On March 17 and 18, the Seya Detachment of the 10th Division of the 2nd Army of the Japanese Army captured Lincheng and Tengxian successively, and ordered the 1st Brigade of the 63rd Infantry Wing (1 squadron owed) to continue to advance south along the Jinpu Road and pursue towards Hanzhuang; In order to control the Zaozhuang Coal Mine, the 2nd Brigade of the 63rd Wing was ordered to pursue Yixian. On March 19, the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the 63rd Wing of the Japanese Army repelled the 6th Brigade and the 23rd Regiment of the 89th Division of the 85th Army of the 20th Army Corps, which had just rushed to Shahe and Yixian to deploy defenses, and occupied Hanzhuang and Yixian.

Due to the setback and difficult situation of the Sakamoto detachment of the 5th Division of the Japanese army in Linyi, the staff officer of the 2nd Army, Kiyofuku Daisa, went to Yanzhou to inform the commander of the 10th Division, hoping to support the Sakamoto detachment. On the 20th, the division commander Ryosuke Isoya ordered the Seya detachment: "It is necessary to secure the line of the canal from Hanzhuang to Taierzhuang, and guard Lincheng and Yixian, and at the same time to advance to the Linyi side with as many troops as possible to assist the 5th Division in the battle." "Seya Kai immediately led the 63rd Wing to Yixian; On the 22nd, an operational order was issued according to the intention of the division commander, the main contents of which were: "(1) The 63rd Brigade of the 1st Wing (1 squadron owed) served as the garrison in the Hanzhuang area. (2) The 2nd Brigade of the 63rd Wing, with 1 Field Artillery Brigade, will set out from Yixian tomorrow (23rd) to occupy and secure the canal line area near Taierzhuang. (3) The 10th Infantry Wing, starting from Lincheng tomorrow, will advance in the direction of Linyi to fight against the Sakamoto Detachment of the 5th Division. (4) The main force of the Seya detachment is assembled in the vicinity of Yi County", to observe the development of the situation, and then make the next step. On 22 March, Kei Seya received a report from the air force that about 1,000 small boats of the Chinese army on Weishan Lake were advancing toward Xia Town in the east of the lake. Due to this new situation, Kei Seya changed his mind, and the main force of the detachment did not concentrate on Yixian for the time being, and remained in the Lincheng area to prepare for a possible attack on Weishanhu, but the task of the 2nd Brigade of the 63rd Wing remained unchanged and still attacked Taierzhuang (called the "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team").

When the Japanese troops in the northern section of the Jinpu Road began to advance south from Zou County, the Military Commission transferred Tang Enbo's 20th Army Corps to the Fifth Theater on March 14, and transferred Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Army, which was under the direct control of the Military Commission, to the Fifth Theater on March 14. When Li Zongren lost Lincheng, he decided to concentrate his forces and encircle and annihilate the Japanese troops advancing south of Jinpu Road in the area south of Lincheng. On March 19, an operational order was drawn up, and on the 21st, it was submitted to Chiang Kai-shek for review. Its main contents on the frontal battle on the Jinpu Road are as follows: "(1) The enemy's three infantry wings, the first cavalry wing, the first artillery wing, and fifty or sixty tanks between Lincheng, Yixian, and Hanzhuang have been fighting fiercely with the Deng group (referring to the 22nd group) and Wang Jun (referring to Wang Zhonglian's 85th Army) in Jiehe, Tengxian, Nanshahe, and Linzho since the 14th. (2) The purpose of the theater is to recover the vast area of central Lu, to take an offensive and defensive posture along the canal line, and to flank the enemy southward from the southeast and northeast mountains of Yixian County with the main force, and to concentrate and annihilate the area between the Linzao branch line and the Hanzhuang Canal. (3) The deployment and tasks of each unit are as follows: A and Tang Corps are newly assigned to the 31st Division (less than the 110th Division), and the main force should be concentrated in the mountains near Jiaoshantou on the east side of Yi County and northwest of Zaozhuang, and start attacking on the whole line at dawn on March 20 (later changed to 24th), so as to first break the enemy of Yi and Zao, flank the vicinity of Lincheng and Shagou, and press the enemy on the east bank of Weishan Lake to annihilate it. One part of it was assembled in the northern area of Taierzhuang, preparing to cooperate with the main force against Yixian and its northwest region. B. The newly assigned 110th Division (owing to the 31st Regiment) of the Sun Group Army should be defended on the south bank of the canal west of Houxinzha with one division, and wait for the opportunity to cross the river and advance northward, and the main force should be placed near Jiawang and between Jingshan and Maocun towns." Chiang Kai-shek replied at 21 o'clock on the same day, approving it in principle, but making amendments to its disposition, instructing: "(1) After the Tang Army entered and exited the canal, it would make a feint attack on the Yixian side with about two divisions, and use three divisions to attack it from the east of Yixian to the flank of the enemy between the two divisions south of Teng County. (2) Zhang Zhen's Division (referring to the 110th Division) and the 44th Brigade were under the command of Sun Fanglu (Sun Lianzhong) to garrison the canal. (3) The two divisions of Sun Fanglu's division assembled in Xuzhou and stood by. (4) Zhang Zizhongjun (omitted). (5) Sun and Cao (referring to the 3rd Group Army of Sun Tongxuan and Cao Fulin) attacked the troops, in addition to advancing to Zou County and the Liangxiadianjian area with the main force, and the other two regiments advanced from above Wen to Feicheng and Dawenkou for guerrillas, and arrived on the 26th of You, and a reward was granted. In the unlikely event that the enemy reinforcements attack from Jining, their attacking troops must still be guerrilla on the railway line and must not withdraw to the west bank of the canal, except for the defensive forces who are trying their best to stop them. ”

By the night of March 22, the 52nd Army of the 20th Army had handed over the defense of the south bank of the canal to the 110th Division, and the army moved north to the Lanling Town area; The 85th Army had disengaged from the enemy in Hanzhuang and Yixian and was moving to the Qingshan area; The 31st Division, attached to the 20th Army Corps, advanced to the Taierzhuang area (the 31st Division remained under the 2nd Army on the 24th); The 110th Division and the 44th Independent Brigade defended between Taierzhuang and Hanzhuang on the south bank of the canal, the 27th Division of the 2nd Army was in the Jiawang area, and the General Headquarters and the 30th Division were in the Maocun area near Xuzhou.

