Age of Rebirth

The words of Lieutenant Colonel Wu Zhengmin, the deputy director of the Division Command Staff Office, were like enlightenment, which shocked Zhao Yuhe. There was a big loophole in the original campaign plan to deal with the border guards of the Kwantung Army. The emergence of this loophole , which was caused by the change of the main mission of the Outer Mongolian Field Corps.

According to the original plan, the Outer Mongolian Field Corps would attack from the front, and the directly subordinate corps would attack from the side. Then, the two corps would form an encirclement circle, with the Outer Mongolian Field Corps as the main force, annihilating the border guards of the Kwantung Army, while the directly subordinate corps would continue Advancing in the northeast direction, it directly took the flank of the Japanese Far East Expeditionary Army, cooperated with Liu Tiehan's East Pointing Force, and strived to wipe out the last heavy Japanese army group in the north on the Far East battlefield.

However, because the Kwantung Army troops in the Ximan area moved on hearing the news and retreated early, the Jingzhan Banner of the Ximan Blocking Corps had only five brigades, which forced the division to change the campaign plan and transfer the Outer Mongolian Field Corps along the Bai-A railway line Quickly go south, join the Ximan battlefield, and hand over the task of annihilating the border guards of the Kwantung Army to the corps directly under it.

Originally, the changed campaign plan was impeccable. Both the Outer Mongolian Field Corps and the Corps directly under it far surpassed the border guards of the Kwantung Army in terms of strength and equipment. There was no such thing as a single regiment completing the campaign plan. question.

Now, after Wu Zhengmin's reminder, Zhao Yuhe realized that both the division commander and himself had taken it for granted. He believed that the more than 30 troops of the Outer Mongolia Field Corps launched a fierce frontal attack. Under strong pressure, the Kwantung Army The border guards will definitely retreat to the northeast.In this way, it happened to crash into the encirclement of the corps directly under it.Frontal interception, the forces of the two wings converged, and an encirclement circle was formed.

There is nothing wrong with the campaign plan, but it misses a key issue. What should the Kwantung Army’s border guards do if they go in the opposite direction? Even if the Outer Mongolian Field Corps attacks from the front, it can drive half of its troops into the encirclement of the directly subordinate regiment. .Whether the remaining tens of thousands of Kwantung Army troops turned to the Far East battlefield or broke out in the direction of Aershan, it would be an uncertain factor, and it would have an unpredictable impact on the Ximan battlefield and the Far East battlefield.

Zhao Yuhe woke up from deep contemplation, and said to Wu Zhengmin: "Chief of Staff Wu, immediately report your analysis to the division commander, and ask the division commander to adjust the plan for the Northeast border campaign. The original plan will be carried out after the border guards. It is urgent, and the telegram must be sent immediately!"

"Also, because the campaign plan needs to be adjusted accordingly, I ordered the headquarters of the Outer Mongolia Field Corps and the brigades directly under it to temporarily suspend offensive preparations. Wait for the command of the headquarters! However, the No.11 brigade and the [-]th brigade outflanking the right wing Brigade. Continue to carry out the original task, and the time to complete the task remains unchanged!"

Wu Zhengmin thought for a while and said, "Chief of Staff, you are the supreme commander of the campaign, so in your name, send a telegram to the division commander, which is more appropriate!"

Zhao Yuhe glanced at him, suddenly smiled, and said, "Chief of Staff Wu, it's not like you don't know the rules of our independent division, besides, you are the chief of staff and have the right to report any problems on the battlefield to the division! Seeing that Wu Zhengmin was still hesitating, he said impatiently: "Okay! Don't talk nonsense, let's do it!"

In the southeast of Outer Mongolia, where the headquarters of the Outer Mongolian Field Corps is located, the commander, Major General Sun Zhenbang, is still standing on an isolated hill. The staff persuaded him several times to take a rest in the tent below, but he refused.

Looking at the sun that was already falling slightly to the west, Sun Zhenbang's eyes were filled with impatience. He didn't know why Chief of Staff Zhao hadn't issued the order to attack, "What's going on? Could it be, The Kwantung Army has something abnormal, or is it a unit directly under the Corps that has not yet arrived? But no matter what you say, you Chief of Staff Zhao must send me a telegram to explain the situation, and just let me wait like this?" He thought Thinking very dissatisfied.

Colonel Wang Jun, the chief of staff of the Corps, walked out of the tent at the foot of the mountain, climbed up the hill, and said with a telegram: "Commander, Chief of Staff Zhao sent an urgent order to temporarily suspend the offensive preparations of our Corps. Turn to rest on the battlefield, when to start attacking, wait for the order from the headquarters!"

"What?" Sun Zhenbang exploded at the time, "Are you blindly directing? My more than 30 people have been basking in the sun for several hours. With bullets loaded and bayonets unsheathed, nearly a thousand soldiers suffered from heat stroke. Thousands of troops are holding their breath, and he doesn't say a word? He can be angry, but he can't let it go. Isn't this tossing around! No, I have to ask Chief of Staff Zhao, what song is this singing? out?"

Sun Zhenbang took a few steps angrily, then stopped suddenly, turned around and asked Wang Jun, "Chief of Staff Zhao didn't say, what is the reason for the suspension of the attack?"

