The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 504: Defending the City and Attacking with Mobile Force

After He Wei finished speaking, he saw that the officers in the conference room did not react, so he continued: "I think that the friendly 200th Division is a standard army field infantry division, with a large manpower and a large number of people, while the manpower of our assault corps is much smaller than that of the 200th Division, but in terms of automatic firepower and artillery firepower, our assault corps is slightly stronger, and the headquarters is smaller, so the command and maneuverability are more flexible. Because of the different characteristics of the two forces, I think that the brothers of the 200th Division are more suitable to stay in Nanning and perform the task of defending and guarding, while our assault corps is more suitable to take the initiative and advance to the Qinzhou-Beihai line with the cooperation of tanks, and can support Qinzhou's coastal defense or retreat to Nanning."

“If the Japanese army really lands in Qinzhou and Beihai, the forward troops will fully cooperate with the local friendly forces to resist the Japanese attack and delay the Japanese attack. Once the situation is not favorable for our forward troops, our forward troops will retreat to Nanning and resist and consume the Japanese army's manpower along the way. After the Japanese army reaches Nanning, our forward troops will defend Nanning with the remaining troops and rely on the strong city to defend the position and deal with the Japanese army.”

After He Wei finished speaking, there was still silence in the conference room. The officers of the 200th Division, starting from Dai Anlan, were silent and thoughtful, because they really could not find any faults in the combat plan proposed by He Wei. As He Wei said, the 200th Division had a large organization, with four infantry regiment-level units and a number of directly affiliated units in its battle sequence, with a total strength of over . The troops were sufficient in strength, and the number of troops was much greater than that of the assault corps.

But apart from the troop strength, the 200th Division is inferior to the Assault Corps in many other aspects. First, the Assault Corps is organized in the framework of Corps-Battalion-Company. Therefore, although it has a lot of troops, the organizational structure of the troops is relatively simple. It is indeed much more flexible to command than the 200th Division, a standard field infantry division, not to mention the firepower.

During the contacts over the past few days, the officers of the 200th Division have gained a real understanding of the excellence of the equipment of the Assault Corps. Its infantry automatic firepower and artillery firepower are both superior to those of the 200th Division, and are much stronger than those of the 200th Division. The weapons and equipment of the units at all levels of the Assault Corps even made the officers of the 200th Division feel ashamed.

Obviously, the assault corps, with its small organization, flexible command and strong firepower, is undoubtedly more suitable for the forward mission. After all, the forward troops need to start from Nanning and maneuver forward along the highway between Nanning and Qinzhou. The 200th Division's huge troop structure is obviously not as good as the assault corps in doing this job, and it is more suitable for staying in Nanning to defend.

The officers of the 200th Division knew the characteristics of their own troops and had no objection to the battle plan proposed by He Wei, but they were still a little unhappy. After all, the 200th Division belonged to the 5th Army, the top elite force of the National Army, and the officers of the 200th Division were also proud of it, always having a mentality of being the best in the world.

Now the Assault Corps is asked to carry out the slightly high-profile mission of advancing, while the 200th Division can only stay in Nanning to defend, which makes people feel a little unhappy.

Of course, they only grumbled a few words in their hearts about their dissatisfaction, and they dared not show it. After all, He Wei was the deputy commander of the advance detachment into Guangxi and had a special identity, so his weight was very heavy.

Even the experienced and steady commander of the 200th Division, Dai Anlan, felt some regret and bitterness at this time.

But he also knew that the battle plan proposed by He Wei was the most feasible and the most in line with the actual situation. The 200th Division made preparations to hold on to the spot, and He Wei led the forward troops to strengthen the coastal defense. Once the Japanese army launched a landing operation and planned to attack Nanning, the forward troops would resist with all their might, blocking the enemy layer by layer, constantly consuming the enemy, and delaying the Japanese army until they retreated to Nanning. Then all the troops of the advance detachment would rely on Nanning to defend it. This was actually the most appropriate tactic at the moment.

Dai Anlan's eyes tightened as he looked at the battle map on the table thoughtfully. After a moment, he said firmly, "I agree!"

Then, Dai Anlan said, "Then the battle plan framework of our advance detachment will be formulated based on the idea just proposed by Deputy Commander He. Our 200th Division will stay in Nanning and I will command them to prepare for the defense. The Assault Corps and the 1st Combat Battalion will all move forward to the Beihai line in Qinzhou to strengthen the coastal defense. Deputy Commander He will be in charge of the forward troops. The remaining troops of our 200th Division must also survey the terrain of Nanning as soon as possible and formulate a defense plan."

