Shi Xianggong Temple, 58th Division Headquarters.

Xu Jiu's words fell, and He Lingxiao, the commander of the 172nd Brigade, asked: "The situation in Luodian has improved, but the situation in the Battle of Songhu has deteriorated even more, how can you say this?" ”

Wu Jiguang, commander of the 174th Brigade, and several regiment commanders also bowed their heads lightly, and they also had this question in their hearts.

Feng Shengfa heard the meaning of Xu Shijiu's words, and said thoughtfully: "Are you worried that the reversal of the situation in Luodian will lead to a strategic miscalculation on the part of the top level of the national government, so that you will choose the suburbs of Shanghai to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army?" ”

Xu Shijiu smiled bitterly: "Master, it's not that I'm worried, but I'm sure of it!" ”

Before today, there may still be different voices among the high-level of the national government, and Chairman Chiang's determination may not be firm, but when the news of Qiu Weida's regiment's heavy defeat of the Japanese army at Gujiazhai is transmitted back to Nanjing, the different voices among the high-level of the national government will definitely weaken, and Chairman Chiang will definitely have to make up his mind.

Feng Shengfa nodded and said: "I know your worries, and I will truthfully reflect them, but the decision at the strategic level is not something you and I can control, the current task of our 58th Division is to hold the defense line of Shixianggong Temple, what do you have suggestions for this?" ”

He Lingxiao, Wu Jiguang and several regiment commanders were all sideways when they heard this.

To be honest, the senior officers of the 58th Division were very resistant to Feng Shengfa, the new division commander who suddenly appeared, especially the deputy division commander Zhang Jingming, who was even more resentful, but Feng Shengfa was transferred from the 88th Division, and the name of the 88th Division was there, although they were not convinced, they did not dare to put it on their faces.

However, they have no scruples about Xu Shijiu, the miscellaneous captain from the Shanghai Security Corps, Feng Shengfa saw this layer clearly, so he wanted to use this military meeting to let Xu Shijiu show his hand a little, so as to deter this group of arrogant generals of the 58th Division, which was also conducive to his rapid integration of military morale.

Under the gaze of everyone, either disdainful or surprised, Xu Shijiu said calmly: "The suburbs of Shanghai are all open plains, and it is difficult to find even a few small hills with an altitude of 20 meters, and the groundwater level in the Songhu area is high, so it is impossible to build strong fortifications, and the Japanese army has an overwhelming advantage in sea and air superiority, and the artillery support firepower is also overwhelming, so if our army just blindly defends, it will definitely not be able to hold it." ”

Wu Jiguang, the commander of the 174th Brigade, said coldly: "You can't defend it, do you still want to attack?" ”

"That's right, it's the offense, the German military strategist Clausewitz said in "On War" that only the offense is the best defense." Xu Jiu replied without hesitation, "If you only blindly defend and blindly take passive beatings, no matter how broad the depth of defense is, it will be gradually eroded by the enemy, and only by combining it with attack can we better defend." ”

"Attack? It's ridiculous! He Lingxiao, the commander of the 172nd Brigade, sneered, "In the face of the Japanese army's absolute superiority in artillery and naval and air forces, you let us take the initiative to attack?" How to attack? Let the soldiers take their rifles and fight the little Japanese artillery and tanks with bayonets? I really don't know if you should call you arrogant or ignorant? ”

"He Luzao, please listen to the humble post and finish the words first." Xu Shijiu continued without being arrogant or humble, "Indeed, the Japanese army does have absolute superiority in artillery, navy and air force, if our army takes the initiative to attack the Japanese army in broad daylight, it is indeed no different from suicide, but what if our army chooses to attack the Japanese army at night?" ”

"Attack at night?" Feng Shengfa bowed his head lightly when he heard this.

"At night?" He Lingxiao and Wu Jiguang glanced at each other thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's night!" Xu Nineteen tapped his fingers on the map and said, "At night, the Japanese navy and air force have basically become decorations, and the Japanese artillery can no longer point where to fight as it did during the day, and our army can use the cover of night to fully approach the Japanese army, and then launch a surprise attack and start a white-knuckle battle with the Japanese army." ”

"White-knuckle combat?" Zhong Xuedong, the commander of the 347th Regiment, frowned and said, "Can you beat the Japanese army in white-knuckle combat?" ”

"Yes!" Xu Shijiu nodded heavily and said, "Although Little Japan is well-trained, physically strong, and not afraid of death, no matter how they are, they are all recruits who have never seen blood, and almost all the officers and soldiers of our 58th Division are veterans. ”

The reason why the 306th Regiment was able to hold Gu's house, in addition to the proper use of tactics, another important reason was that the Japanese army could not fight the veterans of the 306th Regiment in the white-knuckle battle.

