War of Resistance

Chapter 745 The chairman is here.

For Zhang Tianhai, the current situation is the most urgent time, and the encirclement circle of the Japanese army is tightening.

According to historical records, whether it is the First Army, the No.60 Fourth Army, or the No.70 Fourth Army, they all evacuated safely, but the only thing about their sudden and temporary advance Troops are completely unrecorded.

Therefore, Zhang Tianhai was very keenly aware: According to the development of the historical process, the three armies on the south bank of the Yellow River must have retreated safely. If they did not retreat at this moment, they would most likely be corrected by the strong historical inertia.

To put it bluntly, they are in danger of annihilating the entire army.

Ever since, Zhang Tianhai led the troops not so fast, almost advancing at the speed of a rapid march, so it only took a day and a night, and all the equipment personnel were pulled to Qi County.

So much so that when the troops arrived in Qi County, all the officers and soldiers, including Zhang Tianhai, were very tired.

Ever since, Zhang Tianhai could only choose to take a rest for a day, and then go directly to Zhengzhou.

By the time the No. 70 First Army's temporary advancing troops arrived in Qi County, they had to rest.

The army can rest, but this does not mean that Zhang Tianhai can rest, he must bid farewell to Song Xilian, and do a good job in the handover.

Ever since, Zhang Tianhai and Zhou Fangjie, who both had two big dark circles under their eyes, entered the city at the same time.

In the city, Zhang Tianhai finally met Chief Song Song Xilian whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

In the city, there are cars coming and going, and people coming and going, which is very complicated.

There are soldiers sitting on the side of the road cleaning their guns, and there are also guards on patrol, no, more precisely, gendarmes.

These gendarmes belong to the No.70 First Army.

When Zhang Tianhai saw Song Xilian, Song Xilian was still in military uniform, with a few guards behind him, looking majestic.

"Report to the military seat, Zhang Tianhai, the head of the first regiment directly under the third war zone (Zhou Fangjie, the head of the No. 70 first army regiment directly under the military headquarters), has been ordered to come and report, please give instructions!" The two walked up to Song Xilian and stood at attention at the same time to salute road.

After hearing the report of the two, Song Xilian turned around, looked at the two in front of him, nodded, and said, "You are all back now."

"Yes! Military seat! I am fortunate to have lived up to my humble position and successfully completed the task assigned by the officer." Zhang Tianhai reported loudly.

"Both of you have done a good job." Song Xilian first affirmed, and then cast his eyes on Zhang Tianhai, and said in a slightly gentle tone: "Zhang Yulin, I also know that you are not ordinary. First of all, I would like to congratulate you on being able to leave the front line and withdraw to Wuhan to rest."

"The military seat is absurd. I didn't intend to leave the front line this time. Soldiers should obey orders as their bounden duty, and horse leather shrouds are still their destiny. Since it is an order from a superior, the humble officer must naturally obey it. I hope the military seat can understand!" Song Xilian , Zhang Tianhai is quite respectful, so he also felt that there was no need for unnecessary misunderstandings.

"Very good, you are very humble. I hope you can continue to maintain this modest character after you go to Wuhan. Wuhan is no better than the front line. There are many powerful people in Wuhan. They are all big men in the military and political circles. It's not you, I can provoke you It started." Song Xilian said bluntly, he was still afraid that Zhang Tianhai would still be so impulsive and reckless after he went to Wuhan.

"Thank you, sir, for your concern. I will definitely obey your orders and stick to the end." Zhang Tianhai paid a military salute very seriously.

"Okay, it's good if you can clearly recognize yourself." Song Xilian nodded, and then changed the subject: "By the way, when are you planning to go to Wuhan?"

Zhang Tianhai, who had two dark circles under his eyes, thought for a while and said, "Probably wait until the troops have rested for a day! After the large troops have rested, go to Wuhan immediately."

