Chapter 721: Strategic Reflection

PS: Eruption for votes.

After dawn on March 19, the Japanese army dispatched all the fighters it could to carry out indiscriminate bombardment around Qingdao, Jinan, and Lianyungang.

After Liu Yimin gave the order yesterday, he rode his horse to the headquarters of Gao Yuan and Cheng Cuilin.

After the 1st Brigade went south, it has been waiting in concealment in northeast Anhui. A few days ago, the troops had just been deployed, preparing to show their strength in northeast Anhui and sweep northeast Anhui, but the Japanese army began to raid the Jilu border so quickly, Liu Yimin had to let the southbound troops change the direction of attack, preparing to capture Suxian, forcing the Japanese heavy army group to leave the Jilu border as soon as possible.

After seeing Gao Yuan, Cheng Cuilin and Zhou Yi, Liu Yimin led the two of them directly to the First Teaching Regiment to check the combat readiness of the First Teaching Regiment.

Wang Dahu and Wang Xinyun had already received orders to assemble their troops and prepare to immediately enter the battle. Seeing the arrival of the division commander, he led Liu Yimin to inspect one company after another, one company after another, and was busy for a long time before he finished inspecting the troops.

After eating with the soldiers in the first company, Liu Yimin led Gao Yuan and Cheng Cuilin back to the regimental headquarters of the first regiment.

After the regimental headquarters of the first regiment was seated, Liu Yimin said to Gao Yuan and Cheng Cuilin: "The Japanese army raided the Jilu border, and the concentrated forces were so huge. This time, the villagers in the Jilu border base area are going to suffer. I originally planned to ignore the Japanese troops on the Jinpu Road, concentrate a few brigades of troops southward, sweep northeast Anhui, and then turn to northern and central Jiangsu, and fight all the way south. Smash the rear of the Japanese army to a pulp. But now the sudden action of the Japanese army forced us to change the direction of the operation, march to the Jinpu Road, cut off the connection between the Central China Dispatch Army of the Japanese Army and the North China Front, and forced the Japanese heavy army group to quickly leave the Jilu border and reinforce to the south. The overall goal was to mobilize and exhaust the Japanese troops and prompt them to shift their targets. As long as the Japanese heavy army group leaves the Jilu border, those garrison troops will not be terrible, and it will be equivalent to providing our army with training targets and delivering weapons and ammunition. ”

Gao Yuan smiled and said, "Commander, don't worry. We have already received the order, as long as the direction of Jinan and Qingdao is fired, and Hong Chaoyuan occupies Lianyungang again, there will be a whip behind the butt of the devil, and the wind will run fast. I guess the old devil in Shanshan Yuan will panic tonight. By tomorrow morning, you see, the plane of the xiǎo devil will fly around Qingdao, Jinan, and Lianyungang like a flock of birds, laying eggs everywhere. Reinforcements from all walks of life will also rush to Qingdao and Jinan like crazy. Because they knew in their hearts that if they went slowly, the Eighth Route Army would attack Qingdao City. ”

Cheng Cuilin is now the brigade commander and political commissar of the new First Brigade, and also the political commissar of the southbound group. The Japanese army's surprise attack on the Jilu border sounded the alarm bell for us, and we must know that the xiǎo devil is the best at engaging in yīn tricks and sneak attacks. Even if they reinforce Jinan and Qingdao, according to the scale of the Xiǎo devil's troops, they can make another move to repair the plank road and secretly cross Chencang. We have to tell Political Commissar Tan that Qinghe, Jiaolai, and Jiaodong must pay attention to prevent the Xiǎo devils from suddenly landing, carrying out a surprise attack on the hinterland of the base area, and copying our back road. ”

Liu Yimin nodded, and then said: "The commanders of the various strategic groups of my Shandong army are not weak, and no matter what tricks the devil uses, it is impossible to take too much advantage. It's a big deal that the xiǎo devils occupy a part of the county town and the jiāo line in our base area, strategically speaking, it is also good to fix the xiǎo devils to the point and line, so that our army can gradually consume the devils. As in the case of the Jilu Border, as long as the heavy army group of the Xiǎo Devils leaves, the local armed forces under the command of the New Sixth Brigade will actively carry out guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines, and the Xiǎo Devils will gradually understand that they are trapped in the vast sea of soldiers and civilians in the base areas. The rest of the world will start tonight, and the southbound group will also move quickly, gather troops during the day, move at night, and be sure to start tomorrow night. The target of the operation was the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army stationed in Suxian. We must knock them out and hurt them, force them to cry for help without stopping, and speed up the pace of the Japanese heavy army group leaving the Jilu border and moving south for reinforcements. ”

Zhou Yi took out the battle plan drawn up by the First Brigade from his briefcase and gave it to Liu Yimin.

