Chapter 166 Responding to all changes with the same
In order to convince Yang Zhen to trust his judgment, Chen Hanzhang was well prepared. He made preparations from the terrain, the current war in Shandong, and transportation. Especially in the terrain of Shandong and northern Henan, it was very difficult for the Japanese army to
A lot of comparisons have been made with the current Anti-Japanese Alliance from both offense and defense.
At the same time, he not only saw the terrain advantages of Shandong compared with eastern Henan, but also showed the impact of Shandong's gains and losses on the current war situation in North China. This shows that he was quite well prepared. After being transferred to the Eastern Front
, fully understood and mastered the situation around the entire eastern front.
However, in order to convince Yang Zhen, Chen Hanzhang's preparations went far beyond that. He walked to the map again, and this time his baton extended from Luxi, the best southward route for the Anti-Union tank group, to northern Jiangsu and northern Anhui.
and Southeast Henan before stopping and saying: "With Shandong as the main attack direction, we can not only effectively use the terrain to ensure the safety of our flanks, but also ensure the convenience of mobilizing supplies and reinforcements."
"Let the Japanese army choose another point in Shandong. As long as Shandong is in their hands, it will be equivalent to cutting off our army's southward passage to the Jianghuai River. And if they want to control Shandong in their hands, they will ensure the safety of their controlled areas in the Jianghuai River. For them, defense
It's definitely not a good way, there is no other way except attacking."
"Furthermore, for passive defense, the troops required by the Japanese army are not what they can afford now. They know very well that once our army is replenished, its offensive capabilities will be restored. Including the Shandong Military Region troops that control most of the mountainous areas in Shandong.
Cooperate with us, and our armored and mechanized troops are attacking from outside, and we are under attack from both inside and outside. Unless the Japanese army mobilizes the entire Chinese army to join the war, it will be difficult for Shandong to defend it."
"The loss of Shandong may not be a fear to the Japanese army. But for the Japanese army, the chain reaction caused by the loss of Shandong is not something they have to consider. There are two divisions of our New Fourth Army in the entire Huaibei, and even if necessary, they can
With the cooperation of the Huainan troops and the favorable terrain of the Huanghuai Plain, the entire Huaihe River and Huaihe River may no longer be controllable by the Japanese army."
"And the loss of the two Huaihe Rivers will trigger a chain reaction that will not only make it difficult to defend eastern Henan, but may even lead our troops to the front line of the Yangtze River. At that time, the Japanese army will directly face the pressure of our army in the Jiangnan area, the richest area in China's occupied areas.
And threats. Our army’s artillery shells can hit Nanjing at any time.”
"The thousand-mile Yangtze River defense line requires a large number of troops, and in addition there are several war zones in Chongqing. I'm afraid the Japanese army themselves don't know how to fight this battle. The chain reaction caused by the loss of Shandong, the Japanese base camp and the commander of the Chinese dispatched army
I can’t help but notice it.”
"There is an old saying that to defend the river, you must defend the Huaihe River. It means that when facing threats from the north, if you want to defend the Yangtze River line, you must defend the Huaihe River line. The process of conquest from south to north in ancient my country was generally the same. It was carried out along this route. The northern nomads had powerful cavalry, but we now have sharper spears, which are our armored forces."
"As for the entire terrain of the Huanghuai Plain, although the Huainan District is crisscrossed by water networks but the terrain is flat, it is exactly where our army's tank operations can be used. Therefore, if the Japanese army wants to defend the two Huaihe Rivers, they can only push the front as far north as possible."
That is to say, unless the Japanese army wants to abandon the entire Jiangbei, Shandong is the place it must fight for in this battle."
"As for northern Henan, judging from the overall situation in the surrounding area, it is not particularly favorable as the key offensive direction of the Japanese army. Whether it is the rear or the surrounding situation, it is not suitable as a base for the Japanese army to attack. Unless they defeat Chongqing first
A war zone, and then you can free up your hands to fight us."
