In Yang Zhen's view, in order to ensure the suddenness of the launch of the campaign and to achieve a comprehensive breakthrough in a short period of time, the operation of the anti-coalition forces to enter the pass should be kept as secret as possible. Feints are necessary, but the main force must be kept as secret as possible until the end.

All troop assembly sites and material reserve sites must be kept strictly secret, and this is undoubtedly a serious challenge to the major base areas in North China, especially the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, the main assembly area of the anti-Japanese alliance troops moving south. Thousands of troops are moving, and this movement is insignificant. The Japanese are not blind and stupid, they still have a very sensitive sense of smell.

Yang Zhen's initial idea was to launch a feint attack in the northeast at the same time to contain the main force of the Kwantung Army from moving south. Concentrate armored cavalry mechanized clusters, target the Jinpu Road, and adopt centripetal assault tactics. Use the rapid assault ability of tanks and mechanized clusters to defeat the Japanese army in the Jizhong Plain as soon as possible.

However, a large number of armored troops went south, and it was difficult to achieve strict secrecy. This time, especially when the Bac Ninh Railway was still in the hands of the Japanese army, and the troops had to pass through a large number of mountains on the way, there were limited routes to choose from. The armored forces marched southward, almost entirely mechanized and unable to rely on rail transport. This has brought a considerable test to the work of secrecy.

Whether or not the whereabouts of the armored troops and heavy artillery units can be concealed is a very important prerequisite for whether or not the objectives of this battle can be achieved. Therefore, the meeting of the Central Military Commission was held for several days, and although the strategic guidelines were formulated, the tactical issues could not be decided.

Yang Zhen's requirements were difficult for several old commanders here. The tank thing is not a person, you can hide it by digging a hole. It is also possible to specifically pick up mountainous areas, avoid inhabited villages, and make night marches to hide tracks.

When a tank unit marches, the smoke and dust kicked up obscure the sky and can be found from afar, like a shaking landslide caused by the crawlers pressing on the ground. The key issue is that the march of tanks, automobiles, and heavy artillery, which cannot be separated from the road, is doomed to have limited routes to choose from.

Such a large group of armor, long periods of concealment and maneuvering without being detected by enemy forces. In the eyes of almost everyone, it is an impossible task. What's more, there are still a large number of automobiles and heavy artillery, all of which must be concealed, and at the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the bridges and widen the roads in the base areas for the passage of these equipment.

During the Battle of '42, Yang Jicai commanded a group of light armor to make a detour to Taiyuan, passing through almost all the bridges and roads in all areas, which were severely damaged. During the Northern Jin Campaign, the bridges in the entire northern Jin region were also seriously damaged in the movement of the anti-union mechanized troops.

After the battle, the Jinsui Military Region spent some time repairing these bridges. It was just a light armored cluster, and according to Yang Zhen, almost all the sections passed, the bridges would have to be heavily reinforced. And the necessary roads also need to be widened.

It is really difficult for such a big operation not to be noticed by the Japanese army at all. However, several veteran commanders also knew that once they were detected by the Japanese army in advance, then with the usual reaction speed of the Japanese army, the progress after the battle was probably extremely difficult. The Japanese army is not tofu, and once it is encircled, there is a possibility of collapse. Winning by surprise is the best way to win quickly.

However, without these tanks and heavy artillery to participate in the battle, with the combat strength and equipment of the Japanese army, fighting in such an area as the Jizhong Plain will not only consume a lot of time, but also pay a very heavy price, and will also seriously affect the follow-up combat capability of the troops. The trade-off between the two aspects made it very difficult for the princes of each strategic area.

Yang Zhen proposed that the two armored divisions currently equipped by the Anti-Japanese Federation should all be mobilized south to participate in the battle for the Jizhong Plain. At the same time, an armored brigade is being mobilized, plus two cavalry brigades to participate in the battle. In the sequence of heavy artillery units, in addition to the six newly formed German-made 150 howitzer regiments, all of which were set up to the south, a part of the rocket artillery units was being mobilized to participate in the battle.

According to Yang Zhen's proposal to participate in the battle, the number of tanks alone reached nearly 1,000, and the number of 150-millimeter howitzers reached 144. Coupled with a large number of trucks, half-track vehicles, and heavy artillery tractors, the amount of heavy equipment invested can be called the first time in a civil war.

Regarding the number of troops proposed by Yang Zhen, many people were dissatisfied at first. Not to mention the question of how such a large-scale force can be concealed, the materials required for so many mechanized equipment alone are difficult for the various base areas in North China to satisfy. Not to mention gasoline and other materials, even food cannot be taken out by the various base areas.

Moreover, such a large-scale transfer is not conducive to telling people in advance that they are going to move to the Jizhong Plain. With such a large number of tank troops fighting in the south, it is impossible to move towards the western mountains except for the plains. Therefore, for Yang Zhen to mobilize such a large number of armored troops to participate in the war, all the old commanders who participated in the meeting were unanimously opposed.

No matter what point you think about it, it is not advisable for such a large group of armored troops to participate in the war. In the eyes of several veteran commanders, mobilizing four or five hundred tanks to participate in the battle is already the limit of what can be beared, and it is enough to meet the needs of this battle. No matter more, there is really no way to supply and conceal.

