Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Meishan Town, headquarters of the Loyal Rescue Army.

Zhang Anping stayed in the command center, his eyes fixed on the map on the wall.

The staff officers were busy in the office, but without Chief of Staff Tan Zhongshu in charge, much of their busyness was simply for the sake of being busy.

Zhang Anping was a man of sharp ears and eyes, so he naturally knew that the staff officers were slacking off, but he pretended not to know and kept his eyes fixed on the map.

After a long while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "No news yet from the Subei Column?"

As of this time, the information the Zhongjiu Army Headquarters had was:

Deputy Commander Han has led 10,000 of his men into the Shanzitou front line. The staff also agree with Deputy Commander Han's assessment, believing that the New Fourth Army is very likely to have set up an ambush in the Shanzitou area. They believe that Deputy Commander Han's move to lead his troops in a breakthrough is intended to hold back the New Fourth Army.

Zhang Anping's apparent concern was naturally for Deputy Commander Han, but in fact, his real worry was whether the New Fourth Army could pull the teeth out of the tiger's mouth and eat up Han's invading force before the Subei Column arrived.

It is obvious that under the current situation, the Subei Column is a very, very important trump card. If the Subei Column can reach the Shanzitou area within a few hours, the New Fourth Army's encirclement and annihilation of the Han army will be tantamount to failure.

Not only would it be a failure, but the time wasted in encircling and annihilating Han's troops would cause the New Fourth Army to be caught up in Han's troops and the Subei Column. Once the three columns from the other three command posts arrived, it would be a chaotic battle - this was the situation that Zhang Anping least wanted to see.

Even though the current situation was created by him, and even though he firmly believed that the New Fourth Army with two re-equipped brigades and several more troops would be able to wipe out Han's army within ten hours, when it really came to this critical moment, he was still uneasy.

Of course, he was not without a backup plan - he could interfere with the itinerary of the Subei Column at a critical moment to buy time for the New Fourth Army. This was also the reason why he had always been concerned about the news of the Subei Column.

But in the eyes of the staff, this was naturally because Commander Zhang was worried about the war situation.

Well, I am indeed worried about the war situation.

"No."

The answer was as expected. Zhang Anping didn't say anything, but just continued to frown.

At this moment, the signalman suddenly shouted: "Deputy Commander Han's telegram!"

It's fighting!

Zhang Anping held his breath: "Read it!"

The staff officer quickly read out: "Our troops encountered an ambush as expected. We have now launched a defensive operation. Please order the Subei Column to speed up its march."

Zhang Anping immediately asked, "Has the Subei Column still not been contacted?"

The staff officer was indifferent.

Zhang Anping clenched his fist. At this moment, another signalman stood up and shouted:
"Telegram from the Subei Column!"

Zhang Anping looked solemn:
"Read!"

"When our troops arrived at Lianshui, we encountered a large group of Japanese and puppet troops near Batan Town. We are now engaged in a fierce battle and can no longer reach Lianshui on time."

Zhang Anping's eyes widened at this moment, trying to hide his inner ecstasy - Damn, they are worthy of being the loyal soldiers he brought out, they are so helpful at the critical moment!
According to the previous marching speed, the Subei Column should have arrived in Lianshui at this time. Lianshui is less than 60 miles away from Shanzitou area. Once the Subei Column appears in Lianshui, it will inevitably seriously affect the New Fourth Army's annihilation operation against Han's troops.

This is also the reason why Zhang Anping has been worried. He has even made preparations in his mind. Once the Subei Column arrives in Lianshui, he will order the Subei Column to temporarily rest for several hours. The reason is that the Subei Column has traveled a long distance and it will be difficult to exert its combat effectiveness if it rashly enters the battlefield.

But if such an order was really issued, although he could explain it, he would inevitably be speculated in the future, which would be disadvantageous in the end.

But this is also a last resort.

Unexpectedly, the Subei Column was more powerful than before and fought against the Japanese and puppet troops at a critical moment. Zhang Anping did not believe in coincidences, but rather believed that this was a deliberate delay.

