Langtou Mountain, 78th Army Headquarters
The huge sand table is covered with red, blue and white flags, and the situation of the enemy, our own and friendly armies is clear at a glance.
Most of the blue flags of friendly forces have been planted outside Zhongtiao Mountain, which means that there are few organized Central Army units in Zhongtiao Mountain, and the battle has entered the stage of duel between the enemy and ourselves.
"Old Chu, two Japanese armies are pressing towards our defense area:
On the northern line, the flanking troops with the 41st Division as the main force were blocked by various units of the New 93rd Army at the Panwang Mountain line. Currently, their traveling speed is controlled within five kilometers per day, which is no different from the crawling of a turtle;
On the western front, after the three Japanese armies jumped over Shaoyuan City, they divided their troops into three groups and used the central breakthrough and roundabout tactics of two wings to press towards my closed-door position;
Our peripheral regiments executed the retreat and decisive battle plan as planned, retreated in large strides, and lured the enemy deeper.
At present, the Japanese's left and right wings have been held back by our blocking troops, and the 37th Division in the middle has completely protruded. Its forward 225th Regiment has reached the gate of sealing, and there is a fierce battle with Yan Haoyu's troops, causing casualties on both sides. "
After Chief of Staff Zhong Guoliang introduced the situation, he put down the command stick in his hand and quietly waited for Chu Xiong's response.
The operational plan only covers the general direction. The battlefield situation is changing rapidly, so the plan cannot be static and must be adjusted at any time according to changes in the enemy's situation.
Chu Xiong thought for a while and then said:
"Order Yan Haoyu's troops to guard the sealed gate for a few hours, then pretend to be incompetent and release the main force of the 225th Regiment and the 37th Division into the Langya Valley;
Don't be afraid that the enemy will not be able to stop them when they come in. You should retreat in large strides until you reach the mouth of the wolf. During the rout, each regiment will move to the mountainous areas on both sides. After the main force of the enemy has completely penetrated deep, each regiment will surround it from both wings and block the enemy's retreat. broken……"
"The Japs on the left and the right did not rush to encircle and annihilate them at first, but forced them to desperately reinforce the 37th Division, and continued to consume their strength in the blocking battle. They also adopted post-interruption tactics;
Retreat from the middle, spread out the main force to both sides, and then encircle when they reach a suitable position! "
"Towards the north, the New 93rd Army must hold off the Japs and not let a single Japs enter the 78th Army's defense area before annihilating the 37th Division;
The 1st Regiment of the Independent Brigade pretended to be deployed near Moyunling, in preparation for the 78th Army entering Liuzhen, in order to confuse the Japanese. The main force of the 2nd Regiment, the 882nd Regiment, and the 1st Artillery Regiment secretly moved to Panwang Mountain to stand by..."
Zhong Guoliang and others looked at Chu Xiong excitedly, ready to roll up their sleeves and get started!
"Comrades, the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain has entered the decisive stage. The main force of the independent brigade entering Zhongtiao Mountain cannot be exposed for the time being. This is something that is not allowed by military regulations;
The main force of the independent brigade moved to Panwang Mountain just to assist the New 93rd Army in stabilizing the northern front. Unless the ban strictly orders our independent brigade to participate in the war and help the New 93rd Army fight, we will enter Zhongtiao Mountain with great fanfare, and we will make a big fanfare after the battle. Withdraw, our Eighth Route Army will not interfere in the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain. "
“The initial goal of the campaign is to annihilate the 37th Division. As long as the 37th Division is annihilated, the Japanese’s Northern Route Army may have to retreat;
When the time comes, the New 93rd Army and the 78th Army will pursue each other in two directions and divide the entire Zhongtiao Mountain into two, with each taking half. If this battle can be fought like this, it will be over! "
As for the mid-term goal, Chu Xiong didn’t say it, it depends on Xiao Zhuoyi’s choice;
Driving the Japs out of Zhongtiao Mountain is Chu Xiong's bottom line. If the Japs don't know the current situation and insist on fighting, then they will accompany them to the end. At worst, they will throw in all the 20 regiments of the Eighth Route Army who are on standby!
It's just that fighting the Japanese in this way is too expensive and is not in the overall interest of the Eighth Route Army. It cannot benefit the fisherman in Sichuan. Now is not the time to fight a decisive battle with the heavy Japanese group.
