Chapter 27 Chapter 27 This winter is not too cold (1)

In 1939, Huang Renyu, a historian who later became famous at home and abroad, was training at the Whampoa Military Academy in Chengdu. As soon as the "Double Ten" (National Day of the Republic of China government) arrived, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly came to Chengdu from Chongqing and reviewed the Huangpu students.Contrary to Huang Renyu's imagination, the Chiang Kai-shek on the podium was not the mighty war hero during the founding of the Whampoa Army and the Northern Expedition, but rather an old man who had entered his twilight years, and his words even had the babble of a private school teacher.

It was only later that Huang Renyu learned that Principal Jiang was in a period of depression at this time. The so-called "inner pain is beyond words." winter offensive Chiang Kai-shek's main purpose in coming to Chengdu was not to inspect the Whampoa Military Academy, but to serve as the chairman of Sichuan Province part-time. Because there are so many mouths to eat at once, the conflicts in Sichuan have accumulated more and more, and the two local snakes-Wang Yanxu and Pan Wenhua almost use their swords and guns. Chiang Kai-shek, who was mediating in the middle, was in a dilemma, wishing he could slap him twice, and cursed: "The outsiders have already beaten to the door, and there is only such a pitiful family property left, so what's the trouble?" )?

In private, he also felt very sad.After years of bloody fighting, the Whampoa students trained by myself have been killed and injured, and the elites among them are even lost. If it is not for the sake of fighting against Japan, why is this so? In the bleak rain and cold wind, the self-proclaimed "Chairman Jiang" became more and more sentimental.At the National People's Political Consultative Conference, when he read the sentence "swayed by the wind and rain", as he read it, tears filled his eyes on the spot. When this happens, everyone has to cry along with them. What, you are not moved?Then you must be a "heartless person".

The latter sentence was said by Lao Jiang. Of course, tears belong to tears, and local snakes can't afford to offend them.Chiang Kai-shek ordered Wang Yanxu to lead his troops to the front to fight against Japan, and I will be the chairman of Sichuan Province myself. This should be fine. Only by stabilizing the rear can we concentrate on the battlefield ahead. After the Battle of Wuhan, it was difficult for the Japanese High Command to organize a powerful offensive of a similar scale, which gave the Chinese army a valuable opportunity to breathe and adjust. Therefore, after the first training session, the second training session was completed.

As a result of the training, not only the strength of the troops has been replenished, but also the combat effectiveness of each unit has been improved, so that it was able to take the initiative to attack the Japanese army for the first time in the Battle of Kunlun Pass. In October 1939, the Chinese High Command held the second Nanyue Military Conference and decided to mobilize nearly 1.5 million troops from nine theaters across the country to launch a winter offensive on the territory occupied by the Japanese army from December. During the Anti-Japanese War, the Sino-Japanese intelligence war was as fierce as the real battlefield, and because the Japanese side had advanced code technology, it was always better than the Chinese side on the whole.

The winter offensive plan deployed in October was intercepted and deciphered by the Japanese army from the coded telegram by the end of November, and precautions were taken in many areas. Before the outbreak of the first war zone, the "North China Front Army" in Shanxi made a preemptive strike and attacked Zhongtiao Mountain, forcing it to enter the defense instead.The Japanese Thirteenth Army in Shanghai did the same, and by actively attacking Xiaoshan, it also added a lot of fetters to the operations of the third theater. Neiji Okamura, commander of the 11th Army in Wuhan, wanted to learn from his colleagues in Shanxi and Shanghai, but he couldn't.Because since the failure of the first Changsha battle, the strength of the 11th Army has been stretched, let alone attacking, it is considered good to be able to defend Wuhan.

