Chapter 989 The old man is determined not to be a villain!
It is now April of the 27th year of the Republic of China. If we can resolve Linfen's half-year crisis, it will be September or October in the second half of the year.
Winter comes early in the north, and the temperature drops sharply in October, especially in mountainous areas.
For the Japanese army, marching and logistical support are even more difficult. Unless they mobilize a large number of troops to launch a large-scale battle like last year, the Japanese army will definitely delay it until the weather gets warmer in spring, which will almost last another year.
For the old man in Shanxi, what he lacks most now is not the army or supplies, but time.
With this year, he can do a lot of things. For example, if he is transferred to the arsenal in Chang'an and Guangyuan, he will have more weapons and equipment. For example, in northern Jiangsu, the war situation in central China has changed, and military orders from above may have been relaxed.
, retreat to Shaanxi Province or even Sichuan Province; or, he can negotiate with the Japanese side whose offensive has slowed down.
Who says war must be fought on the battlefield? Sometimes lip service is okay, as long as it satisfies the interests of both parties, both sides can accept it.
The Shanxi old man has long been mature in this kind of tightrope balancing act surrounded by multiple interest groups, and the Japanese secretly sent personnel to contact him a long time ago.
However, under the current premise of the nationwide war of resistance, the Shanxi old man would not dare to touch this high-voltage line no matter how courageous he was. It would very likely nail him to the pillar of shame for the entire nation.
The Shanxi old man is a very selfish person, but he is also a smart person. Unless he is in desperate situation, he will never put himself on the opposite side of a country or a nation.
He was born and raised in this country, and he knows his own nation very well. Maybe he will not be remembered for a long time because of his hard work for the country and the people throughout his life, but if he betrayed him, it would be true that he would be infamous for thousands of years.
Have you ever seen the Yue Fei Temple by the West Lake? The bronze statues of the Qin couple have been kneeling there for others to despise!
But with this year as a buffer period, maybe many things will change.
Tell me, is the temptation thrown by Tang Dao big enough for this person?
"What you mean is that if the Japanese invaders want to attack Linfen, they will have to defeat the defense line in the Taihang Mountains in southeastern Shanxi. Do you think the strategic defense focus of the theater should be placed in the Taihang Mountains?" After a long time, the old Shanxi man looked away from the map, with an expression on his face.
It seems like a smile but not a smile.
"Should we secretly mobilize troops to the Taihang Mountains, or should we increase military equipment and supplies to our theater headquarters in the Taihang Mountains area?"
"No need. Now the Taihang Mountain defense line has one division and one regiment of our 22nd Group Army, one division of the 80th Group Army, plus one division each of the Shanxi-Sui Army and the Northwest Army. The total strength has reached 60,000, which is enough to fight the Japanese invaders.
There may be some shortcomings, but relying on defense alone is still no problem. Although the ordnance supplies are slightly insufficient, they can still last until the war." Tang Dao shook his head.
"If you don't want soldiers or equipment and supplies, then you risk going beyond the level to talk to me, the commander of the theater, about this. Commander Tang, you are making me a little confused!" The old man from Shanxi was very straightforward this time.
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Not asking for any benefits, just to discuss the battle situation with the superior, Tang Dao's unselfish behavior is somewhat out of his world.
"Sir Yan, put aside the safety of Linfen, what will happen if our second theater in the Southeast Shanxi Defense Campaign can annihilate more than 20,000 Japanese invaders?" Tang Dao did not answer the question directly, but asked again.
"20,000?" The old Shanxi man took a breath and stared at Tang Dao for a long time.
Finally, he resisted the urge to throw this ignorant boy out the door.
How powerful the Japanese army is, he, the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Theater Zone, who fought with the Japanese army for seven months, probably knows better than 99% of the Chinese people.
In the Battle of Xinkou, the Japanese army, with the Fifth Division as the core, dispatched less than 80,000 people in total, while the Chinese army participating in the war, including the 80th Group Army, totaled nearly 300,000 people. Their strength was more than three times that of their opponents. What do you want to say?
With heavy firepower, the Shanxi old man took out ten artillery regiments at the bottom of the box, no less than the Japanese army!
