Chapter 164 The Second Phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign!
September 14, Wuxiang County.
Because Shinozuka Yoshio suffered a great loss in the first phase of the Hundred Regiments Campaign, in order to prevent similar things from happening again, this old devil began to gather the forces of the First Army to prepare for a counterattack.
Considering the safety of the headquarters, the deputy commander ordered the garrison to be moved to the depths of the southeastern Shanxi base.
While the comrades of the three main forces were still celebrating the victory of the previous phase, the staff of the headquarters were already considering how to deploy to pursue the victory in the next phase.
In fact, the deputy commander did not want to attack again so early, one is that the troops have not rested yet, and the other is that the new weapons have not been fully equipped to the troops.
What's more, Huang He made a special call some time ago and explained that there would be a batch of artillery equipment after the 28th.
But Tada Shun and Shinozuka Yoshio are not fools. After suffering the loss of dispersed forces, the North China Front Army has begun to integrate existing resources.
If time continues to drag on, the enemy's troops lost in the first phase will have to be replenished, and there is a high probability that there will be no chance to expand the results of the battle.
In the past few days, the deputy commander-in-chief and the deputy chief of staff have hardly had a good rest. They have repeatedly analyzed the current situation and distribution of the enemy and us.
According to the dynamics of the Japanese in Shanxi and Hebei provinces, the two of them believe that the local troops should continue to monitor the actions of the enemy and continue to carry out small-scale road destruction when conditions permit.
It is not necessary to focus on the railway, as long as it is the enemy's transportation network, it can be started.
The main forces of the three military regions should be familiar with new weapons while resting, and seriously sum up the experience and lessons. Strive to improve the shortcomings in the first stage and prepare for the second stage of the battle.
In the headquarters combat meeting room, the military map is still hanging under the wooden plaque that wipes out the Japanese invaders and returns our mountains and rivers, but it has been replaced from the original Zhengtai Line to the topographic map of Shanxi and Hebei Provinces.
The deputy commander-in-chief stood in front of the map with his hands behind his back. He stared at the enemy-occupied area and fell into deep thought. No one could guess what the man in front of him was planning.
"Our first phase of the raid plan was very successful, and the mission on the Zhengtai Road was basically completed. Next, we need to broaden our horizons and launch battles on both sides based on the railway."
"The focus of the action should be on the enemy strongholds deep in the base area. Since Yoshio Shinozuka dared to send troops deep into our hinterland, we should not be polite!"
"Let the three main forces try to reduce the enemy-occupied area! Further expand the results of the battle."
As soon as this was said, all the staff in the combat meeting room nodded in agreement.
The previous operations were very successful. Not only did the whole country call to congratulate, but even the rear asked whether such battles could be organized one or two more times.
Everyone brainstormed and expressed their own opinions, and soon a prototype of the second phase of combat opportunities was formed.
The deputy chief of staff walked to the military map, pointed to the annoying enemy signs and said:
"These strongholds that the enemy inserted into our anti-Japanese base area are like wedges, which are a great threat to the base area. We should resolutely remove them!"
The deputy commander-in-chief smiled very satisfied when he saw the targets chosen by the other party.
The tacit understanding between the two partners for many years was clear at a glance, and their eyes were all focused on Yushe and Liaoxian in the Taihang area.
Although the 386th Brigade destroyed many enemy strongholds on the Zhengtai Line in the first stage, Tada Shun's cage policy was not so easy to break.
The entire southeastern Shanxi base is still not completely connected, and the north and south sides are cut off by Yushe and Liaoxian occupied by the devils.
Moreover, these two counties have threatened the safety of the headquarters to some extent.
Yushe is more than 40 kilometers north of Wuxiang County, and Liaoxian is more than 50 kilometers northeast of the headquarters. From the military map, the three points perfectly form a triangle.
At present, Shinozuka Yoshio has insufficient troops available, and the First Army has not yet swept this direction. But once the devils recover and launch a new round of revenge, it will definitely have an impact on the headquarters.
Moreover, the geographical location of these two counties is very important to both the enemy and us.
Starting from Liaoxian, follow the road all the way north, passing Heshun and Pingding, you can directly reach Yangquan, an important town in Shanxi Province.
Yushe in the west is located in the middle of the Baijin Railway that runs across southeastern Shanxi. The Japanese can threaten Jincheng if they start from here and go south, and the Japanese in Taiyuan can also go south directly to support.
With the help of railways and roads, the Japanese used these two counties to divide the base in southeastern Shanxi into three parts, which was really a thorn in the eyes of the deputy commander-in-chief.
