The government intended to publicize this matter, and the Eighth Route Army had offices in Wuhan, Luoyang and other places, so all kinds of rumors and rumors quickly spread to Jizhong. Professor Yang, Political Commissar Cheng, Chief of Staff Zhou, and Deputy Chief of Staff Li each found out the news from different channels, and they were all very annoyed, so they came to the door one after another.

Zheng Weiguo himself was not too angry. As a traverser, what kind of moves have you never heard of? Splashing dirty water is considered light. He casually put down a few excerpts of the editorial, and laughed self-deprecatingly: "This is probably the first public opinion war launched by the national government, but I didn't expect that the first person to enjoy it was me, what an honor!" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said indignantly: "General seat, the Propaganda Department has gone too far this time!" If you don't publicize the heroic deeds of the soldiers who bravely killed the enemy, they even have unpredictable intentions to find out their own people. How can such a method not chill the anti-Japanese soldiers! ”

Political Commissar Cheng shook his head and said, "When did they treat us as their own?" But Lao Zhou, I'm afraid you're blaming the wrong person, and the Propaganda Department can't do such a thing. ”

Professor Yang also nodded and said, "Well, Lao Cheng is right!" According to our intelligence, there is a shadow of military command behind this so-called war of public opinion. The editorials of the major newspapers and periodicals were almost always concocted by the Kuomintang royal literati, and their methods imitated our party's propaganda offensive. Hmph, it's just that the means are subordinate and the language is obscene, but it still can't get rid of the pattern of the Green Gang hooligans. ”

In the war of public opinion, the most important thing is to occupy the righteousness, be invincible, and then stand on the high ground of morality to bombard the opponent. Boss Dai added peach, scandal, and conspiracy for no reason, making a table of good dishes smelly. Plainly. The level is too low, the means are too inferior, no wonder Professor Yang is not eye-catching.

Deputy Chief of Staff Li Du said angrily: "Hmph, just because the young marshal arrested Lao Jiang in Xi'an, the bald head has always regarded our Northeast Army as an enemy. Some time ago, he poured dirty water on the dead, and now he is making a fuss about the living. As the leader of a big country, it is really a loss of identity to use this kind of inferior tricks. ”

Pouring dirty water on the dead refers to Wu Keren, the commander of the 67th Army, who died heroically in the Battle of Songhu. Obviously, many people testified that he sacrificed his life for the country on the spot during the battle, but Chang Kaishen slandered him as a defector in order to suppress the remnants of the Northeast Army. In history, it was not until 1989 that the spiritual seat of General Wu Keren officially entered the Yuanshan Martyrs' Shrine at the repeated requests of the children of the Wu family, and he had been infamous as a traitor before that. The most nonsense is that the military commander also claimed in 41 that the puppet army in the Battle of Shanggao was led by Commander Wu.

Chief of Staff Zhou was a little embarrassed when he heard this. Hurriedly diverted the topic and said: "The chairman just wants us to launch a counteroffensive in North China. In order to alleviate the pressure on Central China, the starting point is still good, but the way is not clear. ”

Political Commissar Cheng shook his head and said: "If you lose the nest in East China, you can only go to Sichuan to send people to the fence." So the chairman is in a hurry. In my opinion, though. It's a good thing! ”

Li Du said a little unhappily: "What's a good thing? Our Northeast Army was already saddled with the infamy of non-resistance. Now I put on a hat to watch the fire from the other bank and sit and watch the success or failure, but I am afraid that I will not be able to wash it even if I jump into the Yellow River! ”

Political Commissar Cheng explained: "The chairman once said that the chairman of the committee resisted Japan like driving a donkey up the mountain. Someone has to lead in front, and someone has to push in the back. Now that the chairman of the NPC National Committee is more motivated, he not only resolutely stands up to Wuhan, but also drags us to resist Japan, isn't this a great thing? ”

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

Professor Yang asked again: "Commander, I don't know much about military affairs, if we launch a counteroffensive behind enemy lines, can we contain the Japanese forces in Central China?" I think that if the fall of Wuhan can be delayed, it will be beneficial both to fight against the overall situation of Japan and to develop behind enemy lines. ”

Zheng Weiguo shook his head and said, "It's difficult! It would be good to be able to contain the Japanese forces in North China, but how easy is it to mobilize the Japanese troops in Central China? ”

