Chapter 1486 Is Director Tang Out of His Mind?

Entering late May in Hunan Province, it is already hot.

It was only early in the morning, and the sun was scorching the earth. The sultry and windless valley was as hot as a big steamer.

Leng Feng, the chief of staff of the Fourth Army Regiment, rode a pitch-black Ocean horse, followed by a cavalry squad, carrying a whip, running on the mountain trails. At the invitation of Ge Youcai, the commander of the 10th Preliminary Division, he rushed to Huangchaling to inspect the new troops. Well done work.

Among the three division commanders under the 10th Army, Ge Youcai was the only one promoted from the 10th Preliminary Division. When Fang Xianjue was still the commander of the 10th Preliminary Division, Ge Youcai was the commander of the 30th Regiment. When Xianjue was promoted to army commander, Ge Youcai became the deputy commander of the 10th Preliminary Division. By the end of 1943, Fang Xianjue's close friend Sun Mingjin, the commander of the 10th Preliminary Division, died in battle, and Ge Youcai was promoted to division commander.

This time, because General Xue played tricks and resigned, the resistance of the 10th Division was particularly fierce. Division Commander Ge Youcai took the lead in signing a petition, and all officers above the school officer level in the 10th Division signed a petition to boycott the appointment of the new commander.

Whether in the 10th Army or the 9th Theater, Commander Ge Youcai of the 10th Preliminary Division is the number one confidant of Army Commander Fang Xianjue.

Otherwise, the positions south of the city that Fang Xianjue identified as the main Japanese attack would not all be handed over to the 10th Preliminary Division. That was an absolute trust, and even elites like the Si Xing Regiment had not won this task.

But Ge Youcai became the commander of the 10th Preliminary Division not only because of his loyalty to his superiors or his bravery during the war. This fierce general with a full beard and a fierce look has a delicate mind that is unusual for ordinary people. .

When Fang Xianjue returned, he told him that the Four Elements Regiment had built a simulated defense drill field at the foot of Hengshan Mountain. Many of the fortifications were built so that he was amazed. Drawings would be provided for reference by various ministries in the future, and the fortifications could be constructed according to local conditions.

Ordinary people, when there are so many things going on before a war, would at most pay more attention to the fortification drawings and instruct their subordinates not to ignore the help of friendly forces. But this master didn't. As soon as he came out of the headquarters, he immediately personally He took a dozen of his officers in a truck and went on a field trip.

Fortunately, one of the engineers left behind by the Fourth Army Regiment was planning to blast and destroy this huge training ground to avoid being seen by the Japanese army. They had already buried the explosives but had not yet started the blasting, leaving this man two hours for on-the-spot inspection. opportunity.

Ge Youcai was so amazed by those wide trenches that looked like killing machines that he even felt that they were tailor-made for the hilly and mountainous areas in southern Hengyang. When he came back that night, he ran to the extremely busy Director Tang and asked him to find an opportunity to prepare 10 Inspection and guidance work on the division's position.

How could Tang Dao refuse such a condescension from a master, but he was so busy these two days that he had no time to pass, so he could only recommend Leng Feng to help him, and specifically asked Leng Feng on the phone: "Everything We must seek truth from facts, good is good, bad is bad, and problems must be pointed out. Friendly forces can be embarrassed, but they cannot be sad because of heavy casualties! "

Although Tang Dao knew Leng Feng's personality very well, after all, Ge Youcai was a lieutenant general and division commander, so he would be a little concerned about the face of an army lieutenant general.

Huangcha Ridge is one of the famous ancient battlefields in Hengyang. It was originally called "Huang Chaoling". In the late Tang Dynasty, Huang Chao once led 100,000 troops on rafts down the Xiangjiang River and once again set up camp to station troops for fighting. I don't know when the people changed the name to "Huangcha Ridge". Huangcha Ridge'.

The clouds of war have long shrouded this land, and the villages along the way have long been deserted, but the hillsides along the way are full of groups of soldiers with bare heads, bare feet, dark faces, and mud covered in mud.

The matter of being bald was the first military order issued by the newly appointed Chief of Operations Tang Dao, requiring soldiers and civilians in Hengyang to cut women's hair to the temples and all men to shave their heads.

This is not to better identify ourselves and the enemy, but to consider after injury. If the head injury requires surgery or bandaging, the nurse will have to spend time shaving the injured person. Saving people on the battlefield is like putting out a fire, so there is so much time to go. It's a waste, it's better to prepare it before the war.

