"Boss, the fighting in Tainan is becoming more and more intense. The Tainan Military Region has repulsed all the national troops in Pingshun. But now it seems that Fan Hanjie may have given up intentionally and concentrated his troops to advance along the Handan-Changchang Highway!"
"Now that Luxinan is occupied by the national army, Licheng, where our Huangyadong arsenal is located, is in danger. In other words, Fan Hanjie may have come for the arsenal and headquarters!" Chief of Staff Teng said with concern.
"The battle was so frustrating that I called the Tainan Military Region and asked if they could still fight after Zhou Weihan left?" the boss said in a deep voice.
Everyone in the headquarters knows that the boss has a very bad temper. After the deputy chief of staff left, Yanzhou considered the candidate for the chief of staff many times, but in the end they let Chief Teng, an old partner from the Red Army Corps, arrive.
The frontline takes over.
The boss had spoken, and this call was designated to be made. Chief of Staff Teng waved to the cadres next to him to carry out the call immediately, and then said: "Boss, I am not saying good things for the comrades in the Tainan Military Region. Comrade He Yicai has only arrived in Tainan not long ago.
We still don’t understand the situation in the military region!”
"Last night, Comrade He Yicai rushed to Tainan Division 1, and Comrade Zhao Gang rushed to Division 2. They are probably gathering troops to prepare for a counterattack, but they are still lacking in strength!"
The boss waved his hand: "Okay, my chief of staff, I understand the situation, but pressure still needs to be given. Our troops are not as concentrated as the 24th Group Army. We will send a report to the 129th Division to speed up the reinforcements in Taibei and Southern Hebei."
Marching speed, this battle will not end in a short time, we must be prepared for a protracted war!"
"How is the situation in Tunliu? Can Kong Jie still hold on?"
"Kong Jie has led most of the independent regiment to rely on city defenses to hold on. The political commissar has led his troops to break out and join the special agent group that went to support, but the situation is not optimistic either!"
The Independent Regiment was reinforced by brother troops, and Fan Hanjie also sent a telegram to the 40th Army to go to Tunliu for reinforcements. The reinforcements from both sides arrived almost one after the other.
The Independent Regiment defended the isolated city. The 17th Regiment of the Taiyue Military Region and a local armed force totaling more than 2,000 people were stationed in the west of the city. The special agent group was in the north of the city. Most of the Independent Brigade was in the south of the city. The first part of the 40th Army was in the east of the city. The two sides were temporarily in a stalemate. However,
Kong Jie's persistence at the beginning ushered in a chance to breathe.
The boss said: "The Independence Regiment's persistence is right, and Kong Jie has done a good job. Once the settlement is lost, the national army will advance from Lintun Highway, Baijin Railway, and Handan-Changchang Highway just like the Japanese army did.
Divide the Taihang base area!"
"The days were not easy before. The National Army chose the right time to send a report to the Independence Regiment. We must continue to hold on!"
The overall situation of the Eighth Route Army is improving, and it has even taken some big steps. On the one hand, it has refined its troops and streamlined its administration, and localized the main force. On the other hand, it has dispatched troops to Yanzhou, Zhongtiao Mountain and other places.
We are now at the juncture of reuniting the main force. After the summer harvest is over, several fully-off-the-job field armies will be formed one after another. However, at this time, the national army launches an attack on the base area.
While the two were still discussing, a cadre from the headquarters sent a telegram.
After talking to Tan Lin, Zhou Weihan relieved his burdens and concerns and asked someone to submit the combat plan to the military region overnight. The deputy chief of staff and others discussed it and attached a statement for a collective decision by the military region team, which was then forwarded to the Eighth Route Army headquarters.
"I'm afraid the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region have already taken action at this time. This means killing first and then reporting later. Now we have to agree even if we don't agree. This is not like Comrade Zuo Quan's style!"
The person who spoke was Director Luo of the Field Political Department of the Eighth Route Army. He had previously worked with the deputy chief of staff as the right-hand man of the boss. His words were a little reserved, but the meaning was expressed.
The boss nodded after hearing this, but he was quite defensive: "I'm afraid Zhou Weihan brought it up first, but it's normal. He should adapt immediately when he is on the front line, otherwise why does he have to take command?"
Chief of Staff Teng on the side took advantage of the situation and took over the words: "The military region has a high degree of autonomy in operations. The current situation is changing rapidly. The Hebei, Shandong and Henan Branch has the advantage granted by the superior department to make decisive decisions based on the current situation.
The response is also reasonable. Comrade Zuo Quan is well aware of the crisis here, otherwise he would not fully support it!"
"Secondly, from my point of view, although this combat plan seems to be a desperate move, it actually has its safety points. It can be said to be a wonderful move that turns passivity into initiative!"
