Bright Sword's Bloody War of Resistance

"Oh, who would have thought that the little devil played such a trick. He thought that the national army had the upper hand, but he was played by Ishihara Wan'er and applauded!" Zhou Weihan said with emotion.

The situation on the frontline changed three times a day. Zhou Weihan and Brigade Chang were stationed in the west. Even if they had the intention, they could not provide support. They could only watch the Zhongtiao Mountain area fall into the hands of the Japanese army.

The military officers on the front line of the Eighth Route Army went to Yanzhou to study. The daily affairs of each military region were handled by political commissars. The troops tended to be conservative in their operations and did not respond effectively in the first time.

Taking the Taiyue Military Region as an example, the Japanese army initially fought with the 34th Group Army in Hejin. Judging from the situation at the time, the Taiyue Military Region and Hejin were separated by Jishan, Jiangxian and other Japanese-occupied areas, and the Eighth Route Army could be said to be beyond its reach.

However, if a large number of troops can be assembled in the border area between the enemy and ourselves, it may be possible to slow down a portion of the Japanese army.

"However, the local situation in the future may still be beneficial to our army!" The brigade commander put forward a different view.

"Originally, the Japanese army was in a confrontation with the National Army in the Zhongtiao Mountain area. In fact, they only stationed troops in Hejin, Jishan, Jiangxian and other places south of Linfen. The Japanese army along this route mainly defended the 14th Group Army in the Yuncheng area, while the central The 5th Group Army is in close combat with our Taiyue Military Region, and Fan Hanjie’s 24th Group Army borders your Tainan Military Region!"

"This is equivalent to our Eighth Route Army helping the Japanese army bear part of the pressure. Now that the Japanese army has occupied most of Zhongtiao Mountain, Linfen's independent ninth mixed brigade alone may not be able to cope with the situation. I am afraid that a division will have to be transferred. Only in this way can the situation be maintained!”

"Besides, after the national army withdraws, the original agreement signed by the two parties will naturally be invalidated, and our army can develop into the Zhongtiao Mountain area!" the brigade commander said one after another.

Zhou Weihan nodded when he heard this. With the withdrawal of the main force of the national army, the Zhongtiao Mountains would become a power vacuum area. The Eighth Route Army could send elite troops to open up base areas.

"Actually, there is another layer of invisible benefits. The Japanese army was showing signs of decline in North China, and the Chinese army had a heavy presence in Zhongtiao Mountain. This undoubtedly gave some people unnecessary ideas. If allowed to develop, I'm afraid the scene of the Battle of Tainan will be repeated, and the Japanese army will get an advantage then!" Zhou Weihan said with a smile.

For both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, war is always a continuation of politics. The power of the three kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu is particularly obvious in southern Shanxi. As the strength of the Japanese army changes, the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party will always ease and sometimes worsen.

The first theater of war has great powers. The defense area has been changed many times as the Japanese army moved southward. During the tenure of Chief Wei, the defense area included the northern parts of Henan and Anhui provinces, as well as the Hebei-Cha war zone behind enemy lines. Militarily, it was also responsible for commanding the Central Army of Shaanxi Province. Combat.

During this period, the relationship between the National Army and the Eighth Route Army was at its most relaxed, and it was also the stage when the Eighth Route Army's troops expanded most rapidly. The Kuomintang and the Communist Party organized military training classes, learned each other's tactics, and even jointly organized many campaigns against the Japanese army.

However, as the Kuomintang army regained lost ground in Zhongtiao Mountain one after another, and the Chief of Guard was transferred away on suspicion of being pro-communist, the relationship between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party returned to coldness again, and even led to confrontation in some areas.

Take Fan Hanjie's 24th Group Army in the Tainan Military Region as an example. The two armies bordering the two sides are heavily defended and are the main force, which involves each other's main force.

On the one hand, it was caused by the political confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, and on the other hand, it was due to geographical factors.

To the west and north of the Tainan Military Region are the Eighth Route Army base areas, and to the east are the Japanese military's key towns on the Ping-Han Railway, which has no room for development.

Only by developing to the south, towards the Changzhi area, can we gain further space, and the Changzhi area is occupied by Fan Hanjie's 24th Group Army. Therefore, even if there is no order from his superiors to restrain the growth of the Eighth Route Army, Fan Hanjie will not allow the Eighth Route Army to attack his own. Site development.

Fortunately, the senior officials of both sides were relatively sober and did not allow the situation to escalate. Even if the two sides occasionally clashed, it was only a military conflict without political overtones. Externally, it can be said that it is a problem of grassroots officers and soldiers.

As the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain came to an end, Fan Hanjie had to reconsider his relationship with the Eighth Route Army.

Previously, the 24th Group Army had its back to the First War Zone, and the Tainan Military Region had its back to the Taihang Base Area. It was like two children laughing and playing in front. If one day they accidentally got angry, their respective adults would be watching from behind. But now The 24th Group Army undoubtedly lost its backer.

