Chapter 1016
: Encirclement and Reinforcements: Tens of Thousands Wasted in a Week!
When the 35th Army was confirmed to be trapped in Xinbao'an, Zhang Anping finally "found" the true intelligence from Miyun. Then, by sheer coincidence, this intelligence was sent to the General Headquarters along with the telegram about the 35th Army's predicament.
"The Communist forces in Miyun numbered only over 50,000, consisting of the 11th Column of the Northeast Communist Army plus some troops from Shanxi, Rehe, and Chahar!"
Zhang Anping, with a dark expression, placed the intelligence he had gathered on the table.
Actually, it doesn't matter whether this intelligence comes or not, because three days have passed since Miyun fell. If Miyun really is the main force of the Northeast Field Army, how could they not take the opportunity to continue their advance to attack Beiping?
The fact that the People's Liberation Army in the Miyun direction did not advance towards Beiping already speaks volumes.
Just then, a telegram arrived from the 35th Army!
"What?! The new security guard is trapped?!"
The meeting room was filled with shock, but Zhang Anping, with a dark face, said:
"Blocking the point and attacking reinforcements is a tried and true method."
Some glanced at Zhang Anping but remained silent.
They all knew that Zhang Anping harbored resentment—when Zhangjiakou was attacked, Zhang Anping believed it was a sign that the Northeast Field Army was about to enter the pass. Although he didn't explicitly say what to do, his implication was clear:
Don't be careless, deploy a large force immediately!
The results of it?
The 35th Army marched past with a thud.
Subsequently, Miyun was attacked. Zhang Anping insisted that the Northeast Field Army could not possibly enter the pass at present and that there was no need to take any emergency measures.
But what about the results?
Not only did they drastically reduce their troop strength, they also recalled the 35th Army, which was stationed in Zhangjiakou.
Now look what's happened, the 35th Army is completely trapped!
This means that Zhang Anping's two judgments were both correct, but his final decision went against his judgments.
However, at this point, many people remembered something:
During the War of Resistance against Japan in Shanghai, some people repeatedly pulled off incredible feats right under the noses of the Japanese—
First, the defected puppet troops marched thousands of miles back to the Nationalist-controlled area. Then, there was the uprising in the concessions when the Pearl Harbor attack broke out. The former fought for thousands of miles, and a group of defected puppet troops turned into veterans of many battles. The latter fought for three thousand miles, almost covering the entire Jiangsu and Zhejiang region. Finally, under the heavy "escort" of the Japanese, they returned to the Nationalist-controlled area!
In addition, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Loyal Salvation Army and the Special Operation Army were always active behind enemy lines under the remote control of this person!
Thinking of these things, the group of officers present couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment. They always thought that this guy was a spy and didn't know anything about fighting, but they forgot that he had commanded just as many battles as they had!
Looking at Zhang Anping now, everyone felt that it was normal for him to harbor resentment and dare to express it now.
In fact, Fu Huabei regretted it at this point—although his previous subordinates' methods seemed like the safest approach.
As the head of the North China Suppression Headquarters, he couldn't afford to make mistakes, much less admit them!
So he gave Zhang Anping a warning look, signaling him to stop complaining, or else...
Then Fu Huabei asked:
"What should our army do now?"
The first reaction of the attending generals was to look at Zhang Anping, because in previous military meetings, Zhang Anping would always follow up with his statement after Fu Huabei finished speaking, but this time Zhang Anping remained silent.
Seeing a group of generals focusing their attention on Zhang Anping, Fu Huabei's lips twitched, and he said in a displeased voice:
"Deputy Director Zhang, you go first!"
When asked, Zhang Anping did speak, but Fu Huabei would have preferred that Zhang Anping hadn't spoken at all!
Because Zhang Anping said:
"Hold Beiping and retreat south immediately!"
Simply put, Zhang Anping's idea was... to use Beiping as a defensive line to block the enemy, and then immediately begin a southward retreat from Tianjin and Tangshan.
But isn't this a slap in the face to Fu Huabei?
To be honest, Zhang Anping's statement was very... very "divine". It is generally acknowledged that North China is indefensible, and it is also a fact.
Now that the vanguard of the Northeast Field Army has appeared, the Northeast Field Army's appearance is certainly not far off, so withdrawal is necessary.
Can Fu Huabei consider withdrawing now?
He can't!
Sun's troops in Zhangjiakou number 60,000, and the 35th Army in Xinbao'an is his own son—these two combined make up one-third of Fu Huabei's direct forces. How can you expect him to ignore them?
How can it be!
