Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

At this moment, a confidential staff officer rushed in and presented a telegram that had just been deciphered: "Your Excellency, urgent information!"

"According to the comprehensive judgment of our intelligence personnel lurking behind the Japanese army and the technical reconnaissance department, the main force of the Japanese North China Front Army, the 20th Division, is being ordered to move south, apparently to support the Central China battlefield."

"Central China battlefield? The 20th Division has been mobilized?" A sharp light suddenly burst out in Chu Yunfei's eyes.

He walked quickly to the huge battle map of North China, his eyes scanning the map like a hawk.

The 20th Division was one of the most powerful divisions of the Japanese Army in the North China Front, and was also the most important mobile reserve force in the hands of General Okamura Yasuji.

Its deployment undoubtedly tore open a fleeting strategic window in the Japanese army's originally tight defense line.

"Has the intelligence been confirmed? The movement of the 20th Division must be the highest secret of the Japanese Army. From what channel did the information come?"

"As for the 18th Group Army, both the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Military Bureau of Investigation have received relevant intelligence."

Chu Yunfei was stunned, and Fang Ligong and Qian Bojun couldn't help but sigh when they heard this.

If either party receives the information, the remaining two parties will have no news.

The accuracy of the news is relatively high.

But all three parties can obtain the information.

If this isn't bait, what is this?
"The opportunity has come."

Chu Yunfei tapped the map with his finger, which landed on the location of Pingxingguan.

Fang Ligong and Qian Bo looked at each other and saw doubt in each other's eyes.

Qian Bojun couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Yun, do you mean to focus on attacking Pingxingguan?"

"But the terrain there is more difficult and the Japanese fortifications are more solid."

"Our army's heavy weapons are difficult to deploy, and the difficulty of a strong attack may be even more difficult than making progress at Nankou."

"Who said we are going to attack by force?" Chu Yunfei raised a meaningful smile, "What I want is not to capture Pingxingguan, but to make Okamura Neiji believe that we are preparing to attack Pingxingguan at all costs!"

obviously.

This is most likely a bait released by General Okamura, or a tactical inducement or even a strategic deception.

Once they really believe this, they are likely to be targeted by General Okamura Yasuji.

No matter whether Chu Yunfei was trying to take advantage of the situation or was really fooled, he could not hide it from Okamura Yasuji's eyes.

This kind of opponent is quite smart, so smart that even Chu Yunfei is quite afraid of him.

Okamura Yasuji was the only general besides Terauchi Hisaichi who could cause him trouble.

He turned around, glanced at his two capable men, and said in a steady and powerful voice: "This is a strategic feint!"

"The purpose is to attract the remaining reserve forces in Okamura Ningji's hands to the direction of Pingxingguan, creating an excellent tactical window for the 14th Army's frontal breakthrough!"

"Brother Ligong, Brother Bojun." Chu Yunfei's tone became serious, "The key to this feint lies in the word 'deception'. I need the two of you to work together to put on a big show for Okamura Neiji."

"But, Your Majesty, I am worried that this old devil Okamura Neiji might seize the opportunity and even take advantage of our tactics. Then our army will be in a passive position."

Although the railways in Shanxi area have been repaired.

But it is still far behind the Japanese railway network and road transportation.

Chu Yunfei smiled and looked in the direction of Fang Ligong, looking like he had everything under control.

Fang Ligong and Qian Bojun immediately understood and waited quietly for Chu Yunfei's order.

"Brother Ligong, I need you to immediately coordinate with the communications department, mobilize some radio stations, and fabricate a number for our army's newly formed main force first division in the theater, called the 'Newly Formed First Division in the Theater'.

From now on, use this false number to create a large number of radio communications in the direction of Pingxingguan.

The content should involve troop assembly, logistics allocation, ammunition request, and even correspondence between senior generals.

We must do it perfectly and let the Japanese intelligence department believe that our main force is secretly gathering at Pingxingguan."

