Under this relatively conservative way of thinking, solving the 26th Division in Chadong first became Chen Hanzhang's first choice. And this choice, at least for the time being, is the most secure choice among all the tactics of the entire westward expansion operation. At the same time, it is also a two-way tactic for the entire southern front.

Dealing with the 26th Division first is equivalent to forming a two-wing cooperation with the troops that launched an attack on the front line of Zhangjiakou in Renan. The troops that launched an attack on the south were also a cooperation. But the only advantage of this kind of doing is, in Yang Zhen's view, stable dìng. The small depth interspersed assault did not have as much advantage for this battle situation as Chen Hanzhang expected.

For Chen Hanzhang's relatively conservative idea, Yang Zhen can't say that it is wrong. Because there are so many unpredictable factors on the battlefield, who can guarantee that the armored assault group that penetrates deep behind enemy lines can solve the battle in the shortest possible time when it has to cross the entire Yinshan Mountain Range?

Armored troops are not infantry, and operations require a large amount of rear material support. Oilseeds, in particular, are highly logistically dependent. Once the fuel is depleted, these tanks are like horses without legs. How to solve the enemy in front of him and ensure the supply line of the assault cluster is something that every commander should consider.

The layman looks at tactics and the insider looks at logistics, and this is modern warfare. With modern equipment, the benefits are obvious. But the logistical pressure is also quite heavy. Without a modern and systematic logistics system, we simply cannot afford the attrition of modern warfare by simply relying on the past practice of doing what we eat and go.

Chen Hanzhang's conservatism in his tactical choice is precisely because he is worried about the logistical supply of large-scale armored cluster operations. So Yang Zhen can't say that his choice is wrong, but things can't all be seen that way. If modern equipment still adopts old tactics, then what do you spend so much trouble to get so much equipment?

When the level of equipment is raised, people's thinking must also keep up with the development of equipment, so that these modern equipment can play the greatest role. Otherwise, these modern equipment will not be able to play their due role at all. Only by giving full play to its performance can the tank truly become a national weapon.

After pondering for a long time, Yang Zhen put down the battle plan drafted by Chen Hanzhang in his hand and said: "Old Chen, have you ever considered putting all the first armored division into the depth of the Japanese army. And to reinforce the 1st Panzer Brigade with two separate tank battalions, with the infantry to attack from the front? According to your plan, after Jining divides your troops, your two forces, regardless of the direction, are a little too weak. ”

Regarding Yang Zhen's idea, Chen Hanzhang hesitated for a moment, but still said firmly: "No. 1, in fact, my original idea was to use a force to contain the Japanese cavalry group in Guisui, and concentrate the main force to deal with the Japanese army reinforced in northern Jin. We are carefully adjusting our deployment, and the Japanese army will not honestly do nothing, waiting for us to go to the door. ”

"Judging from the current move of the Japanese army to transfer the 26th Division to the east and deploy it on the line from the right banner of Sunit to the line of the white flag, they are ready for our army to advance westward at any time. In the previous stage of the campaign, we used tank interspersed tactics on a large scale, and the Japanese North China Front would not fail to prepare in this regard. ”

"I feel that the Japanese army will definitely be behind the 26th Division, and at least one more division will be added. In this way, the Japanese troops on the front line of Zhangjiakou could form a complete defensive line relying on the terrain trend behind the 26th Division. And behind the 26th Division, a second line of defense was built. ”

"Judging from the terrain and the surrounding situation, the biggest possibility of their second line of defense is on the front line of Huade and Shangdu. That is to say, I interspersed my troops, unless, after breaking through the northernmost part of the Japanese line, I went directly to the west and then turned south through the Yinshan Mountains. Otherwise, we will have to face the second line of defense of the Japanese army. ”

"If we simply rely on us to break through from the front, for the Japanese army's large-depth defensive posture, with the Japanese army's combat effectiveness, this progress will be quite slow. Judging from the overall situation we are currently facing, as well as the material reserves we have on hand, this is the most unfavorable to our army. First, a quick fix is our only option. ”

"So I think the 1st Panzer Division should split into two lines after breaking through the Japanese flank defense. All the way with the troops who broke through head-on, directly into the front line of Shangdu and Huade. Cooperate with the troops attacking head-on, and hit his second echelon, that is, the second line of defense, first. ”

"The two Japanese groups were separated, so that their two lines of defense could not cope with each other, and they could only fight separately under the offensive of our army. At the same time, a force was directly inserted into the front line of Fengzhen, Taolin, and Liangcheng, blocking the reinforcements of the Japanese First Army within the Great Wall. ”

"As for the Japanese cavalry group on the Guisui side, it is better for me to build yì with a force for the time being. If they don't move, it's a dead move. We can leave them alone for now, wait until the situation in the east is stable, and then gradually solve them after pulling out our hands. ”

"If they break through to the east, we will concentrate the cavalry units that follow the armored group operation, or block them on the line from Zhuozi to Liangcheng, or put them in the basin between Chahar Zhenghuangqi and Fengzhen and Liangcheng, and concentrate our forces to solve them first, and completely solve our worries?"

