After listening to Zhou Wen's straightforward but somewhat helpless question and answer, even the principal felt sad. He pondered for a long time but was speechless.
Yes, although Shanghai at this time was the largest international metropolis in Asia and even the Far East, it did not entirely belong to China.
Just because Shanghai has concessions from Western powers.
Concession refers to a legal residence for foreigners established on the territory of one country for the other country with administrative autonomy and extraterritorial jurisdiction (consular jurisdiction) after two countries negotiate a lease or concession charter.
In fact, it is a state within a state. For example, the French Concession in Shanghai is ruled by the French. The French have the final say on the garrisoning of troops and civilians in the concession, laws and regulations, tax collection management, etc., which is nothing compared to China. Money has nothing to do with it.
Moreover, as long as your army enters the French Concession without France's permission, it will be regarded as a military attack on France, causing a war between the two countries.
Therefore, starting a war in Shanghai is equivalent to tying up one's own hands and feet to fight against the Japanese army, which is equipped with sea, land and air.
Your troops and supplies cannot pass through the concession that occupies most of Shanghai's urban area and must go around. Even during the battle, your bullets and artillery shells cannot fall within the concession. How can you fight this battle?
But it's different in Nanjing.
First of all, Nanjing is a city completely controlled by China itself, and the National Government is the sole administrator. What does it want to do? We have the final say on how we want to transform it, and no one else can interfere. Even if I set fire to it, it is still my own family’s business.
And in terms of political and international influence, Nanjing, as the capital of the Republic of China, is no weaker than Shanghai.
In the hearts of Chinese people, the capital is much more important than Shanghai.
In Nanjing, in the capital of our country, a bloody fight with the Japanese can better demonstrate the determination of the Chinese nation to fight against foreign aggression, and it can also inspire the people to rise up and fight.
"Destroy a city and save a country."
Zhou Wen used a simple conclusion, but he explained the subsequent meaning.
Then, before the principal could free himself from the tangled emotions, he went on to state his specific ideas and suggestions to the principal.
Only by letting the principal see the feasibility of this plan can he make up his mind.
The strategy for the Battle of Nanjing proposed by Zhou Wen was actually well thought out.
First of all, if the principal agrees to this strategic idea, at least the investment of troops in Shanghai will not be as huge as in history, but to preserve the strength to fight the Japanese in Nanjing, which can avoid the hundreds of thousands of elites fleeing in the Battle of Songhu. There were massacres by Japanese soldiers on the road.
Apart from anything else, if the hundreds of thousands of fleeing troops retreated to the two defense lines of Wufu Line and Xicheng Line in an orderly and organized manner, the Japanese army would have broken through these two defense lines in 14 days, which took three years to build. A solid line of defense is simply impossible.
Moreover, since Nanjing is to be used as a battlefield for a decisive battle with the Japanese army, the people and various factories in Nanjing must be evacuated and relocated in advance, so as to avoid the tragedy of massacre of civilians by the Japanese army.
In his statement, Zhou Wen suggested to the principal that in the early days of the Battle of Shanghai, China's first attack on the Japanese army must be no less than 4 divisions, with three divisions attacking predetermined military targets and one division as a reserve. Team.
You must know that the number of Japanese troops stationed in Shanghai is not large. The navy and land forces combined are only more than 3,000 people. Adding in the armed expatriates who have been militarized by the Japanese army, the total force will not exceed 7,000 people. Our army, on the other hand, launched a sudden attack with more than 50,000 elite troops from 4 German weapon divisions, which was more successful.
Moreover, two follow-up operational plans must be made in advance. One is a plan on how to defend the landing of Japanese sea reinforcements after annihilating the Japanese army and occupying all the Japanese strongholds; the other is a plan on how the Japanese army withstands our attack and waits for reinforcements. .
In the middle of the battle, reinforcements from both sides had arrived and were competing for strategic locations. At this time, the Chinese army relied on fortifications and houses to fight the Japanese army in a stalemate and continued to invest troops, attracting the Japanese army to increase its troops again.
In the later stage of the battle, judging from the time, that is, two to two and a half months after the start of the battle, when the Japanese army began to gain battlefield advantages, it would begin to organize the participating troops to alternate cover and gradually retreat.
When the Battle of Shanghai begins, Nanjing must make final defense preparations. The troops who will defend the urban area and fight the bloody battle with the Japanese must be selected in advance. They must begin to evacuate the people in Nanjing, build fortifications, familiarize themselves with the battlefield, and formulate defense plans for each unit. areas and retreat routes, and at the same time be prepared to hold supplies for more than three months.
From a time perspective, it would be best if the Shanghai Battle could last for two and a half months. The Wufu Line and the Xicheng Line could each hold on for more than a month. By the time the Japanese army attacked Nanjing, almost five months had passed. Nanjing The various defense preparations must be more complete. Based on Zhou Wen's judgment, it is very possible to persist for more than three months.
Of course, Zhou Wen was not just talking on paper, but had the historical record of the Anti-Japanese War as a reference.
The best example is the famous Hengyang Defense War against China.
In June 1944, the Japanese army launched the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi. Under the cover of aircraft and tanks, the Japanese army concentrated 200,000 troops and captured the important town of Changsha in Hunan in one fell swoop, approaching the city of Hengyang, which was known as "Little Nanjing" and "Little Shanghai" at the time.
In this battle, due to strategic guidance errors, improper campaign command, and the uneven quality of the army, the Chinese army suffered its second major retreat since the Battle of Songhu. I will not go into details here.
What is worthy of special mention is that when the Japanese army launched an attack on Hengyang City, they did not know that the people of Hengyang, after being trained in the long-term anti-Japanese and national salvation struggle, united as one, shared the same hatred of the enemy, and swore to defend Hengyang to the death. Together with the defenders, they actively participated in the battle to defend Hengyang.
The Hengyang People's Anti-Enemy Support Association mobilized people to destroy roads, destroy bridges, and cut off the Japanese offensive routes.
The Japanese army sent planes for reconnaissance and received intelligence that "the railway from Zhuzhou to Hengyang and the highway from Baoqing to Hengyang have been destroyed by Hengyang residents, and all transportation equipment has been lost."
These tasks are all performed voluntarily and voluntarily by the masses.
At the same time, the Anti-Enemy Support Association, the city government, and the labor union also organized 3,000 workers to requisition more than 1.2 million pieces of wood from 120 wood manufacturers in the urban area. They cooperated with the National Army's Tenth Army, which was ordered to "defend Hengyang to the death," and used the rivers and hills around Hengyang. , city walls and houses built a solid fortification.
Trenches and foxholes were dug in every street in the city, and bunkers, machine gun bunkers, and barbed wire were built to form a solid defense system. These fortifications played a great role in fighting the Japanese army.
However, as all the peripheral national army units were dispersed and retreated, the Hengyang garrison was left with only the disorganized 10th Army, guarded by about 17,000 Chinese soldiers.
