Chapter 13: Rapid Army Building Strategy (Part 2)

  Taierzhuang, April 4th, 1938.

  Second Army Headquarters

  "The 2nd Army Group has suffered heavy casualties. The enemy's firepower is too strong, the offensive is too fierce, but we have also consumed the enemy almost completely. May I ask the superior to agree to temporarily withdraw to the south bank of the canal, so that the 2nd Army Group can leave some seeds, which is also a great kindness and virtue of the superior."

  The one who said such rare soft words in the army is actually a tough guy.

  Sun Lianzhong, also known as Fang Lu, was a native of Xiong County, Hebei Province. In his early years, he joined the army and was originally a brave general in the Northwest Army. During the civil war, his troops were good at defensive battles on the front line and had many examples of turning defense into offense.

  At this time, the commander of the Second Army Group was truly soft-hearted. The Second Army had been fighting against the Japanese army on the front line for ten days and had already lost more than half of its troops. The six regiments stationed in Taierzhuang were almost completely destroyed. He no longer had any reserve forces at his disposal, while the 20th Corps under Tang Enbo was blocked by the Japanese defense line and failed to break through as planned to meet up with Sun's unit.

  The Japanese army, having caught its breath, turned around and launched a desperate attack on Taierzhuang. The Second Army, which was already at the end of its strength, could not withstand this crazy attack by the Japanese army. In one breath, they lost several important places, and even the core position of Taierzhuang was occupied by the Japanese for three-quarters.

  Facing the possibility of total annihilation, Sun Lianzhong finally spoke softly to his superior officer. However, as a veteran of many battles and a man of iron blood, speaking softly was not his forte. The words that were meant to be a lament sounded stiff and awkward coming from him, which only added to their weight and made them even more extraordinary.

  "General Sun, please hold on for a few more hours, reinforcements from an independent brigade have departed from Xuzhou and will arrive within three hours."

  The Li officer on the phone did not give Sun Lianzhong a blank check like in the past. Although he didn't have a large army at his disposal, he could still dispatch an independent brigade's worth of troops.

  Commander Li was well aware that the unexpected entry of the Japanese army's Sakamoto detachment onto the battlefield had caused the 20th Army Corps, which was not very determined to fight in the first place, to be blocked under increased pressure.

  But the balance of forces in the Taierzhuang area is still in my favor and the enemy's weakness. As long as Sun's unit can hold on for two or three more days, not only will the entire situation improve, but also because of the increasing number of Japanese troops surrounded, the results will be even more brilliant.

  As an excellent professional soldier, he knew that in a stalemate, the side that could hold on for the last five minutes would be the winner.

  Commander Li then dispatched the last reserve division-level unit from his hand to the front line, the newly formed Independent 100th Brigade, which had been established for less than half a month.

  When getting off the train near Taierzhuang, Cheng Jiaji still couldn't believe that the current situation would deviate from the historical track again. At that time in Linyi, the Japanese surprise attack was just a small deviation. But this time, Sakamoto's brigade, which should have never approached the main battlefield of Taierzhuang, was actually engaged in an intense battle with the 20th Army Corps. The unexpected appearance of this Japanese army greatly restrained the strength of Tang Jun, making it impossible for him to break through the Japanese defense line and enter Taierzhuang at noon tomorrow as recorded in history in his original time and space.

  Cheng Jiaji knew that the situation of the Taierzhuang Battle had reached a critical moment. If the exhausted Second Army could not withstand the fierce attack of the Japanese 10th Division for another two to three days, then not only would the plan to annihilate the Japanese in Taierzhuang, which was previously laid out by the war zone commander's office, be completely ruined, but also the Chinese army, which had already formed a stalemate with the Japanese, would suffer heavy losses. That would mean there would be no victory at Taierzhuang, and this was something Cheng Jiaji absolutely could not accept.

  Looking at the troops disembarking, Cheng Jiaji couldn't help but frown slightly. In half a month's time, he had exhausted all his efforts to gather more than 5,000 soldiers, even resorting to recruiting new officers and soldiers who had just learned how to fire guns. Among these people, less than a thousand had actually fought against the Japanese and seen bloodshed; the rest were new recruits who had only just learned how to shoot. He didn't know how many of these new soldiers would be able to see tomorrow's sunrise after this battle.

  He felt heavy-hearted because he had to send these new recruits, who were destined to die nine times out of ten, onto the battlefield. Cheng Jiakui led his cavalry guard squad, composed entirely of veteran soldiers, under the guidance of a lieutenant colonel from the Second Army Group who came to lead the way, galloping towards the headquarters of the Second Army Group on the north bank of the canal.

  At this time, the sky was just brightening, and the sound of gunfire coming from Tai'erzhuang not far away also gradually subsided. It seemed that the devils had attacked all night and were exhausted too.

  Sun Lianzhong was eagerly awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. The fierce battles last night and this morning had inflicted extremely heavy casualties on the Second Army Group. Not only did the 31st Division, which was responsible for defending Taierzhuang, have less than a thousand men left, but the other two divisions on its flanks had also lost more than half their strength. It could be said that after ten days of bloody fighting, the Second Army Group was exhausted and if no reinforcements arrived, it would be uncertain whether they could hold out until today. Fortunately, last night both China and Japan were repeatedly vying for control, neither side able to cross the Lei Pool.

  "Cheng Lianzhang, how many troops have arrived on the battlefield under your command." Time was pressing, and Sun Lianzhong no longer had time to chat with this young colonel who had just been assigned to his command.

  "Reporting to Commander Sun, the troops of our brigade that have arrived in the war zone include a part of the brigade's direct unit and most of the temporary 199th regiment, totaling around 2,000 people. The rest of our troops, about 2,500 people, will arrive here in two hours. This time, due to the pressure of the battlefield, I had no choice but to bring my own main force to this battlefield. Cheng Jiaji has foreseen that his hard-earned team would be left with only a few men, so he left two battalions of new recruits and logistics agencies in Xuzhou to maintain some foundation for replenishment when the troops are exhausted."

  "Order the troops that have arrived to quickly advance to the left wing defense line, replace one of the 30th Division's brigades and hold on for at least a day." Sun Lianzhong did not dare to expect that Cheng Jun's troops would be too powerful. He also did not dare to put the newly formed Independent 100th Brigade into that crucial palm-sized village.