When Liu Yimin saw that on the plateau, they planned to use the 1st Brigade as the attack arrow, and the New 1st Brigade, the New 3rd Brigade, and the New 7th Brigade as the two flanks to outflank the troops, preparing to cut off the north and south of Suxian and attack the county seat of Suxian.

This plan should be said to be very good, and if the 1st Brigade is forced to storm the county seat of Suxian County with the superiority of the 1st Brigade in firepower, troops, and armor, it will be certain to be sure of success. Because the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army was not only stationed in the county seat of Suxian, but also undertook the garrison task in the Fuyang area, it was impossible for all the troops to be concentrated in the Suxian area. Even if they were concentrated in the Suxian area, they were scattered on the long Jiāo line from Xuzhou to Bengbu, and their forces were relatively scattered. However, Liu Yimin's general strategy was to let the Japanese army return to the original historical track after dividing the troops and dividing the troops again, and let them go north to attack the Soviet Union and go south to start a war with the United States and Britain. No matter how it fought, the Japanese army could not deviate from its original historical track and deal with the Eighth Route Army with the strength of the whole country. In that case, no matter how good the instructor can fight, he will be overwhelmed by the Japanese army. This Japanese raid on the Jilu border is an example, the Japanese army pounced like locusts, the base area will soon fall, and the villagers will suffer heavy losses.

Liu Yimin's intention was to cut off the Jinpu Road and further mobilize the devils, but not to reoccupy the county seat and then eliminate the 23rd Division. If you fight like that, after the Xiǎo Devil Heavy Army Group goes south, it will chase the southbound troops again, and the efforts of the previous period will be in vain.

With his eyes slightly closed, his fingers lightly tapped on the tabletop, and after thinking for a while, Liu Yimin opened his eyes and said: "The Japanese army made such a big move, killing people and setting fire to the Jilu side, it is not enough for us to let them leave from the Jilu side, the comrades want to fight a big war of annihilation to avenge the villagers, I understand this feeling." However, judging from the overall strategy of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, if we continue to fight like this, the devils will concentrate all their forces on dealing with the Eighth Route Army, and will turn our base area into a scorched earth. In this way, it will be very difficult for our base area to support a long-term war of resistance. This is also the core of Zhou Yi's advice to me by the Yellow River after the last elimination of the 10th Division. ”

When Cheng Cuilin heard this, he knew that Liu Yimin did not want to storm the strength of the southward group and did not agree to capture the county seat of Suxian, so he reminded that if he did not capture the county seat of Suxian and eliminate the main force of the 23rd Division, he would not be able to shake the Japanese army, and it might affect the speed of their southward movement.

The plateau has been hidden in northeast Anhui for so long, and its eyes have already breathed fire. As soon as he heard that Liu Yimin did not agree to capture Suxian County and eliminate the 23rd Division, he became anxious and began to patiently carry out Liu Yimin's ideological work.

"Division commander, the Xiǎo devils have captured the Jilu border, and our base area is missing a large piece, which is too great a loss. We must leave a lesson for the xiǎo devils, let them know that sneak attacks and adventures will have a price, and they will not dare to carry out such a surprise attack on my base area in the future. We think about it this way: For such a big campaign, the Jinan area is a feint, and it is impossible to eliminate the main force of the Japanese army, and the Jilu border is a breakthrough operation, and it is impossible to destroy the main force of the Japanese army. The only ones that could destroy the main forces of the Japanese army were in the direction of Qingdao and Suxian. These two battlefields concentrated the main forces of our army, and they were fully capable of destroying the Japanese army's wing-level and brigade-level troops. If the command is done properly, it is also possible to seize the fighters and eliminate a garrison division of the Japanese army. In the direction of Qingdao, as long as the 36th Division of the Japanese Army in Weicheng reinforces Qingdao, the four main brigades and four artillery regiments of the 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th Brigades, plus the Jiaodong Garrison Brigade to help them, rely on the base area to fight, and can receive reinforcements at any time, it is entirely possible to wipe out the reinforcements of the 36th Division. Unfortunately, the 36th Division also had to undertake the garrison of the Jiāo line and key cities, and could only send two wings at most to reinforce Qingdao, or even just one wing. Even if they are destroyed, the results will not be great. Only the 23rd Division of this Su County is a piece of hot white steamed bun in front of us, which is very greedy! Moreover, the biggest advantage is that the 23rd Division has so far not known that our powerful southbound group is hiding by its side, and its eyes have been staring at the troops of the 5th Theater in the Dabie Mountains and the cavalry brigade that is tasked with the enemy. God let it die, don't blame us for being ruthless! This division belongs to the Kwantung Army, and when the Japanese army raided Jizhong last time, it was hit hard by us on the Deshi Road, and it has been used by the Japanese army as the main division since then. Since they met this time, let them bury their bones in this Suxian area! If the division commander is not at ease, the battle time can be postponed, and after Hong Chaoyuan and them take Lianyungang at night, let Li Chang's artillery brigade go south to support us. As soon as the artillery brigade arrives, the 23rd Division will be a fish on the board, at our disposal. ”

