Chapter 9: Battle of the South and the North (IV)

After capturing Juancheng on April 10, the 16th Division occupied Heze on April 14, and then forced Dingtao. In addition to the 16th Division, several other divisions of the North China Front Army also acted quite quickly.

Since the Yellow River Ferry between Pu County and Juancheng has been controlled by the Japanese army, the 5th Division and the 109th Division, which were originally stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River, have also been continuously crossing Henan since April 12. Only the 14th Division led by Kenji Tohitahara had to gather from Yanqu in southern Shanxi, Qinyang in northern Henan, Jiaozuo and other places, and the distance was a bit far, and had not yet arrived in the Pu County area.

The actions of the Japanese army in North China made Yan Xishan feel relieved, and also pressed a heavy rock on Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi's heart.

"When the 14th Division retreated, coupled with the North China, the Japanese troops in Central China aimed at Xuzhou, the hard days of our Second World War Zone are almost over!" In the Linfen War Zone Command, Yan Xishan said happily, "Dohira has left, and Fumisaburo Kawakishimoto and Kumayashishimoto will definitely not fight for long. Unless Sugiyama is crazy, he will never risk going to war everywhere."

Chief of Staff Zhu Shouguang didn't understand for a moment, so he reminded: "War is going to start everywhere? Duke Yan, we have only two places with Li Zongren!"

"Lansun, you forgot that the People's Party is in northern Shanxi, Suidong's People's Army, and the Shandong-oriented Guards." Yan Xishan smiled indifferently, "With Zhao Zhenzhong's temperament, how could he miss the opportunity to take advantage of the situation to rob the Japanese army? Just wait and see. I dare say that the People's Army and the Guards will definitely have big moves next, but I don't know when they will launch."

"That's true!" Zhu Shouguang nodded in agreement, and then sighed, "The two major Japanese troops rushed towards the fifth war zone together, and Li Delin's life may be more difficult than us!"

"The Central Committee and Li Delin, Bai Jiansheng and others are worried about the affairs of the fifth war zone. We don't have to worry about it. We should take care of our own affairs!" With the fifth war zone, Yan Xishan was unwilling to cause trouble, so the topic stopped.

If you die, I will not die. Yan Xishan was secretly happy because Li Zongren's fifth war zone attracted the 14th Division, while Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi wanted to use the sharp blade of the guards to deal with the Japanese army and alleviate the current crisis facing the fifth war zone. Perhaps this is also the alternative relationship between Yan and Li and other bigwigs?

However, Li and Bai could only report to Lao Chiang upwards and to the army downwards, and at most they could disclose it to the military level. They could not clearly announce it to the majority of middle and grassroots officers and soldiers, which led to grassroots troops being dissatisfied with the practice of retreating again and again.

"Commander, in order to defend Juancheng, our 30th Division was bombarded by the Japanese artillery fire in a few days, leaving less than 5,000 brothers left! But there were so many troops on it without reinforcement, but we asked us to withdraw for no reason! Why did I explain to the more than 10,000 dead brothers? How did I explain to the living brothers?" Zhang Jinzhao, the commander of the 30th Division, was wrapped in bandages on his arm. He didn't care about the superiority and inferiority of the 30th Army in Wucheng. He stared at the command of the blood-covered eyes and shouted at the commander Tian Zhennan.

"Do you think I don't want to fight?! I'm so frustrated to fight such a war!" Tian Zhennan was also frustrated and roared, "But Commander-in-Chief Sun said that this is the order of the war zone! Violators are engaged in military law! What do you think I can do?!"

"What's the hell?" Zhang Jinzhao punched the table and said angrily, "Our group army is simply raised by stepmother! First, it was the first War Zone, then the second War Zone, and then it was the first War Zone. Now it was the fifth War Zone, from Pinghan Line to Zhengtai Road, and then to southwest Shandong, all the time, they did nothing but some errands that blocked the holes of guns, and they were thankless to do everything! If this continues, I will learn from Gu Liangmin!"

Although Tian Zhennan was not from the Northwest Army, he had gotten along well with his subordinates since he became the commander of the 30th Army. This is also the reason why Zhang Jinzhao dared to go straight in front of him. But even so, after hearing Zhang Jinzhao's angry words, Tian Zhennan shouted sternly: "You bastard, shut up! If you dare to be careless again, I will send you directly to Commander-in-Chief Sun to see how he dealt with you!"

Zhang Jinzhao also knew that he had said too much, and sat there in a turbulent voice.

After calming down his emotions, Tian Zhennan said: "I will report your opinions to Commander-in-Chief Sun truthfully. But whether the troops are fighting or retreating is not allowed to decide. That is the matter of the War Zone Command. Now you go back to the army and lead those soldiers!"

