HCB Chapter 116 Heading North?
Chapter 116 Heading North?
At noon on July 31, 1937, the superior and his wife hosted Ambassador Hu, Mei Yiqi, Zhang Bolin, Tao Xisheng, and Chen Bulei for dinner at Lushan. During the meal, the superior told everyone that he had decided to fight against Japan. When everyone asked about the army's preparations, the superior said that based on the current inventory of weapons and ammunition, they could fight for six months.
That evening, all the officers of the 102nd Division listened to the speech of the superiors through the radio in the operations hall of the division headquarters. In his speech, the superiors publicly issued a "Letter to All Soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War" and said in his speech: "Since there is no hope for peace, we have no choice but to fight to the end." This reflected that the superiors had given up the idea of preventing Japan from invading China through negotiations and were ready to start fighting Japan with all their strength.
After delivering the speech, the person in charge returned to the reception room of the residence and asked the guards to call Deputy Minister Chen of the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs.
"Hello, your superiors." Deputy Director Chen came to the superiors' meeting room with a stack of envelopes in his hand.
The person above put down the cup in his hand, smiled and waved to Deputy Director Chen, asked him to come to the map of China hanging on the wall, and asked: "Deputy Director Chen, please choose one, North China or Shanghai."
Deputy Minister Chen understood that the people above were asking him which region the National Government should choose for a decisive battle with the Japanese army. Since the people above had already decided to go to war with Japan, they would definitely have to fight a big battle, otherwise they would not be able to explain to the people and the morale of the army would be unstable.
If we look at the current situation, it is more appropriate to choose North China. Compared with North China, Shanghai can be described as easy to attack but difficult to defend.
First of all, Shanghai is located on the southeast coast of China and is not a strategic hub of the Chinese mainland. It is not as good as Xuzhou to the north, let alone the three towns. In this sense, Shanghai's strategic position is far from comparable to that of North China.
Secondly, from the perspective of terrain, the Shanghai area is close to the coast, and inland is a narrow area with flat terrain and crisscrossing river networks, which is very unfavorable for the deployment of large troops.
Thirdly, due to the influence of the Shanghai Incident in 1932, the Japanese army stationed several thousand marines in Shanghai, and had an absolute advantage in the navy and air force, so it was easy to land in Shanghai, and it was very beneficial for the Japanese army to play the role of joint operations of the army, navy and air force. In this case, the Chinese army not only had to face the heavy bombing of the Japanese army and air force, but also had to face the huge artillery of the heavy warships of the Japanese Maritime Combined Fleet.
Finally, and most importantly, Shanghai is close to the mouth of the Yangtze River, forming a "convex shape". For the Japanese Navy, suitable landing locations can be found everywhere. If the Japanese army lands again, it is possible to cut off the retreat of the Chinese combat forces in Shanghai, thus gaining the upper hand in future battles in Shanghai.
Therefore, it can be said that if a decisive battle is launched in Shanghai, it will be extremely advantageous to the Japanese army, but extremely disadvantageous to the Chinese army. It can be said that it is a difficult battle to attack the Japanese invaders' strengths with one's own weaknesses. From a tactical point of view, compared with North China, Shanghai is a poisonous chicken rib, not only tasteless, but also can kill people.
However, even so, Deputy Minister Chen still said to his superiors in a decisive manner: "Sir, I think we should have a decisive battle with the Japanese invaders in Shanghai."
The person above turned his eyes away from the map on the wall, looked at Deputy Director Chen with burning eyes and said, "Oh? Deputy Director Chen, tell me what you think."
Deputy Minister Chen walked to the map, picked up a command pole and explained to the map of China: "Sir, at present, it is certain that the war between us and the Japanese army in North China will expand. Judging from the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, it is estimated that they will soon make rapid progress in North China. If the Japanese army wins in North China, they can choose to attack Shanxi to the west, and then attack Shaanxi through Shanxi, and then go south from Hanzhong to directly attack the Bashu area of China. Or the Japanese army is more likely to concentrate its superior forces and go south along the Pinghan Line to directly attack the three towns in the geographical center of China. Both possibilities are not good results for our government. Since the Japanese army has a strong motorized force, if they sit north and south and calmly attack our southern provinces, our army will only be more passive."
After listening to what Deputy Minister Chen said, the superior did not speak, but was thinking about Deputy Minister Chen's analysis and judgment. Deputy Minister Chen looked at the superior, and then continued to talk to the map: "I think that if the Japanese army occupies North China, it is most likely to choose to attack the three towns directly to the south. If the three towns are taken, the Japanese army can control the transportation hub in Central China, and can spy on the provinces in the rear such as Sichuan and Sichuan to the west, and can capture the main force of our Chinese army to the east for a decisive battle. If the Japanese army advances according to this step, their clamoring attempt to destroy our China in three months may really come true. Because the Japanese army successfully occupied the three towns from north to south, then the Japanese army will cooperate with the army and navy to control the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and it will be difficult for our government's industries in Shanghai and Nanjing to migrate smoothly to the rear. Without industry and finance and taxation, the government will find it difficult to support it for a long time."
