Several senior staff officers were working on the map with serious expressions. In the telecommunications room next door, the sound of beeping telegrams was heard. From time to time, communications staff officers hurriedly walked into the war room with telegrams. As time went by,
The red line on the map is moving southward, but the four blue arrows are becoming more and more dazzling.
Amidst the rapid footsteps, Chairman Chiang walked in surrounded by more than a dozen senior generals.
Chairman Chiang's expression looked solemn and his steps even more hasty. Although the Baoshan Division recovered Shimen, Zhengding and successfully cut off the Ping-Han Line. This was indeed a major victory and greatly encouraged the soldiers on the front line and the soldiers and civilians in the rear. However,
However, the situation of the Wuhan Battle did not change in any way!
The Japanese offensive is still fierce, and the Chinese army is still retreating, retreating, and retreating again!
Soon, Chairman Chiang and a dozen senior generals stood in front of the large map hanging on the wall.
A senior staff officer with the rank of colonel immediately picked up the command stick and explained to the map: "Commissioner, according to the latest battle report returned from the front line, the Japanese main force group of twelve divisions is in Dengfeng, and is besieging the Xue Yue Corps along the Xinmi line.
The six divisions of the southward cluster have advanced to Laohekou, Zaoyang, Suixian and Xinxian areas respectively."
"What? In just one day, the Japanese army reached Suixian and Xinxian?"
As soon as these words came out, Chairman Chiang couldn't help but change his expression, and a dozen senior generals also changed their expressions.
At this point, except for the Xue Yue Corps still in Dengfeng and the stubborn resistance along the Xinmi line, almost all of Henan has fallen. The Japanese army has finally advanced the front to Hubei Province, and the forward troops are less than 200 kilometers away from Wuhan. That is to say
, the Wuhan battle has entered the final decisive stage.
After a long while, Chairman Chiang asked General He with a gloomy expression: "How long can the Xue Yue Corps hold on?"
The Xue Yue Corps has been trapped in a tight siege. There is no way to break out and no way to save it. The destruction of the entire army seems inevitable. Chairman Chiang's only hope now is that the Xue Yue Corps can hold on for a few more days.
If the Xue Yue Corps was quickly defeated, the twelve field divisions used by the Japanese army to encircle and annihilate the Xue Yue Corps could quickly move southward. In that case, Wuhan would never be able to hold on.
Fifteen days! Only fifteen days!
If the Xue Yue Corps can persist for fifteen days, then even if the Japanese army re-opens the Pinghan Line, the garrison troops in the Wuhan Theater and the more than 100 divisions that retreated from the Henan Theater will be able to reorganize their defenses, and the Wuhan Battle can continue.
, it is still unclear who will win in the end!
But, can the Xue Yue Corps survive for fifteen days?
General He sighed and replied with a lonely expression: "I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive ten days."
…………
Zhengzhou, frontline headquarters of the Japanese Central China Front.
Lieutenant General Shun Tada, chief of staff of the Central China Front, clicked the map with the command stick in his hand and said to General Shunroku Hata, the commander of the Central China Front: "In ten days, ten days at most, the main force group will be able to completely annihilate the Xue Yue Corps, which is stubbornly resisting, and annihilate Xue Yue.
After the corps, the main force group can quickly move south, and coordinate with the southward group to encircle and annihilate the main Chinese force near Wuhan. In up to twenty days, the imperial army will win the final victory in the Wuhan battle."
Shunroku Hata nodded, then changed the topic and continued: "But Tada-kun, as a commander, have you fully considered the worst case scenario?"
"Worst case scenario?" Tada Shun was stunned, he really hadn't thought about it.
Shunroku Hata said expressionlessly: "The worst case scenario is that the main force cluster cannot completely annihilate the Xue Yue Corps within half a month, and the 6th and 13th Divisions heading north cannot open up the Pinghan Line. At this time, the troops gathered in Wuhan
The nearly twenty main divisions of the front on the battlefield will lose the ability to continue fighting because they have run out of ammunition and food."
"This is impossible." Jun Tada said flatly, "Absolutely impossible."
"Tada-kun!?" Shunroku Hata said coldly, "As the most noble samurai of the Empire of Japan, and as the senior commander of the Imperial Army of Japan, you must always remain calm enough and never let any external factors disturb you.
Your judgment, although this possibility is slim, it exists objectively!"
"Hai." Tada Shun suddenly lowered his head and said, "I understand the humble position."
Shunroku Hata waved his hand and said solemnly: "In order to reduce this possibility as much as possible, I order you to immediately set up a northern front group command post and command the 6th, 13th, and 20th divisions to attack Shimen in fifteen days.
Within this period, we must re-occupy Shimen and Zhengding County, and re-open the Ping-Han Railway!"
"Hai." Tada Shun suddenly lowered his head and immediately took the order and left.
Watching Tada Shun's figure go away, Hata Shunroku murmured again: "In fifteen days, as long as the northbound cluster can re-open the Pinghan Line within fifteen days, military supplies from the rear will be continuously transported to Wuhan.
On the front line, even if the main force group cannot completely annihilate the Xue Yue Corps within fifteen days, the final victory will definitely belong to the Imperial Japanese Army."
Shunroku Hata, an old devil, is very sober. He knows that there is really little certainty in annihilating the Xue Yue Corps within fifteen days. However, it is still certain that the Northbound Group can defeat the Baoshan Division within fifteen days and re-open the Ping-Han Line. As long as
Once the Ping-Han Line is re-opened, military supplies from the rear can be supplied, and the Battle of Wuhan will basically not be suspenseful.
