Chapter 423: Saving people and losing land, a change in strategy; the national situation worsens, more aid! (Subscribe)

“Commander, I am willing to guarantee with my military honor and life that the intelligence I obtained this time is absolutely correct.”

North China Front Army Headquarters.

Lin Canghui’s tone was quite firm.

He stood in front of the generals quite confidently.

This was no ordinary warfighting meeting.

This meeting.

It will affect the strategic planning of the entire North China Front Army for the next year or even several years.

So we have to be extremely careful.

It has been more than a month since Tada Shun took charge of the North China Front Army.

He also felt a little more disgusted with Lin Canghui, whom he had originally been very optimistic about.

Although he has the ability, his personality forces him to be too conservative in the information he provides.

This was quite unsatisfactory for Tada Shun, who was in urgent need of a breakthrough and did not have many options.

And today.

Just as Tada Shun was preparing to focus all future operations on the Eighth Route Army.

Lin Canghui took the initiative to step forward and produced a piece of information that shocked everyone.

A long analysis report is attached.

Lin Canghui was well prepared, so well prepared that even he, the commander of the North China Front Army, could not find any problems with the intelligence analysis.

Intelligence agencies not only rely on various clues and intelligence summaries.

Analysis showed that the supply cycle for Chu Yunfei’s troops’ heavy weapons ammunition and light weapons ammunition was one month and seven days.

The location, size and origin of the bomber base in the northwest were also determined.

This is not counting.

The intelligence organization contacted the central China area.

A wave of infiltration was carried out on military stations in the northwest region and the Sichuan-Shaanxi Highway, but no corresponding intelligence was obtained.

Based on.

The Japanese army calculated the upper limit of logistical supplies in the Northwest region.

And based on the tactics and strategies Chu Yunfei had used before.

A preliminary conclusion was reached.

That is, once Chu Yunfei’s troops switched to a strategic defensive position, it must be because of the lack of combat supplies.

Today, the tactical direction chosen for attacking the 14th Army on the front line in northern Shanxi is wrong.

We should take advantage of the replenishment period of Chu Yunfei’s troops and launch the most rapid attack.

only.

While making this suggestion, Lin Canghui also advised the North China Front Army Command not to attempt to launch an annihilation war.

Because the resilience of this force meant that it would be impossible for them to annihilate it easily.

Rather than consuming a large amount of manpower to engage in this battle which is not cost-effective.

It would be better to just fight a decisive battle.

It is precisely because of Lin Canghui’s clarity of mind.

This forced the Japanese officers who were clamoring to turn the situation around with just one battle to remain silent.

“Lin Cang-jun is a pillar of our country, thank you for your hard work.”

Tada Shun did not doubt him and continued, “Everyone, do you have any other additional comments?”

The generals attending the meeting looked at each other in bewilderment.

Silent.

Obviously, the sources of intelligence that Lin Canghui could confirm were sufficient to support his analysis.

It’s like a debate.

The players on one side have basically reached an irrefutable level.

Naturally, no one would object to Lin Canghui’s opinion.

What’s more, these generals actually all knew it.

It is no longer possible to completely annihilate Chu Yunfei’s troops.

When they were still a regimental combat unit.

Even the 20th Division, a regular elite unit, was unable to annihilate it, and could not even inflict heavy damage on it.

nowadays.

The scale has expanded several times, and it is unrealistic to annihilate it.

The guidance given by the base camp is.

Rather than destroying it militarily, it is better to destroy it politically.

They knew Chang Ruiyuan, the big boss of the National Government, very well and knew what was bothering him.

In this war that neither side can see the end of for the time being.

Instead of eliminating Chu Yunfei, it is better to continue the policies implemented during the tenure of Umezu Mijiro.

Try every possible means to provoke conflict between the two sides.

Forcing it to break with the mountain city.

Only on this basis and with the assistance of military strikes can victory be achieved.

Many things went through Tada Shun’s mind.

Instead, he immediately announced according to the original plan: “Our original plan for rectifying public order has been approved by the headquarters.

I announce that three types of places will be established in the entire North China region: security areas, quasi-security areas, and non-security areas.

In the security zone, a conciliatory policy is implemented, Sino-Japanese friendship is promoted, and corresponding puppet regimes are supported.

