Rise from eight hundred.

Chapter 1481 Initial shaping!

  October 1944, 5!

Fang Xianjue arrived at Hengyang Airport on the outskirts of HY City in a military transport plane!

Fang Xianjue walked down the plane gangway and looked at Zhao Zili, Zhao Junmai, Sun Minyu and others who came to pick him up. There was not much heaviness on his face, but more confidence.

Because he did not return to Hengyang alone. Accompanying him on his special plane were a large fleet of 20 transport planes and 16 fighter jets.

Moreover, such a large fleet of aircraft and the massive amount of materials it transports will last for 7 days.

At this time, Tanzhou had already fallen, but the air battle was finally decided. China and the United States suffered huge losses of 143 fighters and bombers, and shot down or damaged more than 220 Japanese planes.

The Japanese Fifth Air Corps deployed on the front line suffered heavy losses and was no longer able to launch air strikes on the city of HY in the short term.

The Shancheng government spared no expense in replenishing supplies to the Hengyang area via air routes, which was also the only request Fang Xianjue made after asking his teacher for the Tang Sword and the assistance of the Four Lines Regiment.

Tang Dao finally took action again. The US military stationed in the Chinese theater agreed to provide 15 transport planes to China free of charge to help transport supplies.

In the next week, 20 transport planes will arrive at Hengyang Airport every day. The field rations imported from the United States alone will reach 160 tons, enough to feed the 2 troops in Hengyang City for 20 days.

  If medicines, ammunition and other supplies are added, this round of crazy air transport will reach an unprecedented 560 tons!

This is probably the largest transport force China has invested in a city defense battle since the war began.

Because Fang Xianjue promised that person that he would defend Hengyang City with 2 troops for 15 days to buy time for the troops from the south of the Yangtze River to reach the battlefield.

This request was actually what Tang Dao specifically told him when he sent him away a month ago.

“2万发各式炮弹、150万发机步枪子弹、1万枚地雷、5万枚手榴弹、160吨军粮以及止血、麻醉、抗生素等诸多药物！这么多物资，他能给？就算是他能给，又如何在短时间内运抵衡阳战场？”方显绝当时就被唐刀这一记狮子大开口给震惊了。

"Don't worry, as long as you promise him to hold Hengyang for 15 days, not to mention these supplies, he can even pick the moon in the sky for you. As for transportation, there will be a way." Tang Dao's face was calm but full of confidence.

Perhaps, only Tang Dao knew that from the moment Fang Xianjue agreed to lead the 10th Army to defend Hengyang to the death, they were destined to become abandoned pawns.

"Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow!" These six words are destined to become the comforting answer that this isolated army receives every day.

Of course, this is not because that person does not want to save Hengyang. In fact, that person is the one who wants to rescue Hengyang the most.

Because Hengyang was too important. Once Hengyang was lost, the Japanese army would face the southwest directly, open up Yunnan and Burma, and eye the mountain city. The rear of the southwest would be doomed.

In the later period of the Battle of Hengyang in the past, the man who had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night, got up and made a great wish: May the Lord grant me victory in the Battle of Hengyang, and I will build a large iron cross on the top of Nanyue Mountain to repay the Lord's grace. "

Looking back on the entire 14-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the only thing that made that person so extremely anxious that he could not sleep all night and made such a grand wish in the middle of the night was the Battle of Hengyang.

However, how could the deep-rooted problems in the Chinese army at that time change because of the importance of the Battle of Hengyang?

"Everyone should clean up the snow in front of their own door and not worry about the frost on other people's roofs." This has been a major problem that has plagued the Chinese military for many years.

During the battle of Henan Province, the Japanese army attacked too quickly, resulting in a lack of troops in the rear. On one battlefield, the Chinese army had several infantry divisions to deal with a small number of Japanese troops, but no unit was willing to take the initiative to attack or voluntarily take on the task of attacking reinforcements for friendly forces. Most of them stood by and hoped that others would take over. As soon as the Japanese army attacked, the surrounding troops began to evacuate. The infantry divisions that were still fighting saw this and thought they had to run too. This led to a large number of scenes of defeat without a fight that were hard to watch.

