On September 1, the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), Okamura Ningji formulated an operational policy, and it was judged that the Chinese army in front of Xiushui River was 25 divisions, and the Japanese army decided to start a surprise attack after mid-September in order to defeat the will of the Chinese army to continue the war of resistance, in order to capture the main force of the Ninth Theater in the shortest possible period and annihilate it in the area around Pingjiang and Xiushui in northern Hunan and Jiangxi. To this end, the Japanese 11th Army concentrated about 100,000 troops of the 6th, 33rd, 101st, and 106th divisions and three brigades (including one navy and one air force), and under the command of Commander Okamura Ninji, adopted the policy of rushing and attacking to attack Changsha.

On September 13, the secret deployment of the Japanese army was completed, and the combat command post of the Japanese 11th Army was stationed in Xianning, and Okamura Ninji personally commanded the operation. The battle order was officially issued. The main contents were: In order to conceal the direction of the main attack and confuse and contain the Chinese army, the 106th Division began to attack first on September 15, breaking through the positions of the defenders' 1st and 19th armies from the west of Fengxin, advancing and exiting to its flank, and annihilating the defenders in the northwest area of Gao'an; The 33rd Division advanced from Tongcheng to Maishi and Zhajin. Strike at the local Chinese Army's 27th and 30th Group Armies. The main force of the army launched an attack at dawn on September 23, in which the 6th Division advanced from the west of Xinqiang Town to the Mishui South Heights; Its left-wing Nara detachment advanced from the west of Yanglin Street to the north bank of Hukou and Mishui; Its right-flank Kamimura detachment landed at Yingtian at dawn on 23 September; Attacking and advancing towards the Pingjiang area in the upper reaches of the Miluo River, these three forces coordinated to annihilate the 15th Army, the Chinese defenders in the area. The entire campaign is expected to take 20-30 days, with a return to the original position from 10 to 15 October.

At the same time, Xue Yue also began to deploy troops and deploy troops on the national army. At that time, the Ninth Theater had a total of 21 corps and 3 advance columns, with a total of 52 divisions; The Military Commission of the Nationalist Government is attached to 4 corps (the 4th, 5th, 99th and the newly formed 6th Army) and 1 division (11th Division), with a total of 500,000 people in 63 divisions of 25 armies, and 21 corps, 49 divisions and 3 advance columns (the actual number of troops participating in the battle is 35 divisions and 3 advance columns of 300,000). By mid-September, the specific deployment of its troops was as follows:

The 58th and 60th armies of the 1st Group Army garrisoned the first-line positions of Zhangjiashan, Maxia and Huibu west of Jing'an and Fengxin;

The 32nd and 49th armies of the 20th Army garrisoned Lianhua Mountain, Maxingshan and the right bank of the Jinjiang River;

The 15th Army used the main force of the 52nd Army to garrison the Xinqianghe position, the 79th Army to garrison the position between Nanjiang Bridge and Maishi, and the 37th Army to garrison the positions on the right bank of the Xiangjiang River and Miluo River north of Xiangyin;

The 27th Army of the 20th Group Army advanced out of the Xianning and Chongyang areas, and the 73rd Army assembled in the Zhajin area;

A total of 4 divisions of the 72nd and 78th armies of the 30th Group Army garrisoned the positions in the area of Putian Bridge and Pipa Mountain west of Wuning;

The advance of the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border area is located in Tongshan, Daye and Yangxin areas;

The 4th, 70th, 74th, 5th, 99th, new 6th Army and 11th Division, a total of 15 divisions, were the general reserve of the theater, which were assembled in Xiangtan, Zhuzhou, Hengshan, Hengyang, Liuyang, and Shanggao, Yifeng, and Wanzai in northern Jiangxi south and east of Changsha.

In addition, the defense of Dongting Lake and Xiangxi was the 19th Group Army of the 6th Theater (under the jurisdiction of the 53rd, 54th, and 87th Armies), and in order to facilitate coordinated operations, Lao Chiang assigned this group army to the command of Xue Yue of the 9th Theater.

On September 14, the 28th year of the Republic of China, the 106th Division of the Japanese Army in northern Jiangxi, Nakai Ryotaro, who participated in the capture of Nanchang, took the lead in launching a diversion offensive.

The deployment of the national army in the direction of Gao'an is that the 58th Army of the First Group Army of the Yunnan Army guards the line from Gaoyou City to Xiangfuguan; The 60th Army guarded the auspicious Fuguan to the Guxian line; The 20th Army of the 32nd Group Army (formerly the Jin Army) guarded the Jinjiang River Estuary to Gaoyou City and the southern shore of the Jinjiang River; The 49th Army of the Northeast Army and the 74th Army of the Central Army controlled the vicinity of Shanggao. There are also 30 armies of the 30th Group Army (Sichuan Army) and the base of Wang Ling.