In quasi-security zones, a conciliatory policy is also implemented, but troops must be concentrated to carry out regular sweeps, and local residents are prohibited from coming into contact with local guerrillas.

In non-security areas, blockhouses, blockade trenches and road networks were built to divide the anti-Japanese base areas and restrict the activities of guerrillas.

Concentrate troops and conduct high-frequency raids.

Once it is discovered that the local people have connections with local armed forces, guerrillas, main forces, etc.

That is, to execute the Three Lights during the sweep process.”

Three lights?

I can understand what was said before.

What does Sanguang mean?

Tada Shun faced the gazes of the generals, with a cruel smile on his face, and said coldly: “Kill them all, burn them all, and rob them all.”

“Carry out shock and massacre operations, burn down their settlements, and rob them of all available resources.”

“We will thoroughly implement the policy of fighting to support the war, improve the administrative efficiency of the puppet regime, win the hearts and minds of the local people as much as possible, requisition military rations to supplement the losses of our army in combat, and reduce our reliance on domestic rice supplies.”

When the combat order from the North China Front Army was issued.

Yoshio Shinozuka obeyed the order to adjust the main attack direction.

The main combat objectives of the 20th Division and the 41st Division were quickly shifted.

With the support of artillery and air force units, a fierce attack was quickly launched.

The only main combat unit left of the 14th Division was the 4th Mixed Brigade.

A sudden strategic adjustment.

It really made Chu Yunfei difficult to cope with for a while.

Even though the Japanese army’s deployment adjustments were discovered in advance, they strictly ordered all front-line combat troops to be prepared.

They were also unable to stop the Japanese army’s overwhelming attack.

Combat troops after losing the frontline positions and the first-line defense positions.

Quickly follow the orders given by Chu Yunfei.

Further shrink the defense line.

In just three days.

The entire defense line retreated twelve kilometers.

Even Chu Yunfei’s own command center.

They all moved back ten kilometers.

The entire Huairen County was now exposed to the Japanese army’s attack direction.

“According to the battle reports from the front, our frontline defenders are currently unable to hold out.”

“The 7th Infantry Regiment reported last night that they are already adjusting their defense strategy.”

“Use a small elite force to launch a diversionary counterattack to buy time for the large force to retreat.”

“The most fatal thing at the moment is that the 14th Army’s flanking attack has basically had little effect. If we continue to retreat, we will have no choice but to abandon the area around Huairen County, or even retreat to the Great Wall defense line.”

Several people were discussing the battle situation in a low voice.

Luo Weiguo walked hurriedly, with an anxious look on his face, and spoke very quickly: “Chen Zejun called to ask whether we should abandon the defense of Daiyue Station and Shanyin County?”

Chu Yunfei waved his hand and said calmly: “After evacuating the people, abandon the county immediately and destroy all military facilities, including the defensive positions we had previously set up.”

Fang Ligong also frowned, worried: “This kind of tug-of-war is really endless. Even if we counterattack afterwards, it will hurt the morale of the combat troops below. Even the hope that the people have just ignited may be shattered. This will also have a great impact on the local people’s morale.”

Not to mention the soldiers below.

Even he, the chief of staff, feels extremely exhausted now.

Now it seems.

What they had previously thought of was to conquer Shanxi with one battle.

It seems to have become their expectation for a better life.

Even now that Jinzhong and other regions have been liberated.

And began to fight for the northern Shanxi region.

But the gap in hard power between the two sides is hard to ignore.

It also made Chief of Staff Fang Ligong quite powerless.

Because even they knew how to attack next.

How to attack.

But they had no troops, no weapons and equipment, and not even much ammunition reserves.

If we continue to fight on a small scale.

That’s no problem at all.

However, the Japanese army had already prepared to expand the scale of the war and launched a full-scale offensive.

How should this battle be fought?

Fang Ligong actually had no answer in his mind.

He saw that everyone’s eyes were on him.

Chu Yunfei also had a difficult choice at this time.

The Japanese attack was no longer as flashy as before.

Some people just take steady steps.

Occupy the position, consolidate the defense line and then continue to move forward. The current North China Front Army will never be greedy for merit and advance rashly, nor will it be eager for quick success and instant benefits.

