Just like its name, Siping is surrounded by flat areas. If you launch an attack on it, it will be difficult to hide it from the Japanese, that is, there will be no strategic surprise.
In this way, the Eighth Route Army is likely to encounter the same problem: the Japanese have built a defense line and are waiting there with poison gas bombs!
But Wang Xuexin didn’t think so.
"Where is the new group now?" Wang Xuexin asked.
Chen Songyong found a location on the map and said: "It's probably here, near Qinghe, more than a hundred kilometers away from Siping!"
After capturing HLD, the New Regiment moved to the eastern front and became the northern main force of the Eastern Front Mobile Force: the New First Regiment was responsible for the mobility in the north, and the New Second Regiment was responsible for the reinforcements in the south and Jinzhou area.
"Attack with mechanized troops!" Wang Xuexin ordered: "Snap into Siping as quickly as possible, and the follow-up troops will follow closely and occupy it!"
"Yes!" Chen Songyong responded and went to convey the order.
Wang Xuexin also used offense instead of defense.
Originally, the Eighth Route Army only had to hold the defensive line, and this was not difficult for the Eighth Route Army.
But once the Japanese used poison gas bombs, the situation changed.
Definitely not possible.
The entire defense line of the Eighth Route Army has hundreds of thousands of people and is hundreds of kilometers long. Under the threat of Japanese gas bombs, it is full of loopholes... It is impossible to have such luck as the Long March Regiment in other positions, and we dare not expect to have it again.
If only one point is broken through by the Japanese, the main force of the Eighth Route Army will be trapped in the dilemma of being surrounded.
But if we do the opposite and attack strategically, and use mechanized troops to lead the attack and go deep into the enemy's hinterland, will the enemy have no time to prepare gas bombs?
Even if the Japs prepared the gas bombs, the Eighth Route Army and the Japs were already entangled with each other, forming a situation where you are in the middle and I am in the middle. Would the Japs not know where to fire the gas bombs?
For example, when the Eighth Route Army invades Siping City, and there are both Eighth Route Army and Japanese soldiers in the city, can the Japanese gas bombs still be effective?
More importantly, poison gas bombs are more suitable for use in field battles than in urban areas.
This is not to say that the Japs are worried about harming the common people...the Japs do not consider the safety of the common people. They are Chinese people anyway.
But there are many houses in the city that can effectively isolate most of the poisonous gas: once the poisonous gas comes up, the Eighth Route Army only needs to hide in the nearby house and use prepared sandbags, cotton cloth or other things to block the cracks in the windows and doors, and then do the necessary things themselves.
The protection can minimize the damage caused by poisonous gas.
When the poisonous gas dissipates, the Eighth Route Army can leave the city to meet the enemy.
At this time, it would be useless even if the Japs asked the vanguard to put on gas masks and ride the poisonous gas into the city.
It is useful in field battles, because the fortifications are defense lines and trenches. All the Eighth Route Army soldiers hide in the trenches from poison gas. The vanguard troops like the Japanese can take advantage of the gas masks and go on a killing spree to open the gap first.
But in the street fighting in the city, what can these devils wearing gas masks do after entering the city?
There is indeed no one on the street that they can freely occupy, but the surrounding houses are all occupied by the Eighth Route Army. If they want to occupy this city...will they have to search and fight for each house?
What role can poison gas bombs play at this time?
It's nothing more than sending the vanguard troops in to die!
Therefore, Wang Xuexin believed that if we want to defend, we should use the city as a stronghold to defend.
Only in this way can we defend the city and at the same time increase the vitality and combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army... The people in the city will provide necessary food and help to the Eighth Route Army, and they will even become a source of soldiers for the Eighth Route Army.
The reason why Siping was chosen was mainly because in history, after the Eighth Route Army and the stubborn army entered the Northeast, they invested hundreds of thousands of troops in Siping, a little-known place, and repeatedly fought for it. They fought four major battles, so there were "Four Wars".
Siping" is the saying.
If the two armies would not hesitate to invest in repeated battles for this place, its strategic significance would definitely be of great importance.
Then Wang Xuexin checked and found that it was indeed the case.
First of all, Siping is a granary. It is surrounded by corn and sorghum fields. It is known as the "Northeast Grain Warehouse" and is the Northeast Grain Distribution Center.
Secondly, Siping is a transportation hub: it has Fengtian in the south and Xinjing in the north. The railway can connect to Yingkou, Dalian, Jinzhou, Harbin, etc. Almost all railways from all directions pass through this central city.
Thirdly, the streets in Siping are extremely straight: it is divided into two parts, Daodong and Daoxi, with the railway as the boundary. There are more than a dozen north-south streets in the east and west and seven or eight east-west streets, which are square and square like lines on a chessboard.
Looking across the whole street.
After Wang Xuexin checked this information, he felt that Siping should be occupied first.
Having food means that the Eighth Route Army does not need reinforcements from other places after it is stationed, and the Japanese will not be able to trap it even if it is surrounded.
It is a transportation hub. Once occupied by the Eighth Route Army, it can cut off most of the Japanese railway lines and part of the road transportation, which can delay the Japanese troop deployment.
The straight streets are very suitable for mechanized troops to fight: tanks of the Eighth Route Army can hit the other end of the street with one shot, and half-track cars can also fly.
This terrain seems to be naturally prepared for mechanized troops to fight.
Soon, Zhang Zongping received a response from the headquarters: "Agree to the plan to fight Siping, and attach Siping information!"
Wang Xuexin received the intelligence and saw that the Japanese had only two squadrons and a military police brigade of more than 300 people in Siping, as well as a battalion of puppet troops.
Zhang Zongping explained: "Originally, there was a regiment of Japanese soldiers in Siping, but in order to organize the troops to deal with the border crisis in Mao Xiong and fight against our army, the defenders in Siping have been almost mobilized!"
However, Zhang Zongping pointed to the map and said: "But there is a large group of Japanese troops stationed about 20 kilometers west of Siping. They have blocked the highway and railway to Siping!"
Wang Xuexin said "hmm".
It seemed that the Japanese were not completely unprepared. They were also worried that the mechanized troops of the Eighth Route Army would suddenly attack Siping, a strategic location.
Although a brigade of more than a thousand people is nothing, this brigade is located 20 kilometers away from Siping.
Once a fight breaks out with this brigade, the Japanese will immediately know that Siping is in danger, so they will send reinforcements to Siping as soon as possible.
When the mechanized troops of the Eighth Route Army arrived in Siping, they would not be facing two Japanese squadrons and a gendarmerie brigade.
There are more than 300 regular troops in the two squadrons, plus the military police brigade, which is also more than 300 people, the total strength is only more than 600 people!
The puppet troops can basically be ignored.
Thanks to the Eighth Route Army's series of victories and propaganda efforts, these puppet troops had to blame at least half of their plots on the Eighth Route Army.