"If we talk about the Shandong battlefield, they need to fight on two fronts. Then when it comes to eastern Henan, I'm afraid it will be a three-front battle. Although the attack in eastern Henan in the first theater of war had very few results, it did not have a serious impact on the enemies in eastern Henan. However,
One thing that also alerted the Japanese troops was that Chongqing was not just a passive defender."
"As long as they are given enough weapons and equipment, they will dare to fight back across the board. The most important thing is that no one will mind if the dog is beaten. Once the war goes against the Japanese army, it is not impossible for Chongqing to attack again. Take advantage.
Who wouldn’t rush to do this?”
"With northern Henan as the main direction of attack, no matter how well they fight in this counterattack, they must leave enough defensive forces in northern and eastern Henan. At the same time, they also have to worry about our army in the Shanxi battlefield. At the critical moment
Get out of the Taihang Mountains at all times and attack their flanks with a knife."
"Moreover, there is a vast plain in the east of Henan. Except for the muddy ponds in the yellow flood area, it is almost all plain terrain. Compared with the large number of armored troops of our army, there are far less mountains and lakes. The most important thing is that it is bounded by the sea in the east and the sea in the north.
The situation in Shandong, which is connected to Hebei and Huaibei to the south, is favorable."
"At the same time, Xuzhou in northern Jiangsu, which is connected to the Youjin-Puzhou Railway in Shandong, is stationed with an integrated division of the Japanese army. And relying on several major ports in the east, it can receive a steady stream of reinforcements from the sea at any time. The sea ice on the Jiaodong Peninsula has now gradually cleared.
Throughout the U.S.-Japanese naval war in 1943, the Japanese indeed suffered heavy losses, but the foundation of their navy was still there."
"As long as a few ports are still in their hands, and the Jinpu Line and Longhai Line are still open, they can ensure a steady flow of troops to the Shandong battlefield. Whether it is the replenishment of supplies, ammunition, or soldiers, Shandong is far away.
Far beyond the east of Henan."
"The most critical thing is the terrain here. There is the complex terrain of the Yimeng Mountains in the east, and there are a series of lakes such as Weishan Lake, Shushan Lake, and Dongping Lake in the west, which are natural blocking positions. With mountains and lakes nearby, we can use them for armored forces.
The interspersed routes are very limited. The terrain here also determines that if the Japanese army wants to block our army in Hebei, Shandong will be the battleground."
"Although there are troops from our Shandong Military Region in Shandong, there are two military regions in Huaibei and North Jiangsu south of Longhai Road, and there are troops from the Third and Fourth Divisions of the New Fourth Army. But judging from the current deployment of the Japanese troops in Shandong, it is obvious that they have done
We have made corresponding preparations. As I said before, we should adopt a north-south offensive posture, get rid of the Jiaoji Line, which is now of no great significance, and trap the Shandong Military Region along the Jiaoji Railway."
"Once the troops of the Shandong Military Region are pinned down on the Jiaoji Line, our army will lose a very advantageous arm in the next stage of the battle. The troops of the Huaibei Military Region and the Northern Jiangsu Military Region along the Longhai Road have far greater strength and weapons and equipment.
The troops of the Shandong Military Region are not included. At the same time, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so the role they can play in strategic coordination is probably far less than that of the nearby Shandong Military Region."
"Moreover, Shandong is backed by the sea and has many excellent ports. In northern Jiangsu and central Jiangsu, there are heavy Japanese troops. Even if the Jiaoji line is temporarily abandoned, the two railways of Jinpu and Longhai will run through the north, south and east and west respectively.
, the transportation is also quite convenient, which is conducive to the rapid mobilization of heavy troop groups by the Japanese army."
