Although the attack on the Falling Sun caused heavy losses, it did not bring any punishment to An Yi, who asked for punishment. In the eyes of Chiang Kai-shek, the temporary setback of the Falling Sun was nothing compared to the huge casualties across the board.
What's more, the lost ground was recovered in less than a day, and most of the officers and soldiers killed in this battle were not direct members of the Central Army.
It is not a corps, but Fan Shisheng's local security force. An Yi, the commander of the corps in charge of the entire theater, called the headquarters to ask for punishment. Instead, he won a good reputation for seeking truth from facts and being frank and sincere. Fan Shisheng's soldiers who did not detect the enemy's situation in time also expressed their gratitude for the courage.
An Yi was overwhelmed with gratitude for taking the responsibility, and had the urge to die for his bosom friend.
Due to the disastrous defeat in Nanyang, the Northwest Army could no longer replenish its troops on the Luyu battlefield. However, Chiang Kai-shek, who gradually took advantage of the overall military strength, had much more money and leisurely replenished his troops. Chen Cheng's 11th Division, which had high morale,
Transferred to the Jinpu battlefield for reinforcements, the down-to-earth, loyal and brave Chen Cheng became a blockbuster, demonstrating his perseverance and superb commanding ability to the entire army:
After Chiang Kai-shek issued the order, Chen Cheng led the 11th Division non-stop to the Jinpu line to fight against the Jin army. He rushed to Yanzhou at a speed of 120 miles a day and went straight to Qufu to fight with the city defenders.
The 61st Division, led by Jiang Guangnai and Cai Tingkai, and the 60th Division attacked from inside and outside, defeated Li Shengda's Fourth Army besieged by the Jin army, solved the siege of Qufu, and then led their troops to attack, defeating the Jin army one after another.
The army of Feng Yuxi Division captured Gongli and Loude Town, and then defeated Li Shengda's army and captured Lianhuayu, Huafeng, and Ciyao. They once again defeated Fu Zuoyi's troops at Baima Temple, and then passed along the railway line.
Wande, Zhang Xia, Gushan and Dangjiazhuang pursued Jinan and completely defeated the strategic intention of Zhang Yinwu and Fu Zuoyi of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to go south from Pingjin to besiege Qufu and finally surround Xuzhou.
When the news came, the whole army was excited. Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed and promoted Chen Cheng to commander of the 18th Army and commander of the 11th Division. He also gave heavy rewards to the soldiers of the 11th Division. He then called An Yi, commander of the 5th Army, to commend Chen Cheng for his achievements.
Spur the Fifth Army and urge the Fifth Army, which has been recuperating for thirty-five days, to launch an all-out offensive as soon as possible, advance rapidly from east to west with Chen Cheng's troops, and inflict heavy damage to the enemy mentally and strategically.
An Yi quickly called back, congratulating Chen Cheng's troops on their good results, and once again clarified the gratifying changes in the combat direction faced by the Fifth Army, saying that when the full-scale offensive was launched, the troops would move north as soon as possible and strictly implement the plans.
The plan was to capture Tongguan in one go, completely cut off the Northwest Army's retreat, intimidate the troops stationed in various places in Shaanxi and Gansu, and quickly move from west to east, coordinating the friendly forces of the Third Army to encircle Luoyang in one fell swoop.
When Chiang Kai-shek and his staff saw An Yi's reply, they were extremely disappointed, but they had no choice. They knew that half of the Fifth Army's troops were newly formed divisions that had been captured and reorganized for dozens of days. They also knew that although An Yi's military use was known for its boldness, speed and flexibility.
However, the preparations before the war were more careful and complete than any other army, so we could only step up preparations for a general offensive across the entire front and supervise the Fifth Army without issuing a death order.
Chiang Kai-shek and his staff did not know that the Fifth Army Corps had never waited passively. Over the past month, the "subversion plan" they had painstakingly formulated gradually showed great power. A total of more than 30 regiments were inspired by righteousness and moved from Henan Province to Henan Province.
Composed of brothers from disaster victims and captive soldiers from all over Shaanxi
The "self-rescue teams" carried the relief food and medicines, held the weapons issued by the Fifth Army Corps, and carried the white ocean in their arms. They returned to one village after another. Under the guidance of the accompanying Anjia Army officers, they began to deal with the brutal exploitation.
The local soldiers, the fellow villagers, are riding on top of the people and tyrannizing over the people.
