May 24, 1944!

Fang Xianjue arrived at Hengyang Airport on a military transport plane outside HY City!

Fang Xianjue, who walked off the gangway of the plane, looked at Zhao Zili, Zhao Junmai, Sun Minyu and others who came to pick them up. He didn't have much heaviness on his face, but he was more confident.

Because he did not return to Hengyang alone, he arrived with his special plane, but a huge aircraft group consisting of 20 transport planes and 16 fighter planes.

Moreover, such a huge fleet of aircraft and massive materials transported will last for 7 days.

Tanzhou had fallen at this time, but the battle in the air finally decided to win and lose. China and the Mid-American side suffered huge losses from 143 fighter jets and bombers, shooting down and hurting more than 220 Japanese aircraft.

The Fifth Air Corps deployed by the Japanese army on the front line suffered a heavy blow and was no longer able to launch an air strike on the HY city in the short term.

The Shancheng government spent a lot of fuel to replenish supplies from the air channel to the Hengyang area, and Fang Xianjue asked his teacher for the only request after the assistance of Tang Dao and the Sixing Group.

Tang Dao finally took action again, and the US military stationed in the Chinese theater of war promised to provide China with 15 transport aircraft to help transport materials free of charge.

In the next week, 20 transport aircraft will arrive at Hengyang Airport every day. The field military rations imported from the United States alone will reach 160 tons, which is enough for the 20,000 troops in Hengyang City to eat for 20 days.

If medicines, ammunition and other supplies are added, this crazy air transportation will reach an unprecedented 560 tons!

This is probably the largest transportation force China has invested in a city defense war since the war began.

Because Fang Xianjue promised that he would defend the 20,000 troops in Hengyang City on the 15th, delaying the time for the troops in Jiangnan to arrive at the battlefield.

This request was actually specifically explained to Tang Dao when he left a month ago.

"20,000 various shells, 1.5 million machine rifle bullets, 10,000 landmines, 50,000 grenades, 160 tons of military rations, hemostatic, anesthesia, antibiotics and many other drugs! Can he give so many supplies? Even if he can give them, how can he transport them to Hengyang battlefield in a short time?" Fang Xianjue was shocked by Tang Dao's big lion's mouth at that time.

"Don't worry, as long as you promise him to stick to Hengyang on the 15th, let alone these supplies, he can pick them off even the moon in the sky. As for transportation, there will be a way." Tang Dao's face was calm but full of confidence.

Perhaps only Tang Dao knew that from the moment Fang Xianjue agreed to lead the 10th Army to defend Hengyang to the death, they were destined to be an abandoned son.

These six words "Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow!" are destined to be the comforting answer that this lonely army receives every day.

Of course, this is not the one who doesn’t want to save Hengyang, but in fact, that person is the one who wants to rescue Hengyang the most.

Because Hengyang is too important, once Hengyang is lost, the Japanese army will face the southwest, open up Yunnan and Burma, and spy on the mountain city. The southwest rear will be over.

In the late stage of the Battle of Hengyang in time and space, the man tossed and turned, unable to sleep at night, got up and made a great wish: May the Lord give me victory in the Hengyang war and build a large iron cross at the peak of Nanyue to repay the Lord's kindness."

Looking at the entire 14 years of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the only one who could make the man so anxious that he couldn't sleep all night and made such ambition in the middle of the night was the Battle of Hengyang.

However, how could the chronic diseases in the Chinese military at that time change because of the importance of the Battle of Hengyang?

"Everyone sweeps the snow in front of the door, don't worry about the frost on others' tiles." This is a major stubborn disease that has plagued the Chinese army for many years.

During the battle in Henan Province, the Japanese army was too fast to attack, and the troops in the rear were empty. On a battlefield, the Chinese army had several infantry divisions to deal with a small number of Japanese troops, but none of them was willing to take the initiative to attack or volunteer to undertake the task of aiding for friendly forces. Most of them stood by and hoped that others would go up and take the lead. As soon as the Japanese army attacked, the surrounding troops began to evacuate. When the infantry division was still fighting, we had to run away, but it would have formed a large number of unsightly scenes that were defeated without fighting.

