On the evening of 2 November, when the 12th Army of the Chinese Army held a military meeting, Liu Yimin had already received accurate information that the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army had boarded a ship in Lianyungang and headed south. By this time, Liu Yimin had already confirmed that the Yue army was still going to attack Guangzhou as it had done in history, and in the words of the Yue army, it was to release the winner and loser and decide the final fate of the Battle of Wuhan in one fell swoop. Therefore, Liu Yimin sent an urgent telegram of 100,000 yuan to the headquarters, demanding that the headquarters be transferred as soon as it arrives and report to Chairman Jiang of the Wuhan National Political Axe Military Committee. The telegram was not long, but it only told Chiang Kai-shek that, according to reliable information, the army had organized the 21st Army under the direct jurisdiction of the base camp, and the commander was Lieutenant General Kojo Kanro, and the chief of staff was Major General Tanaka Kuichi, under the jurisdiction of the 5th Division, the 18th Division, the 104th Division, the Mixed Brigade Regiment, and the Fourth Flying Regiment. Among them, the Fifth Division had already loaded ships at Lianyungang this evening and headed south, and the rest of the troops should assemble somewhere to join up with the Fifth Division. Judging that the target of the army's southward movement this time should be Guangzhou, and it may land in the coastal area of Guangdong. The Military Commission is requested to take precautions as soon as possible.

After receiving Liu Yimin's telegram, Mr. Zhu added to the telegram his and Mr. Peng's analysis and judgment of the possible surnames of the Yue army's sneak attack on Guangzhou, specifically explaining that the Yue army's naval strength was strong and that it was entirely possible to transport the 21 st Army to attack Guangzhou by surprise, and that the Guangzhou side was likely to be in the dark at present, and asked Chairman Jiang to urgently send a telegram to the Fourth Theater to take immediate measures to strictly prevent the surprise attack of the Yue army.

After receiving the information reported by the Eighth Route Army, Chiang Kai-shek did not dare to slack off, and immediately summoned He Yingqin, Liu Fei and others together to discuss the reliable surname of the intelligence.

This discussion startled Chiang Kai-shek, and it was really possible for the army to attack Guangzhou. The reason is very simple, Guangzhou was a foreign trade channel for the Nationalist at this time, and the capture of Guangzhou could cut off the commercial and trade ties between China and Europe and the United States, which was equivalent to cutting off the international material supply line of China's War of Resistance. Moreover, some troops of the Fourth Theater were fighting on the battlefield in Wuhan at this time, and Guangdong's defense force was relatively weak, so it would be strange if the army did not attack Guangzhou at this time.

Chiang Kai-shek's regret in his heart!

If we had anticipated that the Yue army might make a move in Guangzhou, we should have adopted the strategy of replacing troops with water and used the water of the Yellow River to block the army all the way, so that there would have been no need to send troops from the Fourth Theater to the aid of the Wuhan battlefield. It's too late to say anything now, the army is about to encircle Wuhan, and there is such a big thing happening in Guangzhou, how can this Wuhan battle be fought! That's it!

Not only Chiang Kai-shek figured it out, but He Yingqin and Liu Fei also figured it out. He Yingqin's face turned pale, and he said hatefully: "The army is killing three birds with one stone, urgently cutting off our international supply lines, taking the opportunity to occupy Guangzhou, and also planning the battle of Wuhan. This little devil is really lacking in people's hearts, and it is not enough to occupy Tianjin, Beiping, Shanghai, and Nanjing, but he really wants to occupy Guangzhou and Wuhan together. This little devil is so ruthless! ”

Liu Fei looked funny, but he just couldn't laugh, because he knew that once the army's plan succeeded, China's war of resistance would be even more difficult. After thinking about it, Liu Fei still suggested: "Commission, if the information is true, the army will soon launch an attack on Guangzhou." The most urgent task at the moment is to immediately order the Fourth Theater to urgently mobilize and strive to resolutely repel the offensive of the Japanese army. Second, we need to consider ending the Battle of Wuhan as soon as possible. Once the army captured Guangzhou, Wuhan lost its meaning of urgently needing to be defended. Rather than fighting with the Yue army in Wuhan and consuming strength, it is better to make plans in advance, consider the military deployment after the fall of Wuhan, accumulate strength, and fight a protracted war. ”

Chiang Kai-shek had the heart to eat people at this time, and the eyes staring at He Yingqin and others also became cold, and several people were sweating on their foreheads. After a long time, Chiang Kai-shek let out a cold snort from his nose, and then said to He Yingqin: "Respectfully, you go and send a telegram, order the Fourth Theater, no, directly send a telegram to Yu Hanmou, and ask him to strengthen the defense of the eastern coast of Guangzhou and resolutely repel the attack of the Yue army." In any case, this time, the Eighth Route Army was able to report in advance the information it had received from the army, and it performed quite well. Send a report to Mao Runzhi and Zhu Yujie to praise the 18th Group Army. ”

