To the east of Xinxiang, a large army was hurrying east along the long and inhospitable north bank of the Yellow River. From time to time, there are vivid tiger flags fluttering in the team. Needless to say, this is the Zheng Weiguo Department of the 97th Army of the National Revolutionary Army that was ordered to go south to participate in the war. The 35th Brigade was left behind to attack Xinxiangcheng, but the main force of the 97th Army did not stop and rushed straight to the direction of the Guantai Ferry.

In fact, according to the order of the Military Commission, they should have crossed the Yellow River first, and then marched east along the Longhai Line to fight in Lanfeng, and the same was true of Zheng Weiguo's previous plan.

However, on the way south, the Night Owl's cavalry search unit accidentally intercepted an order for the Japanese army to collect supplies in the northern section of the Pinghan Line, and then discovered the operation of the independent mixed 4th Brigade to transport supplies to the 14th Division.

Director Xiong said at the time: "Military seat, the opportunity must not be lost, I suggest that the independent mixed fourth brigade be cut first!" The supply of a reinforced division is much greater than the harvest of crossing the Yellow River! ”

Everyone knows that the 14th Division is a hard bone, and even if it is gnawed down, it will break three teeth. And it is impossible for an opponent like this to make them surrender on their own initiative, they can only fight to the end. In addition, the Japanese army has a habit of destroying weapons, and I am afraid that by then they will not even be able to pick up a few rifles.

Zheng Weiguo was a little hesitant and said, "Wait, let me think about it first!" ”

Opportunities and risks always coexist, and it is not easy to swallow the fourth brigade in one gulp. Moreover, there were no reinforcements on the north bank of the Yellow River, and once it failed, it would fall into an isolated situation.

When the time comes, not to mention the murderous Japanese army, even those puppet army bandits will viciously pounce on them and tear off pieces of flesh and blood. It is a matter of life and death for the troops. Zheng Weiguo can't be cautious.

There is no shortage of troops, and the strength of the southbound troops of the 97th Army is at least equivalent to four independent mixed brigades, but there are not more people than people in the war, but more people than those who survive.

Now that the army has expanded very much, there is no problem for veterans to take new recruits to fight some defensive battles, for example, Chen Mingren's defense of Siping is supported by those veterans in the team who receive platoon commanders' salaries.

But at the moment, it is not a defensive war, but an offensive war, an encirclement and annihilation war. Offensive warfare requires more courage and skill than defensive warfare, and these two are precisely what new recruits lack.

For example, in the battle at Guanjiayuan, many troops lost their ability to attack after suffering about 10 percent casualties. Because the tenth of the casualties were the bravest and most capable fighters in the army. Without these fighting backbones, it was obviously impossible to storm the enemy's strong fortifications with recruit eggs alone.

Zheng Weiguo was worried that this was the point, and if the troops suffered too many casualties during the attack, a counterattack by the Japanese army could lead to the collapse of the entire front. When the time comes, the offensive and defensive situation will be shifted. It's hard to say who will destroy whom.

Chief of Staff Zhou also disagreed with Director Xiong's opinion. It was very clear that "I don't agree to go to Guantai." It's too dangerous! ”

Director Xiong still insisted on his opinion and said, "Counselor, I think as long as you plan properly. With the strength of more than 30,000 people of our 97th Army, we can wipe out the independent mixed fourth brigade. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said unceremoniously: "I agree with you, but can you guarantee that the Fourth Independent Mixed Brigade will be wiped out within two days?" ”

Director Xiong smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, this, of course, is not realistic. After all, there are too many recruits in our troops, and we still need to hone them on the battlefield. However, we don't have to rush to eliminate the independent mixed fourth brigade, we can use the tactics of knocking kraft candy to eat the enemy little by little, anyway, the Japanese army in North China has no troops to adjust! ”

This is an exaggeration, but the Japanese army was indeed very embarrassed on the north bank of the Yellow River at that time. Due to the large number of troops being transferred to the Jinpu line, they had to shrink the entire line to the main railway lines, and as a result, the Chinese troops hiding behind enemy lines quickly fought their way out of the mountains and besieged the Japanese strongholds in all directions.

For example, the most unfortunate 20th Division shrank to the southern section of Tongpu Tie, but the railway was soon cut off by the troops of the Second Theater under the command of Wei Lihuang, and the Japanese army could only rely on airdrops from aircraft to replenish supplies. Not long after, the Chinese army shelled Linfen Airport and other places, cutting off its air transportation routes.

The 20th Division soon fell into a situation of running out of food, and had to rush the immature green seedlings in the nearby farmland to satisfy hunger. After robbing the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep of the farmers' homes, the Japanese troops in many strongholds preyed on cats and dogs, and at the end of the day, the rats were eaten up by the soldiers one by one, so they could only feed on leaves and grass.