Although the focus of the Japanese attack at that time was in Central China, the strength of the North China garrison was not weak, with 9 divisions (the 5th, 14th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th, 108th, 109th, 110th, and 114th divisions), 4 independent mixed brigades, 1 cavalry group, and 1 flying team. These troops did not dare to launch an offensive on their own initiative due to the lack of logistical support, but it was not a problem to guard large and medium-sized cities and major transportation routes. Moreover, the more the Japanese army shrank, the denser the forces became, and the more difficult it was to fight. Therefore, in history, all the departments in North China, whether it was the Eighth Route Army, the Central Army, the Jin Sui Army, and the Northwest Army, had no way to launch a large-scale counterattack. It's just that now there is an additional 41st Group Army, which gives the chairman a little more hope.

Political Commissar Cheng sighed and said, "But if you don't fight, you will be too passive politically." Deputy Chief of Staff Li originally intended to raise anti-Japanese funds from wealthy people from the Northeast. If they mistakenly think that we are preserving our strength, how can they donate money to us? ”

Chief of Staff Zhou also agreed, saying: "Yes, if you don't fight, I'm afraid that it will be difficult to explain up and down, inside and out." And according to this propaganda momentum, once Wuhan falls, won't the responsibility fall on our heads? In fact, Chang Kaishen has this plan, the national army has suffered defeats, lost the Northeast, North China, and East China, and now North China is also in danger, if you can find a few scapegoats, it can somewhat reduce the people's harsh criticism of the government.

Zheng Weiguo said with a smile: "Of course we have to fight, but the chairman buries people like this, and we can't just forget it." ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said curiously: "The general seat plans to make conditions with the chairman? Yes, I think so, like the newspaper that slandered us for colluding with the Japanese army, it must be investigated. ”

Zheng Weiguo waved his hand and said, "What do these flies and dogs do about it?" I have three conditions: first, to immediately restore the reputation of Commander Wu Keren and the officers and men of the 67th Army, and punish those who spread rumors and cause trouble; second, release the young marshal, Huang Xiansheng and other detained soldiers from the Northeast and their families; Third, the government will come forward to provide relief to the refugees in exile in the Northeast and compensate the soldiers killed in the Northeast Advance Army. What do you think of these three? ”

After the September 18 Incident, a large number of northeastern refugees who had lost their homes poured into Guannai. With the exception of a few wealthy people who were able to return to their homes and jobs, most of them were living miserable lives. Zheng Weiguo hopes that the government can give these refugees a way out by organizing tuntian fields or opening factories.

The Northeast Advance Army was the troops of the patriotic general Ma Zhanshan. At that time, Zhang Shaoshuai abandoned the Northeast, Heilongjiang had Ma Zhanshan, and Jilin had Feng Zhanhai, which was rumored to be a good story for a while. It is a pity that the suffering of this army is also very miserable, and it has never been able to gain the respect and sympathy of the national government.

As a native of Northeast China, Deputy Chief of Staff Li Du naturally felt the same way, and said excitedly: "General Seat, is this true? ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded and said: "Naturally, it is true, I believe that at this time, the chairman of the committee will attach importance to the opinions of our 41st Group Army." ”

Professor Yang agreed: "Not bad! I didn't expect it for a while, but the commander was careful. ”

Political Commissar Cheng said happily: "It's really good, I think there is a great hope for success." I heard that General Yang Hucheng and his family were also arrested. Maybe we'll be able to release it together! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou poured a scoop of cold water. said: "It's easy to say other things, but I'm afraid that Zhang Shaoshuai's matter is not easy." Based on my understanding of the chairman, he would rather lose Wuhan than let go of Major Marshal Zhang. ”

When everyone heard this, their faces darkened, and they knew that Chief of Staff Zhou was right.

Zheng Weiguo said: "It is up to people to do things. It's up to the sky. We might as well go for it first. "Let's be honest. He didn't have a good impression of Zhang Shaoshuai. Whether it was Zheng Weiguo before the crossing or Zheng Weiguo after the crossing, they were all saddened by Zhang Shaoshuai's abandonment of the Northeast back then. The reason for the demand for the release of the prisoner of the young marshal. It's just that he wants to take the opportunity to entrap the officers and men of the Northeast Army. After all, in the Northeast Army, especially the middle and senior generals, they are still very loyal to the young marshal.