Just like the Huaihai battlefield where my heart is, was Commander Du's suggestion wrong?
That's right!
Even though the Xuzhou Corps fled, he was able to leave behind a corps with considerable fighting strength, and that's exactly what he did, and he basically succeeded.
But the chief attendant cannot abandon Huang Er's army!
So the only option is to airdrop a warrant – take a gamble!
Fu Huabei is in the same situation now:
Retreating south now is indeed the best option, but if we retreat now, we'll be leaving the central government behind. A third of his loyal followers are already trapped. If the ensuing resistance is fierce, and all his resources are depleted, even if the retreat to the south is successful, how many saplings will he have left?
He is now the King of North China. If he only has tens of thousands of men left, it won't be a question of whether he is a king or not, but... Han Fuqu!
"That's ridiculous. Are we talking about retreating south now? Are we going to abandon the hundreds of thousands of troops at the front?"
Fu Huabei flew into a rage: "Besides, the Northeast Communist army has not yet been seen. If we don't even save our hundreds of thousands of brothers, how can I face the elders of Suiyuan and Chahar in the future?"
"With friendly forces not yet rescued, who dares to suggest retreating?"
"They shall all be punished for undermining morale!"
Fu Huabei's angry warning silenced Zhang Anping, but the eyes of the Central Army generals in the conference room all flickered at this moment.
Zhang Anping is right. It's still not too late to retreat south now. If we wait until the Northeast Field Army enters the pass, then retreating will be absolutely impossible!
But Fu Huabei's warning was no joke. Fu Huabei tolerated Zhang Anping's complaints, but now that Fu Huabei had issued the warning, any further "crime" against the wind might really be a sacrifice.
"The most urgent task now is to rescue the 35th Army from Xinbaoan—once the 35th Army is rescued, we can take the opportunity to support Sun's troops in Zhangjiakou."
"The 104th Army, immediately advance westward from Huailai to support the 35th Army, then go to Zhangjiakou and bring back all of Sun's troops!"
"The 16th Army shall be deployed along the Kangzhuang, Nankou and Changping line to secure the rear of the 104th Army, the 35th Army and Sun's troops!"
The 104th Army belonged to the Sui Army, while the 16th Army was commanded by Yuan, Zhang Anping's "elder," and was a proper Central Army. Sending these two armies to rescue the 35th Army was a result of his painstaking efforts—if the Central Army were to go alone, and they were to put on a show or give up when they encountered resistance, it would be a waste of effort.
If he only sends the Sui Army, and something goes wrong, he will have even fewer loyal troops at his disposal.
Therefore, this combination was formed:
The 104th Army was sent to provide relief, while the 16th Army ensured the rescue route to prevent being outflanked and thus avoiding the same fate as the Huangyi and Huanger Corps and the Xuzhou Corps.
Commander Yuan looked very unhappy. The Northeast Field Army's advance corps was right next to him. At this point, he either had to hold Kangzhuang or retreat to Beiping. Instead, you asked me to deploy along the Kangzhuang line to secure the rear of the 35th Army, the 104th Army, and the 11th Corps.
God knows how long it will take to rescue the 35th Army and Sun's troops—what if I get surrounded by the Communist army if it takes too long?
In short: Commander Yuan thought that rescuing the 35th Army was still manageable, but if he continued to advance westward to rescue Sun's troops in Zhangjiakou, his 16th Army might be wiped out, and the 104th Army, the 35th Army, and Sun's troops would also be doomed!
The Huang First Corps in Nianzhuangwei, the Huang Second Corps in Shuangduiji, and the Xuzhou Corps in Chenguanzhuang—these are all ready examples; can't you see them?
The 104th Army was the direct line of the Sui Army, and naturally would not disobey Fu Huabei's orders. Although they were unwilling, Commander An had to stand up and obey, while Commander Yuan remained motionless and did not respond at all.
Upon seeing this, Li and Shi immediately chimed in:
"Commander Fu, the advance corps of the Northeast Communist Army has arrived, which means that the main force of the Northeast Communist Army is not far away. Sending troops out at this time may not be appropriate!"
"That's definitely not a good idea! If the 104th and 16th Armies are encircled by the Communist army again, how will our army... cope?"
Seeing Li and Shi working in concert, Fu Huabei clenched his fists in anger. However, if Li and Shi resolutely opposed mobilizing the Central Army, it wouldn't work. He could only feign calmness and ask in return:
"Then what do you two think we should do?"
