Things in the world are always fast and late!

Since the eastward advance detachment crossed the canal ahead of schedule, the aggressive Fifth Division pounced on it and deployed along the canal, which was tantamount to selling its back to the Eighth Route Army." 2 This kind of opportunity is extremely rare!

However, the detachment of the eastward advance detachment has just crossed the canal, and the troops are camping!

Xiao Siming did not organize the troops to ambush, but urgently ordered the troops to end the camp and rush east for 2o miles, and then ordered the troops to stop advancing, deploy defenses, camp and monitor the movements of the Japanese Fifth Division!

This is over, Zhao Xiuchuan, the head of the artillery regiment of the eastward advance detachment, was the first to run to find Xiao Siming and Wang Lushui, and after saluting the report, he smiled.

As soon as Wang Lushui saw it, he knew that Zhao Xiuchuan was in a hurry, anxious to let the newly equipped field artillery and mountain artillery come to ask for battle, so he deliberately quipped: "Zhao Xiuchuan, have you drunk honey water?" What are you smirking at? ”

Zhao Xiuchuan stopped laughing, hurriedly stood up and saluted again, and reported loudly: "Political commissar, we can't just shout and not open, right?" The Fifth Division is our old subordinate defeated, the Pingxingguan ambush, hehe, the little devil heard of the prestige of the grandfather of the Eighth Route Army for the first time! The last time Luokou played the 21st United, the little devil probably couldn't cry if he wanted to! Now we are arrogant, field artillery, mountain artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, artillery artillery, infantry artillery, mortars, everything! Enough shell tubes! The Fifth Division still dares to dangle in front of Lao Tzu's eyes at this time, isn't this greedy for Lao Tzu? Didn't say it, hit! The artillery regiment insisted on fighting! Hit hard! As soon as the Fifth Division heard the words of the Eighth Route Army's eastward advance detachment in the future, it would fart and pee, walk around and hide! ”

Wang Lushui laughed out loud and said: "The artillery regiment now has a lot of artillery, but there are few gunners and observers?" Do you know how to use field artillery and mountain artillery? Can you guarantee that you have a few cannons to fire? ”

What Zhao Xiuchuan didn't like to hear the most was this, but he didn't dare to be presumptuous in front of Wang Lushui, so he had to report in a proper manner: "Political commissar, the principle of the cannon is the same, the difference is only the distance and the power!" Although we have few gunners and observers, it is enough to ensure that one gunner for one cannon! Don't worry, Zhao Fu had fought field artillery and mountain artillery before joining the Red Army, and he is very familiar with it! The fighters are getting acquainted with the cannon along the way, and it is absolutely no problem to participate in the battle! ”

Wang Lushui then stimulated: "Don't let you fire the cannonball, the shell will fall on our position and cause accidental injury!" ”

Zhao Xiuchuan hurriedly explained, saying that the muzzle of the cannon is facing a certain direction, and adjusting the angle and charge amount according to different will definitely not cause accidental injury!

Wang Lushui didn't say much at this, and pouted at the back of Xiao Siming, who was sitting on the side looking at the map, and motioned Zhao Xiuchuan to go and tell the commander!

Zhao Xiuchuan walked up to Xiao Siming, and before he could speak, Xiao Siming spoke: "Zhao Xiuchuan, the battle will use me, and I will win!" Go back and hurry up to train the troops, and don't ramble here! ”

Zhao Xiuchuan snorted, with a general conditioned reflex, "snapped" a salute, and shouted loudly: "Yes!" The war will use me, and I will win! Thank you, Commander! ”

Zhao Xiuchuan walked on the front foot, as if it was an appointment, the first regiment commander Qiu Wei, political commissar Zhang Huaide, the second regiment commander Cao Ming'an, political commissar Feng Yong, the third regiment commander Wang Meng, political commissar Liu Yunhai, heavy machine gun battalion commander Mou Guangyao, cavalry battalion commander Liu Zhaoming, and engineer battalion commander Sun Zhicheng arrived on the back foot, standing at the door and shouting a report.

