The Han family ancestral hall looks unusually quiet at night, but inside the ancestral hall is busy. Phones are ringing one after another, radio stations are ticking, and more than thirty staff officers from the Seventeenth Army Headquarters are performing their duties.
, busy but not chaotic, around the big table placed in the middle of the main hall, there were only two people, Zhang Chengzhu, deputy commander of the 5th Army, and Lu Yixuan, deputy commander of the 17th Army.
Zhang Chengzhu arrived an hour ago. With his arrival, the Eastern Front Command of the Seventeenth Army was suddenly upgraded and became the Eastern Front Command of the Fifth Army.
Zhang Chengzhu's position and military rank are higher than that of Lu Yixuan, but Zhang Chengzhu did not interfere too much with Lu Yixuan's command. Instead, he fully assisted Lu Yixuan in his work, willingly serving as a staff officer, and taking advantage of his good relationships with the armies in North and Central China.
With personal connections and prestige, I tried my best to help Lu Yixuan.
At the same time, it also puts another burden on Lu Yixuan - if the war situation requires it, Lu Yixuan is authorized to use the name of the legion headquarters to directly issue orders to Wan Fulin and Pang Bingxun who are attacking south of Tianjin, and according to the actual situation on the battlefield,
Contact and coordinate with the 29th Army at any time.
Arriving with Zhang Chengzhu were more than 130 ammunition and supplies transport convoys and three new regiments. The three regiments, with 6,000 soldiers, will be responsible for transporting ammunition and supplies to various frontline departments and evacuating the lightly and seriously wounded. Frontline field hospitals
It had been established the afternoon before yesterday and was hidden in the willow forest on the bank of the Daqing River that is more than 200 meters long behind the Han family ancestral hall.
Lu Yixuan and the 17th Army General were very surprised and moved by the delegation of authority from the Corps Headquarters. The delegation of authority by An Yi, Hu Jialin, and Zhang Chengzhu was not only a precious trust, but also an invisible spur and encouragement. When Zhang Chengzhu
When the generals announced that "the frontline command can request the Central Air Force to coordinate operations according to the course of the war," Lu Yixuan and the generals around him were extremely excited, and at the same time they also felt a heavy pressure.
Lu Yixuan, who is talented and rigorous in character, is recognized as a wise general by the officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army. Through the efficient work of the departments directly under him and his methodical and meticulous attitude, it can be seen that this man graduated from the Whampoa Military Academy and the Frunze Military Academy and led the army.
The generals who have been fighting for many years have fully matured and established their own image.
Create his own unique style. The war, which was called the "Battle of Langfang" by radio stations, newspapers and magazines across the country, has continued until now. No place has escaped Lu Yixuan's control. Everything is going smoothly and step by step, and the results achieved are better than those achieved by Lu Yixuan.
Yihe's Fifth Army Corps headquarters expected even better, which is enough to show Lu Yixuan's outstanding commanding talent.
"Report: Division Commander Li Jinlong called. The main force of the Japanese 20th Division moving south from the Huangcun line in the north has merged with the 109th Division. It is expected that the Japanese army will launch an attack in an hour." Wen, Chief of Staff of the 17th Army.
Junhao came to the opposite side of Lu Yixuan and Zhang Chengzhu and loudly reported across the table.
Lu Yixuan looked at his watch, raised his head and ordered calmly: "Two orders: First, call Commander Zhang Zuying of the 17th Division, and Langfang must be captured within an hour; second, order Commander Xiao Wu, and the armored brigade will turn around immediately
Go north, act according to the original plan, and must enter the attack area within two hours."
"yes!"
Lu Yixuan looked to the right and said: "Director Qin."
"arrive!"
Qin Zhenbang, the director of the communications department, left the staff group and came running.
"Immediately call General Zhang Zizhong and ask the friendly forces to speed up the pursuit and put as much pressure on the Japanese 20th Division as possible. If you have any requests, just make them and our army will make every effort to help." Lu Yixuan ordered.
"yes!"
Lu Yixuan finally turned to Zhang Chengzhu: "Brother Chengzhu, I can't talk to General Zhou Zhirou about him. Please call Commander An and Commander Hu and ask the Central Air Force to provide air cover for our armored forces as much as possible starting from dawn. If necessary,
If possible, try to give front-line support to Langfang.
