The sun is shining, and the weather is good for travel. A military transport plane landed on an earthen runway, and after the plane came to a standstill, the figure of Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin appeared at the hatch. The airfield on the outskirts of Yunshui County was originally a military training ground, and was later transformed into an airfield. In mid-February, a 10-member theater inspection group headed by He Yingqin, minister of the army, flew from Wuhan to Yunshui County, Jiujiang, for a five-day inspection.

Ouyang Jian, chief of the general staff of the Eighth Route Army and then commander of the 3rd Corps, Luo Ronghuan, political commissar, Su Yu, deputy commander, He Long, chief of staff, and other generals personally greeted him at the airport. The two sides met and greeted each other, and there is no need to repeat them, and drove to the county seat in a friendly manner in a warm atmosphere. Ouyang Jian and He Yingqin were in the same car. Looking at the convoy, He Yingqin said enviously: "Chief of Staff Ouyang, I didn't expect your department to be so rich, it's enviable!" ”

"Mr. He, the pursuit of a better life is everyone's right, and we are no exception. It is our duty to develop the economy and benefit the people! Ouyang Jian tried to avoid sensitive topics as much as possible. He Yingqin comprehended: "Brother Ouyang is worthy of being a military and political talent, and only Jiangxi is the province with the best economic development in the country, and it is great to sing and dance!" "People's creativity is endless, as long as you provide a platform and a soil for adaptation, any miracle on earth will be created."

"Brother Ouyang, the quiet life has been broken, the Japanese army has imposed the war on us, the next step is that the Japanese army will definitely attack Jiangxi on a large scale, how sure are you about holding Jiangxi?" "I'm more than 60% sure!" Seeing that Ouyang Jian's demeanor was very confident, He Yingqin was secretly surprised: "Brother Ouyang, in this battle of Songhu, the main force of the national army suffered heavy losses, and it is impossible to implement strong support for Jiangxi, you should be mentally prepared!" "Please rest assured, Chief He, our Eighth Route Army is confident that the Japanese army will be kept out of the gate of Jiangxi!"

"At present, the Japanese army has nearly 400,000 troops in 18 divisions and regiments on the Shanghai-Nanjing front, how many troops are you prepared to use to defend." "The 2nd Corps, the 3rd Corps plus 4 independent divisions, the total strength is about 200,000 people! The 1st Corps as a general reserve! He Yingqin was secretly surprised, it could be that the total strength of the Eighth Route of the Communist Party had reached 300,000. Thinking about the strength of the Communist Party is so strong, and Jiangxi is the base of the Communist Party, it is bound to fight for every inch of land.

The convoy arrived at the headquarters of the Yunshui County Corps, and Ouyang Jian personally explained the deployment of the defense lines in Jingdezhen, Shangrao, and Jiujiang. When the defense line of Ho Ying Qinwen reached 20 kilometers in depth, it was almost impossible to believe that this was true. Originally, Ouyang Jian wanted to do his best to be a landlord and wash the dust for He Yingqin, but He Yingqin couldn't afford to wait, because senior military experts of the Ministry of Defense had always believed that according to the situation of the Japanese army, the Eighth Route Army could not hold Jiangxi.

Before coming, Lao Jiang instructed He Yingqin to persuade Ouyang Jian to move the advanced military enterprises to the west, which was another task for him. But when he heard about the deep defensive system, which stretched for nearly 20 kilometers, it was almost unbelievable that he had to see it to believe. In He Yingqin's military philosophy, the defense line is divided into the first, second and even third lines, and the large-depth defense system is the first time he has heard of it. The key is to build permanent fortifications of great depth, up to 20 kilometers deep, at an astronomical cost. He Yingqin was puzzled by how the Communist Party did it.

With doubts, He Yingqin and his entourage rushed to the De'an defense line, but the situation of the defense line disappointed him. There was not a single permanent pillbox on the defensive line, it was entirely civil. Standing in front of a tunnel, He Yingqin looked at the mouth of the tunnel. Ouyang Jian guessed He Yingqin's thoughts and said, "Chief He, I know you're a little worried. "Such a rudimentary fortification, although there are many tunnel bunkers, can it block the three-dimensional attack of the Japanese army?" Officials from the Ministry of Defense who accompanied him also raised questions.

Ouyang Jian said confidently: "According to the experience of the previous war against Japan, the Japanese army's artillery fire and air strikes are the biggest threat to us. How to avoid Japanese artillery fire and air strikes, we have conducted research a few years ago, and tunnel fortifications are the most effective defense method. You see, the distance between our tunnels and fortifications is 50 meters, which is like a hidden cave. When the enemy is under heavy shelling, the soldiers can hide inside the pit fortifications. When the enemy approaches the trenches, our soldiers can quickly sort. ”

Ouyang Jian continued: "Our purpose is to engage in close combat with the Japanese army and curb the power of the Japanese army's artillery and air strikes. "Chief of Staff Ouyang, have you taken into account the unfavorable factors? This method of warfare will soon break through to a certain point for the Japanese army. "That's the strength of a defense-in-depth system. Even if the Japanese army breaks through a certain point, it is impossible to quickly advance in depth, which creates conditions for us to counterattack. He Yingqin looked at the criss-crossing and stretching trenches and accepted Ouyang Jian's statement.

