Shizue Sasaki could be said to have guessed it right, or he could not have guessed it right.
He said he guessed it right because this is how the Eighth Route Army fought: it took the Eighth Route Army several days to occupy Tieling, Fushun cut off the connection between Fengtian and the east, and Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment and the New Second Regiment to the south.
The mechanized troops captured Panjin and Yingkou. As long as they continue to march eastward, they can complete the encirclement of Fengtian and trap the Japanese inside.
This is somewhat like Hans's "pincer attack": the troops bypass the enemy's heavily garrisoned fortified city in two directions and attack its weak rear.
This is obviously strategically correct, because if the enemy wants to defend Fengtian, he will inevitably evacuate the troops in the surrounding towns. For example, there is only one brigade in Tieling, and there is even only one squad in Panjin and Yingkou... The Japanese would never dream of this.
Thinking that the Eighth Route Army would actually attack the coastline, they believed that the coastline was absolutely safe with the use of warships, so there were almost no troops stationed along the coastline.
This is what has been said about "offense is greater than defense": the defensive side can never be sure where the enemy will attack. They must defend everywhere but cannot defend it, and the attacking side can attack them based on the actual situation and the intelligence they have.
Weak spots.
If the Eighth Route Army attacked Fengtian in a systematic manner at this time, it would be exactly what the Japanese wanted.
So of course it is impossible for Wang Xuexin to do this!
Saying that Sasaki Shizue guessed wrong is because Wang Xuexin’s main goal is actually not Fengtian, which he has always planned...
After easily capturing Yingkou, Li Yunlong just wanted to pursue the victory and continue marching eastward, but Wang Xuexin gave an order: "Change the battle plan and attack southward along the railway line!"
"What?" Li Yunlong couldn't help being stunned when he heard the plan: "Attack to the south? What kind of tricks are you doing? Can we fight Fengtian? This guy from Xiaodongbei, doesn't he know that changing the battle plan temporarily is a taboo for military strategists?"
But when Li Yunlong looked down the railway line on the map, he laughed: "This guy Xiao Dongbei is really good at it! We were all deceived by him!"
"Did he deceive you?" Zhao Gang asked doubtfully, "What do you mean?"
Li Yunlong smiled and replied: "We thought we were fighting Fengtian, but we didn't expect that the other person was... the drunkard's intention is not to drink!"
Li Yunlong is right, Fengtian is just a cover for Wang Xuexin, a cover for deceiving the Japanese!
This matter was discussed with the chief and chief of staff... Wang Xuexin's power is not powerful enough to launch such a large-scale attack without going through the headquarters.
That was when the decision was made to develop anti-ship missiles. Just when the headquarters thought that everything was ready and only needed the east wind, Wang Xuexin secretly rushed to the headquarters again to discuss the plan to attack Fengtian.
"Chief, I think our strategic intention to attack Fengtian is too obvious!" Wang Xuexin pointed to the map and said: "Once our army leaves Chifeng, it will not take long to reach Fengtian City. In addition, there are still two enemy opponents in Fengtian.
It is a very important arsenal. It is conceivable that the Japanese will deploy heavy troops in and around Fengtian! If our army directly attacks Fengtian, we will suffer heavy casualties even if we can capture it. What's more, even if we can capture Fengtian, it will be difficult to hold it.
!”
"Comrade Wang Xuexin!" the leader said, "I think I have told you before. The significance of our battle is not to capture Fengtian and hold it, but to build the confidence of the people across the country in the war and even force the stubborn troops to be active." Take the initiative to join the vigorous war of resistance! If you can achieve this goal, it doesn’t matter whether you can defend Fengtian or not. There is no need to care about the gains and losses of one city or one place!"
Wang Xuexin admitted that what the chief said was right.
Although the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness was already quite strong at this time, and the Japs' combat effectiveness was much lower than before due to long-term consumption, it is still unrealistic to drive the Japs out of China by relying solely on the power of the Eighth Route Army... Not to mention other things, even if The Kwantung Army stationed in the northeast was enough for the Eighth Route Army. If Mao Xiong hadn't been very cooperative in applying pressure from the outside, the Eighth Route Army's attack would hardly have had any effect.
Therefore, what the Eighth Route Army has to do is to use practical actions to mobilize the people of the country to resist the war, especially to force the stubborn troops who have passively resisted the war to "come out" from their comfort zone in Chongqing to seize the war merits... Although this is to seize the war merits, it has no impact on the overall war of resistance. It is beneficial, and the chief would rather have this happen.
If this is the strategic goal, then why should Fengtian be defended?
Being able to defeat it is a great victory and can serve as a rallying cry!
But Wang Xuexin didn’t think so.
"Chief!" Wang Xuexin said, "What if we can knock it down and hold it?"
"Can we still hold on?" The chief cast a shocked look at Wang Xuexin.
The chief of staff couldn't believe what he heard. He said: "Comrade Wang Xuexin! The road must be taken step by step, don't take too big a step! We only have 100,000 troops to attack Fengtian, just like As you said, there will definitely be casualties and losses after the defeat. Once Mao Xiong stops putting pressure on the Japanese and allows the Japanese to come to their senses, there will be a Kwantung Army with six or seven times more troops than us and a relatively elite force! This The situation needs to be maintained... I’m afraid it’s unlikely!”
It’s no wonder that the Chief of Staff said this. The headquarters’ previous plan never imagined that Fengtian could be defended. After it was captured, troops would be organized to return to defend Chifeng. If possible, some industries and people would be transferred to the west of Chifeng.
But now, Wang Xuexin actually wants to fight him out and never come back!
How many troops and supplies are needed to achieve this?
This is simply nonsense!
The chief did not completely deny it. After being silent for a while, he straightened his waist and said with a smile: "You have a big appetite! Come on, pour it out if you have the skills to see if it's feasible!"
"Yes!" Wang Xuexin responded, and then analyzed: "The gap between the total strength of the enemy and ourselves is too great. It is indeed difficult to defend, but it is not impossible!"
As he spoke, Wang Xuexin leaned over and pointed at the map and continued: "I think that if you want to achieve this goal, you must exchange the minimum cost for the maximum benefit. Even when our troops attack, not only can their strength not be consumed by the enemy, but also You should fight more and more!"
The chief nodded slightly.
It is normal for the Eighth Route Army to increase its troop strength as it fights, so this is not surprising.
He only asked: "The question is, how can we obtain the greatest benefits at the least cost?"
"Coastline!" Wang Xuexin replied: "Because of the presence of warships, the Japanese have always thought that it is impossible for our army to attack HLD, let alone attack along the coastline. Therefore, their defense on the coastline is very weak or even non-existent! In other words, That is, all coastlines are the enemy's weak points and can be easily captured during war, including..."
Wang Xuexin points the pencil in his hand to a point on the map!
"Shipyard!?" The chief and chief of staff exclaimed in unison.