A transport plane taxied at Taiyuan Airport, and the bright red Tianyang logo on the fuselage was very eye-catching. The transport plane slowly stopped, and the commander of the Japanese 1st Army on the tarmac, Tada Jun, led the generals to meet him. The ground crew put the ladder under the fuselage door, and when the door opened, they saw General Ita Heng Seisaro, chief of the general staff of the Chinese Dispatch Army, walking off the plane with a dignified expression. The spotlight flickered continuously, and the Japanese reporters scrambled to press the shutter to record this precious moment.

Tada Jun, commander of the 1st Army of the Japanese Army, stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, General, you have worked hard all the way. Welcome to Taiyuan to command the battle, please instruct! All the generals bowed slightly. Itako Seishiro just waved his hand and didn't say anything, and his expression was still majestic as he got into the car. The generals got on the bus in turn, and under the escort of the guard troops, the convoy drove towards Taiyuan City. As the years enter a new year, the preparations of the Japanese army are also accelerating, and a major war is imminent.

The Taiyuan Provincial Mansion is a standard Chinese-style courtyard building, and now it is the headquarters of the Japanese army. The former guard units of the headquarters were heavily guarded and seemed to be facing a great enemy. After the car stopped, Itako Seishiro got out of the car first, and then the generals got out of the car in turn. After entering the war room, Yuguan sat down according to the order of rank, and after a while, Itako Seishiro entered through the side door. Everyone stood up and saluted, and Itako Seishiro said majestically: "Everyone, today is the 2nd of January, according to the battle order of the base camp, the Battle of the Central Plains is about to begin, at that time, our attacking troops will launch attacks on the eastern, northeastern, and northwest sides of the Zhongtiao Mountain Range, capture the key points of the Zhongtiao Mountain, and destroy the Chinese defenders. ”

Itako Seishiro continued: "According to the operational order of the base camp, this westward expansion strategy is the Battle of the Central Plains, first of all, we must take the strategic place of Zhongtiao Mountain, and then cross the Yellow River to the south to attack Luoyang and eat the Chinese defenders on the first line of Luoyang and Zhengzhou. Then he marched into Tongguan to conquer Tongguan and take the last fortress to the west. In order to cooperate with the actions of the Allied German forces, we had to go all the way west to occupy Xi'an. This is the first phase of the Westward Expansion Strategy. As long as the first stage of strategic objectives is achieved, the south can cross the Qinling Mountains to attack Sichuan, and the west can launch an attack on Lanzhou along the railway line. ”

"At present, western China has become a rear base for the Chinese government to continue its resistance, and according to information obtained from aerial reconnaissance and intelligence, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Lanzhou in the west have formed industrial bases, so we must seize them to obtain strategic resources for the continuation of the Japanese Empire's war, and at the same time completely cut off the resource base of the Chinese government. Our great ally, the German army, has already begun to implement the strategy of moving south and North Africa, and in order to cooperate with the German army's actions and finally join Central Asia, we must complete the strategy of westward expansion. ”

"According to the intelligence we have, the strength of the Chinese army is mainly concentrated on the line of Zhongtiao Mountain, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Tongguan, and the entire northwest is empty. As long as we eat the main force of the Chinese army on the front line of Zhongtiao Mountain and Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Tongguan, the entire western part will be unimpeded. At present, the total strength of the Chinese defenders at Zhongtiao Mountain is 500,000, and in this battle of the Central Plains, our division concentrated seven divisions and regiments, including two independent brigades and the army aviation wing, and four divisions of the Manchurian army, with a total strength of 250,000 troops. ”

"In this battle of the Central Plains, we have made careful preparations, and the strategic deception has worked. So far, the Chinese army has not increased its troops on the front line of Zhongtiao Mountain. The Chinese army suffered heavy losses in successive major battles. Its elite troops were deployed in the south, which created conditions for us to take Zhongtiao Mountain. In this battle of the Central Plains, His Majesty the Emperor has placed ardent hopes on us, and asks you to fulfill your duties and strive to be the first! "Loyal to His Majesty the Emperor!" All the generals shouted loudly.

