Just when Shouichi Temple was concentrating on wondering what kind of troops caused the Dawenkou Incident, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the Military Commission of the National Government, held a military meeting in Xuzhou to further deploy the battle in Xuzhou.
Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xuzhou by train on the night of March 24th.
Although the Japanese army's offensive was fierce during this period, the focus of the attack was mainly concentrated on three places: the first was the Shanxi battlefield, the second was the southern section of Jinpu Road, and the third was the central Hebei area. Of these three battlefields, Chiang Kai-shek was most concerned about the southern section of Jinpu Road battlefield.
The reason is very simple. The Shanxi battlefield has the Yellow River natural barrier to the west, the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line to the south, and the Taihang Mountains to the east. No matter how ferocious the Japanese army is, they want to cross the Yellow River defense line guarded by the Communists and the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line guarded by the 24th Wei Lihuang Group Army.
These are all unrealistic. As for the central Hebei area, it had already fallen at the beginning of the war. The National Army no longer had regular troops there. No matter how hard the Japanese army tried, they would just compete with the guerrillas formed by the Communist Party. It didn’t matter who won or lost.
The overall strategic situation. Besides, with the Communist Party’s number one general Liu Yimin hiding there, the Japanese army’s plot may not succeed. Things turned out just as the Chairman expected. Liu Yimin took action and hit the Japanese army within seven inches of attacking the Jizhong troops.
, as expected, the little devils came and went like the tide, and they stayed on the defensive line obediently and motionless. Only the battlefield in the southern section of the Jinpu Line was the most worrying. Because once the Japanese army captured Xuzhou, they could separate the two strategic areas of North China and Central China.
With the Jin-Pu railway and shipping, the Japanese army's combat maneuverability will be greatly improved. Next, the Japanese army will definitely use all its strength to attack Wuhan. And Xuzhou is an easy-to-attack and difficult-to-defend place in the Four Battles. Our army
It's very difficult to defend.
To be fair, Chiang Kai-shek put a lot of effort into the Battle of Xuzhou.
Historically, the Taierzhuang victory made Li Zongren famous, but it was also the result of Chiang Kai-shek's strong support. Now compared with history, due to the stimulation of the Eighth Route Army's consecutive victories, Chiang Kai-shek has placed greater hopes on the Battle of Xuzhou and wants to win the battle in Xuzhou.
A great victory was won in Taierzhuang, which reversed the bad image in the minds of the Chinese people that the Eighth Route Army was winning battles every day, and that the national army was turning in every day, losing troops and losing ground.
Since the establishment of the Supreme Command in January, Chiang Kai-shek resigned as President of the Executive Yuan and was responsible for commanding the national army. At that time, the Supreme Command determined that the Japanese army would definitely attack Xuzhou from the north and the south, and would attack Wuhan after success. At the Luoyang Military Conference
At the meeting, Mr. Zhu once again reminded Chiang Kai-shek to guard against the Japanese army making a breakthrough on the Jinpu Line.
Chiang Kai-shek was also worried that the national army would not be able to withstand the Japanese attack from the north and the south, but his focus was not on the gains and losses in Xuzhou, but on luring the enemy's main force to concentrate in Xuzhou to buy time for Wuhan to prepare for war and to move the center of national power westward. This idea was a strategic idea, and it was important to him.
The Battle of Xuzhou at that time and a series of battles from then until the Battle of Wuhan were of guiding significance.
In order to ensure that Xuzhou was not lost, Chiang Kai-shek took a series of measures. First, he transferred Li Zongren, commander of the First Reserve Army, to serve as commander-in-chief of the Fifth Theater. Second, he determined the three major strategies of long-lasting attrition, offensive defense, and guerrilla containment behind enemy lines. The third was rectification.
In order to maintain military discipline, Han Fuqu was shot to boost morale. A meeting of officers above the regiment commanders of the first and fifth theaters was held in Kaifeng, where he personally lectured and required all units to strengthen political work, determine whether there is an enemy or not, and whether we are invincible, and establish the determination to sacrifice.
