Yang Jicai's last decisive words made Gou Zaihe abandon his hesitation and gritted his teeth and said: "Chief of Staff, I will carry out your order. I am a veteran. In fact, I still understand the truth without you explaining it in detail. Since as a general I understand that a soldier must have the ideals and spirit to sacrifice everything."
"Actually, my hesitation just now was because I was worried that you only have as many troops as we do now, but we are responsible for protecting the flanks of the entire Linxi battlefield. If we kill them all but fail to complete the task, Su Yingqi's troops will still be unable to complete the task. If you fail to rush back, you will have no more troops at your disposal."
"Now that the main force is coming here on a long journey, I have nothing to worry about. Although our regiment is a new regiment, its belief in daring to sacrifice is no worse than those of the old troops. What the old troops can do, our regiment can We can do the same thing, and we can only do it better.”
"Please rest assured that I will definitely follow your request and complete the mission at all costs. Even if our entire regiment is wiped out, we will still hold back this enemy force in Balaqi before the main force arrives. Rude will never let them escape and create opportunities for the main force to completely annihilate the 7th Division."
In response to Gou Zaihe's statement, Yang Jicai didn't say much. After a rough calculation in his mind, he said: "Before you implement the milling tactics, you must calm down and figure out the key directions of the enemy's troop and firepower deployment. , in action.”
"We have to grind and grind in their key directions. Now that the entire Japanese army is deployed in an attack posture, we still need to conduct a tactical test to see if its troop configuration is really heavy in the front and light in the rear. Now that we have made up our minds. , just don’t be in a hurry.”
"In this way, you concentrate the artillery fire at hand to cover all your forces and divide them into three groups: left, center and right. Before launching according to the plan, conduct a feint attack on all front-line positions of the Japanese army. After figuring out the key positions of the enemy's deployment, use the infantry Tanji will report the report to me as soon as possible."
"Remember, I just want you to figure out the detailed deployment of the enemy's troops, not to counterattack across the board, especially the key points of troop deployment. As long as you figure out the enemy's deployment, you can retreat immediately. Don't have any hesitation or delay. You have to Grasp the rhythm of the feint."
"We must reiterate to commanders at all levels that this is a feint attack. They are just to find out the enemy's troop configuration and firepower deployment. No matter who the troops are, including you, they must not turn the feint attack into a strong attack. They must attack quickly and finish quickly. , without my order, you are absolutely not allowed to fight."
"But you must also be prepared in your heart. My plan can change at any time according to changes in the enemy's situation. I am not a static person. I will only rigidly implement the original combat plan. No matter what my plan is, Everything will change according to changes in the enemy's situation."
"The enemy is changing, and we must change accordingly. If you receive my order to change the feint attack into a strong attack, then you must complete the mission I assigned you at all costs. Remember, it is at all costs, so you We must also be prepared to fight to the bitter end, as your feint attack may turn into a real strong attack at any time."
"This is also the main reason why I asked you to concentrate all your forces and devote them all to this feint attack. You and your troops must be prepared for emergencies. All walkie-talkies must ensure smooth communication. After receiving my order to change the plan, we must act decisively. The fighter opportunity is fleeting. If we cannot grasp it, the price we pay in the next battle will be even more expensive."
After carefully explaining his new requirements, Yang Jicai suddenly asked Gou Zaihe: "Do your troops wear gas masks? I mean all officers and soldiers, do all the gas masks carry, not just individual soldiers?" If there are others who are not fully equipped, or if someone does not carry any, you should report to me immediately how much is missing, and I will find a solution for you right away."
Although he also knew that the troops were fully equipped with gas masks, Yang Jicai was still somewhat uneasy and asked again. These gas shells are a double-edged sword. When used on the battlefield, they are indeed very lethal to the unprotected party, but when they lack protection, With effective protection, the lethality to your own troops is not small.
When poison gas bombs are fired, the wind direction requirements are very strict. Once these poison gas bombs are fired, if the wind direction suddenly changes, then it is not necessarily who will suffer. Who can say the weather accurately? God is not a human being. What can be controlled is that it is already early autumn, and according to the climate in the Northeast, there is no heavy rain.
Not to mention heavy rains and very little light rain for several days in a row, because it will start to snow in the whole of Northern Manchuria in a while, but the one that covered the entire central battlefield a few days ago has been raining for three days in a row. The heavy rain caused a considerable amount of non-combat attrition to the anti-alliance forces. According to a report from the headquarters, there was once a company that was unable to participate in the battle due to severe colds and had to withdraw to the rear to rest.
With such a lesson learned, Yang Jicai was not careless in the slightest. Even though Yang Jicai had lived in the Northeast for more than 20 years, he had never experienced this year's weather. This year's somewhat abnormal weather made him feel uncomfortable both inside and out. It seems weird and really has no confidence.
Therefore, when using a double-edged sword like poison gas bombs, he must be fully prepared. Otherwise, if the Japanese army does not suffer any losses, but his own people are smoked by the poison gas bombs he cast, then it is really like being in the gutter. The boat capsizes and it’s your own fault.