Even Chu Yunfei looked at the coordination and cooperation between the two forces from a God’s perspective in the three-dimensional combat map.

There is no loophole that can be exploited.

The Japanese army’s fighting style was completely based on hard power crushing.

The advantage is that it is safe, has a high fault tolerance rate, and can be adjusted at any time.

The disadvantages are also obvious. The attack speed is much lower than normal combat.

This will result in a large consumption of their combat resources.
The front-line troops suffered more than a thousand casualties in three days, and the Japanese army also lost nearly two thousand Japanese soldiers.

The intensity of the battle further increased.

Reinforcements are on the way.

Sorting is still in progress.

“Your Excellency.”

“Your Excellency?”

Chu Yunfei slowly raised his right hand, signaling everyone to keep quiet.

“Your Majesty!”

He wiped the blood flowing from his nostrils.

Various battle situations were still constantly being deduced, intertwined, and changed in Chu Yunfei’s mind.

Finalized.

“Change the current battle strategy, abandon all positions in the Huairen area, destroy the railway line, and actively shrink the defense line to the rear, actively cut off the connection with the 14th Army, and force the Japanese army to split up.”

Chu Yunfei paused and said, “Also, order Guo Jiqiao’s troops to retreat while fighting, retreat to the area around Ruyuekou, redeploy defenses based on the Great Wall defense line, do a good job of evacuating the people, and move all the people in the war zone into the interior.”

Zhang Dayun asked, his tone full of doubt: “But don’t we become a salient?”

“It’s just that the retreat speed has slowed down a bit. We can use this opportunity to find out the fundamental intentions of the Japanese army.”

“If necessary, we can even allow the Japanese troops to enter the interior again.”

The current war situation.

Chu Yunfei had to make a relevant decision.

I can’t stand the head-on confrontation.

Passive avoidance of war is not advisable.

We can only change the way of thinking in war.

Expand the Japanese occupied area and then find other ways.

“My Lord, didn’t you always say that we couldn’t retreat?”

Chu Yunfei explained: “Yes, but the situation is different now. Specific problems must be analyzed specifically. The Japanese army’s entire permanent main division and more than 10,000 elite Japanese troops launched an attack on us.”

“And our frontline combat force is barely over 10,000 people. To resist on this basis is like hitting a rock with an egg.”

“Since our reinforcements are on the way, the main purpose of this battle should be to buy time.”

“You should all remember one principle. This is the Red Party’s proposition, and it is very useful to me. That is, if you keep the land but lose the people, both the people and the land will be lost; if you keep the people but lose the land, both the people and the land will be saved.”

The war situation in the Second Zone worsened.

However, Chang Ruiyuan did not have the energy to pay attention to the battlefield in northern Shanxi.

Because he had just received a secret report.

The Fifth Division has been secretly withdrawn and it is unknown where it has gone.

According to the judgment of all the generals in the command.

No matter which direction the deployment is in, it will be an obstacle to the current operations in various war zones.

It will be a devastating blow to the combat troops in this round of winter offensive.

After finishing the military meeting, Chang Ruiyuan hurried back to his official residence.

Because at that time, the Minister of Finance, T.V. Soong, had already arrived and he was still needed to assign tasks.

The car sped along.

The screech of brakes sounded.

Chang Ruiyuan frowned slightly. He always paid attention to these things, but rarely did he reprimand his guards.

He just quickly opened the car door and walked towards his official residence with his cane.

Wang Shihe was accompanying him and quickly signaled to the guards from behind with his right hand to park the car.

Followed Chang Ruiyuan into the living room.

At this time, Song Ziwen was accompanied by his younger sister, chatting about family matters.

Following Wang Shihe’s voice.

“The Chairman is here!”

Song Ziwen quickly stood up and responded: “Commissioner.”

Chang Ruiyuan forced a smile and shook his hand: “Brother is here.”

“Darling, let’s talk about things.”

The reason why he was so anxious was that he called T.V. Soong over.

It is also because they are preparing to launch a nationwide counterattack with great fanfare.

This made Britain, the United States and other Western countries deeply aware of the National Government’s determination to fight the war to the end.

That’s nice to say.

