Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1478: Final Effort (Part )

"It's not that Tanzhou cannot be defended, but we should use space to trade time. If we retreat, we will have more time and can take the opportunity to consume the enemy's strength until the enemy's strength is exhausted. Then we can launch a decisive battle in our war zone.

If I were to choose the location for the decisive battle, I would choose Hengyang. You see, Hengyang is a city that is neither too big nor too small. It can accommodate three to four infantry divisions. The positions are both compact and solid, which are advantages that Tanzhou does not have."

The young and energetic Lieutenant General Chief of Staff pointed at the map and became more and more excited as he spoke. He didn't even notice that his superior's face had turned pale in an instant.

It’s not a question of whether Hengyang is suitable or not, but the 10th Army stationed in Hengyang is simply a stubborn donkey. Even after the army commander was transferred away, these guys are still finding trouble for him. Whenever Hengyang is mentioned, he thinks of those damn guys.

His authority as the theater commander actually hit a wall with those guys. In the past few days, he has been trying to figure out how to solve this problem.

"Okay, Zili, the reasons and causes you mentioned seem to be very tenable. Let's not talk about the problem of insufficient manpower of the Japanese army on the domestic battlefield. I will only say the most important point. The situation of the war is very different from two years ago.

  Now the air superiority has been transferred to our hands. Without air superiority, can the Japanese still brag about using one infantry battalion to defeat my infantry division?

Zi Li, the present is different from the past. The air force is the key factor in determining the outcome of the war. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops are fighting on the ground for thousands of miles, and American planes are bombing them every day. Such a long march, fighting day and night, and transporting a large amount of logistical materials, isn't it courting death? "Admiral Xue turned around and looked at the lieutenant general chief of staff whom he relied on, with a cold light in his eyes.

Zhao Zili could already sense the impatience of his commander-in-chief, but the young general from Huangpu recalled that he had asked Tang Dao during their chat, "Why did you offend that person?" Tang Dao replied, "You and I, Chinese soldiers, do not fight for any individual, but only for our country. As the saying goes, people with different ideals cannot work together!"

If Hunan Province was lost, the huge amount of money invested in construction over the years would be destroyed, which would be just a small matter. Millions of Hunan people would have to live in dire straits under the rule of the Japanese army. That was what he, the defender of Hunan Province, least wanted to see.

Finally, he mustered up the courage to continue, "But the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Station shows that the Japanese army is frequently transporting troops on the Yangtze River, with warships shuttling back and forth."

"Zili, you keep mentioning the Military Control Commission. What's wrong? Don't you know more about Director Chunfeng than I do? The Japanese are doing this to attack from all directions, to continue to withdraw elite divisions from the domestic battlefield to the Southeast Asian battlefield. Haven't you and I seen enough of these little tricks of the Japanese over the years?

  Our 9th War Zone is the first barrier against the Japanese invaders' southward advance, and is also the vanguard of the future counterattack to the north. Every move of our War Zone is of vital importance to the overall situation of the national war of resistance, and the people of the whole country are very concerned. Just because we heard that the Japanese were transporting and recruiting people everywhere, do we want the Military and Political Department to transfer all the troops from Jiangnan to us? Then should we transfer all the seven infantry armies of the expeditionary force back? Should we also transfer a few group armies from Shaanxi Province and Shanxi Province?

Don't you think that's a joke? If we get scared and lose our composure when the Japanese make a move, how can we fight this war to defend our country? The Supreme Commander should just sit in the office of the Military Intelligence Bureau every day to wait for intelligence and decide where to deploy troops. What's the point of having us, the war zone commanders?

Zi Li, as the Allied forces are winning victory after victory in the Pacific and European battlefields, the war is developing in a positive direction. We may not be able to help too much at this time, but it is better not to cause trouble! "

Admiral Xue interrupted Zhao Zili directly and launched a barrage of remark like a machine gun, full of energy, leaving the young lieutenant general chief of staff speechless.

