There was a solemn atmosphere in the headquarters of the Shanghai Dispatch Army. Matsui Shigen, commander of the East China Dispatch Army, looked around at the generals and said: "Based on the reconnaissance of the Air Force, we can conclude that Yunshui County and the western mountainous areas are the Communist Party's military base and important factories. The fact that the Communist Party has built an arsenal and an important factory in the mountainous area shows that the Communist Party has not been preparing for us for a year or two, and that our new opponent is very formidable. When your opponent is very familiar with you and you don't know anything about your enemy, you should know why. ”

Matsui Shigen continued: "According to the Air Force reconnaissance, the Eighth Route Army of the Communist Party is in the Jingdezhen and Shangrao areas of eastern Jiangxi. Trench fortifications of 20 kilometers were built in the area south of the Jiujiang River. The good news is that these trench fortifications are not reinforced concrete fortifications, but civil construction fortifications, which are powerful for our offensive. The base camp decided to officially launch the Battle of Jiangxi on March 1. Before the army launched an attack, the army aviation unit first destroyed the communist arsenal and important factories in Jiujiang County, and attacked the command organs of the Eighth Route Army. ”

"The bombing by the army and aviation units is a high-intensity and protracted bombing, and in the next step, we will launch high-intensity bombing of Ruijin, the capital of the Communist Party, and Nanchang, the largest city, and use air superiority to paralyze all important facilities of the Communist Party. In addition, the Great Japanese Yangtze River Fleet was to enter Poyang Lake, paralyze its water transportation routes, cut off the connection between the east and the west, and annihilate each of them. Now I would like to ask the intelligence officer to report on the situation in the Communist Party. Along with the detailed explanations of the intelligence officers, all the generals present had a new understanding of Jiangxi, where the Communist Party was entrenched.

At Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport, Japanese fighters lined up in rows, setting off the atmosphere before the war. At this time, Hashimoto, the leader of the bomber group of the 6th Air Wing of the Japanese Army, looked at the neatly arranged bomber group and said: "The first large-scale assembly of imperial fighters is very powerful, and I can't bear it anymore at this moment." His subordinate Shigeru Oshima: "Captain Hashimoto, I heard that the Jiangxi Eighth Route Army has anti-aircraft machine guns and once shot down one of our reconnaissance planes, so we should be cautious. "Don't worry about Oshima-kun, as long as we maintain a certain altitude, the anti-aircraft machine gun is not terrible."

"When I was leaving for China, Miss Masako came to see me, and she cried like a tearful person and repeatedly told me to be careful, and I felt very uncomfortable thinking about that scene." Shigeru Oshima muttered to himself. "Bastard, you are an imperial warrior, fighting for the Emperor. It is a shame for our squadron to still have such thoughts now. Hashimoto's instinctive reprimand, Oshima-kun didn't dare to squeak, otherwise the big mouth would have come up a long time ago. With only three days to go until March 1, Hashimotoki announced that everyone would have a binge drink tonight, and his subordinates immediately cheered.

The Japanese army aviation unit is the pride of the sky, and the treatment is several grades higher than that of the army. Almost all of the pilots that the Japanese army threw into the Chinese theater were the best pilots. Although they lacked experience in big wars, Japanese fighters were like no one in the skies of China. This hardly needs to be deliberately exaggerated, and a consensus has already been reached. However, it is unbelievable that the Jiangxi Communist Party was actually equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, because after all, anti-aircraft machine guns are anti-aircraft weapons, and bullets do not have long eyes, so they cast a shadow on the hearts of individual Japanese pilots.

At night, there were occasional bonfires at the airport, around which Japanese pilots sat and talked loudly while drinking sake, some of them singing. Squadron Leader Hashimotoki took the lead in singing a minor tune from his hometown, which attracted a round of applause. Shigeru Oshima seems to be infected, forgets his troubles for a while, and sings along with everyone. Maybe it was the stimulation of alcohol, or maybe it was because of the hometown tune, and Hashimotoki's wife suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

Those melancholy eyes seem to be vivid. Hashimoto stood up and scolded secretly: Bastard, you are an imperial warrior, and holy war is your duty. Hashimotoki picked up a bottle of sake and took a few big sips in succession, and a sense of pride rose in his heart. When the bonfire was dying, many Japanese pilots were still staggering and chanting indistinctly. It was late at night, the stars in the sky were peeking dimly, and the rows of Japanese fighters were very ghostly in the dim light, as if they were waiting for something with their fangs open.

The next day, after returning from an operational meeting in the wing, Hashimotoki immediately summoned all the pilots of the squadron to familiarize himself with his mission. He hung the aerial photographs taken by the reconnaissance plane on the wall and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, the scenery on these aerial photographs is the target we want to bomb." The bombing was very difficult, and the arsenal and important factories of the Eighth Route Army were built in caves. The Eighth Route Army has already been equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, and the upper peak requires us to fly at a distance of no less than 1,000 meters. Our task for these two days is to get acquainted with these photos! ”

In the early stage, most of the air support operations in the Songhu battlefield were carried out by naval aviation. The 6th Army Aviation Wing is a newly formed wing in China, and it is the first time that it has been put into the Chinese battlefield. Fortunately, the Chinese Air Force had already lost everything, so the Japanese pilots who carried out the bombing mission were almost an easy trip. But Shigeru Oshima always had a trace of apprehension in his heart, and he couldn't tell why. The pilot looked around the aerial photos and pointed at them, and Shigeru Oshima felt that the scenery in the photos was a little strange, and his nerves tensed again.

