Regarding Yang Zhen's question, Ye Chao did not answer immediately, but thought for a moment before speaking: "Political commissar, this Zhang Tao was the secret underground liaison officer of the underground transportation station in the Hunan-Jiangsu area during the three-year guerrilla war. Escorted many passing senior cadres and many supplies."
"After the troops from various guerrilla zones in the south of the Yangtze River were concentrated in southern Anhui to form the New Fourth Army, he has been working as a scout in the reconnaissance section of the military headquarters. He has rich experience in fighting the enemy and reconnaissance, and has performed outstandingly in many battles. He has also served as a scout in the military headquarters. Among the scouts, their reconnaissance ability is definitely one of the best."
"At least the contact during the period when we worked together in the military department convinced me that he would never betray the whereabouts of the troops. Moreover, after he was transferred to work in southern Jiangsu, his performance was also outstanding. He was involved in various counterattacks in southern Jiangsu. Political commissar, we should not doubt such a person who has made great achievements in the mopping up struggle many times."
Ye Chaoneng was appointed at this critical moment and promoted to the deputy chief of the combat section. He was still quite flexible. As soon as Yang Zhen asked what he said, Ye Chao immediately understood what he meant. How could those miscellaneous armed forces control the marching order of the troops? With such accuracy, most people would think that someone might have intentionally leaked the marching sequence of the main force.
Although Yang Zhen did not say it explicitly, Ye Chao could tell that the political commissar was somewhat suspicious of Zhang Tao's suggestion to walk along the Langchuan River and go straight to Dongxia Town. However, the political commissar's suspicion did not make Ye Chao give up his principles. Regarding Zhang Tao's He was a trustworthy person, so Ye Chao defended Zhang Tao in front of Yang Zhen.
Regarding Ye Chao's defense of Zhang Tao, Yang Zhen did not answer him, but shook his head and said calmly: "Ye Chao, although you have not been with me for a long time, you see that I am the kind of person who blames me for nothing. Are your subordinates distrustful and always suspecting someone of being a spy or a traitor?"
"This time the military headquarters was attacked on the Langchuan River. Although only the troops behind the cover suffered certain losses, the cause of the attack still needs to be found out as much as possible. At least how did the stubborn troops know that there was a huge Nanyi On the lake, we will take the line along the Langchuan River, especially since our first echelon troops have landed in the east of the lake, and set up an ambush along the line at the mouth of the Langchuan River."
"Did we get targeted by these people when we arrived at Nanyi Lake, or did someone intentionally leak our actions? You know, from the time the military commander sent me a telegram to the time the first echelon of ships returned, there was a long gap. Time can make people lose track. We only have a sailboat at hand, so we move slowly on the lake, but on land, the speed of delivering messages is much faster."
"The first reason is not terrible. The main problem is that we underestimated the enemy. We only regarded the regular army in the third war zone as our opponent, and underestimated the stubborn locals in those places. But if it is the second reason, then we should have to think about it. Yes, it’s not terrible to have borers, but if they can’t be removed in time, the threat will be much greater.”
Regarding Yang Zhen's words, Ye Chao thought about it carefully and said: "Political Commissar, I think the whereabouts of the military and the main force should have been tracked on the Nanyi Lake. There are reeds everywhere around Nanyi Lake, and there are many hidden places. It is not difficult to keep a small boat undetected."
"Although there is only one big river, the Langchuan River, there are countless small rivers flowing into the surrounding area. There are many river branches that can hide people. These river branches are connected to each other. Big boats cannot enter, but small boats with shallow drafts can't get in." , but it is flexible and can move at will."
"Most of the local nuggets around Nanyi Lake were developed by local armed forces. Quite a few of them are even fishermen and sailors who were born and raised near Nanyi Lake. Among them, there are even some lake bandits in the early years. These people Not only are they familiar with the terrain, but they are also quite capable in water and boat navigation. If they want to figure out our movements, they don't need a big boat."
"For these local snakes, it is much clearer than us where these river branches can be connected to the outside world and where they lead. Those river branches are connected to each other. There are reed marshes there, and the reed marshes there can hide people. , they are much more familiar with it than we are.”
"Political Commissar, you are from the north, but you don't know that on this lake, the transportation capacity of small boats is indeed inferior to that of large ships, and their stability is much worse, but in terms of flexibility and maneuverability, they are far superior to large ships. And we have organized When the fleet crosses the lake, the types of boats it wears are relatively complex, and in order to take care of the performance of various boats, the speed cannot be fast."
"They can take advantage of the maneuverability of the small boat and their familiarity with the geographical conditions around the lake. They are absolutely sure to rush back to the mouth of Langchuan River ahead of us. Moreover, political commissars, although these stubborn armed forces are not strong in combat effectiveness, they are also extremely poorly trained. , but there is one thing that the regular army cannot match."
"As local snakes, they have many more sources of information, and their ability to collect intelligence is no less than or even better than that of regular intelligence agencies. The fishermen and merchant ships on the lake all have their informants. I'm afraid we are secretly We gathered boats and prepared them when necessary, but we were spotted by them when we were on the water of Nanyi Lake."
