Yongqing, Jicha Theater Frontline Command. Commander-in-Chief Zheng Weiguo is on the phone with Political Commissar Cheng, mainly to confirm the logistics and response matters, so that the large army can smoothly withdraw to the base area. Although the battle did not go well, the capture was quite rich. When Sugiyama was the commander, in order to curb the infiltration of the 41st Group Army into the north bank of the Yongding River, many fortresses were specially built along the line of the Yongding River, and heavy artillery was deployed in them.

In order for these guns to hit their targets quickly and accurately, the Japanese divided the areas within the range of the guns into meshes, and each small area was marked with a number. There are also a large number of turrets around the forts that serve as watchtowers and observation posts, and if they receive a call from the turrets, the forts will immediately open fire on the target area.

It is said that this idea itself is still very good, but the discovery and restoration of the Yongqing Underground Great Wall has made this idea a utopian. In this counterattack operation, many fortresses were conquered before they could open artillery, and the heavy artillery inside naturally became the trophies of the Jicha theater. These cannons, although old, are very powerful. Zheng Weiguo plans to drag them all back, maybe it will come in handy at some point.

Hanging up the phone, Zheng Weiguo hurriedly instructed Deputy Minister Lu Zhan of the Equipment Department: "More than a dozen trucks have been urgently dispatched from the rear and the bridge has been reinforced, and it seems that it will not be a problem for those heavy artillery to be towed away." You immediately send a force to escort you along the way, and it must be transported to the south of the Daqing River before dark today......"

Before he finished speaking, Zheng Weiguo suddenly heard someone coming in, and when he looked up, it was Chief of Staff Zhou, still holding a telegram in his hand. Busy said: "Ha, Lao Zhou, you came just in time!" Lao Cheng and the others are mobilizing their forces and raising a lot of trucks and fuel, and those heavy artillery will be ready to be shipped immediately. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou suddenly looked sad and choked up: "Boss, I want to tell you an unfortunate news. Just now, the commander of the 273rd Regiment, Zhao Weibin, died! ”

"Who! Zhao Weibin? Zheng Weiguo couldn't believe it and questioned: "The 273rd Regiment has failed to break through!" Didn't four regiments be sent to meet them? ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said sadly: "The breakthrough was originally very smooth, and most of the 273rd Regiment also stood out. But the little devil was annoyed and angry. Indiscriminate attacks with heavy artillery. Commander Zhao, he and a brother of the company failed to escape! ”

Zheng Weiguo was so angry that he walked around the house a few times, and asked again: "Has the body of Head Zhao been snatched back?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou shook his head bitterly and said, "Both sides are going crazy!" The fighters retreated a few times. Turned the place over. In the end, only a watch that Commander Zhao wore before his death was found. ”

Zheng Weiguo sat down in his chair dejectedly. I kept forcing myself to calm down, and after a while, I asked, "What is the current battle situation?" Need reinforcements? ”

Chief of Staff Zhou looked at the latest telegram and replied: "At present, the enemy and us are still facing each other in the Yangcun area. The officers and men were in great emotion. The headquarters was asked to send reinforcements to fight the enemy to the death. ”

Zheng Weiguo asked again: "What about the other directions?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou replied: "The 91st Division has joined the 63rd Army and is engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy's 33rd Division; The first part of the field artillery brigade and most of the mountain artillery brigade also participated in the battle; The 116th Division of the 53rd Army held back enemy reinforcements north of Baoding, and the 130th Division also pinned down the enemy in Xiyuan; The 97th Army was withdrawing from Beiping City, and many civilians, fearing retaliation from the Japanese army, also asked to go south with the troops. ”

Zheng Weiguo frowned slightly, it's not fun to fight with the people, I think Liu Bei fled south with the people of Xinye, how many people could escape to Jiangxia in the end?

Chief of Staff Zhou quickly understood his thoughts, and said tentatively: "General Seat, do you want to persuade the villagers to stay in Beiping for the time being?" ”

Zheng Weiguo shook his head and said, "No, the villagers' worries are not unreasonable. The little devils have lost face in the international community this time, and according to their habits, they are likely to retaliate against innocent civilians. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou nodded solemnly and said, "Well, the little devil is crazy, and he really has to guard against it!" After thinking for a while, he suggested: "General seat, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region is all mountainous, and it is also close to Beiping, how about you evacuate the villagers first?" ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded and said, "Well, this method is good!" You immediately contact Commander Nie of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region and ask him to help arrange for a group of civilians to come over. When the war on our side is calm, we will send it over. Of course, not everyone has to go to Jinchaji, if they are dexterous, they can still let them go south together. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Is that to limit the number of people?" If there are too many people coming, it will add a heavy burden to the base area! ”