“Zhangjiakou has a complete fortification complex, and the 35th Army has already helped Zhangjiakou repel the Communist army’s encirclement and general offensive. The Communist army probably won’t be able to conquer it in the short term. Why don’t we rescue the 35th Army in Xinbao’an first, and then we can seize the opportunity to rescue Sun’s troops? What do you think, Commander Fu?”
"Commander Fu, you cannot ignore the examples of Shuangduiji and Chenguanzhuang!"
Fu Huabei was seething with hatred. His so-called "waiting for an opportunity" was nothing more than abandoning Sun Bu!
Because the next step must be to shrink the defense line, using Beiping as a shield while retreating south, where will we find the opportunity to act then?
However, Li and Shi's arguments were not without merit. If he insisted on going his own way, Li and Shi would definitely refuse to send troops, and then the Sui Army would have to save the 35th Army on its own—once something went wrong, the Sui Army's backbone would be broken.
After giving Li and Shi a deep look, Fu Huabei said, word by word:
"Alright! Let's rescue the 35th Army first! Sun's troops will hold Zhangjiakou for now!"
Only then did Commander Yuan stand up and accept the order: "Yes, sir!"
The 104th Army is heading west from Huailai, not too far from Xinbao'an. It would only take a few days to meet them and withdraw. The 16th Army, being a legitimate Central Army, should be able to hold the Kangzhuang line for a few days, even against the advance corps of the Northeast Field Army.
At this time, Fu Huabei still had a large number of troops at his disposal—nearly 60 Nationalist troops in North China. How could he, the head of the North China Suppression Headquarters, be short of troops?
But the problem is the "retreat to the south"!
A large number of Central Army troops were stationed along the Tianjin-Tanggu line, ready to retreat south.
Especially that damned Zhang Anping, who just said "hold Beiping and retreat south immediately." If a large number of central troops were to be mobilized at this time, Li Shi and his men would never agree to it!
Now, all he's asked is for the 16th Army to hold Kangzhuang for a little longer, and the two of them are opposing it in unison, forcing him to abandon Sun's 11th Army Corps. Under such circumstances, how could the large number of troops of the Central Army possibly be mobilized according to his orders?
In fact, Zhang Anping, who was observing from the sidelines, saw things most clearly at this moment:
Fu Huabei had already prepared to abandon the 11th Army Corps – his hasty transfer of the 35th Army from Zhangjiakou was essentially an abandonment, so abandoning the 11th Army Corps again wouldn't put too much pressure on him.
The reason for abandoning the 11th Army Corps was nominally because the Central Army was difficult to mobilize.
And this is precisely the biggest problem facing the Nationalist army in North China right now:
The Central Army was unwilling to fight and only wanted to retreat south. Although the Sui Army had the possibility of retreating west, the cost of retreating west would be too high given the loss of Miyun. Therefore, the only option was to retreat south. However, Fu Huabei was reluctant to abandon the core 35th Army, so he had to save the 35th Army first.
Therefore, the strategy of the North China Suppression Headquarters is now very clear:
They rescued the 35th Army, then used Beiping as a barrier to organize a defensive line before retreating south.
This "scene" made Zhang Anping want to laugh. Even if the 35th Army was saved, could the Beiping defense line really be held up given the conflict between the Sui Army and the Central Army?
Moreover, how could our army possibly allow them to set up the Beiping defense line and retreat south with peace of mind?
……
The 35th Army must be saved!
This was not something Fu Huabei could discuss.
But our army has a deep understanding of this!
Therefore, the 35th Army was trapped in Xinbao'an.
Just as the North China Suppression Headquarters dispatched the 104th Army to rescue the 35th Army, our army made its move!
The Dongye advance force suddenly penetrated and cut off the transportation route from Kangzhuang to Huailai, where the 16th Army was stationed, and at the same time cut off the transportation route from Kangzhuang to Nankou.
Commander Yuan, who rushed to the Kangzhuang military headquarters under the cover of darkness, was completely stunned after receiving the intelligence.
Oh no, they're targeting me first?
The 16th Army's current defense zone is the Changping, Kangzhuang, and Nankou area. As a result, the Northeast Field Army's advance corps, wearing dog-skin hats, cut off the transportation from Kangzhuang to Huailai and from Kangzhuang to Nankou—they are trying to encircle and annihilate us!
The 35th Army next door is still trapped in Xinbao'an, and now they want to surround me?
The Northeast Field Army's advance corps is just a single column, while my 16th Army is a fully-equipped force. I refuse to believe you can surround and trap me!
Without saying a word, Commander Yuan ordered the entire army to break out of the encirclement. As for holding the defensive zone and expanding the defensive line to cover the rear of the 104th and 35th Armies, he said, "We'll talk about that after I break out."
