At 5:40 a.m. on March 3, the 22nd year of the Republic of China, the Chinese army launched a fierce artillery bombardment at Dalonggou, eight kilometers north of Kuancheng, Liujiazhuang, eight and five kilometers northeast, and Houjiayu defense line, seven kilometers due east.
The positions of the 5th Infantry Regiment and the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the Eighth Division of the Japanese Army stationed due north in Dalonggou, and the 36th Brigade of the Japanese Sixth Division stationed in Liujiazhuang and Houjiayu, are located in a 15-long stretch.
For minutes, gunpowder smoke filled the air and flames erupted.
The Japanese army was well-trained, and after a brief panic, they quickly stabilized their position. Fifteen minutes later, each Japanese army launched artillery fire back.
The weather conditions in the remaining winter season outside the customs are very harsh. Although the snowflakes that often floated in the sky have long since disappeared, as the temperature gradually rises, the snow all over the mountains and the ice on the rivers and streams begins to melt, and the wet and cold weather intensifies.
The muddy ground where the snow and water had melted made the hastily dug trenches extremely soft. The hot ground surface after the explosion of dense artillery shells and the hot air currents in the air easily melted the remaining ice and snow. The accumulated water in the trenches instantly flowed, and the battle began.
Officers and soldiers on both sides experienced the most severe test since the war began.
Twenty thousand soldiers of the Central Army Corps' Hu Jialin Independent Division's First Independent Brigade, Lu Yixuan's 17th Division's 50th Brigade, Fourth Army Corps' Yu Zhaolin Brigade, and Fifth Army Corps' Zhao Tingfang Brigade were crawling on the snow about two kilometers in front of their positions.
He looked at the red tail flames trailing above his head, and the cannonballs flying around with shrill sounds, not daring to move.
The four thousand soldiers of Zhao Tingfang's brigade were even red-faced, their heartbeats were racing, and they were extremely nervous. Seeing the position behind them being hit by Japanese artillery fire, mud and rocks were flying, and smoke was billowing. They had to admire the wisdom of Hu Jialin, who temporarily served as the commander-in-chief of the front line - two
An hour ago, the officers and soldiers of Zhao Tingfang's brigade, who received an urgent order from the frontline headquarters, were severely scolded by their superiors and forced by the murderous eyes of a military police supervisory team of a company of the Central Army. They reluctantly braved the biting cold wind and
Climbing out of the leeward trench inch by inch, it took two hours to avoid the surveillance of the Japanese outposts and quietly crawl to the current position. At that time, at least half of the officers and soldiers were breathing heavily while worrying about the fate of the Central Army and Hu Jialin in their hearts.
mother.
But now, amid the deafening screams and explosions of artillery shells, the officers and soldiers of Zhao Tingfang's brigade have realized that the constant violent vibrations from the ground have not only touched their bodies, but also touched a weak part of their hearts. Almost all officers and soldiers
We all know that if we were still hiding in those hastily built and crude positions at this moment, under such fierce Japanese artillery fire, we don’t know whether we would still be alive.
The Kwantung Army headquarters and frontline headquarters at all levels are just as nervous and busy as the Chinese army headquarters at all levels. For the Kwantung Army, which is determined to make progress and strive to achieve greater results on the front line of the Great Wall, the initiative of the Kuancheng defenders
A counterattack was expected. For this reason, the Kwantung Army also had full mental preparations and a series of response plans. The Japanese army only used the Anjia Army's 24-hour attack on the greatly increased number of Kuancheng defenders.
It is quite uncomfortable to take the initiative to attack. This powerful army does not seem to be affected by any weather at all. As long as they want to fight, they will do it regardless of the knife from the sky. This style of tyranny is almost barbaric, so that the Kwantung Army
Everyone was very worried and admired them. Although they knew that the Anjia army had to overcome many unimaginable difficulties and even suffer a lot of non-combat casualties, at least this spirit was admirable.
Compared with the generals of the Kwantung Army Headquarters who are urgently conducting rational analysis and paying close attention to the development of the war situation, the generals of the North China General Headquarters in Peiping City are much lacking. More than twenty generals of various armies are sitting in a spacious,
Around the long table covered with thick blue velvet, while enjoying the fine tea, I listened casually to the commander-in-chief of the Central Army Corps, Yang Jie, briefing me on the battle situation and stating the purpose of the "Battle of Kuancheng", while thinking about this in my heart.
What impact will the war have on our own troops? Why did the Central Staff suddenly summon the generals of various ministries to attend an emergency meeting at three o'clock in the morning? Why did they not inform themselves of the combat plan and launch time of this so-called "Kuancheng Battle" before?
