Yang Zhen looked at the copy of the agreement with the United States and Britain in front of him, and was silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "And the British will definitely be more wary of us." They don't give us much opportunity to reach out to the local people to expand our reach. Because they fear that we will propagate our claims and dismantle their colonial rule there. ”

"They are still very aware of the fragility of their colonial rule. They know the fragility of their current domination in Southeast Asia, and even in their colonies around the globe. Over the years, they have relied on force as the backing of brutal notices, and the greedy plundering of the local people, regardless of the life and death of the local people, has made them no longer have the slightest popular support in the colonies. ”

"In the absence of external factors, they can barely survive by force and massacres. But once an external factor intervenes, their rule is like dominoes, and there is a possibility of complete collapse at any time. That's what the British really fear of the Japanese, but they share the same fear. ”

"Actually, the Japanese are not a threat to the British, if they are not facing war now. But the Japanese invasion under the banner of liberators will ignite the long-pent-up desire for independence of the local people, which is what the British fear and fear the most. ”

"According to my estimates, after the end of the war against Japan, I am afraid that there will not be a few colonies left of the European powers in Southeast Asia. I am afraid that this flame ignited by the Japanese will no longer be able to be suppressed by the British, the Dutch, and the French, who have exhausted their national strength. When this war is over, the war of independence of Southeast Asian countries will also begin. ”

"Asking us to go to Southeast Asia was a last resort for them under external pressure. However, it is not because they think that we have no roots in Southeast Asia, and we are thousands of miles away from the rear, so it has something to do with them being able to manipulate us lightly. Once we are in Southeast Asia, we will not only be attacked on all sides, but we will also be toyed with by the British. ”

"Chairman, boss, vice chairman, if we do what they ask, not only will we damage the troops, but we will even get the opposite result. Of course, there will be a few more applause from the Americans and the British. However, not only does it not have any benefits for us, but there are also considerable side effects in the near future. Even if it is used in exchange for aid, the cost is too great. ”

In fact, there were some things that Yang Zhen didn't say. He can say that after World War II, most of the armies of Southeast Asian countries were still formed from the puppet armies formed during the Japanese occupation. Like the Indonesian army, it was trained by the Japanese. Although Burma is based on the Anglo-Burmese army, their so-called leaders are people who collaborated with the Japanese during the Japanese occupation. And the backbone is also an independent army during the Japanese occupation.

After the war, the Japanese provided large-scale economic aid to Southeast Asia, which also made the Japanese penetrate and influence in Southeast Asia has always been great. As for the Chinese who have always been ostracized there, anti-Chinese incidents have occurred repeatedly. Getting involved now will only complicate the situation in the future.

Yang Zhen had no way to say these words. He can only analyze it from the political, military, and economic perspectives, and it is better not to sue the central government for this impact. Just like Chongqing, not only did it fail to keep the last major external artery, but in the end, it lost points on the political, military, and even territorial fronts.

Far from saving the crisis, a soldier sent to Burma lost a mess, and caught up with the only mechanized division and the most elite army. How much of this vague defeat was due to purely military reasons? I'm afraid there are more reasons for politics. There is a real nest of right and wrong, and light yì cannot be combined.

Yang Zhen's comprehensive analysis of the gains and losses in politics, military, and people's hearts, but the chairman pondered for a long time before nodding and said: "It seems that your determination is very right. The first thing we need to do is to solve the current priorities, and as for the rest, it is better to put it first. You're right, it's important to expand their influence, but we must not use them as cannon fodder. ”

Seeing that the chairman finally nodded, Yang Zhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but also laughed at himself somewhat for being rare and strange. With the chairman's eloquence and long-term strategic vision, how can we not see these points that I have said? It's just that the chairman is still a little hesitant, after all, this opportunity is too rare.

There are a large number of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, and their economic strength is very strong. If direct contact can be established with them, it will be quite beneficial to the expansion of the influence of the central authorities overseas, especially in the hearts of overseas Chinese. The fact that the Anti-Japanese Union sent troops to assist in the defense of Southeast Asia at the invitation of the British side this time is undoubtedly a rather rare opportunity to have in-depth contacts with overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. Where the Chairman hesitated, I guess that was there.

Lighting a camel brand cigarette sent by Yang Zhen, the chairman took a deep breath and said, "This matter is over, don't talk about it." What do you guys think about the next phase of the operation? However, I see that you are very different from the plan reported by the Advance Army, and now the Central Committee wants to hear your whole thoughts and plans, and it is always not so clear on the radio. ”

Speaking of this, the chairman smiled and said: "Now that you have arrived in Rexi, it can be said that you are already close to the Jinchaji base in North China, but you are getting farther and farther away from your rear. The next step of the operation, no matter which direction is chosen, requires the cooperation of the internal team. ”

"The ability and strategic vision of your teachers are still clear to the central government. Now that the differences are so big, out of prudence, the central government specially transferred you and their political commissars back to Yan'an, just to come up with a more stable plan. After all, this plan of yours is related to our entire future development. ”

Hearing the question raised by the chairman, Yang Zhen hesitated and said, "Actually, Chairman, in fact, I have been hesitating in my heart. Whether it is according to our plan or the opinion of the two CEOs of the march, they have their own advantages, but the disadvantages are also quite fatal. ”