"The defense line of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area based on the old path of the Yellow River is not enough to withstand the enemy's heavy troop groups. Moreover, once the enemy divides his troops in the base area, our army will inevitably be led by the enemy, and the losses in the base area will be immeasurable!
Chief of Staff Teng said finally.
"Yes, there is no need to change the content of the combat plan, and the headquarters does not need to interfere. If the headquarters needs to intervene in everything, then why set up a large military region agency? Just as the Military Commission delegates power to the headquarters, the headquarters must also delegate power to the subordinates.
The comrades on the front line know the situation better than we do, and all we can do is support!"
"Zhou Weihan said it very well in one of his sentences. The first prerequisite for this battle is to unify the mind. Presumably the comrades in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region are anxiously waiting for a call back from the headquarters. We must reduce their ideological burden, otherwise this battle will be a disaster.
It’s hard to fight!” said the boss.
The conversation was divided into two parts. When Zhou Weihan received the telegram, it was already close to noon. At this time, the headquarters was less than forty miles away from Dayangji. The troops were eating and resting here. The headquarters radio station was turned on to make contact before receiving the telegram.
"Okay, it seems that the superiors still support our combat plan, so everyone can rest assured!" Zhou Weihan said with a smile.
"Yes, but Comrade **, I still think it would be too dangerous for the headquarters to follow the attacking troops to Luoji, which is too close to Dayangji. Instead, it is better to locate the headquarters here. The safety of the headquarters is the first priority.
Take the position!" Chief of Staff Wang Bingzhang said.
"I agree with Chief of Staff Wang's opinion. The frontline troops can be commanded by me, and the headquarters can be located in the rear!" Brigadier Deng of the Fourth Teaching Brigade agreed.
Seeing this, Zhou Weihan said: "Oh, let me tell you, there are neither superiors nor outsiders here, so don't talk so formally between us!"
"Lao Wang, Lao Deng, you are both big brothers, and you have much richer revolutionary experience than me, but if you want to win the battle at hand, the timeliness of battlefield information is very important!"
"It is too slow to send a message via radio, and the distance to set up a telephone line is too long. Moreover, once the enemy cuts off contact, it is impossible to repair it in time. Only high-power walkie-talkies are the most convenient way to contact us. I have made the calculations before, and it is just right to set up a headquarters in Luoji.
It is within the radiation range of the high-power walkie-talkie, and we can contact the 14th, 15th, and 16th brigades!"
Zhou Weihan attached great importance to communication equipment. After knowing the advantages of walkie-talkies, he privately spent a lot of money to let Stilwell buy a batch of walkie-talkies.
Nowadays, in addition to the assault regiment and artillery regiment of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column, each regiment-level unit is equipped with a high-power walkie-talkie with a communication distance of 15 to 17 kilometers. The battalion and company levels of the number one main regiment of each brigade use low-power walkie-talkies.
Telephones and communication distances are 2 to 3 kilometers. The conditions of the other groups are different, but the communication equipment is definitely not as good as the first main group.
This is also where the equipment of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Column lies in its superiority. Once mobile warfare begins, radio stations and field telephones are obviously incomparable to walkie-talkies.
"Well, it makes sense. If we set up a transfer station, not to mention that there are not so many walkie-talkies, the second-hand information will inevitably be wrong, so just listen to the Communist Party members!" Brigadier Deng said.
"Hey, that's right, the cavalry regiment will stay with the headquarters first and temporarily take on the security work!" Zhou Weihan laughed, then looked at the time: "Old Wang, go to the radio power-on time immediately and summarize the information from each department!
"
Commanding a large corps in combat is a very complex and difficult task. It requires commanders to have high command and management capabilities, be alert at all times, have high psychological quality and endurance, and must also have the courage and courage to kill decisively.
Responsible responsibility.
Since the Eighth Route Army's previous combat methods were based on guerrilla warfare, there were very few commanders with experience in this area.
Only the 129th Division has deployed troops on a large scale in previous anti-recalcitrant battles and has some experience in this area. However, it is usually commanded by the division headquarters, and the people below, including Zhou Weihan, also act under orders.
On the contrary, the last time they pretended to attack Shimen, the 129th Division concentrated its main forces and annihilated most of the 110th Division through mobile warfare. Afterwards, Commander Liu made a special summary report, which gave the commanders some experience in corps operations.
When Zhou Weihan was in Yanzhou, he often consulted military writings in his free time, and then thought about it carefully. In a large-scale battle, if he can command his troops smoothly and not be caught by the enemy, he will have surpassed 90% of the generals.