Director Xiong even said optimistically: "In my opinion, after we finish packing up and forming the fourth brigade independently, don't cross the Yellow River!" Turn around directly to the west, and join forces with the commander of the guard to annihilate the 20th Division! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou snorted, took a map, pointed a little north of Lanfeng County, and said, "You said that the Japanese army has no reinforcements in North China?" Couldn't the Fourteenth Division cross north from here? ”

Director Xiong suddenly broke into a cold sweat on his forehead and said, "Uh, this? He apparently ignored this, and did not think about the serious consequences if this happened.

Although the 97th Army is now a little stronger, it is still much weaker than a strengthened first-class division, not to mention the independent mixed Fourth Brigade Regiment, which is not less than the 97th Army in terms of strength alone.

The units assigned to the 14th Division include: the 1st Bridge Material Squadron of the 2nd Division, the 14th Division Bridge Material Squadron, the 2nd River Crossing Material Squadron of the 16th Division, 1 sub-squadron of bridge building materials, and about 150 folding boats. In addition, there was the 14th Engineer Wing.

Although these units had little combat effectiveness, they could ensure that the 14th Division could quickly cross the Yellow River at any point.

Director Xiong said: "Military seat, Senza, isn't the 14th Division still surrounded between Lanfeng, Neihuang, Minquan, and Kaocheng?" Surrounded by more than a dozen divisions, can they rush out? ”

Zheng Weiguo thought for a moment and said: "It is definitely unrealistic to expect the 14th Division to be wiped out in the First War Zone, otherwise why would we go south?" He doesn't remember the details of the Battle of Lanfeng, but the most important thing is that it must have ended in the defeat of the national army, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to dig the mouth of the garden and replace the soldiers with water.

Director Xiong marked on the map two important ferry crossings north of Lanfeng, Chenliukou and Lanfengkou. He pointed to the map and said, "Commander, how long do you think the national army can hold out?" ”

Zheng Weiguo thought for a moment. He said, "I should be able to hold out for three days!" ”

Director Xiong was a little unconvinced, and said, "Junzao, are you too pessimistic?" The 27th Army of the Nationalist Army was defending the fortifications in and around Lanfeng. Their three divisions, the 36th Division, the 46th Division, and the 88th Division, are all the elite of the national army! Wang Mingzhang and a miscellaneous division have also been guarding Teng County for three days, and the three descendants will not be worse than one miscellaneous division! ”

In addition to Wang Mingzhang defending Teng County, there was also Pang Bingxun's bloody battle in Yaoguantun in Cangxian County, and he fought for seven days and seven nights before withdrawing, and later defended Linyi twice and fought fiercely for five days and five nights. As for Sun Lianzhong's stubborn defense of Taierzhuang, it is even more famous in the world.

Zheng Weiguo thought about it, the Central Army was elite and had sufficient troops. It's not even a ragtag army, right? Could it be a mistake in your own judgment? Alas. I knew that if I wanted to cross the road, I should memorize the history of the Anti-Japanese War and wear it again.

Chief of Staff Zhou didn't think so, he snorted coldly and said, "Tengxian is a person who is willing to work hard for three days, is Gui Yongqing the one who dares to fight with the devil?" The military seat said that they could hold it for three days. I think it would be nice if they could keep it for two days! ”

In fact. Chief of Staff Zhou also glanced at Gui Yongqing and Qiu Qingquan. According to the original history. The Japanese army bypassed Lanfeng on the 22nd, took Chen Liukou without much effort, and turned around the next day to attack Lanfeng. Gui Yongqing threw down Long Muhan, the commander of the 88th Division, as a substitute for the dead ghost, and he himself fled. Both battles ended in less than a day.

It seems that although equipment, training, and fortifications are very important, if the soldiers, especially the commanders of the troops, do not even have the courage to fight, no matter how sophisticated the equipment, no matter how severe the training, no matter how stable the fortifications are, they will be worthless, and they can only be dragged by the enemy like pigs and dogs to cut off their heads.

