Although the wave of deserters encountered when the advancing army headed north was just a tidbit, it can also prove from another aspect that the Guan Nei army was far from being as good as Yang Zhen imagined when recruiting troops, and the foundation of the army was not as solid as he imagined. , no matter how you do ideological work, the ideas passed down by the Chinese people for thousands of years are not so easy to change in a short period of time.
Especially when the Kanai troops crossed the Yellow River eastward to establish the North China base, the propaganda slogan was to defend the land and never leave home. This is what you preached yourself. It is also your fault that after the troops learned that they were going to advance into the Northeast, their military morale was shaken, and the political Mobilization is good, but it is not as good as having a wife, children, and a hot bed at home.
In the opinion of the two veterans, once the troops suffer too many consecutive losses, it will be difficult to obtain replacements in a short period of time. Even in the old base areas, it is not easy to mobilize troops to the Northeast. During the civil war, prisoners can be used Replenish the troops, but now you can't capture the Japanese prisoners who can change into military uniforms and join the troops. Even if he is personally willing to serve in the anti-fascist war, even you yourself cannot safely let such troops go to the battlefield.
Especially once the Japanese army counterattacks Jehol with a heavy force group and cuts off the land connection between the advancing army and the Northeast, the situation will be even more serious for the troops whose strength has been greatly weakened by continuous operations but is difficult to be supplemented. It is dangerous. When the time comes, the troops who are in need of ammunition and have no ammunition and food but no food may even be completely destroyed under the siege of the Japanese and puppet troops.
The tragedy of the Western Route Army at that time left a deep impression on the two veterans, especially the commanders of the Western Aid Army. The long-distance expeditions of the alone army without supplies mostly ended in tragedy. Although the current resistance is The Lianhe Army was not the Western Route Army that was short of men, horses, food and ammunition.
But it is not that the Japanese army was also poorly equipped, only a little better than the Western Route Army, and had no tactical literacy. When talking to Yang Zhen, the two old commanders reminded Yang of the lessons learned from the Western Route Army. This lesson is particularly important to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Western Route Army. Especially when it is difficult to replenish troops, this lesson is particularly important. People are not guns and ammunition. They can be remade after they are fired. Without people, there is nothing.
Compared with the advancing army and the Anti-Japanese Alliance, which had difficulties in replenishing the troops, the Japanese army's follow-up combat capabilities were much stronger. Even though the Kwantung Army and the Japanese army in North China were severely damaged and were unable to counterattack after this battle, the Japanese army was in central China, southern China, at home and in North Korea. There are also a large number of troops.
Moreover, according to intelligence, the Japanese army is forming a large number of new divisions in the country, and the Japanese army controls modern transportation lines such as shipping and railways. It can be replenished and mobilized very quickly. Once the Chinese battlefield needs it, these new divisions can pass through By sea, quickly reach the Chinese battlefield.
The two veterans are both military masters. Their understanding and judgment of the war potential of either side of the war are at least an above-average level. It is precisely because they can see Yang Zhen's plan that if it fails, it will bring destruction to the future development of the army. Because of the influence of sex, it is normal not to support Yang Zhen’s seemingly risky plan.
When the time comes, he will lose his troops and his troops, exhausted from long battles, will not be able to guarantee whether they can withstand the counterattack of the new Japanese troops. Therefore, Yang Zhen can understand the cautious attitude of the two veterans. Yang Zhen is also aware of the old coach's concerns, but understanding does not mean that he will fully accept them.
He believes that although his idea is extremely risky, it is still quite feasible as long as the plan is careful. Moreover, choosing Suiyuan as the main target will actually lead to smaller risks than choosing Chanan. Compared with Chanan, , Suiyuan is actually less important in the overall strategic position of the Japanese army.
Most of the areas in Suiyuan have flat terrain, barren land and poor people. The products are almost nothing except cattle, horses and sheep. As China's most important coal, steel and rare metal production base, that will be decades later, and The rare earth mines in Baotou are far from being utilized at this time. Compared with important mineral resources required for military production such as nickel and chromium, the current utilization rate of rare earths is still relatively low.
After all, at this time, there was no aerospace industry, aviation industry and electronics industry, and they were far less developed than later generations. The demand for rare earths was far less than that of later generations. In terms of resources and materials, Suiyuan had nothing to offer the Japanese army. something to take advantage of.
They seize most of Suiyuan, in addition to posing a threat to Shaanxi and the entire northwest from the north. When necessary, they can form a pincer offensive with the Japanese army in Shanxi to attack Shaanxi, attack Shaanxi from north to south, and gain access to Ningxia via Suixi. In addition to the Gansu offensive channel, the most important point is to increase the depth of the entire strategic defense of the North China Front and ensure the security of northwest Shanxi.
In addition to certain strategic factors, Suiyuan is probably far less important in the overall Japanese strategy in North China than it is connected with the mountains and rivers of northern Shanxi. In fact, the entire strategic location is extremely important, and it is rich in coal, especially the so-called coal capital of China. Chanan area of the northern barrier of Datong.
This can be seen from the fact that the main force of the Japanese garrison in Mongolia is located along the line from Zhangjiakou to the Great Wall. In the entire vast area of Suiyuan, there is only a small cavalry group. Compared with Suiyuan, which cannot be self-sufficient in food, The Chanan area, connected by mountains and rivers within the pass, was much more important in the entire strategic territory of the Japanese army.