"Next, Lieutenant General Tada, commander of the 1st Army and commander of the front, will explain the military deployment." As soon as Ban Heng Seisishiro's words fell, Tada Jun, who was tall and tall, stepped forward with a majestic expression and picked up the baton, and then walked to the military map and said: "Everyone, in this battle of the Central Plains, we will gather the 33rd Division, 35th Division, 36th Division, 37th Division, 17th Division, 21st Division, and 41st Division, and independently mix the 4th and 9th Brigades!" Among them, the 37th, 17th, 21st, and 41st divisions were requisitioned and transferred troops of the Kwantung Army. ”

In addition, the Kwantung Army's 32nd Flying Squadron, 83rd Flying Squadron, 95th Flying Regiment, and 3rd Flying Regiment Air Support Operations. The 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Infantry Divisions of Manchuria fought together, and the total strength of our division was 250,000. According to the deployment of the Battle Headquarters: The 21st Division and the 35th Division launched an attack from the east to Jiyuan from the Qinyang line in Henan. The 36th, 37th, and 41st Divisions, together with the 9th Independent Brigade, including the 3rd and 4th Manchurian Divisions, were located on the northwest side of Zhongtiao Mountain, that is, in the areas north of Hengguanling, Yuncheng, and Xia County. ”

Tada Jun continued: "The 33rd Division with the 4th Independent Brigade, the 1st and 2nd Manchurian Divisions are located in the Yangcheng and Qinshui areas, and they will attack the eastern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain from the northeast. The 32nd, 83rd, and 95th Flying Regiments were located at Yuncheng Military Airport, and the 3rd Flying Regiment was located at Xinxiang Field Airport. The 17th Division, as the general reserve of the theater, was located in Taiyuan. The battle plan for the first phase of this Central Plains Battle is to capture Zhongtiao Mountain and eat all the defenders of Zhongtiao Mountain! ”

After Tada Jun explained the military deployment, Itayoko Seishiro stood up and said majestically: "Everyone, in order to cooperate with the Battle of the Central Plains, the headquarters of the 8th Tank Brigade belongs to Suiyuan and cooperates with the actions of the Mongolian Autonomous Army. At that time, the 8th Tank Brigade and the 21st, 23rd, and 24th Divisions of the Mongolian Autonomous Army captured Wuyuan. There are still eight days to prepare, and you will return to your troops and enter their designated positions as soon as possible to launch the attack on time. "After the military meeting, Commander Tada Jun did not immediately go to the Yuncheng Front Headquarters, because Itako Seishiro wanted to learn more about the situation of the enemy army.

After the strategic defeat of the Japanese army on the southern front, the Japanese army base camp believed that after several years of conquest, the Chinese army had greatly improved its combat effectiveness, strategic command, and weaponry. For example, at the beginning of the war, the Japanese army swept thousands of troops and was invincible, and the scene will not be repeated. In order to ensure a complete victory in the Battle of the Central Plains, the Japanese army concentrated its forces on a large scale according to the actual situation of the Chinese defenders at Zhongtiao Mountain, not to defeat the Chinese army, but to strive to eat them all, and did not hesitate to kill chickens with knives.

At night, the downtown area controlled by the Japanese army in Taiyuan was shrouded in dim lights. Despite the curfew in most areas of the city, the Japanese army was brightly lit and at night, the Japanese military prostitutes became the most active crowd here. At a Japanese-owned restaurant, Seishiro Itayoko and Hayao Tada sit opposite each other at a small table, and a Japanese maid in a kimono puts food and drinks on the table. The maid bowed and quietly withdrew and closed the sliding door. Seishiro Itako has a smile on his face and personally pours sake for Tada.

