Thirty miles south of Xuzhou City is Xiaowang Village.
The temporary headquarters of the Fifth War Zone is located in Xiaowang Village. The compound at the east end of the village has been requisitioned, and a large military map has been hung in the east wing, turning it into a simple war room.
In the war room, the senior staff of the staff were working on the map. Signal soldiers on horseback were constantly galloping from Xiaowang Village, reporting the positions of the divisions in the fifth theater to the headquarters. The senior staff of the staff were working on the map.
They immediately marked the locations of the divisions in the theater on the map.
As soon as General Li and Deputy Commander Bai entered the war room, General Xu Zuyi, Chief of Staff of the theater, stepped forward and said: "General, all divisions have entered the designated assembly areas and are on standby!"
"Yes." General Li nodded and asked, "Is the cavalry regiment of the Ninth Cavalry Division in place?"
In order to prevent the Japanese army from listening to radio signals and detecting the actions of the Chinese army in advance, radio silence has been implemented in the entire theater, so the upload and delivery can only rely on cavalry correspondents.
"It's already in place." General Xu Zuyi said, "Zhang Deshun has transferred the Ninth Cavalry Regiment, which he founded."
"Send cavalry correspondents immediately," General Li said, "order all divisions to seize the time to sleep and recuperate their strength!"
"Yes." General Xu Zuyi snapped to attention, then turned around to deliver the order.
Watching General Xu go out, Vice President Bai suddenly said: "Gong De, what do you think about this move south to Mengcheng and over the Dabie Mountains?"
General Li asked back: "Jiansheng, what do you think?"
Vice President Bai shook his head and said with emotion: "Although Yue Weihan is young, I have to admit that his attainments in tactical planning have indeed surpassed mine."
"Oh?" Admiral Li said with great interest, "Do you really think so?"
"Yes." Vice President Bai said, "Because I only thought of a countermeasure of breaking out separately, but Yue Weihan was able to abandon the fixed thinking and come up with a four-way attack tactic ingeniously. It is not simple, it is indeed not simple.
! Mr. De, if this man had been born five years earlier, I am afraid that the decrees of the National Government would have been unified long ago."
"Jiansheng, Yue Weihan's four-way attack is really better than your split attack?"
Admiral Li couldn't help but change his face slightly. Vice President Bai's evaluation was quite high.
What Deputy Chief Bai meant was that if Yue Weihan could graduate from Whampoa Military Academy five years earlier and join the Central Army, then Chairman Chiang would immediately be even more powerful. In the previous warlord melee, whether it was Yan Xishan's Jin clique or Li Bai's
The Guangxi clique, or the Sichuan army, can only wait to be slaughtered.
"It's not just brilliant?" Vice President Bai said, "It's simply too brilliant!"
After saying this, Deputy Commander Bai added: "If according to my idea, the divisions are ordered to break out separately, the tragedy of the Songhu Battle will definitely be repeated on the Xuzhou battlefield, and the Central Army and the local armies will definitely compete with each other.
Retreating and crowding the Longhai Railway and the few highways, the Japanese army only needs to dispatch aviation forces to cause heavy losses to our army!"
"Coupled with the pursuit and interception by the Japanese ground troops, our army's losses will be even more severe. The best result is that about half of the troops can retreat to Wuhan, and the Japanese army will definitely follow. Our army will not have time to deploy for the Wuhan battle.
Therefore, Wuhan will definitely fall."
"Of course, if Chiang Kai-shek dares to brave the world and dig up the Yellow River embankment, it is estimated that he can hold back the Japanese army for at least half a month. In this case, we still have enough time to prepare for the Wuhan battle, but the Huanghuai
Tens of millions of people in dozens of counties in the region will be displaced and become homeless refugees."
General Li nodded and said, "Then what's so clever about Yue Weihan's four-pronged attack?"
Vice President Bai said: "Yue Weihan's four-pronged attack is particularly important because it is a multiple tactical deception that is both false and true."
"Multiple tactical deceptions that are false and true? How do you say this?" General Li couldn't help but be confused. Li Bai and Li Bai have always complemented each other. General Li has a strategic vision, but is lacking in tactics.
Vice President Bai is great at tactical planning, but lacks strategic foresight.
Deputy Commander Bai said: "Gong De, think about it, the active attack by Yu Xuezhong, Sun Lianzhong and Li Pinxian will only give the Japanese army the illusion that the active attack of these three partial divisions is just to mobilize the Japanese army in order to attack the Japanese army."
The main forces in the theater broke out from Xuzhou to make room and create opportunities."
"The Japanese army did not know that the active attack led by Yu Xuezhong, Sun Lianzhong, and Li Pinxian seemed to be false!"
"Based on this judgment, the heavy Japanese army group will not act rashly, and Yu Xuezhong, Sun Lianzhong and Li Pinxian's troops will have a great chance to break out of the encirclement. In this way, not only will the strength of our army be preserved, but also the strength of our army will be preserved behind enemy lines.
Two huge armies were left behind, which was extremely beneficial to the overall situation of the War of Resistance!"
"This is the first level of tactical deception. It's hard for a kid not to be fooled!"
Admiral Li nodded and asked: "So... what about the second level of tactical deception?"
Deputy Chief Bai added: "If nothing else happens, this guy Yue Weihan will definitely let the people from the Baoshan Brigade leave the city and go west along Longhai Road during the day, and then secretly come back at night, and then leave the city again. Repeatedly, they will give the Japanese reconnaissance planes a chance."