The gang launched a frenzied retaliation, sending traffic officers to promptly deliver various information on the enemy's stationing and deployment to the Anjia Army. In the past half month, armed riots by people in various places were raging. They started little by little and gradually became one, forming a horizontal chain.
It spans Henan and Shaanxi provinces and covers more than 90 counties and towns.
In the massive peasant uprising, the few garrison troops left by the Northwest Army in various counties were either wiped out or surrendered. "If you want food, look to Nanyang", "defeated the brutal old warlords, and the people's support for the Anjia Army" and other simple and easy things.
The catchy propaganda slogans resounded throughout Henan and Shaanxi.
At the end of July, while the war in the Central Plains was raging and the warlords had no time to worry about it, Zhu De's troops of the First Army of the Red Army advanced northward. The Nanchang area was frightened by its troops and martial law was implemented. All shuttles and ships were stopped. The commander of the 18th Division
Zhang Huizan is in the province
Under the command of Chang Lu Diping, he hurriedly took office as the commander of the Nanchang garrison and led his troops to fight against the First Red Army. At the same time, more than 30,000 people from the Third Army of the Red Army in northern Hunan and northwest Jiangxi, including Peng Dehuai, Huang Gonglue, Li Can, and Kong Hechong, suddenly
capture
In Changsha, the provincial government's spy camp mutinied, and He Jian was distraught and retreated to Yiyang; Wang Jingwei, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan held an enlarged meeting of the Central Committee in Peiping, and decided to use seven basic conditions for the founding of the party and the country, and telegraphed the generals in the north to enlarge the meeting.
was established, vowing to work together through thick and thin, and held a grand press conference to slander the Nanjing government and order Chiang Kai-shek to hand over power and step down. At the same time, the anxious Chiang Kai-shek was also conducting the last pre-war mobilization for a general offensive across the entire front.
At night, the lights in the camp of the New 14th Division in Nanyang were as bright as day.
The 11,000 officers and soldiers who had been playing goose-stepping for a month and received spoon-fed political and ideological education every day, grasped their steel guns tightly, raised their heads and held their chests high, arranged neatly into formations ready to go, and watched their division commander Zhao Dongquan running forward.
Report loudly to the legion commander An Yi:
"Report to the commander that all the soldiers of the New 14th Division have completed all combat preparations. Please give instructions from the commander!"
An Yi solemnly returned the salute, climbed onto the temporary high platform surrounded by generals such as Zhao Dongquan, looked around at the determined faces under the platform, and shouted loudly with his unique and inspiring voice: "Brothers, who are you?
army?"
"People's Army——"
More than 10,000 soldiers shouted at the same time, and the sound shook the whole country.
"What is your mission?" An Yi yelled again.
"Protect the family and the country——"
An Yi nodded happily: "Okay! Brothers, you have been waiting for a long time. It can be said that you have been waiting for a lifetime. From today on, you will be able to proudly say loudly to your fathers and fellow villagers that I am a soldier."
, they are revolutionary soldiers from the people, and they are glorious soldiers who take protecting their home and country as their own responsibility!
Go back and let your fellow countrymen, brothers and sisters see that you have been reborn and become the people's soldiers. Use your actions and real battles to overthrow the reactionary warlords who oppressed our fellow countrymen and open up a road from Nanyang to
The grain transportation channel in Tongguan allows our army to quickly transport truckloads of grain and medicine to save thousands of our dying brothers and sisters!
For this reason, I, An Yi, ask you to fight with one heart and one mind, for our fathers and fellow villagers, for our women and children, and for the sacred mission of a revolutionary soldier, to kill the enemy with all your strength, even at the risk of life and death——"
"Kill the enemy with all your strength, no matter life or death! Kill the enemy with all your strength, no matter life or death! Kill the enemy with all your strength, no matter life or death -" More than ten thousand soldiers roared in unison, with murderous intent rising to the sky.
"Wolf smoke rises, the mountains and rivers look to the north, dragons curl up, horses neigh, swords are like frost... Why would I die to serve my family and country? I can't bear to sigh and be speechless, my eyes are full of blood and tears..."
The soldiers of the new 14th Division with high morale declared their will with heroic songs. Under the leadership of their respective commanders, they raised their proud heads and roared loud songs. One team after another drove out of the camp gate and headed north.
, the blazing torches illuminated the resolute faces and the steel guns in their hands.
