Rise From Eight Hundred

January 6, 1939!

Mo Nan Town, Ruicheng County, Jin Province!

In a small courtyard with an ordinary appearance, there is a long table. On both sides of the table, two rows of soldiers sit neatly. The least star on the collar badge is one star. These are all the chief officers of the two divisions and five brigades of the 38th Army under the 4th Army Group.

Although Tang Dao is a guest army, his rank is the lowest among all, so he sits at the end of everyone.

The white-haired general sits at the head of the long table with a solemn face. When everyone is present, he gently waves his hand and the door of the small courtyard is closed.

He slowly stands up and walks to a map posted on the wall of the courtyard. The red arrows that have been specially marked are shocking.

"You must have seen that the so-called New Year's Day offensive of the Japanese army has changed compared with the previous two days.

According to intelligence, the main force of the Third Army of the Japanese army stationed along the Yellow River suddenly turned around and marched towards our Zhongtiaoshan Defense Zone three days ago. In this case, what our Zhongtiaoshan Defense Zone has to face is the 130,000 Japanese North China Front Army plus part of its so-called Westward Corps. It is preliminarily estimated that its strength will not be less than 180,000." The white-haired general said in a heavy tone.

The small meeting hall was silent. This news had been rumored as early as yesterday, but it was unexpectedly confirmed by the army commander today.

180,000 Japanese troops are almost equivalent to three-quarters of the total force deployed by the Japanese army in the Battle of Shanghai last year. In order to resist the more than 200,000 Japanese troops, the authorities assembled more than 700,000 elite troops from all over the country, but they were defeated in the end.

Can their 210,000 people stop the Japanese army whose strength is almost the same as their own? I am afraid that even if the people present are veterans who have been on the battlefield for a long time, they are still worried at this moment.

"Our Fourth Army was ordered to garrison the central area of ​​Zhongtiao Mountain, which is the focus of the Japanese attack. The Japanese invaders had previously assembled five infantry regiments, one cavalry regiment and equipped with two artillery regiments, totaling 30,000 people, to besiege us.

The Japanese army also made a tentative attack a few days ago, but under your strict defense, the Japanese army did not achieve any results, which is a gratifying thing." When the white-haired general said that the results of the previous few days were quite good, there was no joy on his face, but a gloomy look.

The faces of the generals present were also solemn. They all knew that the Japanese army had not officially launched an attack, but they had already taken out 70% of their strength. In terms of overall combat power, they were actually defeated.

But they still underestimated the deep gloom in the eyes of the white-haired general.

"I would like to let you know that the army headquarters received intelligence last night that the Japanese troops besieging our defense zone had begun to change their defenses in batches since the day before yesterday. As of today, the enemies facing us are no longer all from the enemy's 37th Division and the 4th Division!" The white-haired general's voice was low.

"The ones coming here are a detachment of the Fifth Division under the Third Army! If we add the three infantry regiments left by the other two divisions, the total force is still more than 30,000."

The number of the Fifth Division was like a thunder blast in the ears of the 38th Army generals who were sitting upright.

The Fifth Division was known as the "Steel Army" within the Japanese Army, and that was not exaggerated. In the Battle of Xinkou a year ago, Itagaki Shiro led the Fifth Division as the main force and rushed to Shanxi Province with 80,000 troops. The Second War Zone relied on the national defense fortifications built over the years and gathered 300,000 heavy troops to fight against them. The stingy old man even spared no expense to pull out 10 artillery regiments to fight against the Japanese army, but what was the final outcome?

The Battle of Xinkou failed, and the defense of Hara City failed. Shanxi Province not only lost the provincial capital but also lost most of its territory. Now only the two large mountain ranges of Taihang Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain are left. Only a few of the more than 100 counties in Shanxi Province can still be controlled by China.

All this is due to two major factors, namely, the Chinese side placed its main resistance forces in the rich plains of East China and Central China, and the Japanese North China Front Army was strong. However, it must be said that the Fifth Division's combat power is also evident.

Although the Fifth Division only has a detachment, that is, two infantry regiments and other attached military branches, its combat power is almost comparable to that of the Type B Division of the 37th Division. In addition, the Type A Division, the 4th Division, an infantry brigade, which has just been transferred from the Kwantung Army, makes this battle almost impossible to fight.

"Yes, it is basically certain at this time that after the Japanese army suffered a heavy blow on the Tongguan front, it has fine-tuned its strategic direction and intends to use the North China Front Army as the main force, and its so-called Westward Corps as a supplement, first conquering our Zhongtiao Mountain, and then attacking our Yellow River natural moat without any worries." The white-haired general pointed his hand fiercely at the map.