Okamura can only retreat to the next best thing. In addition to strengthening the fortifications outside Wuhan, it is to let the divisions control a certain number of mobile forces so that they can be used for support at that time. Of course, you have to be prepared for the worst.The Eleventh Army has brought in a batch of transport planes, planning to airdrop any stronghold if it is surrounded and cannot be relieved for a while. Although it is known that the Chinese High Command is going to launch a winter offensive, it is still an unsolved mystery when it will be launched. In the first ten days of December, there was still no movement in the two war zones on the Chinese side, and Okamura couldn't help but feel agitated.At this time, the 101st and 106th divisions were preparing to be demobilized, so he hurriedly retained these two "weak divisions" and asked them to gather in Jiujiang temporarily, and pack up and return home after the winter offensive was over.

I used to pick and choose, but now I realize that my ideas are too extravagant. When there are not enough soldiers, even "weak soldiers" are a treasure. Okamura is getting more and more timid. After experiencing the first Changsha battle, the Japanese had to admit internally that even though Okamura was not defeated in this battle, he was defeated in the heart battle. On December 12, Okamura learned that fighting had broken out along the Xianghe River, but he was not sure whether this meant that the winter offensive had begun. On December 15, he decided to go to the front line to inspect it himself.

After going there, I found that the fighting had entered the wing level, and the field hospital was constantly sending wounded, and many of them suffered bayonet wounds. Okamura became nervous and realized that the enemy on the opposite side was definitely not a small force, because only a well-trained main force possessed such good stabbing skills. After asking, I found out that during the battles in the past few days, there have been records of the captain's death in battle, and sometimes more than a hundred people were killed or killed in a single battle. It seems that the Chinese army's arrival is not good this time, and the winter offensive has really begun.

On December 16, when Okamura returned to Hankou, reports of attacks on divisions and regiments were already pouring in, making people overwhelmed. The Xianghe defense line that Okamura had inspected belonged to the 13th Division's defensive area, and Zhang Zizhong's right-wing corps attacked them. heavier than Mount Tai In fact, the Right Wing Corps did not go well at first. The Thirteenth Division has been prepared for a long time, and the fortifications are strong. Without the cooperation of heavy artillery, it is very difficult to make any progress. This is also an important reason why all theaters generally failed to achieve the expected results after the winter offensive was launched. reason.

