On that day, Zhou Weihan gathered everyone's efforts to perfect the "Shandong Southwest Military Division's Operation Plan for Heze" and reported it to the Eighth Route Army Headquarters.
The current situation did not reach a critical moment when the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. Then Zhou Weihan ordered to pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese army. All personnel stayed still and waited for instructions from their superiors.
The fact that the Eighth Route Army fought behind enemy lines made it impossible for the Eighth Route Army to engage in large-scale combat with the Japanese army like the National Army did on the frontal battlefield.
They could only rely on guerrilla warfare and other small-scale battles to slowly accumulate strength and consume the Japanese army. In the original history, the only time the Eighth Route Army proactively exposed its strength before a local counterattack was to organize the Hundred Regiment Campaign.
Although the Hundred Regiment War achieved remarkable results and provided favorable support for the frontal battlefield, the criticism afterward was on both sides, with some even accusing the boss of prematurely exposing the true strength of the Eighth Route Army.
Inside the Eighth Route Army headquarters, the atmosphere was a bit delicate.
In addition to the boss, deputy chief of staff, division commanders, and political commissars, there are also cadres at the headquarters and division levels.
Everyone has long been accustomed to Zhou Weihan's ordinary behavior, but this battle plan still caused an uproar in the headquarters.
"Today we have called the comrades together to discuss and gather their thoughts to discuss the feasibility of this combat plan!" the boss said, but he was spinning around in circles with his hands behind his back, obviously
I'm not sure yet.
The people present looked at each other, and then one person stood up and said: "Boss, comrades, let me express my opinions!"
"I won't talk about the benefits of capturing Heze. Zhou ** stated it very clearly in the battle plan!"
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"Then let's talk about the disadvantages of occupying Heze. Judging from the recent situation between the enemy and ourselves, the Japanese troops in various places have significantly reduced the number of battles with our troops. Compared with the previous long-term harassment of the base areas, the Japanese troops are now more conservative and have obviously shrunk.
It means power!”
"I think it is feasible for our army to rely on the base areas and expand the base areas on a small scale to gather more manpower and material resources. However, if we expand aggressively and even capture important Japanese towns like Heze, it will inevitably cause the Japanese army to
Counterattack!"
“The southwestern Shandong area is surrounded by the Longhai Line and the Jinpu Line. Although the center of gravity of the Japanese Thirty-fifth Division is in Zhengzhou, if the Japanese army jumps over the wall in a hurry, they may not mobilize heavy troops to raid the base area in southwestern Shandong!
"What's more, there is the 21st Division of the Japanese Army in Xuzhou. Although comrades from the Huxi base area are blocking the Japanese army, you can still quickly reach Shangqiu for reinforcements by train!"
"There is the 35th Division of the Japanese Army in Yanzhou. The Japanese army there starts from Yanzhou and passes through Jining and Juye to reach Heze!"
"At that time, what the Southwest Shandong Military Region will face is the three-pronged Japanese army's encirclement and suppression. Even if it captures Heze and opens up a vast base area, after eating this piece of fat, will it be able to withstand the series of backlash?
?”
This comrade's speech was relatively conservative, and the content of his statement was also predictable. Many people present agreed with it. After all, the battle plan submitted by Zhou Weihan was contrary to the general development policy of the Eighth Route Army.
Then another comrade raised his hand and said: "Boss, there is another issue worth considering, that is, once Heze and even the surrounding areas are fully recovered, the combat methods of the Southwest Shandong Military Division will inevitably change. When the Japanese army comes to encircle and suppress us,
The base area and even the people will become a burden, and it will then evolve into a defensive war conducted by the national army on the frontal battlefield, and many soldiers will even die on the way to cover the people's retreat!"
...
Everyone's speeches were one-sided. They did not question whether Zhou Weihan had the strength to win the Heze area. They were just pessimistic about whether they could withstand the Japanese counterattack.
The boss listened to everyone's speeches and did not show a clear attitude on the spot. He waited for everyone to disperse, but the boss and others remained in the conference room.
"Recently, the overall development of base areas in various places has shown an upward trend, but we still do not have the strength to show off with the Japanese army. What's more, in the next one to two years, due to the impact of natural disasters and other external factors, the pressure we will face will double!
"
"The strength of the Japanese army is declining, and the strength of our Eighth Route Army is growing. This is visible to the naked eye. If Zhou Weihan still has this confidence in a year or two, I will definitely agree without hesitation!" the boss said regretfully.
"Yes, after all, Southwest Shandong is not Tainan, Heze is not Changzhi, and the New Eighth Army is not the 27th Army. The Tainan base area is a special force under the leadership of a special commander like Zhou Weihan, combined with special external forces.
It’s a special situation created by the environment!” The deputy chief of staff said four special situations in a row.
The political commissar on the side put forward a different opinion: "Boss, you need to be careful about the specific conclusions you draw. Different angles of looking at the problem will naturally lead to different conclusions!"
"Zhou Weihan is in southwestern Shandong. He proposed this plan based on the local conditions and the strength of the army. He has the most say on this!"
"The comrades just made another speech from their own perspective. The four of us are doing the same. The comrades in Yanzhou will also have different opinions. I would like to ask the Central Military Commission for instructions on what to do?" the political commissar suggested.
When the political commissar said this, he probably did not expect that the person who first proposed this bold plan was Li Yunlong.
In the final analysis, it was Zhou Weihan who commanded the troops to fight against the Japanese army and won many battles. He had an aura of constant victory and gained extraordinary trust from the heads of the headquarters and divisions.
If this plan was proposed by Li Yunlong, I am afraid that the headquarters would reject it immediately.
"I think it works. To use an unfortunate analogy, there is an old saying in China: I only saw the thief eating the meat, but I didn't see the thief being beaten. Why would the thief attack if he knew he was being beaten?"
"The benefits are not alluring yet. What we need to do now is to carefully analyze the benefits we will get and the price we pay in the future to see if they can meet our psychological expectations!" said the teacher.
On the same day, the deputy chief of staff drafted the telegram himself, and the two bosses jointly sent the telegram to Yanzhou.
The next day, on the afternoon of the 5th, Yanzhou gave a reply, and the telegram gave an ambiguous instruction.
Today, the Japanese army is a little weak at home and is taking frequent actions in Southeast Asia. It can be expected that it will be self-destructive, which will be of great benefit to our troops on the battlefield behind enemy lines.
Hebei, Shandong and Yu connect North China and Central China. It is actually an important road hub and rich in products. In the future, it can become the core of the battlefield behind enemy lines.
In the Battle of Southwest Shandong, whether to recover Heze and even the surrounding areas should be made carefully by the commander himself.
Once the decision is made, the troops should do their best and the surrounding troops should give full support.