On June 18, the Japanese army's war machine was activated again, and the 116th and 68th divisions of the Japanese army stationed in Zhuzhou and Xiangtan had been rested and replenished, and the troops advanced to Hengyang along both sides of the Xiangjiang River in three routes. The Japanese 68th Division arrived in the Hengshan area along the east bank of the Xiang River, and the Chinese defenders defending Hengshan were so weak that the defense line collapsed after only two days of resistance. The 68th Division of the Japanese Army rushed to cross the river in the early morning of June 23, and on the night of June 23, it entered Quanxi in the southeastern suburbs of Hengyang, and attempted to cross the river overnight. The Japanese 116th Division advanced along the west bank of the Xiangjiang River to the western outskirts of Hengyang City on June 26. The Japanese army attacked Hengyang with a strength of 55,000 people, and Yokoyama Yong believed that with a force of more than 50,000 people, attacking Hengyang would take as many as three days and as little as two days, and Hengyang City would be broken soon. Yokoyama Yong's appetite is very big, and he really doesn't take a Hengyang in his eyes.

Late at night on the 23rd, the duty telephone of the 10th Army Headquarters located in the central bank of the city center rang, and it was Rong Youxiao, the commander of the 190th Division, who wanted to report directly to the army commander Fang Xianjue. Fang Xianjue, who had just been lying down, took the phone, and asked without waiting for Rong Youwei to speak: "Jianxiong, is it that the Japanese striker has arrived?" ”

Rong Youluo replied: "Military seat, the enemy's forward has reached the east bank of the Leishui River, and it seems that he is preparing to force the Leishui River overnight. ”

Fang Xianjue felt that a stone fell to the ground in his heart, these days he was so busy that he only slept for two or three hours a day, he was extremely tired, but he still had insomnia, which was undoubtedly caused by anxiety in his heart. Defensive warfare is like this, there is no initiative at all, the enemy does not know when to attack, and the nerves of the defending commander are always tense, and they dare not slack off a little. Now that the enemy has finally arrived, Fang Xianjue breathed a sigh of relief.

Fang Xianjue asked: "Jianxiong, which battalion is defending the west bank?" ”

"The 568th Battalion of the 1st Regiment and the Divisional Anti-Artillery Company, the battalion commander is Yang Jihe. According to the battle plan, the 1st Battalion could retreat to the Wuma Gui Groove position after a little contact with the enemy, and join forces with the 1st Regiment of the 54th Provisional Division to block the attack. But I would like to change it temporarily, I think that if I make contact with the enemy for the first time, if I retreat without a fight, it will be detrimental to the morale of the army, and I am determined to take advantage of the enemy's half-crossing to attack him and give him a dismount! Rong Youluo suggested.

Fang Xianjue agreed: "Jianxiong, that is the defense area of your 190th Division, how to fight is up to you, and you don't need to ask the military department." ”

"Okay, I will immediately order the fire, military seat, please ask the staff officer on duty to record, the defense of Hengyang will be kicked off by my 190th Division, and the commander of the 190th Division, Rong Youluo, wishes the commander and all my colleagues good luck!"

As soon as Fang Xianjue hung up the phone, there was a rumbling cannon sound in the direction of Quanxi in the eastern suburbs......

Fang Xianjue wiped his face with a towel soaked in cold water, his spirit was immediately lifted, he pushed open the window, looked in the direction of the eastern suburbs and thought, yes, with this first round of artillery fire, the defense of Hengyang has begun, and the fate of the 10th Army is here!

When Rong Youluo put down the phone, the rubber boats and wooden boats of the 58th Brigade of the Japanese Army had already sailed to the middle of the river, and more than 20 light and heavy machine guns and 6 anti-aircraft guns of the 1st Battalion had already aimed at their own targets.

The dense firepower instantly covered the Japanese ships in the river, and the rain of bullets hit the river as if it were boiling, and the 37-mm anti-aircraft guns did not miss a shot at a distance of 200 meters, with a hit rate of almost 100%. The Japanese wooden boats were hit one by one by shells, and the fragments of the wooden boats and human limbs rose into the air in the sound of explosions, and the dense fire net composed of light and heavy machine guns smashed the Japanese rubber boats and the people and boats into pieces. After 15 minutes, the shooting stopped, and there were Japanese corpses and wooden boat fragments floating everywhere on the river, and more than 200 Japanese soldiers did not survive.

The 190th Division won the first battle.

When the news reached the headquarters of the 10th Army, the staff officers in the war room could not help but cheer. Only Fang Xianjue and Cai Jigang calmly glanced at each other, these two battle-hardened professional soldiers both maintained absolute calm, they both understood that the battle had just begun, and the brutal bloody battle was still to come.

An operational staff officer hung up the phone and reported to Fang Xianjue: "Military seat, the 190th Division is calling, the positions of the 1st Battalion of the 568th Regiment and the division's combat defense artillery company have been subjected to retaliatory artillery shelling by the enemy, and the division commander Rong Youluo has ordered the 1st Battalion and the combat defense artillery company to take the initiative to retreat to the Wumagui Groove position and join up with the headquarters of the provisional 54th Division. ”

Fang Xianjue nodded: "I know, tell Master Rong that the new wharf stronghold on the west bank of the Leishui River can be abandoned, but the Wuma Gui Trough position cannot be given up for the time being, and the 190th Division must hold it at present, and it must not take a step back." Those who violate the order will be killed! ”

Cai Jigang walked to the 1/100,000 military map, staring at the red and blue arrows around Hengyang on the map indicating the situation of friend and foe, and was silent for a long time.

Fang Xianjue walked over: "Brother Yunhe, you haven't spoken for a long time, you just looked at the map vigorously, what do you think, say it and listen to it." ”

Cai Jigang leaned close to Fang Xianjue's ear and said in an almost whispered volume: "The prospect is not good!" ”

Fang Xianjue was shocked: "How can you see it?" ”

Cai Jigang still stared at the map and replied: "Our troops are too small, except for the 3rd Division and the 10th Reserve Division, which are relatively complete, the 190th Division only has more than 1,200 people, and its strength is less than a full regiment, and the rest is a regiment of the temporary 54th Division, but the task of the people is to assist in the defense of the airport, and it cannot be calculated according to the garrison strength." I have accurately calculated that our actual strength in defending the city is only 7 regiments and 1 battalion, with a total of more than 17,600 people, and the actual combat strength is less than 14,000 people. ”

Fang Xianjue smiled and said: "Brother Yunhe, you miscalculated, the strength of the city defense should be 8 regiments, how can you calculate it as 7 regiments and 1 battalion?" Where did those two battalions go? Evaporated? ”

Cai Jigang snorted: "For the time being, the headquarters of the 54th Division and one battalion are in the city, two battalions are guarding the airport, and the remaining two regiments are not in Hengyang at all. I only counted this battalion in the city in the number of troops defending the city, at least the two battalions guarding the airport, I am afraid we can't count on it. ”

"You mean, there's a chance that the airport might be lost?"