"Break through the center of my Zhongtiaoshan defense zone, then divide and surround my entire hundred-mile defense line, and finally break them all, so the Japanese sent their most elite and powerful Fifth Division. Unfortunately, this is the defense zone of my Fourth Army."

"Commander, has Commander Wei sent reinforcements to my unit?" The 55th Division Commander's face was also gloomy as if water was about to drip out, and he asked in a low voice.

"Reinforcements? Commander Wei is not in the defense zone now. Who can he mobilize with remote control? And he has been away from the defense zone for a long time. Does he know what the current situation is in the defense zone?" A major general said coldly.

The faces of the generals were even uglier.

As early as a month ago, their defense zone commander was transferred to the mountain city by the Ministry of Military and Political Affairs on the grounds of participating in military affairs in central and southern China. At present, the seven armies in Zhongtiaoshan are actually in a state of being leaderless. They can only obey the orders of the Second War Zone Command far away in Linfen. However, the battlefield situation changes rapidly. What's the use of just talking about war on paper and looking at maps?

"The Japanese army's force is close to 200,000 this time, which is similar to the force of our Zhongtiaoshan defense zone. Our unit is going to fight the Fifth Division alone, but in fact, the enemies encountered by the major armies are all strong enemies. It is good to be able to defend our own positions. Who can help the friendly forces?" The white-haired general shook his head and sighed.

"But fortunately, our army still has a helping hand. The two baggage companies of the Four-line Regiment arrived a few days ago with hundreds of thousands of kilograms of military rations and horse feed. Last night, Commander Tang personally led more than 4,000 Sichuan troops to our defense zone."

Everyone looked at Tang Dao, who was sitting at the end of the conference table. Tang Dao quickly stood up and saluted the generals present.

"We are all old friends. Commander Tang, you don't have to be polite. You and the Four-line Regiment and the Sichuan Army brothers are the only support troops of my Fourth Army. On behalf of the 38th Army and the Fourth Army brothers, I would like to express my gratitude." The white-haired general waved his hand to signal Tang Dao to relax and not be so formal.

"Before you say what you think, I will reiterate the mission of this operation. The two divisions and five brigades of the 38th Army must strictly guard the defense positions of each unit this time and not let the enemy have the opportunity to tear through the defense line of our army group. That is related to the safety of 200,000 comrades in the entire Zhongtiao Mountain defense zone.

It's the same old saying. Without my order to retreat, no one can retreat half a step. My military headquarters is still in this Mo Nan Town. If the Japanese want to break through our military positions, they will have to step over the body of Zhao first."

"Sir, can I say a few words first?" Before the generals expressed their opinions, Tang Dao stood up again.

The eyes of the two former brigade commanders of the 17th Division who were familiar with Tang Dao flashed. They had experienced the battle of Jindong and had been waiting for Tang Dao to speak.

It was really impressive that the battle of Jindong went from singing and advancing to being surrounded and finally turning the tide. And they knew that it was not the masters who led all this behind the scenes, but this young man who was only about 20 years old.

Now the entire group army is facing a powerful enemy they have never encountered before. It is impossible to win this battle by relying on the military commander's strict defense and vowing to never retreat. I am afraid that there must be other unconventional tactics.

But not everyone present knows Tang Dao. For example, the commander of the 55th Division and the two brigade commanders only saw Tang Dao in person just now. Before, they only knew the name of Tang Dao in the battle report, let alone how much they knew about Tang Dao.

In a military meeting of this level, an army colonel like Tang Dao is only qualified to attend because he is a reinforcement. What chance does he have to speak? As a result, before the military commander finished speaking, this "rookie" actually rushed to speak first.

No wonder the eyes of a lieutenant general and two major generals suddenly became unfriendly!

Brigade commander Kong, who was already familiar with Tang Dao after a drink last night, kept winking at Tang Dao, indicating that he should not be the first to speak. Even if he wanted to speak, he should at least let the lieutenant general of the 55th Division finish his words first.

The organizational structure of the 38th Army is as follows: Zhao Shoushan is the Army Commander and the Commander of the 17th Division, and the one of the 55th Division is the Deputy Army Commander and the Commander of the 55th Division. To put it bluntly, he is the second-in-command of the 38th Army.

The reason why the Army Chief of Staff, the two Division Chiefs of Staff and the Deputy Division Commanders did not attend this meeting is because the Japanese army is close at hand. They are all responsible for the important task of guarding the defensive positions for the departing military commanders. Otherwise, this small courtyard would be full of generals today.

