Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

The main reason is that the North China Front Army was not strong enough.

Compared with history, the combat effectiveness of the current North China Front Army has declined too seriously.

In Shanxi and Hebei, all the divisions of the North China Front Army suffered very heavy casualties, and some divisions even experienced complete annihilation. As a result, the 27th Division and the 59th Division were directly cancelled. Although some other divisions have always maintained their numbers, their subordinate units have been eliminated many times, so they have been replenishing new soldiers. However, after the replenishment of new soldiers, their combat effectiveness declined, and they suffered heavy casualties on the battlefield. The casualties were too great, so they had to replenish new soldiers again. What combat effectiveness can the North China Front Army have by constantly replenishing new soldiers like this? Facing Tang Enbo's 31st Army in central Henan, it could not gain the upper hand at all.

Once the 31st Army Group gets serious, neither of the two divisions of the North China Front Army will be able to stop it.

The same thing happened when they encountered the Shaanxi Fourth Army. The 110th and 37th Divisions were unable to break through the Fourth Army's positions for many days.

If Tang Enbo had not been concerned about the heavy casualties suffered by his own troops, and if Chiang Ting-wen's 200,000-man army had not been on the sidelines, the North China Front Army would not have been able to advance to Luoyang. However, after advancing to Luoyang, they fought for more than ten days in Luoyang but failed to capture it.

The Battle of Central Henan lasted for more than 40 days, and Luoyang had not yet been captured. It can be said that the original plan had completely failed. Historically, the North China Front Army ended the Battle of Central Henan in less than 30 days.

Compared with the Battle of Central Henan in this time and space, the Japanese army fought very hard.

The casualties of the North China Front Army were rising sharply.

Up to now, there have been nearly 20,000 casualties on the battlefield, and 5,000 to 6,000 officers and soldiers have been evacuated from the battlefield due to illness or injury.

Three divisions of the North China Front Army had been completely crippled. The 110th, 36th, and 131st Divisions, which had first entered central Henan, had already withdrawn from the battle due to heavy casualties. The 37th and 69th Divisions, which had advanced later, had also suffered heavy casualties and were unable to participate in the current offensive and defense of Luoyang.

Fortunately, the Japanese tank division sent out this time performed very well.

The Japanese army, imitating the German blitzkrieg, frequently used tank divisions to circle the Nationalist army from behind and attack from both sides. Many Nationalist units were crushed by this strategy. Even Tang Enbo's 31st Army was nearly surrounded by the Japanese due to the tank divisions' high mobility.

However, the tank division, which had been so powerful in the Battle of Central Henan, was severely hit by the anti-tank guns of the Luoyang troops when attacking Luoyang, losing more than 1000 tanks and more than casualties.

At present, the fighting between the Japanese and nationalist armies around Luoyang is becoming more and more intense.

This was the Battle of Central Henan.

In the Battle of Changheng, Xue Yue also had nearly 40 people under his command.

The two sides fought very fiercely in Changsha and Hengyang.

The Japanese army originally concentrated so many troops in the hope of quickly opening up land transportation lines. However, the battles in central Henan and Changheng were not going as smoothly as expected. The Chinese Expeditionary Force was now under great pressure.

The headquarters requested that the Chinese expeditionary force open up the mainland transportation lines as soon as possible.

But it's not that simple.

In particular, the commander of the North China Front Army, Naosaburo Okabe, is the most distressed now.

The Imperial Headquarters blamed the North China Front Army, and so did the China Expeditionary Army. They criticized Okabe Naozaburo daily. This was because the North China Front Army had performed so poorly in central Henan. Seven divisions, plus a tank division, had already withdrawn, and two divisions had suffered heavy casualties in the battle, with even the tank division suffering heavy losses. The China Expeditionary Army and the Imperial Headquarters were clearly dissatisfied with the North China Front Army's performance.

There was nothing Okabe Naosaburo could do.

