Hearing Yang Zhen ask about his thoughts on the follow-up operations, Guo Bingxun paused slightly and said: "No. 1, political commissar, I have also considered this issue during this period of time. I was just thinking about it at first, but I didn't expect it to happen like this. Fast, so there are only some ideas that are not yet mature."
"Now that the 29th Division has escaped, the only remaining Japanese troops in front of us are the 14th Division that is entangled with Wang Xiaoming's troops on the Fangzheng line, and the 12th Division that is now in front of Du Kaishan. If there are any left, Then there are the First Division, which is confronting us across the Xiaoxing'an Mountains, and the Japanese Fifty-seventh Division, which is stationed on the Hunchun front line."
"Looking at the overall battle situation, as early as when the 11th Division was encircled in Baoqing, I felt that it was time for us to fight out. We encircled the 11th Japanese Division in Baoqing. That is to say The initiative of the entire war situation has been firmly in our hands, and for us, it is time to launch external operations."
"I wonder if this is possible. The independent second brigade under Tao Jingfei's command post, which currently has no main combat mission after the escape of the 29th Division, and the independent fourth brigade, which is composed of the backbone regiment of the second division, and the backbone of the third division The fifth independent brigade formed by the first regiment formed the fourth column, strengthening the second column and fifth brigade currently commanded by Tao Jingfei, who commanded Tao Jingfei and headed south from the current station of Boli and Yilan, and penetrated directly into Ning'an."
"As long as the fourth column seizes Ning'an, we can cut off the retreat of the 14th Division at any time to the west and cooperate with the second column on the front to complete the encirclement of the 14th Division. We can cooperate with Du Kaishan's third column to the east to cut off The Twelfth Division contacted the Fifty-seventh Division behind it to complete the encirclement of the Japanese Twelfth Division stationed in Suiyang."
"At the same time, let the troops of the second and sixth brigades assigned to the first column return to their organizational structure, and organize them into an independent sixth brigade composed of the second and third regiments of the original three divisions, from Fangzheng and Tonghe to the 14th Division in front of it. Launch a full-line counterattack. At the same time, Sun San's armored brigade, after cooperating with Du Kaishan's command to complete the encirclement and annihilation of the remnants of the 8th Division, immediately transferred westward and strengthened it to Wang Xiaoming or Tao Jingfei. However, I think it is more appropriate to strengthen it to Tao Jingfei. Some."
"Wang Guangyu's first column immediately retracted its 1, 2 and 2 brigades back to Tangyuan territory, and at the same time assigned the independent third brigade originally stationed in Tangyuan territory to serve as a guard, and the seventh brigade formed from the reserve team commanded by Liu Changshun. We are ready to cross the Xiaoxing'an Mountains at any time, thrust towards Suileng, Qingcheng, Tongbei, and thrust towards the side and rear of the First Division in the Heihe area."
"In addition, the remnants of the Third Route Army that entered our army's base area will be used as the backbone to strengthen the second division's backbone second regiment, organize it into the Independent Eighth Brigade, and assign it to the command of the first column, which is the old guerrilla zone of the Third Route Army. Strengthen the independent Eighth The trip will be of great convenience to them."
"Our army is about to start fighting south. It can be said that the main force has been mobilized. Now the rear is very empty. No matter whether this first division moves eastward or not, but it is only separated from us by the Xiaoxinan Mountains, it will always be a huge obstacle to us. Threat, only by solving this first division can we have no worries."
Hearing Guo Bingxun's idea for the next battle, Yang Zhen nodded slightly and said: "Old Guo, my idea is similar to yours. No matter whether we are in the next battle, whether the first division is dispatched or not, in order to protect our flanks, To ensure their safety, we must deal with them first.”
"So before returning to Jiamusi, I have urged Liu Changshun to complete the formation of the new troops as soon as possible. At the same time, I have ordered Wang Guangyu and Yi Jianping to command the main force of the first column to shrink to Tangyuan and be on standby, ready to move west at any time. However, for the armored brigade and Tao Jingfei, The next crossing point for me and you are a little different."
"My idea is to assign all the armored brigade, including the cavalry brigade, to Tao Jingfei, and at the same time assign their two automobile regiments, ignore the Japanese 14th Division in Fangzheng territory, and move from Yilan to Yanshou and Binxian in the southwest. , forcibly penetrated in the direction of Acheng, and used the speed of forced march to seize the strategic city of Harbin in North Manchuria before the Japanese army could react."
"If the 14th Division forcibly withdraws south after the 29th Division leaves the battlefield, Tao Jingfei can stop it on the spot and cooperate with Wang Xiaoming's second column to encircle the 14th Division. If the 14th Division does not move, then Seize Harbin as quickly as possible, block the retreat routes of all Japanese troops in the entire North Manchuria area except for the 12th Division, and completely cut off the Binsui Railway, the main east-west transportation artery for the Japanese troops."
Having said this, Yang Zhen drew a big circle on the location of Harbin on the map hanging on the wall: "From now on, the escape of the 29th Division is not entirely a bad thing for us. It escaped early. It was dropped, but it allowed us to free up one hand in advance and reach into the Japanese hinterland at any time."
"However, the escape of the 29th Division has also brought certain variables to our follow-up operations. That is, as Tao Jingfei advances towards Harbin, he may encounter him at any time and be exposed in advance, so now we have a clear understanding of the 29th Division. Where we evacuate is very important to us."
"As for the interior of the base area, I plan to organize the 20,000 people flown over from the pass, plus the nearly 20,000 puppet Manchu troops we captured in the first phase of the operation, and the remaining six regiments from Liu Changshun's place, into six independent brigades. As a garrison force and strategic general reserve force."