"Another point is that the Japanese army will launch a landing operation in the Bohai Bay. Then the Japanese army will use Shandong, which is close to the Bohai Bay, as the starting point for the attack. The convenience of cooperating with the Japanese army landing on the battlefield in Hebei will be much greater than being surrounded by enemies from both sides and being alone.
Battlefields in Northern Henan and Eastern Henan."
"At the same time, Shandong will be used as a heavy attack base. To the northwest, we can attack the joint between our army and the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan Military Region. To the north, we can directly contain our eastern cluster, and to the northeast, we can cooperate with the possible landing cluster of the Japanese army. The current Shandong battlefield can
Said to be the place of the Four Wars, these are far inferior to Northern Henan. So I think Northern Henan, especially, will definitely be the main direction of attack for the Japanese army."
Looking at Chen Hanzhang, who looked slightly more relaxed after saying what was in his heart, Yang Zhen nodded slightly: "Old Chen, your analysis is basically consistent with my preliminary judgment. If I said before
If you are still hesitating, your words today can make me make up my mind."
"Just as you have judged now, once the Japanese army launches a full-scale counterattack, the Shandong direction will inevitably be the key direction of the Japanese army, and can even be said to be the main direction of attack. So you must pay more attention here and never be fooled by the Japanese army's small moves. In
When deploying troops, you must have enough mobile reserves on hand."
"Also, as you said, you must pay more attention to the position of the junction between your left wing and the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region. The Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region currently has to deal with pressure from two aspects, and I am afraid it does not have much strength.
, to strengthen the defense of the Hebei-Shandong border area. Therefore, in the northwest of Shandong, we still have to focus on ourselves."
"Also, I think that when the Japanese army is determined to counterattack, it will still adopt a posture of advancing east to west. Although it will focus on the eastern front, the number of troops invested on the western front will not be too small. Because the western front is the entire Hebei battlefield, our army, and Shanxi
It is the juncture of the fraternal forces on the battlefield. Although its strategic position is not as good as that of the Eastern Front, it will still be within the direction of the Japanese attack."
"So for our current deployment as a whole, I am determined to remain unchanged in response to changes. The large-scale deployment will not be adjusted, which requires you, the frontline commander, to have a sharper sense of smell. At the same time, you, the frontline commander,
, you must have enough flexibility in command.”
"In this way, I will allocate a division and a brigade from the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region from the reserve force. I will also mobilize two battalions each of 122 rocket launchers and 150 howitzers, and two 122 howitzer battalions. You
Among the divisional artillery of your unit, two artillery batteries will be deployed from each division."
"Don't deploy all of this firepower to the first-line defense zone. The artillery I strengthened for you is not for you to defend passively. These artillery must be held in your hands and used as mobile firepower. They must be used at the most critical moment.
At the most critical position. Don’t be reluctant to part with the artillery shells when the time comes, let these artillery units maximize their effectiveness.”
"At the most critical time, when these artillery units are mobilized and deployed, they must do a good job of confidentiality, so that the suddenness of the battle can be perfectly implemented. As for how to avoid the Japanese army's eyes, with your ability, this is not necessary
Did I leave it to you?"
Having said this, Yang Zhen was silent for a moment and then said: "During the battle, you should pay more attention to coordination and communication with the Shandong Military Region. Especially in terms of the enemy's situation, you must communicate with them more. In addition, do they need anything?
, don’t ask for anything here. Just give what you should give, and if you don’t have enough, you can come to me directly.”
"As for the blockade area you mentioned, I will communicate with the head of the Shandong Military Region. But on the battlefield, you must pay more attention to the direction you mentioned. If there are any major changes in the situation around them, you must report it in time.
Come to me. And I will expand the combat range of the aviation force as far east as possible."
"In addition, some troops in the Bohai Navy Region are now under your command, so you can talk to their commanders. Let them deploy capable personnel to form small units in the two divisions south of the Yellow River and establish direct contact with the Jiaodong Military Region. Note
Stay and let them transfer cadres and troops from the original Qinghe Military Region."