Zhang Zhizhong frowned and fell into a long thought, of course, he didn't consider Wu Ming's battle plan, as long as anyone who knew a little about military affairs knew that Wu Ming's plan was very good.

Judging from the latest situation, the Japanese army's operational intention is very obvious: to land at Wusong with the main force, as long as the Chinese defenders in front of them are defeated, then they can gradually control the Beijing-Shanghai railway from north to south, cut off the connection between Shanghai and Nanjing, encircle the Chinese troops in the Shanghai area, and carry out flank attacks.

Therefore, as soon as the Japanese army landed in the early morning to open up a new battlefield, the Nanjing Military Committee responded to it, and the Songhu Siege Army, with Zhang Zhizhong as the commander-in-chief, still continued to attack, and made solid preparations in the original attack position, and at the same time organized the troops used for the garrison on the south bank of the Yangtze River into the 15th Group Army, with Chen Cheng as the commander-in-chief, and Zhang Zhizhong and Zhang Zhizhong of the Ninth Group Army Division under their respective commands.

The demarcation line between the two group armies is the line of Nanxiang-Yunzaobang-the southern end of Wusong Town, which belongs to the 15th Group Army on the line and the Ninth Group Army on the line.

Judging from the overall situation in Shanghai, the key point of the campaign has changed from besieging the Japanese Marine Corps to resisting the Shanghai Dispatch Army that landed in Shanghai, and the central position of Zhang Zhizhong's troops has changed from the main battlefield to the containment battlefield, and its importance has been greatly reduced.

Wu Ming continued to explain the map, and he pointed to the area of Hongkou and Yangshupu: "Commander, the soldiers are very fast, and the Japanese troops who have been cowering in the fortifications have been besieged by various units of our army for eight or nine days in succession, and they are already exhausted. ”

"In this way, I have no worries about the enemy, and I can concentrate all my strength to deal with the Japanese troops who landed on the front line of Zhang Huabang with all my strength, and join forces with the 15th Army on the left flank to resist the enemy."

Zhang Zhizhong was silent, and kept analyzing the pros and cons in his heart.

On the eve of the Songhu War, Chiang Kai-shek secretly summoned Zhang Zhizhong to return to Nanjing to inquire whether the enemy was sure of encircling and annihilating Shanghai in one fell swoop. Zhang Zhizhong generously replied at that time: Fight loyally and bravely, restore China, and sacrifice his life for the country. It is said that Chiang Kai-shek was deeply moved and encouraged him on the spot, not only entrusting him with the important task of commander-in-chief of the Ninth Army, but also handing over to him the unified command of the six divisions of the 18th Army and the 39th Army, which were originally part of the civil engineering department.

However, since the beginning of the war, the Ninth Army has participated in more than 100,000 troops, and although the Japanese army is at an absolute disadvantage, it has stubbornly resisted and fought to the death with the support of the gunfire of warships.

With the passage of time, the situation became extremely bad, and Zhang Zhizhong had a chilling panic about the future of the war.

According to the latest plan of the Military Committee, the Ninth Army under Zhang Zhizhong only needs to hold its position, contain the stubborn Japanese enemy in the concession, and defend Zhang Huabang's line, and with the current strength of the Ninth Army, it can be completely competent. Wu Ming's plan was too risky, if it was victorious, the strategic situation of the Nationalist army on the left flank and the central side of Shanghai would immediately change, but what if it failed? Will I be charged with a bigger crime?

Zhang Zhizhong was silent, he really didn't want to take any more risks after failing once, and finally made up his mind to choose to act in accordance with the latest orders of the Military Committee, he massaged his temples with his fingers, and said slowly: "Senior Commander Wu, your plan is very good, it is enough to prove that you are a person who can put everything aside for the interests of the country and the nation, and it is worthy of encouragement...... However, the Japanese army has already launched a landing along the Yangtze River, and the main battlefield is no longer on our side, and now the focus of our army is to stop the enemy......"

Wu Ming was anxious, slapped the table hard, and interrupted Zhang Zhizhong's words: "Commander, now we still have a great chance to encircle and annihilate the stubborn enemy of the Japanese army in the concession. Come and see—"

Wu Ming pointed to the northern line on the map and said: "Now the officers and men of the 18th Army of General Luo Zhuoying of the 15th Group Army on the left flank are brave and fearless, and the 14th and 56th divisions are also on standby, and then there are 6th and 51st divisions around Shanghai on standby. ”

After Wu Mingyi's analysis, Zhang Zhizhong was a little moved, after all, the left wing army was Chen Cheng's descendant troops, with advanced equipment and strong combat effectiveness, and there were reserves in the rear to reinforce at any time, and it was unlikely that the two divisions that the Japanese army had arrived in advance would break through the defense line along the river at once.

