Although Xue Yue was unwilling to take risks and was perfunctory with the chairman of the committee, he shouldered the responsibility of defending Nanchang and did not dare to slack off at all. He actively deployed defenses according to his own intentions. Xue Yue spent more than six months on the south bank of Xiuhe River along the route from Xujiabu to

Strong fortifications were built on the slopes connecting the river bank in the Tuolin area, with a depth of several thousand meters.

The interior of the fortifications is relatively spacious, where you can eat, bathe, defecate, and sleep. Even if the fortifications were bombed by the Japanese army, they could be repaired and maintained intact during the bombing. For this reason, the officers and soldiers called these fortifications "Xianshi Company" and "Dahua Company".

"hotel" to describe the depth and breadth of the fortifications.

Xue Yue's opponent this time is Okamura Neiji, the Lieutenant General Commander of Japan's 11th Army. Okamura Neiji successively studied at the Army Military Academy, Army University, and Army University. After graduating from the Army University, he worked for a long time in the General Staff Headquarters to study Chinese intelligence. He participated in the Japanese

During the Russian War and World War I, he served as a military adviser to the Beiyang warlord Sun Chuanfang and participated in the Chinese Civil War.

Among the many Japanese generals, Okamura Neiji can be regarded as a "famous general". He has made great achievements in leadership and combat. He is meticulous in his work, calm-minded, and has a deep study of China. He is a very difficult opponent.

For the Battle of Nanchang, Okamura Neiji deployed a total of three divisions and a mixed brigade. In addition to using the above two weak divisions for frontal attacks, he used the elite Inaba Division alone for Wuning's front,

Takahide Fujido's independent 14th Mixed Brigade was used as an occupying force.

Stimulated and inspired by Jiang Qiang's blitzkrieg, Okamura Neiji broke with convention and adopted new tactics when attacking Nanchang. He concentrated on using tanks and artillery to form a powerful mechanized attack column.

Among them, there are 106 medium-sized tanks and 75 Type 94 light tanks, which are independently organized into a tank team and used as a breakthrough force. Armored vehicles are used to carry an infantry brigade for coordinated operations, with a strength equivalent to three tank regiments.

This approach of Okamura Neiji reformed the tradition of the Japanese army. The Japanese army has always dispersed tanks to various infantry divisions for separate use. In addition, Okamura also designated the 45th Squadron of the 3rd Flying Regiment to provide air support for the tank convoys.

, and sent a reconnaissance squadron to continuously explore the dynamics of the defenders. This tank group has complete ground-air coordinated combat conditions.

Due to the intensive use of ultra-large-scale artillery on the front, the technology was not mature, so the Japanese army especially strengthened the training of artillery observation and position configuration before the battle. The Japanese artillery commander Sumita Raishiro was an overseas student of the French artillery school, and the

The French army in World War I was second to none in the intensive use of artillery, and the British army sometimes asked for help from French artillery.

Therefore, Okamura simply copied the forward firing method of the French artillery during the Allied Breakthrough Operation in 1918. Of course, the Japanese army would not give up the opportunity to use poison gas. Their chimneys would release large amounts of tear-jerking and sneezing smoke.

After organizing large-scale artillery and chemical units, the Eleventh Army began to worry about whether the troops would have joint combat capabilities under large-scale mixed formations, so under the supervision of Commander Imamura of the Inaba Division, they made a rifle smoke

Live-fire joint exercise. The Japanese army seized civilian houses as gas chambers and strictly trained soldiers on the combat capabilities and operating skills of wearing gas masks.

Before attacking Nanchang, the Japanese army found that the defenders' positions along the Xiushui River gave full play to their geographical advantages. They built a defense line on a gentle slope close to the river bank and limited the Japanese army's frontal attack to an area of ​​more than ten kilometers surrounded by Poyang Lake and steep mountains.

Narrow area.

To break through such a line of defense, tanks and heavy artillery were the most effective. So Okamura Neiji prepared to use a super-large-scale artillery bombardment to blast a gap in the Yongxiu area.

Then, led by the Ishii chariot convoy, the two infantry divisions directly rushed 120 kilometers to Fengxin. After resting, they rushed 130 kilometers to Nanchang. After everything was ready, Okamura Neji ordered the troops to take the lead.

The attack began on March 17.

On March 17, the Japanese Saito Division, with the Murai Battalion as the vanguard, advanced towards the 79th Army's defense line in Xia Chuzhong from the Xiushui Branch east of Yongxiu. The 721st Regiment of the defending army resisted bravely and repelled the Murai Battalion's attack.

Raid.

On March 18, the Japanese Nakai Division and Saito Division between Zhanggongdu and Yongxiu began shelling positions on the south bank of Xiushui.

At the same time, one Japanese division from each of the two divisions sailed south from Xingzi on warships and motorboats to attack Wucheng Town. Then shallow-water gunboats and seaplanes were deployed to bombard Wucheng. At night, the Murai Brigade attacked again with all its strength, and the defenders 141st

The division violently fired at the Japanese motorboats in the water. The Japanese troops were severely beaten in the dark night, and the assault plan failed.

Luo Zhuoying ordered the main force of the 142nd Division to stick to Tujiabu, echoing the Xiushui front of Song Kentang's 32nd Army, and transferred the 98th Division to Wucheng Town to strengthen defense. Luo Zhuoying then detached the 717th Regiment from the 139th Division

As a reserve force, we strictly guard against large-scale landings by Japanese troops.

However, the Japanese army still tried to force a landing, and Song Kentang's army and other troops fought tenaciously. The fierce fighting continued until the 19th, but the Japanese attack still failed.

On the afternoon of March 20, Okamura Ningji came to Junshan behind the 6th Artillery Brigade position to supervise the artillery breakthrough operations.

At 4:30 p.m., the Japanese army raised an observation balloon. The artillery force assembled a total of 230 light and heavy artillery pieces. Under the guidance of the balloon, they bombarded the defenders' positions with all their strength without warning. This was the most intensive artillery attack by the Japanese army since the war began.

The Guanyin Mountain position by the Shuihe River was immediately shrouded in smoke and turned into a hell on earth.
Chapter completed!