"It's not possible, it's going to be lost, there's basically no doubt about it. I don't know what Chief Xue thinks, he only put a dissatisfied army in such an important Hengyang, and the defenders of the airport have nothing to do with the 10th Army, although they are nominally assigned to the 10th Army to fight, but I am afraid it is not so easy to command. Hengyang Airport is an important airport in the southwest of our army, and in order to achieve the goal of opening up the southern section of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway in Operation No. 1, the Japanese army will inevitably seize the advance airfield closer to the battle line, so Hengyang Airport will definitely become a battleground for the two armies. I don't understand, why did Chief Xue only send two battalions of the Provisional 54th Division to guard the airport? Have you noticed? The defenders of the airfield were simply fortified and were not connected to the fortifications defending the city, which meant that they could abandon the airfield at any time. I'm willing to bet you that after they abandon the airport, they will never take the initiative to retreat into the city to participate in the defense of the city, but will evacuate to the outside line and leave the battlefield. Cai Jigang analyzed coldly.

Fang Xianjue said: "Chief Xue arranged his troops in this way, probably because he wanted to play his 'Heavenly Furnace Tactics' again, attract the main force of the Japanese army to the vicinity of Hengyang, and then carry out a large encirclement on the outer line. In this way, both Hengyang and Hengyang Airport can be regarded as bait. ”

Cai Jigang sneered: "It's a pity that this bait is not a cheap earthworm, but an expensive bird's nest, you check the current location of our outer line corps, it has already been beaten by Hengshan Yong, and it is far away, and it is too busy to take care of itself, and the so-called 'Heavenly Furnace Tactics' has no possibility of implementation." ”

As he was talking, a staff officer on duty reported: "Chief Cai, General Chennault of the 14th Air Force of the US Army has called and asked you by name." ”

Cai Jigang was shocked, Chennault called? This is not often the case. The American general rarely has direct contact with combat units, and there must be something important about calling directly today.

Cai Jigang hurriedly walked into the telecommunications room, picked up the phone and greeted him in English: "Hi, General, I'm Cai Jigang." ”

Chennault's Texan-accented Southern American English came over the microphone: "Hey! General Cai, please forgive me for my presumptuousness, I really have no other way to understand the situation, I heard that you are in Hengyang, so I have to look for you directly. ”

"What's the matter, please tell me!"

Chennault asked bluntly: "General Cai, I am very concerned about the security situation at Hengyang Airport, please tell me bluntly, can we hold the airport?" ”

Cai Jigang hesitated: "This ...... I think the airport guards will do their part...... The situation in a war is changing rapidly, and anything can happen, General, I think the Air Force should be prepared early. ”

"General Cai, I think you have already told me that your army is not sure to hold the airport, is that so? I need a clear answer. ”

Cai Jigang's heart was crossed, and he simply said directly: "Yes, general, I think Hengyang Airport will be lost soon." ”

Chennault roared angrily: "General Cai, you should know that there are now more than 600 combat planes under my command, and more than 500 transport planes. The 14th Air Force is not only responsible for the air transportation of US-aided equipment, but also has to carry out the air cover task of transportation, and also has to spare a certain amount of strength to provide close air support for your army operations, and Hengyang Airport is one of the main bases of the 14th Air Force, I cannot imagine the serious consequences of the loss of Hengyang Airport. ”

"General, can you speak directly to Chairman Chiang? I think he'll take your opinion seriously. And I, on the other hand, am just a war supervisor assigned by the Military Commission to carry out the task of supervising the war, and I do not have any command authority. Although I couldn't agree more with you, unfortunately I can't help it. When Cai Jigang said these words, he was very sad.

Chennault softened: "I'm sorry, General Cai, I may be a little impulsive, but of course it's not your responsibility...... Cai, do you need my help there? ”

"Oh, the defenders of Hengyang need your air support very much, please send as many planes as possible to fight in the skies over Hengyang." Cai Jigang pleaded.

Chennault pondered for a moment and said: "Cai, I am very willing to help the defenders of Hengyang, but my ability is really limited, the distribution of materials is in the hands of General Stilwell, this person is very stubborn, his eyes are always fixed on the direction of Burma, and in the distribution of war materials, the northern Burma battlefield is always the first." Cai, I'm very unhappy, but there is nothing I can do, if I have enough gasoline and war supplies, I am fully capable of seizing all air supremacy on the Chinese battlefield. ”

Cai Jigang said sincerely: "Yes, I understand, General, my colleagues and I all agree that you are a good friend of our Chinese and Chinese soldiers, and we will never forget your outstanding professional operation ability, your excellent character and dedication to justice!" ”

"Thank you! Cai, although there are many difficulties, I will do my best to provide more air support for the defenders of Hengyang. Good luck! May God bless the defenders of Hengyang! Chennault hung up.

Fang Xianjue, who was listening on the side, asked in surprise, "Brother Yunhe, do you know General Chennault?" That's a character. ”

Cai Jigang replied: "We are friends, in the early days of the war in Chongqing, there was a great shortage of translators, and Chennault dealt with military personnel, and I was the guest English translator. In fact, Chennault is a person who likes to make friends, he is a standard western cowboy, bold and righteous, and old-fashioned. I believe that if you go back 100 years, this guy must be a famous cowboy riding a fierce horse, carrying two **** on his waist, and crisscrossing the western United States. ”

"Brother Yunhe, I heard it just now, you are asking Chennault for air support, it is really a hardship. On behalf of the officers and men of the 10th Army, I thank you! Fang Xianjue shook Cai Jigang's hand hard.

Cai Jigang said with a straight face: "Brother Zishan, the airport is too dangerous, can we transfer a regiment from the 10th Pre-Division to strengthen the defense of the airport defenders?" ”

Fang Xianjue shook his head heavily: "I'm sorry, I have the same judgment as you, but I can't do anything." Not to mention a regiment, not even a battalion, I don't have it, now it's a turnip and a pit, all the troops that can be mobilized are on the front line, and I don't even have reserves at hand. It's difficult, it is known as four divisions, but in fact, the strength of two full divisions is less. Chairman Chiang asked me to stay for 7 to 10 days, and I couldn't complain, no matter how difficult it was, I had to withstand it, but I really couldn't take care of it at the airport. ”

As he spoke, the roar of aircraft engines and the sound of machine gun fire could be heard in the sky.

Cai Jigang pushed open the window and saw four P-40 fighter formations of the Chinese and US Air Force Mixed Regiment skimming the city at low altitude and flying southeast......

A staff officer who had just hung up the phone reported: "The 190th Division reports that the Japanese Songshan Detachment is rushing to cross the Leishui River, and our Air Force fighters are strafing at low altitudes to intercept it, and several wooden boats have been hit by bullets and caught fire. ”

Fang Xianjue said to Cai Jigang: "Look at it, Chennault did what he said, so he put down the phone and the plane arrived." ”

Cai Jigang looked up to the sky and sighed: "These planes all took off from Hengyang Airport, of course, they came quickly, but we are afraid that we will not be able to use this airport in the future." ”

Hengyang Airport is located in the eastern suburbs of Hengyang City, under the Bachi Ridge on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The strategic location of this airfield is very important, it is a liaison point between China's southeastern air bases, and once it is lost, the Japanese army will use it as an advance airfield, greatly increasing the combat radius of the aircraft, and putting many air bases in the southeast, which have been operating dismally for many years, under the threat of Japanese aircraft.

