The father of the sword is Kong Jie

The Japanese army had been planning this time for a long time, and the offensive plan of attacking in the east and west was one link inside another. It was really clever. When the true intention of the raid on Yan'an was revealed, the forces concerned by all parties suddenly realized.

The Japanese army originally crossed the Yellow River westward, and its offensive toward Xi'an began to pause and retreat.

The fighting between the two sides broke out in a more tragic way along the Yellow River leading to Yan'an.

The subsequent development of the situation was as expected by Hata Shunroku, Okabe Naosaburo and other old Japanese soldiers. Facing the Japanese army's sudden attack on Yan'an, the Eighth Route Army could only continuously mobilize troops to block the attack, and did not receive reinforcements from the Northwest Army.

The Chairman's order was clear: "Garrisoning the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border should be the top priority of the Northwest Army. If the Japanese army crosses the Yellow River westward and advances toward Yan'an, the Eighth Route Army will fight against the enemy. The Northwest Army should always be vigilant about the war situation. If the Eighth Route Army is defeated, , then change positions and repel the Japanese invaders before it’s too late!”

This calculation is very loud.

They even wished that the Japanese army and the Eighth Route Army would fight to the death.

However, as time went by, the situation took a shocking turn.

——To the east of Yan'an and along the Yellow River, the confrontation between the Japanese army and the Eighth Route Army intensified. The fierce fighting lasted for several days, and both sides paid a heavy price in casualties.

But while Jiang Jun stood by and watched, he even thought of reaping the benefits.

In the series of Japanese military operations, in the later stages of the Sino-Japanese War, the last remaining strategic mobile combat force, the Japanese 11th Army, advanced to the western Hubei region without warning in order to open up the Yangtze River route from Yichang to Hankou. In addition, multiple Japanese troops, totaling more than [-] troops, launched a large-scale attack on the western Hubei region with auxiliary operations.

at this time.

The Japanese army first mobilized its troops, crossed the sea and attacked Xi'an, then crossed the Yellow River westward and attacked Yan'an by surprise.

This tactic of pretending to be false and attacking in the west had already stunned the Jiang army.

After the sudden battle broke out in the western Hubei region, the Chiang Army was indeed caught off guard. The Chiang Kai-shek troops such as Xue, Tang, and Gu rushed to respond to the enemy. However, due to lack of preparation, the initial battles frequently failed and the troops suffered heavy losses. .

The Japanese army took the opportunity to attack the city and looted massive military resources.

Suddenly, the chairman of the committee in Chongqing was also anxious in the headquarters.

Who would have thought that the Japanese troops, who originally thought they were heading towards the Eighth Route Army in Yan'an, would change their direction and suddenly launch an attack on the western Hubei region?

Now the people who were watching the opera were suddenly pulled onto the stage and became opera singers.

The chairman's wishful thinking was suddenly shattered.

Due to various factors, in the early stages of the battle between the Japanese army and the Chiang Kai-shek Army in western Hubei, the Chiang Kai-shek Army was defeated steadily.

Back in time a few days ago.

Headquarters of the Japanese Army's China Expeditionary Force.

When the newly appointed commander of the First Army in Shanxi, Yoshimoto Teiichi, proposed a feint attack on Xi'an and a surprise attack on Yan'an to cover the Kwantung Army going south to open up the main road communication lines and deal with the Eighth Route Army's base area.

Hata Junroku immediately decided and agreed to this combat strategy.

Not only that, this old devil also contributed to this campaign plan, and also proposed that this operation of attacking the east and attacking the west could be used to cover the mobile troops of the 11th Army to launch an offensive in the western Hubei region.

Shunroku Hata was thinking about this very clearly. He had been the commander-in-chief of the China Expeditionary Force for some years. In addition, fighting in China has been very disadvantageous in these years. Maybe this is the last time of his term.

If he doesn't take advantage of his reign to launch several large-scale battles.

When the Jihad situation gradually became disadvantageous and the situation in the Pacific completely deteriorated, the Japanese base camp simply had no more resources for him, and even had to ask China to send troops to export a large amount of materials and troops to support the Southeast Asian and Pacific battlefields.

He will never have the opportunity to command any decent large-scale battles and make achievements.

In recent years, as the Eighth Route Army in the occupied areas has grown stronger, the empire has already been suffering from headaches. The Japanese army on the battlefield behind enemy lines has been defeated by the Eighth Route Army many times.

In addition, on the frontal battlefield, the Japanese offensive was also unsatisfactory.

Especially in the third battle of Changsha, the Japanese army was beaten by Xue Boling. The morale of the three armies was low, their vigor was lost, and they were no longer what they used to be.

Considering these factors, Hata Junroku finally set his sights on this area in western Hubei.

Then it was decided to launch the Western Hubei Campaign.

