In the temporary headquarters of the Wuhan Ministry of National Defense, He Yingqin said with a displeased face: "President, Ouyang Jian is deeply hidden, and his ordnance enterprise can actually manufacture anti-aircraft guns and fortress artillery, it seems that he has a lot of secrets." According to the report of the headquarters of the 18th Route Army, the Japanese bombed for 8 days in a row, and 24 bombers were shot down, and the damage was unknown. In addition, Ouyang Jian's Poyang Lake ship force successfully intercepted the entry of the Japanese Yangtze River Fleet, and its fortress artillery played a key role. ”

Lao Jiang deeply regretted when he heard this, why did he not accept Ouyang Jian's invitation to go to Jiujiang to inspect, at this time it was impossible for him to go to the Jiujiang Theater again, because the big war was imminent. "The Japanese army has stopped bombing Jiujiang, which shows that Ouyang Jian has smashed the fierce bombardment of the Japanese army. Although his air defense units suffered heavy losses, his anti-aircraft guns played a majestic role and became famous in the first battle. Please inform the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, commend Ouyang Jian's victory, and send a telegram to all theaters to boost the morale of the soldiers. ”

Lao Jiang was suddenly in a good mood, after all, Ouyang Jian's achievements were under the leadership of the National Government, and the honor naturally belonged to the National Government. Looking at the words, He Yingqin could see Lao Jiang's thoughts, originally he wanted to arrange Ouyang Jian, so he had to change the topic and said: "President, it seems that the Communist Party has made careful preparations, and this is by no means a day's work. And all of this is inseparable from Ouyang Jian. He believed that the Communist Party was so well prepared that it was very likely that the Japanese army would suffer a setback in Jiangxi. ”

Lao Jiang was uncharacteristically radiant and continued: "If the Eighth Route Army blocks the attack of the Japanese army, it can play an inspiring role in the national war of resistance. I want my wife to go to Jiangxi to express my condolences to the officers and men of the Eighth Route Army. He Yingqin was a little confused, Lao Jiang changed too quickly. In fact, Lao Jiang was to make up for his refusal of Ouyang Jian's invitation, and he played the lady card to pave the way. Now he has to pay attention to Jiangxi, once Jiangxi is stable, it will inevitably affect the national war situation, and Lao Jiang has no other way to face reality.

At present, the Japanese offensive in the northwest has been frustrated, the Yellow River has blocked the fierce offensive of the Japanese army, and the stability of the west has given Lao Chiang confidence. In addition, Lao Chiang asked for military assistance through the Soviet Russian ambassador, but was politely refused. Therefore; Lao Jiang had to focus on the Jiangxi Communist Party. In the future, letting the Jiangxi Communist Party contribute may be the only way out. And it is reasonable to let the lady come forward to mediate, and thinking of this, Lao Jiang's mood naturally improves.

"Report, Hangzhou called, the 98th Division suffered heavy losses after stubborn resistance, and is currently retreating to the south!" An operational staff officer made an urgent report. He Yingqin said: "President, the Japanese army has assembled on the north bank of the Jiujiang River and is about to launch a landing operation. The General Staff judged that Jiujiang was still the main direction of attack of the Japanese army. Intelligence showed that the 6th, 18th, and 114th divisions of the Japanese army were not engaged in combat. ”

"It seems that the Communist Party's killing order has worked, and the Japanese army has also had times of fear. It is certain that the Eighth Route Army played a majestic role in the Xingta blockade operation, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone, that is, playing the majesty of the Eighth Route Army and dampening the spirit of the Japanese army. Immediately ask the Ministry of Defense to organize an observation group, I need every detail of the Eighth Route Army's operations. Especially how Ouyang Jian commanded the battle, I want to get the real situation! At this time, Lao Jiang had to admit that the Eighth Route Army, in terms of command and operation, the quality of officers and soldiers, and combat effectiveness were far higher than those of the elite units of the Central Army, and its German armament division was also overshadowed.

The atmosphere in the headquarters of the 2nd Corps in Jingdezhen was solemn, and in the face of the approaching Japanese army, everyone had a serious expression on their faces. The military map hanging on the wall of the headquarters shows the defensive posture of the Eighth Route Army, and also shows the offensive posture of the Japanese army. "Commander Peng, after the Japanese army occupied Hangzhou, the troops were divided into two routes, the Japanese 40th Division has advanced to Huangshan, and the Japanese 41st Division has advanced to Kaihua. According to the preliminary judgment, the focus of the Japanese attack was the front line of Xianghu Town. Chief of Staff Tan Zhenlin analyzed the enemy situation.

"Report the enemy situation to the Jiujiang front finger!" Peng Dehuai said with a calm face. At this time, the sound of horses' hooves sounded outside, and soon Xiao Feng, the commander of the 3rd Army, and Song Renqiang, the commander of the 4th Army, walked in one after the other. "Report, the two raised their hands in salute." What about the troops? "The officers and men had a high desire to fight, and they were determined not to let the Japanese army set foot in Jiangxi." "The comrades have long been unable to hold back, and they have long been looking forward to fighting the Japanese army." Xiao Feng and Song Ren were overjoyed, and they could see that their desire to fight was very high.

Peng Dehuai said: "We must not be complacent, the Xingta blocking operation has exposed our true strength, and the Japanese army must adopt corresponding countermeasures." Chief of General Staff Ouyang judged that the Japanese army would definitely intensify its air strikes and ground artillery strikes. In order to confuse the Japanese army, we should not expose our artillery on a large scale at the initial stage, and deal a heavy blow to the Japanese army at a critical moment. Tell the defending officers and men not to be careless because we have artillery. At this time, an air defense siren sounded outside, and the piercing sirens signaled the arrival of enemy aircraft.