Of course, Yokoyama understands the importance of Hengyang Airport, and his first point of attack was chosen here. When the 68th Division of the Japanese Army was divided into three columns to attack in the direction of Hengyang, it was ready to seize the Hengyang airfield, of which the 64th Independent Infantry Brigade under the 57th Brigade was organized into the Songshan Detachment on the way and became an independent combat detachment. Yokoyama Isamu gave the Songshan detachment a very clear task, that is, to move south and occupy Hengyang Airport as quickly as possible.

On the evening of June 24, the Songshan detachment launched an attack on the Wumagui Groove position on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River. The main force of the national army guarding this line was the 570th Regiment of the 190th Division, and the commander of the regiment, Colonel He Guangyao, had been on the battlefield for a long time and was also familiar with the tactics of the Japanese army, so he commanded Ruoding. When the Japanese artillery began to fire, the officers and men of the 570 regiment immediately entered the anti-artillery bunkers, and the troops suffered almost no casualties. As soon as the Japanese artillery fire stopped, the troops immediately entered the firing bunkers, and dozens of light and heavy machine guns smashed the open ground in front of the position into flying sand and rocks. After the first round of shooting, more than 100 corpses of the Songshan detachment were found, and all the first attack wave was annihilated.

There was cheering on the positions of the 570th regiment.

Zhang Baowang took advantage of his special relationship with the battalion commander to become the squad leader of the 8th squad of the 2nd Company, and Mantang, Tiezhu, Li Changshun, Sun Xincang, Ma Laowu and others were all assigned to the 8th class.

When Class 8 was formed, Man Tang and Tie Zhu resolutely opposed Ma Lao Wu entering Class 8, and the brothers were still haunted by the Hei Nier incident and their hatred was not gone. But Zhang Baowang looked at Ma Lao Wu pitifully, since this guy was beaten, he became a docile sheep, and everyone in the class of more than a dozen brothers could support him in his work, such as washing clothes and washing feet and other things became Ma Lao Wu's errands. And Ma Lao Wu seems to be happy to serve, he is like a motor on his buttocks, busy all day long, as if he never knows tiredness. Such an excellent soldier is simply hard to find with a lantern, except for the full cousins, the whole class of brothers take Ma Lao Wu as a treasure, so they resolutely vetoed the proposal of the full cousins.

Class leader Zhang Baowang believes that even if Ma Lao Wu was a devil before, then a bench of the iron pillar has beaten him into an angel, since he is an angel, no one is allowed to bully him, such a person must be well protected, maybe Ma Lao Wu will bring good luck to the class.

Zhang Baowang decided to treat Ma Lao Wu well, but he didn't dare to send him to stand guard, because this guy's attitude towards people is really unreassuring, and if the devil touches it one night, Ma Lao Wu is likely to throw down the gun and hug people, and treat the devil as a guest from afar, such a sentry must not be used.

At the beginning of the battle, Mantang didn't care much about the devil's attack, but stared at Ma Lao Wu. He has always suspected that Ma Lao Wu is pretending to be stupid, others don't understand him, and the full hall still doesn't understand? Growing up together with bare buttocks since childhood, this kid's bad stomach is well-known in ten miles and eight towns, why did he become so good all of a sudden? Is it true or fake? If it is pretended, it will be dangerous, and in the event of a war, Ma Lao Wu may shoot a black gun in the back of the enemy, and the full house cannot but be vigilant.

When the Japanese skirmisher line advanced to a distance of fifty or sixty meters from the forward position, the barge gun of the battalion commander Dong was fired. This is the firing signal, so the whole battalion's machine and rifle crackled, and the whole hall found that Ma Lao Wu was very skilled in using the official rifle, he fired, unshelled, loaded, and shot again, all the actions were done in one go, just like a veteran who had been in battle for a long time, but he couldn't be on the head, and consumed more than 20 rounds of ammunition, and he didn't even touch the side of the devil, so he was all listening.

Man Tang temporarily put his mind at ease, he aimed at the head of a Japanese soldier and fired a shot, 50 meters away everyone was a sharpshooter, Man Tang watched the Japanese soldier's head was half blown off by the bullet, and he fell headlong.

It took a lot of effort for Tie Zhu to prove to Zhang Baowang that he had been a machine gunner, and finally became a machine gunner in class 8. Tie Zhu himself can't tell why he is so close to the light machine gun when he sees it, anyway, how to look at it and how pleasing to the eye, the half-old Czech ZB-26 light machine gun of Class 8 makes him maintain it shiny, and whoever touches it will turn his face with whom.

At this time, in the bunker at the protruding part of the position, the light machine gun of the iron pillar showed its great power, he alternated short point fire and strafing fire, the machine gun "da-da" roared, the bullets chased the enemy, the Japanese straggler line was beaten to pieces, and the open ground under the slope was full of Japanese corpses.

Zhang Baowang is a veteran with rich shooting experience, and he was surprised to find that the impact point of the iron pillar shot has a very small dispersion area, which is usually done by a veteran shooter, and the iron pillar has only been three months since he first touched the gun, and he can shoot the machine gun to this extent, which can only be said to be a natural machine gunner. Zhang Baowang knew that it was more difficult to operate a machine gun than a rifle in battle, and that an excellent light machine gun shooter could effectively control the muzzle beating when firing continuously, and the smaller the dispersion surface of the impact point, the more it could prove the shooter's shooting skills.

Damn, it's weird, this child's shooting ability seems to have been brought from his mother's womb.

From the evening of the 24th to the morning of the 25th, the Japanese Matsuyama detachment attacked the Wumagui Groove position three times in a row, but they were all repulsed.

At 11 o'clock in the morning, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, the sun was blazing, and the soldiers' uniforms were soaked with sweat. The corpses of the Japanese soldiers scattered on the open ground began to turn black under the scorching sun, and the corpses gradually swelled, and an unpleasant smell permeated the position.

Hunan has a typical subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons throughout the year, with cold winters and hot summers. This is especially true in the Hengyang Basin, where the cold north wind in winter drives straight along the Xiangjiang River Valley, and in the coldest days, it can be described as cold to the bone marrow; In summer, because the tall peaks of Nanling block the cool sea breeze from the southeast, the long summer accumulated temperature cannot be dissipated due to the basin structure, so the hot summer in Hengyang is extremely hot. In such a bad climate, human beings will not be comfortable engaging in any activity, let alone being in a state of war, where both the offensive and defensive sides suffer.

The casualties of the 1st battalion were not large, and Zhang Baowang's 8th squad had zero casualties, except for Ma Lao Wu, the soldiers of the whole squad killed many enemies.

Tie Zhu kicked Ma Lao Wu's foot fiercely and scolded: "Are you a dog who wants to fight in the sky?" ”

Ma Lao Wu replied with a smile: "How can I be, I counted, I killed more than a hundred ......."

