Having said this, Yang Zhen was silent for a moment, then turned his head and looked outside the window at the sky where snowflakes were falling again. He said: "Old Wang, in fact, the idea of transferring you here was not after we captured Qiqihar. Yes, it was decided before the operation was launched last autumn, but at that time it was still dependent on the development of the war situation, so no order was issued in advance."
"No matter whether our operational goal this year is to go south to open up the connection with the pass, the 23rd Division must be solved. This is necessary. Can we solve the 23rd Division and expand the defense depth of the entire Western Front? The next phase of our overall development is extremely important.”
"To be honest, if it hadn't been for the excessive casualties and excessive fatigue of the troops in continuous operations after last summer's operation, I would not have waited until now to find a way to deal with the 23rd Division. I, Yang Zhen, still understand the principle of doing everything in one go. It's a pity that the situation of the troops at that time was such that they could no longer support the fight, so they did not continue to advance westward after seizing Qiqihar."
Hearing that Yang Zhen had already thought of transferring himself to the Western Front after capturing Qiqihar before the battle last summer, Wang Guangyu was confused: "Could it be that No. 1 had already made up his mind at that time? Seize Longjiang Province in Manchuria, but when the battle is launched, no one knows what the outcome will be. This number may be thinking too long-term."
Looking at the puzzled expression on Wang Guangyu's face, Yang Zhen, who guessed what he was thinking, smiled and said: "You are right. Recovering the Nenjiang area was the main goal of last summer's operation. To achieve this goal, Not only to expand our living space, but also for other reasons."
"And the reason for this is very simple. It's just for the sake of resources. It turns out that the area is rich in coal resources. Although iron ore is slightly lacking, it is sufficient. However, oil and copper, which are crucial to our future military industry, are not available. Although the puppet Longjiang Province does not have many other resources, its coal resources are not as good as those of the puppet Sanjiang Province."
"But there are rich reserves of copper mines here, and there is also rich oil buried underground. There is no need for me to tell you about the Duobaoshan copper mines. Now let me tell you that Zhaozhou and Zhaodong are right under your feet. Under Anda, there is China's largest oil field with reserves. If we don't capture this place, we will still have to rely on foreign aid in the future."
"Maybe what I say is not very political, but this is the reality. If it were not for the purpose of seizing this place and using the rich resources here for me, after taking Harbin during last year's battle, the troops would have been extremely tired from continuous operations. Under such circumstances, we should terminate the operation."
"You know the situation of the troops after we captured Harbin in last year's battle. If we continue to fight, we can only barely support it. But if we don't capture Longjiang Province, we will still be restricted in the future. Just like now, if others want to sell us oil, they can. , I don’t want to sell, I just find any excuse to cut off your supply.”
"You have heard what Zhang Zhenhua said, and you understand our current situation. If we have our own oil production areas and our own oil refining and chemical industry, will we still be choked by others from time to time? I am a person who does things It’s a bit impulsive, but I still have some vision.”
"Fortunately, we were tired from fighting last year, and the Japanese army was also tired. Coupled with the constraints of Jiangbei, the Japanese 23rd Division did not dare to advance eastward with all its strength, allowing us to achieve the battle goal by winning in danger. However, this 20th Division If the Third Division is not resolved, our future non-ferrous metal smelting base and oil mining base will still be in danger."
"The Daxingan Mountains are only more than a hundred kilometers deep. Although they are densely forested, they are far from high mountains. If they say they are natural dangers, then they are natural dangers. If they say they are not, they are not. At such a close distance, the Japanese army can attack at any time. Once the Japanese army attacks In the future, the oil production and refining bases located in the Nenjiang Military Region will be completely destroyed."
"This risk is something we cannot bear in any case, so no matter what our next phase of combat goals are, this 23rd Division must solve it. How can we allow others to snore next to the bed, let alone a piece of equipment? The 23rd Japanese Division, which is sophisticated and is now almost entirely mechanized, will not be able to sleep even in Jiamusi unless we deal with it."
"It is for this goal that as early as the beginning of formulating the combat plan, it was decided that once the combat objectives are achieved, you, a commander with both ability and political integrity and outstanding abilities and qualities, will be placed in this position so that you can Be prepared in advance for the next step to deal with the 23rd Division."
"But you must keep the information about the underground oil in that area absolutely confidential and never mention it to anyone. Before we actually exploit it, we must not reveal anything about it. Even Xiong Dazhen and Zhang Zhenhua don't know about this matter. Because your location is so critical, I greet you in advance."
Having said this, Yang Zhen paused and said: "Lao Wang, what kind of bottleneck is our current development at? With the Japanese's shrewdness and intelligence collection capabilities, they will not be aware of it at all. What can we think of? Yes, the Japanese army can also think of it."