The main force of this offensive operation in the 5th theater of operations was the 20th Army Corps. The mission of the 31st Division was to contain the Japanese troops in Yixian by feints or holds, so that the 20th Army could attack and annihilate the enemy from the flank. As early as 19 March, when Qu Shen, deputy commander of the 31st Division, arrived in Xuzhou to receive the mission, Li Zongren had already told him the operational guidelines and guiding essentials of this campaign. Li Zongren said: "Lunan highlights the enemy who is advancing about one division, and has the appearance of entering Xuzhou, after your division arrives at Chehui Mountain, it will first take over the defense line of Taierzhuang along the canal, and then attack and advance to the enemy in Yixian." If the enemy comes out and meets the battle, your division should block the attack with all its might, and the army of the Tang Enbo army will attack the enemy's flank, and press the enemy with all his strength to gather and annihilate him on the shore of Weishan Lake; If the enemy is holding on and waiting for reinforcements, your division should do its best to contain and monitor the enemy, cover Guan Lin's army to go north and cooperate with Wang Zhonglian's army to encircle and attack, annihilate the enemy in Zaozhuang, and then return to the division to attack the enemy in Yixian and advance the battle line to the north of Yanzhou. For the sake of coordination and convenience, your division will be temporarily under the command of the commander of the Tang Corps. ”

On the 22nd, Tang Enbo also informed Chifeng City of the above-mentioned combat attempt in Taierzhuang, and said: "The enemy of Yixian County relies on the mountain city of Yixian to hold on, and it is not easy for the army to succeed in attacking. The 31st Division should lure the enemy away from the mountain city, and it will be easy to destroy the enemy. "He also said: The legion can return to help within one day after you come into contact with the enemy, and if your division can hold on to Taierzhuang for three days, it will be considered to have completed the task. According to the intention of his superiors, Chifeng Castle decided to "carry out a feint attack on the enemy in Yixian at dawn on the 23rd, hoping to lure the enemy near Nanluo and Beiluo and suppress it, and wait for the main force of the army to rotate south and annihilate it." Based on the above determination, an operational order was issued at 15 o'clock on the 22nd, the main contents of which were: "(1) The 185th Regiment of the 93rd Brigade is located in Beiluo, and the first battalion will advance to the Qiancheng and Zhaozhuang areas, and the plainclothes team of the brigade will search and occupy Zhangshan, Beishan, and Xihuangshan Lake. The brigade headquarters led the Yu Battalion (referring to the Yu Gongkui Battalion of the 3rd Battalion of the 186th Regiment) to be located near Nanluo, and should make a feint attack on the enemy in Yixian after dawn on the 23rd of tomorrow, and then resist near Beiluo one by one. The 188th Regiment (owed to the 1st Battalion) served as the garrison of Taierzhuang. (2) The 91st Brigade was placed in Taierzhuang with the 181st Regiment, and the 182nd Regiment served as the guard on the south bank of the Taierzhuang Canal. (3) The division headquarters advanced to Taierzhuang. ”

By the night of March 22, the 52nd Army of the 20th Army Corps transferred the defense of the south bank of the canal to the 110th Division and advanced to the Xiangzhuang area. The 85th Army had disengaged from the enemy in Hanzhuang and Yixian, and then moved to the Baoqinggu Mountains.

At dawn on March 23, the commander of the 31st Division ordered the brigade commander Qi Zibin to lead 1 regiment to attack and advance to Yixian. At the same time, the Japanese "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team" also set out from Yixian to attack and advance to Taierzhuang, and the two sides encountered each other at Zhangshan. After repulsing the cavalry search team of the 31st Division and the 183rd Regiment's spearhead company, the Japanese repelled the 183rd Regiment's avant-garde battalion at Nigou and occupied Beiluo that night. From the mouth of the prisoners of war, Seya learned that the troops around Yixian were the 4 divisions of the 20th Army Corps of the Chinese Army; Li Zongren, commander of the Fifth Theater of Operations, had ordered Tang Enbo to assemble in the mountainous areas northeast and north of Yixian County, and began an attack on the 24th, in an attempt to oppress and annihilate the Japanese troops in the area around Hanzhuang and Lincheng on the east bank of Weishan Lake; Townenburgh is now heading to the city. Therefore, it was decided to assemble the main force of the detachment in Lincheng and Yixian to prepare to fight against the Tang army, and the troops originally scheduled to support Linyi were reduced to 1 brigade, and the strength and task of attacking Taierzhuang remained unchanged. An order was issued overnight: "(1) The detachment will be sent to Yizhou to respond to the Sakamoto detachment, and the main force will ensure the line of the Grand Canal near Hanzhuang and Taierzhuang. (2) The Yizhou detachment (based on the 10th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Wing) set out from Lincheng on the 24th and advanced in the direction of Yizhou to respond to the operation of the Sakamoto detachment. (3) The 10th Infantry Wing (owed to the 2nd Brigade, with artillery, etc.) secured the Grand Canal line near Hanzhuang with one unit, and the main force assembled at Lincheng. (4) The 63rd Infantry Wing (1 brigade owed, with artillery, etc.) secured the Grand Canal line near Taierzhuang with one unit, and the main force was assembled in Yixian. (5) The headquarters of the detachment and the troops directly under it are assembled near Zaozhuang. ”

On the 24th, in order to support the offensive operations of the 20th Army Corps, the Chinese Air Force bombed the Japanese troops in Hanzhuang, Lincheng and Zaozhuang with 14 bombers after dawn, but the 20th Army Corps did not start the offensive at the scheduled time. That night, the corps headquarters and the 85th Army were still in the Baoqinggu Mountains, and only the 52nd Army reached the predetermined starting position of the attack - the line of Guoliji and the pigeon's nest. On the same day, Chiang Kai-shek inspected Xuzhou and left Bai Chongxi, deputy chief of staff, Lin Wei, deputy director of the Military Command Department, and Liu Fei, director of the department, to the Fifth Theater to assist Li Zongren in planning the operation. At the same time, the 31st Division was changed to defend Taierzhuang, and 1 field artillery battalion of the 7th Artillery Regiment (with 10 Shenyang imitation Kru 75mm field guns), 1 mechanized field heavy artillery company (with 2 150mm howitzers from the German Bufus) and the 3rd Ironclad Squadron were attached to the 31st Division to strengthen the defensive firepower of Taierzhuang; The 31st Division was also ordered to relieve the 20th Army Corps from its subordinate tasks, return the 2nd Army to the organization, and let Sun Lianzhong take unified command of the operations in Taierzhuang. On the same day, Sun Lianzhong entered Hanjiasi on the south bank of the Taierzhuang Canal, and advanced his 27th Division from Jiawang to the vicinity of Taierzhuang, replacing the 31st Division's river defense troops to strengthen Taierzhuang's defensive strength.