After the outbreak of the Hengyang Defense War, the commanders of reinforcements from various routes saw that the Japanese army used two divisions to siege the city and use five divisions to block the aid. The obvious "siege and attack aid" strategy was obvious, so they found several troops to garrison the troops, just to preserve their strength and consolidate their own status. There was no reason for one person to fight to the end with the Japanese army.

Just as Stilwell, who is familiar with China's national conditions, pointed out incisively: For a senior Chinese general, if he takes risks with his army, he will take risks with his own property. A division will be reduced to a regiment due to attack, and he cannot expect to replenish the original troops immediately. The division commander actually becomes the regiment commander, and this reduction of personnel must be avoided no matter what.

Otherwise, even though the Japanese army has as many as 100,000,000, the Chinese army surrounded by hundreds of thousands can crush them and swallow them alive as long as they work together to advance bravely.

Another main reason why the Hengyang War could not be rescued was "multi-head command and military orders were different". Chaos in the command system has always been another major stubborn disease that plagued the Chinese army. It can be said that it ran through the entire War of Resistance, and was fully exposed in this Hengyang War of Resistance.

During this Hengyang rescue battle, there were several people with direct military command: the first was Li Yutang, who was the former commander of the 10th Army and the current deputy commander-in-chief of the 27th Army. He was the direct commander of the Hengyang rescue battle, unified command of the 10th Army in Hengyang, the 62nd Army and the 46th Army outside Hengyang City.

The second is that the general surnamed Xue, who, as the commander of the 9th War Zone, has the power to dispatch troops in this war zone.

The third is Minister He, who issued an order on behalf of the Ministry of Military Affairs; the fourth is General Bai, who, as the deputy chief of staff, represents that person. Finally, he is the one in the highest position, who has the highest command.

Except for Li Yutang, these people like to command over the top, but each has different ideas, different angles, and frequent inconsistencies in military orders. Therefore, the Hengyang defense battle was planned well and the rescue battle fell into chaos under their joint efforts. The troops below were often at a loss and were exhausted, but they still couldn't advance.

From the perspective of the Future Tang Dao, these people are really smart and phoenix chicks, and they just happened to get together.

Of course, the war in Hengyang finally showed a strange phenomenon in which the 10th Army's lonely city faced 100,000 enemies, while the 500,000 troops on the periphery were unable to advance in a hurry and were defeated by the Japanese army one by one. Putting aside other reasons, it was ultimately determined by the current Chinese military and political system.

This system is as Stilwell said: This is a structure based on fear and favor, and is in the hands of an arbitrary and stubborn person. For that person's evaluation, the American general who was promoted to four-star general in 44 was even more incisive: "It's not a soldier, but a warlord!"

There is only one word difference between soldiers and warlords, but there is a world of difference.

Soldiers follow normal military rules; warlords pursue "controlling the army with power".

Only Tang Dao knew the final fate and direction of the 10th Army. He knew that the so-called "defending to wait for reinforcements to arrive" would eventually become empty talk. Instead of doing so, it would be more practical to ask for some supplies.

Because Tang Dao didn't know what the final outcome of Hengyang City would be like because of the extra time and space because of himself and the Sixing Group, he could only do his best.

Of course, it’s not like to pay back the money at the same time when asking for a price. If the lion asks for a lot of money, then half of it will be possible! If not, one-third is not unacceptable.

Perhaps everything Tang Dao predicted was revealed, Fang Xianjue was obsessed with it at that time, and even said his needs with a slight tantrum.

Unexpectedly, the Ningbo accent on the other end of the phone paused for three seconds and agreed in full, which was much faster than what he mentioned about Tang Dao's reaction.

Even Laura, the general manager of the Far East Branch of Rockefeller Company, requested the Ministry of Military Affairs that 600 members of the International Red Cross will arrive in Hengyang for humanitarian assistance, and the one who acquiesced also acquiesced.

It was a huge medical team composed of 80 doctors and nurses. Just surgical instruments and various medical supplies were filled with two large transport aircraft.

Except for 15 doctors from the United States, the other doctors and nurses actually come from Taihang Mountain Hospital in North China.

In early April, under the escort of an elite guard company sent by the Rockefeller Company Armed Transport Team and the Dakouzidong Town Security Battalion, the team carrying 600 medical staff and supplies set off from the Taihang Mountains, crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Chang'an through the entire Zhongtiao Mountain defense line, where they transferred to the American transport plane to fly directly to the mountain city.

