20_20434Speaking of this, Yang Zhen looked at the chairman whose face was somewhat gloomy after listening to his words, and after a pause, he still insisted: "In this way, if the Third War Zone and even the Nationalist Government really have the determination to attack the New Fourth Army, they will not pay too much attention to the influence of public opinion. ”

"After all, they still hold the superstructure of the regime, and they still have considerable constraints on the direction of public opinion. Internationally, they also represent China. Without the restraint of public opinion, the entire Sino-Japanese battlefield seems to be very calm at present, and the Japanese army is not on a major offensive at present, I do not see anything that will affect their determination to attack. ”

"For the Japanese army in southern Anhui and southern Jiangsu, although it may not necessarily join forces with the third theater, at least it will not join forces openly. However, in order to eliminate the New Fourth Army, which is a serious problem, it is very likely that they will form a tacit cooperation in the entire strategy. Because compared with the Japanese army, which was good at frontal combat, the guerrilla tactics of the New Fourth Army brought them more trouble. ”

"If the Third Theater can eliminate the New Fourth Army, which has caused them a lot of trouble, although it will not openly join forces with the Japanese army, let alone take the initiative to cooperate with the Japanese army. However, the Japanese army, which is the biggest beneficiary, will be happy to give a certain amount of strategic and tactical cooperation. ”

"Although out of national righteousness, the Third Theater will not join forces with the Japanese army. But for the Japanese troops, who have always had a keen sense of smell and intelligence, as long as there is any change on the part of the squadron, they will react quickly. And anything that weakens the resistance of the Chinese nation, they will be happy to do it, and they will be happy to add fuel to the fire. ”

After Yang Zhen said this, he closed his mouth. In later generations, although there are still many unsolved mysteries in this incident of the same room, the cause and process of the incident are also very subtle. But there is one thing that Yang Zhen knows, in the public opinion war after the incident, it is obvious that the national government, which controls the state organs, has the upper hand.

In terms of international public opinion, although it has also been under certain pressure and influence, it is relatively not large. That is, its military and economic assistance to China has had an impact on the views of the international community, especially the Americans, and still less on it. For the Americans, it is their strategic interests that come first. As long as they can hold off the Japanese and prevent a full-scale civil war from breaking out, they will not care about the occasional confrontation between the Chinese themselves.

After Yang Zhen said this, the chairman did not squeak. Just sitting there smoking one cigarette after another. After a long time, Chairman Yang Zhen looked at Yang Zhen and said, "Comrade Yang Zhen, if this retreat to the north is under your full command, can you guarantee that the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army, which is now under enemy control on all sides, will be brought out safely?" ”

The chairman's rhetorical question made Yang Zhen silent for a while and said: "Chairman, I don't dare to guarantee that the entire military headquarters of the New Fourth Army will be completely organized and not a single person will be lost. No one can bring back the entire military headquarters in such a situation without losing a single soldier. But I can guarantee that most of the personnel of the military headquarters will be brought to Jiangbei safely. However, it is better for me to let Comrade Ye Ting take full command of this retreat, and I can assist him in his work. ”

Yang Zhen looked at the chairman's face, and although he hesitated, he finally said: "Chairman, in the process of retreating north, I think that the interference of Yiqiē should be eliminated, and Comrade Ye Ting should have full command of the military. Some other commanders can be responsible for negotiating with the Third Theater. ”

"Comrade Ye Ting is firm in politics and has a very high military quality, and he was a tiger general as early as the Northern Expedition. I believe that military command should be given accordingly. Military command on the battlefield should have a unified command. Otherwise, once there is a disagreement between the military and the government, it will be a taboo for the soldiers, and it is even very likely to cause confusion in command and cause losses that could have been avoided. ”

Yang Zhen believes that the chairman is very clear, and the other leaders of the Central Committee present are also very clear. Yang Zhen's proposal to give the commander of the New Fourth Army, who was actually in a state of being overthrown, to give actual command power also means that he hoped that the central government would be able to solve the problem of the existence of the New Fourth Army with an iron fist.

It's just that Yang Zhen's words, the chairman did not answer, but changed the topic a little and said: "Comrade Yang Zhen, most of the routes from Yan'an to southern Anhui are in enemy-occupied areas. Along the way, we had to cross the large and small blockade lines of the Japanese army, not to mention safety, and communication was also quite inconvenient. If there is anything unusual in the northeast, it is almost impossible for the central government to contact you in a short period of time. ”

"And if you take a detour through Chongqing, it will take too much time to get through the Guò Guotong area. And from Yan'an to southern Anhui thousands of kilometers, when you arrive in southern Anhui, I am afraid that the shape has changed again. Even if you set off now, it will be the end of the year or even the beginning of next year when you arrive in southern Anhui. The current situation is volatile, and it is very likely that it will be too late. ”

Although the chairman did not say it explicitly, the meaning of his words was already very clear, it was not that he was not allowed to go to southern Anhui, but that the two places were thousands of miles apart. Moreover, when most of the people along the way had to pass through the Japanese-occupied areas, the problems of security and communication could not be solved.