All the men in Hengyang's army and civilians, including Fang Xianjue, the supreme commander, have bald heads, while the female soldiers in the Four Lines Regiment, including Tantai Mingyue, have long had short hair that exposes their ears. If it wasn't short enough, , just take the dagger and cut it short, it's very quick.

Leng Feng's first impression of the 10th Preliminary Division came from these working officers and soldiers, and he had an excellent impression.

Wherever he went, from the battalion commander down to the officers and soldiers of the company and battalion headquarters, everyone was shirtless and wearing only military trousers, sweating profusely in the heat while working hard. In the distance, they could only see a group of yellow clay figures in the yellow soil. They were waving hoes and shovels one after another, and it was completely unclear who was the commander and who was the soldier.

It had only been three days since the fall of Tanzhou and Hengyang declared wartime. The officers and soldiers of the 10th Preliminary Division and more than 20,000 civilians had built a deep trench of more than 8 miles in the south of the city. Only the 30th Regiment of the 10th Preliminary Division, which Leng Feng wanted to focus on, was under observation. For the defensive Huangcha Ridge, a deep trench of more than 2 miles was dug.

The leader of the 30th Regiment was the commander of the Third Battalion when Ge Youcai was the leader. He was a calm middle-aged man. Since he was calm, he inevitably lacked flexibility.

Perhaps he was able to become the leader of the 30th Regiment not because he was better than his other two colleagues, but because during the third Tanzhou Defense Battle, less than 300 people from the 30th Regiment survived, and he was the only battalion that was seriously injured and survived. long.

The colonel leader paid great attention to Leng Feng's arrival and personally rode a horse to accompany Leng Feng, whose military rank was one level lower than his own, to inspect the positions where thousands of people were actively digging.

Leng Feng rode his horse along the deep trench, looking around as he walked. At first, he thought it was okay. The officers and soldiers of the 30th Regiment and the civilians were working hard. There were also professional engineers who guided them to dig according to the map. At this rate, it would take another five or six days to reach the position standard of the Four-Line Regiment.

At this time, the Japanese vanguard was still more than 200 miles away from Hengyang. There were troops constantly blocking along the way. There were about seven or eight days left for Hengyang, which was enough time.

But the further he went, the more Leng Feng frowned. He felt something was wrong. It was not that the trench was not dug deep enough because of laziness, but that the position of the 30th Regiment seemed a little too large.

According to common sense, for an infantry regiment of 2,000 people like the 30th Regiment, the width of the defense surface is about 1,300 meters. Only in this way can the defense in depth be guaranteed. No one would be stupid enough to put 2,000 people on the front line. The left and right wings must also have defenses, and defenses must be deployed in depth, and there must be reserves.

But the width of the front defense surface of the 30th Regiment is as high as a kilometer, and according to the current construction progress, it will be more than 2,500 meters or even wider.

If one regiment is like this, what about the entire 10th Reserve Division?

After a brief exchange with the colonel commander with a somewhat stiff face, Leng Feng immediately notified Tang Dao.

When Tang Dao heard this, he immediately dropped the matter at hand, took Yuan Xiao and three guards and got on the jeep and rushed to the headquarters of the 10th Reserve Division.

When Ge Youcai heard that his 10th Reserve Division position would have such a big defect, wouldn't he be in a hurry? He immediately got on Tang Dao's jeep and rushed to Huangchaling.

Leng Feng and the colonel commander of the 30th Regiment stood at the highest point of the mountain and stared at each other. It was less than 40 minutes before Ge Youcai and Tang Dao arrived, which showed how anxious they were.

It was hard for the two of them. Leng Feng didn't talk much, and the colonel of the 30th Regiment didn't talk much either. Now they felt that there was a problem with the position arrangement, and they had no mood to talk. The two men could only squat at the highest point of the mountain and smoke one cigarette after another.

They saw two jeeps and several war horses running over from a distance, and they hurried down from the top of the mountain to greet them.

The group walked to the top of the mountain. Leng Feng handed the telescope in his hand to Ge Youcai, pointed to the south of the Hunan-Guangxi Railway and said: "Two miles ahead here is the main position of my 10th Division. I think it's hard for an army to hold such a large position, not to mention the strength of a division of the 10th Division, which is difficult to support!"

Ge Youcai looked at Leng Feng in surprise, but he was full of admiration for the young lieutenant colonel who was recommended by Tang Dao to see his 10th Division position.

