Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Chapter 264: The Soviet Union's huge aid plan! Chu Yunfei was promoted again (Part ) Please subscribe!

"We plan to equip the entire southeastern Shanxi region with 48 guns to deal with possible large-scale air raids by the Japanese army."

Colonel Anatoly Yevgeny shook his head. "Excuse me, the price of forty-eight anti-aircraft guns is not expensive, but the shells are hard for the Nationalist government to afford."

According to the arms sales contract in memory.

The Soviet Union provided twenty 76mm anti-aircraft guns.

Later, it played a good role in the Battle of Wuhan.

I remember that during this period, the Nationalist government hoped that the Soviets could provide thirty-six 1931 model 76mm anti-aircraft guns.

Finally, the Soviet side promised 20 guns.

It also comes with a skylight, a listening device and other supporting equipment. Each gun comes with 2000 rounds of shells, with a unit price of US$20000.
The Soviets offered a 40% discount on aid, and some equipment was 40% off.

It’s quite cheap.

According to Huang Zhenqiu, director of the Air Defense Department of the Aviation Commission, the original electric fuses of this batch of anti-aircraft guns had been removed.

The reason is that "the Russians regard it as confidential", so the gunner's manual device was used.

The accuracy is bound to be reduced, and Lao Huang complained that "the Russians are insidious."

Normal anti-aircraft artillery groups use shielding barrages to drive away the enemy accordingly.

Force the Japanese air force to abandon the bombing mission or reduce the accuracy of its bombing.

This will inevitably consume a large amount of artillery shells.

However, the 76mm anti-aircraft gun is inefficient.

It can be ignored for Chu Yunfei.

Because he can guide directly.

Minimize the loss of shells.

As for the expensive price of the shells and the spare gun barrels (also called gun chambers), Chu Yunfei can't use many of them.

A bit more expensive is acceptable.

Then the rest.

The firing altitude is about 9,500 meters and the firing rate is 15 rounds per minute.

For Chu Yunfei, that was simply an indicator of great satisfaction.

The Hotchkiss 13.5mm twin anti-aircraft machine guns they had used before could barely reach the maximum range of four thousand meters.

The anti-aircraft artillery regiment equipped with 76mm anti-aircraft artillery was fully capable of making the Japanese army's four-plane formation or even eight-plane formation unable to return!

If the Soviets would actually provide forty-eight anti-aircraft guns.

He will definitely make targeted deployments.

Not only the urban areas, dams and factory areas will not be attacked by the Japanese army.

Even places like Yuncheng and the Yellow River Ferry have basic security guarantees.

Even without Chu Yunfei's anti-aircraft artillery guidance skills, the entire southeastern Shanxi region would be protected by anti-aircraft artillery.

The total number of Japanese fighter planes in the entire North China region was less than seventy.

If the Japanese Air Force suffered heavy losses, it would definitely not continue to carry out the corresponding bombing missions.

"Chujiang Army, it's not that we are unwilling to provide such weapons." Colonel Anatoly Yevgeny then emphasized: "Compared to defensive weapons such as anti-aircraft guns, we are more willing to provide some fighter planes and even pilots."

Chu Yunfei insisted: "There is no suitable field airport in southeastern Shanxi, and only some light fighter jets can be taken off and landed.

This is not of much help in the fight for air supremacy over southeastern Shanxi.

If your country is willing, we would naturally be happy to accept support from the Soviet Volunteer Air Force.

We will provide them with the best conditions we can, and if they can shoot down an enemy plane, we will also provide them with a bonus."

Chu Yunfei didn't want the Air Force to come directly.

It's not necessary. It costs money.

Domestic fuel production is simply not enough.

The exploitation plan of Yumen Oilfield started in 38, but the official oil production and refining would not start until 39.

If Chu Yunfei were to provide aviation fuel, the cost would be too high.
Southeast Shanxi today cannot even afford a squadron of 24 light fighter jets.

There is absolutely no need to wade into this muddy water.

"Currently, the tobacco industry in our southeastern Shanxi region is booming..."

Chu Yunfei turned his head and gestured to Sun Ming, then continued to introduce: "Currently, we mainly produce dry tobacco. I wonder if Colonel Anatoly Yevgeny has the habit of smoking."

"Although I don't have it, does my translator Chu Jiangjun want to sell the dry tobacco in his jurisdiction?"