Zhao Dongquan led the deputy division commander and three brigade commanders to stand upright in front of An Yi and other generals. After saluting, An Yi stepped forward and held Zhao Dongquan's hand tightly, whispering:
"Brother Zhao, there are small groups of our troops to support you along the way. The special radio team following you will keep in touch with the headquarters at any time. There are likely to be many militiamen joining your unit along the way. Don't drive them away. Organize and divide them into
Each company and battalion, together with you
Charge forward and attack Tongguan without hesitation. The 44th Division is on your right, the 16th Division is on your left, and the 17th Division is behind you. I will personally lead the New 16th and New 17th Divisions to pursue you and fight for three days.
Take Tongguan inside, then turn east and attack Luoyang!"
"I understand! Commander, all our brothers in the New 14th Division will never live up to the commander's high expectations and the trust of the legion headquarters!" Zhao Dongquan replied in a low voice.
"Very good! The brothers have been holding back in the camp for a long time. This time they go out like a tiger out of the cage. The morale and combat effectiveness are reassuring. The brothers must grasp the scale and neither suppress morale nor be too indulgent.
Everything is aimed at quickly capturing Tongguan. Here I will give you
A preferential policy: All your seizures in this battle will be handled by you, and you will be given 5,000 recruitment quotas. If you encounter good soldiers, you can recruit them into the team. The Munitions Department will give them to you as soon as possible.
Transport military uniforms, weapons and ammunition." An Yi said encouragingly.
Zhao Dongquan and the generals around him were very excited. They all saluted An Yi, got on their horses and rushed to the central army.
A group of generals from the headquarters stood in the camp and watched the team leave. Ding Zhicheng, who led the New 15th Division to stay in Nanyang, had a look of regret on his face. Since the New 15th Division was almost entirely composed of Yichang garrison troops, it was a place with rich
To maintain the experienced garrison, the division teaching team is also responsible for training basic squad platoon leaders for each brother division. Therefore, An Yi was left to take on the important task of Nanyang garrison. The soldiers who were unable to fight northward could only stay behind with regret.
Chief of Staff Zhao Rui noticed the complicated emotions in Ding Zhicheng's eyes, laughed, and patted his arm: "Old Ding, after the war is over, I allow you to return to your hometown of Song County to visit relatives for ten days."
Ding Zhicheng shook his head: "There is no need to go. My parents and family are all in Old Nanchang, and all the villagers have fled. It is useless to go. I hope this war is over and there will be no more wars in the Central Plains. We in Henan have always
This is a battleground for military strategists, and my fellow villagers are suffering!"
"Don't worry, Old Ding. After this battle, the Central Plains area should be able to have a stable life for six or seven years. The people can recuperate and rebuild their homes. After six or seven years, I dare not say anything. When everything settles down, my Fifth Army will have to return.
We are stationed in various places in western Hubei, and the southwest is war-torn and uneven, not much better than the Central Plains. The burden on us is still very heavy." An Yi explained in a low voice.
Ding Zhicheng's eyes lit up: "Next time, it will be our turn for the new 15th Division to be the vanguard, right?"
"Don't worry, even if you don't want to be the vanguard, you can't do it. There are many officers and soldiers from Hubei and Sichuan in the new 15th Division, and the grassroots officers from Sichuan and Hunan who were supplemented from the Huangpu Phase 6 are about to arrive. Who will you use in the new 15th Division?
However, for now, you have to focus all your energy on Nanyang, Xinye and Dengzhou. Tomorrow morning I will go north with the headquarters, and Nanyang, the base camp that shoulders the important responsibility of connecting the past and the future, will be left to you." An Yi patted Ding Zhicheng's hand.
hand.
"Promise to complete the task!" Ding Zhicheng replied solemnly.
Zhao Rui warned with a smile: "There is no danger on the left side of Nanyang. On the right are the left-behind troops of the Third Army. Behind you are Fan Xiaoquan and the army's logistics troops. What you need to pay attention to is the northwest and northeast. This time our army is earlier than
A general offensive across the entire front was launched in three days, with the purpose of mobilizing the enemy's main force.
To reduce the pressure on the 3rd and 2nd Army Corps in the middle section of the Ping-Han Line and the eastern section of the Longhai Line, if the enemy mobilizes forces to fight against our Army Corps, our left and right wings will fight to ensure the safety of the New 14th Division in the middle.
At our advancing speed, if the enemy really wants to stop us, they can only leak in from these two directions."
"Understood! Don't worry, everyone, I'm waiting for your good news." Ding Zhicheng nodded, his eyes extremely firm.