On the same day, the Yizhou detachment of the Japanese army began to advance eastward, camped in Zaozhuang that night, with the strength of about 1 squadron as the advance team, entered Guoliji, and occupied the large watchtower in the northeast corner of the village. The "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team" continued to attack from Beiluo to Taierzhuang, captured Nanluo around noon, and advanced to the vicinity of Taierzhuang at dusk. Taierzhuang south by the north bank of the canal, surrounded by about 4 kilometers of brick city wall, and built a number of large and small pillboxes, a total of 6 city gates, the Wenchang Pavilion in the southwest corner of the city is the commanding height of the whole city. The Japanese destroyed the northeast city wall with heavy artillery fire, and once broke into the city; Under the continuous counterattack of the 31st Division, it retreated outside the city, and then built fortifications in the northern suburbs to defend against the counterattack of the 31st Division and wait for reinforcements to prepare for another attack.

At dawn on the 5th, one of the brigades of the 25th Division of the 52nd Army and the advance squadron of the Yizhou detachment of the Japanese army found each other. The troops of the 52nd Army immediately surrounded the watchtowers and brought in artillery to attack. After the battle, most of the Japanese squadron was annihilated, and only a dozen people broke through and fled to Zaozhuang. When the Yizhou detachment of the Japanese army in Zaozhuang besieged its advance squadron with the 25th Division, it sent hundreds of men to attack Guoliji in an attempt to rescue, but was repulsed by the 25th Division. The 52nd Division of the 2nd Army attacked Zaozhuang from the pigeon's nest, but was repulsed. Tang Enbo led the main force of the 85th Army to still hold its ground in the Baoqinggu Mountains, and only ordered one brigade to be sent to fight in coordination with the 52nd Army, while the brigade only sent one regiment and the regiment only sent a few platoons to carry out a harassing attack on the periphery of Zaozhuang, and then retreated back to the Baoqinggu Mountains.

On the night of the 24th, Seya Qi, who was located near Zaozhuang, received a telegram asking for help from the "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team". Due to the attack of Zaozhuang and Guoliji by the 52nd Army, the Segu Detachment could only draw about 2 infantry squadrons with 2 heavy artillery to reinforce the south, and the main force of the detachment prepared to "fight a decisive battle with the enemy near Guoliji", so that the 10th Wing (about 1 and a half brigades) moved south of Zaozhuang from Lincheng. The two squadrons of the reinforcement team from Taierzhuang arrived in Taierzhuang around dusk and were immediately counterattacked by the 31st Division. In the early morning of the 26th, the captain of the "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team" had suffered too many casualties in the past two days, and only two squadrons had been reinforced, and it was still difficult to complete the task of capturing Taierzhuang, and in the early morning of the 26th, he sent a second telegram to Seya asking for reinforcements: "(1) The enemy's strength is 3 divisions (1 in the city, 1 in the east of the city, 1 in the west of the city, and 1 around me), and there are train guns in the city and near the railway station. (2) Send a team to wait for reinforcements, and start the attack on the 27th. (3) 20 were killed in battle, 112 were wounded in battle, and 15 were unknown in the city. Soon after receiving this telegram, Kei Seya received a telegram from Ryosuke Isoya, commander of the 10th Division, ordering him to "take a bold offensive", and immediately decided that the only 3rd Brigade led by Fukuei Mahei Osaku of the 63rd Wing rushed to Taierzhuang to command the attack.

On March 27, after learning that the 63rd Wing had gone south for reinforcements, the "Taierzhuang Dispatch Team" launched a second fierce attack on Taierzhuang before the reinforcements arrived, occupying the northeast corner of the city wall, and one part broke into the city. The 186th Regiment of the 31st Division immediately organized a counterattack, and the two sides engaged in fierce street fighting, and finally pressed the advancing Japanese troops near the Great Temple in the city. However, the 31st Division also suffered heavy losses, with about 2,800 casualties in four days of fierce fighting. In order to facilitate the future battles, Chi Fengcheng reduced the whole division to 3 regiments and 7 combat battalions. At this time, the 27th Division of the 2nd Group Army had been deployed in the area of Huanglinzhuang east of Taierzhuang, and the 30th Division and the 44th Independent Brigade had been deployed in the area of Dunzhuang Gate and Wanli Gate west of Taierzhuang, and constantly coordinated with the 31st Division to carry out counterattacks on Liujiahu and Sanlizhuang. At 17:30 that night, Furong Zhenping led the 63rd Wing and the 3rd Brigade to the Liujiahu area. The situation in Taierzhuang has become more severe.

Due to the urgency of the battle situation in Taierzhuang, the main force of the 20th Army Corps was still in the mountainous area northeast of Zaozhuang, and did not carry out an attack on the Japanese army in Zaozhuang and Yi that was commensurate with its strength.

