Yang Zhen raised his head and looked at Ma Chunsheng, who looked very calm after hearing what he agreed with. He nodded and continued: "Now that the Sancha River, an important town in the east of Fuyu, has been lost, the 28th Japanese Army on the right bank of the Second Songhua River has been lost." The main force of the division has been basically surrounded by our army. The senior officials of the Kwantung Army are not fools. They should see the immediate importance of Tao Laizhao's front line to them."
"Now the Sancha River has been captured by our army, the 28th Division has been surrounded by us, the 26th Regiment of the 7th Division closest to Fuyu is also unable to protect itself, and the Japanese army on the Taolaizhao front line has almost no troops to defend. It is precisely We have captured the best moment on this front line, but you must also be mentally prepared."
"The Kwantung Army, which also has an important understanding of the importance of the Taolaizhao Front Line, will not fail to see the current situation of the Taolaizhao Front Line being empty. In view of the importance of the Taolaizhao Front Line, they will definitely try their best to reinforce this place, and for the Kwantung Army , there is only one river on the line with Tao Laizhao, and there is a bridge on the river, so their reinforcements will be much faster than us."
"If we want to seize the Taolaizhao line, it now depends on which of us is faster. As long as we can seize the Taolaizhao line before the Japanese reinforcements arrive, and control the Songhua River Iron Bridge, then your plan will have a chance of success. I’m at least 50% sure.”
Although Yang Zhen gave certain affirmation to Ma Chunsheng's idea, Yang Zhen suddenly changed his tone and said: "However, you have to think clearly. To control Tao Laizhao's front line, at least one reinforcement of the regiment's strength is required, and the deployment of The strength of a strengthened regiment will obviously weaken the forces invested in the entire flank of the Buyeo battlefield, and the process of encircling and annihilating the 28th Division is likely to be delayed due to insufficient flank forces."
"And once Taolaizhao's front line is broken through by the Japanese army, and your main force is struggling with the 28th Division, your flanks are likely to be trapped in the frontal battlefield because the main force is unable to mobilize troops to return reinforcements in time, and will face the risk of being broken through by the Japanese army. Once your flank collapses, it is very likely that your entire battle situation will completely collapse."
"You must know that the troops holding Tao Laizhao are likely to face a three-sided attack by the Japanese army. The terrain there cannot place too many troops, and judging from the current battle situation, you cannot deploy too many troops on the front and flanks. The strength of a reinforced regiment is already the maximum."
"Whether a strengthened regiment can defend Taolaizhao under Japanese siege from three sides, or how long it can hold on, is unknown. We must know the importance of the Taolaizhao front line to the Japanese army. Once it is lost, it will definitely be We will do our best to regain it, but by then, the situation on Tao Laizhao's front line may not be as optimistic as you imagined."
Having said this, Yang Zhen looked at Ma Chunsheng, who had a somewhat uncertain expression after hearing what he said, and continued: "Old Ma, the battlefield does require a certain spirit of adventure, but this risk must be viewed from an overall perspective. It's worth it, if you think that taking advantage of the current situation where the Japanese army is relatively empty, taking the Taolaizhao line will be beneficial to your follow-up operations."
"Then as a front-line commander, you can make up your mind to do it, but the premise is that you have to consider it more comprehensively. At this time, sending a strengthened regiment to the south will affect your frontal battlefield and weaken your investment in the frontal battlefield. The fighting strength, especially the combat effectiveness and fighting will of the Japanese army, the process of encircling and annihilating the 28th Division may not be too fast."
"Furthermore, there is another important factor that you should also take into consideration. From your preliminary analysis, I feel that in your mind, the role of aviation is quite important, but have you ever considered it? In summer, although the climate in the Northeast is not as changeable as in the South, it is also in the rainy season and flood season."
"None of us is God, and no one can guarantee that it will be sunny today, or whether the weather will change tomorrow, from clear skies to pouring rain. Once it rains, although it will cause certain troubles for the Japanese army's operations, it also means Without the participation of the aviation force, a strengthened regiment would not be able to persist for too long in the face of the Japanese siege from three directions."
"In other words, if you want to solve the almost impossible situation of the 28th Division in a short period of time, you have to consider many things in more detail. Now as a senior commander, you have to consider It’s not just the location, the people, the comparison of the enemy’s and our own forces, but also the weather and other things. When fighting along the river, the hydrology is also something you, as a front-line commander, should consider.”
"Taking risks does not mean going all-in and ignoring everything. Of course, no one can say that if they are 100% sure of their plan on the battlefield, they will be 100% sure to succeed. But you have to remember that as a senior commander, Every decision you make affects the overall situation, and every decision you make is related to the success or failure of the entire battle."
"You are not a division commander now, let alone a regiment commander, but an acting commander on an important front, commanding three divisions. Therefore, your plan must be as detailed as possible and think more about possible encounters. difficulties, not just a good outcome."
