Chapter 56: The Prelude to the Offensive

  The Japanese army finally launched a large-scale offensive in Anhui.

  According to Qiu Ruiquan's intelligence, the Japanese army that invaded Hanshan came from Wuhu and crossed the river, first occupying He County in Jiangbei before attacking Hanshan.

  "Divine Eagle" Independent Regiment Chief of Staff Hu Yunfeng raised his head from the map and said to Chen Jifan: "Head, this group of devils is ultimately rushing towards Hefei. You see, the devil's ultimate goal is the National Government's temporary capital Wuhan, and there are only two ways to attack Wuhan, north and south. Don't worry about the northern route for now, the devil's plan in the southern route is to occupy Hefei from Hanshan through Ningguo County, then turn south along the He'an Highway to directly attack Anqing. Once they succeed in attacking Anqing, the next step will be for the Japanese army to directly attack Wuhan along the river, and the devils are coming very quickly!"

  "Is there any intelligence on the Nanlu Ghosts?" Chen Jifan asked.

  "Not yet for the time being. The intelligence personnel we sent have not been able to get in touch with these secrets of the Japanese military."

  "Then contact the Military Commission, they have a wide range of connections, this matter should be no problem." Chen Jifang ordered.

  "Yes!" Hu Yunfeng responded and left.

  The Military Commission has a special password for "Divine Eagle" for convenient command, which is used for the first time.

  After Hu Yunfeng left, the rest of the troops continued to study the enemy situation.

  Zhongding City said: "The recovery of Hanshan is certain, this not only can threaten the Japanese army's logistics supply line, but also take the opportunity to recover Anhui's important town of Chaohu."

  Qiu Ruiquan said: "There are only a few hundred Japanese troops stationed in Hanyang, the problem is that once Hanyang is attacked, the Japanese troops in He County will quickly come to reinforce, and we will be at a disadvantage."

  "So we can't launch a direct attack on Huan Mountain. Magistrate Qiu, you're familiar with the terrain of Huan Mountain, is there any hidden place where we can sneak in?" Chen Jifan asked.

  Qiu Ruiquan thought that since they were going to take back Huan Mountain City, they should just go for it. With enough troops and a surprise attack, the few hundred Japanese devils inside wouldn't stand a chance, and retaking the county seat shouldn't be a problem. Chen Jifan's question made him feel like he had found someone who understood him.

  He simply drew a rough sketch of the mountain castle on paper and introduced it: "The mountain castle is relatively small, and the city wall is not strong. The devils will definitely use their main force to defend the city wall. Only this, I dare bet that the devils can't know here."

  Qiu Ruijuan's words immediately sparked everyone's interest, and Chen Jifan asked: "What place is this?"

  "This is called Wangjia Alley, and nearby there is a tributary of the Desheng River that flows into Huan Mountain City. And here there is an abandoned water gate cave," Qiu Ruijuan introduced with confidence, "If a dare-to-die squad were to pry it open from here and sneak into the city to launch a surprise attack on the devils..."

  Chen Jifang and Zhong Dingcheng's eyes have already shone with brilliance!

  At this moment, Hu Yunfeng and Gao Huanjie rushed into the combat room of the brigade headquarters. As soon as they entered the door, Hu Yunfeng said to everyone: "Contact has been made, the Military Commission asked the intelligence department to send us intelligence, and it has been confirmed that the enemy's attacking troops have been identified with their numbers and strength."

  "Speak quickly!" Chen Jifan put down the pencil in his hand.

  "This force that crossed the river from Hexian is the Sakai detachment of the Japanese 16th Division, led by Sakai Tokutarō. The Sakai detachment consists of the 13th Infantry Regiment, the 6th Cavalry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Artillery Regiment, with a total strength of over 4,000 men."

  As soon as Hu Yunfeng's words fell, both team leaders took a deep breath of cold air.

  Qiu Ruiquan didn't understand the meaning, thinking that it was just over 4,000 people, and it shouldn't have caused such a reaction from these "Divine Eagles" who were famous for fighting devils.

  "This time we've really met a tough opponent." Hu Yunfeng's tone was also pessimistic.

  "Xiao Gao, specifically tell me about the enemy's troop strength and firepower situation." Chen Jifan ordered.

