Agent Jiang was trembling with anger when he saw the telegram, "Damn it, what kind of battle was Tang Enbo fighting? The 200,000-strong army retreated 200 miles in a row. Why didn't I know he could run so well? Why did he do it when he was fighting against the Red Party?"
Not running so fast?"
Bai Chongxi, who was next to him, felt funny in his heart, but after all, the overall situation was at stake, so he still spoke: "Chairman, the Japanese army is constantly attacking in the direction of Xuzhou. The Japanese army in South China has also completed its repairs and has begun to move northward. I think Xuzhou is in danger."
"
Jiang Jie also knew in his heart, but to save Xuzhou, at least more than 200,000 troops would be needed. This would turn the decisive battle in Wuhan into the decisive battle in Xuzhou. The terrain of Xuzhou is easy to attack and difficult to defend. This time it was well reflected. Once
If you lose, it's easy to retreat hundreds of miles. It's really not a good place for the final battle.
Moreover, Chiang Kai-shek does not have that many troops anymore. It is not a lack of men, but a shortage of weapons and ammunition. Germany’s arms purchases have been completely distributed, and the Soviet Union’s weapons have also been distributed. Now the weapons in Chiang Kai-shek’s hands are
At most, we can only arm another 100,000 people.
Agent Jiang sighed and asked, "The last time we held a meeting, we confirmed the combat idea of using Wuhan as the center and blocking the attack at all levels. If we transfer the main force to Xuzhou now, it will only cause our Wuhan battle to fail. What do you think we should do?"
The other people in the office looked at each other, and it was obvious that what Jiang said was because he wanted to give up on Xuzhou, but he didn't want to take responsibility for the crime.
Everyone can't help but think of Tang Shengzhi, who is said to have gone crazy at home because of Nanjing. After Tang Shengzhi returned to his hometown, people protested at his door every day. It is said that because of nightmares every night, he has now become neither human nor ghost.
It's so depressing. Of course, some people say that some people put medicine in Tang Shengzhi's food to prevent him from talking nonsense. Who knows.
Chen Buili saw that everyone was silent and said with a heart: "Xuzhou has not been a good place to defend since ancient times. In the early Han Dynasty, Han Xin was also defeated by Xiang Yu in Xuzhou. At the end of the Han Dynasty, heroes were fighting for hegemony. Liu Bei and Lu Bu were also brave.
After the battle, it can be seen that Xuzhou is indeed not suitable for a decisive battle. I think for the sake of the overall situation, we can give up Xuzhou first, lengthen the Japanese supply line, and attract the Japanese army to fight in terrain that is conducive to us."
Agent Jiang nodded, luring the enemy deeper would be much better than giving up the country.
Agent Jiang asked, "So do you have any plans?"
Falkenhausen said, "Chairman, the ultimate goal of the Japanese army's attack on Xuzhou is to encircle and annihilate our 400,000 troops in the fifth theater. If we want to withdraw from Xuzhou, there are only two directions, south or west. After all, the Japanese army is in the north and the east is in the east."
It is the sea, there is no way to go, and although the south is still in our hands, the water network is densely covered, making it difficult for a large army to retreat. Even if the retreat is successful, it will be reduced to small troops one by one because of the water network, and must return
New operations can only be carried out after the rear is reorganized, which will have a huge impact on our Wuhan battle, so we can only retreat westward."
Bai Chongxi agreed, "There is a railway in the west and it is a plain area, which is convenient for us to retreat. But the Japanese army can also think of this. We must ensure the smooth flow of the west railway and prevent the Japanese army from Guide (today's Shangqiu) to Lanfeng (today's Lanfeng).
Lankao) area."
Guide and Lanfeng are two important stations on the Longhai Railway. Once the Japanese army captures either of these two places, the National Army's retreat will be cut off.
Agent Jiang nodded and asked, "Who is the westernmost general of the Japanese army?"