Having said this, Yang Zhen looked at Ma Chunsheng and smiled and said: "How about it, have you made up your mind yet? If you haven't made up your mind yet, I can give you another ten minutes to carefully consider your plan. The feasibility of your plan, and the impact of executing your plan on all aspects of the entire front."
Regarding Yang Zhen's words, Ma Chunsheng still did not rush to answer. Instead, he stared at the map that marked the current progress of each division and was silent for a long time. Then he picked up the battles between several divisions during the day and night yesterday. After reading the battle report carefully, he raised his head and said: "No. 1, I insist on taking Tao Laizhao's front line."
After talking about his determination, Ma Chunsheng pointed to the map and said: "No. 1, you see that the Taolaizhao line is close to the Second Songhua River. It is now the flood season and the Songhua River is very wide. As long as the Songhua River Railway Bridge is controlled in our hands , it is not that easy for the Japanese troops in the direction of Dehui to cross this natural chasm."
"To the east of Tao Laizhao, as long as our Ninth Division is still in Yushu, the Japanese army in the direction of Yushu will not easily dare to invest too much force in the direction of Tao Laizhao. Although the Seventh Division is assigned a regiment, its actual strength is one Strengthen the regiment, but one of its regiments is now unable to protect itself. If there is no big surprise with Li Mingfeng, this regiment can be said to have been excluded from the current order of battle of the Seventh Division."
"Of course, if there is only one Ninth Division in Yushu, which currently only has two full regiments, I will naturally be quite worried, but there are still three divisions of our army at the junction of Yushu and Shulan in the east, and in Shulan. , if the Seventh Division marches westward, they will fall into a state of focusing on one thing and losing the other."
"No. 1, Yushu is the gateway to the north of Jilin. Once the main force of the Seventh Division is trapped in the Taolaizhao line, Commander Wang Xiaoming in Shulan can attack Jilin without any worries. Once Jilin is lost, it means that the The Seventh Division's entire retreat will be cut off."
"I hope that the Seventh Division will have the courage to march westward and compete with our army for the Tao Laizhao line. If that happens, even if we kill all the regiments we put in Tao Laizhao, as long as Commander Wang Xiaoming can capture Jilin, for It is a victory for our army, but it is a pity that Lieutenant General Guo Jiden may not have the determination to burn the boat."
"As for the 28th Division to the west, I don't have to worry anymore. If the 28th Division, which currently has only two regiments, can be mobilized under the siege of two and a half divisions of our army, If you come to compete with us for Tao Laizhao, then our division commanders on the Buyeo battlefield should probably go home and take care of their children."
"No. 1, seizing the Taolaizhao front line may indeed face Japanese siege from three directions, but in fact the only ones we really need to face are the Japanese troops in Dehui on the south bank of the Songhua River. As for the other two directions, there may be threats. But it’s definitely not too big.”
"As long as I seize Tao Laizhao's reinforced regiment and can hold Tao Laizhao's front line for three days, even if I cannot defeat the 28th Division, the main force of the Ninth Division on the Yushu battlefield will definitely be free to go south. As for the Ninth Division and beyond, I am still confident that the two currently dissatisfied two regiments can deal with the twenty-sixth regiment within three days."
"With the situation on the entire battlefield not yet completely clear, if the Japanese army wants to recapture Tao Laizhao, at least in a short period of time, the only forces it can use are the Japanese troops in Dehui and the Japanese troops in the direction of Nong'an. As for the troops in Yushu, I'm afraid they won't be able to count on the 7th Division in a short time."
"So on the 1st, I insist that we deploy part of the 7th Division that has already entered Sanchahe, and use the situation that the connection between the 28th Division and the 7th Division has been separated by our army, as quickly as possible We will use our speed to seize the Taolaizhao front line, attract the attention of the Japanese second-line corps in Nong'an and Dehui, and use our current advantage in ground and air firepower to consume their reserves."
"If we encounter a continuous rainy day, although the aviation force cannot take off for combat, there is nothing to worry about. If we encounter heavy rain or continuous rainy days, our actions will be subject to certain restrictions, but the actions of the Japanese army will also be subject to certain restrictions, especially their We also have to face the situation of having to forcibly cross the Songhua River. The Songhua River is not one of those small ditches. During the flood season, the amount of water is still enough for the Japanese army to drink a bottle."
"No. 1, regarding the situation after seizing Tao Laizhao, I still have a relatively optimistic judgment, and I have reasons to be more optimistic. Moreover, although we can only place one reinforced group where we are, as long as this strengthened group can hold on until we defeat the two The Eighteenth Division is enough."
"At that time, I will have the strength of four divisions. Even if the Japanese army comes with a few more divisions, there will be nothing to worry about, because the initiative on the entire battlefield north of Xinjing will be in our hands, and the entire battle situation will be in our hands. It also makes everything completely clear. The possibility that the Kwantung Army wants to change this situation cannot be said to be impossible, but it is also very slim."