The Shangdang Basin where the Changzhi area is located alone is enough to support tens of thousands of troops, but the 24th Group Army's supplies do not need to be transported from the rear.

What's even more ominous is that although the 24th Group Army explicitly claims to occupy the Changzhi area, Lucheng and Licheng in the north, Tunliu in the northwest, and Pingshun in the east are all in the hands of the Eighth Route Army. Changzhi is equivalent to being surrounded by the Eighth Route Army at all times. among.

Once the Kuomintang and the Communist Party deteriorate, as long as Zhou Weihan is willing, the frontline departments can launch an offensive against Changzhi at any time.

In Changzhi City, Fan Hanjie was worried about the current situation, so he called Liu Jin, acting commander of the 27th Army, and Tan Tianjue, chief of staff.

"Two months ago, the Director of the Political Training Office of the Theater Command repeatedly ordered our department to step up its actions against the Eighth Route Army, but who could have imagined that the situation would change so quickly. Fortunately, the military base handled the situation decisively and did not allow the Eighth Route Army to take advantage of it. Otherwise, today's situation would probably be different. Worse!" Liu Jin was quite scared when he spoke.

The 24th Group Army also has a political training department, which internally monitors the movements of chief officers at all levels to prevent infiltration by the Eighth Route Army. At the same time, it guides the ideological changes of grassroots officers and soldiers. This ideological work was the foundation laid by Zhou Gong for the national army at that time. .

The main external conflict was with the Eighth Route Army. Perhaps the National Army learned from special channels that the generals of the Eighth Route Army were not in the base area, so the Political Training Department asked the 24th Group Army to make some tests. However, Fan Hanjie resisted all opinions and did not cooperate with the implementation of this Order.

Fan Hanjie knew that he would not get any substantial benefits, and he did not want to end up with nothing to eat but a mess. Later, under the leadership of the Political Training Department, a soldier of the 27th Army stationed on the front line had a fight with the troops of the Tainan Second Division. There was a brief exchange of fire.

The fighting soldiers on both sides injured each other. Fan Hanjie was particularly angry when he learned about this. He immediately called Xing Zhiguo and claimed that it was a misunderstanding. The conflict was over, but secretly it was still turbulent.

Afterwards, Fan Hanjie ordered the execution of the incited officers, which dampened the arrogance of the die-hards within the 27th Army.

Fortunately, Fan Hanjie graduated from Huangpu and was a direct descendant of Chiang Kai-shek. This matter was reported to the First War Zone Commander's Department at the age of [-], but Yu Tianming, director of the War Zone Political Training Department, knew that Fan Hanjie could not be moved, so he suppressed the matter. Coming down, there was no ripple.

After that, it didn't take long for the Japanese army to start making moves, and no one even mentioned it.

"Chief Commander, our army is currently isolated on Xuan's side, and the only one we can rely on for support is the Eighth Route Army. In my opinion, we should repair our relationship with the Eighth Route Army!" Chief of Staff Tan Tianjue said.Tan Tianjue was 37 years old at the time. He graduated from the sixth class of Huangpu and participated in the Second Eastern Expedition. He was originally the commander of the 27th Army Supplementary Regiment. After Fan Hanjie led his troops to occupy Changzhi, he served as the director of the Military Operations Department and was later promoted to the Army. He is the chief of staff of the Ministry and is regarded as a confidant by Fan Hanjie.

"Tian Jue's words make sense. Let's send a batch of ore to the Eighth Route Army tomorrow for repairs!" Fan Hanjie nodded.

"Until the top leaders of both sides break up, the Tainan Military Region will not take the initiative to attack our army. There is no doubt about this. However, the Japanese army has captured Zhongtiao Mountain, and our army is in a worrying situation!"

"The Japanese army has not taken action against our troops at this time. They are just digesting the territory they have just occupied. They will definitely take action against our troops in the future. However, now there are only our 24th Group Army and the 3rd Group Army in the north of the Yellow River. How can we resist the Japanese army's incoming heavy troops in the future? attack?"

"I regret not listening to Tianjue's words that day. It would have been better if I had taken the initiative to send troops earlier!"

Even though Fan Hanjie had been in battle for a long time, he did not expect that the situation would change so quickly. With just a moment of hesitation, he had already lost his chance.

Tan Tianjue sighed secretly in his heart. Wherever there are people, there will be conflicts. Factional struggles in the national army are particularly serious. This situation also exists among the generals of the Huangpu faction.

Is Tan Tianjue the only sober person in the entire 24th Group Army?Don't Fan Hanjie and many other generals know that after the battle begins, they will increase their troops to support them as soon as possible?
It's just that the 24th Group Army has been at peace for a long time, and everyone from top to bottom has the mentality of slacking off in war. In addition, the theater commander's department has not issued a formal order, so it sits in Changzhi and watches the situation worsen.