Commander Yuan thought that the Northeast Field Army's vanguard force consisted of only one column, and it wouldn't be easy for them to encircle his entire army. But once the breakout battle began, Commander Yuan realized that something was wrong.
How can a single column have such fierce firepower?
How can there be so many troops?!
As the fighting continued, he finally realized that what he meant by "one column" was clearly two columns!
Commander Yuan's face turned pale. How could these two columns compare to one?
What have I done to deserve this?!
But the breakout has already begun, and there's no turning back now.
The 16th Army had one division and two regiments in Kangzhuang, and two other under-strength divisions in Changping and Nankou. The three divisions broke out together and retreated to Beiping in three routes.
However, the breakout process was filled with "bitterness". When they realized that the vanguard was composed of two columns, the breakout battle was filled with despair.
First, the central route (Kangzhuang breakout force) was blocked from breaking out, then the left route was cut off, and the right route suffered the worst, with only one regiment on the right flank encountering a division and being wiped out.
After finally breaking through the encirclement, they were then subjected to a night raid, encirclement, and relentless pursuit by the advance corps.
After a day and a night of breakout, Commander Yuan of the central route finally led his men in disguise and escaped to Beiping via the mountain road. Only a few hundred men from the left and right routes managed to escape as well. In the end, the 16th Army had about 15,000 men in the Kangzhuang area, but only a few thousand managed to escape.
When the 16th Army was surrounded, the 104th Army was actually just a hair's breadth away from successfully rescuing the 35th Army!
4 km!
Just 4 kilometers away!
At this time, the 104th Army was only four kilometers away from the 35th Army, which was making a desperate breakout—but these four kilometers seemed like an insurmountable chasm, which they could never cross.
The 104th Army was determined to fight tooth and nail to join forces with the 35th Army the next day, and then retreat back to Beiping with the cover of the 16th Army on its flank.
But fate had other plans, and devastating news arrived that night:
The 16th Army is surrounded!
The sky is falling!
This news was undoubtedly a devastating blow to the 104th Army—I was hoping to rescue the 35th Army and then retreat back to Beiping with the 16th Army providing cover on the flank, but instead, the 16th Army on the flank was surrounded.
This means that the Northeast Field Army's advance corps could launch an attack on the 104th Army's flank at any time.
What should I do then?
The 104th Army immediately began discussions and finally reached a consensus:
Forget about the 35th Army; we're not even sure if we can get back to Beiping now!
"Then let's retreat!"
"We must retreat to Beiping, even if it costs us our lives!"
The 104th Army made a decision and began its withdrawal to Beiping on the afternoon of the 10th.
With its flank exposed and vulnerable to heavy attacks from the advance force of the Northeast Field Army at any moment, the 104th Army made a risky decision:
Let's walk the mountain path!
The main road was different, and they would be heavily attacked by the Northeast Field Army's vanguard troops wearing dog-skin hats. In addition, the entire 104th Army had developed a phobia of dog-skin hats, so they had no choice but to take the mountain road.
Moreover, in order to escape to Beiping as quickly as possible, the 104th Army was in such a hurry that it did not care about protecting its flanks. It left a regiment to cover the rear, sent a division to clear the way and occupy the mountain pass, and the main force followed closely behind. It was a complete escape formation.
How can you watch a duck that's already in your mouth fly away?
Our troops immediately launched a pursuit.
In view of the 104th Army's escape formation, our army launched a front-blocking and rear-pursuit operation—keeping a close watch on the rear guard and blocking the front pass, determined to capture the entire 104th Army!
The vast majority of battles take place at night, and our army excels at night fighting.
Compared to the 16th Army's encirclement and annihilation at Kangzhuang, the battle to wipe out the 104th Army in the mountains was actually simpler, since the route chosen by the 104th Army was almost a dead end from the very beginning.
The battle lasted from night until noon on the 11th. The 104th Army was completely wiped out. Commander An was not as lucky as Commander Yuan; he was discovered while trying to escape in disguise...
In just three days—or rather, two days to be precise.
In just two days, both armies were destroyed.
Add to that the 11th Army Corps abandoned in Zhangjiakou, the 35th Army trapped in Xinbao'an which was almost rescued but was ultimately trapped, and a part of the 13th Army that was lost in the Battle of Miyun. In just one week, the North China Suppression Headquarters lost the equivalent of more than 100,000 troops!
The key point is that the main force of the Northeast Field Army hasn't even entered the pass yet!
The entire General Headquarters was in an uproar.
……
Fu Huabei fell into a state of existential doubt.
