Although Yang Zhen didn't want to accept this command, although the chairman didn't say it explicitly, his attitude was obvious, and he still insisted that he be in charge of commanding the main operations. The Central Committee has not given any reply to his idea of setting up a General Front Committee. Since the central government did not give a reply, Yang Zhen must make preparations in advance.

And in this battle, I am afraid that the main forces of the two major regions of Shanxi, Chahar and Shanxi, Hebei, and Luyu will also go all out. The first section of the Shandong Military Region, even the main force, must also participate. Therefore, Yang Zhen was still quite cautious in formulating the battle plan, and even postponed the return to the Northeast.

If you don't do a good job with all the troops participating in the battle, you will be greatly demoralized. Yang Zhen believes that only by considering some contingency measures in advance and considering some possible changes in the battle situation when formulating the battle plan can we be more reliable. Especially in order to conceal the campaign attempt, the frontal choice of the attack is not very large.

Yang Zhen's attitude is a combination of Zhengqi and centripetal assault. In the case of assaults, more armored units were used, and in the follow-up defense against the Japanese counterattack, it was still mainly a mobile defensive battle. Equipped with ground-to-air firepower with armored troops, rapid penetration was carried out to correctly solve the Japanese troops in the Jizhong Plain in the shortest possible time.

Yang Zhen's ideas are already familiar to Guo Bingxun. However, for the chiefs of staff of several large strategic zones in the Guannai, it is obvious that they are not very comfortable. After the battle of 42 years, for these chiefs of staff, the fight of the Anti-Japanese Union is really a bit too thrilling.

Now Yang Zhen still has to adopt this line of thinking, and he doesn't want to make an honest head-on breakthrough. Instead, the tactics of breaking through on both flanks and attacking in a pincer shape were felt under great pressure by several chiefs of staff. It was the first time that the various units in the Guannai had faced such a large-depth interspersed operation.

However, for Guo Bingxun, the main author of the plan, launching a pincer offensive from both flanks was not his first choice. In Guo Bingxun's view, if the number of Japanese troops encircled at one time is too large, it will undoubtedly delay the progress of the battle. Relying solely on the interspersed wings, it is easy to spread the mesh too wide.

Moreover, it is quite difficult to simply organize the interspersed wings in terms of choosing a place to attack. In the eastern Hebei and Pingjin areas, it was still in the hands of the Japanese army, and the Zhengtai railway line was also in the hands of the Japanese army. Between the two major regions of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan, there were still Japanese troops, and there was no direct ground communication, so there were not many starting areas for the offensive to choose from.

At this point, his understanding is no different from Yang Zhen. Therefore, Guo Bingxun believed that in addition to the pincer offensive on both flanks, it was also necessary to concentrate a force to divide the connection between Pingjin and Tianjin. And concentrate armored mechanized clusters, assaulting from the front to the south. At the same time, a force was used to divide the connection between Beiping and the enemy in Tianjin, and the city of Beiping was encircled.

And according to the development of the whole situation of the war, to seize Tianjin at the right time, in order to cut off the route of reinforcements of the Japanese army from the mainland and other strategic areas. At the same time, the Japanese troops in Beiping City were isolated and forced to go out of the city for a decisive battle. Beiping was controlled by the Japanese army, and Guo Bingxun was still very worried.

In Guo Bingxun's view, this will not only contain a large number of troops under Pingjin City, but also pose a considerable threat to the supply route. The city is full of Beiping, which embodies the essence of China's thousands of years of civilization history, and if it is completely destroyed like Xinjing, this is something that no one wants to see.

However, if Beiping City was still controlled by the Japanese army before the end of the battle, it would undoubtedly be a huge pressure on the control of the Jizhong Plain after the war. Cutting off the Ping-Tianjin Railway and the connection between the two places, and forcing the Japanese troops in Beiping City to go out of the city for a decisive battle by themselves, is undoubtedly the best way to preserve the ancient city.

Therefore, Guo Bingxun meant that two armored divisions, each reinforced part of the motorized infantry, and a cavalry brigade would form two rapid clusters in the east and west. From the Rehe and Chanan areas, the method of rapid assault was adopted, with Beiping as the fixed point of the triangular offensive, and a rapid cluster was used to forcibly cross between Pingjin and Tianjin, interspersed along the Jinpu Road to the south.

