dmims Chapter 5 The Tactical Skills of Little Zhuge
Chapter 5 The Tactical Skills of Little Zhuge
Dai Chunfeng took a deep breath and said, "According to information from the Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, the Japanese army has newly formed the 10th Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Nagashikawa Hisuke. They plan to use the cover of heavy fog on November 25th to launch a three-pronged attack on Jinshanwei, Quangongting, and Caojingzhen on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay, intending to defeat our 62nd Division and cut off our retreat!"
"Is the intelligence reliable?" The principal finally turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"A peripheral intelligence agent codenamed 'Crow' provided this information, which was verified by Cai Mengjian, codenamed 'Ace of Spades,' and Lin Dingli, codenamed 'Sakura,' in Japan. It has been confirmed that the newly formed Japanese 10th Army, commanded by Heisuke Yanagawa, set sail from Nagasaki Port on November 21. This intelligence alone is worth a fortune!"
Instead of landing at Jinshanwei, Quangongting, or Caojingzhen on the north shore of Hangzhou Bay, the Kuomintang's Shanghai station, special intelligence group, and the 62nd Division conducted a reverse investigation. They found that the density of Japanese reconnaissance aircraft in these three locations had increased significantly recently. The 62nd Division, taking advantage of the situation, captured five Japanese spies in these three locations. Unfortunately, four of them committed suicide, and one, who attempted suicide by poisoning, survived and is still in the hospital. Dai Chunfeng answered truthfully, stating only the facts without substituting his superior's judgment. This was a decision he made after a day of hesitation.
"Damn it! Immediately notify Jingzhi (He Yingqin), Jiansheng (Bai Chongxi), Huanzhang (Feng Yuxiang), Songyun (Cheng Qian), and Mosan (Gu Zhutong) to meet at the Military Commission's Operations Command Center in half an hour!"
Dai Chunfeng stood at attention in response, turned around and strode out of the office, the sound of his leather shoes hitting the ground sounding particularly hurried in the corridor.
He knew that this intelligence was like a thunderbolt, which would completely disrupt the current battle plan, and that every minute and every second would determine the life and death of tens of thousands of soldiers.
The sky outside the window was as gloomy as the principal's face. The cold wind swirled withered leaves against the glass, making a soft, tense sound, as if rehearsing for the coming storm.
Inside the Military Commission's operations command center, the dense red and blue markings on the map silently testified to the stalemate in the battle. The principal, dressed in a crisp military uniform, sat in the main seat, while the five members of the Military Commission, each with a shining star, sat on either side. The only one standing was Dai Chunfeng, who was giving a detailed intelligence report!
After the report was completed, the principal spoke first: "Everyone has heard Yu Nong's intelligence, right? It's already November 23rd. According to the intelligence, in two days, the Japanese army will launch a surprise attack on Jinshanwei, Quangongting, and Caojing Town on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay. Time is of the essence. Everyone, please share your thoughts on this!"
Chief of the General Staff He Yingqin, sitting in the first seat on the left, carefully considered his words and said, "Chairman, the battle at Wusongkou and Shanghai is nearing its end. Although our army has suffered minor losses, our main force remains intact."
Furthermore, the four strategic objectives of "breaking the Japanese invaders' plan to destroy the Republic of China in three months, uniting the people's determination to resist Japan, gathering local armed forces to form a united force, and demonstrating strength to Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet Union to gain their support" have all been achieved!
It can be said that under the wise leadership of the Chairman, although our army suffered minor setbacks on a tactical level, strategically it was a great victory in which our army fully achieved its strategic objectives. Everything was under the control of the Chairman, who "planned strategies within the command tent and won battles a thousand miles away."
Upon hearing this, Gu Zhutong immediately added, "The Chief of the General Staff is absolutely right! Everything is under Chiang Kai-shek's control. The only thing our army lacks now is a local victory to boost the morale of the people nationwide in the War of Resistance against Japan. And at this crucial moment, we have obtained accurate intelligence on the Japanese army's next offensive. It is clear that Chiang Kai-shek is blessed by the heavens, and that Heaven blesses the party and the country, and Heaven blesses the Chairman!"
As the saying goes: "Flattery will get you everywhere."