After the Battle of Hengyang broke out, the commanders of the various reinforcements saw that the Japanese army used two divisions to besiege and attack the city, and used five divisions to block reinforcements, which was an obvious strategy of "besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements". So they all found a few places to station their troops and did not move forward, just to preserve their strength and consolidate their own position. No one wanted to fight the Japanese army to the death.

As Stilwell, who was familiar with China's national conditions, pointed out incisively: For a senior Chinese general, if he takes risks with his army, he is risking his own property. When a division is reduced to a regiment due to an attack, it cannot be expected that the original troops will be replenished immediately. The division commander actually becomes the regiment commander. This kind of reduction in personnel must be avoided at all costs.

Otherwise, even though the Japanese army had as many as 10 troops, the hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops that surrounded them could crush them all and eat them alive as long as they worked together and advanced bravely.

Another main reason why the Battle of Hengyang could not be relieved was "multiple commands and inconsistent military orders". The chaos in the command system has always been another major problem that has plagued the Chinese army. It can be said that it ran through the entire War of Resistance Against Japan, and it was fully exposed in the Battle of Hengyang.

In the battle to relieve Hengyang, there were several people who had direct military command: the first was Li Yutang. As the former commander of the 10th Army and the current deputy commander-in-chief of the 27th Army, he was the direct commander of the battle to relieve Hengyang, and unified the command of the 10th Army in Hengyang and the 62nd and 46th Army outside the city of Hengyang.

The second is General Xue. As the commander of the 9th War Zone, he has the power to deploy troops within this war zone.

The third is Minister He, who issues orders on behalf of the Military and Political Department; the fourth is General Bai, who, as the Deputy Chief of Staff, represents that person. The last is the one at the highest position, who has the highest command authority.

Except for Li Yutang, these people all liked to give orders beyond their level, but they had different ideas and perspectives, and their orders were often inconsistent. As a result, the previously well-planned Hengyang defense and relief battles fell into chaos under their joint "efforts" to command, and the troops below were often at a loss, exhausted, but still unable to make any progress.

From the perspective of the future Tang Dao, these people are truly extremely smart, and they all just happened to be together.

Of course, the Battle of Hengyang eventually resulted in the bizarre phenomenon that the 10th Army was isolated in the city against 10 enemies, while the 50 troops outside were unable to advance and were defeated one by one by the Japanese army. Apart from various other reasons, it was ultimately determined by the current Chinese military and political system.

This system is just as Stilwell said: it is a structure based on fear and favor, and it is controlled by an arbitrary and stubborn person. As for the evaluation of that person, the US general who was promoted to four-star general in 44 was even more sharp: "He is not a soldier, but a warlord!"

There is only one word difference between a soldier and a warlord, but there is a world of difference between them.

Soldiers follow normal military rules; warlords follow the principle of "controlling the army with power."

Only Tang Dao knew the final fate and direction of the 10th Army. He knew that the so-called holding out and waiting for reinforcements would eventually become empty talk. Instead of doing that, it would be more practical to ask for some supplies.

Because Tang Dao didn't know what the final outcome of Hengyang City would be in this time and space because of the addition of himself and the Four Elements Group, he could only do his best.

Of course, if you ask for a high price, you can pay it back on the spot. If you can't give me the materials I asked for, then half of it will do! At worst, one-third is not unacceptable.

Perhaps everything Tang Dao predicted was coming true. Fang Xianjue didn't know how he got so obsessed at that time that he actually spoke out his needs.

Unexpectedly, the Ningbo accent on the other end of the phone only paused for three seconds before agreeing to everything, which was much faster than his reaction when he mentioned the Tang Dao.

Even Laura, the deputy general manager of Rockefeller Company and the general manager of the Far East Branch, made a request to the Military and Political Department that 600 members of the International Red Cross would arrive in Hengyang for humanitarian assistance, and that person acquiesced. That was a large medical team consisting of 80 doctors and nurses, and the surgical instruments and various medical supplies alone filled two large transport planes.

Except for 15 doctors from the United States, the rest of the doctors and nurses are actually from Taihang Mountain Hospital in North China.

In early April, under the escort of the Rockefeller Company's armed transport team and an elite guard company sent by the Dakouzidong Town Defense Battalion, this cavalry carrying 4 medical staff and supplies set out from Taihang Mountain, crossed the entire Zhongtiao Mountain defense line, crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Chang'an, where they changed to a US transport plane and flew directly to the mountain city.

