I heard a cold, familiar voice coming from behind me. Liu Changshun was startled, and hurriedly turned around to see Yang Zhen, who didn't know when he came, standing behind him and looking at him coldly. Liu Changshun, who was taken aback, hurriedly stumbled and explained: "Commander, I didn't mean that. How dare I criticize the head of the headquarters behind my back. ”

After explaining with some weakness, Liu Changshun suddenly reacted again, and became extremely happy. He ran to Yang Zhen's side and said with a smile: "Commander, your body has recovered?" It's really good. It's a big deal for us these days. ”

Looking at Liu Changshun's dog-legged appearance, Wang Xiaoming, Ma Chunsheng, and Chai Shirong all shook their heads. How can this guy turn his face faster than a book. Just put on a look of righteous indignation, this will become more dog-legged than the Japanese Akita dog adopted by the commander.

Yang Zhen pushed away Liu Changshun, who was carefully following him with a smiling face, walked to the map and said, "Liu Changshun, I don't have the mood or time to ink these boring things with you." You have this time to make a report on your current situation. Don't ramble, I'm going to give a brief and concise report. ”

Hearing that Yang Zhen wanted to listen to the report, Liu Changshun hurriedly walked to the map, pointed to the map and said, "Our brigade is now withdrawn to the front line of General Shi in accordance with the order of the chief of staff. However, the speed of the Japanese army's follow-up was not fast, and it only reached the Junde line at present. Now, after several days of fierce fighting, our brigade has suffered many casualties. ”

"The four regiments suffered two-thirds of the casualties, the fifth regiment suffered one-thirds of the casualties, and the sixth regiment suffered nearly half of the casualties. Even with the reinforcements of an additional battalion sent by the Chief of Staff, there is only one or more regiments of troops left at the moment. Before the replenishment was in place, the 2nd Brigade had almost lost its combat effectiveness. ”

"Our current strength of the Japanese army is roughly about four infantry brigades, two artillery brigades plus some cavalry, engineers and baggage troops, and the total strength is about 5,000. Of these, the number of combat soldiers was three thousand. In the past few days of fighting, although our army suffered many casualties, the casualties of the Japanese army were not as light as there were any. ”

"In the previous battle, although our brigade had disabled two regiments, the casualties of the Japanese army were at least about sixty percent of our army. Commander, the combat effectiveness of this second division is indeed strong, and it is not comparable to the Japanese army we have seen before. Even in the previous stage of the battle, the 40th Wing of the Japanese Army, which was known as the most tenacious Japanese army we encountered, could not match its tactical level and determination not to fear death. ”

"When their offensive was stopped, they nailed us and did not retreat. There were no fortifications, so they used the corpses of the dead to build mobile fortifications and shoot at us. Moreover, the coordination ability of the infantry artillery is excellent, and its artillery dares to fire at a distance of less than 10 meters between the enemy and our armies. When the Japanese charged, the dust from their shells had not yet cleared. The accuracy of its artillery fire is extremely high, and in many cases it does not even need to correct the trajectory. ”

Regarding Liu Changshun's answer, Yang Zhen nodded with satisfaction and said: "In the face of the main force of the Second Division, it is already good that you can fight to this point." This second division was the first batch of the oldest divisions formed by the Japanese army. Whether it was during the Sino-Japanese War or the Russo-Japanese War, there were excellent expressions. ”

"On the battlefield in Guannai after the outbreak of the 77 Incident, the 16th Wing of the 2nd Division once defeated an integrated division of the National Army. When the Battle of Xuzhou retreated, that is, this 16th Wing dared to launch a pursuit of an army with the strength of a mere wing. Its combat effectiveness and fierce style can be seen in general. ”

"In addition, the Japanese army has an absolute superiority in ground-to-air firepower, and it has always been fighting on the plains of the Pingchuan River. The casualties of your two regiments are already very rare to be able to defeat their two brigades. This time there is no way to compare with Wang Guangyu's previous blocking battle against the 24th Division. ”

"Last time, the 24th Division was not familiar with our army's combat style, and it could almost be said that it was completely defenseless, so Wang Guangyu was able to adopt the tactics of moving and setting up ambushes. Moreover, the tactics adopted by the 24th Division at that time to increase troops one after another, Wang Guangyu's pressure was not as great as that of yours this time. The most important thing is that the combat effectiveness of the 24th Division is much worse than that of the 2nd Division. ”