Director Xiong thought about it for a while, and he was indeed not sure that he would take the Guantai Ferry within two days, and it was impossible to complete the elimination of the Fourth Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade in a short period of time. So he sighed and said, "Military seat, counselor, please forgive me for not thinking about my humble duties." It seems that we can only cross the Yellow River first. ”

Zheng Weiguo shook his head and said, "No! I decided to use your plan, take Xinxiang directly, and then wave my army to the east and seize Guantai! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou was taken aback, and hurriedly said, "Military seat, don't do it!" ”

Deputy Commander Wang Qifeng also said: "Junzao, do you want to think about it again!" ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "I have made up my mind, don't say more!" ”

The officers looked at each other, and after a while of eye contact, Director Xiong stubbornly said: "Military seat, it's all ridiculous to blame for such a bad idea. Don't make fun of your job! ”

Zheng Weiguo shook his head and said, "You misunderstood, I'm serious!" ”

Director Xiong said, "Then can you tell us the specific reason?" As the saying goes, there will be suspicion, and the soldiers will not fight to the death, if you don't give us a thorough understanding, I'm afraid that the soldiers will not be down-to-earth! ”

Zheng Weiguo snorted and said, "Okay, let's tell you the truth!" I'm worried that the East Henan Bureau will get out of control, and the chairman will order the embankment to burst and release the water! ”

Director Xiong was stunned for a moment and said, "Where is it?" ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "Of course it's the Yellow River, where else can it be decided?" ”

Director Xiong was startled, and hurriedly waved his hand and said, "What! Yellow River? No, no, no! That's impossible! Junzuo, you haven't been to the Yellow River, and you don't know the situation there at all! The river hangs four or five meters in the air, once the embankment is broken, how can there be people downstream? The chairman would never do such a thing! ”

Zheng Weiguo snorted and said, "If it's not powerful, the chairman of the committee is not rare!" Now is the peach blossom flood season, the river water is rising, and since May, heavy rain has fallen in Shanxi and Henan, which is the best period to replace soldiers with water! Once the war is unfavorable, the chairman will not let go of this opportunity! ”

The usually suave Director Xiong suddenly jumped up, pointed at Zheng Weiguo's nose and scolded: "You, you are talking nonsense!" There is a war in the world, and there is a reason to release water to flood your own people! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou shouted angrily: "Presumptuous! Is there anyone who talks to the military seat like that? He hurriedly said to Zheng Weiguo: "Junzuo, don't be like him, this kid has no father since he was a child, and his mother raised him single-handedly." His father is from Henan, and he was drowned because of the dam failure of the Yellow River! ”

Zheng Weiguo glanced at the officers surrounding him and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Yellow River will drown people every year when the embankment bursts, if the embankment is completely opened, how serious the consequences will be, you should know how serious the consequences are!" ”

All the officers were solemn and silent.

Zheng Weiguo paused for a moment. Then he said: "I originally wanted to go directly to Henan, and then join all friendly forces to flank the 14th Division. However, judging from the current situation, if we cross the river first, we are afraid that Tu Feiyuan will be able to seize the ferry first. When the time comes, they will have the convenience of materials and the benefits of supply, and it will be difficult to match. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou was embarrassed and said, "Junzao, do you really want to go to the Guantai Ferry?" ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded solemnly and said, "That's right! ”

Deputy Army Commander Wang Qifeng said: "Junzuo, you have to think twice, once our army fails to capture Guantai in time." The 14th Division moved north from Chenliukou. If our army is crowded on the banks of the Yellow River, there is a danger that the whole army will be wiped out! ”

Zheng Weiguo said: "It may not be that the whole army will be destroyed, but it is indeed nine deaths!" So here, I do not order you as a commander, but as a Chinese soldier, I invite you to fight alongside me! ”

He looked at the faces of the officers. Some looked excited. Some treat it indifferently. Others have a tragic face. Of course, there are many people who hesitate, hesitate, and retreat on their faces. After all, since ancient times, it has been difficult to die only once, and not everyone can sacrifice generously. Those who went to the national disaster together.

Deputy Division Commander Zhang Dongkai hesitated for a moment and said, "Commander, dare to ask, where did you learn that the chairman of the committee wants to replace the soldiers with water?" Is the intelligence reliable? If this matter is serious, it is not a problem for me to sacrifice all the sacrifices of the Fourth Division, but if the chairman of the committee does not have this mind, won't our brothers sacrifice in vain? ”

Chief of Staff Zhou sighed and said, "This matter is absolutely true! When I was at the former enemy headquarters in the Second War Zone, I heard that it was proposed by Chief of Staff Yan Xunfu of the First War Zone, and the chairman did not object! ”

Deputy Army Commander Wang Qifeng also sighed and said with a wry smile: "I have also heard that what the military seat and Chief of Staff Zhou said is the truth!" ”

Believing that there was no need for the three commanders to deceive themselves, all the officers bowed their heads and felt extremely heavy in their hearts. It seems that if you can't cross the river, you must make a choice whether to fight or not!