He Yingqin stayed in the De'an defense line for two days, carefully studied how the large-depth defense system was constituted, and the advantages of the tunnel fortifications, and gained a new understanding of civil fortifications. In addition, Ouyang Jian had reservations, that is, he did not let He Yingqin and others visit the artillery fortifications placed in the bunker. At present, the artillery factory in Yunshui County can completely imitate 75mm mountain guns. Ouyang Jian didn't want to expose the artillery position, mainly for the sake of secrecy.

Ouyang Jian then accompanied He Yingqin to the key point of Jiujiang, and after the Central Army withdrew from Jiujiang, the 7th Army of the Third Corps of the Eighth Route Army stationed a regiment here. "Chief of General Staff Ouyang, Jiujiang County is so important, and only one regiment is stationed in your department, which refutes the minimum military common sense!" "Chief He, Jiujiang is ready to give up." "Give up Jiujiang?" "That's right, put the Japanese in to fight, and let the De'an Line work. In addition, the abandonment of Jiujiang was also to prevent the Japanese naval guns from exerting their might. ”

"If the Japanese army captures Jiujiang, aren't you afraid that the Japanese army will fight in a roundabout way from the west and avoid your De'an defense line?" Ouyang Jian said with a smile: "The west side of Jiujiang County is a mountainous area, which is not suitable for large corps operations. In addition, the mountains are our minefield, so don't worry. "You're talking about anti-infantry mines?" “； The minefield is equipped with various mines, which we will change at any time according to the situation of the Japanese army, and the mines are very efficient in defensive operations, and we have already applied them in practice. He Yingqin knew in his heart that Ouyang Jian used simple stone mines to block the large-scale attack of the Jiangxi army.

There can be no doubt that Jiujiang now produces such advanced anti-infantry mines. "Brother Ouyang, it seems that you have made careful preparations, through the inspection I have confidence in sticking to Jiangxi, and I will provide a detailed inspection report after I go back, and vigorously advocate the large-depth defense system." At this moment, He Yingqin no longer had the heart to persuade Ouyang Jian to retreat from the arsenal. Three days later, He Yingqin and others returned to Yunshui County and, according to the schedule, formally inspected the ordnance enterprises.

In an underground factory in Yunshui County, the Red Star Type 3 standard rifle assembly workshop, Ouyang Jian accompanied He Yingqin and others to visit. Ouyang Jian picked up a temporary new rifle and said: "Chief He, this German-style 88 rifle, after more than ten years of transformation and upgrading, has now become our standard weapon, and its performance is stronger than that of the Zhongzheng ・・・・・・ developed by the national government. "He Yingqin already knows the performance of the rifle, so he is not very interested. However, he was still shocked by the complete and advanced manufacturing capabilities of the Eighth Route Army Arsenal.

Then I visited the grenade manufacturing factory in the county, the military steel helmet manufacturing factory, and the core thing was not seen at all. The 5-day inspection period passed quickly, and He Yingqin was a little depressed, holding Ouyang Jian's hand before getting on the plane, and said unhappily: "Brother Ouyang, I didn't see what I wanted to see the most, and I regret it." Ouyang Jian said apologetically: "Chief He, at the moment of the great enemy, military secrets are particularly important, please understand." ”

Ouyang Jian said: "I hope that President He will tell the president that please come to Jiujiang to inspect, we have no secrets about the president!" Speaking of this, He Yingqin knew it well, and the meaning couldn't be clearer, Lao Jiang was qualified to inspect the core secrets of the arsenal. The plane disappeared in the air, and Su Yu teased: "Chief of General Staff, Chief He is disgraced, I'm afraid he won't say good things about you when I go back." "This person is mediocre, he is actually in a high position, I just want to beat him. In addition, I want to stimulate Lao Jiang and let him use his mind in the right place. ”

Gu Zhutong, one of the important members of the delegation on the plane, said: "Chief, Ouyang Jian didn't give any face, which shows that this person is unruly. Although the Eighth Route Army is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense, we have nothing to do with him! "If you have a gun, you are the king of grass, and the strength of the Communist Party is getting bigger and bigger, and if the Communist Party holds Jiangxi, we will really lose face." Ouyang Jian is indeed not simple, he is hanging the president's appetite. As the saying goes: Take people with short hands and eat people with short mouths, Ouyang Jian wants this result. ”

On the same day, He Yingqin flew back to Wuhan and reported to Lao Jiang. Lao Jiang's face was very ugly after hearing this. "How can it be!" Lao Jiang flicked his sleeves and left, making everyone confused. Only one of them understands Lao Jiang's thoughts, and that is Chen Bui, a think tank. He knew in his heart that Lao Jiang's self-esteem had been hit. It can be said that Lao Jiang missed an opportunity to receive large-scale military aid, which laid the groundwork for another defeat in the Battle of Wuhan in the future. ”