There are too many elements involved in this. Just marching and the food, drink and eating of the personnel are a headache. As a senior commander, facing a myriad of affairs, how to make decisions and deploy them is beyond the reach of anyone.
!
In this battle, the Eighth Route Army had two advantages: geographical location and people. The personnel had unified thinking. In addition, fighting on the periphery of the base area, local governments could organize front teams to transport supplies.
This is also the reason why Zhou Weihan dared to let his troops carry only three days of rations. Compared with the national army, he really had a huge advantage.
On the other hand, although Li Xianzhou's troops had a large number of troops, the required food supplies were also a huge problem, and there were also problems with troop formation.
The first is the issue of the march route. The troops of the 28th Group Army are equipped with a large number of mules and horses and a small number of cars.
If the average marching distance is one meter per person, more than 50,000 people from Li Xianzhou's tribe would be lined up in two columns for a full 25 kilometers. Such a bloated marching distance means that the leading troops have arrived at their destination, but the follow-up troops have not yet left their bases.
Therefore, Li Xianzhou chose to take a three-step approach. The 142nd Division took the lead to test the attitude of the Eighth Route Army. The 92nd Army followed closely behind, and he personally led the 12th Army to suppress the formation. On the surface, there were no mistakes and it was considered a steady and steady attack.
However, in Zhou Weihan's view, Li Xianzhou committed a major military taboo and once changed his strategic intentions. He not only wanted to take over the territory of the Lusu Theater in Shandong, but the follow-up troops also changed their marching route and wanted to cause sabotage in the Hebei, Shandong and Henan base areas. Both sides wanted to
If you want to, in the end you can only draw water from a bamboo basket but come up with nothing.
This will lead to a series of consequences. First, the supply plan previously planned by the 28th Group Army will inevitably change. Tens of thousands of troops will have to eat horses and chew, and consume nearly 100,000 kilograms of rations every day.
Where will the unplanned rations be collected? Is there enough time? Even if the food reserves are sufficient, should young people be recruited to transport them or soldiers should be ordered to transport them.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to rest, the command headquarters contacted various ministries through the radio, and Wang Bingzhang summarized the information.
"Comrade, the situation is better than we expected. The temporary 30th Division staying behind in its defense area is indeed the temporary 30th Division, and the advancing 12th Army is escorted by its own soldiers to deliver a large amount of supplies, and no young men are recruited from the local area.
!" Wang Bingzhanghui reported.
Zhou Weihan clapped his hands excitedly: "Okay, as a result, the 12th Army has a smaller number of troops that can be mobilized at any time. There are no civilians among them, and it also gives us a lot less worries in the future!"
"anything else?"
"After Hou Jingru's 92nd Army learned of Li Xianzhou's departure, the national army moved north from Dayangji this morning and will surely arrive in Caoxian County this afternoon!"
"Okay, that's great!" Zhou Weihan was overjoyed: "They are really cooperative in working so steadily. Li Yunlong's place is the most critical. The 16th Brigade's marching route is close to the Longhai Railway, and there are many people in the guerrilla zone!"
"I told Li Yunlong that there is no need to rush the march. You can hide the troops first and let the car battalion cooperate with the 16th Army's operations. This is to use the mobility of the trucks to suddenly outflank the troops. The enemy must not be aware of it, and Li Xianzhou cannot be allowed to escape!
"
At noon that day, Li Xianzhou's troops were passing through the Longhai Railway one after another. This passage was opened by the 92nd Army in advance. The Japanese army did not block it much, but tacitly allowed the 92nd Army to leave some troops to support them.
"General headquarters, in about an hour, all the troops will pass!" He Cuizhi, commander of the 12th Army, said.
Li Xianzhou nodded when he heard this, and then pointed to the Japanese stronghold in the distance: "I have long heard that the Japanese army will shrink its troops and consolidate its communication lines. Today I saw that it is true. Most of the Japanese army's original strongholds were masonry structures, but now they are
It has become a permanent reinforced concrete fortification, but I don’t know how thick it is?”
"It seems that the Japanese army is very afraid of the Eighth Route Army, otherwise they will definitely not allow our troops to pass smoothly. It can be seen that the Eighth Route Army is more difficult to deal with than the Japanese army. After all, you and I must work together on this trip to live up to the trust of the commissioner!"
Faced with Li Xianzhou's overtures, He Cuizhi immediately responded: "The staff will be loyal to the party and the state and to the committee to the death!"
"Okay, I understand that the brothers are eager to return home, and arriving in southwestern Shandong can be considered a return home in glory, but we still need to be more vigilant. After all, this is not our territory!"
"What I mean is that this passage should continue to be retained, which can be regarded as a retreat. However, the 92nd Army has too few troops here. You should leave a regiment to replace it and open up a two-day march distance from the main force!"
