Looking at the high mountains along the way, Yang Zhen's mood did not lighten up because he successfully passed several dangerous sections. On the contrary, he felt a faint uneasy feeling in his heart. Others in the military headquarters thought that they could pass through Piling. When he breathed a sigh of relief, for some reason, the uneasy feeling in Yang Zhen's heart became more and more serious.
He always felt that no matter how slow the reaction speed of the Third War Zone was, it would not go on for such a long time without any adjustments. Passing Piling was the main blockade line between the Third War Zone and the Yunling Wannan Army, and two troops from the Third War Zone were stationed in front. As an editor, if you get here, your luck may be about to come to an end.
Sure enough, at dawn on the second day, after a burst of intensive gunfire rang out in the east of Piling, Yang Zhen received a report from the commander of the vanguard unit. The lines of Qiuling in the east and northeast encountered the 40th Division and the 52nd Division respectively in the three theaters.
Putting down the telegram in his hand, Yang Zhen did not hesitate and immediately rushed to the location of the army commander. Seeing Yang Zhen coming, Commander Xiyi immediately pulled him in front of the map and said: "An hour ago, the commander who served as the general forward of the entire army A company of the New Regiment encountered the search company of the 52nd Division on the line of Qiu Ridge."
"Although our army repeatedly shouted to them, hoping that they would get out of the way, they not only failed to get out of the way as required, but instead seized the commanding heights on both sides and carried out fire interception against our army. Almost between the New Regiment and the 52nd Regiment, At the same time when the division encountered, in front of us, a fierce battle broke out between the 1st Regiment of the 3rd Regiment covering the headquarters and the 1st Battalion of the 40th Division that occupied the high ground on our flank."
"Although our army defeated this battalion and seized the high ground and opened the way to continue to advance eastward, it suffered heavy casualties during the battle. Political Commissar, please see how our next action should be. It is to temporarily stop the operation and cooperate with the Third War Zone Negotiate, or use all necessary means to fight."
In response to the commander's hesitant request, Yang Zhen frowned. Although he wanted to get angry, but after thinking about the commander's previous experience, he still held back his anger and said: "Since they have planned to completely and publicly quarrel with each other, , then we have nothing to be taboo about, and we should take whatever measures we need."
"Since we can't solve the problem peacefully, let's fight. Commander, you are a military commander. You should know what to do in the situation in front of you. The military situation on the battlefield is like a fire, and every minute is extremely precious. Yes, Commander, I hope you won’t have any more hesitations about what to do, whatever you have to do, I’ll be responsible for it.”
Here, Yang Zhen paused and said to the deputy secretary of the Southeast Bureau behind him: "Immediately send a message to the central government to report the fact that we have encountered and conflicted with the troops from the third theater area, and ask the central government to report to the Chongqing National Disease Center The Military Commission lodged strong protests and representations."
"Protest that when our troops were withdrawing northward in accordance with the order of the Central Military Commission, they not only failed to provide any assistance, refused to allocate necessary funds, and even violated their promises by sending troops to illegally intercept our troops withdrawing northward. We hope that Chongqing will use anti-Japanese We attach great importance to the national united front and immediately order the three war zones to terminate illegal military operations, stop attacks on the New Fourth Army, and severely punish the perpetrators."
After Yang Zhen finished speaking, following his order, the deputy secretary of the Southeast Bureau looked at each other with the director of the Political Department and the deputy chief of staff and several other top leaders of the southern Anhui army. After a moment of hesitation, he said: "Political Commissar, since We hope that the central government can negotiate with Chongqing, so should we stop military operations first and wait for the results of the central government's negotiations to avoid falling into political passivity."
Regarding the deputy secretary's suggestion, Yang Zhen firmly shook his head and said: "The central government is thousands of miles away from us. I don't know whether the government will give up this rare opportunity first. I will wait until the central government's negotiations are completed. Chong qing Then send a telegram to the Third War Zone. By this time, the day lilies have already cooled down."
"The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and almost every minute is precious. We are now surrounded by enemies on all sides. Every minute of delay will lead to troops and dangerous areas. If the Chongqing side deliberately delays, by the time our bones are cold, there will be no danger over there. We will not issue an order to cease the war, so my attitude is very clear. The central government should negotiate and negotiate, and we should take action on our side. The priority is to break through the front line as soon as possible."
"The central government is naturally responsible for political matters. For us, the most important thing is how to improve the passive situation at hand. Tell all the troops to concentrate their forces. If there is an interception, open a hole for me from there. In a word Well, since they don’t want us to go smoothly, it’s not rude to come back but not go back, so I can only find a way out.”
Several people present understood what Yang Zhen meant. Yang Zhen's words were very clear. Negotiations with the central government were a matter for the central government. It was his own business to do what he wanted to do. Yang Zhen's bold words were heard by several people. I couldn't help but smack my lips. This young guy must be too courageous. He even dares to give orders to the central government.
Only according to the position arrangement within the party, Yang Zhen is the leader with the final decision-making power in the entire New Fourth Army. Whether it is the military branch of the New Fourth Army or the first secretary of the Southeast Bureau, Yang Zhen undoubtedly has the final decision-making power, although several people are very dissatisfied with Yang Zhen's approach. He disagreed, but in the face of strict discipline within the party, he still chose to obey unconditionally.
