In the Luoyang headquarters, the telegrams were ticking and the combat personnel were busy and nervous, indicating the coming of a big war. In December, the intentions of the Japanese army finally emerged, and the Ministry of Defense was a little scrambling for this. At this time, it was no longer possible to transfer troops from the south to reinforce the First Theater, and even if troops were to be sent to reinforce it immediately, it would have to be delayed for a month. And the troops who traveled long distances and saddled horses were immediately engaged in battle when they arrived at Mt. Nakajo, which was a refueling tactic. The Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Wuhan are already lessons from the past, and the same mistake cannot be made twice.

Under the crisis of the war situation, Lao Jiang gave Wei Lihuang, the commander of the 1st Theater of Operations, a death order to hold Zhongtiao Mountain at any cost. Fortunately, Wei Lihuang adopted Ouyang Jian's suggestion and secretly deployed the defense line on the front line of Luoyang and Mengjin. The contraction of the defensive line strengthened the defensive forces in hand and expanded the campaign reserve corps. After Wei Lihuang received Lao Jiang's telegram, he was relieved with a trace of apprehension. At least in the future, the loss of Zhengzhou can be explained. But if something goes wrong with Nakajo Mountain, he can't quibble all over his mouth.

The Great War was imminent, and the Theater Command entered high-speed operation. At this time, Ouyang Jian, Wei Lihuang and other generals gathered in front of a sand table. The sand table is made of lifelike mountains and terrain. This is made by Ouyang Jian personally commanding the combat staff officer, and the proportion of the sand table is a reduced version of the original landform and landform, and the comparison data is clear at a glance. This move has provided convenient conditions for commanders to keep abreast of the battle situation in front and the enemy situation in the combat area. At the same time, it also created conditions for commanders to direct operations.

At this time, the chief of staff took the baton and pointed out: "According to the deployment of the Japanese army, we judge that the northwest direction of Zhongtiao Mountain is the focus of the Japanese army's attack, the east is the secondary attack direction of the Japanese army, and the northeast is the direction of the Japanese army's feint attack. The disposition of the Japanese forces did not deviate much from our judgment. The deployment of our division is as follows: the 5th Group Army's 17th Army's Gao Guizi Division is located in the Jiangxian area, the 3rd Army's Tang Huaiyuan Division and the 80th Army's Kong Lingxian Division are located in the Wenxi and Xia County areas, and the 98th Army's Feng Qinzai Division is located in the Dongcun Town area. ”

The chief of staff continued: "The Wuting Scale Division of the 15th Army is located in the Gaoping area, and the above divisions are responsible for the defense of the northwestern part of Zhongtiao Mountain. The 27th Army's Song Kan Division and the 43rd Army's Zhao Shiling Division defended on the front line of Hengqu. The 9th and 93rd armies were located in the Jiyuan area of Henan Province and attacked the Japanese army on the eastern front. The other two armies were located in Taiyue and Taihang, and the 4th Army served as the general reserve of the Zhongtiao Mountain Theater. The chief of staff gave a clear introduction, and Wei Lihuang and other generals fell into thought, such a deployment has been repeatedly studied, but it is not safe, and can only be revised according to the operational situation.

At this time, Ouyang Jian's thoughts slipped away. The defeat of the Nakajo Mountain Society in later generations was so tragic, tragic, and poignant that it was caused by a combination of factors, and the negative cause and effect of it was undefeated. At that time, the upper echelons did not pay enough attention, and the defending troops were smoky, scattered, and fighting on their own. At the critical moment, Lao Chiang transferred the 4th Group Army from Zhongtiao Mountain to defend the Communists, and the commander of the theater was placed under house arrest in Chongqing because he was unwilling to engage in friction with the Communist Party, which led to a fiasco in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, and he was defeated without a place to be ashamed, which was Ouyang Jian's long-term distress.

Now the problem is that except for the paralysis of the upper echelons, all other problems have been solved. However, the butterfly effect also led to major changes in the Japanese army, and its total strength reached 250,000, an increase of one-third compared with Ouyang Jian's expectations, that is to say, the Japanese army used 250,000 against 280,000, and the Japanese army was well prepared and had strong logistical supply support. Furthermore. The Japanese army's strong air superiority made it more efficient to provide battlefield support. These unfavorable factors made Ouyang Jian feel bottomless, after all, his command was not a combat unit of the Eighth Route Army.

