readx; Gao Fei smiled, and finally said: "Actually, this time, no matter how many soldiers and horses go, the enemy will take Wuhan as the target, as long as a division is deployed in Wuhan to defend it to the death, and the city will be used to capture the enemy, it will definitely attract these enemies under the city." Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 At this time, as long as we can mobilize enough troops, we can encircle the enemy near Wuhan, and at the same time send out a surprise army, insert it from the public security, and cut off the enemy's retreat, even if the enemy captures the city of Wuhan, he will have no choice but to flee in the desert. And the key to this battle is that this unit defending Wuhan must have strong endurance and a brave spirit of going to the death, which is enough to drag the enemy for seven to eight days and buy enough time for all units. In fact, this is a meat bait, and if it is not rescued in time, it will become cannon fodder and be swallowed by the enemy in one bite. ”

The people sitting there fell silent, everyone knew the danger of that meat bait, not to mention that it was eaten by the devil, if it didn't survive the last moment, it would affect the entire battle situation.

Li Zongren looked at the division commanders, army commanders, and commanders sitting here, suddenly laughed, and asked loudly: "Do any of your divisions here are willing to volunteer to be this meat bait?" ”

Everyone lowered their heads, for fear that Li Zongren's eyes would fall on them, and the atmosphere in the venue was dull and embarrassing for a while.

Li Zongren asked again, but still no one dared to respond.

"If no one takes the initiative to do it, then I have to send it!" Li Zongren said helplessly.

Gao Fei's eyes met with Ma Debi, Ma Debi nodded to him and stood up: "Report to the chief, the 26th Division is willing to live and die with Wuhan City!" ”

Hearing that someone stood up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and for a while, everyone admired and thanked Ma Debi.

"Good!" Li Zongren also applauded loudly, and immediately said: "Since the 26th Division dares to be this meat bait, it is the real Tiger Ben Division of our Fifth War Zone!" ”

"Thank you, Junza!" Ma Debi said.

Gao Fei knew Ma Debi's hardships, he had no choice but to do it, who let the 26th Division be stationed in Wuhan? Even if Ma Debi does not stand up, Li Zongren's faction will be sent to the head of the 26th Division.

Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi left, and at the same time fixed the fate of the 26th Division. Before leaving, the 26th Division's various units were fully equipped with materials and personnel, and the name of "Tiger Ben" was not lightly mentioned, and it was much more preferential than other units in terms of rationing.

However, Gao Fei could also see that in fact, the two chiefs, Li and Bai, appreciated his speech at the meeting very much, but they did not care about it. In their opinion, the devil must be coming, but it is not necessarily as dangerous as Goofy said.

In August, it was the season of late autumn and early winter in the south of the Yangtze River, and after an autumn rain, the chill had already enveloped the land in the northwest of Hunan Province, and at the same time, the pressing cold snap also hit Wuhan.

On 9 August, the enemy really sorted.

The first line of defense on the south bank of the Yangtze River was Tang Enbo's Third Army, and the first to engage the enemy was the 12th Army, an outpost under the Third Army, and the battle was extremely fierce. In the course of this battle, the Third Army also made it clear that there were four enemy divisions and one reading brigade, and the number of numbers was beyond the expectations of the Yucheng Military Commission, and Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi of the Fifth Theater were also taken aback, and they immediately thought of Gao Fei's judgment at the military meeting held in Wuhan, and the enemy was indeed a large-scale attack, and it was by no means a small fight. They immediately came to the map, wondering what the enemy was doing and how their side should respond. If it is really as Gao Fei expected, then this time the enemy's attack on the Fifth Theater already has an absolute advantage in terms of troops, and if the Jiang Defense Army is not called, it will be difficult to cope with it with the strength of the Fifth Theater itself. Thinking of this, Li Zongren couldn't help but feel cold, and immediately connected the phone call of the Yucheng Military Commission.

On 10 August, after receiving instructions from the Commander's Department, the 94th Division of the 12th Army of the Third Army was deployed to engage the enemy's 13th Division, which was advancing rapidly.

