For Zhang Tianhai, the current situation is the most urgent, as the Japanese army's encirclement is tightening.
According to historical records, whether it was the First Army, the Sixty-fourth Army, or the Seventy-fourth Army, they all evacuated safely, but the only thing about their sudden and temporary advance was The troops are completely unrecorded.
Therefore, Zhang Tianhai was very keenly aware that according to the development of history, the three armies on the south bank of the Yellow River must have retreated safely. If they did not retreat at this moment, they would most likely be corrected by strong historical inertia.
To put it bluntly, they are in danger of being annihilated.
As a result, Zhang Tianhai and his troops ran very fast, almost at the speed of a forced march. It only took one day and one night to get all the equipment and personnel to Qixian County.
So much so that when the troops arrived at Qixian County, all the officers and soldiers, including Zhang Tianhai, were very tired.
As a result, Zhang Tianhai could only choose to rest for a day and then go directly to Zhengzhou.
By the time the temporary advance of the 71st Army reached Qixian County, it was necessary to rest.
The troops can rest, but this does not mean that Zhang Tianhai can rest. He must bid farewell to Song Xilian and do the relevant handover work.
Ever since, Zhang Tianhai and Zhou Fangjie, who both had big black eyes, entered the city at the same time.
In the city, Zhang Tianhai finally met Song Xilian, Chief Song, whom he had not seen for a long time.
The city is very busy with cars and people coming and going.
There were soldiers sitting on the roadside wiping their firearms, and there were also guards patrolling. No, to be more precise, they were military police.
These military police are affiliated with the 71st Army Headquarters.
When Zhang Tianhai saw Song Xilian, Song Xilian was still dressed in military uniform, with several guards behind him, and he looked majestic.
"Reporting to the military seat, Zhang Tianhai, commander of the first regiment directly under the Third War Zone (Zhou Fangjie, commander of the regiment directly under the 71st Army Headquarters), has been ordered to report. Please give instructions!" The two walked up to Song Xilian and stood at attention and saluted at the same time. road.
After hearing the two people's reports, Song Xilian turned around, looked at the two people in front of him, nodded, and said, "You are all back now."
"Yes! Military officer! Fortunately, I have lived up to my humble duty and successfully completed the tasks assigned by my superiors." Zhang Tianhai reported loudly.
"You two have done a good job." Song Xilian first affirmed, then turned his attention to Zhang Tianhai, and said in a slightly gentle tone: "Zhang Yulin, I also know that you are not an ordinary guy. First of all, I want to congratulate you for being able to leave the frontline team and evacuate to Wuhan to rest and recuperate."
"The military commander is ridiculous. This evacuation from the frontline was not my intention. Soldiers should obey orders as their bounden duty, and it is their fate to be buried in horse leather. Since it is an order from a superior, one has to obey the humble duty. I hope the military commander can understand!" Regarding Song Xilian! , Zhang Tianhai still respects him quite a lot, so he also feels that there is no need for some unnecessary misunderstandings.
"Very good, you are very humble. I hope you can continue to maintain this humble character after you go to Wuhan. Wuhan is no better than the front line. There are many powerful people in Wuhan. They are all big shots in the military and political circles. I can't offend you if it's not you. "I got up." Song Xilian said bluntly, he was still afraid that Zhang Tianhai would still be so impulsive and reckless after going to Wuhan.
"Thank you for your concern, sir. Even in your humble position, you will definitely obey your commander's orders and persevere to the end." Zhang Tianhai saluted a military salute very seriously.
"Okay, it'll be good if you can clearly understand yourself." Song Xilian nodded, and then changed the subject: "By the way, when do you plan to go to Wuhan?"
Zhang Tianhai, who had two big dark circles under his eyes, thought for a moment and said, "Probably wait until the troops have rested for a day! After the troops have rested, they will go to Wuhan immediately."
