In September of the 30th year of the Republic of China, the [***] troops of the National Revolutionary Army in the Central, South, and East China theaters launched a fierce counteroffensive against the theater.

Among them, Xue Yue's Ninth Theater, Li Zongren's Fifth Theater, and Gu Zhutong's Third Theater made the most rapid progress, and by early September, most of the country's territory such as Hunan, Jiangxi, Henan, Anhui, and Suzhou had been recovered.

Among them, some troops of the Fifth Theater and the First Theater have already launched a trend of encircling Xuzhou, an important town along the Jinpu Line, while the main forces of the Third Theater have begun to advance to Hefei from various parts of southern Anhui, and various units in northern Anhui have also begun to advance in Shangqiu, Zhoukou, and other places.

General Xue Yue's troops of the Ninth Theater have recovered most of the small and medium-sized towns such as Nanchang, and the main forces of the Ninth Theater are advancing upstreams along the Yangtze River to Jiujiang and other important towns, and the front of the troops is directed towards Wuhan.

The 42nd Group Army of the Kuomintang Revolutionary Army, which was surrounded by the Zhengxian Group Front Army on the south bank of the Yellow River, was still engaged in a tragic offensive and defensive battle with the Yue Army.

………

Zheng County is called the Army Garrison Headquarters.

Suzuki Ichichi was discussing the military situation with Muto Akira and the others, and Muto Akira asked with a sad face: "Suzuki-kun, how many days will it take to consume the ammunition of the 42nd Army?" You must know that the current situation of the imperial army in various battlefields in central China is in a very unfavorable situation, and General Tada Jun has repeatedly urged us to divide troops to reinforce Xuzhou and Nanjing. If it drags on for a long time, the situation will be greatly unfavorable. ”

"Muto-kun, please rest assured, at most two days, maybe this evening, the ammunition of the people of China will be exhausted, according to the front report, yesterday the people of China have begun to start a white-edged battle with the Imperial Army, which is enough to show that their ammunition reserves are about to run out." Suzuki replied confidently.

"Yo Xi, this is good, in this way, we will be able to completely annihilate the main force of the 42nd Group Army in two to three days at most, and then we can divide our troops to reinforce the Xuzhou battlefield and the Nanjing battlefield." Muto Zhang nodded happily.

However, as soon as Muto Zhang's words fell, a communications staff officer hurriedly strode in with a hurried face, and immediately retracted his feet and said: "General, it's not good, Wu Zhibao's Second Army suddenly stopped attacking, and the imperial army sent people to urge him several times but there was no news. ”

"What? Wu Zhibao? What the hell is going on? Suzuki's face changed dramatically and he stood up.

"Since early this morning, the Second Army has suddenly entered a state of emergency combat readiness and confronted us, and Chief Kobayashi has sent officers to the General Headquarters of the Second Army several times, but has not received any response." The communications staff officer bowed his head suddenly.

"Yaga Tooth Road! What does Wu Zhibao want to do? Does he want to go against the Imperial Army? By the way, Mieko has news? Suzuki asked angrily.

"Nope! Since last night, Mieko has cut off contact with us. The communications staff officer bowed his head again.

"Yaga! Order the troops to immediately launch an attack on the Second Army, and all of them will be killed! Suzuki roared.

"Wait!" Muto Zhang immediately stopped the signal soldier, turned his head to Suzuki and said: "Suzuki-kun, the Second Army has nearly 30,000 people, although the combat effectiveness is not as strong as the Imperial Army, but it should not be underestimated, if we concentrate our forces to launch an attack on the Second Army, then the 42nd Group Army at the mouth of the Garden will definitely take advantage of the situation to counterattack, and the Imperial Army will be attacked on both sides, and the consequences will be unimaginable!" ”

"Hmm!" Suzuki calmed down, nodded approvingly, and then said, "I'm very sorry, Muto-kun, it was my impulse just now!" Ask for your forgiveness. ”

"Suzuki-kun! You're serious! Our priority now is to think about countermeasures! How to resolve the current crisis. Muto patted Suzuki Ichichi on the shoulder and said.

"Yo Xi! Muto-kun, what do you think we should do now? Could the Second Army have already surrendered to the 42nd Army? Suzuki asked with a nod.

