In a small courtyard with an ordinary appearance, there is a long table. On both sides of the table, two rows of soldiers are sitting neatly. The least number on the collar badge is a star. These are two soldiers from the 38th Army of the 4th Group Army.
All the chief officers of the fifth brigade of the division.
Although Tang Dao is a guest soldier, his military rank is the lowest among everyone, so he sits at the bottom of everyone.
The white-haired general sat at the head of the long table with a solemn expression. When everyone arrived, he waved his hand gently and the door to the small courtyard was closed.
He slowly stood up and walked to a map posted on the wall of the courtyard. Several red arrows that had been specially marked were shocking.
"As you may have seen, the Japanese army's so-called New Year's Day offensive has undergone new changes compared to the previous two days.
According to intelligence, the main force of the Japanese Third Army along the Yellow River suddenly turned around and marched towards our Zhongtiao Mountain Defense Area three days ago. Since then, our Zhongtiao Mountain Defense Area has faced 130,000 Japanese North China Front troops plus more
The strength of the so-called westward marching corps is initially estimated to be no less than 180,000." The white-haired general said in a heavy tone.
The small venue was silent. This news had been rumored as early as yesterday, but I didn't expect it to be confirmed by the Army Commander today.
The 180,000 Japanese troops were almost equivalent to three-quarters of the total force invested by the Japanese army in the Songhu Battle last year. However, in order to resist the more than 200,000 Japanese troops, the authorities assembled more than 700,000 of the country's elite troops, but they were ultimately defeated.
Can these 210,000 of them stop the Japanese army, which is almost the same strength as our own? I am afraid that even those present are veterans who have been on the battlefield, and their hearts are beating at this moment.
"Our Fourth Group Army was ordered to garrison the central area of Zhongtiao Mountain, which was a key attack area for the Japanese army. The Japanese invaders had previously assembled five infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment and two artillery regiments, totaling 30,000 people, to besiege us.
The Japanese army also made tentative attacks in the past few days, but under your strict defense, the Japanese army did not achieve any results, which is really gratifying." When the white-haired general said that the results of the previous few days were pretty good, there was nothing on his face.
Joyful, but gloomy.
The faces of the generals present were also solemn. They all knew that the Japanese army had not officially launched an attack, but they had already used 70% of their strength. In terms of overall combat strength, they had actually been defeated.
Already.
But they still underestimated the deep gloom in the white-haired general's eyes.
"I would like to inform you that the Army Headquarters received intelligence last night that the Japanese troops besieging our defense area have begun to change defenses in batches since the day before yesterday. As of today, the enemies opposite us are no longer all the enemy's 37th Division and 4th Division.
Belong to the regiment!" The white-haired general's voice was low.
"The person coming is a detachment from the Fifth Division under the Third Army! If we add the three infantry regiments left by the other two divisions, the total strength is still more than 30,000."
The designation of the Fifth Division was like a thunder exploding in the ears of the generals of the 38th Army who were sitting at attention.
The fact that the Fifth Division was known as the "Steel Army" within the Japanese Army was really not just a boast. In the Battle of Xinkou a year ago, Shiro Itagaki used the Fifth Division as the main force and led 80,000 troops to kill the Jin Dynasty.
Province, the second war zone relied on the defense fortifications built over the years and assembled a heavy army of 300,000 to fight fiercely. The stingy old man even spared no expense in pulling out 10 artillery regiments to fight against the Japanese army, but what was the final outcome?
After the defeat of the Battle of Xinkou and the defeat of the Battle of Yuancheng, Jin Province not only lost the provincial capital but also lost most of its territory. Today, only the two large mountain ranges of Taihang Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain are left. More than 100 counties in the entire Shan Province are still there.
Only single digits are left in China's hands.
All this is due to two major factors: China places its main resistance forces in East China, the fertile plain areas of Central China, and the Japanese military strength on the North China Front. However, it must be said that the tyrannical combat power of the Fifth Division is also evident.
Although the Fifth Division is only a detachment, that is, two infantry regiments and other attached services, its combat effectiveness is almost comparable to that of a B division such as the 37th Division. In addition, it has just arrived from the Kwantung Army.
An infantry brigade from the 4th Division of Category A was transferred, and the battle was almost unwinnable.
"Yes, by this time it is basically certain that after suffering heavy losses on the Tongguan line, the Japanese army has fine-tuned its strategic direction and plans to conquer our Zhongtiao Mountains first with the North China Front Army as the main force and the so-called Westward Advance Corps as the supplement.
Then attack our Yellow River moat with no worries." The white-haired general pointed his hand at the map.