"Okay, let's do this. You can take the troops to rest, and then go straight to Wuhan! Remember, don't lose the face of our 71st Army, and don't lose the face of an old commander like me! "Song Xilian said in a deep voice. There is always a kind of arrogance and character in his words. Maybe it is because the scholars of this era have a kind of character!
No, to be more precise, it is the character of scholars like Song Xilian who gave up writing and joined the army. In that era when everything was inferior and only good students could study well, they were able to give up a mediocre life and choose a vigorous revolution. This is originally It is a kind of arrogance and character!
Seeing Song Xilian's confident and calm look, Zhang Tianhai nodded gently - no matter what, Commander Song is still a very capable person.
Even though we may not see each other much here, he is still a respectable officer, nothing more.
Zhang Tianhai thought for a while and nodded heavily.
At this time, it was the morning of May 30, the twenty-seventh year of the Republic of China.
When Zhang Tianhai decided to take a good rest before leading his troops to Zhengzhou, a private plane arrived at Zhengzhou Airport.
I saw a huge blue sky and white sun badge printed on the fuselage of this aircraft.
"puff……"
The plane landed on the uneven gravel airport, and a burst of dust suddenly stirred up.
After the plane stopped, several people got off the plane, to be precise, several people in military uniforms.
Seeing that the leader had a bald head and looked to be in his forties or fifties, after he got off the plane, the senior officers behind him followed him.
"The scenery of the North, a scenery we haven't seen for a long time..." The bald leader said, with a Zhejiang accent, but there was a hint of sadness in his words.
"Commissioner, you are really good at joking. I was here a while ago." One of the officers behind him said. Judging from his military rank, he was a general, so he looked like he was no small person.
Except for Chairman Chiang, there is naturally no one else who can make a dignified second-level general be so complimentary.
Yes, Chairman Chiang came to Zhengzhou again with his entourage.
The last time I came here was when the Battle of Lanfeng was about to begin. However, compared to before, there was still a little room for resistance, but now the situation has become worse.
This time he came here, in addition to solving the frontline war crisis, he also had an important decision to make.
…
Time goes back to a month and a half ago.
At that time, the great victory of Taierzhuang was about to be completed, and the whole country was in a state of joy. However, the national army headquarters did not think that the time for victory was approaching.
Instead, there was calmness. Chen Guofu, the leader of the CC Department of the National Government, submitted a proposal to Chiang Kai-shek regarding possible unfavorable war situations in the future.
The content of the suggestion is roughly as follows: "Chairman Jun Jian: The great victory in Taierzhuang has brought great joy to the whole country, and the future of the Anti-Japanese War may turn into a better situation. However, the south bank of the Yellow River is thousands of miles away, and it is not easy to defend. During the flood, we are afraid that the enemy will breach the embankment and attack us. If I can If Wuzhi and other counties are secured, we can counterattack the enemy with water at any time. Near the mouth of the Gaiqin River, the terrain on the north bank of the Yellow River is low. If the embankment breaks at any point downstream, we only need to break the north embankment near the mouth of the Qin River, and all the river water can flow northward. If we move toward the Zhang and Wei rivers (i.e., the Zhang and Wei rivers), our great danger can be resolved, while the enemy will be in a dangerous position..."
The submission of this proposal reminded Chiang Kai-shek of what German consultant Falkenhausen had proposed in the "Recommendations on Countermeasures to Cope with the Current Situation" in 1935: "...the final front is the Yellow River, and it is advisable to plan a plan. Artificial flooding increases its defenses.”
What does it mean? To put it bluntly, if the Japanese army reaches here, most of China has fallen, and China will be destroyed if it continues to attack. If they cannot resist the Japanese mechanized troops, they can only blow up the Yellow River embankment and make it artificial. flood, and strive to build a temporary natural line of defense for later operations.
Ever since, when he saw this proposal, Chiang Kai-shek's thoughts inevitably returned to three years ago.