Dai Li, who had been quiet next to him, immediately said, "It's Xiang Yue Qingji of the Japanese First Army."
Jiang Jie's eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "First Army, I remember that there are only the 14th, 16th, and 20th Divisions under the First Army. The 20th Division is in Shanxi, and the 16th Division has just appeared in
Jining, and the 14th Division has just concluded the Battle of Southern Henan, so the troops in his hands should be insufficient."
Jiang Jie walked quickly, his eyes getting brighter and said, "Do you think this is okay? Let Yan Xishan and the Eighth Route Army move to contain the 20th Division, and ordered Cheng Qian to lead the main force of the First Theater to ambush in the Shangqiu area.
, find a way to annihilate the 14th Division and completely defeat the Japanese army."
Bai Chongxi thought for a while and immediately said, "It is indeed feasible, but once the 16th Division goes south to relieve the siege, I'm afraid it will be easy to lose the tail."
Agent Jiang nodded and said, "So no matter how fierce and ruthless this battle is, the 14th Division must be eliminated before the Japanese reinforcements arrive.
Chiang Kai-shek discussed with various think tanks in Wuhan how to turn defeat into victory and take advantage of the retreat to bite the Japanese army. The commander of the Japanese First Army, Kozuki Kiyoshi, was also looking at the map and lost in thought.
The only troops that Kozuki Kiyoshi can mobilize at this time are the 14th Division, but the combat effectiveness of this division can be said to be among the best among the Japanese army, even more terrifying than the 5th Division. First of all, the commander-in-chief, the Japanese army
The commander of the Fourteenth Division was Kenji Doihara, a man who would be famous in later generations. Compared with his commanding skills, he was more famous for his intelligence work and his understanding of China.
After the Japanese army occupied China, most of them beat and scolded the Chinese people. Burning, killing, and looting were commonplace, and some even took pleasure in massacre. However, Kenji Doihara believed that the Chinese people were a group of obedient people, as long as they were not oppressed too much.
They would not resist, and the Chinese people who continued to resist were not conducive to Japanese rule, so he had long required his troops not to disturb the people, and even often sent things to the local people to win over the local people to deal with the National Army. This was
It was simply unimaginable at the time. It can be said that if all Japanese troops really turned into such "civilized divisions", the difficulty of the war would increase by more than a little bit.
Secondly, the 14th Division is a powerful Class A division composed of two brigades and four regiments. Not counting other attached troops, the division has 27,000 troops and is extremely well-equipped. For this time, Xiangyue Qingsi
The Battle of Xuzhou was successfully completed, and in order to make up for the shortcomings in military strength, a large number of additional heavy weapons troops were assigned to the 14th Division.
The quantity and quality of heavy weapons of these additional units are extremely amazing, including the 4th, 5th, and 9th Independent Heavy Machine Gun Battalions, the 1st and 3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiments, and the 2nd Field Heavy Artillery Brigade (5th Heavy Artillery Brigade).
, 6th Regiment), 8th Regiment of Independent Field Heavy Artillery, 3rd and 5th Mortar Battalions.
The Second Field Heavy Artillery Brigade alone has 24 75mm field guns, 36 75mm mountain guns, 36 120mm howitzers, and 48 150mm heavy howitzers. This has successfully exceeded the number of heavy artillery in the current National Army.
At the same time, because there are plains around Xuzhou, the strength of the mechanical troops was also strengthened, and one brigade and two squadrons of chariot troops were added, which increased the strength of the 14th Division's chariots to more than 300 vehicles, and hundreds more were added.
Trucks for a quick march.
After adding these heavy weapons troops and matching logistics troops, the 14th Division already has about 40,000 people.
"Your Excellency, Commander, do you have anything else to worry about? With our strength, it is not difficult to capture Guide." Doihara Kenji couldn't help but feel suspicious when he saw Kozuki Kiyoshi being in a dilemma.
