Devil's Army

Chapter 1799: Preparing to Ambush the Japanese Navy in Wuhu

After defeating the Japanese troops outside the city, the large force of the Third Regiment began to enter the city and attack the Japanese troops of the First and Second Companies inside the city.

The three regiments were divided into three groups and launched a house-by-house and alley-by-street battle with the Japanese troops in Huaibei.

After a bloody battle, Huaibei City was finally recovered.

When the Third Regiment recaptured Huaibei City, the Fourth Regiment had already cleared out the Japanese and puppet army strongholds in the townships around Suxian County.

While the First and Second Regiments were retaking Suxian and Huaibei, the Third and Fourth Regiments also captured Bengbu, a major city in northern Anhui.

At that time, Bengbu was a military strategic location and a transportation and economic hub in the middle and lower reaches of the Huaihe River and northern Anhui.

Bengbu is located at the intersection of the Jinpu Railway and the Huaihe River waterway. It is the transportation bottleneck connecting East China, Central China and the Central Plains. Controlling Bengbu can not only rely on the railway to quickly mobilize troops to Xuzhou and Nanjing, but also ensure the transportation of military supplies through Huaihe River shipping.

Therefore, Bengbu City was a key target coveted by the Japanese army.

After the Japanese army occupied Bengbu, they established it as the initial headquarters of the "Anhui Provincial Reform Government" (a Japanese puppet regime established in 1938) (later moved to Wuhu).

At the same time, the Japanese Army's North China Front Army established security forces, secret agencies and puppet regime institutions here, making it the core stronghold for the Japanese Army to implement colonial rule, plunder grain (Bengbu and its surrounding areas are grain-producing areas in northern Anhui), and control commerce. It was also the "center" for the Japanese puppet regime to carry out political and economic oppression in northern Anhui and parts of eastern Henan.

As soon as Bengbu City fell, the Japanese army in Anhui City immediately mobilized troops to prepare to retake it.

At that time, Haozhou and Fuyang in northern Anhui were under the control of the 31st Army Group of the Nanjing government. Suxian, Bengbu, and Huaibei, which had been occupied by the Japanese army, had all been recaptured by the First Army Independent Brigade.

Although Brigadier General Zhang did not consider the Nanjing Government Army in northern Anhui to send troops to help, at least they did not have to worry about the safety of the left wing.

Division Commander Kumagai knew that the Devil's troops were powerful and now had air force support, so he organized a northern expeditionary force from Hefei, Lu'an, Shucheng, Lujiang and other places, preparing to cross the Huai River to recapture Bengbu City, Suxian and Huaibei City.

The Japanese army also mobilized gunboats from Anqing, Tongling and Wuhu, preparing to go up the Huai River to Jiangxi and attack Bengbu City.

Gray Wolf also knew that the Japanese army would not give up Bengbu City easily, so he ordered the First Army in Shandong to quickly enter Anhui.

At noon the next day, before Division Commander Kumagai had assembled the Northern Expedition Army, the 15th Brigade of the 1st Army had already entered Su County from Dangshan County in a high-profile manner.

At this time, the Eighth Route Army liaison officers in Wuhu passed on intelligence to Gray Wolf through their superiors:

The Japanese "Yangtze River Fleet" in Wuhu is gathering and replenishing a large amount of ammunition and supplies, which is suspected to be related to the recapture of Bengbu City by the First Army.

At this time, some of the warships of the First Navy had been repaired and incorporated into the naval forces.

A fleet of 15 warships arrived at Qingdao Port for garrison three days ago.

Gray Wolf then ordered the Qingdao fleet to set up an ambush at the mouth of the Yuxi River where the Yangtze River flows into the Huai River.

The Qingdao Fleet received the order and headed south overnight to set up an ambush in the designated waters.

The water level of the Yuxi River is too shallow for warships to enter.

Qingdao Fleet Captain Ji Xiong'an then ordered the fleet to anchor at the mouth of the Yuxi River where it meets the Yangtze River and wait for an opportunity.

Since the main force of the Japanese navy was Shancun, in order to avoid complications, Captain Ji also ordered all warships to fly the devil's dog-skin plaster flag.

Qingdao Port is more than 200 kilometers farther from the Yuxi entrance than Wuhu.

Captain Ji was worried that the Japanese troops in Wuhu had entered the Yuxi River earlier than them, so he requested the air force to assist in reconnaissance.