Quartermasters can also fight the devils

What the New 100nd Army did not expect was that after the troops of the New th Division arrived in Sanshui, the Japanese army did not launch an attack on Shunde City. This made everyone in the New nd Army wonder how much force the Japanese army would concentrate to fight the New nd Army. This made all the troops of the New nd Army desperately build fortifications to be fully prepared to resist the crazy attack of the Japanese army in the future.

Since the Japanese army stopped its ground attacks, even the Japanese Air Force's bombing of Guangzhou has been reduced a lot. Now there is basically only one small-scale bombing a day. This has provided considerable help for the transportation of supplies in Guangzhou. This is mainly because the Japanese 21st Army Command believes that if the air force bombing is too fierce, if all the supplies in Guangzhou are destroyed, the Chinese government's troops will definitely retreat. They are still fighting near Guangzhou just to transport those supplies. For those supplies, the Japanese army is more concerned about completely destroying the Chinese government's new 22nd Army.

Sanshui County is close to the Pearl River, is the dividing line between the Beijiang River and the Xijiang River, and has a railway leading to Guangzhou. Its geographical location is very important.

After the troops of the new 100th Division arrived in Sanshui County, Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng took the staff of the division headquarters to check the terrain in the surrounding area. They had to hold off the attack of the Japanese army's flanking troops for at least six days, which was a very difficult task.

When Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng returned to the headquarters of the new 100th Division, Sanshui County Magistrate Tian Zhuseng came to visit with several local gentry. Of course, it should be said that they came to investigate the current war situation, and they also needed to make preparations early.

Tian Zhuseng also has a prominent background. Although he is only a county magistrate now, he used to be a soldier and fought against the Japanese. County Magistrate Tian is originally from Huangpi County, Hubei Province. He graduated from the Hubei Province Class A Industrial School at the age of seventeen. In China at that time, he was already considered a high-level intellectual.

But like all young students at that time, he had a heart to save the country, so he joined the Chinese National Revolutionary Army at the age of 60, served in the Political Department of the Three Towns Chinese National Revolutionary Army Headquarters at the age of , and transferred to the Political Training Department of the th Division of the th Route Army at the age of as a major clerk and political trainer. He can be said to be a senior.

He then took part in the "January 28" Campaign and later went into exile in Hong Kong Island. After the full-scale outbreak of the war between China and Japan, he returned to Guangzhou to participate in the anti-Japanese work.

Zhang Wenwu and Ouyang Heng were both extremely respectful to such a prestigious senior.

"Commander Zhang, I was very happy to hear that your army had wiped out a Japanese regiment in Shunde. Unfortunately, I am no longer a soldier and cannot go to the battlefield to fight the Japanese. Now your troops are stationed in Sanshui County, but if necessary, I and the gentry of Sanshui will do our best to cooperate with you in fighting the Japanese." As soon as Tian Zhuseng sat down, he expressed his admiration for the new 100nd Army, and also expressed his attitude towards the future operations of the new th Division in Sanshui.

When Zhang Wenwu heard Tian Zhuseng's polite words, he quickly said, "County Magistrate Tian is our predecessor. Although you cannot go to the battlefield to fight the Japanese in person due to work needs, the responsibility you bear now is also very important. Without your support and the support of the gentry present, we will not be able to support ourselves. The victory over the Japanese army before was achieved with the cooperation of the local government and the people. Therefore, this time, our troops will have to trouble you to help us in the battle in the direction of Sanshui."

Zhang Wenwu also took this opportunity to give these local gentry a shot of prevention. Based on his and Ouyang Heng's on-site investigation and understanding of the area around Sanshui, they already had a preliminary battle plan. This time, the Sanshui defense operation could only withstand the Japanese attack.

"Commander Zhang, rest assured that the people and gentry of Sanshui will absolutely firmly support our Chinese army in resisting the Japanese army. Just let us know if you need us to do anything." Tian Zhuseng also made a firm statement directly on behalf of everyone.

"With what County Magistrate Arita said, we feel much more relieved. We just went to the outside of Sanshui City and took a careful look. Since Sanshui is adjacent to the Beijiang River in the west, according to our judgment, the Japanese attacking force will most likely launch an attack on Sanshui from the south. All the seniors present here also know that once the war breaks out, the Japanese bombing and artillery fire will be very fierce. I suggest that you should persuade the people to temporarily evacuate Sanshui City and the war zone as soon as possible to prevent the people from being harmed by the Japanese army." Zhang Wenwu talked about the most urgent matter at the moment.

You must know that the Japanese army is determined to encircle and destroy the New 22nd Army this time. The Japanese army responsible for the flanking maneuver will certainly launch a crazy attack on Sanshui. The battle will inevitably be very brutal. If the Japanese army vents its anger on the civilians when the attack fails, the local losses will be too great. Moreover, the Japanese army often does this.

Hearing that Zhang Wenwu was first concerned about the local people, Tian Zhuseng's favorability towards Zhang Wenwu increased greatly. He quickly said that there was no problem. Before the war in Yangcheng, he had already been working on the people's side to prevent Sanshui from becoming a battlefield one day.