"The Forty-second Army? Probably not, if this is the case, the Second Army will surrender to the 42nd Army en masse last night, or launch a counterattack against the Imperial Army with the 42nd Army! But neither of these situations happened, which shows that Wu Zhibao's troops did not have the will to surrender to the national political axe, at least they did not surrender to the 42nd Army opposite us! Muto Akira shook his head again and again, and then carefully analyzed.

"Muto-kun, why did the Second Army suddenly enter a state of combat readiness? And also on the alert for us? Suzuki said puzzled.

"I don't think Wu Zhibao really wants to betray our Imperial Army, after all, he betrayed the national political axe and surrendered to us, which has made him a traitor in the eyes of the Chinese people, and the assassination organization of the Han and Chinese people has tried to get rid of him more than once, but he has been lucky to avoid it.

I think the reason why Wu Zhibao suddenly became like this should be Suzuki-kun, your actions yesterday stimulated him, after all, Wu Zhibao still cares very much about the surnames of his subordinates, because he knows that the strength in his hand is his talisman, and the life of his soldiers is his life, if he loses his subordinates and becomes a bare-pole commander, then he will lose the value of use for the imperial army, I think this should be the reason for his sudden change! Akira Muto explained.

"General, in that case, we should still have a chance to redeem it?" Nakajima Kawaji next to him hurriedly said.

"Hmmm! Yes, yes, but this battle does not want to use Wu Zhibao's Second Army to consume the strength of the 42nd Army of the Chinese Army. Muto Akira nodded solemnly.

"So what are we going to do?" Nakajima Kawaji nodded and asked.

"It is up to us to launch an attack on the 42nd Group Army of the Chinese Army, and send capable personnel to express our intention to Wu Zhibao, not to use his Second Army to launch an attack on the 42nd Army, and his Second Army only needs to take charge of the defense of the Western Front to prevent the 42nd Army from breaking through from the Eastern Front!" Muto Akira said thoughtfully.

"But general, if you really hand over the defense of the Eastern Front to the Second Army, will it be unsafe, will they let the 42nd Army go privately?" Nakajima Kawaji said worriedly.

"Of course, I will not completely hand over the defense of the Eastern Front to Wu Zhibao's Second Army, Suzuki Ichikun's Sixth Division is not participating in the offensive, I just need to be on guard against the Second Army's change of fortune and the breakthrough of the 42nd Army at all times to ensure the safety of the Eastern Front!" Muto Akira said confidently.

After speaking, Muto Zhang turned his head to Suzuki, who was secretly blaming himself on the side, and said, "Suzuki-kun, the safety of the Eastern Front is please!" ”

"Hay! Please rest assured! I will do my best to ensure the safety of the Eastern Front! Suzuki suddenly closed his feet and stood upright, for the changes in the Second Army, Suzuki Ichichi deeply blamed himself, because it was his attention that used the Second Army as cannon fodder, so it led to the current situation!

Suzuki Ichihay suddenly straightened his feet, then looked up and turned around, striding out.

"Nakajima-kun, immediately gather troops and launch the last decisive battle against the 42nd Group Army of the China Army, this battle will be won!" After seeing Suzuki leave, Muto Akira turned to Nakajima Kawajimichi behind him.

"Hay!" Nakajima Kawaji bowed his head suddenly, and then turned around and strode away.

…………

Huayuankou, the forward position of the Third Division, the commander of the First Brigade, Lai Changqing, was patrolling the forward trenches with several soldiers.

Looking up at the dazzling sunlight, Lai Changqing was puzzled and said, "Grandma, why hasn't this dog's second devil attacked yet, are you afraid of being killed by us?" ”

"Hey, hey! Brigade, I think eighty percent of them are, and the little devils can't do it, let alone those two devils! By the way, when are we going to counterattack? The brothers can't wait, this defensive battle is really boring! Our 42nd Army has always been on the offensive, on the offensive! On the offensive! It's really embarrassing to fight this defensive battle! The second head scratched his head and asked with a smile.

"What's the hurry! The time has not yet come, do you think Lao Tzu likes to fight defensive battles? If it weren't for the orders of the head seat and the division seat, I would have taken you rabbit cubs out of the trenches and brought those dog-called little Dongyang bayonets to see the red, then it would be fucking cool! Don't worry, calm down for Lao Tzu, when the time comes to counterattack, I must rush to the front, and we can't let other brigades rush ahead of us for Lao Tzu. Lai Changqing said coaxingly.