"Political commissar, these people are all local snakes, and they all have their own unique sources of information. Although we do it in extremely secretive circumstances when raising ships, we can hide it from the intelligence agencies of the Third War Zone and the Second Guerrilla Zone. , but it’s hard for us to hide it from them.”
"When our intelligence officers were raising ships, in order to clear up a local armed force that controlled nearly half of the fishing boats in Nanyi Lake and prevent them from causing trouble, the army commander specially approved 15 rifles and 10,000 rounds of ammunition as payment for the passage. We gave it to them secretly, otherwise, it would be difficult for us to raise so many ships."
"However, there are local armed forces of various sizes around Nanyi Lake, with or without establishment. Not counting the Langxi Security Group, there are seven or eight. Some are adapted from the local militia, and some are under the Qinghong Gang. , some were formed by stragglers who had retreated here before."
"These armed forces each occupy one area. Although they cannot be said to be kings and hegemons, they also have their own spheres of influence. As for the Second Guerrilla Zone, because these people are still useful, no action has been taken against them. Which one attacked them? Is the true intention of the fifth fleet fleet just to gain some benefits, or is there some other reason? We have to investigate carefully."
"But political commissar, although I can't guess their true intentions and identities, and I'm not too clear about what the terrain around Nanyi Lake is like, but I do know one thing very well, that is, the reason why they Choosing the location of the attack downstream of Dongxia Town may have something to do with them."
They started their business on Nanyi Lake. Their foundation is here and their sphere of influence is also here. This means that their scope of activities is destined to be inseparable from Nanyi Lake. To the east of Dongxia Town is the plain area. Let these people rely on Nanyi Lake. Yihu Sanitation, if the guys whose roots are in Nanyihu leave the lake and go to other places, it would be more uncomfortable than killing them,"
"And to the north is the enemy-occupied area in southern Jiangsu. It's a blessing that the Japanese army doesn't come to raid them. They still dare to go north into southern Jiangsu to make extra money, unless they want to attract the target of the Japanese army's next raid on themselves. In Nanyi and Hubei, except for those who have colluded with the pseudo-forces, generally these guys do not dare to go there easily."
"There are quite a lot of these miscellaneous armed forces around the Lake. Not only are they recruited from the Third War Zone and the Second Guerrilla Zone, but also from the Japanese and puppet forces in Wuhu and Southern Jiangsu. There are even many people who take advantage of both. These people are all They have their own spheres of influence, and their daily interactions are generally relatively harmonious, so they don't easily go to other people's territory."
"On land, even though our troops are extremely tired now and suffered a lot of losses in the previous battles, these guys don't dare to attack us because they know that not only will they not be able to take advantage of us in a land battle, It’s cheap, and you might even lose all your original capital.”
"But it's different at the mouth of Langchuan River. I'm afraid even the locals don't necessarily know how many river branches there are that can connect it to Nanyi Lake. If they can't take advantage, they get on the boat and retreat to the lake. We basically There is nothing we can do to capture them, except that our troops are not used to water battles, and we do not have that much time to search for them on such a large lake."
"So, I think that the attack on the military headquarters this time was premeditated by them, and I am afraid that our troops will be targeted by them as soon as they arrive at Nanyi Lake. However, the attack on the military headquarters and the main force this time , we cannot easily draw conclusions until we investigate clearly which force is behind it."
"Because these guys all know that they don't have a lot of capital on hand, and they are also very clear about the reasons why the Third War Zone and the Second Guerrilla Zone have recruited them. They know even better that they are only used as targets by the Second Guerrilla Zone. Once If our army retaliates, the Second Guerrilla Zone will probably not give them any assistance."
"So these people will not easily attack us in their own territory, because they know that even if our army withdraws to southern Jiangsu, with the distance between Nanyi Lake and southern Jiangsu, our army will still have no problem if we want to retaliate against them. However, Various forces around Nanyi Lake are intertwined. Although it is quite complicated, the line from the mouth of Langchuan River to Dongxia Town is an exception."
"This area does not belong to the sphere of influence of any local armed forces, but is directly controlled by the Second Guerrilla Zone. From the mouth of Langchuan River to Dongxia Town, it is one of the main defense lines of the Second Guerrilla Zone, and it is also the main water transportation between Langxi area and southern Jiangsu. line, so the second column has been garrisoned here by the confidants of the commander-in-chief of the second guerrilla zone."
"The local armed forces here were all forcibly driven away by the commander-in-chief. Now the second column of the advance has been transferred by the 32nd Army to go south to clear us. In this area, except for a few loyal and national salvation troops, basically There is no regular main force stationed there, so for those local armed forces who want to make some extra money, this is definitely the first choice place."
"If you choose here, you can take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit without having to face our retaliation. The most important thing is that you don't have to go deep into the inland to give the commander-in-chief an excuse to eliminate and integrate. These miscellaneous armed forces themselves are Those who survive by the barrel of a gun, without the barrel of a gun, they have nothing, so they simply do not dare to cross the activity area designated for them by the commander-in-chief of the Second Guerrilla Zone."