Anatoly Yevgeny was smiling.

In fact, he himself is not clear about the specific details of the contract signed by both parties.

Military aid contracts at the official level.

It is still under negotiation.

The previous batches of aid had actually arrived at the Wuhan battlefield at this time.

And began to distribute it to the front-line troops.

Anatoly Yevgeny was happy to stay within his authority.

Provide convenience for Chu Yunfei's troops.

This is also one of the purposes of his trip.

After all, the main task of their observation group is not just to come and observe and learn.

They not only wanted to re-establish contact with Yan'an.

We also need to establish contact with Chu Yunfei's troops.

"Colonel Anatoly Yevgeny, I'm sure your army is aware that our opponent is the Japanese army, which is armed to the teeth. Compared with our Nationalist government's army, they are well-trained and have air and firepower advantages. Our resistance is very difficult.

In this Wuhan battle, our army also suffered heavy losses. Once the Japanese army achieved its strategic goals within our territory,
Please forgive me for being blunt, but the Japanese ambition to expand is as obvious as lice on a bald head. When the Japanese army integrates the productivity and manpower of its occupied areas and marches north, your country will not be able to remain immune. "

The translator on the side spoke very quickly and finished speaking in a very loud voice.

Colonel Anatoly Yevgeny nodded silently: "We need to consult Moscow on this matter, Chu Jiang Army."

He took out a list that he had prepared long ago from his pocket and handed it to Chu Yunfei: "This is the list of arms aid that Comrade Stalin prepared for your army."

[1927 Degtyarev DP-7.62 1000mm light machine guns, million rounds of machine gun ammunition ( rounds of ammunition cost $, a total of $)
1500 pairs of horse harnesses (US$200 each, total value US$)
PS: This is not a harness for riding horses, but a harness for drafting horses, suitable for artillery.

37 40mm anti-tank guns (unit price: $1330, total price: $)

37 mm anti-tank shells ($ per shell, $ total)
M1902/30 40倍径 76.2mm野战炮36门（单价7000美元，总计二十五万美元）

76, 2 mm field artillery shells 16 rounds (unit price $, total $)
115 10mm howitzers (unit price: $12000, total $)
115 28mm artillery shells (US$ each, total US$)

The cost of railway transshipment and road transportation of the above-mentioned weapons and equipment is US$480,000.

A total of US$2.22 million.

Chu Yunfei silently put the list aside and turned to look at the lieutenant next to him: "Lieutenant Yakov Dzhugashvili, you are the artillery commander"

At the translator's signal, Yakov Dzhugashvili smiled and nodded: "Yes, Jiang Jun."

"You will learn some things here that you can't learn in the Artillery Academy." Chu Yunfei smiled.

"Thank you."

Lieutenant Yakov Dzhugashvili smiled shyly.

The Soviet military aid contract was something that had already been finalized at the official level.

And this contract is for him, Chu Yunfei.

A total of two million US dollars, converted into national currency, is ten million.

The Soviets gave Chu Yunfei the annual income of southeastern Shanxi in the form of free aid.

This is a great gift.

But I can think of this at the same time.

Chu Yunfei gritted his teeth at Kong Yongzhi.

This old guy, four million!

Fuck him!

There should be corresponding room for adjustment in subsequent assistance.

The second and third batches of contracts for the Soviet Union were pure credit loans.

They can all offer an amount of 50 million US dollars.

If we strive further, we may be able to gain more.

Chu Yunfei was just putting forward his demands in front of them.

Will the Soviets relax their stance on anti-aircraft guns in the future?

This depends on how the headquarters discusses the matter.

As for how the Soviets will observe...Chu Yunfei still needs to make arrangements.

And will try to satisfy as much as possible.

The Soviet troops were divided into two groups.

Some of them stayed with Chu Yunfei's troops for observation.

The other part went to the Taihang Mountains.

Chu Yunfei chose to remain silent about the Soviets' small actions.

We got so many benefits from the Soviets.

At least we have to wait until the follow-up assistance arrives before reporting to Shancheng.
During these days, the Soviets came to Chu Yunfei’s base to observe and learn.

The Soviet delegation far away in the mountain city also finalized the contracts for the third and fourth batches of military aid with the National Government.