  Gao Huanjie was the youngest among them, proficient in various radio stations and codes. In addition to this, he also had a hobby of studying the troop deployment of the Japanese army during World War II. He knew the situation of each strategic and tactical unit of the Japanese army like the back of his hand. Hu Yunfeng knew about this hobby, so he called him over.

  "Yes!" Gao Huanjie responded with a nod and began to count, "The Sixth Division is an A-class division in the Japanese army, one of the 17 regular divisions in the Japanese army, and a first-rate unit. The combat personnel have undergone extremely rigorous training, equipment is guaranteed priority, and their combat effectiveness is very strong. The Sixth Division was involved in the occupation of Nanjing and the subsequent massacre there." Gao Huanjie's last sentence was directed at Qiu Ruiquan.

  Qiu Ruijuan asked in confusion: "Massacre? You just said that the Japanese army carried out a massacre in Nanjing?"

  When Qiu Ruiquan asked questions, Chen Jifan, Zhong Dengcheng, Hu Yunfeng and Gao Huanjie had a mixture of sadness and helplessness in their eyes. It seemed that the devils had blocked the news very tightly. Although Hanshan and Nanjing were only separated by a river, these KMT officials did not know about it. Probably not just him, many people didn't know either.

  "After the 'Divine Eagle' grew in strength, Chen Jifang and his comrades never wanted to mention the Nanjing Massacre again, because it was not only a perpetual pain for the Chinese nation, but also a perpetual shame for these Chinese soldiers. Perhaps the only thing that could wash away this shame was the blood of Japanese invaders."

  "On December 13, 1937, the Japanese army's Sixth Division, Sixteenth Division and other units occupied Nanjing, and then began a six-week long massacre of prisoners of war, wounded soldiers, civilians, old people, children, women, men. These beasts slaughtered them with various cruel means, women, female students, nurses and others were raped and then killed. 300,000 people, 300,000 people! This is the greatest shame and humiliation for my Chinese nation! This is the Japanese devils' brutal trampling of human civilization! County Magistrate Qiu, do you understand why we came back to our motherland from afar?" Chen Jifang almost finished these words with tears.

  Except for Qiu Ruiquan, who had a questioning expression on his face, the other three people were all silent with resentment. Qiu Ruiquan had already read out the anger and hatred in their hearts, that kind of irreconcilable hatred. So although he was somewhat puzzled, he still reluctantly believed it.

  "Is everything you said true?" Qiu Ruijuan's eyes had already begun to shine with tears.

  "The Japanese army's news blockade was very strict, only a few international friends risked their lives to take pictures of the enemy's crimes and managed to bring them out, we only knew about it overseas. As for domestically, I'm afraid even Chairman Chiang didn't know. Alright, County Magistrate Qiu, now is not the time for us to be sad, you just need to know that regarding the Sixth Division, no! Regarding all the invaders of my China, we must completely eliminate them! Don't leave any alive, don't take prisoners. Because they are not worthy of being called soldiers, comparing this army to beasts is an insult to beasts."

  Zhong Dingcheng reminded: "Captain, let Xiaogao continue speaking."

  Chen Jifan nodded slightly, indicating for Gao Huanjie to continue.

  "This time, Sakai's detachment must not be underestimated. A full-strength infantry brigade of the Kwantung Army has 3,800 men, with six to eight infantry guns and two rapid-fire guns in addition to light and heavy machine guns. Its firepower is comparable to that of an ordinary National Revolutionary Army division, or even stronger. The Sixth Cavalry Brigade has 452 men and 430 horses, while the Sixth Artillery Brigade has 634 men and 500 horses, with 12 field guns. All are first-rate troops from the Sixth Division. It can be said that in a frontal battle, even an entire National Revolutionary Army army group may not be a match for Sakai's detachment."

  Qiu Ruiquan was stunned after hearing Gao Huanjie's introduction, he had thought that with just a few thousand more troops, they could retake Hanshan, but who would have thought that the main force of the Japanese devils had arrived. He himself had fought against the Japanese before and had a deep understanding of their strength.

