As the main offensive and defensive area of the Eighth Route Army, the current situation in the North China battlefield is still calm on the whole. It's just that many people know that the little devil is the master who is unwilling to suffer, and he will take revenge after all.

And the Eighth Route Army, which is now rising in the northwest, seems to be already very strong. Even in the eyes of many, the Eighth Route Army has dominated the form of resistance in the north. But in fact, the Eighth Route Army also has opponents to worry about.

This opponent is the Kwantung Army, which has already gone south once, and if the Kwantung Army moves south, it must be a very difficult thing for the Eighth Route Army to resist the Kwantung Army and the North China Front Army joining forces to suppress it.

It is precisely this hidden worry that makes the Eighth Route Army, which now has a slight advantage in the confrontation with the North China Front, also dare not regain the lost ground on a large scale. The reason was that he was afraid that it would anger the Japanese army, so he sent a large number of Kwantung Army out of the pass to participate in the war.

As a national government, this situation is naturally known. Even if they kept preaching that the Eighth Route Army was attacking behind enemy lines, they rarely dared to engage in a head-on confrontation with the Japanese army. But in fact, the Eighth Route Army largely pinned down the Japanese army in North China.

Although Lao Chiang's operational command level is not very good, Lao Chiang naturally still has some judgments in his heart about the overall form of the domestic war of resistance. He knew very well that the Eighth Route Army's containment of the Japanese army in North China was equally important to the national war of resistance.

At present, they are fighting less and less in the south, and the elite troops are also fighting less and less, and the idea that the generals below want to draw the Eighth Route Army to participate in the war is also understandable in Lao Jiang's opinion.

After all, in the eyes of many generals of the Central Army, they are the real main force of the Anti-Japanese War. Whether it is the Sichuan Army, the Gui Army and other local troops, even if they are wiped out, they will not feel anything distressed.

Although the two parties are currently fighting a joint war of resistance, it is well known that the Eighth Route Army is getting stronger and stronger, and its territory is getting bigger and bigger. Under such circumstances, it is completely understandable that they are worried that the Eighth Route Army will become the biggest opponent in the future.

At least as far as many of the generals of the Central Army are concerned, they understand that there will inevitably be a war between the two parties in the future. As for the formation of a coalition government advocated by the Eighth Route Army, Lao Chiang, who was accustomed to centralized power, would certainly not agree.

So let Lao Chiang be the commander of the future coalition government, how could the Eighth Route Army agree? At present, the two parties are jointly fighting the war, and although Lao Jiang is the nominal commander, in fact, the Eighth Route Army is still in charge of its own affairs.

Once the strength of the Eighth Route Army grows and there is the capital to compete with the Central Army, then there will inevitably be struggles between the two parties around the right to lead the country. At that time, it will undoubtedly be very unfavorable for the Central Army, which suffered great losses in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

On the one hand, the overall form of the country's anti-Japanese war, and on the other hand, his own little abacus, Lao Jiang will be entangled in his heart, which is understandable. It's just that when the Battle of Wuhan began, a piece of news made Lao Jiang feel that the opportunity might be ripe.

The Soviet Far Eastern Army and the Japanese Kwantung Army finally went to war. Although it was not a large-scale battle, the exchange of fire between the two sides meant that it was unlikely that the Kwantung Army would fight in a short period of time. This means that the Eighth Route Army does not have too many troops in reserve in the north.

In view of this situation, Lao Jiang sent someone to find Zhou Enlai, who was in charge of the Chongqing office, and formally proposed that the Eighth Route Army could send the main force to participate in the Battle of Wuhan. At this time, making such a request, Lao Jiang believed that the Eighth Route Army would not be able to refuse.

'Director Zhou, you should have heard about the recent Soviet-Japanese war on the northeast border, right? ’

The Soviet-Japanese war in Lao Chiang's mouth was actually a military conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union around the two highlands of Zhanggufeng and Shacaofeng. It can even be said that this was also a war between puppet Manchuria and the Soviet Far Eastern Army.

But now everyone knows that the so-called puppet Manchuria is actually a puppet supported by the Japanese army. Isn't grabbing the territory of Manchukuo the territory of the Kwantung Army? How could such a move be tolerated by the Kwantung Army?

Even if the Japanese government knew that it was not appropriate to start a dispute with the Soviet Far Eastern Army under such circumstances. But for the Kwantung Army stationed in the northeast, they themselves were created to fight the Soviet Far East Army.

If they don't fight, how can they prove their strength? As a result, it was natural that what was originally a matter of grabbing each other's territory eventually evolved into a battlefield where the Soviet Far Eastern Army and the Kwantung Army flexed their muscles against each other.

Compared with the outbreak of the 'Zhang Gufeng Incident' in history, the Battle of Wuhan has reached a critical time. This incident is still being staged today, and the Japanese army's attack on Wuhan has not yet developed to a critical moment.

But as far as the Soviet Far East Army is concerned, they feel that at this time, the Japanese bowl no longer has too many troops, and they dare to show their muscles with them. And the ambitions of the Soviet Far Eastern Army for the Northeast are also well known.

If it is said that the Japanese bowl invaded the northeast, it made the Chinese side very angry and helpless. Then the Soviet side is undoubtedly the second choice most opposed to the Kwantung Army's invasion and occupation of the Northeast. After all, during the Qing Dynasty, they were the ones who had the greatest interests in the Northeast.