"Okay, let's do it like this, take a good rest with the troops, and then go straight to Wuhan! Remember, don't lose face to our No.70 Army, don't lose face to me, the old officer! "Song Xilian said in a deep voice, there is always a kind of arrogance and strength in the words, maybe the scholars of this era have a kind of strength!

No, it is more accurate to say that a scholar like Song Xilian who abandons his pen and joins the army has a strong character-in that era when everything is inferior, only high-level reading, he was able to give up a mediocre life and choose a vigorous revolution. It is a kind of arrogance and strength of character!

Looking at Song Xilian's self-confidence and calmness, Zhang Tianhai nodded lightly - no matter how you say it, Commander Song is still a very capable person.

Even though we may not see many people in this trip, he is still a respectable officer, that's all.

Zhang Tianhai thought for a while, then nodded heavily.

At this time, the time was the morning of May 27th, [-]th year of the Republic of China.

When Zhang Tianhai decided to take a good rest before heading to Zhengzhou with his troops, a private plane arrived at Zhengzhou Airport.

I saw a huge blue sky and white sun badge printed on the fuselage of this plane.

"puff……"

When the plane landed on the uneven gravel airfield, a cloud of dust was immediately rolled up.

After the plane came to a complete stop, a few people came down from it, to be precise, a few people in military uniforms.

Seeing the leader, the bald head looked like he was about 50 or [-] years old. After he got off the plane, the senior officers behind him followed.

"The scenery of the northern country, the long-lost scenery..." The bald head in the lead said, with a Zhejiang accent, but there was a hint of sadness in the words.

"Commissioner, you really know how to joke. You have only been here a while ago." One of the officers behind him said, seeing that his military rank is the rank of general, he is not a small person.

Except for Generalissimo Jiang, there is no one else who can make such a compliment to a dignified second-level general.

Yes, Generalissimo Jiang came to Zhengzhou again with his entourage.

The last time I came here was when the Battle of Lanfeng was about to start, but compared to before, there was still a little room for resistance, but now the situation has become worse.

This time he came here, in addition to solving the frontline war crisis, he also had an important decision.

……

Time back to a month and a half ago.

At that time, the Taierzhuang victory was about to be completed, and the whole country was in the midst of jubilation, but the National Army Command did not think that the time for victory was approaching.

Instead, it was calm, and Chen Guofu, the head of the CC Department of the National Government, submitted a proposal to Chiang Kai-shek about possible unfavorable situations in the future.

The content of the proposal is roughly as follows: "Chairman Junjian: The great victory in Taierzhuang, the whole country is jubilant, and the future of the Anti-Japanese War may turn into a better situation from then on. However, the south bank of the Yellow River is thousands of miles away, and it is not easy to defend. During the flood period, the enemy may burst the embankment and attack us. If I can If Wuzhi and other counties are firmly defended, the enemy can be counterattacked at any time. Near the mouth of the Gaiqin River, the terrain on the north bank of the Yellow River is low. If the embankment breaks at any point downstream, it is only necessary to break the north embankment near the mouth of the Qinhe River, and all the river water will flow northward. If we approach Zhang and Wei (i.e., the Zhang River and the Wei River), we will be in great danger, while the enemy will be in a dangerous place..."

The submission of this suggestion reminded Chiang Kai-shek of what German consultant Falkenhausen had put forward in the "Proposal on Countermeasures to Deal with the Current Situation" in 1935: "...the last front is the Yellow River, and it is advisable to make a plan. Artificial flooding, thickening its defenses."

What do you mean?To put it bluntly, it is - if the Japanese army hit here, most of China has already fallen, and if it continues to fight, China will perish. If it cannot resist the Japanese army's mechanized troops, it can only blow up the Yellow River embankment and make it artificial. flood, and strive to build a temporary natural line of defense for later operations.

Ever since, when he saw this proposal, Chiang Kai-shek's thoughts inevitably returned to three years ago.

Holding the suggestion in his hand, Chiang Kai-shek inevitably fell into a struggle. He murmured: "If the Yellow River embankment is blown up so easily, I, Chiang Kai-shek, will be a sinner forever... ..."