However, what Okamura saw on the Xianghe battlefield showed that Zhang Zizhong was very determined this time, and if he did not gain something, he would never withdraw his troops easily. "Struggle for the survival of the nation" written by Zhang Zizhong The sharpest weapon in Zhang Zizhong's hands was still Huang Weigang's 38th Division, which fought face-to-face with the main force of the 13th Division for eight days and nights. As a result of such shopping, the 38th Division not only failed to break through the opponent's defense zone, but also lost its original position. Huang Weigang reported to Zhang Zizhong, hoping to withdraw the troops. The latter replied flatly: no retreat! Whenever it is difficult, what I think of is the housekeeping skills of the old 29th Army.Zhang Zizhong decided to plan a bold surprise attack. After reconnaissance, he learned that the enemy on the opposite side had a relatively empty rear after the main force was thrown into the front line. Thinking of taking advantage of his unpreparedness and attacking his lair. The thirty-eighth division can no longer be transferred, so Zhang Zizhong can only draw people from Zhao Dengyu's main force. Fortunately, the commander is Zhang Zizhong's former student soldier when he was the head of the Xuebing regiment, so it is much easier to command . Despite this, Zhang Zizhong still personally called the night attack troops—— The country raises soldiers to fight, and if there is a war, there will be casualties.People are always going to die. If you live 20 years longer and 20 years less, it will pass in a blink of an eye, but death is sometimes heavier than Mount Tai, and sometimes lighter than a feather.To die for the country and for the national war is more important than Mount Tai, otherwise it is lighter than a feather. Encouraged by the commander-in-chief of the corps, the night raid troops were excited. That night, they rushed for twenty or thirty miles along the mountain trails to attack a brigade headquarters of the 13th Division. This is the best move of the old twenty-ninth army, just like when Zhao Dengyu was at the entrance of Xifeng, the broadsword team swung their knives and slashed, smashing the opponent's brigade headquarters. On December 19, taking advantage of the wavering in the rear of the Japanese army, the 38th Division took the opportunity to launch a fierce attack and resumed its original position.Only the booty seized from the battlefield was transported by the pack horses of the two transport battalions for two days. However, since then, the battlefield has reached a stalemate.After all, Zhang Zizhong and his 59th Army were the only ones who were really active in the Right Wing Corps. The other troops were either poor in combat effectiveness or not working hard, such as the 29th Army led by Wang Yanxu who had just left Sichuan It was too late to open the situation. Zhang Zizhong decided to cross the Xianghe River east as he did during the Suizao battle in order to change the situation of the battle. Before leaving, he wrote down a will: This time he crossed the river to fight the enemy, and he would never survive unless he won a complete victory. Live Guan Gong On December 21, after crossing the Xianghe River, Zhang Zizhong rushed to the command post of the 38th Division in Changshoudian, which was only two miles away from the forefront. After all, the big sword is not as good as a sharp weapon. The commander-in-chief of the Corps brought the magic weapon this time-the field artillery newly purchased from the Soviet Union. The field artillery went into battle, disrupting the defensive position of the Thirteenth Division with a few blows. On December 22, the 38th Division took advantage of the victory and advanced, and the battle situation turned around. However, those who rush forward will always be stumbled by those who are behind.The Thirteenth Division had two brigades, one to deal with the right-wing corps and the other to deal with the Guo Chan River Defenders. Zhang Zizhong held on, but Guo Chan couldn't take it anymore and had already retreated to the west bank of the Xianghe River. In this way, the weight of the Thirteenth Division rested entirely on the Right Wing Corps.For a while, the phones in the Corps headquarters rang one after another, all calling for retreat. Seeing that the situation was not good, the Soviet adviser also suggested to Zhang Zizhong to retreat. Zhang Zizhong believed that it was absolutely impossible to withdraw. If it were to withdraw, not only would the winter offensive in the Fifth War Zone be aborted, but the Xianghe defense line might not be secured, because there was no one in front of the Xianghe except the right-wing corps to help you carry it on. A call from an attached unit: Too many casualties, can we move back a bit? Since he led the Right Wing Corps, Zhang Zizhong has always been strict with himself. He was harsh on the directly-controlled troops brought out by one hand, and lenient on other troops incorporated into the Corps. He never spoke harshly, but at this critical moment, he couldn't help it. . When you call, you always say that there are heavy casualties, but tell me, how many officers above the battalion commander were killed in battle? The other party is at a loss for words. Zhang Zizhong was very excited holding the phone: We retreat today and tomorrow, even if we retreat to Tibet, the