"Division commander, based on the intelligence from the hunter brigade and the reconnaissance battalion, the Japanese 36th Division is defending Xiangyuan and Huiting."

Xie Chengrui pointed to the sand table in the headquarters and said,

"The 223rd Infantry Regiment is in Huiting, the 224th Infantry Regiment is in Xiangyuan, the division headquarters and the 36th Artillery Regiment are also here.

The 37th Division has deployed its defenses along the Zhuozhang River south of Licheng, and the 4th Division has not made any movements yet."

While Xie Chengrui was reporting, officers from the two staff offices placed tactical flags on the sand table.

It wasn't until the staff members finished their work that Jiang Dong said:

"The 36th and 37th Divisions both belong to Category B divisions. That old dog Umezu Yoshijiro wants to stop us with just these troops... I'm afraid it's wishful thinking!"

"Information came from the Military Intelligence Office that the 20th Division is also on its way." Xie Chengrui added.

"Huh?" Jiang Dong frowned slightly,

"Is the 20th Division fully organized?"

"No." Xie Chengrui chuckled,

"Although there are nominally the 39th and 40th Brigades, the 40th Brigade has only one infantry regiment. The entire division's heavy firepower has not yet been fully equipped, and its strength is even weaker than the 36th and 37th Divisions.

Some."

"Haha... The Japanese have taken too big a step. The Northeast, North China, East China, South China, and Central China are all advancing at the same time. Their logistical supplies will definitely be overwhelmed. In addition, their domestic military resources and production capacity are exhausted.

It is extremely limited, and the heavy firepower of the 20th Division may not be able to make up for it in a short time."

Some people in later generations predicted that if the Japanese had not been wishful thinking and not fought on multiple fronts at the same time, but had concentrated millions of troops to break through from central China, the outcome of the Anti-Japanese War might have been rewritten.

But the fact is that the Sino-Japanese War was one-sided. The officers of the Japanese Army gradually became distracted and opened the South China battlefield while the war in East China was still in a state of anxiety.

This made the already somewhat stretched logistical supply even more difficult, resulting in multiple fronts advancing at the same time and simultaneous attacks being weak.

The Japanese Army is too fitting to describe the Japanese Army.

"Even if the 20th Division can arrive on the battlefield, the threat to us will not be too great. This is a good opportunity and we should launch an attack as soon as possible." Xie Chengrui said with anticipation.

The look of contempt on Jiang Dong's face gradually disappeared, and his eyes gradually became sharp, "Tell me about the staff's plan."

In addition to Xie Chengrui and Wu Zhan, the staff of the One Division has added a large number of young faces. Some of these young people come from officer training classes and some from frontline grassroots units. They not only add vitality to the staff but also bring a lot of talents.

Fresh ideas and ideas.

The battle plan in Xie Chengrui's hand was the result of the joint efforts of all the staff. He pointed at the map and said:

"From a terrain perspective, the east and west sides of the Japanese defense line are undulating mountainous areas. Only the Xiangyuan area is relatively flat and suitable for large-scale assault operations.

The reorganized Second Brigade can already be regarded as a mechanized force. If we attack from the east of Lucheng or northward from Pingshun, the mobility advantage of the Second Brigade will be greatly reduced, which is not cost-effective for us.

.

Therefore, the staff recommended that the main attack direction should be placed in the middle road, and the second brigade should concentrate its forces to break through Xiangyuan, cross the Zhuozhang River, and cut off the Japanese army's retreat east of Licheng.

The first brigade attacked from Tunliu, crossed the northern source of Zhanghe River, and attacked eastward, captured Huiting, and threatened Wuxiang. If the 20th Division came to support, the first brigade would block it with all its strength. The second brigade concentrated its superior forces and

Annihilate the Japanese 37th Division or drive it out of Shanxi.

In addition, based on the past combat style of the Japanese Fourth Division, the staff judged that they would probably not participate in the Battle of Licheng, but would stick to the Ping-Han Railway.

Even if the Fourth Division enters Shanxi from Henan, we still have three regiments in reserve, so it won't be too difficult to deal with it.

At the same time, we must also request Wei Lihuang’s troops in the direction of Quwo and Linfen to launch a tentative attack to the north in an effort to contain the strength of 1 to 2 Japanese regiments.”

The staff's plan was very good. The Japanese 37th Division defended along the north bank of the Zhuozhang River. Once the only division captured Xiangyuan, as long as it controlled the vast mountainous area north of Xiangyuan, the 37th Division's retreat would be cut off.

But there is no way that Umezu Yoshijiro could not see such a big flaw.

In past battles, the Chinese army was indeed accustomed to launching attacks from mountainous areas. This was because at that time, the Chinese army had less heavy firepower and a low degree of mechanization. Attacking from mountainous areas could give full play to the mobility advantage of the troops' feet, but it was unique.

Teachers are different.

Although Umezu Yoshijiro has mastered the detailed organization of the One Division, his combat concepts and thinking have not completely changed.

Jiang Dong went through all the situations in his mind, and after about 5 minutes he ordered:

"Let the three newly formed regiments be stationed in Pingshun, build fortifications on the south bank of the Zhuozhang River, and confront the Japanese troops on the north bank. At the same time, order them to prepare tools for crossing the river as soon as possible and wait for the order to attack north.

The first brigade and the third regiment were ordered to attack from Tunliu, march to the west bank of the north source of the Zhuozhang River, and prepare to launch a fierce attack on Huiting.

The 1st Brigade, 1st Regiment and 2nd Regiment were ordered to leave Lu'an and reach the south bank of the southern source of the Zhuozhang River, forming a confrontation with the Japanese 224th Regiment in Wangqiao Town. The engineer battalion directly under the division headquarters followed the 2nd and 3rd Regiments.

Order the artillery regiment and the second brigade to move covertly between Xiangyuan and Licheng, and stay hidden and on standby!"

Jiang Dong paused and continued,

"Except for the artillery regiment and the second brigade, all the other units did not evade their actions, so that the Japanese planes in the sky could clearly see them.

After arriving at the designated position, immediately open fire on the enemy in front of you. I want to hear gunfire from all fronts."

Xie Chengrui stared at the sand table while recording. He could feel that Jiang Dong's ideas were similar to the battle plan produced by the staff, but it was obvious that Jiang Dong's plan was more confusing.

After the order was recorded, Xie Chengrui handed it over to the ordering staff officer for delivery.

"The terrain between Licheng and Xiangyuan is somewhat open, so it may not be easy to hide. Japanese aircraft have been flying overhead these days. Is it too dangerous for the Second Brigade and the Artillery Regiment to move forward?" Xie Chengrui said with some worry.

The Artillery Regiment and the Second Brigade are the treasures of the One Division. It would be a pity if they were bombed by Japanese planes before the war started.

"Simple!" Jiangdong seemed to have been prepared.

"Aren't all the Xiaojiizi mountain artillery and cannons captured previously in the first brigade? Gather them together to form a temporary artillery regiment, and follow the first brigade, first regiment and second regiment to act together and make it look like the main attack on Xiangyuan."

Xie Chengrui's eyes lit up,

"This is a good move!

The Japanese reconnaissance planes have been dispatched very frequently these days, and I suspect that our information may have been leaked. Since they want to find it, let them take a look and save the fuel cost of flying here and there..."
Chapter completed!