"Chief of Staff Zhao said in the telegram that there are huge loopholes in the deployment of the northeast border campaign, and he is asking the division commander for instructions to adjust the deployment!" Wang Jun replied.

"Huh?" Sun Zhenbang frowned suspiciously, and the anger in his heart subsided. He absolutely believed that Chief of Staff Zhao would not order the suspension of the attack for no reason. "Chief of Staff, do you think there are any loopholes in this campaign plan?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet!" Wang Jun replied honestly.

"Chief of Staff, do you judge, after our corps launches a frontal attack, can we drive all 10,000+ little devils into the encirclement of the corps directly under it?" Sun Zhenbang asked a key question.

Wang Jun thought seriously and said: "That is the most ideal situation, but the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and we cannot guarantee that the goal of attack will be completely achieved--Commander, you mean that the loophole mentioned by Chief of Staff Zhao is due to On our regiment?" He asked back in surprise.

Sun Zhenbang suddenly lost interest, and said, "Are there any other possibilities besides this? However, suspending the attack does not mean not attacking. Order the frontline troops to take turns to rest and eat, and continue to maintain an offensive posture against the little devil. Stop these bastards! If we don’t fight for now, we’ll scare him into a cold sweat!”

Mechanized vehicles and heavy equipment were stuck in the swamp. Major General Ren Zhaoquan, commander of the No. 11 Brigade directly under the corps, who was devastated and helpless, did not know that the main force that was ready to go had already suspended the attack. Annoyed by the predicament in front of him, the summer scenery outside the Great Wall, with shallow water, green pastures, bright sunshine and blue sky, has become very hateful in his eyes!

The chief of staff of the brigade, Fu Dechun, was also very anxious. The engineer battalion did its best, and an infantry regiment was transferred to help. Within three hours, it is impossible to get a tank or artillery vehicle across this meadow. , It's not an option to go on like this!

Fu Dechun thought about it, and suddenly, a flash of light flashed in his mind. On the right wing of the No.11 Brigade, there are troops from the No.12 Brigade marching. Why not ask them how they are doing? If the No.12 Brigade does not have its own troops However, we can discuss the predicament, temporarily borrow some heavy equipment, the No.11 Brigade can move forward with light equipment, leave the heavy equipment and slowly find a solution!

Fu Dechun came up with a good idea for himself, and his mood brightened. He hurried to the brigade commander Ren Zhaoquan, who was in a hurry, and said his thoughts. Sure enough, Ren Zhaoquan's eyes lit up, and he praised Fu Dechun again and again. It's just that there are too many tricks!

Ren Zhaoquan immediately wanted to call Chen Han, commander of the No.12 brigade, but he shouted loudly: "I am Lao Ren! Brigadier Chen, where is your troops now, but hurry up, the chief of staff ordered But it's a dead rule, don't hold back our left-wing detour troops, when the time comes, my old Ren's face will be ashamed!"

Fu Dechun, the chief of staff next to him, was speechless for a while, and said in his heart: "I didn't see it before, the brigade commander can still play such tricks, obviously his troops are now trapped in the swamp, and..." He couldn't help shaking his head, dumbfounding.

Major General Chen Han, commander of the No.12 brigade, has always been known for his honesty and loyalty in the directly subordinate corps, which is similar to the second brigade commander Ouyang Yishan. In addition, the No.12 brigade was formed later, ranking higher Compared with those veteran brigade commanders here, they are still juniors, and they don't have as many ghosts as Ren Zhaoquan.

Hearing Ren Zhaoquan say this, a look of shame flashed on his face, and he said honestly: "Brigade Commander Ren, this time, it really dragged the right-wing detour troops back. To tell you the truth, our No.12 Brigade is now surrounded by a swamp. Trapped, mud all over the place, all trucks and heavy equipment, can't move a step!"

After a pause, Chen Han sighed, and then said: "It's all my fault. In order to take a shortcut, the troops were wasted even more time. Ren brigade commander, your No. 11 brigade will go first. The left wing cannot be without troops. I will try my best to keep up with you." , do you think this is okay?"

Chen Han's tone was absolutely sincere and filled with deep self-blame. On the other end of the walkie-talkie, Ren Zhaoquan grinned, almost petrified, and he couldn't laugh or cry. Tell me, why are you telling such a lie? Oh, isn't he digging a hole for himself?

Chief of Staff Fu Dechun leaned over and said in a low voice, "It's a good time now. I've let the big talk out. Let me see how you end up."

However, Ren Zhaoquan's face is quite thick, and someone who can challenge the top brigade commanders directly under the corps is not comparable to an honest guy like Chen Han. At that moment, he said without changing his face: "Chen Brother, I was joking just now. To tell you the truth, our No.11 brigade is in the same situation as you. It got stuck in a swamp. Up to now, the engineer battalion has been tossing for hours without even a single truck Get it over there!"

Chen Han on the other end of the walkie-talkie was taken aback, and he didn't care to pursue Ren Zhaoquan's bullshit just now, and asked nervously: "Brigade Commander Ren, our two brigades are in the same situation. We can't overcome the difficulties brought by the swamp in a short time. But the chief of staff gave the order to die, and failing to arrive at the designated location on time will affect the progress of the entire campaign, what should I do?"

(To be continued)