In early January of the 30th year of the Republic of China (1941), the two strategic front armies of the Japanese Army in North China and Central China mobilized six divisions, four mixed Japanese brigades and four groups of the puppet North China Autonomous Army, and the puppet Nanjing Provisional Government Imperial Association
The army's sixteen divisions were divided into eight groups and launched a massive attack on the mountainous area in central Shandong and the Sulu border area.
The 3rd Army in the Sulu Border Region only resisted for half a month before the entire territory fell.
However, the 2nd Group Army in the Shandong Mountains fought extremely tenaciously. After receiving the assistance of the 39th Group Army, General Sun Lianzhong took advantage of the gap between the Japanese army's separate attacks and adopted various defeat tactics. He successively launched the Tai'an Battle and the Laiwu Battle to annihilate the Japanese and puppets.
With nearly 30,000 troops, the Japanese 24th Division was severely damaged.
In late February, the main force of the 2nd Army successfully jumped out of the perimeter and headed towards Qingdao!
At this point, the first raid by the Japanese and puppet coalition forces on the mountainous area in central Shandong was effectively bankrupt.
Although Chairman Chiang has issued a death order, and General Sun Lianzhong is determined to defend the Luzhong Mountain Area, General Sun has a clear idea of how to defend it. It is obviously impossible to divide his troops and resist step by step as before.
Only by jumping out of the perimeter like the Eighth Route Army and seeking to annihilate the enemy on the move is the right way.
Shimen, North China Front Army Headquarters.
Okamura Neji stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back without saying a word, his face ashen.
Tanabe Moritake, Hirata Shogun and a dozen senior staff members of the headquarters also looked unkind. On the map hanging on the north wall, a huge blue arrow pointed straight to the coastal military town of Qingdao! And
The layers of red circular lines representing the Japanese military front are still hundreds of miles away in the Culai Mountains.
This was a perfect escape from the golden cicada. Sun Lianzhong used espionage to create a realistic illusion with the Lushan People's Army, which caused the Japanese former enemy headquarters to misjudge and believed that the main force of the 2nd Army was still in the Cuelai Mountains. In fact,
, the main force of the 2nd Army had already jumped out of the Japanese encirclement.
On February 25, Huang Qiaosong's 27th Division regained Gaomi.
On February 27, the 31st Division of Chifengcheng liberated Jiaozhou.
On February 30, Zhang Huatang's 30th Division liberated Jimo.
On February 31, Wu Pengju of the 44th Brigade of the Communist Party of China appeared outside Qingdao!
Qingdao was originally a German concession. During World War I, the Japanese took advantage of the fact that Germany was mired in the European War and had no time to visit, and sent troops to occupy Qingdao. From then on, Qingdao became a Japanese overseas colony, and the Sino-Japanese war was full-scale.
After the outbreak, Qingdao became an important overseas military port for the Japanese naval combined fleet.
Once Qingdao is lost, not only a military port will be lost!
Since Japan is an island country, its military always attaches great importance to the navy and despises the army. The status of the army of the Communist Party of China is far from being comparable to that of the navy. If the North China Front army fails to sweep away this time, Sun Lianzhong's 2nd Group Army will occupy Qingdao.
After destroying the overseas base of the Navy's combined fleet, Okamura Neiji could fully imagine how he would be ridiculed by the navy.
"Baga Yalu." Okamura Neiji burst out a Japanese curse through his teeth and said in a ferocious voice, "Order, the 26th Division quickly reinforces Qingdao, and the Japanese mix into the 8th Brigade's remaining troops.
We will defend Qingdao at all costs and send a message to Heishiro Katamura that if Qingdao is lost, he will be prepared to commit seppuku in front of the Emperor's portrait!"
"Hai." Masaru Hirata lowered his head suddenly, then walked away with a knife in his hand.
Okamura Neiji again said to Tanabe Moritake: "Tanabe-kun, you immediately fly to Jinan to succeed Nishio Hisao as the commander of the second army and the commander-in-chief of the sweep of the former enemies in central Shandong, and immediately adjust the deployment and organize the second major sweep.
, this time, Sun Lianzhong cannot be allowed to run away under any circumstances, and his 2nd Army must be resolutely eliminated, do you understand?"
"Hai, I understand!" Tanabe Shengwu suddenly lowered his head and immediately took the order and left.
Chongqing, General Staff Headquarters.
Chairman Chiang hurriedly walked into the war room, escorted by Wang Shihe.
All the *** generals and senior counselors present stood at attention and saluted. Chairman Chiang waved his hand to signal everyone to take a break, and then walked to the big map surrounded by General He, General Chen and others.
General Chen held the command pole in his hand and gave Chairman Chiang a general introduction to the battle situation.
Chairman Chiang nodded repeatedly and said with great joy: "Imitating Lu will not let me down, imitating Lu will not let me down."
