After hesitating for a moment, the boss still said his thoughts: "Comrade Yang Zhen, I still support your ideas." In fact, up to now, the results of this campaign have exceeded the original expectations of the central government. Although we have paid a considerable price, we have also achieved great results. ”

"So far, we have taken Beiping on the northern front, recovering the largest city in North China, as well as the political and cultural center. At the same time, the entire Jizhong Plain was restored, providing a stable replenishment base for soldiers, food and materials for the major strategic areas in North China. It can be said that in this battle, you have exceeded the tasks assigned by the central authorities. ”

Moreover, this battle not only changed the overall situation of the country, but also caused abnormal repercussions at home and abroad. Politically, we have won considerable initiative for the central authorities. After this battle, the entire major strategic areas in North China were completely connected. In North China, our army's living space has not only been greatly expanded, but also greatly increased its room for maneuver. ”

"However, the cost is also huge. The central authorities are well aware of the casualties of the various units you have participated in, as well as the tremendous pressure and difficulties you are currently under. Before returning to Hejian from Beiping this time, I had already telegraphed to the central authorities, suggesting that the entire Hebei battlefield should be transferred to the defense. ”

"Although the central government has not called back for the time being, I think the central government will still take into account your difficulties as a whole. However, the situation in eastern Henan is a bit delicate now, and I think you still have to be prepared. Once the counterattack on eastern Henan in the First War Zone is successful, it is unclear whether it will continue to advance westward to the west of Jinpu Road. In addition to the current situation in the southwest of Shanxi, the central government's determination is not very good. ”

The boss's words, Yang Zhen shook his head but didn't say anything. At present, only a few hundred kilometers away, it is not clear what the outcome of the ongoing counterattack in eastern Henan in the First War Zone will be. But judging from the current battle situation between the two sides, Yang Zhen is not very optimistic about this operation in the First War Zone.

Although the first theater of this battle can be regarded as the elite exhausted, almost all the elites have been invested in the counterattack in eastern Henan, and a large number of artillery has also been mobilized to participate in the battle. In addition, the US air force stationed in China and the air force under Chongqing also threw most of their troops into the eastern Henan battlefield to provide air support for the ground counteroffensive while striving for air supremacy.

Although the number of tactical attack planes in the US Air Force and the Chongqing Air Force participating in the war was small, there were only a small number of P-40 fighters that undertook ground support. However, the B-25 bombers and A-26 attack planes dispatched by the US military were quite active. With its long range and large bomb load, it posed a serious threat to the activities of the Japanese army.

In addition, the Japanese air force and the anti-coalition air force suffered heavy losses in the battle for air supremacy in the Hebei battlefield. The combat planes invested by the Japanese army in the entire theater are already very few, and it can basically be said that they are unable to cope with the battle. From the very beginning of this operation, the Chinese and US air forces firmly grasped air supremacy.

Compared with the strength of the Japanese army in eastern Henan, the counterattack operation in Chongqing was not insignificant. However, judging from the progress of the battle, the various units participating in the battle on the front line were obviously half-hearted. Except for some troops who acted resolutely, most of the rest were too slow, and even some troops were unable to do their work.

The offensive seemed to be fierce, but the real action was hesitant. Moreover, two-thirds of the troops it invested, several descendants of the Central Army who participated in the war, were actually placed on the battlefields of Kaifeng and Longhai Road. For the hinterland of eastern Henan, the troops invested were mainly miscellaneous armies with very poor equipment, as well as some miscellaneous troops that had been recruited.

For example, what is the Pan-Eastern Advance Army, and several new armies that have been incorporated by local small miscellaneous brands. Isn't it a new division or a temporary division that has just been upgraded by the local security forces, or the militia group, or even the puppet army anyway. These units are poorly equipped and have few troops, with a division having more than 4,000 troops and even fewer than one or two thousand, and their combat effectiveness is quite poor.

In this counterattack in eastern Henan, in addition to the elite of the Central Army on the Kaifeng battlefield. The number of troops invested in other fronts is only a few miscellaneous armies, such as the Temporary Ninth Army of the former Northeast Army system and the 38th Army of the former Northwest Army system, and the combat effectiveness of these two armies is barely acceptable.

In particular, although the 38th Army is very poorly equipped, the combat effectiveness of this descendant unit of the former Yang Hucheng system is still quite strong. In addition to these two armies, that is, the Second Cavalry Army, which was originally deployed at the junction of Henan, Anhui and Suzhou, has a decent combat effectiveness. However, these three armies were assigned to different regions and could not fight together.

As for the rest of the guerrilla forces, let's forget about it. Those troops were more than disturbing the people, but their combat effectiveness was very poor. Using these almost ineffective troops to carry out peripheral defensive operations or offensive missions, once they encounter a counterattack by Japanese reinforcements, the consequences can be imagined.

This kind of deployment is obviously to let the Central Army eat meat, and the miscellaneous army will use it as a shield on the periphery to block the reinforcements of the Japanese army. It was obvious that the defenders of Kaifeng were no more than half a division, and they were no match at all in the face of several well-equipped Central Army. At present, a Japanese division that has arrived in eastern Henan is fully manned, and as for how many follow-up troops there will be, I'm afraid only God knows.

In the counterattack it launched, the ragtag army on the periphery was equivalent to gnawing bones. With such a way of playing, once the Japanese army breaks through the outer blockade, I am afraid that the result of this battle will not be very large. In the face of the defenders of Kaifeng, who were only half a division, this offensive had been launched for nearly a week, and several elite armies with superior strength and firepower were still fighting the periphery.

