roccoschili Chapter 120 Li Jianghe's Battle Plan Proposal
Chapter 120 Li Jianghe's Battle Plan Proposal
Commander Li smiled and said:
"What's wrong? Is there something urgent, Keqin?"
He was quite dissatisfied with Tang Enbo's performance last night, as he repeatedly delayed the rescue after receiving the order.
In other words, it was Li Jianghe who was guarding Teng County. If it were only the remnants of the Sichuan Army, it's uncertain whether Teng County would still be in their hands now.
Tang Enbo said calmly:
"It's nothing. If the Chief is willing to wait, then Ke Qin is naturally willing to wait too, right, everyone?"
He looked around at the crowd and found that no one responded. He thought to himself that these local soldiers were united against outsiders, while he, a member of the Central Army, was somewhat out of place here.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the door.
Commander Bai personally led Li Jianghe into the command post.
As soon as he arrived at the command post, Commander Li took the initiative to greet him, shook his hand, and said:
"Jiang He, the Battle of Tengxian was fought brilliantly. It set a good example for our Fifth War Zone troops in their future operations against the Japanese army."
Sun Zhen of the Sichuan Army also said:
"Jiang He, on behalf of the Sichuan Army, I thank you. Without you leading the troops to provide support, Teng County would probably no longer exist, and countless Sichuan soldiers would have died."
These words left Tang Enbo feeling uneasy, as he had also sent reinforcements, only to find the battle was over by the time they arrived.
At this point, Sun Zhen only mentioned Li Jianghe and not his 20th Army Group, and his intention was all too clear.
Of course, he couldn't say anything, since he had his own selfish motives at the time and wanted to preserve his strength.
After exchanging pleasantries, Li Jianghe stood to the side of Commander Bai.
In fact, according to his current military rank, he should be standing at the end, not standing side by side with Commander Bai.
But since he had just made a great contribution, not only buying the Fifth War Zone time to dispatch troops and deploy defenses, but also inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese army.
Those who have worked hard and made great contributions will naturally receive some preferential treatment.
Commander Li walked to the front of the map and said solemnly:
"Although the Setani Detachment on the front has been defeated, the Japanese army's offensive against the Jinpu Railway area will never stop."
Currently, the Japanese army in Central China is intensifying its offensive on the southern section of the Jinpu Railway, and many units of our Fifth War Zone have suffered heavy losses in this direction.
As for the northern section, the victory in the Battle of Tengxian bought us a few days.
However, it is foreseeable that the Japanese army will inevitably return in three to five days at most, and their troop strength and firepower will be greatly enhanced compared to the Setani Detachment this time.
Listening to Commander Li's speculation, Li Jianghe thought it was quite reasonable.
Putting aside other factors, the Japanese army still had a considerable number of troops in Hebei, Shanxi, and the Beijing-Tianjin area.
In particular, the Japanese First Army in Shanxi had already taken control of most of the important cities in Shanxi, and several important transportation lines and railway lines were also under their stable control.
A considerable number of Japanese troops could be drawn from the Shanxi region alone.
In addition, in the Battle of Tengxian, although Li Jianghe annihilated a Japanese regiment, he also destroyed and captured a considerable number of Japanese artillery pieces.
However, the Japanese army could quickly replenish its supply of such weapons.
Li Jianghe wouldn't be surprised if even more weapons and ammunition were pulled from the rear warehouses to replenish the 10th Division.
In the Battle of Teng County, Li Jianghe gained a considerable amount of merit points, obtaining 170,000 merit points in just one day and one night.
Of course, this process consumes fuel and ammunition.
There are also expenses for staff recruitment and other related matters.
Fuel and ammunition accounted for the majority of the costs, while casualties were still within a manageable range.
Li Jianghe now has a full understanding of the attrition rate of armored forces in combat.
While Li Jianghe was pondering these things, Commander Li suddenly said:
"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on how our army should respond to the Japanese offensive in the next phase?"
Li Jianghe was lost in thought at the moment. Upon hearing the question, he thought to himself, "Of course, we should lure the enemy in deep and then trap them inside."
The Tengxian area was not a good place to annihilate the Japanese army; Taierzhuang was indeed a more ideal choice.
At that time, the natural encirclement formed by the Grand Canal, Baodugu Mountain area, and Weishan Lake will cut off the Japanese army's retreat route in Tengxian, Zaozhuang, Yixian and other areas, thus completing the encirclement and annihilation of the enemy forces that have penetrated deep into the Taierzhuang area.
Tang Enbo spoke first:
"If the Japanese army comes with overwhelming force, it will be extremely difficult for our Fifth War Zone to resist them head-on with its current strength."
Sun Zhen then slammed his hand on the table and said:
"Commander Tang, the battle hasn't even started yet, and you're already showing signs of weakness before the fight even begins?"
Tang Enbo said coldly:
"Hmph, your troops didn't perform very well in the battles around Teng County. If it weren't for Li Jianghe's help, do you not know how the defense of Teng County would have turned out?"
"What do you mean by this? My Sichuan Army is fighting a bloody battle in Tengxian, while your Central Army is cowering in the back watching the show. Don't think I don't know what you, Tang Keqin, are up to behind the scenes."
Sun Zhen slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide with anger.
Tang Enbo slammed his hand on the table, about to speak, when he heard Commander Li clear his throat.
"Gentlemen, brothers may quarrel within the walls, but they unite to defend against external threats. Now is not the time for us to fight amongst ourselves. We should unite against the common enemy and overcome these difficult times together."
After saying that, his gaze fell on Li Jianghe.
"Jiang He, you've fought against the Japanese army many times, why don't you tell us about it?"
Tang Enbo glanced coldly at Li Jianghe, thinking to himself, "Just as I thought. It seems that Commander Li is planning to give Li Jianghe a good boost."
Otherwise, Li Jianghe's rank wouldn't be high enough for him to be present at this meeting.
Li Jianghe was watching Sun Zhen and Tang Enbo argue, thinking to himself that the Central Army and the local army had both old and new grudges.
However, Commander Li's words still surprised him.
What right do I have to speak?
But he still forced himself to say:
"In my humble opinion, it is not advisable to hold out in the direction of Teng County for an extended period of time."
If the Japanese army launches a large-scale invasion, they will inevitably advance south along the Jinpu Railway, at which point the Taierzhuang line will become a crucial battleground.
Our army should deploy a portion of its forces to hide in the Baodugu mountain area, while simultaneously deploying a strong force in Taierzhuang to delay the main Japanese attack.
Then, along the Linyi line, try to find a way to delay the offensive of the Japanese Fifth Division.
Once the Japanese troops on the northern front had penetrated deep into the Taierzhuang area and were completely entangled by our army, the ambush troops in the Baodugu mountain area suddenly appeared and cut off the Japanese troops' retreat route.
Even if we can't annihilate the Japanese army completely, we can at least thoroughly defeat them.
This wasn't Li Jianghe's idea; it's just how battles have historically unfolded.
He was unaware of the impact his defense of Tengxian and the defeat of the Seya Kei Detachment would have on the Japanese army's strategic deployment.
It can only be assumed that the Japanese North China Area Army will reinforce its troops in the northern section, at which point the defending forces in the Taierzhuang area will face greater pressure, and the difficulty of annihilating this Japanese force will also increase significantly.