PFC Chapter 197: Hatan prepares to steal chicken
Chapter 197: Hatan prepares to steal chicken
In Wuhan City, the commander-in-chief of the Fifth War Zone was under great pressure. The Japanese troops in the east had been unable to break through the Madang Fortress and could only hope for an attack from the Dabie Mountains in the north. The defenders of the Fifth War Zone were under tremendous pressure, especially in the Zhugan River Gorge. Because of its flat terrain, it became an important attack point for the Japanese army. With hundreds of aircraft bombing every day and hundreds of heavy artillery of more than 75 caliber, the canyon defense line was in jeopardy.
Although the Japanese supply line was very long, once the Jinpu Line was opened up, supplies were transported continuously from Lu'an west of Hefei to Guangshan, so they did not have to worry about supplies at all. The special operations teams of the Fifth War Zone were all busy on the line from Lu'an to Guangshan. Although they successfully destroyed some supplies, the Japanese strengthened their guards and the opportunities became fewer and fewer.
The commanders-in-chief of the Fifth and Ninth War Zones were worried about the defense of the Dabie Mountains. The troops had suffered heavy casualties. If no measures were taken, they might not be able to hold out for more than a week. Once the Japanese army broke through the gorge, Wuhan would soon face direct Japanese artillery fire.
"Brother Cixiu, mobilize the troops! We don't need you to guard the river valley, but the entrance to Luwang Town must be blocked in advance. Two armies, only two armies are needed, but the selection of troops must be carefully considered."
Chen Cheng was a little hesitant. The mission of the Ninth War Zone was to defend both sides of the Yangtze River. To transfer troops to the southern foot of Dabie Mountains, he had to get the old man's consent. Transferring two armies at random might not be able to guard the exit. If he really had to transfer his own troops there, he would feel reluctant to do so. That canyon was a meat grinder, and no matter how many troops went in, it would not be enough to fill it.
"Report"!
"Come in".
Li Yunyan pushed the door open and saw Commander Chen Cheng with a hesitant look on her face.
"What's the matter? Just say it."
"Report to the Commander-in-Chief, a cold call came in."
Li Zongren felt some hope in his heart. If it wasn't something important, Leng Qiang wouldn't contact him on his own initiative. He hoped it was related to his defense line!
He took the message, confirmed the seal, tore it open and began to read it.
"it is good"!
Chen Cheng had just brought the cup to his lips when he was startled by Li Zongren's shout. His hands trembled and the tea spilled. He quickly put the cup down and wiped the tea off his body:
"Brother Delin, do you have any good news about Leng Qiang? My military uniform is not cheap. If you don't give me an explanation, you will have to compensate me with a first-class general's uniform."
"Brother Cixiu, look for yourself! A cold gun is coming to our rescue from thousands of miles away."
"Where is the rescue? I must meet him this time and ask him how he determined the situation in Anqing and Madang."
Chen Cheng took the telegram and read it carefully:
"Well, many unfinished tasks of the guerrillas in northern Jiangsu and southern Anhui were easily solved by Leng Qiang. Brother Delin, I am very envious!"
"Ci Xiu, you can only take a breath of relief, the pressure is still too great"!
Li Zongren looked at Li Yunyan:
"Orders, send a telegram to the 3rd Army and the 22nd Army. The Japanese supply lines have been cut off and the fighter planes will arrive soon. Order the two units to strengthen their defenses and be ready to attack at any time. When the time comes, drive the Japanese out of the Zhugan River Gorge. Send a telegram to the 20th Army to move eastward from Xinyang and advance to Lingshan. Once the battle in the gorge becomes intense, quickly block the Japanese army's retreat and close the door to fight the enemy."
After giving the order, I was a little worried about the 20th Army:
"Send a telegram to Chongqing, and pass on the message of the cold gun and my orders secretly. I believe they will understand what I mean."
Chen Cheng found Li Zongren's second telegram somewhat amusing and felt sympathy for a few seconds. It was really worrying to have a subordinate who was not very obedient!
Since the destruction of the Japanese army in Pingyi City and the rout of the Japanese army in Mengyin City, the area within a hundred miles of Mengshan has become peaceful. The surrounding Japanese troops all retreated, retreating to the Jinpu Line in the west, retreating to Xintai in the northwest, and defending Linyi City in the south.