"Therefore, I believe that we must take the initiative to launch a large-scale attack in Shanghai to attract the main force of the Japanese army from North China. This will delay the time for the Japanese army to attack the three towns to the maximum extent, and create time and space for the government to transfer personnel and industrial settings to the rear area. Moreover, I believe that this is a good opportunity to change the overall situation of China and Japan. We cannot fight according to the offensive route planned by the Japanese army. We need to change the Japanese army's original "north to south" attack strategy to "east to west". In this way, the Japanese army's attack from east to west will become very difficult as it penetrates into the hinterland of China. Because the terrain of our country is high in the west and low in the east, Guanzhong and Bashu form a system that can attack or defend. The East China region where Shanghai is located is densely populated with swamps, which is not conducive to the advancement of the Japanese mechanized forces to the hinterland of Central China. I believe that as long as we can persist in Shanghai for three months, we can buy time for the establishment of the rear area and the migration of human and material resources. And this can also ensure the implementation of the government's protracted operations."
After Deputy Minister Chen finished talking about the military plan, he saw the people above him staring at the Shanghai area on the map, so he thought for a while and said, "Sir, I have also considered that Shanghai is a large international city, and various countries have their own concessions in Shanghai. If China attacks the Japanese army in Shanghai, it can win sympathy and even interference from various countries. In addition, the southeast region is rich and is the main source of tax burden for our government. We must transfer this wealth as much as possible."
After listening to Deputy Minister Chen's analysis, the person above nodded in agreement and said, "Deputy Minister Chen, you are right. The country is weak. The government was originally planning to reorganize the army, but the Japanese did not give us the time. I have asked Zhang Wenbai to be in charge of the offensive command in Shanghai. In addition, your idea is basically consistent with Brother Baili's judgment."
When Deputy Minister Chen heard that the superiors were also ready to fight a decisive battle with the Japanese army in Shanghai, he happily took out the stack of letters he had been holding since entering the room and said, "Sir, this is the letter of request from all the officers and soldiers of the 18th Army that Commander Luo asked me to pass on. It has the signatures and handprints of every soldier. They request the Military Commission to send them to the front line to fight the Japanese."
The superior took the envelopes from Deputy Chief Chen's hand with shining eyes, and carefully opened each envelope to read the contents of the letter. After reading, the superior said excitedly: "Great, Deputy Chief Chen, you lead good soldiers, worthy of being my Whampoa warriors. The army's morale is good, the army's morale is good. It is a blessing for the government to have such soldiers."
On the morning of August 102, in the meeting room of the 102nd Division's operations hall, all officers above the battalion level from all units were present. Zhang Wenwu was also sitting in the hall. Division Commander Huang Jinxian stood in front of the hall, waving a telegram in his hand and said excitedly: "Brothers, the Military Commission ordered that the th Army will all go to Baoding, Hebei to assemble today to prepare for the battle against the Japanese in North China. Commander Luo ordered our unit to prepare all supplies and departure preparations tomorrow, and the entire division will arrive at the designated location before August . I won't say more, brothers, remember, this time we will fight the Japanese with real swords and guns. Although our nd Division was established not long ago, I believe that everyone here is not a soft egg coward. On the battlefield, who dares not to obey orders? By then, I, Huang Jinxian, will know you, and military law will not recognize you."
After Commander Huang finished speaking, Chief of Staff Zhao Dong added: "For wartime needs, the Third Company of the Division Headquarters Special Service Battalion is now officially reorganized into the Division Military Police Company, under the direct leadership and command of the Division Political Department, responsible for the order of the troops during wartime. Since Deputy Commander Qi is currently on his way back to Zhenjiang from Lushan, this task will first be handled by Deputy Director of the Political Department Liao Qian, and the personnel assignments of other departments will remain unchanged."
After the meeting, Zhang Wenwu hurried back to the Quartermaster's Office. He needed to ask Lei Dong and Li Houcai to prepare the basic combat ammunition and equipment needed by each unit, so that when the units came to collect them, everyone could save waiting time. He himself needed to quickly study the marching sequence and route planning sheet that Chief of Staff Zhao Dong gave him after the meeting. He needed to write down all the stations that the troops passed by, and according to his estimated time, he would contact some of the military stations to provide meals and replenish the necessary supplies for the 102nd Division troops that arrived at the stations.
On the morning of August 102, all officers and soldiers of the nd Division lined up in the Zhenjiang parade ground. The Zhenjiang Municipal Government organized a swearing-in ceremony for the expedition. People from all walks of life in the city and a large number of ordinary people came to participate in this event. After the main government officials delivered their speeches, the local respected seniors presented a large flag with the words "Defend the Home and the Country" to Division Commander Huang Jinxian on the rostrum. At the command of "departure" from Division Commander Huang Jinxian, each unit passed the rostrum in turn to be reviewed by people from all walks of life and the crowd on the scene, and then went directly to the railway station.
(I am still working on renaming the previous chapters. Thank you for your support!)