After Yang Zhen's words fell, Li Yanping and Guo Bingxun on the side were stunned by his audacious idea. There was almost no difference in the ideas of Yang Zhen and Guo Bingxun about fighting in other directions, but Regarding the direction of Tao Jingfei's penetration, the two people have essentially different arrangements.
Guo Bingxun's deployment obviously took into account both the east and west fronts. Although it also adopted deep and devious tactics behind enemy lines, it seemed a bit conservative. Compared with Guo Bingxun's plan, Yang Zhen handed over all the 12th Division on the eastern front. For Du Kaishan, the operational plan of sending a force directly into Harbin and the tactical intention of directly attacking the heart of the Japanese army was completely unconstrained.
Guo Bingxun looked at the battle plan marked by Yang Zhen on the map, but shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If you follow your deployment, the entire battle situation will be chaotic. Except for the direction of Dukai Mountain on the eastern front, the rest of the battlefield But it’s a chaotic game of chess where you’re playing a part in me, and I’m playing a part in you.”
"And No. 1, according to your tactical intention, the pressure of the Twelfth Division on the Eastern Front will fall on the shoulders of Du Kaishan alone, and Du Kaishan only has ten regiments of troops, and the Twelfth Division But if they strengthen the division, their strength in that direction will appear to be a bit weak."
"And the troops commanded by Tao Jingfei penetrated directly into Harbin. Have you ever thought that once Wang Xiaoming did not entangle the 14th Division, Tao Jingfei's roundabout troops would face the danger of being attacked from two sides and even be cut off by the Japanese army. Moreover, if they penetrated directly into Harbin, Tao Jingfei would still We have to face the Japanese 25th Division deployed on the line from Xinjing to Harbin, and the brigade-level second independent garrison stationed in Harbin."
"Let's not talk about whether Tao Jingfei could seize Harbin before the 25th Division could react. It means seizing Harbin. Given the importance of Harbin's strategic location in Northern Manchuria, the Japanese army would not fail to make every effort to counterattack. If Harbin, the Northern Manchuria Railway, , the waterway hub is lost, for the Kwantung Army, it means that the entire northern Manchuria is lost. According to the character of the Japanese army, they will not fail to do their best to recapture Harbin after discovering that it has been seized by our army."
"Under the heavy siege of the Japanese army, even if they occupy Harbin, it will be difficult to hold it. Don't forget, the Japanese army still has the 51st Division to replace the 7th Division in Qiqihar, and there are 28 Divisions in Southern Manchuria. Division, these Japanese troops can use the complete railway network they control at any time to quickly reinforce the direction of Harbin."
"Besides, even if Tao Jingfei could reach Harbin, he would not be able to mobilize troops to coordinate in other directions. For the sake of Harbin, it would be uneconomical to stick tens of thousands of troops in one place. Don't you always think that siege is the most important thing, and the only way to annihilate the Japanese army's strength is by being flexible and flexible? Is that the point? Putting tens of thousands of troops in one place limits our own flexibility."
Guo Bingxun's worry is not unnecessary. Although the 28th Japanese Division is currently in southern Manchuria, the 24th Division is in Rehe, the 51st Division is in Qiqihar, and the 57th Division is in Hunchun, they are not connected to each other. But with a dense railway network, these Japanese troops can reinforce the Harbin front line at any time in a short period of time.
This does not include the variables of the 29th Division and the 14th Division that was on the Fangzheng front line at this time. After learning that Harbin was lost and its retreat was cut off, it could ignore Wang Xiaoming's entanglement and forcefully move south at any time. If The Japanese army mobilized large forces for reinforcements, and with the addition of the 14th Division, Tao Jingfei might be in danger of being surrounded from all sides.
Regarding Guo Bingxun's concerns, Yang Zhen shook his head and said: "Lao Guo, my deployment is to create a chaotic situation. For us, the current situation is more chaotic, the better. Only chaos can make the Japanese army unclear." The specific next move of our army, only if it is in chaos, can the Japanese army not understand the focus of our second phase of operations, and only if it is in chaos, can it bring us better fighter opportunities."
"Lao Guo, I have considered what you said. Indeed, if Tao Jingfei seizes Harbin, it will cause a huge chain reaction for the Japanese army. Not only the 25th Division currently deployed on the line from Xinjing to Harbin, but also the 28th Division in South Manchuria The regiment, as well as the 57th Division that had previously retreated to Helong, Antu, Wangqing, and Hunchun, and the 51st Division in Qiqihar, are all likely to be mobilized by the Kwantung Army."
"According to this situation, the Japanese army can be used to reinforce Harbin in the short term. Not counting the puppet Manchukuo army and the so-called independent garrison, there are only about four regular divisions. According to the establishment of the Kwantung Army, the total strength of these troops It should be around 100,000. This number is really an astronomical figure for Tao Jingfei, even after the reorganization is completed, it will only have more than 30,000 troops."
"But these Japanese troops are deployed all over the Northeast. Let's not talk about the distance. Even if they want to assemble, it will take at least three to five days. Compared with the divisions stationed in northern Manchuria, the Japanese troops deployed in southern Manchuria are It seems that they are more responsible for garrison tasks, not only between the various regiments of the division, but also between divisions. The straight-line distance between divisions is also long. Each division forms support for each other, and its combat readiness level is also high. "
"It takes a while for them to move from mobilization to advance, and depending on their distance from the battlefield and their respective combat readiness levels, the time it takes for them to arrive on the battlefield will be different. This gives us a situation that can make a big difference. The time difference of the article is exactly what we need."