At 1:10 a.m. on December 18, Commander-in-Chief Zhu, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Peng, Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo Quan, and other leaders of the Eighth Route Army Headquarters were all called up by the chief of the confidential section, and all of them came to the war room to face the map of Shanxi and ponder silently.

The deputy chief of staff of Zuo Quan took the pen and sketched it on the map a few times, and the pen in his hand fell to the ground with a snap, and he opened his mouth and exclaimed: "Oh my God, what a big stroke, Division Commander Liu is going to recapture Taiyuan!" ”

Mr. Zhu smashed his mouth: "This stinky boy, the radio has been turned off for several days, and this start-up report is to eliminate the main force of the Fifth Division." He is worthy of being a legendary hero of our Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and as soon as he made a move, he made Emperor Ben vomit blood. It's a pity that Yan Xishan didn't let the tutor come to Shanxi, otherwise, I don't think this devil would have been able to enter Shanxi at all. ”

Mr. Peng frowned and said: "Mr. Peng, this has eliminated the main force of the Fifth Division, and the army will know that there are two ways to go after knowing it tomorrow, one is to hug into a group and shrink near Taiyuan without moving, and the other is to go out with a large army and pursue and retaliate with a heavy army group." I think what Liu Yimin wants most is for the main force of the Yue army to leave Taiyuan, let him take advantage of the situation to capture Taiyuan, and then turn back and destroy the Yue army one by one to return to Taiyuan to aid the troops. This is a big chess game, and if we want to play it well, we must all units work together. It is necessary to immediately inform all divisions of the instructor's battle report, order all divisions to urgently mobilize, evacuate the masses, make preparations for battle, and cooperate with the instructor in attacking Taiyuan at any time. ”

Mr. Zhu nodded: "If we can really wipe out all the troops in the Taiyuan region in Shanxi, then the situation of resistance in North China will be greatly improved." At worst, they could also besiege the Yue army at one or several points in Shanxi, forcing them to finally have to evacuate Shanxi. However, there is a variable in this, that is, the army will send the Kwantung Army south to support. However, in terms of time, as long as we make proper arrangements, we can completely beat the Yue army in Shanxi before the arrival of reinforcements. Zuo Quan, send a telegram to the 115th and 120th Divisions, and ask them to mobilize immediately to attack and harass the enemy in northern Shanxi, especially the Tongpu Railway and the highway leading to Hebei and Suiyuan, and resolutely sabotage them, and be ready to block and delay the enemy's reinforcements at any time. The 129th Division and the Reading Division were ordered to prepare to block and contain the enemy's heavy army group that was heading south to find and destroy the instructor. Since the little guy is going to sing a big show, we can't help but play tricks for him. ”

Mr. Peng immediately added: "Send a report to the instructor and ask them to report the specific plans and steps of the battle plan, so that all units can cooperate." Liu Yimin was authorized to bypass the headquarters and directly contact all divisions of our army under the state of emergency, and ask all departments to cooperate with the action. Send a report to Lao Mao, ordering the main force of the garrison division to concentrate on Hancheng, ready to reinforce the Shanxi battlefield at any time, and accept the materials and personnel transported from Shanxi to Shanxi. ”

As soon as he fell asleep, he was woken up by Zhou Enlai, got up, took the telegram and glanced at it, and pulled Zhou Enlai to the war room.

When he arrived at the war room, Ye Jianying was already waiting there, marking the situation of our army on the map.

Zhou Enlai carefully studied the map. After half a ring, [***] said: "Jianying, send a report to Zhu, Peng, Lin, He, Liu, and Xu, take immediate action, prepare for the enemy's heavy army group to retaliate against the attack, and fully cooperate with the instructor's action." He called on the whole army to learn from the instructors of the heroes, adopt flexible and mobile tactics, actively fight against the weak enemy, and expand the base areas. Send a telegram to the instructor, 1. Warmly congratulate my heroic instructor on the annihilation of the main force of the most elite Fifth Division of the army. 2. Reiterate that the instructor will fight, and Comrade Liu Yimin will make a decision on the spot. 3. Instructors should immediately move to further mobilize the enemy, so that the enemy can further create illusions and create fighters. We must not be bitten by the enemy's heavy army group, and resolutely avoid fighting a decisive battle with the enemy's heavy army group before the enemy's air superiority is resolved. Fourth, if the enemy's heavy army group is transferred out of Taiyuan, it can take advantage of the situation to attack and occupy Taiyuan, and then the main force concentrates on favorable areas to find a way to destroy the enemy and return to Taiyuan. 5. If the enemy is not mobilized, he must not storm Taiyuan. Everything is based on the principle of maintaining the main force and being flexible and mobile in a protracted battle with the enemy. ”