"Fuck you! I see you shit badly! Tie Zhu scolded and scolded to beat Ma Lao Wu.

Zhang Baowang hurriedly stopped: "Tiezhu, what are you doing?" Don't bully! ”

Sun Xincang said: "Ma Lao Wu, why can't you hit the old fight?" I saw it a long time ago, you don't even look for the target, you load the bullet and shoot, you don't care where the bullet hits, if you continue to fight like this, you won't be able to beat a devil in your life. ”

Li Changshun suggested: "Ma Lao Wu, don't shoot a gun, let's save some bullets, you will always throw your hand **, right?" When the devil reaches the bottom of the slope, you smash it down with your hand, don't forget to pull the string. ”

Ma Lao Wu obediently threw down his rifle, picked up a hand and threw it out of the trench with a "whoosh......

"Hey! Why did you forget to pull the strings? The hall scolded.

Who knew that the words fell, and suddenly heard a scream outside, Zhang Baowang jumped up in shock, and he yelled: "Brothers, copy guys, the devil is up!" ”

The observation post at the front of the position, a recruit with no combat experience, was so dizzy from the scorching sun that he could not stand it anymore, so he retreated back to the shade of the trench, forgetting his duty. At this time, a large group of Japanese soldiers silently touched up. Thanks to Ma Lao Wu, he threw out the hand ** not biased and smashed on the face of a Japanese second lieutenant, although it did not explode, but the weight of this iron lump was enough to make the Japanese second lieutenant scream. As soon as the target was revealed, the hundreds of Japanese soldiers who were preparing to attack were no longer silent, and they burst into a palpitating cry and rushed towards the trenches......

The iron pillar was the first to jump up, crashed headlong into the bunker, grabbed the machine gun and pulled the trigger fiercely. The machine gun screamed wildly and spat out a long tongue of fire, and the dozen or so Japanese soldiers who rushed in front were immediately swept down, and the enemy behind did not hesitate, they quickly jumped over the corpses and continued to rush, only twenty or thirty meters away from the position.

Zhang Baowang grabbed his two hands, pulled out *** with his teeth, and threw them with a wave of his arms. With two explosions, five or six Japanese soldiers were blown down......

Zhang Baowang shouted: "The whole class will throw bombs with me, quickly!" ”

At this time, the brothers in the class threw down their rifles and threw their hands**. With the continuous sound of explosions, dozens of Japanese soldiers who had rushed to the front of the trench were blown to pieces, and the strong shock wave threw bloody pieces of flesh into the trench......

Within a minute or two, the soldiers of squad 8 threw more than 100 hands**, and even Ma Lao Wu learned to pull the string and throw bombs. Although this guy has a problem with his brain, he is still very sharp, he leans back against the anticline of the trench, and keeps jumping his hand ** over his head and throwing it easily behind his back, throwing a distance of five or six meters......

Zhang Baowang was overjoyed, and he shouted while throwing bombs: "Ma Lao Wu, good job, I want to give you credit!" ”

When Ma Lao Wuyi heard this, he immediately stopped throwing bombs, stood up suddenly, and saluted Zhang Baowang: "Thank you for cultivating!" ”

Zhang Baowang was shocked, and a fish jumped to knock Ma Lao Wu down, and scolded in his mouth: "Are you looking for death?" ”

Ji Changgui, the commander of the 2nd Company, hurriedly ran over with a formal rifle and shouted: "Class 8, stop dropping bombs!" 8 squad leader, how the fuck did you command? The enemy retreated. ”

Only then did the brothers of Class 8 poke their heads out of the trench in unison, only to see that the bloody corpses of the enemy were everywhere outside the trench, and the enemy had already retreated.

Company Commander Ji patted Ma Lao Wu's bald head and said with satisfaction: "Well, you Class 8 did a good job, especially Ma Lao Wu, don't look a little stupid at this kid, you actually know how to throw your hand ** closer." I saw it really from a distance, others threw bombs too hard, and they all threw them behind the enemy, if it weren't for Ma Lao Wu, at least more than 20 devils would jump into the trenches, and the result was all wiped out by Ma Lao Wu! ”

Zhang Baowang dusted the soil on Ma Lao Wu's bald head and said: "Company commander, I was praising him, this kid stood up and saluted when he rubbed the ground, almost making the devil blow his head." Ma Lao Wu, aren't you stupid? Why aren't you stupid when you hear that I'm going to give you credit? ”

Tie Zhu beat a drum on the side: "Pretend to be stupid, two days ago, the military salary was paid, and this dog day got the money and stuffed it into the crotch, I looked, this kid sewed a pocket on the pants for a long time, and the money was hidden there, do you say he is really stupid or fake stupid?" ”

The brothers all laughed, and two recruits shouted to pick Ma Lao Wu's pants to verify it, and Ma Lao Wu immediately looked at everyone vigilantly, and his hands tightly covered the belt of his trousers, for fear that everyone would really pick his pants.

The brothers all leaned back and fell in laughter, and Lian Commander Ji couldn't help but laugh.

Ji Changgui waved his hand, everyone quieted down, and he concluded: "Well, your 8th squad played well, and the company commander hereby praises you!" Brothers, our 10th Army has a battle doctrine called 'three no-fights', what is 'three no-fights'? That is, if you can't see the enemy, you won't fight, you won't aim or fight, and you won't fight if you can't die. I want the brethren to remember this commandment! ”

Zhang Baowang said on behalf of the class: "Understood, company commander. ”

At this time, the regiment commander He Guangyao came to the front line to inspect, and he shouted from afar: "2nd company commander, which squad is defending this section?" ”

Company Commander Ji saluted and said: "Report to the regiment commander, it is the 8th squad of the 2nd Company, please instruct!" ”

Captain He walked over and looked at the brothers in Class 8, as if they were looking for something: "I saw in the telescope just now, you seem to have a good marksman, and your marksmanship is not bad, who are you?" Stand up to the front for me! ”

Company Commander Ji looked at Zhang Baowang inexplicably: "8 squad leader, who is a good shooter in your class, why don't I know?" ”

Zhang Baowang then remembered: "Oh, head of the regiment, what you see may be Sun Xincang, Xincang, come here!" The head of the regiment wants to see you! ”

Sun Xincang stood up timidly and saluted to Captain He: "Commander, do you mean me?" ”

Head He looked Sun Xincang up and down: "It seems to be you, why are you so accurate?" ”

Zhang Baowang said: "Regiment leader, Sun Xincang's family is an Orion, and he has been making muskets since he was a child. ”

"Oh, I say, if you can make a musket a rifle, I can see very well that this recruit is literally out of stock. Of course, a high hit rate at a distance of fifty or sixty meters is nothing, but his shooting skills are very skillful and sophisticated, the speed of loading and reloading is very fast, and he can lift the gun, and he doesn't need to aim at all, so he is a sharpshooter. Head He said excitedly.

