In early September, the 9th Corps of the National Revolutionary Army in southern Taiwan began to recruit troops from the north by land. By the end of September, the four elite reorganized armies of the 9th Corps had gathered in Tanggu Port, Tianjin, as the vanguard landing force. In addition, the follow-up troops were transported to Yantai by sea, and the sea transportation was not directly to Tanggu Port, in order to avoid the detection of the Japanese army.

At present, the US First Pacific Fleet has concentrated 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers, 12 gunboats, 4 minesweepers, 6 antisubmarine ships, 30 landing ships, 4 transport ships, and two oil tankers, a total of 70 warships to support the landing operation.

At the end of September, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and a transport plane landed at Tianjin Binhai Airport. The plane stopped at the end of the runway, and the figure of Bai Chongxi, the commander of the 9th Corps, was the first to emerge from the airport gate.

Su Yu, commander of the First Corps of the Eighth Route Army, Luo Ronghuan, political commissar, and Peng Xuelan, chief of staff, stood on the tarmac to greet them. Bai Chongxi led the generals to walk the plane in turn, and the two sides exchanged military salutes and shook hands. Bai Chongxi had been to Jiujiang to visit Su Yu's troops through Ouyang Jian's invitation, so he was familiar with Su Yu and Luo Ronghuan, but he didn't know Peng Xuelan, the chief of staff.

"Commander Bai, I really envy you, we are close to the water, but we are on standby!" Su Yu said for a reason. Bai Chongxi shrugged his shoulders and said, "Commander Su, I am very eager to fight side by side with your troops, but I am a soldier and cannot control the decisions above, please understand Commander Su." "Commander Bai, I don't mean anything else, I just envy you. Actually, I have doubts about the landing operation plan and the landing site of the high command! "Oh! Commander Su, please give me some advice! "The waters of Liaodong Bay are almost undefended, and it is imperative to launch a landing operation, and the timing of the command's choice is very good, but it is not strategically advisable."

"With Okamura Ninji's old ways, it's impossible not to be aware of our intentions." "Commander Su, the arrow has to be sent on the string, even if the Japanese army is prepared in Dalian and the Liaodong Peninsula, but cut off the connection between the northeast and the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible, so that the heavy forces of the Japanese army in the northeast can be encircled and annihilated, and there is no problem with the operational plan of the high command." "On the surface, there is no problem, but the key is what is the purpose of our troops in the Northeast?"

"Is it important to destroy the heavy Japanese army, or is it important to recover the northeast?" "Of course, it is important to recover the Northeast!" "That's right. As the saying goes, you can't have both fish and bear's paws. If the Dalian landing is chosen, it will inevitably be stubbornly resisted by the Japanese army, even if Dandong is captured and the northeast is cut off from the Korean Peninsula, so as to achieve the combat goal. In this way, it will inevitably increase the difficulty of the attack and delay the time to recover the Northeast. ”

"The Japanese army's retreat is cut off, and in the case of a battle against the water, it is bound to resist stubbornly, and the cost of battle damage will increase greatly." "Commander Su, the Command has considered these unfavorable factors, and the choice of landing at Yingkou will speed up the recovery of the Northeast, and the cost will be reduced accordingly. However, the landing force landed at Yingkou on the premise that the Shanhaiguan line must ensure a smooth breakthrough. The Japanese army formed a deep defensive line from Shanhaiguan to Jinzhou, and it was difficult to achieve the combat goal with the combat strength of Wei Lihuang's headquarters and Chen Cheng's headquarters. ”

Bai Chongxi said helplessly: "If the front line of Shanhaiguan cannot achieve the purpose of the campaign, our landing troops will face a heavy attack by the Japanese army, and there is a danger that the whole army will be annihilated." If it is under the customs of Chen Bingshan of your department, the command will definitely choose to land at Yingkou. Commander Su, that's all I can say. Therefore, it is the safest to choose Dalian landing, and the disadvantage is that the cost will increase, and the time to recover the northeast will be delayed. On the strong side, it is necessary to eliminate the heavy forces of the Japanese army and create conditions for the advance into the Korean Peninsula. ”

"Commander Bai, the battle plan can't be changed, so it's just like this!" At this time, there was a roar in the sky, and I saw a group of bombers flying overhead, attracting everyone's attention. The bombers landed one after another, and Bai Chongxi, including the accompanying generals, all showed envious expressions on their faces. "Your air force is really enviable, Commander Su, air support is please." "Commander Bai, in order to ensure the success of the landing, the 1st and 2nd Flying Regiments of the Eighth Route Army and the Jiangxi Independent Flying Regiment have all gathered at Tianjin and Yantai airports, please rest assured that we will help you."

"Thank you very much!" "This is what we should do, Commander Bai is in my department, and he should do his best to invite Commander Bai into the city." "Commander Su, it's not for my brother not to give face, I have to rush to Beiping, and tomorrow the president will fly to Beiping in person to hold a military meeting." "Commander Bai, since this is the case, I will not force it, I wish everything well! See you in the Northeast! "See you in the Northeast!"