Carry forward the spirit of attack, and declare that those who retreat without authorization will be held accountable according to the company's laws, and those who take the initiative to attack the enemy will be rewarded and punished. The fourth is to strengthen the strength of the fifth theater, and successively draw troops from the first theater, the second theater, and the third theater for use
On the Xuzhou battlefield, our army in Xuzhou not only had four times the enemy's strength, but also had five artillery regiments, more than fifty aircraft, and armored trains to assist in the defense of Taierzhuang. In particular, Tang Enbo's 20th Army Corps, Li Zongren asked for instructions to mobilize
A division of Tang Enbo's 85th Army served as the reserve force of Sun Zhen's 22nd Army. Tang Enbo did not want the troops to be divided and used, so he reported to Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek simply transferred the entire 20th Army to the command of the Fifth Theater and used it as a decisive force in the battle.
The fifth is to strengthen troop training and improve command levels. In Chiang Kai-shek’s words, past failures were entirely due to the lack of academic research and offensive spirit among senior generals. The knowledge and combat skills of our commanders are not as good as those of the enemy’s regiment commanders and corps commanders.
The division commander's command is not as good as the enemy's battalion commander and company commander. Sixth, the logistics support is relatively in place.
It should be said that from a strategic point of view, Chiang Kai-shek's deployment and guiding ideology for the Battle of Xuzhou were on the right track. However, Chiang Kai-shek was still uneasy and frequently summoned the generals of each army to give instructions and encouragement. He even asked how each army should prevent the Japanese from releasing poison gas.
I personally give instructions and take care of all matters at the tactical level.
With these preliminary work, Chiang Kai-shek was full of confidence in the prospects of the Battle of Xuzhou and was determined to severely inflict heavy losses on the enemy near Xuzhou and win a great victory that would excite the people across the country.
At this time, the Japanese Setani detachment, after capturing Tengxian, Lincheng, Hanzhuang, and Yixian, formed the Taierzhuang detachment and was attacking the Taierzhuang front line. All units of our Second Group Army were fighting fiercely with the enemy on the Taierzhuang front line.
After Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Xuzhou, he met with Li Zongren, Sun Lianzhong and other generals, and expressed their condolences. Especially when he met with Sun Lianzhong's division commander and above, Chiang Kai-shek shook hands with everyone and greeted the elderly at home, which moved these old Northwest Army generals.
After the interview, Chiang Kai-shek met with Sun Lianzhong alone. He affectionately called him his nickname "Silly Taoer" and praised Sun Lianzhong for his many outstanding contributions to the country. He decisively intercepted and pursued Zhang Xun's "Braid Army", which was of great significance to safeguarding the republic.
Contribution. Especially since he came under the command of the Central Committee, he has been able to obey the leaders in all battles. The Central Committee trusts Sun and has high hopes for the Second Army to create extraordinary fighters on the front line of Taierzhuang.
Chiang Kai-shek had always attached great importance to Sun Lianzhong. With this praise, Sun Lianzhong felt that the Chairman had shown him a favor and solemnly saluted Chiang and assured him that as long as there was still one person in the Second Army, the Japanese army would never cross Taierzhuang.
Chiang Kai-shek was very satisfied with Sun Lianzhong's attitude and encouraged Sun Lianzhong to command his troops to fight the Japanese invaders to the end, ensure the safety of Xuzhou's defense line, and serve the country.
When talking to Li Zongren alone, Chiang Kai-shek inquired in detail about the casualties of the 22nd Army. When he learned that Sun Zhen had led the remaining three regiments to stay in Teng County to fight guerrillas and was ready to seize the boundary river at any time, Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed and confessed
Li Zongren sent electricity to Sun Zhen and rewarded him with a general order. After the war, the 22nd Army was allowed to rest and replenish.
