kvmb Chapter 1185 Retreat is Difficult
Chapter 1185 Retreat is Difficult
"What's wrong with you guys? This is a strategic retreat, not a retreat forced by the Japanese. I could tell this morning that you guys are all looking dejected, as if we've suffered a defeat."
At the temporary command post of the Fourth Division, Zhang Haiguang had just returned from breakfast and found that the combat staff present were all listless, as were the guards outside.
"Commander, the brothers are just a little confused. Our southward advance was incredibly fierce; we wiped out one and a half divisions, plus those we lost on the retreat—not quite two divisions, but close. But the brothers feel that if we continue south, maybe..."
One of the operations staff officers wanted to continue speaking, but was pulled back by the person next to him. Strategic retreat was relatively easy for officers to understand, but for some soldiers, it was all just a retreat anyway, so there was no need to make it sound so nice.
"Maybe we can even reach Nanjing, right? I know what you guys are thinking. Look how fast our offensive was recently; it only took us two weeks to reach Nanjing. But you need to use your brains. What good would it do us if we reached Nanjing? Could we even hold it?"
Zhang Haiguang had assumed his troops wouldn't experience any morale issues, but it seems he had overestimated them. Actually, thinking about it, it's understandable. Just a few days ago, we were advancing triumphantly, and the large Japanese forces were like paper in our presence. Our blitzkrieg tactics, supported by tanks, armored vehicles, and aircraft, were executed to perfection. The entire Japanese army's fighting order couldn't withstand it. Many people thought that reaching Nanjing would be an extremely simple matter.
In fact, Zhang Haiguang also had this idea. If we could really reach Nanjing, then many of our achievements would not be as simple as just verbal praise. We might even become the first infantry division in the country.
According to some people, such a great honor was right in front of them, and they just let it slip by; it was a huge loss, no matter how you looked at it. So after retreating to southern Shandong, many people couldn't get over it, and today they finally expressed their pent-up feelings in front of their superiors.
"We should be able to hold it, right? Other armies don't have that capability. Our entire division has nearly 3 men, and we have the support of hundreds of transport planes. As long as their airdrops arrive, even if the Japanese come with 20 men, we can still hold it."
A young operations staff officer retorted, unconvinced, that they could already hear radio broadcasts from Nanjing back then, which showed just how close they were to Nanjing. Zhang Haiguang sighed beside him; after all, it was the capital.
For any soldier, recapturing the capital on the battlefield is an extremely glorious achievement, arguably the pinnacle of life. Unfortunately, we didn't receive such an order; or rather, if we had actually done so, it would have been a tragedy for our Fourth Division.
"Just as you said, we have air support from above and armored support on the ground, and we fought our way into Nanjing. So what should we do next? At least 10 Japanese divisions will surround us in Nanjing, and we can hold them off, but our 4th Division will probably be wiped out there. Think about it carefully."
After Zhang Haiguang finished speaking, some people present seemed to understand, as if suddenly enlightened. We are now moving freely everywhere, free to inflict massive casualties on the Japanese army, and wherever we appear, we can put enormous pressure on them.
But if we were to defend Nanjing, it would be tantamount to exposing ourselves to the open. Even if the Japanese army surrounded us and didn't launch an attack, we would still have to waste hundreds of aircraft every day. Moreover, these hundreds of transport planes would require hundreds of fighter escorts, and the amount of gold and silver spent every day would be enormous.
But this was a different story for the Japanese army. They could trap such a powerful offensive force in Nanjing, making things much easier in the surrounding areas. Whether they advanced north or west, it would be advantageous for them, especially advancing north into southern Shandong, where they would face virtually no resistance.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Ma Leizi's Fourth Army has other units; each unit has its own areas to defend. Because you rushed south for personal gain and stormed into Nanjing, are you going to expect the other armies to abandon their positions and help you defend the ones they're supposed to defend?
If all armies acted like this, let alone the Fourth Army, even our 72nd Group Army wouldn't have enough troops. If every unit disobeys orders and acts recklessly for personal glory, who will clean up their messes?
Moreover, it's relatively easy to storm into Nanjing, but what about your chance to break out of Nanjing? Do you think you can just go to the Japanese side whenever you want and leave whenever you want? When you finally want to leave, you'll find that there are layers upon layers of people waiting for you outside, and they won't let you move an inch.
Perhaps the Fourth Division could fight its way out, but by the time it does, it will have suffered at least half its losses. An elite unit will have fallen, and all we've gained is a reputation. What good will that do for the Fourth Division as a whole?
The operations staff fell silent, and Zhang Haiguang didn't press them further. Once they left, they would relay what was said at headquarters that day. Those outside might have some reservations after hearing it, but they wouldn't be so resentful. That's the situation now; what you imagine on the battlefield is nothing like the real thing. And there's another important matter on this return to Lunan.
Those below thought we were developing rapidly and that nothing would cause us trouble. However, in a telegram sent to Zhang Haiguang, Ma Leizi ordered Zhang Haiguang's regular troops to quickly garrison southern Shandong.
One important reason for this is that security forces in various regions have been deployed to the battlefield, suffering losses exceeding 30%, leaving them with little capacity to defend their respective areas. Rebuilding these security forces and security systems was also a crucial role for Zhang Haiguang in this effort.
Under these circumstances, would you still want to attack Nanjing?