Chapter 1011
Loyal Zhang Anping: The Wind Rises in Zhangjiakou
The annihilation of Huang Yi's army group had a significant impact on the North China Suppression Headquarters.
The balance of power in the Xuzhou-Bengbu battlefield was directly reversed after this battle. The advantage that I had before has become a thing of the past. Before, the advantage was mine, and Huang's First Corps was wiped out right under my nose. Now that the balance of power is balanced, do I still have an advantage?
The most crucial force was the Xuzhou army.
After the Battle of Nianzhuangwei ends, the People's Liberation Army will inevitably target Xuzhou. Although Huang Er Corps has come from afar, if another battle of blocking and encirclement is staged, can the Xuzhou Corps really withstand it?
The Xuzhou army will definitely withdraw—but I'm afraid even that withdrawal won't go smoothly!
If the Xuzhou army fails to withdraw smoothly and suffers heavy losses before retreating along the Yangtze River defense line, the People's Liberation Army will be able to free up its forces.
At that time, North China will not only face the Northeast Field Army and the North China Corps, but also the large army that has wiped out Huang Yi Corps and defeated Xuzhou Corps.
The mere thought of this scene sent chills down the spines of all the generals in the conference room.
At least four against one – in the past, the Nationalist army did not gain any advantage in a four-on-one fight and even suffered heavy losses. Now that they are being attacked by four against one, what's the point of fighting?
I might as well just wash up and go to bed.
Therefore, retreating south is a must!
However, retreating south involved covering the rear and blocking the enemy—which brought us back to the previous predicament:
Who will go to their death?
Zhang Anping could lead the special agents to cover the rear, but besides Zhang Anping, who else could go, and who else would be willing to go?
For a moment, countless thoughts were brewing in the conference room, but no one could think of any way to break the deadlock.
In short: People are too self-serving, and no one is willing to sacrifice for the greater good!
At this moment, Fu Huabei was also extremely anxious.
Leaving is the clearest option, but the same question remains:
Who can stop the enemy?
To successfully block the enemy, tens of thousands of troops would be insufficient; at least hundreds of thousands, or even half the strength of North China, would be needed to achieve the desired effect.
No, it must be at least half of the people, at least half of the North China Corps' forces.
Only with such a large investment can we hope to successfully stop the enemy.
The chances of these blocking troops withdrawing by then are extremely low.
He couldn't possibly send his Suiyuan Army to intercept them, but the Central Army was even less likely to do so—even if he forced them to do so at gunpoint, the Central Army would definitely lose their position and run away.
Even if there was only a 50% chance that the Central Army would lose its position and run away, Fu Huabei wouldn't dare to gamble!
So, we're back to the deadlock—to go or to stay?
Fu Huabei sighed, utterly exhausted. This position as the highest military and political leader in North China was truly a hot potato.
They're trying to lure me in like a carrot dangling in front of me by the military and political leader of Southeast China, but I'm not going to fall for it!
"Deputy Director Zhang—" He took a deep breath and then called on Zhang Anping again:
"What's the situation with the Communist army in Northeast China? When do you predict they'll enter the pass?"
This was the issue that Fu Huabei was most concerned about, and not only him, but the entire North China Suppression Headquarters and even the Nationalist government were extremely concerned about this issue.
His question was not driven by any ulterior motives, unlike his previous "selection of generals"; it was purely out of trust in Zhang Anping's abilities as the head of the secret service.
"There is currently no evidence to suggest that the rest period from March to June was a strategic deception—" Zhang Anping paused, "I will closely monitor the movements of the Communist forces in Northeast China. However, the intelligence system was in disarray when it withdrew from Northeast China, leaving insufficient informants, and the hidden infiltration teams were severely damaged, so there may be shortcomings in intelligence gathering..."
An army general, annoyed by Zhang Anping's rambling, interrupted him: "Deputy Director Zhang, the Communist army in the Northeast has hundreds of thousands of troops. If they really enter the pass, even if your Bureau of Investigation and Statistics is blind, you shouldn't be completely oblivious to the slightest movement, right?"
Zhang Anping had no choice but to say firmly, "I can see it!"
In fact, Zhang Anping laid a huge trap here—first of all, he had already mentioned the possibility of "strategic deception," but later changed his mind entirely because of the matter of the aid-to-Xuzhou Corps.
However, one must be responsible for one's words. Therefore, after Fu Huabei asked the question, Zhang Anping first left himself ample room by saying "there is no evidence," and then emphasized the difficulties, which can be regarded as leaving a reasonable explanation for the future.