The 20,000 elite army is ready to go, with abundant food, ammunition, medicine and medical staff. In addition, Hengyang City started construction of fortifications a month in advance, it was only after guarding for the first half of the month that it showed great confidence.

Fang Xianjue, who arrived in Hengyang City, didn't even bother to eat, and immediately convened generals at all levels in Hengyang to hold a military meeting.

The meeting had only one topic: identifying the supreme commander and command body!

Although Hengyang has only one 10th Army, there are actually many other factions, such as the Four-Road regiment that has started marching from the foot of Hengshan Mountain to Hengyang City, the Hengyang Security regiment in Hengyang City under the jurisdiction of Mayor HY in Hengyang City, and a guard battalion under the jurisdiction of the War Zone Guard Brigade led by Lieutenant General Zhao Zili, chief of staff of the War Zone.

Without unified command, the armies could only run around like a headless fly, not only could they form a joint force, but they might also reveal flaws.

What made the generals in the city very embarrassed was that Fang Xianjue, who was trusted by the Military Commission, was not the highest position in Hengyang City, but Zhao Zili, the chief of staff of the theater.

According to the position, Zhao Zili, the chief of staff of the theater, was naturally the supreme commander. However, it is obvious that the first main force in the city is the 10th Army. If the highest commander in Tanzhou City cannot command the infantry army at all levels, the battle in Hengyang will hardly be fought. At most, the city will be broken after two or three days.

Fortunately, Fang Xian is definitely not Zhang Deneng, who is both the head and the rat, and Zhao Zili is not Xu Benchang, who is cautious. At this military meeting, Zhao Zili clearly stated his attitude, saying that he started with a senior staff officer, and he went from the chief of staff to the chief of staff. It was his specialty to make suggestions for the commander, but actual combat command was his shortcomings, and he could not be the highest commander in Hengyang City.

As long as Zhao Zili did not fight for power, no one in Hengyang City could compete with Fang Xianjue.

Fang Xianjue, who returned to the throne of the commander of the 10th Army, became the highest commander in Hengyang City, responsible for commanding all troops inside and outside the city, including the Four Regiments and Hengyang Guards.

The Hengyang War Zone Command was established, with Fang Xianjue, the commander of the 10th Army, as the first commander, Zhao Zili, the commander of Hengyang's security guard Zhao Junmai, the commander of the 3rd Division Zhou Qingxiang, and the commander of the 10th Division Ge Youcai, as a member of the command.

There is no ranking regardless of order. This is the ranking of commanders in the command center. If the highest commander dies on the battlefield, the other five people can take over in sequence, and it will never put the troops in a situation of losing command.

In addition, the command headquarters has a General Staff Department, with Sun Minyu, chief of staff of the 10th Army, and Tang Dao, the commander of the Four Army Regiment, served as the Chief of Operations Department.

This is an extremely important position. It has great authority and can directly mobilize the first-level regiment troops to the combat position. It is one of Fang Xianjue's most important think tanks. If he can't fix the positions of the two infantry divisions, he can suggest it.

When it was time to reward merits after the war, the ranking of the combat director was even before the brigade commanders.

Obviously, based on Tang Dao's position and military rank, it was originally not enough to hold this position.

According to the recollections of the generals attending the meeting after the war, although the Supreme Commander recommended that Tang Dao be the chief of the combat department be outstanding, Zhao Zili's speech also played an extremely critical role before the generals raised their hands to vote.

"To be honest, I have been very pessimistic about the battle in Hengyang these days. I do not deny the courage of the 'Taishan Army' and the determination to hold Hengyang. However, the Japanese army has been planning for a long time, and China is in a passive position. Although we are alone, we can still fight to protect our strength for half a month, but what if reinforcements don't come for a long time? Everyone, who dares to pat your chest and say that you can hold the first half month or longer?" Zhao Zili held the case with both hands, and looked at the division commanders and brigade commanders present.

The generals looked at each other. Even during the third battle in Tanzhou, Ge Youcai, personally carried machine guns and led the remnants of his 30th regiment toward the Japanese army and repelled the last group of brave generals of the Japanese army, opened his mouth but did not make any objections.