Taking advantage of this strategy of attacking in the east and west as a cover, we first plundered all the supplies, transport ships, and young men of the Chiang Army.

With the support of war, with the blessing of these resources, we can then focus on dealing with the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi and Shandong, open up the Tongpu Line, Pinghan Line and other mainland communication lines, and completely destroy the construction and development of the Eighth Route Army base area to stabilize Live in the rear area and then plan to support other battlefields.

……

After the outbreak of the Battle of Western Hubei, it was truly shocking, and all the anti-Japanese armed forces were unexpected.

Eighth Route Army Special Experimental Military Region Headquarters.

Kong Jie, Li Yunlong, Ding Wei and other generals who received the news were also discussing the matter.

Li Yunlong cursed and said: "This little son of a bitch has a big appetite. First he attacked Xi'an, then he attacked our Yan'an, and now he launches a battle in western Hubei. What on earth does he want to do?
It is estimated that Jiang Jun was also stunned. Originally he was waiting for us to fight with the Japanese army with the attitude of watching a show, but the result was good, the flames of war were directly burned on themselves!

But we really didn't expect that this Japanese would suddenly gather troops to advance towards the western Hubei region? "

Kong Jie said: "The outbreak of the Battle of Western Hubei is somewhat unexpected, but it is also reasonable."

"Lao Kong, what do you say?" Li Yunlong asked.

Kong Jie said: “The city of Yichang is very important in terms of economic value and military intentions. Although it has been occupied by the Japanese army for many years, the Yangtze River waterway is still under the control of the Chiang Kai-shek Army.

This is like blocking the throat of the Japanese army, preventing the Japanese army from successfully transporting the looted materials.

In the past few years, the Japanese army had sufficient logistics and supplies, so it didn't matter. But as the war continued in these years, the Japanese were already too poor to take the blame, so they could only scrape together whatever they could. Materials count.

The large amount of materials that were stuck in Yichang and could not be shipped out were naturally of concern to the little Japanese. "

Ding Wei nodded in agreement, and added with a smile: "The little devils are now in a pitiful state, and the supplies that they didn't even look down on in the past have now become the last resources used to maintain the combat effectiveness of the troops.

This battle launched in western Hubei seems to be that the Japanese army wants to use the war to continue to plunder resources from the occupied areas of Chiang Kai-shek and continue the invasion.But in fact, in my opinion, it's a bit arrogant, just like children fighting. Even if they can't win, they can only save their last face by getting injured. "

At the end, Ding Wei even became worried: "I don't know if the Sixth Theater can withstand the Japanese offensive this time."

Kong Jie was not too worried about this. Incited by his butterfly effect, the Japanese army in North China was already weakening day by day.

After several battles, even the Japanese troops in Central and South China suffered heavy losses.

The strength of the Japanese army attacking the western Hubei region will only become weaker, never stronger.

In the Battle of Western Hubei, although the Japanese army played a trick of attacking from the east and attacked the west by launching a surprise attack, the Sixth Theater was caught off guard.

But it is just a rush in the early stage. Once the Jiang army in the Sixth Theater has established a firm foothold, the Japanese army may not get much benefit with the second-rate combat effectiveness of the Japanese army in the later period.

After all, the final winner of this battle, according to the trajectory of history, is the Sixth War Zone.

Kong Jie is currently worried about another thing.

"Lao Li said before that the little devil is a hammer in the east and a hammer in the west. This is really true. Judging from the defensive situation of the Chiang Army, in fact, if the Japanese army wants to raid western Hubei, there is no need to spend more effort. First, attack the west. Crossing the Yellow River to attack Xi'an, there was some news of a sneak attack on Yan'an.

Isn’t this a blind man lighting a lamp in vain?

To the east of Xi'an and along the Yellow River, the situation is gradually stabilizing. After several Japanese attacks were repelled, they no longer organize large-scale troops to forcefully cross the Yellow River, but return to their positions to garrison.

Obviously, the Japanese attack on Xi'an was just a feint, although the Japanese army paid a high price to make it look like it was real.

But as long as the Northwest Army maintains tight defense and does not give the Japanese an opportunity to take advantage of it, it is basically impossible for the Japanese to capture the city of Xi'an against the natural dangers of the Yellow River.

As for the sneak attack on Yan'an, judging from the current situation, it can only be said that the Japanese army was wishful thinking.

But why did the little devil do this?Is it just to cover the offensive to the western Hubei region? "

Ding Wei deeply agrees with Kong Jie's concerns.

"What Lao Kong said is right, I can't figure this out either! There is no necessary connection at all... Maybe until now, the little devil has made many arrangements, and the real hidden killer move has not been revealed yet!"

…Mid-May.

In the Battle of Western Hubei, the Japanese army and the Chiang Kai-shek army were still fighting in full swing.