Subsequently, Chiang Kai-shek held a military meeting at the Fifth Theater Headquarters.
At the combat meeting, Li Zongren reported on the map the situation between the enemy and ourselves and the fifth theater's determination to defend Taierzhuang to attract the enemy to attack and then annihilate them. Chiang Kai-shek nodded frequently after hearing this and carefully inquired about the terrain of Taierzhuang and our defending troops.
Tactical countermeasures, and then proposed that the Nanjing defense battle was fought beautifully. Although Nanjing was lost, the people, institutions, factories, and materials were transferred smoothly, which severely damaged the Japanese army and gave the Japanese army an empty city. It eliminated the main force of our army under the city of Nanjing.
The attempt was completely shattered. Some of the tactics used in the Nanjing Defense War are worth learning from the Fifth War Zone.
At this point, Chiang Kai-shek was afraid that the generals would misunderstand his meaning and abandon Xuzhou, so he said: "De Neighbor, now the Japanese Tenth Division is advancing alone, and our troops have gathered around Taierzhuang, forming a pocket."
, all units should be ordered to fight bravely, annihilate the Japanese troops on this road, and ensure that Xuzhou is not lost. In the past, Liu Yimin won consecutive battles, and in the latter, Wang Mingzhang was bloody in Tengxian County. The morale of our army is high at this time, and the fifth theater should be determined to complete the campaign.
Target."
Li Zongren nodded in agreement and suggested that the only thing to consider was the direction of Linyi. Although our army defeated the Japanese attack on Linyi, reinforcements from the 39th Regiment of the Japanese Tenth Division had arrived, and our army was in a hard fight. If the Japanese army of the Tenth Division at this time
If the Sixth Division joins the attack, our army will definitely be out of support. Should we inform the Eighteenth Army of the frontline battle situation and ask Liu Yimin's troops in western Shandong to launch an attack on Dexian County on Jinpu Road to attract the enemy's Sixteenth Division to reinforce and ensure the front-line battle in Taierzhuang?
went smoothly.
As soon as Liu Yimin was mentioned, a suspicion arose in Chiang Kai-shek's mind. After annihilating the main force of the 21st Division and the independent fourth brigade, and scaring off the Japanese army's raid on the heavy military group in central Hebei, Liu Yimin actually disappeared again. Some time ago
He also sent himself a telegram, asking for the release of Chen Yaoguang's parents. Now that they have been released, why didn't they even send a thank you message? It seems that these Communists are heartless and heartless.
Thinking about it, I feel useless. Dai Li has failed again this time. Chen Yaoguang can let Liu Yimin send a telegram to her requesting the release of her parents. This shows that she has been influenced by Liu Yimin and explained her identity to Liu Yimin. This is another story.
The modern version of losing his wife and losing his troops. This Liu Yimin seems to be determined to work for the Communist Party. It is too difficult to win him over and become one of our own.
Thinking in his mind, Chiang Kai-shek said: "In this Xuzhou battle, the Taierzhuang front-line encirclement and annihilation of the Japanese Segu detachment is just a prelude, and there are still many opportunities for follow-up combat. We can order all units of the 18th Group Army to actively engage in guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines to hold back the Japanese troops and prevent them from doing so.
Reinforce the Xuzhou battlefield. As for Liu Yimin, there is no need for him to join the Xuzhou battlefield for the time being. If you do not have enough troops, you can use reinforcements. When to use Liu Yimin's troops, Zhu De and Peng Dehuai have already said that it will be used in case the war situation reverses.
, let him attack a certain strategic point of the Japanese army that has to be rescued, and relieve our army."
Having said this, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly had an idea in his mind. If Liu Yimin could capture Jinan, wouldn't the main force of the Japanese army have to return with heavy reinforcements? By then, they might be able to take advantage of the situation to regain the lost territory in Shandong. It would be best if Liu Yimin's instructors could
Beat him harder, kill more Japs, annoy the Japs completely, fight them to the death, and die together. How much trouble can be saved in that way!