He Yingqin promised to leave, and Chiang Kai-shek's voice suddenly rose an octave: "However, at the critical moment of the Battle of Wuhan, why did Liu Yimin, the instructor of the 18th Group Army, stand still?" Why didn't he take advantage of the army to attack Wuhan and launch an offensive? Where is his mentor now? Why did the 18th Group Army Air Force withdraw to Shaanxi without approval? What do they want to do? Do you want to sit idly by and watch Wuhan and Guangzhou fall into the hands of the enemy? You sent my original words to Mao Runzhi and Zhu Yujie, and asked them to ask Liu Yimin, is he still a [***] person? Or obey or disobey the leadership of the national political axe? ”

He Yingqin and Liu Fei couldn't imagine that Liu Yimin was kind enough to report the enemy's situation, and not only was he not commended, but he made Chiang Kai-shek have a seizure, and they didn't feel good in their hearts. Liu Fei said: "Seat, after the Eighth Route Army Air Force has finished bombing the fleet of the Chinese army, it has run out of ammunition and has not had the slightest combat effectiveness, and if it returns to Wuhan, it will inevitably be intercepted by the fighters of the Chinese army, and I am afraid that even a single plane will not be able to fly at that time." Their choice to withdraw to Shaanxi was the right choice from the perspective of a safe retreat. Let's talk about Liu Yimin, he has never had any warning in advance when he fights, and he doesn't report or report, and suddenly there is good news. I wonder if he is afraid that the little devil will take precautions out of secrecy? ”

Before Liu Fei finished speaking, Chiang Kai-shek waved his hand and interrupted him: "Don't say it again, I won't listen!" I don't listen! ”

He Yingqin also said coldly: "Even if they were right to withdraw to Shaanxi at that time, then why didn't they return to the Wuhan battlefield?" This is standard battlefield disobedience! There is also that Liu Yimin, who has always been uncontrolled by the Military Commission. If every army is like him, wouldn't it be back to the state of warlord secession before the Northern Expedition? What is the law of the country? Where is the decree? Where is the system? I really don't understand, the commission to treat Liu Yimin is not thin, regardless of past suspicions, and he was awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and he allocated a huge amount of money to reward, not only let his wife go to the labor army twice, but also married his righteous daughter to him, and even his wife's cousin became his wife. Such a grace can be compared to which one in the whole world? Why didn't he think about it? Now, the battle situation in Wuhan is so dangerous, our army is bleeding and dying every day, how can Liu Yimin, who is known as the most elite unit in my country, seem to have disappeared from the world? Of course, the telegram he sent was indeed timely, and he still had a bit of conscience. But why didn't he attack? If he attacked any unit of the army and destroyed another division, it would inevitably cause the army to shake. Does that little devil still have the heart to attack Wuhan and Guangzhou? ”

Liu Fei smiled bitterly in his heart, what He Yingqin said is estimated to have been thinking about it for a long time, and this time he has found a venting point, and he poured it out. According to him, Liu Yimin is not only not a famous general, but has become a chaotic minister and thief! Liu Fei originally wanted to refute it, but after thinking about it, this was not an occasion for rebuttal, nor was it what he should say, it seemed that Chiang Kai-shek's mind was about to turn in circles again.

Seeing that Liu Fei and the others didn't answer, He Yingqin wanted to say more, but Chiang Kai-shek stopped him: "Respectfully, forget it, go and send a report." ”

After receiving a telegram from Chiang Kai-shek, Mr. Zhu and [***] telegram went back and forth, discussed for a long time, and sent a telegram of only four words to Chiang Kai-shek: "Don't be impatient!" ”

Although there are only four words, in the eyes of Chiang Kai-shek, it is really a thousand words. Because he knew in his heart that Liu Yimin must be brewing a big campaign, and it is likely that it has already begun to be launched.

Chiang Kai-shek, who was in a slightly better mood, ordered a second telegram to be sent to the Fourth Theater of Operations, ordering them to urgently relocate important equipment and materials in Guangzhou, carry out the clearing of the wilderness, and never fall into the hands of the enemy. At the same time, Chiang Kai-shek also realized that the reason why Liu Yimin delayed the attack, I am afraid that what he was waiting for was the opportunity for the heavy army group to fall into the Wuhan operation and the Guangzhou operation, this guy has always only taken advantage of the situation and did not suffer losses, [***] worked desperately on the front line in Wuhan, but he stayed aside and waited for the fighter plane, so deep at a young age, it was terrible!

Chiang Kai-shek was willing to wait until Liu Yimin launched an attack before making a final decision on whether to withdraw Wuhan. Originally, he had already made up his mind to give up Wuhan if necessary, but now his mind has changed. What if after Liu Yimin launched an attack, the army had to stop the attack on Wuhan and attack Liu Yimin's instructor instead? According to the reaction of Liu Yimin's army when he captured Tianjin and Qingdao, this possibility is very big!