"The reason why I terminated the original battle plan ahead of schedule is that in addition to the fact that the living forces have been used to the extreme, all the military raw materials have been consumed, and the reserve ammunition has been consumed more than I imagined. As well as oil and other supplies, they were exhausted, but the foreign aid channels were cut off by the Soviet side, and there was still some hesitation about the next battle plan. ”

"Chairman, this is a key issue related to the fate of our hundreds of thousands of troops, and whether the Northeast Shape can be fundamentally relieved. It can even be said that it is the beginning of our strategic decisive battle with the Japanese army, and I cannot but be cautious. Chairman, CEO, Vice President, can you please let me talk to the map, so that my thinking will be clearer. ”

For Yang Zhen's habitual request, the chairman and the boss couldn't help but smile at each other. The boss pointed to the wall of the chairman's study and said, "I know this habit of yours, so a full set of maps of North China have already been prepared for you." This is a map surveyed and mapped by the Japanese army captured by your old army on the battlefield in Shanxi, which is much more accurate than the previous map surveyed and mapped by the Nationalist Government. ”

"There are also maps of Chahar and Suiyuan, which are also prepared for you. However, there is no whole one, so we will make a new copy based on these three maps. It may be that the accuracy is a little poor, after all, our technical means are limited, so you can deal with it for the time being. In any case, it is a little more accurate than the past drawings of the National Government. ”

Regarding the boss's ridicule, Yang Zhen didn't say anything. He smiled and walked to the map, looked at it, picked up his baton and said, "Chairman, now the advance army has taken several counties in the Rexi Mountains, and we have also occupied several Mongolian flags at the junction of Chahar and Hung Yen West Province. It can be said that the door to an attack on North China has been opened by us. ”

"But if we follow the ideas of the two old commanders, of course, our supply line will be shortened a lot, and we can get the cooperation of the remaining troops of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region when we cross the line of the Great Wall. Judging from the scale of the remaining troops in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region, they are fully capable of cooperating with us in this battle. The most important thing is that there will be much less space left behind that can be used by the Kwantung Army to cut off the retreat of our army. ”

"But there are two problems. First, before breaking through into the concentrated plain, the Yanshan Mountains were quite steep, which was very unfavorable to the actions of our army's mechanized troops. Our mechanized units have just been formed and are in dire need of actual combat training. In this battle, our mechanized troops were limited by conditions, and their actual combat performance was not satisfactory. ”

"If this direction is chosen as the main assault direction, our armored corps will be almost useless until we cross the Yanshan Mountains. This is not in line with our original intention of training the armored corps' ability to make large-scale breakthroughs, and it is very detrimental to their growth. Armored soldiers can only be effective if they are clenched into fists and punched out. The use of decentralized configuration is a strict and wasteful tactic for armored troops. ”

"Practice is for fighting, not for watching. We spent so much effort to even raise an armored corps at any cost, just to destroy the Japanese army even more. It's not for the parade to look good, and it's not for the sake of being an ornament. But Chairman, our tactics are all being explored little by little by ourselves, and they need to be tested in actual combat. ”

"But the terrain of Yanshan is not suitable for tank combat. Moreover, there is a barrier in the Yanshan area, which is also a dilemma for our logistics and transportation. Judging from the current density of the Japanese army in South Manchuria, it is impossible for us to expect to take South Manchuria in a short period of time and open up the Bac Ninh line to use railway transportation. ”

"If we rely solely on road supplies, in the Yanshan Mountains, the limited passes, the harsh terrain, and the poor road conditions will put too much pressure on our logistics transportation and supply. The condition of the road will limit the input of our transport forces, and it will not be able to meet the needs of a major war. ”

"Second, once we choose this direction as the main direction of attack, we can indeed get the cooperation of the Guannei, Jinchaji, Taihang, and even the Shandong Military Region. However, our attacking forces also had to withstand the attacks of the Japanese Mongolian Army, the First Army of the North China Front, the Japanese troops in Hebei and Pingjin, and the Kwantung Army. ”

"Rehe is close to Jinzhou and Chaoyang, and Chaoyang, Chifeng and Jinzhou and Nanman hinterland, and even Pingjin area are connected by railway. Zhangjiakou is also quite close to Beiping, and there is a Pingzhang line in the middle, which can facilitate the rapid maneuver of the Japanese army. Moreover, there are many mountains such as Yanshan Mountain and Dama Mountains along the way, and the limited plain terrain is in the Luanhe River water system, which is really a bit too complicated. ”

"But the Japanese army can use these mountains as natural defensive positions to prevent the rapid breakthrough of our troops who are delayed. Mountain warfare, too many restrictions on the use of tank units. At least until we break through the line of the Great Wall and enter the Jizhong Plain, our tank forces will not be able to use it at all. ”

"However, the Japanese army can take advantage of the railway to use the terrain to delay our army's offensive in the first stage of our breakthrough through the Yanshan Mountains and the Dama Mountains, and on the other hand, quickly mobilize troops for reinforcements. On the contrary, it is easy to make our offensive unable to complete a quick breakthrough. This aspect may seem like the closest route, but on the surface, it's not actually a good choice. ”