At 4:38 pm, An Yi's order was delivered to Hu Jialin.
"Send one? Where should I find the troops now?" Hu Jialin shook his head and smiled bitterly while listening to the rumbling sound of shelling coming from far and near.
*** General Juichi Terauchi, the commander of the North China Front, was furious after the air force suffered huge losses. He immediately dispatched troops from Farewell Mountain, Haoliu, and Bangjun lines to launch a fierce attack on the First Army and the Fifth Army. The Japanese army spared no effort
The artillery shells were wasted, and saturation bombardments were carried out on the positions of the Chinese Army one after another. The three trenches carefully constructed by the *** Division and the 17th Division were almost filled with artillery fire. One by one, the anti-aircraft holes were opened by the Japanese large-caliber artillery.
Under the attack, there were collapses one after another, causing thousands of soldiers to be buried alive, which shows how tragic the battle was.
The most passive one is the defense line built by the First Army on the other side of the mountain. Since Sun Lianzhong's troops did not pay as much attention to the construction of fortifications as the Anjia army, the trenches were shallow and straight. A single shell dropped and took away dozens of lives. Several battles continued.
Down, not only did the entire legion lose more than half, but they also lost four lines of defense under the lonely mountain. Once the last line of defense on the top of the mountain was breached, the Japanese army, which had the advantage of the terrain, could launch an attack from top to bottom and easily penetrate the first line of defense.
The legion's defense then took advantage of the situation to attack the Anjia Army's position, leading to the collapse of the overall situation.
Fortunately, Yang Jiuxiao led the 40th Division to arrive at this time, quickly strengthened the defense, and took advantage of the cessation of Japanese artillery fire to launch a counterattack and regain the previously lost position. However, the Japanese army then carried out saturation bombardment again, and those who remained on the front line were
The 7th Regiment of the 120th Brigade suffered heavy losses.
With the help of Yang Jiuxiao's Forty Division, Sun Lianzhong's troops immediately followed Hu Jialin's suggestion and evacuated to the Sanhe front line. They expected to reach Tiejia Ridge after nightfall and reach Sanhe County at midnight, by which time the An's army could retreat.
"The commander is worried that our retreat will be cut off!" Huang Zhi said anxiously after reading the telegram: "The Japanese 24th Division and the three puppet army divisions are moving along the Gouhe River towards Sanhe County. I don't know that Liu Jingfu
Can the troops deployed south of Sanhe County withstand the Japanese attack?"
Zhang Chengzhu said: "Logically speaking, it shouldn't be a big problem. That's an army of 150,000. Tomorrow the Central Committee will hold a Standing Committee meeting. At this juncture, if we retreat without a fight, Liu Zhi will have to consider the negative consequences."
Hu Jialin was a little lucky: "Fortunately, the fire at the Panshan and Cuiping Mountain lines was under control, otherwise we would have been attacked from both front and rear, and the battle would have been lost even if we didn't fight."
"Report, the latest military situation!"
Colonel Liu Zongyu, the director of the intelligence department, rushed in from outside like a gust of wind, and handed the telegram to Hu Jialin out of breath.
After reading it, Hu Jialin's expression changed drastically. He thrust the telegram into Huang Zhi's hand, strode over to the large map of North China, and looked at it carefully.
Huang Zhi and Zhang Chengzhu read the telegrams one after another and looked at each other with worries in their eyes. They couldn't help but come to the map to carefully observe the changes in the battle situation.
The staff officers in the war room all knew that the battle situation had changed, and they all came to the map. Hu Jialin raised his baton and pointed at Wuqing County:
"While the Fourteenth Army and the Twenty-ninth Army were switching defenses, the Japanese army suddenly launched a surprise attack on Wuqing County, defeating the defenses of the 10th Division of the 14th Army and the 38th Division of the 59th Army, and headed towards Peiping.
Movement. At present, the 14th Army has urgently deployed defensive positions on the front line of Langfang, and the 59th Army has retreated to Huangcun to resist the Japanese attacks one by one. Let's discuss what the Japanese army is going to do?"
Zhang Chengzhu smiled bitterly and said: "It's very simple. While our Fifth Army Corps is hanging outside, the Japanese want to take Peiping into their hands. Peiping is an ancient capital with thousands of years of history and has extraordinary influence. Occupying Peiping will be of great significance to the Communist Party."
*** Meaning. Otherwise, it will be difficult to explain to the country if it has suffered consecutive defeats since the beginning of the war."
Wen Junhao, Chief of the Operations Department, said: "Tomorrow and the next two days are the days when the Two Sessions will be held. If Peking falls during this period, it will be a wake-up call for the Nationalist Government and can weaken the prestige of the leaders of the Chinese and political circles.
For the Chinese people, the fall of Peiping meant a drastic change in the situation in North China. The Japanese army began to gradually take the initiative on the battlefield, and the impact on the morale of the military was immeasurable!"
"But--"
A staff officer said with some doubt: "Is it possible to capture Peiping in just two days? Previously, the 29th Army had been fighting the Japanese army in the surrounding areas of Peiping for more than half a month. Now we have assembled more troops.