Fang Ligong understood what he meant and immediately responded, "Understood! I will make sure that the Japanese radio station is filled with the news of our 'Newly-formed First Division in the War Zone'!"

Chu Yunfei turned to Qian Bojun again: "Brother Bojun, your task is more important."

"I need you to command a unit to launch a continuous, small-scale, but sufficiently intense harassing attack at the Pingxingguan front.

No need to actually charge.

But we have to create enough momentum, the sound of gunfire has to be loud, to put pressure on the Japanese, so that they have to ask their superiors for help. "

"The most crucial point." Chu Yunfei emphasized: "After the Japanese army's reserve forces are fully mobilized by us, you must immediately switch to a comprehensive radio silence!
The battlefield in the direction of Pingxingguan instantly turned into an information fog, making it impossible for General Okamura Yasuji to figure out our strength!

Before that, a certain amount of anti-aircraft artillery must be deployed at the front line, and the show must be done in full."

"Yes! Your Excellency!"

Qian Bojun straightened up, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Fang Ligong was thoughtful and roughly guessed Chu Yunfei's battle strategy.

soon.

A strategic drama aimed at deceiving the entire Japanese North China Front Command.

With Chu Yunfei's deployment, the curtain quietly opened.

In the blink of an eye.

Two days passed.

There was no movement from Burma.

North China, Pingxingguan front, in a hidden communications command post.

Fang Ligong was facing several communications officers, giving orders in an orderly manner.

"Order! The artillery regiment of the 'Newly-formed First Division in the War Zone' sends a telegram to the front headquarters, requesting an urgent replenishment of 150 rounds of mm howitzer shells, with the reason being 'preparing to launch a devastating attack on the enemy's core fortifications'!"

"Order! The Logistics Department of the 'Newly-formed First Division of the War Zone' sends a telegram to the War Zone Logistics Headquarters, requesting the dispatch of 100 additional trucks to transport the 'main force that will arrive later'!"

"Order! Send a telegram in my personal name to the 'New 48st Division Commander'. The wording must be stern, reprimanding him for his 'slow preparations for the attack', and strictly ordering him to complete all preparations for the attack within hours!"

A series of real and fake telegrams were quickly sent out through different frequencies.

These telegrams were quickly intercepted by the Japanese military's technical reconnaissance department.

At the same time, the troops commanded by Qian Bojun also launched a colorful "performance" at the Pingxingguan front.

They launched several seemingly fierce but actually superficial attacks on Japanese outposts and salients in battalion and company units.

The sound of gunfire resounded throughout the valley, but the attack momentum was always "much ado about nothing".

Japanese North China Front Headquarters.

The atmosphere in Okamura Neiji's office was quite solemn.

The head of the intelligence department, Seiichiro Muto, was reporting the latest enemy situation to him with a nervous look on his face.

"Commander, according to our various investigations, the Chinese Army's radio traffic in the Pingxingguan direction has increased sharply recently, and a new number has appeared that has never been seen before - 'Newly Formed First Division in the War Zone'. The content of its communications is all related to preparations for a large-scale offensive."

"At the same time, our Pingxingguan garrison reported that the enemy in front of us has launched more than a dozen attacks since yesterday. Although the scale is not large, their attack will is resolute and their firepower is fierce. It seems that they are conducting fire reconnaissance and clearing the periphery for the subsequent general offensive."

"Moreover, the ace 71st Army deployed in the southern Taihang Mountains is also missing."

"Captain Aoki is worried that this so-called newly formed First Division in the theater is most likely the 71st Army, a trump card unit directly under the Chinese High Command, and its commander is Song Xilian, who is known as the Hawk-Dog General."

Neiji Okamura couldn't help but frown.

His fingers kept rubbing and tapping on the table, and his heart was not at peace at all.

There are many talented people in the Second War Zone.

The senior commanders such as Fang Ligong and Qian Bojun brought up by Chu Yunfei alone are enough to give him a headache.

Not to mention there are a number of veteran military officers and old hands.

These old foxes are counting on them to win the battle, but they may not be able to do so.