On the night of September 14, the Japanese first attacked the positions of the 184th Division of the 60th Army stationed at Huibu. The next day, the positions of the 184th Division were broken through. After the Japanese army captured Huibu, the troops of the 106th Division divided into two routes: one to the west of Yinshan Village and Luofang, and the other to the village of Zhacun and Shuikou Gannan. One route was to attack the position of the 32nd Army by Dacheng and Drum Tower to the east of Gao'an. On the 17th, the Japanese army in the south occupied Shuikougan and Zhangshuling successively; The Japanese army that advanced westward occupied Luofang and ruled the city, and then also turned to the south. On the 18th, the Japanese army occupied the village front street, the diagonal bridge and the auspicious charm temple in the north of Gao'an, completed the encirclement of Gao'an from three sides, and formed an encirclement of the 60th Army and the 58th Army of the National Army with the Japanese troops on the front line of Huibu. When the situation was very critical, the 60th Army rushed out of the unfinished encirclement of the Japanese army from Qianjie and assembled in the direction of Yifeng. The 58th Army fought and retreated, crossed the Jinjiang River on the night of the 18th, and moved west towards the Lingjiang Estuary, forming a new defensive line with the 60th Army assembled at Yifeng from south to north.

The Dian army fought at the front, but the 32nd Army directly abandoned Gao'an. On the 19th, the Japanese army occupied Goan. After Xue Yue learned of the loss of Gao'an, he strictly ordered the 32nd Army to recapture the place, and at the same time sent the 74th Army to reinforce it.

On the 20th, the Japanese 11th Army ordered the 106th Division to cover the left side of the back with one part of the 106th Division, after eliminating the defenders of the 9th Theater near Gao'an, and the main force entered the vicinity of Xiushui and Sandu, cutting off the rear route of the 30th Army and the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border area. Accordingly, the 106th Division of the Japanese Army carried out defensive operations in the southwest area of Fengxin with the Sae Detachment, and drove to Wuning with one brigade, while the main force assembled near Shangfu and prepared to advance westward.

…………

Sun Yumin couldn't have imagined that in his first battle out of Anhui, he actually ran into an old acquaintance he didn't want to see the most: Shang Zhen!

The 32nd Army took the initiative to abandon Gao'an when the Japanese 106th Division had not yet launched an attack, which angered Xue Yue, who slapped the table at the Ninth Theater Command and scolded, and immediately ordered Shang Zhen to say that if Gao'an was not recaptured within three days, he would be severely punished for the crime of escaping from the battle, although Shang Zhen had been promoted to the commander-in-chief of the 20th Army, he was also the commander of the 32nd Army, although the actual commander of the 32nd Army was Li Jingrong, the deputy commander, but whether it was Shang Zhen himself or Li Jingrong, the initiator of the abandonment of the city, they were a little afraid of Xue Yue, who was nicknamed Xue Maniac, I am worried that in a fit of rage, he will really impose military law on them.

Li Jingrong was worried in a small village on the north bank of the Jinjiang River when he suddenly received a report that a liaison officer of a friendly army outside asked to see him.

The 32nd Army abandoned the city and retreated, and there were troops of the national army on the left and right, and it was not surprising that there were liaison officers from friendly forces to contact them, but it was very new to say that they would ask for a meeting, and usually those who came to contact would not make such a request, after all, the commander of an army did not say that he could meet him.

"You're going to see him, what's going on?" Li Jingrong said to his adjutant.

"Yes, Throne." Although Shang Zhen was the nominal commander of the 32nd Army, he was already the commander-in-chief of the 20th Group Army, so the entire 32nd Army called Li Jingrong the military seat, and his adjutant was even more so, almost forgetting the fact that he was only the deputy commander.

Sending the adjutant to meet the liaison officer of the friendly army, this matter was left behind by Li Jingrong, but he didn't expect that something surprising to him happened, and the adjutant quickly returned to report: "That person said that he must see Junzuo himself, otherwise he won't say the purpose of his coming." ”

"Which friendly unit?" Li Jingrong was very unhappy, if it weren't for the fear of offending the friendly army, he would even have the idea of beating up the liaison officer.

"The person who came refused to say it, he had to see you before he would reveal his identity." The adjutant spread his hands, and he continued: "However, I saw that his armband said 21st Army. ”

"Twenty-first Army? No, that's Liao Lei's troops, and it's far away in Anhui, as far as I know, he is still weak in self-preservation, how could he send troops to Jiangxi? Li Jingrong's first reaction was that there was a problem with this friendly liaison officer, although he didn't know how many friendly troops there were around, but the troops of the 21st Group Army were completely impossible, and he had never heard of when Xue Yue transferred Liao Lei's troops to Jiangxi.

Li Jingrong's suspicions are justified, although Anhui and Jiangxi are bordered, but the 21st Group Army is in Lihuang at the foot of Dabie Mountain, at the time of the war, there are hundreds of thousands of elite Japanese troops gathered around, and it is almost impossible to quietly penetrate from behind them.

"The person who came didn't say that he was from the 21st Group Army, but I saw that there were more than 21 words written on his armband." The adjutant explained.

