For Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi, he now does not want to imagine what kind of severe punishment he will face at the base camp after the war after this order is issued. Will General Okamura regard his behavior as basically what he has done this time? There is no hope of saving the war situation, and he is used as a scapegoat for failure.
For him, the most important thing is not to leave these two divisions in northern Shanxi and let himself truly carry out the empty city strategy. What is more important is that he knows that the Shanxi battlefield is indeed important, but with the gathering of Jinpu and Ping Dynasty, Compared with Shandong on the Han Line, Hebei's strategic position is still slightly inferior.
Now the troops are also being used to the extreme. In addition to the Twelfth Army protecting the Jinpu Railway and two divisions, and a division stationed in the East Henan area across the river from the Chongqing government's First World War Zone, the entire North China Front Army has only a few Apart from the garrison brigade, there is no division that can be mobilized.
These two divisions are left in northern Shanxi. At least in the short term, the North China Front Army will have no place to mobilize reinforcements for itself. Likewise, the dispatched army and the base camp will not be able to mobilize reinforcements for themselves in a short period of time. Even if there are any, I am afraid it will not be possible. Priority will be given to ensuring the safety of Pingjin and Hebei. As for the Shanxi battlefield, they will not consider it in the short term.
At the risk of being severely punished by the base camp, Yoshimoto Seiichi gave the two divisions in front an order to retreat. As for the Zuoma detachment currently in northwest Shanxi, Yoshimoto Seiichi gave his detachment leader Major General Zuoma Hisato a no-nonsense order. At all costs, delay as much as possible and consume the orders of the enemy in front of you.
As for why the Zuojian detachment, which was given the smallest number of troops and was left alone on the battlefield in northwest Shanxi, issued orders that were completely opposite to those of the two divisions on the front, the reason was very simple. The ones who besieged them were the Communist troops in the pass, and they were also members of the First Army. A serious threat to the stability of Shanxi is far greater than that of the Chongqing Army in Shanxi.
These communist troops are like maggots on the tarsal bones. Once they cut off a stubble, it will immediately grow a new stubble. They did not fight the Japanese army head-on, but it made it difficult for the entire First Army to stabilize. Although the strength of the left detachment was not large, But its combat effectiveness is higher than that of the Communist Army in the Pass.
Moreover, in its current area, there are a large number of ammunition depots and grain storage warehouses that were secretly built during last year's raids. Within a short period of time, there will not be any shortage of food and ammunition. With the left center detachment's several thousand troops, it can use the northwestern Shanxi The main force of the Communist Army is currently concentrated in the surrounding areas, consuming the strength of the Communist Army in North Shanxi to the maximum extent.
Although it is impossible to mobilize reinforcements, the solid fortifications currently relied on, as well as sufficient food and ammunition, are enough to eliminate a large number of communist troops during the battle. This can help find opportunities to completely annihilate the communists in northwestern Shanxi after the battle. army, cut off part of the triangular situation in which the Communist armies cooperate and coordinate with each other in Shanxi, and create the most advantageous fighter opportunities.
Even if the Anti-Japanese Alliance occupied the entire northern Shanxi, without the cooperation of the Communist armies on both sides of Shanxi Tongpu Road, they would be unable to hold on alone. They first defeated the Communist Army in northwestern Shanxi and cut off one wing, and then cooperated with the Nanjing government troops who were mopping up northeastern Shanxi. Before the Anti-Japanese Alliance gains a foothold in northern Shanxi, cut off its support south of the Great Wall, so that even if it goes south, it can only fight alone.
The Zuojian detachment is located in northwest Shanxi. Although it is at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, its military quality and ammunition reserves are superior to the communist army in front of them. Taking this opportunity, even if the entire army is destroyed, it is enough to defeat the communist army in northwest Shanxi. The most important thing about the vitality of the Zuojian detachment is that once the Zuojian detachment is in northwest Shanxi, the enemy will not dare to take it lightly.
Northwestern Shanxi is only across a river from their so-called red capital, the capital of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. Even if the Anti-Japanese Alliance has a plan to divide its troops and go south, as long as the left detachment is there for one day, they will not be able to go south with all their strength. They are deploying , there is also a certain amount of leeway.
Since in General Okamura's entire plan, this Zuoma detachment is destined to be a bait to be sacrificed, then he should not change General Okamura's plan. For the sake of the future stability of the control area, let them follow the plan. The original plan was to sacrifice one's life for His Majesty the Emperor.
Although the goal of attracting was contrary to General Okamura's previous idea, after all, it was to attract the main force of the Communist Army in North Shanxi, which was a headache for the First Army, and completely eliminate them. Even if a large number of troops were concentrated, it would be difficult to capture them. The main tarsal maggot created a rare fighter opportunity, which can be regarded as an unexpected surprise.
The most important thing is that Yoshimoto Teiichi believes that although the Zuoma detachment has fewer troops than the Northwestern Shanxi Communist Army facing them, it will not necessarily lose in this battle, nor will the entire army be destroyed. With the Zuoma detachment With its strength and military strength, it can even bite the surrounding enemy forces back.
During the Battle of Xinkou, the Imperial Army used an infantry brigade to defeat 11 regiments of the Chinese government army in one day at Xinkou. Now, the quality of the Imperial Army has not declined significantly, although the strength of the enemy has increased to a certain extent. , but this increase may not necessarily be effective in a short period of time.
Today, the imperial army will not have any disadvantage against any army in China, except of course the damn resistance alliance in the north. It uses the improved tactics of the imperial army to deal with the imperial army, whether it is the Northeast Kwantung Army or the current However, the North China Front had no tactical way to deal with it.
