Someone from Chiang Kai-shek issued a formal combat order to the First Theater Command through his aide-de-camp. This order was rare and was not conveyed through the military committee. What is strange is that the commander-in-chief of the Second Theater did not receive the relevant order.
After the Hundred Regiments War, he, Jiang, changed his mind and became a staunch anti-Japanese faction.
In fact, in 1939, Chiang Kai-shek planned to launch four nationwide counterattacks in spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Among them, the winter offensive was the largest and most fruitful. In order to cooperate with the national army's frontal battlefield offensive, the Eighth Route Army also invested about 20 regiments of troops.
On December 12, 1939, the Winter Offensive began in full swing.
But as early as the end of November, the commander-in-chief of Japan's China Expeditionary Forces deciphered the code of the national army, grasped the plans and intentions of the national army's offensive, and notified Japanese troops in various places to be on alert.
Fortunately, the Japanese army took it very lightly due to the failure of the national army's previous counter-offensive. Until December 10, before the full-scale launch of the winter offensive, many senior Japanese generals actually said arrogantly: "The so-called general counter-offensive in the third phase of the Anti-Japanese War must be
"It's just a fool's errand", so the Japanese troops in many areas were not prepared and their defenses were not strengthened.
The national army in southern Shanxi took the initiative to attack and achieved remarkable results in the early stages, but was later defeated by internal struggles.
The troops of the Eighth Route Army in this battle were mainly from the Tainan Military Region where Zhou Weihan was located. Therefore, Zhou Weihan ordered Zhao Gang and Zhou Weiguo to move forward with the military region's organs, while Li Yunshan continued to stay at Yamawang Mountain.
That night, in Yushugou, southeast of Lu, the deputy chief of staff held a combat meeting and conveyed the spirit of the meeting.
Participants included the four-person team of the Tainan Military Region, the heads of subordinate regiments, and comrades from the headquarters staff office.
"This operational plan is called the second autumn offensive. The key target of the attack is the Changzhi area. The core tactics are still the old method, which is to encircle a point for reinforcements. The main force besieges Changzhi. The reinforcements occupy the surrounding favorable terrain and ambush Lucheng and Licheng.
Tunliu, the eldest son's Japanese army, purge the Japanese army in the counties around Changzhi!"
"Use the time difference to first eliminate the small reinforcements of the Japanese army, and then concentrate on blocking the possible reinforcements of the Japanese army currently entrenched in the hinterland of the Taihang Mountains!"
"I will announce the specific combat order below. Zhou Weihan will lead the independent detachment's first regiment, second regiment, fourth regiment, cavalry regiment, and artillery battalion to besiege Changzhi City!"
"If the Japanese army in the hinterland of Taihang reinforces Changzhi, they will definitely march across Shexian County and along the Handan-Changchang Highway. At that time, the 22nd Regiment will deploy the first line of defense in Shexian County, and the 28th Regiment and the New Regiment will join forces with local armed forces in each county.
Licheng and Lucheng have deployed the second and third lines of defense. Based on the favorable terrain, they will fight against the Japanese army step by step and buy time for the main force!" the deputy general staff officer said one after another.
"There are currently eight main regiments in the Taiyue Military Region. The Japanese troops of the 10th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese Army are still being dragged along the Lintun Highway. At that time, the 772th Regiment and the Independent Regiment will detour to the rear in advance and attack them from behind, causing them to
Unable to be distracted, at the same time threaten Tunliu, the eldest son!"
"The independent detachment garrison regiment, together with the Shexian cadre regiment, Wuyi, and Wu'an local armed forces, block the reinforcements of the Japanese 104th Brigade!" the deputy chief of staff ordered one by one.
"How are the troops of the national army arranged?" Zhao Gang asked.
"Chiang Kai-shek still can't bear to part with his direct line of the Central Army. Currently, only the 281st Regiment of the Central Army is on the list to participate in the offensive. There are also Pang Bingxun's 40th Army, which belongs to the Hebei-Cha War Zone, and is currently in the Tainan area, and Sun Dianying's New Fifth Army.
military"
"More than 3,000 people from the 281st Regiment attacked Lin County, the 40th Army, and the New 5th Army respectively attacked the Japanese troops in Gaoping, Huguan, Lingchuan and other places!" said the deputy chief of staff.