When he took office as the commander of the North China Front Army, the situation was already like this. Otherwise, how could a commander like Ningci Okamura, who had such deep connections in the Japanese military, be dismissed?

It’s because he performed so poorly in the North China Front Army.

Now that the North China Front Army was performing so poorly, Okabe Naosaburo didn't want to take the blame. The North China Front Army's poor performance was entirely Okamura Neiji's responsibility. However, he could only say this in his heart.

Now that the Imperial Headquarters and the China Expeditionary Army were criticizing Okabe Naozaburo, he prepared to withdraw the 133rd Division from Shandong to enter central Henan. Unfortunately, before Okabe Naozaburo could give the order, problems suddenly began to arise in various parts of North China.

Big things suddenly happened in the places where the Japanese and puppet troops and the Eighth Route Army troops were confronting each other.

It was unknown where the Eighth Route Army had obtained this powerful weapon. They suddenly launched a fierce attack on the defensive positions built by the Japanese and puppet troops. In just a few seconds, they inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese and puppet troops in North China.

What the North China Front Army could not accept the most was that the Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Shandong Military Region joined forces to cut off the Pinghan Road again.

The Hebei section of the Pinghan Railway was protected by the Japanese Army's newly reorganized field replacement team.

Ten field replacement teams, totaling over 10 troops, plus two independent garrisons in Peking, two in Shijiazhuang, one in Baoding, and one in Handan.

The Hebei section of the Pinghan Railway had a total of about 60,000 Japanese troops.

Together with Pang Bingxun's 24th Army and some other puppet troops, there were more than Japanese and puppet troops on the Pinghan Road from Peking to Handan. The Japanese army launched Operation No. in order to open up the mainland transportation line.

Pinghan Road is the most important among them.

Therefore, the Japanese and puppet troops built a large number of fortifications around the Pinghan Road. They did not move out, but stayed in the fortifications to suppress the Eighth Route Army.

But what’s the use of so many Japanese and puppet troops?

The Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Shandong Military Region launched a surprise attack on the Pinghan Railway. Their extensive use of unscrupulous artillery caught the Japanese and puppet troops completely off guard. Unaware of the unscrupulous artillery, the Japanese and puppet troops were completely bewildered by the sudden attack. As a result, within a few days, the Hebei-Central Military Region and the Hebei-Shandong Military Region completely destroyed the fortifications the Japanese and puppet troops had painstakingly built, annihilating over 30000 Japanese and puppet troops within a few days. Then came the 129th Division's Wing-Nan Military Region, organizing six regiments.

Started attacking Handan.

In a single day, the defensive fortifications outside Handan were completely destroyed. The 21st Independent Guard Regiment stationed in Handan was completely annihilated by three independent infantry battalions outside Handan. After defeating the outer fortifications, the Yi-Nan Military Region continued its assault on Handan. The Ji-Nan Military Region was determined to capture Handan. The North China Front Army was forced to withdraw troops from Shandong to support Handan.

Because Handan is the most important city in southern Hebei.

In addition to them, the Jireliao Military Region organized the 10th and 11th Brigades to launch the Chengde Campaign. In a short period of time, they destroyed the Japanese and puppet troops in Chengde's outer positions and several surrounding counties.

The Jin-Cha-Ji troops were the first to change their tactics, and so they were now in the best position. Within a few days, they dealt a heavy blow to the North China Front Army, annihilating over 50,000 Japanese and puppet troops. It can be said that they were completely suppressing the Japanese and puppet troops.

"What weapons did the Eighth Route Army actually use? Did they really acquire Soviet and American heavy artillery?"

Ghostly cries and wolf beaks.

As soon as the unscrupulous cannon was fired, the Japanese and puppet army fortress group suffered a huge blow.

Not living at all.