A regimental chief of staff, in front of a lieutenant general division commander, actually made an assessment that the army and division positions were not enough to support. This is not something that ordinary people can do.

The key is that he had already reported this problem to the Hengyang War Zone Chief of Staff Zhao Zili, but Zhao Zili thought that Hengyang had national defense fortifications before, and it would be a waste if they were not used. Moreover, they only had seven or eight days left, and it was too risky to dig the positions again. It would be better to rely on the original fortifications and add some field fortifications provided by Tang Dao as supplements.

Zhao Zili has a good command level, but his position is different from Ge Youcai. As Fang Xianjue's deputy, he must and can only consider the problem from the perspective of the entire Hengyang defense war. Naturally, he hopes to provide more effective materials to places that need them more, and naturally save as much as possible in other places.

Ge Youcai looked like a fierce Zhang Fei. When he was the regiment commander, he led the soldiers to charge with a machine gun. However, this Zhang Fei was also a rough but meticulous person. He knew that he could not convince Zhao Zili by himself. If he went directly to the army commander, Zhao Zili might be unhappy. So he set his sights on Tang Dao, the director of the operations department. As long as Tang Dao spoke, Zhao Zili, the chief of staff, would have to reconsider the position deployment.

He originally thought that he would wait for Tang Dao to see the problem in person, but who knew that one of Tang Dao's subordinates had such a keen eye and even had the courage to speak out in front of him, the lieutenant general and division commander.

Could this be the legendary "no weak soldiers under a strong general"?

"Captain Ge, look, there is an open rice field to the south of the Hunan-Guangxi Railway, and a mile ahead is a hillside. Here are Huangchaling, Oujia Town, and Torikeng, which are the main positions originally designated.

Our HY city is not large, only 3 miles wide from east to west and 4 miles long from north to south. Except for the Xiangjiang River in the east, which does not require too many troops, the other three defense areas add up to 11 miles. Considering the reserve, at least 8 regiments are needed. Now our Hengyang army has only 8 regiments in total, and the guard regiment has no field combat experience. We can't send all the troops out of the city to fight the Japanese invaders in the field and then withdraw them to defend the city.

Although the idea is good, the battlefield situation changes rapidly, and no commander can guarantee complete In order to withdraw to the city. Moreover, the fortifications and defense areas in the city also require the defenders to spend some time to familiarize themselves with them. Otherwise, when the two armies fight in the streets, they will be blind. Haven't we given up this geographical advantage?

In addition, the main position is now far beyond the urban area, extending nearly 2 miles south of the Hunan-Guangxi Railway. This is equivalent to doubling the city defense area, and the required troops must be doubled accordingly. This defense area is really too wide and too large.

The relationship between troops and positions is like wearing clothes. The most important thing is to fit. Too big or too small is not suitable. Napoleon said this back then. "Leng Feng's words made the officers and soldiers of the 10th Division of the Reserve look at him with admiration.

This Chief of Staff Leng is not only courageous but also visionary and capable. With this speech, he analyzed the current problems of the 10th Division clearly.

"Then what do you think we should do, Chief of Staff Leng?" Ge Youcai grinned, glanced at Tang Dao, and asked with a smile.

"I personally suggest that the positions in the south of the city should be appropriately contracted. Don't be greedy for more and bigger, but make them solid and reliable. Just like two people fighting, you have to clench your fists first to punch out." Leng Feng also glanced at Tang Dao, who indicated that he didn't need to hold back, and said confidently.

After Tang Dao arrived at the headquarters of the 10th Division, he saw that the burly man had been waiting for him for a long time, and he knew that he might be "used" by this rough-looking lieutenant general of the army. This man didn't want to provoke the chief of staff Zhao Zili, who was responsible for the position planning of the entire Hengyang war zone, and wanted him to speak.

However, Tang Dao didn't dislike such "use". If he found that the problem was hidden, it would be useless for the upcoming war, and it might even be used by the Japanese army. That would be terrible.

Before Tang Dao came, he also took the previous city defense planning map of Hengyang, and found several hidden problems in the previous city defense planning map of Hengyang.

In the past, Hengyang was built as a military fortress, and a lot of manpower and material resources were invested. In 1943 alone, more than 20,000 civilians were invested, and it took a month to dig and repair the fortifications inside and outside the city.