All the pilots in the squadron were elated, but Shigeru Oshima was not happy. He is an introvert and doesn't usually communicate much with others. With apprehensive emotions, I am even more reluctant to tell others what I think. Don't look at Shigeru Oshima's cowardly character, but his flying skills are top-notch and he ranks among the best in the entire squadron. That night, Shigeru Oshima quietly slipped out of his room and prayed in a secluded spot facing Japan, asking for Amaterasu's blessing. The next day, the night before the expedition, he slipped out again and asked Amaterasu for refuge.

On the night of February 29, a fleet appeared at the mouth of the lake. On the dark river, dozens of Japanese medium-sized gunboats were all subject to light control. In the command compartment of the gunboat No. 1121, Captain Tanakamoto held a telescope to observe the dark mouth of the lake. After a long time, Tanaka put down the binoculars and said, "The lake mouth is quiet and terrifying, probably I didn't expect that we would suddenly appear here." All sailors were ordered to rest and attack tomorrow morning. After Tanaka gave the order, probably because he was excited, he poured a glass of sake to relieve himself.

"The fleet commander ordered our ships to take the lead, and it was time for us to take revenge. When the Yangtze River Fleet was shelled at the Jiangyin Fortress, it was the Eighth Route Army who did it. "A subordinate saw that the captain was in a good mood and took the opportunity to make noise." I must let the Eighth Route Army see the power of our Great Japanese Navy, and I will sink all the ships of the Eighth Route Army, sacrifice for the officers and men of the Imperial Navy who bravely sacrificed their lives, and appease their heroic souls. "For the almost total annihilation of the Yangtze River Fleet, the officers and men of the Japanese Navy have long held back their strength, and the murderous aura envelops everyone.

"According to intelligence, the Eighth Route Army has a small fleet in Poyang Lake, but aerial reconnaissance has not found the shadow of the fleet, and I don't know where it is hidden." "I should have taken refuge along the Gan River to the south. As far as I know, several of the gunboats of the Eighth Route Army are old antiques and are not to be feared. Lo and behold, this Sweetwater Island is located in the center of the lake, and as long as we occupy Sweetwater Island, Poyang Lake will be our swimming pool at any time. Come! Cheers to victory! Tanaka leaned his neck and drank the wine from his glass, then smashed the glass to pieces.

That night, in Xingzi County, Tao Yong, the commander of the Red Star Fleet, was checking the deployment. Recently, the Japanese army has been active frequently, and a major war is imminent. Tao Yong, in accordance with Ouyang Jian's orders, had already blocked the mouth of the lake with mines. "Report, a call came from Hukou, and a Japanese fleet appeared at Hukou, including 2 transport ships, 1 minesweeper, and 9 medium gunboats. According to the observation post, the Japanese fleet arrived at the mouth of the lake at 9 p.m. and did not take any action for the time being! "Report the situation to the Corps Headquarters immediately!"

Tao Yong continued: "It is certain that tomorrow the Japanese fleet will enter Poyang Lake. Immediately send a report to Li Dabao and pay close attention to the situation at the mouth of the lake. Tao Yong is obviously a little excited, at present, the two gunboats are settled in the secret dock, and the main task of the Red Star Fleet is to block the mouth of Poyang Lake. The navy's special combat team has already been pulled to the area around the mouth of the lake to stand by, and a minelaying detachment, mainly in wooden boats, is also operating in the area around the mouth of the lake. The Japanese fleet was about to enter Poyang Lake, and Tao Yong could finally show his skills.

In the headquarters of the 3rd Corps in Jiujiang County, Chief of Staff He Long put down the phone and said: "Tao Yong, commander of the Red Star Fleet, reported that the Japanese inland river fleet with a total of 12 warships was found at the mouth of the lake, and it was judged that the Japanese fleet would launch an attack on Poyang Lake in the morning tomorrow. "Chief of the General Staff, it seems that the intelligence of the dark arrow is very accurate, and the signal for the Japanese army to attack is becoming more and more obvious." Su Yu said. "Order Tao Yong not to allow a single Japanese warship to enter Poyang Lake. The air defense forces were ordered to enter the first level of alert. Political Commissar Luo Ronghuan said: "Chief of the General Staff, I will immediately convene a meeting of various departments!" ”

Ouyang Jian nodded and said: "Order the 2nd Corps to fully enter the special preparation for battle, and send a report to the Military Commission to report in detail on the movements of the Japanese army." Su Yu said: "The Ministry of National Defense has ordered Song Xilian's 36th Division to move westward, Jiaxing is almost unfortified, and the 6th Division of the Zhejiang Army in Hangzhou has only more than 4,000 troops. "Lao Chiang's intention is obvious, that is, to let the Japanese army attack Jiangxi in a big way. His calculations are very fine, and they are intended to drain our strength. ”

Ouyang Jian said with a smile: "Old Jiang's abacus is wrong again, and there are times when he regrets it." Su Yu said with a smile: "Maybe Lao Jiang only saw that our military strength was not enough to stop the Japanese attack." Even if the Japanese attack is blocked, both will be defeated. But where did he think that we are all soldiers? The militia, the guerrillas, including the migrant workers who supported the front-line operations, we were millions of people participating in the war, and the total strength of our troops was far greater than that of the Japanese army! ”

This is the people's war advocated by the chairman, and perhaps the Japanese army could not imagine how powerful the people's war was. The Central Committee has already issued an order. The Shaanxi and Gansu First Division was ordered to advance to North China, extensively mobilize the masses of the people, and establish base areas behind enemy lines, and a situation of a nationwide war of resistance would soon come. Don't look at the Japanese army is rampant now, it won't be long before he will be caught in the Chinese battlefield and unable to extricate himself. Comrades, let's meet the baptism of battle! ”