novelraw #279 - Three heads make a seven and a half
#279 - Three heads make a seven and a half
"Brother Ren, it seems the main force of the Japanese devils is concentrated on Chen Brigade's side. The Japanese are playing a good game, as Chen Brigade is our army's strongest heavy force group. Losing it would indeed be disastrous." Staff Officer Ye and Ren Zhong gathered again to discuss.
At this crucial moment, Staff Officer Ye felt reassured only with Ren Zhong's intelligence support.
This time, Staff Officer Ye didn't come alone, but brought Comrade Liu Zhendong, the Training Department Minister and Education Director of Kangda University.
Seeing this familiar figure, Ren Zhong quickly adapted. He had seen many important figures and become numb to it, so there wasn't much need for adjustment. The three of them quickly became brothers, especially since Staff Officer Ye interacted with Ren Zhong in this way.
After the recovery of Jin, Kangda University was divided into two again, establishing separate branches in the Border Region and Taiyuan. Comrade Zhendong is now responsible for the affairs of the Taiyuan branch. He is also a top-tier figure among staff officers.
After Staff Officer Ye marked the current enemy and friendly situation on the map, Comrade Zhendong immediately discovered the key points.
"Here, and here, we might be able to think of ways to bite off a piece of the Japanese. See if we can pull the Japanese into dividing their forces to reduce the pressure on Chen Brigade's front line." Comrade Zhendong pointed to Chengde in the north and Jizhou in the south. "Now the Japanese are concentrating their forces on the southern line, indeed with the strategic intention of forcing a breakthrough against Chen Brigade. The Japanese have basically adjusted into position, and I estimate the attack will happen in the next few days."
"Chen Brigade's response doesn't have too many oversights. Shexian has dispatched 3 Class A regiments and 5 Class C regiments, 3 107mm artillery battalions, and also a 120mm mortar regiment, 2 tank battalions. In terms of troop density and firepower density, it's dense enough in a narrow mountainous area like Shexian."
"However, considering the Japanese strategic intentions and understanding of our army's defenses, especially in terms of heavy firepower, the Japanese wouldn't be attacking so blatantly from here without countermeasures."
Although Comrade Zhendong didn't fully understand the previous situation, as an excellent staff officer, he was best at putting himself in the enemy's camp to think of countermeasures.
Although the Japanese have suffered many defeats at the hands of the Eighth Route Army in Jin in the past two or three years, it's not that the Japanese have become stupid, but that the Eighth Route Army's firepower has increased extraordinarily.
Now, even in terms of main force units of the same size, they even surpass their opponents.
This is a new situation that even the Eighth Route Army itself couldn't have imagined three years ago, and the Japanese are even more lacking in this cognitive shift.
But after being beaten many times, they will always learn a lesson. The Japanese are not entirely a group of fools. Being able to stir up such waves in Asia, the Japanese have produced many famous generals in this generation.
Although many times it's also set off by the foil of the GMD opponent, the gold content is relatively not high.
"The Japanese must have something in mind, but we don't have intelligence support to determine their intentions. Then, conversely, let's try attacking the Japanese's vital points. On one hand, Chengde and Jizhou are two strategic points. Taking them down would be very beneficial for our army's next actions. On the other hand, we can also see the Japanese's reaction and whether they will make strategic adjustments."
Comrade Zhendong's analysis made Ren Zhong and Staff Officer Ye look at each other, both somewhat tempted.
According to the method Ren Zhong had previously discussed with Staff Officer Ye, they would wait until after destroying the main force of the Kwantung Army's southward advance before launching an attack in the north and building the Jireliao forward base.
Now, listening to Comrade Zhendong's idea, it seems like they can proceed ahead of schedule?
"Brother Zhendong, what do you think of the 100,000-strong army of Qi Luban in Suiyuan?" Ren Zhong was silent for a while and suddenly asked something that seemed irrelevant.
However, Liu Zhendong and Staff Officer Ye dared not treat this matter as idle talk.
At this time, Ren Zhong couldn't possibly speak without purpose.
"I think this is a double-edged sword. If used well, it's a sharp knife in our hands. If not, it's a hidden danger." Liu Zhendong said cautiously after a moment of silence.
"Qi Luban is different from many local warlords of the GMD. He has great ambitions. If you give such a person an opportunity, he will definitely try every means to take risks and do it! His path to power is a clear example."
"But one thing we can refer to is that Qi Luban is pragmatic, knows how to be flexible, and can turn the bitterly cold land outside Suiyuan into a granary, raising hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians in Suiyuan to form an army of 100,000. This person can be said to be very capable in both military and political affairs. Looking at the local warlords of the GMD, he is almost a unique existence. If such a figure seizes the opportunity, he may indeed become a hidden danger to us."
Hearing Liu Zhendong say this, Ren Zhong and Staff Officer Ye immediately felt enlightened. This analysis can be said to be very insightful.
"The camps are different. How can we use this double-edged sword well now?" Staff Officer Ye asked Liu Zhendong after a moment of contemplation.
"Actually, there is a simple method that can be tried." Liu Zhendong looked at Staff Officer Ye and Ren Zhong, hesitated a bit, but quickly put aside his concerns and said.