Finally, due to the "retort" from the Sui army general, he replied decisively that it was actually the same as digging a pit.
In fact, at this time, there was an extremely "outrageous" fact on the North China battlefield - the vanguard of our Northeast Field Army had secretly entered North China!
Meanwhile, the Northeast Field Army had already secretly marched towards North China!
Zhang Anping knew this, but not through Sister Qian, but through historical common sense from later generations.
But his resolute answer created a misconception for Fu Huabei and everyone in the conference room:
With Zhang Anping in charge of the entire intelligence system in North China, the Northeast Field Army would inevitably have relevant intelligence once it entered the pass!
This, in turn, led them to a flawed judgment:
There's still time!
But do we really have the time?
Huang Yi Corps has now been completely annihilated in Nianzhuangwei. For our army, the biggest fear now is that the "fat meat" of North China will escape!
Combining this with his existing historical knowledge, Zhang Anping could confirm:
If the Nationalist troops in North China were to flee immediately, and then trust each other and sacrifice for one another, it is estimated that about half of their forces could escape. However, they could postpone their escape for a few more days...
There was simply no time left.
As it turned out, Zhang Anping's judgment was absolutely correct. Faced with his answer and subsequent resolute decision, Fu Huabei, after a moment's thought, decided to have the Sui Army land and continue to discuss the "southward retreat" plan with the Central Army generals.
The goal is simple:
This allowed the Sui army generals to recognize the true nature of the Central Army during the discussions, completely dispelling their thoughts of retreating south.
In this way, if Dongye really wants to enter the pass, there will not be much resistance if he leads the Sui Army to retreat westward.
Everyone at the meeting was shrewd and they understood Fu Huabei's intentions perfectly well.
Just because they can see things clearly doesn't mean they can break the deadlock!
The key to breaking the deadlock is actually quite simple: abandon the prejudices between the central army and local warlords, and make arrangements according to the most reasonable and ideal situation. Which troops should be used to block the enemy should be determined according to the most reasonable considerations!
But who would be willing?
Nobody wants to!
Why should I sacrifice myself to benefit you?
Why should the Central Army be sacrificed to protect the Sui Army?
Why should we, the Suiyuan Army, be sacrificed to protect the Central Army?
These three "whys" have created an unsolvable knot. With this knot in place, let alone two months, even two years, we will not get a truly useful result.
……
Following this military conference, the North China Suppression Headquarters unsurprisingly entered a state of wrangling and bickering. Under the so-called general policy of retreating south, the generals of the Suiyuan Army and the Central Army argued fiercely, and several times they almost came to blows.
Zhang Anping did not participate in the commotion, but he demonstrated his loyalty to the Party and the state through his actions:
He began to integrate the Pacification Corps, the Gendarmerie Regiment, and various armed forces within the intelligence system, and issued an instruction that moved even the garrison in Beiping:
Once the retreat to the south begins, the special agents will be active throughout the entire retreat battlefield, using methods such as raids and mine laying to buy as much time as possible for the retreating army. Zhang Anping, along with the special agents, will become the last Nationalist army force to withdraw during the retreat.
These words were originally spoken in private, but the generals of the Central Army were at that moment arguing with the generals of the Sui Army about blocking the retreat to the south. After hearing Zhang Anping's "high-profile" remarks, their eyes lit up and a plan immediately came to mind.
Several reporters interviewed the secret service team—the reporters originally wanted to interview Zhang Anping directly, but the generals of the Central Army rejected the interview. They knew that, given Zhang Anping's personality, it was impossible for him to allow such things to be reported.
He cares too much about the face of the Party and the country...
So they directly interviewed the secret service and, through indirect narration, "got" Zhang Anping's words, and then began a large-scale propaganda campaign.
The reason for doing this is simple:
With the deputy director of the Central Military Bureau personally leading troops to cover the rear, how dare you, the Suiyuan Army, say that our Central Military Bureau is unwilling to send troops to fight a blocking attack?
Just as the promotional campaign was launching, devastating news arrived:
On the night of the 24th, Huang Erbing Corps was suspected of being trapped;
On the 25th, it was confirmed that Huang Erbing Corps was trapped in Shuangduiji!
Although the news was kept secret from ordinary people, the generals of the suppression headquarters all knew about it.
Holy crap, the Second Corps of Huang, who was supposed to rescue the First Corps of Huang, is now trapped too?
