Chapter 178 Sudden Changes in the Battle Situation
However, in the telegram, Yang Zhen also hoped that the troops in the battlefield in southeastern Shanxi could closely monitor the Dongyang Pass, Piancheng, Huangze Pass, and Junji Pass lines close to the Wu'an theater. If possible, it would be best to allocate a force.
Expand along the line from Fukouxing to Dongyangguan. Pay more attention to Shexian and Linxian counties, which are still under the control of the Japanese army.
Yang Zhen repeatedly reminded the troops fighting in the southeastern part of Shanxi that although the Japanese troops in northern Henan have already moved northward, this does not mean that the entire northern Henan direction is peaceful. The Japanese army is in Huaiqingzhi, between the south of Zhongtiao Mountain and the Yellow River.
There is also an independent mixed brigade stationed on the Jiyuan front line.
There is also a division stationed in Ji County and Xinxiang on the north bank of the Yellow River, and Kaifeng on the south bank of the Yellow River. Behind these divisions, at the junction of Henan, Anhui, Shandong and Suzhou, the Japanese army still has two divisions that can move north at any time. In this way
The large number of Japanese troops does not need to be dispatched in full. Even if only half of the troops are mobilized to go north, no matter which direction they are deployed, it will bring huge pressure.
Yang Zhen repeatedly reminded the deputy commander-in-chief and his old commanders in telegrams that the first theater of war must not be given to the Japanese troops in eastern Henan and northern Henan. The pressure that may be caused is too great. First, after two consecutive battles in central and eastern Henan,
, the loss of strength in the first theater is too great, and it is difficult to have the strength to go east to east Henan at the moment.
At the same time, judging from the current international and domestic political situation as a whole, even if the strength of the First Theater Theater is intact, it is difficult to expect them to take action. At present, the entire North China battlefield still has to rely on its own strength. As for some aspects not to disrupt the situation, it is already very difficult.
Not bad.
Okamura Ningji, a China expert, definitely understands this point. Therefore, on the battlefields in southeastern Shanxi, northern Henan, including southern Hebei, we must be wary of the Japanese army's subsequent investment of new effective forces. In the northern Henan area close to southeastern Shanxi,
You must pay close attention to the directions of Shexian, Huojia, and Xinxiang. This includes Lin County in the west where the terrain is complex and it is difficult to carry out large-scale operations.
In order to ensure that the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region has sufficient troops, while fighting this battle in southeastern Shanxi, there is still room for contingency. Yang Zhen also called the boss and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei and Shanxi-Sui Military Regions respectively, hoping that they could allocate the troops currently serving in Shanxi Province.
The Taiyuan front line and troops from northeastern Shanxi entered the battlefield in southeastern Shanxi as reserves.
The Jinsui Military Region has no actual combat targets at the moment. In addition to using one force to guard the southwest, most of the troops have now been released. At least three to five brigades can be mobilized to enter the battlefield in southeastern Shanxi to cooperate in operations.
The five brigades of Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei in the northeastern Shanxi region can also go south to participate in the war.
In fact, the current Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has been completely liberated along the Zhengtai Railway and Beitongpu Railway. The surrounding areas of the base area are basically free of enemies except in the east direction of Hebei. All areas under the jurisdiction of the entire Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region have become stable
The base area is also by far the most stable war zone among all the war zones in the army.
The old troops of the two brigades deployed in northeastern Shanxi that have completed operations along the Zhengtai Road, as well as the three newly formed brigades from the local armed forces of the Hebei-Jinxi Military Region and Chahar Military Region, are actually no longer able to stay in northeastern Shanxi.
Great significance. These five brigades can completely go south to fight and hand over the base areas to local armed garrison.
After sending telegrams to several regions, Yang Zhen personally drafted a telegram to the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region. In this telegram, Yang Zhen requested the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region to use its main force to contain the troops west of the Pinghan-Han Line.
A Japanese division attacking on the front line of Wu'an.
On the eastern front, let go of the line from Quzhou to Guantao, and withdraw the defensive line to the line from Jize to Wei County.