"Since the 24th Division has just been formed, the three wings have been mobilized together. The mutual cooperation and cooperative combat capability between the internal divisions are far inferior to those of this second division. After their divisions and regiments were defeated by our army, they lost cooperation with each other and could only fight on their own, giving us the opportunity to annihilate them one by one. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen looked at Liu Changshun and said, "Your second brigade has suffered heavy losses and urgently needs to replenish troops, I know." But I can only add one regiment to you now. As for the rest of the supplementary troops, we can only wait for the end of this battle and then decide on the situation. ”

Hearing that Yang Zhen could only replenish the strength of one regiment, Liu Changshun immediately said in a hurry: "Commander, can you have more?" You see that our brigade is the main force, this is about to counterattack, you have to replenish it. We are not greedy, we just need to make up the difference. ”

Liu Changshun complained, Yang Zhen shook his head and said: "The landlord's family has no surplus grain." Don't look at the area of our base now, the area is not small, but the population is not large. The strength of the 10 independent regiments recruited in the previous stage has already tapped out the potential of the troops in the entire base area. ”

"If there are too many, it will affect the normal production of the base area. Without labor, who will farm? The arsenal also needed a large number of workers. Although the number of puppet Manchu troops captured in the battle was quite large, they now had to be replenished. The first brigade was fought in the previous battle as an empty shelf, and the mere replenishment of them consumed the strength of two separate regiments. ”

"There is also the enrichment of your and Du Kaishan's troops, as well as the replenishment of the losses in the previous paragraph, which also consumes the small number of additional soldiers we already have on hand. Therefore, this time there is also a lack of supplementary troops in the hands of the headquarters. We have to fight out, otherwise we will be trapped here, and the Japanese army will not have to attack, even if we are trapped, we will be trapped to death. ”

After that, Yang Zhen sighed with emotion and said: "Although the area of our base area is not small now, after several internal battles, it is difficult to fight. After the two wars, our main grain-producing area, which has always been the main battlefield, the area north of the Songhua River in Yuyuan, has almost turned into a blank field. This year's grain harvest can almost be said to be out of order. ”

"Several counties with a combined population of only more than 200,000 people have to support an army of 40,000 or 50,000 people, including the local troops. However, in less than half a year, the potential of soldiers, food and other materials has been exhausted. If we don't get out before winter, we're going to have a hard time this winter. ”

Yang Zhen looked at it and knew that it was almost impossible to have more, and Liu Chang, who had a sad face, said, "Okay, you don't have to pretend." I still know the color of the goods in your kid's belly. When the time comes, I'll do it at my discretion. When the time comes, I will not be able to treat you badly. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen pointed to the map and said to several commanders of the Second Brigade in front of him: "Now I will announce the order of the headquarters. The headquarters was determined to concentrate the forces of two brigades, three independent regiments, and most of the main artillery forces to attack the main force of the second division on the first line of Jiangjunshi. For the rest of the Japanese army, surveillance and defense are the mainstay. ”

"Eat all of this second division, we are already a division veteran, and we don't have such a good appetite. Not even at the moment. Therefore, the headquarters was determined to adopt the tactic of knocking on the mountain and shaking the tiger, and concentrate the absolute superior forces to smash the main force of the 2nd Division in the center first. As long as the main force of the second division is defeated, the other Japanese troops will retreat without a fight. ”

"Now the 3rd Brigade that was originally on the front line of the Haoliang River is rushing here in the starry night, and the 1st Brigade and the 3rd Independent Regiment have already attacked from Qunce Mountain and detoured to the flank of the main force of the 2nd Division of the Japanese Army. After the arrival of the 3rd Brigade, your unit immediately handed over the first-line position of Jiangshi to Du Kaishan and moved westward. ”

Hearing that Yang Zhen had moved himself away from the main battlefield, Liu Changshun was stunned for a moment and said, "To the west? Where to go? Commander, didn't you say that you would first attack the main force of the 2nd Division of the Japanese Army in front of us? Isn't this battle the strength of our brigade? Why is this going to take us away again?

"To the west, do you want us to block the Japanese detachment? Aren't they just on Wang Guangyu's side? Why transfer us? Liu Changshun is not stupid, as soon as Yang Zhen said that he would transfer his second brigade westward, he immediately reacted to what Yang Zhen meant.

