Age of Rebirth

Liu Tiehan also became interested, walked to the large Northeast map, and said: "In early August, I used four brigades to attack from Jinzhou to Yixian, Fuxin, and Kulun to capture Zhangwu. , Xinlitun, Heishan, Beizhen, Panshan and other places were the targets, and within three days after the attack was launched, the above-mentioned areas were captured consecutively, but unfortunately, the number of Japanese troops annihilated was not large."

"According to the situation on the battlefield, there are two reasons. One is that the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army in the above-mentioned area does not have many garrison troops. The other is that the Japanese army has no intention of defending against our attack. They will retreat when they encounter an attack. After the battle, based on the actual judgment of the battlefield, the latter should be the most likely."

"Because this limited attack is a tentative attack, and the number of troops dispatched is not large, so it was not reported to the division headquarters. After occupying the target area, I ordered the troops to strictly prevent the Japanese army from counterattacking. Unexpectedly, the Japanese army In fact, if the Japanese army launched a counterattack, I would order the troops to abandon the occupied areas and retreat to the original line of defense in order not to disrupt the division commander’s overall layout of the Northeast War.”

"Three days after the battle ended, I received a letter from Kobayashi Hideyama, commander of the Seventh Army of the Japanese Kwantung Army. By the way, Ketian, that letter is in your hand. Show it to the division commander. It's very interesting. I've never seen a little devil so polite."

After Liu Tiehan finished speaking, he returned to his seat and drank the tea in his cup. At this moment, Yang Ketian showed the letter to Tang Qiuli. [

Tang Qiuli looked at the letter from Lieutenant General Xiaolin Xiushan, and felt a little inexplicable. The content of the letter was like this, "General Liu Tiehan of the Chinese Army, the merits of General Liu Tiehan, the conflicts in the past few days were all due to the general's troops. To me The Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan launched a sudden attack. According to the practice of the Kwantung Army, it will inevitably take more violent counterattacks against such active attacks."

"However, I have thought over and over again. In order to protect the people of Manchukuo from the flames of war, and I do not want to have another conflict in front of our common enemy, the Soviets, after I have asked the Kwantung Army General Headquarters for approval. Regarding this attack, I will not pursue it, and I acquiesce to the existence of your ministry in the currently occupied area, but I also tell General Liu that it is not the ability of our Imperial Japanese Kwantung Army to counterattack."

"However, he acquiesced to the general's attack. It is because of the overall situation, because our common enemy, the Soviets, is watching. Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity, I hope that General Liu will stop in moderation, otherwise, we will surely suffer from Japan. The fierce counterattack of the Imperial Kwantung Army!" Signed by Lieutenant General Kobayashi Hideyama, Commander of the Seventh Army of the Kwantung Army.

It was a letter full of lies, deceit and bluster, with Japanese arrogance.With the arrogance of the Kwantung Army, Xiao Lin Xiushan may feel aggrieved to be able to write such a letter.Probably there is a thought of hitting the wall, the so-called abnormality must be a demon.

Tang Qiuli smiled contemptuously, put down the letter, and asked, "Brother Tiehan, what's your judgment on this?"

Liu Tiehan replied without hesitation: "It's very simple. The Japanese Kwantung Army's defensive forces in western Liaoning and even the entire Northeast region are extremely empty. On the outer Xing'an Mountains, Zhukov's Soviet Far East Front Army is holding back most of the Kwantung Army's forces. Otherwise, with the virtue of a little devil, I can swallow this breath!"

Tang Qiuli nodded and agreed with Liu Tiehan's analysis. This is also the situation he deliberately created when he was in the Northeast. Several years have passed, and the strategic layout of the Northeast has not changed. Neither the Soviets nor the Japanese No one can be swallowed, and more than 200 million troops from both sides are consumed on the outer Xing'an Mountains. At this time, what the Japanese are most afraid of is that they will suddenly attack in the Northeast.

Liu Tiehan, Yang Ketian, and Liu Cuigang looked at each other, then stood up, walked to the map again, and said, "Master, whether you analyze the situation in the Northeast battlefield or the situation of the Kwantung Army itself, now is the best time to regain the Northeast." Timing, to come to this conclusion, is our Dongzhi after deliberation."

"According to the following, the main force of the Kwantung Army is all on the outer Xing'an Mountains, confronting Zhukov's Soviet Far East Front Army. If we carry out military operations to recover the Northeast at this time, the main force of the Kwantung Army will basically be separated and send some troops back to the Northeast battlefield. , It will help the situation, but it will weaken the troops facing the Soviets. If the Kwantung Army returns with all its strength, the Soviets will take the opportunity to launch an attack."

"So, the time has come to recover the Northeast. On behalf of Dongzhi's hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers, I will challenge the division commander. Within six months, the entire territory of Northeast China can be settled and the Japanese Kwantung Army will be wiped out. Otherwise, from me, Dongzhi Commanders at all levels of the army, up to the level of company commander, resign collectively, accept the punishment of military law, and never complain!" Liu Tiehan's words have a clear attitude, which is different from issuing a military order.