The main reason was that the Japanese and puppet troops did not know what weapons the Eighth Route Army was using. As a result, the Pinghan Railway was cut off again in a short period of time. The Japanese army mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops and finally opened up the Pinghan Railway. Now they are working to open up the Yuehan Railway.

As soon as the Eighth Route Army took action, they directly cut off the Pinghan Road again.

It can be said that Operation No. 1 launched by the Japanese army was completely defeated in less than two months. It was not because of the failure of the front-line operations, but because the Pinghan Railway in the rear was cut off again.

"Commander, the 59th Division reports that the Eighth Route Army isn't using heavy artillery. They're using a special type of cannon, placed in front of their positions. How they did it is unclear, but the fire from these cannons is incredibly powerful, even greater than our heavy artillery. However, according to the 59th Division's observations, these so-called artillery pieces of the Eighth Route Army have a short range and a low accuracy rate, but they're incredibly powerful. As long as we're prepared, we can use infantry guns and mortars, as well as heavy machine guns and grenade launchers, to destroy these so-called new artillery pieces of the Eighth Route Army. It's just that the Eighth Route Army chooses to deploy these new artillery pieces at night and then launch their attacks in the early morning."

The conscienceless cannon has been widely used in North China.

And the effect is the best now.

Because the Japanese and puppet troops retreated to large cities and the fortresses they had built. If the Japanese and puppet troops had frequently raided the Eighth Route Army base areas a few years ago, the conscienceless artillery would have been useless. In field battles, the conscienceless artillery was completely useless.

The conscienceless cannon is mainly used to destroy enemy positions and fortresses.

It works best now.

In less than a month, the Japanese and puppet troops suffered heavy losses in important fortresses and fortifications in North China at the hands of the Eighth Route Army in North China.

"Is there any way to prevent the Eighth Route Army from using this kind of artillery?"

"Sir, there aren't many good solutions right now. The Eighth Route Army is digging trenches step by step, until they reach our fortifications. Furthermore, they only use these cannons suddenly at night. Only after we engage in combat will we know where their cannons are and be able to destroy them."

Naosaburo Okabe has a headache.

If you leave these unscrupulous artillery alone and let them fire a round, you will suffer countless casualties. But it is not so easy to guard against it.

Naosaburo Okabe really had a headache.

If those cities did not build fortifications outside the city, the city walls alone would not be able to stop the Eighth Route Army's attack. However, the North China Front Army could not withstand the Eighth Route Army's unscrupulous artillery bombardment of the fortifications outside the city.

Especially now, the Japanese army is mostly composed of new recruits.

The new recruits were most afraid of these powerful cannons. Once they were not restrained, they would easily collapse.

Okabe Naosaburo thought for a moment and said, "From now on, when the Eighth Route Army digs trenches, our infantry guns, mortars, and Zheng bomb tubes will bombard the Eighth Route Army trenches at regular intervals. We can't let the Eighth Route Army deploy these weapons easily."

"Yes."

Chapter 558 The situation is great

In June 1944, the whole country was in chaos.

But it's becoming increasingly clear.

The Japanese defeat was no longer just a fantasy; many people now truly saw hope of defeating the Japanese. Although many people had previously said that as long as China resolutely resisted the Japanese, it would ultimately win, many were actually losing faith.

After all, it has been seven years since the July 7 Incident.

The Chinese army did not win any particularly impressive battles on the battlefield. The Japanese army was still very strong.

But this time everyone really saw hope for victory in the War of Resistance.

It took the North China Front Army more than 50 days to capture Zhengzhou. However, by the time it captured Zhengzhou, the North China Front Army had suffered more than 35,000 casualties and injuries on the battlefield in central Henan.

This is a casualty that far exceeds everyone's imagination.

