Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 1014: Shock in Chongqing

In just five days, the fall of Guiyang, the gateway to the south of Chongqing, was a huge shock to the Chongqing government. Within the government, there was a lot of criticism for the performance of the Central Army. Gu Zhutong, the commander-in-chief of Guiyang City Defense of the Central Army, suffered a huge loss.

The pressure, the loss of the city, the loss of the land, the loss of the division, all these crimes were fulfilled.

Think about it, in more than 20 days, the Japanese troops outside Guiyang only numbered more than 70,000, while the Guiyang defenders had more than 400,000. Even if they were squeezed by people, they could squeeze the Japanese troops to death, which is very frustrating.

What is puzzling is that the Japanese army, which numbered only more than 70,000, still maintained an offensive posture in the face of more than 400,000 Central Army troops.

After learning the news of the fall of Guiyang, Tang Qiuli was also very surprised. According to his judgment, even if all the troops of the temple were used, Gu Zhutong should be able to survive at least more than ten days in Guiyang.

, it was lost in five days, which was indeed a bit fast.

Originally, Tang Qiuli thought that even if Gu Zhutong was not good enough and did not have that vision, Chairman Chiang and his senior advisers should have seen the huge opportunity from the Duyun Western Front battlefield. The main force of the Japanese Southern Expedition Army was more than 30

Thousands of people were desperately trying to open the passage to Duyun to rescue the Japanese Fifteenth Army.

The Japanese army besieging Guiyang is extremely weak in strength. If the Central Army's Guiyang defenders were to defeat or annihilate 70,000 Japanese troops, then the main force would advance eastward and stab the Japanese troops behind the Japanese division,*

Eight brigades of the * Division went out to attack front and back with the Central Army troops. Even if they were trapped in the mountains of southern Guizhou, they could trap more than 300,000 Japanese troops to death.

This is a rare opportunity, an excellent opportunity to kill the main force of the Japanese Southern Expeditionary Force. Unfortunately, neither Chairman Chiang and his think tank nor Gu Zhutong, who is sticking to Guiyang, thought of or did not want to take advantage of this opportunity.

, as for the psychology behind it, Tang Qiuli also had a guess.

Gu Zhutong did not have a strategic vision and could not see this move. Even if he saw it, he would not dare to make it. Chairman Chiang's inherent thinking was at work. He was afraid that Tang Qiuli would use his direct troops to fight with the Japanese.

Fight to the death, and the ** division troops occupy dangerous terrain and can advance, attack, retreat or defend, which is first of all beneficial to the invincible position.

If the Guiyang defenders marched out and fought the Japanese army in the plains of southeastern Guizhou, the Japanese army, which was attacked from two sides, would definitely turn around and attack the Central Army with all their strength. It would be a fight to the death, and no one would be able to withdraw.

, let Tang Qiuli reap the benefits of being a fisherman.

Furthermore, if the Japanese army breaks through the Western Defense Line of Duyun of the ** Division and approaches Duyun, Tang Qiuli's more than 100,000 troops on the Duyun battlefield will be surrounded by the Japanese army from two sides. This is what Chairman Chiang really hopes to see.

Therefore, for more than twenty days, he strictly ordered Gu Zhutong to stand still and defend Guiyang, which was a great achievement.

Gu Zhutong, who was timid and stuck in the past, had no intention of attacking the Japanese army in the first place. After receiving this order, he tightened his position in Guiyang and did not even take any action against the Japanese army, which only had more than 70,000 troops. According to Comrade Chiang Kai-shek

A long analysis shows that with Tang Qiuli's character, once he got into a fight with the Japanese army, it would be a fight to the death.

In this way, Tang Qiuli was defeated. With the help of the Japanese, Tang Qiuli's strength was weakened. There was no blood on his own hands. If Tang Qiuli defeated or pushed back the Japanese army, the siege of Guiyang would be over.

By self-liberation, your own direct troops will not suffer any losses. They will take advantage and watch the fight between tigers and tigers.

Now, Chairman Chiang has to pay the price for his short-sightedness. Guiyang has been lost, and the Central Army of more than 400,000 has lost more than 100,000.

The Japanese army's fierce attack looked like it could not last more than a few days.

Within the National Government, high-level officials were shaken and people were panicked. Chairman Chiang Kai-shek was extremely worried. He convened a military meeting at the Chairman's residence in Huangshan to study the situation in Guizhou. As soon as the meeting began, the members of the Military Commission and various government officials who attended the meeting began to

Strongly criticized Gu Zhutong.

In particular, the supervisory committee members of the Supervisory Yuan are even more rude in their words. Their duty is to impeach incompetent government officials and military generals. They have long been dissatisfied with Gu Zhutong's consistent performance. This Gu has no ambitions.

With mediocre talents, he guarded Shanghai, was squeezed out by Tang Qiuli, guarded Guiyang, was defeated by the Japanese, lost the city and territory, and retreated hundreds of miles. How could such a person be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the defense?

?

A white-haired supervisory committee member stood up and said impassionedly: "Master, Mr. Gu was guarding Guiyang with more than 400,000 troops. At that time, Guiyang had not yet been attacked by the Japanese army, and its main force was more than 300,000 people.

, was attracted by Vice Chairman Tang's troops to the vicinity of Duyun. There were only more than 70,000 Japanese troops outside Guiyang, but he was looking for someone.

What did they do? Nothing was done. They wasted more than 20 days of precious opportunity, so that the main force of the Japanese invaders could calmly attack Guiyang again, resulting in the fall of Guiyang and the serious threat to the capital. All this was done by Gu Zhutong.