After saying this, Chairman Chiang added: "Immediately send a message to the whole country to commend the 2nd Army. All officers and soldiers will be rewarded with five hundred French dollars! All fallen soldiers will be given a pension of one thousand dollars!"
Admiral Chen said with a flattering face: "The appointment is wise."
Vice President Bai next to him could not help but curl his lips.
Prices in today's Kuomintang-controlled areas are soaring, inflation has reached incredible levels, and the legal currency has depreciated severely. Two years ago, one legal currency was almost the same as an ocean, but now, the purchasing power of an ocean has even exceeded
Five thousand French currency, what can I buy with this bonus and pension?
Chairman Chiang waved his hand and said: "Call Sun Fanglu and ask him to continue his efforts to completely crush the Japanese invaders' raids!"
Vice General Bai couldn't hold it in anymore and said: "Commissioner, the 2nd Army is very hopeful to regain Qingdao this time. Once Qingdao is really regained, there will be a chance to obtain supplies from the sea. Should we ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come forward?
Contact the private chamber of commerce in the United States and use American merchant ships to urgently replenish a batch of supplies to the Second Army?"
Although General Sun Lianzhong did not report the motive of the attack on Qingdao to the Military Commission, Xiao Zhuge was Xiao Zhuge. He had already guessed General Sun's intention and was also well aware of the current predicament of the 2nd Army. If he could not obtain enough from Qingdao,
Without supplies, the 2nd Army will definitely not be able to hold on for much longer.
As soon as he finished speaking, a senior counselor hurriedly came in and reported to General He: "General, the 2nd Army Group is calling urgently!"
General He waved his hand and said, "Read it!"
The senior counselor opened the telegram and said loudly: "Headquarters: The 31st Division and the 44th Brigade of the Communist Party of China have entered the outskirts of Qingdao. The enemy's defenses are empty and will be recovered soon. We hope that the headquarters will urgently submit a commission and request the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to come forward.
Lobby American businessmen to urgently replenish a batch of arms supplies to our ministry by sea, please! Ministry of Commerce, Sun Lianzhong, March 1, 30th year of the Republic of China."
General He waved his hand, signaling the senior counselor to step down, and then turned his attention to Chairman Chiang.
Chairman Chiang looked troubled. The second batch of US$80 million of the US$200 million in free financial aid approved by the US Congress was about to be paid. At this juncture, Chairman Chiang really did not want to cause trouble! Use US merchant ships to send the second tranche of US dollars to the second batch.
When a group army smuggles arms, it takes risks. If something goes wrong, the subsequent US$160 million may be lost.
Compared with the US$160 million in free financial aid, the Second Army seems a bit insignificant.
"This matter is of great importance. I will go back and discuss it with Xiangxi and Ziwen." Chairman Jiang said calmly.
General He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but Vice President Bai had an angry look on his face. Kong Xiangxi and Song Ziwen were just beetles in the country. What was there to discuss with such "politicians"?
As far as Vice President Bai knows, more than half of the first batch of 40 million U.S. dollars in financial aid provided by the United States has flowed into the private accounts of Kong, Song, and Chen families, and has been deposited back into the accounts of the three major families in Bank of America.
Although Chairman Chiang did not get a share of the account, he had nothing to do with the three major families that had supported his rise to power.
"Okay, let's do this for now." Chairman Jiang said and turned around and left.
Watching Chairman Chiang hurried away, Vice President Bai sighed and said to General He: "Brother Jing, it is obviously impossible to expect the Americans to replenish military supplies for the 2nd Group Army by sea. It is better to send Yue Weihan a
Seal the telegram and ask the 39th Army to provide as much assistance as possible to the 2nd Army."
"Alas." General He sighed, "As of now, this is the only way it can be."
Jingxing County, 39th Army Headquarters.
Senior generals such as Yue Weihan and Liu Yi also paid close attention to the fate of the 2nd Army.
Yue Weihan took a picture of the map and sighed sadly: "Sun Fanglu is unwise. Even if the Second Army recaptures Qingdao, it is impossible to obtain any supplies from the sea. At this time, isolationism is prevalent in the United States, and the Americans will never
Those who would risk their lives to deliver supplies to the 2nd Army, and Dean Kong, Vice-President Song, they are afraid they will not agree..."
At its core, the Nationalist Government was a comprador government. Chairman Chiang actually wanted to revitalize national industry. Unfortunately, the Kong, Song, and Chen families who supported him in power did not give Chairman Chiang a chance at all. These three major families were
The comprador capitalists with their roots in Miaohong and Chairman Chiang really want to develop national industry, so they should take advantage of the northwest wind.
There are some things that Chairman Chiang is actually helpless about. For example, in history, the eldest son Jiang used to vigorously crack down on the speculation of unscrupulous businessmen in Shanghai. But when this fire was burned to the three major families of Kong, Song, and Chen, nothing happened immediately.
