The third part of the bloody war of resistance, Chapter 8 of the devilish way, Section 9 of the horn (2)

"General Zhuang, I don't understand why heavy artillery and rocket launchers are not allowed to be used, and why tanks are not put into battle in the city?"

After Zhuang Jihua issued a series of orders, he threw the war room to Gong Chu and He Wei, and accompanied Wilkie and Breen to the small garden in the backyard. As soon as he left, Breen asked.

"Wuhan is not Jingshan or Zhongxiang. It is an important town in central China. It has a large population in the city. It has heavy artillery bombardment and will inevitably suffer huge casualties. The city will also be destroyed. The burden of post-war reconstruction is huge."

"But this will inevitably bring huge casualties to the troops." Breen frowned slightly. In his opinion, this was unacceptable. Even if the city was destroyed, it could be rebuilt. What should be considered now is how to reduce the casualties of soldiers and how to eliminate the Japanese army as soon as possible.

"This is fighting on our own territory." Zhuang Jihua said as he walked, but Brann still shook his head.

"China is not the United States," Lin Wei interrupted at this time. He agreed with Zhuang Jihua's order: "Our finances are extremely tense. After the war in northern Hubei, Zhong Xiang had almost been destroyed in Jingshan and Zhongxiang. The local refugees who need relief may reach 200,000. In addition, Wuhan, the entire war zone will have as many as one million refugees, which is a huge financial pressure."

Wilkie couldn't help but shake her head when he heard it. For the first time, he realized the difference between Chinese warfare and the West. Thomas also shook his head slightly. He had been in China for almost eight years and had become a Chinese communication. He understood Zhuang Jihua's purpose very well.

"General Zhuang, do you think the Japanese army will evacuate from Wuhan?" Thomas felt that Bren would soon have a conflict with the general who was about to win a great victory, which would violate the purpose of this trip.

"From the current trend of the Japanese army, this possibility is very high." Although victory is in sight, Zhuang Jihua's answer is still very cautious.

"If heavy artillery and tanks are not used, the Japanese army will likely withdraw from Wuhan without much loss." Brenn said a bit more harshly: "This battle will not completely wipe out the Japanese army."

"The purpose of our combat is to recover the country," Zhuang Jihua disagreed and said in a cold tone: "As for whether to wipe out the Japanese army, it is not within our plan for the time being. They can retreat. However, when we invade the Japanese mainland, we can use any of our weapons without any scruples."

"Gentlemen, I'm not a tactical expert," Brann also planned to refute, and Wilkie interrupted in time: "General Zhuang, I want to know your army's next action plan."

As the few people said, they arrived at the small garden. Zhuang Jihua asked everyone to sit down in the pavilion. Tea had already been placed inside the pavilion. Zhuang Jihua uncovered the cover bowl, and a fragrance immediately filled the pavilion.

"This is the local Yunfeng tea. They said it is no worse than Dahongpao. Come on, Wei Wen, you are the Fang family. Try it and see if they are right." Zhuang Jihua didn't know whether this tea was good or bad, but Lin Wei was an expert in this field.

"The fragrance is unique," Lin Wei wrinkled his nose, then picked up the tea bowl and took a sip, put it in his mouth, and then swallowed it slowly: "Yes, although it may not be better than Dahongpao, it is also a good tea."

Zhuang Jihua smiled when he heard this, and he leaned against the chair. He looked completely different from a general, or even a soldier.

"I also expect you, an expert, to say a few good things to make Sui County's tea sell well all over the country. Now it's all over."

"My two words can be sold well across the country. In the Cultural Revolution, you look down on me too highly." Lin Wei said with a smile.

Wilkie and Breen were a little uncomfortable with Zhuang Jihua's way of talking, and they were a little careless in their randomness, and seemed to have nothing to do with the topic just now. But Thomas was different. Over the years, he has dealt with Chinese people too much and is already familiar with the Chinese ways. They often reveal a lot of information in this casual communication.

"General Zhuang, according to the consensus reached by Ms. Soong Mei-ling and us in Washington, your country's counterattack will start from the Fifth War Zone. I am very happy that during my time in your country, I have seen progress in this regard, but I still care about your country's next action plan." Wilkie interrupted Zhuang Jihua and Lin Wei's conversation on the promotion of Sui County tea and raised questions he was concerned about.

"After the liberation lunch, our army will go to rest. In fact, we have rushed to fight this battle. General Bran may know that before this battle, our plan is to reorganize the army first, and this work has just begun. Simply put, we are forced to join this battle and we are not ready."

"In addition, this battle consumed amazing materials. All our reserves in two years were consumed. Ammunition and oil. Why did I let the Second Army head north? The reason is actually very simple. General Fan Hanjie's Fifth Army, our only mechanized army, is almost out of fuel, and the tanks are almost infantry. The combat troops on the southern front have huge casualties. So far, we have eliminated about 100,000 Japanese troops, but what about our casualties? They are close to 100,000 people. The troops are very tired. The soldiers are just inspired by victory and insist on fighting against the hatred of the Japanese invaders."