If Wu Ming's new 2nd Division, the 87th and 88th Divisions, and the Shanghai Police Security Corps were able to wipe out the Japanese marines in the concession within the next week, the increasingly unfavorable situation on the Songhu battlefield might be reversed, and he would not have to bear the charge of losing his division and humiliating the country.

At this moment, a rapid phone ringing interrupted the conversation between the two, Zhang Zhizhong looked back, his brows furrowed deeper, and when the voice of the staff officer who picked up the phone became more and more urgent, Zhang Zhizhong walked over to take the phone, and listened for a while, his pale face was blue.

With a "bang", Zhang Zhizhong put down the phone and said to Wu Ming: "Now the Japanese army is attacking the railway ferry terminal in the south of Wusong Town and the line of Zhanghuabang, and the stall position between the river bank and the railway has been lost. ”

Wu Ming became more and more anxious, and said to Zhang Zhizhong: "Commander, the military situation is like fire, if you agree, I can immediately lead my new second division to Zhabei to encircle and annihilate the Japanese marines in the concession."

Wu Ming's operational plan was very feasible, but Zhang Zhizhong did not know much about the new Second Division, and he had certain doubts about its level of attack. The 36th, 87th, and 88th Divisions were German armourers trained by German advisers, and their military quality was the highest in the national army, but they still lost their troops in the face of the strong fortifications of the Japanese army in the concession. If the new second division was also folded inside, Zhang Zhizhong would not dare to imagine it.

"Ahh

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhizhong sighed: "Division Commander Wu, after your new second division arrives, you still take the troops to Jiangwan to the front line of Hujiang University to deploy defense, now we can only seek merit but no fault."

"General Zhang, please think twice, if you don't annihilate the Japanese army in the concession as soon as possible, then our department will be attacked on two fronts, the 36th Division has been transferred to the first line of Yunzaobang, the 87th Division and the 88th Division will not be able to attack for a long time and will be exhausted, and the remaining Shanghai Police Security Corps is also incomplete, if the Japanese army launches a counterattack, our army will be fortified everywhere and there are loopholes everywhere, as long as one place is broken, then the entire defense line will definitely collapse, and then you will be the sinner of the country and the nation."

Zhang Zhizhong's face was extremely ugly, he stared at Wu Ming angrily, and reprimanded: "According to the meaning of Commander Wu, you must attack the stubborn enemy of the Japanese army in the concession?" ”

"Not bad"

Wu Ming solemnly said to Zhang Zhizhong: "Commander, as early as April, I personally inspected the Japanese fortifications in the concession area, and made targeted training according to the actual situation, and the engineers of our division are famous throughout the army, and we can find the weak points of the Japanese fortifications and destroy them in one fell swoop. ”

"In addition, our new 2nd Division has some heavy weapons for attacking fortifications, and with the cooperation of friendly forces, it can completely destroy the Japanese fortress and suppress its firepower. Don't do it for seven days, as long as I can't take the Japanese troops in the concession in the next five days, I'm willing to engage in military law."

Hearing Wu Ming's resolute attitude, Zhang Zhizhong was moved, he looked at the map on the table, and said in the end: "Since you insist, then I will call the Military Committee now and ask Chairman Jiang to decide." ”

Wu Ming's eyes were bloodshot, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

The soldiers are fast, and Zhang Zhizhong, as the commander, can't make a decision, and he also puts the responsibility on Shangfeng. The military situation on the front line is urgent, every second counts, and the fighter plane is fleeting, if you have to consult Nanjing for everything, then what is he, the commander, used for?

Zhang Zhizhong's telegram reached Nanjing, and the secretary of the chamberlain quickly handed the telegram to Chiang Kai-shek. After reading it, Chiang Kai-shek scolded in a low voice, "Niang Xipi".

Two days earlier, Chiang Kai-shek had received an urgent telegram from Zhang Fakui, complaining to Chiang Kai-shek that Wu Ming's troops had seized the Eighth Army's already small amount of military supplies, and asked Chiang Kai-shek to severely punish him. Now he received a telegram about Wu Ming and his new second division, which gave Lao Jiang a headache.

