Hu Jialin's 17th Army, Wan Fulin's 53rd Army, and Pang Bingxun's 40th Army had to stop their advance after receiving Chiang Kai-shek's order to "stop advancing and defend in place."
The three armies did not sit idle because of this. Under the eager gaze of the Japanese invaders, they began to build defenses one after another along the Yongding River, Long River, and Daqing River outside Pingjin. While cutting off the Pingjin Railway in one fell swoop, they quietly built various railway bridges.
On the piers of highway bridges, explosives detonated by Anjia military radio detonators were buried. Deep and long defensive fortifications were urgently built at every traffic artery, and machine guns were set up to stand ready.
After more than ten years of research and improvement, An Jiajun's engineering theory has once again reached a higher level.
The first fortification along the river is a large trench three meters wide and two meters deep. The second trench is about 500 meters away from the first. This unique trench originated from the Songhu Anti-Japanese War period, with a reserved area at the bottom.
Every soldier standing on the mud mound can stand firmly on the wide mud mound and shoot at the enemy in the direction of Tianjin, but he cannot turn around and shoot in the opposite direction, because standing on these mud mounds cannot rely on the trench wall to the north.
If you want to take a step forward, you have to stand at the bottom of the two-meter-two-meter-deep trench. Without the ability to rely on the trench, which is shaped like a frog at the bottom of a well, it is impossible to shoot. It is an excellent bunker to hide from guns.
There are three such defense lines. Each line is connected by clever use of irregular traffic trenches and scattered foxholes. The second and third lines of fortifications are equipped with hidden and strong frontline command posts. The two lines are more than 400 meters apart.
Between the fortifications, it was planned to lay a large number of mines to hit as many invading enemies as possible when the defense line fell.
The construction of the third trench took countless efforts by the soldiers of the 17th Army. This trench can be called the standard construction level of Anjia Army engineers. Most of them adopt a snake-shaped structure, with an arc bend every five meters.
To avoid serious damage caused by shrapnel splash when the enemy's heavy artillery attacks. At the same time, in view of the powerful firepower of the equipment of the 17th Army, individual bunkers are set up throughout the trenches to create fan-shaped shooting angles. The steel and concrete firepower points that were quickly built with every effort echo each other.
, forming a dense and stable crossfire. In addition, each fortification is built with anti-gun holes based on class standards. Because the anti-gun holes are deep underground, they are enough to withstand the blows of the Japanese army's conventional artillery unless they are bombarded by large-caliber naval guns.
Hu Jialin, who has been promoted to the commander of the Fifth Army Corps, rushes to the front line every day to inspect the positions, supervise the progress of the trench fortifications of various ministries, chat happily with the officers and soldiers of various ministries, and instruct the screaming brothers to calm down, but in his heart he still feels sorry for An Yi.
Determined to take the initiative but deeply worried.
In contrast, the quality of the three trenches of Pang Bingxun's 40th Army and Wan Fulin's 53rd Army, which are responsible for the right-wing combat mission, is lacking in quality. Almost every night, Hu Jialin meets and discusses with the generals of the two friendly armies, and also inspects the four friendly armies twice.
Regarding the trench construction of each division, it was found that the difference between the friendly forces and the headquarters was not in the tools and materials, but in the construction level and experience, as well as the lack of the "model battalion spirit" that had become the norm for the Anjia Army.
Pang Bingxun was also surprised that An Yi was not appointed as the commander-in-chief of the North China Theater this time.
Veteran Pang Bingxun had a close personal relationship with An Yi and highly praised An Yi's commanding level. He was very sorry that An Yi stayed at the headquarters to assume strategic command tasks. Wan Fulin considered many factors and had a deep understanding of the intricate relationships between the various ministries in North China, so he was very
Well understanding Chiang Kai-shek's difficulties, Wan Fulin expressed his analysis, and finally concluded with a long sigh: "If General An can be sent to the battle formation to take command, our armies will definitely be able to fight this battle much easier, at least they can
Less than half of our brothers will die."
As soon as these words came out, all the generals of the three armies around him suddenly realized it. They were sighing but helpless. Hu Jialin immediately lowered his face and warned the brothers around him: "All content discussed here is strictly prohibited from being disseminated. Everything is mainly to boost morale and boost the morale of the military.
