The plane was jolting in the air, and the wings fluttered rhythmically. In the cabin, Ouyang Jian was sitting on the side of the porthole, not in the mood to browse the scenery outside, at the moment he seemed to be thinking with his eyes closed. The frown on his brow is obviously a thorny problem. From the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the Ministry of National Defense held a military meeting for three consecutive days, and Lao Jiang let everyone discuss according to Ouyang Jian's suggestions: first, build a strong defense line to defend Zhongtiao Mountain, second, use the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line to fight the Japanese army, take the initiative to abandon Zhongtiao Mountain if necessary, and use the Yellow River natural danger to build a second defense line.

After intense discussions, military experts, including high-ranking military generals, agreed that it was necessary to hold on to Mt. Nakajo. The reason is: Zhongtiao Shanxi faces each other in Shaanxi, joins forces in Taihang Mountain in the east, is close to Shanxi granary Yuncheng in the north, and the Yellow River is rolling in the south, and its strategic value is very important. The focus is: to occupy Zhongtiao Mountain, which can be used as a base to overlook northern Henan and southern Jinnan, and shield Luoyang and Tongguan. Advance can disrupt enemy rears and contain Japanese forces. Retreat can be defended by danger, actively defend, and cooperate with the entire anti-Japanese battlefield.

As far as the Japanese side is concerned, if they get Zhongtiao Mountain, they will occupy the bridgehead of the southward advance and northward invasion, that is, they can cross the river south and go south to seize the Longhai railway line, outflank Luoyang and Zhengzhou, and threaten Tongguan. It can also go north and join forces with the occupied areas in Shanxi, relieve the trouble of henchmen, and improve the public order conditions in the occupied areas in North China. Military experts and senior generals attending the meeting stressed that Nakajo Mountain must not be given up because it is an important place for national security. Therefore, the Ministry of National Defense made a decision to stick to Nakajo Mountain.

Ouyang Jian's insight was based on "prophetic foresight", and in later generations, Zhongtiao Mountain was not only lost, but also paid a heavy price, and was humiliated and humiliated. However, even if Zhongtiao Mountain was lost, it did not change the pattern of the entire Anti-Japanese War, and the Yellow River still blocked the footsteps of the Japanese army. Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that the changes in the international situation were also important reasons for blocking the westward advance of the Japanese army, even more than military reasons. But Ouyang Jian's judgment was based on "prophetic foresight", and he had no reason to convince anyone.

At the military meeting, Ouyang Jian had no decision-making power, but could only make suggestions. Since it was necessary to hold on to Zhongtiao Mountain, it was necessary to strengthen the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain, so it was proposed to transfer elite troops in Jiangnan, but it was not adopted. After the military meeting, Lao Jiang specially talked to Ouyang Jian. He also said that the national government is currently in such a state, and I hope Ouyang Jian understands. At the same time, it is hoped that Ouyang Jian will continue to display his military talents, go to the first theater of operations to integrate all departments, and build a solid defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain.

At this time, Ouyang Jian calculated the situation in the 1st Theater, and it could be said that Wei Lihuang, the commander of the 1st Theater, did a good job. After the Battle of Southern Hunan, the 10th Army, an elite unit of Wei Lihuang's command post, saw that the Japanese army was empty and took the initiative to attack and took the opportunity to recapture Zhengzhou. At present, Wei Lihuang deployed heavy troops on the line from Zhengzhou to Luoyang, so the defensive forces of Zhongtiao Mountain were basically the Yunnan army and the Sichuan army, and their combat effectiveness was very low. The reason why the defensive operation of Zhongtiao Mountain was lost so badly in later generations is directly related to the strategic deployment of the Nationalist Government.