Sun Xincang snorted: "Originally, the musket was hit with iron sand, and when it was hit, it was a piece, there was a hare and a duck or something, and it would be finished if it was hit by a grain of iron sand, so you don't need to aim too much." The rifle is different, a shot is a shot, and it doesn't work at all, I'm just a little used to it. ”

Commander He said: "It's good to get used to it, it doesn't matter what guy is, what matters is the shooting feeling, if it feels right, it's not far from the sharpshooter." 2 Company Commander, this soldier is a baby, you have to protect me well, if we have 100 such soldiers in the 570 Regiment, then you will be happy to kill me! ”

Company Commander Ji straightened his chest and said, "Yes!" Regiment commander, I transferred him to the company headquarters and followed me. ”

As soon as Sun Xincang heard that he was going to be transferred out of Class 8, he immediately became bold: "Leader, if I don't leave, I'm in Class 8, and I'm not going anywhere!" ”

Head He turned around and asked with interest, "Why?" ”

"I want to be with the class leader, with the brothers, I ...... I'm down-to-earth in Class 8......"

Commander He smiled: "Squad Leader 8, you have a good soldier, you don't want to leave Class 8 if you have a good place to go, okay!" Then let him follow you, I agree! ”

"Yes! Head. ”

Regiment Commander He warned the soldiers present: "Brothers, everyone fought well just now, but don't underestimate the enemy, the battle just now is too trivial, the devil's plane has not yet been dispatched, and the artillery fire has not been launched, it is estimated that the artillery has not yet followed." What I want to tell you is that the evil battle is still to come, and everyone should be mentally prepared......"

Before Captain He's words were finished, he heard a strange whistling sound, and Captain He's face changed suddenly, and he yelled: "Everyone lie down......"

A row of large-caliber shells whistled down, and with a series of deafening explosions, the entire position was enveloped in gunsmoke and flames...... The Japanese heavy artillery group was already in position on the northeast bank of the Xiangjiang River and began to cover the Wuma Gui Groove position, and several Japanese planes also dived and swept over the position to drop bombs and strafe.

At this time, the artillery group of the Nationalist army set up at Maple Hill also opened fire, and rows of artillery shells drew a dark red ballistic trajectory, crossed the Xiangjiang River, and frequently exploded on the Japanese positions on the northeast bank......

In this round of shelling, the 8th squad was not so lucky, the first row of shells landed, turning the three recruits into a cloud of blood mist, and even the bodies were not found, only a stump wearing straw shoes smashed on Ma Lao Wu's back. Ma Lao Wu was not afraid at all, he carefully compared, and felt that the straw sandals on this foot were newer than his own, so he made an exchange, and put the old straw shoes on his left foot to the bloody stump foot.

The whole house thought to himself, Ma Lao Wu, this kid seems to be really stupid, he is playing with that bloody stump foot and his face does not change, ordinary people do not have this kind of determination.

The Japanese artillery fire began to extend backwards, and Zhang Baowang immediately threw himself at the edge of the trench with his gun and shouted: "Brothers, the devil is coming!" Hit! ”

In the bunker, the machine guns of the iron pillars screamed wildly, and the people in the hall threw bombs frantically...... The battle is heating up.

The Japanese Matsuyama detachment also entered a state of frenzy, completely ignoring casualties, and hundreds of people spread out multi-layered skirmishers and rushed up overwhelmingly.

At the critical moment, Regiment Commander He Guangyao personally went into battle to lead the assault team to carry out a counter-assault, and the infantry on both sides mixed together to start a white-knuckle battle...... In the melee, Captain He's abdomen was pierced by a bullet, and the intestines flowed out of the body, he gritted his teeth and stuffed the intestines back into the abdominal cavity, covered the wound with his left hand, and shot **** in his right hand, knocking down several Japanese soldiers in a row, until the ****'s bullet nest was hollowed out. The guards desperately snatched back Regiment Commander He and rushed him to the rear hospital, where the deputy regiment commander took over the command.

The 570th Regiment was mostly recruits, and the brutality of the white-knuckle battle combined with the serious injuries of Commander He caused fear among the recruits, and the panic of the recruits in turn exacerbated the casualties of the troops.

The 570th regiment really couldn't stand it, and on the afternoon of the 25th, the deputy regiment commander ordered all companies of the regiment to cover alternately and retreat to the second line positions in Lianhuatang and Fengjiaping.

The five-horse return position was finally abandoned, and at this point, Hengyang had lost its peripheral position.

When the news of the loss of the Wuma Gui Groove position reached the headquarters of the 10th Army, Fang Xianjue, Sun Mingyu and Cai Jigang immediately felt the seriousness of the situation, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the Xiangjiang River Iron Bridge on the sand table. Everyone knows that once the outer position of Hengyang is lost, the Japanese army will seize this iron bridge in the next step, and as the defenders, if they lose the iron bridge, they will also lose the natural barrier of the Xiangjiang River, and the Japanese tank troops can drive straight into the city through the iron bridge. Therefore, this iron bridge must be blown up, otherwise the consequences are unimaginable.

With regard to the Hengyang Xiangjiang Bridge of the Hunan-Guizhou Railway, the Central Military Commission has long been instructed to completely blow it up if necessary. After the loss of Changsha, the Ninth Theater Commander's Department also issued an order: the camera of the 10th Army blew up the Xiangjiang Bridge in Hengyang, Xianggui Road.

That is to say, whether to blow up the iron bridge or not, and when to blow up the iron bridge, this decision is in the hands of the supreme military commander stationed in Hengyang, the official Xianjue.

Under his order, the 10th Army Engineer Battalion, together with bridge experts, had already placed a large amount of ***** on the structural point of the bridge's steel frame two days ago, and the detonation wires had also been installed, just waiting for the order to blow up the bridge.

When studying the steps of the Xiangjiang Iron Bridge to blow up the bridge, the eyes of the stationmaster of Hengyang West Station of the Xianggui Railway were red, and he couldn't accept this reality no matter what.

Before 1944, although Hengyang was known as the intersection of the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Xianggui railways, it was not a railway hub in the real sense, because the two railways were separated by a Xiangjiang River and did not connect. Therefore, Hengyang has two railway stations facing each other across the river, Jiangdong Station belongs to the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway Bureau, and Jiangxi Station belongs to the Xianggui Railway Bureau. The transfer of passenger and freight trains has to be transferred to cars to cross the Xiangjiang River by ferry, which has become a traffic bottleneck and is very inconvenient. In 1940, the war was tense, Britain and the United States and other countries had not yet entered the war, and only China was in the crisis on the eastern battlefield.

The construction of this iron bridge took three years, and it also cost countless financial and manpower resources, especially when the bridge was built, it was often attacked by Japanese aircraft, and it took a lot of hardships before the railway and highway were opened to traffic on April 20, 1944.

On the day of the opening of traffic, high-ranking officials in Hengyang urban area gathered, thousands of people were empty, people beat gongs and drums, and firecrackers rang out in unison...... This was only two months ago, and who would have thought that a bridge that had cost a lot of money and had been built for three years would have to be blown up by his own hands after only two months and two days.

Fang Xianjue had not yet returned from inspecting the troops, and Sun Mingyu and Cai Jigang discussed the matter of blowing up the bridge with Lieutenant Colonel Lu Bogao, commander of the engineer battalion, Major Song Kuixian, deputy battalion commander, and the staff of Hengyang West Station of the Xianggui Railway Bureau.