In addition to these, there is another very subtle reason that is not necessarily impossible. According to Chongqing's division, the entire Suiyuan is the territory of the Eighth War Zone. After the Wannan Incident, with the Japanese army's intelligence collection capabilities, they could not You will realize that the current domestic political atmosphere is far less than it was at the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, and the rift between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party is already quite deep. It is just because they have the common enemy of the Japanese army that they have not openly broken their faces.
Choosing Suiyuan as the main target, perhaps the Japanese army, which is expecting the Chinese to fight on their own, will be happy to see the results of the conflict between the two sides for territorial disputes, or even deliberately create conflicts between the two armies, and may give up on those who are not interested in it. The most important Suiyuan.
Especially now that the Japanese army's offensive throughout China has actually reached its end and is no longer capable of attacking the northwest inland China, and under the rather strange domestic political situation, there are always people who are looking forward to being a snipe and a clam. In the struggle, the fisherman who wins.
If a conflict between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party really breaks out in Suiyuan at this time, it will undoubtedly be a disguised assistance to the Japanese army's move to destroy the current anti-Japanese national united front. According to the consistent nature of the Japanese army, in order to provoke a civil war among the Chinese, it will give up its control of the Chinese people. For them, Suiyuan, which is not too important, is not impossible.
Although this possibility is not too great, it is not impossible at all. Therefore, Yang Zhen believes that some things should be considered from many aspects. When deciding a battle, not only the foreseeable enemies on the battlefield must be considered, but also the The Japanese would be very happy to do things other than the battlefield, especially the movement of trouble eastward and instigating discord among the Chinese to engage in internal strife.
Therefore, in Yang Zhen's view, the battle plan of choosing the Chabei area, which is suitable for large-scale mechanized operations, as the main breakthrough point, deploying a force to the south along the Yinshan Mountains to defend, and targeting Suiyuan as the main target, is actually not only easy In addition to causing conflicts between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.
The military risk of choosing Suiyuan is no greater than choosing the Chanan area where the Japanese army is heavily concentrated and is more closely connected with the pass. And in Yang Zhen's view, if you don't dare to take any risks, then why not? What do we want these people to do? What is war? War is a risk.
In fact, Yang Zhen is very clear about executing his own combat plan, including the plan of the two veterans. The most likely problem is not the west, but the Rehe area here. If the troops are advancing westward, If Rehe, especially the crucial Rexi area, is lost, it will really be difficult to take care of it from beginning to end. However, the place where problems are most likely to occur may not necessarily cause problems. As long as you are prepared in advance, the danger is completely can be avoided.
Although he was a little tired, Yang Zhen knew that the root of solving this matter still lies with the central government. No matter whether he and the two commanders have the same opinions, as long as the central government agrees, with the two commanders' personalities, even if they disagree, they will still do it. Unswervingly implement the requirements of the central government.
After thinking about it, Yang Zhen took out a pen and paper, and personally drafted a telegram to the central government. In this telegram, Yang Zhen described the best and worst possible results of his ideas, as well as what they would bring. A complete report was made to the central government on the subsequent impact, including the impact on the surrounding environment of all anti-Japanese base areas in North China.
The next battle plan, whether it is as expected or not, will involve almost all the anti-Japanese base areas in North China and dealing with internal troops. In particular, his plan will require the full cooperation of the Jinsui Military Region. Without the central government, The Anti-League's approval and coordination cannot be achieved by relying solely on the Anti-League's own abilities.
And if you want to obtain the approval of the central government, you must first need the support of the two veterans. As long as they support their plan, the chance of obtaining the central government's approval will be much greater. Otherwise, if the central government fails, the major military regions will risk their lives. I am afraid that the risk of losing money will be difficult to sustain, so it will be difficult to make this determination.
At the same time, as long as there is the support of the two veterans, the next step of the battle will be carried out better, especially the political commissar. Although he has been transferred to the political commissar of the advancing army, he now holds the position of commander and political commissar of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region. He was not exempted, and the entire Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region was still under his command.
The commander is currently in the same situation. His position as commander of the 129th Division has not been in contact with the Taihang Military Region. The entire Taihang and Taiyue Military Region troops are still his subordinates. As long as the two veterans support him, he can The entire second phase of the operation is better integrated into a game of chess, and with the commander as a bridge, communication with the Jinsui Military Region will be more convenient.
Therefore, Yang Zhen came to Rehe this time to communicate his thoughts about the next battle with the two veterans in advance in order to win their agreement to jointly do the work of the central government. He originally thought that as long as he could get the support of the two veterans , it will be easier to do the central work in the next step.
What he didn't expect was that he would be so disappointed with the result of this visit. His plan was not approved by the two veterans. This result somewhat disappointed Yang Zhen, but Yang Zhen He has a stubborn character from the very beginning, but it is destined that he is not a person who gives in easily.
This telegram is his second suggestion on the next step of the war. However, he also knows that the central government must consider this kind of matter from an overall perspective. He will not reply too quickly, but when will the central government reply? It belongs to the central government. Whether you can stick to your own ideas or not is your own business.