If the Japanese army is stronger, it mainly relies on air supremacy. Japanese fighter planes are constantly roaring in the sky. China's air power is pitiful, but the advantage on the ground lies entirely with China.
But even so, China was still defeated.
In this large-scale battle, in which the total number of troops participating in the battle reached more than 300,000, the Chinese suffered 100,000 casualties. How many Japanese troops were there? It was only about 20,000. The battle loss ratio between the attacking and defending sides reached a chilling 1:5.
The old Shanxi man knew that the defeat was not due to the lack of hard work of his Jinsui Army and other friendly forces. During the entire Xinkou Battle, one corps commander, one division commander, two brigade commanders, companies, divisions, and brigades were killed.
Officers of all levels went to the front line and sacrificed their lives, so maybe they weren't working hard? Then they really couldn't win.
Just like that, a small group leader suddenly told him that he wanted to annihilate more than 20,000 Japanese invaders.
"That's right, that's 20,000!" Tang Dao puffed up his chest and reiterated the number in the eyes of the old Shanxi man in disbelief. "It's not like I, Tang Dao, have never seen the corpses of 20,000 Japanese."
Only then did the Shanxi old man suddenly remember that Tang Dao was the regiment commander, but he was the infantry regiment commander with the title of Four Elements.
The number of Japanese soldiers this guy fought against may not be much less than that of a theater commander like him.
In the First Battle of Sihang Warehouse, I survived a Japanese infantry regiment. In the Battle of Songjiang, I fought against the 100,000-strong Japanese Tenth Army. In the Battle of Jiaxing, I fought against the Sixth Heavy Artillery Brigade. In the Battle of Guangde, I defeated them.
The fifth division that showed off its power in front of him defeated the 14th division in the Battle of Bihe, and then defeated the 108th and 109th divisions in southeastern Shanxi.
As he had thought before, Tang Dao was not just a young man who rested on his laurels and took advantage of the battle at Sihang Warehouse, but a general who had fought a hundred battles.
How could such a person rely solely on bragging?
"You have also seen the results of the Battle of Taierzhuang. From top to bottom in the Fifth War Zone, medals were handed out for free, and military ranks were awarded to almost everyone in the army. In the newspaper, Mr. Li was even more radiant. In my second battle
District, don’t talk about 20,000 or less, even 10,000, that old man, I can guarantee that the treatment of all the officers and soldiers participating in the war will not be worse than that of the fifth war zone." The old man from Shanxi said with envy in his eyes.
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"As long as you support me, Chief Yan, I, Tang Dao, will give you my guarantee with my head. As long as the Japanese invaders invade southeastern Shanxi Province, I will start with ten thousand, and if I qualify, there will be no upper limit of twenty thousand." Tang Dao raised his head.
He puffed out his chest and replied forcefully.
"It's good to have confidence. There's no need to take your head. You still have a clear sky and a bright sun hanging here. I, the commander of the war zone, don't have the ability to chop off your baby's head." The old man from Shanxi pointed to the Tang Dao hanging on his chest.
Medal, a rare joke.
Regardless of whether Tang Dao is talking big words, his extremely strong self-confidence is always good. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid it would be more conceited, but for an infantry commander like Tang Dao who has annihilated thousands of Japanese invaders,
It can only be confidence.
The two medals on Tang Dao's chest were piled up with bloody Japanese corpses.
"You said, apart from troops and equipment, how can I support you if you need me?" The Shanxi old man finally realized that Tang Dao was finally going to play his cards.
"The Japanese aggressors suffered huge losses in continuous attacks by our troops in the Taihang Mountains in March and April, so they must be wary of our troops. If they invade, their strength will not be less than three divisions.
As the roads in mountainous areas are dangerous, the Japanese army will definitely not invest heavy troops in just one area. They will definitely divide their troops into multiple routes. Firstly, they hope to defeat them all. Secondly, they want to use division techniques to separate the defenders in various areas of our mountainous area.
, As a result, our defenders in various places can only fight alone, without external aid, and without supplies internally, which will inevitably lead to collapse.
Therefore, as a member of our defense line in the southeast of Shanxi, I hope that Commander Yan will unify the command authority and use one person as the general to command all the armies in the southeast of Shanxi. He can effectively clench his ten fingers into one to form an iron fist, so that the blow will hurt.
