Yang Zhen laid the bait and waited for the Japanese army to take the bait. It just made him feel a little surprised. As the target of fishing, the 2nd Division did not bite the hook for a long time. In order to make it more realistic, Yang Zhentong guò Guo Bingxun gave Zhao Shangzhi, who had full command of the battle on the front line of the Haoliang River, the order of the 3rd Brigade and the 3rd Division to counterattack the 14th Wing of the 25th Division of the Japanese Army on the front line of the Haoliang River.

In order to put on a sufficient posture, in addition to transferring Wang Guangyu's brigade out of the hidden area of Qunce Mountain, he put on a posture in front of the Japanese reconnaissance planes to advance westward at any time. Yang Zhen even disguised a battalion of the rocket artillery regiment directly under the military district as the main force, and was also transferred to the front line of the Haoliang River to participate in the battle.

After the 3rd Brigade and the 3rd Division launched a full-line counterattack on the front line of the Haoliang River, the excitement of the original offensive only lasted for two days, and then turned into languishing, and the 25th Division was fighting half-dead under the command of Lieutenant General Kuwabara Shiro, and it suddenly became as if taking Viagra. A large number of troops were invested, and with air support, the 3rd Brigade was engaged in repeated fierce battles.

The battle on the front line of the Haoliang River was in full swing, but the offensive of the Japanese Second Division on the Dong'an line was not strengthened, but the intensity decreased somewhat. The original tactics of three wings of the first line of flat pushing, due to the terrain, had to be changed to one wing for the main attack, and the three wings responded. After the Second Division reached the Dong'an line, the attack formation became a long snake formation.

In fact, in the face of the long snake formation of the Second Division, Yang Zhen was really a little itchy. The formation of the Japanese army at present is the best moment for a counterattack on all fronts. It's just that at present, the Second Division has been slow to divide its troops, and there are enough four wings. With the addition of auxiliary forces, the number of troops is nearly 16,000.

Judging from the combat effectiveness of the Second Division, if he chooses to counterattack at this time, he must mobilize at least 30,000 troops. But at present, unless he terminates the battle in other directions and transfers the backbone regiment of the 1st Division of the Japanese Army, which is fighting fiercely with a detachment of the 11th Division of the Japanese Army, which is attacking in the direction of Fujin, plus all the troops on the front line of the Haoliang River, he will not be able to gather so many troops.

Moreover, judging from the extremely strong combat effectiveness, rapid reaction speed, and tacit cooperation between the various wings of the Second Division in the past few days of fighting, if they rashly attack before they divide their troops, they may not succeed in fighting the snake and be devoured by it. This snake is not a small snake, but a huge python.

Just when Yang Zhen was a little anxious about the delay of the Second Division, a fierce quarrel broke out in the headquarters of the Second Division. The protagonists of the quarrel were none other than Hattori Takushiro Nakasa, who refused to leave in the Second Division, and Lieutenant General Toji Yasui, the commander of the Second Division.

To be honest, arguing with a lieutenant general and a lieutenant is really a loss of identity for Yasui Fujiji. But Nakasa, who spends his days urging him to take advantage of the emptiness of his opponent's hinterland and take a combined attack, really made him a little too angry. Regarding the information that Hattori Takushiro kept saying that the opponent had mobilized the main force to the front line of the Kora River, Yasui Fujiji did not believe it.

In the opinion of Lieutenant General Yasui Toji, the line of the Haoliang River is not far from the straight-line distance of Dong'an. If the opponent wants to attack himself, more than 100 miles, but it is only two days and nights of marching distance, and he will rush back when he says he will rush back. The outcome of the 24th Division after the division of troops is not far away, and he Yasui Toji does not want to repeat this mistake.

And for the thing that the Special Intelligence Department of the Kwantung Army and the Intelligence Department did together before, Yasui Fujiji did not believe it. He was even somewhat distrustful of the intelligence department of the Kwantung Army. In his opinion, if this damn intelligence department really had half the capabilities they boasted, the opponent would not have grown so much in just half a year. Did those well-trained soldiers fall from the sky?

As for the so-called battle plan of this Hattori Takushiro, Toji Yasui can be described as extremely contemptuous. In Yasui Fujiji's opinion, this Hattori Takushiro Nakasa has no strengths except for being bold and able to cause trouble. Before, he kept saying that the other party had lost its unified command and could only fight separately in the face of the imperial army's offensive, but it conflicted with the new information that the opponent was gathering heavy troops on the front line of the Haoliang River.