With this piece of advice in hand, Chiang Kai-shek inevitably fell into a struggle. He murmured: "If the Yellow River embankment is blown up so easily, I, Chiang Kai-shek, will become a sinner for the ages... …”
Hesitating, Chiang Kai-shek put aside Chen Guofu's suggestion. This Yellow River embankment must never be dug unless it was absolutely necessary.
It’s not that Chiang Kai-shek didn’t know the consequences of blowing up the Yellow River embankment.
Historically, if he had not known the consequences of blowing up the Yellow River embankment, he would not have announced as soon as he blew up the Huayuankou embankment: "At 8 o'clock in the morning on the good day (June 9th), three enemy planes exploded Staff teachers are working to block the Huayuankou river embankment."
In addition to this telegram, the second and third announced reports repeatedly set the tone for the previous reports, reporting in great detail how the Japanese army blew up the Huayuankou embankment.
Ever since, Chiang Kai-shek inevitably hesitated.
Time passed day by day, and in a blink of an eye, it was April 21st.
On this day, Chiang Kai-shek was still processing official documents, but he once again received a letter of advice.
It's just that this letter of advice was no longer written by Chen Guofu or other faction leaders, but by Yao Cong, then deputy director of the General Office of the Military Commission. The suggestion was probably that if it was absolutely necessary, it was recommended to break the dykes at Liuzhuang and Zhukou .
Seeing this letter of advice put forward by a high-ranking boss, Chiang Kai-shek began to take it seriously: It is obvious that the bosses of the Military Commission are no longer optimistic about this war.
Chiang Kai-shek rubbed his aching temples and cursed: "Mother Xipi, now little Japan has not even reached the Yellow River, and has not yet reached Kaifeng, and yet it starts to make these suggestions? Are you trying to force me, Jiang, to do this?" The eternal sinner..."
However, out of calm consideration, after thinking about it for a while, considering the speed at which Nanjing and Shanghai fell, and the fact that the Japanese army had already pressed heavily against Xuzhou, Chiang Kai-shek sent a reply: "It can be considered, but it is not a last resort. The timing is too good to do this."
This reply from Chiang Kai-shek can be said to have revealed the leader's attitude to senior state officials.
As a result, Chen Cheng, a die-hard fan of Chiang Kai-shek, forwarded Wang Ruoqing's suggestion to break the dike at Heigangkou.
After seeing this telegram suggesting asking for instructions, Chiang Kai-shek did not immediately express his position. He just said lightly: "We will talk about it at that time."
However, Wang Ruoqing's military advice made Chiang Kai-shek take it seriously.
The original text of the suggestion sent by Chen Cheng to Wang Ruoqing is as follows: "Chairman Chiang: According to the report of Commander Wang Ruoqing of the 16th Artillery Regiment:
1. Suddenly I heard that our army had sealed the enemy's territory and diverted the Yellow River to flood the Japanese invaders. This was a very good plan. However, the water flows through the old course of the Yellow River, and western Shandong and northern Jiangsu suffer the most. Eastern Henan only occupies a part, and has little military relationship with Henan Province.
2. The water level of the black check post is 30 feet higher than that of Kaifeng, and there is water on both sides of the embankment. It has always been called dangerous work. For example, at the execution entrance, its large flow goes straight to Kaifeng, passes through Zhuxian Town and Weishi, runs directly through the Bianzhou Highway, and crosses the Bo, Zhe, Zhou, and Luohe Highways. It has the greatest military relationship...
3. Kaifeng is the political center of Henan and should be destroyed first to avoid capitalizing on the enemy. "
It has little military impact on Henan, and it can destroy Kaifeng to avoid aiding the enemy. It was these two suggestions that made Chairman Chiang not only tempted - you know, according to reliable information, the total strength of the Japanese invaders at this stage is no less than 700,000, and they have mobilized the absolute main force of nearly 400,000 troops to attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou only has 500,000 Chinese troops.