After explaining that he hoped that the central government would negotiate with Chongqing, Yang Zhen walked over to the army commander who was also dumbfounded after hearing his words and said: "Comrade Xiyi, I've had enough and I'm tired. I don’t want to emphasize anything, but there is one thing I think I should say again, but this is the last time.”
"You are the top military commander of the entire southern Anhui army. Battlefield command is your mission and your responsibility. For now, your responsibility is to command the troops to fight a bloody road and cover the military headquarters' northward march according to the predetermined plan. You and I are both soldiers, and we all know the impact of emergency decisions on the battlefield. I hope that you will not have any hesitations or worries, let alone any ideological baggage, and earnestly perform your duties as a military commander. Everything is based on the safety of the entire army.”
After that, Yang Zhen raised his telescope and observed the fierce battle ahead for a while before saying: "From now on, I will not express any opinions on the combat command of the entire army. You will be responsible for everything in this army's breakout operation. I will I will be your backstage boss. If the commanders of various units have any opinions, they can ask them to come directly to me."
Yang Zhen's words clearly stated his attitude again, which undoubtedly cheered up the army commander who was feeling a little depressed. After Yang Zhen's words fell, without any hesitation, he walked in front of the Chief of Staff and issued several orders in succession. Order: "Order the first column on the left wing to immediately concentrate its forces, make an all-out assault on the Huihe River line, and break through the 52nd Division's blockade as quickly as possible."
"We kept strict confidentiality regarding this route selection. After we started to retreat northward, we moved quickly. The response of the third theater was not necessarily that fast. There will not be too many troops of the 52nd Division on the Qingling front line. At most, they will only be some vanguard troops. , if our army moves quickly, it can completely break through its blockade in a short time."
"Tell Zhang Zhengkun that after completing the rush to cross the Huihe River, immediately seize Bangshan to cover the rapid passage of the military headquarters. At the same time, in addition to leaving three regiments to block the follow-up troops of the 52nd Division, the main two regiments will turn around and head towards the south corridor bridge. Develop, detour the flanks of the Sanxi and Forty Divisions, and cooperate with the frontal attack troops."
"Order the troops in the middle route to immediately move the fifth regiment along the ridge on the east side of Baihukeng, and the first regiment along the ridge on the west side, attached to the direct artillery battalion and heavy machine gun battalion, to attack the front line of Xingtan. Be sure to seize Xingtan before dusk today, and fight with The first column of troops moving south cooperated to completely defeat the 40th Division in front of them, opening a passage for the entire army."
"The special agent group directly under the army is attached to two battalions of the Army Teaching Corps, under the unified command of Comrades Zhou Guisheng and Feng Dafei. They seize the front line of Yuanling and Niulanling, block the 79th Division, and cover the flanks of the entire army. After receiving the order, each unit is allowed to It will be fully unfolded within an hour, and after half an hour, the political commissar and I will listen to the sound of gunfire from various ministries launching an attack."
When the army commander was deploying, Yang Zhen did not express any opinions. He just sat on a big rock on the side of the road and listened quietly. After the army commander completed the deployment, Yang Zhen said to the chief of staff: "Tell all the troops that after the army commander's deployment, During the battle, we must concentrate our troops and firepower, regardless of the cost of casualties. Also, we must tell the entire army that when we meet in a narrow road, the brave will win. As long as we act quickly and decisively, we will definitely be able to carve a bloody path through the enemy's army."
After Yang Zhen only said these two sentences, he closed his mouth, but his face looked a little heavy. The Wannan Incident could not be avoided in the end. This was undoubtedly not good news for Yang Zhenlai. Whether he could finally Although Yang Zhen had certain expectations in his heart about changing the direction of history, the current situation still puts a certain amount of pressure on him.
Although his two years of experience in the Northeast have made him accustomed to strong winds and waves, he is still under great pressure as to whether the southern Anhui army under his command can avoid the ending of history that he will know in later generations. Yang Zhenlai, who had created part of history, saw that the troops in the Third Theater Zone in front of him, whose combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the Japanese army, were not too much of a burden.
For Yang Zhenlai, the situation in southern Anhui is still very different from that in the northeast. It only takes twenty days to come to southern Anhui to make a full calculation. This time is somewhat too short for an operation that affects the life and death of the entire army.
The troops of the Northeast Military Region were brought up by myself. Although they currently have hundreds of thousands of troops, my familiarity with the cadres above the regiment is unmatched by the troops in southern Anhui. The cadres above the regiment there can be seen by themselves with their eyes closed. Find out their strengths and weaknesses.
Second, Yang Zhen did not have much knowledge about the true combat effectiveness of the Southern Anhui Army. He only relied on introductions from relevant military personnel and what he later knew about the true combat effectiveness of the New Fourth Army. The time was too short, which made it impossible for him to Thoroughly find out whether the combat effectiveness of the troops in southern Anhui is what later generations believed. Especially after arriving in southern Anhui, Yang Zhen found that the situation here was far more complicated than what he would have known in later generations.