, Chairman Chiang made a phone call, and Young Master Chiang left Shanghai with infinite sadness...
"If the 2nd Army cannot obtain supplies from the sea, this operation will become a failure!" Liu Yi frowned and said without worry, "After the 2nd Army entered Jiaodong, the strategic space for maneuver was obviously reduced, and the Japanese troops were concentrated in
The large forces in the central Shandong mountainous area only need to follow the trend to the east, and the 2nd Army will be in danger."
"Yeah, it's a little late to break it into pieces now." Yue Weihan nodded, and said with some melancholy, "When we were in the mountains of central Shandong, if the 2nd Group Army was broken into pieces and attacked from all sides, there would always be one unit.
Our troops can stand out, but now that we have arrived in Jiaodong, it is not so easy to get through the layers of Japanese troops and return to the Kuomintang-controlled areas."
As soon as he finished speaking, Major Liu Xin, the director of the Communications Department, walked in with his waist twisted, and reported in a sweet voice: "The chief, Chief He of the Military Commission, and Vice Chief Bai jointly ordered an urgent telegram to request our group army to provide the second group army with what we can."
support!"
"Got it." Yue Weihan waved his hand to signal Liu Xin to retreat, and then said to Liu Yi, "Chief of Staff, immediately send an urgent telegram to Sun Fanglu, asking his troops to break into pieces on the spot and split up to move westward! Another
, our group army will attack from multiple fronts and attack the counties in southern Hebei at all costs to support the divisions of the 2nd group army that break out of the encirclement!"
"Yes." Liu Yi stood at attention, turned around and left in a hurry.
The temporary headquarters of the 2nd Army in the northern suburbs of Qingdao.
General Sun Lianzhong raised the telegram in his hand to the group army chief of staff Feng Anbang and other senior generals present, and said sadly: "The Military Commission has called. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuses to come forward to contact the Americans. Brothers, capture Qingdao and obtain military supplies from the sea.
Our plan has been ruined, we have to stop making plans."
"What? The Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused?"
"His grandma is a bear, why!?"
"These bastards, when I return to Chongqing, I will break their necks one by one!"
When Huang Qiaosong, Chi Fengcheng and other senior generals heard this, they immediately became furious and all of them were very angry.
"Okay, let's not say these angry words." General Sun Lianzhong waved his hand and said sadly, "I am the one who harmed everyone this time. I should have sent a telegram to the Military Commission for instructions before setting off. If I had known the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
If I refuse to come forward, I should not go east to Qingdao and drag the entire army into danger."
"Hey, why did the commander-in-chief say this?" General Feng Anbang, chief of staff of the group army, asked, "When we didn't ask the Military Commission for instructions, weren't we worried that there would be spies in the Military Commission who were undercover, and that the information would be leaked? Besides, brothers who came out of Qingdao in the east
We all support it, and the whole army went deep into danger on our own volition, so what does it have to do with the commander-in-chief?"
General Sun Lianzhong shook his head and said: "I also have a telegram here from Commander-in-Chief Yue of the 39th Group Army. He once again begged our 2nd Group Army to break into pieces and break out separately to go to the Taihang Mountains to rest and replenish. I originally didn't plan to
Accept his suggestion, but now, I want to hear your opinions?"
There was a sudden silence in the headquarters, no one wanted to speak.
"Tell us everything." General Sun Lianzhong said sincerely, "Say what you have to say."
"Chief Commander, let me tell you what I am humble about." Chief of Staff Feng Anbang said, "I think Commander-in-Chief Yue's suggestion is feasible!"
Huang Qiaosong, commander of the 27th Division, Zhang Huatang, commander of the 30th Division, and Wu Pengju, commander of the 44th Brigade of the ***, also nodded.
General Sun Lianzhong nodded and said with a sigh, "Since everyone agrees, let's break it up into parts and act separately. Each division, brigade, company, and platoon will act individually. We will set off tonight. The scheduled assembly point is Jingxing County.
, all troops arriving in Jingxing County will be under the unified command of Chief of Staff Feng..."
Chi Fengcheng, commander of the 31st Division, said: "Chief Commander, what about you?"
"Me?" General Sun Lianzhong said sadly, "As the commander-in-chief of the Central Shandong War Zone, I was ordered to defend the territory and resist the war. How could I escape before the battle?" After saying this, General Sun said to Chi Fengcheng and others sincerely, "But you
It’s different. You led the troops to break out of the encirclement and were acting on orders. The Military Commission has nothing to say when they find out.”
"Chief, if you don't leave, I won't leave either." Chi Fengcheng said loudly, "If you want to die together, you must live together!"
"Yes, we're not leaving either!" Feng Anbang, Huang Qiaosong, Zhang Huatang and Wu Pengju also stood up.