On 11 August, the 44th Army, which was subordinate to the Third Group Army, was heavily attacked by the enemy's Ninth Division in Nanxian County. The 44th Army held back the embankment, but the enemy crossed the river smoothly under the cover of strong artillery fire, while the 162nd and 150th Divisions of [***] were repulsed by it. After crossing the river, the enemy's 40th Division took the lead and attacked from Nanxian to Sanxiankou, while the enemy's 68th Division made a detour to Anxiang in an attempt to cut off the retreat of the 44th Army. As a last resort, the 44th Army had to withdraw on its own initiative. At this time, the enemy's headquarters had already entered the defensive area of the Ninth Theater, and Xue Yue, commander of the Ninth Theater, urgently ordered the 92nd Division deployed here to delay the defense, and at the same time ordered other troops to prepare for battle.

On the same day, the enemy's Botian detachment also marched directly to the west, marched to Ruichang, and engaged in a fierce battle with the 185th Division of the 66th Army of the [***] Third Army, which was stationed here.

From right to left, the 73rd Army found the enemy's main forces in Lixian, the 44th Army in Donggang, and the 79th Army in Jiehe City. And for Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi, there is another point that is also unexpected, the enemy is really as Gao Fei said, this time it is not a single attack, but really adopts a multi-head parallel tactic.

On 14 August, De'an was lost, the 44th Army was attacked by the enemy's 68th Division, and the 44th Army was attacked on three sides. In desperation, the commander-in-chief of the 29th Group Army decided to turn the group to the Ruichang side, and telegraphed the Fifth Theater Commander's Department in Enshi.

At this point, the enemy's intentions have become clear, and most of what the soldiers are pointing to is Wuhan. Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi had already felt the flames of war in Wuhan, and that night, they ordered the 26th Division to immediately enter Wuhan City and build fortifications to resist the enemy's invasion, and at the same time ordered the 74th Army and the 100th Army to prepare for battle and regard them as the rear guard of the Third Army.

On 15 August, the 26th Division marched into Wuhan and took over the ancient city in an all-round way, bringing the entire city into a state of war.

Gao Fei convened the first military meeting after entering the city, which was attended by several regimental commander-level commanders of the 26th Division, as well as some local political leaders such as the director of the police station and the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, as well as Han Bingqi, the head of the special service.

Before the meeting, Gao Fei had discussed with several of his regiment commanders and staff officers that the big battle in Wuhan was coming, so everyone felt that it was best to move all the people in the city out, so that for the 26th Division, they could give it a go.

At this meeting, Gao Fei focused on this decision, hoping that the local political axe would cooperate and persuade hundreds of thousands of people in Wuhan to leave the city.

As soon as this topic was raised, it was opposed by several dignitaries, one of whom said: "Senior Commander, there are hundreds of thousands of residents in Wuhan City, plus the refugees who have been displaced here, the total number is more than 100, where are so many people moving?" Where to go? How to place it? The people are the foundation of the country, so if they lose their homes, how can they save the country? ”

The other also said: "Commander Gao, the people of Wuhan are backbone, we will not let the enemy occupy our hometown, we swear to advance and retreat with the 26th Division, and swear to live and die with Wuhan City!" ”

Gao Fei persuaded everyone with kind words: "I am very grateful for everyone's support, but I don't want our fellow villagers to suffer unnecessary casualties." Although there are many residents inside and outside the city of Wuhan, for the sake of safety, everyone must evacuate, those who have relatives go to their relatives, and those who have no relatives go to their friends, I hope you can make it clear to the residents inside and outside the city, when this battle is over, you will come back, and then I promise that the officers and men of our 26th Division will take good care of everyone's property and property, and we will definitely return to you untouched whatever is left behind when the villagers leave. ”

One said: "Master Gao, this time the devil doesn't necessarily want to fight Wuhan, right?" If, like last time, it was just to pretend to fight, weren't we wasting manpower and material resources in vain? The other also said: "Yes, even if the devil really has to hit Wuhan, it's not too late for us to run!" I think it's better to see the situation in a few days! ”