However, after taking Luoyang, the Battle of Central Henan was not completely over. Because there was a Lingbao Battle at the end of the Battle of Central Henan, but unfortunately the Japanese army was exhausted at this time and could not break through the national defense line at all. The Japanese army deployed three divisions plus a tank division, but unfortunately there was no effect. The final result was that the Japanese army suffered more than 8000 casualties here and did not achieve their goals. In the end, the casualties were too serious, and the Lingbao Battle ended reluctantly. At this time, the entire Battle of Central Henan was completely over, and the Japanese army suffered more than 40000 casualties in this Battle of Central Henan.

Five divisions were crippled and completely withdrew from the battle. Two more divisions suffered heavy casualties, including the tank divisions. Especially during the Battle of Lingbao, the Nationalist troops, using American bazookas, nearly wiped out the Japanese tank divisions.

The combat effectiveness of the field troops of the North China Front Army declined significantly.

There's no way to fight on.

Including the 133rd Division drawn from Shandong to participate in the Central Henan Campaign, the North China Front Army deployed a total of nine divisions, plus one tank division, mobilizing approximately 9 troops. However, by the end of the Central Henan Campaign, most of the troops had lost their combat effectiveness. While this weakness might not have been apparent before the fighting began, it was immediately apparent.

Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing was very angry.

Chiang Ting-wen and Tang Enbo commanded numerous armies, yet they were completely routed in the Battle of Central Henan. Hundreds of thousands of troops were evacuated from Central Henan, and many units were even scattered. In fact, had Chiang Ting-wen and Tang Enbo worked together, the Battle of Central Henan might have been a setback for the Japanese. However, due to their disagreement, Chiang Ting-wen and Tang Enbo watched each other lose without any concern.

A true ally in times of trouble remains as still as a mountain.

Furthermore, during the Battle of Central Henan, Tang Enbo conserved his forces. Seeing his own troops in danger, he ordered the 31st Army to retreat and sent his miscellaneous troops forward. Unfortunately, those miscellaneous troops had been playing the fence-sitters for years and had already mastered the art of survival. Tang Enbo intended to use these miscellaneous troops as cannon fodder, and they showed him what true flight meant. Consequently, the Battle of Central Henan saw the defeat of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although Tang Enbo was often criticized, at least he fought against the Japanese. Jiang Dingwen watched the battle in central Henan from the other side, and when the Japanese attacked, he ran away faster than anyone else.

As a result, nearly 200,000 troops under Chiang Ting-wen also followed him.

Jiang Dingwen and Tang Enbo were fighting for power in Henan, exploiting the local people twice as much. Unfortunately, they had lost their faith in fighting, and Tang Enbo, a brave general in the early days of the War of Resistance, had also degenerated into a life of mere enjoyment.

An army of four or five hundred thousand was defeated in central Henan.

What ordinary people saw was the great rout of the Nationalist army, but what people in Chongqing and Yan'an saw was the decline of the Japanese army's combat effectiveness.

The performance is too poor.

Although Chongqing received a warning from Yan'an, it could no longer control the thoughts of the frontline generals. For example, Chiang Ting-wen and Tang Enbo were both warned by Chongqing. Moreover, when they saw the Japanese army gathering along the Yellow River, they also made battle preparations.

But it is difficult to reorganize a relaxed spirit.

This was the case with Chiang Ting-wen and Tang Enbo. When Tang Enbo first deployed his forces, he still considered fighting the Japanese. But after fighting for a while, he quickly lost interest in continuing.

It can be said that the biggest reason for the failure of the Battle of Henan, Hunan and Guangxi was that the generals in Chongqing and the front had been complacent in recent years. They all believed that the Japanese army would not gather a large force to clash with the national army, and they all wanted to win the war without any effort.

Suddenly the Japanese army assembled a large force, but the complacent frontline troops were no longer in high spirits.

In comparison, Yan'an was very well prepared.

Before the Japanese army launched Operation No. 1, Yan'an had already issued orders to various military regions, analyzing the situation and asking the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army to secretly assemble their troops.

As a result, while the Japanese army was still preparing, the important bases of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army had already begun to assemble troops.