Seeing that his chief of staff did not speak, but there was still some dissatisfaction in his eyes, Admiral Xue also slowed down his tone and continued: "Zili, you have been in my war zone since 38 years ago, and it has been almost five years. I know your temperament and military research. You can be called a military theorist, so you should be familiar with the "Theory of War"!

In the "On War", it is said that war is nothing but the continuation of politics! Military affairs are essentially subject to political needs, and strategy is also subject to political tactics.

The American fleet has severely damaged the Japanese navy in the Pacific, and their powerful ships and guns are about to reach the Japanese doorstep. The Japanese are now obsessed with the Pacific battlefield. As for our Chinese battlefield, they are thankful that they can maintain the status quo. Who gave them the courage to launch a large-scale attack on our domestic battlefield?

Of course, as for what you said about the Japanese wanting to connect the entire East Asian continent and use land transportation to transport supplies and personnel to the Southeast Asian battlefield, I cannot arbitrarily say that it is impossible, but the possibility is very low.

If the Japanese headquarters really designed this strategy to save the situation in Southeast Asia, then I can only say that this idea is too naive and childish.

Not to mention whether they could get through, even if they did, what would happen? With their current military strength, it would be good enough to defend the cities on the transportation line. Do they have enough troops to protect the long railway line?

I won't even mention that they, having lost air superiority, could hardly block the smooth transport of aircraft on thousands of kilometers of railway lines. Just on the ground, any army-level unit, as long as it sends out an infantry platoon and uses explosives, could destroy tens or even hundreds of meters of railway tracks.

  Why? The 80th Army in North China can use night raids to cause endless damage to the railways, and our troops in other theaters are just useless people who just eat and do nothing?

Let me tell you! Those who hold this idea are just daydreaming and just empty talk!

And the Tang Dao you mentioned, this guy is good at fighting, but he can't see the situation clearly, and he is a mess in politics. I advise you to stay away from him in the future, so as not to implicate you. You are one of the youngest generals in my war zone, and you have a bright future. Even after the war, with your ability and qualifications plus my recommendation, it is not impossible for you to stay in Hunan Province and govern a province."

Admiral Xue is indeed a famous general from a big family. His speech not only speaks from the perspective of grand strategy, but also includes a detailed analysis of the current war situation in China. It shows that he is not blindly confident and proud that the Japanese army will not launch a large-scale attack at the moment, and he directly points out the point that made him unhappy just now.

It's not that he can't stand different voices, but the friends Zhao Zili made had the wrong political stance. He now doesn't want the people around him to have too much contact with the "scourge" of Tang Dao, especially in the two years when the war is about to end.

Admiral Xue's sights are no longer limited to this national defense war. He has already begun to plan for the future. His goal is no longer just to become the theater commander or even the highest military and political official.

War belongs to generals and soldiers, but peacetime belongs to literati and politicians. General Xue, who is well-read in historical texts, knows this very well.

From a personal perspective, you can't say he was wrong! However, he obviously forgot the most important point. The war is still going on, and he is still a general commanding an army of 30. If he imagines taking too big a step, he will also fail.

This is just like some ordinary people. As soon as they give birth to a son, they start to worry about their son getting married and needing a house, car and dowry when he grows up. What's the matter? Did you give birth to a son or an ancestor?

  Or in other words, have you ever thought about whether your newborn son needs these?

Therefore, the smarter a person is, the more likely he is to make some unreasonable mistakes!

Zhao Zili's face turned red after being criticized by General Xue. If he were an ordinary person, he would have given up and said yes by now.

However, the young general was obviously a stubborn person. After thinking for a while, he still chose to defend himself: "Sir, to be honest, I don't understand how the Japanese planned or what they thought, but they are mobilizing troops to prepare for the attack. This is a real fact! It is precisely because the enemy has reached the end of its rope that we must prevent them from jumping off the wall! It is not a bad thing for us to be cautious!"