Zheng Weiguo waved his hand and said: "This concept is wrong. Manpower is the most precious resource, how can it be regarded as a burden? Now is the time of spring ploughing, the more people who come, the better, and those who don't know how to do farm work can still be workers! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou smiled: "It's still thoughtful!" Okay, I'll arrange it right away! He asked again: "Boss, what are you going to do with Yang Village?" ”

Zheng Weiguo thought for a moment and said: "It's a good thing that the soldiers take the initiative to fight, but according to intelligence, there are a lot of Japanese troops in Yangcun, and it is probably impossible to eat them in one bite." ”

Chief of Staff Zhou agreed: "Yes, judging from the current information, there are at least two infantry wings of the 27th Division, plus a mountain artillery wing and a field heavy artillery wing. However, the warriors were in a lot of mood, and if they rashly ordered a retreat, they were afraid that they would hurt their spirits. ”

Zheng Weiguo asked, "Then what do you mean?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou suggested: "I think we can satisfy the wishes of the officers and men, send more artillery, and teach this 27th Division a hard lesson!" He also explained: "First, it can suppress the enemy forces on this road, so that it cannot converge with the 33rd Division in Anci County, and reduce the pressure on the flank of our army; Second, it is also good for the soldiers to vent their evil anger! ”

Zheng Weiguo pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "Yes!" But the fighters can have emotions, and the commander must be calm. Then he asked: "Who is the supreme commander there now?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhou hurriedly replied: "It's Wang Jinglie, the commander of the 333rd Regiment!" ”

Wang Jinglie, the word is square. A native of Haicheng, Liaoning. Graduated from the 4th class of the Northeast Lecture Hall and the 8th class of the Army University. In 1933, he served as the colonel of the 6th Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the 105th Division of the Northeast Army, and in March 1937, he served as the commander of the 315th Brigade of the 105th Division of the 49th Army. In the Battle of Wuhan, the division suffered heavy casualties, and the remnants were incorporated by Zheng Weiguo into the 333rd Regiment of the 33rd Division, with Wang as the commander.

Zheng Weiguo said: "Well, you tell Commander Wang Jinglie not to be carried away by hatred. He also explained: "It's not that I don't want to avenge Commander Zhao Weibin, it's just that we still have a vicious battle to fight next, and we can't squander our troops at will." ”

Chief of Staff Zhou nodded and said, "I understand." However, Commander Wang had never commanded so many troops before, and I suggested that when the artillery arrived, the 63rd Army should send a corps commander to accompany him. Coordinate the command of the troops. ”

Zheng Weiguo snorted. He said, "Okay, then that's how it will be arranged!" ”

"Report!" As he spoke, a confidential correspondent handed over a telegram. Chief of Staff Zhou took it and hurriedly handed it to Zheng Weiguo. He said anxiously: "The Japanese troops in Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, Handan, Anyang, Cangzhou, Dezhou, Huimin, and Jinan have all been dispatched!" ”

Zheng Weiguo sneered: "Hmph." Little devils have such a big appetite! I think there's a lot of bluff in that. Just be careful and don't be afraid of it! ”

Chief of Staff Zhou said worriedly: "I'm afraid it's not that simple!" In general, if the Japanese army abandons the area south of Shijiazhuang. Do you think it's possible to attack my base with all your might? ”

When Zheng Weiguo heard this, his face gradually became solemn. Since the Henan section of the Pinghan Line was basically under the control of the First War Zone, the northern section of the Pinghan Line occupied by the Japanese army was actually a "half-pulled railway", and there were no necessary resources along the way, so it would not be a big deal to give up. The only factor is the face of the Japanese Army, but now that Zheng Weiguo is beating up all the way around Beiping City, his face has already been lost to Java, where can he take care of so much?

"Well, it's possible!" Zheng Weiguo muttered: "If this is the case, the Japanese army will have an extra division (10th) and two independent mixed brigades (1st and 8th) with mobile striking power, and the threat to our base area is indeed very great." However, the Japanese army also has fatal flaws, and I don't think they will be able to hold on to fighting for a long time. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou quickly understood and asked, "You mean logistical supplies?" ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded and said, "Not bad!" The northern section of the Pinghan Line is basically paralyzed at the moment, and as long as we get stuck in road transportation again, there are more than 60,000 Japanese troops south of Baoding, not to mention fighting, and I am afraid that eating will become a problem. ”

