The conference room quickly became a noisy discussion.
Someone said: "What are you afraid of? When the Japanese come, they will fight. After so many years of fighting, there has never been a time when the soldiers have not come to block the water and flood the soil. They can just use them as they see fit!"
Some people said: "It is best to withdraw into the mountainous area and take a defensive position. The Japanese have concentrated too many troops this time and cannot fight head-on!"
Others said: "The worst we can do is go to the mountains to fight guerrillas like before. The Japs are useless because they have so many people. Once they get to the mountains, they won't be able to keep up with their supplies and they won't be able to stay for long!"
…
Everything was said, and many people were blushing because of their own ideas.
Ding Wei has an overall view and is more far-sighted. In the TV series, when he was fighting the Japanese, he foresaw that there would be a war with Chongqing sooner or later. After liberation, he boldly foresaw that the neighboring countries might become enemies because of their interests.
At this time, Ding Wei thought for a while, then stood up and said: "Commander, chief of staff, comrades, I think the current situation is no longer suitable for us to retreat to the mountains to fight guerrillas, so I think we must first eliminate this idea!"
"
"Oh!" asked the chief: "Tell me why!"
"Chief!" Ding Wei explained: "We used to be able to go into the mountains to fight guerrillas, and that was because the people at the bottom of the mountains gave us food openly and secretly! Otherwise, if there was no food and no housing in the mountains, we would have to starve to death? But not now
It’s the same. The Japanese’s implementation of the “Three Guangs” policy has brought about real consequences.
Create a no-man's land and then use bunkers, isolation ditches, etc. to implement a blockade. If we go into the mountains to fight guerrillas, although we can still deal with the devils militarily as usual, if the devils continue to implement the three-guang policy and make our base area smaller and smaller,
How do we solve the food problem?"
After hearing this, everyone stopped talking.
Wang Xuexin knew that what Ding Wei said was right. This was the main reason why the Eighth Route Army dropped by 100,000 in 1941.
The chief nodded in agreement. This was actually his idea.
Today is different from the past, the current situation is different from before, and the methods that worked before may not work now.
What's more, at this time, the Eighth Route Army was showing signs of development in military industry, tactics, and agriculture. Going into the mountains to fight guerrillas meant traveling lightly. In order to bring more food, machines that couldn't be taken away would have to be blown up.
If we have to give up large tracts of cultivated fields, will this bring the Eighth Route Army back to the zero point of poverty and nothingness?
Thinking of this, the chief naturally turned his attention to Zhang Wanhe.
Zhang Wanhe replied in a sullen voice: "Chief, don't look at me. I have made up my mind to stay with those machines. Anyway, I can't walk with my old bones!"
The chief of staff smiled and said: "Old Zhang, what if there is a strategic transfer? Lujiagou is only a few kilometers away from the flank, and there is no anti-slope fortification cover, and the enemy knows the position, so the transfer is safer!"
This is what the Chief of Staff said.
Although Lujiagou was not far from the front line before, the front was blocked by layers of back-slope fortifications. The Japanese were not able to attack quickly, and they had no time to move if they couldn't hold on.
Now the situation is different. If the Shanxi-Sui Army on the flank withdraws, it will only take a few hours for the Japanese tanks to reach Lujiagou, so relocation is necessary.
Zhang Wanhe replied: "It is possible to transfer, but those machines must be taken away without leaving a single piece. We have finally changed these assets, and I can't leave them behind no matter what!"
"No problem!" The chief nodded and said: "We will mobilize all the cars, mule carts, and carriages tonight. If we can't use shoulders and wheelbarrows, we have to carry these machines away! These are our capital to fight the enemy.
, can’t throw it away easily!”
Kong Jie had some ideas at this time: "But chief, the problem is that this defense line is more than 200 kilometers long. We have to be able to defend it! If we can't prevent the Japanese from getting in, it won't be safe no matter where the arsenal is moved!"
This is what is said.
There are so many machines in the arsenal, including many generators converted from car engines, lathes, bullet production lines, etc. It must be a big target to move them around.
At the same time, their size and weight also determine that it is impossible to carry them for guerrilla warfare.
Therefore, if the flanks cannot be guarded and the Japanese advance in, the arsenal will become the enemy's target no matter how it is moved.
This time Ding Wei lost his voice.
Although he knew he couldn't retreat this time, he still didn't know how to defend the two hundred kilometers long defense line.
"The main reason is the lack of troops!" the chief of staff sighed: "We have put all the 150,000 main troops on the front and reverse slope. In the current situation, we can only spare 200,000 troops and transfer them to the flanks for emergency defense.
but……"
There is no need to say more about what follows.
These 200,000 are troops with relatively poor equipment and relatively weak combat effectiveness. They are the troops that have to hand over bullets to the main force for attack during the Hundred Regiment Battle.
There are only single digits, and many of them were urgently equipped as the output of bullet production lines has increased significantly recently.
But even so, 200,000 people defend a defense line of more than 200 kilometers long...On average, there is only one soldier per meter, and there are no fortifications or facilities. This weak force can be said to be broken with a single blow.
When everyone was looking sad, Wang Xuexin stood up and said: "Chief, I think we can try elastic defense!"
When the leader saw that the person speaking was Xiao Dongbei, his eyes lit up and he thought, this is another new tactic.
So he happily asked: "Tell me, what is elastic defense?"
"That's it!" Wang Xuexin explained: "If we use traditional defense in a rigid manner, we must disperse our troops. As a result, the defense at every location will be weak. But if we reverse the roles and let the enemy defend us
attack……"
Kong Jie expressed confusion: "Xiao Dongbei, you are talking about taking the initiative to attack? I'm afraid it's inappropriate! With the firepower of the Japs, if we take over the Jin army's defenses, how many people will we need to defeat the Japs?
?”
These words immediately resonated with many cadres.
Although it is true that attacking instead of defending can concentrate troops, the Japanese, as the defensive side, often occupy more geographical advantages and wait for work, which gives the Eighth Route Army an even greater advantage.
"No!" Wang Xuexin replied: "I'm not talking about attacking the Jin army's defense area, but opening up the flanks of our army to allow the Japanese to come in!"
"Isn't that the same thing?" Li Yunlong asked back: "Xiao Dongbei, don't give me any advice. How can you give your position to the enemy before the battle begins?"
"Captain!" Wang Xuexin replied: "This must not be the same thing! If we take the initiative to give up the position, we can make some arrangements, right? For example, bury explosives in key locations, hide our troops in tunnels, or
Dig tunnels and bury telephone lines. When we are about to counterattack, we still don’t have a clear picture of the enemy’s deployment. At this time, we need to coordinate inside and outside?”