If the two enemy strongholds of Yushe and Liaoxian can be removed, it will be a complete victory.
After losing these two important strategic transportation fulcrums, the Japanese's cage policy in this area will be completely shattered. At that time, Yoshio Shinozuka and Shun Tada will have to consider how to save the First Army.
After the action plan of the 129th Division was distributed, everyone in the combat meeting room began to study the situation of other military regions.
The problems faced by the Jin-Cha-Ji base are similar to those in southeastern Shanxi. Even considering the enemy's strength range, the living conditions of the comrades there are even worse.
The deputy commander-in-chief kept winding his belt and finally decided the target of the attack.
"This old devil Tada Shun is really the same old devil! It's because our country is so vast, otherwise he wouldn't be able to find four counties with such similar geographical locations even if he tried his best."
"Come and take a look, this is really a major concern for our Eighth Route Army!"
The reason why the situation is similar is that Laiyuan is located in the west of central Hebei Province and close to Shanxi Province, while Lingqiu is located in the northeast of Jin Province and close to Hebei Province.
The two counties are connected by a Lailing Highway, which is right in the middle of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area. Isn't this situation the same as in southeastern Shanxi?
Moreover, the headquarters of the Japanese North China Front is in North P, and the headquarters of the Mongolian Army is in Zhangjiakou.
Once Xiaotian uses these two counties as a springboard to attack the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area at any cost, the comrades may not be able to hold on.
On the other hand, the Japs can sit back and relax, after all, the Lailing Highway is only fifty kilometers long. The relatively flat roads made it easy for the Japanese motorized troops or cavalry to support each other.
The enemy has always regarded these two counties as important towns and important strategic nodes for dividing and destroying the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.
Comrades in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region did not sit still and wait for death.
Last fall, "guerrilla warfare master" Norihide Abe led the Second Independent Mixed Brigade to launch a massive attack on Laiyuan, but they were attacked head-on by Commander Yang of the First Division.
In the end, the flower of the Locust Army died on the Loess Ridge.
The Japanese who knew this important position were naturally unwilling to give up.
The North China Front Army quickly reorganized the Second Independent Mixed Brigade, cooperated with the 26th Division to completely occupy Laiyuan and Lingqiu, and established multiple strongholds nearby.
After the first stage of the Hundred Regiment War, a lot of manpower was lost due to the Japanese. As long as you are optimistic about the mobile troops stationed in Mongolia, you have a great chance of pulling out these two nails!
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On September 15th, the new second regiment was stationed.
Our commander Li Da had just returned from the division headquarters. As soon as he entered his room, Zhao Gang and three battalion commanders walked in behind him.
As a core regiment, the New Second Regiment's presence in the first stage of the Hundred Regiment War was simply incredible.
Not only did they complete the task of paving the way, they also supported the main 772 regiment in completing the attack mission. They even made a long-distance attack to assist the 385th Brigade in breaking through Yangquan County.
What's more, Zhuzi also killed Shotarō Katayama with one shot during the operation. Even the brigade commander and division commander couldn't help but praise the new second regiment for such a record.
It is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. After everyone has done so many great things, their mentality has changed somewhat.
Although it is also important to destroy the Japs' transportation network, everyone hopes that this time they can follow some powerful people from the brigade and fight the Japs with real swords and guns.
This is not blind confidence, but the confidence brought to them by the soaring strength of the new second group.
Facing the burning gazes of the four people, Lao Li picked up the big bowl and took a sip of water. Seeing the other party's showy appearance, Zhao Gang was angered by Li Yunlong's pretentiousness!
"Drink, drink, drink! You know how to drink! Are you a buffalo? Tell me quickly! How are the combat missions assigned this time!"
The majesty of his own political commissar made Commander Li shrink back. He put down the big bowl in his hand and hurriedly told everything that the division headquarters had told him.
"Our division's goal this time is to recapture Yushe and Liao County, and to launch a major operation in the Liaoyu area! In addition, we are also destroying the northern section of Baijin Road."
"Our brigade commander is responsible for commanding the main force of the brigade and the two regiments of the decisive column this time. The attack targets are Yushe County and several strongholds on the Yuliao line."
After hearing the missions of the division headquarters and brigade headquarters, everyone in the room was very excited. After all, after waiting for more than half a month, I finally received the order from my superiors.
Compared with the first phase, the overall combat scope of this operation is smaller and there are fewer targets. Zhang Dabiao, who was outspoken and heartfelt, was afraid that there would be no fight, so he blurted out:
"Commander! What is the mission of our new second regiment! The division commander and brigade commander have been praising us for a long time, so they can't give us the work of the local army again, right?"
