Chapter 19 Prepare for Hundreds of Thousands of Casualties
Yang Zhen hesitated for a moment and then said: "At the same time, considering the domestic political situation, if the Japanese invaders mobilized all their forces to go north to fight with us, it is difficult for me to imagine that Chongqing would take the initiative to launch a full-line counterattack to contain and disperse the Japanese forces in central China.
, especially the Eleventh Army, the largest field group of Japanese troops in the pass."
"And even if we succeed in their work, they will launch a counterattack to cooperate with our operations. Considering that Chongqing currently lacks heavy equipment, except for a few elite troops, most of the troops also lack guns and ammunition. As long as the Japanese army sticks to it
There are several strategic points, but they may have limited effect."
"After several years of war of resistance, they have also been exhausted. Coupled with the hard-fighting tactics, the heavy equipment has been worn out. Most of the troops have lost their ability to attack difficult areas. Relying on terrain defense operations can still
We still have the ability to carry out tactical counterattacks. But I am really not optimistic about a large-scale all-front counterattack."
"In the Northeast battlefield, the Anti-Japanese War still needs to leave at least 50% of its troops to defend the Northeast base areas and defend against the Kwantung Army, which has basically recovered its strength. Then the troops we can invest in North China will only be three-thirds of the total strength at most.
One. We can invest more in technical equipment, but the issue of logistical supplies is also a key issue."
"Even if these forces are combined with the strength of Shandong, Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei and Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu regions, I am afraid it will be difficult to fight the entire main force of the Japanese invaders. The survival of the North China Front Army is threatened, and the Japanese base camp and the headquarters of the Japanese invaders will never sit idly by.
Regardless, one Japanese North China Front is not a big deal, but we must pay attention to the subsequent troop input of the Japanese army."
"What's more, even the various base areas within the pass cannot devote all their troops to the war. The Shanxi-Suiyuan Military Region, which serves as the barrier to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, cannot dispatch even one soldier. The rest of the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu and Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei areas are still
Troops must be left to guard inside each base area, which means that each base area can only deploy half of its troops."
"In this way, according to the comparison of the strength of the two sides, we are still at a big disadvantage. Moreover, if we launch such a large-scale campaign, the Japanese army will inevitably recruit new troops. It is even possible that the Japanese army will withdraw troops from Southeast Asia and the Pacific battlefield.
The Japanese army has sustainable combat capabilities, but our army cannot yet withstand too much attrition."
"Especially the various base areas within the pass are currently unable to bear the huge consumption caused by such a war. Food, ammunition, clothing, placement and rescue of the sick and wounded are all unbearable. After a war, several people in North China
It sounds good if the base area is destroyed."
"Boss, it is not that the Jizhong Plain cannot be recovered. However, the Japanese Army in the Kwantung Pass and the Kwantung Army have always complemented each other and served as strategic reserves for each other. If we launch an offensive on the Jizhong Plain, the Kwantung Army will definitely cooperate strategically. In this way
It is difficult for the Anti-Japanese Alliance to mobilize too many troops to go south."
"In the last battle, we fought to the death, and almost exhausted our blood to get to that point. Although we accomplished the overall strategic mission, we were unable to make breakthrough progress in the Northeastern battlefield due to insufficient troop input.
.The Siping front line ended up being a stalemate.”
"In the last battle, we went on the offensive and used mechanized troops to break through quickly, saving a lot of infantry. But if we switch to defense in the Northeast battlefield, we will probably need more troops. Boss, we must carefully consider the number of troops that can be invested.
Just do the math."
"Secondly, if we want to regain the Jizhong Plain and firmly control it, Pingjin in the north must be recovered, otherwise it will be difficult for us to stand firm even if we fully regain the Jizhong Plain. Especially Tianjin, if we don't capture Tianjin, we
It is impossible to cut off the follow-up reinforcement route of the Japanese army. The Jinpu line is easy to talk about, but the Japanese reinforcement channel by sea is the most difficult thing for us to deal with."
"We don't have the necessary experience to attack such a large and densely populated city at the same time. At the same time, these two cities are both historical cities and the largest industrial and commercial cities in North China. No matter which one has suffered serious losses, we have
It’s going to be a huge loss.”
"If the central government insists on regaining the Jizhong Plain, we firmly support it. But we need to carefully consider the next step of the battle, how to fight it, and how large the scale of the battle should be controlled? Is it to restore the situation before 2001?
, or will Jizhong, the Ukraine in North China, be firmly controlled?"
"If we choose the second option, then the scale of the entire campaign will expand indefinitely, and we must be prepared to face the Japanese army's subsequent continuous investment of troops. At the same time, we will attack the two cities of Tianjin and Peiping, and control Tanggu
"We must carefully consider how to attack Tangshan and other coastal areas where Japanese troops can land."
"We are not the only ones who have to spend money on this battle. Including the post-war control of the entire North China, the central government and various base areas in North China need to consider it in detail. There is no detailed battle plan and a sufficient number of second troops.
Echelon, this battle will not be easy to win."
"To be honest, boss, I am not worried about how many Japanese troops will come from the ground. But what I am most worried about is that I don't know when the Japanese troops will take advantage of their naval superiority to land from behind me. The Battle of Jinshanwei during the Battle of Songhu,
This is a lesson for us.”