"If we win him over as a vanguard, this sword will be in our hands. As long as our army can win this battle, Qi Luban will naturally not dare to have any different intentions. If 50,000 of the 100,000 Suiyuan troops can be used by us, it will not only resolve the risks in our rear, but also greatly enhance our main force."
These words were somewhat insidious, but fortunately there were few people present, only the three of them, so Liu Zhendong spoke frankly.
Staff Officer Ye didn't know the historical trajectory of another time and space, but Ren Zhong knew it. Because he knew these things, Ren Zhong understood Liu Zhendong's power. This person had really seen through Qi Luban.
"Brother Zhendong is indeed a great talent," Ren Zhong said after digesting Liu Zhendong's views slightly, "In this case, we have a lot of room for cooperation with Qi Luban, but how can we persuade Qi Luban to participate in our plan? Brother Zhendong, do you have any good strategies?"
"Brother Ren is too polite. Zhendong only has a one-sided view and doesn't deserve such praise. Speaking of which, Brother Ren is a great talent that my Dragon Clan has rarely encountered in a thousand years. Now our army has the current situation, and it really depends on Brother Ren a lot. For Qi Luban, it's nothing more than fame and fortune. Now we don't have righteousness in our hands, and we can't give him anything in terms of fame, so we can only work hard on the aspect of profit." Liu Zhendong simply opened his heart since they had already reached this point.
He didn't just focus on the work at hand when he was teaching at Kangda University, but collected information from all directions, summarized all the information he could obtain, and truly achieved being in the Border Region with the world in mind.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to directly transform into a dragon and take off like a storm as soon as he arrived outside the Guan!
Ren Zhong's heart moved, and he suddenly had an idea, but now he was holding it back.
"Brother Zhendong, how do you explain this word 'profit'?" Ren Zhong asked to get to the bottom of things, determined to elicit Liu Zhendong's strategies.
"Today can be called a chaotic world. For a hero like Qi Luban, nothing is more fascinating than land. Our army now has a vast battlefield, and it is really difficult to take care of everything. The northern cold land is vast and sparsely populated, and it is like a chicken rib to our army. It is better to use this as bait and promise it to Qi Luban. It is not difficult for our army to capture the four provinces outside the Saiyuan now, but it is not realistic to take them all into our hands. Based on our army's current needs, after retaining Suiyuan, Ikzhao League, Jiuyuan, Chahar South, and the area south of Chengde in Rehe, let Qi Luban have the rest of the land, and he will naturally have the motivation to contribute his efforts, putting more than half of his troops in the north of Chahar and east of Rehe to prevent the Japanese from counterattacking!"
This is a conspiracy.
Ren Zhong and Staff Officer Ye looked at each other, confirming that the other party had not revealed the idea of managing the Northeast to Liu Zhendong. These should be Liu Zhendong's own steps.
Of course, Liu Zhendong is a bit far from the central government and doesn't understand many strengths yet, so he doesn't have the idea of killing the Kwantung Army now.
But from his point of view, being able to take back all four provinces outside the Saiyuan is equivalent to having the ambition to isolate the inside and outside of the Guan and take over the entire North China.
So from the actions in the north to the capture of Jizhou, this is to swallow Jin-Cha-Ji, the land inside the Guan north of the Yellow River, in one bite, and then take Qilu as a springboard for the southern attack, arranging everything clearly.
If there is no Ren Zhong, according to the current family property of the Eighth Route Army, such development is not without its merits. Managing North China and Qilu will inevitably have qualitative changes for the Eighth Route Army as long as they are given three to five years. Not to mention anything else, gathering 2 million field troops is not a problem.
Taking down Jin-Cha-Ji, there are towering mountains along the Shanhaiguan Great Wall in the north and the natural danger of the Yellow River in the south, plus the horns of Qilu. Whether it is grain production or steel smelting and weapon manufacturing, Ren Zhong has now laid a solid foundation, accumulating thousands of warplanes and tens of thousands of tanks and cannons in three to five years. With such strength, he can peek into the world.
At that time, not to mention the Kwantung Army, what is so difficult about pushing back to Bangzi Island.
In this way, it is the kingly way to manage the world.
Liu Zhendong didn't consider the shameless variable of the Big Bear, so it's not surprising to have this strategy.
He calculated the three strongest forces in the north and left Qi Luban a chicken bone, but dispersed his power, which reduced the threat. Although Qi Luban's territory expanded several times, his power became more dispersed. Qi Luban is probably pulling his hair out and not choosing between territory and strength.
And what he took were the best places in the four provinces outside the Saiyuan. Although there are fewer, they are the elite land. Not only is there no loss, but there is also a good defensive depth barrier.
The only concern is that Jiuyuan will be surrounded by Suiyuan, which is somewhat risky. Now it is an important steel and military industry production base, a vital point that must not be abandoned. Therefore, the scale of the Sui-Mongolian Autonomous Army must be expanded, even if the number of troops does not increase, but at least the firepower must continue to be strengthened!
Otherwise, if Qi Luban, who occupies most of the four provinces outside the Saiyuan, feels that his wings are hardened one day, and suddenly attacks and takes down this base with the intention of self-reliance, it would be a troublesome thing.
Faced with such a risk, Ren Zhong cannot give Qi Luban any chance!
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