saying that how much equipment is lost at the front line, how much equipment is completely lost.

The 9th Division, the main force of the Japanese army, which was originally strong and strong, is now not even as strong as ordinary divisions and regiments in terms of the number of remnants of heavy equipment. The other 15th and 18th divisions were no better, and were also directly downgraded to mainly light infantry units.

However, compared to the 17th, 8th, and 5th Divisions, which had already been destroyed, and the 2nd and 20th Divisions, which suffered heavy losses due to rout and involvement, the Japanese 2nd Army was still relatively lucky.

Just when Miyamoto Yuhito fainted because of the excellent performance of the Japanese Navy, the 2nd Army of the Ming Empire finally regained the face of the previous ineffective attack, and the vanguard of the 2nd Panzer Corps of the Praetorian Guard, the main force, drove into Xichuan Castle before nightfall that day.

"What? Feed? Feed! It's me, I'm Yang Zizhen, you said that there are no Japanese defenders in Xichuan City? What do you mean? Abandoned the city and fled? Holding the radio receiver, Yang Zizhen had an unbelievable expression on his face, he finally realized the mood of the 1st Army when it conquered Turtle City, but this victory really made him unable to lift his spirit.

He originally thought that he was going to fall into a bitter battle under Xichuan City, and he was even ready for heavy losses. The main reason for insisting on attacking Heecheon was that the entire 2nd Army had a comparative mind for the 1st Army, which had a smooth attack, and it was not a strategic need in the true sense.

Because when the defense line of the Yalu River was crossed by the troops of the Ming Empire, the first phase of the battle of the Ming Empire was already victorious. Encircling the Japanese army is only a strategic goal in the next stage, and it is not a rigid regulation that must be fulfilled, after all, the terrain of the Korean Peninsula is too unfavorable for the development of a pincer offensive, and the attack distance in the north is too long.

Yang Zizhen's 2nd Army was able to reach the vicinity of Tokugawa by attacking more than 100 kilometers in a straight line, while the Japanese army only needed to run 100 kilometers to reach Shunchon if it wanted to retreat -- it was obvious that this kind of encirclement by a long detour would not have a very good effect at all as long as the Japanese army retreated resolutely.

The Japanese retreated very resolutely, which made the Ming army's pincer offensive difficult. Although Yang Zizhen's attack distance was half a minute faster than Zhang Jianjun's, he still failed to encircle the main force of the Japanese army in the area of Guicheng.

"Yes! The Japanese army left nothing, not even a symbolic defensive force...... Civilians in the city said they had set fire to the city about an hour earlier and then left in a hurry. "The commander of the 2nd Panzer Corps of the Praetorian Guard reported the news that his troops had given him, and that about 5,000 Ming troops had entered Xichuan that night, and the dragon flag of the Ming Empire was flying above the ruins in the center of the city.

Xichuan, as a city that was frequently patronized by the bombers of the Ming Empire in the first stage, is now scarred. The Japanese set fire to it when they left, so the whole city looked devastated, the streets were littered with corpses that had not had time to be disposed of, and there were flames everywhere that had not been extinguished.

"Let the troops rest and send a reconnaissance force to confirm the location of the Japanese troops." Yang Zizhen thought about it and asked the 2nd Armored Army of the Praetorian Guards to stop advancing. He had already received the news that Zhang Jianjun had stopped the offensive and knew that if he forced his troops to advance overnight, it would affect the next day's combat operations.

After all, these soldiers are also mortal creatures, and they have been fighting for two days and one night in a row, which also makes them tired. Although some units are transported by automobiles and armored vehicles, continuous fighting does consume ammunition, fuel and the mental state of the soldiers.

The efficiency of rushing overnight was not high, and the Japanese troops would not have chosen this rather cost-effective way if they had not wanted to distance themselves from the Ming army. In fact, a simple calculation can be understood, and the next day, the Ming army will be more efficient and easier to organize during the day, and the pursuit effect will be more obvious.

"Got it! Commander. The communication of the 2nd Armored Corps of the Praetorian Guard over there was cut off, and Yang Zizhen also put down the walkie-talkie in his hand. He glanced at the map hanging from his command car, and his eyes fell on the newly occupied Heecheon.

Then he instructed the adjutant behind him: "Send a telegram to the Beijing Division, my 2nd Army has captured Xichuan." ”

The adjutant saluted, then jumped out of the command car and walked towards the telegraph car in the distance. The entire camp had been set up half an hour earlier, and more than a dozen command vehicles had been placed around the alert troops. Several officers were sharing their cans at the edge of an armored vehicle, and the command's exclusive dining truck was able to provide warm service.

After all, the 2nd Army was always on the way, so even if it carried a lot of vegetables and meat, it really didn't have time to stop and cook. All the commanders, including Yang Zizhen, used canned food and dry food to satisfy their hunger along the way. (To be continued.) )