Yang Zhen turned his head and looked at the map hanging on the wall. After a moment of silence, he said: "Recovering the Jizhong Plain area, and even the entire Huanghuai area, to create a good strategic rear base for our army is what I hope for."
.In this way, the most fertile area in North China is in our hands. If the entire Anti-Japanese Army moves south, the logistical pressure will be greatly reduced."
"But boss, although Hebei has a short coastline, it has the largest port in northern China. And because of the traffic, this port has a strong ability to radiate to the surrounding areas. If we want to capture Jizhong, we must capture the entire Hebei
.Without taking Pingjin, it will be difficult for us to get rid of the situation of being attacked from both sides."
"And as long as Tianjin is in the hands of the Japanese army, then I will be prepared for the Japanese army to kill us from behind during the entire battle. I am not worried about going south, but the geographical location of Jizhong determines that this battle will be affected.
And use your whole body. At present, when we are still far behind the overall strength of the Japanese army, it is far from the time when we can engage in a decisive battle with the Japanese army."
"The most important thing is that I don't think we should bear this heavy pressure for the United States and Britain. Boss, natural disasters are not continuous. As long as we grit our teeth and get through this difficulty, I think the future will be better. When we are determined
, especially in a battle like this where all the troops are mobilized, one must be cautious.”
"If possible, I think we should not confront them head-on for the time being, but should adopt a squeeze method. Relying on the two major base areas of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei and Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan, we will continue to send small groups of troops to re-infiltrate into the central Hebei plain. At the same time, we
Transfer some armored groups to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei region and give them the tactics of intersecting the plains from time to time."
"For the battle for the central Hebei Plain, I think we should adopt the method of squeezing and cannibalizing. Taking advantage of the Japanese army's extended front line being too long to maintain sufficient strength, and weak control over the countryside, we used the tactic of boiling frogs in warm water to encroach and encroach little by little.
Squeeze them out of the central Hebei plain."
"In fact, if we were not concerned about the follow-up troops that the Japanese army might mobilize and the Japanese troops from the south to return to support North China, our army's continuous combat capabilities are insufficient and the situation of weak follow-up troops would be difficult to change in a short time. In fact, in my opinion, in Jizhong
Fighting on plain terrain like the plains is in line with my intention."
"Fighting on plain terrain is very conducive to giving full play to the advantages of the armored forces that our army is currently building. Concentrate a large number of tank clusters and fight a tank breakthrough battle on the Jizhong Plain, taking advantage of the advantages of the armored clusters and the Japanese anti-tank firepower
The weak inherent weaknesses turned the Jizhong Plain into a meat grinder for the Japanese army."
"However, our army's weak continuous combat capabilities and poor strategic supply capabilities have limited our army's combat radius. The results of last year's battle are a wake-up call for us. In the absence of effective strategic supply capabilities, our army
How to fight this battle is a new topic for us."
"Boss, I understand that the central government's proposal of this idea at this time is also based on the overall strategic requirements. Although there are great difficulties, I, Yang Zhen, firmly support the central government's overall consideration. As long as the central government issues an order, I will
Guarantee resolute obedience. However, the Central Committee must consider the losses this battle may cause to our army's effective strength."
"But I still say that we need to sit down and study carefully how to fight this battle. After all, what we are facing now is a wolf in the front and a tiger in the back. It is impossible for us to invest in North China until the situation in Northeast China is completely stable.
Too much power."
"If the central government insists on fighting, I put forward three hopes. First, I hope that the troops in North China can complete the training and re-equipment before fighting. And immediately start to reorganize and train the local armed forces in various base areas in North China, so as to do a good job in the first battle.
Preparation for the second echelon.”
"Second, we hope that the central government can adjust the military service policy in various base areas in North China in advance, mobilize young and middle-aged people, complete basic military training, and form a third-line reserve echelon so that when necessary, the troops can be quickly replenished at any time.
, to maintain the vitality of the troops participating in the war."
"The reserve soldiers I am talking about are not the militiamen in the base area, but the reserve soldiers who have completed all the basic training of new recruits. Boss, this is not a bargain on my part. If we want to regain Jizhong, we must fight in North China with
If the Japanese army is going to fight a decisive battle, then we must be fully prepared."
"If we go deep into the Jizhong Plain now, what awaits us will be a bloody battle of unprecedented scale. Whether it is the Anti-Japanese Alliance or various bases in North China, we must be prepared to pay hundreds of thousands of casualties. If there is no timely, reliable
It will be difficult for us to ensure sustained combat capability by replenishing troops. Even if we capture Jizhong, it will be difficult to stand firm against the counterattack of the Japanese follow-up troops."
"Each base area must prepare at least 100,000 reserve soldiers who can be added to the army at any time. Once the casualties of the front-line troops are too heavy, these reserve soldiers can be added to the army at any time. At least they can replace the local armed forces that need to be upgraded and removed, and prepare the base areas
internal defense."
"The third and most critical point is that each base area must complete reserves of food for three to five months before the war. Our army's strategic transportation means are limited. Once it is deployed across the entire North China, the limited logistics force will inevitably
Mainly ammunition and fuel.”
"The food problem can only be solved by the various base areas in North China. Although it is all solved by North China, there are some difficulties. But we hope that North China can at least provide part of the supplement to ease the pressure on our logistics. Ensure forward combat ammunition, and