Tianjiazhen Fortress, the military headquarters of Huang Wei's 18th Army. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

As the family of the civil engineering department, the 18th Army still received preferential treatment in the end. After fighting several tough battles in a row and suffering certain losses, the distressed Chen Cixiu transferred Huang Wei's troops to the fortress. Among them, Peng Shan's 11th Division was even appointed to garrison the core position, which was actually justified in withdrawing to a safe place to rest.

Although the Japanese pincer offensive was ferocious, it was really impossible to break through the complete defense system of Tianjia Town in a short period of time.

After all, this is a national defense Grade A fortification reinforced by German advisers, Soviet advisers, and the Wuhan government and Huang Haoran in turn, armed like a hedgehog. A strong attack can only be the end of a river of blood.

The veteran Shunroku Hata only launched a few tentative attacks after completing the formation, and the highest number of troops invested was at the squadron level. This is a test of the defensive firepower of the fortress.

After Chen Cixiu realized Shunroku's intentions, he ordered the belligerent troops to control the scale of the conflict, and the artillery units attached to the fortress did not say a word. As long as the devil is not allowed to figure out the truth and reality, then the time for the opponent's general attack can only be delayed. And that's exactly what Chen Cixiu wants to see.

The Fifth and Ninth Theaters did not have such fortifications as the Jiang Defense Army to rely on, and Xue Yue and Xiao Zhuge were tired divisions after a long battle. As long as the Japanese army launched with all its might, these two battlefields would definitely lose faster. No matter which side steps down first, the three towns of Wuhan can no longer hold on. With the loss of Wuhan, the Tianjiazhen fortress will lose its meaning of existence, and Chen Cixiu will be able to justifiably command the troops to carry out a "general retreat".

It's a battle of patience, and the most precious thing is time.

The devils outside stood still, and there were battle-ready fortifications above their heads to resist the bombardment. The Eighteenth Army has had a very pleasant time lately. remembered that a while ago I was lying in the field and being bombed by devils, it was really like a world away.

Tianjiazhen is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River about 65 kilometers in the upper reaches of the Jiujiang River, 150 kilometers in the lower reaches of Wuhan, and about 40 kilometers southwest of Guangji County. Its terrain is dangerous, the river is locked by mountains, the lakes are connected, the east is the Huangni Lake, the west is the Makou Lake, and there are three or four miles wide and six or seven miles long hills in the middle. To the north of the hill is the Songshan Heights, the highlands stretch for more than 10 miles, the relative height is only three or four hundred meters, but it is very steep, and the dense vegetation is sometimes exposed with gray-brown rocks, which is the support of the north of the fortress. It is known as "the first gateway of Wuhan" and "the key to the Chujiang River", and the terrain is dangerous. Because of the confrontation between the two mountains, the Yangtze River suddenly narrows here, and the distance between the two banks is only about 500 meters, so there is the saying of "rowing a boat across the river with eighteen oars". The Taiping army and the Qing army built fortresses and forts here.

In 1938, after the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, Anqing and Jiujiang, they invaded along Jiangxi, and Tianjia Town became another barrier to defend Wuhan. The gains and losses of Tianjia Town have a direct impact on the safety of Wuhan. Before the Battle of Wuhan, the Wuhan Command set up the "Tianjiazhen Fortress Headquarters" in Tianjia Town, with artillery units and an infantry garrison battalion.

On March 21 of the same year, the highest authority stressed to the responsible person of the Military Command Department: "The defense of Madang, Hukou, Jiujiang, and Tianjia Towns is particularly important, and their fortifications and gun emplacements, as well as the defense of the troops, should be specially supervised and arranged by the Military Command Department." "The Military Command Department further strengthened the defense of the Tianjiazhen Fortress and urged the Fortress Headquarters to build strong fortifications on both sides of the river. After the Battle of Wuhan began, the Wuhan Command sent two additional divisions of Li Yannian in the 9th Theater to defend Tianjia Town, and the original fortress troops were under the unified command of Li Yannian. Li Yannian ordered Zheng Zuomin, the main force of the 2nd Army, to guard the north of the fortress, his 26th Brigade to guard the Songshan Heights, and the 25th Brigade to be deployed in the hilly area; The commander of the 171st Brigade, Yang Zongding, concurrently served as the commander of the fortress, and the 340th, 341st, and 342nd regiments under his jurisdiction guarded the core of the fortress, and the 337th and 339th regiments under the jurisdiction of the 169th Brigade defended the outer positions. The officers and men of the two divisions, together with the troops of the original fortress, seized the pre-war time to repair additional fortifications, built several hundred fortified strongholds out of cement, and surrounded several barbed wire fences in the mountainous area from the high ground near Siwang Mountain to Tianjia Town, and more than 20 field and mountain guns were mixed and deployed on each high ground in this area. At the same time, military training should be stepped up and preparations should be put into full force.

In late July 1938, Bai Chongxi, acting commander of the 5th Theater of Operations, inspected the Tianjiazhen fortress and inspected and supervised it. The "Operational Plan for the Battle of Wuhan of the Ninth Theater," drawn up on 5 August, emphatically pointed out that "all important areas along the Yangtze River and the Nande Line should be allocated in one section, and in particular, the Tianjiazhen fortress should be firmly defended," and it was also required that "the Tianjiazhen fortress should be prepared to hold on for more than two months." On August 6, the supreme authorities sent another telegram to Li Yannian and others, pointing out that "the fortresses of Tian (Jiazhen) and Fu (Chi) are the keys to the positions of our army in Dabie Mountain and northern Jiangxi", and that they should "actively prepare and hold on for a long time with the determination to coexist with the fortresses, so as to benefit the overall situation and promote the prestige of the country." ”

After that, Huang Haoran became the master, set up the headquarters of the Jiang Defense Army here, and still built a large number of peripheral defensive positions. With the help of the Soviets, the garrison area of Tianjiazhen Fortress was more than tripled, and it was semi-underground, covered with solid wood and sand, and could defend against shelling of calibers up to 75 mm. More than 200 cement bunkers have also been added.

Contrary to the arrangement of the Wuhan Military Command Department, Huang Haoran paid more attention to the peripheral positions. Having experienced bloody battles like those in Shanghai and Nanjing, he knew very well that in the face of the Japanese, who had air supremacy and superior artillery fire, it was impossible to shrink back and hold on, and it was necessary to make use of the troops with strong combat effectiveness.

Fortresses and pillboxes are points, and communication trenches and outlying fortifications are lines. When the line is cut, the little devil can calmly implement the separation and encirclement, and play the trick of breaking them one by one.

Therefore, Li Yannian's troops were mentioned to the periphery by Huang Haoran, and the core area was only equipped with ordinary river defense troops.

But in the hands of Chen Cixiu, the distribution of troops changed again. In order to find a safe place for his 18th Army, Chen Cixiu pushed Li Yannian's 2nd Army out of Tianjia Town, leaving only a few divisions of the Jiang Defense Army to fight Huang Wei.

The most dangerous task of garrisoning the outer trenches was naturally left to the Jiang Defense Army, and the various units of the Eighteenth Army were scattered in hundreds of cement fortifications, living a life without wind and rain.

"With such a solid fortification, the Japanese will fight for half a year, but I'm afraid they won't be able to beat it, right......?"

The words of Peng Shan, the commander of the 11th Division, caused a burst of laughter, and in the joyful crowd, only the army commander Huang Wei frowned.

At the moment of the big war, underestimating the enemy is definitely a very fatal thing...... (To be continued.) )