Facing Lao Jiang's inquiry, Zhou Enlai also nodded happily and said, "Chairman, we already know about this matter. However, as things stand, it's just a border conflict, right? ”

Regarding Zhou Enlai's answer, Lao Jiang shook his head and said: "It seems to be a conflict around a dispute, but Director Zhou should know that this matter is a matter of the Kwantung Army and the Korean Army, but I am afraid that he will not sit idly by."

According to what we have learned, the Kwantung Army has decided to expel the Soviet troops who are currently occupying Zhanggufeng. Moreover, the Soviet Union also detected that the Kwantung Army was preparing for a major war, and it also continued to send troops to the region.

Of course, I'm not here today to discuss this matter with you. What's more, I still feel that after the outbreak of this incident, I believe that the Kwantung Army should not have the energy to take care of the war in North China in a short time.

At present, the war surrounding Wuhan is about to start, and I believe Director Zhou should also know something. Once Wuhan is lost, it will undoubtedly be very unfavorable for our anti-Japanese war situation. In this case, will your army be able to send troops into the war? ”

In fact, what Zhou Enlai and Lao Jiang didn't know was. When he received the 'Zhang Gufeng conflict', He Zhengdao realized. Why was the War of Resistance so fierce back then, and the Kwantung Army did not send too many troops to participate in the War of Resistance.

The reason must be that they have always felt that the Soviet Far East Army was a threat. By the time they signed a 'non-aggression' pact with the Soviet Union. Under the leadership of the Japanese navy, they had already launched a war of aggression and colonization against all of Asia.

Under these circumstances, it seems reasonable that the main forces of the Kwantung Army were successively transferred to the Asian War, and they did not participate too much in the war with the Chinese anti-Japanese war forces. But Ho feels that the conflict is happening as scheduled means that the pressure on them has been greatly reduced.

If it is said that among the Eighth Route Army, a unit that will really clash head-on with the Kwantung Army is undoubtedly an independent column commanded by He Zhengdao. After all, at the moment their defense zone is closest to the jurisdiction of the Kwantung Army.

After receiving the notice forwarded by the central government, He Zhengdao said to Luo Ruiqing: "Chief of Staff, order the troops to prepare for battle. This time a conflict broke out between the Soviet Union and Japan, and I am afraid that we will also prepare for war. ”

Luo Ruiqing, who heard this, also said in a timely manner: "Do you want to take the opportunity to recover Zhangjiakou?" ”

Perhaps because the troops are about to complete the reorganization, they still have not received the order from the Central Army to recruit them to participate in the battle, Luo Ruiqing also feels that the reorganization of the troops is complete, and they should also fight a battle to test their combat effectiveness.

At present, the attention of the Kwantung Army is being dragged down by the Soviet Far East Army, and they can indeed concentrate the main forces and try to recover Zhangjiakou. If Zhangjiakou can be recovered, it will also be extremely beneficial for the Eighth Route Army.

Just to Luo Ruiqing's surprise, He Zhengdao shook his head and said: "The time is not yet ripe to recover Zhangjiakou." At least as far as the current situation is concerned, we should not provoke a major war, and we will pay more attention to the formation of base areas behind enemy lines.

It seems that the recovery of large cities has gained a great advantage. But in fact, for us, it is only afraid that the Japanese army will be more vigilant about our development. By contrast, it is as important to reclaim the countryside on the periphery of these large cities as it is to the towns and villages.

As long as the villages under the jurisdiction of these big cities are recovered, the little devils' authority to govern these places will also be greatly reduced. Even in the future, we will be able to trap these little devils who are alone in the city by encircling them.

When I said that I was preparing to go to war, I felt that after the Central Army learned of this news, I was afraid that there would be more reason to send us to Wuhan to participate in the battle. After all, if it were only the North China Front, we would be fully capable of defending against them.

Without the threat of the Kwantung Army in the short term, Lao Chiang would not sit idly by and watch the opportunity for us to grow stronger in North China. The reorganization and training of the troops can be suspended, and the troops can begin to rest and recuperate, and logistical preparations must also begin. ”

Although Luo Ruiqing felt that He Zhengdao's judgment was too arbitrary. But with a telegram forwarded by the central government, Luo Ruiqing also really realized that He Zhengdao's judgment of the overall situation on the battlefield was a bit too godly!

Looking at the telegram sent by the central government, He Zhengdao also said very quickly: "Chief of Staff, the affairs of the army will be handed over to you and the political commissar to be responsible." I'll go to Yan'an and report this to the chairman and the commander-in-chief.

Although we are ready to go on the expedition, we cannot let the Central Army have the final say. There are some legitimate requests that we also need to discuss. Strive to go out for us and fight for more favorable conditions. ”

'Okay, then you'll have to make a hard trip. I'll take care of things here! ’

Although the Central Army asked the Eighth Route Army to send no less than one army to participate in the battle, it did not specify what the right way to name it. But everyone knows that at present, the Eighth Route Army has only one newly expanded 67th Army.

'There should be no less than one army, and there should also be generals who can fight well and have some prestige as commanders, and it is best for He Zhengdao to understand the generals of the Japanese army like this' Proposals like this don't just show that Lao Jiang just wants to transfer He Zhengdao to participate in the next battle of Wuhan? (To be continued.) )