"
This sentence made Pang Bingxun and Wan Fulin sigh with admiration. The Anjia Army's military discipline and unique political education methods were really beyond the reach of other armies.
However, everyone almost ignored An Yi's determination and courage. The reason why An Yi had no attachment to the position of commander of the First Theater Zone and former enemy commander-in-chief was that he was confident that except for himself and Chiang Kai-shek who could mobilize the Fifth Army, Hu Jialin could not
Will accept any random and irrational command. As long as the Fifth Army is effectively captured, the surrounding friendly forces in a subordinate position will naturally follow closely. Not to mention whether the friendship over the past few years can withstand the test, just relying on An Yi
Today's status and power can be mobilized, but if it doesn't work, An Yi has a trump card - there must be a brave man under the heavy reward! Use money to throw it at him!
In the past few days, there have been intermittent exchanges of fire between the 29th Army and the Japanese Army, but Song Zheyuan, who was not beaten, was still hesitating. At the same time, he was deceived by the Japanese side's smoke bomb of "not to expand the incident and resolve it through negotiation." In order to keep North China
In order to maintain peace and avoid the expansion of the war, Song Zheyuan, with the support of his think tanks, decisively ordered not to allow the Central Army to move northward, and sent a sharp statement telegram to Chiang Kai-shek. The main content was: Once the Central Army continues to move northward, it will provoke war.
The blame will be borne by the central government!
Song Zheyuan's statement was recognized by the majority of the peace advocates in the Nanjing government and the minority within the Military Commission. Under pressure from the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek had to make a decision and ordered the Fifth Army, the Fifty-third Army, and the Forty Army.
Stop advancing and defend in place. Secretly, Chiang Kai-shek was very aware of the Japanese tactics. After secret discussions with generals such as Bai Chongxi, An Yi, Chen Cheng, etc., he decisively mobilized troops and generals, and ordered Liu Zhi of Henan to temporarily take charge of the six divisions of the Central Army heading north.
At the same time, he secretly ordered Tang Enbo's army in the Shanxi-Suiyuan frontline to make all preparations for combat, and secretly ordered Wei Lihuang's troops stationed in Shanxi to form a group army, ready to receive orders to reinforce the North China battlefield. In addition, Chiang Kai-shek ordered Chen Cheng to modify the original plan and prepare to mobilize eighty
The division moved north, fighting the main battlefield between China and Japan, and locked the North China region firmly, trying to maintain the hard-won stability and development in most areas of the country.
Faced with such a violent situation, An Jiajun had to stop launching large-scale attacks on the Japanese army, otherwise the huge crime of triggering an all-out war between China and Japan would fall on An Jiajun. If An Yi fought angrily, the Japanese army would eventually be
It is okay to stay firmly on the front line of Beijing and Tianjin. After all, the Anjiajun is the mainstay. No one is willing to risk the disapproval of the world and accuse An Yi and the Anjiajun. However, once the war becomes tense, it will eventually lead to the fall of North China, coupled with the erosion of the coastal war situation,
Then An Yi is very likely to be used as a scapegoat and thrown out to take the blame. Regarding this, An Yi and the think tank behind him are very clear-*** is cruel and cannot tolerate any mistakes.
In addition, An Yi has privately obtained the support of Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng. Once a large-scale war breaks out, An Yi will rush to North China as a war supervisor, hiding behind Cheng Qian, the chief of general staff of the first theater, and bypassing Liu Zhi to specifically command the Fifth Army Corps and
The combat operations of the two friendly forces. Both Bai Chongxi and Chen Cheng solemnly promised that they would be responsible for convincing Chiang Kai-shek and giving An Yi all the power to act expediently.
In An Yi and Bai Chongxi's plan, the Japanese army has already felt the Chinese people's firm will to resist the war. Once the Seventeenth Army enters Pingjin despite Song Zheyuan's advice, the Japanese army will definitely retreat temporarily and retreat in the name of peace negotiations.
Taking the opportunity to provoke internal strife between the 29th Army and the 17th Army, and reap the benefits. Therefore, instead of falling into passivity at that time, it is better to have the two Japanese divisions deployed in place, allowing Song Zheyuan to feel the threat of the Japanese army at close range, and then launch a fierce attack.
