When Yang Ling and others captured Qinghe Town, all theater units of the Chinese Army had already launched an attack on the enemy in front of them.
The second theater, which is responsible for the main attack, has cut off the Zhengtai Railway and the Tongpu Railway, and is clearing out the enemies in southern Shanxi. The third theater, with 11 divisions, has cut off the Yangtze River waterway, and launched a powerful attack on Tongling, Madang and other important towns along the river.
Offensive. The troops of the fifth theater have already been fighting the Japanese field troops between Xinyang and Wuhan. The forwards are approaching Hankou, and they have a good chance of regaining Wuhan's position in one fell swoop.
The troops of the Ninth War Zone once again organized a strong force to launch an attack on Nanchang, Ruichang, and Jiujiang.
In addition to the above-mentioned main attack theaters, in the eighth theater in the north, General Fu Zuoyi also launched attacks in Wuyuan, Baotou and other places. The galloping cavalry troops of the Northwest Army beat the Japanese to the ground.
When the field armies on the front launched a sweeping attack on the Japs facing them, more than one million guerrilla troops were deployed behind enemy lines, and the security forces also took active action.
These guerrilla and security forces lacked strong artillery support and could only attack railways, block canals, destroy roads, and attack Japanese and puppet strongholds.
Starting from mid-November, the Chinese troops were caught off guard by the Japanese and launched a powerful attack on them with lightning speed.
Suddenly, from the desert in the north to the water town in the south, from Hunan in the west to the Sulu war zone in the east, on the thousands-mile-long front, artillery roared and gunpowder filled the air.
The first counterattack since.
"Report, the first theater of war has recovered Kaifeng and Shangqiu!"
"Report, the Second War Zone recovered Licheng, Shexian and more than ten county towns."
"Good news! The fourth theater killed Japanese Major General Masao Nakamura, commander of the Japanese brigade!"
...
Telegrams reporting victories from various places were continuously collected through various channels and sent to the headquarters in Chongqing. Every time a victory was reported, the generals and staff officers in the headquarters burst into cheers.
"Recovering the rivers and mountains is just around the corner!" Deputy Chief of General Staff Bai was filled with excitement when faced with the good news from various places.
"Inform the ambassadors and reporters of various countries that we will tell our friends from all over the world the news of this victory and let them see that the Chinese people are invincible and China will not perish!"
The Chongqing headquarters was filled with an atmosphere of victory. Although the Japanese had received some intelligence in advance that the Chinese army would counterattack in winter, they did not pay attention to it.
When the Chinese Communist Army launched a large-scale offensive across the country, the Japanese troops stationed everywhere were immediately trapped.
Faced with the rapid artillery fire from all sides and the black and heavy surrounding squadrons, the Japanese garrisons in various places were in panic for a while and suffered heavy losses.
"We are attacked by a large number of Chongqing troops and need support!"
"The Eighth Regiment was attacked by an unknown number of Chongqing troops, and more than half of it was damaged. It is in urgent need of ammunition and medicine..."
"Our Sixth Division is facing a head-on attack from five division-level Chongqing troops and is currently guarding Tongcheng to await reinforcements."
"Our third division is shrinking its defenses."
"A large number of armed forces appeared near the Fifth Division, requesting tactical guidance from reconnaissance aircraft."
...
While good news came frequently from Chongqing, telegrams from the Japanese Central and North China Headquarters asking for help came like snowflakes.
The speed and scope of the attack launched by the Chinese ** team was unprecedented, which caused the Japanese troops stationed in various places to panic for a while.
When the Japanese soldiers' garrison was attacked, they immediately called for help from the regiment, but the phone line had long been secretly cut off.
The situation of the Japanese's coalition-level troops was not much better. Not only did they lose contact with their subordinate brigades, but they also encountered powerful attacks.
In particular, the situation of the divisions of the Eleventh Army of Okamura Neji stationed at the front facing the main force of China was even worse.
Not only did they have to withstand the attack of the main Chinese force in the front, but they also had to prevent the beacon-filled rear from being attacked. They were trapped in a siege.
The Japs everywhere were in a state of fighting independently, because they did not receive any support, and all the garrison and troops were under attack.
"Quickly find out the situation and determine the main attack direction of the Chongqing Army!" Commander Shunroku Hata faced the snowflake-like telegram asking for help, his face was scary and gloomy.
However, the staff members were busy for a long time and did not get any information, because this time the main attack direction of the squadron was launched from the theater, not a group army or attack group.
The Japanese were caught off guard, and many of the Japanese stationed in the area could only defend their stations and be in panic all day long.
When the Japs in various places encountered large-scale attacks, the Japs' Central and North China headquarters were also busy and in a mess.
In the vast area from Central China to North China, beacon smoke and gunfire were everywhere. The Japanese troops were divided and surrounded, and were in danger of being wiped out.
The Japanese's front was too long. Although they occupied most of China in a short period of time, they had to divide their troops to garrison in various places.
Especially after the confrontation on the frontal battlefield, they dispatched a large number of troops to the rear to carry out so-called security operations, so that the troops were even more dispersed.
But now, facing the Chinese Communist Party's comprehensive counterattack, the Japanese troops scattered in various places fell into a state of embarrassment with no regard for head and tail, and their strength was stretched thin.
Although the Japs encountered a large-scale attack and communications were completely interrupted, the Japs stationed in various places showed good combat literacy.
When the Japanese commanders at all levels lost contact with their superiors and friendly forces, they either defended or reduced their defenses. They also took active actions and launched self-rescue.
Because at this time, the Japanese base camp and the highest headquarters were helpless, and the troops that Hata Shunroku and others could directly command were stretched thin.
People everywhere are asking for help, and the few troops they have are not enough to serve as firefighters. They are ready to commit suicide because once the troops stationed in various places are wiped out, it means their complete defeat.
It has to be said that this was the first time that the Chinese Communist Party had the opportunity to completely eliminate the Japanese troops in China, because the Japanese were unprepared and their forces were scattered.
But in fact, although the troops attacking the Japs were overwhelming in the early stage, their shortcomings in combat effectiveness were quickly exposed after facing the stubborn resistance of the Japs garrisons in various places.
Many squadrons besieged the Japanese garrison and not only failed to capture it, but suffered heavy casualties and had to actively withdraw from the battle, giving the Japanese time to react and support each other.
Moreover, the various units that attacked the Japanese were not as monolithic as they were during the Shanghai and Nanjing battles. The Central Army, the local army, and the guerrilla forces all had the idea of ​​preserving their own strength.
After all, in the last few battles, many local troops who were capable of fighting were not replaced after fierce battles with the Japanese. Instead, they were integrated into the Central Army. This aroused the vigilance of many local army officers.
Therefore, during this nationwide counterattack, although all units seemed to be launching a powerful offensive against the Japanese, they also had reservations.
For example, Guo Xunqi, commander of the 50th Army in the Third Theater, led his troops to launch an attack on the Japanese for only three days, and then retreated on the grounds of excessive troop losses, forcing friendly troops to bear pressure and have to retreat.