"Breaking through the center of our Zhongtiao Mountain defense area, and then dividing and surrounding our entire hundred-mile defense line, and finally defeating them one by one, so the Japanese sent their most elite and most powerful fifth division. Unfortunately, this is where our first
The defense zone of the Fourth Army."
"Military seat, Commander of the Guards, are there any reinforcements for our department?" The commander of the 55th Division also asked in a low voice with a gloomy face, as if water was dripping from his face.
"Reinforcement? The chief of defense is not in the defense area now. Who can he mobilize with his remote control command? And he has been away from the defense area for a long time. Does he know what the situation is in the defense area now?" A major general said coldly.
The faces of the generals were even more ugly.
As early as a month ago, the commander-in-chief of their defense area was transferred to the mountain city by the Ministry of Military Affairs on the grounds of participating in the important military affairs of Central and South China. Currently, the seven armies of the Zhongtiao Mountain Group are actually leaderless and can only listen to orders from as far away as Linfen.
The Second Theater Command issued an order, but the battlefield situation was changing rapidly and it was only possible to rely on paper talks to see if the map was useful?
"The Japanese army's attack this time has nearly 200,000 troops, which is similar to the strength of our Zhongtiao Mountain Defense Area. Our army wants to defeat the Fifth Division alone, but in fact the enemies encountered by the major group armies are all strong enemies and they can defend themselves.
The position is good, who can help the friendly forces?" The white-haired general shook his head slightly and sighed.
"But fortunately, our group army still has a helping hand. Two baggage companies of the Fourth Army Regiment arrived a few days ago carrying hundreds of thousands of kilograms of military provisions and horse supplies. Yesterday evening, Commander Tang personally led more than 4,000 Sichuan troops to our defense area."
Everyone looked at Tang Dao, who was sitting at the bottom of the conference table. Tang Dao quickly stood up and gave a military salute to the generals present.
"We are all old friends. You don't have to be polite, Captain Tang. You and the brothers from the Fourth Army and the Sichuan Army are the only supporting troops of our Fourth Army. On behalf of the brothers from the Thirty-Eighth Army and the Fourth Army, I would like to express my gratitude."
The white-haired general waved his hand to signal Tang Dao to relax and not be so formal.
"Before everyone expresses their thoughts, I would like to reiterate this combat mission. Our two divisions and five brigades of the 38th Army must strictly guard the defensive positions of each department this time to prevent the enemy from having the opportunity to tear through our group army's defense line. That concerns us.
The safety of 200,000 comrades in the entire Zhongtiao Mountain Defense Area is in danger.
As the old saying goes, no one is allowed to take a step back without my order to retreat. My military headquarters is still here in Munan Town. If the Japanese want to break through our army's position, they must first step on the body of Zhao.
past."
"Sir, can I say a few words first?" Before the generals expressed their stance, Tang Dao stood up again and said.
The two former brigade commanders of the 17th Division who were familiar with Tang Dao had a flash in their eyes. They had experienced the Battle of Jindong and had been waiting for Tang Dao to speak.
It is really impressive that Jindong's amazing talent and talent, from triumphantly advancing to being trapped in a tight siege and finally making a comeback against the wind, are so impressive. And they know better that it is not the senior masters who are leading all this, but this age.
No more than a young man in his 20s.
Now the entire group army is about to face a powerful enemy they have never encountered before. It is impossible to win this battle just by relying on the strict defense of the military positions and an unyielding determination to retreat. I am afraid that other unconventional tactics will be needed.
But not everyone here knows Tang Dao. For example, the commander of the 55th Division and the two brigade commanders have not met Tang Dao in person until just now. In the past, they only knew the name of Tang Dao from the battle report, let alone know much about it.
Tang Dao.
And at a military meeting of this level, an army colonel like Tang Dao is only qualified to attend because he is a reinforcement. So what chance does he have to speak? The result is good. Before the military officer has finished speaking, this 'Stupid Qing' actually
Rushing to be the first to speak.
No wonder an army lieutenant general and two major generals suddenly looked bad!
Brigadier Kong, who was already familiar with Tang Dao after having a drink last night, kept winking at Tang Dao, indicating that he should not be the first person. Even if he wanted to, at least he would have to let the center of the 55th Division.
The general will finish his words first.
The current organizational structure of the 38th Army is like this. Zhao Shoushan is the commander and the commander of the 17th Division. The one in the 55th Division is the deputy commander and the commander of the 55th Division. To put it bluntly, that person is the proper second-in-command of the 38th Army.
.
The reason why the military chief of staff, the two division-level chiefs of staff, and the deputy division commanders did not come to attend this meeting was because the Japanese army was close at hand, and they all shouldered the heavy responsibility of taking over the defensive positions for the departing military commander. Otherwise, today's
The small courtyard was filled with generals.