Chief of Staff Zhou asked again: "What if the chairman of the committee agrees to all these conditions?" ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "Whether the chairman agrees or not, we all have to fight!" ”

Political Commissar Cheng was puzzled: "Where is the commander going to fight?" Baoding, Cangzhou, or Texas? ”

Jizhong is attacked on three sides, and there are six large and medium-sized cities around it, among which Beiping, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang are all big cities. The enemy was heavily garrisoned, and our army lacked experience in siege operations, so it was directly excluded. It is difficult for smaller cities to have political influence, and it is difficult to get rid of the infamy of "sitting and watching success or failure", so the biggest possibility is Baoding, Cangzhou and Dezhou. Each of these three locations has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it's up to you to decide.

Zheng Weiguo said with a smile: "I haven't figured out exactly where to fight, this will be formulated by Chief of Staff Zhou and Deputy Chief of Staff Li!" The principle is that the momentum should be large, but the scale of the battle should not be too large, and it is enough to strive for the annihilation of one or two brigades of the Japanese army. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou suddenly realized and said: "I understand, the general seat wants to train troops in battle before the Japanese army returns to North China in a big way!" ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded and said, "Well, that's good!" Although we have been training for so long, many of the new fighters still lack combat experience. Commanders and fighters who have not experienced the test of war are unqualified, so we must let the soldiers get in touch with the battlefield before the fall of Wuhan, understand the battlefield, and prepare for the next brutal sweep. ”

Political Commissar Cheng said with a smile: "It turns out that the commander's mind has always been on the anti-sweep. I thought you wanted to do something big in North China! ”

Zheng Weiguo smiled helplessly: "I also want to do a big job, but unfortunately it's not the time yet." If the main force is disabled, the Japanese army will not give us another three months to rest. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou nodded and said approvingly: "The general seat is right, I'm afraid this is our best opportunity." Just the Military Commission's side? ”

Zheng Weiguo waved his hand and said: "The fall of Wuhan is a foregone conclusion, the chairman of the committee has a lot of money, and he can have a hot head, but we can't afford to learn." "Historically, the chairman of the committee always liked to have a hot head and formulate some unrealistic combat plans, such as the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Nanjing, and the winter counteroffensive of 39. Zheng Huzi only has a lot of capital, but he doesn't dare to play with him. As for the fall of Wuhan, Zheng Huzi is also very heartbroken, but what can be done? The national strength is weak, and it can only exchange space for time.

Political Commissar Cheng also agreed, saying: "We finally have such a large base area, but we can't lose it in a battle." Then he asked, "What is the plan of the chief of staff?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou has also been thinking about the issue of counteroffensive these days, walked directly to the wall, tore open the curtain with a hula, revealing a military map of 1/50,000 inside, and then pointed to the map and said: "Commanders, please move, if we follow the principle of the general seat, we have three places to fight." First, the Central Military Commission strongly urged us to contain the enemy's 27th Division stationed in Tianjin. I think this request can be realized, just let the 53rd Army continue to feint Tianjin and attack Tianjin. ”

"Second, Baoding. The city and the railways extending to both sides have divided our Jizhong and Jinchaji base areas into two halves, and it is best to fight them, and it will also facilitate our recent material transfer. ”

The recent transfer of materials refers to the "plan for rectifying the military industry" reached a few days ago. According to the plan, the Jizhong Military Region will exchange a batch of light weapons with a batch of advanced machines from the Jin-Cha-Ji Arsenal in order to expand the production capacity of the Ping'an County Arsenal. At the same time, there are also large quantities of raw materials to be rotated between several major arsenals.

"The third is the newly established Fourth Division, this area we have just intervened, and the enemy and pseudo-forces in it and the local stubborn forces are very strong. I suggest cleaning up before the main force of the Japanese army returns to North China, otherwise when the main force of the Japanese army arrives, I am afraid that the demons will dance wildly and it will not end well. ”

Zheng Weiguo thought for a while and felt that it was feasible, so he said: "Okay, let's take this plan as the prototype, and ask Chief of Staff Zhou and Deputy Chief of Staff Li to formulate a detailed combat plan." As for the matter of making conditions with the Military Commission, well, I will personally negotiate it! (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you very much for the monthly ticket that jiangr voted for. The update has not been timely these days, sorry. The main thing is that it's almost the New Year, and I'm a little unintentional about writing, so I'd better keep writing!