Japanese army will follow.Now is a good time for soldiers to serve the country. I hope you will hold on for a few more days to wait for reinforcements.In a word, only advance, not retreat, the position is the graveyard, and those who retreat die! Zhang Zizhong was hailed as "Living Guan Gong" by Hubei folks If Zhang Zizhong was still living on the west bank of the Xianghe River at this time, or if the 38th Division had shrunk behind, there might be some people who would not buy it, but now they are fighting with their own troops at the front, and no one dares to take the corps. The Commander-in-Chief left behind and fled to the West Bank on his own. So everyone can only grit their teeth and continue to struggle. In early January 1940, reinforcements from the Right Wing Corps finally arrived at the front.At this time, the entire winter offensive was coming to an end, and most of the troops who had attacked Wuhan had returned without success, and Okamura was ready to raise his hands to celebrate. But what he thought was over was not over. On February 14, Zhang Zizhong ordered a counterattack, and the Thirteenth Division retreated 60 miles, becoming the division with the largest loss in the Eleventh Army.This is the famous "Xiangdong Great Victory". In the winter offensive against Wuhan, the fifth war zone was the one with the greatest record, and the right-wing corps in the fifth war zone was the most outstanding.The folks in northern Hubei are very fond of the characters, and the common people called Zhang Zizhong "Living Guan Gong" afterwards. However, as far as the whole country is concerned, in the entire winter offensive, the record of the fifth theater can only be ranked second, and the first place is the eighth theater. The hero of this theater is the long-lost "The Condor Hero" Fu Zuoyi. debt collectors and debt collectors When people live in the world, they often fall as high as they stand.The Suiyuan Anti-Japanese War made Fu Zuoyi famous all over the world overnight, but when it came to the Taiyuan Defense War, the classics did not continue. As a good general, he lost Taiyuan within a day, no matter what, it is unjustifiable. That time Fu Zuoyi was really hurt. Not only did he smash the brand, but the 35th Army, the main force of the Sui Army, was also seriously injured. By the time it was withdrawn from Shanxi, each regiment could only accommodate three or four hundred people. A battalion is difficult. Fu Zuoyi had no choice but to look for Yan Xishan with the cheek, and Lao Xi was very straightforward-is there a shortage of people?OK, here we go.Are you short of equipment?OK, here we go. It was as refreshing as a different person. However, Fu Zuoyi soon discovered that he, the old chief, had never missed a calculation. The commander-in-chief of the World War II zone told him: You ask Dong Qiwu to recover Taiyuan for me. Hearing this, Fu Zuoyi's mouth almost went behind his ears. My God, Taiyuan is not Honggertu. It is now the headquarters of the Japanese First Army. The surrounding fortifications are three floors inside and three floors outside. Let alone regaining it, if you touch it, your hands will be blistered. Come. But since Lao Xi said so, you have to do it, otherwise why would he shoot you? Fu Zuoyi thought for a while, and he straightened his chest: The responsibility to recover Taiyuan is heavy, and sending Dong Qiwu may not help. I am willing to lead the 35th Army to go out in person. Lao Xi actually wished this was the case. Seeing that Fu Zuoyi was so active, of course he had no reason to be unhappy. But how could Fu Zuoyi have the strength to really recover Taiyuan, he was afraid that after Dong Qiwu was sent there, he would be beaten to the ground without knowing what happened. He has already figured it out, if he loses Taiyuan, he owes Boss Yan, unless the other party closes his eyes, don't expect him to clear the debt automatically. Keeping up with such an officer can be regarded as a pancake seller's talking in his sleep - it's on the stall. Avoiding debts is a must. No matter how you hide, you still have to go back to the grassland, where the Sui army made their fortune. Only on the vast and vast land where the sky is blue and wild can you regain victory and self-confidence. So, after Fu Zuoyi made the attack, he obviously went to Taiyuan, but in reality he played a side ball and went to Suinan to do a sweep. The purpose of sweeping is not to attack the city and occupy land, but to create momentum——I, Fu Zuoyi, are back again. As for the recovery of Taiyuan, everyone came out to deceive Boss Yan. Most of the troops from all walks of life feigned a shot, but Fu Zuoyi went deep alone and was surrounded by the Japanese army. Fu Zuoyi broke through in the middle of the night, but after breaking out, he returned not to Shanxi, but to Hetao in Suixi. You see, it's not that I don't work hard, it's that the other guys don't pay attention, let me train well, and it won't be too late to recover Taiyuan. After the person escaped, the relationship also broke away soon. At the first Nanyue Military Conference, the war zones were re-divided. Fu Zuoyi was appointed as the deputy commander of the eighth war zone, and Zhu Shaoliang, the commander of the eighth war zone, was stationed in Lanzhou and was actually completely independent. Returning to Suiyuan, Fu Zuoyi is like a fish in water Yan Laoxi can no longer