Fortunately, the defenders erected a lot of sandbags, obstacles and other fortifications on the bridge, and although the Japanese tanks were invulnerable, they were blocked by obstacles after breaking through one or two lines one after another. There is also a certain danger in stopping to act as a fixed point of fire.

Although the Japanese infantry risked death to assault, there were no tanks rushing ahead, and with some of their flesh and blood, no matter how sophisticated the tactics were, in the face of several times the enemy's troops, the casualties also skyrocketed. The Japanese wanted to clear these obstacles, but the defenders on the bridge did not eat dry food after all. After a dozen Japanese soldiers carrying sandbags were knocked to the ground by bullets, the Japanese realized that such efforts were futile, and quickly turned their attention to the defenders on the opposite side. It seems that it is unrealistic to clear these obstacles until these enemy forces are defeated.

In fact, even a brigade of the Central Army is difficult to resist under the firepower superiority of the Japanese army, let alone a brigade, even if it is a division, facing three infantry brigades and one mountain artillery brigade of the Japanese army. There is only the share of being aggrieved and beaten.

But in this specific combat environment at this time, the defenders only need to hold a relatively narrow area such as the Huaihe Bridge, and the task is undoubtedly much easier, and more importantly, in order to avoid the bridge being blown up directly, the Japanese army only dares to use some grenadiers, and even the artillery with a slightly larger caliber does not dare to use, even those tank guns, which are mainly used to bombard obstacles on the bridge deck. The number of artillery shots was also relatively modest, and with these favorable factors, after more than four hours of fierce fighting with the Japanese army, the Japanese troops on the bridge were finally repulsed.

After repulsing the Japanese troops on the bridge, Mo Dehong immediately ordered the bridge to be blown up.

While the Japanese commander was angry and scolded his mother, the Huaihe Bridge finally collapsed in a burst of explosions, and the mutilated body sank into the boiling river. Looking at the hands and feet of the Japanese captain who had only two banks left and a few bridge piers in the middle of the river, his hands and feet were cold, and if he could not successfully cross the river according to the order, his position would not be guaranteed, and he would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever and become the object of spurning by others.

The original Huai River bridge had been blown up, and the Japanese army immediately thought of the boat to cross the river, yes, this time the Japanese army came too fast, the defenders could not catch up with the speed of the Japanese army, and the hundreds of fishing boats moored on the south bank did not have time to withdraw in time. This once again adds a certain amount of variables to the war.

Soon, the Japanese army used these fishing boats to transport troops to the north bank, and the battle between the two sides began again, but because of this operation, these small fishing boats could not allow the Japanese to carry heavy weapons across the river, except for some grenadiers and small-caliber mortars, and even the war defense artillery wanted to cross the Huai River It was an extremely difficult task.

Facts have proved that without these big guys, although the quality of the Japanese soldiers is excellent, it is difficult to stand out under the superiority of the defenders. Even with the assistance of aircraft, the Japanese army transported part of its forces to the north shore several times in succession, but it was successfully repulsed by the defenders one after another. There were a large number of Japanese corpses scattered on the north shore, many floating corpses floating on the water, and the Japanese army had no time to converge. At present, only forcibly crossing the Huai River is the first concern of these Japanese troops.

In the end, the Japanese increased their air support, and the Japanese finally grabbed a foothold on the north bank, but with the arrival of the main force of the 138th Division led by Mo Dehong, the Japanese army on the north bank was successfully repulsed again. It's just that the riverside county of the Huai River is too long after all. Even the 138th Division could only carry out key defenses, and there was no way to hold the entire line of the Huai River. After the Japanese realized that the possibility of crossing the river head-on under the interference of the 138th Division was low, while pretending to cross the river, another unit of the 26th Brigade crossed the Huai River west of Bengbu and successfully captured Huaiyuan. Arrive at the south bank of the vortex river. In order to completely defeat the enemy on the north bank of the Huai River, the Japanese army dispatched more than 20 planes and used artillery on the south bank to push and push one after another, and almost completely destroyed the fortifications of the defenders on the north bank under overwhelming artillery fire all the way. Qin Lianfang of the 131st Division led his troops to arrive in time, and the main forces of the two divisions fought along the river for nearly ten days.

However, at the same time that the Japanese army began to hurry up to cross the river, Li Zongren once again transferred the main force of the 89th Army and attacked the Japanese army crossing to the north bank of the Huai River with the 31st Army. At the same time, the air force was called for reinforcements, and at this time the heavy firepower of the Japanese army had not yet reached the north shore in large numbers. There was no sufficient firepower for accurate support, and only part of the firepower was fired across the river, and the accuracy was greatly reduced after all. In addition to the central air force's lift-up operation, the gap between the two sides in firepower was once again narrowed, and with absolute superiority in troops, the Central Army, the main force of the two armies, after more than three days of fighting, once again succeeded in driving out all the Japanese troops on the north bank of the Huai River. Due to the increasing tension in the northern section of the Jinpu Road, the Japanese army began to attack the Central Army west of the canal from Jining. Li Zongren transferred the 89th Army to the north. The remaining 31st Army confronted the Japanese across the river

"For the time being, the operation in Tengxian County is still good, and the Sichuan army of Yang Senbu is now partially divided into pieces, divided into small detachments to carry out sneak attacks and guerrilla attacks on the Japanese army, and with absolutely inferior equipment, it has repelled the Japanese attacks several times. Although this kind of guerrilla tactics could not stop the Japanese army in the front, it slowed down the Japanese army's advance to a considerable extent. In addition, in the south, the Japanese army was temporarily blocked in the Huai River. On the whole, the performance of the Central Army in the north and south of Xuzhou was quite decent. There is the Huai River in the south, and there is no big problem for a while. In general, the Linyi side also temporarily blocked the Japanese army. At present, whether the battle of Xuzhou can be carried out according to the plan of the central government depends on how long Tengxian can hold out. Can it win enough time for the main force of the Central Army in Xuzhou? ”

At this time, Yang Hucheng's 3rd Army had withdrawn to the south to rest, and Yang Hucheng had rarely had free time at this time after a period of intense combat. However, even if he was a little free, Yang Hucheng was still in Luoyang to discuss the issue of war against Japan with Jiang Li. The chairman of Shaanxi Province had already appointed another person, and Yang Hucheng had already shed the government affairs he had previously managed and was in full charge of the 3rd Group Army.

"Looking at the posture of the Central Army, at least 50 divisions have been mobilized this time. If Teng County can buy enough time for Xuzhou, I am afraid that this battle will still have to be fought. ”

Judging from this posture, the Central Army has also learned a lot of lessons from the Battle of Songhu. Although it still presents a disadvantage, the overall situation is balanced. Zhao Tieshu also nodded. Judging from his humble position, Li Zongren is still somewhat capable, and if he can successfully hold back the main force of the Japanese army, then we can fight a few counterattacks in Hebei, Suiyuan, and Shanxi. On paper, although the Japanese army has seven or eight hundred thousand troops, it is too scattered, and this is an opportunity for us. (To be continued.) )