As a result, a lot of negative thoughts naturally arose, which also made the generals who were united under the banner of anti-Japanese war and who did not have much self-cultivation and overall perspective face the problem more emotionally.
Marshal Zhang Xueliang was sitting in the main seat due north, sitting with Huang Shaoxiang, the head of the Central Staff Group and Minister of the Interior. He was a little embarrassed and twice quietly looked at Yang Jie, who was at the top of the row on the left, and the second one.
An Yi, Yang Jie read out the report calmly and stated many matters of the "Battle of Kuancheng", while An Yi smoked silently, looking at the void above and forward, as if he was thinking calmly, but also as if he was not interested in anything.
It doesn't matter, there is no smile on the serious handsome face, and there is even a trace of uncomfortable indifference.
Among all the generals at the table, apart from Huang Shaohong and Yang Jie, probably only Marshal Zhang Xueliang understood that the plan for the "Battle of Kuancheng" was formulated by An Yi, and only he could understand An Yi's reasons for taking such great pains to keep it secret, because
Before that, the actions and military secrets of the armies in North China will be mastered by the Japanese army in advance. The Japanese army's all-pervasive intelligence system is chilling, but there is nothing you can do about it. You must know that the Northeast Army has developed and grown with the strong support of the Japanese. In addition,
After September 18th, the general pessimism and disappointment among the Chinese people, and the emergence of many betrayals and traitors is also conceivable. At least now, the young commander has a sense of despair that the situation is almost out of control. If An Yi had not decisively initiated the "
"Operation Suppression of Rape" severely damaged the intelligence agencies of the Japanese army throughout the Pingjin area. The current situation is probably even worse.
After Yang Jie finished speaking, he nodded to the young marshals Zhang Xueliang and Huang Shaohong who were on the throne. Huang Shaohong and Zhang Xueliang discussed in a low voice for a while, then faced the generals who were whispering to each other, pressed their hands to indicate silence, and then said loudly:
"Everyone, I would like to ask General An Yi to talk about the specific steps of this battle."
An Yi happened to read the battle report that Shen Fengdao had just handed over, put the folder in it and handed it back to Shen Fengdao who was waiting aside. He stood up, raised his wrist and glanced at his watch, nodded politely to everyone, and began to report the latest battle situation:
"It is now 6:32 in the morning, and the ground attack on the front line of Kuancheng has been launched for 22 minutes. Let me tell you a piece of news. General Zhang Zuoxiang, the auxiliary commander of the Northeast Army, and General Wan Fulin, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Army, are now in Kuancheng.
City, together with General Hu Jialin, the commander-in-chief of the front line, commanded various ministries to fight against Japan."
The generals in the room became agitated again. One asked, "Didn't the auxiliary commander inspect the defense in Chengde yesterday?" The other said, "We are not qualified to know if this battle has been prepared for a long time. Otherwise, why would the auxiliary commander suddenly appear in Kuancheng?" The discussion became more and more loud.
As time goes by, some people's mentality gradually becomes unbalanced and their emotions become excited.
Upon seeing this, An Yi smiled lightly, said nothing, and sat down silently, waiting very patiently for everyone to calm down automatically.
Peng Zhenguo, commander of the First Corps of the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army of the Three Eastern Provinces, who led his troops to retreat to the front line of Longhua, asked loudly: "General An, I have a question for General An. Why didn't you tell us people about such a big military operation in advance? I can't believe it.
Do we still think that only the Central Army is the main force in the war of resistance?"
An Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Originally I didn't want to ask this question, let alone make some superfluous explanations, but since General Peng asked, I had to tell the truth. Everyone guessed right, 'Battle of Kuancheng'
The battle plan was drawn up by myself, but it was not a plan that was prepared or planned in advance. It was started yesterday afternoon and completed at twelve o'clock last night. During this period, the battle plan was approved by Commander Huang Jikuan.
and the review and approval of Chief Yang Gengguang, and obtained the two officers’ corrections on key issues. Here, please allow me to express my apologies to everyone, to the young marshal, and to the third person who was retained by me but I don’t know what happened.
General Fu Zuoyi, commander-in-chief of the Seventh Army Corps, expressed his apologies. I did not tell you any news about the 'Battle of Kuancheng' before this. I sincerely apologize!"
Having said this, An Yi stood up respectfully, bowed to the generals, then raised his head and said with a heavy face: "The reason why I didn't tell you is entirely because in the past two months, I
Various leaks of secrets have occurred in various military departments in North China. I believe everyone here is well aware of this and is deeply saddened by it.