"Brother Tang Dao, I have done my best." After Zhao Zili said this, he also let out a long sigh in his heart.

Just as Admiral Xue understood him, he also understood the temper of his immediate superior. He had waited until now to warn him not to have much contact with Tang Dao, which showed that he was extremely tolerant of him.

  How could a complete stubborn ass be able to serve as the lieutenant general chief of staff of a war zone at the age of 36?

However, for the sake of millions of people in Hunan Province, the young Lieutenant General Chief of Staff still made the choice to make a final effort.

Sure enough, seeing that his lieutenant general chief of staff was still so stubborn and obstinate, Admiral Xue's face darkened visibly: "The Japanese army just wants to fight! Then let them come. Don't worry, with my 9th War Zone, the Japanese devils can't turn the tide. Since Yokoyama Isamu, the defeated general, is unwilling to give up, let him be tempered in the furnace of the 'Heavenly Furnace Tactics'. I want to see if he is Sun Wukong!"

Admiral Xue returned to his seat, picked up the hot tea, and made a gesture to see the guest off. "Alright, there is no point in saying more. Hunan Province is not Henan Province, and I, Xue Yue, am not Jiang Dingwen. That's it!" Zhao Zili could only shut up.

If that were the case, the young Lieutenant General Chief of Staff might not have completely offended his theater commander.

The key point is that when formulating the defense plan for Tanzhou in the following days, Zhao Zili and General Xue started to confront each other again.

In the third Tanzhou Campaign at the end of 1942, General Xue defended Tanzhou with one army. This time he planned to use another army to defend it. Zhao Ziling expressed his clear opposition.

  Zhao Zili also made a very accurate calculation for the generals present. Except for the east side of Yuelu Mountain which faces the Xiangjiang River and does not require too many troops for defense, the other three sides of Yuelu Mountain are about 13 miles wide, with one regiment being responsible for the defense of 2 miles. Considering the retention of enough reserves, Yuelu Mountain alone would require the strength of an army, not to mention the urban area of ​​Tanzhou.

However, General Xue insisted on using one army for defense, believing that after three battles of Tanzhou, the position had been perfected and the defenders were experienced enough, so there was no need to deploy too many troops in Tanzhou.

The defenders' statement that they were very experienced actually had profound meaning.

The so-called experience is just the 10th Army used in the third Battle of Tanzhou. General Xue's brain works very fast. If your 10th Army doesn't listen to me, then you'd better continue to defend the city for me this time. It would be best if we win, but if we lose, don't blame me for chopping off your heads according to the wartime order.

But Admiral Xue didn't want to say this himself. Instead, he wanted the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff, who was in conflict with him, to say it.

As a result, Zhao Ziling, who had always been sober, pretended to be confused at this time. Apart from opposing his commander's defensive tactical deployment, he refused to take up the issue. It was not until that person called and ordered the 10th Army to continue to be responsible for the defense of Hengyang area that General Xue gave up the idea.

However, the relationship between General Xue and the young chief of staff reached a freezing point.

On May 5, after deploying the Tanzhou Defense Meeting, Zhao Zili was called to the office of General Xue.

Without too much unnecessary courtesy, Admiral Xue just had a cold expression on his face: "Since you, Zili, are so worried about the Japanese army's large-scale attack on our Hunan Province, and even the defense of Tanzhou is so cautious, I have thought about it carefully, and I can't be too stubborn. I want you to lead the Second Division of the General Staff to stay in Hengyang and be responsible for coordinating the 10th Army and other units to resist the incoming Japanese invaders. If you need anything in the future, don't look for me, just contact Xu Benchang of the Operations Department directly!"

No matter how stupid Zhao Zili was, he knew at this moment that he had completely angered this bold and conceited commander.

This military order clearly aimed to sideline him as the theater chief of staff and exile him to Hengyang in the rear.

  Who in the entire war zone doesn’t know what the current situation of the 10th Army is?