"It is now 3:20 in the morning, only two and a half hours before dawn. We must complete the three-sided encirclement of the Japanese army and launch a general attack before 7 a.m.. If delayed, the Japanese army's air superiority will bring us
It will be a big trouble and cause unnecessary casualties, making it difficult to achieve the intended purpose of this battle."
"No problem, I will submit your opinions in time." Zhang Chengzhu readily agreed.
...
3:30 in the morning, Baoding, Fifth Army Headquarters.
The command hall was crowded with generals and commanders, and the atmosphere was tense. Staff officers from various departments were in a hurry. It was no less relaxed than at the Eastern Front Command Headquarters, which was close to the battlefield.
After a day of getting along with each other, Air Force Commander Zhou Zhirou has gradually adapted to the combat atmosphere of the Anjia Army Headquarters and has become familiar with the two-level command system of the Anjia Army. At this moment, he still has full admiration for the rigorous, efficient and united General Anjia Army. Before being transferred to the Air Force
Zhou Zhirou, who served as chief of staff of Chen Cheng's 11th Division and deputy commander of the 18th Army, also had rich combat command experience, but had never seen such an advanced, scientific, efficient and rigorous command system as Anjiajun.
What made Zhou Zhirou sigh was that the Anjiajun's logistics system was extremely complete. Before the war started, two field hospitals, one in the south and one in the north, had been established, and each hospital had more than 300 medical personnel. At the same time, each hospital was also equipped with a
Guard battalion, a transport company and an engineer company, the general and commander of the logistics department
The department's staff's estimates of material consumption, the formulation of transportation routes, the calculation of weapons and ammunition supplies, and security protection, etc., are all submitted to the headquarters for review and discussion in the form of plans. Once approved, they are immediately implemented quickly, so that frontline combat officers and soldiers have no worries.
Be able to devote all your energy to combat.
Zhou Zhirou learned from the frequent battle reports that the 53rd Army and the 40th Army attacking south of Tianjin had suffered more than 3,500 casualties, and they all received timely treatment from the field hospital dispatched by the Anjia Army. Statistics
It was sent from the field hospital.
As of an hour ago, Wan Fulin's and Pang Bingxun's troops, who had fought hard for nearly nine hours, had carried off more than 2,500 wounded officers and soldiers. The two armies were still fighting forward bravely despite the tenacious obstruction of the Japanese army in Tianjin. Among them, Pang Bingxun
The right-wing battlefield in charge of the Ministry actually pushed back the Japanese Itagaki Division for three kilometers and pushed the front to the Lijialou line, which was only two kilometers away from Tianjin City.
Under the command of An Yi and Hu Jialin, these two troops, which did not belong to the Anjia Army system or the Central Army system, fought so tenaciously and resolutely. It was amazing to see the popularity and command level of An Yi and others.
It was these two miscellaneous troops who took the lead in launching a huge battle and marched forward bravely, which firmly restrained the Japanese army in Tianjin, forced the Japanese army to make wrong judgments, and made the first contribution to the smooth development of the entire campaign.
Zhou Zhirou can predict that when this battle is over, no matter what the outcome is, Wan Fulin and Pang Bingxun, who have fought in the civil war for half their lives, will not only have their fame spread throughout the world, but will also be promoted to the promotion rank. Even if the 53rd Army and the 40th Army are disabled,
can receive strong praise and assistance from the Communist Party of China and the people of the country, because through An Jiajun’s Southern Sichuan People’s Broadcasting Station and
The major newspapers across the country vigorously promoted the praises of "Anti-Japanese Hero Army", "Anti-Japanese Famous General" and so on, and all of them have fallen on Wan Fulin, Pang Bingxun and their troops. The Anjia Army Art Troupe, which is famous throughout the country, is now
At this moment, they were behind the positions of Wan Fulin and Pang Bingxun, holding gongs and allegro, singing and dancing to boost the morale of the troops.
"What do you think, Brother Zhirou?"
Huang Yingwu quietly came to Zhou Zhirou, stood side by side, and looked at the large combat situation map on the wall.
Zhou Zhirou smiled slightly, her eyelids a bit achy, and raised her chin to An Yi, Hu Jialin and other generals standing in the front row: "Commander An and Commander Hu often stay up late like this?"
Huang Yingwu handed Zhou Zhirou a cigarette: "Commander An and Commander Hu are both very energetic people. It is common for them not to sleep for two or three days in a row. I'm afraid there are few people in the army who can compare with them. Of course, we must exclude Xia first."
