Chapter 16 Chapter Three

On the morning of Pearl Harbor, the city of Guangzhou was as calm as usual.On Sunday, in this city that loves to sleep late, there are even fewer pedestrians on the streets. Only a few housewives go shopping on the street with baskets, and a few men wear slippers and sleepy at the door of their homes.The No. 1 shopping mall in the south under the sun banner has not yet woken up. But at this moment, in the command room of the 23rd Japanese Army Headquarters on Taikang Road, where the broad leaves of plantains and palms shaded the combat command room, the commander of the army, Lieutenant General Takashi Sakai, was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. Telegram from the native land.

Reference No. 684: Operations on the e side have officially begun.chief of staff. Cidian No. 685: Flowers bloom, flowers bloom.chief of staff. When the interpreter presented the two consecutive telegrams to Takashi Sakai, the army commander strode to the telephone and briefly issued an operational order to capture Hong Kong. ... In order to support the friendly operations and contain the Japanese army, all theaters were ordered to attack the enemy in front of them.The fourth war zone attacked the enemy in Guangzhou, supported the British army in Hong Kong, and transferred the 5th, 6th, and 66th armies from Guangxi and Sichuan to Yunnan, preparing to enter Burma to directly assist the British army in combat.The 4th and 74th armies that would have been under the direct control were transferred to Guangdong and Guangxi respectively...

When Chiang Kai-shek signed the telegram drafted by the military command and sent to each theater, he looked at the old-fashioned desk clock. At 7:53, the sky outside the thick curtains was already bright. Sign the name and time, and turn over the calendar on the desk, December 9, 1941.October 21st of the lunar calendar. The "heavy snow" in the 24 solar terms has just passed two days, and China has "auspicious snow heralds a good year" The old proverb, but what kind of year will the "snow" in the current international situation bring to China? Yesterday morning, Chiang Kai-shek received a call from the office at his villa in Huangshan, and he immediately drove into the city.Just sitting at the desk, the attendant room sent a telegram of the Japanese army attacking Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

Jiang immediately instructed to convene a special meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee. Half an hour later the meeting started, and three hours later China made a resolution to formally declare war on Japan, Germany and Italy. The declaration of war was signed by Chiang Kai-shek, Sun Ke, Ju Zheng, Dai Jitao, and Yu Youren.The Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937. Japan attacked, and China fought back when it was beaten. It has been four and a half years, and now it is only shouted: "I declare war on you!" The meeting also decided to propose the establishment of an international anti-fascist alliance.To this end, three principles were proposed and notified to the United States, Britain and other countries.

1. Establish the Pacific Alliance and the Allied Forces Command, and elect the Commander-in-Chief. The alliance is led by the United States. 2. Ask the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to join China in declaring war on Japan. 3. Before the victory of the Pacific War, the participating countries are not allowed to negotiate a separate peace with Japan. The Lonely Resistance of Lonely China!Going back four and a half years to July 7th in 1937, 10 years to September 18th in 1931, and 100 years to the Opium War, many foreign businessmen and politicians came to China, and none of them were for their own interests ?When China was oppressed and plundered by imperialist powers, which country stood up and said a fair word?The shame of China still has to be washed away bit by bit by the blood of the Chinese people themselves.Now that the most difficult years have passed, the Japanese war knife has finally begun to cut the meat on the plates of the United States and the United Kingdom. You are not allowed to appease or neutralize you. It is morality and justice that tie us to a chariot , It is even more beneficial.

Chiang Kai-shek held the draft telegram that was about to be sent to the United States, Britain and other countries in his hand, looking to the west, his heart was agitated.Outside the window, there was the sound of firecrackers in the distance.Citizens and students got the news that in the years of anti-aggression and survival, the hearts of the Chinese people are connected. The international situation has changed overnight, and the Chinese are still fighting. On the night of the 8th, Chiang Kai-shek convened a meeting of the staff of the Military Commission to study the situation in China after the outbreak of the Pacific War, and to formulate a deployment to cope with the Hong Kong operation until dawn.

After breakfast, Song Meiling came to pick Chiang Kai-shek back to his villa in Huangshan to rest.On the way she said, "Darling, you haven't been this happy for a long time." Wuhan, the headquarters of the 11th Japanese Army. After the end of the Xiangbei battle, Anan Weiji was always excited, because things that excited him happened one after another. On October 9, all the troops attacking northern Hunan withdrew to the original defense area, and the troops who rushed to Yichang two days later also relieved the danger there.A batch of congratulatory messages were sent from the mainland and the occupied areas, and Anan seemed to see the admiration of his former colleagues in the base camp.

