Ouyang Jian said: "I have telegraphed Xu Shiyou, the commander of the 2nd Independent Division, to transfer all his troops to the southern foot of Taihang Mountain, and find fighters to attack the Japanese army, and try to drag down the 17th Brigade of the Japanese Army as much as possible, so that he cannot be put into the Zhongtiao Mountain battle with a single soldier." The 17th Division was the general reserve of the Japanese army, and at the critical moment, the Japanese reserve division could not be put into the main battlefield to fight, so our defense added a solid weight. In addition, I telegraphed to Nie Rongzhen and ordered the 3rd Independent Division to move to the west bank of the Yellow River to put pressure on the Japanese army. ”

"Brother Ouyang, I am not very familiar with the Japanese front-line commander Tada Jun, but the chief of the general staff of the Japanese army's Chinese dispatch army, Ita Heng Seishiro, has heard of it. This guy is known as General Changsheng, let him personally sit in Taiyuan to command, presumably the Japanese army is determined to win. With his intelligence, he would not fail to see our intentions! "See what, unless it is to continue to increase the number of troops in Shanxi. This is a conspiracy, and the conspiracy is even more terrifying, because you can clearly see that the opponent's tricks are indeed powerless, as for whether it can play a role, the next battle will tell us everything. ”

As soon as Ouyang Jian's voice fell, "Report, Sun Weiru, the commander of the 4th Group Army, has arrived!" A combat staff officer reported. As soon as the words fell, Sun Weiru, the commander of the 4th Group Army, walked in in a military uniform, majestically. The man was tall, burly, and about 40 years old. Don't look at Sun Weiru's rough appearance, but this gentleman is rough and fine, and he has always been thoughtful. He is one of Yang Hucheng's two henchmen, and the main core of the 4th Army is composed of Yang Hucheng's descendants.

At present, the establishment of the 4th Group Army is as follows: the 96th Army, commander Li Zhongxing, under the jurisdiction of the 177th Division, the 47th Independent Brigade, with a total strength of 16,000 troops. The 38th Army, commander Zhao Shoushan, has the 17th Division under its jurisdiction and the new 35th Division, with a total strength of 24,000 people. The 47th Army, the commander of the 4th Army, Li Jiayu, deputy commander of the 4th Group Army, is under the jurisdiction of the 104th Division and the 178th Division, with a total strength of 22,000 troops. The 47th Army was a unit of the former Sichuan Army.

The 96th Army and the 38th Army, the core of the Fourth Group Army, were descendants of Yang Hucheng, and a large number of secret CCP members served as middle- and lower-level officers in the subordinate units, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the 96th Army and the 38th Army were "quasi-Eighth Route Army troops." After Ouyang Jian came to the First War Zone, he rarely inspected the 4th Group Army, in order to avoid suspicion. "Report, please instruct when you come to report for duty!" The two sides saluted each other and Wei Lihuang said: "General Sun, the big battle is imminent, call you to the theater headquarters, and there are some situations that General Ouyang wants to explain to you in person!" ”

Ouyang Jian stepped forward and grabbed Sun Weiru's hand and said, "General Sun, the enemy situation is more sinister than we expected. Your group army has been fighting fiercely in Zhongtiao Mountain for several years, and has never allowed the Japanese army to succeed. The department fought bravely and played the prestige of the Northwest Army, especially in the two years of the fierce battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, which had hundreds of large and small battles, which smashed the ambition of the Japanese army to capture Zhongtiao Mountain and demonstrated the fierce loyalty of the children of Sanqin. "General Ouyang has said too much, this is a humble duty!"

"I still remember General Sun's writing about the resistance of the Manjiang Red Zhongtiao Mountain: Immediately in the middle of the strip, the long wind rises, and the abyss is drummed. Old and new hatreds, count from the beginning, turn the tide and be the mainstay. "Let General Ouyang smile, the humble position is just to warn himself not to forget the broken mountains and rivers." The words are full of tragic feelings, showing the general's strong patriotic feelings and firm will. I believe that the general will definitely make new contributions to Zhongtiao Mountain. Ouyang Jian waved his hand and walked to the sand table to answer.

"General Sun, the Fourth Army is based on the consideration of the overall situation. You see, from Xia County on the west side, Wenxi, Hengling Pass, and Sang Chi to Dongfeng, this circular defense line is the key offensive direction of the Japanese army. In this direction, the Japanese army gathered three divisions and one brigade, including two divisions of the Manchurian puppet army, which can be described as a large number of soldiers. The Japanese army gathered heavy forces with the intention of quickly breaking through the defensive line by a rapid assault and annihilating all the defenders of our Zhongtiao Mountain on the north bank of the Yellow River. ”

"The 5th Army and the 14th Army held the east and west flanks of Nakajo Mountain, respectively, and our outer defensive line was very weak, and the defensive area was too large. According to the overall deployment of the theater command, the defense line should be gradually contracted. Our defensive front finally shrank to Xia County, Hengqu County, and Lishan, which is our last line of defense. Your Ministry's mission is to focus on the last line of defense. Whether we can defend Nakajo Mountain or not, the key lies in you. "Please rest assured that Commander Wei and General Ouyang are ready to stain the battlefield with blood!"

"Nonsense, you are ready to stain the battlefield with blood, so can our defense line hold? Remember, as long as we withstood the Japanese offensive for a month, the Japanese offensive would collapse. In the direction of Hengling Pass is the junction of the 5th Army and the 14th Army, and the junction is generally a weak link, so you should pay special attention. In particular, in this direction, it is necessary to focus on defense, and we must not allow the Japanese army to drive deep after breaking through. "Humble duty, remember!"