The total value exceeded $100 million, enough to equip six infantry divisions, two artillery regiments, and one anti-aircraft artillery regiment.

As well as the corresponding vehicles, and directly provided 80 million rounds of rifle and machine gun bullets.

What kind of concept is this?

This is equivalent to more than 68 percent of the National Government’s annual production capacity.

It is conceivable how much help it will bring to the national army at this stage.

While the Soviets were observing, Chu Yunfei unprecedentedly sent a guard company to protect their safety.

Until the Soviets left.

Sun Mingcai learned the lieutenant's true identity from Chu Yunfei.

"That person is the eldest son?"

"Yes, Lieutenant of Artillery. With this name, he just graduated at this time. No wonder Shancheng asked me to be careful."

Sun Ming was a little scared: "A few days ago, when we went to the artillery school for observation, the Japanese reconnaissance plane flew over our heads... Fortunately, nothing went wrong, otherwise the responsibility would definitely be ours,

"Forget it, let's not talk about this..."

Chu Yunfei frowned and continued to draw up a corresponding battle plan.

The battle in southeastern Shanxi is imminent.

It is estimated that a cleanup operation in the northwest region of Shanxi will be launched in about a week at most.

The judgments of the Second War Zone and General Wei Lihuang, commander of the Southern Army, were basically consistent.

On the one hand, the Japanese army adopted a defensive stance in southeastern and southern Shanxi.

They will continue the attack only after ensuring that the threat in the rear has been eliminated.

There are only two possible purposes.

First, focus on attacking the main forces of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army along the Nantongpu Railway.

The second is to focus on attacking the main force of the Eastern Route Army active in the southeastern Shanxi region, and even Chu Yunfei's troops.

Based on this.

Chu Yunfei drew up a plan for the Zhengtai Road battle in the Second War Zone.

the first.

policy.

1. This war zone aims to defend southern Shanxi and southeastern Shanxi, achieve a long-term war of resistance and strive for the final victory. A part of the troops should be deployed on the Linfen front line, especially to have a military advantage over the Japanese army. The main force should hold the Taiyue Mountain area, flank the enemy that has penetrated deep into the area, defeat and annihilate it.

2. No matter how the situation changes, our army must stand on the outer line to fight the enemy and ensure that the troops can move quickly. When it is necessary, the garrison troops will be used to protect the city defense, and powerful troops will be left in the mountainous areas to wait for opportunities to attack and pincer the enemy and prevent them from continuing to move south. The main force will be transferred to the Zhongtiao Mountain area to ensure Shaanxi.

second.

Guidance essentials.

3. The first phase of combat guidance (i.e., the guidance for combat when the enemy launched an invasion of northwest Shanxi).
Current guidance.

(1)

A: The Japanese army used a powerful part to quickly defeat the 120th Division of the 120th Group Army in order to protect the smooth flow of the rear supply line. Before the th Division suffered serious damage, it should have taken the initiative to contain the enemy and sent elite troops to harass the enemy and affect its logistic supply line.

B: The 18th and 14th Group Armies should maintain their current essence, carry out guerrilla warfare, and assist our main forces in the southeastern and southern Shanxi regions.

C: The units of the 18th and 14th Army Groups should immediately strengthen their fortifications and prepare for a protracted resistance. The defensive positions in the Taiyue Mountains need to be held for more than two months, and the defense lines in Qinxian, Xiyang, Licheng, Shexian and other places should also be held for more than a month.

D: All defense forces should be replenished immediately to ensure the combat effectiveness of the participating troops.

(2)

The enemy used its main force to invade southeastern Shanxi and used part of its force to sweep northwestern Shanxi.

A: The main forces of the Eastern Route Army, the Third Army and the 98th Army, should hold Shexian County firmly to stop the enemy from advancing eastward. If the enemy breaks through the defense line, we should try to resist the enemy and retreat to Licheng in the direction of Changzhi, and hold on to Licheng to wait for reinforcements. The newly formed 13th Division should go to Licheng to provide support, so as to consolidate the defense line of Licheng.

B. The 129th and 115th Divisions of the th Group Army should take the initiative to attack the Niangziguan area, advance to the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei area, and launch harassment attacks from behind the enemy.

(3) The enemy used part of its force to attack Shexian and Xiyang, while its main force attacked southern Shanxi.

The third phase of combat guidance.