In essence, they felt that they could tie up the vast majority of the Japanese army’s forces.

Prevent Japan from withdrawing troops to cooperate with the Germans in the fight.

In essence, they still want to use the national army as a mercenary force.

Based on this.

The British have always been quite stingy.

It was decided to provide a “balance fund loan” and a “credit loan” of £5 million each.

Ten million pounds doesn’t sound like a lot.

But before and after World War II, the pound was very valuable.

At this point in time at the end of 39 years.

The exchange rate between the British pound and the US dollar is 1:4.

The ratio of US dollar to legal tender is 1:3 (legal tender is constant, but purchasing power decreases as time goes by).

If you calculate it, these 10 million pounds are equivalent to 120 million in national currency aid.

In addition, the Americans are willing to provide a credit loan of $100 million to help the National Government rebuild the national economic system.

This series of measures gave the Nationalist government, which was in deep crisis, real hope.

This time, what the Americans provided was not military equipment or material loans, but actual economic support.

What is Chang Ruiyuan most worried about now?
The military defeat was only temporary.

But the economic collapse and the decline and even destruction of the rural economy are sustainable.

If we can get this 100 million dollar credit loan.

Naturally, it can effectively improve the national economic system.

As for T.V. Soong.

That is even more anxious.

To describe his attitude towards Britain and the United States objectively, he is yearning for them and admiring their strength.

He was very happy about Chang Ruiyuan’s change of attitude.

Because he did not advocate further contact with the Soviets.

Especially when the Burma Road serves as a channel for foreign aid.

“Commissioner, Commander Yan from the Second War Zone has not yet started a new round of negotiations regarding the issuance of local bonds.”

Chang Ruiyuan was also anxious at this time: “Brother, we don’t have time to focus on the Second War Zone now. Yan Baichuan can do whatever he wants in the Second War Zone. As long as he doesn’t lose Jinzhong to the Japanese, it’s enough.”

“What about Yun Fei?”

Speaking of Chu Yunfei, Chang Ruiyuan’s expression eased a little: “He can fight however he wants. In terms of command level and strategic thinking, I, the principal, am far inferior to him, the student.”

“But, I heard that the situation in the Second War Zone is also getting worse?”

“Well, he reported this matter to the headquarters. According to the intelligence we have learned, the Japanese army has indeed formed a lot of new combat units. These combat units that were originally scheduled to be formed on the ninth day of the first lunar month are now deployed to battlefields in various places. As long as we can hold off this wave of counterattacks by the Japanese army, the Japanese army will definitely not have the strength to invade China anymore.”

Even if the situation worsens.

Chang Ruiyuan still appears optimistic and confident.

In his view, even if the situation deteriorates now, the momentum for an alliance with Britain and the United States is already quite clear.

Once the extremely powerful Americans join the battle.

We are bound to achieve the final victory in this war.

Just as Chang Ruiyuan was discussing the details of the aid with Song Ziwen.

Wang Shihe walked away and stood.

Finance Minister Song understood what he meant.

After chatting for a few more sentences, he stood up and said goodbye.

After seeing off his eldest brother.

Then he turned and looked at Wang Shihe: “What’s the matter?”

“The people below discovered that there was a lot of sand and gravel mixed in the military rations, and that they were also moldy. After reporting this to their superiors to no avail, Huang Wei directly reported it to Minister He.”

“Who?”

“Huang Wei.”

Chang Ruiyuan frowned: “Didn’t he just get transferred to be the commander of the 54th Army?”

Huang Wei was highly regarded by Chen Cixiu and Chang Ruiyuan, and was a prominent figure in the Civil Engineering Department.

Fifty-fourth Army.

It is also one of the core units of the Civil Engineering Department.

but!

Now the 54th Army.

It was also under the command of Guan Linzheng’s troops.

This is also the work of Chang Ruiyuan himself.

The conflict between Chen Cixiu and He Jingzhi was intentional on his part.

The conflict between Chen and Guan has a long history.

if it is possible.

Guan Linzheng naturally wanted to teach Huang Wei a lesson.

There is a problem with the supply.

It’s just the simplest means.

Chang Ruiyuan raised his eyebrows and said, “Forget it, let them fight among themselves and tell me the result after that.”

(End of this chapter)