In early April, generals and officers above the brigade level of the Shandong Column gathered in Jinan. The atmosphere in the headquarters of the Pen, Fun, and Pavilion www.biquge.info was serious and tense, and under the expectant gaze of the generals, Ge Yunfei strode onto the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, the horn of the counteroffensive is about to be sounded, and according to the operational requirements, the existing troop numbers are no longer suitable. In the past two years, through bloody battles and with the favorable support of the people of Shandong and even the whole country, our unit has won a great victory in defensive operations, and a large number of brave soldiers have exchanged their blood and lives for the fruits of today's victory. ”

Ge Yunfei immediately changed his words and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, in order to meet the needs of the next operation, the troops will be expanded on a large scale, and now I announce that the reorganization of the Shandong Independent Column will have two corps, including aviation units, artillery units, general logistics units, military academies, and field hospitals, with a total strength of 400,000 troops. The number of the Shandong Independent Column remained unchanged for the time being, and the officer continued to serve as the commander of the column, and Jiang Fangzhen was appointed as the deputy commander of the column and concurrently served as the chief of staff, and was promoted to the rank of general. ”

Guo Binghui was appointed as the head of the general logistics department of the column and concurrently served as the director of the armament department, and was promoted to the rank of general. Zhang Yaowu was appointed commander of the reserve and concurrently served as the principal of the military academy, and was promoted to the rank of general. Ding Bufan was appointed commander of the aviation unit and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. The number of the original air wing was cancelled, and a fighter flight regiment and a bomber flight regiment were formed. Zhu Ming was appointed commander of the artillery and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. The numbers of the original 1st and 2nd Artillery Divisions remained unchanged, and the 3rd Heavy Artillery Division was formed. ”

"The column has two corps, and the two corps have 12 corps and 36 divisions, each with a strength of 35,000 people. He Zhi was appointed commander of the 1st Corps of the Shandong Column and promoted to the rank of general. Wang Jiefang was appointed deputy commander of the 1st Corps and promoted to the rank of general. Wang Kun was appointed chief of staff of the 1st Corps and promoted to the rank of general. The commander of the 1st Corps of the 1st Corps was appointed ・・・・・・. Ge Yunfei didn't have a notebook in his hand at all, and blurted out a string of names from memory.

Ge Yunfei looked around at the generals and continued: "Appoint General Cai Yi as the commander of the 2nd Corps and promote him to the rank of general." General Cai Yuan deployed 3 divisions and 2 brigades to form the 7th Army on this basis. Wen Biao was appointed deputy commander of the 2nd Corps and promoted to the rank of general. Hua Xiong was appointed chief of staff of the 2nd Corps and promoted to the rank of general. The original Qingdao City Defense Army was cancelled, and the headquarters was reorganized into the 2nd Corps and the 12th Army. The commander of the 7th Army was appointed ・・・・・・. ”

After Ge Yunfei announced the appointment of generals above the corps and brigade levels, Jiang Fangzhen handed over the roster of appointments of officers below the regimental level to He Zhi and Cai Ye respectively. Next, the award ceremony was held, and Ge Yunfei personally issued letters of appointment to the promoted generals and wore military rank symbols. After the lively scene was over, Ge Yunfei returned to the rostrum and looked around at the generals and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, in the past two years of the war against Japan, we have always carried out the established military deployment and lured the Japanese army into the Shandong battlefield, and at the same time, we have launched large-scale guerrilla operations behind enemy lines, in Liaodong, and even on the Korean Peninsula. ”

"On the frontal battlefield, we formed a large in-depth defense line on the Shandong Peninsula and from Daze Mountain to Jimo, successfully intercepting the Japanese army's large-scale attack and crushing the Japanese army's goal of quickly occupying Shandong. Before the war, after careful analysis, we believed that the Japanese Government believed that its military strength was strong and that it was empty-sighted, believing that our troops were vulnerable to a single blow and that their arrogant army would be defeated. To be precise, the Japanese government is not at all equipped to fight a high-intensity local war. The Japanese army's soldiers and even logistical supplies simply could not meet the needs of millions of people in the war, so we had strategic advantages. ”

"We grasped the Japanese army's consistent gambling mentality, so that it fell into the quagmire step by step, unable to extricate itself. I can tell you that the war has been fought to such an extent that Japan has been dragged down by the war, and it is simply impossible for a full-scale war to break out. On the other hand, the land of China is vast and the population is large, as long as we are united, it is only a matter of time before we defeat the Japanese army. And don't be intimidated by the momentum of the Japanese army, the end of the invaders is the grave. Facts speak louder than words, and the day of the awakened Chinese people will never appear! ”

Thunderous applause, Ge Yunfei waved his hand and said: "The Japanese think we are cowardly and brazenly send troops in an attempt to reproduce the scenery of the Russo-Japanese War of that year. Today's China is no longer the China ruled by the corrupt Manchu dynasty, and the major setbacks suffered by the Japanese army on the Shandong Peninsula are a true portrayal. The purpose of our major counteroffensive was to not give the Japanese time to prepare. Even if the Japanese want a truce, our strategic goal is not just to get the Japanese out of China. ”

"The war was provoked by the Japanese, and it is impossible for the Japanese to retreat, and we have the final say on whether we fight or not, and I want the Japanese to do their best to continue to sink into the quagmire of war."