When the enemy breaks through our outer defense line, we should immediately abandon the existing defensive strategy.

Move to the mountainous area and deal with the enemy.

Break out of the encirclement and ensure your own vitality.

The 3rd Army and the 98th Army should withdraw to the Linxian area to conduct guerrilla warfare and inflict heavy damage on the enemy.

The Flying Tigers attack army should concentrate its main forces to annihilate the Japanese troops in Gaoping, Zhangdian and Jincheng areas.

no way.

Who made him the chief of staff?

It took him more than three hours to come up with a detailed and well-planned battle plan.

There are only five possibilities for the Japanese army's operations in southeastern Shanxi.

No matter how you fight.

In fact, there is no way around it.

That is to focus on attacking the main combat forces under his command.

As for the combat troops used by the Japanese army.

Chu Yunfei also had an idea in his mind.

It is nothing more than the 108th Division, the 109th Division, the th Division, the newly formed th Division, or the th Division.

But according to Chu Yunfei's understanding of Umezu Mijiro.

There is a high probability that the Japanese will use the 20th Division to deal with the Sixth Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

This combat report was sent to the Southern Route Army Command that evening.

Looking at the battle plan in hand.

Wei Lihuang was also surprised.

Chu Yunfei, the chief of staff on secondment, did do something.

It saved him a lot of effort.

"The combat effectiveness of many armies is not as good as before. If they suffer heavy losses, the generals will inevitably become more dissatisfied with the chairman, and the generals of the capitulation and separatist factions will inevitably take advantage of the chaos to rise up."

"In this battle, Yun Fei wants to use his own troops as a decisive force. Even if he wins, the losses will be huge."

"This has a huge impact on the chairman's Shanxi strategy..."

Wei Lihuang nodded silently: "At present, the supply and ammunition of our army are also a problem. Once the Japanese army launches a full-scale attack on Shanxi, the situation in Shanxi will inevitably deteriorate further."

"Although it can reduce the pressure on our garrison troops on the Pinghan Road defense line, the southern Shanxi region is likely to be lost!"

The detailed telegram was sent to the Wuhan Command at noon the next day.

It was sent in the name of General Wei Lihuang.

In the Second World War.

Chu Xichun also drew up a related battle plan.

However, in his battle plan, the main force of this battle was the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.
Chiang Kai-shek would naturally not accept it, let alone believe it.

Chiang Kai-shek knew exactly what Yan Laoxi was up to.

In this situation, the already limited strategic resources should be supplied to the troops that need them most.

That must be the 14th Army Group and the Flying Tiger Attack Army.

Even at this time, Chiang Kai-shek would rather replenish Zeng Wanzhong's Third Army.

They were even unwilling to support the so-called Jin Army anymore.

The combat effectiveness of the troops under Yan Laoxi's command is really poor.

The Sixth Army, which had lost many elite troops in the Battle of Xinkou and Taiyuan, could only be considered a second-rate force at this time, and this was because it was equipped with a large number of automatic rifles and artillery.

If they really didn't have these things, their combat effectiveness would even be inferior to that of the Eighth Route Army of the same size.
As for Fu Zuoyi, he still had elite troops under his command, but Fu Zuoyi returned to his Suiyuan...
The Shanxi and Sui armies had become de facto separate factions.

Speaking of the battle to recover Taiyuan, it was not successful and even failed in the second stage.

But looking at the normal battle.

Fu Zuoyi also contributed.

On the contrary, the group of old brothers under Yan Laoxi were timid, which made people feel a little uncomfortable.

After seeing the specific battle plan drawn up by Chu Yunfei.

Chiang Kai-shek made some changes to the details.

For example, the original plan of more than three brigades to attack the Japanese army's westward-moving forces (towards Handan) was changed to more than three divisions.

The original plan to establish a guerrilla base in the northern Hebei base area with the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army was changed to a guerrilla campaign in the southern Hebei direction, especially to actively attack the enemy attacking Changzhi.
It seems to be very detail-oriented, but in fact it is pure nonsense.

The main force of the 115th Division has now advanced into the Hebei Plain to establish a base area.

Is the 115th Division in the Taihang Mountain base?

No one knows.

Chu Yunfei did not need to contact the Eighth Route Army to confirm this matter just for a combat plan to be shown to the headquarters.

soon.