Facing the opposition of most people except for the two veterans who advanced into the army. Yang Zhen could only say patiently: "I also know that such a large group of troops, let alone concealment, is an astronomical amount of fuel consumption for vehicles every day, as well as the food that people eat and chew. ”

"But several bosses, in this battle, we are not only facing a simple North China Front, but also the Japanese army can mobilize reinforcements from Central China, East China, and even South China by sea at any time through the Tianjin-Pudong Railway. In this way, our army was fighting almost the entire main force of the Japanese army invading China. ”

"The combat effectiveness of the Japanese army, everyone knows very well. If we simply rely on the infantry and part of the artillery to fight the Japanese army, the number of casualties in a battle can be imagined. It takes at least half a year for a soldier to train from the time a new recruit enters the camp to the time he forms combat effectiveness. ”

"When the time comes, once the front-line combat units lose too much, the follow-up troops will not be replenished in a timely manner, or the combat effectiveness will not be strong. In the face of the swarming Japanese reinforcements, how could we hold the Jizhong Plain, which we had paid such a great price? Now that we have determined to make great efforts to fight for Jizhong, we must grit our teeth and persist at this pass. ”

"I still think that way, the equipment is gone, and we can replenish it at any time. But if people run out, what if they have more equipment? The current backbone units of all units are all old bones that have been retained after 41 years of counter-sweeps and the bloody battles of Chahar and northern Jin in 42 years. Once these people are exhausted, it will be the most fatal loss to our army. ”

"Moreover, the central Hebei region is a plain terrain, which is itself conducive to concentrating tank clusters and conducting large-scale interspersed operations. We can also use this operation to train our army's ability to fight in large-scale armored clusters in the plains. If a unit wants to truly grow and temper itself in the midst of war, it will not work without spending money. ”

"The most important thing is to concentrate a large number of armored clusters to adopt centripetal assault tactics, which can use the rapid assault capability of tank clusters to achieve our strategic goals in the shortest possible time. In this way, we save as much time as possible on the launch of the campaign. At the same time, it can save part of the troops to deal with the subsequent counterattack of the Japanese army. ”

"But in any case, in this southward operation, the Anti-Union mobilized so many armored troops to participate in the war. In the final analysis, it is still a sentence, after the equipment is gone, we can still find a way to make it ourselves or find foreign help. But if the old foundation and old bones are gone, it will be difficult to rebuild them. ”

Yang Zhen's words fell, and everyone was silent, including the chairman who presided over the meeting. The truth in Yang Zhen's words, they didn't understand. As a military master, several veteran commanders still understand this truth. But with such a large number of troops thrown in at once, the follow-up pressure made several old commanders very difficult, after all, war is not just about the battlefield.

There was silence at the venue for a long time, but the chairman suddenly said: "Since Comrade Yang Zhen has even taken out his blood capital, then we have nothing to fear." In this way, I think it will be done in accordance with Comrade Yang Zhen's ideas. Not only must it be transferred from the northeast, but the armored brigade stationed in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningbo will also be pulled up. ”

Speaking of this, the chairman turned his head to Yang Zhen and said, "You can't pull all the armored troops to North China. The Northeast is now our hope for the future, and if we make a move in the south, the Kwantung Army will inevitably cooperate in South Manchuria. In my opinion, in addition to one brigade in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, one more division and one brigade will be enough for you to transfer from there. ”

Regarding the chairman's thoughts, Yang Zhen smiled and said, "Chairman, don't worry." Two armored divisions were transferred, plus one armored brigade, and we still have five armored brigades left in the northeast, plus some independent tank regiments, which are enough for the Kwantung Army to fight another heart-piercing battle. ”

"With the exploitation of the Daqing oilfield and the commissioning of the refinery, in addition to aviation fuel, we can basically be self-sufficient in the fuel required for various mechanized equipment. The change in conditions has allowed us to invest in large quantities of mechanized equipment at one time. At least in terms of oil, we don't have to worry about getting choked. ”

"Judging from the changes in the world war situation, if there is not much change, the Americans will have some blood in the first half of this year. The United States has promised to give us 500 M3 light tanks and 150 M3 medium tanks in the first half of this year. ”

"Although among the three medium tanks of the M, we have exchanged a batch of fighters with the Soviet side. For the time being, it will not be of our use, but the remaining M-3 light tanks will be enough to deal with the tanks and infantry of the Japanese army. Three-seven-mm artillery was also enough to deal with the field fortifications of the Japanese army. ”

"With this batch of tanks, we can fill the original gap. The British also promised to provide a batch of Maltida II infantry tanks, as well as a batch of Crusader tanks. Our own T three or four tanks, too, completely solved the difficulties in production. At the end of last year, it began to be put into production one after another. Although the monthly production is only a few dozen, it can be regarded as a part of the solution. ”

"In addition, with the end of the Battle of Stalingrad and the arrival of a large number of German-made tanks transferred by the Soviet army, we still have sufficient armored forces. The only weakness is that we can't put all the German-made tanks on the front line. Some of them should also be kept and used as parts. ”

"It's just that this time, considering the scale and time of this battle, the tank units that were originally planned to train and equip various units in the Guannai can only be postponed temporarily. In order to ensure a sufficient number of troops in the two major battlefields of Northeast China and North China at the same time, we can only first enrich the original shelf troops. ”