Tang Xiaoshan hurriedly rushed back to the headquarters, and the information he brought back was that the 62nd Division and the 110th Division of the Japanese Army near Changsha, as well as a cavalry wing, a chariot wing, and a field heavy artillery wing, were moving in the direction of Hengyang, and according to the speed of the Japanese army's movement, they would reach Hengyang City in seven days. After listening to Tang Xiaoshan's report, everyone's eyes in the headquarters were on Wang Haitao.

Wang Haitao was also pondering, thinking in his heart how much of his chances of victory would be after this group of Japanese troops was put into the Hengyang battlefield. Now after this attack, the Japanese army in Hengyang has two infantry wings left in the 39th Division, two infantry wings left in the 68th Division, plus the remaining three infantry wings in the 3rd Division, and the total strength should be about 50,000 people, including auxiliary troops.

If this group of Japanese troops did not reinforce Hengyang, Wang Haitao was confident that he would inflict heavy losses on the remaining Japanese troops in Hengyang City, and he could even drive this 11th Army out of Hunan in one go. But the Japanese troops who came up with this batch of reinforcements exceeded 50,000, a total of 100,000 troops, plus there were strong cities to defend, and their chances of victory were less than 50%. According to the battle plan he had made before, it would take another fifteen days to defeat the Japanese army in Hengyang City.

Before setting out on the expedition, he had already discussed with Commander Xue Yue that the Nationalist troops in the Third Theater would hold back the 13th Army, so how could Xue Yue allow this group of Japanese troops to reinforce Hengyang? Thinking of this, Wang Haitao asked Tang Xiaoshan: "Xiaoshan, when you found out that the Japanese army was reinforcing Hengyang, where was the main force of the Japanese army, and where has the Japanese army arrived now?"

Tang Xiaoshan came to the hanging battle map, picked up the command pole and pointed to the map and said: "Report to the commander, when the reconnaissance team discovered this group of Japanese main forces 24 hours ago, the main force of the Japanese army assembled in Liuyang County, one hundred kilometers east of Changsha City, and was preparing to move south from Liling County and directly attack Hengyang City. ”

Wang Haitao looked at the map and found that there was a railway line from Liling County to Hengyang City, and the Japanese army was likely to use this railway line to transport troops, so that the Japanese army would reach Hengyang City in a shorter time. Facing the map, Wang Haitao fell into deep thought. The headquarters was silent, and everyone was looking at Wang Haitao, waiting for Wang Haitao to make a decision.

Time passed minute by minute, and finally Wang Haitao raised his head and asked Su Zuxin: "Chief of Staff Su, if I use the strength of the second division and one brigade to fight a decisive battle with the remaining Japanese troops in Hengyang City, what do you think of the victory?" Su Zuxin was stunned for a moment and immediately thought about it, and then said after a while: "Commander, with what I have seen, the chance of winning should be more than sixty percent." ”

After listening to Su Zuxin's answer, Wang Haitao's eyes showed a look of determination, and he immediately said solemnly: "I ordered that Tang Hongming's division of the 210th Division rush to Youxian overnight and set up a blocking position in Youxian to prevent the reinforcement of the Japanese army in Hengyang City. Without my personal order, we will not be allowed to retreat a step until the last day of the battle! I will hand over the 122nd Howitzer and Artillery Regiment of the Heavy Artillery Brigade to your command. ”

Tang Hongming replied: "Yes, Commander! Please rest assured, the 210th Division is in the position, and we will never let the little Japanese cross Youxian by a step!" Wang Haitao nodded and said: "Okay, the battle of Hengyang, whether your department can block the Japanese reinforcements is the key to victory or defeat, and block more than 50,000 Japanese troops with the strength of one division, Hongming, your burden is not light, go and prepare now, and set off overnight when you are ready." ”

Tang Hongming stood up and saluted and left the headquarters. As soon as Tang Hongming left, Wang Haitao continued: "Tang Yikuan, I will give you two days, your division must take the Japanese army position in Yumu Mountain and go out to the outside of Hengyang City. Can it be done?" Tang Yikuan replied after standing up: "Commander, rest assured, there is no unfinished task in the 90th Division!" Wang Haitao nodded with satisfaction.

Turning his face, Wang Haitao said to Tang Xiaoshan again: "Xiaoshan, in addition to doing a good job of intelligence work, your reconnaissance brigade should also dispatch some reconnaissance teams to sabotage the railway between Liling County and Youxian County, delay the advance of the Japanese army, and buy time for the 210th Division to repair its defensive positions in Youxian. Tang Xiaoshan agreed and went to convey the order, and at this time, Su Zuxin, Tang Longzai and Li Changwu were left in the headquarters.

Su Zuxin asked Wang Haitao with a serious face: "Is the commander determined to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army in Hengyang City? This battle is not easy to fight! If you are not careful, you will lose all the games!" Wang Haitao also replied with a serious face: "I don't understand this, but I am unwilling to fight with the Japanese army! Now the key is to see whether the 210th Division can block the Japanese reinforcements, as long as I can block the Japanese reinforcements, I can have more than seventy percent of the certainty that I will win this battle here in Hengyang City." ”

After thinking for a while, Wang Haitao said: "I want to send a telegram to Commander Xue Yue to ask how the battle situation is in the direction of Changsha, and why the Japanese army can still send a large number of troops to reinforce Hengyang." Soon after Wang Haitao's telegram was sent, he received a reply from General Xue Yue, in which General Xue Yue told Wang Haitao that the Nationalist Army had recovered Changsha City a day earlier, and the 79th Army had also recovered Xiangtan County, and the main force was now fighting fiercely east of Changsha by the Japanese army. As for the reinforcement of Hengyang by the Japanese army, he did not receive information, so he may have misunderstood. ”

General Xue Yue's telegram made Wang Haitao only smile bitterly, for General Xue Yue, it was a great achievement to recover Changsha, and as for the situation of the 90th Group Army, it was not a matter for him to consider. Now if Wang Haitao wants to defeat the Eleventh Army, he can only rely on himself, the so-called 'iron still needs its own hardness', this is a world that relies on strength to speak.