A combat plan personally approved by Chiang Kai-shek was sent back to the headquarters of the Second War Zone Commander.

It was also sent to Wei Lihuang.

Under Chu Yunfei's suggestion.

The Second War Zone and the Supreme Command continued to discuss the operational plan via telegram.

They were afraid that the Japanese army would not be able to intercept them.
In the blink of an eye, another five days passed.

The southeastern Shanxi region is developing in the original direction.

According to Zhong Zhicheng's report.

This reorganized tax police brigade is very useful.

He is very efficient in his work and apart from being a bit rude and swearing occasionally, there aren't too many problems.

About two weeks.

The submodule data in my mind changed a bit, and the most obvious changes were two of them.

[Current estimated annual revenue: 1090 million (national currency)]

Current tax capacity: 59%

The estimated total annual revenue increased by 200,000 national dollars, which is about 67,000 US dollars.

That's equivalent to 300 more light machine guns, which is at least the tax revenue of two towns.
Zhong Zhicheng's work ability is indeed good.

The number of wounded soldiers returning from major field hospitals increased by seventy in two weeks.

According to their own wishes.

Some returned to their original units and were promoted half a level, while others went to the newly opened military-civilian support bases to serve as captains or deputy captains of the militia self-defense forces.

As for disabled soldiers, if they are still willing and able to work.

There are also corresponding positions available within Chu Yunfei's jurisdiction.

Of course, these are not the focus at the moment.

The most important point is that there are not enough shells.

No matter how good the tactics are, they will be useless without the corresponding firepower.

Often it comes at a higher price.

Countless examples during the Korean War have demonstrated this.

When the Volunteer Army commander pushed the tactics to the extreme, the gap in heavy weapons led to the defeat in the battle.

It should have been a big victory, but in the end it turned out to be a tragic victory.

Since then, many people have become staunch supporters of the Firepower Party.

Including Chu Yunfei himself, he also deeply believes that firepower is king.

Weapons and equipment are used by people, and it is true that subjective initiative is very important.

Little did they know that they were poor in tactics and used various methods to advance, surround and flank.

Our army, which has become rich, basically has saturation firepower coverage (nuclear bomb coverage) in various combat plans.

In this case, what's the point of tactical insertion?

To be honest, it doesn't make much sense.

It is similar to the battle between Chu Yunfei and the Japanese army now.

The two armies faced each other, and the Japanese army had just assembled its troops and was ready to launch an attack.

Chu Yunfei's artillery launched a fierce fire attack on their assembly point.

Under such circumstances, how could the Japanese army organize an effective attack?

Take a step back.

If Chu Yunfei didn’t have these shells.

Then he could only rely on mortars to create a shielding barrage.

The destructive effect of the mortar is naturally much worse.

And if it is not an open area, it often takes a direct hit from a mortar shell to kill one Japanese soldier.

This is also why Chu Yunfei fired nearly 20,000 artillery shells with mountain artillery, field artillery and mortars in the previous battle.

The infantry rushed forward and fought a bloody battle with the Japanese army for several hours or even two days before killing several thousand Japanese devils.

The 60mm mortar had a hard time attacking field fortifications.

When we first fought against the Japanese army.

These little Japanese soldiers were so arrogant that they even charged forward with their chests puffed out.

In an attempt to crush the morale of the national army troops and achieve the purpose of pursuit.

And now...they play with extreme caution.

Crawl if you can.

As for the fortifications, they should be built as strong as possible.

I’m afraid that if I’m not careful, my life will be lost.

Chu Yunfei knew it in his heart too.

During this period, the battle will inevitably be more difficult than before.

After this group of elite Japanese troops are killed, the next reinforcements will inevitably be veterans who have enlisted for the second time and new recruits who have been temporarily recruited.

In other words.

As long as we can annihilate another 100,000 or so Japanese troops.

Then you can directly start a local counterattack.

No need to fight for so long.

Chu Yunfei actually already had a plan for the next battle in his mind.

The first thing is to recover Taiyuan.

Use the production capacity of Taiyuan Iron and Steel Plant to first supply the production capacity of the Northwest Manufacturing General Administration (Taiyuan Arsenal after evacuation).

Then he went west to wipe out the remnants of feudalism
Japanese army.

First Army Headquarters.