Zhou Yi thought that Liu Yimin was afraid that the main force of the 23rd Division would escape by storming Suxian, so he forgot the original suggestion to Liu Yimin, and then Gao Yuan said: "We can change the way of attack, fish step by step, concentrate the main force of the 23rd Division together, and annihilate it with one blow." We won't be allowed to escape! ”

The cadres' enthusiasm for war did not impress Liu Yimin, and he silently calculated in his heart that the 23rd Division was the main force of the Japanese army in the battle of Nomén Kan in history, and was almost completely annihilated by the Soviet army. It was because of this that the commander of the Kwantung Army, Kenkichi Ueda, was dismissed and transferred to the reserve. Now that the Battle of Nanchang has begun, it is estimated that it will not be long before the Japanese heavy army group moves south to restore the Longhai Road, Jiaoji Road, and Jinpu Road, and the 1st Division, the 2nd Division, and the 23rd Division may be transferred back to the northeast to prepare for the northward operation. On this issue, we must not delay the Japanese army, but let them be relieved and bold to suffer the shells of the Soviet Red Army, and it is better to invest a larger scale of troops than in history, so that the Soviet Red Army can destroy them a little more.

Liu Yimin felt that he was a little too rigid in the original historical facts. Thinking about the Nomén Kan Incident, the reason why the Japanese army let the 23rd Division attack was not how strong the combat effectiveness of the 23rd Division was, but the casual and almost joking decision of the Kwantung Army staff officer Kenshin Kenji and the commander of the Kwantung Army, Kenkichi Ueda. After the war, Kenkichi Ueda and Kenmasanobu became the laughing stock of the Japanese army. Now that the 1st Division and the 2nd Division are in North China, will the Kwantung Army send other troops to serve as the main force in the Battle of Noménkan? Anyway, the Kwantung Army has a huge number of troops, and in addition to regular divisions and regiments, there are so many garrisons that it is easy to form divisions.

After thinking about it carefully for a while, Liu Yimin felt that he still had to do it according to his original ideas, and he couldn't hesitate. In the unlikely event that the main force of the Japanese army was entangled in the battle with the Eighth Route Army in North China and delayed the strategic decision to advance north and south, the trouble would be great. We must consider the problem from a strategic perspective and must not covet immediate interests. The top priority at the moment is not only to transfer the Japanese army's heavy army group from the Jilu border and eliminate the devils in the movement, but also to paralyze the devils and control the scale of the campaign. Let the xiǎo devils go and fight with the Soviet Red Army. In addition, we have to think of ways to get the Japanese and American troops to fight as soon as possible, so that the xiǎo devils are not far from extinction.

Not considering the total annihilation of the 23rd Division does not mean that the 23rd Division will not be flattened, and it can even be carried out with the Japanese troops stationed in Bengbu.

Liu Yimin told Gao Yuan and Cheng Cuilin that the overall situation should be considered in the war, and it is not possible to try to be happy for a while. The 23rd Division of the Japanese Army will perish sooner or later, so there is no hurry to do so. The task of the southbound group was to open up and consolidate the base areas in northern Jiangsu, central Jiangsu, northeastern Anhui, and eastern Anhui, and this significance was much greater than the elimination of the 23rd Division. As long as we have consolidated and built our base areas, we can fight as much as we want. Therefore, the scale of the attack on the Jinpu Road must be controlled, and the Japanese army must not be able to know the details of our army and know that the 1st Brigade with armored assault forces is here, in that case, the Japanese army will rush up desperately, and they will follow us wherever we go, and after a long time, there must be problems.

Liu Yimin said this, Gao Yuan, Cheng Cuilin, and Zhou Yi put away the idea of annihilating the 23rd Division and began to think about how to mobilize the devils and eliminate one of them.