The 2 elite troops were ready for battle at any time, with plenty of food, ammunition, medicines and medical personnel. In addition, the construction of fortifications in Hengyang City began a month in advance, so they were confident that they could hold out for half a month.

When Fang Xianjue arrived at Hengyang City, he did not even have time to eat. He immediately convened a military meeting with generals at all levels in Hengyang.

  The meeting had only one topic: to determine the supreme commander and command structure!

Although Hengyang currently has only one regular army, the 10th Army, there are actually quite a few troops from other factions, such as the Four-Line Regiment that has already started marching from the foot of Hengshan Mountain into Hengyang City, the Hengyang Garrison Regiment under the command of Mayor HY in Hengyang City, and a guard battalion under the theater guard brigade led by the theater chief of staff, Lieutenant General Zhao Ziling.

Without unified command, the various armies will be able to run around like headless flies, not only unable to form a joint force, but also likely to reveal flaws.

What made the generals in the city very embarrassed was that Fang Xianjue, who was entrusted by the Military Commission, was not the highest-ranking person in Hengyang City, but the Chief of Staff of the War Zone Zhao Zili.

In terms of position, the chief of staff of the theater, Zhao Ziling, is naturally the supreme commander. However, it is obvious that the main force in the city is the 10th Army. If the supreme commander in Tanzhou City is unable to command the infantry troops at all levels, the Battle of Hengyang will almost not need to be fought, and the city will be broken after two or three days at most.

Fortunately, Fang Xian is definitely not the indecisive Zhang Deneng, and Zhao Zili is not the cautious Xu Benchang. At this military meeting, Zhao Zili clearly stated his attitude, saying that he started as a senior staff officer and worked his way up from director of staff to chief of staff. Providing staff advice to commanders is his specialty, but actual combat command is his weakness. He cannot be the highest commander in Hengyang City.

As long as Zhao Zili does not fight for power, naturally no one in Hengyang City will be able to compete with Fang Xianjue.

Fang Xianjue, who returned to the throne of commander of the 10th Army, became the highest commander in Hengyang City, responsible for commanding all troops inside and outside the city, including the Four-Line Regiment, Hengyang Garrison Regiment, etc.

The Hengyang War Zone Command was established, with Fang Xianjue, commander of the 10th Army, as the first commander, and Zhao Ziling, Hengyang Garrison Commander Zhao Junmai, 3rd Division Commander Zhou Qingxiang, and 10th Reserve Division Commander Ge Youcai as members of the command.

There is no such thing as a ranking in no particular order. This is the order of the commanders in the headquarters. If the highest commander dies on the battlefield, the other five can take over in sequence, and the troops will never be put into a situation where they lose command.

In addition, the command headquarters has a staff department, with Sun Minyu, chief of staff of the 10th Army, as chief of staff, and Tang Dao, commander of the Four-Line Regiment, as director of operations.

This is an extremely important position, with authority so great that he can directly mobilize regiment-level troops to combat positions. He is also one of the most important think tanks under Fang Xianjue. He can even make suggestions on the positions of two infantry divisions.

When it came time to award rewards after the war, the director of operations was even ranked higher than the brigade commanders.

Obviously, according to Tang Dao's position and rank, he was not qualified for this task.

According to the recollections of the generals who attended the meeting after the war, although it was the supreme commander Fang Xianjue who suggested Tang Dao to be the chief of operations, Zhao Ziling's speech also played an extremely crucial role before the generals raised their hands to vote.

"To be honest, I have been very pessimistic about the Battle of Hengyang these days. I do not deny the bravery of the 'Taishan Army' and their determination to defend Hengyang, but the Japanese army has been planning for a long time, and China is passive everywhere. Although we are an isolated army, we can do our best to hold on for half a month, but what if the reinforcements do not arrive for a long time? Everyone, who of you dares to say that we can hold on for another half a month or even longer?" Zhao Ziling held the table with both hands, looking at the division commanders and brigade commanders present with burning eyes.

A group of generals looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Ge Youcai, the brave general who personally carried a machine gun and led the remnants of his 30th Regiment to charge towards the Japanese army and repelled the last wave of Japanese attack during the third Battle of Tanzhou, opened his mouth but did not utter a word of objection.