"My dear, this can be regarded as a large-scale battle. It's fun, it's fun!" Li Yunlong shouted with excitement.
On the contrary, the rest of the people had solemn faces. Ding Wei said: "Old Chiang Kai-shek has made a good calculation. The Japanese 41st Division in the south of Changzhi is currently empty of defenses. This is obviously an attempt to pick a soft persimmon.
Come on, all the strength of the Japanese army is concentrated on the northern front, and all the pressure is on our side, the Eighth Route Army!"
After hearing this, Zhou Weihan smiled and said nothing. Before the meeting, the deputy chief of staff and Zhou Weihan had communicated in advance that there were some appearance agreements between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party that were not known to Ding Wei and others at their level.
The Eighth Route Army was able to mobilize its troops for a major war only because the Kuomintang and the Communist Party secretly signed an agreement. The content of the agreement was that the Eighth Route Army captured Changzhi City and handed it over to the Nationalist Army to manage it after the war. The Nationalist Government promised that after the war, the Eighth Route Army would be allowed to resume operations in northern Shaanxi.
Transport routes through the frontier.
This agreement was witnessed by several democrats and was personally signed by the Minister of Military and Political Affairs. Of course, Chiang Kai-shek also retained his hand and did not sign it himself.
"Won't the Jinsui Army participate in the battle? Although the main force of the Jinsui Army is in western Shanxi, there are also a lot of people in Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment at the junction of Anze and Eldest Son?" Zhao Gang wondered.
Zhou Weihan laughed and said: "Old Jiang Xin is not as good as Yan Laoxi. In 1939, the national army launched a winter offensive. The first theater achieved a greater victory in the early stage. However, the Shanxi-Sui Army was held back. In December
Launching the Shanxi Incident, Yan Laoxi ordered Chen Changjie's troops to attack the Ximenghui and the Shanxi New Army. As a result, the autumn offensive in southern Shanxi became a joke."
Zhou Weihan was only talking about one of them. The other was that Chiang Kai-shek himself knew that the Japanese army had planted many moles in various agencies of the Nationalist Government.
The District Chief's Office of World War II was even more infiltrated into a sieve. Once the battle plan arrived on Yan Laoxi's desk, the Japanese knew the specific military deployment. Maybe the telegraphers who received telegrams in the District Chief's Department of World War II were all from Little Japan.
people.
Of course, this is just a superficial excuse. The actual situation is that the Shanxi-Sui Army has its own system, the orders of the Military and Political Department are not easy to implement, and Yan Laoxi's attitude towards Japan is wavering.
Before the situation between China and Japan in southern Shanxi became clear, Yan Laoxi's shrewdness would definitely not allow the Shanxi-Sui army to participate in the war. In addition, western Shanxi was far away from the Changzhi area and could not play a supporting role, so Chiang Kai-shek did not give the Shanxi-Sui army any support.
The army issued combat orders.
"Today is the 16th. Before five o'clock in the morning on the 18th, all ministries will enter the designated positions, and the independent detachment will launch an attack on Changzhi!" the deputy chief of staff finally said.
After the meeting, everyone dispersed.
"How is it? Are you sure?" asked the deputy chief of staff.
"I am very sure of taking the empty-defense city of Changzhi. Counting the blockade on the Handan-Changzhi Highway, I am 80% sure, but including the national army in the south of Changzhi, I am only 50% sure!" Zhou Weihan said solemnly.
"It's not time you clamored to launch an offensive before. Why is your attitude so pessimistic now?"
"The main reason is that the attitude of the national army is erratic. When Changzhi starts, the Forty Army and the New Fifth Army watch the fire from across the bank, and sit back and watch the reinforcements from the 238th Regiment of the Japanese 41st Division stationed in the south of Changzhi. The casualties will inevitably increase!" Zhou Weihan!
said.
"If you can think of this in advance, I'll be relieved. Don't worry, Jiang will take action to make these two soldiers obey the order!"