According to the assessment of this guy with the intelligence department of the Kwantung Army, those scraps, as well as the so-called battle plan. The opponent should now be fighting passively everywhere, dividing his forces to resist the attack of the imperial army, and it is impossible to cooperate with each other. Because they have lost their unified command and can only fight separately.

Indeed, the evidence of this guy's claim is conclusive. Through the interrogation of the opponent's captured personnel, it can be learned that it is only one brigade of the other side that has been fighting with him in the past few days. And during the days-long battle, apart from relying on the ammunition that he carried with him, he did not receive a single reinforcement.

Of course, neither Toji Yasui nor Takushiro Hattori knew that their information was outdated. But it is precisely this, in the eyes of Yasui Fujiji, that does not represent the overall sesame big thing, that makes Hattori Takushiro as a reason and evidence to convince himself.

After receiving the information that the other party's main force was gathering on the front line of the Haoliang River, Yasui Fujiji wanted to see if this information was like a donkey's lips and a horse's mouth compared to the previous so-called information, and whether it would make Hattori Takushiro more honest. As a result, he underestimated the thickness of this guy's skin.

Far from thinking that his previous judgment was wrong, this guy didn't think he was wrong. even used this as evidence to bluntly sue Sù Yasui Fujiji, the other party's air defense is weak at the moment, and it is the best time to divide the troops and attack. He was not ashamed of his previous mistakes, but a little complacent, which made Yasui Fujiji very disgusted and hated.

The complex shape on the battlefield at the moment makes Yasui Toji only trust his own judgment. In his opinion, a group that has inflicted heavy losses on the Kwantung Army several times, and even almost completely annihilated a division of the Kwantung Army, and the casualties brought to the Kwantung Army are hardly smaller than those of the Soviet Army in Normenhan, which is equipped with aircraft, heavy artillery and tanks.

Indeed, whether a unit in the Chinese army can fight and whether it is tenacious has a lot to do with the style of its commanders. Just like in the Japanese army, whether a division is strong or not has a lot to do with the local folk customs of the region where it is recruited. The richer the place, the less determined the soldiers are to die.

For example, the 1st and 4th Divisions of the Japanese Army. These two conscription areas were mainly in Tokyo and Osaka, which had been the most prosperous and commercial divisions in Japan since ancient times, and there was no way to compare the strength of the officers and men with the 2nd and 6th divisions from Sendai and Kumamoto, which were from the impoverished areas.

But Yasui doesn't think that the casualties of a commander can affect the operation of a force, or even fall apart. True, this situation is not uncommon in the Chinese army. After the arrest of the young marshal, wasn't the Northeast Army also broken up by the Shina government?

However, in Yasui's view, the opponent in front of him is different from the average Chinese army. Its internal cohesion is very strong, and the unity is also very good. Otherwise, the Kwantung Army would not have been inflicted heavy losses repeatedly. Although the supreme commander's loss of command ability due to injuries will have a certain impact on such a force, it will definitely not be absolute.

If an ace unit falls apart because it has changed commanders, it cannot be an ace unit. Just like his second division, no matter how many division commanders have been replaced, his combat power is still the first in the imperial army. Therefore, Hattori Takushiro's remark that the opponent will fight separately after losing the supreme commander seems to him to be pure bullshit.

With such a preconceived understanding, it is reasonable that Yasui Fujiji is extremely cold to Hattori Takushiro urging him to divide his troops in a roundabout way. And his repeated refusal of Hattori Zhuoshiro is half to build yì, half to rely on the full strength of the battle superintendent granted by Umezu Mijiro, and the attitude of pulling the tiger skin as a banner is also one of the main reasons why Hattori Zhuoshiro is furious.

After the fierce quarrel between the two people, the direct consequence was that although the offensive of the second division was still sharp, the strength was also sharply reduced compared with before, and even in the eyes of Hattori Takushiro, it was simply perfunctory as a war officer. Of course, this has a certain relationship with the unfavorable terrain, but it cannot be without Yasui Fujiji's disguised warning to Hattori Takushiro.

Takushiro Hattori, who was greatly dissatisfied with Yasui Toji's move, campaigned in the Second Division for a while, trying to encourage those young junior officers who were belligerent and dreamed of wearing the rank of general, so that they could give full play to the tradition of the Japanese army, ignore the orders of the division commander, and move freely.