However, Tang Dao did not seem to see the dissatisfaction or well-intentioned reminders of these generals. Instead, he stood in front of the map and his first words were shocking: "In this battle, our army will definitely be able to crush the siege of the Japanese invaders."
.”
"Commander Tang, young people should consider the consequences before speaking. Empty words and big words don't just come out of your mouth!" the commander of the 55th Division frowned and said coldly.
"Sir, of course I will take responsibility for everything I say." Tang Dao smiled with determination.
"Before I talk about the reasons why our army must win, let me first talk about our army's current disadvantages.
First of all, our Zhongtiao Mountain Defense Zone is now in a leaderless situation. Each department can only fight on its own. The officers also know that some people are urinary. They sweep the snow in front of them and don't care about the frost on other people's tiles. Some of the joints of the defense line were even broken through by the Japanese army.
They all pretended to turn a deaf ear, but they never thought about the truth that if there is no skin left, the hair will not be attached;
Secondly, our Zhongtiao Mountain defense line is hundreds of miles wide, but only 20 miles deep, and is backed by a river with no way to retreat. However, the Japanese army has the Tongpu Railway, which can quickly provide various combat materials to the front line, and its mobile combat capabilities
Far stronger than us.
To put it bluntly, they can fight however they want, but as the defenders, we can only be passive and are led by others;
Thirdly, during the period of garrisoning in Zhongtiao Mountain, some troops lost military discipline and even robbed local people's property, which led to tense military-civilian relations and made it impossible to get help from the people during the war, so they had to use their own troops to provide logistics.
Leading to a decline in frontline troops.
Fourthly, I personally believe that defensive warfare is not just about being defensive and being passively beaten."
Every time Tang Dao said something, the faces of the generals present could not help but darken. By the time Tang Dao finished speaking, there was an uproar around the conference table.
The previous ones are easy to say. Some talk about the harsh geographical environment and the garrison's own problems. It can be regarded as a matter-of-fact statement about its own chronic problems that everyone here knows but dare not mention. However, the last one calls into question the defensive tactics.
This is clearly a 'fire' at the white-haired general!
This guy really thinks of himself as the boss of heaven, the second boss of the world, and the third boss of others.
To be honest, even the major generals who were familiar with Tang Dao had the urge to rush forward and cover Tang Dao's mouth.
"Okay! The analysis is very good. Our disadvantages are clearly visible! But you guys, if you want your colleagues to accept your point of view, you won't use me as a sacrifice! After all, I am the commander of the 38th Army.
, you baby, don’t offend me too much, be careful I send your Sichuan soldiers to the front line, and your baby won’t even be able to cry by then.” The white-haired general smiled with a smile in his eyes, and cursed with a smile.
.
Then he sighed slightly: "However, the defensive tactics are old-fashioned, but it is also Commander Sun's helpless move. The enemy army is already so powerful, and now it is divided into nine groups, from Monan Town to Zhangdian. In our
A semi-arc encirclement is formed around the perimeter of the defense area. Our 4th Army Group's 4 divisions and a total of 20 infantry regiments can barely fill the entire defense line. If we still have the energy to take the initiative, we will only waste our troops!"
Tang Dao knew this man's character very well. He knew that although he had a firm will to fight and was a true soldier, he was cautious and conservative. He was very strict in fighting and rarely made such risky moves as to win by surprise.
In the past, the "June 6th Battle" broke out in the 4th Group Army in mid-1939. Due to poor communication, the Japanese army took advantage of the gap and surrounded the 96th Army and the 46th Independent Brigade of the 4th Group Army in a radius of less than five meters.
In the kilometers-long mountains, when both armies were about to be annihilated, Brigadier Kong was forced to burn his boat. That night, he led his troops to advance instead of retreating and broke through to the north under the starry night.
More than 4,000 people were like a sharp knife inserted into the rear of the Japanese army, annihilating an artillery brigade and two supply squadrons of the Japanese army in one fell swoop, forcing the Japanese army that had built an encirclement to send troops back for reinforcements. More than 50,000 people in the 96th Army were able to breathe.
Taking advantage of the situation to counterattack, the 38th Army also found a fighter opportunity and repelled the Japanese army in one fell swoop. It also took advantage of the situation to recapture the two county towns of Pinglu and Ruicheng, forcing the Japanese army to retreat to Yuncheng.
That decent victory was a result of being forced out in the face of a life-and-death crisis.
Of course, Tang Dao did not mean to deny the wisdom of the soldiers in front of him. The victory that was forced was only achieved by the combination of wisdom and courage. However, if you can prepare in advance, it will not reduce casualties.
But since this person has said this, Tang Dao will certainly not refute his face in public, but will change the topic with a smile: "Sir Zhao, what you just said is not right. There are more than 100 people under my command in Tang Dao.