Since it is believed that Nakajo Mountain is important, but it is also believed that Nakajo Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack relying on natural barriers. It is ridiculous to naively think that as long as a sufficient number of troops are deployed in the Middle Tianshan Mountains, they will be impregnable, and they do not consider uncertain factors at all. In addition, since 38 years ago, after the Japanese army captured Shanxi, the Japanese army besieged Zhongtiao Mountain several times without success, which also made the Ministry of Defense miscalculate. The current situation in Shanxi is much the same in later generations, due to Yan Xishan's stubbornness and petty family spirit, he refused to allow other troops to enter Shanxi for defense, and the original Battle of Xinkou still ended in failure.

The only bright spot was that the 35th Army commanded by Fu Zuoyi relied on the butterfly effect in the Hetao area to form a solid defensive line in the Wuyuan area. Before the war, the Northwest Army, as the main force in the west, had grown to 30 divisions. But the war was a tragic attrition, and the Northwest Army suffered great losses. The Northwest Army had 8 divisions to hold the Shonan defensive line, and it can be said that the victory of the Shonan Battle was indispensable. At present, the strength of the Northwest Group Army has almost been emptied, and in addition to the battle losses of the formed army, the Northwest Group Army currently retains its number of 25 divisions, 12 divisions in Jiangnan, and 6 divisions in Henan.

There were only five divisions on the line from Tongguan to Xi'an for mobile defense, and the other two divisions were distributed in Xianyang, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan, and other places to maintain law and order. Therefore, it is impossible for Zhang Xueliang to send troops to participate in the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain, and the situation of the Eighth Route Army is not much better. So far, the three independent divisions in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region are officially numbered. According to the order of the Central Committee, the 1st Independent Division went behind enemy lines to establish anti-Japanese base areas in Shandong and northern Jiangsu. The 2nd Independent Division went behind enemy lines to establish anti-Japanese base areas in Taihang and North China.

The 3rd Independent Division of the Eighth Route Army was responsible for defending the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, which, according to the requirements of the Central Guard, mainly took advantage of the opportunity of the war to develop its economy and play an exemplary and leading role in the northwest. In order to reduce the pressure on the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region, the CPC Central Committee has decided not to expand the number of troops in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region as much as possible, and the main task is to build supply bases, support the base areas of the Central Plains provinces, and carry out guerrilla operations on an extensive scale.

In addition, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region also shoulders another major mission, along with the completion of the Xi'an-Lanzhou railway line, the Central Committee ordered the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region to carry out industrial layout in Lanzhou, and to send a large number of talents to Lanzhou in Jiangxi. Due to the continuous bombing of Xi'an by Japanese planes, Lanzhou became a relatively safe harbor. In order to ensure Lanzhou's industrial development, the Central Committee and the CPC Central Committee set up a guard division of the Eighth Route Army in Lanzhou, which was the only expanded unit in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningbo Border Region. In addition, the base areas in the Central Plains have expanded a considerable number of independent regiments, independent columns, and guerrilla brigades.

Ouyang Jian thought about it for a long time, so he had to give up his plan to transfer troops from various departments to participate in the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain. It stands to reason that the defensive strength of Zhongtiao Mountain should be said to be sufficient, although the various departments are not fully staffed, but the total strength is still considerable. The various divisions of Zhongtiao Mountain are: The 4th Group Army has 3 armies and 8 divisions, the 5th Group Army has 2 armies and 5 divisions, and the 14th Group Army has 2 armies and 4 divisions. In addition, the 9th Independent Army had 3 divisions, the 17th Army had 2 divisions, the 43rd Army had 2 divisions, the 45th Army had 2 divisions, and the 93rd Army had 1 division to participate in the Zhongtiao Mountain defensive operation.

It is a bit chaotic, but this is the characteristic of the miscellaneous troops, roughly calculated that 27 divisions participated in the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain, plus the independent brigades of the troops directly under each army, the combat strength reached 280,000. However, the fact that the army is large does not mean that the army is strong in combat. It can be said that there are many factions in the defense forces of Zhongtiao Mountain, especially the phenomenon of filling private pockets, smuggling, and selling ** in various ministries, which is an open secret in Zhongtiao Mountain, and it can be said that they are registered in the Ministry of Defense. However, when employing personnel during the Anti-Japanese War, the Ministry of Defense had no choice but to turn a blind eye.

