Despite zhang zizhong's assurances, Li Zongren was still not at ease. So Xu Zuyi asked Li Zongren for orders and went to Linyi himself. Li Zongren also felt that this was better, at least in terms of battle plan, Xu Zuyi could help Pang Bingxun.
In this way, Xu Zuyi took a guard squad and took a jeep out of the north gate of Xuzhou and rushed to Linyi. At this time, Zhang Zizhong's troops had already dismounted from Ze County and marched rapidly to Linyi, a hundred miles away.
Xu Zuyi came half a day earlier than Zhang Zizhong, and according to the command post, he found the problem. It was too close to the front line, and the shells flew by from time to time, so he suggested to Pang Bingxun: immediately transfer the headquarters.
However, pang Bingxun's opposition was also very simple: If Pang Bingxun retreated in danger, and the war ahead was bound to waver, then Linyi would be difficult to protect, and I could not bear this responsibility.
The two fought for half a day, and finally asked Li Zongren, at this time, Li Zongren naturally supported Pang Bingxun, and the matter of transferring the headquarters came to an end.
On the evening of March 12, Zhang Zizhong's troops finally arrived in Linyi.
The scene where the three people meet, Xiaobian does not want to say, is nothing more than two enemies plus a reconciliation scene.
The three of them sat down to discuss military information, and according to Pang Bingxun's wishes, they wanted to put Zhang Zizhong's main force in Zhuge City, where the battle was fiercest, but this plan was opposed by Xu Zuyi. He believed that if the enemy is strong and we are weak, if we advance to the northern front, we will fall into the artillery fire of the Japanese army, and if we stick to the county seat, then the weaker the weaker, so it is better to raid the flank of the Japanese army.
Xu Zuyi's proposal was very much agreed with Zhang Zhizhong, so the three of them formulated a battle plan:
Still with Tang Bingxun's Fortieth Army as the main force, it held the frontal battlefield of Linyi. Zhang Zizhong's Fifty-ninth Army, Huang Weigang's division crossed the Yi River and attacked the right flank of the Japanese army. The Fortieth Army's reinforcements and cavalry attacked the Japanese left flank. The two units aimed at the town of Tangtou to meet the division. The Engineer Battalion of the Fortieth Army and the General Reserve of the Special Service Battalion, led by Ma Fawu, commander of the 30th 9 10th Division, were ready to respond. The action will take place on March 13, before the sun sets.
At 4:00 a.m. on March 14, Huang Weigang's troops successfully crossed the 100-meter Yi River.
At this time, the Japanese Sakamoto detachment was fighting pang Bingxun's legion head-on, fighting, Zhang Zizhong's troops suddenly appeared and attacked his flank, so the Japanese Sakata detachment hurriedly divided its troops to counterattack. It is worth mentioning that one of Zhang Zizhong's brigades across the river did not carry heavy weapons in order to march quickly, so after the Japanese counterattacked, they could not attack it.
To this end, Zhang Zhizhong was furious, dismissed the brigade commander, and then ordered the troops to cross the river again with equipment. The battlefield was changing rapidly, the army also began to detour, Zhang Zizhong sent another unit to rush to the rescue, and the two sides entered a stalemate.
On March 16, the Casualties of the Fifty-ninth Army were very large, and Xu Zuyi suggested that Zhang Zizhong withdraw his troops from the battlefield and rest. However, Zhang Zizhong hoped that he could give him another day and a night, and if he could not repel the Japanese army at that time, he would turn to rest on his own.
Late that night, Zhang Zizhong summoned two division commanders: Wang Weigang and Liu Zhensan, and the three of them formulated a battle plan: all the mountain artillery, field artillery, and heavy mortars in their hands were concentrated on the front line, and all the shells were taken with them, and all the shells must be finished before dark on the 17th. And asked Huang Weigang to organize a death squad to attack the Japanese heavy troops on the other side of the river.
In the afternoon of March 17, the Battle of Linyi entered the most fierce moment, Zhang Zizhong's troops, all the large shells hit the Japanese position, the Japanese position was finally chaotic. After dusk, Zhang Zizhong ordered a full-scale attack, and the only anti-tank platoon was also ordered to follow the troops, which finally played a big role. At the sanguan temple, the retreating Japanese army wanted to scare the Chinese army with 4 tanks, who knew that the anti-tank platoon immediately rushed up and directly destroyed two.
At Miaojiazhuang, Liu Zhensan led the 108th Division in and out three times, killing and wounding more than 600 Japanese troops and completely returning the Japanese army to Tangtou Town.
After a bitter battle, Zhang Zizhong's troops suffered more and more casualties, and the Japanese Sakamoto detachment could not resist it, and directly ordered the abandonment of Tangtou Town and retreat to Juxian County.
On March 18, Zhang Zhizhong received orders from the theater to leave a brigade and enter Fei County with the main force, and the Linyi people were guarded by Pang Bingxun's army. However, not long after leaving, the reinforcements of Sakamoto's detachment arrived, and Zhang Zizhong could only return to Chi Aid again.
With the full cooperation of Pang Bingxun and Zhang Zizhong, they held Linyi for more than a month, creating a miracle that was almost impossible. It was precisely because they pinned down the 5th Division in Linyi and won valuable time for Li Zongren to besiege the 10th Division in Taierzhuang.
On April 19, when Linyi abandoned the city, half a month had passed since the Battle of Taierzhuang.