Chapter 280 Chen Ziyun is helpless, the Japanese and puppet troops on the east side are exposed
Chen Ziyun has always been bold in style, often making dangerous moves and daring to fight tough and vicious battles.
However, now facing He Jingzhi's inquiry, Chen Ziyun actually suggested giving up Zhongtiao Mountain, retreating to the south bank of the Yellow River, and holding on to the river defense position.
This made Chu Yunfei, who knew him very well, full of surprise. Chu Yunfei even thought for a time that Chen Ziyun was too nervous and said the wrong thing?
As the chief of staff of the first theater, Guo Jiqiao has been paying attention to Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun's troops for a long time.
He knew all the traces of Chen Ziyun's battle.
But now Chen Ziyun's answer was obviously completely different from his style, which made Guo Jiqiao a little surprised for a while.
"Commander Chen has been commanding operations on the front line one after another, and now he comes to Luojing after a long journey. It is inevitable that he has not had a good rest."
"Also, Commander Chen is inevitably a little nervous when he meets Director He for the first time. Don't be anxious and take your time."
"Mr. He, please forgive me. After all, they didn't expect to meet you here."
What Chen Ziyun can do now is to provide some defense suggestions as much as possible to strengthen the defense deployment in the Zhongtiao Mountain area.
He Jingzhi and Guo Jiqiao had detailed discussions with them one after another to understand the situation of the Glory First Division.
"Even under various disadvantages, you still won the battle. Why do you suggest that the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain give up the battle and retreat to the river defense position on the south bank at this time?"
But this time, the Japanese and puppet troops invested heavily in the battle, not counting the 21st Division, 35th Division and other troops from the northern Henan region.
And Guo Jiqiao repeatedly emphasized that he hoped that the Glory First Division could play a major role in this battle.
In addition, the entire Glory First Division does not have any anti-aircraft weapons.
"Each department operates to ensure Zhongtiao Mountain to the minimum extent, and our troops control the areas to the north and east to storm the enemy's flanks and defeat the Japanese attack attempt!"
They are on standby in the northern Henan area and are responsible for supporting the operations of the 21st Division, 33rd Division, 35th Division, and the 4th Cavalry Brigade.
At this meeting, He Jingzhi directly gave two instructions.
In terms of overall deployment, the combat plan does not have many problems.
"Once our arc defense is broken through, it will be a small breakthrough, the whole line will collapse, and the entire Zhongtiao Mountain will be in chaos."
"The 27th Army is also powerless here. If they want to rush to support Zhongtiao Mountain, I'm afraid they won't be able to do it at all."
Even if Chen Ziyun gives some explanation, these people will not believe it, and Chen Ziyun will definitely be arrested and interrogated.
They looked at the map for a long time, then looked at each other.
The main combat artillery of each regiment is the mortar company directly under the regiment, and the infantry artillery under the machine gun company of each battalion.
There are eight armies in Zhongtiao Mountain, and there are three armies on the outside that can support the battle.
With these machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns, the overall combat effectiveness of the Glory First Division will be greatly improved.
Each anti-aircraft machine gun company is equipped with five Deshka 12.7MM anti-aircraft machine guns.
"Based on all current situations, the Japanese and puppet troops are constantly gathering, and the number of them participating in the war must exceed our imagination."
However, it is still possible to force the main force of the Japanese troops who attacked Zhongtiao Mountain to quickly return to the occupied areas in southern Shanxi for defense.
"The Japanese army seems to be taking Zhongtiao Mountain, clearing the north bank of the Yellow River, and then seizing Luojing to threaten the flanks of the fifth theater of war, or to peek westward into Shaanxi Province."
The approved combat plan obviously cannot be modified at will.
However, the situation is completely different now. The Japanese and puppet troops have assembled heavy troops for combat.
If it were before, the Japs had sent tens of thousands of troops to attack, and with the defensive strength of Zhongtiao Mountain, they would have been able to do this.
He personally generated electricity and organized four small artillery batteries and four anti-aircraft machine gun batteries.
But the First Theater District Commander's Department, the Military Command Department, and even the principal would not easily change the battle plan just because of his concerns.
Chu Yunfei directly promised that once the Zhongtiao Mountain battle begins, the Glory First Division will fight with all its strength.
"Here in Yuanping City, he once again commanded a lone army to annihilate the observation group that occupied the area."
What's more, these Japanese troops will also be assisted by the Imperial Army, the Puppet Mongolian Army, and the Puppet Manchu Army.
"Commander Chen, your concerns are very reasonable, but such a situation will never happen."