This is an illusion that the main force of our theater is gradually leaving Xuzhou and moving westward along the Longhai Line."
"In this way, the Japanese reconnaissance planes will be completely attracted to the Longhai Line."
"The little devils thought they had grasped the movements of our army, but they never thought that this was a complete scam! Not only did the main force in our theater not move westward along the Longhai Line, but they turned around and went south to attack Mengcheng. This is Yue Weihan.
The kid’s second level of tactical deception, this time it seems to be true.”
"Similarly, with this second level of tactical deception, it's hard for a kid not to be fooled!"
General Li said: "Let me put it this way, Yue Weihan's four-way attack is really extraordinary."
"The four-way attack designed by Yue Weihan is indeed extraordinary." Vice Commander Bai nodded, then changed the subject and continued, "However, it is not without risks. Once the tactical deception fails, the Japanese army will discover our war zone in advance.
According to the true intention of the main force, dozens of elite divisions are likely to be destroyed in the northern Anhui area."
…
Liaocheng, Shandong Province, headquarters of the Japanese 5th Division.
Chief of Staff Colonel Tomo Tsuda hurried into the office of Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka, suddenly put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, General, there is an urgent call from the frontline command post of the base camp's dispatch squad. Our department and the 25th Division have been transferred to the Second Army.
According to the order of battle, the combat mission is to take over the main force of the Second Army that went south to western Henan to garrison the Qiapuyang and Heze areas."
"Oh?" Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka said, "The Second Army has gone south to western Henan?"
Colonel Toda suddenly lowered his head and said: "Hai."
"Yoshi." Shinozuka Yoshio said, "It seems that the Battle of Xuzhou has begun."
Colonel Tsuda frowned and suddenly said: "General, the situation seems a little abnormal."
"Abnormal?" Yoshio Shinozuka frowned and said, "Tengada-kun, why do you think so? Is there any basis for it?"
"No." Teng Tianzhi shook his head and said, "I just think that the Battle of Xuzhou went too smoothly. The reaction of the Chinese people was exactly the same as what we imagined. This is almost a designed military drama!"
Yoshio Shinozuka said: "But the reconnaissance planes directly under the Air Force reported that the main Chinese force in the Xuzhou battlefield is indeed heading west along the Longhai Line. This should be a fact, right?"
"Your Excellency General, sometimes our eyes can deceive us." Teng Tianzhidao, "What's more, this is the land of the Chinese people. Our aerial reconnaissance planes can only conduct reconnaissance from the air and can only be dispatched during the day. The Chinese army can completely use the local
With the help of the Chinese people, we deceived our reconnaissance planes."
Yoshio Shinozuka suddenly frowned and fell silent.
Teng Tianzhi added: "Your Excellency, General, I suggest that you immediately telegraph the frontline command post of the base camp's dispatch squad, suggesting that they urgently deploy three to five divisions from the Central China Front Army, cross the Yangtze River from Nanjing, and rush to the rescue of Bengbu. At the same time, from the front of Bengbu
Deploy three divisions to assist Fuyang and Mengcheng on the front line."
Yoshio Shinozuka said solemnly: "Tengtian-kun, do you think the Chinese army will break through from the direction of the Dabie Mountains?"
Teng Tianzhi shook his head and said: "Your Majesty General, my intuition tells me that the troops along the Mengcheng and Fuyang lines must be strengthened!"
"Yo Xi." Yoshio Shinozuka thought for a moment and finally nodded, "I'll telegraph the dispatch team's frontline command post at the base camp right now."
…
Jinan, Shandong Province, the frontline command post of the dispatch squad of the Japanese army base camp.
Lieutenant General Okabe entered the general's office in the temple with a stern look, put his feet back and stood at attention and said: "Your Excellency, General, Yoshio Shinozuka of the 5th Division has just sent an urgent message, suggesting that the base camp's frontline command post of the dispatch squad should immediately strengthen Mengcheng and Fuyang.
deployment of troops, and believe that the main Chinese force in the Xuzhou area is likely to break through from the direction of Mengcheng and Fuyang."
"Mengcheng, Fuyang?" The general in the temple quickly stood up and strode to the map.
Lieutenant General Okabe quickly stepped forward and found the locations of Mengcheng and Fuyang from the map.
The gaze of the general in the temple continued down Mengcheng and Fuyang, and finally stopped at the Dabie Mountains. He said coldly: "Okabe-kun, don't you think this inference is ridiculous? The Chinese people would abandon the convenient Longhai Railway and cross the Dabie Mountains.
?Besides, don’t you think the China Army is committing suicide by doing this?”
"Hai." Lieutenant General Okabe lowered his head suddenly and said, "I don't think the Chinese army will break out from the direction of Mengcheng and Fuyang, but I think Mr. Shinozuka's worry is not unreasonable. The strength of the troops in the direction of Mengcheng and Fuyang is indeed
It’s a bit weak. Your Excellency, General, could you consider transferring two divisions from the front of Bengbu to strengthen them in the direction of Mengcheng and Fuyang?”
"There is no need to do anything unnecessary." General Temple Uchi said disapprovingly, "Immediately order Yanagawa Heisuke's Tenth Army to cross the Huaihe River and quickly move north to occupy Suzhou and Huaibei as soon as possible. As long as the Tenth Army captures Suzhou and Huaibei, the main Chinese force in the Xuzhou battlefield will want to move from the direction of the Dabie Mountains.