Yang Ketian and Liu Cuigang stood up abruptly, looking at Tang Qiuli with piercing eyes. Although they didn't speak, their attitudes seemed to indicate that they fully supported Liu Tiehan's decision. Tang Qiuli knew that this should represent Dong Zhi's decision. The common wish of all officers and soldiers in the army, this idea, has been brewing in the hearts of a few of them for some time. Indeed, no matter how we analyze it, the time to recover the Northeast has come.

Tang Qiuli admired the war-seeking attitude of the chief officers of the East Pointing Army. A real soldier would never let go of any chance to wipe out the enemy, but is it really the best time?

Tang Qiuli waved his hands and said: "Brother Tiehan, Ketian, Cuigang, please sit down first, I understand your feelings, because my hometown is also in the Northeast, and that passionate soldier does not want to regain his hometown and drive the Japanese invaders away." Drive them out completely, but there is another more important reason that prevents me from approving Dongzhi's request for a war."

Seeing that the faces of Liu Tiehan and the others changed, and they were very ugly, Tang Qiuli said, "Don't get excited, I'll give you mny an explanation."

Tang Qiuli stood up, walked to the map, and said, "Brother Tiehan, I believe in your confidence and determination, and I also believe in the combat effectiveness of all the officers and soldiers of Dongzhi, and I understand your feelings of wanting to regain your hometown. The current situation has already shown the situation I hoped for, but the time has not come for us to do it, because what I want is not only the Northeast, but also the entire Far East area now occupied by the Soviets, from the Outer Xing'an Mountains to the Far East. the whole land of the South."

Liu Tiehan was shocked. He remembered that a few years ago, the teacher said such words. However, because it was too long, he was so focused on recovering the Northeast that he forgot. However, what he didn’t understand was that the teacher wanted to In the Northeast, is it going to war with the Japanese and the Soviets at the same time?

Tang Qiuli ignored Liu Tiehan's doubts, and continued: "In the first ten days of next year, the international situation will inevitably undergo major changes. At that time, it will be the best time for us to recover the Northeast and other regions."

Too many, Tang Qiuli did not go any further to explain, because it involves accurate research and judgment on the specific time of the incident, and when the time comes, after the facts are verified, he will appear too monstrous and shocking.

Tang Qiuli's words are enough. Based on the almost blind trust in the teacher for many years, Liu Tiehan and the others heard that the teacher's appetite is not only in the northeast, but also in the territory occupied by the old Maozi. Just recovering the Northeast is much more exciting. Anyway, the teacher will come up with a whole set of plans when the time comes. [

Seeing that Liu Tiehan and the others had stabilized, Tang Qiuli asked, "Then let's talk about the current situation of the Dongzhi troops!"

East Finger Chief of Staff Yang Ketian stood up and replied: "Master, after several years of expansion, the East Finger Army now has twenty infantry brigades, ten of which are mechanized infantry brigades, field artillery and rocket artillery. It has reached the scale of seven brigades, not counting the artillery brigades, five tank brigades, one armored brigade, four cavalry brigades, two coastal artillery brigades, and two air defense brigades, with a total strength of more than 38 people."

"The equipment of the troops has been replaced with new weapons. All the troops are deployed on the front line from Jinzhou to Kulun, which is more than [-] kilometers long. The current weakness of the troops is that, except for the original eleven infantry in the East Finger Other than the brigade, other units have been formed successively in the past few years. They have not experienced large-scale battles and lack experience in large-scale combat. Although we try our best to use small-scale battles to train troops, the combat effectiveness The improvement is still slow."

"The purpose of the limited attack organized by Deputy Division Commander Liu this time is also to train the troops. All the four newly formed brigades are used. The report is over!" Yang Ketian returned to his seat.

After listening to Yang Ketian's words, Tang Qiuli was shocked. In a few years, Dongzhi had grown from the Northeast Army's old foundation of only a few hundred thousand people to today's behemoth of nearly 40 people. As the leader of the field corps, the weapons and equipment are only slightly inferior to those of the corps directly under it. Moreover, with the background of more than a dozen brigades who have experienced the Battle of Pingjin and Shanhaiguan, the overall combat effectiveness will not be much worse.

It is very possible that when Liu Tiehan formed a new army, he was based on the principle of excellence, otherwise, Dongzhi's army may be more than 60 to [-]. Tang Qiuli shook his head again and again, and said with no envy: " Brother Tiehan, it’s no wonder that I’m abroad, and I often hear brother Qiusheng and Jiwu say, “Your brother is bored in the Northeast, and you’re a silent, dull-haired rich man!”

"After listening to Ketian's report, I found that this statement is true. One of your East Pointing troops is almost as large as the two main field corps. Did your brother send Pingjin and even Hebei, Chahar, Shanxi, Suizhou All the good boys from faraway places have been recruited into your army?"

Liu Tiehan was so happy from ear to ear, the teacher's praise was an affirmation of his years of hard work. Of course, he was a little proud in his heart, and he had to speak a few words of humility, and then asked: "Master, with regard to the current situation in Northeast China, what do you think? Any new instructions?"

(To be continued) (To be continued.)