Standing in front of Umezu Mijiro was the newly appointed Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel Souki Hayashi.

Lin Canghui was also extremely nervous at this time.

After all, intelligence work for the North China Front Army has always been difficult.

He had heard about this before coming.

His predecessor, Lieutenant Colonel Takaya Okamoto, was indicted for providing "wrong" intelligence on several occasions.

Now he has been transferred to a bitterly cold place in the Northeast to serve as a garrison squadron leader.

There is indeed no problem with the intelligence.

However, there was a problem with timing, which led to the North China Front Army and even the First Army making many wrong judgments.

If you say there is responsibility, then there is indeed a little bit of responsibility.

But only Okamoto Takaya was sent out, which was obviously an attempt to clear the commander of the charges.

There is an unlucky guy in front.

Lin Canghui became much more cautious in his work.

Many seemingly plausible intelligence pieces of information were simply not reported.

He would submit intelligence that was close to 100% accurate to the commander or Chief of Staff Shojiro Iida.

The main idea is to do less and make fewer mistakes, and do nothing and make fewer mistakes.

Although the information he provided before seemed insignificant, in the eyes of Umezu Mijiro and others.

You can still unravel the mystery and discover many different things.

For example, in recent days, the 120th Division troops active in northwestern Shanxi have frequently purchased daily necessities.

This means that their whereabouts and deployment are likely to have been leaked.

The He Division of the Eighth Route Army has made corresponding preparations for battle.

This mopping-up operation against the northwestern region of Shanxi is likely to encounter some twists and turns.

Umezu Mijiro was aware of Lin Canghui's caution.

It happened to be this extremely cautious lieutenant colonel in intelligence.

He actually took out a battle plan of the High Command.
The most important thing is that this almost flawless battle plan came from Chu Yunfei!
This forced him to take it seriously.

A year ago, Chu Yunfei might have used the term "Jin Jun Ming Jiang" to describe this little character who was rising to fame.

But now, a year later.

He had become the number one enemy of the entire North China Front Army, including the Central China Front Army.

His threat has already far exceeded that of Yan Laoxi, commander-in-chief of the Second War Zone, and Wei Lihuang, commander of the 14th Army Group.

Even in the eyes of Mijiro Umezu.

Chu Yunfei is the most critical combat force in the Second War Zone.

"Lin Cang Jun."

"Hello, Your Excellency the Commander." Lin Canghui bowed slightly, his face full of respect.

Meijin Mijiro slowly said: "This detailed battle plan..."

"It took a lot of twists and turns for the undercover personnel to steal the information from the operations room of the Second War Zone Commander's Headquarters."

"Lin Cang-kun" Meijin Mijiro simply asked: "Can I trust your intelligence personnel?"

"No problem, Your Excellency the Commander." Lin Canghui finally straightened up at this time.

The question has come to this point.

If Lin Canghui himself did not believe the intelligence personnel lurking in the Second War Zone.

Then what is the point of continuing their intelligence work?
Umezu Mijiro naturally tended to believe that this was real information.

Because it is too specific, it even includes the playing methods and ideas for each stage.

Even the personalities of the commanders of the participating troops were taken into consideration.

The Japanese army collected corresponding information on officers above the rank of major general before the war.

Targeted attack is an essential ability for senior Japanese commanders.

It is precisely this nearly perfect battle plan.

This made Meizu Mijiro more determined.

Nationalist troops in the Second World War zone.

They have been prepared for their next offensive operation.

So what should we do next?

Umezu Mijiro fell into deep thought for a moment.

The headquarters never approved the subsequent combat plan.

The current Chief of the Operations Section, Colonel Takuma Shimoyama, and the new Chief of the Operations Section of the Tokyo General Headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Junmaru Inada.

As for the extremely cautious Hebian Hushiro, he had been replaced during the Battle of Xuzhou.

Even Junzheng Inada, who has a very radical strategic thinking.

He also firmly disagreed with the combat plan of the First Army of North China.

The idea behind Tokyo Headquarters is this.

We must wait until the battle in Wuhan is over and a quick victory is achieved, and then make a judgment based on the current situation.

And it clearly pointed out that such a radical and risky battle plan was required.

In case of failure.

This will inevitably lead to the Chiang government's inclination towards "peaceful" negotiations.

In order to ensure victory in the Battle of Wuhan, the Japanese squeezed out all the money they could.