However, the situation was just as Kong Jie and others speculated. As the troops in the Sixth Theater recovered and gained a firm foothold, the anti-Japanese officers and soldiers of the Chiang Kai-shek Army, such as the 74th Army and the temporary 6th Division, also showed He showed his extraordinary fighting will and heroic spirit to defend his country.

The attacking Japanese and puppet troops, mainly composed of the Japanese Mobile 11th Army, were no longer as powerful as they were in the early stages of the battle. The offensive encountered great obstacles, and casualties also spread rapidly.

As for the Yellow River area, in the direction of Yan'an and Xi'an, the fighting between China and Japan has long lost the ferocity of the early days. Although the Japanese army organized offensives from time to time, it was basically hopeless to break through the defense line. It was a bit like a desperate struggle in vain. attempt.

until……

In the western Inner Mongolia area, the Japanese army suddenly used large-scale armored troops to attack the city and seize territory with a very fierce offensive, and constantly forced the 35th Route Army's Fourth Cavalry Division to fight decisively with it.

Commander Fu organized the 35th Route Army to launch a heroic interception, and stated in a communication with the Eighth Route Army Headquarters:
The scale of the armored forces used by the Japanese army this time is unprecedented. According to the intelligence obtained by our army, most of the armored forces should come from the Northeast, and some are composed of Japanese armored forces in North China.

The opponent's tanks are advanced and the artillery is fierce. Our troops are unable to engage in a head-on confrontation with them. We can only use offense as defense and temporarily enter the strategic defensive stage.

See the picture poorly.

"As expected, the Japanese army still has hidden military intentions. Lao Kong, it seems that our guess has come true. The little devils have spread suspicion. This is an attack on Xi'an and a sneak attack on Yan'an. There is a battle even in the western Hubei region. It looks like After all, they came for our Eighth Route Army.

If my guess is correct, the Japanese Kwantung Army may have secretly mobilized and sent reinforcements southward! "

After the news came that the Japanese army had dispatched armored troops on a large scale in the western Inner Mongolia region, Ding Wei immediately analyzed the changes in the situation.

Soon after.

In the Jidong and Shandong Military Regions, the Eighth Route Army reconnaissance troops also sent back news and found that there had been changes in the Japanese troops stationed there recently, with a large number of more well-equipped and uniform troops entering the city.

Preliminary judgment is that it is the Kwantung Army moving south, and its scale is not small.

However, this seems to be just the beginning, and then more exciting news comes out.

——On the [-]th, the battle situation originally surrounding eastern Shaanxi and along the Yellow River, between the Japanese army and the northwest army, has gradually stabilized.

After the Japanese army's repeated offensives were repelled, their willingness to attack was no longer strong, and there were even signs of retreat.

Then the news of the Japanese army's raid on Yan'an came, and everything seemed to come to light. The Japanese army's attack on Xi'an was just a pretense. In fact, it was attacking in the east and heading towards Yan'an.

This made Hu Shoushan, the commander of the Chiang Kai-shek stationed in Xi'an, heave a sigh of relief. At the same time, he also wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and watch the excitement in a leisurely manner.

In Yan'an, after the confrontation between the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese army began, Hu Shoushan even ordered the troops originally stationed east of Yan'an and near the Yellow River to withdraw, for fear of encountering the advancing Japanese army, causing unnecessary misunderstandings and a fight.

As for the excuse for evacuating the troops, the famous saying is: "Reinforce Xi'an!"

This man has always adhered to the Chairman's policy. Since he led the Northwest Army to garrison the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Defense Line in the province, he has stationed troops in the northwest, blocked the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, passively resisted Japan, and actively guarded against the Eighth Route Army.

As a result, on the evening of the 13th, a particularly special elite Japanese army turned around with an astonishing offensive and resumed its rapid attack in the direction of Xi'an.

Hu Shoushan, who was sitting on the mountain watching the tiger fight, could not have expected that the Japanese army would come back again. He was not aware of it and responded hastily. He lost troops and generals, and struggled to stop the attack, and finally managed to save the city of Xi'an.

It is a pity that the large number of warehouses originally stored around Xi'an, as well as the large number of factories, agricultural bases, etc. that were developed and constructed, were all looted by the Japanese army.

It turned out that the first wave of Japanese troops attacking Xi'an and Yan'an were only troops drawn from the original Japanese First Army in Shanxi.

They attacked Yan'an fiercely and pretended to attack Xi'an. It seemed that they were attacking from the east and west and heading towards Yan'an.

As a result, Hu Shoushan failed to investigate for a while and was careless, allowing the Japanese army to take advantage of the loophole.

When the Japanese army saw that the Chiang Kai-shek troops in Xi'an were sparsely defended, they naturally did not recommend hunting down rabbits in order to gain more benefits in Xi'an, so they responded without warning.