Only those two lunatics Jian and Gu Changfeng can do it."
Zhou Zhirou couldn't help grinning. When he saw An Yi's Chief of Operations Fang Pengxiang walking to the map and picking up the baton, he immediately put away his smile and whispered to the Air Force Chief of Staff standing on his left: "Keep a closer look.
It may be an inspiration to you in the future.”
The unshaven Fang Pengxiang gestured to the generals and began to report the war situation:
"The latest battle report shows that due to the outstanding performance of General Pang Bingxun's 40th Army, the Japanese army facing the 53rd Army was forced to retreat backwards again to avoid being attacked on both sides. The attack lines of the 53rd Army and the 40th Army moved forward as a whole***
They traveled 2.5 kilometers and formed a confrontation with the Japanese troops under Tianjin City, successfully completing the combat mission assigned by the legion.
"Since the two armies have been fighting hard for more than nine hours, the soldiers' physical strength has been greatly exhausted and they are unable to continue to launch a large-scale attack, and the ammunition supply cannot keep up. However, before dawn, the exhausted Japanese army, which also suffered heavy casualties, was unable to organize
A massive counterattack.”
There was a smile on the faces of all the generals, and Fang Pengxiang continued to report: "Commander Lu Yixuan on the Eastern Front called. After an hour and a half of fierce charge, the 17th Division broke through the Japanese defense line in Langfang and successfully surrounded the enemy in Langfang. It is estimated that at four in the morning
Before 1:30, the defending enemy will be completely annihilated and the battle will be over. Secondly, new changes have occurred on the right front of the 17th Army. General Yang Jiuxiao's 40th Division, which led his troops to attack the northern suburbs of Tianjin, saw Xiao behind him.
The unarmored brigade turned around and headed north, eager to fight and led its troops northward in advance. General Suikang, who temporarily served as the reserve division commander of the 17th Army, was at a loss as to what to do and had to lead five new corps to hurriedly take over the defensive positions left by the 40th Division. So.
First, the Suikang Preparatory Division, which was demolishing the railway tracks, could only temporarily assume the task of blocking the Japanese troops from Tianjin heading north, but it could not follow the 40th Division and take the initiative to effectively contain the Japanese troops in Tianjin."
All the generals looked at each other and were in an uproar. Hu Jialin asked with a dark face: "What does Deputy Commander Lu Yixuan have to say about Yang Jiuxiao who acted without authorization?"
"Not yet, Deputy Commander Lu just submitted the situation."
Fang Pengxiang was secretly surprised. Since the formation of the Anjia Army, this was the first time that Yang Jiuxiao had blatantly disobeyed orders like this. Fang Pengxiang couldn't help but worry about Yang Jiuxiao in his heart.
Hu Jialin turned to An Yi and asked for his opinion. An Yi shook his head and sighed, leaned forward and whispered a suggestion: "In this case, let him continue to go north, but he will not let him feel so easy, order him to march quickly, no matter what he does
We must reach the line from Wuliang Temple east of Langfang to Dongmafang before dawn, and first firmly block the retreat route of the Japanese troops in the encirclement. Otherwise, we will proceed according to military law."
Hu Jialin smiled with relief, called Huang Zhi, chief of staff of the army, and gave the instructions again. He looked at Fang Pengxiang again and motioned for him to continue.
Fang Pengxiang nodded, raised his baton, and pointed at the line from Mafangzhuang to Fenghe Camp: "General Li Jinlong, led by the brothers of the 68th Division, has repulsed three charges of the Japanese 109th Division. The battle damage situation is not optimistic yet, but,
The Japanese 20th Regiment and other units that were withdrawn from the north have arrived. The total enemy strength has reached about 40,000. The pressure of the 68th Division has doubled. Deputy Commander Lu predicts that if General Zhang Zizhong arrives in time,
If so, the 68th Division can hold its position firmly before dawn. Otherwise, it is estimated that it can only hold on for an hour, and may not achieve the goal of consuming a large amount of the enemy's manpower. Based on time calculation, the battle on the front line of Mafangzhuang should have started.
In the entire campaign, Mafangzhuang is the key battle, and it is also the most difficult battle. To put it bluntly, by dawn, half of the 68th Division will be left."
The generals did not comment. Each of them had a heavy look on their face and felt quite sad in their hearts. They were extremely worried about the soldiers of the 68th Division who were serving as bait.