Hesitating, Chiang Kai-shek put Chen Guofu's suggestion aside, and unless it was absolutely necessary, the Yellow River embankment must not be dug.

It's not that Chiang Kai-shek didn't know the consequences of blasting the Yellow River embankment.

In history, if he hadn't known the consequences of blowing up the Yellow River embankment, he would not have announced at the first moment when the Huayuankou embankment was blown up: "At [-] a.m. on a good day (June [-]th), three enemy planes exploded." The Huayuankou river embankment is blocked by professional teachers."

In addition to this telegram, the second and third reports repeatedly set the tone for the previous reports, reporting in great detail how the Japanese army blew up the Huayuankou Levee.

Ever since, Chiang Kai-shek inevitably hesitated.

Time passed day by day, and in a blink of an eye, it was April 21st.

On this day, Chiang Kai-shek was still processing official documents, but he received another letter of suggestion.

It’s just that this suggestion letter was not written by Chen Guofu and other faction leaders, but by Yao Cong, the deputy director of the General Office of the Military Commission at the time. .

Seeing this proposal made by a big boss with a high status, Chiang Kai-shek began to pay attention: Obviously, the big bosses of the Military Commission are no longer optimistic about this war.

Chiang Kai-shek rubbed his aching temples, and cursed: "Niang Xipi, now Little Japan hasn't hit the Yellow River, and hasn't hit Kaifeng yet, so he started to make these suggestions? This is to force someone from me, Jiang, to do it." Eternal sinner..."

But out of calm consideration, after thinking about it for a while, with the speed of the fall of Nanjing and Shanghai, and the fact that the Japanese army has already crushed Xuzhou with heavy troops, Chiang Kai-shek sent a reply: "It can be considered, but it is not a last resort. The time is right, don’t make such a bad move.”

This reply from Chiang Kai-shek can be said to have made a senior official of the state see the leader's attitude.

Ever since, Chen Cheng, a loyal fan of Chiang Kai-shek, forwarded Wang Ruoqing's suggestion to break the dike at Heigangkou.

After seeing these telegrams suggesting to ask for instructions, Chiang Kai-shek did not immediately express his position, but said lightly: "We will talk about it at that time."

However, Wang Ruoqing's military suggestion made Chiang Kai-shek value it a bit.

I saw the original text of Chen Cheng forwarding Wang Ruoqing's proposal as follows: "Chairman Jiang: According to the report of Wang Ruoqing, head of the 16th Artillery Regiment:
[-]. It is a very good plan to hear that our army has decided to seal up the orchids and divert the Yellow River to flood the Japanese invaders.However, when the water flows through the old course of the Yellow River, the west of Shandong and the north of Jiangsu suffer the most, and the east of Henan only occupies a part of it, and the military relationship with Henan Province is relatively small.

[-]. The water level at Chahei Gangkou is [-] feet higher than that in Kaifeng, and there is water on both sides of the embankment, which has always been called dangerous work.If there is a breach at this place, its large flow will go straight to Kaifeng, pass through Zhuxian Town and Weishi, go straight to the Bianzhou Highway, and cross the Bo, Zhe, Zhou, and Luohe Highways, which has the greatest military relationship...

[-]. Kaifeng is the political center of Henan, so it should be destroyed first, so as not to cause enemies. "

The military influence on Henan is small, and Kaifeng can be destroyed to avoid capitalizing on the enemy.It was these two suggestions that not only made Generalissimo Jiang tempted - you must know that according to reliable information, the total strength of the Japanese invaders at this stage is no less than 70, and they mobilized the absolute main force of nearly 40 troops to attack Xuzhou, Xuzhou has only 50 Chinese troops.

You must know that the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army is not as strong as that of the national army at 01:30—what's more, the fifth war zone has nothing to show for it except the Tang Enbo Army, which was urgently transferred from the first war zone force!
That being the case, Chiang Kai-shek was naturally not very optimistic about the current situation, so he ordered the military command agents to "find an excellent terrain along the banks of the Yellow River."

