North China Expeditionary Force Headquarters.
The air pressure in the conference room was so low that it was difficult to breathe.
The biggest shame since the beginning of the war has been carried by the little Japanese from Gangcun. The two divisions were shattered into pieces. Such heavy losses shook the base camp.
"I'm shocked to hear that the 26th Division and the 41st Division were destroyed one after another, causing the situation in North China to take a turn for the worse. Mr. Okamura, are you thinking that the cherry blossoms in your hometown are blooming and you want to go home to retire?" Tojo Ichiji's private telegram was like a slap in the face to Okamura. On the little devil.
"Gentlemen, the current situation is difficult. The Jin region has been defeated one after another. The total number of Jade Broken Locust Army is no less than 3 divisions! Wucheng has been lost, Yunzhong is in danger, and the northern part of the Jin region is about to change hands. How should we deal with it now?" The devil's eyes were like daggers, and he stared at the senior counselors present and asked.
An army of 100,000 troops is encircling and suppressing them. Now, more than 60,000 people have been stabbed to death by knife after knife before it even begins. Who can continue to fight this encirclement and suppression campaign?
According to the ideas of the senior advisers, the right thing to do is to terminate the original plan quickly and concentrate our forces to recapture the lost cities. But isn't this a slap in the face of the gangcun kid? Who dares to touch the tiger’s butt at this time?
They all sat there as steady as old dogs.
The one who can speak up is the current Chief of Staff of the North China Expeditionary Force, Lieutenant General Setani, but he is still commanding the army attack on the front line of Shicheng. At this time, the important generals Takasaki Sato Koichi and the commander of the 36th Division Okamoto Lieutenant General Zhibao was sitting upright and showed no signs of speaking.
This made Ishii, the newly appointed deputy chief of staff, bully his head many times. Others could not speak, but he could not.
Ishii bravely stood up many times, "Your Excellency, Commander, I believe that the situation has changed now, and the original strategy should be adjusted to follow the new situation. The 101st Division is now blocked near Pingcheng and cannot get even close, so it is better to mobilize. Join the 36th Division and the Chariot Division, go north together to deal with the enemy in Wucheng, and then go to the clouds to concentrate on the 101st Division and the Chariot Division, as well as the 2 Jindi brigades to annihilate the main force of the Eighth Route Army, and at the same time fill in the gaps of the 26th Division. The vacancy left behind has reversed the situation in northern Shanxi in one fell swoop.”
Ishii Daizuo still did his homework in advance. If you don't consider the existence of Gao Jianwu, the plan is quite satisfactory. Now you can't engage in refueling tactics. If you can't gather more than two heavy divisions to attack, then the army's Safety cannot be guaranteed. Now that the Eighth Route Army has completed the example of independently annihilating two divisions, the significance of the 101st Division's westward march is actually very doubtful.
Railways and roads are cut off at any time, and the 101st Division, which is forced to walk into Jindi, now faces too many uncertain factors.
Even the two main regiments in the so-called safe base encountered by the vanguard have no air force support. Now it has been confirmed that the 101st Division alone cannot attack the opponent's blocking position.
What's especially hateful is that the opponent is not holding on to one position, but on this hilltop today and on another hilltop tomorrow, making it impossible for the little Japanese's artillery advantage to be used.
Blockades during the day and sneak attacks from time to time at night. The Eighth Route Army running around with mortars is much more of a threat than the cold guns in the past. Often, the loss caused by a mortar platoon to the Japs in one night is to destroy two or three squads. !
As a result, the little devils now have shadows wherever they camp. They dare not connect the field tents too close to avoid being fired by two guns. All of a sudden, both detachments were killed by a mortar!
"Xinxi, what do you think of Mr. Ishii's suggestion?" Gangcun kid asked quietly.
"What Ishii-kun said is very reasonable. I humbly second my opinion and suggest that the flying team should fully cooperate. On the one hand, they should fully grasp the intelligence of the enemy's mobilization and gathering, and on the other hand, they should go all out to find their artillery and destroy it!" Sato Koichi added. , This is probably what the Commander-in-Chief thinks, and there is nothing wrong with it in Koichi Sato's opinion.
If you only look at it within the scope of the North China Expeditionary Force, it is indeed true, but if you follow Sato Koichi's inner thoughts, then it is not just that, but directly ask for help from the Kwantung Army, borrow two divisions to advance from the north, and then south The front line continued to advance with the 101st Division and the Chariot Division, using thunderous momentum to directly knock out the Eighth Route Army that had emerged!
It is rare for the main force of the Eighth Route Army to emerge from the ravine. If we do not take this opportunity to destroy it, it will be a legacy of raising tigers. Judging from the current strength of the Eighth Route Army, their results in the past year have been astonishing. They already have the ability to annihilate a reorganized division. .
Sato Koichi felt that he was taking advantage of the new victory of the Eighth Route Army and was confident enough to fight the Locust Army head-on, so he struck out with a heavy fist.
The Kwantung Army basically plays a strategic backup role now, and the transfer of two or three divisions will not affect them at all. The transfer of the two divisions in the area near Jinjin is quite convenient in terms of time preparation and material mobilization.