After hearing this question, Li Yunlong originally wanted to answer it directly. But he had been teased by Huang He a lot recently, so he had an idea and wanted to do something fancy.
Lao Li pretended to be aggrieved, just like a little daughter-in-law, and hesitantly said to the four people in the room:
"The division commander said that although our new second regiment has good combat effectiveness, its strength is too small. After participating in the first phase, the actual combat experience is enough."
"In order to preserve our strength, is it not our group's business to attack Yushe County?"
As soon as these words came out, the political commissars and battalion commanders showed surprised expressions.
As the only regiment-level unit of the 386th Brigade with experience in siege, the four of them never expected that the candidate for the main attack this time would not be the New Second Regiment.
Zhang Dabiao asked tentatively: "Did the brigade commander want us to be the reserve team?"
If you don't get the main attack task, the reserve team is actually not bad.
As far as the first phase of the operation is concerned, basically all reserve teams went to the front line. After all, the Hundred Regiments War was an unprecedented battle, and unexpected enemies appeared in many places.
Under the expectant gazes of the four people, Captain Li still shook his head and denied his battalion commander's speculation.
This coquettish look made Zhao Gang get angry and angry. He frowned and abandoned the elegance of a scholar, and slapped the table heavily.
"Li Yunlong, what's the matter with you! You've been training this and yelling at that in the regiment all day long, and you've only become a quarrel after making trouble for a long time! It's you who went to the division headquarters for a meeting! Why don't you argue with the division commander?"
"Did the 772nd regiment compete with you for the main attack again? It's really a waste of time to save Cheng Shifa! White-eyed wolf! Don't know how to be humble! Did we do a good job in the first stage?"
"Others are attacking the county town and strongholds, and our New Second Regiment is going to tear up the railway! Have you, Li Yunlong, become stupid because of studying? Why don't you dare to fight with the brigade commander and the division commander? Why are you so scared?"
It's not that Zhao Gang wants to disobey the orders of his superiors. As the political commissar of the regiment, no one has a firmer belief than him, so he will obey the orders of his superiors absolutely.
The reason why he shouted like this is entirely because he wants to play the advantages of the New Second Regiment and use the existing siege experience to reduce the damage to the main force of the 386th Brigade.
However, Zhao Gang's appearance really stunned everyone present. When Li Yunlong thought of his own political commissar's tactics in the past, his back was chilled.
"Okay, okay! I won't mess with you anymore. The division commander and the brigade commander are not fools. How could they not know the principle of making the best use of everything and people?"
"Our regiment will be divided into two parts this time. Old Zhao, you will lead the first and second battalions to assist in the siege, and I will lead the third battalion to destroy the Taiyuan Airport!"
"This mission is not bad, right? Hehe, Blind Cheng will never ride on my head in this life!"
In fact, the idea of attacking Taiyuan Airport was also proposed by Li Yunlong.
Once Yushe was attacked, Taiyuan in the north would definitely not remain indifferent. Shinozuka Yoshio would definitely send reinforcements to support this important town.
The division headquarters deployed multiple blocking troops along the way. Even if the First Army has withdrawn some troops, it will definitely fall into the embarrassing situation of the last war.
At that time, his best solution must be to dispatch the Army Aviation! As long as the Japanese can lose their air superiority, the attack of our 386th Brigade will be unstoppable!
Moreover, the defense force near Taiyuan would definitely be very weak at that time. Even if the airport could not be blown up, the old Japanese soldier Yoshio Shinozuka would not dare to reinforce recklessly.
"What's the point of attacking the county? There is a battalion of Japanese soldiers in Yushe. When the time comes, thousands of people from the brigade will surround it, which is like catching a turtle."
"The Japanese planes are different. One less plane will be shot! Our troops currently have no air defense capabilities. I do this for the overall situation."
"Comrade Zhao Gang, your ideological awareness is not high enough and needs to be further strengthened."
Although Li Yunlong pretended to be a big shot again, he did not deny that what he said made sense.
Unless Yoshio Shinozuka gave up Zhongtiao Mountain or the Mongolian garrison arrived in time, Yushe and Liao County would definitely not be able to be defended. Instead of joining in the fun, it is better to come to the army to do something more meaningful.
Thinking of the crazy behavior of his own regiment commander shooting at the Japanese fighter planes last time, Zhao Gang said with some lingering fear:
"Be careful! Don't mess around!"
Here I come, begging for everything!