Tianchang County, Xu Jiatiao.
Under the cover of night, Commander Li led the two main regiments of the Suzhong Military Region to quietly enter the vicinity of Xujiatiao, and then began to repair the fortifications in preparation for the upcoming Japanese reinforcements.
In this offensive operation, although Commander Li was the commander-in-chief of the campaign, he did not show favoritism. Instead, he did not hesitate to hand over the main offensive task to Xu Rui. Of the four main regiments in the Suzhong Military Region, except one regiment served as a reserve. The other three regiments were only responsible for blocking. One of the regiments blocked the Japanese reinforcements from the Xuyi direction in the north, and the other two regiments were responsible for blocking the Japanese reinforcements from the Yangzhou direction in the south. The blocking in the south was personally directed by Commander Li.
Many commanders in the Central Jiangsu Military Region were quite critical of Commander Li's arrangement.
Commander Li's most powerful general, Commander Wang Bicheng, found Commander Li.
"Commander, why?" Commander Wang rushed into the headquarters angrily and shouted, "Why are you giving Xu Rui all the meat to eat, but we can only drink soup? I can't figure it out!"
"Can't figure it out?" Commander Li asked, "Wang Laohu, let me ask you, can your three regiments capture Tianchang County in half a day, and then capture the county seat before dark? As long as you issue a military order to me, you will guarantee that by dark After we captured Tianchang County before, I will hand over the main attack mission to you! How about it?"
Commander Wang immediately fell silent. He really didn't dare to ask him to promise to capture Tianchang County before dark!
You must know that there is a Japanese mixed brigade stationed in Tianchang County. Even if a considerable part of the Japanese mixed brigade has been dispersed and stationed in the artillery strongholds along the blockade ditch, even so, the number of Japanese troops left in Tianchang County is at least more than two An infantry brigade! Two brigades are two thousand people!
Under normal circumstances, the New Fourth Army needs to mobilize at least four regiments to ensure that it will not lose, and just not lose. If it wants to win, it will probably need one or two more regiments. Therefore, Commander Wang will never They were so arrogant that they thought they could defeat two Japanese infantry brigades with just three regiments and then capture Tianchang County.
Although their three regiments are known as the Tiger Regiment and are the main regiment with the strongest combat effectiveness in the Central Jiangsu Military Region, they cannot be that ridiculously strong! Although Commander Wang Bicheng likes to fight fiercely, it does not mean that he has no brains. In fact, Commander Wang is not ordinary smart.
However, regiment leader Wang Bicheng did not believe that Xu Rui could conquer Tianchang County with one regiment.
Commander Wang snorted and said: "If our third regiment can't do it, how can the third regiment of their Dameishan Military Division do it?"
Commander Li smiled and said: "I don't know if the Dameishan Military Division is feasible, but Xiao Xu issued a military order to me. At least he dares to issue this military order. I ask you, do you dare?"
When Commander Wang heard this, his momentum immediately dropped.
(Dividing line)
When Xu Rui brought sweet potatoes to the headquarters of the third regiment, He Shuya was summoning his four battalion commanders to make pre-war deployments. The four battalion commanders were seven battalion commanders Yang Banan, eight battalion commanders Ding Li, and nine battalion commanders. Chang Lei Peng and infantry and artillery battalion commander Mo Zhengqiang, the third regiment is the main offensive group, and the infantry and artillery battalion is standard.
"Commander!" Seeing Xu Rui coming in, He Shuya and others quickly stood at attention and saluted.
Xu Rui returned the gift, then waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about me, just continue with your work."
He Shuya nodded and continued: "Continuing with the combat deployment just now, Battalion Commander Ding, the task of your eighth battalion is to break through the blockade trench. Remember, I only give you two hours. Within two hours, you must break through. The blockade trench near Sankeliu, then protect the two wings, and cover the main force of the regiment through the blockade trench."
Ding Li nodded and said solemnly: "The Eighth Battalion understands."
"Okay." He Shuya turned his attention to Lei Peng and Yang Banan again, and then said, "Battle Commander Yang, Commander Lei, after the Eighth Battalion breaks through the blockade trench, you immediately lead the troops through the blockade trench and don't worry about the two wings. You Japs, you have only one mission, rush to the county seat as quickly as possible!"
"Seventh Battalion understands!"
"Jiuying understands!"
Yang Banan and Lei Peng nodded heavily.
He Shuya turned his attention to Mo Zhengqiang again and said: "Captain Mo, your infantry and artillery battalion is divided into companies. The first company will move with the eighth battalion, and the second and third companies will move with the seventh and ninth battalions."
"Yes!" Mo Zhengqiang stood at attention and gave another military salute.
After the deployment was completed, He Shuya turned to Xu Rui and said, "Commander, can you say a few words?"
"I have nothing to say." Xu Rui waved his hand and said, "I told you before. I only brought my ears and eyes this time. I just came to see and listen. How to deploy and command is your business. I will never say another word, but if the battle does not go well, I will never be polite to you."
"Shuya understands!" He Shuya suddenly put his feet back and stood at attention, and said solemnly, "The Third Regiment will never let the commander down!"
Xu Rui nodded, waved to Yang Banan and the others as if they were chasing away flies, and said, "Go ahead and do what you have to do. Don't stand in front of me like a pillar."
Yang Banan and the other four people turned around and left.