However, they were very good at how to preserve their strength under the attack of the Japanese army and how to make the Japanese army feel disgusted.

Not to mention.

The Second War Zone was the main war zone with the strongest combat effectiveness and the best equipment in the entire Republic of China.

As for the Fifth War Zone, they are not easy to deal with either.

Especially Tang Enbo, whom Okamura Yasuji feared the most.

Several combat operations against the Fifth War Zone were aimed at annihilating Tang Enbo's main force of the Central Army.

But after fighting so many battles, Tang Enbo learned the art of mobile warfare.
There was no chance to successfully annihilate Tang Enbo's troops.
Although they deployed the 20th Division for a feint, they found out the main attack direction of the next Second War Zone.

But whether it is possible to stop the attack of the 71st Army, this ace force, at the Pingxingguan line.

In fact, Okamura Neiji didn't have much confidence.

"Your Excellency, division commander, do you need to dispatch the mixed brigade stationed in Juxian County, Shandong to reinforce us?"

There are three divisions stationed in Shandong area for a long time.

It is mainly used for mopping-up and security operations.

"The Shandong base is the focus of the 18th Group Army. Although they have calmed down a lot in recent times due to the continuous security rectification operations, no one knows whether they have been eliminated."

Neiji Okamura walked to the map with a frown on his face.

"Chu Yunfei, what does he want to do?" Okamura Neiji said to himself, "Pingxingguan is a strategically located place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Does he want to have a head-on decisive battle with our army here?"

In the opinion of Neiji Okamura.

The best offensive directions for the Second War Zone are actually only Changzhi, Shexian, and Handan.

Because only there is flat terrain.

After entering Hebei, the road is almost flat, and there is no terrain like Nankou and Pingxingguan that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Muto Seiichiro whispered: "Commander, the 20th Division has been transferred away, and our mobile forces in this direction are relatively weak.

Chu Yunfei is very likely trying to seize this opportunity to tear open a gap through Pingxingguan, a point we didn't expect, and penetrate directly into our army's hinterland!"

Okamura Neiji pondered for a long time.

Chu Yunfei's style of deploying troops has always been treacherous and unpredictable, and he does not play by the rules.

Although launching the main attack at Pingxingguan seemed unwise, it was in line with his characteristic of "taking risky moves".

Could it be that Chu Yunfei is playing along with the enemy?
Go ahead to dangers?
If this is true, Chu Yunfei must have other considerations in doing this.

It's not from a military perspective.

"Order!"

Okamura Neiji finally made up his mind: "From the reserve forces of the front army, we will draw the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade and immediately reinforce in the direction of Pingxingguan!
Tell the garrison to hold the place firmly.

I want to see what these Chinese are up to. "

"Hai!"

Just as the Japanese Army's 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade was rushing to Pingxingguan overnight.

It was different from the "silent storm" in the Pingxingguan direction which was composed of countless false telegrams and sporadic gunfire.

At this moment, the Nankou front line has turned into a veritable meat grinder.

The whistling sound of artillery shells, the dull roar of heavy machine guns, the soldiers' desperate shouts and the mournful howls before death, all combined into a heart-wrenching symphony of war, which was played repeatedly in this hilly area.

The atmosphere inside the 14th Army Headquarters was so oppressive that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

The pungent smell of gunpowder and the thick smell of blood poured in through the ventilation vents of the command post.

Mixed with the strong smell of sweat from the officers in the room, it formed a suffocating smell.

Commander-in-Chief Liu Maoen, with his hands behind his back, paced back and forth anxiously in front of the huge battle map.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair, which had been neatly combed, now looked a little messy.

On the map, the blue arrow representing his troops seemed to have hit an invisible iron wall in front of the Japanese defense line at Nankou.

For three days, even with their all-out attack, they had made almost no progress.

"Report!" A communications staff officer rushed in sweating profusely, his voice hoarse, "In the fifth attack on Hill 203, we suffered another setback!