The fighting power is also stronger, it’s impossible to hold on for two days, right?”
"Don't just look at how we are doing, but also pay attention to how the Japanese army is doing. Can the current situation be compared with before? In the past, our army was concentrated in the central and southern Hebei areas and could coordinate the Pingjin war at any time, but now our army's various departments are stretched apart.
One block to the west, one block to the other, just convenient for the Japanese army to defeat them one by one. The situation is extremely unfavorable!" Zhang Chengzhu scolded.
Huang Zhi suddenly suggested: "Now we must quickly transfer the 68th Division to Baoding. Baoding Military Station is our most important material storage point. If the Japanese army takes advantage of the situation and attacks Yongqing, Bazhou, and Xushui counties from Wuqing, they will use Thunder to
If we can capture Baoding without concealment, we can not only cut off the Ping-Han Railway in one fell swoop, completely cutting off the 300,000 to 400,000 Chinese Communist troops from the rear, making it easier for the Japanese army to divide and encircle us, but we can also seize our army's supplies, allowing our troops in North China to
The army is in a desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food."
Hu Jialin couldn't help but change his face after hearing this, and immediately issued the order according to Huang Zhi's suggestion.
However, before Hu Jialin and other generals of the Fifth Army could recover, the second urgent call arrived again.
The Japanese army in Tianjin sent a brigade to quietly land in the bay south of Tianjin. They carried out inhuman and extermination attacks on the villages they passed along the way. They concealed their whereabouts all the way and sneaked to the defense line of the 139th Division of the 32nd Army on the south bank of the Liuli River in Tianjin.
The rear wing suddenly launched an attack. At the same time, the Japanese army in the direction of Dagu Port also sent the main force to carry out a north-south pincer attack. The 139th Division's defense line instantly collapsed. After the merger, the Japanese army attacked Jinghai County from the flank. By the time the message was sent, China, Japan
The army is still engaged in fierce fighting. Although the Central Air Force has sent fighter planes for air support, the situation is not optimistic and the possibility of the entire defense line collapsing is quite high.
"The Japanese army is so vicious. After this series of combination punches, we don't know where their attack target is. Looking back now, we don't know when the defense line we worked so hard has been riddled with holes...
." Zhang Chengzhu shook his head repeatedly.
Huang Zhi's face was tense and he did not answer. He stared at the location of Sanhe County on the map. Hu Jialin looked worried, but there was nothing he could do. He could only hope that the situation would not deteriorate too fast. As long as the Seventeenth Army
If each division can successfully return to the Baoding camp, the war can continue.
...
As night falls, the government auditorium is brilliantly lit.
Important officials from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China gathered here, including Chiang Kai-shek, Chairman of the Central Military Commission and Central Executive Committee, Wang Jingwei, Chairman of the Political Council of the Central Committee, Ye Chuqian, Secretary-General of the Central Committee, provincial chairs and party heads, as well as members of the Military Commission and Central Executive Committee
More than a hundred people including members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, members of the Central Political Council, and members of the Central Supervisory Commission, as well as representatives of the Communist Party of China Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying, attended the dinner together.
After sitting down, Wang Jingwei delivered a speech first and delivered a speech on "shouldering historical responsibility".
Chiang Kai-shek, who then delivered his speech, did not speak as eloquently for half an hour as Wang Jingwei did. He simply talked about his views on the current situation, saying that the Japanese army's operational deployment in recent days had fully exposed its wolfish ambitions, and that the Chinese nation had reached its most dangerous moment.
time.
Chiang Kai-shek's words brought bursts of warm applause from the venue.
After the banquet officially started, Chiang Kai-shek had a poor appetite. He raised his chopsticks and hung them in the air for a long time. He looked very worried.
Director Zhou, who was sitting next to Chiang Kai-shek, asked politely: "Brother Kai-shek, have you encountered any difficulties? Can you tell me and share your worries?"
Chiang Kai-shek was stunned for a moment, looked at Director Zhou for a while, then shook his head and smiled bitterly:
"The war situation is critical! Since yesterday, there has been fighting everywhere in North China. The Communist Party has assembled dozens of divisions and pressed against me with an overwhelming force. Our army's long-maintained defense line is facing the predicament of collapse! Before the dinner, I
We have just received urgent news that the Japanese army has broken through our Jinghai defense line. The 53rd Army and the 40th Army fought hard and retreated to Renqiu. The 32nd Army retreated to Hejian and rebuilt the defense line. At this point, the Jinpu Road was opened by the Japanese army, and the Japanese army in North China
Not only did it solve Tianjin's own safety in one fell swoop, it also posed a great threat to the Jinpu Road."
Director Zhou was very surprised: "How did the battle situation change so quickly?"
"yes!"
Chiang Kai-shek put down his chopsticks and let out a long sigh: "I regret not listening to An Yi's words. If the Seventeenth Army was still on Tianjin's flank, how could the Japanese army dare to be so rampant? Now not only has Jinghai been lost, but Peiping has also been placed at the forefront of the Japanese army.