"Yes! Guaranteed to be at the forefront! The second regiment commander snapped forward and stood upright.

At this moment, the vigilant soldiers in the front guard position issued a warning, and Lai Changqing and the second regiment commander hurriedly lay down on the bunker of the trench wall.

Taking out the binoculars, Lai Changqing saw that at this time, a cluster of scarlet fireballs had appeared in the sky in the distance, Lai Changqing immediately opened his throat and shouted: "All hidden, the enemy is shelling!" ”

As soon as Lai Changqing's words fell, the whistling sound of sharp shells was approaching, and the hot shells smashed down on the position of the second regiment.

"Boom...!" The loud explosion of shells resounded through the heavens and the earth, and each shell exploded on the ground, scattering the dirt from the bunker, flashing red light, and clouds of thick smoke rose into the air.

About ten minutes later, Lai Changqing sat up from the bunker, shook his head vigorously, and shook off the dirt on his head and body. Fuck it! ”

At this time, the second regiment commander also crawled out of the bunker on the side, and after shaking his head, the second regiment commander hurriedly asked, "Brigade seat, are you okay?" ”

"It's okay! Hurry up and order the troops to prepare for battle, hurry! It's time for the little devil to come up again! Lai Changqing instructed.

"Yes! Go for it now! The second regiment commander got up as he spoke, and before he had time to pat the dirt on his buttocks, he strode towards his regimental headquarters.

Soon, the officers and men of each company of the Second Regiment received the order, and they came out of the bunkers one after another, raising their weapons and looking ahead with a cold expression.

After a while, only the roar of tanks and armored vehicles was heard in the distance, and a major battalion commander took out a large magnification telescope, through which he saw that about a dozen or so tank trucks with plaster flags were rumbling towards them.

Behind the tank car, there was a large group of soldiers of the army who were pressed by the black pressure, and those devil soldiers were all holding bright bayonets, and they followed the tank car with hideous faces and quickly pushed forward.

The major looked at the posture of the devil, and couldn't help but gasp and scolded: "Good girl, the little devil is ruthless, he actually used two wings and a chariot detachment to attack at one time, it seems that the little devil is in a hurry!" ”

After scolding, the battalion commander of the major turned his head to the deputy battalion commander behind him and said, "Lao Wei, quickly transfer the artillery platoon to Lao Tzu and kill those Iron Kings!" ”

"Yes!" The deputy battalion commander surnamed Wei snapped his promise, and quickly turned around and left.

Soon, the direct-fire mortar running platoon was ordered to arrive, and dozens of artillerymen and deputy gunners ran over briskly with more than a dozen modified versions of direct-fire mortars. 、

Under the command of the artillery platoon commander, ten direct-fire mortars were quickly prepared and deployed to all corners of the position.

This is, the on-board machine gun on the tank has begun to roar and spit out dazzling tongues of fire, and the ghost soldiers following the tank car are crying and howling with great excitement.

When the devil tank car had already entered the firing range, the artillery platoon commander gave an order, more than ten mortars were fired at once, and more than a dozen dazzling fire balls suddenly flew out, and after crossing the arc in the air, they accurately hit the devil tank that was rumbling forward, and seven Type 95 tanks were hit on the spot, and a fire broke out immediately.

The remaining three tanks hurriedly roared back, and at this time, the devil infantry shouted and killed the second regiment position. 、

The second regiment commander slapped the bunker and shouted: "Fight! Hit hard! Kill these dogs! ”

"Bang Bang The dense gunfire suddenly rang out, and under the intensive fire of the soldiers, the ghost soldiers who were charging fell one after another.

And the devil behind resolutely rushed over without fear of death, and began to shoot back, and suddenly the bullets on the position shuttled back and forth, and people on both sides kept being hit, but soon someone took over the position of the dead and continued to shoot.

……….

At the same time that the 42 nd Group Army was fighting to the death against the Yue Army on the edge of the Yellow River, more than 30,000 people from the two main divisions and one reading brigade of the New Fourth Army came from various mountainous areas in northern Anhui in the direction of Zheng County.