Of course, Chiang Kai-shek can be regarded as the commander-in-chief of a country, and everything he does is for the staff to study repeatedly. Whether or not Wuhan will be withdrawn will naturally be handed over to the staff team for study and judgment. However, at this time, Li Zongren was ill, Bai Chongxi went to the Fifth War Zone to replace Li Zongren's command, and Chen Cheng was in the Ninth War Zone, He Yingqin led a group of people to discuss for a while, and put forward two possibilities: One is that after Liu Yimin launched an attack, the army will terminate the attack on Wuhan, but this possibility is relatively small, because the influence of Wuhan and Guangzhou is too great. Another possibility is that the army will desperately capture Wuhan, and then return to the division to deal with the instructors of the Eighth Route Army. Of course, the results are a bit ambiguous, mainly because He Yingqin and others don't know when and where Liu Yimin will attack. And the battle of Wuhan is almost at the last moment.

Unlike Chiang Kai-shek and others in Wuhan, who were anxious and annoyed, on the night of November 3, Liu Yimin finally waited for the Eighth Brigade and the Cavalry Brigade to rush back from Ganyu.

I haven't seen you for a long time, as soon as Hu Laohu entered the division headquarters and saluted several leaders, he immediately shouted happily: "Division commander, political commissar, Director Cai, has it been opened?" Give the order, what is the task of the cavalry brigade? As long as the division commander and political commissar give the order, the cavalry brigade is responsible for screwing off Shunroku Hata and giving it to the division commander as a night pot. ”

Among the brigade commanders, Li Chang, Hu Laohu, and Lei Ming are all masters who speak without taboos, and they are all masters who are anxious when there is no battle, and their sense of seeking war is particularly strong. This Hu Laohu is a little better than Li Chang, the commander of the artillery command, if Li Chang is here, he thinks that if he doesn't talk about Xiao Zheng and peeing, he will not be able to say anything about Director Xiao Tang or something, and he will have to let Liu Yimin kick him in the ass to stop his mouth.

The surname of Bao Wen, the political commissar of the cavalry brigade, is a bit like Luo Ronghuan, who is more rigorous, and when he saw Hu Laohu starting to talk nonsense, he didn't stop it, but just stood aside and laughed.

Liu Yimin likes the optimistic and belligerent temperament of Hu Laohu and Li Chang, and when he saw Hu Laohu bragging, he said with a smile: "If you can screw off the head of Junliu Hata and give me a night pot, then the War of Resistance will be over." ”

As soon as Hu Laohu heard this, he immediately said, "Commander, this is not bragging. You asked me to take the special combat team to Nanjing, and I promise to fight the little devil coldly, and it will be a piece of cake to unscrew Shunroku Hatata's head. You don't know, the fighters of the special combat team are very powerful, and their skills are absolutely eye-opening! ”

Luo Ronghuan knew that it must be the special combat team led by Wang Tongsheng who was fighting with the cavalry brigade again, otherwise Hu Laohu would not have eaten the bowl and looked at the pot, and wanted to take the special combat team to Nanjing.

Looking at Hu Laohu's excited face, Luo Ronghuan said: "Comrade Hu Laohu, don't talk nonsense, you quickly report on the preparations of the cavalry brigade." What about casualties? Need to add up? ”

Hu Laohu knew that Luo Ronghuan was a serious person, so he immediately saluted again, and then reported: "The task of the cavalry brigade is to cooperate with the Eighth Brigade to carry out cold gun and cold artillery campaigns against the enemy along the eastern section of Longhai Road. ”

While several people were talking, Zhao Shan, commander of the Eighth Brigade, and Zhao Jie, political commissar, also rushed to the division headquarters to receive combat missions.

Zhao Shan was a commander of both offense and defense, and when he was the commander of the old fifth battalion, the old fifth battalion was the first choice for defensive operations of the 18th Red Regiment. Basically, which unit he went to, Liu Yimin would think of him when he thought about the need for defensive operations.

After Zhao Shan and Zhao Jie saluted, Liu Yimin asked about the troops' preparations for war, and then explained the idea of launching the Jiaoji Road Campaign, and asked the deputy chief of the General Staff Office [***] Feng to explain the battle plan to Hu Laohu and Zhao Shan in detail. At the end, Liu Yimin told the commanders of the two brigades that the other units had already begun to move, and the reason why the division headquarters remained in Dadian was to wait for them. They were asked to go back immediately to prepare, and two hours later, they set off with the division headquarters and rushed to the predetermined combat area.

Zhao Shan, Zhao Jie, Hu Laohu, and Bao Wen heard that they would set off with the division headquarters in two hours, and they didn't dare to delay any longer, so they immediately took their leave.

Soon it was time to set off, Liu Yimin, Luo Ronghuan, and Cai Zhong walked out of the division headquarters, quietly went out of Dadian Town with the guard regiment and the division headquarters, and after meeting with the Eighth Brigade and the Cavalry Brigade outside the town, they took advantage of the night to drive north.

The majestic Battle of Jiaoji Road kicked off.

(To be continued)