After the Japanese army launched its attack, they launched fierce attacks on the east and west sides to harass the flanking troops of the Japanese and puppet troops and contain their main combat force.
"In order to secure Zhongtiao Mountain, our 27th Army attacked from east to west and the Glory First Division attacked from west to east to harass the flanks of the Japanese and puppet troops."
Among them, the 33rd Division was a full-strength division participating in the battle, and the other three divisions also deployed their main forces to participate in the battle.
At four o'clock in the afternoon on the 20th, the generals who attended the meeting began to return.
Moreover, they have made sufficient preparations. No matter how they defend Zhongtiao Mountain, they will suffer heavy losses.
In addition to being the chief of staff, He Jingzhi currently serves as the minister of the military and political departments. He is one of the four giants.
After repeated reinforcements, the total strength of the Glory First Division is nearly 15,000.
Even though he won many battles and won a series of victories.
There are also independent mixed 9th Brigade, 16th Brigade, and 4th Cavalry Brigade.
"Hehehe, I have reviewed Chen Ziyun's battle in detail."
Another point is that the officers and other personnel still underestimated the determination of the Japanese army to capture Zhongtiao Mountain this time.
With such a firepower configuration, it can naturally shoot into the air effectively, forcing the Little Japanese Air Force to lower its altitude to carry out precision bombing and strafing the ground.
The Madsen machine guns and Deshka anti-aircraft machine guns deployed by He Jingzhi this time were all imported.
Even if they attack rashly, they may be bitten back and suffer heavy casualties.
Of course, in addition to the more than 20,000 little Japanese troops, more than 20,000 people from the 20th, 21st, and 24th Divisions of the Imperial Association Army also gathered to participate in the battle.
"At that time, as long as the Japanese army quickly penetrates from the flanks and captures various Yellow River crossings, hundreds of thousands of troops will be completely lambs to be slaughtered."
On April 16, Chief of Staff He Jingzhi, with a stroke of his pen, began to supplement the Glory First Division.
But once an armored vehicle is encountered, the regiment level still does not have the weapons to deal with it.
In addition, each platoon will also have grenades or 60MM mortars to provide fire support for the company and platoon.
Then they will conduct a north-south pincer attack with the 33rd Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade, and directly carry out annihilation operations against the 14th Group Army.
Thinking about this battle, many generals will die for their country, and a large number of officers and soldiers will be either killed or captured.
"With this series of results, you, Chen Ziyun, have not flinched at all."
Each small artillery battery is equipped with four Madsen 20MM machine guns.
Guo Jiqiao came forward and explained with a smile.
The 35th Division needed to be responsible for the defense of Lanfeng and other areas south of the Yellow River in Henan Province, so they dispatched one unit to participate in the battle.
The generals participating in the meeting nodded in agreement. They believed that such a plan was foolproof.
In Yangcheng, Jincheng and other areas, according to the battle plan drawn up by the Japanese army, these little devils will cooperate with the 21st Division and 35th Division in the northern Henan region.
The more you give, the bigger the task is.
The agencies that draw up combat plans, such as the Chief's Department and the Military Command Department, are not idlers. They also have talented people.
The four infantry regiments under the Glory First Division, in addition to the mortar company, began to be supplemented by a small artillery company and an anti-aircraft machine gun company.
The 43rd Army of the Jinsui Army is in Shunwangping. They are not here to assist in the battle, they are here to grab territory!
Counting on their assistance, let alone fighting to the death at all costs, even if they launch a few decent attacks, it would be considered good.
The 21st Division and the 35th Division quickly advanced westward, advancing directly along the north bank of the Yellow River to seize the Yellow River ferry controlled by the 14th Group Army.
The Japanese army had four divisions and three brigades participating in the battle.
It's just that Yan Laoxi and other troops had conflicts with the troops of the First War Zone here in Zhongtiao Mountain, and there were different conflicts several times.
However, Chen Ziyun did not become happy because he knew that there is no free lunch in the world!
Chen Ziyun took a deep breath, but he still insisted on his suggestion.
Many generals even vowed that they would fully support this battle.
However, their thinking was still stuck on the previous Japanese attack on Zhongtiao Mountain. They believed that the Japanese army would not send too many troops to participate in the battle.
These two people are experienced in battles, and they naturally know that if Chen Ziyun's words are true, Zhongtiao Mountain will probably be defeated miserably.
After hearing this, He Jingzhi looked at the map and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
These three divisions are all regular troops who have taken refuge with the Japs and have certain combat capabilities.
He Jingzhi had a curious expression on his face. He looked at Chen Ziyun in front of him and asked in confusion.