Therefore, the Second Theater issued an order to Sun Lianzhong, commander-in-chief of the 2nd Group Army, to annihilate the enemy within a time limit, and on the other hand, issued an order to Tang Enbo of the 20th Army Corps to transfer troops to Taierzhuang. The telegram to Sun Lianzhong was: "Chataierzhuang is an important place in front of Xuzhou, and it is also a liaison route for the rear of the Tang Army, and the relationship is important. It was reported that about one of the enemy in the vicinity of the area had formed a mixed wing, and the strength of our army was several times that of the enemy, so it should have been resolved as soon as possible, but after a few days of fighting, the enemy rushed into the area of Taierzhuang Weizi, which was very surprising. Your commander is responsible for strictly supervising the headquarters and purging the enemy before the 29th, so as not to delay the opportunity to be missed. The telegram to Tang Enbo was: "The corps abandons the plan of attacking Yixian and Zaozhuang, quickly monitors the enemy in front of it with a unit, and turns south with the main force to annihilate the enemy in Taierzhuang first." At this time, Sun Lianzhong directly sent a telegram to Tang Enbo because Tang Enbo, Guan Linzheng and others had promised that once Taierzhuang was attacked, "they would be able to return to help within one day" and "insist on completing the task in three days". The gist of it is: After being attacked by the enemy for several days, the 31st Division suffered heavy casualties, and hoped to attack the enemy's flank and back with all its strength to support the battle of Taierzhuang. Tang Enbo immediately ordered:

"The 52nd Army should flank the enemy from the vicinity of Fushan and Qingshan to the south at night tonight, and cut contact with Sun's Army; The 85th Army should occupy the areas of Yungu Mountain, Huangshan, Mashan, and Shenshan with one part, and contain the enemy in the areas of Qicun, Zaozhuang, and Guoliji, and the main force should assemble in the areas of Shenshan, Xiangshuiquan, and Zhushan this night. ”

On 28 March, Furong Zhenping's 63rd Wing concentrated its forces, and under the cover of 1 field artillery brigade, 2 field heavy artillery brigades, 1 150-mm howitzer squadron, and more than 30 combat vehicles, coordinated with the 2nd Brigade that broke into Taierzhuang yesterday, and launched the third onslaught on Taierzhuang. In addition to the 31st Division's stubborn resistance to the Taierzhuang position, the 2nd Army also ordered the 27th Division, the 30th Division and the 44th Independent Brigade to counterattack the enemy's flank and rear from the east and west. In particular, for the first time on the Taierzhuang battlefield, the Chinese Air Force directly supported the ground troops in the battle with nine fighter planes, which greatly encouraged the morale of the vast number of officers and men in resisting the war. As a result, the Japanese only occupied the northwest corner of Taierzhuang when they first started attacking after the artillery was prepared, and there was no progress after that. However, the Japanese troops who broke into the city took the opportunity to expand their gains. The 31st Division organized all the handymen who were able to fight into battle. The two sides engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand tug-of-war, fighting each other against each other, fighting house by house, and the positions formed a state of dog-tooth staggering.

On March 29, the commander of the Japanese 2nd Army, Nishio Shouzo, saw that the attack of the 63rd Wing was blocked, and the 20th Army Corps of the Chinese Army was advancing southward, and the 63rd Wing was in danger of being surrounded and annihilated, so he ordered the Sakamoto Detachment of the 5th Division to temporarily suspend the attack on Linyi and rush to the Taierzhuang side for reinforcements; At the same time, the main force of the Seya Detachment of the 10th Division was increased to the Taierzhuang front.

Seeing that the situation in Taierzhuang was critical, and the 20th Army Corps had not yet arrived, the Fifth War Zone ordered the Tang Army to "quickly move south to flank the attack" on the night of the 28th. On the night of the 29th, an official order was issued, and the tasks given to the Tang Corps were:

"A. On the 30th, Wang Junming responded to the enemy's feint attack at Yixian County to contain the enemy's southward advance, but should maintain the original direction from east to west. B. On the 30th, Guan Junming should quickly advance to Nigou and Beiluo, and after arriving at this place, he should use one part to Nanluo to assist Sun's army in solving the enemy near Taierzhuang, and use the main force to sabotage railways and highways to block the connection between Yixian and Taierzhuang, and coordinate with Wang's army to prevent the enemy from moving south in Yixian. However, the king's army should maintain the original direction from east to west. C. The commander of the Tang Corps should quickly contact Commander-in-Chief Sun. ”

On the morning of March 30, the Japanese army Setani Kai led his 10th Wing and chariot troops south from Yixian, and at about 21 o'clock that night, the vanguard arrived at Fankou Village, 6 kilometers west of Taierzhuang, and the main force was assembled in the villages on the east side of Zhangshan Mountain. The Fifth Theater found that the Seya Detachment had moved south, and Sun Lianzhong reported that he had "not yet made contact" with the 20th Army Corps, and at 20 o'clock that night, he telegraphed Tang Enbo again: "The enemy's main force seems to be moving south...... The commander of your army monitored Yixian with a department, personally led the main force to advance, and cooperated with Sun Jun to clear the enemy in Taierzhuang, and arrived before dawn on the 31st, so as not to delay. ”

After learning of the situation of the main force of the Seya detachment to the south, the Japanese army in Taierzhuang, with the strong support of the air force and the Japanese army outside Zhuang, made every effort to expand outward, and advanced to the north bank of the Zhuangnantou Canal that night. Sun Lianzhong sent the 176th Regiment of the 30th Division to Zhuang for reinforcements, and the troops of the 31st Division held the western half of the position, resisted desperately, and stopped the expansion momentum of the Japanese army.

On March 31, the Japanese Seya Detachment was still engaged in fierce battles with the troops of the 2nd Army in and around Taierzhuang, and there was no progress. Ryosuke Isotani, commander of the 10th Division, transferred the 1st Brigade of the 39th Wing of the division stationed in Jining to the 10th Wing to strengthen the offensive capability of the Seya Detachment. After receiving a report from Pang Bingxun and Zhang Zizhong that "the enemy in front of them had been repulsed," the Fifth Theater ordered the 139th Division of the 59th Army, which had been originally going to be transferred to Linyi, to "transfer to the Taierzhuang side as a reserve" in order to stabilize the battle situation in Taierzhuang.

