Chapter six hundred and twenty first vigorous and resolute
When Yang Zhen received the task of studying the situation in southern Anhui, he had repeatedly studied the northward retreat route. After many considerations, without wanting to openly quarrel with the national government, he decided on the northern retreat route for the southern Anhui troops. The options available are quite limited.
Under the complicated enemy situation around southern Anhui, the route of action chosen by the southern Anhui army was not wrong in general. According to the history that Yang Zhen knew, this route could not be said to be a dead end. The subsequent failure was not so much on the route. If you make a wrong choice, it is better to say that you are too forward-looking and slow in action.
If we had not hesitated repeatedly during the action and lost the opportunity to fight, even if we encountered a small group of troops from the third theater and rushed out without the main force arriving, there would have been no problem at all. The Wannan Incident was not a defeat on the battlefield. on the battlefield, but lost outside the battlefield, and hesitation was the ultimate reason for the failure of the Wannan Incident.
As for the Forty Division, which was a rare central military elite in the Third War Zone and played a decisive role in the Wannan Incident, although Yang Zhen attached great importance to it, he never considered this division to be the decisive factor in the defeat of the Wannan Army. During the incident, the deputy army commander was able to listen to the army commander's advice and concentrate his forces to capture Xingtan. The Forty Division was unable to intercept it at all.
In a word, the cause of failure must be found within oneself. No matter how many external factors there are, they only serve as a driving force. The lack of frontal combat experience, stubborn refusal to listen to the advice of military commanders, and distrust of military commanders , hesitation in action, mother-in-law and mother-in-law were the main reason for the failure of the Wannan Incident.
As for the predecessor who was put directly on the plane, it would be unfair to say that all the responsibility for the Wannan Incident rests on him. However, the main responsibility lies with him, the main helmsman of the New Fourth Army, and the de facto supreme leader. One thing is beyond doubt.
As a special operations team member, Yang Zhen is not one of those military fans who have no military knowledge. He hastily drawn conclusions about a certain aspect based on a few words from historical records. As a soldier, Yang Zhen can only rely on a situation. From the picture, we can accurately judge that before the Wannan Incident, the entire Wannan had become a dead zone for the military headquarters stationed here.
Under the complicated surrounding situation, the entire southern Anhui was not even considered useless until the incident occurred. Under this situation, if we did not evacuate as soon as possible, but instead delayed it again and again, it was itself a kind of Lack of ability to judge and grasp situations.
Looking at the performance of the deputy commander in the entire incident, Yang Zhen still remembers the four-word evaluation he gave to a woman at that time. The situation was critical, and even the surrounding enemy situation was unknown. As the actual highest position of the army, The most important thing a commander should do is to direct the troops to get out of danger quickly.
Although he would suffer certain losses by doing so, the price paid was much smaller than the destruction of the entire army. During the incident, it was his constant decisiveness and hesitation that ruined the entire army. Although this person, as the secretary of the central yāng bureau, directed the entire three-year guerrilla war, his strengths were more in party affairs. In terms of military command, he still stuck to the guerrilla mentality of fighting independently.
The timing and location were not in his hands, coupled with the indecisiveness of the command and the delay in making up his mind, the opponent was able to calmly complete the encirclement. After discovering that he was surrounded, he was still unable to act decisively, and a lot of time was wasted in meetings. , even marching back and forth.
Yang Zhen had no doubts about this person's character, loyalty to the party and resoluteness in fighting the enemy. However, in Yang Zhen's view, this person was slightly less able to grasp the overall situation, especially in military operations, he was too conservative. Although guerrilla He has rich war experience, but lacks experience in large-scale combat.
Compared with guerrilla warfare, which involves fighting if you can win and leaving if you can't win, frontal combat and even emergency response capabilities are extremely lacking. You can let them control the overall situation, but you cannot let them take full responsibility, especially in military struggles. Although the situation of the New Fourth Army is There are certain historical reasons, but his lack of the most basic sense of trust in military commanders was the ultimate cause of this tragedy.
Because of this, before Yang Zhen was transferred to Wannan, he repeatedly asked Zhong Yāng to restore the long-lost party membership of the military commander. Although Zhong Yāng did not agree to his request to add him as deputy secretary of the military branch, at least this could be changed. As a military commander, he was relatively isolated and not trusted in the New Fourth Army.
Although that person has been transferred, as one of the organizers and founders of the New Fourth Army, coupled with his status in history, his behavior has left too many imprints on the entire New Fourth Army. If the commander's party membership is not restored, Even with my full support, I am always passive at work.
Yang Zhen has always believed that if during the Wannan Incident, the military commander who had been sidelined and lost the decision-making power on the battlefield but was extremely capable could truly command the troops, although the losses could not be completely avoided, the entire army would be affected. The ending of destruction should not happen.
Therefore, when the central government asked Yang Zhen to actually assume military command responsibilities, Yang Zhen repeatedly argued that the military commander should still be responsible for the military affairs on the grounds that he did not understand the combat effectiveness of the southern Anhui army. The decision on the battlefield was still left to the commander, and he himself It's better to just play a role in grasping the overall situation.
