For many Chinese people, the wine table is undoubtedly close to each other and eliminates some strange and strange occasions. He Zhengdao, who first arrived in the first column, also relied on two bottles of Xinyang to make his own wine and had fun with the cadres and hosts of the first column.

Considering the recent situation, as well as being a general and commander, we must maintain a clear consciousness at this time. Even if He Zhengdao brought a lot of wine, it did not make everyone enjoy it. There are some rules that should be paid attention to.

Although such self-discipline makes people feel a little regretful, it is still more admirable. After all, with He Zhengdao's identity, if you drink a little more occasionally, I believe others will not say much.

Being able to take the initiative to say what is to end today is enough to show that He Zhengdao is very sensible in his actions. Even Xu Shizhen, who wanted to get drunk, knew that this young man was really not simple after listening to He Zhengdao's words.

With the three column leaders of the first column, He Zhengdao and the other four divided only two bottles of soju, and each of them drank about the same amount. This amount of wine naturally had no impact on Xu Shijun and He Zhengdao.

After drinking, the four people directly asked someone to remove the table and replace the bowl where they had drunk with tea. These tea leaves were also brought by He Zhengdao from Xinyang and bought with tea farmers in Dabie Mountains.

The wine in his hometown, the tea in his hometown, and the news in his hometown made Xu Shiyi feel a little more thanks in the eyes of He Zhengdao. In the eyes of others, he is an iron-blooded general. But when he treats his family, he has iron-bone tenderness.

While drinking tea, the political commissar of the column also said in time: "Commander He, you should talk to our division commander about something big? In addition, the military and political meeting that the Central Committee is about to hold is about to be held, I guess you will also go back to have a meeting, right?"

‘Well, there are indeed some things that I have to discuss with your division commander and political commissar. In addition, I will also go to the 129th Division’s command at that time. It is rare to have the opportunity to walk around, so of course I have to walk more and see more.

After visiting these troops, I will return to Yan'an from Shanxi. Although it is a bit obvious, I will learn more about our current situation and the development scale of the base area, which will also be helpful to my later combat deployment.

I heard a brief introduction to your situation in the first syllabus. But I still want to say that your first syllabus is afraid that you will be prepared for a big battle. Next, our Eighth Route Army will have a head-on confrontation with the Japanese.’

Hearing this, Xu Shiyi put down his feelings and said seriously: "Commander He, can you tell me in detail? Although I guessed that the troops had a major operation, I still don't know the specific combat direction."

As the commander of the first column, Xu Shiyi also knew that if they could know the headquarters' combat plan earlier, they would have made some preparations earlier than they would have been so far as they were now, and they would only order the troops to prepare for combat.

Facing Xu Shijing's inquiry, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Of course there is no problem! Xu Hao, take the map!"

‘Yes, Commander!’

Not long after, Xu Hao, who was standing next to the guard, quickly brought over a map seized from the Japanese army. Seeing this military map about Hebei, Shandong and Henan, Xu Shiming also seemed a little moved.

On the other hand, He Zhengdao spread the map directly on the table and said, "As Wuhan was occupied by the Japanese, the two Japanese divisions who originally planned to encircle the column immediately entered the Xinyang area and attacked towards Zhumadian.

Although judging from the current situation, Jiang Dingwen's troops stationed in Henan have deployed heavy defenses on the periphery of Xinyang. The Japanese army, which had not yet completed the rest, did not use the main force of the division to attack. These wars all seem to be quite the same.

However, according to the investigation by the headquarters, the Japanese are currently gathering heavy troops near Shangqiu. The 14th Japanese Division, which had retreated to Xuzhou to rest and recuperate, has now completed the assembly in Shangqiu through a defense change.

In addition to the abnormal actions of the Japanese army, the First Central Army commanded by Hu Zongnan arranged its main force to Nanyang, Henan before the end of the Wuhan Battle. Don’t you find such a defense strange?"

Through He Zhengdao's explanation with the map, Xu Shiyi quickly reacted and said, "Sir He, do you mean, will the Japanese devils attack Zhengzhou again? Chiang Kai-shek shouldn't give up Zhengzhou easily, right?"

For many people, the combat areas defended by the Central Army are constantly decreasing. Henan, as the granary of the Central Army, has a very important role in the National Government.

But He Zhengdao still shook his head and said, "For Chiang Kai-shek, the conditions for defending Zhengzhou have disappeared. Giving up Zhengzhou is in line with his combat plan. In Chiang Kai-shek's opinion, it is still good to use space to exchange time.

Although the Japanese won the battle in Wuhan in the end, from the overall situation of the War of Resistance, the Japanese had lost the offensive front before the war. The longer the front line, the more difficult it was to replenish their logistics.

In addition, the main divisions of the Japanese devils also suffered huge losses in succession of wars. Even if the whole country is mobilized, how many reserve troops can they mobilize to participate?