Later, the war zone commander issued an order, but Fan Hanjie called and said that the main 27th Army needed to guard against the Eighth Route Army, and could only send Pang Bingxun's 40th Army to respond.

The 40th Army is a miscellaneous army. Its commander Pang Bingxun is over sixty years old. After arriving in Changzhi, he closed his door and lived the life of a rich man. How can he still have the courage of the LY battle?

Knowing that Yuanqu was occupied by the Japanese army, the 40th Army had just left Lingchuan, but then it was unable to do anything and returned to the defense area.

Looking at the headquarters of the first theater commander and the military commanders below, although there are many generals like Commander Tang and Commander Cun who dare to fight against the Japanese invaders, it is difficult to change the overall situation.

In the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, how could the national army be invincible?
"Chief Commander, as long as Jiyuan and Mengxian are still in the hands of the 3rd Army, our army's contact with the rear will not be interrupted. Judging from the official documents issued by the commander of the theater, Shangfeng has no intention of giving up Changzhi and Jincheng! "

"The current situation may be the best period in the next few years. The Japanese army is busy clearing areas. Although they have heavily deployed troops in key areas such as east of Yokogaki Avenue, they are actually unable to advance eastward!"

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, our unit should join forces with the 3rd Group Army on the southern front to attack Jincheng, an important town in the middle of the two defense areas, so that the defense areas can be integrated into one!" Tan Tianjue, as the chief of staff, once again made a pertinent suggestion to Fan Hanjie.

Tan Tianjue's remarks coincided with the strategy proposed by Chief of Staff Dong Yingbin at the meeting of the First War Zone Commander's Department at that time. They both wanted to use Changzhi and Jincheng as base areas north of the Yellow River, and then plan for follow-up.

However, after the defeat at Zhongtiao Mountain, the various ministries retreated from the front line, and the situation eased. There was a dispute within the first theater about who should bear the responsibility, and Dong Yingbin's proposal was shelved again.

Because the current situation was related to the interests of the entire 24th Army, Fan Hanjie naturally did not dare to take it lightly, so he united with the 3rd Army to bypass the First Theater District Commander's Department and directly sent a report to Jiang's attendant's office, requesting approval for military operations against Jincheng.

At that time, He Yingqin had returned from the front line and made a detailed report to Jiang on the situation in Zhongtiao Mountain. The Japanese army trumpeted this victory in the occupied areas, while the Chinese army called it a short defeat, and the elite troops were not severely damaged. , and at the same time called the battle commanded by Zhou Weiguo the Great Victory in Weinan, claiming to have annihilated the main force of nearly [-] Japanese troops.

The Changjin area, the only base area north of the Yellow River, became the face of the Nationalist government to cover up frontline losses.

In order to save his last face, Jiang immediately approved this combat deployment and mobilized the 80th Army and the 98th Army stationed in the Tongguan area to advance eastward quickly.

At the same time, the 14th Army, 15th Army, and 93rd Army, which were withdrawn to Shaanxi Province, were temporarily stationed in Yichuan, Luochuan, Huanglong and other places north of Weinan.

The battle in Zhongtiao Mountain had just ended, and the confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party around the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area was once again rife. Jiang seemed to have suffered a loss from the Japanese army and wanted to regain his position with the Eighth Route Army.

Seeing the possibility of a military confrontation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Americans in the military coordination team immediately began mediation work.

After the military transfer team was stationed in Xipin, the mediation work has not improved. At first, the Americans did not understand what was going on. They thought that the Nationalist government did not take the American government seriously. Later, Hu Zhongnan came to explain in person, and then they all acted for the little devils. A play.

It's just that the result of this scene was really tasteless and a pity to abandon. Although the national army won the victory in Shaanxi Province, they only annihilated the enemy with two unsatisfied Japanese troops, and the rest were small puppet troops pretending to be soldiers. Devil.

In contrast, the Japanese army really gained substantial benefits, which also made Hu Zhongnan feel uneasy and worried about being implicated, so he came up with the idea of ​​continuing to attack the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area. This idea immediately attracted the attention of Jiang support.

After the day's mediation, the brigade commander came forward to handle the reception, and Zhou Weihan found Milani, the secretary of the American representative, Major Stilwell.

"General Zhou, you know that Mr. Stilwell is too conspicuous here, so I usually come forward and I can convey it to you!" Milani looked at him with eyes, as if she wanted to devour Zhou Weihan.

She had often heard Stilwell mention the name of this Eighth Route Army general, and this was the first time for her to have a face-to-face conversation with him.

Zhou Weihan looked at the hot blonde beauty in front of him and thought to himself that this old guy Stilwell is really blessed.

"I appreciate Miss Milani's kindness, but what I want to talk about with Mr. Stilwell is not mediation. You can tell him when you go back. I have thought of some suggestions about the expeditionary force, which may be helpful to the situation in Southeast Asia. Helped!"

"If possible, I hope to have a chance to talk to Mr. Stilwell tonight!" Zhou Weihan said with a smile. (End of chapter)