  Chen Jifan saw Qiu Ruiquan's disappointed look and couldn't bear it, so he comforted Qiu Ruiquan: "County Magistrate Qiu doesn't have to worry, we must take Hanshan, and it's a priority. Now what we need to do is plan for the future after Hanshan is recovered. Everyone sees that Hanshan is very close to Chencang County, if Wenhe hears about it and cuts off our retreat route, he will definitely come back with all his might, at that time our small force under the bombardment of 10-20 75mm cannons can't hold on, and instead sacrifice the lives of soldiers and civilians in vain."

  "What should we do then?" Qiu Ruijuan asked anxiously.

  Chen Jifan ignored him and continued, "So we must choose the right time, that is when the devils start attacking Hefei from Ning County. Once the devils start attacking Hefei, we will eliminate the Hanshan defenders with all our might, leave a garrison behind, and immediately launch an attack in the direction of Chaohu Lake. As soon as the devils find out that their rear has been cut off, they will inevitably send troops to reinforce, and then our opportunity will come."

  Hu Yunfeng said: "I think it's necessary to inform the New Fourth Army and ask them to coordinate with us in harassing the Japanese army from behind enemy lines."

  "It's not necessary, the New Fourth Army must have received intelligence by now. At present, their strength in this area is still weak and can only play a harassing role against the devils. The key issue is still with us." Chen Jifan seemed to be confident.

  Zhong Dingcheng said: "We now have 4,000 troops, the main force has just completed the first phase of training, while the original security team's 1,700 people due to time constraints and lack of suitable military commanders, so basically no combat effectiveness."

  "So I'd like to ask County Chief Qiu to temporarily take over a battalion commander, select 500 combat-capable men from these troops to form a field battalion, equip them with domestically-made weapons. I'll also transfer an artillery company's mortar platoon to you. After recovering Hanshan, this battalion will be responsible for defending Hanshan and monitoring the enemy in the county. What do you think, County Chief Qiu?"

  "Alright, I'll go along with the team leader's plan, but I have one condition."

  "You said!"

  "I brought those people from Hanyang, I want to fill them into the team, what does the captain think?"

  "No problem. Now announce the appointment and dismissal order of the 'Divine Eagle' Anti-Japanese Independent Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army: Appoint Qiu Ruiquan as the regiment commander of the 4th Infantry Battalion of the 'Divine Eagle' Independent Regiment, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, to take immediate action to establish the 4th battalion from today. The appointment of company-level officers will be fully responsible by Commander Qiu."

  "Yes!" Qiu Ruijuan received the order and saluted before turning around and leaving.

  After Qiu Ruiquan left, Chen Jifang immediately began to arrange combat tasks:

  One, Chen Jifan commanded the directly affiliated assault team, and the third, fourth, and artillery battalions formed the right group to attack Hanshan. After success, the fourth battalion was left to garrison, and the rest of the troops quickly marched towards Chaohu, creating a threatening situation for the Japanese army's rear. Led by Zhong Dingcheng, the directly affiliated special reconnaissance battalion, engineer battalion first and second battalions formed the left group, launching a surprise attack between Hefei, Chaohu, and Hanshan, harassing the enemy, and slowing down the enemy's advance. Gao Huanjie commanded the guard battalion and militia to be responsible for the defense of Quanjiao and assist Deng Fangshun in doing a good job in logistical support for the troops.

  Second, the specific route is that the Second Battalion will immediately depart from Guhe Town and head west through Tuo'ao Town to cut off the Ninghe Highway, waiting for an opportunity to annihilate the enemy's logistics transportation troops. After the main force of the regiment launches a surprise attack on Ninghu, it will join forces with the First Battalion to block the Japanese army's reinforcements. The special reconnaissance squadron will secretly approach the Sakai detachment and try every means to harass the Japanese army, especially the artillery, and if possible, blow up the enemy's field guns.

  Third, immediately contact Anhui Provincial Chairman and Commander of the 21st Army Group Liao Yue, inform him of our combat plan, and hope that friendly forces will cooperate.

  Chen Jifang did not know who Liao Xue was, but he felt it necessary to strengthen communication with the National Army. Otherwise, if the Hefei garrison could not effectively resist and Hefei fell quickly, the "Divine Eagle" operation would be put on the defensive.

  After all arrangements were made, each unit began to prepare food, grass and ammunition according to orders, preparing to set off towards the designated location.

  The battle of recovering Huan Shan and counterattacking against the Japanese army has officially begun.