The headquarters of the 2nd Corps is located in Jingdezhen City, which is a reinforced concrete fortress with two floors above ground and underground. Anti-aircraft guns were not deployed in Jingdezhen, but anti-aircraft machine guns were deployed in order to limit the low-altitude bombardment of enemy planes and curb the accuracy of bombing. "Look, the enemy plane is hovering at high altitude, and it is obvious that it is afraid of being beaten in Jiujiang." An operational staff officer teased. There was an explosion outside, and the violent explosion shook the dust on the roof of the fortifications, and the faces and bodies of the generals were covered with dust.

Soon the Japanese pilots found that there were no anti-aircraft guns in Jingdezhen, so they boldly lowered the altitude. At this time, the anti-aircraft machine guns that were on the task of air defense began to fire, and the Japanese planes immediately climbed. At this time, the vast majority of the people in Jingdezhen were evacuated, and those who remained in the city were young and middle-aged, so the air defense pressure was not great. The Japanese fighters bombed indiscriminately for half an hour and flew away, and although they had made careful preparations, there were still many places in the city where fires broke out. The guards were immediately dispatched to extinguish the fire and try to minimize the damage.

On the wall of Huangshan Mountain, Major General Yamamoto Shuo, commander of the 40th Division of the Japanese Army, held a war knife in both hands, a pair of stout little short legs were split, and the sanitary beard on his lips was a little comically squeezed together. On the main road outside the city, Japanese artillery units were passing by. "Your Excellency, the 8th Heavy Artillery Brigade is advancing to the front. The 10th and 15th separate mountain artillery regiments arrived at dusk. The forward troops had already occupied the town of Xianghu, 10 kilometers from the defense line of the Eighth Route Army. A communications officer dismounted from the sidebike to report.

"Order the forward troops to stand by and not to attack without an order. The heavy artillery brigade was ordered to accelerate its advance and arrange artillery positions as soon as possible. Yamamoto gave the order with a blank face. Your Excellency General, the headquarters has been arranged, please enter the city. "The chief of staff of the Japanese army asked for instructions. In the afternoon of the same day, the division commander Yamamoto Shuo held a military meeting and said to the generals: "Ladies and gentlemen, the combat effectiveness displayed by the Eighth Route Army on the Songhu battlefield is very surprising! ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have encountered a strong opponent, and we should say that we will fight against the best army in China. The Eighth Route Army, whether it is the command system or the quality of individual soldiers, is not below our army. According to the feedback from the Xingta attack operation, the Eighth Route Army's stabbing technique was very good. This shows that the Eighth Route Army conducted military training against the Imperial Japanese Army very early, and its combat methods were completely aimed at us. Therefore, the battle of Jiangxi will be very difficult and destined to be a very difficult battle. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to the information provided by the base camp, the frontal fortifications of the Eighth Route Army are 20 kilometers deep. This kind of defensive depth is the latest military theory put forward by European and American military strategists, but the Eighth Route Army was the first to apply it to actual combat. A defense-in-depth system means that the enemy can effectively organize several lines of defense, so don't expect a quick breakthrough. To this end, the headquarters of the dispatch army formulated a strangulation tactic, using powerful air-ground artillery fire to destroy the defense line of the Eighth Route Army and eliminate the main force of the Eighth Route Army on the position. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, our attack is not a quick breakthrough, but a strangulation battle, striving to kill and wound a large number of enemy soldiers, constantly weakening the strength of the Eighth Route Army, and finally breaking through the defense line in one fell swoop." Subsequently, the chief of staff of the Japanese army gave a detailed account of the fortifications and deployment of the Eighth Route Army according to the reconnaissance of the air force. When the Japanese army was preparing to divide the troops, the defensive position of the Eighth Route Army appeared very quiet, but the atmosphere before the battle was solemn and dull.

In the bunker of the 3rd Army Headquarters in Hongmeiling, Army Commander Xiao Feng was looking at the map. The political commissar broke the silence and said: "The forward troops report that the Japanese army has reached within 10 kilometers of the front. The Japanese did not attack immediately, and presumably deployed their forces. Xiao Feng raised his head and said: "Commander-in-Chief Peng analyzed, the Japanese army must adopt new tactics, and it is estimated that the ground attack of the Japanese army will not be sharp, and its artillery and air strikes will be fierce." Ordered the forward troops, the defensive forces in the trenches should not be too dense, and pay attention to dodging the Japanese artillery fire and aerial bombardment. ”

At this time, the chief of staff walked in and said: "Commander, the officers and men of the artillery brigade are gearing up and asking for an artillery battle with the Japanese army to knock out the Japanese artillery positions. Xiao Feng said with a smile: "It's no wonder that our artillery has never experienced war, and it's understandable that the artillery soldiers have been trained for so long." In order to paralyze the Japanese army, the corps headquarters decided not to expose the artillery positions on a large scale in the early stage, and to deal a heavy blow to the Japanese army at a critical time. ”

"Tell the artillery officers and men not to be impatient, to be patient!" The political commissar said: "Our artillery is hidden in bunkers, and it is difficult for the Japanese army to find it, so I propose to put in an artillery battalion to fight first, so as to hang the appetite of the Japanese army." "The political commissar's suggestion is very good, notify the artillery brigade commander to come to the headquarters, and we will carefully study how to use artillery fire to counterattack the operation!" ”