Yoshimoto Teiichi, who was once called the best chief of staff of the Kwantung Army by General Umezu Yoshijiro, would bring together the chiefs of staff of each division participating in the war after each battle with the Anti-Japanese War, and conduct a combat review. As a result, every review All the chiefs of staff of the divisions unanimously said that they were extremely familiar with their evaluation of the Anti-Japanese Alliance's tactics on the battlefield.
After several summaries by Yoshimoto Sadai, the former Kwantung Army chief of staff was stunned to discover that the infantry tactics of the Anti-Japanese Alliance were basically greatly improved on the Japanese infantry attack tactics, and adapted to their own shortcomings and their own weaknesses. Conditions, improved and strengthened certain support weapons and equipment, making the firepower configuration more reasonable compared to the Japanese army.
Compared with the Japanese infantry tactics, its improved squad tactics are more flexible, the firepower allocation is more reasonable, and it can effectively restrain the Japanese infantry tactics. However, no matter how it is improved, the basic Japanese infantry attack tactics are still used. As a basis, the Kwantung Army was repeatedly helpless in the face of the counter-alliance's tactics, which were improved on its own infantry tactics.
Coupled with the opponent's extremely fierce combat effectiveness and strong fighting will, it is difficult for the Japanese army to take advantage of the force situation at all levels below the regiment, or even suffer a loss, in a force situation that is consistent with the opponent and itself. Fortunately, there are often cases where a squadron is defeated by a company of the enemy.
The more serious consequence of having your own infantry tactics mastered by your opponent and figuring out how to deal with them is that during an attack, it is often difficult for an infantry squadron to capture a position held by an enemy platoon or even an infantry squad. They reluctantly captured it, but suffered extremely heavy losses.
It is often the best outcome to capture an enemy platoon's entrenched position and lose the combat effectiveness of an infantry squadron. This result was almost impossible to imagine in previous battles with various factions of the China Army. It won't even appear at all.
Faced with such an opponent who not only applies what he has learned, but is even better than his predecessor and a good student, Yoshimoto Teiichi does not know whether the Imperial Army should cry or laugh, or whether he should laugh or cry. His opponent has copied his tactics and improved them. On the battlefield, they often suffered complete defeats.
However, although he could not defeat the Anti-Japanese Alliance, Yoshimoto Teiichi believed that he still had an absolute advantage over the North China Communist Army. Although he ordered Major General Zuma Hisashi to fight to the end, he was not very worried about the fate of the Zuma detachment. , although the empire has no way to deal with those damn rebels in northern Shanxi.
But he was very confident that with the strength of the Zuojian detachment, even if it could not defeat the main force of the Jinsui Military Region, there would be no problem with its own safety. The Imperial Army still had considerable advantages when facing these communist forces in the pass. Although the Communist forces in the pass are tenacious, their equipment and firepower are too poor, and there is also a certain gap in their tactics.
Although Yoshimoto Teiichi did not think that the so-called main force of the Shanxi-Sui Military Region of the Communist Army that went out to attack Baotou on the Great Wall would abandon its control area in Suixi and return in such a short period of time, regardless of the current delicate political situation in China, it was also Okamura's fault. The general, including himself, made a serious failure in judging the development of the entire war in this battle.
But he still didn't think that the return of these communist troops would have much impact on his entire war situation. Of course, as long as they didn't use any kind of dispersed guerrilla tactics, the Imperial Army would never catch them in a decisive battle. In a face-to-face confrontation, the Imperial Army will never suffer.
In fact, Yoshimoto Teiichi did not judge what his opponent was thinking. He paid such a high price and concentrated his main force to go out to the Great Wall to seize Baotou. In the end, he gave the fruit he had already obtained and put it into other people's mouths. Could it be that they just They really don't worry about the back cover and take advantage of their lack of troops in Suixi to advance eastward to regain the lost ground.
Yoshimoto Teiichi did not expect that the Jining-Baotou section of the Ping-Sui Railway, which should have been severely damaged, would be restored to traffic so quickly, allowing the enemy to quickly return to northwest Shanxi through the railway. He was really a little worried. I don’t understand why the Mongolian troops stationed in Baotou and on the Guisui front line did not blow up any railway lines when they were surrounded by enemies on all sides.
No damage was done to the stations, dispatch stations, water towers, coal stations, rails or sleepers, and no aviation troops were sent to bomb the lost railway line afterwards, leaving it completely in the hands of the enemy. , was effectively reused by the enemy in the shortest possible time.
Such a handover of a railway line, together with a large number of wagons and locomotives hoarded in Baotou and Guisui, were all handed over to the enemy intact. Do they still want to fight back at any time? Are they too naive, or are they sending the enemy to the enemy? Jun didn't take it seriously, or he was still in his invincible sleep and still hadn't woken up.
The Kwantung Army has been dealing with this new resistance alliance for so many years in the Northeast. Unless they voluntarily give up the abandoned cities and railway lines, the Kwantung Army will all be regular field divisions, and there will be no chaotic security divisions. With the strength of the regiment and the independent garrison combined brigade, why couldn't they recapture even one of them?
It was the rapid return of this armed force after capturing Baotou that allowed the anti-alliance forces in northern Shanxi to free up their hands and concentrate on dealing with their own forces in northern Shanxi when the Zuojian detachment threatened their red capital. If the two divisions could accurately judge this point at the beginning, I am afraid that the battle situation would not have deteriorated to such an extent.
Although the transfer back of the main force of the Communist Army in North Shanxi, which had always caused headaches for several commanders of the First Army and caused the failure of many attacks on northern Shaanxi, was an unexpected blessing, this unexpected blessing was, for Yoshimoto Teiichi , cannot dilute any of his concerns about the speed of erosion of the war situation in northern Shanxi.