"Commander Zhang's troops are truly a righteous army. The people of Sanshui City will certainly cooperate with your request and evacuate to a safe place as soon as possible. I wonder how confident Commander Zhang's troops are in defending Sanshui City. After all, this is the home of so many ordinary people." Tian Zhuseng also stated another purpose of his coming here today.

In fact, he also received a notice from the Yangcheng government, asking him to organize the county's civil servants to evacuate westward as soon as possible. This showed that the government did not have much confidence in resisting the Japanese attack. He could leave, but what about the common people? If they were asked to migrate to other unfamiliar cities with their families, how could they guarantee their lives?

Zhang Wenwu pondered for a moment, then said: "County Magistrate Tian, ​​you have also fought against the Japanese in the military. To be honest, this time our troops are only doing temporary defense in Sanshui. Once the defense goal is achieved, our troops will withdraw from Sanshui County. The country is in trouble, and it is our fault as soldiers, but I believe that it won't be long before we can drive the Japanese out of China."

Zhang Wenwu also told the truth. He felt that there was no need to make big promises to deceive County Magistrate Tian and these gentry. It would be better for them to prepare to leave their hometown as soon as possible.

County Magistrate Tian had already guessed this result. He had no objection to Zhang Wenwu's straightforward statement. On the contrary, this would make these gentry give up some of their illusions, which would be a good thing for his job. Without the protection and resistance of the army, these gentry would move to a safe place with their families.

After hearing what Zhang Wenwu said, the gentry were all a little disappointed. They certainly hoped that the government's army could defend Sanshui City, so that they would not have to move their homes to avoid the Japanese. Their properties were all in Sanshui, and their fields and houses could not be moved.

"Commander Zhang, you can't say that. Our country is weak, and you as soldiers have done your best. Just as you said, sooner or later China will drive the Japanese out. The difficulties are temporary. Compared with losing your lives, temporarily losing some property is the best. It is a hundred times better than losing your lives after the Japanese army occupied Sanshui." Tian Zhuseng also mentioned the comparison of the consequences at the right time. This was completely for these gentry to hear.

"Thank you, County Magistrate Tian, ​​and all the gentry for your understanding. We estimate that it will take the Japanese army about three days to launch an attack on Sanshui, so everyone still has some time to prepare." Zhang Wenwu saw that everything had been discussed, so he told everyone the time point. Everything that needed to be explained had to be explained, and the rest was not something he could control.

After everyone left, Zhang Wenwu also came to the combat hall. He needed to work out a defense plan for the troops with Ouyang Heng as soon as possible. Sanshui was not easy to defend.

"Division Commander, let me talk about the advantages first. Sanshui City is close to the Beijiang River to the west, and it is impossible for the Japanese army to detour to the west to attack. In this case, the Japanese army will have to cross several rivers before they can attack Sanshui. The Japanese army cannot afford to waste so much time, so the Japanese army can only detour west from Shunde, cross a tributary and come from the south. In this way, our defense area will be relatively smaller." Ouyang Heng analyzed the map to Zhang Wenwu.

Zhang Wenwu nodded and said with a smile: "Brother Ouyang, let's look at the disadvantages. That is the problem we need to face."

Ouyang Heng also smiled. He thought Zhang Wenwu was pragmatic. Not being blindly optimistic was the most basic requirement for a troop commander. Ouyang Heng pointed to the area south of Sanshui on the map and said, "As for the unfavorable conditions, there are many rivers in Sanshui, and the entire terrain is relatively flat. There is not even a small mountain in the south. In this flat terrain, we can only use field fortifications to block the Japanese attack. In this way, the Japanese artillery can exert its maximum power, and it will be difficult for us to defend."

Zhang Wenwu looked at the map and sighed inwardly. There was nothing he could do about it. Sanshui County was not big, and this was the retreat route for all troops. It was impossible for the Japanese to develop the battle to the county. His new 100th Division could only block the Japanese in the wilderness in the south, so as to leave a safe passage for the retreating troops.

"Brother Ouyang, this time we will fight the Japanese in the wild. Even if all our troops are wiped out, we must ensure the retreat route of the war zone and the New 22nd Army. I just don't know which troops the Japanese will send to make this detour." Zhang Wenwu knew that this battle would be difficult to fight, so he changed the topic to something more relaxing.

"I guess it should be the troops of the Japanese Fifth Division that have never appeared on the battlefield. The Japanese 104st Army has only three divisions. The 107th Division must be used to fight in the Daya Bay direction. The 132th Brigade of the 132th Division has also been cooperating with the th Division's attack in Daya Bay. We have destroyed a regiment of the nd Brigade before, and they do not have enough troops to carry out this detour. Therefore, it should be the troops of the Fifth Division that come to make a detour. It depends on how many troops the Fifth Division sends. After all, the nd Brigade also needs sufficient troops to advance the frontal attack." Ouyang Heng also cooperated with Zhang Wenwu to change the topic.