We are the children of the Sichuan Army."
"Oh? Is it possible to add the baggage company of your Si Xing Regiment? As far as I know, your baggage company is also a recruit company. Although the equipment is good, its combat effectiveness is far inferior to the four infantry battalions of your Si Xing Regiment."
The white-haired general was also slightly startled.
To be honest, Tang Dao came from afar to help. Regardless of whether he brought heavy troops or new soldiers, the white-haired general had accepted Tang Dao's favor and would never send these thousands of people to the front line like he just said.
Instead, treat them as a reserve team that will not be used until the final battle.
Because at that time, maybe he would also lead the civilian officers of the army and division to the front line, and there would no longer be any distinction between the main force and the non-main force.
"Hey, Tang Dao has good news and bad news to tell the commander. I don't know which one the commander plans to hear first." Tang Dao's topic jumped so much that the generals present could not keep up.
"Then you should tell the bad news first, but your child should be careful not to exaggerate. I am old and cannot stand being scared." The white-haired general smiled slightly.
For this veteran who is over forty years old, he can bear the attack of the 30,000 troops of the Fifth Division. There is nothing he can't bear.
"The bad news is, sir, you may have to allocate thousands more military rations, which is a huge expense." Tang Dao smiled with a smile on his face.
"What's the good news?" Surprise flashed in the white-haired general's eyes.
"The good news is that the third and fourth battalions of our Fourth Army Regiment, along with the first unit of the secret service battalion, the first unit of the artillery battalion, and the first unit of the transport battalion, have been rushing here in accordance with my military orders five days ago!"
As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was in an uproar!
But obviously, the surprise far outweighs the consternation.
Who knows the fighting power of the Four Elements Group?
Even those in the 55th Division who were dissatisfied with Tang Dao's lack of understanding had no doubts about the combat power of the Four Lines Regiment. Even though it was just one of them, it was definitely worth a semi-ordinary infantry regiment. This must be a force.
A new force, and one that can quench your thirst as soon as you arrive.
"You are crazy. Now the Japanese invaders have gathered three divisions in the southeastern part of Shanxi. If you take away the main force of the Si Xing Regiment at this time, don't you mean to allow the Japanese army to enter the mountainous areas to sweep up? Besides, the boss of the Eightyth Group Army and the war zone
How could the commander of the headquarters agree to this?" The white-haired general was completely surprised.
In the past few days, he had frequently communicated with the headquarters of the Eightyth Army, and he was very clear about the situation in the Taihang Mountain defense area. The Japanese army numbered 80,000, and their strength far exceeded that of the Chinese garrison in the Taihang Mountains. The situation was actually more dangerous than that of the Zhongtiao Mountains.
If Tang Dao lost the barrier of Taihang Mountain in order to support Zhongtiao Mountain, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, then he would not be able to bear this responsibility.
"Please rest assured, sir, if the Japanese North China Front army sends other divisions, then I would have to be cautious, but they are still sending two coward divisions, 108 and 109. I really don't think these two will be defeated.
They took it seriously and took Brigadier Cheng's exact words: As long as they dare to come, they will beat him up!" Tang Dao answered confidently.
"Moreover, before our four-department group left, Commander Liu and Brigadier Cheng both sent me messages and asked me to tell you, sir, that with them in Taihang, everything will be fine!"
"This favor is too big! Hey! I'm afraid I, Mr. Zhao, won't be able to repay it in my lifetime." The white-haired general's eyes were slightly moist.
How could he not know that once the main force of the Four Lines Regiment left, Taihang Mountain would have to rely on the less than 30,000 regular troops left behind by the Eighty Group to independently support it. Although with the addition of various militiamen and the remaining personnel of the Four Lines Regiment, the strength could barely be scraped together.
60,000 to 70,000, but that is still far less than the 80,000 used by the Japanese army.
"We are all the Chinese army, so there is no such thing as human kindness. Sir, please don't take it too seriously." Tang Dao shook his head, but turned his gaze to the generals who had a look of joy on their faces.
"Back to the original topic, I said before that this battle would be won, but because it was a member of my Four Elements Regiment who came here, my Tang Dao would change from being confident to being arrogant.
I say victory is inevitable because the Japanese army in front of us, although it may look menacing, is actually not monolithic. This little cutie of the Fourth Division is the most important X factor for our army's victory!"
Calling a Class A division cute? All the generals, including the white-haired general, looked at Tang Dao speechlessly. Are you serious?
But Tang Dao's expression clearly told them that he had never been so serious!
.............
PS: I haven’t been active in voting recently! Vote quickly! The Osaka Division is about to make a brilliant debut, blinding the Fifth Division.