The night is getting deeper, and this night that should have been quiet is destined to make countless people sleepless. The lights of the headquarters were not extinguished all night, and Tang Hongming led the 210th Division in a circle and rushed to Youxian County, 200 kilometers away, overnight.

After Tang Yikuan rushed back to the headquarters of the 90th Division, he gathered his officers at and above the regimental level overnight and announced Wang Haitao's order to them. For the 90th Division, the unit started by Wang Haitao, Wang Haitao's order was above all else, so the burden of breaking through the Japanese position in Yumu Mountain in one day was once again pressed on Tang Yiqun's 271st Brigade.

At this time, there was nothing to hide, and under Tang Yikuan's overnight mobilization, at dawn the next day, more than 100 heavy artillery guns of three heavy artillery regiments were aimed at the last hill occupied by the Japanese army in Yumu Mountain. As the main force of the attack, the 544th Regiment was all concentrated in front of the Japanese position on the ridge, waiting for heavy artillery to fire it.

The time given to the 90th Division was tight, and as soon as it was dawn, three heavy artillery regiments began shelling. The reconnaissance unit of the 90th Division had successfully figured out the distribution of the Japanese positions on this hill at night and sent the coordinates of the Japanese positions to the division headquarters, so the three heavy artillery regiments launched artillery bombardments on several Japanese positions on the hill almost simultaneously.

Relatively speaking, the Japanese position on the ridge was not the main position of the Japanese army, not only was it not the largest, but the number of troops stationed was not large, only two infantry squadrons. This position was shelled by the Japanese heavy artillery position on the hill next to the brigade headquarters. These 24 Japanese-style heavy guns on the hill have reimbursed hundreds of Japanese soldiers in one breath in the previous battle, and they have made great contributions, and now it is their turn to taste them in the position on the ridge.

In the face of this kind of high-powered heavy artillery, all kinds of carefully constructed bunkers and fortifications on the Japanese positions became like paper paste, even if the bunkers were built with rocks, and when they were hit by a heavy artillery shell that happened to fall on their heads, the skylight was opened, and none of the soldiers inside survived. The heavy artillery bombarded for half an hour, and the Japanese position was already full of holes, and the corpses of the Japanese soldiers were torn apart everywhere.

When the shelling gradually stopped, Wei Hai gave an order, and the officers and men of the 544th Regiment rushed towards the Japanese position like a tide. There were still some Japanese troops on the position who survived, and they were blocking the charge of the 544th Regiment with the weapons in their hands. But in the face of the momentum of the 544th Regiment's group charge, such a block was too weak.

The distance of two hundred meters was only a matter of one or two minutes under the full charge of the soldiers. Soon, the soldiers who rushed to the front had already rushed to the Japanese position, and a desperate battle with a huge disparity in strength unfolded on the Japanese position. This one-sided fight did not last long, and after ten minutes, the 544th Regiment was already cleaning up the battlefield.

Taking a Japanese position, the 271st Brigade went straight to the next Japanese position. This is not the main position, under the bombardment of dozens of heavy artillery, the Japanese troops on the position have suffered heavy casualties. When the 271st Brigade arrived, it took only one charge to capture the position. In the morning, the 271st Brigade had overcome the three positions of the Japanese army, and only one of the largest positions remained, which was halfway up the mountain.

This main position was also bombarded by heavy artillery, but because of the large area of the position, there were many places to hide, so the Japanese casualties were not serious. Seeing that the Chinese troops had come to the front of the position, the Japanese troops on the position, under the command of a commander of Nakasa, quickly entered the position. The three regiments of the 271st Brigade outside the Japanese position all arrived, and even Tang Yiqun took the guard battalion to the front.

Tang Yiqun said to the three regiment commanders: "Ladies and gentlemen, the order given to our brigade by the division is to take the Japanese position on Yumu Mountain today, and now the Japanese army only has this last position, we must take it before dark, and I will do whatever it takes to complete it! Now I order the 544th Regiment to take the lead attack, and the 543rd Regiment is ready to reinforce at any time." ”

Wei Hai and Tang Weimin saluted and replied at the same time: "Yes, brigade!" The 544th Regiment has been fighting since yesterday, and the losses have added up to more than half of the battalion, and when Wei Hai returned to the regiment, the three battalion commanders surrounded him. Wei Hai said in a deep voice: "You all listen well, this time the division and brigade are ruthless, our brigade will capture the Japanese position before dark at any cost, and the task of the first attack has been handed over to our regiment, all cheer up, if anyone drops the chain at this time, don't blame me for not being merciful!"

Tang Weikang, the commander of the first battalion, said: "Tuanzuo, I have been fighting with you for so many years, when have we ever fallen off the chain? Needless to say, our first battalion must be in the lead!" After speaking, he saluted Wei Hai and turned around and walked towards the first battalion. Wei Hai turned his head to Wei Yongqiang, the commander of the heavy firepower battalion next to him, and said, "Yongqiang, the fire cover will be all handed over to you!"