You know, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is not even slightly stronger than that of the Chinese army - what's more, except for Tang Enbo's regiment, which was urgently transferred from the first theater, the fifth theater has no troops that can be used!
In this case, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally not optimistic about the current situation, so he ordered the military reunification agents to "find an excellent terrain along both sides of the Yellow River."
Now, as the Japanese troops were approaching as mentioned earlier, Chairman Chiang would naturally visit the Zhengzhou front line in person.
Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek rest assured, otherwise it will be too late to open up the Yellow River embankment if Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie, Long Muhan and other figures appear again.
The order to break the embankment must come from Chairman Chiang himself, and he must personally supervise it, otherwise he will not be at ease!
…
PS: In order to deceive Quan Qin, and the next volume is about to start, this chapter is longer, about 4,600 words, so please wait for about ten minutes! It must be finished!
It has little military impact on Henan, and it can destroy Kaifeng to avoid aiding the enemy. It was these two suggestions that made Chairman Chiang not only tempted - you know, according to reliable intelligence, the total strength of the Japanese invaders at this stage is no less than 700,000, and they have mobilized the absolute main force of nearly 400,000 troops to attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou only has 500,000 Chinese troops.
You know, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is not even slightly stronger than that of the Chinese army - what's more, except for the Tang Enbo Corps that was urgently transferred from the first theater, the fifth theater has no troops that can be used!
In this case, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally not optimistic about the current situation, so he ordered the military reunification agents to "find an excellent terrain along both sides of the Yellow River."
Now, as the Japanese troops were approaching as mentioned earlier, Chairman Chiang would naturally visit the Zhengzhou front line in person.
Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek rest assured, otherwise it will be too late to open up the Yellow River embankment if Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie, Long Muhan and other figures appear again.
The order to break the embankment must be given by Chairman Chiang himself and must be supervised personally, otherwise he would not be at ease!
It has little military impact on Henan, and it can destroy Kaifeng to avoid aiding the enemy. It was these two suggestions that made Chairman Chiang not only tempted - you know, according to reliable intelligence, the total strength of the Japanese invaders at this stage is no less than 700,000, and they have mobilized the absolute main force of nearly 400,000 troops to attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou only has 500,000 Chinese troops.
You know, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is not even slightly stronger than that of the Chinese army - what's more, except for the Tang Enbo Corps that was urgently transferred from the first theater, the fifth theater has no troops that can be used!
In this case, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally not optimistic about the current situation, so he ordered the military command agents to "find an excellent terrain along both sides of the Yellow River."
Now, as the Japanese troops were approaching as mentioned earlier, Chairman Chiang would naturally visit the Zhengzhou front line in person.
Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek rest assured, otherwise it will be too late to open up the Yellow River embankment if Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie, Long Muhan and other figures appear again.
The order to break the embankment must be given by Chairman Chiang himself and must be supervised personally, otherwise he would not be at ease!
It has little military impact on Henan, and it can destroy Kaifeng to avoid aiding the enemy. It was these two suggestions that made Chairman Chiang not only tempted - you know, according to reliable intelligence, the total strength of the Japanese invaders at this stage is no less than 700,000, and they have mobilized the absolute main force of nearly 400,000 troops to attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou only has 500,000 Chinese troops.
You know, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is not even slightly stronger than that of the Chinese army - what's more, except for the Tang Enbo Corps that was urgently transferred from the first theater, the fifth theater has no troops that can be used!
In this case, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally not optimistic about the current situation, so he ordered the military command agents to "find an excellent terrain along both sides of the Yellow River."
Now, as the Japanese troops were approaching as mentioned earlier, Chairman Chiang would naturally visit the Zhengzhou front line in person.
Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek rest assured, otherwise it will be too late to open up the Yellow River embankment if Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie, Long Muhan and other figures appear again.
The order to break the embankment must be given by Chairman Chiang himself and must be supervised personally, otherwise he would not be at ease!
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