And at the crossing of the Yellow River west of Kaifeng, a whole two armies were left. The 13th Army, which had the strongest combat effectiveness and was also the most well-equipped, also invested only one division. The main force and the main force of the 29th Army firmly controlled the crossing of the Yellow River. So that once the situation is not good, the troops who left the Kaifeng battlefield in the east can quickly retreat to Hexi.

According to their progress, I don't know when they can take Yudong. There is still a period of time in eastern Henan from southern Hebei and Jinpu Road, and the distance from the Japanese army in northern Anhui can be far closer than Hebei. Judging from the usual speed of reinforcements of the Japanese army, I am afraid that this counterattack is more for the Chinese people to see.

As for the World War II zone, Yang Zhen was quite speechless. For a division of the Japanese army that is only trapped in Yuncheng, how can it still be fought to this extent? The Jin Sui army that participated in the war has always been playing soy sauce, mainly to preserve its strength. The Central Army was very desperate, but it never made much progress.

Judging from the deployment of the First War Zone, Yang Zhen knew very well that the counterattack launched by the First War Zone was not so much to take the opportunity to recover the entire eastern Henan and connect northern Anhui and eastern Henan into one. It is better to fight a political war and put on a posture to deal with international and domestic public opinion.

Perhaps the first person on the Chongqing side attached great importance to this counterattack. But this does not mean that the generals below are also willing to fight back. The deployment was light and heavy, and the whole focus was on Kaifeng. As for other directions, no matter how Yang Zhen looks at it and feels like it, he is coping with errands.

Although the counterattack in the First War Zone, whether willing or not, also attracted and dispersed the pressure on the battlefield in North China, Yang Zhen was still not too optimistic about the counterattack in the First War Zone, or even the entire Chongqing. What kind of counterattack is this? The whole strategy does not form a whole. Piecemeal or a hammer in the east and a stick in the west?

This battle is fought purely to cope with political pressure. From the very beginning of this counterattack, the mentality was very abnormal. Coupled with the mentality of the generals at all levels below, the First Theater of Counterattack may be able to take advantage of the situation of its Hebei battlefield to take advantage of some advantages.

However, judging from the purpose of the campaign launched this time, their counterattack is destined to be not too successful, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to obtain what Chongqing wants. It is understandable that the central government is somewhat worried, but there is no need to be too nervous, and there is not much need.

Since the Americans entered the war, the whole mentality of Chongqing has changed greatly. From the original focus on defense, with constant local counteroffensives. At present, the whole country is on the defensive in the whole situation, and the kind of counteroffensive campaigns that were very effective in the 39th and 40th years have been fought again and again in the continuous small-scale tactical counterattacks and even partial counteroffensive campaigns on a large scale.

In other words, after the Americans entered the war, everyone thought that from the perspective of national strength, it was a foregone conclusion that the Japanese, who had a huge disparity in national strength, would lose the war. At this time, from the top level to the generals at all levels below, everyone's mentality has collectively undergone a certain distortion.

In addition to the fact that military spending is too large, the sources are shrinking day by day. Prices in the rear are soaring, people's livelihood is withering, and the production capacity of the military industry is not rising, but constantly declining. With the continuous expansion of the army, the limited military production capacity cannot meet the increasingly huge needs of the army.

In addition to the Air Force's equipment, the quantity and progress of the most needed ground weapons and equipment aid are unusually slow. The equipment given was mainly the trophies of the United States and Britain in the North African battlefield. The amount of real American aid is far from meeting the needs. Moreover, the focus is mainly on the southwest direction, and there are only a small number of elite troops in other theaters to change their equipment.

Not to mention the miscellaneous troops, even the second-rate troops of the Central Army are not in the turn of American weapons. Although the scale of the entire combat unit is expanding day by day, it is not at all directly proportional to the number and scale of the troops in terms of strength and equipment. Except for some of the elite troops that are fully supported, most of the troops' combat effectiveness is shrinking day by day.

Under such circumstances, everyone was reluctant to fight to the death against the Japanese army. Except for the local battlefield in the southwest, everyone was sitting and waiting for the Americans to defeat the Japanese, that is to say, everyone was sitting and waiting for victory. There are very few people who really put their minds on the battlefield.

Generals at all levels at the front had different minds and ideas, and everyone's energy was not focused on combat. In particular, the miscellaneous army generals keep more of their mentality on how to preserve their strength. This mentality is applied to the battlefield, no matter what the outcome of such a battle is, Yang Zhen will not be surprised.

Yang Zhen also hopes that this counterattack in the First War Zone can play a wonderful situation, at least he can share the pressure for himself. Although everyone has different thoughts, it is not impossible to cooperate with each other strategically. But according to the current progress of the First and Second War Zones, Yang Zhen did not dare to give too much hope.

However, what kind of results can be achieved in the end of the counterattack in the First War Zone, regardless of what kind of mind Chongqing has in mind. However, Yang Zhen is still relatively satisfied with the overall strategic cooperation of the counterattack of the First and Second War Zones in eastern Henan and southwestern Shanxi, and the unintentional or intentional cooperation in the overall strategy, and the rush to share part of the pressure for the North China battlefield.

As for the political reasons behind the counterattack, Yang Zhen didn't want to ask or care. He was just a simple soldier, and all his considerations had to be based on the development and changes of the battlefield. It is better to leave the political issues to the central authorities for consideration, and he does not want to get involved.