Tang Dao seemed not to see the dissatisfaction or kind reminders of these generals, but stood in front of the map with a big voice, and the first sentence was earth-shattering: "In this battle, our army will definitely be able to smash the siege of the Japanese invaders."

"Captain Tang, young people should weigh the consequences before speaking, and empty words and big words are not spoken out of their mouths!" The commander of the 55th Division frowned and said coldly.

"Sir, of course I will be responsible for every word I say." Tang Dao smiled with great confidence.

"Before I talk about the reasons why our army will win, let me first talk about our current disadvantages.

First, our Zhongtiaoshan defense zone is now in a situation of no leader, and each unit can only fight on its own. The commanders also know the nature of some people, who only care about their own business and ignore others. They even pretended to be deaf to the Japanese breakthrough of some defense line junctions, but they did not think of the truth that if the skin is gone, the hair will not be attached;

Secondly, our Zhongtiaoshan defense line is 100 miles wide, but only 20 miles deep, and there is no way to retreat with a river behind it, while the Japanese army has the Tongpu Railway, which can quickly provide various combat materials to the front line, and its mobile combat capability is far stronger than ours.

To put it bluntly, they fight however they want, and as the defenders, we can only be passive everywhere and be led by the nose;

Third, during the garrison in Zhongtiao Mountain, some troops had lax military discipline, and even robbed the local people's property, which led to tensions between the military and the people, making it impossible to get help from the people during the war, and had to use their own troops to carry out logistics transportation, resulting in a decline in front-line troops.

Fourth, I personally think that defensive wars are not just passive attacks of strict defense. "

Every time Tang Dao said something, the faces of the generals present could not help but darken. When Tang Dao finished speaking, there was an uproar at the conference table.

The previous ones were easy to say, some said the geographical environment was bad and some said the garrison had its own problems. That was also a realistic statement of the stubborn problems that the people present knew but dared not say, but the last one questioned the defensive tactics.

This is clearly a "cannon" to the white-haired general!

This guy really thinks he is the boss of the sky, the second of the earth, and the third of him.

To be honest, even the major generals who were familiar with Tang Dao had the urge to rush over and cover his mouth.

"Good! The analysis is very good, and our disadvantages are clear at a glance! But if you want your comrades to accept your point of view, you shouldn't sacrifice me! After all, I am the commander of the 38th Army. You can't offend me too much, or I will send your soldiers from Sichuan to the front line. Then you won't be able to cry." The white-haired general smiled and scolded.

Then he sighed again: "But the defensive tactics are old-fashioned, but it is also a helpless move by Commander Sun. The enemy is already so powerful, and now they are divided into nine routes, from my Mo'nan Town to Zhangdian, forming a semi-arc encirclement outside my defense zone. The 4 divisions of my 4th Army, totaling 20 infantry regiments, can only barely fill the entire defense line. There is still spare energy to take the initiative to attack, which is only a waste of manpower!"

Tang Dao knows this person's temperament very well. He knows that although he is determined to fight and is a real soldier, he is cautious and conservative. He fights in a rigid manner and rarely takes such risky moves as winning by surprise.

In the "Six-Six Battle" that broke out in the 4th Army in mid-1939, due to poor communication, a part of the Japanese army took advantage of the opportunity to advance and surrounded the 96th Army and the Independent 46th Brigade of the 4th Army in the mountains with a radius of less than five kilometers. When the two armies were about to be annihilated, the brigade commander Kong was forced to burn his boats and led his people to advance instead of retreating that night, breaking out to the north at night.

More than 4,000 people were like a sharp knife inserted into the rear of the Japanese army, annihilating a Japanese artillery battalion and two baggage squadrons in one fell swoop, forcing the Japanese army that was building a circle to withdraw troops to support. The 96th Army of more than 50,000 people was able to have a chance to breathe and counterattack. The 38th Army also found an opportunity to fight, not only repelling the Japanese army in one fell swoop, but also recovering the two counties of Pinglu and Ruicheng, forcing the Japanese army to retreat to Yuncheng.

That was a decent victory, which was forced out when facing the danger of life and death.

Of course, Tang Dao did not deny the wisdom of these soldiers in front of him. The victory forced out was also a combination of wisdom and courage. It’s just that if you can prepare in advance, it won’t reduce casualties.

But since this person has said so, Tang Dao certainly won't refute him in public, but smiled and changed the subject: "Commander Zhao, you just said something wrong. I, Tang Dao, have more than just my Sichuan Army soldiers under my command."