As long as the Japs are driven out and the 78th Army and the New 93rd Army control Zhongtiao Mountain, giving the Japs a step down, this battle will still be a contest between the Japs and the Central Army. The Japs will not be able to find the Eighth Route Army for revenge in the future.
This is Chu Xiong's Xiao Jiujiu. He cannot fight another hundred-regiment battle to arouse the Japanese's vigilance towards the Eighth Route Army;
The Japs have not gone south yet and are very powerful. Even if they send another million troops to China, there will be no problem. Chu Xiong does not want to attract the Japs who should have gone to Longpingyang and Nanyang to China.
It is better to let the Japanese go south with peace of mind, so annihilating the 37th Division and driving the Japanese out of Zhongtiao Mountain is the best result for the Eighth Route Army.
It was not convenient for him to say these words to others. Some of the pressure could only be borne by the time traveler himself.
As the 78th Army's military headquarters issued orders one after another, the troops within the independent brigade system were mobilized, and the decisive stage of the Zhongtiao Mountain battle was about to come.
After sealing the gate position, the 225th Wing's offensive became stronger and stronger, and the defenders began to show signs of collapse;
The commander-in-chief of Zhenmei was very experienced in combat and decisively pressed forward the third brigade of the reserve regiment.
The third brigade is the only one among the three brigade that has not suffered any losses. All of them are veterans, with strong combat effectiveness, and they are always in the stage of recharging their energy. They are howling with suppressed energy, like a group of wild beasts, waiting to be released!
"Boom boom boom boom..."
…
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
The wolf-like third brigade almost stepped on the artillery points and launched a fierce attack on the defenders. The defenders only persisted for more than ten minutes before they were defeated and began to rout!
"Kill the chicken and give it to me!"
The commander-in-chief took the opportunity to escort the entire regiment up. The defenders were defeated and retreated deep into the Langya Valley.
The 225th Regiment entered the Langya Valley from the sealed gate, pursued for about two kilometers, and encountered the second line of defense of the third brigade;
The morale of the Chinese army had already fluctuated, and the second line of defense did not hold back the Japs for long. It was only because this line of defense delayed the Japs' pursuit that the defeated troops of the first line of defense retreated safely to the mountains on both sides.
There was only one regiment in the town, and they did not dare to divide their troops to pursue the defeated troops. They just advanced along the avenue. The purpose was to penetrate the Langya Valley and cut the 78th Army into two parts. They also used this tactic on the Western Front. Used, the effect is very good;
This was how the three Chinese armies on the Western Front were defeated and eliminated. This time the Japanese used their same tactics again to deal with the 78th Army.
The 223rd Regiment was responsible for passing through, and the main force of the 37th Division followed suit, maintaining a distance of one to two kilometers from the 223rd Regiment.
The 223rd Regiment was like a chicken. It broke through the four lines of defense of the Chinese Army in just one day. More than 10,000 Chinese troops were defeated. Equipment and supplies were scattered everywhere in Langya Valley, and some were even seized. The Japanese's 75mm field gun.
The battle report flew to the headquarters of the 37th Division like snowflakes. With the 223rd Regiment as the pioneer, the main force of the 37th Division was as relaxed as an outing. Unknowingly, it went more than 20 kilometers deep and reached the vicinity of Phoenix Ridge.
"Okubo-kun, order the troops to camp on the spot, and order the 226th Regiment to occupy Phoenix Ridge. The 35th Division was attacked by the 78th Army here. Learning from the past, we cannot leave any opportunity for the 78th Army."
Lieutenant General Anda was crazy, but he did have two brushes in his hands. He could not give the 78th Army another chance to sneak attack the main force of the 37th Division in Phoenix Mountain.
Further forward, the terrain was much narrower and not suitable for a division to deploy, so Anda chose to camp on the spot and wait for the 225th Regiment to penetrate the Langya Valley.
"Okubo-kun, send power to the 224th Regiment and the 16th Independent Brigade, and order them to follow quickly;
Now the Imperial Army needs to stabilize its position. Once our unit completes the cut from west to east, the rest is waiting for the 41st Division to penetrate the 78th Army's defense area from north to south and cut the 78th Army's defense area into four pieces;
We can also copy the successful tactics of the Western Front and enter the second stage, dragging the net to clear out the enemy until the 78th Army is annihilated! "
Lieutenant General Anda's mood became very good, and the battle entered their familiar rhythm again;
The two group armies were defeated by them before. A small 78th Army cannot be more powerful than the two group armies.