Cai Jigang tapped the pier of the Xiangjiang Bridge on the sand table with a pencil and asked, "Battalion Commander Lu, is the pier partially placed?" ”

Battalion Commander Lu replied: "Only part of it was placed, because the underwater part of the blasting was very complicated, and it had to be reported to the US frogman unit for assistance, so it was not implemented." Sir Cai, I have a suggestion, I don't know if I can ...... it."

Cai Jigang raised his head and stared at Battalion Commander Lu and said, "Say, you are a professional, and your advice is more important than anyone else." ”

Battalion Commander Lu pointed to the bridge piers on the sand table and said: "I want to revise the plan for bombing the bridge, only blowing up the bridge part and keeping the bridge piers, so that it is convenient to rebuild the bridge after the war." According to the law, the most expensive and laborious part of the bridge is the underwater part of the piers, and if we keep the piers, it will be easier to repair in the future, and we will save a lot of money, after all, we are a poor country. ”

Cai Jigang praised: "Well, this is a good idea, but the problem is that with the bridge piers retained, it will be easy for us to repair them in the future, and it will be easy for the enemy to repair them." Of course, our artillery fire and air strikes can prevent the enemy from using the piers to build bridges, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the iron bridge over the Yellow River......"

Cai Jigang didn't say what he said in his heart, artillery fire and air strikes can prevent the enemy from building bridges, but the premise must be that Hengyang is still in our hands, what if Hengyang is not held? It would be possible for the enemy to repair the iron bridge. Cai Jigang agreed with Battalion Commander Lu's suggestion because he knew very well the difficulty of underwater blasting of the bridge piers, and with such a tight schedule, it was difficult to completely blow up the bridge piers with the technical strength of the engineer battalion alone. Since there was no better way, I had to adopt Battalion Commander Lu's suggestion.

At this time, Fang Xianjue returned to the headquarters after inspecting the troops, and Sun Mingyu greeted him and asked: "Junzuo, everything is ready now, when to blow up the bridge, just wait for your order." ”

Fang Xianjue looked up to the sky and sighed: "Alas! I can't help it, this is not an ordinary bridge, it is a key bridge at the intersection of the east, west, north and south of our country, and it is where our throat is, and we can't get ...... it."

Cai Jigang stood up and said decisively: "Brother Zishan, you can't hesitate any longer, Yokoyama Yong is not a fool, of course he knows the importance of this bridge." If you empathize, you are Isamu Yokoyama, Brother Zishan, what will happen to you? ”

Fang Xianjue blurted out: "Send a capable commando team, disguise yourself and blend in among the refugees, waiting for an opportunity to seize the bridge." ”

"yes, we all have similar ideas, wouldn't Isamu Yokoyama think of this? Maybe this assault team is already approaching the bridge at this time, and we can't delay for a minute, and blow up the bridge immediately! Cai Jigang reminded with some anxiety.

Sun Mingyu also agreed: "Military seat, the night is long and there are many dreams, the Japanese army will do everything possible to seize the bridge by various means, it's time, please order the bridge to be blown up!" ”

Fang Xianjue made up his mind: "Battalion Commander Lu, martial law will be imposed at both ends of the bridge immediately, and it will explode in half an hour, go and enforce it!" ”

Battalion Commander Lu stood up and saluted: "Yes, execute it immediately!" ”

After the order to blow up the bridge was issued, the bustling crowd on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River suddenly quieted down, and thousands of soldiers of the national army who were repairing fortifications outside Hengyang put down their tools one after another.

The soldiers of the 8th squad, who were building fortifications on the Fengjiaping position, also heard the news, and Zhang Baowang stood on a high soil post with Mantang, Tiezhu, Li Changshun, Sun Xincang and others and looked at the Xiangjiang Bridge. As far as the eye can see, the afternoon sun outlines the golden outline of the Xiangjiang Bridge, which appears and disappears in the transpiring mist on the river surface. The river is very quiet, and the busy scene of hundreds of boats competing for the current and thousands of sails competing in the past has completely disappeared, and I saw the mighty river, flowing northward without a word.

At this time, tens of thousands of Hengyang soldiers and civilians on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River looked grim and held their breath, and tens of thousands of pairs of eyes were staring at the steel bridge that had provided them with countless conveniences for more than two months......

Battalion Commander Lu held the phone in one hand and the button handle in the other, and Fang Xianjue's order came from the phone: "Battalion Commander Lu, I am Fang Xianjue, and now I officially order: Blow up the bridge!" ”

Battalion Commander Lu decisively pressed the handle of ***, the air and time seemed to freeze for half a second, nearly a thousand explosion points detonated in two batches, with a loud noise, the earth shook strongly, the bridge was instantly shrouded in yellow smoke, countless huge flames mixed with red-hot steel fragments, fragmented concrete blocks rose into the air, the smoke column reached hundreds of meters in the air, the huge steel frame of the bridge was blown into thousands of fragments and slowly rolled and smashed into the water, splashing dozens of meters high water column, and then disappeared in the surging river......

People were stunned, and for a long time, the soldiers silently took off their hats and saluted facing the Xiangjiang River, and hundreds of people could not hide their grief, and there was a huge cry of sorrow in the face of the east bank of the Xiangjiang River...... People's hearts are full of pathos, this is the children of Sanxiang towards the hometown of Jiangdong fallen, to the suffering compatriots, and at the same time for whether they can still live to set foot on the land on the east coast again, from the depths of their souls!

Cai Jigang stood by the river and witnessed all this, he silently turned around, walked through the weeping crowd, and walked back to the city with heavy steps.

At the moment of the great enemy, the soldiers do not believe in tears at this time!

After the loss of the Wuma Gui Trough position, if the Japanese Songshan detachment wanted to take Hengyang Airport, there were still two weak defensive lines in front of Wantang and Fengjiachong. The Japanese commander, who was eager to seize the Hengyang airfield, sent the 116th Independent Infantry Brigade led by Tabe Kujiro Nakasa to support the Matsuyama detachment, which suffered heavy casualties, in an attempt to overwhelm the Chinese defenders with superior strength and quickly seize the airfield.

The defenders of the Wantang position were the 3rd Battalion of the 569th Regiment of the 190th Division, which had only crossed the river in a hurry at midnight on 24 June, and this battalion was also a unit that was not fully staffed, and the number of troops was already small, even if the whole battalion went up to defend the position, the distribution of troops was still stretched, but the commander of the 3rd Battalion, Major Huang Zhong, was reluctant to use all his strength, and only sent an 8th Company of less than 100 people to the position, and arranged three sentries to be responsible for guarding the commanding heights of the nearby Eight Ridges. Battalion Commander Huang had his own plans, he hoped to keep a reserve at hand, once the sentries on the eight ridges found out that the Japanese were attacking, they would immediately call the police, and then the troops under the mountain would immediately go up the mountain to reinforce.

But Battalion Commander Huang did not plan well, he ignored the threat from the direction of the Leishui River and did not arrange a guard in this direction.