"Oh? Could it be that your Four-line Regiment's baggage company is also included? As far as I know, your baggage company is also a company of new recruits. Although it is well-equipped, its combat effectiveness is far inferior to the four infantry battalions of your Four-line Regiment." The white-haired general was also slightly stunned.

To be honest, Tang Dao came from afar to help, whether he brought baggage soldiers or new recruits, the white-haired general was grateful to Tang Dao, and would never send these thousands of people to the front line as he just said, but would treat them as a reserve force and use them only in the final decisive battle.

Because at that time, perhaps he would also lead the civilian officers of the army and division to rush to the front line, and there would be no distinction between the main force and the non-main force.

"Hey, Tang Dao has good news and bad news to tell you, sir. I wonder which one you want to hear first." Tang Dao's topic jumps so much that the generals present can't keep up.

"Then you can tell me the bad news first, but you kid should be careful not to exaggerate. I'm old and can't stand being scared." The white-haired general shone slightly.

For this veteran over 40 years old, he can withstand the attack of the 30,000 troops of the Fifth Division. What else can't he bear?

"The bad news is that you may have to allocate thousands of people's military rations, which is a huge expense." Tang Dao smiled.

"What's the good news?" The white-haired general's eyes flashed with surprise.

"The good news is that the third battalion of my Fourth Line Regiment, the fourth battalion, a part of the special service battalion, a part of the artillery battalion, and a part of the baggage battalion have been rushing here according to my military order five days ago!"

As soon as this was said, the whole audience was in an uproar!

But obviously, there were far more surprises than astonishment.

Who doesn't know the combat power of the Fourth Line Regiment?

Even the 55th Division, who were somewhat dissatisfied with the Tang Dao, had no doubt about the combat power of the Four-Line Regiment. Although it was only one of them, it was definitely equivalent to one and a half ordinary infantry regiments. It must be a fresh force, and it was the kind that could quench thirst when it came.

"You kid is crazy. Now the Japanese invaders have gathered three divisions in southeastern Shanxi. If you withdraw the main force of the Four-Line Regiment at this time, wouldn't it allow the Japanese army to enter the mountainous area to sweep? Besides, how could the head of the 80th Army and the commander of the theater commander agree?" The white-haired general was shocked.

These days, he has communicated with the headquarters of the 80th Army many times, and he is also very clear about the situation in the Taihang Mountain defense zone. The Japanese army is as high as 80,000, and the strength is far greater than the Chinese garrison in Taihang Mountain. The situation is actually more dangerous than that in Zhongtiao Mountain.

If Tang Dao loses the barrier of Taihang Mountain in order to support Zhongtiao Mountain, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, he can't bear this responsibility.

"Please rest assured, sir. If the Japanese North China Front Army sent other divisions, I would be more cautious. But they sent the 108th and 109th divisions, two defeated generals. I really don't take them seriously. To quote the original words of Brigade Commander Cheng: If they dare to come, I will beat them up again!" Tang Dao answered confidently.

"Besides, before my Fourth Regiment left, Division Commander Liu and Brigade Commander Cheng sent me a telegram, asking me to tell you, sir, that with them in Taihang, everything will be fine!"

"This favor is too big! Alas! I'm afraid I can't repay it in my lifetime." The white-haired general's eyes were slightly moist.

How could he not know that once the main force of the Four-Line Regiment left, Taihang Mountain would have to rely on the less than 30,000 regular troops left by the Eighty Group to support it independently. Although the number of troops could barely reach 60,000 or 70,000 with the addition of the militia and the remaining personnel of the Four-Line Regiment, it was still far less than the 80,000 troops mobilized by the Japanese army.

"We are all Chinese troops, so what is there to be favored or not, sir, please don't take it too seriously." Tang Dao shook his head, but cast his eyes on the generals with a look of joy on their faces.

"Back to the original topic, I said before that this battle would be won, not because a part of my Four-Line Regiment came, then I, Tang Dao, would have gone from being confident to being conceited.

I said that I would win, because the Japanese army in front of us, although it looks aggressive, is actually not really a solid block. The little cutie of the Fourth Division is the most important X factor for our army's victory!"

Calling a Type A division a little cutie? All the generals, including the white-haired general, looked at Tang Dao speechlessly. Are you serious?

But Tang Dao's expression clearly told them that he had never been so serious!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PS: I haven't been active in voting for the monthly ticket recently! Vote now! The Osaka Division is about to make a brilliant debut, blinding the Fifth Division's dog eyes.

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