Zhang Anping ordered angrily:
"Send a telegram to the Subei Column immediately. Leave one unit behind to cover the retreat, and the rest of you rush to Lianshui regardless of everything! Deputy Commander Han is trapped in a tight encirclement, and the Subei Column must arrive on time!"

The signalman wanted to send a message, but a staff officer stopped him:

"District Commander, the battle situation in Batan Town is unclear. If you give orders rashly, it is very likely that the Subei Column will be put in danger. Please think twice!"

Zhang Anping was shocked by the staff officer's words. He took a deep breath and said, "Don't send this letter yet - ask the Subei Column about the enemy's situation and whether they can send troops to cover the main force and leave the battlefield to continue heading towards Lianshui."

"Yes!"

The sound of beeping carried Zhang Anping's order. Before the Subei Column could reply, a telegram from the Korean unit suddenly made the atmosphere in the headquarters become strange.

Just listen to the staff officer's quick report:
"Commander, Deputy Commander Han has reported that the positions on the left and right wings have collapsed, and the main position is being attacked by the fleeing soldiers. He will lead his troops to fight to the death. I hope our army will quickly reinforce them."

Zhang Anping was stunned on the spot.

I am really confused - it has been less than an hour since the battle broke out, less than an hour, and you tell me that the left and right positions have collapsed, leaving only one main position?

He overestimated the combat effectiveness of Han's troops, so he gave the New Fourth Army more than ten hours.

As a result, in less than an hour, the left and right positions collapsed, and the main position was attacked by the fleeing soldiers?

He wanted to sing out loud - It is against the will of heaven that the Kuomintang survives!

Even if there are thousands of pigs, it won't take an hour to kill them all, right?

Zhang Anping's face was filled with horror at this moment, and he shouted:

"Send a telegram to the Subei Column. Don't worry about the Japanese and puppet troops. Leave a part of the troops to cover the retreat! Even if all of them are killed, they must immediately support Deputy Commander Han - four hours, only give them four hours. If they cannot reach Shanzitou to rescue Deputy Commander Han within four hours, everyone in the Subei Column will be beheaded!"

"Send a telegram to Deputy Commander Han and tell him that within four hours, the Subei Column will overcome all difficulties and will fight to the death to show up at the top of the mountain even if it means vomiting blood! Tell him to hold on, he must hold on!"

Zhang Anping's eyes were red, like a wild beast ready to devour someone.

The staff officers in the command center were already speechless with shock at the news.

Han's troops had about tens of thousands of people in Shanzitou. Even if the 3rd Security Column and the 6th Independent Brigade were a bunch of pigs, there were more than 2,000 people directly under Deputy Commander Han's military headquarters. How was it possible that the left and right positions were breached in less than an hour?
To put it bluntly, even if the left and right positions were piled up with tofu, seven or eight thousand people relying on this mountain of tofu would not collapse so quickly!
Seeing that Zhang Anping was about to issue such a crazy order, a staff officer came back to his senses from the shock and exclaimed: "Chief District Officer, Chief District Officer, you can't give such an order!"

Zhang Anping stared at the staff officer who gave him advice with red eyes.

The staff officer was frightened by Zhang Anping's aura, and after swallowing hard, he said:
"Commander, if, if Deputy Commander Han's troops can't hold out for four hours, the Subei Column will just be throwing away their lives if they rush!"

"By then, there will be Japanese and puppet troops behind us and the New Fourth Army in front of us. This is where the Subei Column will die!" Zhang Anping was stunned.

These words were like a bucket of cold water pouring down upon Zhang Anping's heart - but the fact was that Zhang Anping had long thought of such an outcome. If the staff officers could not speak out against it, he would also revoke the order. His real purpose was only to give this order out.

Although this order has not been issued, it still needs to be archived. When investigating later, Zhang Anping's attitude can naturally be seen from these orders.

Zhang Anping fell silent.