"I don't want to attack Guide, Mr. Tufei. You see, the overall situation in Xuzhou has been decided. According to the consistent style of the National Army, they will definitely flee. The only way out is to the west. There are two important points in the west. One is Guide.
The other one is Lanfeng. If we fight now, not to mention that the National Army must have been prepared. The most important thing is that we are more than 200 kilometers away from Guide, and our Type 89 tanks are only 190 kilometers away.
Even before the maximum journey is reached, our chariot will run out of fuel and our logistics will be under great pressure. Don’t forget the lesson of Taierzhuang." Xiangyue Qingji said in a low voice.
Xiangyue Qingsi pointed to the Yellow River with his finger again and said, "The only solution is to occupy the Yellow River and use the Yellow River waterway to transport logistics supplies. You see, Lanfeng is right on the edge of the Yellow River. If we capture this place, not only can we cut it off,
Longhai Railway, and as long as we have enough logistical supplies and our heavy weapons and equipment, your 14th Division will have no problem defeating 200,000 Nationalist troops, and it will only be a matter of time before we capture Shangqiu. The most important thing is,
I judge that Agent Jiang would never have imagined that I would fight against the little Lan Feng."
Kenji Doihara's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded repeatedly and said, "Commander is good at tactics and attacks when he is unprepared. Even if I were to take command, I would put my troops on Guide, which is more important, to defend, instead of Lan Feng."
Koyuki Seiji still had some things he didn't say to Doihara Kenji. His bigger purpose in attacking Lanfeng was Kaifeng, which was only forty or fifty miles away from Lanfeng.
War is not a game of numbers, but a battle between people. People are often more important than weapons. Kozuki Seiji did not tell Juichi Terauchi about his strategic plan. This mainly lies in the personal conflict between Kozuki Seiji and Terauchi Juichi.
Kozuki Seiji is only three years younger than Terauchi, and he is also a famous soldier in the military. However, Kozuki Seiji is a front-line commander, so he is naturally dissatisfied with Terauchi Juichi's remote command from the rear of Peking. Terauchi Juichi has been a frontline commander since he came to North China.
I have never been here, and I spend more time in Peiping and Tianjin. And Juichi in the temple also feels that Xiang Yue Qingji relies on his old age and does not obey the command. This time, he transferred the 16th Division of the First Army to Jining to give Xiang Yue Qingji a good look.
.
Once Shouichi in the temple knows the deployment of Xiangyue Qingsi, his eyes will definitely be red. Whether or not Lanfeng is captured will have no effect on the Xuzhou battle. The National Army can use Guide to escape southward. And Kaifeng has only political significance but no military significance.
Nanjing has been occupied. What impact will the loss of Kaifeng have on the National Army? The only effect is to add a medal to Xiang Yueqingji's chest. After all, according to the Japanese tradition, if the capital of a province is captured, the emperor will receive the award in person, and
He will also be very famous in the army.
The feud between the generals became the foreshadowing of the Battle of Lanfeng.
——Shanxi
Bunzaburo Kawagishi returned to Taiyuan and immediately called a meeting with all officers above the captain level and the heads of each maintenance committee.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi looked at everyone and said, "You guys have worked hard these past six months. Do you have any thoughts on the security issues in Shanxi?"
A chairman of the Maintenance Committee immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Since the Imperial Army came to power, our Shanxi Province has been united as one, and the people are united, diligent in mulberry farming, and prosperous in industry and commerce. Although thieves have entered the country from time to time and invaded, most of them have been blocked by the Imperial Army."
Outside the city, good people like us can live and work in peace and contentment. Except for the times recorded in ancient books when great sages governed, there has never been such a good time. Many of us have already begun to build shrines for His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the General.
, we only hope that His Majesty the Emperor can live a long life, and that Your Majesty the General can control the land of Jin forever."
