Sun Yumin quickly read the Central Daily that he had bought from the newspaper seller, and although he knew that he could not get any valuable information from it, it would at least let him know where the Japanese army had attacked now.

The Central Daily is the mouthpiece of the Kuomintang Party, and naturally it reports good news but not bad news, and it is extremely sycophantic and praised, and it almost does not praise Tang Enbo to the sky, but Sun Yumin knows that since Okamura Ningji launched the Henan-Central Offensive on April 19, Tang Enbo lost 38 cities in 37 days.

He didn't care what the outcome would be on the side of Henan, nor did he care how Tang Enbo, who had the six major group armies, would bury the land of Henan inch by inch, but was deeply worried about the upcoming battle of Hunan.

In history, since the beginning of May, the commander of the 11th Army of the Japanese Army, Isamu Yokoyama, was ordered by Shunroku Hata who was sitting in Wuhan and personally commanded, and organized nearly 10 divisions to launch the largest offensive since the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in northern and southern Hunan. The Fourth Battle of Changsha, the Battle of Changde and the Battle of Hengyang, which have a strong color in the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, took place in the Battle of Yuxianggui, which was called the "No. 1 Offensive" by the Japanese army.

"Brother-in-law, what's wrong with you?" Looking at Sun Yumin, who was frowning, Chen Lai couldn't help but ask.

"The war is coming!" Sun Yumin sighed lightly, handed the newspaper in his hand to Chen Lai, and looked at the little girl who was buying rock sugar gourds with Chu Jiu.

"Isn't the Japanese army still fighting Henan? There are many troops of the national army there, and if you want to fight in Hunan, you can't do it in a day or two, right? Chen Lai glanced at it and asked suspiciously. Although she is a woman, she is not ignorant of military affairs.

"It was the Japanese troops from North China who attacked Henan, as well as some elite divisions drawn from the Kwantung Army, and Tang Enbo couldn't resist it for a few days." Sun Yumin sighed and said: "No matter what the war is over there, the Japanese 11th Army in Wuhan will take the opportunity to launch an offensive, so don't look at it very stable now, it won't be long before Changsha City will be full of smoke again." ”

"And what are your plans?" Chen Lai asked, she really didn't want to see Sun Yumin on the battlefield again, especially after this more intimate relationship, coupled with the recurrence of the old injury this time, she was even more reluctant to let Sun Yumin lead the troops.

"If the Japanese are not expelled from the country, I will not rest my horse and saddle for a day." Sun Yumin didn't think about it for a moment, and replied directly.

"Brother-in-law, why do you have to be so persistent? The national army does not have you, and there are many generals, and they can also fight devils. Chen Lai sighed and said: "You have to know, the national army can run as usual with or without you, but me, Yuying and Xiao Chujiu, how can we survive without you?" She knew that if she didn't find a sufficient reason, it would be impossible to convince Sun Yumin, so she simply pressed herself and the ninth girl on the scales together, and let Sun Yumin choose which is more important.

"The big husband has something to do and something not to do." Sun Yumin did not answer her words directly, but just said an ancient saying lightly.

Chen Lai knew that Sun Yumin valued himself and the girl Chu Jiu very much, but compared with this devastated and traumatized country and nation, he would still choose to go to the battlefield without hesitation.

"I don't understand why you have to do this? Don't you think they didn't do everything in their power to kill you? This time I narrowly escaped from the hands of death, so what about next time? Will there be such good luck next time? Chen Lai was a little excited, she continued: "Others choose 'I'd rather be responsible for the world than teach the world to bear me', but you, you are 'I'd rather teach the world to bear me, and I will never bear the world'." What do you get by doing this? Can you tell me? ”

"Xiao Lai, there are many things and choices in this world, which are above the individual, just like your sister's choice back then, so don't ask me why I have to do this," Sun Yumin's eyes still wandered on his daughter and the little girl, and he responded lightly in his mouth, and after a pause, he added: "Maybe as you said, I came to this world to live to fight devils, if there are no devils to fight one day, I don't think I have the meaning of staying in this world!" ”

"Don't talk nonsense, why don't you make sense? You have daughters, sisters, a bunch of brothers, and me, and not going to the battlefield may make you feel that life is more meaningful. Chen Lai stretched out her hand to cover Sun Yumin's mouth, she didn't want to hear such words, and wanted to use family affection to pull him back and make him give up his inner thoughts.

"Dad, sugar gourd, it's delicious." At this moment, Xiao Chujiu shook the rock sugar gourd in his hand and shouted at Sun Yumin as if he was showing off, as if he was cooperating with Chen Lai's words just now.