Wang Lushui said to Xiao Siming: "The cadres are all here, why don't you have a meeting and make arrangements?" ”

Xiao Siming shook his head and said, "Let them go back and wait for the order!" Make it clear to them, stay in secrecy, keep it strictly confidential, and wait patiently. Now is not the time, first, we have to wait until the reconnaissance battalion finds out whether there is a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River that can pass cars, and second, we have to wait until the main force of the Fifth Division viciously pounces on southern Hebei. Otherwise, as soon as we fight, the main force of the Fifth Division will pounce on us and surround us, and we will not be able to leave! ”

After thinking about it for a while, Wang Lushui knew that what Xiao Siming said was absolutely correct and could not be emotional. At this time, the main force of the Fifth Division surrounded it, where to retreat? This is a great plain, the 5th Division of the Japanese Army is a mechanized division, the cars run very fast, the infantry marches for a day and a night, and the little devils arrive in a few hours. You have to get a day's distance from the main force of the 5th Division before you can fight!

Wang Lushui went out, met with the cadres, told them Xiao Siming's words as they were, and told them to go back to strictly conceal and disguise, and resolutely not to expose the intentions of our army.

Several regiment commanders, commissars and battalion commanders had no choice but to leave.

The Eighth Route Army is staring at the little devil with big eyes here, ready to pounce on it like a goshawk fighting a rabbit and bite the Fifth Division, but the commander of the Fifth Division, Lieutenant General Toshiyoshi Ando, and the chief of staff Nishimura Riwen Daisaku don don't know anything about this!

The Fifth Division received an order to deploy defenses along the canal to block the escape passage of the Eighth Route Army to the east, and then launch a search attack into the hinterland of southern Hebei, and now eliminate all anti-Japanese forces!

In other words, the mission entrusted to the Fifth Division by the North China Front Army Command is to level southern Hebei in one fell swoop and resume the occupation of southern Hebei!

The top and bottom of the Fifth Division now hated the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army, and they were eager to find this unit and crush it with their chariot tracks. Therefore, the Fifth Division carried out the orders of the North China Front very resolutely, went out from Fengqiu County, quickly went north, quickly rushed to the canal, deployed troops along the way, and began to lay out the defensive line.

The canal is not as good as the Yellow River, and it is not a natural hazard, but if there are troops deployed, it is also very difficult to cross the canal. Because the canal can be navigated by boat, it is impossible for people to wade across the river, only to swim across, let alone vehicles. Therefore, the deployment of the canal defense line was first to control the ferries along the canal, and then to intercept passing ships, so as not to give the Eighth Route Army the opportunity to smuggle across the canal by boat.

The Fifth Division was an offensive force, and let them take on the canal defense line, and to be honest, Terauchi Shouichi had no choice. Because he was afraid that if the 21st Division or the 3rd Brigade was mixed into an independent regiment to defend the canal, not only would he not be able to block the Eighth Route Army, but he would be cut by the Eighth Route Army again!

Of course, the Fifth Division was the main force to eliminate the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army, and it was impossible for Terauchi Shouichi to let their forces really disperse. After the 21st Division of the Japanese Army arrived in Dezhou, it took over the defense of the 3rd Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade, and the 83rd Wing of the 21st Division of the Japanese Army was stationed in the section from Linqing to Dezhou; The Shenxian section of the canal was garrisoned by the 82nd Wing of the 21st Division, which was responsible for the defense of the southern front. The Fifth Division was actually only responsible for the defense of the canal in Guanxian County.