The Japanese army relied on reverse slope fortifications and crossfire to cause heavy casualties to our army. The attacking second battalion has suffered more than half of its casualties. Request to withdraw and rest! "

"Report!" Another staff officer rushed in immediately, "The artillery position of the 79th Division was counterattacked by the Japanese army's superior artillery fire. Two howitzers were lost, and more than ten gunners were killed or injured. There is very little ammunition left, and it is difficult to provide effective support to the front line!"

"Urgent call from the Military Medical Department! It's difficult to transport the wounded on the front line. Blood plasma, bandages, sulfa powder and all other medicines are in short supply! The death rate of seriously injured soldiers is rising sharply!"

Each piece of bad news was like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of every general in the headquarters.

Li Tie, commander and chief of staff of the 14th Army, frowned and made another heavy mark on the casualty statistics table with a red pen.

He finally couldn't hold back anymore, stood up and walked to Liu Maoen.

Li Tie's voice was filled with a hint of fatigue and indignation that could not be suppressed: "Commander-in-Chief, forgive me for being frank, but I must question the strategy of this strong attack on Nankou!"

Li Tie had a good relationship with Chu Yunfei before and he was also very capable.

Chu Yunfei's previous orders were unconditional trust and execution.

But this time, the enemy situation they faced in the attack on Nankou and the counterattack in northern Shanxi was completely different.

Especially the difficulty of tackling this problem is like heaven and earth.

As a general promoted by Guo Jiqiao, he was also highly valued by Liu Maoen.

He pointed to the Japanese defense line on the map that looked like a steel fortress and said: "We are letting our brothers use their flesh and blood to attack the solid fortress that the Japanese have been operating for many years!

Every hilltop and trench here has been reinforced with steel and cement. The density of the firepower points and the clever coordination of light and dark far exceeded our pre-war expectations!"

"This is a war of attrition with no chance of winning! It's a massacre!

Every time we advance one meter, we have to pay the price of dozens of brothers’ lives!

Is such a sacrifice worth it? ! "

A division commander also stepped forward and echoed in a sad voice: "General Li is absolutely right!

Our artillery fire could not pose any fatal threat to the Japanese army's permanent fortifications.

Their artillery positions were extremely well hidden, and they had aerial reconnaissance to correct their trajectory. Every time we assembled our troops, we were met with their precise and fierce artillery fire.

Before the brothers even reached the front, a large number of them had already fallen!"

Another staff officer from the second phase of the Whampoa Military Academy also added: "The intelligence department has also confirmed that Nankou is one of the core nodes of the Japanese army's defense line in North China. It has the shortest logistics supply line and the fastest troop replenishment.

Choosing this place as the main attack direction is like throwing an egg against a rock!"

"What I can't understand the most is that the Second War Zone clearly has large-caliber support artillery, but it deployed it on the Pingxingguan front line. It is obvious that our area is the main attack direction in the plan, but there is no support from 150mm howitzers."

There was dead silence in the command center.

The same confusion and unwillingness were written on every general's face.

They were all experienced soldiers and were not afraid of sacrifice, but they could not accept such a hopeless and doomed sacrifice.

Liu Maoen sighed deeply. He knew very well how difficult it was at the front line.

In the past few days, he witnessed with his own eyes how many lives were thrown into this meat grinder of war, and his heart bled.

What Liu Maoen couldn't understand the most was that Chu Yunfei still had no clear main focus to this day.

"I have reported your opinions to the Second War Zone Front Headquarters several times." Liu Maoen's tone was full of helplessness: "But Commander Chu's reply was always just one sentence, 'Maintain the offensive at all costs, and break through the Nankou line!'"

"At any cost?"

Li Tie's voice suddenly rose: "Is the wealth of our entire 14th Army the so-called 'price'?"

His emotions were a little out of control: "Commander-in-Chief, I feel that we can no longer blindly follow orders like this!

This is not fighting at all, this is sending our brothers to their deaths!

Commander Chu even disagreed with the idea of ​​moving the 150mm guns to our Nankou."