After saying it in one breath, [***] couldn't help but light a cigarette, took a puff, and said with a smile: "Enlai, our Comrade Liu Yimin did not live up to everyone's expectations, and hit the seven inches of the snake as soon as he made a shot. Think about it, what kind of situation will it be if the army knows that the main force of the Fifth Division has been annihilated tomorrow? ”

Zhou Enlai also smiled and said: "I estimate that someone will commit suicide by seppuku, and someone will be dismissed." It's a chain reaction anyway. If Liu Yimin could seize the opportunity to fight a few more battles, then the arrogance of the North China army would be defeated at once. ”

[***] took another puff of cigarette and laughed: "Yue Jun doesn't know our instructor, let alone Liu Yimin, this good show is still to come." I believe that Liu Yimin will let Yue Jun know what it means that all invaders will not end well. ”

Zhou Enlai also smiled: "The army doesn't know the strength of the instructor, and a brigade dares to go to reinforcements, but I don't know how to write the word dead." Fight with our instructors, hum, there are times when they cry! ”

Seeing Zhou Enlai's expression when he spoke, he was extremely happy, and couldn't help laughing.

That night, Chiang Kai-shek also rested very late. The battle situation is in a stalemate, and he is also restless.

In fact, Chiang Kai-shek didn't know that at this time in history, [***] had already been defeated on the Songhu battlefield.

Due to the arrival of Liu Yimin, Zhang Zhizhong and Chen Cheng visited Liu Yimin many times during the negotiations in Xi'an, and the three of them repeatedly deduced the Songhu operation after the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in the future. Although the Yue army also carried out the landing in Hangzhou Bay as it did in history, because [***] had already taken precautions and did not achieve the expected results, the two sides fell into a bitter battle.

Of course, the firepower advantage of the Yue army is obvious, and the losses are very large, but there are no signs of collapse yet. At the insistence of Chen Cheng, Zhang Zhizhong, Zhang Qun, Shao Lizi and others, the Kuomintang took advantage of this time to quickly retreat and evacuate the organs and factories in Nanjing, and even the citizens of Nanjing began to evacuate.

At this time, the Soviet Air Force had already participated in the war, and together with the Chinese Air Force, it was fiercely fighting with the carrier-based aviation and army aviation units of the Chinese Army over the Songhu battlefield. Our air force suffered heavy casualties, and the air force of our army was not as invincible as it was in history.

The gap between China and China in national strength is there, and although the frontal battlefield is in a state of stalemate, with the passage of time, the advantage of the Chinese army is getting bigger and bigger, and if this continues, it is inevitable that the battle will fail. Therefore, for several days in a row, Chiang Kai-shek worked with the personnel of the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Commission to study countermeasures. At this time, Chiang Kai-shek remembered Yang Yongtai, but it was a pity that he had been assassinated in Wuhan in 36 years, otherwise he should have been able to help himself.

Chiang Kai-shek, who was still meditating on the bed, finally fell asleep. Seeing that he had finally fallen asleep, the lady beside him sighed and soon fell asleep as well. At half past one in the morning, the staff officer of the guard on duty still rang the doorbell. Chiang Kai-shek woke up in his sleep, angrily scolded his mother Xipi, and wanted to kick the guard staff out. endured it, and felt that it was an emergency military situation, so he still got dressed, and his wife had to get up with his clothes.

Seeing that the committee had gotten up, Yan Daogang couldn't hold back any longer, shouted "great victory, great victory" in his mouth, and walked in.

Chiang Kai-shek chuckled in his heart, what kind of victory, it is worth screaming in the middle of the night? Since the start of this war, it has been bad news, where will there be a big victory!

Just as he was about to ask, he heard Yan Daogang say with surprise in his tone: "Report to the chairman, our army has achieved a great victory in Shanxi, and Liu Yimin, the commander of the political axe sect of the Shaanxi Anti-Japanese Special Zone, led the whole division to annihilate the cavalry wing, field artillery wing, infantry brigade of the 20th Division, and infantry brigade of the 109th Division of the 5th Division in Qi County, Shanxi, killing more than 13,000 people under Major General Toshiji Miura, commander of the 21st Brigade of the Fifth Division, and destroying 30 enemy tanks, 30 armored vehicles, and 376 automobilesThe 21st Brigade and its subordinate units were seized with 36 battle flags, field artillery, and more than 1,800 horses, and the number of other weapons and ammunition is being counted. ”

Mrs. Chiang Soong Meiling immediately let out an exclamation of "God", and without waiting for Chiang Kai-shek to read the telegram, she snatched the telegram from Yan Daogang's hand, and wept with joy after reading it, and directly hugged Chiang Kai-shek and shouted "Darling", and kissed her.