come to collect debts, my old man is no longer a house slave or car slave, I am my own master. The Eighth War Zone was charged with defending Lanzhou, an international transportation station and air force training base. After receiving the order to launch a winter offensive, Zhu Shaoliang had no time to attack the Japanese. It was such an opportunity that Lao Fu was waiting for. Taking Hetao as the starting point for his comeback shows that his vision is really unique. This place can be called the pearl of Suiyuan, where rice, grain, fish and meat are available, and there are mountains and rivers, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, it was an excellent place for the army to garrison fields to resist the cavalry of the Huns. Fu Zuoyi recruited talents in Hetao and trained soldiers in the fields, which made the Sui army regain its former vigor in a short period of time. When the wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep, the time has come to gallop the horse. horse pole Fu Zuoyi's opponent was the cavalry group of the Japanese "garrison in Mongolia" stationed in Baotou. Different from the cavalry unit attached to the infantry division, the cavalry group is centered on the cavalry and has independent actions and combat capabilities. It turned out that the cavalry group had two brigades. One of the cavalry brigades had been transferred to the Eleventh Army before, and the remaining cavalry brigades were divided into two, with one regiment east of Baotou and one regiment north of Baotou. There is no way, the grassland is too big, and no amount of cavalry can see it. However, it is not easy for Fu Zuoyi to occupy Baotou smoothly, because the headquarters of the cavalry group in Baotou City is not a vegetarian. Directly under the troops, not to mention that due to intelligence leaks, it is no secret within the Japanese army that China's various theaters will launch winter offensives. Lieutenant General Kojima Yoshizo, the head of the Japanese cavalry group, is facing the enemy every day. He knows that Fu Zuoyi will launch such an attack sooner or later, but he doesn't know when it will be. On December 19, he finally got the information: Fu Zuoyi had set off from Hetao and arrived west of Baotou. Kojima immediately thought of preemptive strikes. If he didn't come here for a while, he would feel sorry for himself-the cavalry group's mobility is too strong, if they don't go out to fight, just stay in the nest, wouldn't it make people laugh out loud. The group leader quickly formed a "crusade team". In order to achieve the effect of a surprise attack, he deliberately blocked the news so that no one would know. On December 20, Kojima went out of the city to send off the "crusade team" in person. When he came back, he was humming a little tune all the way, but before entering the city, ambushes were everywhere on the way. My mind went blank: I was tricked. That information was just "leaked" to him by Fu Zuoyi deliberately, in order to divert the tiger away from the mountain.Taking advantage of the opportunity when the "crusade team" opened the door to leave the city, the Sui army dressed as civilians had already swarmed in and controlled the city with "heart-out tactics". Such a good city of Baotou was taken away by Fu Zuoyi. The head of the cavalry group was not willing to do so. He immediately called two nearby cavalry regiments to come to rescue. Kojima didn't know, but Fu Zuoyi didn't really care about Baotou. The reason was simple, even if he occupied it, how could an isolated city be kept. At this time, Fu Zuoyi held the horse pole in his hand, and what he wanted to set up was the two cavalry regiments. This is called "surrounding the spot to fight for aid". Comparing old Fu's scheming, the head of the Kojima Group is still far behind. The cavalry ran fast and entered the ambush circle quickly. The two cavalry regiments who had worked so hard to come here suffered disaster not long after. Fu Zuoyi used an infantry division to carry out an ambush, and the mountain terrain was also very favorable. Basically, the cavalry could not rush up, but they were condescending, and they could fight wherever they wanted. The two cavalry regiments suffered the same misfortune, one was wiped out in half, and the other did not even escape the regiment leader.On the grassland, the corpses of Japanese soldiers were scattered all over the field, and the oriental horses that had lost their owners ran wildly and screamed, and weapons were thrown everywhere. On December 21, Naozaburo Okabe, the commander of the "Army Garrisoned in Mongolia" in Zhangjiakou, learned of this and hurriedly sent two additional infantry brigades to Baotou. Fu Zuoyi fought street battles with the Japanese army in Baotou City. After three days of continuous fighting, he withdrew from Baotou on December 23. The destruction of a Japanese cavalry brigade in one day has never been done before, and it has therefore become the most prominent highlight of the winter offensive. Fu Zuoyi's reputation quickly recovered.Three years ago, you could still say that he could only fight against the puppet army. Three years later, it would be the authentic Japanese army or the cavalry that he destroyed; three years ago, he had just turned from defense to offense, but that was only the beginning. , he is already familiar with offensive warfare, and he is more than capable.