"So, regaining Wuhan is the end of this battle. Next, we will have to rest for about three months and there will be no major combat operations in the Fifth War Zone before July."

Zhuang Jihua finally said in a concluding tone. Wilkie just listened silently without any expression. Brann nodded slightly. As a soldier, he could not deny such a situation.

"General Zhuang, how do you judge the next move of the Japanese army? What changes do you think your country needs to make to win this war?"

Wilkie's question made Zhuang Jihua and Lin Wei frowned almost at the same time. Such questions should not be asked by the commander of the war zone, but should be asked in Chongqing.

"For the Japanese army," Zhuang Jihua thought about it, "I think the Japanese army will increase troops to China in the next step. The Battle of Hubei and Northern Hubei will allow them to re-understand China. They will draw troops from the South China Sea and the Soviet Russian battlefields to China. In addition, there is an air force. In the Battle of Hubei, our air force exerted great power. It is impossible for the Japanese to not realize this, so they will strengthen their air force strength. Simply put, after the Battle of Hubei, the entire strategy of the Japanese army will change, their offensive in the South China Sea will all stop, and the air force will divide the ground forces to China. The difficulties we face will be greater."

"As for the latter issue, I think it is social reform, promoting social reforms in various places, completely eliminating the warlord phenomenon that has endangered China for decades, and truly achieving unity in the country."

As Zhuang Jihua said, a slight doubt arose in his heart. Why did Wilkie come here? He believed that Bai Chongxi could give an answer to such a question in Chongqing.

Wilkie did not say anything, and then asked: "As far as I know, the senators of the National Government's Political Consultative Conference hope that the government will reform and implement a coalition government, and the chairman refuses it, which leads to unstable political situation in your country."

Zhuang Jihua's doubts were even greater. This obviously exceeded the military scope. What should the Americans do? He looked at Lin Wei silently, and Lin Wei's face was calm, as if he didn't notice anything.

"I am not clear about what happened recently in Chongqing, but in my opinion, the National Government is actually a coalition government. The National Government has included leaders of various political parties," Zhuang Jihua said carefully: "Besides, at this stage, the National Government's War of Resistance under the leadership of the Chairman is winning steadily. It is wrong to make government changes now."

"General Zhuang, I know that your country is rectifying the army, the fifth war zone, the first war zone, and Sichuan are rectifying. What aspects do you think your ** team needs to improve? This battle exposed those problems." Bren asked.

"General Breon said that it is exactly what we want to do. We will summarize it after the war. The current situation is that we cannot fully utilize firepower in the offense and do not have enough mastery of tactics." Zhuang Jihua felt even more strange, why is it a bit like a reporter's interview?

"Hehe, the Cultural Revolution, the military reorganization matter will be discussed later. Actually, I really want to know what Anan Weiji thinks now." Lin Wei suddenly laughed and gave him a wink while saying that.

"Haha, this is what I want to know." Zhuang Jihua stood up: "Mr. Wilkie, General Breen, spring is in full bloom, and the scenery in northern Hubei is charming. You can take a walk nearby in the past two days. After the battle is over, I will accompany you to Wuhan."

Wilkie and Breen did not try to keep them, watching Zhuang Jihua leave, while the four of them continued to stay in the pavilion to drink tea.

It was the time for Zhuang Jihua to leave. As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the garden, he ran into Shangguan Jun. Shangguan Jun immediately reported: "The Air Force reported that a large number of ships appeared on the Wuhan River. The Military Control Commission also heard that the Japanese overseas Chinese in Wuhan were gathering in Hanyang, Wuchang Wharf, and General Wang Jingjiu broke through Huanglingji."

Zhuang Jihua just said no, and walked quickly towards the war room.

In Wuhan City, the streets were empty, all shops were closed, and the sound of cannons outside the city was getting closer and closer. Residents quietly looked out the windows, and the patrols on the streets unknowingly turned into puppet troops. All of these puppet troops looked very nervous. The guards near the city walls were more tightly guarded, and the number of Japanese troops increased significantly, but they were still dominated by puppet troops.

At the city gate, a team of Japanese troops rushed into the city. The Japanese troops looked embarrassed and exhausted. After entering the city, they fell to the ground, as if they had exhausted all their strength.

The city gate was quickly closed, and the leading officer also sat on the ground. A Japanese lieutenant and a puppet major ran down the city. The two ran to the officer, talked to the officer for a few words, and the officer stood up, gathered his soldiers, and walked into the city.

The puppet soldiers on the top of the city were nervously looking outside the city. The gunshots were rippling in the distance, and the white sun flags were vaguely visible in the blue sky. Compared to the tension of the puppet soldiers, the Japanese soldiers were even more nervous. They sometimes looked outside the city and sometimes paid attention to the puppet soldiers around them.

There are many things to do tomorrow, so I will take a day off.
Chapter completed!