After that, Dai Anlan looked at the 200th Division Chief of Staff Colonel Zhang Zhige and said, "Chief of Staff, the military situation is urgent. We must start formulating our defense plan from today. After the meeting, you will gather the staff officers and cadres in the division. I will personally take you to inspect the terrain and formulate a defense plan."

"Yes!"

Zhang Zhige stood up and stood at attention.

At this time, He Wei smiled at Dai Anlan and said, "Commander Dai, the forward troops I command emphasize mobility. Since I want to lead them to maneuver forward and strengthen coastal defense, the troops must be as light as possible. Moreover, once the Japanese army invades Nanning with heavy troops, my troops must return to defend Nanning after resisting on the periphery. In this way, I will leave the artillery battalion of my corps behind to cooperate with the brothers of the 200th Division to stay in Nanning and prepare for long-term defense." "In addition, my corps will transfer 200 yuan of French currency funds to the th Division for the needs of rectifying the city defense."

When the officers of the 200th Division heard that He Wei was going to leave the artillery battalion of the assault corps behind, their eyes lit up. They were very envious of the artillery battalion of the assault corps. The artillery battalion consisted of three mountain artillery companies and one field artillery company, with a total of twenty-four mountain and field artillery pieces. It could be considered a small artillery regiment, which was stronger than the artillery firepower of the entire Fifth Army. He Wei's decision to leave the artillery battalion in Nanning and temporarily place it under the command of the 200th Division was also a sign of full cooperation and unity with the 200th Division.

As for He Wei's "tycoon behavior" of generously donating money to the 200th Division, the officers of the 200th Division could only sigh at the Assault Corps' affluence.

"Okay, then I won't be polite. The artillery battalion will stay, and I will generously accept the money."

Dai Anlan said with a smile.

At this time, Wang Yuanling, the chief of staff of the assault corps, also said: "Captain, why not leave some staff members in the staff office of my corps to cooperate with the 200th Division to formulate a battle plan to defend Nanning."

He Wei immediately understood Wang Yuanling's intention and left some staff members of the assault corps behind. On the one hand, they were to assist the 200th Division in formulating a defense plan for Nanning. On the other hand, they were to prepare for the withdrawal of the forward troops under He Wei's command to Nanning and to jointly defend Nanning with the 200th Division. He Wei then said to Dai Anlan, "Commander Dai, I will also leave some staff members of the assault corps to assist your unit. What do you think?"

"can."

If some of the staff officers of the assault corps could stay behind, it would be of great benefit to the formulation of the combat plan of the defending troops. Therefore, Dai Anlan readily agreed to Wang Yuanling's opinion without much thought. Then, Dai Anlan looked at Deng Zhizhuang, director of the Nanning Military and Police Inspection Department.

"Director Deng, we hope you can fully assist us in setting up our defenses this time. After all, we are new here and don't know much about the local situation in Nanning. The defense of Nanning is of great importance. The military police battalion, police and militia under your command are also very important forces. I hope you can mobilize these officers and soldiers to help us consolidate the defense of Nanning."

Deng Zhizhuang, who was daydreaming, was stunned for a moment, then said, "Of course, of course, our Nanning Military Police Force and local teams will fully cooperate. Fully cooperate."

In this way, the preliminary combat plan of the Central Army's advance detachment into Guangxi was finalized. The specific contents are as follows: First, the advance detachment into Guangxi was temporarily divided into two parts: a garrison force and a mobile force. Among them, the garrison force was composed of the 200th Army Division and the artillery battalion of the Army Assault Corps. Its task was to make preparations for garrisoning in Nanning, build strong fortifications, and prepare to defend the city. It was under the unified command of Dai Anlan, commander of the advance detachment into Guangxi.

Second: The advance force is composed of the Army Assault Corps (minus the artillery battalion), the 1st Tank Battalion of the Advance Detachment, the Tank Transport Company, and the Tank Repair Team, and is commanded by He Wei, the deputy commander of the Advance Detachment to Guangxi. It will advance along the highway from Nanning to Qinzhou, and advance to the line between Qinzhou and Beihai to strengthen the coastal defense there. Once the Japanese army lands there, it will block them layer by layer and resist them step by step to delay the Japanese offensive as much as possible. When the situation is irresistible, it will retreat to Nanning and cooperate with the defending troops to rely on Nanning to defend.

Third: Nanning’s local military police, military police, militia and other local teams must fully cooperate in strengthening defense.

(End of this chapter)