When the Kaifeng defenders of the Yue Army learned the news, they were terrified and hurriedly reported the situation to Major General Muto Zhang, the garrison commander of Zheng County.

……….

Zheng County, the army garrison headquarters.

Muto Akira put down the telegram in his hand with a blue face, and Nakajima Kawaji next to him saw that Muto Akira's face was not good, and immediately asked, "General, what's wrong?" ”

"The New Fourth Army, the New Fourth Army [***]!" Muto Akira gritted his teeth.

"What? The New Fourth Army, how many of them are there? Nakajima Kawaji was also shocked.

"At least three divisions, according to intelligence, there are more than 30,000 people in the New Fourth Army this time, and these more than 30,000 people are extremely strong in combat, and among them, the main force of the fourth division is the vanguard. All the way, it swept the imperial army's strongholds and turrets on the border of Hubei, Henan and Anhui, and the imperial army was killing it! Muto Zhang's face was extremely ugly.

"What? The Fourth Division? Peng Xuefeng's Fourth Division? Nakajima Kawaji's face changed drastically, when he was originally sweeping the base area of the New Fourth Army, he had fought with Peng Xuefeng's Fourth Division, and he knew very well the power of this [***] senior general.

His own 17th Division had suffered a big loss at the hands of the Fourth Division, and when he thought of this, Nakajima Kawaji immediately said to Muto Zhang: "General, if the New Fourth Army is really coming at us, then we must immediately change our strategy, otherwise only an infantry wing in Kaifeng will not be enough to stop the pace of the New Fourth Army!" The combat effectiveness of the New Fourth Army is extremely strong, and if they join, then our plan to encircle and annihilate the 42nd Group Army will probably fail! ”

"Nakajima-kun, you are wrong, if the New Fourth Army really arrives, not only will the plan to encircle and annihilate the 42nd Group Army fail at that time, I am afraid that even the entire Henan will be lost, Zhengxian, Kaifeng, Luoyang, etc. will be lost!" Muto Zhang sat down on the chair with a gray face.

"Huh? Checkmate! It can't be that bad, right? We have nearly 80,000 troops, can't we hold Henan? Nakajima Kawaji was obviously a little reluctant.

"If the New Fourth Army arrives, we will only be able to turn the offensive to the defensive, retreat to the city, and then we will no longer be able to stop the pace of the 42nd Group Army of the Zhina Army, they will quickly sweep the whole of Henan, and then the Zhengxian and Kaifeng and Luoyang we are defending will become isolated cities. How long do you think we'll be able to hold out? And now the Xuzhou battlefield is in need of our reinforcements, so we can only decisively abandon Henan, and then quickly move closer to Nanjing. At that time, we will wait for the opportunity to reinforce the Xuzhou battlefield! Muto Akira said indifferently.

"General! Please leave a division for the lowly post, the lowly post is willing to defend Zheng County to the death, and drag the 42nd Group Army of the Zhina Army to the death! "Kawaji Nakajima is obviously extremely unwilling to fail.

"Nope! Nakajima-kun, there is no need to bury the lives of tens of thousands of imperial warriors for this, we should preserve the strength of the empire, and the important surname of Nanjing is far away from Henan, as long as we hold the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, we can counterattack at any time at that time! Muto Akira persuaded.

"General...!" Nakajima Kawaji roared a little unwillingly.

"Enough! This is not the native of the country! There is no need for us to die for it, to live and die with the city! Do you understand? Nanjing's geographical location and political interests are obviously greater than here, and we must all stick to Nanjing! We must not let the people of China recover Nanjing! Do you drip? Muto Akira also roared loudly.

"Hay!" Nakajima Kawaji suddenly bowed his head and said, "I understand the humble position, but general, what about which route we retreat from?" ”

"Take the train along the Pinghan Railway to the south, and after arriving at the Luohe River, immediately go east to Hefei, and then head towards Nanjing!" Muto Akira said extremely calmly.

"However, General, according to the intelligence of the Special High Division, the troops of the Third Theater of the China Army are advancing towards Hefei and other places, and the North Anhui China Army has also captured Suzhou, Fuyang and other places, and the road we want to enter Nanjing from Anhui has been cut off by the China people!" Nakajima River Nido.

(To be continued)