Then came more exciting news.One week after the end of the Xiangbei campaign, the third Konoe cabinet announced the resignation of the general. On October 18, Hideki Tojo, Minister of the Army, took an oath to form a cabinet.The representatives of the young and strong soldiers finally ascended to the throne of prime minister. Anan knew that this was the beginning of a new phase in the era of militaristic Japan, a day that thousands of radical Japanese officers had only dreamed of.For the arrival of this day, Japanese soldiers shed blood like rivers. Just over a month after Hideki Tojo came to power, the Pacific War broke out.Although this was expected by Anan, it still aroused great excitement in his heart, as if the day when the world was filled with sun flags was not far away.

On December 12, Anan found out that several Chinese troops in front of him were being transferred to the south, and immediately sent a telegram to the six generals Hatatoshi, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Nanjing, asking for instructions to launch an offensive again in northern Hunan to contain the transfer of troops in the Ninth Theater and ensure the smooth operation of the 23rd Army. Take Hong Kong. A day later, Hata Toshiro called back and agreed to submit Anan's ideas to the headquarters for approval, and at the same time instructed Anan to quickly formulate a combat plan.

Due to the Pacific War, the mainland has not had time to replenish the weapons and ammunition and the reduced number of troops consumed by the 11th Army in the huge offensive operations in September and October.After the battle, Hata Junliu considered that the strength of the 11th Army was too different from that of the Chinese army in front of him, so he transferred the 9th Mixed Brigade in Taiyuan in North China to the command of Anan. This force is still on the way. "Based on the 11th Army's existing strength and combat material reserves, at most it can only fight a diversionary battle with a strength of no more than 60,000 and a combat time of no more than 10 days." At the meeting of the army headquarters where the battle plan was formulated, Staff Officer Kinoshita Isamu Express your own opinion.