For the effective integration of such a group of "rabble", Ouyang Jian was not sure. However, the changes caused by the butterfly effect in Jiangxi have prompted the Battle of Guinan to start and end early, which also means that the Japanese army's westward expansion strategy will inevitably be advanced. The Germans were currently invincible in Europe and would soon launch an attack on France. The French boasted that the Macchiro Line was nothing more than a cover-up, and its mighty army was vulnerable to the German iron lions, and in just 39 days the German armored forces occupied Paris and France surrendered.

This move would greatly stimulate the Japanese army, and there is no doubt that it was not surprising that the Japanese army launched the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain in advance. Ouyang Jian judged that according to the preparation of the Japanese army and the movement of troops, it would launch an attack early next year. After 10 months of preparation, Ouyang Jian was not sure about the bad situation in the first war zone according to his own conditions. The reason is: in later generations, the Japanese army launched the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain to kill chickens with a knife, and now the strength of the national army has been greatly strengthened, and the Japanese army is not a fool, and they will change if you change, which is mutually beneficial.

The Japanese army lost the Battle of Shonan and the Battle of Guinan, and it was certainly necessary to carefully sum up the lessons and lessons, which was the strength of the Japanese army. From this, it can be concluded that the Japanese army should not only increase its strength, but also increase the number of fighters, and greatly strengthen its firepower. The Japanese army can honor the Shanxi and North China bases in Zhongtiao Mountain, especially in terms of logistics and supply, and has very perfect conditions. The above various unfavorable factors are the reasons why Ouyang Jian lost his self-confidence.

The ancients said: It is true that the high places are not cold. has always been good at dancing with long sleeves and full of confidence, but this time I did feel powerless. Thinking about the problem for a long time, feeling a little dizzy, Ouyang Jian opened his eyes and looked down through the porthole. The visibility is very good, and the sun is full and sprinkles on the earth. The rolling mountains and beautiful lingering rivers stretch and pass in front of you, and you feel a little better. Since he didn't have a clue and didn't think about it, he took out the map of Zhongtiao Mountain and looked at it casually to pass the time.

The contour line of the Zhongtiao Mountain landform is dazzling, and the crowd is staggered and rushes towards it, and forms a three-dimensional picture. When Ouyang Jian felt chaotic, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and his eyes lit up, why can't he change his mind when he sticks to Zhongtiao Mountain? Why······s. "The core problem solving ideas have also been opened, and its sensitive brain bubbles have begun to be active, and how to integrate the various departments of Zhongtiao Mountain, a new defense plan has been revealed." General, Luoyang Airport has arrived, the plane is ready to land, please fasten your seatbelts! The captain reported.

The plane taxied and came to a stop on a bumpy earthen runway. Ouyang Jian stepped off the plane and saw Wei Lihuang, the commander of the 1st Theater, leading the generals to greet him. Under the attention of the generals, Ouyang Jian and Wei Lihuang warmly hugged and greeted each other, like a pair of old friends who had reunited after a long absence. Soon, the two got into the same car and drove towards Luoyang City. "Brother Ouyang, you came to Zhongtiao Mountain to sit in charge and integrate various departments, which greatly increased my confidence. According to the deployment of the Ministry of National Defense, generals and officers above the division level have gathered in Luoyang, and they will hold a military conference today without hesitation! ”

Seeing Wei Lihuang elated and his eyebrows dancing, Ouyang Jian said: "Brother Junru, the military meeting is not in a hurry. I have new ideas about the defense of Mt. Nakajo, and we must reach a consensus between you. How about proposing that the military conference be held in 5 days? "Brother Ouyang, you are the minister of the Qin Mission, I have no choice but to do it!" Wei Lihuang continued: "Presumably you are already confident, and your subordinates are listening!" "Brother Junru, if I want to say that I don't have any certainty about guarding Zhongtiao Mountain, how do you feel?"