"So when you are formulating a battle plan, you must try your best to hide your tactical intentions before the battle is launched and mobilize the enemy in such a way to distract the enemy's attention and strength and be as thorough as possible, and fight to the death. This is not our fighting style, and we cannot afford the huge casualties caused by that fighting mode."
"Although the 23rd Division's bones were broken by the Soviet army in the Nomonhan battle, it recovered very quickly. Not only did it regain its strength with the priority of the Japanese army, but its weapons and equipment also received great improvements. Strengthening, the number of artillery and armored troops has increased by a considerable proportion."
"After the end of the operation last summer, the First Division, which suffered more than half of its casualties, was transferred, which ostensibly weakened the Japanese army west of the Xing'an Mountains. However, in order to ensure this bridgehead that threatened our army's flanks, the Japanese Kwantung Army after the end of the operation last summer , despite heavy losses, added two motorized infantry regiments, a cavalry regiment and two ** field artillery brigades to the 23rd Division."
"After a winter of hard work, the strength of the 23rd Division has not been weakened by the transfer of the First Division, but has been strengthened in disguise. In other words, for us, the 23rd Division It will be an extremely hard nut to crack, so you must consider it carefully when formulating a battle plan."
"However, your main task in the next stage is the 23rd Division, but I said that your responsibility is the entire Western Front. You have to consider not only the 23rd Division, but also Hung Yen Province in the north. , the entire front from south to Jehol, your responsibility is the entire western front, and the rest of the troops are all to cooperate with you, no matter how they pretend or attack."
"However, in order not to attract the attention of the Japanese army, the military region will adjust the deployment of each column in the next step. In your Nenjiang Military Region, only one division of the first column and some cavalry units will be placed. The rest of the troops will be mainly stationed along the line from Harbin to Mudanjiang. , made a move southward and assumed a posture to capture Xinjing."
"At the same time, the eastern front troops will also put their focus on the China-North Korea border, and the two columns and six divisions of the main force, as well as the armored troops, and most of the directly affiliated heavy artillery brigades will be placed on the center line. Only when necessary , then we can move westward by rail and highway.”
"The entire Western Front will be in a defensive posture before the battle begins. Your overall battle plan must be formulated around this aspect. However, how many of these troops will be transferred to the west based on the development of the battle process? It depends on the progress of the battle after the battle begins, but I can tell you that it will not be less than three divisions. At the same time, your military region troops must also be prepared to reorganize and join the war at any time."
Wang Guangyu fell into deep thought while listening to Yang Zhen's deployment. However, although he did not know where No. 1 knew that there was oil underground in Zhaozhou, he did not intend to ask further. This matter involved confidentiality. Since No. 1 If he didn't want to say it, he definitely wouldn't say it. He put his main thoughts on the plan mentioned by Yang Zhen.
Seeing Wang Guangyu deep in thought, Yang Zhen did not disturb him, but sat quietly on the side. It was not until the sky turned completely dark and the guards came in to turn on the lights that Wang Guangyu came back to his senses and saw the sky. It was already dark, and Wang Guangyu realized that he had been thinking for more than an hour.
Seeing that the sky had turned dark, and seeing the tired look on Yang Zhen's face, Wang Guangyu said a little guiltily: "No. 1, I'm sorry, I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I forgot the time, which delayed your rest, as you know , this burden is really too heavy for me. I have no previous experience in commanding an aspect of combat, and it is such an important aspect."
Seeing Wang Guangyu's expression of a heavy burden, Yang Zhen smiled and said: "This burden is indeed a bit heavy, but you can bear it. I have confidence in you, and you must also have confidence in yourself, young man You always have to be motivated. Don't worry, the sky won't fall. The battle you commanded against the First Division was wonderful, wasn't it?"
Yang Zhen's words made Wang Guangyu smile bitterly and said: "No. 1, now I finally understand what you meant by walking on thin ice when you led us out of Lao Heidingzi's secret camp. No. 1, I will do my best." I will make all my efforts to meet the requirements of the military region and you."
Having said this, Wang Guangyu looked at Yang Zhen and said: "No. 1, do you want to stay in Qiqihar for a few days? First, have a good rest, and secondly, let me check the formulation of the plan. After all, my experience It’s too shallow and I still need your guidance on many details.”
In response to Wang Guangyu's request, Yang Zhen waved his hands and said: "I can't stay here. First, I'm not in the base area during this period. There are too many things accumulated in the military region, and the military region's establishment is facing adjustments. I don't have so much free time. Time rests here.”
"Second, I am a very popular person. The Japs will definitely be closely observing my movements. My goal of staying here is too big. If I stay here for a long time, it will easily arouse the suspicion of the Japanese army. On the contrary, it will be counterproductive. Please prepare for me. Two cars, I will go to Harbin first tomorrow and return to Jiamusi the day after tomorrow."