Anan believes that it has only been two months since the end of the last battle, and the severely damaged Chinese army will not return to its original state, and the 4th and 74th armies have been transferred away. With the current strength of the 11th army, it is completely sure to win. "The crux of the matter is that we must fight, and we must win!" Anan emphasized. On December 15th, Anan reported the battle plan: launch a general offensive on December 25th, and the battle will last for two weeks. If the 23rd Army captures Hong Kong before then and does not go deep, the situation is stabilized, and the 11th Army can also withdraw in advance. In terms of tactics, the main divisions are still used to launch a powerful offensive on the front line, quickly break through the defense line, and then divide and outflank the Chinese army to inflict heavy damage. Due to the transfer of the 4th Division, only 3 divisions can be deployed on the front line. In order to supplement the shortage of troops, Anan ordered the 34th Division far away in central Jiangxi to launch a feint attack on the troops stationed in Jiangxi in the Ninth Theater, so that it could not reinforce northern Hunan. On December 16, Toshiro Hata replied to approve the 11th Army's combat plan.Anan stood in front of the huge war chess once again, full of ambitions in the position of the staff staff. Changsha, Ninth War Zone Commander's Department, War Zone Military Conference. The seats were full of senior military officers above the division commander with brilliant generals. Xue Yue stood in front of a huge map and pointed with a pointer. The meeting lasted for 3 hours, but the participating generals were not tired. After the second Changsha battle, the Ninth War Zone stepped up its espionage work and grasped the dynamics of the Japanese army in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. On December 18, the Military Commission found out that the headquarters of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Nanjing approved the 11th Army’s plan for fighting in northern Hunan and transferred troops from North China. Chiang Kai-shek ordered the 4th and 74th Army transferred to the south to quickly return to the combat area of ​​the Ninth Theater, and stationed in Zhuzhou and Hengyang, prepare to meet the enemy. The theater held not only a combat deployment meeting, but also a seminar that focused on the bloody lessons of the troops in the "big review" and the wisdom and wisdom of commanders at all levels, from operational policy to troop deployment, and a seminar on revising past plans: 1. How to carry out successive resistance? 2. How to cut off the enemy's retreat? 3. How to choose the decisive battle zone? 4. How to lure the enemy to the decisive battle area? After all the generals expressed their opinions, Xue Yue made a central speech on the combination of deployment and combat tasks. Maybe there are generals who can be called geniuses, but the vast majority of commanders learn wars in wars and become wise from the lessons of blood.The generals from the army felt that the revised plan in the theater was more realistic than the previous one, and it was a good foundation for fighting this battle. The revised combat policy is: The purpose of the war zone is to lure the enemy into a deep place and then conduct a decisive battle.When the enemy is attacking, use a force to resist gradually from the front line, keep the main force on the outer line at all times, and when the enemy enters the area where the decisive battle is scheduled, start a general counterattack with all your strength, encircle the enemy army and annihilate it. Before the meeting ended, Xue Yue announced that the war was approaching, and the new commander of the 10th Army, Zhong Bin, had not yet arrived. The army was still under the command of Li Yutang, the former commander who announced his resignation at the Nanyue Military Conference in October.Fang Xianjue, the commander of the 10th Division of the army, who was dismissed with Li, is still in charge of the division's operation.The punishment of the two will be discussed after the war. After the meeting, Xue Yue and Zhao Zili stood in front of the map again. "What is the core of this combat policy? What is the key point of this policy compared with the past?" Facing the dotted map, Xue Yue seemed to be talking to himself and asking questions. "Retreat and fight for the outer wings!" Zhao Zili said to the point. The enemy attacked, and I retreated while fighting.It is necessary to lead the enemy along without being surrounded by the enemy.Before reaching the decisive battle zone, the troops were skillfully withdrawn to the periphery without alarming the enemy to follow.A small number of troops attract the enemy into the decisive battle zone, and most troops form a strong encirclement around the periphery.In the decisive battle zone, the troops outside must be surrounded, and the troops inside must be able to withstand it and not be eaten up. In the Battle of Changsha, the Chinese army fought tenaciously against each other, and there were dangers everywhere. If one move was miscalculated, everything would be lost.There is nothing more complex and adventurous on the battlefield than this. The deployment of troops in the Ninth War Zone is: Yang Sen’s 27th Army defends the front line of the Xinqiang River. After the Japanese attack, they resist one by one and retreat to the front line of the Miluo River to retreat to the right; the 37th Army and the 99th Army guard the second line of the Miluo River. The Daohe area shifted to the east; when the Japanese army surrounded and attacked Changsha, the 10th Army resolutely defended it. At this time, the outer wing troops launched a "seeking attack" on Changsha, encircling the enemies who surrounded Changsha from the outside, gathering and annihilating them . The two key points in this battle are whether we "lure the enemy" and whether the enemy "deepens";The former link depends on the Japanese army, and the latter link depends on the 10th Army. The battle has started and the situation is changing rapidly. At that time, it will also depend on the commander's adaptability and on-the-spot performance. So the decision was made. "Retreat and fight for the outer wings..." Xue Yue thought about Zhao Zili's words, pacing in the room. Suddenly he stopped, waved his arm and said, "I think this battle is called 'Tianlu Warfare'!" Changsha. The guns are neatly stacked together, and the bullet bags, military jackets, and water bottles are stacked next to the guns.In the winter wind, the soldiers dug up the road surface, built large stones, tied steel bars, poured cement, and the shape of a bunker appeared, and groups of bunkers, bunkers, and trenches appeared one after another.Citizens and students join in the construction.The old man and the child brought hot water