Although the Anti-League gas masks are provided to everyone, the distribution does not mean that they are carried. Gas masks are not comfortable to wear. If the enemy does not carry out chemical warfare, this thing is basically useless, and this thing is usually Carrying it on your back when marching and fighting is not a heavy burden, but it is not too light either.
When many troops need to pack lightly, compared with dry food bags, water bottles, and ammunition, unless otherwise specially instructed, these items are generally the first choice to be thrown away. In case a regiment of troops throws away gas masks in order to pack lightly before setting off. Discard the station as a burden without carrying it.
The poisonous gas shells that Qiu Jintang left for him can only be used as decorations. This kind of thing is not without precedent. The current situation is too special. It is better for him to be safer. The Japanese army in front of Bala Qirude is still You can afford losses, but you can't afford unnecessary losses anyway.
Unless you are willing to risk poisoning your own people by firing poison gas shells at the enemy, these poison gas shells can only be temporarily abandoned in this battle. However, under the situation of insufficient troops, abandoning these powerful shells Things will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on the battle.
During the previous battles, Yang Jicai was more concerned with the allocation of troops and firepower. Qiu Jintang allocated it to his own artillery units and did not consider whether the troops should carry gas masks. The Japanese army now rarely carries out chemical warfare against the coalition, so He also didn't pay too much attention to this aspect.
But now that he has insufficient troops and Qiu Jintang has left himself a large number of captured Japanese poison gas bombs, he has to consider this issue. Whether the troops carry enough gas masks will directly affect his entire overall plan. Can it be achieved?
Launching a counterattack with a battalion and a half of troops, he might be in danger of being made dumplings by the Japanese army before Su Yingqi arrived, especially if it was a battalion and a half, but together with various non-combatants, even those with minor injuries could not leave the line of fire. The total number of people was less than 1,000. With such a small force, to fight nearly 2,000 Japanese troops in front of them and even launch an attack on their own initiative, the risks involved are self-evident.
Therefore, the poison gas shells left by Qiu Jintang are undoubtedly one of his trump cards. Without these shells, Yang Jicai is not even sure whether he can entangle the Japanese army in front of him before Su Yingqi or the currently unknown main force arrives, so He must investigate and understand the situation of the troops carrying gas masks.
In response to Yang Jicai's question, Gou Zaihe didn't know what he wanted to do, but he still said cheerfully: "Report to the Chief of Staff that the gas masks and chemical defense equipment urgently issued by the military region before our departure are all in place. Our army strictly follows the army regulations and orders, and gas masks must be carried with them during combat."
"In view of the fact that the Japanese army often uses poison gas bombs and various chemical warfare equipment, I have always asked our cadres and soldiers to throw away their dry food and water bottles when they are lightly equipped, but they are not allowed to throw away their gas masks. All cadres and soldiers are issued gas masks. We all carry masks with us now, and no one violates the order."
In response to Gou Zaihe's answer, Yang Jicai nodded slightly, indicating that he could go ahead and carry it out. Although he had not had much contact, Yang Jicai already had a good understanding of the leader in front of him. Although he was old-fashioned and lacked flexibility, he There is one thing that is absolutely no problem, and that is the execution of the rules and regulations with absolute meticulousness and without any compromise.
If the previous order was issued by Wang Deyao, this guy would never make any modifications or changes, because it was an order he considered a superior. I am afraid that he, the chief of staff, is not a superior in his mind. In Yi Jian's eyes, After Ping personally spoke to him and announced his appointment, his attitude towards him changed.
Thinking of this, Yang Jicai was somewhat dumbfounded. It's not that this guy is snobbish and only obeys the orders of the military chief. It's just that in this guy's heart, he insists that the military chief has the final decision-making power. As for himself, the chief of staff, He only has the right to make suggestions but not to make decisions. As a subordinate, he should carry out the orders of the military commander.
Although the Anti-Japanese Federation has set great limits on the chief of staff's authority and is very particular about the role of the chief of staff. According to the authority, the chief of staff's powers and responsibilities are still above those of ordinary deputy positions. However, the entire army, and even the entire country, has no regard for the chief of staff. He is just the chief of staff, and the traditional mentality of despising the chief of staff cannot be changed in a short time.
In addition, in the previous domestic army, no matter what faction or nature it was, officers such as the chief of staff were always dependent on the military chief. Although the level was not low, most of the time, their duties and powers were dispensable. , many military chiefs simply act as if the chief of staff does not exist when directing operations.
Although the Anti-League Regulations and Orders have strict regulations, this guy's mentality still represents the psychology of a considerable number of people in the army. The chief of staff is the chief of staff, and the mentality of the big housekeeper cannot be changed in a short time. , but with Gou Zaihe’s reply, Yang Jicai’s hanging heart was relieved.
Maybe this guy still has a certain lack of understanding of the chief of staff's powers, but for his rigid and inflexible character, he said that if all the gas masks in the army are carried, then there won't be any problems. Yang Jicai is certain of this.