kingnovel Chapter 1184 Lack of Courage
Chapter 1184 Lack of Courage
Of course, this is impossible. If the Nationalist government had such resolve, would it need to retreat here now? Our battle at Pujiang might still be ongoing, and only God knows the final outcome.
Although Japan's massive troop reinforcement puts a lot of pressure on us, we also have many troops in our rear that haven't come yet. If both sides were to reinforce their troops, we might not have retreated here.
Liu Xiaoshan shook his head. Thinking about these things now was pointless. After all, they had already retreated here, and there was no need to bring up things that hadn't been accomplished before. Even if they brought them up, these people in the Nationalist government wouldn't admit their mistakes.
Liu Xiaoshan finally understood what kind of people these guys were. If they wanted us to send troops this time, they'd better make their benefits clear. This time, we're negotiating at market price. If they're hoping we'll give them nothing and try to fool us with empty slogans, then I'm just a puppet here. I'll attend all the meetings and echo their slogans, but I just won't send troops.
In recent military conferences, some have begun to probe whether the 72nd Army intends to move south. After all, the Japanese have already begun their westward advance, and the troops we've deployed in front of them are like paper, utterly incapable of stopping their attack.
This is actually quite normal. When the battle of Pujiang took place, elites from all walks of life rushed in. At the time, everyone felt that this was a decisive battle, and if we could win, there would be no need for subsequent wars. So no one held back; everyone just went straight for the kill.
Who would have thought this battle would end in defeat? The defending troops in various locations were either hastily conscripted or withdrawn from the Huangpu River battlefield. Their fighting capacity was predictably low; how could they possibly withstand these ferocious Japanese troops?
At this point, some people thought of the 72nd Group Army, since they were fighting very hard in southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu when the rest of the country was indefensible.
Many within the Nationalist government believed that since the Japanese were making the opening of the Jinpu Railway their primary operational strategy, the number of their westward-advancing troops would be reduced, and the Nationalist government would no longer need to find ways to resist them. Unfortunately for them, the Japanese were quite clear-headed; even if they opened the Jinpu Railway, their losses would amount to as many as five or six divisions.
If things were to turn out that way, their expansion in China would be effectively over. They would have no troops to advance westward and could only occupy some areas along the eastern coast. Moreover, these areas would not necessarily be stable, since most of these areas were under the control of the 72nd Army Group. Even if these guys retreated, they would develop many anti-Japanese organizations behind enemy lines, giving them no chance at all.
Zhang Haiguang has already received the order to retreat. Since the Japanese are no longer fighting along this line, Li Shaoyi has adjusted the strategic policy for the southern Shandong region, ordering Zhang Haiguang to retreat quickly northward, taking as many Japanese soldiers as possible with him along the way. As for the next course of action, we must defend.
With only the Fourth Army, a continued offensive would clearly lack staying power. Moreover, the Fourth Army's divisions to the north remained unmoved, still watching with predatory eyes. Zhang Haiguang's previous victories in the south were, in fact, victories achieved through risky maneuvers.
Ma Leizi's Fourth Army encountered no problems in the north, which allowed Zhang Haiguang's forces to roam freely in the south. Had any problems arisen, Zhang Haiguang's army would likely have been completely encircled, leading to the fall of southern Shandong. The Japanese were in a very dangerous situation; they could have suffered heavy losses, while we were in the same predicament—the same risks meant the same potential rewards. Unfortunately, the Japanese did not achieve victory, while we did.
This resulted in the victory of nearly two divisions. However, the Japanese quickly filled the gap left by these two divisions, and Zhang Haiguang did not have enough troops to fill the gap. Therefore, after receiving the order to retreat from Ma Lei Zi, Zhang Haiguang did not hesitate and immediately led his troops to retreat north at a speed of 50 kilometers per day.
Even if the Third and Sixth Divisions, following behind, ran themselves ragged, they probably couldn't catch up with Zhang Haiguang's army. Moreover, during the pursuit, Zhang Haiguang caused them all sorts of trouble. Sometimes, they would be cooking when a time bomb was discovered nearby, resulting in the deaths of an entire company.
Sometimes, while they were resting at night, the 72nd Army would suddenly appear ahead. These men would drive armored vehicles and tanks 40 kilometers, which would only take the 72nd Army an hour. But from the Japanese army's perspective, it was clearly them pursuing the Japanese, so how did it suddenly become them being attacked?
The two divisions responsible for the pursuit suffered greatly. Their plan was to drive these men back to southern Shandong as soon as possible, thus completing our mission. However, for over a week, they suffered daily losses of around 500 men. Only after Zhang Haiguang's army withdrew to southern Shandong did they discover that nearly two infantry regiments had been wiped out.
There was a saying in the Japanese army: never make any contact with the 72nd Army, even if they were retreating. If you were to pursue them, you should maintain a distance of at least 100 kilometers. Unfortunately, these two divisions did not heed this advice. They only maintained a distance of 40 kilometers, which was only an hour's maneuver time for the 72nd Army. As a result, they were attacked back and forth several times.
After Zhang Haiguang's army withdrew to southern Shandong, they immediately began constructing defensive positions. Although these two divisions appeared to be preparing to attack southern Shandong, it was more of a posturing than a genuine effort. The majority of their troops halted their advance more than 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) away. These guys weren't stupid; if they were to engage in a direct confrontation, their heads would be smashed countless times over.
Even the veterans of those field divisions were no match for us. If we new recruits, who have only been in the army for less than three months, were to try and compete with the 72nd Army, they would probably twist our arms off.