Chiang Kai-shek didn't care about being embarrassed in front of Yan Daogang, so he took the telegram and read it carefully. After reading it, he patted his head and calmed down for a moment before he said: "So, the main force of the Fifth Division is finished?" ”

Yan Daogang nodded.

Chiang Kai-shek couldn't help but walk a few steps in the room, and then said in a deep voice: "I know this Fifth Division, it is the real elite of the army, all mechanized, and I call it the flower of the imperial army." Whenever this unit fights a foreign war, it will inevitably rush to the front line. Liu Yimin is remarkable, this is the first real victory achieved by the Chinese since the Sino-Japanese War! In this way, Director Yan, you record the orders: 1. Inform the whole army of the news of the great victory in Qi County, and tell the generals at all levels that the army is not terrible, and the key is to have the heart to win. 2. The general order commends the 18th Group Army and commends the instructors of the Shaanxi Anti-Japanese Special Zone. 3. Liu Yimin was awarded the Qingtian Baiyue Medal, promoted to lieutenant general, and rewarded the ministry with 100,000 yuan. ”

Before the words were spoken, Song Meiling sneered: "Darling, now that the national crisis is at hand, it is the time to motivate the soldiers to use their lives, how can you reward 100,000 yuan?" That was the main force of the 5th Division. I also want to see the battle flag of the 21st Brigade! ”

Chiang Kai-shek's face was full of smiles at this time, and he even said that what his wife said was right, and as ruthless, he said that he would reward 500,000 yuan.

Yan Daogang saw that the committee stopped talking, and was about to withdraw after saluting, Chiang Kai-shek asked him to wait, thought for a long time and said: "The commendation order should clearly state that it is hoped that the 18th Group Army and the instructor will make persistent efforts to strike at the Yue Army. ”

Chiang Kai-shek pondered for a long time, and then said: "At the right time, the Military Commission will send someone to the instructor to offer condolences. In addition, tell Mr. Bray that he will write it himself, and that tomorrow he will publish the news of our army's great victory in all major newspapers and radio stations. ”

After Yan Dao left, Chiang Kai-shek couldn't suppress the ecstasy in his heart, and after a long time in the house he calmed down, he turned to his wife and said, "There is something that needs help from Mrs. ”

Song Meiling was also very excited by the victory at this time, and naturally responded to Chiang Kai-shek's requests, and was busy asking what was going on.

Chiang Kai-shek said slowly: "Dai Li found a girl for Liu Yimin, but unfortunately he couldn't send it to him at all." I would like to ask my wife to go to Liu Yimin's troops on my behalf to offer condolences, and then bring the girl with me. When I saw Liu Yimin, you said that the girl was our goddaughter, and she was moved by Liu Yimin's anti-Japanese deeds and volunteered to follow Liu Yimin to participate in the Anti-Japanese War. Then you directly ordered the girl to stay, be Liu Yimin's personal secretary, take care of his life, and ask Liu Yimin to protect her safety no matter what. No matter how Liu Yimin refuses, you have to leave people behind for him. ”

Song Meiling looked at Chiang Kai-shek and said directly: "How can you listen to Dai Li's ideas and deal with meritorious generals like this?" You can't do that, and I'm not going to do it for you. ”

Chiang Kai-shek sighed: "This Liu Yimin is too capable of fighting, if you don't take precautions, after defeating Yue himself in the future, think about it, we have such an enemy, how terrible it is!" ”

Song Meiling felt that her brain was a little messy, and she said for a long time: "Then Liu Yimin will be at the mercy of a little girl?" You're naïve. Besides, isn't he married? With his wife here, what kind of beauty trick can work? There was such a big turmoil last time, didn't Dai Li stop it? Take 10,000 steps back, even if we forcibly leave the girl by Liu Yimin's side, I'm afraid that when I leave, the girl won't be able to see Liu Yimin again, and it's hard to say whether she can save her life, so how to talk about anything else? This thing is a waste of effort, and it is easy to arouse [***] disgust, and there are all kinds of harm but no benefit. ”