Now, the time when the aforementioned Japanese soldiers came under pressure was approaching, and Chairman Jiang naturally wanted to visit the front line of Zhengzhou in person.

Only in this way can Chiang Kai-shek rest assured, otherwise there will be another Gui Yongqing, Huang Jie, Long Muhan and other figures, and it will be too late to break the Yellow River embankment.

The order to break the embankment must be issued by him, Chairman Jiang himself, and he must be personally supervised, otherwise he will not be at ease!
Once the Yellow River breaks its embankment, the people in the lower reaches of the Yellow River will surely die and injure countless people, and the next year's crops may not be able to eat.

The matter was so important that he couldn't help but come to the front line of Zhengzhou to command the battle in person.

In addition, he also wanted to fight for a last chance. If the Japanese army did not advance so fiercely, the time to break the Yellow River embankment could be delayed.

Such a thing that would bear eternal infamy cannot be done lightly.

……

Yes, Chairman Jiang arrived in Zhengzhou again, one of his goals was to keep Zhengzhou!
As a last resort, blowing up the Yellow River embankment will save Zhengzhou; only if Zhengzhou is saved, can the Ping-Han line be kept; only if the Ping-Han line is kept, can the national government keep Wuhan!
The new war zone in Wuhan is about to be established, and troops from all walks of life are being transferred to Wuhan. This place in Zhengzhou must make the last effort to keep Wuhan!
Yes, under the unanimous opinion of Generalissimo Jiang and the leaders of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government: they both believed that with the combat power of the national army and the lack of front-line troops, there was no better way than digging the Yellow River embankment.

However, when Chairman Jiang Kankan came to Zhengzhou, the task of breaking the embankment was temporarily carried out by the troops of Shangzhen, the national army guarding the Yellow River.

This order is so important that, except for Generalissimo Jiang, no one else is qualified to issue it, including Cheng Qian, the commander of the first war zone.

That's right, Cheng Qian is not qualified either!

In this war-torn era, those who can become military commanders may not be very good generals, but they must have something extraordinary, especially their minds, which are not ordinary auras.

No matter who it is, the general who is going to dig the Yellow River embankment will not easily carry out this order, even Cheng Qian, the commander of the first theater, or Yan Xishan, the commander of the second theater, they are not enough. Geer!
In addition, they are more aware of the consequences of digging the Yellow River embankment: they will be sinners through the ages... How many people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River will be drowned?How many people will starve to death in the event of a food shortage?

Human hearts are fleshy, no one is a fool, even if they are willing to fight to the death, they are not willing to be that Qin Hui who has been insulted for nearly a thousand years!

This infamy is too heavy, no one can bear it!
It is precisely because of the difficulty of carrying out this order, or because Cheng Qian is not willing to bear the eternal infamy like Tang Shengzhi, so at this moment, who else can hold back the situation except Chairman Jiang?

Ever since, Chairman Jiang came, and he came to Zhengzhou!

Looking at the heavily guarded troops around him and Cheng Qian, the commander of the first war zone who came to greet him in person, Chiang Kai-shek nodded lightly. There was no trace of a smile on his face, on the contrary, it was full of dignity.

Before Chiang Kai-shek got on the plane, he had already received a secret report from the military command: "The Doihara Department of the Japanese Army joined one of the reinforcements. In addition, Kenji Doihara, the head of the No.14 Division, was appointed as the front-line combat commander. In charge of Kaifeng military affairs."

At this point, can Chiang Kai-shek still not understand?He has been forced into a dilemma by Kenji Doihara.

The Japanese army will launch a desperate attack on Kaifeng in a short time, and it will only be in the near future to implement that order.

……

PS: Let's cooperate with each other for one chapter!I originally wanted to finish this volume tonight, but there are still some things to finish, so tomorrow night!
Tomorrow night will be able to finish this volume!

Thanks to Qidian book friend Scorpio Wuxie for the 500 point reward!

(End of this chapter)