He Yingqin, Minister of Military Affairs, who was sitting next to Chiang Kai-shek, turned around and asked softly: "Commission, is there a problem at the front?" ”

Chiang Kai-shek handed Zhang Zhizhong's telegram to He Yingqin, and said dissatisfiedly: "This Wu Ming, Wen Bai is going to let him fill the defense area of the 36th Division of Yinguo (Song Xilian) and stabilize the defensive line, but he is brave and directly wants to attack and wipe out the Japanese marines in the concession in one fell swoop." ”

After hurriedly reading He Yingqin's telegram to Chen Cheng next to him, he took the initiative to stand up and walked to the large map of Songhu, and said to Chiang Kai-shek: "Commission, if you can really take the Japanese army in the concession in one fell swoop within five days as Wu Ming said, the entire Songhu battle situation will change rapidly, and I think this risk is worth taking." ”

Chiang Kai-shek frowned slightly and did not say anything.

It was not so easy to attack the fortifications, and the ancient Chinese nomads had super field warfare capabilities, and Genghis Khan's iron cavalry was even more across the Eurasian continent, but since the attack on the Jin State, it has been repeatedly frustrated, and it was not until later that the Han people in North China were used to form siege troops, and they began to make a difference in the face of strong city defenses.

The Lianhuashan exercise fully proved that Wu Ming's new Second Division had outstanding field combat capabilities, but attacking fortified positions and field battles were completely different combat methods, and Shanghai was the largest city in the Far East, with many high-rise buildings, and street fighting and attacking fortified positions were inevitable. Since Chiang Ching-kuo arrived at the New Second Division, through constant correspondence and telegram contact, Chiang Kai-shek has gained more understanding of the New Second Division and attaches great importance to it. If this elite is allowed to suffer too much damage in Shanghai, it will not be conducive to the future war of resistance.

Yang Jie also finished reading the telegram at this time, and came to the map of Shanghai with Chen Cheng to check it carefully, and then compared it with Wu Ming's plan, hesitated, Yang Jie said:

"Commission, in my opinion, although Wu Ming is unruly, he is very cautious on the battlefield, and he has never fought unprepared battles. Moreover, judging from Wu Ming's plan, it is still quite feasible and has a very high chance of winning. ”

Qian Dajun thought for a while, stood up and walked to Chiang Kai-shek's side, and whispered: "Commission, I think that Wu Ming's new second division can be allowed to attack the stubborn Japanese enemy in the concession, if it wins, it will be of great benefit to the Songhu battle, and if it is defeated, it can also go to Wu Ming's arrogance by the way." When the time comes to replenish the losses, we can transfer some cadres from the Central Military Academy and the Army University to join the committee, which will be beneficial for the chairman to control this unit branded by Wu Ming. ”

Qian Dajun's words immediately went to Chiang Kai-shek's heart.

Wu Ming's new second division is an elite force, and if he does not completely control it, Chiang Kai-shek will not be willing to say anything. Of course, the total annihilation of the enemy army can be rewarded, but if it is defeated, Chiang Kai-shek can just install more Whampoa protégés in the new Second Division, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. Since it was possible to win or lose, Chiang Kai-shek no longer hesitated and immediately made a decision: "Wu Ming is also a fierce general in the army, with outstanding ability and outstanding command, I believe that he will not live up to my high expectations." He telephoned General Wenbai and agreed to Wu Ming's application and allowed him to act according to his plan. ”

Chen Cheng did not express his opinion from beginning to end, but after Chiang Kai-shek's telegram was issued, he still saw the opportunity to come to the confidential room and call Wu Ming to greet him and advise him on precautions.

At five o'clock in the morning, the Nanjing telegram was sent back to Shanghai, and Zhang Zhizhong immediately sent someone to call Wu Ming after seeing Chiang Kai-shek's reply. After a while, Wu Ming, who was resting in Liu Daixuan behind Yiye Hall, hurriedly came over rubbing his two panda eyes.

Zhang Zhizhong handed the telegram from Nanjing's reply to Wu Ming and asked: "Division Commander Wu, although your new second division is a mountain army, although its combat strength is strong, but it is in the case of field battles, and now the Japanese army is cowering in strong fortifications and fortresses, what good plan do you have to break the enemy?" ”

"Commander, we promise to complete the mission"

Wu Ming looked at him left and right, turned around after saluting, and didn't pay attention to Zhang Zhizhong's ugly face at all.

As early as the last time he came to Shanghai to deal with Zhang Xiaolin, Wu Ming ordered all regiments of the New Second Division to organize street fighting training in the Kaihua battalion, and also summed up many tactical combinations of street fighting, which can now test the training effect......