Xinmi County, Xue Yue Corps Headquarters.
The so-called Xue Yue Corps is actually a corps directly under the Central Military Commission.
The troops under the jurisdiction of Xue Yue Corps are: 13th Army, Commander Tang Enbo; 52nd Army, Commander Guan Linzheng; 85th Army, Commander Wang Zhonglian; 8th Group Army, Commander Zhang Fakui; 26th Army, Commander Xu Yuanquan, total
There are about 200,000 people in the 15 infantry divisions, all of them are the direct troops of Chairman Chiang Kai-shek.
Near noon, the cook at the headquarters served General Xue Yue four dishes and one soup.
General Xue Yue's brows suddenly furrowed when he saw the four dishes and one soup with both meat and vegetables, delicious and delicious. A real problem suddenly appeared in his mind. Xue Yue's regiment has now become a lone army.
The two small counties of Xinmi will definitely not be able to support an army of 200,000 for long. It seems that the rations must be reduced!
"Pass my order." General Xue Yue immediately stood up and told the chief of staff, "From today on, the entire army's rations will be halved. From the general to the private, everyone will be treated equally!" After that, General Xue Yue filled a small bowl of rice.
, poured some more vegetable soup, and then asked the cook to take down all the remaining food.
The senior staff officers in the headquarters all looked at each other, but no one dared to raise an objection.
General Xue Yue finished less than half a bowl of rice like a storm, but he still felt hungry in his belly. He strode to the kitchen, scooped up a large ladle of cold water and poured it into his stomach. The hundreds of officers and soldiers who were squatting outside the kitchen to eat suddenly stopped.
He picked up his chopsticks and looked at General Xue Yue with incomprehensible eyes. The veterans who had just been shouting for more rice immediately shut their mouths.
General Xue Yue, who was drinking from the cow, seemed to realize something. He put down the water ladle and slowly turned his head.
When General Xue Yue saw that there was only half a bowl of porridge in the bowls of the officers and soldiers, and only half a piece of steamed bun in their hands, he couldn't help but feel wet in his eyes. The soldiers were fighting on the front line without regrets, bleeding and sacrificing their lives.
, however, as the commander, he could not even provide them with the most basic food and clothing. He felt guilty!
But soon, General Xue Yue hardened his heart again.
The Xue Yue Corps has become a lonely army. If the rations are not reduced, it will not survive for ten days!
The psychological bottom line General Xue Yue set for himself is fifteen days. As long as Xue Yue's regiment can survive fifteen days, then the troops in the Wuhan Garrison Theater and the main force of the national army that retreated from the Henan battlefield can reorganize defenses near Wuhan.
, if the Baoshan Division could hold on at Shimen for fifteen days, the Japanese army would completely lose the ability to conduct a comprehensive offensive.
Of course, fifteen days later, Xue Yue's regiment may still be unable to avoid the end of the entire army being destroyed.
However, as long as the country can survive, as long as the nation can survive, why would he, Xue Yue, regret to die? Why would Xue Yue's 200,000 soldiers of the Corps regret to die?
Shimen, Baoshan Division Headquarters.
At dusk, when the lights were on, Zhao Xinyi had already rushed to contact the comrades of the underground party in southern Hebei Province. After the meeting, the chief officers of each brigade and regiment were busy selecting soldiers, allocating weapons, and reorganizing the troops. Tomorrow afternoon at the latest
, a brand new Baoshan division of Japanese weapons reorganization will appear on the land of southern Hebei.
The reorganization of the Baoshan Division will be completed soon, and the mobilization of civilians can be left to the Communist Party.
The special task force is also responsible for identifying Shimen, identifying traitors in both places, and collecting Japanese and puppet assets.
The only thing Yue Weihan needs to consider now is how to repel the three field divisions of the Japanese army heading east and north!
According to the information provided by the Intelligence Office, the Japanese 6th and 13th Divisions heading north along the Ping-Han Line are still in Zhengzhou, which is more than 400 kilometers away from Shimen. However, the Japanese troops can take trains from Zhengzhou to Anyang, and the march time will not exceed
Six hours later, after passing Anyang, we were within the scope of activities of the Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army's Southern Hebei Military Region. At that time, the Japanese army could only march on foot.
Lu Xiufeng, who had just been promoted to deputy commander of the Baoshan Division, took a picture of the map and sneered: "Hmph, this little devil actually mobilized three field divisions to attack Shimen. In the middle of Lu, the southern mountainous area of Lun and the Sulu border, he failed.
Do you really think that our Baoshan Division is a soft persimmon when we are on the defensive against the Sun Lianzhong Group and Yu Xuezhong Group?"
"The Japanese army does not necessarily think that our Baoshan Division is a soft persimmon." Liu Yi shook his head and said disapprovingly, "It's just that compared to the Jinpu Railway and the Longhai Railway, the Pinghan Railway is more convenient and strategic for the Japanese army in the Wuhan battlefield.
It is of greater significance, so opening up the Pinghan-Hankou Railway will of course become their first choice!"
"First choice?" Lu Xiufeng said ferociously, "There will be times in the future when the little devil will regret it."
Liu Yi sighed and said to Yue Weihan worriedly: "Military seat, according to the food and ammunition rations of the Japanese field troops, we need to hold Shimen for at least half a month before the main force of the Japanese army in Wuhan battlefield will be in trouble of running out of ammunition and food.
, but facing the attack of three major field divisions, it is extremely difficult to hold Shimen for half a month."