gnovel Chapter 244 The Principal's Joys and Sorrows; When in doubt, consult Li Jianghe.
Chapter 244 The Principal's Joys and Sorrows; When in doubt, consult Li Jianghe.
On the open field on the east bank of the Shi River, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated when Qiu Qingquan's tank convoy slowly came to a stop on the scorched earth.
The tank tracks were covered with the blood, flesh, and bone fragments of the Japanese soldiers, like a steel knife that had just drunk its fill of blood, gleaming coldly in the morning light.
Hundreds of kilometers away in Wuhan, the sweltering heat of midsummer is like an airtight steamer, tightly enveloping the entire city.
In the office of the Wuhan headquarters, the ceiling fan whirred, but it couldn't dispel the heavy smell of smoke in the room, nor could it dispel the anxiety in the principal's heart.
He paced back and forth restlessly on the carpet, his leather shoes making a dull thud as they stomped on the floor.
The table was piled high with telegrams, almost all of them bad news from the front lines, with not a single piece of good news.
The Jiujiang defense line has shown signs of complete collapse.
Under the combined bombardment of Japanese air and naval fire, a large number of Nationalist troops suffered heavy casualties and were forced to abandon their core defensive positions.
Even worse, many local troops collapsed without a fight, fleeing in disarray without even seeing a glimpse of the Japanese soldiers.
The principal flew into a rage and smashed a teacup on the table, but to no avail.
He had no control over the troops of those local warlords.
The elite Central Army forces that he could mobilize were simply unable to withstand the fierce frontal assault of the Japanese army's multi-dimensional offensive.
The northern offensive, which he had initially placed high hopes on, was also becoming increasingly unfavorable.
Before Sei Takehira's 8th Mixed Brigade could be completely wiped out, the Japanese Imperial Guard Division and the 13th Division had already marched north.
The two Japanese armies, like two sharp knives, plunged straight into the flanks of the main forces of the Central Army and the Northwest Army on the east bank of the Shi River.
Once they complete the encirclement, the hundreds of thousands of troops on the east bank will instantly be plunged into an abyss of no return.
Just as the room was filled with anxiety, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door.
Commander He pushed open the door and entered, his face filled with barely concealed excitement, clutching a newly translated telegram tightly in his hand.
"Chairman Chiang! A great victory! A tremendous victory!"
"The Japanese 8th Mixed Brigade has been completely annihilated by our army! Brigade Commander Takehira Sei was killed on the spot by Qiu Qingquan's tank convoy! Our army has won a great victory!"
Upon hearing this, the principal abruptly stopped and quickly went to greet him.
He snatched the telegram from Commander He's hand, his breathing becoming rapid, his eyes quickly scanning every word on the telegram.
After reading it three times, he finally put down the telegram and let out a hearty laugh.
He walked briskly to the huge battle map and exclaimed repeatedly, "Great! Well done!"
"Well done, Central Army! Well done, Northwest Army! And Li Jianghe's Third Column fought even better!"
He had been brooding over bad news for several days, but now he finally had a great victory that made him proud, and the gloom on his face vanished.
He rubbed his hands together and immediately ordered, "Draft a commendation order immediately, and issue a circular commending all participating units on the northern front!"
Commander He immediately bowed in agreement, but then his tone changed, the smile on his face fading and his voice becoming serious.
"Chairman, there is something I must remind you of. The Japanese 13th Division and the Imperial Guard Division on the southern front are launching an extremely fierce offensive."
These words instantly wiped the joy off the principal's face. He turned to look at the map, his brows furrowing tightly once more.
According to battle reports from the front lines, this main force of the Japanese army deployed on the southern front has successively broken through multiple defense lines of the National Revolutionary Army.
Like tigers descending the mountain, they swept through the land with unstoppable momentum, their vanguard already approaching the southern part of Fenshuiting Township.
"How many troops does Song Xilian have available now?"
The principal asked in a deep voice, pointing emphatically to the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains on the map.
He knew all too well that the moment had come when there was no room for holding back.
All available troops on the northern slopes of the Dabie Mountains must be deployed to the battlefield, otherwise a complete defeat will be the only outcome.
"Yin Guo's troops suffered a third of their casualties, but he still personally led his troops to hold back the Japanese army in the rear."
Commander He replied in a low voice, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"In short, we have very few mobile forces left that we can mobilize."
"If Hu Zongnan and Sun Lianzhong's troops cannot stop the Japanese offensive in the southern part of Fenshuiting Township."
"The route for the main force on the east bank to retreat to the west bank of the Shi River is at risk of being cut off by the Japanese army."
"By then, it won't be us annihilating the Japanese army, but the Japanese army annihilating us."
After these words, the office fell silent once again.
The principal stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map, lost in deep thought.
He must take all the risks into account and bear the consequences of every decision.
To be fair, ordering a full retreat at this moment would be the safest option.
After all, an entire Japanese infantry brigade had been annihilated, making the outcome of this battle quite remarkable.
However, once they retreat, the Third Column of Lijiang River on the east bank of the Shi River will be completely abandoned.
They were left to face the siege of over 100,000 elite Japanese troops alone, trapped in a hopeless situation where certain death was inevitable.
Li Jianghe's Third Column, at most, only had around 40,000 troops, while they had to face more than three times that number of Japanese troops.
After much deliberation, the principal finally spoke slowly, his tone tinged with hesitation.
"Send a telegram to the Fifth War Zone Command first and ask for their attitude."
"At the same time, we should closely monitor the development of the battle in the next few days. If there is an opportunity to wipe out the Sixth and Tenth Divisions, we must not let it slip by."
Ultimately, he was still reluctant to give up this piece of fat meat that was already within his grasp, especially since it was almost time to make a move.
Of course, if the situation continues to deteriorate, he will immediately change his mind and order the entire army to retreat.
The atmosphere was equally somber at the Fifth War Zone headquarters, dozens of kilometers away.
Commander Li looked at the telegram from Wuhan, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his expression extremely grim.
He turned to look at his superior officer beside him and asked in a deep voice, "What are your thoughts?"
Commander Bai's gaze was fixed on the battle map in front of him as he slowly spoke.
"To be fair, the Chairman and Chief of Staff's considerations are the safest option."
"But if it were me, I would choose a more radical approach—to find a way to wipe out the Sixth and Tenth Divisions."
Upon hearing this, Commander Li immediately nodded, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"It seems that we are completely in agreement."
"But their concerns are not unfounded. Right now, our troops on the east bank of the Shi River risk total annihilation if their retreat is cut off."
"By that time, no army in the entire northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains could stop the Japanese invaders from advancing westward."
"Wuhan is probably on the verge of collapse."
Having said that, he took a deep breath and made his final decision.
"Send a telegram to Li Jianghe and ask for his opinion."