When he was on the hospital bed, Sun Yumin actually thought about ignoring current affairs, but in the end, he denied himself, and the expulsion of the Japanese invaders was one of the most important reasons, but the most important thing was the hidden wish in his heart, family members are important, brothers are also important, but it is more important to take them to welcome the light together!

This small episode made Sun Yumin and Chen Lai, who were originally interested in going to Qingqing, have no intention of enjoying the beauty of spring again, both of them have their own hearts, but they didn't show it, they still pretended to be happy to accompany Xiao Chujiu, but they would look at each other from time to time, and they wanted to see "a change of heart" from each other's eyes.

Silly Bear and Ganglenzi They set up an earthen stove in the suburbs, pots and pans, knives and ingredients, with them, Sun Yumin and Chen Lai don't need to do the indispensable picnic for walking, don't look at them are all rude soldiers, but the level of food is not bad at all, and it doesn't take much effort to get seven or eight dishes. Sun Yumin has always been close to the soldiers, not to mention that they are all personal guards now, so naturally there is no such thing as hierarchy, and the nine adults and one junior high nine sat on the ground and enjoyed a meal.

After playing until near the evening, they returned to the city, and only got off the car before they arrived at the house, and the two team members who stayed behind hurriedly reported: "Boss, Chief Xue has been waiting here for an afternoon, and he has just returned not long ago. ”

This was the first time Xue Yue had visited in the name of official business during this period of time, and Sun Yumin knew that it must be because of the war in central Henan that he would come to summon him.

"You have dinner first, don't wait for me?" Sun Yumin handed his sleeping daughter to Silly Bear, explained to Chen Lai and the little girl, and got back into the car.

"Can you not go? For the sake of Sister Yuying and Chu Jiu, for me, don't go, okay? ”

He was about to close the car door, but found that Chen Lai had grabbed the car door, and just wanted to coax her to say a few words, but heard her choked pleading.

"Xiao Lai, if it was Yun'er, she wouldn't stop me."

This sentence was like a panacea, hitting Chen Lai's heart deeply, not only making her tremble, but also letting go of her hand holding the car door, and the whole person stood in place as if she was suddenly stupid.

Sun Yumin didn't say a word more, closed the car door, and motioned for the driver to drive to the Ninth Theater Headquarters not far away.

Xue Yue's large mahogany desk was cluttered with a large pile of documents and papers, while he himself was contemplating a small military map.

"Report." The adjutant who led Sun Yumin in shouted loudly at the door: "Sir, General Sun has arrived." ”

"Yumin, you're finally here, I've been waiting for you for an afternoon." Hearing the adjutant's report, Xue Yue hurriedly put down the military map in his hand and got up to greet him.

"Chief Xue, I heard that you were looking for me in a hurry, so I hurried here." Although Sun Yumin did not wear a military uniform, he still gave him a military salute as usual.

"Yumin, don't do these vain things between you and me, sit down, I have something I want to ask you." Xue Yue was extremely enthusiastic, since the Third Battle of Changsha, his belief and favor for Sun Yumin was not ordinarily deep.

"Chief Xue, don't say that, it's really killing Yumin." Sun Yumin swayed his hands, if he still had some precautions and prejudices against Xue Yue before, after this confrontation with Dai Li and He Yingqin, he knew that the commander of the Ninth War Zone, nicknamed "Tiger Boy", could be regarded as a person who could be friended.

"Yumin, you sit down first, I'll show you a few things." Xue Yue took out a few pieces of paper from the messy pile of documents on the table, walked to the reception area, and handed them to Sun Yumin, who was already sitting in a chair.

In fact, there is no need to read it, Sun Yumin knows that the content on these pieces of paper is related to the battle of Henan, although he probably knows the time and result of the battle of Henan, but he does not know too much about the process. Although this piece of paper does not necessarily reflect the real situation on the battlefield, Sun Yumin is confident that he can deduce the combat strength of the Japanese army from it, and it can also be used to deal with the upcoming battle in northern Hunan and the battle in Changheng.

The battle report on the first piece of paper reads: On the night of April 17, the Japanese troops on the Zhongmu side forcibly crossed the New Yellow River from Sanwang, Zhongmu, and Fuzhuang, and the 27th Division of our defenders rose up to meet the battle. The battle lasted until about 5 o'clock in the morning of the 18th, when the position of the 2nd Regiment facing Zhongmu was broken through, and the 27th Division was forced to retreat south.

