Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 83 Matsui Iwane's "Decisive Battle" Strategy

After most of the enemy's heavy firepower was destroyed, their firepower weakened, and casualties increased sharply. The infantry group was suppressed by several Maxim heavy machine guns of the machine gun company.
Unable to attack, yet unwilling to retreat, the Japanese soldiers in the Miyauchi Battalion were stuck like rats in a bellows. Fighting further would only increase casualties, so Colonel Takamori had no choice but to order them to retreat and make other plans.

Since the Japanese troops encountered strong resistance from the defenders at Baoshan and Shizilin, the Japanese had to open up another battlefield elsewhere.

The 11th Regiment of the 44rd Division and the th Regiment of the th Division landed between Liuhe and Yuepu respectively, and then attacked Yuepu and Luodian.

At this time, Luodian was defended by the 11th Division of the th Army, and Yuepu also had a division of the th Army, so they did not gain any advantage, and the battle was fought with corpses everywhere;
Colonel Kuranaga Tatsuharu, commander of the 6th Regiment, was killed at Tsuzohama and was posthumously promoted to major general, becoming the first major general (actually a colonel) to be killed in battle since the landing of the 3rd Division.

The strength of the defenders exceeded the Japanese's expectations. Although they could land at any point by relying on their naval superiority and change landing points if they encountered obstacles, the Nationalist army was unable to defend against them.

Fortunately, the National Army has always been good at defensive battles. They did not compete for the beach with the Japanese who had air and sea advantages, but let them land. They only sent heavy troops to guard the Liuhe-Yuepu (Luodian)-Baoshan (Yangxing)-Wusongkou line. Although Wusongkou was lost, the National Army deployed heavy troops in Yangxing and Miaoxing behind it, and the Japanese still could not advance directly.

After the 3th Army Group reinforced the Battle of Songhu, the National Army relied on the two elite 11th and th Army Groups to hold the rd and th Divisions firmly on the northern front.

At this time, the focus of the battle between the two sides was Luodian, which had changed hands several times. The 11th Army successively deployed troops to Luodian, including the 67th Division, the 14th Division, and the 98th Division. The th Division also assisted in the flank defense.
The main forces of the 3rd and 11th Divisions had already moved north, landed between Liuhe and Yuepu, and then competed with the th Army for Luodian. However, the two points of Shizilin and Baoshan, which were located on the front line, were selectively forgotten by the Japanese.

Only two battalions were left in Baoshan City to continue the attack, and only one battalion was sent to the Lion Grove to accompany the Second Battalion. Yue Qianli was under almost no pressure.
The gambling-loving Japs placed all their hopes on Luodian, attempting to achieve their goal in one battle. Even if they failed to capture it, they would use Luodian as a grinding mill to consume the elite troops of the National Army.

At the Shanghai Expeditionary Army Headquarters, Commander General Matsui Iwane was taking a break from his busy schedule to play chess with Chief of Staff Mamoru Iinuma. This was obviously a show-off to highlight their Confucian general demeanor, and Matsui Iwane looked like he had a master's hand.

"Commander, the Chinese have been increasing their forces, and the battle is getting bigger and bigger. The headquarters has already made a plan to land in Hangzhou Bay before the war began. Why not implement it immediately?"

Iinuma Mamoru pretended to be puzzled and asked. As the chief of staff, he knew how to please the general. As expected, General Matsui said in a mysterious way:
"Iinuma-kun, this is just like you, the big dragon on the chessboard. If I eat it from the beginning, you will start another battle in the corner.

And now your big dragon has determined the outcome of the whole game. If I hold on to my breath, you will lose everything!"

After Matsui Iwane finished speaking, he hit a white piece at the last eye position of the black piece, and the black dragon lost its life instantly. Iinuma Mamoru struggled painfully for a while and then resigned.

"Commander, do you mean to trick the other side into making a dragon out of a few pieces, and then strike a fatal blow?"