Therefore, I suggest that Gu Zhutong be immediately removed from his post and investigated, as a warning to others and as a thank you to the people of the country!"

The old man's words aroused everyone's discussion. It is really rare for an old man who is good at writing and writing to understand military issues so well. He can see the battle situation more thoroughly than Gu Zhutong. Those who know the inside story quietly whisper to the people around him.

He said: "The old gentleman's nephew was the regiment leader under Gu Mosan. This time Guiyang city was defeated and he died on the way to retreat. The old gentleman wants to seek justice. I'm afraid Gu Zhutong will not lose his head this time.

You will also lose your official position."

The military generals had another idea. The situation in the battle in southern Guizhou was indeed as the old man said, an extremely favorable situation had emerged. If it had been taken advantage of, Guiyang would not have suffered a disastrous defeat. But they even knew the secret of it.

Without Chairman Chiang's words, Gu Mo's three soldiers would not dare to move a single soldier. This man is absolutely obedient.

If it were other generals, even if they were scolded by the old man, they would still take advantage of this opportunity to at least annihilate or defeat the more than 70,000 Japanese troops. Even Chen Cheng had this idea, but he also retreated from Qiannan

After returning, the Western Route Army of the Southern Guizhou Defense Line under his command did not perform well. At this time, he was too embarrassed to make high remarks.

It's ironic to say that Liu Zhi, the three generals of the Central Army on the defensive line in southern Guizhou and the commander-in-chief of the East Route Army, was taken to Guangzhou and imprisoned by Tang Qiuli. His direct troops became their prey, as was Chen Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army.

They were defeated again and again and retreated to Guiyang. Gu Zhutong, the commander-in-chief of the Central Army, was defeated earlier than Chen Cheng. He was the first of the three armies to retreat to Guiyang.

Chairman Chiang, who was in the top position, was not happy to hear this. His tone turned cold and he said displeasedly: "Mo San is not easy either. He still has merit. Under the siege of hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops, he brought out more than 300,000 troops.

It is very difficult to reduce the Japanese losses to a minimum. Everyone, what we are convening today is not a military review meeting. It is not to hold that person accountable, but to study how to defend Chongqing. Don’t be forced by the Japanese.

We have to move the capital again."

Everyone was dumbfounded when they heard this. Gu Zhutong lost Guiyang and hundreds of thousands of troops, and he still had some merits. In Chairman Jiang's mind, it doesn't matter if he loses the battle. The key is not to ruin his family fortune.

Okay, what kind of logic is this? Everyone didn’t say it, but they secretly complained about it.

Chairman Chiang protected Gu Zhutong to such an extent. Even if he had different opinions, he still got into trouble with his face. He had the Chiang Clan's logo engraved on his forehead. They were all on the same boat. Everyone pushed him even though he didn't reach the wall.

, when you are adding insult to injury, why bother to wade into this muddy water, not only offend a large number of people, but also let the old man hold a grudge, it is not worth the loss.

With these words, Chairman Chiang stopped the denunciation of his confidant Gu Zhutong and controlled the direction of the meeting. He was also very satisfied that the big ship of the National Government was still in his own hands. He softened his tone and said,

He asked: "What opinions do the military generals have on defending Chongqing? You might as well speak up and let's discuss it."

After saying that, his eyes swept over several heavyweight generals in the military. Originally, Zhang Zhizhong was the most suitable candidate to replace Gu Zhutong. He had fought well on the Songhu battlefield. However, he had a close relationship with Tang Qiuli.

, and Tang Qiuli's troops were active in Qiannan, wouldn't it create an opportunity for the two of them to get close again?

Wei Lihuang is also a war general. He has experience as a commander in a war zone and is very good at fighting. However, this man is unruly and disobedient. If he is entrusted with an important task and fights with the Japanese, he will be defeated until the red.

When your eyes are closed, you will inevitably act disobediently and disrespectfully, and you may lose all your hard-earned wealth.

Ci Xiu was originally a suitable candidate. He had a good fighting style and was loyal to himself. However, he also suffered a defeat in southern Guizhou and returned to Chongqing. He was entrusted with an important task again. I'm afraid it would be difficult to convince the public. Other generals would also have objections.

, people's hearts are not unified, and it may be difficult to control.

Chairman Chiang glanced at the faces of the senior generals several times. For a while, it was difficult to choose a suitable candidate. Each of these senior generals were like old monks in trance, without squinting and with calm faces.

I feel a little embarrassed, but also a little angry. Despite their calm appearance, I know exactly what they have in mind.

Chairman Chiang coughed dryly and continued: "This person who will lead the army will succeed Mo San as the commander-in-chief of the Southwest Defense Line. Not only will the more than 300,000 troops in Xifeng and Zunyi be under his command, but also all the troops in Chongqing will be under his command.

All the Sichuan troops will be under his command, and this man will be responsible for protecting the capital, Chongqing. I put most of the troops in his hands to show my absolute trust in him."

The scene calmed down, and all the generals leading the troops knew the importance of the commander-in-chief of the southwest defense line. The old man had all his family assets in his hands. He was a high-ranking official, but it was not easy to be an official. Gu Zhutong took Qiannan

The situation was so corrupted that whoever took over this mess would have to face a ferocious attack by more than 300,000 Japanese troops.

Not to mention the loss of a teacher and the humiliation of the country, how can the old man easily spare a person who has ruined his family's wealth? The generals each considered Chairman Chiang's words, and the meeting place became even quieter.

(To be continued)