Sun Yumin's memory of this battle is the panicked flight of Jiang Dingwen, the commander of the First Theater of Operations, and the desperate resistance of Tang Enbo's troops on the Eastern Front. At 11 o'clock in the evening of April 17, 1944, the 37th Division of the 12th Army of the Japanese Army attacked the 27th Division of the Mu Defender Army from the east and west. After the battle began, the defenders sent an understatement telegram to Jiang Dingwen, who was sitting in Luoyang: The enemy crossed the river in Zhongmu tonight, and now there are only more than 100 people, and they are fighting with our army. Jiang Dingwen did not realize the seriousness of the problem, and routinely notified all departments: Pay attention to the vigilance of river defense! But a few hours later, at two o'clock in the morning on April 18, the Japanese occupied the town of Zhongmu. At dawn, the main force of the Japanese 12th Army quickly crossed the Yellow River in the Zhongmu area, and the Chinese defenders in charge of river defense were about to collapse at the first touch, and the eastern front of the Nationalist army was in an emergency. As soon as the gap opened, the Yellow River defense line, which had been in operation for several years, was like a collapsed domino, and Zhengzhou, Xinzheng, Weishi, Yanling, Mixian, Changge and other places fell one after another. Although the Nationalist army on the Eastern Front resisted desperately, it was still unable to withstand the defeat like a mountain, and in a few days, nearly ten cities were lost in a row. It is not that the national army troops did not resist, the first arduous defensive battle of the war in central Henan, the Battle of Xuchang, is a good confirmation, not all the national army troops are a bad breed that will collapse at the touch of a button. The most fierce, stationed in Xuchang City, was the 29th Division of the 15th Army temporarily organized by Tang Enbo's Corps, with only more than 3,000 soldiers under the division commander Lu Gongliang, who repelled dozens of Japanese charges, and finally was forced to enter the street battle in isolation. Even so, they did not abandon the city and fled, and fought desperately until May 1, when the 29th Division was annihilated, and the division commander Lu Gongliang, two regiment commanders, and two battalion commanders were martyred, and Xuchang was declared lost.

Of course, the war has not yet developed to this point, but Sun Yumin knows that this day will come sooner or later, although he wants to remind him, but helplessly, people may not put in his ears the words of the counselor who was removed from the army, rather than looking for himself to be bored, it is better to calm down and think about the crisis in the ninth war zone where he is located, at least Xue Yue can still listen to his opinion compared to the surname Jiang.

The second war report reads: A large number of Japanese troops crossed the Yellow River from Fuzhuang, occupied Jiema, and marched to the Chaiqiao position along the west bank of the new Yellow River to the pan-east, and several Japanese troops attacked Zhengzhou, Xinzheng, Weichuan, and Weishi, among which a small Japanese army secretly marched to Zhengzhou Station at dawn on the 19th, and occupied a corner of the city wall near the north gate of Zhengzhou City with a sneak attack.

The third military intelligence report was the longest, full of pages: At the same time that the Japanese troops on the Zhongmu side began to attack our army's Yellow River defense line, taking advantage of the opportunity of our army's attention to focus on the Zhongmu side, the main force of the Japanese army took advantage of the cover of night on the 18th to sneak through the Yellow River Iron Bridge to the bridgehead position on the south bank of Bishantou, and secretly approached the attack position, and on the morning of April 19, suddenly launched a fierce artillery bombardment, and then the Japanese infantry launched a fierce attack on the stronghold of Hanwangcheng of the 11th Division of the Chinese defenders on the high ground west of Pishantou. Our defenders rose up to resist and fought fiercely until around noon, when all positions were destroyed, and more than 300 people under the battalion commander Wang Xinchang died bravely. After the position fell, the 11th Division sent the 33rd Regiment to launch a counterattack on Hanwangcheng, and sent troops to reinforce Moqiling and Niukouyu, but due to the increasing number of follow-up troops of the Japanese army, the counterattack troops suffered heavy casualties, and the regiment commander Yu Zipei was seriously wounded, and the counterattack failed, and the Moqiling Heights were also lost that night, and our army was forced to withdraw to Leyang. After the loss of the Moqiling Heights, the Japanese army had no worries on the right side of the mountain, and the artillery of our 85th Army lost its observation post on the high ground, and the power of the artillery fire could not be brought into play, which had a considerable impact on the battle situation. The main force of the Japanese army went straight to Zhengzhou along the Pinghan Road and the area to the west, while the other main force of the Japanese army broke through to Mixian, and our reconnaissance unit even found a large number of Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.

Today is April 21st, that is to say, the third war report that Xue Yue showed him is the latest war report.

"Yumin, what do you think?" Xue Yue saw that he quickly finished reading the war report as if he were watching a flower, so he opened his mouth to inquire.

"I don't want to express any opinion on the war in Henan, but I can say to Chief Xue in private, Zhengzhou can't hold for two days, if the estimate is good, before May 1, not only Zhengzhou, but also Xinzheng, Weishi, Yanling, Mixian, Changge and other places will be lost." Sun Yumin pondered for a while, and said these words to Xue Yue, originally he didn't plan to talk too much about the war in Yuzhong, but since Xue Yue asked, he still said a few words.