Seeing Liu Changshun's reluctance, Yang Zhen smiled slightly: "The second division of the Japanese army is strong in combat, although the number of enemies in front of us is not large, only five brigades, but if we want to eat them in one go, we must concentrate our forces to the greatest extent. ”

"The 2nd Brigade suffered a lot of casualties in the previous battles, and now it is difficult to replenish the troops. I can only remove you first and replace you with Du Kaishan. With our current forces at the limit of our strength, the headquarters is not yet able to allow you to take a break and recuperate. ”

"The Japanese detour forces together were only three infantry battalions, and their firepower was incomparable to that of the enemy in the front. Hold them off and you'll be much less stressed. It's a good fit for your troops. Now we can no longer bear the same consumption that Wang Guangyu did on the front line of the General Stone. ”

Although Yang Zhen's words had been said very thoroughly, Liu Changshun still said to Yang Zhen with a dead face: "Commander, our second brigade is the main force. Compared to the 1st Brigade, we are better at fighting offensive battles. Didn't our 2nd Brigade take the lead in that battle? Isn't it a weakening of the attack if you withdraw us at this time and transfer us to the Western Front? ”

"You must know that since the formation of our Second Brigade, it has mainly fought a tough battle. Our attack capability is the strongest of the three main brigades. You see if the task of blocking the Japanese detour troops is still handed over to the 1st Brigade, they are better at fighting that kind of positional warfare. Besides, we've been gnawing bones for so long, so you should give us some meat to eat, right? ”

Looking at Liu Changshun's dead-faced face, although Yang Zhen smiled bitterly, he said in a firm tone: "No, the plan has been set and will not be changed." This side is immediately handed over to Du Kaishan, and your second brigade should move westward as fast as possible, and spread out on the entire upper reaches of the Nada River. ”

"I tell Liu Changshun, don't giggle with me here. We attacked the main force of the 2nd Division, and its roundabout troops, after learning that the main force of the division was besieged by our troops, were bound to come to the rescue with all their might. After the fighting of the past few days, you already have a number in your heart about the combat effectiveness of the second division. Why don't I spend so much tongue with you kid? Do you think I'm idle? ”

"I tell you, even if your second brigade is exhausted, you must give me the Japanese army's detour troops to firmly block the line from Nanshan to Wudaogang. Your 2nd Brigade is going to be like a nail, stuck in the circuitous route of the Japanese detachment to our flank. The main force was guaranteed to complete the encirclement and annihilation of the main force of the Japanese Second Division on the Junde line. If you can't stand it, watch your head. ”

Hearing that Yang Zhen's tone was not like a joke, Liu Changshun didn't dare to argue. Hurriedly nodded and said: "Please rest assured, commander, even if the second brigade is exhausted, the Japanese detachment will be stopped on the line from Nanshan to Wudaogang to ensure that the flank of the main force is not threatened by anything." ”

Although Liu Changshun's assurance was also very dissatisfied with Yang Zhen, it also made him more or less relieved. This guy is sometimes an ink dot and is always overly cautious. It is precisely this reason why Yang Zhen did not hesitate to waste time and transferred the Second Brigade to fight the attack. If Du Kaishan goes, this guy will have a confrontation with the Japanese army.

It was not that Yang Zhen was afraid of the Japanese detachment, but at present, the troops of the Great War have suffered severe losses, and it is very difficult to replenish the troops. I can't afford to lose a lot anymore. Unlike the Japanese army, the Japanese army can get a steady stream of support from the rear, and no matter how big the losses are, the troops and equipment can be replenished in a short time.

And it can almost be said that in the sparsely populated North Manchuria, the lone soldier not only broke one piece of equipment, but also lost one. It's just a big battle, and it's very difficult to replenish the soldiers. The total population is only about 200,000, and the qualified supplementary soldiers do not account for even one-fifth.

The ten independent regiments and two supplementary regiments formed before the war have almost exhausted the potential of qualified soldiers in the base area. If we dig any further, we will not only affect the people's will, but also shake our own foundation. This is not a base area with a large population and a high consciousness of the common people, but a sparsely populated land in North Manchuria.

It is not only a matter of whether the masses are willing to serve in the army, but also the limited population base alone is far from being able to support a large-scale army. At present, whether or not we can fight out and use the enemy-occupied areas as bases for replenishing our troops and materials, or even expanding the area of the base areas, has become a matter that determines the life and death of the troops. And the key to solving this problem lies in the current second division.