"In Ningcheng on the eastern front alone, we captured seven Japanese spies in succession, found three radio stations, and captured two Japanese spies hiding in the army from the 8th Brigade and the temporary 4th Division.
, one of them was also the confidential section chief of the temporary fourth division. It was precisely because of this person's leak that the two battalions of the Central Army's air defense force were almost annihilated. Fortunately, these two battalion commanders strictly followed the orders of their superiors.
He was ordered to hit and run, and luckily received air support from the 11th Air Force Group, and was able to escape unscathed from the indiscriminate bombardment of three Japanese fighter planes.
"It is precisely because of this painful experience that we have to keep the important 'Kuancheng Battle' operational plan strictly confidential. In addition, the battle situation is changing rapidly, and the plan is hastily formulated... Think about it, everyone, the plan has been formulated until now
It’s less than seven hours, so I can’t notify you in advance at all, so I ask for your understanding.”
The generals were speechless now, and the conference room fell silent.
What An Yi said was true. In fact, even if he couldn't believe this explanation, there was nothing he could do. An Yi's reasons were very good. Even the dignified young marshal and the general of the Jinsui Army, Fu Zuoyi, who came to Peking for the meeting on behalf of Yan Xishan, didn't know this.
With the battle plan of "Battle of Kuancheng", others did not dare to rely on their identity and continued to attack An Yi.
An Yi nodded gratefully to the young marshal who encouraged him silently with a smile on his face and Fu Zuoyi, who was deeply convinced of the Japanese army's all-pervasive intelligence system, and started to get down to business:
"Everyone, Commander Yang Gengguang has just introduced the situation and purpose of the 'Kuancheng Battle' in detail. What I will report to you now is the progress that has been made and the next operational requirements.
"Before describing these situations, I would like to answer the comments made by some colleagues just now. Why do we call this counterattack the 'Battle of Kuancheng'? This is not because I, An Yi, am overjoyed and grandstanding, but because of the wide area of Kuancheng.
The Japanese army has undergone tremendous changes. Dalonggou, eight kilometers north of Kuancheng, is home to the 5th Infantry Regiment and the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the Japanese Eighth Division, with a total strength of more than 9,000 people; in the direction of Liujiazhuang and Houjiayu,
They are the 23rd Infantry Regiment and the 45th Infantry Regiment of the 36th Brigade of the Japanese Sixth Division, with a total strength of more than 17,000 people. To the east of the Sixth Division, there is also the Japanese Tenth Infantry Regiment.
Four independent mixed brigades. The brigade leader is called Hyoujiro Bufu. This is the most elite unit of the Kwantung Army. It has one more artillery regiment and one more chariot brigade than the ordinary brigade. The total strength is as high as 11,500 troops.
Hundreds of people are likely to suddenly join the battlefield in the middle and late stages of the battle, changing the battlefield situation in one fell swoop."
The generals were in an uproar, with looks of astonishment on their faces. It was only then that they realized that the small Kuancheng had become the focus of confrontation between China and Japan. Leaving aside the unclear military, service and brigade, it was just Kuancheng.
The defenders faced more than 26,000 Japanese troops, which was almost equal to or even greater than the pressure on Chengde. The generals also woke up. An Yi called this counterattack a "battle".
It's very correct and very objective. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid they would have used the words "Armageddon".
Afterwards, as An Yi answered everyone's questions and introduced the battle situation one by one in simple terms, everyone finally understood An Yi's good intentions, and also felt that he was willing to step forward at such a critical time and sent the most elite soldiers under his command.
It is also the only two divisions that can be mobilized at present to come out to fight, and I am deeply admired.
Unexpectedly, An Yi didn't stop, glanced at the watch on his wrist, and announced a big news again: "Everyone, it is now 7:03, the 69th Air Force of the 11th and 12th Aviation Brigade of the Central Army
Fighter planes may have arrived over Kuancheng and launched violent bombing and air strikes against the Japanese troops to coordinate with the offensive launched by our ground forces.
"If this battle goes well, under the command of Auxiliary Commander, Commander Wan, and Deputy Commander Hu Jialin, the 16,000 soldiers of the Independent Division may be able to severely damage the 5th Infantry Regiment and the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the 8th Division.
, and pinned the Japanese army on the Dalonggou line, forcing the Eighth Division to send reinforcements, thereby reducing the pressure on the Fifth Army in the Chengde direction. The battle is currently underway, and I will report the specific battle situation at any time.
"
The whole place was filled with excitement and discussions. Many people looked at An Yi who had already sat down, their eyes full of surprise and doubt. They all seemed to have the same question: Is this possible?