In other words, they simply do not have the ability to launch the Shanxi Campaign while carrying out the Wuhan Campaign.

Once the operation goes wrong, subsequent supplies will become a complete problem.

It may even lead to irreversible consequences.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the Battle of Wuhan.

The commander of the Second Army, Toshihiko Higashikuni, and the commander of the Eleventh Army, after consulting the Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters.

A military order was immediately issued to use poison gas on a large scale.

It also stipulates the use of "special smoke" (asphyxiating poison gas).

The principle is local use, and large-scale plans are used for centralized use.

In fact, before the order was given, the Japanese attacking forces had already frequently used poison gas attacks.

The Battle of Wuhan, a battle that attracted worldwide attention.

Their battle was reported by many internationally renowned newspapers.

Many military experts even openly criticized and accused the Japanese of violating international law.

They usually cover up their faults by calling the suffocating poison gas special smoke.

Even to cover up the truth.

They even mixed special smoke and tear gas with ordinary smoke, causing heavy casualties to the defending troops fighting outside Wuhan.

The Japanese army had no way to retreat at this time, and there was only one way before them.

That is to do our utmost to win the battle of Wuhan.

How could Umezu Mijiro not understand this truth?

But he also knew it.

There is actually not much success rate in forcing the Chiang government to surrender through a quick victory.

Their most elite Flying Tiger Honor Division is still active in Shanxi.

Based on the latest information.

Song Xilian's 71st Army, which had been classified as a "battle attack army" because of its bravery in the Battle of Lanfeng, was also undergoing training in Shaanxi at this time.

There are reports that they have not suffered a devastating blow and are likely to recover their combat effectiveness within half a year.

If he were Chiang Kai-shek.

There is absolutely no possibility of surrender.

Only by severely damaging or even completely annihilating the main force on which they rely to maintain the situation.

This led to the formation of de facto separatist regimes among local military units.

This made it possible for Chiang Kai-shek to choose to sign a "peace agreement" with the Japanese in order to maintain his "rule".

In fact, the base camp also understands this truth.

Before this, they really did not have the energy to fight such a battle.

But now that we have this information.

Michijiro Umezu was confident that he could convince the headquarters to support his "arrogant" battle plan.

As both the Nationalist and Japanese armies were stepping up preparations for war.

The Eighth Route Army headquarters was also busy.

The senior commanders and fighters who remained in the Taihang Mountains held a short meeting every three days and a review every five days.

The main point is to hold a meeting whenever there is nothing to do.

Summarize your work and see if there is any room for improvement.

This is the style of the Eighth Route Army.

I am very good at summarizing experiences and I also like to brainstorm when conditions allow.

The commander-in-chief, who had just returned from a meeting at the Second World War Zone Command Headquarters, presided over this impromptu combat meeting.

He cleared his throat and said, "

Let me first tell you about the content of the meeting I held at the Second World War Commander's Headquarters.

The reconnaissance unit under Chu Yunfei's command recently discovered that the Japanese army was frequently mobilizing its troops.

In short, it completely surrounded our southeastern Shanxi region.

As for our Taihang base.

The main combat forces of the Japanese army were basically to the north, east, northwest, front, back, left and right of us.

They are the 109th Division and the 114th Division.

The Second War Zone Commander Headquarters judged that this was a premeditated major attack by the Japanese army against the southeastern Shanxi region.

There is a high probability that the Japanese army will mobilize more than 80,000 troops to launch an unprecedented battle in Shanxi.

In order to stabilize the Zhengtai and Tongpu railway lines and ensure that the Shanxi region can provide strategic resources for their protracted operations. "

The commander-in-chief paused, then continued: "At present, according to Chairman Jiang and the operational thinking of the Second War Zone Commander, our army should use part of its main force to attack Shanxi, and there is no need to undertake frontal combat missions.

If the Japanese army launches an attack on the Taihang Mountains, our army can break out of the encirclement and advance towards the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area. "

The deputy commander was a little puzzled: "Why did Yan Laoxi suddenly change his temper?"

If it was before.

The Eighth Route Army avoided a head-on confrontation with the Japanese army, transferred troops in advance, jumped out of the Japanese army's mopping-up range, and took on some harassment combat missions on the periphery.