Huang Yi Corps was very close to Xuzhou, but it turned out that the entire Huang Yi Corps was wiped out. The Xuzhou East Reinforcement Corps, which was also very close, failed to even reach the edge of Nianzhuangwei. Huang Er Corps is even further away from Xuzhou, and it seems that reinforcements will not be able to arrive!
No, the Communist army is best at besieging and attacking reinforcements. Even when the main force was encircling and annihilating Huang Yi Corps, it was able to free up resources to set up an ambush for Huang Er Corps. Now that Huang Yi Corps is finished, the balance of power has shifted. The Communist army will definitely set up an ambush from Xuzhou to Shuangduiji. If Xuzhou dares to send troops to rescue, they will inevitably fall into the ambush!
The wisest course of action would be for Huang Er Corps to break out on its own and for Xuzhou Corps to immediately retreat, so as to avoid losing both its front and rear in the end.
In other words... Huang's Second Army Corps is finished too?
The North China Suppression Headquarters gasped in shock. How could Xuzhou be such a strange place? The Shuanghuang Corps, the most elite American-equipped troops of the Party and the State, was destined to suffer defeats in a short period of time.
This made the North China Suppression Headquarters even more panicked.
Previously, their propaganda plan was small-scale, using the "resolute" stance of the special agents to slap the Sui Army in the face, forcing them to compromise and choose to cover the retreat. But now, with Huang's Second Army Corps trapped and the Xuzhou-Bengbu campaign clearly dead end, it's necessary to morally blackmail the Sui Army—although the most rational approach would be for both the Central Army and the Sui Army of the North China Suppression Headquarters to compromise, with each side contributing half of their forces to the resistance.
But how is that possible?
How can the mighty Central Army be compared to the Sui Army?
The only way to gain an advantage is to increase propaganda efforts and use public opinion, morality, and other means to coerce the Sui army into compromise—and then use them as cannon fodder to cover the Central Army's retreat to the south.
Therefore, starting from the 26th, newspapers in North China and even throughout the country (the Kuomintang-controlled areas) began to publish Zhang Anping's "instructions" on a large scale.
While Zhang Anping's selfless act was widely praised, the Nationalist government found itself in a serious predicament.
The reason is simple: when people see Zhang Anping's selfless inspection, they have to find out why, right?
This investigation immediately revealed the reason:
So they're abandoning North China and running away?
This caused an uproar among the people—all the newspapers were reporting that millions of Communist troops had been annihilated, but the Northeast had been lost, and now even North China was not safe.
How did you fight this war? How could you treat us ordinary people like fools?
The underground party naturally seized the opportunity and began large-scale propaganda about the current war situation:
In Huaihai, Huang Yi Corps was finished, Huang Er Corps was trapped, and Xuzhou Corps became a sitting duck.
In North China, Fu Huabei has already decided to flee, and the North China Suppression Headquarters is currently arguing fiercely about who should cover the rear.
When people looked at the map at that moment, they were dumbfounded.
So, the northern half of the Kuomintang's territory is doomed!
Two years ago, the Nationalist government brazenly tore up the Double Tenth Agreement and launched a civil war—how could it be that in just two years, half of the northern country is about to be lost?
What exactly is the Party-State doing?!
Public sentiment was surging, and the Nationalist government, already reeling from repeated shocks, was exasperated—had Zhang Anping lost his mind? At this critical moment, why was he resorting to such propaganda tactics? Was he afraid of not completely losing face for the Party and the nation?
"No! Anping isn't that kind of person! He prefers to keep a low profile and has always valued the reputation of the Party and the country. He would never expose something like this!"
At the crucial moment, the section chief stood up for Zhang Anping and subsequently ordered an investigation, which quickly reached a conclusion:
It wasn't Zhang Anping who did it—Zhang Anping was busy reorganizing his troops and covering the retreat to the south, so he had no time to deal with these things. The propaganda stunts were actually orchestrated by the Central Army of the North China Suppression Headquarters.
They wanted to "kidnap" the Sui army!
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Upon learning the truth, the chief attendant was furious. Well, none of them cared about the face of the Party and the State, or about the face of "serving someone"!
In order to shift the blame, the secret service system in Beiping rubbed the face of the Party and the State into the ground and threw it into the latrine;
In order to morally blackmail the Suiyuan Army, the Central Army generals in Beiping exposed the true colors of the Party and the State for all to see!
What utter nonsense is this?!
Despite his anger, the chief aide-de-camp secretly agreed with the Central Army's actions—how could my Central Army sacrifice itself to cover the retreat of the Sui Army?
He had no choice but to pretend he didn't see it and let public opinion fester.