But the biggest problem is that all the defensive position plans are designed based on three infantry armies. A bunch of high fortifications and deep trenches were built in the mountains south of the city. It looks very bluffing, but now all the defenders together are only one infantry army. It really supports such a huge position.

If the front of the position is too wide and the troops are too scattered, it is easy to cause the position to be loose. Once a gap is made, the entire front position can be easily dragged down.

After all, not all infantry regiments have the strong continuous firepower of the Four-Line Regiment. Even if a battalion defends a 1,500-meter front position, it can ensure that there is no gap in firepower on the position.

But that requires a large number of submachine guns or semi-automatic rifles to complete the firepower deployment.

Secondly, the original positions were all single-handed, lacking contact with each other, unable to form crossfire, and unable to support each other.

Some bunkers pay too much attention to the field of vision and wide firing range, but ignore concealment. Many firing holes face the enemy directly, while the Japanese army is equipped with a large number of direct-aiming guns. If they attack the enemy blindly, they will only cause casualties in vain.

Moreover, standing on the top of the mountain to examine some of the positions that have been prepared, you will find that the main position has a gentle slope and few trees. Many fortifications are exposed outside, with only a few sparse bushes to hide. If the troops are mobilized in front of the enemy or ammunition is replenished, the wounded are retreated, and even the cooks go back and forth for three meals, they will be exposed to the Japanese artillery fire. It is indeed not a very ideal position.

"I agree to shrink the position. I will report this situation to Commander Fang and Commander Zhao when I go back later!" Tang Dao made the final decision.

"I suggest that we abandon all the positions before the Xianggui Railway, fully withdraw to the north of the Xianggui Railway, and rebuild the main position along the Xianggui Railway. There are mountains such as Wuguiling, Fengshushan, Zhangjiashan, and Tianmashan in this area, which are suitable for the main position." Ge Youcai suddenly spoke again.

The Xianggui Railway passes from east to west along the south of Hengyang City. The West Railway Station is located in the middle. There are open rice fields to the south of the railway, and rolling mountains to the north. The mountains in this area are dense, and the slopes are steep and the trees are dense. There are many ponds in the mountains, which are well concealed and not easily threatened by enemy artillery fire. It is indeed a good place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Leng Feng's stern face showed surprise. This was also the suggestion he wanted to make. Unexpectedly, the army lieutenant general thought almost exactly the same as him.

"Master Ge is really troublesome. I think Master Ge has run this area at least ten times!" Tang Dao looked at this man with a half-smile, who had a rough face but was full of cunning.

"Hehe! Director Tang knows me. How can you say these things without field investigation? That's nonsense!" Ge Youcai couldn't help blushing at Tang Dao's look, but soon calmed down.

Who let you, Master Tang, be capable and have a wide range of friends! You have to talk about this matter. Old Ge, who had met Tang Dao a few times and had some friendship with him, was playing the mentality of "you are strong, you take the blame".

"Okay! We can redeploy the position according to your suggestion, Master Ge, but! I personally have a slightly immature opinion, I don't know if Master Ge is willing to listen to it." Tang Dao raised his eyebrows and said.

"Master Tang, you say." Ge Youcai was slightly stunned.

"I think! Your army has been rushing to work on Huangchaling for three days, and there are original national defense fortifications. It would be a pity if it is abandoned. It is better to use this place as a nail at the front of the main position of the 10th Reserve Division. If the Japanese army wants to attack the main position of the 10th Reserve Division, whether they pull out this nail or not, it will hurt them." Tang Dao said with a smile.

"This" Ge Youcai and the officers and soldiers of the 10th Reserve Division were stunned.

Leng Feng had already made it clear about the disadvantages of the Huangchaling position. Why did Tang Dao, who had agreed to fully withdraw the main position, compete with this place again?

It's not enough for a regiment to defend, so at least 4 infantry battalions or more are needed. The key is that this position is 900 meters in front of the main position. It is really as Tang Dao said, that is a nail. How could the Japanese army not remove this nail that can pierce the flesh at any time before launching an attack on the main position?

Then the two or three thousand people who stayed here must be dead! Who is willing to defend this position purely for consumption?

"Huangchaling, let the first battalion of my Fourth Line Regiment defend it! My 900 brothers in the first battalion of the Fourth Line Regiment will fight under your command, Division Commander Ge, and please take care of them." Tang Dao's next words made all the generals and officers stand there.

Director Tang's brain must be filled with water! Let his sharp knife battalion come to this place where death is inevitable?