." Tang Dao continued.
Tang Dao's ventilation analysis is not based on imagination. He is based on the fact that not long after the Battle of Xiangtangpu in the past, the angry Japanese North China Front entangled one unit from each of the three major infantry divisions, with a total strength of 30,000.
people, launched a violent attack on the southeastern Shanxi region.
At that time, the Japanese army was divided into nine routes, including Handan-Chang Highway in the south, Zhengtai Road in the north, Tongpu Road in the west, and Pinghan Road in the east, consisting of Boai, HD, Xingtai, Shimen, Yangquan, Yuci, and Changzhi.
Marching in the direction of the town, a large square encirclement was formed, implementing a centripetal encirclement.
The tactical concept of the Japanese North China Front Army Headquarters is "separate advance and combined attack", and the operational principle is "expand in a vast and vast manner, and annihilate in a compressed and compressed manner!".
Fortunately, this principle was not widely advertised on the radio, otherwise the Japanese saying in Chinese "Greatly good!" in various anti-Japanese dramas would really have found its origin.
But it can also be seen that it is not the Chinese who are black against the Japanese. The Japanese are really so rigid in learning Chinese. If there is a level 6 or level 8 in Chinese, basically the Japanese will not be able to get a diploma.
kind.
And this time and space, because Tang Dao, a little butterfly that came through the sky, waved its wings, has changed slightly from the previous time and space. Tang Dao expected that the Japanese North China Front Army, which had suffered heavy losses, would never despise China hiding deep in the Taihang Mountains.
Army, it is very likely that the three divisions will no longer be just one of them, but more than 80% may be the main force of the three divisions. That will be an army of more than 70,000 people, and the total strength even exceeds that of the Taihang Mountains
The total number of Chinese troops in the area.
In the past, the ultimate reason for the failure of the Japanese army's crazy attack, apart from the tenacious resistance of the Chinese army, was inseparable from the final wise choice of this Shanxi old man.
It was not until the Japanese army set off that if southeastern Shanxi was lost, Linfen would not be safe. The commander in charge of the second theater finally made up his mind to let the boss of the 80th Group Army serve as the commander-in-chief of this battle and be responsible for unified command of the southeastern Shanxi region.
All Chinese troops and additional troops were sent to the battle of southeastern Shanxi.
The unified command and the growing strength of the Eightyth Army in half a year have exceeded the Japanese army's pre-war projections. They know themselves but not the enemy. The location is favorable and the people are on the Chinese side. If they are not defeated, who will be defeated?
Tang Dao was afraid that if he had something to think about, he would not delegate the command, causing the nearly 100,000 troops in southeastern Shanxi to fight on their own, which would be what the Japanese wanted.
"It is feasible to be commanded by the general who is in the southeast of Shanxi Province!" The old man from Shanxi paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back and asked seemingly casually. "Who do you think is qualified?"
"The commander-in-chief of the Eightyth Group Army, he is a famous general in the Second War Zone, and his military rank is the highest in the southeastern Shanxi region. Military orders are issued by the war zone and commanded by him, and no one refuses to obey!" Tang Dao did not hide his secrets.
With.
The man in front of him was an old fox. If Tang Dao hesitated at all or spoke insincerely, he would probably let this small-minded person think about it for a long time. It would be better to speak frankly, not to mention that what Tang Dao said was all the truth.
The commander of the Sichuan Army's 22nd Group Army has a sufficient rank, but that commander is currently leading the first part of the 22nd Group Army to fight in Xuzhou. Who else is qualified to compare with the commander of the 80th Group Army?
Is it possible to use a lieutenant general to command a general in combat?
Of course, this kind of situation has happened before, but you must first prove that you have that ability. Let alone the second theater, look at the whole country. Are there any such famous generals?
"Hmm! What you said coincides with what I thought!" The old man from Shanxi was very satisfied with Tang Dao's frankness and nodded. "Just right, I was just thinking that the number of troops in the southeastern Shanxi garrison was still too small.
As the general is the commander-in-chief, he can completely allow him to transfer the other main force of the 80th Group Army back to southeastern Shanxi to participate in this battle."
Okay, this guy is acting like a monster again. He kills two birds with one stone and kills three eagles with one stone whenever he disagrees.
