diymy Chapter 256 The Chairman was utterly shocked
Chapter 256 The Chairman was utterly shocked
"I Put You in Charge of the Sihang Warehouse, and You Brought Out a German-Style Engineer," a late-career masterpiece by Wu Yun, is available to read now!
Night finally fell completely.
The sounds of gunfire on the battlefield continued, but they were no longer as intense as before.
The flames danced in the distance, illuminating half the sky, as if a burning forest had sprung up on the earth.
Those Japanese soldiers who had not yet escaped were still running, panting, and struggling in the darkness.
But they can't run too far.
Because the tanks of the Third Column were still in pursuit, the soldiers of the Northwest Army were still in pursuit, and Qiu Qingquan's tank convoy was also in pursuit.
This battle is not over yet.
But the ending was already written on Tani Hisao's mutilated corpse, on the Japanese soldiers' remains scattered across the fields, and in the terrified eyes of every surviving Japanese soldier.
The night is long, but the day will always break; it is a dawn watered with the blood of the invaders.
In the principal's office at the Wuhan headquarters, the atmosphere was as somber as the sky before a storm.
He picked up his teacup and took a sip of the tea. The tea had already gone cold, but he didn't care.
Opposite him, Commander He was reporting on the day's battle situation.
"In the direction of Fenshuiting Township and Gushi, the Japanese army dispatched a large number of fighter planes and bombers, dropping countless incendiary bombs."
He paused, as if recalling those horrific scenes.
"The soldiers of the Northwest Army fought valiantly, with Zhang Zizhong and Chi Fengcheng personally going to the front lines to fight alongside the soldiers. In the end, they managed to withstand the attack of the 13th Division and the Imperial Guard Division."
As he said this, Commander He's face showed some emotion, and his eyes reddened slightly.
Upon hearing this, the principal's eyes also shone with respect.
"The Northwest Army is excellent. Sun Lianzhong, Zhang Zizhong, Chi Fengcheng—they are all excellent."
His voice was softer than usual.
As he said this, his gaze fell on another location on the map, which was covered with markings.
"What's the situation in Huoqiu County? The attack there has been going on for over ten hours, and there's still no result?"
The principal knew very well that this was the key point of the battle, the eye of the entire game.
If Li Jianghe's troops can make a breakthrough in this direction, then everything will be safe.
The sacrifice of the Northwest Army was worthwhile, and Qiu Qingquan's tank convoy—his prized possession built at great expense—would not have been completely wiped out.
However, if the results are unsatisfactory, or even if the entire front collapses under the Japanese counterattack, then Li Jianghe and Li Zongren will have to bear the primary responsibility.
Commander He shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness:
"Intelligence from the front lines is always somewhat delayed."
News from Huoqiu County hasn't come through yet. If all else fails, I'll send another telegram to the Fifth War Zone Command.
The principal waved his hand dismissively, his gesture tinged with annoyance, as if shooing away a bothersome fly.
"Hmph, no need to ask any more questions. I don't think it will end well."
He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and took a few steps around the office, his shoes making a dull thud on the floor.
"How easy is it to wipe out two of the enemy's top-tier divisions? This Li Jianghe has been blinded by his previous successive victories."
His voice grew louder and louder, as if his long-suppressed anger had finally found an outlet.
"They thought that wiping out two Japanese divisions was no different from wiping out one. The result was—Zhou Yu's brilliant plan to secure the world backfired, costing him both his wife and his army."
He said this through gritted teeth, with a hint of disappointment and frustration.
Just as he was quite indignant and complaining about Li Jianghe's unauthorized actions, there was a rapid knocking on the door.
The sound was urgent and rapid, like someone pounding a drum with their fist.
"Come in."
The principal said irritably, his brows furrowed.
The door was pushed open, and a staff officer from the communications room strode in, holding a telegram in his hand.
His fingers were trembling with excitement, and his voice was stammering.
"Chairman, a great...great victory!!!"
Those three words seemed to burst from his throat, carrying an irrepressible excitement.
The principal turned his head with a hint of doubt, his gaze sharp as a knife as he looked at the staff officer.
"A great victory? What great victory? Where was the great victory? Whose great victory?"
He asked three questions in a row, each one urgent and harsh.
Commander He also looked at the panting staff officer, his tone somewhat gentler than the principal's:
"Catch your breath first, there's no need to get so agitated."
As he said this, he already had a vague idea of the answer in his mind.
Could it be a major victory for Li Jianghe's Third Column?
The Jiujiang defense line is doomed; it's suffering massive defeats every day, unable to mount any decent counterattacks, and there's no chance of any good news coming in.
The direction of Huoqiu County is the only place where good news might come.
After all, that's Li Jianghe, the invincible Li Jianghe.
"A great victory for the Third Column! A great victory in the Huoqiu direction! The commander of the Sixth Division, Tani Hisao, was killed by our Third Column while fleeing!"
The news exploded like a bomb in the office.
"Tani Hisao was... killed?"
Now it was the principal's turn to stutter; his eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly.
"He escaped? Why...why would he escape? Has the defensive line of the Sixth and Tenth Divisions been breached?"
It seems that only this possibility can explain this statement.
How is that possible?
What astonishing combat power does the Third Column possess? In just three to five days, they managed to break through the defenses of two divisions.
Although these two divisions had already suffered considerable losses in personnel and equipment during the previous fierce battles, they were still two divisions.
At that time, most of the troops in the entire Fifth War Zone were mobilized, and it was only by doing so that two divisions could be surrounded in the Taierzhuang area.
The principal's mind was a jumbled mess, he couldn't believe it, yet he couldn't help but want to believe it.
Seeing that the principal was so excited he was almost incoherent, Commander He took the initiative to ask:
"What exactly happened? Tell me the details, don't just give me the gist."
His voice was calm and steady, like a bucket of cool water, which slightly cooled down the atmosphere in the office.
The communications officer had calmed down a bit by then. He cleared his throat and said:
"It's a telegram from the Fifth War Zone Command. It says that around 5 o'clock, the 10th and 6th Divisions showed signs of fleeing south."
He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.
"Then the Third Column launched the general offensive, and the Northwest Army and Qiu Qingquan's tank detachment also joined the offensive. Around 1 a.m., Bai Chengshan, the commander of Li Jianghe's tank detachment, led his troops to kill the fleeing Gu Hisao."
Upon hearing these words, the principal and Commander He finally understood.
So that's how it is. The 6th and 10th Divisions were indeed defeated.
How is that possible?
But it has indeed happened.
The facts are right in front of them, leaving them no choice but to believe them.
The principal calmed his excited emotions, picked up his teacup and took another sip. The tea was still cold, but he thought it was sweeter than honey.
"How is the situation now?"
His voice regained its composure, but the hint of a smile in the corner of his eye was impossible to hide.
The communications officer replied:
"We are still pursuing the remaining enemy troops, and the battle is expected to continue until dawn tomorrow."