What he feared was the main force of the Northeast Field Army entering the pass, believing that once the main force of the Northeast Field Army entered the pass, the Nationalist army in North China would definitely not be able to defeat them.
The problem is that the main force of the Northeast Field Army has not yet entered the pass; only an advance corps has arrived. This advance corps, in cooperation with the People's Liberation Army in North China, managed to cripple his hundreds of thousands of troops in just one week.
How can we fight this war?
Therefore, another military affairs conference was convened.
There is only one theme:
What's the next move?
But Fu Huabei felt something was off at this military meeting, especially after he brought up the topic; he sensed something was wrong with the atmosphere.
After searching around, he realized the problem—Zhang Anping, the little guy who "didn't know anything about fighting," was nowhere to be found!
No wonder the atmosphere was off...
"What about others?"
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone knew who "he" referred to.
Commander Li gave a wink to a general in the Central Army, who had no choice but to step forward and answer:
"Director Zhang has gone to arrange the undercover work."
The entire conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Finished!
Done! !
The generals attending the meeting had only one thought:
Zhang Anping, who had been anticipating everything all along, has now completely given up the struggle and has even started making arrangements for his infiltration... What's the point of defending Beiping then!
Fu Huabei was also stunned. He had originally planned to discuss with the Central Army how to rescue the 35th Army...
That's right, he still wants to save his own son, but given the current situation, let alone saving his own son, he probably can't even mobilize these generals from the Central Army!
But he was still unwilling to give up—the 35th Army, a mechanized mobile army, the culmination of hard work and investment, the Sui Army's own son, he really couldn't bear to give it up.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was met with fierce opposition from Li and Shi.
What a joke! In order to save the 35th Army, we lost the main force of the 16th Army under Yuan's command. How could the Central Army possibly send troops to rescue us now?
If you want to save them, then your Sui Army should go and deliver your own heads!
The Sui army generals all bowed their heads:
You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me...
There's no saving it, absolutely no saving it. The 35th Army was sacrificed for Zhangjiakou, and the 104th and 16th Armies were sacrificed for the 35th Army. We can't sacrifice any more, we really can't sacrifice any more...
This scene made Fu Huabei both angry and annoyed.
He cleared his throat in exasperation:
"The 35th Army will not provide reinforcements for the time being—since the Northeast Field Army and the Communist forces are about to enter the pass, it seems our army has no choice but to retreat south!"
"Gentlemen, how should we construct the defense line for Beiping?!"
This question undoubtedly brings us back to the previous deadlock:
How to intercept them!
Li and Shi spoke one after the other:
"Commander Fu, let's use the existing troops to build a defensive line in Beiping!"
"Yes, we must act quickly and not waste any time!"
It is important to understand that the main force of the Central Army is in Tianjin and Tangshan. Although there are also Central Army troops in Beiping, they are not many.
So, to put it bluntly, what Li and Shi said was that the Suiyuan Army would take the lead, and the Central Army... should run away first!
then……
The Sui army generals all turned pale, and one of them immediately retorted:
"No! We should bring in troops from Tianjin and Tanggu to help build a defensive line!"
"Are you kidding me? Bring them all over here, who's going to evacuate?"
The Sui Army commander slammed his fist on the table: "We can't send the entire Sui Army up here! That's not fair!"
In an instant, the conference room became as noisy as a vegetable market.
The Central Army insisted on withdrawing first, while the Sui Army was allowed to withdraw south, but the Central Army was responsible for covering the rear—the knot was knot because it could not be untied!
Listening to the noise in the conference room, Fu Huabei's face was ashen, but his thoughts had already drifted back to Suiyuan.
It seems that retreating westward is the only option!
Retreating south is a dead end, and under such constraints, who knows when we can leave? The most crucial point is that he simply doesn't want to retreat south!
There is still a chance to retreat westward, and we can also relieve the 35th Army and the 11th Army Corps in Zhangjiakou along the way. The only doubt is how many battles will be fought during the entire westward retreat, and it is still unknown how many of the 200,000 men under my command will eventually be able to return to Suiyuan...
……
Yandu Hotel.
Zhang Anping, who did not attend the military affairs meeting, was flipping through documents in his office—his expression showed that the great strategist was very relaxed at the moment.
He certainly had reason to be so relaxed.
He'd been a "prophet" for so long, all for this fatal blow!
Tsk tsk, even he, the "prophet," has started preparing for infiltration. I'm sure everyone else is now in despair about the war!
but……
Is it possible to retreat south or west?
Zhang Anping smiled mysteriously, "You guys are about to realize what daydreaming really means!" (End of Chapter)