The vanguard of the 20th Army Corps arrived near Ganlu on the night of the 30th, and on the 31st, began to attack the Japanese army east of Zhangshan Mountain, occupying Lanchengdian, Sanfolou and other places. Around noon, the cavalry regiment, which was on guard on the flank of the corps east of Xiangcheng, engaged in a battle with the vanguard of the Japanese Sakamoto detachment advancing west from Linyi. The 85th Division of the 89th Army went to the reinforcements, but was repulsed by the main force of the detachment near Taijiazhuang. Tang Enbo urgently transferred the 4th Division to the Xiangcheng and Aiqu areas to organize a blockade. In order to get rid of the unfavorable situation of being attacked by the enemy on his belly and back, and on the grounds of "avoiding stalemate with the enemy and refraining from taking risks in a decisive battle," Tang Enbo decided to "transfer troops" and "transfer all troops from the inner line to the outer line." He even gave up the attack on the Japanese troops on the eastern side of Zhangshan Mountain, "broke away from the enemy at night," and withdrew to the Lufang and Nanqiao areas east of Hongshan Town under the cover of the 4th Division.

On April 1, the Japanese Sakamoto detachment and the 52nd Army of the 20th Army Corps, which advanced from Lufang to Lanling, fought a fierce battle in the area north of Lanling Town. That night, Sakamoto Shun left 1 squadron of infantry and 1 cavalry team in the area between Xiangcheng and Lanling Town, covering their rear contact, and the main force advanced in the direction of Chahe Town east of Taierzhuang. The 5th Theater urgently ordered the 139th Division to occupy positions in Chahe Town, under the command of the 20th Army Corps, and prepare to resist the enemy. Tang Enbo led the command post to four households on the same day.

In order to annihilate the enemy in Taierzhuang, Sun Lianzhong decided to carry out a night attack on the neighborhood occupied by the Japanese army from outside the city, so as to intercept the enemy's surprise and attack its unpreparedness. At 16 o'clock on the same day, the combat order was issued. The main content is: order the 27th Division to select 250 brave soldiers, and then follow the 1st battalion of effective infantry to rush into the city of Taierzhuang (if the brave team can climb into the city wall and rush to kill the enemy, a reward of 5,000 yuan will be allowed); The 30th Division (owing the Yuan and Wu regiments) gathered its best forces and launched an attack on Sanlizhuang as the 27th Division began to attack the city; The artillery of the group army concentrated its fire on Liujiahu in order to pin down the enemy; The 31st Division of Taierzhuang cooperated with the troops of the 27th Division to launch an attack on the enemy who occupied the northwest corner of the city. At around midnight that day, the 27th Division Brave Brigade and the 2nd Battalion of the 157th Regiment broke into the city from the northeast corner of Taierzhuang and captured the northeast corner and the southeast gate, but they were finally blocked by the enemy, so they occupied part of the block and fought with the enemy in the streets. On the 31st, while the 2nd Battalion of the 157th Regiment of the 27th Division attacked, the 175th Regiment of the 30th Division also launched an attack on the Japanese troops occupying the northwest corner with the 3rd Battalion.

On 2 April, as the 20th Army Corps gave up its attack on the Japanese army east of Zhangshan yesterday, the 10th Wing of the Japanese Army took the opportunity to move south, entered the area east of Taierzhuang, and began to attack the positions of the 27th Division at Pengcun, Shangcun, and Taogou Bridge at 10:30. After fierce fighting until 19 o'clock, the 27th Division retreated to the line of Lianzhuang, Dingjiayao, and Huoshibu to continue the resistance. On the same day, the Japanese Sakamoto detachment also entered the Chenwafang and Gengzhuang areas and made contact with the 10th Wing. The troops that were left in the rear to serve as cover were surrounded by the 52nd Army, and the 145th Regiment of the 25th Division of Liu Zhuang annihilated its part in Liu Zhuang.

Since the 10th Wing of the Japanese Army and the Sakamoto Detachment were advancing to the area east of Taierzhuang, the Fifth Theater urgently transferred the 75th Army and its 6th and 13th Divisions to the Chahe Town area, and ordered the 333rd Brigade of the 111th Division of the 57th Army transferred from Linyi to enter the Lufang area, all under the command of Tang Enbo, commander of the 20th Army Corps, and determined to concentrate its forces to encircle and annihilate the Japanese troops that had advanced to the vicinity of Taierzhuang in the Zou and Tai areas. At 20 o'clock on the 2nd, the Fifth Theater of Operations issued combat orders to all units.

(1) The enemy's 10th Division and one brigade of the 5th Division, since the battles of Linyi and Taierzhuang, have suffered heavy casualties, and the strength of the troops participating in the decisive battle is no more than 5 wings, with 50 to 60 mountain artillery, 10 heavy artillery, dozens of combat vehicles, one of which is about 1,000 people, surrounded by the 20th Army Corps of our army near Qiuhu in the north of Hongshan Town, and its main force is moving to the area of Chen Wafang and Fenghuang Bridge on the east side of Taierzhuang, and continues to attack the right flank of the 2nd Group Army in a roundabout way. Jinan, Dawenkou, Jining, and Tengxian are another brigade of the 10th Division.

(2) With the aim of rapidly encircling and annihilating the enemy, this theater decided to start a general attack on the whole line tomorrow (3), maintain the focus on the right flank of the 20th Army Corps, and encircle the enemy in the area north of Taierzhuang and annihilate it.

(3) The tasks of each corps are as follows:

A. The 20th Army Corps destroyed the enemy in the north of Hongshan Town with one part, maintained the southeast front with the main force on the 3rd, attacked the enemy's left flank near Taierzhuang, and made a detour to the left one by one, so as to capture and annihilate the enemy in the area on the left side of Taierzhuang. The start time of the attack is determined by the legion. Due to the progress of the battle, the enemy's retreat from Yi County must be cut off at any time, and the enemy who is reinforcing the city must be strictly guarded.

B. The right flank of the 2nd Army contacted the 20th Army Corps and attacked on all fronts on the 3rd to destroy the enemy at Taierzhuang; The 110th Division prepared to cross the river with the 1st Brigade from the vicinity of Wanli Gate and make a feint attack on the enemy's right near Beiluo Village.

C. Cao Fulin, the former commander-in-chief of the enemy of the 3rd Group Army, commanded five regiments of Zhang Shimin's detachment and the headquarters of Li Mingyang, the commander-in-chief of the guerrillas.