Regarding Chen Hanzhang's insistence, Yang Zhen shook his head and did not reply to him immediately, but picked up the red and blue pencils and drew a line along the Sunit Left Banner to the Siziwang Banner, and then to Wuchuan: "Old Chen, if you concentrate the troops of the First Armored Division, plus a cavalry brigade and a motorized infantry division, insert the Siziwang Banner from the Sunit Left Banner, and then directly enter Wuchuan under Guisui's nose." ”

"After seizing the line from Wuchuan to Guisui, in addition to encircling and annihilating the Japanese cavalry group in Guisui with part of your forces, you will concentrate some troops to use your mechanization advantage to seize the line of Fengzhen and Liangcheng, and block the Japanese troops that may be reinforced by Shanxi on the line of the Great Wall. What do you think of this plan? ”

"All the way from Sunit Left Banner to Siziwang Banner is grassland and Gobi terrain, and there are basically no permanent rivers except for a few inland rivers, which is quite conducive to the rapid breakthrough of our army's mechanized cavalry cluster. The line from Siziwangqi to Wuchuan is the traditional north-south pass of Yinshan, and there are simple roads built by the Japanese army on this line that can be used by us. And once Wuchuan is seized, then the remaining problems will be solved. ”

"In order to control Chaxi, Suidong and Suizhong, the Japanese built a lot of roads in the north and south of Yinshan. From the Siziwang Banner to the Wuchuan line, although the quality of the road is inferior, it is not a difficult thing for our tanks. Relatively speaking, it is more difficult to return to the line of Wuchuan. ”

And this kind of large-scale detour is also more in line with the equipment of our 1st Armored Division. The maximum range of the T 34 tanks with auxiliary fuel tanks is 370 kilometers. And the maximum range of the T-26 tank is also more than 200 kilometers. Although the maximum range is 70 kilometers shorter in off-road conditions, this is not unacceptable. ”

"The main defensive forces of the Japanese army are basically in the south and east of Daqingshan, and its overall defensive posture is still relatively weak in the north of Daqingshan. If we choose the area north of Daqingshan as the main breakthrough, then our overall advance speed will be quite fast. ”

"In addition, the guerrilla detachment of the Jinsui Military Region in Daqingshan, although it is unable to cooperate with us in the fight due to its limited strength. But having them in that area is like fitting us with a pair of eyes. The various north-south passes of Daqingshan, the deployment of the enemy's troops, at least we can grasp a rough idea. ”

In addition, the central authorities have already transferred a number of competent cadres from the Daqingshan guerrilla detachment who are more familiar with the terrain there to return to Yan'an. If there is a qiē shun lì, this group of people will arrive in Yan'an next month. When this group arrives with us, you will have a living map. ”

"The most important thing is that not only the Japanese army, but even all the armies in the world, now have a common opinion. That is, tanks simply cannot fight in mountainous areas, especially in the relatively steep mountainous area of the Daqing Mountain section of Yinshan Mountain. The Japanese simply did not think that we would use tanks as a breakthrough from here. ”

"Therefore, their defense line is basically deployed in the hills and mountains east of the Huade line, as well as in the hilly areas south of Huade. In terms of the choice of the frontal defense line, it was also deployed in the territory of the Ming'an Banner, which was conducive to the defense of the Japanese army in the combination of grassland and mountainous areas. Its overall defense deployment is basically along the eastward extension of the Yinshan Mountain Range, as well as the hills and mountains of Chadong. ”

"They did this because they thought that our army's tank cluster would not be able to cross the Yinshan Mountains at all. Even if Suibei is seized, it will not be able to break through the Yinshan Mountain Range. Suibei is a grassland and desert, and it is also the main settlement area of the Mongolian people. Not to mention the sparse population, there are no rivers in the territory all year round, and even drinking water is difficult. ”

"Even if it is lost to us, it is not a big deal for them, at least it will not break their bones. They can completely rely on the Yinshan Mountain Range to re-form a completed defensive zone. We can also stretch our supply lines and give them a counterattack at any time to cut off the rear of our troops in the Suiyuan area. ”

"And if we simply rely on infantry with less requirements for the terrain, we are equivalent to putting the initiative on the battlefield in their hands. They can use mobile defense to make up for the lack of troops. Judging from the current situation of the Japanese army in Chadong, they have concentrated so many car squadrons, and it is definitely not just to solve the problem of supply. ”

"This perception of the Japanese army, which is too conservative, is a good thing for us. It means that if our army chooses to break through the Yinshan Mountain Range from the northwest and go behind the enemy's back, the greatest battle suddenness will be achieved. Isn't this much better than if you nibble a little bit hard from the front and in shallow depth? At the same time, the price to pay is much smaller. ”

"As for those cars carrying motorized infantry divisions, if they are really impassable, they can leave a certain amount of troop protection and put them on the front line of the Siziwang Banner first. A part of the infantry carried the tank, followed by one infantry. Our tanks, especially the ninety T three or four tanks, were still enough to carry some infantry and supplies. ”

"Lao Chen, I understand your worries. But when we study tactics, we need to think more about making the most of all the strengths of the equipment we have. The advantage of the tank is not only frontal cover for infantry attacks. And the biggest advantage of this weapon is not simply armor protection. ”

"The biggest advantage of this weapon is that it has formed a relatively perfect combination of protection, firepower and mobility. And the Soviet-made tank, we can't just see its poor man-machine efficiency, and ignore other advantages. The maximum formation of 370 kilometers, for small depth and detours, is it a bit expensive? ”