pappabearbooks Chapter 167 Tang Enbo's Thanks, Li Jianghe's Advice
Chapter 167 Tang Enbo's Thanks, Li Jianghe's Advice
He had to reassess the current battle situation.
They originally thought they could break through the defenses before dawn.
Now it seems impossible; it would be good enough if we didn't get pushed back by the enemy's armored forces.
"This is not good. The enemy's firepower is fierce, their tanks are powerful, and their numbers are extremely large. Our 10th Division is practically using the flesh and blood of its soldiers to stop the enemy's steel torrent."
Rensuke Isogai's tone became even more somber.
"How long can it hold out?"
Kawagishi Bunzaburo asked.
He knew very well that, at present, it would be difficult to break through the enemy's frontal defenses with the capabilities of the 20th Division alone.
The good news is that the 23rd Division has been transferred here and will soon arrive in the Zoucheng area via the Jinpu Railway.
If they launch an attack from the north, they could potentially break through the enemy's defenses by attacking from both sides.
But all of this will take time; at least two more days before a real attack can be launched.
That's the crux of the problem.
Can they hold on for another two days?
News that Li Jianghe's Third Detachment had pushed the Japanese army back and recaptured several key positions within the 20th Army Headquarters had already reached this location.
Wan Jianfan handed over the intelligence, his face showing unprecedented relaxation and joy.
"Commander, we've taken them back! The tank units of the Third Detachment are truly formidable. In just over two hours, they've driven the Japanese back a full three kilometers. They've also recaptured many of the positions they lost earlier."
Looking at the contents of the telegram, Tang Enbo's expression relaxed considerably.
He had previously felt displeased by Li Jianghe's deliberate harassment and sarcasm on the phone, but now it seemed that Li Jianghe was only addressing the issue, not the person.
Sarcasm aside, when it comes to real work, they really step up.
It's better than those troops who are polite on the phone but actually "unmoved when allies are in trouble."
"This Li Jianghe is truly a man of great vision."
Tang Enbo couldn't help but sigh.
Wan Jianfan nodded and said:
"Yes, that's why I think your phone call earlier, Commander, was worth a fortune."
Tang Enbo shook his head with a wry smile and said:
"You were right before. In this matter, Li Jianghe is much more magnanimous than I am. On the contrary, I, Tang, am like a complaining woman."
As he said this, his gaze fell back on the phone.
If the previous call to Li Jianghe was due to orders from the Fifth War Zone Command, pressure from the 20th Division, and Li Jianghe's own request, then this time Tang Enbo intended to make the call himself.
"Get me to the Third Detachment Command Post. I want to thank Li Jianghe in person."
The telephone rang, and after the communications officer answered, he spoke to Li Jianghe, who was directing his troops in a concentrated effort to break through the defenses of the Japanese 10th Division:
"Sir, this is the 20th Army Group Command phone number."
"What's the phone number for the 20th Army Group Command?"
Li Jianghe was somewhat surprised. "This Tang Enbo, is he going to thank us?"
Long Wenzhang chuckled and said:
"I think so. Otherwise, this Commander Tang is really quite petty."
In fact, they received news of Yang Ruifu and others' victory earlier than the 20th Army Group Command.
Without a doubt, this saved the entire 20th Army Group from dire straits, and also saved Tang Enbo himself from dire straits.
Without them, Tang Enbo's political career would probably have come to an end.
After the call connected, Li Jianghe heard Tang Enbo's voice.
"Brother Jianghe, you've been a great help this time."
This time, Tang Enbo's smile was genuine, not the insincere one he had shown before.
"Without the support of your Third Detachment, our 20th Army's defenses might have really been breached by the Japanese."
Li Jianghe said calmly:
"Commander Tang, you're too kind. We're all fighting for the nation and for the Party and the country."
"I only hope that when Commander Tang is on the battlefield again, fighting against the Japanese invaders, he will at least consider the safety of the surrounding brother units."
Li Jianghe didn't have a very good impression of Tang Enbo.
But right now we are fighting against Japan. We can resolve internal conflicts internally, and what we need to do now is to unite against the enemy.
Tang Enbo chuckled and said:
"I, Tang, have already made repeated self-criticisms, and our chief of staff has also severely criticized me. Rest assured, Brother Jianghe, if we can still fight side by side with your troops on the battlefield in the future, and if you encounter any danger, I, Tang Enbo, will definitely rush to your aid from afar!!"
His words were half true and half false, but he was indeed grateful to Li Jianghe.
Upon hearing the words "a thousand miles of support," Li Jianghe immediately thought of Li Tianxia and thought to himself, "I'll be eternally grateful if Tang Enbo doesn't resort to another extreme electric shock later."
I, Li Jianghe, truly do not have the courage to place my own safety on your shoulders, Commander Tang.
However, he remained quite polite in his words.
"Then thank you in advance, Commander Tang. By the way, although my unit has the ability to counterattack, we still need Commander Tang to take good care of the defense and garrisoning of the front-line positions."
Li Jianghe offered a reminder.
Tang Enbo immediately responded:
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll definitely arrange everything properly."
After hanging up the phone, Tang Enbo's expression did not darken this time. Instead, he said to Wan Jianfan beside him in high spirits:
"Get the reinforcements into the newly recaptured positions as soon as possible; we can't let the enemy take them back."
Li Jianghe was looking at the map at this moment. He felt that it was almost time for the final offensive.
The 20th Division's most formidable offensive had been completely thwarted in this nighttime counterattack by the Third Detachment.
The Japanese army, having lost its fighting spirit, suffered heavy losses, and was isolated and helpless, now was the perfect time to attack them.
So Li Jianghe made a phone call directly to the Fifth War Zone Command.
Logically speaking, he is not qualified.
However, this was a privilege granted to him by Commander Li; he could directly communicate with the theater command about any ideas or suggestions he had.
At this time, the Fifth War Zone Command had also received the news that Li Jianghe's Third Detachment had taken the initiative to attack and successfully recaptured the lost position, driving the Japanese army back three kilometers in just two hours.
Its combat effectiveness and impact are truly unprecedented.
Commander Li, Commander Bai, and the others were immersed in joy when the phone rang.
After the connection was established, Commander Bai looked at Commander Li and said:
"It was Jiang He who called."
Upon hearing this, Commander Li jogged over and took the phone, saying:
"Jiang He, just tell me what's going on."
During the phone call, Li Jianghe shared his thoughts.
After hearing this, Commander Li nodded repeatedly.
In fact, he also had this idea, because he had received intelligence that the Japanese army had a large number of reinforcements and was rapidly increasing its troops in the Zoucheng and Jining areas via the Jinpu Railway.