Devil's Army

Chapter 1964 Recovery of the Entire Territory of Hubei Province

The recapture of the three towns of Wuhan marked the basic end of large-scale battles between the Japanese army and Hubei Province.

The Southern Independent Division of the First Army and the First Front Army that marched south entered a period of rest and reorganization to restore their strength, while continuing to mop up the remaining Japanese and puppet troops.

Among them, Wang Jinzai's Fourth Brigade developed the fastest.

While the First Army and the Southern Independent Division of the First Army were busy recapturing the three towns of Wuhan and the surrounding counties, Brigade Commander Wang's Fourth Brigade, which consisted mostly of new recruits, was assigned to develop and train in the rear.

Commander Wang then began to recruit soldiers and expand his troops extensively in Mianyang County, Jianli County, Qianjiang County, and Hanchuan County, where he had previously operated.

Because Brigade Commander Wang had always been a staunch anti-Japanese advocate and cared deeply for the people, he had considerable connections. Now, he had joined the New Fourth Army. (After the Southern Anhui Incident, the Southern Independent Division was a unit under the New Fourth Army.) Enlistment was very enthusiastic from various counties.

Shortly after the Hubei Campaign ended, the various units began to rest and reorganize, and their strength was expanded. His Fourth Brigade had reached a strength of more than 12,000 men, possessing the organizational structure of a main force brigade of the First Army.

Moreover, he now belongs to the Southern Independent Division, and his weapons, equipment and other supplies are entirely provided by the First Anti-Japanese Army, and he also receives military pay, so he has no worries.

(After the First Army launched its full-scale counterattack against the Japanese, it faced extreme shortages of funds and supplies. Led by its officers, the First Army halved the pay of its soldiers and officers, reduced their food and clothing, and worked tirelessly to drive out the Japanese invaders.)

With the recapture of Jiangxi and Hubei provinces, the Japanese army had already launched a fierce bombing campaign on Chinese soil in the autumn, and was only able to survive by retreating to a few places in Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Hunan provinces.

(During this period, the Japanese army in Burma also sent troops to occupy some counties and towns in western Yunnan. Since that area was under the jurisdiction of the Nanjing government army and was far from the garrison of the First Army's Yunnan-Guangxi Area Army, the First Army was unable to reach it and did not recover western Yunnan for the time being, leaving a legacy for the later counterattack in western Yunnan.)

Brigade Commander Wang then requested permission to enter Hunan for combat. However, this request was rejected by the Commander-in-Chief, the First Brigade Commander.

Firstly, both the Southern Independent Division of the First Army and the First Front Army that marched south had suffered heavy casualties after nearly a month of fierce fighting, and the new recruits had relatively low combat skills and were unable to adapt to high-intensity combat.

Left with no other option, Brigade Commander Wang had to intensify training. He also instructed the First Brigade Commander that once the battle in Hunan began, their brigade must be at the forefront.

The brigade commander readily agreed.

While the First Army was advancing south to fight the Hubei Campaign, the Second Army, also advancing south to fight in Anhui, was also engaged in the battle to recapture Zhejiang Province.

At that time, Zhejiang Province was in an extremely important geographical position. Its Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway runs through the province and is a major land artery connecting Central and South China.

Meanwhile, ports such as Ningbo and Wenzhou along the eastern coast of Zhejiang were important channels for China to obtain overseas aid in the early stages of the War of Resistance against Japan. The Japanese army repeatedly invaded the eastern coast of Zhejiang and the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway in order to cut off foreign aid.

Moreover, Zhejiang is located in the triangle area of ​​Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo, bordering the East China Sea to the east and the mountainous areas of Anhui and Jiangxi to the west, protecting Hangzhou, the core city of the southeast region at that time.

Moreover, the frequent raids by the anti-Japanese armed forces behind enemy lines in Zhejiang forced the Japanese army to garrison along the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway, coastal strongholds, and major towns for a long period of time, which restrained and dispersed its mobile forces on the Central China battlefield and reduced the pressure on the Second Front Army battlefield as the First Army marched south.

Thus, on the third day of the Hubei Campaign, more than 30,000 troops from the Independent Brigade, the 12th Brigade, and the 15th Brigade of the Second Army, marched south from Jixi County, Xiuning County, and Guangde County in Anhui Province to Chun'an County, Kaihua County, and Anji County in Zhejiang Province.