Looking at Bai Chongxi and other generals leaving in the dust, political commissar Luo Ronghuan said: "The battle plan of the headquarters is obviously unrealistic, but the headquarters is really silent, which is very abnormal. "There is no way for the headquarters, and it is useless to be anxious. I really want to know what Chief of General Staff Ouyang thinks, but I can't get in touch with him! "Yes, I haven't heard from him for a long time, Lanzhou? Where is he, what the hell is he doing? ”

After attending a military meeting in Beiping, Bai Chongxi rushed to the port of Tanggu on October 5. There were still three days to go before boarding, and on the day he arrived in Tanggu, Bai Chongxi convened a military meeting of four army commanders and generals at and above the brigade level to officially announce the landing operation plan. After the military meeting, Bai Chongxi hosted a banquet for Admiral Raymond, commander of the US fleet, saying that the US fleet was not just cooperating with the landing operation.

At that time, the U.S. fleet would have to provide artillery support, so it was necessary for Bai Chongxi to contact Admiral Raymond. That night, the former Japanese Navy Club at the military port wharf was lit up with lights and lively. Several American-style jeeps stopped in front of the door, and the commander of the US First Fleet led the generals to arrive. The two sides met, shook hands, exchanged courtesy greetings, and then entered the club.

In the club, the lights are bright and green, full of a different atmosphere, beautiful hostess, with a white handkerchief on her head, wearing a black skirt, and a white overalls scarf on the black skirt, which looks particularly elegant and charming. A bewitching female singer sings American pop songs, creating a different American style. Obviously, this was specially prepared to cater to the US military generals.

The knives and forks and goblets, the white and red wines and champagne on the table are also carefully prepared, and the guests and hosts have dinner together in a state of singing and dancing, without the tension of the pre-war period, but like a nightclub having fun. "General Bai, thank you very much for your hospitality. Please rest assured that our fleet will fully support the landing operation. The Japanese monkeys can't bounce for a few days, for the invincibility of your subordinates and the establishment of meritorious deeds, cheers! ”

Admiral Raymond, the commander of the U.S. fleet, was about 50 years old, with brown hair mixed with gray hair. This gentleman is tall and fat. The rosacea nose on his face seemed to turn redder, and he was obviously very happy. This time to assist the Chinese army in launching a landing operation, there was no danger, and his fleet was a completely easy trip. This is a good deal, and if the Chinese army lands successfully, he will also play a big role.

Of course, Bai Chongxi couldn't guess his thoughts, and the Americans' cheerfulness was a little surprising. In fact, Admiral Raymond's idea was very simple, if the First Fleet under his command did not participate in this operation, it would inevitably participate in cross-island operations. He had learned the madness of the Japanese army during the war in the Marshall Islands, especially the suicide attacks of the Japanese army, which made him fearful. At present, Raymond must go all out to cooperate with the landing operation, and cannot let the Chinese find fault, so he made his attitude clear at the first time.

Bai Chongxi was deeply surprised, and it was very easy to get what he wanted, and he was naturally extremely satisfied. It was thought that the Americans would be difficult to get along with, but at dusk that day, the troops began to board the ships, and the first batch of beach-grabbing landing troops was an army. On the dock, Bai Chongxi looked at the dense battleships and sighed: "When General Ouyang commanded the landing operation in the Taiwan Strait, it can be described as bold and crazy. Using wooden boats to launch a sea-crossing operation, the Americans dared to even think about it, but Ouyang Jian succeeded. ”

The chief of staff also sighed: "Yes! It's scary to think about it, it's not something that ordinary people dare to do. Now we don't know how many times better the landing conditions, but we are still nervous. "When the conditions are good, we must look ahead and look ahead, what Commander Su Yu said is not wrong, Okamura Ninji must have thought of our landing site, this is destined to be a cruel landing operation, everyone must be mentally prepared."

"Report to the commander, Admiral Raymond, commander of the US First Fleet, has invited you to board the flagship Wales and command the operation!" An operational staff officer came to report. "It's better to be respectful than to obey your fate!" Commanding a battle on a battleship definitely doesn't feel the same. Soon, Bai Chongxi and other command personnel boarded the flagship Wales. The commander of the fleet greeted him on the deck, and the American sailors lined up on the deck and held a simple welcoming ceremony.

As night fell, the fleet set sail. Soon, the fleet formed a queue on the surface of the sea, and 4 submarine hunters opened the way in front, a move to prevent Japanese attack by submarines. Then came the gunboats, with the flagship Wales and another battleship in the center, flanked by destroyers, and followed by landing ships and transports at the rear.

I can't see the majesty of the fleet at night, but I can feel it. Soon, the vast sea swallowed up the shadow of the fleet, and everything seemed to return to calm.