In fact, the idea that they want to completely annihilate the 23rd Division on the plateau is a bit subjective. You must know that the main reason why the instructor was able to destroy the Japanese army's divisional and regimental units in a systematic manner was because of the powerful artillery assault force. At present, there is only one artillery regiment of the four infantry brigades of the southbound group, which has no advantage over the artillery wing of the 23rd division of the Japanese army. Even if the cavalry brigade is transferred back and there is an additional artillery regiment, the advantage is not great. What's more, the cavalry brigade went to the Fuyang area some time ago, and kept fighting with devils all the way, I'm afraid it already needs to replenish artillery shells. Without the superiority of artillery, it is a bit taken for granted that only four infantry brigades want to storm Suxian and destroy a division of the Japanese army. Even if the attack is successful and the campaign objective is achieved, the casualties will be very large. The battle with too many casualties, don't say that Liu Yimin will not approve it, even if they figure it out on the plateau, they will not be willing to fight. In the unlikely event that the attack goes well and the Japanese heavy army group is quickly reinforced, I am afraid that the southward group of the Eighth Route Army will have to consider where to retreat.

How can we transfer the 23rd Division and the Japanese troops stationed in Bengbu, so that our army can destroy them without using the armored regiment?

Liu Yimin thought about it, and felt that the simplest and most effective way was to use the captured Tang Xiuer to make a fuss. Once the Japanese army knew that Tang Xiuer had fallen into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, and that it was in the area of Suxian and Lingbi, the 23rd Division stationed in Suxian County and the Japanese army stationed in Bengbu would inevitably send troops to come to the rescue. However, not capturing Tang Xiu'er alive for the time being is a strategy that he has set a long time ago, and it is still of great use to leave Tang Xiu'er. The second method is to go straight into the county seat and feint to attack the county seat of Suxian County to attract the Japanese army to pursue. The third method is to cut the ròu with a blunt knife, capture one or several key points around Suxian, cut off the Jinpu Road, and let the 23rd Division continue to send reinforcements, consume the devils little by little, and completely destroy the 23rd Division before the Japanese heavy army group arrives.

After thinking about it, Liu Yimin felt that it was better to adopt the third method, which could reduce the casualties of the troops, and it could be launched a little later, and he could observe the movements of the Japanese army after the Fifth Brigade captured Lianyungang before making a decision.

Liu Yimin instructed Gao Yuan, Cheng Cuilin, and Zhou Yi to reformulate the battle plan around the idea of capturing one or more points to attract continuous reinforcements from the 23rd Division, not to attack the main force of the 1st Brigade for the time being, and to use the new 1st Brigade, the new 3rd Brigade, and the New 7th Brigade to disguise the guerrilla enemy, transfer the Japanese troops from the existing positions, and annihilate the enemy in the field.

Zhou Yi pointed out that there is one of the biggest problems with this idea, that is, the xiǎo devil may not take the bait. You must know that the xiǎo devil has now become a frightened bird, and when attacked, he will suspect that the Eighth Route Army is an ambush set up by the enemy, and he will often shrink immediately and retreat back to the town to hold on.

This is indeed a problem, if it is not good, let alone the total annihilation of the 23rd Division, I am afraid that even a wing of them will not be able to catch it.

Liu Yimin thought for a moment and said: "The combat style of a unit has a lot to do with the style of the commander. The commander of the 23rd Division, Xiǎo Matsubara Michitaro, served as a military attaché attached to the embassy in the Soviet Union, an instructor of the Lu University, a member of the General Staff Headquarters, the head of the special service of the General Staff Headquarters, the commander of the 8th Brigade, and the commander of the 1st Guards Infantry Brigade. Judging from the situation with his jiāo hand in the past, this guy is a general who is good at attacking. As long as we hit his sore spots, such as reoccupying Fuliji and cutting off the connection between Central and North China, Xiǎo Matsubara Michitaro will definitely send troops to recapture it. There is no problem with that. ”

Zhou Yi couldn't help but ask: "Division commander, these situations are all confidential to the Japanese army, how do you know?" ”

Liu Yimin stretched out his hand, patted Zhou Yi's shoulder, and said, "What's so strange about this?" We captured Tani Toshio, Otaka Kamezo and several division commanders, what else did the Japanese army have to secret? ”

At this point, several people on the plateau laughed.

From their original battle plan on the plateau, Liu Yimin smelled a hint of danger. That is, because of the successive victories in the battles, the cadres and soldiers of the various units of the instructors unconsciously had the idea of underestimating the enemy, and they often wanted to destroy a division and regiment of the Japanese army, as if the Japanese army was really muddy. It's dangerous to go on like this!

Liu Yimin waited for the plateau and their battle plan to come out, reported to him for approval, and hurried back to Shuanggou Town. He wants to return to the headquarters to command the overall situation, and give a good lesson to the xiǎo devil.

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