"No way!" Gao Fei couldn't help but stand up, looked at the two dignitaries who were talking coldly, and said solemnly: "It's a mistake to say this!" This is an extraordinary moment, and we can't afford to leave anything to chance. The devils have always acted quickly, and when they really have to call, I'm afraid that everyone will not have a chance to run at all. I have personally experienced the pain of Nanjing, and I don't want Wuhan to become another Nanjing. If you don't believe in the cruelty of the enemy, then let's take a look at what the devils did after occupying Xuzhou and other places in May! They slaughtered 30,000 people! Those are our brothers and sisters! It's our parents and uncles! If you still want to have a home and don't want your relatives to be slaughtered, you must leave Wuhan as soon as possible! ”

As soon as Gao Fei said this, everyone was silent and stopped speaking.

Han Bingqi stood up at the right time, nodded, and said amiably: "Senior Master Gao said well just now, I'm not afraid of 10,000, just in case." We all have a pair of hands, even if the city is gone, the house is gone, the property is gone, as long as our people are still alive, we can come back to rebuild our homes, at this time, only people are the most important, I hope everyone thinks about it carefully, is this the truth? ”

In fact, Han Bingqi has a very good reason, but he can't say it at this time. Last time, although the devil's spies were cracked, but not all of them were caught, there is already intelligence that there are quite a few spies who have infiltrated the city, and if these spies are in the army to attack Wuhan, they should cooperate with the outside world, and the consequences will be unimaginable. If all the residents of the city were to be moved out, then this worry would no longer exist, and the 26th Division would be able to rest assured that it would be internal, and as soon as it was external.

The police chief was the first to echo: "Stationmaster Han is right, stay in the green mountains, don't be afraid of no firewood, so be it, I agree with Master Luo's suggestion, what do you see?" ”

Hearing all of them say this, others have opinions and bury them in their hearts.

The next day, Wuhan posted a notice calling for all residents to evacuate, stamped with the mayor's seal. The mayor personally took the lead and explained to the villagers

On 16 August, the Third Army and the 29th Group Army were still engaged in fierce battles with the enemy, of which the Third Army, under the command of Commander Tang Enbo, was circling with the enemy's three divisions at the junction of Hunan and Hubei, while the 44 th Army, the main force of the 29 th Group Army, was engaged in the vicinity of Nanxian and Jinshi, and the enemy's 39 th Division was divided into multiple routes, and the 44 th Army was forced to spread out a front, plugging leaks bit by bit, and spreading out more than 100 miles, committing a taboo in the army.

At this time, Li Zongren, the commander of the Fifth Theater Command, began to adjust the deployment of the theater, mobilized the Jiang Defense Army to the south to respond, and ordered the 13th Division and the 18th Army of the 86th Army of the Jiang Defense Army to advance to the defense area of the Third Group Army, and the 26th Group Army and the 33rd Group Army were preparing to respond to the offensive in this direction.

On 17 August, the two group armies of the First Line Corps had formed a neat defensive line, while the Second Line Corps, mainly two divisions of the 74 th Army, was still in motion, and the 100th Army was rushing over from Liuyang in the Ninth Theater. However, on the morning of that day, the Third Army was attacked head-on by three enemy divisions twice its size, and the Provisional Sixth Division of the 79th Army suffered heavy losses.

The battle was fierce, and Chiang, who was in Chongqing, personally ordered the Third Army on the front line to concentrate its forces and break the invading enemy. It's just that this leader, who is thousands of miles away, knows the battle situation at this time. In the face of the disparity in strength, the Third Army is no longer easy to defend, let alone attack.

However, the five divisions of the Third Army were all elite troops, and under the command of Commander Tang Enbo, they fought fiercely with the enemy's three divisions, with high morale and morale, and they actually dragged the enemy troops on these three routes for a week and could not advance, while at this time, the 18th Army and other units of the Jiangfang Army were steadily advancing, and on the 11th day they were close to Yuyang Pass, approaching Wangjiachang, threatening the enemy's flank.

Late at night on 13 August, the enemy's vanguard arrived at Ruichang and immediately launched a fierce attack on the 73rd Army under the 29th Group Army. At the beginning of the Battle of Xuzhou in May, the 73rd Army was surrounded by the enemy, suffering more than 10,000 casualties and greatly losing its vitality. The 44th Army was entangled with the enemy for several days, and its forces were scattered, making it difficult to assemble for a while.