Chiang Kai-shek smiled: "As long as you can keep that girl by Liu Yimin's side." I understand that the infighting is very tragic. If you go to condolence in person and leave that girl behind, there will be many people in [***] who will suspect him in the future, and Liu Yimin is likely to fall into internal disputes and strife from now on. Besides, Dai Li's thousands of choices, that girl must be very beautiful and self-contained, plus Liu Yimin is handsome and dashing, suave and suave, it is possible to fall in love. Now is a good opportunity, according to Dai Li's report, Liu Yimin's wife did not go to the front line with him, and there was no female soldier in the instructor's division, which was a vacancy. Anyway, no matter what the result is, we have to lay out in advance and work hard to do it. It doesn't matter if you fail, only one person is lost. But if it succeeds, it will be too rewarding for us. ”

Song Meiling saw that Chiang Kai-shek was getting more and more excited, so she said coldly: "I'm tired, let's rest first." We'll talk about that later. After speaking, without waiting for Chiang Kai-shek to reply, he went to bed to rest.

Chiang Kai-shek saw that his wife was so uncooperative, and he was stunned for a long time, so he had to go to bed to rest.

He said that he learned about the annihilation of the 21st Brigade through the radio station.

After seeing the telegram sent by Yan Daogang, Chen Bui was so excited that he personally wrote a special news article entitled "The Main Force of the Fifth Division of the All-Annihilated Army -- The 'Flower of the Army' Withers in the Land of Jinzhong." After writing the book, he arranged for Nanjing's radio station to take the lead in broadcasting it, and immediately sent a press release to all parts of the country.

At this time, the army on the Songhu battlefield first knew the news that all the 21st Brigade was annihilated, and the North China Front naturally knew about it immediately, and then Emperor Hirohito also knew.

After Seishiro Itagaki set off for the 21st Brigade, he went to enjoy tea and Kabuki. Then I went to bed. At 7 o'clock in the morning of the 19th, Chief of Staff Nishimura Riwen Daisa hurriedly came to report that the Front Army Headquarters had received a telegram from the Shanghai Dispatch Army Headquarters, saying that the 21st Brigade, the Cavalry Wing, and the Field Artillery Wing had been in Yusha in Qi County yesterday night, and that General Terauchi Shouichi had asked us to report the situation immediately.

Seishiro Itagaki smiled when he heard this: "Your Excellency Nishimura, did you overdraw your physical strength on the flower girl of Shina last night?" 21 Brigade Jade Shattered, Is It Possible? If the Chinese army has the strength to shatter the jade of the 21st Brigade, can we come to Taiyuan? ”

Nishimura Riwen Osa was covered with sweat, and hurriedly handed the telegram to Itagaki Seishiro, asking the division commander for guidance.

After reading the telegram, Seishiro Itagaki smiled, and ordered: "Chief of Staff, immediately contact the 21st Brigade and ask them to report the results of the battle." ”

Nishimura Riwen Daizo Hayi ran away, and when he came back, he got back a telegram, but unfortunately it was still a telegram from the North China Front, and as for the 21st Brigade, Nishimura Riwen Daisa regretfully told Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki that the radio could not be contacted.

Itagaki Seishiro realized the terrible situation at this time, and strictly ordered the air force living in Taiyuan to immediately dispatch reconnaissance along the highway from Taiyuan to Qi County to find the location of the 21st Brigade.

The results of the plane's reconnaissance smashed the last trace of luck of Itagaki Seishiro to a clean smash: "On the road not far from the county seat of Qixian County, there are many wreckages of imperial army cars, tanks, armored vehicles, and many corpses. ”

After reading the air reconnaissance report, Seishiro Itagaki immediately felt that his body was like a punctured air bag, and his strength was draining out little by little, until he sat on the ground.

Seeing that His Excellency the division commander was pale and sat on the ground, Nishimura Riwen Dasa hurriedly came up to help.

Itagaki waved his hand to stop him, and his voice was like floating from hell, making people feel indescribably cold and desperate: "Nishimura-kun, please send a telegram to His Excellency the Commander of the Terauchi, report the loss of contact with the 21st Brigade and the reconnaissance of the aviation force, and ask him to immediately send someone to Taiyuan to command the troops." I am ashamed of the emperor's trust, and I will apologize for my sins. Please ask my guards to help me prepare. I'm tired and need to rest. ”

As soon as Nishimura Riwen Daisa heard that His Excellency the division commander was going to commit suicide by cutting his abdomen, he hurriedly went to send a telegram to Terauchi Shouichi.