Feng Shengfa said: "Do you mean to use the night to engage the enemy and kill the enemy, expand the depth of defense as much as possible, and then wait for the Japanese army to attack during the day, use the position captured at night to delay the Japanese army as much as possible, and then wait for the next night to recapture the position, and then continue this night attack and day defense, forming a tug-of-war situation with the Japanese army?" ”

Xu Shijiu said: "This is called attacking instead of defending." ”

Feng Shengfa looked around at the crowd: "What do you think? ”

He Lingxiao, Wu Jiguang and the others didn't say anything, but they looked up to Xu Shijiu in their hearts, although this guy is just a security captain, he still has some tactical vision, and he is also the first to explain the tactics, of course, it is only on paper at present, as for whether this tactic is really effective, we have to fight to know.

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Lion Grove Battery, Headquarters of the 11th Division of the Japanese Army.

Matsui Ishine walked to the battle map with his short legs and looked around at the crowd: "You must be puzzled, why did the 44th Infantry Wing fight ineffectively, but I want to give it a commendation instead?" ”

He Zhiying was ashamed of himself, and the rest of the Japanese generals nodded one after another.

Matsui Shigen paused, and then said: "This has to be seen separately, from a tactical point of view, the 44th Infantry Wing attacked Gu Zhai with superior forces and superior equipment, and it suffered more than 1,000 casualties without an inch, which can be described as a fiasco, but from a strategic point of view, the fiasco of the 44th Infantry Wing allowed the Zhina Army opposite Luodian to stabilize the defensive line, and it is especially rare that the 44th Infantry Wing has done its best in Gu Zhai, not a feint, which is likely to induce the Shina government to make a strategic miscalculation, Thus choosing to engage in a strategic decisive battle with the empire on the outskirts of Shanghai. ”

The senior generals of the Japanese army present suddenly realized.

However, Yamamuro Sotake still said with some concern: "Your Excellency, inducing the Shina government to make a strategic misjudgment and put heavy troops into the Songhu battlefield to fight a decisive battle with the imperial army is indeed conducive to the imperial army's firepower superiority and sea and air superiority, but with only two divisions, is the strength too thin?" ”

Yamamuro Sotake's worries are not unreasonable, with absolute superior firepower and sea and air superiority, the Japanese army has only two divisions and regiments, and it is already invincible, but if it wants to completely defeat or even completely annihilate dozens of Chinese elite divisions, the strength of the two divisions is far from enough.

"Yamamuro-san doesn't have to worry." Matsui Shigen waved his hand and said with a smile, "I have already sent a telegram to the base camp and asked the country to send five more permanent divisions to completely annihilate the main force of the government army in China and force the government to surrender." ”

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When Matsui Envisioned a speedy end to the Battle of Songhu and forced the Nationalist Government to surrender to Japan, his telegram was already on the table of Ishihara Wanji, the first minister of the Army Headquarters.

Due to Japan's narrow territory and deep-rooted islanders' thinking, there have been few strategists throughout the ages, even after the Meiji Restoration, there have not been a few decent strategists in Japan, and Ishihara Waner and Okamura Ninji are undoubtedly outliers among them, these two old devils can definitely be regarded as unborn strategic masters in Japanese history.

The Wicker Lake Incident, which led to the split of the four eastern provinces from the Nationalist Government, was planned by Ishihara Waner, and Sakagaki Seishiro, who later played like a god in the North China Battlefield, was Ishihara's superior at the time, and his military rank was also higher than Ishihara's, but in the planning of the Wicker Lake Incident, Sakagaki was completely subordinate to Ishihara Waner from beginning to end.

However, the reason why Ishihara was able to become a master of strategy was because he evolved from Clausewitz's "Theory of War" and the concept of "Manchurian and Mongolian lifeline" based on "Theory of Final War".

After reading Matsui Ishone's telegram requesting more troops, Ishihara signed it with a stroke of his pen, and the 9th Division, 13th Division, 18th Division, 101st Division, and 114th Division began to mobilize urgently.

However, on the list of the first batch of reinforcements issued by Ishihara Waner, there were only the 9th, 13th, and 101st divisions, and some senior staff officers of the General Staff Headquarters were puzzled and asked Ishihara Waner Weishenme if he would not put the five divisions and three brigades that were being mobilized into the Shanghai battlefield together, instead of in batches? Isn't the tactic of adding fuel to the army taboo?

Ishihara just smiled at this and didn't explain much.

The questioning senior staff officer did not know that the reason why Ishihara decided to send reinforcements to the Shanghai battlefield in batches was to create a false impression that the battle of Songhu might become a stalemate in the high-level of the national government, and to devote enough troops to the Songhu battlefield after the Nationalist Government had put all the main forces into the Songhu battlefield before committing enough troops to deal a fatal blow.

All in all, Ishihara wanted to lure the main force of the Nationalist Army into the suburbs of Shanghai, and after annihilating the main force of the Nationalist Army, he would fight or negotiate, and the initiative would be completely manipulated in the hands of the Japanese Government.