Chapter 51 Theoretical Learning 2
"Learn from the devils?"
The officers in the conference hall were stunned at first, and then began to whisper to each other.
Yang Lin picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of tea. He waited for a moment before continuing, "Not bad, learn from the Japanese!"
“Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger. This means that you should use your brains instead of acting recklessly when fighting.
Only when you have a thorough understanding of both yourself and the enemy, recognize your own strengths, and find the enemy's weaknesses, can you win every battle! "
Everyone fell silent and began to think seriously.
The strength of the previous independent battalion and the New 1st Regiment of the Eighth Route Army was not strong, and could even be described as extremely poor.
If they deployed a full-scale battle, not to mention the Japanese Kato Squadron, even the Qinghe Town Garrison Battalion and the Wanjia Town Cavalry Battalion would be enough to give them a hard time.
However, the final result was that they captured Wanjia Town and Qinghe Town at a very small cost, and wiped out more than 200 Japanese soldiers from the Kato Squadron...
Yang Lin waited for them to think for a moment, then suddenly asked: "You keep saying that you want to follow me to the battlefield to fight the devils, so now I ask you, how much do you know about the Japanese devils?"
Everyone was silent. They only knew that the Japanese devils were very powerful, almost invincible. As for other things, they really couldn't say.
The second company commander Zhao Dejiu thought for a moment, frowned and said, " It's because the Japanese are too well equipped."
The others also followed suit, saying, "Yes, the Japanese have planes , tanks, and cannons. Their equipment is much better than ours."
Yang Lin looked around and asked, "Do you all think that our Chinese army can't defeat the Japanese because their equipment is too good?"
Hearing this, everyone seemed to think that this question was not that simple, but after a moment's silence, they all nodded.
Yang Lin said: "When the Battle of Songhu broke out, the Central Army, with three divisions, one brigade and two heavy artillery regiments, nearly 50,000 people, besieged the Japanese defense force consisting of only 3,000 marines and more than 1,000 veterans.
Not only did they fail to completely annihilate the enemy, they even failed to break through the last line of defense of the Japanese defensive forces, which eventually delayed the arrival of enemy reinforcements, causing the Battle of Shanghai to fall into a stalemate and ultimately end in failure.
It is true that when the war broke out, the enemy had powerful firepower support from the navy and air force.
But don't forget that the Central Army also has an air force, and the 87th and 88th Divisions also have advanced equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, and anti-tank guns.
In terms of light weapons, the Central Army equipped with German weapons even had an advantage. The Zhongzheng rifle was no worse than the Japanese Type 38 rifle, and the Czech light machine gun was far superior to the Japanese Taisho 11-year type, which is the infamous Type 99 light machine gun.
I would like to ask if this is also because our military’s weapons and equipment are inferior to those of the Japanese army?”
Everyone was silent, this time they were truly silent.
After thinking for a moment, the third company commander Zhou Yun asked, "What's the reason?"
Yang Lin said with a serious expression: "The combat effectiveness of an army is not only related to weapons and equipment, but also to the commander's tactical command, the coordination between the various arms, and the soldiers' fighting will.
All four are indispensable.”
"When the Battle of Songhu first broke out, the various branches of the Central Army lacked experience in coordinated operations.
When the Central Army's tanks were charging, the infantry was unable to effectively coordinate and cooperate, resulting in them being destroyed one by one by the Japanese artillery.
Without the cover of tanks, the infantry charge would be difficult to sustain, and under the powerful firepower of the Japanese army, continuing to attack would only increase casualties. "
"On the other hand, when the Japanese army attacked, the coordination between the various arms was very tacit."
"During the charge, once the infantry were attacked, they would immediately hide behind the tanks."
"At the same time, the Japanese machine gunners will immediately open fire to suppress them, and the artillery will shoot down our machine gunners as soon as possible."
"Almost as soon as our machine guns started firing, the enemy's artillery shells started coming."
Everyone fell into deep thought again. Many of them had been officers of the National Army and had fought against the Japanese army.
Through Yang Lin’s narration, they became more deeply aware of the strength of the Japanese army, and couldn’t help feeling a sense of powerlessness in their hearts.
Yang Lin seemed to see through their thoughts and asked in a deep voice: "Why? Are you scared?"
Zhou Yun gritted his teeth and said angrily: "Captain, we are not afraid, but is it impossible for us to defeat the Japanese devils?"
"Of course not!" Yang Lin shook his head: "Have you forgotten the Sakata Regiment and the Kato Squadron?"
Yang Lin's words were like a hurricane, blowing away the haze in everyone's hearts and allowing them to see a glimmer of hope again.
Yang Lin struck while the iron was hot and said, "As I said, the factors that determine the combat effectiveness of an army include not only weapons and equipment and the coordination between the various arms, but also two more important factors, namely the commander's tactical command and the soldiers' fighting will."
"China has a history of 5,000 years, and our ancestors left behind countless wisdom, such as The Art of War and Wu Mu's Testament."
"Use your strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses. Flexible tactics can make up for the shortcomings of weapons and equipment to a great extent.
For example, in mountainous areas, the lethality of Japanese tanks, planes, and artillery will be greatly reduced.”
"Man can conquer nature. The decisive factor that determines the victory or defeat of a war has never been the quality of weapons and equipment, but people.
Therefore, as long as we are fearless, there is no enemy that we cannot defeat.”
…
Yang Lin's words are not groundless. The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is the best proof of this. The great Chinese People's Volunteers, armed with millet and rifles, forced the 18-Nation Alliance led by the United States to shake hands and make peace, signing the first armistice agreement in American history that was not a victory.
You have to know that the US military had just finished World War II, and its weapons and equipment, as well as the quality of its troops, were at their absolute peak.
From individual weapons to various heavy equipment, to logistical supplies, as well as sea, land and air, the Americans had an absolute advantage on both sides.
Even so, they were still defeated by the Volunteer Army and suffered heavy losses, and finally had to cease fire at the 38th parallel.
From this we can see that there are no troops that cannot fight, only incompetent commanders.
This is the reason why they say that if one soldier is incompetent, his generals will also be incompetent as well.
…
After hearing this, everyone regained their confidence.
Yang Lin said: "I told you so much just to tell you that the Japanese devils are not invincible."
"Of course, it's not that easy to defeat the Japanese devils."
"Because in addition to the gap in weapons and equipment, our combat quality, whether it's marksmanship or bayonet fighting ability, is still far behind the Japanese devils."
After a pause, Yang Lin continued, "Fortunately, the Japanese devils' fighting qualities are not innate, but the result of acquired training.
As long as we strengthen our training, our combat effectiveness will be able to reach or even surpass theirs!"