Bunzaburo Kawagishi felt embarrassed when he said this. He knew clearly that this was flattery, but he felt very comfortable. However, he still remembered what he was going to do in the meeting. If he continued to brag like this, there would be no need to talk about what happened next.
.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi immediately scolded with a straight face, "Baga, your conscience is very bad. Shanxi is full of rioters and guerrillas. I heard that the officers stationed near the Taihang Mountains and Luliang Mountains came to the meeting in disguise."
You are just starting out, this is simply a huge shame, don’t you feel ashamed at all?”
The following officers, who were dressed as farmers and rushed to Taiyuan late at night, quickly lowered their heads and did not dare to speak.
And the president maintained that he had made the wrong flattery, so he sat down quickly and stuck out his tongue. But his eyes were full of doubts.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi continued, "The public security issues in Shanxi have already affected the imperial army's next operations. Although many guerrillas have been driven outside Shanxi Province with your efforts, there are still many guerrillas active. In order to contain them,
Regarding the activities of the guerrillas, in order to strengthen public security in Shanxi, I have decided to formally implement the Baojia joint defense and self-defense system from now on to completely eradicate the space for the guerrillas' activities."
Looking at the confused look below, Bunzaburo Kawagishi said proudly, "The Baojia joint defense and self-defense are preparations to completely wipe out the guerrillas. First, all towns and villages must establish North China security forces. According to the population size of each place, they will be divided into
The scale ranges from one battalion to one company. Secondly, all villages must establish self-defense groups. The number of self-defense groups is required to initially reach one-twentieth of the population and eventually reach one-tenth. These self-defense groups usually accept orders from the maintenance committee.
, accept the command of the imperial army and cooperate in combat during wartime."
The people below were all shocked. One-twentieth, there are tens of millions of people in Shanxi. Even in the Japanese-occupied areas, there are nearly ten million. This one-twentieth is about 500,000. So
There are many people, not to mention weapons and ammunition, how much is the military salary?
Bunzaburo Kawagishi seemed to have guessed the thoughts of the people below, and continued, "The pay and weapons of the North China Security Army will be unified. Each guard regiment is to protect their homeland from being invaded by guerrillas and fight for themselves. All weapons are large
Part of it will be solved on your own, and the imperial army will also distribute part of it. As for the money, it’s twenty oceans a year. Do you have any other questions?"
One of the maintenance presidents raised his hand tremblingly, and Bunzaburo Kawagishi said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, just tell me."
The chairman of the maintenance committee nodded quickly to express his gratitude and said, "This person costs twenty oceans, and there are probably dozens of people in a village. This is a lot of money. Should we raise it ourselves?"
Bunzaburo Kawagishi laughed loudly and said, "It turns out I didn't make it clear. This money is not given, but received."
Receive??? Everyone’s eyes widened. Not only did the soldiers not get paid, but they also had to pay. This was the first time I heard about it.
Bunzaburo Kawagishi continued, "Yes, this is to protect your homeland, shouldn't it be right? And we also need our imperial army to go down to train you, issue you weapons, and provide some funds, shouldn't it be right?"
Some people with smart minds have already thought of how to use this self-defense group to make money, and they all smiled and said, "Yes, a big yes."
Bunzaburo Kawagishi nodded and said, "As for those who can't afford the money, can they exchange it with labor? Our Imperial Army needs people to build roads and forts, so they can come here to work. If you are willing to go farther, you can go."
Overseas, if you go to the battlefield, you will get a little more money."
The maintenance president immediately said with tears in his eyes, "The Imperial Army has considered our safety so carefully. These are simply reincarnated parents."
Immediately, another president stood up and cursed, "What are you talking about? Are your parents as good as the Imperial Army? They are obviously closer than their parents."
Looking at the quarrelsome presidents from various regions below, Bunzaburo Kawagishi nodded with a smile.
The maintenance president who was the first to stand up and praise Kawagishi Bunzaburo was arguing with someone, but his eyes kept flashing, not knowing what he was thinking.