Zhang Jinzhao twisted his neck to the side, and he became angry and said in a muffled voice: "There is no explanation above. I can't explain to my brothers. I won't reply! Otherwise, you can remove me or shoot me. If you finish it, everyone will worry about it!"

The 30th Division has been completely disabled, and it is impossible to go to the battlefield without months of replenishment and rest. Tian Zhennan thought for a moment and said angrily: "Then you can stay here first!"

The dissatisfaction of the grassroots officers and soldiers was not the only middle and lower-level officers and soldiers of Sun Lianzhong's army, Tang Enbo and Han Deqin's army also had a lot of complaints and doubts.

Starting from April 11, the 101st Brigade, which had been resting in Dongtai for half a month, began to attack and advance to Yancheng, Funing, Lianshui, Huaiyin and other places stationed in Han Deloitte's troops north. Han Deloitte had originally planned to preserve his strength, but now he received instructions from Li and Bai to cause trouble, so he was even more happy to "do his orders."

Therefore, under the command of Han Deqin, the 60,000 troops of the 24th Army of the National Government, cooperated with the forces of about 10,000 Japanese 101st Brigade to stage a surprising "offensive and defensive" drama. The Japanese army captured the city and surrounded Yancheng, Funing, Lianshui and other places in just over ten days, advancing and advancing again and again! Han Deqin ordered the troops to respond to the story, evacuate after contact, retreat again and again!

Han Deqin's 89th Army under Han Deqin was the commander of the army. He had a good grasp of the troops and suppressed some remarks. However, the 57th Army was adapted from the Northeast Army. Among the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers, the idea of ​​fighting against Japan and fighting back to their hometown in Northeast China was universal. Han Deqin's order to retreat again and again aroused the disgust of the officers and soldiers.

Although Tang Enbo's troops deployed on the Longhai Line have not yet contacted the Japanese army, the obvious waterproofing practice of Han Deloitte's troops, which serves as a barrier to the Tang army, aroused the indignation of the officers and soldiers. Everyone eats food and serves as soldiers to fight against Japan. Why can your 24th Army retreat again and again? Isn't this obvious that the 20th Army will fight with the Japanese in advance?

Although well-informed people revealed that the 20th Legion would also carry out the order of sequential resistance and retreat to the west bank of the canal to defend, the officers and soldiers still felt depressed. Even Li Yannian, commander of the 2nd Army of Tang, and Li Yutang, commander of the 3rd Division of the army, complained a lot in private.

Li Yannian and Li Yutang were both from Huangpu First Class, and were from Guangrao, Shandong. Now they are in the same army. After years of getting along, they have almost talked about everything. The war ahead makes people feel so annoying, and the base is close to southern Shandong. Naturally, the two of them have to do topics about the Guards and the People's Party in private.

"Commander Tang has already said that not only Han Deqin wants to withdraw, but we will also withdraw later. He said that he would let the Japanese army go north to fight with the guards to relieve the pressure on the fifth war zone. This idea is said to be produced by 'Little Zhuge', and the chairman has agreed." Li Yannian, commander of the 2nd Army and commander of the 9th Division, seemed careless, but he could not hide his loss in his heart. "I have fought this far, but I am still thinking about calculating. Everyone is Chinese, why can't they be consistent with the outside world?"

Li Yutang is a few years older than Li Yannian, and his appearance is a bit sorry to the audience. Therefore, although he has good talent, he has experienced many human feelings and setbacks. After hearing this, he replied: "The concepts adhered to by the People's Party are very different from what we pursue. Especially in recent years, many people here only talk about the Three Principles of the People, completely ignoring the difficulties of the lower-class people. The differences between the two parties are becoming more and more prominent. In addition to the serious differences on external issues, how can this be consistent?"

After sighing, Li Yutang said again: "A few days ago, I wrote to my hometown, saying that although the Guards collected some of my land, they also provided compensation for the reduction and exemption of store taxes. Without land, the people of the small land obtained land, and the landlords and squire without blood debts can get compensation. This practice is more popular than **. Looking back at our side, Han Deqin has two armies and four divisions, and our 20th legion has five army eleven divisions. Such a huge force is left to a brigade of the Japanese, but they have to find ways to earn the Guards to take action. If this continues, we will only lose the people's hearts more and more. I really don't know what those people above think!"

"Brother Yaojie, let's just say this in private. Be careful to speak to the outside world!" After Li Yannian reminded, he said, "I have also received the letter in the situation in my hometown. No matter what, the actions of the People's Party and the Guards can be called benevolent and righteous. But our current position determines that we cannot act arbitrarily and cannot help ourselves!"

