Chapter 43: The Third Battle of East Henan (XI)
"I have no objection to transferring the 53rd Army to the Ru River Valley for garrison, and I have no objection to letting the 56th Army enter Yu County, but I do have an objection to stopping the relief efforts in the Zhongmu direction."
Ma Kang, who hurriedly flew back to Lanzhou from Luoyang, expressed his views clearly to Dai Jiliang.
"Although Xinyang is about to change hands, the three passes of Yiyang are still under our control. The Japanese army's transportation lines are blocked, and supplies have to be transported across the Dabie Mountains. Under this situation, how far can the 101st Division and the 33rd Division advance?"
"The Japanese army in central China may not be able to advance very far, but it is probably unrealistic to expect Sun Zhen to strangle Ito Masaki by the neck."
Zhang Zili shook his head at Ma Kang.
"And we can't expect the enemy to stop fighting. If the Japanese army is determined to open up the transportation lines first, the situation in Songhu may be repeated in Zhengxian."
"Chief of Staff, I disagree with your point of view."
Ma Kang pushed back hard.
"Let's assume that Okamura Yasuji has no power and is willing to help the Japanese army in North China, but how many troops can he mobilize to go north?"
There was a reason why Ma Kang said this. After all, the Kuomintang on the southern front was organizing a counterattack on Nanchang, and Liu Wenhui was also planning a counterattack in Suinan. Under such circumstances, Okamura Neiji had done his best by sending out two divisions.
"Then add the four divisions in East Henan, which only have more than 100,000 people at most, and the battle line is so long, how can we create the situation of Songhu? Let's talk about it later."
Ma Kang took the path of retreat in order to advance.
"The Japanese troops on the southern front have just approached Xinyang. Even if they work day and night, they cannot fly across these hundreds of kilometers in one go. The Third Army and the Second, Seventh, and Eighth Corps are blocking the south."
"Don't talk about the Northeast Army and the two Suns."
Dai Jiliang interrupted Ma Kang and said, "It is better to rely on oneself than on others." It seems a bit presumptuous to expect others to help the northwest out of troubled times. Therefore, Dai Jiliang asked directly.
"If the Second Army launches a counterattack in Zhongmu, it will be able to relieve Kaifeng in a few days."
"Ten days."
Ma Kang had calculated the time long before coming to Lanzhou, but facing Dai Jiliang's pressing gaze, even someone as arrogant as him was forced to double the time at hand, and he also put forward certain requests.
"But I also need the headquarters to dispatch one or two more mechanized brigades as the first echelon of the attack. In addition, the front-line aviation forces must also replenish fighter planes and pilots as soon as possible."
"Ten days?"
Zhang Zilii and Dai Jiliang looked at each other, then stood up and walked to the intercom, picked up the phone and made a call.
"I'm the Chief of Staff. Contact the Deputy Chief of Staff of Hubei, Henan, Anhui and Jiang immediately. I want the exact information about the destruction of the Pinghan Road and the Southern Henan Highway. Yes, bring it to your office immediately after reporting it."
While waiting for the report from Hubei, Henan and Anhui, Dai Jiliang narrowed his eyes and asked Ma Kang: "Tell me what you are going to do?"
"Please rest assured, Chief of Staff, I will definitely complete the dismantling and transportation goals."
After hanging up the phone in the train station director's office, Xin Huaqi, the chief of staff of the 2081st Regiment in charge of destroying the road, walked to the platform with a serious expression. Looking around, he saw that all the tracks and sleepers in Xinyang Station had been removed, and even explosives were buried under the telephone poles with telephone lines.
Looking at the scene in front of her, and then at the train station master who was wiping tears, Xin Huaqi forced a smile and comforted him: "Stationmaster Hu, why are you still reluctant? I feel the same way. But don't worry, Stationmaster Hu, after defeating the Japanese, we will definitely rebuild the Pinghan Road, and then we will repair the line!"
"That's a good feeling."
Stationmaster Hu felt sad but also hopeful.
"I know that you have spared no effort in building the road, but the Japanese are the ones who are responsible."
Stationmaster Hu paused.
"You must drive the devils out of China as soon as possible."
"Stationmaster, rest assured, this is the duty of us Chinese soldiers."
Xin Huaqi made a solemn promise and then asked.
"Have all the maintenance equipment, spare parts, and raw coal in the warehouse been removed?"
Xinyang Station is a large station, which not only has facilities for replenishing water and coal, but also has a maintenance workshop. According to Lanzhou's order, these things are not allowed to be left to the Japanese.
"Have all the workers retreated?"
"The technicians from the equipment, parts and maintenance departments have all evacuated in the first two shifts. The station staff, laborers and their families have also evacuated by land towards Biyang."
Stationmaster Hu answered truthfully that these technicians, staff, workers and their families would be relocated to the railway stations under construction in Sichuan, Northwest China, and of course the screening would be done in secret.
"Because we had to install rails and sleepers, not much coal was taken away. But I promised that anyone who came to help dismantle the rails could take the coal freely. So I guess that when the Japanese arrive, there won't be much coal left."
"That's good."
Xin Huaqi nodded. At this time the phone rang again. He ran in and answered it. It turned out to be a report from the demolition team at the front that the railway tracks had been dismantled to Xin'andian, but the flatbed truck carrying the railway tracks and sleepers was full and needed to be transported north, so they asked for instructions on what to do.