The relatively well-organized 190th Division was still hundreds of miles away in Changde. The remaining 3rd Division and the 10th Reserve Division suffered heavy losses in the third Battle of Tanzhou and have not yet recovered. The number of troops is less than three-fifths of the previous number, and the two divisions together have only 1.5 people.

This is not the worst thing. The worst thing is that the two infantry divisions in Hengyang jointly sent a telegram a few days ago to reject the new commander from taking office. This is a complete situation of leaderlessness.

As the chief of staff who was exiled to the "frontier", he probably suffered nothing but bullying.

"Yes! I will do my best to ensure the defense of Hengyang!" The young general stood there for a long time and finally bowed his head to accept the order. He saluted the general named Xue with a cold face and turned to leave.

Standing at the window and watching the somewhat desolate back of the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff, whom he once relied on so much, leaving, Admiral Xue's face remained calm.

Zhao Zili had done very well in the past and made great contributions to the 'Tianlu Tactics', but he had gone too far this time. It was fine if he had questioned his decisions again and again, but he had actually not acted according to his own wishes, which he absolutely could not tolerate.

Just like Fang Xianjue, no matter how good he is at fighting, what does it matter? In the 9th War Zone, which army commander didn't follow his lead? Even the 27th Army of the Sichuan Army, didn't they express their loyalty to him several times?

Only the 10th Army, which had no factional roots, had repeatedly refused to recruit people from within the army and had always focused on internal promotions, simply not taking him, the theater commander, seriously. Fang Xianjue had no choice but to leave.

"Draft an order. To prevent the Japanese army from attacking our Hunan and Guangxi regions, the theater chief of staff Zhao Ziling will arrive in Hengyang in two days to command the Hengyang army and set up a defense line!" Admiral Xue rang the summons bell to call his adjutant and gave the order in a cold tone.

The adjutant remained silent as he carefully recorded the first military order issued by General Xue before the war.

For a moment, the top brass of the 9th War Zone were collectively dumbfounded. At this moment when the Japanese army was at its most powerful, General Xue actually cut off his own arm and sent the chief of staff of the war zone, whom he once relied on most, to Hengyang, hundreds of miles away.

But no one would have thought that this failure would later be regarded as the most brilliant foreshadowing in the tactics deployed by General Xue in the Hunan-Guangxi War.

At this time in Hengyang City, there was HY Mayor who was also the Security Commander, and part of the 3rd Division that had entered the city. According to the arrangements made by Fang Xianjue before he left, the 3rd Division had already activated the war mode at its headquarters and garrison, organizing engineers and soldiers to prepare for war.

However, Mayor Zhao, who was more concerned about people's livelihood and followed the orders of the war zone headquarters, believed that the 3rd Division was using the war situation as an excuse to cause trouble in the city. The two sides often quarreled over the troops digging up and even demolishing residential houses.

Fang Xianjue and Zhao Junmai had a good personal relationship, so the two sides did not really fight each other. But there was no doubt that the defense of the city did not go as smoothly as Tang Dao had expected.

Zhao Ziling, who arrived in Hengyang with the "Imperial Sword", was in favor of war. His position was higher than that of Mayor Zhao and Commander Zhou, who often clashed with each other. As long as he said to do it, everything would go smoothly.

Before Fang Xianjue returned, compared to the past, Hengyang in this era actually had a person who kept his word.

The one month that Tang Dao bought for the entire Hengyang was finally not wasted.

This is probably a typical case of the east being dark and the west being bright.

At dawn on May 5, the Japanese troops on the east route launched the first attack. That night and the next day, the Japanese troops on the middle and west routes also launched attacks one after another.

Most of the generals of the 9th War Zone and Admiral Xue still had a glimmer of hope at this time. It was not until the Japanese army broke through the first line of defense, the Xinqiang River, and reached the third line of defense, the Miluo River, that Admiral Xue realized that the Japanese army was serious this time.

  The 9th War Zone has finally begun full war zone preparations!

But now it's too late.