Information about the Japanese army's expedition had already spread to Hengyang like snowflakes. The 11th Army this time was not a force of 20 to 3 or even 13 people. They actually assembled an army of more than 7. The permanent divisions alone included the rd Division and the th Division. When fighting against Xiangbei, they deployed as many as divisions on the front battlefield, which was more than twice the number of troops deployed in the previous three Tanzhou battles.

  Even a brave man like Ge Youcai would not dare to say that the 10 men in the city could hold off the Japanese army, which would definitely exceed 15, for dozens of days. days was already the limit!

"But today, after receiving a telegram from General Fang that he would soon return to the 10th Army, and then receiving a telegram from General Fang himself, I suddenly gained confidence.

Firstly, the return of Commander Fang gave my "Taishan Army" a backbone. The 10th Army will still be the iron army that could not be defeated or crushed in the three battles of Tanzhou and Changde.

The second, and most important, point is that the Sihang Regiment, under the order of the war zone headquarters, became another main force in the Hengyang defense war.

The combat capability of the Four Ranks Regiment is mostly known from battle reports, which I have not seen with my own eyes, but as the saying goes, their reputation is real, and their combat capability is definitely not weak.

But what really makes me happy is that I can fight side by side with Tang Dao, the leader of the Four-Line Regiment! With him around, I may still not dare to easily claim victory, but I can assert that the Japanese army will pay an unimaginable price if they want to break through Hengyang!" Zhao Zili's words made the entire venue silent for a full minute.

No one would have thought that the chief of staff of a war zone would have such high regard for Tang Dao, a small regiment commander who had been silent for almost two years.

Although Zhao Zili openly put Fang Xianjue's return to the 10th Army as the top priority to greatly boost the morale of the 10th Army, the wise men present could all hear that in the mind of this Lieutenant General Chief of Staff, the Four-Line Regiment, no, to be more precise, the Tang Sword's participation in this battle was more important for him to have the confidence to defend Hengyang City.

“Everyone, maybe you think I’m going too far and praising a group leader a little too highly, but this is the fact.

Captain Tang Dao is the purest and most intelligent soldier I have ever met. More than half a year ago, he deduced with me the course of the Fourth Battle of Tanzhou and its inevitable defeat. I agreed with most of his guesses and assumptions, but I didn't think the situation would be that bad.

Even before the Japanese army launched the attack, Regiment Commander Tang Dao sent me a telegram, asking me to persuade Commander Xue to take it more seriously.

As the Japanese army entered Tanzhou, I regretted not fighting with Commander Xue again. Perhaps if I had tried harder, Tanzhou would not have ended up like this today. " Zhao Zili said sadly why he admired the Tang sword so much.

  The whole place was in an uproar!

Even Fang Xianjue, who had a calm expression, had his pupils shrink. He thought that Tang Dao argued with him only because the Battle of Central Henan had aroused his vigilance against the defense of the Hunan-Guangxi region. This was also within his guess. Unexpectedly, Tang Dao had actually simulated this battle last year.

  This is simply too unbelievable. His strategic acumen is comparable to that of Mr. Baili!

Of course, Zhao Ziling's words also indirectly told everyone present why he, the chief of staff of the theater, was exiled to Hengyang. It was because he had a dispute with General Xue over the tactical deployment of Tanzhou.

Everyone in the 10th Army has no good feelings towards their theater commander, but Zhao Zili's move has brought the generals of the 10th Army, including Fang Xianjue, closer together.

Zhao Junmai, who rarely spoke to express his opinions during the meeting, was the first to raise his hand to express his agreement that Tang Dao would serve as the Chief of Operations of the Hengyang Command.

He is also a very smart person. He also used this action to tell everyone present that it doesn't matter who the theater commander is. What matters is that I, the Hengyang Garrison Commander, have decided to advance and retreat together with everyone present. We are now people in the same trench.

What we need to do now is to unify our thoughts and work together to deal with the Japanese.

Regardless of whether it was done sincerely or forced, at least at the beginning of the Battle of Hengyang, the generals of the Hengyang Command had reached a preliminary consensus and were united. Even if they were not yet a solid foundation, they were much better than the extremely poor command system of Tanzhou City.

With the arrival of Tang Dao in the afternoon, Hengyang's war machine, which assembled 2 elite Chinese troops, was gradually turned on!