If you have any understanding, you will find that among the troops that the Japanese are constantly transferring from the rear, many of them can only be considered second Japanese troops, and most of those troops were formed in the Japanese colonies.

We have all led soldiers to fight, and we are very clear about the difference between veterans and new recruits. The Japanese seem to have deployed a lot more troops than before the war started. But in fact, their combat effectiveness is constantly declining.

In this case, it is their choice to formulate some strategic offensive plans. As for the elite troops of the Central Army, it is estimated that the Japanese will find it difficult to achieve it.

Although the Central Army has paid some considerable prices in the battlefields of Songhu, Taiyuan, Xuzhou and Wuhan. But let’s take a closer look at what are the troops that were truly defeated by the Japanese army?

The Jinsui Army currently only lives in one place and has no strength before the war. The Northwest Army and the Northeast Army have almost died in name only. After the National Government moved to Chongqing, the Sichuan Army had long lost its status before the war.

At present, among the troops in the southwest, the Central Army still maintains a large number of direct main forces. It can be said that after the end of the Wuhan Battle, the overall situation of the War of Resistance will also enter a situation of war confrontation and stalemate.

The Chairman had also made an analysis of this earlier, and the current situation proved this. If the Japanese can take down the entire territory of Zhengzhou and Henan, then what harm will be for the Central Army besides losing a piece of defense zone?"

Such a clear explanation and analysis made the Chief of Staff of the First Column quickly say: "Damn, Chiang is trying to cause trouble to the east!"

‘Not bad! I also judged this way! Earlier, my troops were in the Dabie Mountains area and cooperated with the Fifth War Zone to fight. Although they fought well, my troops suffered a lot of losses. Of course, it was still less than the reported war loss figures.

When the Japanese army made a comeback in the previous period, I expected that the Central Army might be insulted. Therefore, before the war started, I delayed the Japanese army's attack on Xinyang by small troops.

The result was obvious that after the Central Army made the plan to give up Wuhan, it first retreated its elite troops to the rear. However, it was self-evident that the 77th Army, which I and the Northwest Army, had been reorganized in Xinyang.

At present, the counties and towns in Xinyang have been taken over by the Japanese. For the Japanese, places like Xinyang are not rich. So why don’t their two divisions retreat to the rear for rest after the battle?

Moreover, the Central Army's defense was obviously unreasonable. Hu Zongnan, known as the Imperial Guard, was transferred to Nanyang and Xiangyang to deploy defenses. Which army was defending? In front of them, there were many persistent resistance troops!

My judgment is that Hu Zongnan moved the troops there in advance, with only one purpose, that is, to support Jiang Dingwen's troops stationed in Henan to return to the southwest for rest. As long as the main force of the troops are preserved, Jiang will not lose this battle.

If you make adjustments, you will find that the Lanfeng defense line that Jiang Dingwen focused on defending earlier is now useless. Perhaps to outsiders, this is a yellow zone and has no strategic significance.

But for the Japanese, this is the best place for them to attack Zhengzhou. The arrival of the 14th Division undoubtedly shows that the Japanese army has discovered this loophole. I think with the intelligence capabilities of the Central Army, can I not know the secret mobilization of the Japanese?’

After saying this, He Zhengdao took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. Xu Shiming also understood and came to answer the conversation: "Give up Henan and save the main force. Let the Japanese push the attacking troops to our waists.

As long as the Japanese occupy Zhengzhou, our rear base will be under the attack of the Japanese. The Japanese arranged two divisions in Xinyang, but actually planned to form a double-sided attack with the 14th Division.

At that time, the 14th Division will move and face the attack of the three main divisions of the Japanese, it will not be too embarrassing for Jiang Jiang to lose Zhengzhou. As for us, even if we don’t want to fight with the Japanese, we must still compete with the Japanese.”

As the commander of the First Column, Xu Shiyi's ability in command is naturally not bad. He Zhengdao has already explained the situation so clearly. If he can't figure out what's going on, it would be too unreasonable.

‘What a sinister move!’

The political commissar of the First Column could not help but say this, but He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Now our joint war of resistance with the Central Army is actually useless. If we hadn't known our role, we would have been afraid that the Central Army would have broken up long ago.

Our great development in the rear also made Chiang Kai-shek feel worried. At this time, reaping the benefits of the fisherman can also consume the strength of the Japanese. Isn’t it a strategy for him?”

In advance, they may need to make good combat preparations next. He Zhengdao also believes that Xu Shiyan will be more clear next. Their first syllabus needs to focus on the offensive preparations in that aspect.

Once the headquarters issues combat orders, I believe that the First Column can also become a main force to recover Zhengzhou. This is undoubtedly a very favorable thing for the Eighth Route Army!

...
Chapter completed!