Exit Chanan in a rapid cluster, and forcibly intersperse southward along the Taihang Mountain and Pinghan line. The Zhengding army was divided into two routes, one continued to attack southward, seized Shimen to clamp down on the Japanese army in southern Hebei and northern Henan, and the main force attacked and advanced to the east. When the two armies stormed the meeting point, they chose the river on the north bank of the Hutuo River.

Guo Bingxun suggested that the two divisions currently stationed in northern Shanxi should not be transferred back to the northeast for the time being. In cooperation with the armored and cavalry brigades transferred back from northern Shaanxi, they took advantage of the cross-country ability and strong mobility of the M3 light tanks to go straight to Baoding after falling out of Maguan. From the second line of the Japanese army, the flank was deployed and stabbed horizontally, cutting off the entire depth of the Japanese army's defense.

In the western Hebei battlefield, the main force of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region adopted the tactics of pulling out points to contain the Japanese troops in western Hebei and distract the attention of the Japanese troops stationed around Beiping, so as to ensure the success of the breakthrough of the frontal resistance to the United Nations. And after the breakthrough of the anti-union on the whole front, the flank security of the western cluster will be guaranteed. and with the strength of no less than two brigades, cooperate with the troops of the Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan Military Regions to block the reinforcements of the Japanese army before the end of the campaign.

In the Shanxi battlefield, the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region cooperated with the Jinsui Military Region and the Taihang Military Region of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region with part of its troops, and the main force of the Taiyue Military Region was responsible for closing the Zhengtai Line and the Tongpu Line to contain the Japanese First Army stationed in Shanxi. Guo Bingxun did not recommend a large-scale offensive on the Shanxi battlefield, and it was better to only adopt the tactics of squeezing and containing.

As long as the Jizhong Plain is taken and Baoding and Shimen are seized, the First Army can be closed on the battlefield in Shanxi. Once the back road is cut off, the Japanese army in Shanxi will either take the initiative to evacuate, or they will be trapped in the Shanxi battlefield helplessly.

Guo Bingxun believed that with the current main force of the Jinsui Military Region, with the cooperation of the Taiyue Military Region, the Taihang Military Region, and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, and the limited strength of the First Army in Shanxi, it is still possible to accomplish the task of containing the First Army from moving eastward.

In southern Hebei, the main force of the Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region and the first part of the Shandong Military Region launched an offensive against the Japanese army in southern Hebei. And along the southern Hebei line, to block the reinforcements of the Japanese army in northern Henan. The two divisions currently stationed in northern Shanxi will not be returned to their formation for the time being, and will cooperate with the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region to go out of western Hebei and attack in the direction of Beiping.

According to Guo Bingxu's plan, the troops and equipment mobilized and invested will exceed Yang Zhen's expectations. In addition to the two armored divisions and two armored brigades that Yang Zhen planned to invest, at least two or three independent tank regiments should be added to ensure the operation of the Japanese army on the front line of Pingjin.

The focus of Guo Bingxun's campaign planning was on the front line of Pingjin, and the main goal of the campaign was to encircle and divide the Pingping principle. With two armored divisions attached to the cavalry mechanized cluster, the method of attacking with two wings and quickly interspersing the front completely disrupted the Japanese army's deployment in Jizhong.

This tactic is equivalent to a large ring and a small ring, with the Pingjin area as the bottom edge and the Hutuo River as the bottom line of the encirclement. Fly with both wings and break through quickly in the middle, dividing the Japanese army into two different battlefields for encirclement and annihilation. Guo Bingxun focused his efforts on the Jizhong Plain, and handed over the cover of the flanks of the Western Front to several strategic regions in North China.

In this plan, he mobilized all the Jinchaji and Jinji, Luyu, and even Jinsui troops. This large-scale effort made the Central Military Commission and the chiefs of staff of several major strategic regions obviously feel that their appetite was a little too great, and they even felt a little unbearable. According to Guo Bingxun's plan, the troops invested can almost be said to be dispatched from several regions.