Guanxian is connected to the west by Guantao. And Guantao has a Weihe bridge that communicates between the east and the west, which is very important. The commander of the North China Front, Terauchi Shouyi, the emperor's chief attendant, Kantaro Suzuki, and the chief of staff of the North China Front, Okabe Naosaburo, were all old foxes, and naturally knew what the highway bridge over the Wei River meant to Xiao Siming's department, which owned tanks and cars. The reason why they ordered the Fifth Division to take a long detour to the canal in the east of Guanxian County to set up defenses was that the Eighth Route Army did not grasp the enemy's situation and ran headlong into the muzzle of the Fifth Division!

Lieutenant General Toshiyoshi Ando doesn't know if he understands the painstaking efforts of General Shouichi Terauchi, anyway, he is now in a hurry to find the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army for a decisive battle, and the anger in his chest is eager to spray, and the battle is very strong!

If it weren't for the fact that the 16th Division, which was too slow to transport troops, rushed to the Deshi Highway to tighten its pockets, and with the monstrous hatred brought by Ando Toshiyoshi because the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army severely damaged the 21st Wing, Ando Toshiyoshi would have waved his main force to pounce on the hinterland of southern Hebei long ago!

Because of the heavy losses suffered at the hands of the Eighth Route Army's eastward advance detachment, after the Fifth Division arrived at the canal line, although he knew that it was only a short stay here, Lieutenant General Ando Toshiyoshi still strictly ordered all units to quickly launch a search and build fortifications. At the same time, all units were ordered to send small detachments to search and reconnoiter the Guanxian area west of the canal and collect intelligence on the Eighth Route Army.

This area is not far from Liaocheng, the center of the Luxi Anti-Japanese War, and the mass foundation is good. Although when the Japanese army independently mixed into the Third Brigade and inserted into Linqing and Liaocheng, Fan Zhuxian had already withdrawn from Liaocheng, and it became an enemy-occupied area, but all the anti-Japanese teams raised by Fan Zhuxian were active in various parts of Luxi, and the newly established Southern Hebei Military Region also had troops and local work groups operating in this area. As soon as they saw the little devils coming, those anti-Japanese teams were going to move, and the common people followed suit. It was difficult for the Fifth Division to find out the traces of the Eighth Route Army.

As for the eastward advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army, which was hidden in Dongchang County, east of the canal, because the search focus of the Fifth Division was not in this direction, and the Eighth Route Army tightly sealed the news and disguised it, it was even more impossible for the little devils to appear.

On the 23rd, the day after the 5th Division arrived at the canal line, the 16th Division blocked the Deshi Highway.

Shouichi Terauchi, who received the report, did not wait any longer, and immediately ordered the main force of the 16th Division to advance from north to south, and the 5th Division to advance from east to west; The 11O Division of the Japanese Army on the Pinghan Road, the 21st Division of the Japanese Army on the road from Handan to Daming to Shenxian County, and the 3rd Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade were ordered to advance in unison to the hinterland of southern Hebei.

If the advance detachment of the Eighth Route Army marching east was in southern Hebei, it would be impossible to escape from the encirclement of the Japanese army!

Early in the morning of the 24th, Japanese planes took off from Jinan, Handan, Beiping, and Tianjin airports, and concentrated on the southern Hebei area north of the Handan-Daming Highway, west of the canal, east of the Pinghan Road, and south of the Deshi Highway.

The Fifth Cavalry Wing, the Tank Brigade, the Fifth Field Artillery Wing, and two infantry brigades of the Fifth Division were divided into multiple routes and slaughtered in the hinterland of southern Hebei. The Fifth Division's Signal Corps, Sanitary Corps, Fifth Baggage Wing, and Part of the Fifth Engineer Regiment also moved west with the main force.

The only Japanese troops left by the canal were the headquarters of the Fifth Division, two brigades of the Fifth Wing of the Baggage Corps, two brigades of the Fifth Engineer Wing, one brigade of the Signal Corps, and the infantry reserve of the Fifth Division, which was responsible for protecting the headquarters and guarding the key points of the canal.

At this time, Xiao Siming, who was on hidden standby, finally moved!