Matsui Iwane said proudly:
"Iinuma-kun has a good understanding. The Chinese government has 200 million regular troops and tens of millions of square kilometers of land. If we attack one city at a time, how much will the empire have to pay to win this national war?
Shanghai is the largest city in China. It is home to more than half of their industry and is very close to Nanjing, so this is a place they must defend.
Using Shanghai as bait, we can lure the Chinese people to mobilize the whole country to fight a decisive battle with the Imperial Army in Songhu. When the main force of the Chinese army is trapped in the north and the middle, the main force of the Tenth Army will suddenly land in Hangzhou Bay on the southern line, cut off their rear, and together with the Fourth Army, encircle and annihilate the main force of the Chinese army in the Songhu area. This battle will decide the outcome!"

Mamoru Iinuma's eyes instantly gleamed with brilliance, and he cheered loudly, "Great! Commander, you are indeed an unrivaled strategist in the Empire. While everyone's eyes are on China, you have already been planning the overall situation for the Empire!
China is not the end point of the empire. Conquering the world is the ultimate strategy of the empire. If the empire is stuck in the quagmire of the Chinese incident and cannot extricate itself, then the empire will miss the opportunity to conquer the world.

One battle will decide the outcome. As long as the dragon is slain successfully, the Chinese will have no choice but to surrender. The strategic concept of destroying China in three months will be fully realized!"

Matsui Iwane seemed to have found a soulmate, and nodded to Iinuma Mamoru in appreciation and said:
"The one who understands me is Iinuma-kun!

At present, the Chinese 11th, 12th and 21th Army Groups have been deployed to the battlefield. According to intelligence, the enemy's largest 10th Army Group, Hu Shoushan's, the Central Army's direct line Xue Boling's, the th Army Group Shangguan Yunxiang's, the th Army Group Zhang Fang's, the Guangxi Clique's st Army Group, and the th Army Group are all gathering;

These are China's top elite troops. As long as these troops are annihilated, the government in Nanjing will have no choice but to surrender."

Iinuma Mamoru had not expected Matsui Iwane's stomach to be so big, and he stammered:

"Commander, these troops add up to at least 500,000 troops, not to mention the forces that China will gather later. Isn't it too thin to rely on the Fourth and Tenth Armies alone?"

Iinuma Mamoru was obviously not at the level to know the Omiya strategy, but Matsui Iwane did not intend to hide it from him. After all, no matter how good the strategy was, it still needed people to implement it. The subsequent combat plan of the expeditionary army needed Iinuma Mamoru, the chief of staff, to formulate for him, so he said confidently:
"If the troops are not enough, then we will continue to increase them. The headquarters plans to mobilize 30 troops and 8.7 horses, and send two divisions to Shanghai and Qingdao respectively. The relevant troops and materials are being assembled. In addition, the first batch of four special divisions with 4 people are being urgently formed. The troops are not a problem at all.
As long as the Chinese dare to place a bet, the Empire will be there to accompany them. It would be best to induce the Chinese to go all in. The Shanghai Expeditionary Force can resolve the Chinese incident in one battle, and you and I will establish immortal merits!"

Iinuma Mamoru was shocked by Matsui Iwane's grand strategy. His blood began to boil. He immediately stood up and said:

"Commander-in-chief, Iinuma is willing to sacrifice his life for the realization of this great strategy!"

"Iinuma-kun, you should die for the Empire and His Majesty."

Iinuma Mamoru shouted "Hi" and turned to leave. Such a huge strategy must be accompanied by a corresponding combat plan. He could no longer sit still and was eager to come up with a "dragon slaying" plan. This was the task of him and the headquarters staff. Commander Matsui Iwane was only responsible for proposing the big strategy.

After Iinuma Mamoru left, Matsui Iwane's mood calmed down a little. It is said that as long as you stand in the right wind, even a pig can fly, and he is that "pig" now;
In order to win this decisive battle that concerns the fate of the country, the headquarters and even the emperor can be led by him, and he will give them people and supplies. If he wins, he will go down in history!
defeat?
How can it be!

A confident smile appeared on Matsui Iwane's face.

(End of this chapter)