So, faced with such overwhelming public opinion, how should the Sui Army generals choose?
The Sui army commanders chose to...ignore it!
Don't think you can use moral blackmail to bind us—are you kidding me? We are the Sui Army, the Sui Army that no one cares about, the warlords you talk about!
A warlord is someone who has soldiers and guns. If we're worried about being morally coerced, what kind of warlords are we?
But they ultimately made concessions:
We can cover the rear, but apart from Zhang Anping's troops, your Central Army must send an equal number of troops to block us—at that time, the blocking line must be intertwined, otherwise, don't even think about mentioning this southward retreat plan!
But how could the Central Army possibly agree to that?
The deadlock remains unresolved, standing between the two major military forces of the North China Suppression Headquarters!
……
Zhang Anping was very busy, busy organizing his troops for ambush operations, busy arranging his infiltration plans—in short, he was busy with...
Extremely busy.
But is he really that busy?
In the office, Zhang Anping gave the order:
"Dispose of the thirty corpses outside."
Yes, the deterrent period is over, and no one in the intelligence system dares to cause trouble now.
But was he really only interested in disposing of the corpses?
Of course not, because Zhang Anping had already received a telegram of commendation from Nanjing—the telegram commended his behavior of not caring about personal gains or losses for the sake of the party and the country, but Zhang Anping keenly sensed the cause and effect behind the telegram.
Actually, it was I who secretly pushed forward the publicity campaign.
Zhang Anping put away the telegram with "great embarrassment," thinking to himself that with his current reputation, it was time to report the "Hidden Edge" plan.
While pondering, he took out the Hidden Edge Plan, which he had prepared beforehand, from the safe and reviewed it one last time. After confirming that nothing was missing, he said to Zheng Yi, who had just entered:
"Go and notify the airport to prepare the plane; I need to fly to Nanjing."
"Yes!"
Although Zheng Yi was puzzled as to why Zhang Anping, who was "extremely busy" at this time, was going to Nanjing, he immediately notified the airport.
Just as she was packing Zhang Anping's luggage, a phone call interrupted Zhang Anping's schedule:
The General Headquarters for the Suppression of Bandits sent a telegram ordering Zhang Anping to immediately go to the General Headquarters for a meeting.
After reporting, Zheng Yi asked with a puzzled look, "District Chief, has something happened at the Suppression Headquarters?"
At this moment, Zhang Anping's expression was quite strange. He handed the telegram that had just been delivered by the Confidential Office to Zheng Yi:
"News has just come in: Zhangjiakou... has been attacked!"
Previously, the North China Suppression Headquarters and the Nanjing government reached a compromise. The four corps under the North China Suppression Headquarters were deployed in a long, straight line formation, with about 550,000 troops forming a long line stretching 500 kilometers from east to west.
The smuggling network, consisting of Tangshan, Tanggu, and Tianjin, served to prevent the Northeast Field Army from entering the pass and to ensure unimpeded access to the sea.
The snake's belly is Beiping and its surrounding areas—this is the core hub, where countless troops are stationed, ready to support the snake's head and tail at any time;
The snake's tail area encompasses Zhangjiakou, Xuanhua, and Huailai—this area ensures the safety of the westward retreat route, and if necessary, the Sui army can retreat to Suiyuan from here.
To put it simply, this is a long, narrow defensive line stretching from Tangshan in the east to Zhangjiakou in the west, which can be used to:
The Central Army withdrew south and the Sui Army withdrew west, without interfering with each other.
This is also the source of Fu Huabei's confidence in letting the Sui Army and the Central Army wrangle over the so-called "southern retreat".
Now, our army is attacking Zhangjiakou. Is this a way to beat the snake's tail?
After listening, Zheng Yi considered for a moment and then said, "Since the Northeast Field Army hasn't entered the pass yet, their attack on Zhangjiakou now must be to support the Xuzhou-Bengbu battlefield, right?"
She said this entirely because of Zhang Anping's extremely strange expression at this moment—judging from the current battle situation, besieging Zhangjiakou is clearly for this purpose, so why does the Commander have such a strange expression?
Zhang Anping smiled slightly after hearing this:
"Yes, the sudden attack on Zhangjiakou at this time is definitely to support the Huaihai battlefield..."
"It's for support..."
His words were meaningful, but his eyes were full of undisguised light.
Was Zheng Yi's judgment correct?
Absolutely right!
Because Zheng Yi's judgment represents the vast majority of people.
This includes Fu Huabei. (End of Chapter)