Although Yan Laoxi didn't say it explicitly, his attitude towards them would obviously change.

And now.

Yan Laoxi seemed to have understood the benefits of guerrilla warfare, and even took the initiative to ask them to carry out extensive guerrilla warfare.

The deputy chief of staff smiled and said, "Could it be that after watching a guerrilla war here, he went back and thought about it and found it really useful, so he simply changed his original combat strategy?"

"That's true." The commander-in-chief nodded: "In fact, this matter has something to do with Chu Yunfei."

"Yun Fei is also attending the meeting?"

"Yes."

The deputy chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army smiled and said, "I heard that he was promoted half a level this time."

The commander-in-chief nodded: "Not bad."

"He also drew up the battle plan for the Second War Zone. I took a careful look at it and can describe it in four words."

"Which four words?" Brigade Commander Chen raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Absolutely perfect."

"Come, bring it here." The commander-in-chief handed the battle plan in his hand to everyone and asked them to circulate it among themselves.

"But at the combat meeting, Chu Yunfei made it clear that this combat plan was only for us to see, not for us to execute."

The deputy chief of staff grinned and said, "If it's just for viewing, it's for the Japanese spies lurking in the headquarters of the Second World War Commander."

"No wonder this battle plan seems to have no omissions. It turns out that it is a lie. Just talking about the 69th Army and the 3rd Army, with their current military strength, even with perfect fortifications, how can they withstand the Japanese attack for a month?"

Brigade Commander Chen chuckled: "Even though Yun Fei likes to lead people to dig holes, if a fight really breaks out, this guy will still take the initiative to attack, and the defensive battle will be left to friendly forces at most."

The commander-in-chief laughed and said, "You know Chu Yunfei well. You are right. At the combat meeting, Yunfei took the initiative to say that if the Japanese army chooses southeastern Shanxi as the target of attack, he will choose to lure the enemy deep into the territory and place the battlefield in Changzhi to fight an unprecedented annihilation war."

"An annihilation war?" A political director snorted, his face full of disbelief: "With the current strength of our Eastern Route Army and the strength of Chu Yunfei's troops, it is nothing but a pipe dream to want to carry out another annihilation war."

"It's hard to say. I think Chu Yunfei's goal is just to severely damage them, and then carry out subsequent battles after the weapons and equipment provided by the Soviet comrades arrive."

Commander Liu touched his chin and continued to analyze: "If Chu Yunfei's troops were to fight according to their previous tactics, they would definitely choose to split the Japanese invaders' combat forces, or even completely ignore the other Japanese troops and focus on attacking one of them."

"Yun Fei's strategic logic is very direct, and can even be called utilitarian. He is like a poisonous snake hiding in the jungle. It's fine if he doesn't speak, but once he speaks, he will definitely kill the enemy."

Brigade Commander Chen chuckled, "He always says that it is better to cut off one finger than to hurt ten. I estimate that he will not only choose to mobilize a large number of local armed forces for this battle, but may even send guerrillas into the Taihang Mountains to deal with the Japanese army while we are out of the encirclement."

"His goal is not just to severely damage the two Japanese divisions. I suspect he is coming for our base. Sun Weimou has always firmly controlled the local organizations in southeastern Shanxi. Once we jump out of the encirclement, the southeastern Shanxi base is likely to be occupied by them."

The deputy commander was puzzled: "No way, Chu Yunfei has always chosen to cooperate with our army and support our army in the war of resistance. If this guy had any evil intentions, he would not have waited until now."

Brigade Commander Chen nodded: "The Soviet comrades also have a very good impression of Chu Yunfei's troops. Chu Yunfei is even willing to take the initiative to contact the Soviet side."

At this point, Brigade Commander Chen finally reacted.

What Chu Yunfei did has completely exceeded the scope of what a military commander should do.

Brigadier General Chen sighed: "I know what you are worried about. Are you worried that Yun Fei will become the next Yan Laoxi?"

Commander Liu nodded: "It's not that there is no possibility. We'd better make adequate preparations. It is not easy to open up the Taihang Anti-Japanese Base Area. If we enter the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Base Area, given the current situation in the Wutai surrounding areas, we may not even be able to effectively support our troops.

We can only continue to divide our forces and open up other bases. At such a critical moment, we are likely to be hit hard by the Japanese army."

(End of this chapter)