(4) Legion Division:

Right Wing Corps

Commander of the 20th Army Unit, Tang Enbo, 52nd Army, 85th Army, 75th Army, 333rd Brigade of the 57th Army, 13th Division, 9th Cavalry Division, 4th Artillery Regiment.

Left Wing Corps

Sun Lianzhong, commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army, the 119th Division of the 2nd Army, 2 companies of the 10th Artillery Regiment, 3 companies of tank defense, and 2 companies of heavy mortars.

(5) The river defense of the 110th Division was replaced by troops of the 22nd Army.

The 10th Wing of the Japanese Army said in the April 2 "Battle Detail" that "to review the fighting of the 80th Brigade of the 27th Division of the Chinese Army since yesterday is worthy of Chiang Kai-shek's great trust in them." They held the skirmish trenches and all of them resisted stubbornly until the end. They were in the narrow stragglers' trenches, overlapping each other, fighting and dying, although they were enemies, and they were also lamented by their heroic appearance. During the battle, he was persuaded by an interpreter to surrender, but no one responded. The spirit of fighting to the sea of corpses and blood is not unique to our army. Ignoring others, being self-absorbed, and planning for our military sake should be cautious about this. In today's battle, our army suffered 66 casualties below the rank of colonel and about 250 enemy corpses. ”

On April 3, the Japanese army in Taierzhuang learned that its 10th Wing and Sakamoto Detachment had been reinforced to the area east of Taierzhuang, and in order to cooperate with the operation, they strengthened their offensive in Zhuangnei, and attacked from the eastern block to the southern and western blocks, but they were strongly resisted by the 31st Division, and there was no progress except for the capture of the southeast gate. The 10th Wing continued its attack on the positions of the 27th Division, but was also met with stubborn resistance. After a day of hard fighting, the Japanese army occupied part of the main position of the 26th Division near Huanglinzhuang, and the 27th Division retreated to the Shila line to continue the resistance. The Sakamoto Detachment, which was fighting east of the 10th Wing, was engaged in a fierce battle with the 75th Army in the area of Flint Port on April 3.

The three divisions of the 2nd Army were on the defensive under the onslaught of the Japanese throughout the day, but they were unable to turn to the offensive according to the orders of the theater. The 110th Division sent a martial arts team composed of the Yudong Red Gun Society to sneak across the canal that night, attacked Hanzhuang Station with broadswords and shuttles, and once attacked the station; The commando team of the 328th Brigade of the division infiltrated Hebei and also harassed the enemy in Zou County. The 1st Division of the 20th Army of the 75th Army was engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese Sakamoto detachment; The 52nd Army had eliminated the covering detachment of the Sakamoto detachment and was advancing to the line of the bottom pavilion and Yanglou in preparation for an attack on the left back of the Seya detachment.

On April 4, Seya Kai found that the Chinese army was showing signs of encirclement on its flanks and rear, and urgently ordered the main force of the 10th Wing to move closer to Yangmiao, where the detachment headquarters was located, and returned north overnight to gather at Yuscale, which was about 4 kilometers away from Taierzhuang; The strength of about 1 squadron was placed in the Huanglinzhuang area, echoing the 2nd Brigade of the 63rd Wing in Taierzhuang. The Japanese Sakamoto detachment's offensive was frustrated, and the 75th Army and the 85th Army were surrounded in Luandun, Dagushan, Huoshibu and other places.

The Chinese high command received information that the Japanese troops in the vicinity of Lincheng and Zaozhuang had been transferred to the south of Yixian for reinforcements, and immediately ordered Cao Fulin, the former commander-in-chief of the enemy of the 3rd Group Army, to "advance quickly to Lincheng and Zaozhuang and arrive by April 5" in an attempt to cut off the front and rear contact with the Japanese army and encircle the area south of Yixian near Taierzhuang; At the same time, 27 aircraft were sent to bomb the Seya detachment and the Sakamoto detachment in two batches. The 20th Army Corps placed the 13th Division in the Lufang and Nanqiao areas to prevent reinforcements from the Japanese army on the Linyi side.

On this day, the 75th Army and the 1st Division of the 85th Army fought against the Sakamoto detachment throughout the day, the 52nd Army was still preparing for the offensive, and the 2nd Army was still fighting hard with the enemy in front of it.

On April 5, the Japanese Sakamoto detachment had been completely cut off from the rear by the 20th Army, and ammunition and grain could not be obtained from the 5th Division in Linyi, so it had to be supplied from the Seya Detachment of the 10th Division, and it was already in a difficult situation. At 19:37 that night, the detachment ordered to prepare to retreat to the Linyi area, and at 20:30 called Seya Kai: "In order to capture Yizhou, the detachment was ordered to return, and it is scheduled to start acting after the end of the day tomorrow (6th), and gather troops near the Three Buddha Towers before dawn on the 7th. At this time, the Seya detachment's attack on Taierzhuang also made no progress, and the 1st squadron of the 10th Wing that left Huangyaozhuang had abandoned Jizhuang and other outlying villages under the onslaught of the 27th Division and retreated to Huanglinzhuang.

Because the 20th Army Corps has not yet carried out a powerful attack on the flank of the Japanese army attacking Taierzhuang, the situation in Taierzhuang has become increasingly critical, so Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Tang Enbo at 12 o'clock: "In the battle near Taierzhuang, I used the 10th division to face the enemy of half the division, which lasted more than ten years and did not achieve results. On June and July, the headquarters of the Emergency Strict Supervision Department worked hard to annihilate the enemy, and did not live up to high hopes. After receiving the telegram order, Tang Enbo actively deployed an attack: ordered the 75th Army to "consolidate the stronghold of the highlands in the southeast and southwest of Chahe Town, and continue to attack and advance to Xiaowang, Dongzhuang, and Taierzhuang with the main force"; ordered the 85th Army (attached to the 665th Regiment, owed to the 4th Division) to "continue to attack and advance towards Low Stone Bridge, Yanzijing, Chaheshan, and Liujiahu"; The 52nd Army (attached to the 4th Cavalry Regiment) was ordered to "consolidate the strongholds in Hongshan Town, Lanling Town, and Xiangcheng with a strong force, and the main force immediately began to attack and advance through Ganlu Temple and Yuanli Xu, and attack the line of Nigou and Beiluo." At the same time, he urgently ordered Chi Fengcheng, the commander of the 31st Division: "Tomorrow (6th), we will defeat the enemy in Taierzhuang and join your troops." If it doesn't work, be willing to be a military commander. That night, the 52nd Army reached the line of Dige, Yanglou, and Taogou, the 89th Division of the 58th Army attacked the enemy of Dagushan on the line of Zhuzhuang and Huangzhou, the 139th Division of the 75th Army attacked the enemy of Xiaowang on the line of Chahe Town and West Huangshi Mountain, and the 6th Division of the 75th Army attacked the enemy at the line of Daizhuang and Lijiawei.