Time passed, and on April 18, these machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns began to be transported across the river and directly replenished to the Glory First Division.
It was very difficult to replenish these imported weapons and ammunition, but He Jingzhi deployed enough ammunition in one go.
Chen Ziyun was cautious and did not make any promises such as fully implementing the orders of the chief minister.
He Jingzhi's intention was very clear. All units in the First Theater Zone should stick to Zhongtiao Mountain and fight against the Japanese troops with all their strength.
If the entire division wants to organize anti-aircraft firepower, it can assemble sixteen machine guns and twenty anti-aircraft machine guns to set up anti-aircraft positions.
Chu Yunfei on the side kept winking at Chen Ziyun, asking him to change his statement.
Wait until April 21st to return to Xiangning City again.
He Jingzhi looked at Chen Ziyun and spoke directly.
When Chen Ziyun and Chu Yunfei left, Guo Jiqiao, Chief of Staff of the First Theater Zone, personally saw them off.
The second theater and the eighth theater dispatched troops to rush for reinforcements and cooperated with the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain to carry out annihilation operations against the Japanese and puppet troops assembled in southern Shanxi.
Yan Lao's troops from the Western Jin Dynasty and Sui Army fought desperately, and it would definitely be difficult to annihilate the small Japanese troops in southern Shanxi.
Chen Ziyun is only the infantry and artillery commander of the Glory First Division, which is actually equivalent to a deputy division commander.
Each regiment will have six mortars and six infantry guns. These twelve artillery pieces are the main combat support artillery pieces.
All their battle plans must be approved by the principal of the capital before they can be implemented.
"There is no depth of defense here in Zhongtiao Mountain. Once the Japanese and puppet troops come under pressure from all sides, we will have no choice but to be beaten passively."
But these artillery also have certain shortcomings, that is, even the Type 92 infantry gun can shoot flatly.
The expression on Guo Jiqiao's face also changed. He looked at the map and remained silent.
In the next few days, Chu Yunfei and Chen Ziyun will be able to freely enter and exit the First War Zone Commander's Headquarters.
"Fight the independent mixed fourth brigade in the Yangcun area and completely annihilate it."
Different from the above ideas, this will inevitably make the higher-ups dissatisfied.
It’s just that Chen Ziyun knows very well that although what they say sounds nice, basically no one can do it.
There are even troops on the south bank of the Yellow River who can cross the river to rush for reinforcements at any time. With such a heavy defense, the commander's department is full of confidence.
"Fifth, the 14th Group Army mobilized an effective unit to take the initiative to coordinate operations with friendly forces on both sides and delay the Japanese offensive."
"Zhongtiao Mountain has a group of more than 100,000 troops. Even if they cannot hold on, they can alternately cover each other and quickly withdraw to the south bank for defense."
These troops want to contain them and postpone their attacks, but it is difficult to do so.
If the second war zone and the eighth war zone are fully coordinated, they will fight together.
"The 24th Group Army at the junction of Yu Province and Hebei Province to the east of the Taihang Mountains, let alone the commander, can't come. Even if they come, what can they do?"
"We have troops deployed all over the south bank for defense and can respond to their withdrawal at any time."
The Japanese and puppet troops here were gradually exposed, and their combat intentions gradually became clear.
A battle of this scale needs to be discussed with the highest command organization of the capital.
"The Japanese and puppet troops cannot cobble together a large force group to fight. What's more, there are Jinsui Army here in Shanxi Province, and the Eighth Route Army can support the operation."
And to abandon Zhongtiao Mountain, such an important and dangerous place, who can bear this responsibility?
These two divisions combined together more than 20,000 troops. The commander of the 21st Division, Tanaka Kuichi, and the commander of the 35th Division, Harada Kumayoshi, will personally command the battle.
Under such circumstances, He Jingzhi handled the matter personally after understanding the situation.
It is obvious that the Chief Department will not give up Zhongtiao Mountain easily. Chen Ziyun's suggestion is completely opposite to that of the Chief Department. This will definitely not work.
Chen Ziyun seemed very helpless about the deployment of the Chief's Department.
In addition, the Fifth and 14th Group Armies will also deploy troops to take the initiative to attack and coordinate the attacks of troops from both sides.
Otherwise, if we fight according to the commander's orders, the troops may be wiped out in an instant.
"We continued fighting here in Xin County, but achieved a lot of results, and once again annihilated the independent mixed fourth brigade, as well as more than 8,000 reinforcements from the Mongolian army."