Chief of Staff Zhou questioned: "But with our current strength, it is impossible to destroy the railway, and it may be impossible to block road transportation for a long time." As he spoke, he walked to the map, pointed in the direction of Baoding and said, "Please look at the general seat, at the moment the Japanese army in Baoding is desperately attacking northward." The Japanese army in Zhangjiakou is also moving south, and at that time, maybe the 32nd Division and even the 26th Division of Suiyuan will be sent over. ”

Zheng Weiguo explained: "What I mean by blocking the highway is not blocking the road and preventing it from passing, but the cars that are specifically attacking the Japanese army!" Just now, the arsenal sent a secret telegram saying that a batch of armor-piercing guns and grenades had been made, and I think we can use this weapon to send small troops to ambush on both sides of the road to attack the head of the car. I estimate that the Japanese army will send a maximum of 1,000 cars over, but it will not be enough for us to fight! ”

As previously described, armor-piercing bullets do not destroy targets by kinetic energy, but by chemical energy. The main feature is the conical hollow charge (common types include hemispherical type, horn type, etc.), which penetrates the armor plate with a focused high-temperature and high-speed jet and kills personnel and equipment.

In the past, if an ordinary grenade failed to hit a critical position (such as the cab, fuel tank, engine), it was difficult to cause major damage to the car. Armor-piercing bullets are different, as long as they hit the front of the car, they will definitely shoot a large hole in the machine inside. When the time comes, don't talk about maintenance, if it doesn't explode, it will be considered to burn high incense. Moreover, most of the cars move in a straight line at a uniform speed when driving normally, and aiming is much more convenient than hitting a tank.

Chief of Staff Zhou said with a smile: "If you can force the little devil to transport the offerings in a carriage, then it is indeed very certain." In my opinion, the Japanese army without shells was not much stronger than it was in the Meiji period! It's just that we don't have many armor-piercing shells, right? Other weapons, such as flat-fire guns and heavy machine guns, are too bulky to attack a car, but it is difficult to evacuate. ”

Zheng Weiguo nodded and said, "Well, it's really not enough, only three thousand pieces were made in the first batch." However, in addition to the grenade, we can also use the ZB33 light machine gun to strafe the lower half of the car, especially the fuel tank, from a distance of 400 meters. I have already ordered the armament department to distribute all the steel core ammunition in the inventory to all units on the front line. ”

ZB26 for design reasons. It can't hit a heavy sharp bullet, and the warhead of a steel-core bullet is heavier, so it can't hit it even more. However, the ZB33 light machine gun has a new gas adjustment knob, which can adapt to different types of ammunition through the adjustment of gas, so as to achieve the best shooting effect. One of the characteristics of steel core bullets is that they are prone to sparks after hitting hard objects. Hitting the fuel tank with this kind of bullet is simply a Langsen brand lighter, and it will hit every shot.

Chief of Staff Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Some happily said, "That's good." Commander, I'll immediately draft orders so that the troops can prepare early. ”

After the order was issued, the first and third military subdivisions took the lead in taking action. Because these two military divisions are next to the Pinghan line. The Japanese cars mainly passed through this line. To hit a car. You have to get the Japanese cars to come first. So the two divisions successively gave way to the avenue and switched to flank attacks. The Japanese army didn't know what to do, and thought that the Jicha theater couldn't hold on. couldn't help but be overjoyed, and hurriedly sent troops to restore the traffic on the Pinghan line.

In the city of Beiping, Tada Jun was walking on crutches on the streets covered with broken bricks and rubble, when suddenly his feet were empty, and he almost fell. The European and American reporters who were surrounded in front and back immediately pressed the shutter in their hands, and for a while there was a crackle, and the magnesium lights flashed non-stop.

"Yaga!" Seeing that these "white animal" reporters were not at ease, Yamashita Fengwen ordered the soldiers to come up and confiscate their cameras in a fit of rage. However, Tada Jun saw it and waved his hand to stop the soldiers' movements.

Yamashita Fengwen was unwilling, and said in a low voice: "Your Excellency, Commander, these white animals are so hateful, they obviously want to see our jokes!" ”

Tada Jun waved his hand and said: "If you can't bear it, you will have a big plan!" Now is a critical time for us to navigate China, and we must not let these small things cause trouble. ”

He asked again: "Is the counterattack of the various departments still going well?" ”

Yamashita shook his head awkwardly.