Information about the Japanese army's dispatch this time has already spread to Hengyang like snowflakes. The 11th Army is not a scale of 80,000 or even 100,000 people this time. They actually assembled more than 200,000 troops. The permanent divisions alone include the 3rd Division and the 13th Division. During the battle against northern Hunan, they deployed up to 7 divisions on the front battlefield, which is more than twice the number of troops invested in the three previous Tanzhou battles.

As brave as Ge Youcai, he dare not say that just relying on these 20,000 people in the city, he could block the Japanese army's troops that would definitely exceed 100,000 for dozens of days. 15 days is the limit!

"But today I received a telegram from Commander Fang that was about to return to the 10th Army, and after receiving a telegram from Commander Fang personally sent me, I suddenly felt confident.

First of all, the return of Commander Fang gave me the backbone of the "Taishan Army". Then the 10th Army would have three battles in Tanzhou and the iron army that could not be defeated or smashed in Changde.

Secondly, it is also an extremely important point. The Four-Road Regiment was ordered by the Battle Zone Command and became another main force in Hengyang's defensive war.

The combat power of the Four Lines Group is mostly a battle report, and I have not seen it with my own eyes, but the reputation of the soldiers is not weak, and their combat power will definitely not be weak.

But what really made me happy was that I could fight side by side with Tang Dao, the leader of the Sixing Group! With him, I might not dare to win easily, but I can assert that if the Japanese army wants to break through Hengyang, they will pay an unimaginable price!" Zhao Zili's words made the entire venue silent for a full minute.

No one would have thought that the chief of staff of the War Zone would have such a respect for Tang Dao, a small regiment commander who had been silent for almost two years.

Although Zhao Zili clearly stated that Fang Xianjue's return to the 10th Army greatly improved the morale of the 10th Army, the elites here could hear that in the hearts of the Lieutenant General Chief of Staff, the Four Army Regiments, no, or rather, it is more important for him to have confidence in defending Hengyang City.

"Everyone, maybe you think I'm a little too much and I'm a little proud of a leader, but that's the truth.

Commander Tang Dao is the purest and wisest soldier I have ever seen. Half a year ago, he deduced the process of the Fourth Battle of Tanzhou and the inevitable ending of the defeat. I agree with most of his conjectures and assumptions, but I don’t think the situation will be so bad.

Even before the Japanese army launched the attack, Commander Tang Dao sent me a telegram asking me to persuade Chief Xue to pay more attention to it.

As the Japanese army's iron hooves entered Tanzhou, I regret not fighting for it with Chief Xue. Maybe if I try harder, Tanzhou will not fall into today's ending." Zhao Zili said with sad eyes that his reason for admiring Tang Dao so much.

The whole audience was in an uproar!

Even Fang Xianjue's pupils shrank violently. He thought that when Tang Dao was fighting with him, the battle between Henan caused him to be vigilant against the defense of the Hunan-Guangxi region. This was also in his guess. Unexpectedly, Tang Dao had already deduced this battle last year.

This is simply too incredible. His sensitivity to strategy is catching up with Mr. Baili!

Of course, Zhao Zili's words also indirectly told everyone here why he, the chief of staff of the war zone, was sent to Hengyang because of the tactical deployment of Tanzhou. He had a dispute with the general Xue.

The 10th Army now has no good impression of his theater commander, but Zhao Zili brought the 10th Army generals, including Fang Xianjue, closer.

Zhao Junmai, who rarely spoke to express his opinions during the meeting, took the lead in raising his hand to express his agreement with Tang Dao to serve as the Operations Director of the Hengyang Command.

This is also a very smart person. He also used this action to tell everyone here that it doesn’t matter who the commander of the war zone is. What’s important is that I, the commander of Hengyang’s security, have decided to advance and retreat with you here. We are now people in the trench.

What we are doing now is to unify our thinking and deal with the Japanese in unison.

Not to mention whether it is sincere or forced. At least at the beginning of the Battle of Hengyang, the generals of Hengyang Command had reached a preliminary consensus and put it together. Even if it was not a single piece of iron, it would be so bad that the command system would be so strong that it would be as strong as Tanzhou City.
Chapter completed!