sbdcsierra Chapter 329: 1st Army Strategic Retreat
Chapter 329: 1st Army Strategic Retreat
The atmosphere in the Taiyuan Command Headquarters was solemn.
The clock on the wall was ticking, and Neiji Okamura was now facing one of the most severe challenges of his career.
He convened a meeting of all the generals of the First Army. The failure of the attack on Yangquan caused heavy losses to the First Army, resulting in a drastic change in the battlefield situation in Taiyuan.
The independent column led by the Eighth Route Army had become the biggest enemy of the First Army. In addition, the Central Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army were also eyeing the Shanxi region, so Ningji Okamura had to rearrange his strategic deployment.
Many generals of the First Army came to the headquarters one after another, their steps were heavy, their faces were full of fatigue from the war and frustration from the failure. Everyone knew that the attack on Yangquan had failed, and the days ahead would be very difficult.
Okamura Neiji sat in the main seat in the conference room, his eyes sweeping over every general present.
He cleared his throat and said, "Gentlemen, I believe everyone knows that the attack on Yangquan has failed. The Eighth Route Army Independent Column has become our army's primary concern. In order to ensure control over major cities, I have decided to shrink the defense, deploy the main forces between major cities, abandon the small counties on the periphery, and concentrate troops to guard the important towns in Shanxi."
He knew it was a painful decision, but it was the only option.
He continued: "We must admit that the Eighth Route Army's combat effectiveness far exceeds our expectations. Their tactics are flexible and their actions are swift. We must reassess their strength and formulate corresponding countermeasures."
After hearing what Ningji Okamura said, the expressions of many senior military officers present in the conference room changed from solemn to agreement, and they all nodded.
They knew very well that the current situation was very unfavorable for the First Army. If they further dispersed their forces to defend those remote counties, they would only become targets for the Chinese army to defeat one by one.
Okamura Neiji, the veteran who had experienced many hardships on the battlefield, finally figured it out.
He knew that instead of blindly defending those unimportant counties, it would be better to concentrate troops to defend important cities. This was the wisest choice in the current situation of insufficient troops.
"We have to face the reality. In order to maintain our dominance over Shanxi, we have to make this decision."
Yoshio Kozuka, who was standing nearby, stood up and said, "Commander, I fully agree with your decision. We have no advantage in the mountainous areas. The Eighth Route Army Independent Column has powerful weapons and equipment and is familiar with the terrain. We are no match for them in the mountainous areas."
Ningji Okamura was satisfied with what Yoshio Kozuka said. He nodded and immediately issued an order: "All troops of the First Army should be withdrawn to nearby important cities and cities along the railway to ensure the safety of the railway. This is our lifeline and we must not lose it."
After the meeting, many senior officers of the First Army left Taiyuan one after another and returned to their respective units to prepare for the evacuation operation.
As the retreat order was issued, the First Army's troops in various parts of Shanxi began to pack their luggage and equipment, preparing to leave the remote counties where they were stationed and head to the nearest large city to assemble and wait.
Among these troops, some Japanese devils began to frantically plunder the people's wealth in the county.
They knew this was their last chance, and even if they had to leave, they had to take away as much belongings as possible.
As night falls, the stars become sparse and the moonlight dim.
As night fell, one after another Japanese troops began to quietly leave their bases and move along the road towards the nearby assembly points like long winding snakes.
On the road, the Japanese army was marching in a mighty manner, and the soldiers' leather boots made a dull sound as they stepped on the mud.
The scale of these troop mobilizations is large enough to scare any force.
The news spread like wildfire among all parties and attracted great attention.
Under the cover of night, various forces were mobilizing and deploying nervously, their eyes were focused on the movements of the Japanese army.
.........
4 month 2 day,
As the morning light broke, after a week of intense mobilization, all the main forces of the First Army in Shanxi had arrived at their designated locations for garrison.
More than 10 Japanese soldiers were heavily guarded in major cities and along important railways, forming a solid line of defense.
These cities and railway lines were like key points on a chessboard and were regarded as lifelines by the Japanese. They knew that once these places were lost, control of the entire Shanxi would be in jeopardy.
The various forces that had been worried, including the Central Army, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and other local armed forces, all felt relieved.
They observed that the large-scale mobilization of the First Army was not intended to launch a new offensive, but to respond to the complex situation in Shanxi and to shrink the defense line to protect more critical areas.
This change allowed the Chinese army to begin to gain the upper hand in Shanxi, and the number of raids by the Japanese soldiers began to gradually decrease.
at the same time.
There was a vibrant scene inside the independent column’s base.
After the victory in defending Yangquan, the Independent Column not only won precious time for development, but also gained a great boost in public opinion and morale.
Gundam was well aware of the importance of this period, and therefore spared no effort to support production and construction activities, expand the industrial productivity of the base, and strengthen the construction of the troops in order to meet new challenges.
In the Lijiazhuang Command Center, Gao Da and Qi Tongwei were sitting in the office. In front of them was a large map with densely marked resource points and strategic locations near the Taihang Mountains.
Gaoda said: "Political Commissar, our base is getting bigger and bigger, and we have to focus on building the base.
There are a lot of minerals around the Taihang Mountains, which are very important resources for us. If they can be mined, it will create huge economic benefits and provide a solid material foundation for our war of resistance. "
Qi Tongwei nodded in agreement: "Commander, you are right. These minerals in the mountains are precious wealth to us. I will immediately arrange for people to conduct exploration and mining to ensure that the resources can be used most effectively."
Gaoda showed a satisfied smile on his face, and he continued, "By the way, Political Commissar. We can send all those devils we caught earlier to the mine to work for me. Such free labor should not be wasted."
"Yes, Commander." Qi Tongwei responded, "I will arrange for someone to take charge of their work and ensure that they work honestly and contribute to the construction of our base."