"Tada-kun, don't be formal, let's relax before the big war!" Although the two have a superior-subordinate relationship, they are both lieutenant generals, and they have a good personal relationship, so there is no need to be strict in the case of outsiders. Itako Seishiro continued: "Tada-kun, the big war is coming, and you and I have a great responsibility. Due to the strategic failure in the south, we had to shift our focus to the north. The rise of the Communist Party in Jiangxi caught us by surprise, and the strategic defeat in the south was directly related to the Battle of Jiangxi, the Battle of Southern Hunan, and the Battle of Southern Guizhou. ”

"This battle in the Central Plains will determine the direction of our next strategy. If the goal of the campaign is achieved and the entire northwest is controlled, not only can a rich strategic resource base be obtained, but it may lead to the surrender of the Chongqing government, and then it will be easier to deal with the Communist Party. At present, the external situation is temporarily favorable to us, so the battle of the Central Plains will determine whether the war in China will end as soon as possible. If the Battle of the Central Plains did not achieve its strategic objectives, the war in China would inevitably be protracted and would not be a blessing for the Empire. ”

"Ban Hengjun, intelligence confirms that the legendary figure of the Communist Party is in Luoyang, and it is said that as soon as he arrived in Luoyang, he integrated the troops, inspected the various departments, and replenished weapons and ammunition. Even if the enemy units of Nakajo Mountain did not increase their troops, their combat capability would inevitably increase. The Battle of Jiangxi, the Battle of Xiangnan, and the Battle of Guinan all had this legendary figure of the Communist Party, so we must be extremely cautious. "The base camp has carefully studied the characteristics of this communist legend, and his strength lies in his understanding of us very well, and he uses his own strengths against the weaknesses of others, and he uses this tactic skillfully."

Itako Seishiro continued: "This man is good at adapting measures to local conditions, using rudimentary tunnel fortifications to avoid artillery fire and saturation strikes in the air. After studying and analyzing, we have adopted a corresponding countermeasure, which is to concentrate air forces to strike at the enemy's deep supply lines and cut off the enemy's forward positions from the rear. It is not a quick assault, but a large number of the enemy's living forces, which will collapse the enemy's defenses. We must adopt the tactics of taking a step-by-step approach and fighting steadily and steadily, and we must not advance alone, lest we repeat the fate of the 106th Division. ”

"The tactical characteristics of this person are that he advocates active defense and is good at local counterattack operations. This time, we concentrated our superior forces in order to not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage of it. In addition, on our advantage, the various units of Zhongtiao Mountain are, after all, a miscellaneous army, not the elite troops of the Kuomintang, nor the Eighth Route Army. It is not easy to increase the combat effectiveness of the motley troops in such a short period of time. This time, the enemy did not reinforce a single soldier in the defense line of Zhongtiao Mountain, which shows that the enemy's high command is paralyzed and careless, and even miscalculated. ”

"Ban Hengjun's analysis makes sense, even if the Communist Party legend has three heads and six arms, after all, his subordinates are a group of rabble. It's like a lion leading a herd of sheep into a fierce battle with a pack of wolves, and the probability of victory is zero. "A very appropriate analogy, although the total strength of the enemy army is 500,000, but the strength of Zhongtiao Mountain is less than 300,000, which is why the base camp requires the concentration of superior forces to win a single blow. Tada-kun, the beautiful scenery before the war is rare, why don't we have a good time! ”

"Delicacies, beautiful scenery, beauties, heroes, we are all indispensable!" Tada Jun stood up and teased and walked out, followed by a small and delicate maid. The maid knelt on the kang and personally poured sake for Itako Seisishiro, smiling and bowing her head silently. Ban Heng drank the wine in one gulp, reached out to hold the maid's chin and stared at it for a few seconds, and then pulled the maid into his arms ・・・・・・ expressionlessly. The wind was cold outside, and the sound of waves inside the house was constant, and the two voices were intertwined, like a group of demons dancing wildly.