Next, all the previous deployments were disrupted. What is particularly worrisome is that the 17th Army, which was relieving the Second Group Army, was besieged by Japanese troops several times larger than our own and suffered heavy casualties. It is estimated that nearly half of its personnel have been reduced by now. My heart goes out to
It’s bleeding!”
"Brother Jieshi, is there anything I can help you with?" Director Zhou asked with concern.
Chiang Kai-shek thought for a while and said sincerely: "Although distant water cannot save the nearby fire, in resisting Japan and saving the country, one more person will be more powerful. Thank you, the Military Commission has approved a formal plan, and the Red Army will be organized into the Eighth Route Army, under which
The three divisions, the 115th Division, the 120th Division, and the 129th Division, will be organized in full compliance with your requirements in terms of numbers and organization, and will be officially announced at the national defense conference the day after tomorrow. I would like to ask your ministry to do so as soon as possible
Complete the assembly and head to the anti-Japanese battlefield as soon as possible."
Director Zhou said happily: "Our party has been looking forward to this day for a long time. It is our duty to resist Japan and save the country. I will report to Chairman Mao immediately after I return."
Chiang Kai-shek looked around: "Why didn't Brother Yujie come today? He and Mr. Runzhi of your party are both known as Zhu Mao. They are the masters of contemporary tactics. I have fought with them for so many years and we have a deep understanding! I don't know Brother Yujie.
What does Brother Herun think of the current war situation?"
"Mr. Zhu went to visit an old friend. This friend made great contributions to the formation of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. Now he is bedridden. When we arrive in Nanjing, we should visit him both emotionally and logically!" Director Zhou said with a smile,
He added: "After repeated studies, Chairman Mao and Mr. Zhu believe that the current general situation between China and Japan is that the enemy is strong and we are weak. Our country's strategic policy should be to attack and defend, that is, to give the attacking enemy a annihilating counterattack. It must not be simply
to defend."
"Attack defense?"
Chiang Kai-shek shook his head: "It's easier said than done! This time I just wanted to use the offensive to contain the Japanese army and then gain strategic initiative, but have you seen the results now?"
"Offensive is the main means of destroying the enemy, but defense cannot be neglected. The purpose of offense is to destroy the enemy, but also to preserve oneself, because if the enemy is not destroyed, oneself will be destroyed; defense is to preserve oneself,
But it is also a necessary means to assist an attack or prepare to switch to an attack. Among the purposes of war, destroying the enemy is the primary goal, and preserving oneself is secondary, because only by destroying the enemy in large numbers can one effectively preserve oneself.
"Therefore, offense as the main means of destroying the enemy is primary, and defense as a auxiliary means of destroying the enemy and a means of preserving ourselves is secondary. Facing this war of Japanese aggression, we
It lies in striving for victory in every war, no matter how big or small. It lies in striving to disarm part of the enemy in every battle and damage some of the enemy's men, horses and equipment. Accumulate these achievements of partially annihilating the enemy into a great strategic victory, and finally drive the enemy out of the country and defend the motherland.
purpose."
When Director Zhou said this, he saw that Chiang Kai-shek had gained something, and then said: "This is the specific vision of our party's Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu on the policy of war against Japan. I think this is of great guiding significance for the current war situation, so
Just take it out to show your embarrassment!"
Chiang Kai-shek tasted it for a long time and suddenly remembered something: "Did Zhu Yujie visit An Yi?"
Director Zhou nodded with a sigh: "An Yi is the pride of Huangpu. His Anjia Army is the mainstay of the country and the nation. He has rich experience in fighting against Japan. Mr. Zhu wants to learn from him.
, so that when we face the Japanese army in the future, we can take fewer detours and avoid unnecessary losses."
Chiang Kai-shek looked complicated and did not speak for a long time. It was not until he returned to his home in Qilu after the dinner that he said to Soong Meiling:
"If all our troops are Anjiajun, why worry about the Japanese invaders? Look, even the *** know how to keep learning and absorb the Anjiajun's experience and lessons, but the generals in our army have
They cling to their own old customs, fearing that others will infringe on their own interests, and have no idea of learning and progress.
"How many years has An Yi been leading the army? Who of his brothers and instructors have come to ask for advice? Moreover, An Yi has been an instructor at the Central Army Officers School for so many years, and he has printed what he has learned into teaching materials for lieutenant generals in the army.
They study hard and teach what they have learned, but how many people have truly understood his army-building ideas and combat principles? When I talk about this, I get angry. Why are they all Huangpu students, An Yi is so good, but others always let him down?
Am I disappointed?"
"Darling, don't be angry!"
Song Meiling consoled her: "This just shows that Xiao Yi is an angel sent by God to help you resist the Japanese. You should be happy to have such a good student. Think about it, if there was no Xiao Yi and no army of his,
I'm afraid you are even more worried now. Cherish your student!"
Chiang Kai-shek was startled for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.