"Driving the Japanese army out of Shandong is only a stage of our war against Japan. In the future, we will drive the Japanese army out of the Liaodong Peninsula and out of the Korean Peninsula. Taiwan and the Ryukyus were to be recovered until the Japanese surrendered. ”

Ge Yunfei ended his agitation and said, "Next, I would like to ask Deputy Commander Jiang to explain the situation of the Japanese army and the offensive deployment of our army. Jiang Fangzhen walked to the map and picked up the baton and said: "At present, the total strength of the Japanese army in the eastern part of the Shandong Peninsula is 14 integrated divisions and 4 heavy artillery brigades, with a total strength of about 300,000 people. ”

"The Japanese army deployed 8 divisions at key points such as Longkou, Zhaoyuan, Laiyang, and Laixi, and 4 divisions in Yantai, Weihai, Rongcheng, and Haizhou. Our offensive deployment was that the 1st Corps launched a frontal assault to attract the main Japanese defense. The 2nd Corps attacked from the Jimo line and launched a strong attack on Wendeng, Haizhou, Rongcheng, and areas where the Japanese army was empty, forcing the Japanese army to retreat to Yantai and Weihai, and then using our air superiority to drive the Japanese army out of the Shandong Peninsula. A detailed battle plan will be sent to the Corps Headquarters. ”

"Deputy Commander Cai, when are we going to attack?" A military commander asked. "It seems that you are impatient, the specific time is about late April, if you have no problems, all the generals will return to the headquarters immediately, integrate the troops and stand by!" After the military reorganization meeting, Ge Yunfei practiced for the main generals of the headquarters of the two corps in a high-end restaurant in the city. During the banquet, Cai Ye seemed to remember something and asked: "Commander Ge, I heard that you received a German fleet in Qingdao, why didn't you mention the fleet in the reorganization?" ”

Ge Yunfei said with a smile: "The ones received are all old-fashioned warships, more than a dozen large and small ships, and they are still German sailors operating warships." According to the terms of surrender we had drawn up, the German army would not enter the war, so the fleet could not join the wargroup for the time being. "I heard that Qingdao has formed a new naval special operations regiment, why is it not in the ranks of reorganization?" Cai asked again. Ge Yunfei said with a smile: "This special combat group is going to carry out special tasks, so it is inconvenient to disclose it out of secrecy!" ”

Shan Feng said: "General Cai, this naval special operations regiment is under the command of the Intelligence Bureau, and their actions are absolutely confidential. "I understand, the naval special combat team, as the name suggests, is to deal with the warships of the Japanese Navy!" "Suffice it to say, maybe you'll hear good news from them soon." Jiang Fangzhen said: "Brother Cai, at the military meeting, I wanted to listen to your suggestions, but you didn't say anything, can you make suggestions now?" "The plan was very thorough, and our troops attacked Wendeng and Haizhou, hitting the soft underbelly of the Japanese army. However, there is one question that puzzles me, why didn't the Japanese army strengthen the defense in Wendeng and Haizhou? ”

Ge Yunfei said with a smile: "The reason is very simple, the Japanese army did not expect us to launch a counteroffensive at all. According to aerial reconnaissance, the Japanese army did not build strong fortifications at all on the front line, and was still preparing for the offensive. According to other intelligence, the Japanese army built two military airfields in Yantai and Weihai. If I guessed correctly, it is impossible for Japan to produce advanced fighters in such a short period of time. There is only one answer, it is possible that Japan bought combat aircraft in France or Britain. ”

"Commander Ge, if the Japanese army buys advanced fighters, will our air superiority still be brought into play?" Jiang Fangzhen took over and said: "Brother Cai, don't worry, don't look at the developed industrial base and advanced technology of Britain and France, but the fighters they produce are still in the initial stage of aerial combat, and we can completely win the battle." "The purpose of the Japanese army is to contain our air superiority and prepare for another offensive. But the Japanese did not have time, and the balance of victory was already tilted in our favor. ”

"Commander Ge, what is in the sky and what is in the ground has made you think of it, but didn't the Japanese army notice the movement and deployment of our troops?" Jiang Fangzhen said with a smile: "The Japanese are naturally not fools, and they take up reconnaissance balloons every day on the front line to observe our situation. In order to paralyze the Japanese army, we mobilized more than 100,000 civilian workers and built tunnels and fortifications on a large scale, and all signs showed that we were still strengthening our defenses, and the Japanese army would not have thought that we were preparing for an attack. "It's so comprehensive, I don't have an opinion."

Ge Yunfei put away his smile and said, "In two months, the domestic situation will undergo major changes, so we must achieve the combat goal within two months." What major changes, could it be that you mean Yuan Shikai? Cai Yi's eyes lit up when he heard this. You just have to know in your heart, the situation is not good but very good. "Commander Ge, I can see that you are already confident!" "Let's not talk about that, I wish you victory, cheers!" "Cheers!"

After seeing off He Zhi, Cai Yi and other generals at the station, Ge Yunfei said to Shan Feng: "Yang Du wrote that he had secretly negotiated with Duan Qirui and had reached a consensus. You left for the capital to interview Duan Qirui on my behalf. "Understood!"