On the same day, the commander-in-chief of the 2nd Group Army received a telegram from Cheng Qian, commander of the First Theater of Operations: "This commander has been ordered to come to Xuzhou to supervise the battle. The enemy of Taierzhuang was limited from Lu Qi to Qi (6th to 8th), and the internal affairs were captured and annihilated on the 3rd. The first meritorious person will be rewarded with 100,000 yuan, otherwise the division commander and above will be severely punished. ”

Immediately after receiving the telegram, Sun Lianzhong "strictly ordered all troops to wipe out the enemy in front of him within a time limit and exempt them from military sanctions." The 110th Division sneaked north from Deshengkou that night and prepared to attack the enemy near Zhangshan the next day.

On the morning of 6 April, the commander of the Japanese Seya detachment found that the troops of the 110th Division had advanced to the vicinity of Nigou and the west of Zhangshan, and the troops of the 52nd Army of the 20th Army had approached Zhangloudi, about 7 kilometers northeast of Yangmiao, where the detachment headquarters was located, and the main force of the Sakamoto detachment had been surrounded by the 58th Army and the 75th Army from the north, east, and south in the Xingjialou and Dagushan areas, and was preparing to withdraw tonight. In this way, "the commander of the Seya detachment decided to retreat because he thought it would be difficult to maintain the battle situation in Taierzhuang independently", and at 15:30 he telegraphed to Ryosuke Isotani: "Temporarily evacuate the Taierzhuang area, and the troops will assemble in the rear"; At the same time, the retreat was arranged, and the order: "The detachment will turn north with all its strength after the end of the day", ordering the 1st Brigade of the 10th Infantry Wing and the 1st Brigade of the 39th Infantry Wing to occupy Baishan Xicun and Zhangshan in advance of the day, and ordering the main force of the 63rd Infantry Wing (excluding the Taierzhuang troops) to attack Zhuzhuang when the day is not shining, so as to cover the retreat of the main force of the detachment, and the 10th Wing, the 2nd Brigade of the 63rd Wing in Taierzhuang, and the squadrons of the Donhe Gate, Huahuagou, and Huanglinzhuang all withdrew from the first line at 20 o'clock and assembled in the Nigou area. After receiving a telegram from Kei Seya in Yanzhou, Ryosuke Isoya immediately ordered the chief of staff to telegraph Kei Seya and order him to stop retreating. However, Seya Kai was in danger, knowing that if he could not quickly leave the Taierzhuang area tonight, he would be in danger of being completely annihilated after the Chinese army was encircled tomorrow, so he disobeyed his orders and continued to command the detachment to retreat. Due to the hasty retreat and the attack of the Chinese army, many military supplies, such as grain, ammunition, clothing, and Japanese corpses, were not taken away in time, and all of them were set on fire; Some heavy mechanized weapons also ran out of ammunition and could not be used, so they had to destroy themselves and abandon them on the battlefield. As far as the battlefield near Taierzhuang is concerned, the detachment's only 2 155mm heavy guns, 4 tracked tractors and 8 tanks were abandoned on the battlefield (later transported to Xiangtan, Hunan Province by the 200th Division for repairs), which shows its embarrassed state when it broke and fled.

The Japanese troops in Taierzhuang and the troops of the 31st Division fought next to each other across the wall. The Japanese tried to withdraw safely, but the defenders blocked it with heavy fire and grenades, and a considerable part of the Japanese army was annihilated at the last moment of the retreat. By about 4 o'clock in the morning of the 7th, all the Japanese troops in Taierzhuang were cleared.

On April 7, the main force of the Japanese Seya detachment retreated to the Guanzhuang area, and the rear cover troops were in the area of Zhangshan. After the Sakamoto detachment learned that the Seya detachment had fled north, it also accelerated its retreat that night under fire pursuit. Originally, he wanted to return to Linyi to the northeast and through Xiangcheng, but because the main forces of the 20th Army were in the northeast direction, they were unable to break out of the encirclement, so they changed to the northwest direction and retreated to the 10th Division.

After Li Zongren, commander of the Fifth Theater, learned of the Japanese army's flight north, he issued a pursuit order at 13 o'clock: "(1) The enemy near Taierzhuang, which had been defeated by the two armies of our Sun and Tang, is now fleeing in the direction of Yixian. (2) The Tang Army cleared the battlefield with one section, and pursued and advanced to Yixian County with the main force from the east of Taiwan and Zaozhi Road (not included) along the areas south of Xiazhuang, Mashan, Jiushan, and Tanshan. (3) Sun Jun commanded Zhang Zhen's Division (110th Division) to pursue and advance from Tai and Zaozhi Road (inclusive) to Yixian. (4) Cao Fulin (Blocking Corps) should intercept the enemy in the area north of Yi County and not let him escape. (5) If the enemy retreats to Yixian County, Sun and Tang's armies each occupy the eastern and western heights of Yixian County, and after the main force coordinates to destroy the enemy's field army outside the city, besiege Yixian County. (6) If the enemy takes Yixian County as the rear guard position, Sun and Tang armies each use one part to monitor it, and the main force pursues the enemy. (7) Sun Zhenjun (22nd Army) should cross the canal by Xinzhazi and pursue the enemy on the Hanzhuang side. (8) Li Xianzhou's division should continue to pass through Xiangcheng to the east, sweep away the remnants of the enemy west of Linyi, and advance towards Linyi. After arriving, it was under the command of Commander Zhang Zizhong. (9) To be in the copper mountain. "After receiving the order, the troops began to pursue according to the order.