The commander of the 29th Group Army was Wang Zhangxu, a powerful Sichuan warlord, and the 44th Army was his descendant, and his son supported the post of army commander

The 73rd Army reluctantly struggled to support Ruichang, the gateway to the north of Wuhan, while the enemy crossed the Lishui River from the ferry abandoned by the 44th Army to the back of the 73rd Army, forming a situation of outflanking this army.

On the evening of 14 August, most of the 73rd Army crossed the Lishui River, leaving the 5th Division to die in Ruichang. As soon as the 73rd Army crossed the river, it was attacked by the enemy, and the people were in confusion during the crossing of the river, and the formation was completely dispersed, and the two divisions had lost their grip and fled by their own means.

On 15 August, Chairman Chiang learned that Ruichang was besieged and telegraphed to the Fifth War Zone: "I hope to convey to all the ministries the gains and losses of the overall situation of Ruichang's relations, and there is no need to hold on!" It's just that when Li Zongren received this telegram, it was already late, and the Fifth Division was also in the process of breaking through. At dusk, the Fifth Division, under the leadership of division commander Peng Shiliang, crossed the Lishui, but was immediately besieged by the enemy, the division headquarters was intercepted, and the troops were in chaos.

Division Commander Peng Shiliang personally commanded the remnants, fought hard, and was hit by enemy planes at the Nanyan Gate, and died heroically, and the Temporary Fifth Division also suffered casualties in the retreat. When Commander Peng Shiliang took over the task of covering, he knew that he was unlucky, so he had already made a will: "Yu dedicated himself to the revolution, remembered his youth, and had the determination to sacrifice himself to repay the party and the state." I hereby order Ruichang, the task is arduous, and we should share the determination of all our officers and men to live and die together with the position, and annihilate the Japanese and the Japanese in order to protect the country. If you succeed in this battle, you will have no resentment."

The fall of Ruichang is equivalent to opening a big hole in the north of Wuhan, and the enemy army can drive directly to the city of Wuhan.

Wuhan has become a dangerous city with open doors.

After the 26th Division was stationed in Wuhan, it began to rush to repair the fortifications. Gao Fei gathered his three regiment commanders, and after research, decided to build the defense of Wuhan into three lines of defense, the first of which was the field fortifications on the outskirts of the city. The 188th Regiment of the 63rd Division, the vanguard of the 100th Army, had also arrived in Wuhan, and Chief Sun telegraphed the regiment to be temporarily dispatched by the 26th Division.

The second line of defense of the 26th Division was built according to the Wuhan city wall and moat, and the moat was of different depths, and bamboo nails were nailed in shallow places and secretly inserted in the water to prevent devils from wading through the water. Lay mines on the main road leading to the city gate, and wait for the devil soldiers to come to the city, and then hang the strings, so that they will fall into the array of mines. The last line of defense, said to be the line of defense, is better to rely on the city, in the city of important intersections and key points are built cement bunkers, in order to prepare for street fighting. Make full use of the corners of the streets and alleys in the city, build bright and hidden forts, and open up private houses to form a complete defense system. The 26th Division is also equipped with an artillery battalion and an anti-aircraft artillery platoon, and the firepower has become a fluke, although compared with the firepower of the army, this can only be regarded as a pediatric, but it has far exceeded the artillery firepower of ordinary division-level units in the same period. It is precisely because of the support of these artillery fires that Wuhan has become a strong defensive position and a powerful stronghold.

After the Wuhan County Government issued an evacuation announcement, the 26th Division sealed Wuhan and was only allowed to leave and not enter.

The 26th Division divided several regiments into three formations, and at this time, the 26th Division had already formed a situation of fighting against the water.

At the same time, Gao Fei, the commander of the division, ordered the officers and men of the 26th Division to assist the residents in evacuating, and at the same time called all departments to the soldiers who were not allowed to assist in collecting a penny from the people. And these people in Wuhan also understood the situation of the 26th Division, and cooperated with the troops very much, and moved out of the city with their families.

(To be continued)