Of course Tang Dao knew what this man wanted to do. Northwest Shanxi was now basically occupied by the Japanese army. Another main force of the Eighty Group Army, the 511th Division, was fighting behind enemy lines in that area. It was inevitable that he would pass by his top general, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Route Army of Shanxi Province.
A bit denser.
This guy suddenly felt unhappy.
As a 'victim', the Shanxi old man has experienced how powerful the ideals and propaganda methods of the 80th Army are. The only person he fears in the whole of China is the principal who has sophisticated political skills and turns his hands into clouds and rain.
Apart from that, I'm afraid they are the second best.
No, I am taking this opportunity to play tricks again.
However, these Tang Dao have nothing to do with, this is all a game between the upper class figures.
Whether to shoot the invading Japanese soldiers through the heart, hit them hard with a hammer, or hide on the street corner and put a sack on them and then wait on them with bricks and bricks, is what middle-level people like Tang Dao should do.
"Okay, Captain Tang, your suggestion is really good. If you have any other requests, please tell me. I can satisfy you, old man, and I will do my best to satisfy you." The Shanxi old man must be in a good mood at the moment, so he made a rare promise.
Of course, this has a lot to do with Tang Dao basically only talking about things and not making too many demands. Otherwise, if you expect Lao Jie, who only drinks millet porridge for dinner, to say this, then it will really be the New Year tomorrow!
"Sir Yan, if you don't tell me, I almost forgot. This is the munitions list given to me by the director of the munitions department of our regiment before leaving." Tang Dao was a master who climbed up the ladder.
Take out a piece of paper and send it to the old man from Shanxi.
The old Shanxi man's eyes twitched.
If there were no outsiders present at this moment, the cunning Lao Ji would slap himself in the mouth with a slap in the face. How could he have forgotten that the guy in front of him was a jackal, cunning and ferocious?
Damn it, he must have been waiting for these words from me all night! He is really a ruthless person to lay out such a long preparation for this sentence!
"Oh! Let me see what your Four Elements Group needs!" Suppressing the urge in his heart to kick Tang Dao out, the old Shanxi man snorted softly from his nostrils and took the paper and glanced at it with his peripheral vision.
The dignified commander is as dumb as a chicken.
"4,000 German Mauser 7.9mm caliber rifles; 400 twenty-shot rifles; 1,000 imitation Thompson submachine guns, 600 imitation Czech light machine guns; 90 Hotchkiss heavy machine guns; and 82mm Brand mortars.
100,000 pieces, 20,000 infantry mines of various types; 2 million rounds of bullets of various types; 30 tons of explosives."
Just this list of weapons, not to mention the mortars, machine guns, and mountain cannons at the back, the number of 4,000 rifles in the front almost made the old Shanxi man go berserk.
This good guy is no longer blackmailing people, he is here to rob.
Why, you still think that he is the king of Jin Province before the Central Plains War, and he owns the Yuancheng arsenal that is one of the best in Asia!
At that time, the monthly output of the Yuancheng Arsenal could produce 35 artillery pieces, 100 mortars, 3,000 rifles, 900 imitation Thompson submachine guns, 15 machine guns, 15,000 artillery shells, and mortar shells.
9,000 rounds, 4.2 million rounds of bullets, and 15,000 workers. With sufficient raw materials, it can produce equipment for a standard division in almost a month.
But after the Central Plains War, under the control of that man, the production capacity of the Yuancheng Arsenal shrank significantly, and now it has been robbed by the Japanese. Can the remaining equipment and manpower be able to catch up to one-tenth of the previous one?
Not necessarily.
It's been so miserable, and this bastard Tang Dao still wants to use him as a villain. Do you think the old man from Shanxi can not be angry?
The Shanxi old man's face had turned from black to red, and he was about to summon all his strength and roar: "Get out!"
"Our regiment intends to invest in purchasing the equipment on this list, and we need Chief Yan's approval!" Tang Dao said with a low eyebrow.
To the Shanxi old man whose anger level has reached its peak, this sentence is like iced sour plum soup in hot summer and a warm stove in winter.
In less than a second, his anger turned to joy, and he smiled happily: "So you have to spend money to buy it! That's right!"