"We should explain the pros and cons to Commander Chu and ask for a change in tactics!"

“Even if we temporarily stop attacking and switch to defense to confront the Japanese army, it will be better than what we have now!
At least, we can preserve our manpower and wait for a better opportunity!"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!" Liu Kan (Commander of the 93rd Army) said excitedly: "I am even worried that our entire group army has been used as bait."

"We use our fierce attack and heavy casualties to attract the attention of the Japanese army, thereby creating opportunities for friendly forces in other directions? Is it possible that the Pingxingguan line is the real main attack direction?"

This speculation caused a murmur of discussion within the headquarters.

Although it sounds a bit ridiculous, it seems to be the only reason that can explain why Chu Yunfei issued such an "unreasonable" order.

Nankou, Pingxingguan, Niangziguan, Changshe, and South Taihang Mountains.

Liu Maoen was also struggling fiercely in his heart.

As a soldier, obeying orders is your duty.

But as the commander of an army, he is responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers under his command.

He looked at the red marks on the map that represented the fallen soldiers, and the rising casualty statistics, and the balance in his heart finally began to tilt.

He slammed the table and made up his mind.

"Draft a telegram to the Second War Zone Front Command!" Liu Maoen's voice was hoarse but extremely firm. "Attach a detailed report of our casualties within 24 hours since the start of the general offensive, word for word!"

"In the telegram, once again explain in detail to Commander Chu the strength of the enemy's defense system, as well as the actual difficulties our army is currently facing, such as the lack of ammunition, insufficient artillery fire, and huge casualties!"

Liu Maoen took a deep breath and said word by word: "In the name of myself, Liu Maoen, and all the generals of the 14th Army, I formally request Commander Chu: In view of the indestructible enemy defense in front of us, our army has suffered too many casualties in the strong attack and can no longer continue. I implore you to allow us to temporarily stop the strong attack on Nankou, retreat five miles, reorganize the troops, build fortifications, and confront the enemy!

I can no longer watch my brothers sacrifice their lives in vain for a goal that is almost impossible to achieve!"

"Yes!" A staff officer immediately walked to the telegraph machine and began to draft the telegram that carried the determination of the entire army command.

The atmosphere in the command center also became slightly relaxed because of Liu Maoen's determination, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

However, just as the telegram was about to be completed and prepared to be sent.

A technical reconnaissance staff officer who was in charge of monitoring Japanese military communications suddenly rushed in with a strange look on his face. There was an indescribable expression on his face, a mixture of shock and extreme confusion.

"Commander-in-Chief! Commander Li!" He even forgot to salute, his voice trembling, "We just intercepted an urgent secret message from the Japanese North China Front Army!"

"speak!"

Liu Maoen's heart tightened, thinking there was some bad news again.

The technical reconnaissance staff swallowed his saliva and reported in an almost unbelievable tone: "The Japanese Army's Independent Mixed 2nd Brigade, which was deployed by Okamura Yasuji behind Nankou, is wrong and has suddenly changed its marching direction!"

"They did not send reinforcements to our Nankou front. Instead, an hour ago, they turned at full speed and rushed towards Pingxingguan!!"

"what?!"

Liu Maoen and Li Tie screamed in surprise at the same time. They rushed to the map and stared at the direction of Pingxingguan.

"Go to Pingxingguan? Why?!" Li Tie's face was full of disbelief: "Are they crazy?

Only Fan Hanjie's troops are conducting diversionary attacks over at Pingxingguan, and this is the main battlefield!
Why didn't they go to reinforce the critically ill Nankou, but instead sent their most elite reserve troops to Pingxingguan?!"

Throughout the headquarters.

All the generals were in great confusion.

The strange military situation before them was completely beyond their understanding.

Could it be that it is really as Commander Chu told him, that Nankou is the main attack direction in the true sense?
Or did Commander Chu secretly mobilize a main force in an attempt to change the war situation and situation at Pingxingguan? (End of this chapter)