This time, Yang Zhen's telegram to the leader of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region was extremely resolute. He requested that the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region must follow his orders and take action within eight hours of receiving the order. They will be deployed in
The troops facing Guantao and Quzhou retreated to the direction of Wei County, Guangzong, and Jize.
Didn't the Japanese army want to use the 118th Division as bait to mobilize their troops deployed on the Western Front to go south, disrupt their own deployment, and completely isolate Chen Hanzhang's troops on the Eastern Front? Then they would take the initiative to let go of this one one by one
The connection between the Eighth Division and the Japanese troops on the front line in Quzhou. Let’s see what they will do next on the battlefield in northwest Shandong.
Although it is a stupid trick to scare the snake, no matter what the trick is, it is a good trick if it can produce results. In the situation where the Japanese military's strategic situation is not fully exposed yet, as long as the Japanese military's entire strategic intention can be figured out, it doesn't matter if it is a little stupider or a little stupider.
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However, in order to test how the Japanese army wanted to use the 118th Division, and also to appease the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region, Yang Zhen ordered the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region to move Kaiguantao to the Quzhou line.
Centrally deploy the troops east of Pinghan Road and northwest Shandong, and secretly gather around a reinforced brigade of the 118th Division that has arrived at Xiasibao.
Taking advantage of the outstanding situation of the Japanese army in this unit, we looked for fighter planes to deal with the reinforced brigade of Xiabao Temple first. We also used one force to deploy along the line from Guantao to Xiabao Temple, looking for fighter planes to attack the main force of the Japanese 118th Division in the direction of Guantao.
Reinforcements are sent. But don't rush for success during the battle, and pay attention to giving full play to the role of artillery.
Yang Zhen promised the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region that they would replenish as many artillery shells as they destroyed in this battle. But one thing is that they must not cause too many casualties during the battle. They must pay attention to the strengths of their own troops.
, absolutely do not fight to the death with the Japanese army.
After sending the telegram to the Shanxi-Hebei-Luyu Military Region and the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region, Yang Zhen looked at the map and pondered for a long time. Finally he gritted his teeth and ordered the two divisions originally scheduled to be assigned to Chen Hanzhang's East Cluster to be assigned to Chen Hanzhang. However,
Yang Zhen's request to Chen Hanzhang was not to attack the 118th Division first, but to attack the 72nd Division first.
However, after giving Chen Hanzhang the order to attack the 72nd Division first, Yang Zhen repeatedly warned Chen Hanzhang in the telegram that when to attack, he must wait for the order from the headquarters. Before receiving the order from the headquarters, do not act rashly. But
As long as the headquarters gives the order, the 72nd Division must be completely and completely destroyed in the shortest possible time.
After issuing the order to Chen Hanzhang, Yang Zhen ordered the two brigades of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region that were waiting north of the Cangshi Highway to immediately enter the southern Hebei battlefield and take over the defense line of the two divisions transferred to the east. At the same time, he ordered the two brigades assigned to him
The remaining troops of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region under his command, as well as part of the local troops of the Central Hebei Military Region, immediately deployed secretly along the Shah River.
In order to keep the deployment adjustments as confidential as possible, Yang Zhen personally urged Chai Shirong to come up with an advance plan. For this plan, Yang Zhen had only one requirement, that is, the mobilized troops must be concealed when they advance.
.The Japanese army must not be aware of their actions until the last moment.
Although he knew that this would waste time, it was also a helpless choice for Yang Zhen. The new reconnaissance aircraft deployed by the Japanese army in this battle were extremely fast, and the two fighter jets deployed by the Anti-Japanese Alliance in the North China battlefield were quite capable of intercepting
It's laborious. And its endurance is also quite rare. Almost the entire battlefield in Hebei cannot escape their thieves' eyes.
Although the attendance rate of this kind of reconnaissance aircraft is not very high, the long legs and fast speed of this reconnaissance aircraft bring great trouble to the Anti-Japanese Alliance. In order to avoid the thieves of these reconnaissance aircraft, ensure that the movement of the troops is not blocked in advance.
The Japanese troops were alert, but Yang Zhen still insisted on letting the troops advance at night.