At midnight on June 25, the Japanese assault team touched the eight ridges from the direction of the Leishui River and easily killed the guard post. Then the Japanese soldiers of the brigade launched an attack and easily broke through the Wantang position, most of the soldiers of the 8th company of the defending army were killed, and a few broke through.

The Japanese Songshan detachment did not pause after its success, and continued to assault forward, directly attacking Fengjiachong's position.

The strength of the defenders of Fengjiachong's position was even weaker, and the 568th Regiment of the 190th Division was originally an empty shelf, and only some officers who were responsible for training recruits were hurriedly replenished with some recruits before the start of the war, and their combat effectiveness was extremely weak. Therefore, less than an hour after the battle began, Feng Jiachong's position was lost.

At this point, Hengyang Airport was completely exposed to the Japanese army.

The defenders of Hengyang Airport were two battalions of the provisional 54th Division, and these two battalions had no intention of fighting, and after the loss of the position of the Five Horses Gui Trough, they had already begun to retreat. As for the importance of the Hengyang airfield and the serious consequences that would arise if it were lost, the commanders of the defending forces seemed too lazy to think about it.

The provisional 54th Division is a Cantonese unit and a descendant of Xue Yue, commander of the Ninth Theater Command. This unit was only designated as a subordinate to the 10th Army before the war, and was temporarily placed under the command of Fang Xianjue, but for some reason, only one regiment arrived in Hengyang.

As for why the defenders of the airport retreated without an exchange of fire, Major General Rao Shaowei, commander of the provisional 54th Division, also had his own explanation. He believes that his task is to guard the airport, and according to the predetermined plan, the airport can be abandoned immediately after the operation on the periphery of Hengyang, so the combat mission is completed, and the Hengyang battlefield should be evacuated. As for how to guard the urban area of Hengyang, I'm sorry, this is not about the temporary 54th Division, Major General Rao Shaowei is only responsible for Chief Xue, and he can't worry about the rest.

After the Wuma Guichu position was lost, Rao Shaowei immediately ordered his subordinate regiment commander, Colonel Chen Chaozhang, to lead the 1st and 2nd battalions guarding the airport to retreat south to Fengjiachong, and then cross the river and retreat all the way to Leiyang, out of the Hengyang battlefield. But when he thought of Fang Xianjue's round face that was easily angry, Rao Shaowei couldn't help but hesitate. As a senior general of the garrison of the city, Rao Shaowei is of course aware of the predicament faced by the defenders of Hengyang, and the lack of troops is the main problem, and it is good to add one person and one gun at this time. If Fang Xianjue knew that his regiment had withdrawn from the Hengyang battlefield, and he didn't know how much fire to make, it would indeed be difficult to explain. Moreover, the provisional 54th Division is at least nominally designated to be attached to the 10th Army to fight, and it is under the command of Fang Xianjue, so that there is a suspicion of escaping from the battle, and it will be very annoying for the command to blame it in the future.

Rao Shaowei thought about it, and finally decided that the two battalions that served as airport guards would leave the Hengyang battlefield and lead the 3 battalions to stay and continue to fight. If Fang Xianjue is to blame, Rao Shaowei also has something to say, Lao Tzu, a major general, and a division commander stay with you to guard the city, what else do you want?

At dawn on June 26, the reinforced Songshan detachment finally arrived at the southern end of Hengyang Airport. Most of the Chinese garrisons at the airport had withdrawn, and only a few small units were left at the northern end of the airfield to cover the retreat.

Although the Matsushima squadron of the Japanese Matsuyama detachment as the vanguard was exhausted, the fierce wind was still there, and they did not hesitate at all, and immediately launched an attack on the airfield, and with a single charge, they repelled a small number of covering troops of the defenders, and simply seized the airfield.

When the news of the loss of Hengyang Airport came, there was an uproar in the headquarters of the 10th Army, and the army commander Fang Xianjue was so angry that he smashed the teacup in his hand.

Only Cai Jigang remained calm, because he was not surprised by this result at all, and it was already expected. Not to mention that the defenders of these two battalions did not resist, even if they resisted, so what? Judging from the battlefield situation, if the Japanese army is determined to win the Hengyang airfield, even if two regiments are sent to guard the airfield, it will not help. Since the beginning of the war, Isamu Yokoyama has firmly grasped the strategic initiative, and his troops are invincible. However, there are many contradictions within the Chinese armed forces, and it is difficult to unify and enforce military orders, and all units regard the preservation of strength as the first principle, and sometimes they are indifferent to the annihilation of friendly and neighboring troops, but they are all courageously taking the lead in striving for merit. How can there be any reason to be invincible in such a war?

Cai Jigang comforted: "Brother Zishan, I'm afraid now is not the time to hold us accountable, do we still have a chance to do something remedy?" ”

Fang Xianjue calmed down: "The airport is lost, how can I remedy it?" We can only shrink our forces and hold on to our existing positions. ”

Cai Jigang suddenly remembered one thing: "Brother Zishan, when the defenders evacuated, did they destroy the airport facilities?" ”

Fang Xianjue's heart sank suddenly, and he blurted out: "Oh no, without this plan, the airport should be intact at this time." ”

Cai Jigang slammed his fist on the table: "Brother Zishan, we can't delay for a moment, immediately organize troops to recapture the airport, and then destroy the airport facilities, we can't use this airport, and we can't let the Japanese use it, otherwise the combat radius of the Japanese aircraft will extend thousands of kilometers to the south, and Guangxi and Guizhou will be within their attack range, and this matter is not trivial." ”

Fang Xianjue stood up, walked to the map and looked at it carefully, his brows were furrowed, his face was full of anger, and he used his fingers to compare the distances of the strategic points on the map, and he didn't say anything for a long time.

Chief of Staff Sun Mingyu approached Fang Xianjue and whispered: "Military seat, the war supervisor is right, when formulating the battle plan, no one expected that the airport would be lost, so there was no plan for destruction. The problem is that if the Japanese army uses Hengyang Airport as an advance base and the rear area is bombed, the Military Commission will definitely blame us, because it should be basic common sense to destroy the lost airfield to prevent the enemy from using it. ”

Why didn't Fang Xianjue want to recapture the airport? Just because he doesn't have many troops at hand, and the existing troops are a turnip and a pit, how can there be extra troops? Besides, this is another offensive battle, the casualties will not be small, and the loss of more than 14,000 people in the hands is one less than one, which is really a bit unaffordable.

But the lost airfield must be destroyed, otherwise the consequences will be very serious.

Fang Xianjue finally made up his mind: "Chief of Staff, pass on my order!" Taking advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold, he ordered the commander of the 190th Division, Rong Youluo, to lead his troops to recapture the airfield and carry out complete destruction! ”

The order was conveyed to the headquarters of the 190th Division, and the commander of the division Rong Youluo knew the importance of this move, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately went into battle in person, commanded the 569th Regiment, and carried out a counterattack on Hengyang Airport.

It was another fierce battle, and the 569th Regiment launched a decisive attack regardless of casualties under the order of death......