After pausing, Li Yannian sighed again: "Although our army has a lot of troops, the two commanders Li and Bai left three troops around Xuzhou, south of Weishan Lake, and there were only two troops and three divisions on the Longhai line east of the canal. To be honest, we can defeat the 101th Japanese Brigade, but with orders on it, can we still disobey the orders? We can't really learn from Gu Liangmin, right?"

"Now we don't have to disobey our orders now, and we don't need to learn from the Guliang people, but we always have to do the conscience of a Chinese!" Li Yutang snorted and said, "The guard occupies most of Shandong. Although some land has been expropriated from his hometown, it is much better than being a slave to the destruction of the country under the Japanese bayonet! If we don't attack anything else, we should also do some effort to protect the elders of our hometown!"

Li Yannian was shocked and said quickly: "Brother Yaojie, don't do anything randomly! If something goes wrong, it's not your and I'm the one who will affect tens of thousands of brothers in the army!"

"Don't worry, I won't do things that I'm not sure about, nor will I violate military discipline! Just wait and see!" Li Yutang smiled, and a different kind of brilliance was revealed in his eyes.

...

Although Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi had already predicted some of the adverse reactions of the officers and soldiers in the army, they did not expect that Han Deqin, a poor actor, had failed to perform the trick. The order given by Li, Bai and others was to "retreat after sequential resistance", but when he came to Han Deqin, it turned out to be "retreat after contact". The difference between them was self-evident. After learning about Han Deqin's repeated retreats, some well-informed newspapers have compared it to Han Deqin's second place, and called on the National Government to severely punish Han Deqin who retreated without fighting according to Han Deqin's old rules!

After looking at the situation reports from Sun Lianzhong's army, Tang Enbo's army, and Han Dequan's 57th Army, as well as the newspapers calling for severe punishment of Han Dequan, Li Zongren sighed helplessly: "This is an indescribable trouble!"

"Commander, the situation in northern Jiangsu will not change significantly for the time being, but the southwest Shandong side cannot be ignored. Otherwise, I will go to Sun Lianzhong to talk to their army commanders, and the division commanders will have a good talk?" Chief of staff Xu Zuyi volunteered, "There is Chief Bai here to assist the commander. It should be fine if I leave for a few days."

Li Zongren thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's hard work. After you arrive at Sun Lianzhong, you can convene a combat meeting and choose to reveal the intentions of the war zone to the commanders and division commanders. They must understand that this is a last resort when the central government and our war zone are insufficient! Everyone should focus on the overall situation of the War of Resistance!"

While commanding troops to fight against the two major Japanese troops, Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi also had to eliminate the chaotic thoughts of the miscellaneous brands, and at the same time they had to pay attention to the movements of the guards. They were so busy that they were distracted and used too much.

On the side of the Guards, with the advance of the 101st Brigade and the retreat of the northern Jiangsu troops in the fifth war zone, a pre-war meeting was held on April 23 to make final preparations for sending troops to northern Jiangsu.

In order to control the northern Jiangsu region east of the canal and north of the Huaihe River as soon as possible, Gu Haichuan ordered the Fourth Army of the Yu Dehai Army of the Guards to undertake the task of fighting southward; Jiang Bin's army of the First Army of the Guards was transferred between Lincheng and Yi County, and could not only go south to reinforce the Fourth Army at any time, but also cross the river with the Third Army to enter southward into southwestern Shandong. As for the southeastern Shandong defense zone after the Fourth Army headed southward, the Dazhushan Garrison Brigade and the Linyi Garrison Brigade, which had just been formed, were transported to defense.

In addition, the Guard Air Force must cooperate with ground forces to fight and attack Japanese air forces. Several other armies will maintain vigilance in the original defense zone.

After determining the overall arrangement of troops, Gu Haichuan and the personnel in charge of the Guard Headquarters arranged combat tasks to Yu Dehai, Xu Haitang and others in person.

"There are two routes for troops to advance. One is from Honghuabu, Tancheng, south to Xin'an, then along the Longhai Line, directly to the East China Sea, and then along the Ganyu to Nantong, to the north bank of the Huaihe River; the other is to start from Taierzhuang, head south along the Biantang, Bayiji, Tushan, Yaowan to the east bank of the canal, and then go south to Huaiyin." Chief of Staff Sun Guantao pointed to the sand table and said, "During this, I don't need to say much about the battle of the 101st Brigade, I just emphasize one thing, what I want is an annihilation war!

Compared with annihilation of the Japanese army, our army's actions to occupy northern Jiangsu are equally important! Among them, the railway between Taierzhuang and Zhaodun must be controlled! This railway is related to whether our army can control northern Jiangsu as soon as possible, and it must not be ignored!