Maybe Yang Zhen gave enough benefits, and there was no dispute in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region this time. Although it is not clear what Yang Zhen's intention was to let the 118th Division join the Japanese army east of Pinghan Road. But the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region
The military region troops still chose to obey the order. The two brigades blocking the Quzhou front line adopted alternate cover methods and gradually withdrew to the Jize line.
At the same time, the two brigades on the front line of Guantao were also withdrawn to the front line of Wei County where they were secretly concentrated, leaving the road between Guantao and Quzhou open. A brigade on the second line plus four independent regiments were also mobilized to secretly enter Wei County.
The two brigades that are preparing to withdraw from the Guantao direction will first deal with the Japanese troops in the Xiasibao direction.
Yang Zhen gave way to the Guantao front line, but the 118th Division did not continue to the west to join the enemy in the direction of Quzhou. Instead, after taking Guantao County, the entire army suddenly turned around and used the tactic of two brigades advancing head on.
, launched an all-out attack to Wei County in the northwest direction. Directly outflank the first department of the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region, which was secretly gathering in the northeast of Qiu County, preparing to defeat the enemy of Sibao first.
The sudden action of the 118th Division caught the Hebei, Shandong and Yu Military Region somewhat off guard. Fortunately, under Yang Zhen's constant reminders, its troops in northwest Shandong were not in a hurry to launch an attack on Xiasibao. Faced with the rapid
The Japanese division that surrounded them reacted quickly. They quickly withdrew to the north of Wei County before being surrounded by the Japanese army.
But no one expected that the 118th Division, as if they were suffering from rabies and taking out cigarettes, followed the troops of the Hebei, Shandong and Henan Military Region, biting the troops and not letting go, and successively seized Xianggu City and Wei County County.
After capturing Quzhou, the Japanese troops east of Pinghan Road not only continued to attack Jize and Pingxiang with their main force, but also entered Guangzong with a force and seized the Guangzong-Quzhou highway.
Zhendong Fort is a strategic point.
At the same time that the 118th Division had actually opened up the connection with the battlefield in southern Hebei and completed its turn, the 72nd Division, which had been dawdling on both sides of the Qingliang River, suddenly accelerated its action.
The two regiments, advancing in tandem, launched a full-line attack against the anti-union blocking troops on the north bank of the Qingliang River.
At the same time, the intensity of the Japanese army's offensive on the battlefield in northern Shandong was also constantly increasing. Especially the 22nd Division on the front line of Dezhou, its attack intensity rose sharply. From the beginning, it adopted a posture of pressing the entire front with three regiments.
Launched successive attacks on the Texas frontal resistance forces.
At the same time that the war situation in northwest Shandong and southern Hebei suddenly changed, the Japanese army attacking west of the Pinghan-Han Line suddenly turned to the Taihang Mountains with part of its troops. It launched an extremely fierce attack in the direction of Jicheng and Yangyi outside Huangzeguan.
Even the direction of Shexian, which had been calm before, became tense as all the Japanese and puppet troops in Shexian were dispatched and crossed the Qingzhang River to attack in the direction of Fukouxing.
The Japanese army, which had been huddled in Shexian County, suddenly crossed the Qingzhang River this time and launched an attack in the direction of Fukouxing. Although the total force invested was only one puppet army and two Japanese infantry brigades. But Shexian County is far away from Fukouxing.
The geographical location close to Kouxing made the Taihang Military Region break out in a cold sweat.
The enemy in Shexian County is very quick to launch an offensive towards the Fukouxing line. Although the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region has agreed with Yang Zhen, the military region will be deployed along the Zhengtai Road, and the five brigades north of the Zhengtai Road will go south to participate in the battle.
requirements. But these five brigades are still being assembled and prepared and have not yet had time to go south.
The two brigades of the Shanxi-Sui Military Region have also just set off from the Taiyuan front line, and are still far away from Fukouxing. In the entire Licheng area west of Fukouxing, the Taihang Military Region has only one independent divisional regiment, which is when its strength is at its weakest.
.Although the Japanese troops dispatched in Shexian County were not large and were mainly puppet troops, they were at a critical moment.