Many towns in the southeastern Shanxi region have personnel dispatched by Yan Laoxi and personnel dispatched by the First War Zone.
In this case, when each regiment is fighting alone, these machine guns and anti-aircraft machine guns can attack armored targets and civil fortifications.
The meeting lasted until April 20, and He Jingzhi made detailed arrangements.
Chen Ziyun pointed to the different locations marked on the map and expressed his thoughts directly.
A large number of Japanese and puppet troops prepared to attack southward. The Glory 1st Division took the lead in attacking from the west. Isn't this a living target?
This time the 21st Division was seconded from the 13th Army. They all participated in the battle, with a total strength of more than 10,000.
Obviously, the Glory First Division troops will definitely have to undertake major combat missions in the future.
Chu Yunfei came from a wealthy family and was very good-looking.
"The temporary fifth army and the combat power of the 40th army must be very clear to the commander's department. The Japanese army can stop them by randomly deploying two regiments."
The commander's department has already made a decision, and it is not up to He Jingzhi and Guo Jiqiao to decide how they will conduct the battle.
The 27th Army is a direct force with three divisions under its jurisdiction and a total strength of more than 20,000 troops.
"And they will also receive aviation support. If we want to disrupt their attack, it is basically impossible to do so."
These two armies have more than 30,000 troops and their overall combat effectiveness is very strong.
Chen Ziyun wanted to say something else, but Guo Jiqiao gently pulled Chen Ziyun's arm and shook his head.
In addition, he is a regular disciple of the Emperor, and He Jingzhi is his chief instructor!
From now on, if Chu Yunfei carries out all the combat orders issued by He Jingxia, he will definitely suffer a big loss.
To the northeast of Zhongtiao Mountain, more than 20,000 troops from the 33rd Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade have also been assembled.
There are two brigades under the Glory First Division. Each brigade has a mountain artillery company equipped with six Jin orogenic cannons.
He is entirely responsible for the replenishment of weapons and ammunition in various war zones across the country.
In the Shannan area, there are 36, 37, 41, and 33 divisions.
The Japanese and puppet troops have assembled nearly 50,000 people in the northern Henan area and are ready, and they are about to advance westward.
At this time, the Japanese and puppet troops began to mobilize more frequently, especially in the northern Henan region, where the strong strength of the Japanese and puppet troops was almost completely hidden.
In this way, their combat strength will be at least 50,000 or 60,000. On the surface, there is no problem with such a large number of troops attacking the Japanese and puppet troops through mobile operations.
If you can't succeed, you will have to defend Zhongtiao Mountain with all your strength, strengthen the strength of the attacking troops on both sides, cooperate with Zhongtiao Mountain's defense, and defeat the Japanese attack!
It was at this time that the Third Flight Group, affiliated to the Third Flight Group, had already stationed at the airport in northern Henan.
Take the initiative to disrupt the Japanese offensive.
The Third Flying Regiment is under the jurisdiction of the Bomber Squadron 32 and the Reconnaissance Plane Squadron 44. These two squadrons have hundreds of aircraft.
There are four regiments, each regiment is directly under a mortar company, equipped with six 81MM or 82MM mortars.
Speaking of which, He Jingzhi's place is even more powerful than the black market. He Jingzhi can find weapons and equipment that cannot be purchased on the black market.
The Glory 1st Division and the 27th Army contained the attack from both sides.
"The cangyunling army broke in alone and seized the regiment flag of the third regiment."
Chen Ziyun looked at He Jingzhi and others beside him, and then looked at the map.
The two group armies deployed elite troops to take the initiative to cooperate with the flanking troops to delay the Japanese offensive.
"The main force of the 5th and 14th Group Army cooperated with the troops of the 2nd and 8th Theater Districts to conduct a joint operation to surround the enemy in southern Shanxi and annihilate them."
There are countless types of vehicles participating in the battle.
It was at this time that He Jingzhi convened the first, second, and fifth theater army and above meetings in Luojing.
Chen Ziyun was helpless, and he could only sigh secretly.
Chu Yunfei began to summon officers from various ministries and directly conveyed the combat orders from the commander's department.
After all, he could not tell all the detailed deployment arrangements of the Japanese and puppet troops, otherwise, he would have no way to explain.
It is worth mentioning that the Little Devil's reconnaissance plane can also carry aerial bombs and can be used as a bomber.
Especially in 1941, the Japanese army now has complete control of the air.
Any of their aircraft has the ability to strike on the ground.
Even aircraft that cannot carry aerial bombs can still lower their altitude and use machine guns to straf the ground.
(End of chapter)
This chapter has been completed!