As soon as Wang Xuexin finished speaking, everyone in the conference room cast curious glances at Wang Xuexin.
The chief felt strange. He originally didn't want to interrupt and wanted the cadres to speak freely, but after hearing Wang Xuexin's words, he couldn't help but ask: "Grain? Why do you need to buy grain?"
The chief of staff also curiously asked: "Yes, Xiaobei, they said they wanted to buy planes, cannons, and tanks, but no one said they wanted to buy food. We are now self-sufficient in food, and with large-scale production, we are expected to be able to do so again next year."
There will be a bumper harvest and there will be no shortage of food!”
What Wang Xuexin is thinking about is the Great Famine in Henan next year, which will affect more than 30 million people and nearly 3 million will starve to death. What a tragedy it will be!
Moreover, it is only separated from Zhongtiao Mountain by a river. The Japanese will also consciously drive these victims to the Chinese-controlled areas to create chaos and resource shortages.
This trick was indeed effective, because at that time the Burma Highway had been blocked by the Japanese, and the resources China needed could only rely on the hump route, which was a drop in the bucket. The country was in a state of resource shortage. If a large number of disaster victims entered the area controlled by the stubborn army at this time,
The Japanese were able to occupy these areas almost without a fight.
(Note: With the fall of Myitkyina on April 30, 1942, the Burma Highway was completely cut off by the Japanese)
The recalcitrant army's countermeasures were simple and crude, which was to use machine guns to prevent the victims from entering the controlled area, which is why there was a scene in the film where the train was stopped by officers and soldiers and had to turn back.
The situation in the Eighth Route Army base areas has indeed improved significantly under the large-scale production movement, but that is only an "improvement". Even if there is a bumper harvest next year, it can only ensure food and clothing and prevent starvation.
It would be fine if Zhongtiao Mountain was in the hands of the Japanese. The victims in Henan would not be able to cross the Yellow River and cross the Japanese defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain to enter the Eighth Route Army's southern Shanxi.
But now Zhongtiao Mountain is in the hands of the Eighth Route Army.
To be precise, there is no clear boundary between the Eighth Route Army's defense area and the Japanese defense area, and the Japanese are still separated in the middle.
But Wang Xuexin considers this issue this way:
From the overall strategic situation, the Japanese divisions are semi-surrounded by the Chinese army, and it is extremely difficult to supply them.
It's not so obvious now. If Henan or even the north bank of the Yellow River is affected by food shortages one day, how many divisions can the Japanese still maintain in this area?
If it cannot be maintained, will it have to be completely withdrawn sooner or later? Otherwise, will there be a risk of being surrounded and annihilated?
Therefore, in the long run, the Eighth Route Army is likely to directly face the impact of disaster victims.
What is missing most then?
It must be food!
But what should Wang Xuexin say about this?
Could it be said that it is expected that China will be hit by large-scale disasters next year and it is necessary to "gather up food widely"?
It would be strange not to be severely criticized.
After thinking for a while, Wang Xuexin said: "Chief, I heard that the Japanese are already planning the Burma Highway!"
The commander immediately understood what Wang Xuexin meant: "You mean, our army will lose this battle?"
"This is impossible!" Kong Jie continued: "The stubborn army has sent the 200th Division to reinforce. There are also troops stationed there that never set on the sun. In addition, there is also the assistance of Yingjiang, whether it is troops or resources.
Or if the equipment is better than that of the Japanese, can they still lose this battle?"
Li Changfu stood up and said: "We can't trust the combat effectiveness of the stubborn army, but if the army that never sets on the African battlefield can stop Hans, it shouldn't be a problem to stop the Japanese!"
When Wang Xuexin heard this, he almost spit blood on the ceiling.
Some things seem to be taken for granted from the perspective of modern people, but that is only when the results are known.
People in this era know nothing about the future, and they can only rely on existing information to analyze problems.
For example, the recalcitrant troops made a complete mess on the battlefield of the Anti-Japanese War, so the Eighth Route Army generally did not believe in the combat effectiveness of the recalcitrant troops.
But the sun never sets is the most powerful country in this era... At this time, Yingjiang and Mao Xiong are both in the second echelon, and the title of the most powerful country is still the sun never sets.
How can the army and equipment of this most powerful country be inferior?
Therefore, it is normal for Li Changfu to say that he believed that the combat power of the army on which the sun never sets is better than that of the stubborn army. If something goes wrong, there must be something wrong with the stubborn army.
In fact, it is not just Li Changfu who thinks so, most commanders think so too.
Who would have thought that something would go wrong, and that it would be the sun that would cause the big problem, but the recalcitrant troops who fought so bravely... The Burma Highway is the main artery of China's transportation, and the recalcitrant troops would send out the most elite and capable soldiers to ensure its safety.
force.
When cadres unanimously supported Li Changfu's views, Wang Xuexin analyzed: "Let's put aside the military's combat effectiveness. I think we must first consider the issue of strategic intentions!"
"What do you mean?" Li Changfu asked back: "Isn't the strategic intention to defend the Burma Highway?"
"This is indeed the case for the Chinese army!" Wang Xuexin nodded, and then asked several questions in succession: "This is indeed the case for the Chinese army, but what about the army on which the sun never sets? What is their strategic intention? Why are they fighting this war?
What are their interests in fighting this war?"
Li Changfu and the cadres were a little confused.
Their thinking is very simple, a victory is a victory, and if there is a war, fight it and win, so there are so many things to consider.
But after hearing Wang Xuexin's words, the commander and chief of staff showed caution on their faces.
The leader thought about it for a while, then nodded and said: "What Xiao Dongbei said is to the point. We haven't thought about it in detail and haven't discovered this problem yet. Now that it is mentioned like this... there is really no need to stick to it until the sun sets. Then
It's just a colony. If it has any benefits, it can be taken. If it doesn't, it can be run away. All the losses are the interests of other countries and have nothing to do with them. Of course, they will not be willing to sacrifice their lives and waste money and material resources to defend this road. But this is not the case for China.
"
Only when the cadres heard what the leader said did they understand the crux of the problem.
In fact, the chief minister has not yet said anything clearly on this issue.
Not only did Sun Bu Luo have no strategic intention to fight, they even had the intention of losing... Only losing this battle would be beneficial to Sun Bu Luo.
The reason is that this is a colony. If we win the battle with the Chinese army, will the colony be divided into half of China in the future?
But if this battle is lost, and Yingjiang joins the battle and will win sooner or later, this colony will not need Sun Never Sets a single soldier, and it will be returned to Sun Never Set's hands when the Japanese are judged in the future.
Therefore, if there is no benefit to winning but only benefit to losing, can you still risk your life to fight? There must be various ways of deceiving teammates and even blatantly siding with the enemy...
Wang Xuexin didn't say it so clearly, lest he be too public and sound like a fortune teller.
He followed up the leader's words with a question: "Sir, if the Burma Highway is lost and China's access to the outside world is cut off by the Japanese, what will China lack the most?"