AWB Chapter 252 A two-pronged approach
Chapter 252 A two-pronged approach
Commander Shang was well aware of the serious consequences this matter would have.
The key government leaders instructed him to conduct this in secrecy and not to leak the information beforehand.
This plunged Commander Shang into pain and dilemma.
Without prior notice to the people, once the dikes breach, not only will countless farmlands and houses be submerged, but more importantly, a large number of innocent people will drown.
Commander Shang had to seriously consider this heinous act, which was inhumane, contrary to the laws of nature, and would bring him eternal infamy.
So he tried to delay and did not execute the order immediately. In his opinion, it would not be too late to take action when the Japanese occupied Kaifeng and threatened the safety of Xuzhou.
After eliminating Doihara's 14th Division, Long Fei immediately ordered the troops surrounding Shangqiu and Lanfeng to launch an attack and capture these two places.
Doihara left only one company of Japanese soldiers to guard each of the two places, which was not even enough to fill the gaps between the two armies.
Therefore, after receiving Long Fei's order, the First Army and the Second Army annihilated the Japanese and occupied Lanfeng and Shangqiu in less than half an hour.
After receiving the battle reports from the two armies, Long Fei ordered them to remain in their current positions for the time being.
Long Fei didn't need so many troops to resolve the breach at Huayuankou.
Even if he didn't want to fight the Nationalist army, he wouldn't need 90,000 troops at all.
Moreover, after resolving this matter, he would need to return the way he came and then march into Shanxi.
Therefore, holding Lanfeng and Shangqiu temporarily would not only preserve the route back, but also provide leverage for persuading the Nationalist army later.
There was no point in cleaning up the battlefield, so Long Fei ordered his troops to immediately advance towards Kaifeng and surround the city.
Before the scouts sent by Baogang even reached the previous battleground, they discovered that the Longyan Legion's seemingly endless force was rapidly advancing towards Kaifeng.
Therefore, fearing discovery, the reconnaissance team dared not continue forward and instead chose to quickly return to report.
This was also because the Nationalist army was poorly equipped and could not provide radios for its scouts; otherwise, Bao Gang would have known about these situations immediately.
So when the scouts returned to Kaifeng and reported to Bao Gang, Bao Gang was still on the phone with Commander Shang, reporting that the vanguard of the Longyan troops had arrived at the gates of Kaifeng.
Immediately afterwards, follow-up troops arrived and deployed, tightly surrounding Kaifeng.
At this moment, Baogang and his Independent 46th Brigade are unable to leave even if they wanted to.
And that wasn't all; Long Fei left only the Third and Fourth Armies to surround Kaifeng.
Xu Peng was ordered to lead the First Special Operations Division and the reserve team straight to the Guandi Temple at Huayuankou.
According to Long Fei's memory, the exact location of the breach at Huayuankou was west of the Guandi Temple.
At the same time, Long Fei ordered the Fifth Army to bypass Kaifeng and go to surround Zhengzhou.
Long Fei decided to take a two-pronged approach: first, to persuade the Nationalist army with kind words, and second, to use his superior troop strength to put pressure on the Nationalist army.
If persuasion ultimately fails, then Long Fei will be forced to resort to force to stop it.
"Commander, something bad has happened! A large number of troops have appeared outside the city and have completely surrounded Kaifeng."
Bao Gang was on the phone reporting to Commander Shang when he heard the news and was so shocked that he almost dropped the receiver.
"What? The Japanese have surrounded Kaifeng? This...this is too fast..."
Upon hearing this on the phone, Commander Shang reacted immediately.
"Commander Bao, don't panic, stay calm. You do your best to resist first, and I will immediately send the 141st Division to help you break through the encirclement."
Before Bao Gang could respond, the reporting officer said weakly.
"Commander, the people surrounding Kaifeng are not Japanese. We've never seen their uniforms before, but they're definitely not Japanese."
"And they even used crossbows to shoot a letter onto the city wall."
Bao Gang rolled his eyes in anger. "You fucking didn't know how to finish your report in one go, you actually left half of it out."
"Where's the letter? Can't you even report things properly? You leave things unsaid, delaying military intelligence. I'll kill you."
The officer was so frightened that he trembled all over. He hurriedly took the letter out of his pocket and handed it over with trembling hands.
"Commander, please wait a moment..."
Bao Gang took the letter, read it as quickly as possible, then let out a long breath and picked up the receiver to speak.
"Commander, the ones surrounding Kaifeng aren't the Japanese, they're the Longyan Army. Their commander wants to meet me, saying he has something to discuss. What do you think..."
"Hiss... How did the Dragon Flame Army suddenly appear in the Central Plains and surround Kaifeng? What exactly are they trying to do?"
"Wait a minute, they're besieging Kaifeng. Aren't they afraid of an attack from the Doihara Division behind them?"
Commander Shang felt increasingly uneasy, but he couldn't figure out the crux of the matter.
“Brigade Commander Bao, the Longyan troops are not enemy forces. Since they appeared, they have been doing their best to kill the Japanese.”
"In that case, to be on the safe side, you should send the deputy brigade commander to meet with them and find out the situation first, and then we'll talk."
"Yes, Commander, I'll arrange it immediately."
Soon, Guan, the deputy brigade commander of the Independent 47th Brigade, came out of the city to see Long Fei with a guard platoon.
After Deputy Brigade Commander Guan was brought before Long Fei, Long Fei sneered.
"What, is your Brigade Commander Bao afraid I'll eat him alive, so he doesn't dare to come and meet me?"
Deputy Brigade Commander Guan smiled slightly: "Brigade Commander Long, your army's intentions are unclear, and you have even surrounded Kaifeng City. We, the brigade commander, do not know whether you are friends or enemies, so it is only right that we be cautious."
Deputy Brigade Commander Guan's reply was neither humble nor arrogant, but rather proper and respectful, which made Long Fei somewhat appreciative.
“Deputy Brigade Commander Guan, your answer is good. Then I will be frank. Go back and tell Brigade Commander Bao to report to your Commander Shang that I, Long Fei, am hosting a banquet outside Kaifeng City and have invited Commander Shang to come and have a drink and a chat to discuss important matters.”
Deputy Brigade Commander Guan frowned and said, "So, Commander Long wants to see our Commander, but I'm afraid the Commander won't come to see you."
Long Fei chuckled: "Deputy Brigade Commander Guan, just take the message back. I'm sure your Commander Shang will come to see me."
After returning, Deputy Brigade Commander Guan immediately reported to Bao Gang, who then picked up the phone and reported to Commander Shang.
"What? Commander Long wants to invite me to a banquet to discuss important matters?"
At this moment, Commander Shang, of course, couldn't guess what Long Fei was up to, so he seemed very hesitant.
As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. Now that Long Fei's army is pressing in, let him, the army group commander, meet with him.
Without a bit of courage, one really wouldn't dare to go to the appointment. The key point is that Commander Shang knows that the National Government leaders are very dissatisfied with the Dragon Flame Army, so he doesn't want to get involved with them to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"There's no need for a meeting. Just tell the Dragon Legion Commander that if there's anything, you can just pass it on directly."
Since Commander Shang had made his decision, Bao Gang naturally dared not disobey and immediately agreed. He then sent Deputy Brigade Commander Guan out of the city again to inform him.
"Hehe, your Commander Shang has quite the airs. I extended a warm invitation, but he flatly refused. Well, I'm patient, and I believe he'll agree soon."