"General Sun, let me tell you the truth, General Ouyang is worried that it is the Jiangheng Road from Jiangxian County to Hengqu County. The west side of this Jiangheng road was defended by the 5th Army, and the east side was defended by the 14th Army. According to the Japanese army's arrangement, it was obviously a tactic of pincer attack on the east and west sides and a breakthrough in the middle, so Jiangheng Road as a junction must be the main direction of the Japanese army's breakthrough. "Humble duty understands! My headquarters is located in Hengqu County! Wei Lihuang continued: "I have telegraphed Zeng Wanzhong, commander of the 5th Group Army, and Liu Maoen, commander of the 14th Group Army, to strengthen the defensive strength of the junction. ”

Ouyang Jian said: "It is very important for all departments to establish the concept of the overall situation, in order to strengthen the solid defense of Zhongtiao Mountain. The Theater Command has concentrated 16 divisions on the south bank of the Yellow River and will support the Zhongtiao Mountain operation at any time, and it is necessary to warn all officers and men that it is the sacred duty of the officers and men of the First Theater to hold on to the Zhongtiao Mountain, and to let all officers and men establish the courage and confidence to fight on the bloody battlefield. "General Sun, the key to this Zhongtiao Mountain defensive operation, unity, as long as we share the same hatred and work together, we will definitely be able to defend Zhongtiao Mountain."

At this moment, the Japanese army is also stepping up preparations before the attack. At the front-line field airfield of the Japanese army in Yuncheng, Commander Tada Jun rushed to the headquarters as soon as he got off the plane. It was only two days before the attack was launched, but what made him unhappy was that when the big war was imminent, the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division of the Manchukuo Army was unexpectedly wiped out in Heshun Town. This news had little impact on the Japanese troops, but it could be said to be a shocking move for the Manchukuo army. Therefore, it is necessary for him to appease and serve as the commander of the puppet army of the 3rd and 4th divisions in the main direction of attack.

In the headquarters, the 36th, 37th, 41st, and 9th independent brigades of the Japanese army and the main generals of the 3rd and 4th divisions of the puppet army gathered. Tada Jun first shook hands with the commanders of the 3rd and 4th divisions of the puppet army and said: "The 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division of your army was unexpectedly misfortunate in Heshun Town, and this commander is deeply saddened. According to our investigation after the incident, the Eighth Route Army concentrated the strength of one division and launched a sneak attack on the unsuspecting 4th Brigade, resulting in the total annihilation of the 4th Brigade. Tada is exaggerating.

"At present, our 17th Division has sent heavy troops to clear and suppress the main force of the Eighth Route Army in Taihang Mountain to ensure the stability of the rear. However, the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Division of your department, due to its slow action and procrastination, caused it to be out of touch with the large army, so the Eighth Route Army could take advantage of it! This lesson should be learned in the future! The two puppet army commanders were a little flattered, and swore that they would not be affected by this and would do their best to assist the imperial army in the battle.

After comforting the commander of the puppet army, Tada Jun's face changed and he said majestically: "Everyone, the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain is about to start, and the west and northwest sides are the main attack directions. First, launch a pincer offensive on the east and west flanks to attract the enemy's attention, and then break through in the middle. On the west side, we should strive to capture Zhangdian and Xia County, and on the east side, we should launch a feint attack on Dong Feng. The central part concentrated superior forces to break through Hengling Pass, and then took Jiangxian County, and finally eliminated the main force of the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain in Hengqu! ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of this dispatch of the army headquarters to concentrate superior forces is to complete the Battle of the Central Plains in the shortest possible time. This Battle of the Central Plains will determine the strategic trend of the Japanese Empire in China, and I hope that you will strive to be the first and show the might of the Imperial Warriors! Tada Jun continued: "In order to prevent the enemy from escaping across the river, the temporary delay in the offensive on the eastern front will give the enemy an illusion, and if necessary, a fatal blow." ”

Jiangxian County is located in the middle of the Zhongtiao Mountains, which is very important as a strategic point. The military headquarters of the 80th Army is located in the county seat of Jiangxian County, and at this time, the army commander Kong Lingsui is looking at the map. The main task of the department was to defend the important places of Hengguanling and Jiangxian County, and the big war was imminent, and he was under great psychological pressure in the face of the heavy pressure of the Japanese army. The theater command reported that the Japanese army's focus was on breaking through the middle road, and Hengling Pass and Jiangxian would inevitably bear the brunt, so it was inevitable that army commander Kong Lingxian would be under great psychological pressure.

At present, the 80th Army has three divisions, namely the 165th Division Wang Zhiqi Division, the newly formed 27th Division Wang Jun Division, and the 34th Division Gongbing Fan Division (this division is directly under the jurisdiction of the Theater Command and is temporarily placed under the command of the 80th Army). "Commander, the Theater Command has asked us to hold on to important positions, but with the 4th Army as a reserve, it is inevitable that suspicions will arise. The main force of the 4th Army is Yang Hucheng's descendants, and it is obvious that General Ouyang intends to take care of them! Faced with the dissatisfaction of the chief of staff, Kong Lingsui did not know whether it was okay or not.

It would be nonsense to say that he himself has no ideas, but there are no problems with the military deployment of the theater command. As for saying that Yang Hucheng's descendants have a good relationship with the Communist Party, this is already an open secret. However, Ouyang Jian, the legendary general of the Communist Party, did not obviously protect the 4th Group Army, and it is understandable for his subordinates to express their dissatisfaction, after all, the headquarters is in a critical position, and a vicious battle is inevitable. When Kong Lingsui was silent, an operational staff officer ran over with a telegram and said: "Report, the theater command reports that the Japanese army is the first to attack Xia County!" ”