and asked the soldiers to have a few sips while it was hot.Some soldiers said: Hurry up and evacuate out of the city, the devil soldiers are coming.Some people said: With you here, we are not afraid! This is the "Picture of Changsha before the War" drawn according to the records of the newspapers at that time. Li Yutang spent every day on the battlefield, checking the quality and urging the progress.At the theater military meeting, Xue Yue asked him to lead the 10th Army again, and he lost sleep all night.As a general who has served in the army for many years, he knows that this is a battle that will affect his honor and disgrace in this life.After the war zone meeting, he convened a meeting of officers above the platoon leader of the entire army, and conveyed Xue Yue's order in full, expressing that he would wear the crime and make meritorious deeds, so as not to disgrace the honor of the 10th Army for many years. The officers were moved by the sincerity of the commander.After experiencing failure together, why don't they want to restore the lost glory together with their commander? Zhou Qingxiang, the commander of the 3rd Division, and Zhu Yue, the commander of the 190th Division, stepped onto the podium after Li Yutang's speech, and promised on behalf of their subordinates that they would resolutely obey the commander's command, vow to defend Changsha to the death, and ask the commander back.Fang Xianjue, the commander of the Pre-10th Division, was punished together with the army commander. At this time, he tearfully expressed to his subordinates and superiors that he would live up to expectations and resolutely fight this battle.The officers' meeting ended with the slogan "Defend Changsha to the death" that almost lifted the roof off. After the Second Battle of Changsha, no matter what the propaganda agencies did, all the troops in the Ninth Theater were immersed in a mournful atmosphere of defeat and humiliation.Xue Yue will command this mourning army to face the opponent again after only more than two months of defeat.He placed the saddest of this mourning army, the only army whose army commander and a division commander were removed, in the most difficult and dangerous place in this battle, where the sacrifice must be the greatest.Li Yutang did the same, and handed over the preferred direction for the Japanese army to attack the city, the south of the city, to the 10th Division, which had fought the worst in the last battle. The mourners of a division, an army, and an entire theater are preparing to fight to the death. On December 20, the 6th Division assembled in the lower reaches of the north bank of the Xinqiang River; on December 22, Anan Weiji opened a military command post in Yueyang; on December 23, the 40th Division assembled in the upper reaches of the Xinqiang River; The 3rd Division took the train to Yueyang, and completed the assembly in the middle of the 6th and 40th Divisions on the 24th; the 34th Division and the 14th Brigade, which were responsible for the feint attack in the northern and central Jiangxi directions, arrived at the attack departure area on December 24th; On the morning of the 24th, Anan Weiji checked with the division heads on the phone.The general offensive was launched at 5 am on December 25. At the end of the year, the temperature in Chongqing plummeted, and the cold was threatening, but Chiang Kai-shek felt a spring breeze in his heart. On December 20, Chennault's "Flying Tigers" of the U.S. Air Force fought the Japanese Air Force for the first time over Kunming.On weekdays, the carefree American pilot shot down 4 Japanese planes within 5 minutes, and he was unscathed.Chiang Kai-shek believes that the significance of this victory is not only that this is the first time that the United States and Japan have fought on the Chinese battlefield, but also that this kind of battle has a wonderful prospect of gradual escalation. On the 23rd, Chiang Kai-shek presided over a meeting of military representatives from China, the United States and Britain in Chongqing.The generals of several countries sat at the same table and talked about fighting against Japan. After the Pacific War, the military alliance between China and Western powers entered a substantive stage.The meeting passed a total of 6 articles in the "Preliminary Plan for Joint Military Operations in the Far East".But just a week later, the document was shelved.Because at that time, China, the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, France and other 26 countries signed the "Declaration of the United Nations" with great historical significance in Washington.At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek accepted the proposal of US President Roosevelt and became the supreme commander of the Allied Forces in the China Theater. In the rapid development and change of the international situation, Chiang Kai-shek's eyes did not leave the domestic battlefield. On December 22, the Military Commission submitted the combat plan for the Nine Theaters. Xu Yongchang told Jiang that Xue Yue called the case the "Tianlu Warfare". "In the combat area, the walls are solid and clear, so that the enemy cannot find any supplies to replenish. Set up a deep ambush area and lure the enemy into it. The firepower from all directions is like a raging fire, forming a huge melting pot, encircling and annihilating the enemy." Xu Yongchang will Xue Yue introduced to Jiang the explanation of "Tianlu Warfare". Chiang Kai-shek laughed, Xue Yue loves to play tricks.During the Battle of Wuhan, Xue Yue served as the commander-in-chief of the 1st Corps. He designed a position system called the "anti-eight character formation" in the Mahuiling area west of De'an, relying on favorable terrain. He introduced to Jiang: This formation is like a mousetrap bag. , It’s like flying scissors, if you violate the right, you will respond to the left, and if you violate the left, you will respond to the right. If the Japanese pirates sneak in, they will never escape.Jiang Xiao asked Xue: "How is it compared to Zhuge Liang's Eight Diagrams Formation?" But being willing to use your brain is after all the number one advantage.Chiang Kai-shek and Xu Yongchang studied the map for a long time, and they replied and agreed to implement the plan according to the report.He told Xu: This battle is very important to the overall situation, brother Cichen (Xu's word) must handle it with all his heart, and he must win.Xu Nuonuo left. On December 24, 1941, it was cold and rainy, and the water level in the lower reaches of the Xinqiang River rose.The 6th Division of the Japanese Army crossed the river to attack the Xinqianghe position of the 134th Division of the 20th Army.In the afternoon, one broke through the south bank and fell into the data point of the Chinese army.At night, the main force of the Japanese army crossed the river.