Devil's Army

Chapter 1909 Preparations for the Hubei Campaign 2

Just as the brigade commander was in a dilemma, Zhang, the division commander of the Independent Division, called to say that his Third Brigade Commander (formerly the First Regiment Commander of the First Brigade) had a relationship with Li Xiannian, the division commander of the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army in Hubei.

He told Division Commander Li about the current predicament of the Southern Independent Division of Jiangxi and asked if the local New Fourth Army troops and guerrillas could be placed under their command to assist the Japanese army in defending Zhejiang.

Commander Li readily agreed and immediately dispatched a messenger to deliver the order:

The 18th Regiment of the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army, a part of the Yangtze River Detachment of the 7th Division of the New Fourth Army, and the local guerrilla forces such as the Pengze Jingqiao Guerrilla Team in Pengze and De'an areas of Jiangxi Province were all placed under the command of the Southern Independent Division of the First Anti-Japanese Army.

Commander Zhang didn't stand on ceremony and immediately ordered these troops to march east to the Yushan County and Guangfeng County area to reinforce the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the Southern Independent Division at the front line.

In order to enhance the combat effectiveness of these New Fourth Army units, Division Commander Zhang also ordered the logistics department to replace some of the units with captured Japanese weapons and ammunition.

The guerrilla units dispatched by the Fifth Division of the New Fourth Army also advanced eastward from Hukou, Jiangxi, to Changshan, Jiangshan, and Kaihua counties in Zhejiang. Their mission was twofold: to reconnoiter the movements of the Japanese forces in Zhejiang and to provide coordinates for the First Army Air Force to bomb Japanese troops and their logistics units.

To strengthen communication, Commander Zhang also assigned communications soldiers to the armed work teams in these three counties.

Since the battle had not yet begun, these New Fourth Army units and guerrilla detachments were given military training outside Yushan County and Guangfeng County by the commanders of the First and Second Regiments, in order to enhance their combat effectiveness.

When the brigade commander received the telegram from Division Commander Zhang, his anxiety eased slightly.

After discussing with several other brigade commanders, he decided to launch a campaign to recapture Hubei Province a week later.

Commander Zhang also ordered the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 3rd Brigade to relieve the 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 1st Brigade in Yushan County and Guangfeng County.

In the following days, the First Army's air force was extremely busy, constantly transporting strategic materials to the First Army's southward-bound First Front Army Corps and the Southern Independent Division.

Japanese scouts also detected the unusual movements of the "Devil's Unit," knowing they were about to launch a new campaign, but they didn't know whether their main attack would be in Hubei or Zhejiang, nor when they would launch the campaign.

However, judging from the direction in which the devil troops gathered, it is more likely that they will attack Hubei Province.

Commander-in-Chief Hata Shunroku ordered Lieutenant General Yokoyama Isamu, commander of the 11th Army in Hubei Province, to strengthen the defenses of the northern and southeastern parts of Hubei Province.

Upon receiving the telegram from the Commander-in-Chief, Commander Yokoyama Isamu immediately ordered the Japanese forces in Hubei Province, which borders Henan, Jiangxi, and Anhui provinces, to strengthen their preparations for war. He also dispatched reinforcements to these areas.

To the dismay of Commander Yokoyama, the Devil Force air force, which had completely seized air superiority, was constantly bombing their deployed troops, severely disrupting their military deployment.

Therefore, they changed their plans and instead assembled troops and transported supplies at night.

However, the New Fourth Army couriers, who were scattered throughout the country, kept relaying the Japanese army's marching routes to the First Army Air Force through their superiors.

The First Army Air Force immediately scrambled fighter jets and launched a night attack on the assembled Japanese troops.

Due to the outdated methods used by couriers to transmit intelligence, the bombing by the First Army Air Force was delayed and the routes were deviated, but a considerable amount of supplies and Japanese troops still managed to reach the front lines under cover of darkness.

However, this did not have a significant impact on the First Army's recapture of Hubei Province. This was because the First Brigade Commander did not intend to attack the Japanese forces in Hubei via the conventional route.

The brigade commander originally planned that at 6:00 AM a week later, the First Army of Henan Province and the First Army of Jiangxi Province would launch a simultaneous attack on the Japanese army in Hubei Province from both sides. However, what happened next changed the brigade commander's plans.