After a chilling silence, Zhang Anping said in a serious tone:
"Deputy Commander Han is in danger. The blame lies with me. Nothing must happen to Deputy Commander Han. Report this matter immediately to the Third War Zone Headquarters. Ask the headquarters to sternly question why the New Fourth Army attacked and annihilated friendly forces."

"Give the Subei Column an ​​order to get rid of the entanglement with the Japanese and puppet troops as quickly as possible and station them in Lianshui!"

"Order the three columns of East Zhejiang, North Zhejiang and South Zhejiang to immediately speed up their march to southern Jiangsu and cooperate with the 5th Division and the 192nd Division to launch operations against southern Jiangsu."

The last order is incomprehensible. We are clearly fighting in Huaibei now, so how does it involve southern Jiangsu?
Zhang Anping saw the staff officer who was writing the order hesitate after finishing writing it, and said angrily: "What are you still standing there for? Translate the telegram and send it!"

The staff officer was startled and immediately said, "Yes."

Although Zhang Anping looked like he was about to explode at this moment, he was extremely relaxed in his heart. He figured that no matter how strong the troops directly under Deputy Commander Han were at fighting, there would be no possibility of a comeback. It was more likely that a part of them would cover Deputy Commander Han's escape and the rest would be taken prisoner - the positions on the left and right wings fell in less than an hour, so it seemed that the loss of Han's troops should not be too great.

This way of fighting was actually what he would like to see most, ending this climax with limited casualties, and then honestly pointing the blade at the Japanese devils. This result was wonderful.

But reality is always more magical than imagination!

Less than forty minutes after receiving the news from Han's troops that the left and right positions had fallen, and less than twenty minutes after Zhang Anping ordered the battle of southern Jiangsu to start as soon as possible, Han's troops sent another telegram.

"Read!"

Zhang Anping thought that it was Deputy Commander Han who was cursing at him and prepared himself to be scolded, but the message read out by the staff officer made the atmosphere in the headquarters become strange again.

The staff officer quickly read:
"General Zhang Shihao, Commander Han has accepted our invitation to be our guest. Mi Gu."

Zhang Anping was confused again.

He stared blankly at the staff officer, whose scalp was numb from Zhang Anping's gaze, and he stammered:
"District Chief, is this a wrong translation?"

Zhang Anping ignored the staff officer's words, but suddenly laughed, then kicked the chair in front of him away, then walked out of the command center with a smile.

The staff officer with good hearing vaguely heard:
"Ten thousand pigs, I'm afraid we can't catch them all in an hour and a half? The Eighty-ninth Army is made of water!"

The staff officers looked at each other.

To be honest, they couldn't believe that such a thing could happen. The New Fourth Army fought a war of annihilation against more than 10,000 people in just one and a half hours? And they even captured the commander!

If you said this was a myth, you could believe it, but...how could it happen?

……

The news that Han's troops were annihilated in one hour and Deputy Commander Han was captured quickly spread to the Third War Zone, the headquarters of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the attendant's room.

Third War Zone Headquarters.

"Han Chuzhen (character), ah Han Chuzhen, more than 10,000 people were wiped out in an hour and a half. You have fought for more than 20 years in vain!"

The Third War Zone Command was furious at the news.

Zhang Anping's combat plan had been approved by the Third War Zone. After all, the 89th Army was a unit directly under the Third War Zone. How could it cooperate with Zhang Anping without the consent of the Third War Zone Command?
Although there were some problems along the way, which forced the auxiliary 89th Army to take the lead, this shouldn't have been the outcome now!
More than 10,000 people were gone in just an hour and a half. Who would believe this if I told others about it?

But after scolding Han Chuzhen, the Third War Zone had to face the current mess.

"What does Zhang Shihao mean?"

"Commander Zhang has ordered the Zhejiang Loyal Rescue Army to speed up its advance to southern Jiangsu. I think Commander Zhang means that they have lost their masters in Huaibei and must get back their position in southern Jiangsu. However, it is more likely that he wants to get more bargaining chips to facilitate negotiations with the New Fourth Army."