Upon hearing this, the principal, who hadn't smiled for months due to the unfavorable war situation, finally nodded with a smile and said, "Jingzhi is quite right. In this battle, our army has demonstrated its military might, international standing, and national cohesion. However, the focus of our discussion today is how to make military deployments in response to this intelligence. Jiansheng, your nickname is 'Little Zhuge Liang,' so tell me, if it were Zhuge Liang, how would we respond next?"
Bai Chongxi stood up in response: "Chairman, although the Battle of Shanghai has achieved its strategic objectives, as Brother Mo San said, we really need a local victory. The overall situation of the Battle of Shanghai is now basically settled. The disparity in national strength and military power between the two sides is huge. It is unrealistic to expect to achieve a decisive victory in a short period of time!"
Therefore, our strategy should be to "trade space for time, depth for opportunities, and accumulate small victories into a major victory" to continuously deplete the Japanese army's manpower. I listened carefully to Yu Nong's report just now, Chairman. I personally believe that there is an over 80% chance that this intelligence is true. So I have been thinking about how things can get any worse since the war has already come to this.
We have no other military intelligence, so we should use this intelligence as a basis to abandon two of the three locations on the north bank of Hangzhou Bay: Jinshanwei, Quangongting, and Caojingzhen. We should concentrate our superior forces to focus on one of the landing Japanese positions and fight a decisive battle to annihilate them. After all, it's better to cut off one finger than to injure all ten!
After speaking, Bai Chongxi walked to the battle map, and the staff officer immediately handed him the command pole.
Bai Chongxi took a deep breath and continued, "Chairman, here is my plan. Do you think it's feasible?"
甲：通知湘南何剑主席命令驻守金山卫的湘军62师师长陶光带直属师部、和驻守曹泾镇的62师186旅长刘建文部，拼死抵抗至少两天从25日抵抗到27日早上七点，营造出我军并未得知情报的假象！
B: We set the decisive battle at Quan Gong Ting. We ordered Zhong Guangren, commander of the 184th Brigade of the 62nd Division, to create the illusion of "collapse at the first contact" within half an hour of engaging the Japanese army, and to quickly retreat 25 miles to the foot of Longbei Mountain in Quan Gong Ting, which is outside the range of Japanese naval artillery fire support. We also ordered them to drop all supplies and ammunition along the way to lure the Japanese army to land quickly and pursue the 184th Brigade!
C: Commander-in-Chief Xue Yue of the 11th Army Group ordered the 4th Army of Guangdong under his command, commanded by Wu Qiwu, and the 66th Army of Guangdong under Ye Zhao, to take over the current defense zone. Instead, he ordered the 6th Division of the 77th Army of the Central Army under Zhou Lei and the 93rd Division under Gan Lichu to secretly advance towards Quangongting from the left and right directions starting at 20 p.m. on November 24, forming a counter-"eight" pincer attack!
Ding: Order Sun Liren's Tax Police Corps to lead the Tax Police Corps to Quan Gongting Port at 22:00 on the night of November 24th, to make a flanking maneuver and cut off the Japanese army's retreat route after the 77th Army's 2nd Division and the left and right divisions of the Central Army engage the Japanese army.
E: Commander Chen Jiliang of the Yangtze River Fleet was ordered to send the four ships Ninghai, Pinghai, Yixian, and Chutai towards Quangongting at midnight on November 25th, taking advantage of the dense fog. Radio silence and all ship lights were to be turned off. Their mission was to... after the Japanese landed at Quangongting, to reach the narrow section of the Yangtze River behind the Japanese ships at point 52... and then immediately scuttle the four ships side by side. Alas!
This sacrifice is necessary! Temporarily block the Yangtze River waterway to prevent Japanese reinforcements...
I: Order the logistics department to set off immediately under cover of darkness tonight and head to the foot of Longbei Mountain, 25 li west of Quangongting, to temporarily bury a large amount of weapons and ammunition underground. Once the 184th Brigade of the 62nd Division has been routed to Longbei Mountain, immediately retrieve the weapons and ammunition and put up an immediate resistance, thus encircling the landing Japanese army from all sides!
G: To prevent intelligence leaks, the above orders will only convey the information that each unit should know......................
Chairman, esteemed officers, that concludes my report!
"Damn it, good, good, good!"