However, this kind of cross-front army mobilization involves not only strategy, but also many subtle relationships. The Kwantung Army is one level higher than the North China Expeditionary Army. It was upgraded to the General Army last year and can only serve as a post. The little devil from the village has to come to the house in person to ask for help!
How dare Zuotou Koichi dare to speak about this kind of thing easily.
"Xingxi, Mr. Zuotou has made a very thoughtful addition. Is there anyone else who can improve this suggestion?" The kid from Okamura looked at Koichi Zuotou, his eyes full of approval. This is a senior counselor who can pass through the base camp, a member of the authentic staff headquarters. people.
Seeing that the direction of the wind had been decided, the people below could follow the thinking of the little devil from Gangcun and began to make suggestions one after another. It must be said that these people all started out as undergraduates in military academies, and they were still very capable of checking for leaks and filling gaps. Strong, Ishii Daizuo's idea was slowly perfected into a real combat plan.
...
At the Eighth Route Headquarters, everyone remains busy in the festive atmosphere.
"Why did you choose to go south instead of north?" The deputy chief of staff stared at the map after the updated situation. He was really a little confused as to why he didn't attack more than ten easily accessible county towns from Daicheng to Yunzhong. Gao Jianwu chose to attack the fortified city of Jinyang.
"Although Jinyang is now considered to be lacking in strength, it is not easy to fight. The 92 infantry artillery and 75mm mountain artillery are very useful for attacking the county town, but they are not so useful for attacking Jinyang with thick city walls."
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This is what the Deputy Chief of Staff is very puzzled about after analyzing it from a purely military perspective.
"Judging from the results, Jinyang is much more significant than Yunzhong." The boss is also a little unsure, but obviously if Jinyang can really be won, the boss will 100% support it. Even if he goes in and occupies it for a day, he will be extremely powerful. symbolic meaning.
"It's just that Gao Jianwu doesn't have many chips. How could he figure out that Jinyang can be beaten?"
Gao Jianwu's series of brilliant victories have given the boss a strong sense of trust and even dependence. If it weren't for this, if someone else submitted an incredible plan like jumping to attack Jinyang, the boss would be furious on the spot!
The number of troops Gao Jianwu has in his hands cannot exceed 30,000 at all costs, so if he wants to attack Jinyang with only two divisions, it is simply not too fanciful.
But this was proposed by Gao Jianwu, so the situation is different.
Gao Jianwu almost never misses.
"Forget it, we have killed two divisions this time and have already made a lot of money. Let Gao Jianwu do whatever he wants. Lao Chen is also pointing the finger. With him here, there will be no surprise! We should concentrate on dealing with the aftermath. Let's see where we can mobilize some troops to receive the spoils of these two battles. These are two reorganized divisions. Lao Chen and the others have made a fortune, and we have to help them reduce their logistical burden." The boss thought for a long time but had no idea. , just pass the blame to the brigade commander and forget about it!
It is better to do something that is understandable to give a sense of accomplishment and participation. It is difficult to even understand the kind of war launched by Gao Jianwu, and I really lack the mood to participate.
The boss's moves alerted even the border areas, and the three main security groups rushed to the Yanmen area day and night.
The principal, a master of micromanipulation, would never be able to appreciate the freedom and ease of being a bystander in front of the boss's battle.
...
Gao Jianwu unified the combat thinking of the former commander, and the main force immediately marched south day and night.
Of course, it is difficult for such a large-scale operation not to reveal any movement, but Gao Jianwu has his own method to gather several thousand militiamen from various county brigade and district squads near Yanmen and even some strong migrant workers. Under the leadership of a main battalion, Raise the scene and pretend to be the main force heading north!
The march was half-hidden and half-exposed, and there were high-power radio stations transmitting or receiving telegrams at any time. When the little Japanese and puppet soldiers in the cities along the way saw them, they all retreated and only dared to send men from a distance to conduct reconnaissance. No one came here with the troops without opening their eyes. one time!
In this way, not to mention the little devils who believed that the target of the Eighth Route Army was Yunzhong, even some of the Eighth Route Army's own people, before receiving orders from their superiors, there were many guerrillas along the way who took the initiative to join!
Of course, the news they got was to attack Yunzhong, and the entire army had the designation of eight main regiments!
In this era, it is difficult to count a thousand people, not to mention that there are thousands of people in this vast place. At a glance, wouldn't it be tens of thousands?
When some infiltrators found out the numbers of the eight main regiments, everyone from the First Army to the North China Expedition Army headquarters believed it.
In contrast to the news that traces of the Eighth Route Army had been discovered in the south, it was quickly judged to be a suspicious move.
The First Army Headquarters did not take any effective preventive measures at all.
The little devils along the way also did not take any measures against the looming South Eighth Route Army. Now the little devils along the way have basically received the news that the 26th Division and the 41st Division were annihilated by the Eighth Route Army, whether it was the county military police brigade or the Qingcheng Brigade. Headquarters, everything is more about doing less than doing more, just reporting the news and that's it.
Even Gao Jianwu didn't expect that things would be so easy. He arrived at Yangqu Station, an important railway station on the Jinyang West Tongpu Line.