Seeing that there were too many reporters here, it was inconvenient for him to speak, so he whispered: "Get in the car first, and then go back to the headquarters." So the two hurriedly got into the car, and then ran to the headquarters of the 21st Division in a puff of smoke. The headquarters of the North China Front was seriously damaged by the special combat team and was temporarily unusable, and had to be renovated. A large group of reporters were still chasing the car and taking pictures, and it didn't take long for one report after another to come out, such as "the Japanese offensive was tripped by the Chinese rubble," "the Japanese commander was frightened by the Chinese army's offensive and his legs weakened," and "the Japanese generals had no shame in facing the media and fled in a car." If you want Tada Jun to see them, you have to be angry.

In the car, Tada Jun asked a little anxiously: "Yamashita-kun, tell me the specific battle situation this morning." ”

Yamashita Fengwen hurriedly lowered his head slightly, and said, "Haiyi! Then he explained in detail: "At six o'clock this morning, the main force of the 27th Division besieged the 273rd Regiment of the Chinese Army, but unfortunately escaped by the enemy. The 27th Division then pursued, engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with reinforcements from China, and even used artillery battles on both sides. ”

Tada Jun said with a little dissatisfaction: "How did Honma Masaharu fight, can't you even eat a regiment of the Zhi Na Army?" "Honma Masaharu has a good personal relationship with Tada Jun, so he didn't get scolded.

Yamashita explained, "The Shina reinforcements are strong, and Honma-kun's forces are insufficient. However, the heavy artillery of our army still made a great contribution, and it is said that the commander of the regiment was killed. ”

Tada Jun was silent for a moment, and said with emotion: "The commander was killed, and the troops haven't collapsed yet?" It seems that this army cannot be looked at with ordinary eyes! ”

Yamashita nodded approvingly and said, "In Sodos, according to the staff officers' calculations, Zheng Huzi's troops are at least three times the size of the Chinese army. Some elite troops can even reach more than five times the combat power, so it is definitely a loss to deal with them with the same way they fought against ordinary Chinese troops. ”

Tada Jun said a little angrily, "Nani? There is such a report for what not come out early! ”

Yamashita explained, "Actually, when I was the commander of the temple, someone put forward such an opinion. Commander Terauchi himself agreed, but when Commander Sugiyama took office, he considered it a damage to the majesty of the army, and strictly forbade such statements that flouted the force of the Imperial Army. ”

Tada Jun couldn't help but shake his head and scolded: "Hmph, this fool Yuan! He waved his hand again and said, "Yamashita-kun, please continue!" ”

Yamashita Fengwen hurriedly bowed his head and said, "Haiyi! Then there was the 33rd Division and the 63rd Army of China and its reinforcements in Anci County, as well as Langfang, and the battle was also fierce. Just now, Lieutenant General Ganji Shigetaro sent a good news, saying that the Chinese army had been driven to the south bank of the Yongding River. ”

Tada Jun snorted and sneered: "After fighting for one night, plus half a day, the opponent was driven across a small river, is it a commendable thing?" ”

Yamashita agreed: "The performance of the 33rd Division is indeed disappointing. The same is true of the 34th Division, which can only move around on the west bank of the Ziya River. But it might be good for us, too. ”

Tada Jun glared at him and said angrily: "What good is there in fighting like this, do you want to win the sympathy of public opinion?" ”

Yamashita Fengwen hurriedly laughed and said, "Of course not!" The people of Great Japan only respect the strong, and those who fail have never been merciful. ”

Tada Jun nodded approvingly: "Yamashita-kun, it's good that you can understand this truth." This time, Zheng Huzi's troops unexpectedly hit the city of Beiping, and once broke through the south gate, which disgraced the Japanese army. At present, all walks of life in China are in an uproar, and some people with ulterior motives will not let go of such an opportunity. If we can't solve the crisis in front of us, I'm afraid we will have to take off this military uniform. ”

Yamashita had a different opinion, he said: "Your Excellency, Commander, as long as we can break through the China Jicha Theater, eliminate the main force of Zheng Huzi, and complete the mess that the previous two commanders could not solve, then we can turn defeat into victory and continue to become a strong man in the eyes of the people!" ”

Tada Jun smiled slightly and said, "Yo Xi, it seems that Yamashita-kun is confident!" ”

Yamashita Fengwen also smiled and said, "Your Excellency the commander must have already made a plan. In that case, why don't we follow the example of the ancients and see if the heroes see the same thing? ”

Tada Jun Ha said with a smile: "Soga, it's been a long time since I've done such an interesting thing!" So he asked for two pieces of paper and two pens, and they took them separately and wrote down a line each.

When they were done, they both picked up the piece of paper and placed it in the middle. I saw that Tada Jun wrote that the river was the road, and Yamashita wrote that the boat was used instead of the car. When the two of them looked at it, they couldn't help but smile. (To be continued......)