It's just that what Hattori Takushiro didn't expect was that the young and fanatical officers of the Second Division were also a little dissatisfied with the division commander's overly conservative tactics. But he was even more disgusted with this guy who put on a posture of a minister all day long and did not leave the second division. Moreover, Hattori Takushiro also underestimated Yasui Toji's control of the Second Division.

As early as the assembly of the Second Division, Yasui Fujiji, who had also passed through his own youth, and knew what his young officers could do when they were hot-headed, sternly warned his young officers who were unusually impulsive compared to the relatively conservative officers who came from the reserve of the special divisions and the newly formed divisions.

Yasui Toji sternly admonished his subordinates that this battle was extraordinary. If someone does not obey the command and acts without authorization, no matter how great the feats he has established and how many enemies he has annihilated, as long as he is still in the army, he will definitely be sent to Hokkaido to count the stars.

It is clear that Yasui Toji's warning has played a big role. In addition to the disgusting mood of Takushiro Hattori.

The young officers, whose minds were filled with extremely fanatical ideas of meritorious service, were hardly attracted to his agitation. Everyone knows what Hokkaido is. To be transferred there is almost equivalent to exile.

Yasui Fujiji's attitude of stability, as well as the coldness of everyone up and down the division, made Takushiro Hattori extremely angry. After several fruitless disputes with Yasui Toji, the annoyed and angry Hattori Takushiro no longer ignored the elegant appearance he pretended to be, and directly asked Umezu Mijiro to participate in a copy. In a rather vicious tone, he sued Yasui Fujiji fiercely.

To say that Umezu Mijiro is worthy of being a person favored by the top leaders of the Japanese army and the veterans, it is refreshing to do things. Within two hours of receiving Hattori's report, he sent an extremely harsh reprimand telegram to Yasui Toji. Umezu Mijiro clearly told Sù Yasui Fujiji that Hattori Takushiro meant what he meant. Takushiro Hattori's plan was drawn up by himself. You Yasui Fujiji must be strictly obedient.

Even at the end of the telegram, Umezu Mijiro added that you, Toji Yasui, were promoted to army commanders, but they were still in the Kwantung Army system. Even if I, Umezu Mijiro, don't have the power to remove you, I still have the right to replace you at the Tokyo headquarters.

After receiving this telegram from Umezu Mijiro, even if Toji Yasui was reluctant, he had to act according to that guy's bullshit plan. After giving the order, Yasui Toji privately complained to Major General Katayama Shotaro, commander of the 15th Brigade of the Second Division, that if he followed his tactics of holding together as a division and fighting steadily. Judging from the combat effectiveness of the Second Division, even if the attack cannot completely annihilate the opponent, at least there will be no problem in inflicting heavy losses.

But General Umezu Mijiro only listened to that damned Hattori Takushiro and did not learn the lessons of the 24th Division. Urging himself to divide his troops and take a detour. Once the current shape is a trap set by the opponent, I am afraid that in the future, it will be the second division that will be unlucky.

Regarding Yasui Fujiji's somewhat pessimistic analysis of the prospect of dividing the troops, Major General Katayama Keitaro hesitated slightly, but still said: "Your Excellency, division commander, are you worrying too much?" The 24th Division is the 24th Division, and the 2nd Division is the 2nd Division. The combat effectiveness of the 2nd Division is not comparable to that of the 24th Division. ”

Regarding Saburo Katayama's answer, Yasui Toji smiled bitterly: "Katayama-kun, you are an officer who participated in the Shina operation, after the attack in the past few days, haven't you seen clearly what kind of unit the opponent is?" The style of this army, did you encounter it when you fought in the Shina Pass? ”

Hearing this, Saburo Katayama shook his head and said: "Your Excellency, the division commander, this bandit is well equipped, resolute in its will to fight, ingenious in its use of tactics, and reasonable in its various firepower combinations. ”

"But we can't be too careful. Although Hattori-kun's intelligence cannot be completely true, you should still believe in the intelligence gathering ability of the Imperial Japanese Army, especially the intelligence gathering ability of the Kwantung Army. Of all this information, although the loss of command ability of their leaders is not very credible, the information on their troop movements should be accurate. ”

"And you should have confidence in the combat effectiveness of the 2nd Division. The 2nd Division was the most combat-effective division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Since its establishment, whether it is the Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War or the Manchurian Incident, he has made countless contributions to the Japanese Empire. I don't think the result will be any different this time. ”

Listening to Saburo Katayama's confident answer, Fujiji Yasui was silent for a long time before he said, "Do you really think this is a bandit army?" No, they are no longer bandits now, but an army in the real way. We've always been too underestimated. ”