It's just that Yang Zhen trusted this military commander who was a famous general in the Northern Expedition, but this man may have been hit too much before. The military commander obviously seemed a little unappreciative for some reasons. Also, in that kind of isolation and After working in an abnormal environment where people are not trusted for several years, no one will be able to fully trust another person in a short period of time.
After Yang Zhen finished speaking, the army commander hesitated for a while and finally nodded: "Political Commissar, I will follow your advice and choose to take the line from Maolin to Liyang, but during this time I have to negotiate with the Third War Zone. Military preparations also require political commissars to take charge of the overall situation."
Looking at the military commander who still looked a little restrained, Yang Zhen shook his head slightly. He knew that this famous Northern Expedition general had been isolated intentionally or unintentionally in the past few years and had no hope for anyone. He had developed a habit of In spite of his habit of speaking cautiously, Yang Zhen could only smile bitterly at the performance of the military commander: "Comrade Xiyi, you are the chief military officer, and it is the central opinion that you take the lead in the military struggle."
"Your party membership has been restored. Although you do not have a position within the party yet, you are the military commander recognized by the central government, so military deployment must be based on you. In this way, the two of us will divide the work. You will be in charge of military preparations and North Korea. I will take care of the rest of the military command after the retreat. Is this the correct division of labor that a military and political chief should have?"
"Comrade Xiyi, I think I should tell you again that you are the commander of the New Fourth Army appointed by zhong yāng. Zhong yāng has always trusted you. Zhong yāng did not agree with some of the unpleasant things before. This One thing I think you should know is that the reason why the central government has not adjusted the New Fourth Army is complex and multifaceted, and it is based on overall considerations."
"Zhongyang has always been very clear about the grievances you have suffered over the years because of your special status. I also know a little about it, but how can people live in this world as simple as tailoring clothes and everything goes as expected? You are too old. I am many, and in front of you, I can only be regarded as a junior. I think you know this even if I don’t tell you."
"Comrade Xiyi, as your comrade and comrade-in-arms, although it is only temporary, I hope that you will come out of the shadow of the past and cheer up soon, so that I, the younger generation, can once again appreciate the sweeping Beiyang. A warlord who earned the title of Iron Army General for the Fourth Army."
"Comrade Xiyi, please believe that I will never let you go back to the past. I still say that I will never interfere with the military command of this trip unless necessary. If you are willing after this battle, I will You can apply with the central government to transfer you to work in the Northeast. From now on, you will not only have a position but also a power. In every aspect, you are the real commander of the New Fourth Army."
When Yang Zhen said these words, his tone seemed very sincere, and even a little heartfelt. However, perhaps because he had been too overwhelmed before, facing the goodwill released by Yang Zhen, the military commander still seemed very restrained and did not answer. Yang Zhen said goodbye instead. Looking at the military commander's straight back in military uniform, Yang Zhen could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
I have tried my best, but many things can only be changed by time. The knot in the commander's heart can only wait for time to untie it little by little, but in any case, there is finally a little improvement now. Isn't it? Yang Zhen, who originally wanted to find a chance to talk to the military commander, never found a chance for the two of them to be alone because of his busy schedule.
After Yang Zhen arrived in southern Anhui, the northern withdrawal operation that had always seemed hesitant became uncharacteristically vigorous. The entire southern Anhui army, large and small, was busy running around. There was no other way. Although the newly appointed political commissar was young, his style was Very different from before.
This new political commissar who was a military officer and took overall charge of the southern Anhui army has obviously brought the military style of the past into his daily work. The things he explained will be roughly implemented on the second day and detailed on the third day. The results of the plan must be produced within a week.
The new political commissar has almost all the information on the enemy situation, terrain, mass base, and even the weather in the mountainous areas, the amount of water in the upper reaches of the Qingge River, etc. on each northern evacuation route. Leaders above the military detachment often After a busy day of work during the day, I have to have consecutive meetings at night.
A week has passed, and the entire Wannan Military Headquarters is overwhelmed. Almost everyone is exhausted, but the busyness is not without results. The directly-affiliated engineer battalion has been established and has begun bridge-building drills. The directly-affiliated mortar battalion has also been deployed. They picked up their horses and began to conduct actual single-attack training, and the scouts selected from various units had already carried out comprehensive reconnaissance on the north and east routes according to the plan.
The Military Political Department and the Southeast Branch began to evacuate all non-combatants, except for necessary communications and confidential departments, to the southern Jiangsu area through legal means after fighting with the three war zones. The Logistics Department also evacuated all non-combatants to the southern Jiangsu area.
All materials that cannot be carried, including firearms that cannot be carried due to damage, are buried deep on the spot.
Under Yang Zhen's vigorous promotion and supervision, by late December, the entire southern Anhui army had basically completed the preparations, including all confidential documents, all weapons that should be destroyed, and all non-combatants, except for necessary personnel.
All except communication personnel have been evacuated.