Strive to annihilate all the Japanese troops of these two divisions on the Pingjin front line, so that the Japanese troops can feel the attitude of the Chinese army and understand the bottom line of the Chinese government, so as to promote peace through fighting.
Of course, if the Japanese use this as an excuse to expand the scale of the war, the Seventeenth Army and friendly forces can withdraw to the three carefully constructed fortifications and rely on the rivers and fortifications to deal a heavy blow to the Japanese army. An Yi believes that by groping in actual combat
The growing Seventeenth Army will surely drag the North China War into a stalemate with the support of follow-up friendly forces, and transform the periphery of Beijing and Tianjin into the Verdun of the East, the meat grinding ground of the Japanese army.
An Yi and Bai Chongxi discussed for a long time. Thinking of the possible air superiority of the Japanese army in North China once the war broke out, An Yi decided again to use the Fifth Air Defense Brigade, which was formed at the end of last year and had just shown its prowess in the air-to-ground exercise at Qinzhou Port, Guangxi.
He was transferred to North China, accompanied by a radar regiment equipped with vehicle-mounted radar and supporting radio command systems, striving not to suffer losses in the air battle.
In An Yi's view, the best way to maintain a stalemate with the Japanese in North China is to hold off the Japanese troops in North China for three to five months, so as to buy enough time for the westward migration of the coastal areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. After the outbreak of the war, the relocated
The targets will not be limited to machinery and equipment and production materials. Others such as young adults, women, children, grain, cloth, salt, school textbooks and experimental equipment should also be included in the relocation scope, leaving nothing for the enemy to exploit.
This will completely break the enemy's dream of using war to support war, and at the same time reduce the damage caused to the people when the war breaks out in East China.
After deploying North China, An Yi turned his attention to Pingjin and the 29th Army to capture fighter opportunities.
At 2 a.m. on July 10, the Japanese army resumed their attack on Marco Polo Bridge and surrounded Wanping County. The track from Fengtai to Beiping was demolished by the Japanese army. At 10 a.m., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a written complaint to the Japanese Embassy, accusing Japan of violating the agreement and demanding
Immediately stop military operations, withdraw troops immediately, and effectively stop illegal garrisoning and exercises.
On July 11, the clashes between the Japanese troops at Marco Polo Bridge continued, there were also contacts at Huangtupo, and there was a dramatic battle at Babao Mountain to the west of Peiping. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that the Marco Polo Bridge incident had become serious and the responsibility lies with Japan. If Japan makes another mistake, the Far East will
was in danger. The Embassy in Japan again raised the alarm, asking Japan to stop the illegal and breach of trust actions of the Japanese army in North China. On the same day, because Tashiro Anichiro was seriously ill, Lieutenant General Kozuki Kiyoshi, the former commander of the Guards Division, rushed to Tianjin and took over*
**The position of commander of the North China Garrison Army.
On July 12, the 29th Army withdrew from Marco Polo Bridge to Changxindian and Hengmenkou. Immediately, Song Zheyuan made a speech, saying that peace can be achieved and he hoped that those responsible would put the overall interests of East Asia first. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nanjing said that regarding Marco Polo Bridge
Any solution to the incident that has not been approved by the central government will be invalid. In the afternoon of the same day, British Foreign Minister Eden informed Japanese Ambassador Yoshida Shigeru and Chinese Ambassador Guo Taiqi, hoping that the incident in North China would not expand.
Then from July 13th to 18th, the Japanese army at Dahongmen attacked Nanyuan and Yongdingmen, and continued to attack Wanping City. The war fell into a stalemate. At the same time, during this period, the Japanese army rushed to Tianjin with nearly
Bailie, there were hundreds of fighter planes, but Song Zheyuan still took a step-by-step approach, giving up the Tianjin West Station and letting the Japanese occupy it. Xiangyue Qingsi also moved his North China garrison headquarters to Fengtai, continuing to show his aggressive tactics.
Offensive posture.
For more than a week, reconnaissance planes of the Chinese Air Force and the Japanese Air Force frequently circled over North China and fired several times. Fortunately, there were no casualties and both sides maintained a certain degree of restraint.