Zheng Weiguo said: "I don't want to deceive you. Many people will die in this battle, but if we succeed, we will save at least 800,000 or 900,000 lives! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said: "I thought that Zhou was also determined to serve the country, but I didn't expect that after 40 years, he still did nothing. Now, with my own life, I can save thirty people, so why not? Throne, I'll go with you to fight through the platform! ”

Deputy Army Commander Wang Qifeng said: "The old man wanted to live to see the recovery of the Northeast, but the country has lost its territory one after another, and I am afraid that I will not see this day." Since there must be sacrifices in the War of Resistance, I am willing to die first for the country! ”

The officers were amazed when they heard this, and shouted one after another: "Count me in, count me in!" ”

"Fight to the end, swear not to back down!"

"I am willing to give up this body and die first for the country!"

……

Zheng Weiguo said excitedly: "Okay, good! The brethren are all good! Today I'm going to take you to a miracle. You're all gathered around, and we're going to talk about the battle plan. ”

If we want to defeat the Fourth Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade and save the lives of the people in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces, it is not enough to have the determination to die, we must have a correct struggle strategy, otherwise it will be useless to fight the 97th Army.

Wu Quanfu, commander of the 35th Brigade, took the initiative to ask for battle, saying: "Military seat, this independent mixed fourth brigade is our old opponent. Of course, we have fought in Yingyangling, this time let our brigade be the vanguard! ”

Not to be outdone, several other commanders of the main brigade competed to be the main attack, or the vanguard.

Zheng Weiguo said: "Don't worry, everyone, this battle is very small, every unit must exert 120 percent of its strength to have any hope of victory, and each of your troops is the main attack, the vanguard, and the position of the battle is different." ”

Duan Shuanghu said: "Military seat, judging from the strength of the enemy, our army can only hope to win if it is pressed with all its might, and if you divide a soldier, I am afraid that we will not be able to catch it!" ”

Zhang Haiyan also said: "Deputy Division Commander Duan is right! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said with a smile: "Don't worry, I see that the military seat is in the chest, and there must be a clever plan!" ”

Zheng Weiguo hurriedly waved his hand and said: "I can't talk about the clever plan, but I do have some ideas, you can all help me refer to them to see if there is any operability." ”

His plan is the same as above, the main force bypasses Xinxiang and marches eastward, directly approaching the Guantai Ferry. The 35th Brigade stayed on the Pinghan Line, first taking Xinxiang, and then breaking the Pinghan Line to open up the connection with the south of the Yellow River.

The nest of the independent mixed fourth brigade was copied, and it was inevitable to return to reinforcements, and the Guantai ferry also needed to be defended by troops, and the troops would be divided into two. In this way, by concentrating the three main brigades to fight half a brigade, the hope of victory will be greatly increased.

Director Xiong's mood had stabilized at this time, and he applauded, saying: "Junzuo, I have a suggestion that the 35th Brigade can sneak attack Xinxiang, snatch the radio as completely as possible, and block the news to the outside world, so as to create the false impression that Xinxiang City is still in the hands of the Japanese army, and then induce the Japanese army to come to help in batches through telegrams, and our army will be annihilated in batches on the way!" ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded his head in praise and said: "This plan is feasible, Changgui, this task will be handed over to your special operations brigade!" ”

Zhang Changgui was overjoyed, hurriedly stood up, and said, "Yes, military seat, I promise to complete the task!" ”

Since the commanders of all the main regiments were promoted to brigade commanders, for the sake of internal factional balance, Zheng Weiguo also promoted Zhang Changgui by two levels, and gave the name of a special operations brigade commander. However, there is still only one special service battalion in the unit, and two new cadet companies have been formed, which can be regarded as reserve special forces.

When attacking Xinxiang City, the young man who carried the burden and sold eggs was one of them. Compared with the veterans of the special service battalion, they still lack combat experience, but they are all educated, and many of them still have a foundation in martial arts.

When the 35th Brigade took Xinxiang, Zheng Weiguo led the main force to Yanjin. It is located right in the middle of Xinxiang City and Guantai Ferry, and is hundreds of miles away from both places.

Chief of Staff Zhou suddenly chased after him from behind excitedly, and shouted loudly: "Military seat, stop, there is good news!" ”

Zheng Weiguo pulled the reins of the horse, the white horse under his crotch neighed, and the two front hooves rose into the air, like a white dragon out of the water. He took the telegram and looked at it, and he smiled, and suddenly became high-spirited.

Deputy Commander Wang Qifeng had already guessed what was going on, and his heart was in ecstasy, and he said, "Good, good!" The children have broken the thief, why do I regret this old man! (To be continued......)

PS: Thank you very much for the destined tip. In addition, the mountain people want to apologize, there are relatives and friends visiting today, only one chapter, 5,200 words!