(Dividing line)
The Dameishan Military Division and Suzhong Military Region did a good job in keeping the secret this time. When the battle plan was first formulated, only a few people knew the inside story. Even battalion commanders like Yang Banan, Ding Li, and Lei Peng were not informed until the operation. Before we started, we knew we were going to launch a big offensive against the Japanese.
Therefore, not to mention Wang Puppet No. 76's spies, they were agents sent by the military command to lurk in Dameishan. They only learned the news after the troops from Dameishan Military Division and Suzhong Military Region started taking action.
The military commander's special agent reported the news to Dai Li as soon as possible, and Dai Li hurried to Chairman Chiang's official residence after receiving the news.
At that time, Chairman Chiang was convening a meeting with several capable officers such as He Yingqin, Chen Cheng, and Bai Chongxi. The topic of the meeting was whether it was necessary to continue to strengthen military operations against Japan
Although the military operations in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Taihang and northern Jiangsu had failed, Chairman Chiang was very unwilling and intended to prepare a larger-scale operation in Shandong. However, he was hesitant, so he sent He Yingqin, Chen Cheng, and Bai Chongxi to The three people summoned them to the official residence and wanted to ask them what they meant.
Bai Chongxi was actually a die-hard communist, but he had some disdain for Chairman Chiang's behavior, so he didn't say a word after arriving at Chairman Chiang's residence. He Yingqin had some doubts about whether to continue taking military action against the Communists. , Chen Cheng firmly advocated taking military action.
Chen Cheng is known as the junior chairman of the Generalissimo. He has always been very accurate in guessing Chairman Chiang's thoughts. Although Chairman Chiang did not say it explicitly, Chen Cheng accurately judged Chairman Chiang's inner thoughts and knew that Chairman Chiang still wanted to think in his heart. He wanted to take action, so he used his own words to express Chairman Chiang's thoughts.
"Commissioner, I humbly believe that resolute military action must be taken against the Communist Party." Chen Cheng said with emotion, "According to intelligence, the Eighth Route Army in North China has grown to nearly 100 regiments and more than 200,000 people. This is only a regular army. If calculated, If you join the so-called *** guerrillas, the numbers will be even more impressive!"
Upon hearing this, Chairman Jiang's face immediately darkened.
After a pause, Chen Cheng continued: "This is only the Eighth Route Army. There is also the New Fourth Army in Central China, especially Xu Rui, who is entrenched in Damei Mountain. The strength of one regiment is greater than that of the National Army. What will happen in the long run? Come on? Don’t wait until you beat little Japan away. The whole of North China and Central China has become the territory of Japan!"
Chairman Jiang's face became more and more gloomy, and Xu Rui almost became a thorn stuck in his throat!
Now it seems that Xu Rui's thorn is not fatal, but if ignored, the thorn will pierce his throat sooner or later, causing fatal injuries!
Chairman Chiang actually wanted to pull out this thorn, but he was not sure.
At that moment, Chairman Chiang said in a dark voice: "It's time to solve Xu Rui's problem."
Not only Chen Cheng and He Yingqin, but also Bai Chongxi nodded subconsciously. Xu Rui's problem cannot be delayed any longer. If it continues, it will be a big trouble, because the current situation is obvious. In a short time, there will be nothing that can be done by the Central China Condemnation Army of Little Japan. Xu Rui's Dameishan** Group, which means that the Dameishan** Group will usher in at least a year of growth!
Damei Mountain District has a stable territory, a sufficient population and a relatively complete industry. If it grows steadily for a year, God knows what it will grow into in the end. Maybe then Xu Rui's regiment will be able to compete with a regiment of the National Army. By then Xu Rui will become another Xue Yue. Who can control him
Therefore, no matter how much Bai Chongxi looked down on Chairman Chiang, he agreed with Chairman Chiang's view that Xu Rui's matter could not be delayed any longer and it was time to resolve it.
As the saying goes, when Cao Cao arrives, Cao Cao will arrive. Chairman Chiang was talking about Xu Rui with his senior staff when he saw the head of guard Wang Shihe leading Dai Li in.
Moreover, Dai Li's face looked very ugly.
"Yunong?" Chairman Chiang frowned and said, "Is there something urgent?"
Chairman Chiang both loves and fears Dai Li, the spy chief. He loves the steady stream of top-secret information that Dai Li provides him, but he is also afraid of the bad news that Dai Li brings to him from time to time, especially things like loyalty to the rescue of the Communist Party of China. Chairman Chiang did not want to hear the news that He Xingjian, deputy commander-in-chief, and Cai Xiongfei, deputy division commander of the Shanxi-Sui Army, had defected to the enemy.
Seeing Dai Li like this, Chairman Chiang also asked which senior generals on the battlefield behind enemy lines had defected to the enemy.
However, things were not what Chairman Jiang thought. Dai Li said in a deep voice: "Commissioner, we just received a report from an insider lurking in Dameishan, saying that the Dameishan *** Regiment is about to launch an offensive against the Japanese troops in Central China."
"What did you say? The Dameishan Revolutionary Regiment is going to launch an attack on the Japanese army in Central China?" Chairman Chiang was dumbfounded.
He Yingqin, Chen Cheng and Bai Chongxi also looked at each other in confusion. Is this Xu Rui going to defy heaven? You just crushed the Japs' raid, are you going to counterattack the Japs when you turn around? (To be continued.)