To this end, the troops heading south from Taierzhuang must build westward fortifications on the Bian Tang, Bayiji, Tushan and Yaowan, and be wary of Li Zongren's troops in the fifth war zone!"

As we all know, Xuzhou is the intersection hub between the Longhai Railway and the Jinpu Railway, but many people in later generations did not know that the Jinpu Railway, to be precise, should be the branch line of the Jinpu Railway. There was another connecting line between it and the Longhai Railway - the Lin(cheng) Zhao(dun) Railway.

In history, before the Taierzhuang Battle, from Lincheng on the Jinpu Line, through Zaozhuang and Taierzhuang in southern Shandong to Zhaodun in Pi County in northern Jiangsu, there was a railway connected to the Longhai Line. This railway was built by the original Zaozhuang Zhongxing Company in two times during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.

Almost at the same time as the late Qing government built the Jinpu Railway, Zaozhuang Zhongxing Company raised funds to build a railway from Lincheng on the Jinpu Line to Taierzhuang on the bank of the canal, and opened to traffic in 1912. After the completion of the Donglonghai Railway, nearly 200 kilometers from Xuzhou to Dapu, Haizhou in 1923, ZTE Company has been planning to build a railway to the Longhai Line in order to accelerate its own development.

After a long period of preparation, ZTE once again raised funds to start construction of the railway between Taierzhuang and Longhai Line at the end of 2013, and opened to traffic in March 2013. Thus, a railway line connecting the Jinpu Line and the Longhai Line was built outside Xuzhou, which was called "Little Longhai".

Although the Taierzhuang battle is no longer happening because the guards occupy most of Shandong, and the "Little Longhai" is also protected from the destruction of the war, the railway between Zhaodun on the Taierzhuang south to Longhai line was still destroyed because Li Zongren prevented the guards from going south. However, the degree of damage is not as complete as the level of damage in the war between the two armies.

However, with the original line foundation, as long as the guards control the area along the line, the railway between Taierzhuang and Zhaodun can still be repaired quickly. Once the "Little Longhai" is restored, the eastern end of the Longhai Line, the southeast section of the Jinpu Line, and the Jiaoji Line can be connected into one. In addition, the highway spreading along the railway to the four-way outward, especially the highway along the east bank of the canal in northern Jiangsu and the highway along the eastern coast of Ganyu through the East China Sea, Guanyun crosses the Huai River to the south. The guards can form the newly occupied northern Jiangsu region with most of the originally controlled Shandong. At that time, with the well-connected transportation routes, troops and materials, the transportation of troops and materials will be faster and more convenient, and the People's Party's control over the relevant areas will be more solid.

It can be said that in addition to the reason why the 101st Brigade was relatively weak, Gu Haichuan's decision to fight northern Jiangsu first was also because of the relatively weak connection between northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong, and the transportation was convenient.

"Chief of Staff, it should be no problem to advance south with the combat power of our army. However, if the troops in the Fifth War Zone did not withdraw, or only retreated to the west bank of the canal, then our army would inevitably encounter them in the Bian Tang, Bayiji, Tushan and Yaowan. We are not afraid of starting a fight, but if this leads to the reputation of "provoking civil war" and "attacking the anti-Japanese team", it will have an adverse impact on our party and the image of our army." Yu Dehai raised his concerns.

"Don't have too many concerns about this. As the saying goes, a slap cannot be sounded. If a civil war is really provoked, it will be a matter for both sides." Gu Haichuan said, "Our army went south to fight against Japan. If they encounter it, they will give way. If they don't, we should ask Li Zongren first. He faced the Japanese army's retreat again and again in the fifth theater, and now he has blocked our army from going south to fight against Japan. Do you really want to be a traitor? In short, it's best to solve the problem without shooting, but if there are really stubborn people, there is no need to be polite! As long as you can be reasonable and concise in the front, we will fight this war!"

Sun Guantao smiled at Yu Dehai and others, and continued, "You don't have to worry about the area from Biantang to Yaowan. Although we borrowed Li Yannian and Li Yutang's family from the hand of Li Yandian, they did not receive their direct response to the letter they sent to him, but what is interesting is that there is only one supplementary regiment of Zhang Huimin, the 3rd Division of Li Yutang, between Biantang and Yaowan. Although there are two thousand people in this supplementary regiment, there is no need to worry about it. Isolate them from the west first, and then disarm and repatriate them!"

...

Just when the 101st Japanese brigade of Central China captured Shuyang and forced the East China Sea, on the night of April 26, nearly 80,000 troops of the Fourth Army of the Guard, who were fully prepared, were divided into two groups, starting from Honghuabu and Taierzhuang, and advancing towards northern Jiangsu!

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Chapter completed!