The more the Japanese army retreated, the tighter the front line became. Chen Feng would never let them get so comfortable. The Yimeng guerrillas, in platoons, still insisted on destroying the Jinpu Line. They set out on two horses in the afternoon, blew up the line in the early morning, and then quickly withdrew. The guerrillas were no longer satisfied with the railway line between Teng County and Zou County. Teng County to Lincheng, Lincheng to Xuzhou, and even the northern line from Zou County to Tai'an all became targets of guerrilla attacks.
The Washizu Division became a firefighter, and wherever there was destruction, they would be there to put out the fire. The southwestern Shandong guerrillas that had been cleared out began to reappear, and the remaining troops emerged from the reed marshes one after another, calling on friends and summoning their subordinates who had hidden their identities, and began a frantic revenge against the traitors, killing them, stealing their guns and food. As soon as the team was formed, it also joined the attack on the Jinpu Line.
Coincidentally, the guerrillas in Huaibei and southern Anhui also changed their strategy. Why bother to deal with the Japanese strongholds? The railway line is so long, they can just find a place, bury explosives, blow it up and run away. Who can catch them, right?
From Shandong to Anhui, the entire Jinpu Line was in flames. Three or five guerrillas caused limited damage to the railway, but the damage caused by thirty or fifty guerrillas made the Japanese army extremely anxious. The Red Guerrillas in southern Anhui mobilized the masses and even accomplished the feat of stripping off three kilometers of tracks in one night.
Chongqing issued a commendation order, which was rather general, praising all the armed forces behind enemy lines that destroyed the Jinpu Line. There was no promotion, no monetary reward, and even no one could clearly explain the commendation. But such a commendation order made the guerrillas on the Jinpu Line like they were injected with chicken blood, and all they could see were railway lines and tracks.
The Jinpu Line was completely cut off. The root of everything was the cold gun. It was so hateful. We had originally thought of dealing with them after the Battle of Wuhan, but since they were seeking death on their own initiative, they must be destroyed. A large number of Japanese troops were assembled in Anqing, but they were unable to break through the Ma'an River Defense. The 70,000 to 80,000 Japanese troops could only stay on the line from Anqing to Tongling.
After unanimous consultation, the North China Expeditionary Army Command and the Central China Expeditionary Army Command decided to send the Hata Detachment in Tongling City to encircle and suppress the Mengshan guerrillas. Firstly, considering that the Hata Detachment failed to steal the chicken in Anqing and instead lost two thousand troops, their morale was low; secondly, if troops were transferred from Tongling, Mengshan would never expect that they could play the role of a surprise force. Most importantly, whether they were there or not would have almost no impact on the Battle of Wuhan.
Chen Feng's butterfly wings have disturbed another piece of history. The Hata Detachment, which had shined in the Battle of Wuhan, ended its autumn offensive ahead of schedule and prepared to launch a surprise attack in the Yimeng Mountains to annihilate the Yimeng guerrillas.
A team of 8,000 people set out from Tongling, passed through Hefei but did not enter, and avoided all the spies of the Kuomintang government. In a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops, no one cared about the fate of an understaffed detachment. However, when passing through southern Anhui, it attracted the attention of the southern Anhui Red Guerrillas.
An army of 8,000 men broke away from the battlefield at a critical moment in the Battle of Wuhan and rushed northward. The news was reported to all levels, and Yan'an concluded that this force of Japanese troops was heading for the guerrillas in southern Anhui and northern Jiangsu, aiming to eliminate the guerrillas and reopen the Jinpu Line. They reminded the guerrillas along the way to avoid the enemy's edge and keep a close eye on them.
Two days later, the information sent by the Suzhou guerrillas made the bosses restless. This group of Japanese troops did not deal with the guerrillas, turned a blind eye to the railway line, did not enter any city, passed Suzhou, hid during the day and marched at night. It was too strange. They must have ulterior motives. After several hours of discussion, the bosses concluded that the target of this group of Japanese troops was most likely the Yimeng guerrillas, the team behind enemy lines, and they were the only ones worthy of the encirclement and suppression of 8,000 troops.
After only ten minutes of discussion in the meeting, Yan'an decided to remind the Yimeng guerrillas. A telegram was sent to the Lunan Detachment in Nishan, and the task was given to Yang Qingfeng, who had some friendship with Leng Qiang.