With the annihilation of more than 89 Han troops and the capture of Han Chuzhen, the combat intention against Siyang has been declared a failure - the remaining people of the th Army will never attack again without the leadership of Han Chuzhen. The New Fourth Army was able to wipe out more than Han troops in just over an hour, and its strength was beyond expectations. In this case, even if the forces of the four headquarters of the Loyalty Rescue Army were gathered together, they would certainly not have the confidence to win openly.

Although the 89th Army only lost forces directly under the military headquarters, the 89th Army has a strong personal color. Without Han Chuzhen, it cannot be commanded at all. Moreover, Han Chuzhen is still in the hands of the New Fourth Army, so it is even less likely that the 89th Army can play a supporting role.

Therefore, the Huaibei combat intention completely failed.

The complete failure of the Huaibei operation also meant the failure of the operational goal of blocking and annihilating the New Fourth Army. Since it was impossible to reconquer the New Fourth Army, there was no benefit in continuing the confrontation.

The most sensible way is naturally to give up the encirclement and suppression at this moment.

But from the above conversation, it can be seen that Zhang Anping did not want to give up the battle in southern Jiangsu, most likely because he was still brooding over the defeat in Huaibei.

"Since Zhang Shihao wants to fight, then continue fighting in Southern Jiangsu!"

The Third War Zone is full of old foxes, and seeing that Zhang Shihao was so foolishly getting carried away, they just went with the flow - the encirclement and suppression of the New Fourth Army was originally decided by the Military Affairs Office, and now that Zhang Shihao is willing to take on the responsibility, then let him do it!
"Telegram to the 5th and 192nd Divisions to continue advancing and follow Zhang Shihao's orders to cooperate with the Loyal Rescue Army in combat."

The Third War Zone did not believe that the battle in southern Jiangsu would fail. After all, the New Fourth Army had limited manpower. Since they could easily pull the tiger's teeth out of the tiger's mouth in Huaibei, the strength in southern Jiangsu must be relatively weak.

What's more, there are three columns of the Zhongjiu Army, so Sunan should gain the advantage.

But the idea is beautiful, the reality is cruel!
After the Shanzitou Battle ended, Southern Jiangsu immediately launched an offensive, targeting the 5th and 192nd Divisions.

The vanguards of the 5th Division and the 192nd Division encountered the New Fourth Army, and two encounter battles began. The New Fourth Army launched an active attack with inferior forces, and the vanguards of the 5th Division and the 192nd Division were defeated one after another. After losing more than a thousand people, the two divisions immediately ran back dozens of miles and fell into the arms of the main forces of the two divisions.

Zhang Anping, who had already suffered a great defeat at Shanzitou, sent more than ten telegrams in succession to angrily denounce the 5th and 192nd Divisions for their greed for merit and reckless advance, and for rashly attacking without waiting for the arrival of the Loyal Rescue Army. He then ordered them to wait on the spot.

However, the two divisions were frightened by the combat effectiveness displayed by the New Fourth Army. They ignored Zhang Anping's orders and turned around and ran. By the time the three headquarters of the Loyalty Rescue Army arrived in southern Jiangsu, the two divisions had already turned back and ran back to the defense zone of the Third War Zone.

At this point, the two battlefields in the north and south formed a situation where the Zhongjiu Army confronted the New Fourth Army.

However, the Zhongjiu Army, which had rushed to the scene eagerly, was trapped in the dilemma of being isolated and helpless, whether on the southern or northern fronts - the 89th Army, which served as an auxiliary on the northern front, had all retreated, and the two divisions on the southern front had also returned to the Third War Zone. Even Wang Zhonglian's troops, whose vanguard was almost reaching Lingbi, retreated in disgrace.

Only the Loyal Rescue Army, after an arduous march, ran to the battlefield to "fight" alone.

At this moment, facing this dilemma, Zhang Anping vomited blood and lamented:
"This defeat is not due to war's fault!" (End of this chapter)