Not to mention Chairman Chiang’s inner calculations, so many generals were sitting upright and waiting for his instructions! Chiang Kai-shek did not dare to think freely anymore. He cleared his throat and said loudly in his unique Ningbo accent: "This time Xuzhou
The battle is related to the overall situation of the Anti-Japanese War. All our revolutionary soldiers should strengthen their will to be invincible even if there are no enemies, determine their determination to sacrifice and attack spirit, unite as one, obey the command, and complete the task of annihilating the Seya detachment of the Japanese army."
Chiang Kai-shek paused for a moment and glanced at the generals one by one: "A few days ago, our 22nd Army, with eight regiments and less than 20,000 troops, fought against the Japanese army along the border river, and then defended Teng County for three days, with heavy losses.
At the cost of casualties, the Japanese invaders Setani Detachment was severely damaged. 5,000 athletes were stained with blood in Teng County. Wang Mingzhang, the lieutenant general of the 122nd Division under the command of the 22nd Army and the former enemy, died heroically and set an example for the officers and soldiers of the national army. The Military Commission decided to posthumously award Wang Mingzhang
With the rank of general, a public ceremony was held in Xuzhou, and the body was transported back to Sichuan for burial. I solemnly warn you that you must learn from Wang Mingzhang, not Han Xiangfang. You must die on your own ground!"
Seeing that the generals were listening carefully, Chiang Kai-shek said again: "Our army will win this battle at Xuzhou. There are four reasons: First, our army has strong military strength, several times that of the enemy, and has an air force participating in the battle. Second, our army's deployment
Certainly, there are troops blocking and harassing the Japanese army in both Shanxi and the Yangtze River direction. It is impossible for the Japanese army to increase large-scale troops to rescue Taierzhuang in the short term. Third, the Japanese army is arrogant. A large group of troops dares to take the lead in attacking Taierzhuang. The arrogant soldiers will surely
Defeat, this is an unbreakable truth since ancient times. Fourth, after a series of battles in Jiehe and Teng counties, the Japanese Segu detachment suffered heavy casualties and could not be replaced for the time being. It is because of these three points that the headquarters is determined to win a big victory in Taierzhuang.
, let Taierzhuang become the tomb of the Japanese army."
Next, Chiang Kai-shek particularly emphasized the importance of the Taierzhuang front line to the defense of Xuzhou, and the importance of defending Xuzhou to Wuhan's preparations for war and even the overall situation of the Anti-Japanese War, requiring generals at all levels to deeply understand it.
After the meeting, Chiang Kai-shek ordered all the newly purchased 100,000 gas masks to be transported to southern Shandong. Soldiers were strictly prohibited from drinking cold water and unboiled water to prevent the Japanese army from jumping over the wall to release poison gas. Li Zongren was instructed to train more detectives and actively carry out night battles. All troops
It is necessary to keep a reserve force, especially the troops stationed in Taierzhuang. A sufficient reserve force must be kept so that they can be mobilized at critical moments.
In order to strengthen the guidance for the Xuzhou battle, Chiang Kai-shek retained Bai Chongxi, deputy chief of staff, Lin Wei, deputy director of the military command department, Liu Fei, director of the first department of the military command department, and senior staff officer Wang Hongzhao to form a staff group to stay in Xuzhou to assist the Fifth Army.
The commander-in-chief of the theater, Li Zongren, took command of the operation and returned to Kaifeng by car.
After Chiang Kai-shek left, Li Zongren immediately ordered all troops to deploy quickly according to the theater combat plan, preparing to use Taierzhuang as bait to attract the main force of the Japanese Segu Detachment to annihilate.
That morning, for the first time, Japanese aircraft did not fly in for bombing. Instead, the Chinese Air Force, which was ordered to arrive, dispatched several times to bomb Japanese attack teams and positions, which caused the Chinese soldiers to cheer excitedly and take off their military hats to salute the Air Force.