On April 8, the main force of the Seya detachment gathered in the Yixian area, and a part of the army occupied Zhangshan and Baishanxi; Sakamoto's detachment retreated to the area of Guoliji, south of Zaozhuang. The commander of the 2nd Army, Nishio Toshizo, ordered the Sakamoto detachment of the 5th Division, which was based on the 21st Infantry Brigade, to be placed under the command of the commander of the 10th Division. Ryosuke Isoya ordered the two detachments to "vigorously reorganize their forces near their current positions, gather information about the enemy, and prepare for the next attack."

During the entire Taierzhuang battle, the 3rd Group Army, in accordance with the orders of the Fifth Theater, infiltrated the area north of Yanzhou with strong troops to conduct guerrilla operations to cooperate with the operation in Taierzhuang: on March 23, the 81st Division of the 12th Army attacked Yanzhou at night, annihilated the enemy, and destroyed the railway north of Yanzhou; On March 26, the 55th Division of the 29th Army blew up many places on the Dawenkou Railway, derailing Japanese trains; On 29 March, the 81st Division attacked the Dawenkou airfield at night, destroying eight enemy planes.

From 9 to 11 April, the pursuing Chinese troops were all approaching Yixian: the left wing corps advanced to the area of Baishan West and Nigou south of Yixian, the right wing corps advanced to the area of Tushan and Mashan east of Yixian, and the blocking corps advanced to the area north of Zaozhuang. At this time, the two detachments of the Japanese army, Seya and Sakamoto, had concentrated their forces to occupy the key points of Baishanshan, Zhangshan, Jiushan, and Guoliji, on the one hand, relying on fortifications for defense, and on the other hand, destroying and delaying the offensive of the Chinese army with offensive actions. As a result, the 2nd Army and the 20th Army Corps, although "attacked fiercely for several days, not only did their progress be very slow, but they suffered considerable losses."

The Chinese high command was anxious about the slowness of the pursuit. On April 12, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi: "It has been more than 5 days since the victory of Taizhuang, and Yi, Zao, Han, and Lin have not yet been captured. Hesitant and anxious. With the victorious army and the main force to pursue and reinforce the exhausted Kou, do not rush to annihilate within a time limit, once the enemy's reinforcements arrive, the resurrection of the ashes is no different from the success of the accomplishment and self-defeating future troubles. Wan Wang encouraged the soldiers to attack hard, and while blocking the attack in separate ways, they must wipe out all the remnants within a day or two. When the enemy soldiers arrive, I will wait even more. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi were in command at the front, and they had a deep understanding of the situation of the Japanese army and its subordinate units: the 2nd Group Army fought hard through Taierzhuang, suffered heavy casualties, and was very poorly armed and equipped, so it was really unable to attack the well-equipped Japanese army and occupy the existing positions; Although the 20th Army Corps was better equipped with weapons and equipment, and the strength of the army was also strong, the corps commander Tang Enbo always "avoided attacking fortifications", and in fact, it was indeed not suitable to win by attacking fortified battles under specific circumstances at that time. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi then sent a telegram to the headquarters on April 13: "The current enemy has changed to defending, relying on the mountains near Yixian County as a stronghold, and Zaozhuang as a horn. Because my front is too wide and weak everywhere, it is very difficult for me to achieve results in attacking day after day, and it is difficult to completely destroy the enemy. The policy of the second phase of the War of Resistance was originally to avoid positional warfare, to use movement warfare to consume the enemy's troops, and to reap the merit of 'turning small victories into big victories'. It is planned to deploy only a small number of surveillance troops on the encirclement line, and assemble the main forces in convenient mobile positions, so as to disrupt the enemy's rear communications on the one hand, and use small units to attack first on the other, so as to induce the enemy to seek a decisive battle outside the position, so that no matter where the enemy reinforces them, they can cope with the situation. This is a grade of on-the-spot observation at the front for several days, and it is believed that it is advisable to quickly change to the principle of the law of war. If it is possible, it is intended to be implemented by the camera. Begging. On April 15, Chiang Kai-shek sent a telegram to Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi: "The proposed mobile offensive is very appropriate, and it should be implemented as soon as possible." ”

Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi wanted to annihilate the enemies of Yi and Zao, but felt that the troops were insufficient. At this time, he received false information from the Tianjin side and misjudged the Japanese army's operational policy, so he sent a telegram to He Yingqin, chief of staff of the General Headquarters, and other decision-making personnel, hoping that they would assist in making the decision to increase the number of troops in the Fifth Theater. The telegram read: "Brother General He of Wuchang, Brother Xu Cichen (Director of the Military Command Department Xu Yongchang), Brother Xiong Deputy Chief Zheming (Deputy Director of the Military Command Department Xiong Bin), and Brother Lin Weiwen (Deputy Director of the Military Command Department Lin Wei): (1) Jinxi: The victory in Taierzhuang has aroused the anti-war movement on the Japanese side, and the plan to increase the number of divisions in China to settle the war situation in North China as soon as possible has been cancelled. (2) If we can grasp the fruits of Taierzhuang's victory and resolve the enemy in Yixian at an early date, we can expand the enemy's anti-war movement and incite international forces to watch and listen. Establish the foundation of my victory, in one fell swoop. It is the hope of asking the committee to concentrate all its efforts to fight for this, and to hope that the brothers and others will preside over everything, so as to observe the completion of the conquest as soon as possible. "The High Command agreed with them and began to send additional troops to the Fifth Theater of Operations. But in fact, the Japanese base camp had already decided to concentrate its forces on April 3 to launch the Battle of Xuzhou. At this time, the 2nd Army of the "North China Front" had basically completed its readjustment and deployment. On April 18, the 10th Division began to turn to the offensive, and the Battle of Xuzhou entered the later stage - the stage of Xuzhou breakthrough.

In the battle in the Taierzhuang area, the Chinese army suffered more than 10,000 casualties and missing people, and the Japanese 10th Regiment and the 5th Division suffered more than 7,000 casualties (excluding the casualties in the fighting in the Linyi area).

The above are all the processes and results of the Battle of Taierzhuang