"Send the people of Xinyang back home, and ask the Queshan County government to immediately organize local people to get on the railway. If there are no locomotives, just carry them."
Xin Huaqi had just hung up the phone when a corporal ran in to report: "Chief of Staff, the Sichuan Army has all withdrawn, and the county government and police in the city have also fled."
"A bunch of bastards."
Xin Huaqi cursed.
"You're running like a rabbit. Why don't you call and say hello?"
After saying that, he hurried out and greeted Stationmaster Hu.
"Lao Hu, everyone else has left, it's time for us to leave too, let's go to Zhumadian together!"
As soon as Xin Huaqi left, the remaining engineer pressed the detonator, and the electric poles were blown down immediately. A series of large holes were blown out of the Pinghan Road roadbed, which was already bare with only rubble left. A huge column of smoke shot straight into the sky, scaring the people of Xinyang into thinking that the Japanese had arrived, and they scrambled to flee out of the city.
However, some people did not flee. These people all had families and businesses, and had more or less some connections with all parties, so they were fearless. Some of them even colluded with each other and tried to control local power in the name of maintaining the association during the political vacuum in Xinyang. As a result, an ugly scene happened in the Xinyang Chamber of Commerce.
"Boss He, isn't your son in Yang Hucheng's army? Why didn't he leave this time?"
"Yang Hucheng is just a ragtag group. There is no future for us to follow him. I have already brought my son back."
The boss surnamed He smiled and poured tea for the people around him.
"The Japanese are powerful now, but China is even bigger, so I think they will need help. So I plan to let him seek a future with the Japanese. Of course, he won't become a traitor, but just to ensure the safety of the local area."
The people around him grimaced when they heard this, but since they were discussing being traitors, they naturally couldn't laugh at others for doing the same. Therefore, they said, "This is a good thing. Although the Sichuan Army in this city has withdrawn, the police are gone too. If the soldiers harass the city, everyone will be in trouble. Today we have the opportunity to organize a maintenance meeting, so why not let your son be the security captain?"
"Good idea. I guess the Japanese also want the complete Xinyang."
Generally speaking, all financiers are afraid of losing their property, but the security captain is a key position, so naturally they don't want to let Boss He's son monopolize it.
"I have a small team at home with 5 or 6 guns. I want to invest in this security team."
There was not just one smart person, and soon four or five companies wanted to buy shares. The security team that was still under discussion now had about 100 people and 40 guns. However, the name caused controversy again, as some people were afraid that the Japanese army would misunderstand it as a local security group and resist in the city.
Therefore, someone suggested: "I think we should call the police team, since they are just there to maintain the security." After discussing this unexpected security team, the topic returned to the main topic - who will be in charge of the maintenance meeting.
Of course, not all of those who came forward to form the maintenance association were willing to be traitors. The hardcore traitors were better among them, and there were also some who really wanted to maintain social order to prevent the Japanese from becoming angry and killing people.
After several discussions, the candidate for the chairman of the maintenance association was announced. Lu, a rice merchant from Xinyang, won the intrigue and got this hot potato. Wang, who was in the coal business, was elected vice chairman.
At this time, people were anxiously setting off firecrackers outside the venue. Two signs of the Xinyang County Maintenance Association and the Ruyang Road Maintenance Association that had been prepared long ago were hung next to the Xinyang Chamber of Commerce sign amid the explosions. Boss He, who had fought for the position of the Maintenance Association president but lost because his son became the security captain, returned home with a smile on his frosty face. Soon, the future Captain He came up to him and said, "Boss, the higher-ups asked us to build a Xinyang station in southern Henan. Now it's finally working. However, you must not be careless. Remember to act well in front of the Japanese, and don't be soft-hearted when dealing with the anti-traitor teams and the Communists in the northwest."
Captain He chuckled, "Dad, don't worry. When we came here, Director Dai personally told us that the Northwest is not our revolutionary comrade. The Kuomintang is a long-term threat to the party and the country. If we can use the blood of these two groups of traitors to gain the trust of the Japanese, it will be a good deal."
"It's good that you know this. At this stage, the three parties are both cooperating and confronting each other. If we really want to gain the trust of the Japanese, we might as well kill a bunch of them."
While Boss He was pleased that his son had grown up, he was also thinking about how to carry out his work in the future. As he was thinking, his expression suddenly changed.
"Boss, when we were competing for the position of chairman of the maintenance association today, two people kept making trouble for your father. Although the one who finally got promoted was not a die-hard traitor, Vice Chairman Wang is very suspicious. You should find an opportunity to kill him to prevent him from ruining the party and the country in the future." Boss He was plotting, and Vice Chairman Wang was also reporting to others: "Please rest assured, team leader, I am the heart of the traitor. I am here to help with small matters but make big trouble. I will never let the Japanese do their job smoothly."
"Very good. After the Japanese troops arrive, we will stage a play. Someone will come to assassinate you. Perhaps this will help you gain the trust of the Japanese. But you must remember that the environment is dangerous and your own safety is the first priority. So at this stage, we are not going to let you send out intelligence. When needed, someone will come to find you."