But after some consideration, Yang Zhen still agreed to Guo Bingxun's general battle plan. However, Yang Zhen repeatedly reminded Guo Bingxun that when formulating the battle plan, he must make detailed preparations for the defense of Rehe and the West Manchurian region. With regard to the enemy of Pingjin, it is also necessary to consider it as comprehensively as possible.

After the loss of Chanan and the area around Beiping had become the front line, the Japanese North China Front Army retracted all the defensive lines in Hebei to the line from Beiping to Tianjin. The defense of eastern Hebei has been handed over to the Kwantung Army. Jidong and Rehe are close at hand. If the Kwantung Army cooperates in the operation, then Rehe, which connects the two strategic regions of Northeast China and North China, will definitely bear the brunt.

At the same time, between Beiping and Tianjin, the Japanese army built a large number of defensive fortifications from Juyongguan through Shunyi, Pinggu, Jixian, Yutian, and Fengrun, and deployed a large number of troops in depth. In the vicinity of Peiping alone, the newly organized 63rd Division was stationed, and the reorganized independent mixed 8th and 9th brigades and regiments were stationed.

On the deep line of Wuqing, Xianghe, and Baodi, the reorganized 27th Infantry Division was stationed. The reorganized 110th Division and the reorganized 110th Brigade were deployed in Zhuoxian, Laiyuan, and Baoding, as well as the reorganized 1st Independent Mixed Brigade. The 17th Division was transferred from the East China Battlefield, and the reorganized 48th Division was deployed in the Jizhong Plain.

After the end of the Battle of '42, the Japanese army significantly strengthened the deployment of troops in the Pingjin Junction. At the same time, a lot of preparations were also made for the tank offensive of the Anti-United Nations. It also increased the deployment of troops in Fuping and Laiyuan, which are at the junction of western Hebei and northern Shanxi, and these two deep strongholds in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei base area.

Not counting the First Army in Shanxi, the Japanese army deployed five infantry divisions and three independent mixed brigades in the entire Hebei battlefield, forming a trapezoidal configuration with large depth. Yang Zhen repeatedly told Guo Bingxun that the flanks of the West Cluster must be guaranteed. At the same time, when the whole line of the troops is deployed, it is necessary to do a good job of secrecy as much as possible and draw up detailed supply routes.

After finalizing the general battle plan, Yang Zhen hurried back to the northeast. Guo Bingxun remained in Yan'an to finalize the detailed battle plan, and he returned to the northeast to begin preparations. Speed up the standard allocation of troop establishment, and select the troops to enter the customs. Hoarding of oil and ammunition, especially for the production of artillery shells.

After Yang Zhen returned, the Anti-Japanese Federation began to transfer materials to the Guannai. In the face of the famine, the materials allocated are not only oil and ammunition, but also strategic materials such as grain. Not only the materials needed by the anti-United Nations forces, but also the ammunition such as 79 bullets allocated to the Kannai team.

The original Military Industry Department, which has now been changed to the Equipment Department, as well as several responsible persons of the Logistics Department, were forced by him to turn around. The Logistics Department allocated materials, and several responsible persons of the Equipment Department personally sat in the arsenal to urge the acceleration of the production of ammunition and the speed of modification of German and British tanks. The focus is on the production of various artillery shells, as well as tank high-explosive grenades.

According to Yang Zhen's plan, all German-made No. 4 tanks that used short-barreled 75-mm howitzers were replaced with Soviet-style 76-mm tank guns. The British-made Matilda II and Churchill tanks were also reequipped with Soviet-style tank guns. The British-made Crusader cruiser tank was replaced with a Soviet-style 45mm tank gun.

In this way, after eliminating all German-made light tanks, the tank guns of the Anti-United Nations were concentrated in the relatively single caliber of the American-made 37, the Soviet-made 45 and 76, and the German-made 50 mm. As for the British-made forty-mm tank guns, they were all eliminated. Despite all the painstaking efforts, the caliber of the tank gun was also reduced as much as possible to ensure the uniformity of the ammunition caliber and reduce the possibility of confusion in logistics.