Although the Japanese occupied the airfield, they were somewhat caught off guard because they were not familiar with the terrain and did not expect the Chinese army to launch a counteroffensive so quickly. The 569th Battalion of the 2nd Regiment occupied most of the airfield with a charge, and the battle unfolded near the airfield control tower.

After all, the Japanese field troops were well-trained, and they quickly organized effective resistance, and the crossfire consisting of light and heavy machine guns on the control towers and in the ground fortifications inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking troops of the 2nd Battalion of the 569th Regiment. The battle lasted for five hours, and the concrete runway of the airport was littered with the corpses of national soldiers......

Under the strict supervision of the division commander Rong Youluo, Lieutenant Colonel Liang Zichao, the commander of the 569th Regiment, fought hard for his life, and he personally led the assault team to charge with a light machine gun.

At the cost of more than 200 casualties, the 569th Regiment of the 190th Division finally expelled all the Japanese garrison troops from the airport.

Rong Youwei had been in battle for a long time, and he knew full well that it would be difficult to hold the airfield with only the few troops at hand, and the Japanese army would soon counterattack. It is imperative to carry out the destruction of the airfield immediately, otherwise it will be too late. So the 569th Regiment all started, under the guidance of the engineers, quickly blew up all the facilities of the airport, and dug a pit 50 centimeters deep every 10 meters on the runway of the airport, and buried a kilogram **. After everything was ready, Rong Youluo personally pressed the button to detonate **, and a series of dull explosions sounded on the airport, smoke and dust rose into the sky, the entire airport runway was blown up to a thousand holes, the foundation was also shaken loose, and the 45-meter-high tower slowly fell, setting off a huge white fog.

The Japanese army could not repair the use of Hengyang Airport in a short period of time.

When the commander of the Japanese Matsuyama detachment learned that the airfield had been lost and lost, he immediately organized troops to counterattack. On the evening of the 26th, more than 1,000 Japanese infantry rushed into the airport in separate directions and easily drove the 569th Regiment of the Nationalist Army out of the airport.

At this point, on the peripheral front of Hengyang, the national army was no longer able to launch a counterattack, in order to preserve its combat strength, Fang Xianjue ordered all the troops on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River to withdraw to the main urban area on the west bank of Hengyang.

When the news of the loss of Hengyang Airport reached Chongqing, it immediately caused an uproar. First of all, General Chennault, commander of the Sino-US Joint Air Force, was furious, and as chief of staff of the Air Force in the Chinese theater, he attached more importance to this airfield than anyone else, and the loss of Hengyang Airport was like cutting off one of Chennault's arms, making the general so distressed that he could not eat for several days.

The contradiction between Chiang Kai-shek and Lieutenant General Stilwell became even more acute, and Stilwell unceremoniously accused the people of being corrupt, the commander-in-chief Chiang Kai-shek's improper military command, and the Chinese army being vulnerable, and even secretly suggested that President Roosevelt abandon Chiang Kai-shek and support other military giants to replace him.

At this point, the nature of things begins to change. Stilwell was just a lieutenant general in the army, and he wasn't much of a heavyweight in the U.S. military, and this time he played a little too big and forgot who he was. Chiang Kai-shek was the **** of China and the commander-in-chief of the Chinese theater; And Stilwell was only the chief of staff of the Chinese theater of operations, a subordinate of Chiang Kai-shek, who assisted him in his work. Now it seems that the chief of staff is going to ride on the neck of the commander-in-chief, and even to subvert the regime of a country, which is to touch the bottom line, which Chiang Kai-shek cannot tolerate in any case.

Chennault also disliked Stilwell, and the two had no personal relationship, but this did not prevent him from making the most apt assessment of Stilwell's strengths and weaknesses: "Stilwell's mission in China undoubtedly put the most difficult diplomatic work on the shoulders of a wartime professional soldier...... He was an army soldier, rugged and brave, commanding troops under enemy fire, he was like a ......leisurely stroll," was Chennault's praise for Stilwell's strengths, but he concluded with the most crucial words: "All my dealings with Stilwell have led me to believe that he always saw himself as a soldier in the Army, and did not understand his basic duties as a diplomat, nor did he have the patience to figure it all out." ”

Even Stilwell's good friend, General George Marshall, chief of the U.S. Army General Staff, admitted that "Sour Vinegar Joe" was his own worst enemy. Because he made no secret of his contempt for Chinese, but also for the "inaction" attitude of the British, he poisoned his relations with them......

The wise man said: Character is destiny. As a diplomat, Stilwell's character is difficult to accomplish great things. A few months later, Lieutenant General Stilwell was recalled to China, ending his mission as chief of staff for the Chinese theater.

Chiang Kai-shek, who was the head of a country, was criticized by Stilwell continuously, and he was naturally in a bad mood. He admits that the battle was not fought well, but can this blame Chiang Kai-shek? The reasons for this are so complex that I can't say it for three days. Chiang Kai-shek did not want to explain, and neither did his American-British allies. Chiang Kai-shek understood very well in his heart that explaining 10,000 sentences was not as useful as actually winning a battle, so he pinned his hopes on Fang Xianjue in Hengyang that if the 10th Army held Hengyang, firmly contained the main force of the Japanese army in Hengyang, and then mobilized the outer line corps to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Japanese army in Hengyang, this would be able to stand up in front of the US and British allies, otherwise Chairman Chiang would really lose face.

Chairman Jiang condescended to call Fang Xianjue many times, and as the principal, he understood his reasoning and moved with emotion, and asked the 10th Army to display national and military prestige. Student Fang Xianjue was flattered and also made a heart, if this battle is not fought well, I am afraid that I will have no shame to see Jiangdong's father. Since the principal gave face like this, the lives of Fang Xianjue and all the officers and men of the 10th Army were handed over to the principal.

The news of the occupation of Hengyang Airport spread to Japan, causing jubilation among the cabinet and the people. The Japanese emperor and Hideki Tojo all issued orders and awards, and the Japanese Matsuyama detachment became famous in the first battle. At this time, the Japanese troops preparing to attack Hengyang were already in their respective positions, and the morale of everyone from officers to soldiers was high, and they did not take the defenders of Hengyang seriously at all. According to the plan of the commander of the 11th Army, Isamu Yokoyama, it would only take two days to capture Hengyang, and the Japanese field corps was in a hurry to go south and did not have time to waste time in this small place of Hengyang.

Now Isamu Yokoyama has a lot of good cards in his hands, and he has a lot of money and strong troops. The 68th Division, the 116th Division and the 5th Independent Infantry Brigade of the Japanese Army have completed the encirclement of Hengyang, and in addition to the artillery brigades directly under the divisions and brigades, they are also attached to the 122nd Independent Artillery Wing, and the artillery force has been unprecedentedly strengthened, and the total strength of the attack on Hengyang has reached more than 55,000 people.

With nearly three divisions and a large number of artillery, tanks, and air force support, the 10th Army of the Nationalist Army, which was incompletely formed and had only one-third of the firepower of the Japanese army, had a clear outcome, and the fate of the defenders of Hengyang seemed to be doomed from the beginning.