Terauchi Shouichi has been in a good mood lately, and although the battle on the Shanghai side has been very difficult, his North China Front has made rapid progress. The attacks on the Jinpu line and the Pinghan line were very smooth, and although the battle of Taiyuan was hard at the beginning, it was very easy to win in the end. It is said that the banner of the imperial army is invincible, and the army of China has collapsed. However, such a good mood was ruined this morning. The Shanghai Dispatch Army sent a telegram to report that this morning's China Radio Station broadcast news, saying that last night, the China Army completely annihilated the 21st Brigade, the Cavalry Wing, and the Field Artillery Wing of the Fifth Division. This is simply a rumor, what kind of unit is the Fifth Division, it is called the flower of the imperial army of this empire! The people of China brag and don't even look at the object, if they can completely annihilate the main force of the Fifth Division, then it will not be called China!

Terauchi Shouichi originally left the telegram of the Shanghai Dispatch Army there and ignored it, but the base camp also sent a telegram to inquire about the matter, and Terauchi Shouichi had no choice but to send a telegram to Itagaki Seishiro and order him to report the situation. After waiting for a long time and not seeing a callback, Shouichi Terauchi had a bad premonition, and hurriedly sent a telegram to urge. As a result, not only did he wait for the bad news that the 21st Brigade might be broken, but he also got the news that Seishiro Itagaki was ready to apologize.

After reading Nishimura Riwen Daisa's telegram, Terauchi Shouichi was shocked and angry, and he couldn't imagine that the shame of an elite brigade being annihilated by the formation fell on his head, and if he let Itagaki Seishiro, the unlucky egg, apologize, then the face of the imperial army would be completely finished. Terauchi Shouichi did not dare to slack off, and immediately sent a report to the base camp to report the situation of the 21st Brigade of the Fifth Division, the Fifth Cavalry Wing, and the Field Artillery Wing, and ordered Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki to lead the 20th Division and the 109th Division to pursue and annihilate the 21st Brigade and the 21st Brigade. Then, Terauchi Shouichi sent a report to Itagaki Seishiro, asking him to immediately lead all the troops of the 20th Division and the 109th Division, dispatch planes to cover, and search the 21st Brigade to see if there were any breakthrough troops, leaving Chahar to send troops to stick to Taiyuan and along the Tongpu Road in northern Jin, and along the Zhengtai Road in eastern Jin.

The reason why Terauchi Shouichi ordered Itagaki Seishiro to dispatch two divisions was because Terauchi Shouichi was already a little scared in his heart, and if he could wipe out all the 21st Brigade, the enemy's strength could be imagined. I really can't imagine that after the Battle of Taiyuan, the Chinese army in North China still has such a strong combat power. This branch tutor is not simple, and this Liu Yimin is even more not simple. It seems that the Liu Sheng family has to come forward and get rid of this Liu Yimin.

After receiving a telegram from Shouichi Terauchi, Seishiro Itagaki finally lifted his spirits. In fact, Seishiro Itagaki, who is known for his courage in the army, is most afraid of apologizing for his sins. Seishiro Itagaki is different from ordinary middle and lower-level officers in the army, he apologizes if he can't get over the face of a defeated battle, he is a high-ranking general of the army, and he is cunning like a ghost, good at intrigue and trickery, he can only take advantage of the situation and cannot suffer losses, and he is a typical mixture of the trinity of generals, spies, and politicians. This kind of person is absolutely unwilling to commit suicide by cutting his belly. He was waiting for this telegram from Shouichi Terauchi.

As a result, Seishiro Itagaki stopped saying anything like apology and immediately ordered the aviation to be dispatched to expand the scope of reconnaissance and find the main force of the Shina Army. Then he ordered the Chahar Dispatch Army to guard the 1st Mixed Brigade, the 5th Division Engineer Wing, and the Baggage Wing to guard Taiyuan, the 2nd Mixed Brigade to guard the northern section of Tongpu Road, and the 15th Mixed Brigade to guard the Zhengtai Line from Niangziguan to Taiyuan. The 20th Division and the 109th Division were ordered to mobilize immediately, and the 20th Division went to Qingxu and the 109th Division to Taigu, and marched to Qixian in two ways to inspect the battlefield of the 21st Brigade and the main force of the Chinese Army.