Quartermasters can also fight the devils

Chapter 435 Cause

Ten minutes later, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadaichi also returned to the commander Lieutenant General Okamura Yasuji and reported: "Commander, I have sent a retreat telegram to Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, the commander of the 6th Division, in accordance with your order."

"Mr. Yoshimoto, this time Commander Xue of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese government has set a big trap for us. Our attacking forces have already stepped one foot into this trap, and now we have to give up something. The Chinese army has already made plans from the very beginning. Starting from the retreat of the Chinese army from the Xinqiang River defense line, they have harassed our logistics supply lines, blocked our way forward, exhausted our attacking forces, and consumed the morale of the officers and soldiers of the troops. Then, after our attacking forces begin to attack the Laodao River defense line, the logistics lines of our attacking forces will become longer and longer. The Chinese army will then outflank us from both wings and cut off our already fragile and exhausted rear supply lines. In that case, our attacking forces will be out of ammunition and food." Commander Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura pointed to the position of the Sixth Division on the sand table and explained in detail to Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto the combat ideas of Commander Xue of the Ninth War Zone.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto now fully understood the combat thinking of the Ninth War Zone of the Chinese Government. He also had to admire the courage of Commander Xue. Now it depended on the retreat speed of the Sixth Division. Thinking of the muddy road of retreat, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sadaichi Yoshimoto began to worry.

When the urgent retreat telegram from the Japanese 11th Army Headquarters was sent to the 6th Division, the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, was also shocked. He had just received a telegram from Colonel Tsuboshima Fumio, commander of the 13th Regiment on the Laodao River front.

In the telegram, Colonel Fumio Tsuboshima, commander of the 13th Regiment, reported the strong combat capability of the Chinese army on the Laodao River defense line, and requested the division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, to rush over with the main force as soon as possible. Before the main force arrived, Colonel Fumio Tsuboshima, commander of the regiment, could only let the troops prepare for the defensive task first.

After receiving a telegram from the regiment commander, Colonel Fumio Tsuboshima, the division commander, Lieutenant General Shiro Inaba, also ordered his troops to prepare to go to Laodao River to support the attack of the 13th Regiment. However, not long after the troops set out, they received a telegram of retreat from Lieutenant General Yasuji Okamura of the 11th Army Command.

The content of the telegram was also very detailed. The division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, also knew that the Chinese army had a large number of hidden troops on both wings that were rapidly gathering. Thinking of his current logistics supply lines, the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, was frightened and sweating. The Chinese army was obviously attracting his troops on the Laodao River defense line, and then outflanking from both wings to cut off his retreat, in order to completely surround and destroy his Sixth Division here.

In the past, the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, would have scoffed at the Chinese army's actions. Could the Imperial Japanese Army's standing Type A division be destroyed so easily? Could the Chinese army's weak combat power accomplish such a grand goal?

However, a few months ago, the 16th Division, which was also a regular Type A division of the Empire of Japan, taught everyone a good lesson and made all senior Japanese officers understand one thing, that is, the Chinese army was fully capable of and capable of wiping out a Japanese Army division-level combat unit.

When the division commander, Lieutenant General Inaba Shiro, thought of the tragic end of the 16th Division, he immediately became nervous, and ordered the entire army to retreat as soon as he received the telegram.

In the headquarters of the 9th War Zone of China, Commander Xue was unaware that the Japanese army was about to begin its retreat, and was still paying close attention to the concentration of the troops on both wings. In the eyes of Commander Xue, this Battle of Changsha would be the decisive battle between himself and the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, General Okamura Yasuji. If they failed in this battle, they would die.

Commander Xue is no ordinary person, nor is he a coward. Commander Xue also has extremely high military talent. However, Commander Xue also has a particularly stubborn temper and always sticks to what he believes in.

Just like before the Battle of Changsha, the top government leaders also advised Commander Xue that if he couldn't hold Changsha, he should not try to defend it. Preserving one's own strength was the most important thing. However, Commander Xue did not agree with this suggestion from the top government leaders.

When the 11th Army of the Japanese Army began to mobilize its forces frequently, the Chinese government and military leaders judged from intelligence from all sides that the 11th Army of the Japanese Army's combat target was Changsha City.

At that time, Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone of China and Commander Bai of the Fourth War Zone also asked the top leaders of the government what the combat strategy for Changsha was this time, so as to cooperate with the combat operations of the Ninth War Zone in their own war zones. However, the top leaders of the government told Commanders Chen and Bai that Changsha City could not be defended.

When Commander Chen and Commander Bai heard that the top government leaders had no intention of defending Changsha, they began to worry, because they both knew that Commander Xue, the new commander of the Ninth War Zone, was determined to defend the city of Changsha.

As a result, after discussing, both of them felt that with Chief Xue's stubborn temper, he would not listen to anyone, and even the telegrams from the highest level of the government would probably be of no use at that time.

Therefore, Commander Chen and Commander Bai risked their lives by flying to Changsha, hoping to persuade Commander Xue to obey orders and abandon the defense of Changsha City.

The arrival of Commander Bai and Commander Chen made Commander Xue immediately understand the superiors' idea of ​​whether to fight or abandon Changsha City. In addition, Commander Bai had forcibly dismissed Commander Xue during the Northern Expedition, so Commander Xue had never been very respectful to Commander Bai.

However, Chief Chen is different. After Chief Xue was forcibly dismissed, it was Chief Chen's support that allowed Chief Xue to be promoted. Therefore, Chief Xue is very grateful to Chief Chen. At the same time, Chief Xue is also a core member of Chief Chen's civil engineering department.

After listening to the two men's report on the top government's intention to give up Changsha, Chief Xue's temper flared up as expected. He did not dare to say anything rude to Chief Chen, but as for Chief Bai, with whom he had long been dissatisfied, Chief Xue did not hold back and simply pointed at Chief Bai's nose and scolded him, without giving him any face at all.

"Abandon the city? That's easy to say, but what about Changsha? What about Hunan Province? What about millions of ordinary people? As a soldier, how can we live with the dignity of retreating without fighting? You are afraid of the Japanese, but I am not. The worst that can happen is that we will fight to the death with the Japanese..." Commander Xue also spoke to Commander Bai excitedly.