Although the uniforms of the national army have been standardized, the armbands of various departments are still varied, replaced by numbers, and also replaced by Chinese characters such as loyalty and bravery, all in all, the armbands are written on the 21st, but it does not mean that the person who comes must be from the 21st Group Army, he may be the 21st Army, or the 21st Division.

"Since he dares to ask to see him by name, then let's go and see." Li Jingrong would not be stupid enough to let such a stranger into his headquarters, and he took the adjutant to the small room where the visitor was.

Sure enough, at the first glance of the visitor, Li Jingrong saw the three words 21 on the armband, and then the rank of corporal on the person's collar badge, a thick folded bar and a thin fold on the collar badge indicate that this soldier is a veteran.

"I'm Li Jingrong, which unit did you send to contact?" There are too many differences in levels, and Li Jingrong didn't give a good face to the person who came when he was questioned.

"Isn't Shang Zhen here?" Li Jingrong didn't expect that he didn't give a good face, and the people who came didn't take him seriously, and what he said shocked him even more.

"Who are you yelling at our commander-in-chief!" The adjutant was a little annoyed, and he took out the pistol in his waist and pointed it at the visitor.

"If you point a gun at me again, I'm sure you'll regret it." The corporal was not frightened by being pointed at a gun, but made threats.

This was something that the adjutant did not expect, he was furious, and was about to teach this arrogant soldier a lesson, but Li Jingrong spoke first: "Our commander-in-chief is not here, what part of you are down, it is better to say it, otherwise you will delay the military situation, and you can't afford to afford it." ”

"Well, since he's not here, I'll tell you." The corporal thought for a moment and said, "On the orders of our Commander Sun, come and contact your troops to attack Gao'an City tonight and help your 32nd Army recapture Gao'an." ”

"Anyone can blow cowhide, and devils are not muddy." Li Jingrong showed a disdainful smile on his face, and he sneered.

"Bragging?" The corporal scoffed: "Yes, I almost forgot, this is the fine tradition of the 32nd Army. bragged about how powerful he was in front of his allies, but the devil Mao didn't even see it, so he fled. ”

"Boy, what are you talking about, is it a long life to make a big fuss in front of our military seat?" How could the adjutant have thought that someone would be so arrogant and dare to speak like this.

"Am I wrong? On the battlefield of Lanfeng, it is okay to get out of the way and let Tufeiyuan go, it is the elite division of the devil; But this time it's good, even a second-line division and the 106th division don't dare to touch it, not to mention the second-line division that has fought with two Yunnan army divisions, you don't feel ashamed, and the soldiers below will be ashamed. ”

The words of the person who came became more and more unpleasant, and even Li Jingrong frowned.

"Come on, take down this megalomaniacal."

The adjutant could no longer bear this kind of verbal ridicule, and he became the commander of the command.

The two soldiers on duty outside the gate rushed in at once, and without saying anything, they set up this liaison officer.

"It's okay to drive me away, it's no problem to kill me, but Commander Li, think about it, if you can't take Gao'an within three days, you should know what the result will be."

Looking at this bold liaison officer, he suddenly had a feeling of familiarity and unkindness, especially the deep scar on the left side of his face, which made him vaguely think of a name.

"Let him go!"

Li Jingrong had seen that person before, and although a long time had passed, he could still remember that person's face. Just now, he saw the rank of corporal first, so he didn't pay attention to the appearance of the person who came, and after being squeezed and ridiculed by a few words, he saw the face of the person who came clearly.

The two sentinels let go of the man, but remained behind the man until Li Jingrong asked them to go out, and then left the hut, which was temporarily used as a reception room.

"General Sun is here when he comes, why do you want to pretend to be a small soldier, is this to disgust Li, or is it a joke to come to see my 32nd Army like this?"

As soon as Li Jingrong's words came out, the adjutant was startled, and he was about to ask, but he saw that the person who came walked to the table and sat down, and then picked up a teacup, he didn't pour water by himself, just played with the teacup on the table, and he ignored Li Jingrong's words.

The adjutant was about to reprimand this person again, but saw that Li Jingrong was not angry, but followed him and poured him a cup of tea himself.

"It's been so long since the past, if General Sun still feels unrelenting, he can make up or apologize as much as he wants, as long as General Sun speaks." Li Jingrong brought the tea to the man, and his mouth turned out to be weak, but after all, he was a person who had been rolling in the military field for many years, and then said: "I know that General Sun is not a person who holds grudges, and he must have forgiven the events of the year, otherwise he would not have come to my 32nd Army alone." ”

Li Jingrong's words made the adjutant scratch his head, and he finally interjected and asked his own question: "Junzao, who is he?" ”

"He, he is the famous god of war in the Central Army, General Sun Yumin, the former commander of the 20th Division."

Hearing Li Jingrong's words, the person who was drinking water showed the first smile after that, the slightly hideous scar, lying quietly in this smile at the moment, who else could he be if he was not Sun Yumin!