Regarding the chairman's worries, Yang Zhen smiled and said: "Chairman, boss, how to rush to southern Anhui in the shortest time, I have thought about it." We still have a very good relationship with the commander of the First Theater stationed in Luoyang, and Luoyang itself has an airport that can be used as a temporary diversion and refueling point for aircraft. ”

"Moreover, judging from the topography of southern Anhui, it is unrealistic to build a large airport. But it is not difficult to build a field airfield that can temporarily take off and land one aircraft. As long as the mobilization is sufficient, I think it can be done in a short period of time. We have radio stations in southern Anhui, which can be used as navigation temporarily. The most important thing is that I figured out the Guò First War Zone, and it was not difficult to get a route map from Luoyang to southern Anhui. ”

"I was on a plane, without escort fighters. The single plane flew from Yan'an to Luoyang for refueling, and then flew directly from Luoyang to southern Anhui. Flying alone, the small target is not easy to attract the attention of the Japanese army, and there is a lack of effective air defense means along the line. Coupled with the high-altitude performance of the C47 transport aircraft, I think there is no problem in terms of safety. ”

"If it is really difficult to build an airfield in southern Anhui, I can parachute to the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army after the plane arrives in southern Anhui. I used to specialize in skydiving, and as long as the weather wasn't too bad, I could safely land in airspace below 3,000 meters. Two of my guards also learned how to skydive. ”

"However, I still hope that the southern Anhui side can rush to repair a temporary airport, so that we can make some supplements to southern Anhui. In particular, in terms of ammunition and some of the materials urgently needed by the New Fourth Army, we can replenish them in large quantities by air. If necessary, we can also fly some people back to Yan'an. ”

"When I came to Yan'an this time, except for some funds to supplement the central government, the rest of the materials were all ammunition and equipment. We can use airlift to replenish the New Fourth Army with a batch of ammunition and light and heavy machine guns, especially the 79-caliber bullets with the largest number of equipment, so as to increase its ability to cope with unexpected situations.

Regarding Yang Zhen's idea, the chairman lit a cigarette and took a hard puff, and was silent for a long time before saying, "In this way, Comrade Yang Zhen, you go back to rest first." The central government still needs to study your proposal, and I can't answer you right away for the time being. You are now the treasure of the central government, and you are responsible for the safety of the entire Northeast war situation, and the central government can't let you take risks lightly. ”

"However, for the situation in southern Anhui, you still have to continue to understand and study. And try to come up with a complete set of implementation plans. When the results of the central study are available, we will notify you as soon as possible. At the same time, you need to be ready to go at any time. You can rest assured that your building will be carefully considered. ”

Regarding the chairman's reply, which was both expected and unexpected, Yang Zhen did not express any opinion. Under the extremely complicated situation in front of him, this determination cannot be made with just a few words on his own. This matter has a bearing on the future of the two strategic zones. It is also normal for the central authorities to give careful consideration.

Yang Zhen just nodded slightly. After saluting the central leaders present with a standard military salute, he left the chairman's office without the slightest delay. As for whether the central government will agree to go to southern Anhui, and if so, how he will go, Yang Zhen did not pay too much attention to it.

Yang Zhen knew that his words had obviously moved the chairman's heart. The reason why he has not directly stated his position is only for security reasons. The commander of the First Theater had a very close relationship with our army, and it should not be a big problem for the plane to refuel in Luoyang. Moreover, in terms of the intelligence work capability of the central authorities, it will not be difficult to get a route map from Luoyang to southern Anhui.

Even if you don't bring escort fighters and choose the shortest route to fly directly from the Japanese-occupied areas to southern Anhui, there is no big problem with the safety along the way. The maximum flight altitude of the 47 transport plane is about 8,000 meters, and this altitude is an area that ordinary Japanese fighters cannot fly to. Security doesn't have to be too much of a concern.

The only concern is that after flying directly from Yan'an to southern Anhui, the remaining fuel may not be able to sustain the safe return of the plane when it returns. The maximum range of the C47 transport plane is about 2,300 kilometers, and it is enough to fly directly from Yan'an to southern Anhui with full fuel. However, it is difficult to maintain fuel until Yan'an when returning to the ship. The military headquarters of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui did not have any fuel to refuel.

After Yang Zhen returned to his residence, he opened the map and marked some details of the Southern Anhui Incident that he would know later, especially the choice of the northward retreat route of the New Fourth Army Headquarters and the troops mobilized by the Third Theater. Once again, he carefully analyzed the entire troop deployment of the Third Theater and the equipment and strength of the troops under its jurisdiction.

After carefully analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the three routes and the surrounding enemy situation, Yang Zhen secretly shook his head. To be honest, Yang Zhen was not too happy with these three routes. However, for the military headquarters of the New Fourth Army, which is already embattled and isolated in southern Anhui, there is no other route to choose.

Yang Zhen, who had been silent for a long time and had not chosen any other better route, threw the red and blue pencils onto the map. After thinking about it, Chen Xi, the leader of the first squadron of the transport plane who escorted him to Yan'an and personally served as the pilot of the special plane, came to him. It was assigned the task of studying the route from Yan'an via Luoyang to southern Anhui without escort planes, and coming up with a set of effective methods that could be implemented.