At present, what makes Ouyang Jian somewhat comforted is that he has shrunk his troops on the front line of Luoyang and Zhengzhou in advance, and at the critical moment, there is a certain guarantee to support the Zhongtiao Mountain operation. Even so, Ouyang Jian was not very sure, of course, this idea could not be told to anyone, otherwise it would shake the morale of the army. "Brother Ouyang, what do you think, is there anything wrong?" Seeing Ouyang Jian pondering, Wei Lihuang asked. The eyes of all the generals invariably aimed at Ouyang Jian, and at this moment, Ouyang Jian invisibly became the backbone.

"Brother Junru, there is no problem with military deployment. In the northwest direction of Zhongtiao Mountain, the Japanese army concentrated three divisions and one brigade, including two puppet army divisions, which were undoubtedly the main direction of attack. However, the Japanese army deployed two field divisions on the Jiyuan line on the eastern front, which was very abnormal. The narrow territory on the north bank of the Yellow River is not conducive to the operation of large corps, especially the long logistics supply line. The distance between the Japanese troops on the Eastern Front and the Japanese troops in the northeast was not far away, and the Japanese troops in the two directions could support each other. ”

Ouyang Jian took a few steps and continued: "If the Japanese attack in the northwest direction of Zhongtiao Mountain is blocked, the Japanese army will definitely strengthen the offensive on the eastern front. I was afraid that once the Japanese army broke through the Jiyuan defensive line, it would drive straight along the north bank of the Yellow River and cut off the connection between Zhongtiao Mountain and us. If such a situation occurs, Nakajo Mountain will be encircled, and without logistical supplies, the defenders will face the danger of total annihilation. The deployment of two divisions on the Eastern Front by the Japanese army is by no means a show, it seems that the Japanese army has great ambitions, it is not just trying to capture Nakajo Mountain, but trying to eat all the defenders of Nakajo Mountain, so we must be guarded against. ”

"General Ouyang, if the Japanese army breaks through the Jiyuan defense line, our troops on the south bank of the Yellow River can quickly cross the river and deploy defenses, so there is no need to worry. At present, the reserve corps of our theater can be mobilized at any time. The chief of staff analyzed. Don't forget the powerful air power of the Japanese army, once our river-crossing troops are blocked, allowing the Japanese army to seize the lead, it will be too late! "Brother Ouyang, do you mean to deploy troops on the north shore in advance?" "That's right! I recommend deploying at least one corps! We must guarantee absolute safety on the north bank of the Yellow River! "Order the 23rd Army to cross the river immediately and build a position to fortify it at the first-line ridge!" Wei Lihuang gave the order.

The next day, Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin came to inspect the war zone, apparently on behalf of Lao Chiang. The Japanese army actually concentrated 250,000 troops to attack Zhongtiao Mountain, and it is self-evident how much pressure Lao Jiang has in his heart. Due to the Ministry of National Defense's misjudgment of the war situation, He Yingqin, as Minister of Military Affairs, is responsible, so his attitude is very good, referring to his attitude towards Wei Lihuang. In the headquarters, Wei Lihuang reported on the situation of the Japanese army and the deployment of various departments. Of course, in the Zhengzhou frontline, the troops were secretly withdrawn to form the Luoyang and Mengjin defense lines, and Wei Lihuang naturally wanted to keep them.

Seeing that Ouyang Jian was silent, He Yingqin said: "Brother Ouyang, the strategy of the Japanese army has greatly exceeded our expectations. The Ministry of National Defense had judged that the guerrilla operations in the Central Plains and that the Eighth Route Army would launch offensive operations on the northern and southern fronts, and that it would be impossible for the Japanese army to concentrate superior forces to launch the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain. The current situation is critical, and it is impossible to transfer troops from the south, and I know how much pressure you are on. Brother Ouyang, your judgment is very accurate, but at present, we have to face such a situation. "At the beginning, I proposed to strengthen the defense of Zhongtiao Mountain, but it was vetoed by the Ministry of Defense, and now it can only be like this!"

He Yingqin was a little embarrassed and said, "Brother Ouyang, I want to know how sure you are of sticking to Zhongtiao Mountain?" "If the Ministry of Defense interferes with front-line command, I'm not sure?" "Brother Ouyang, this time I came to bring the president's edict and grant you absolute battlefield command!" "Please tell the President and thank him for his trust. In a word, I will live and die with Nakajo Mountain. "Brother Ouyang, please ask you, I'll report to the president in person." He Yingqin stayed in Luoyang for only one day and left in a hurry. After sending He Yingqin away, Wei Lihuang said with some disdain.

"What is inspecting the war zone, looking around and making a show, in fact, he is coming to see our state." "It is simply a pity for the National Revolutionary Army that such a person is still sitting in the position of Minister of Military Affairs. Forget about it, if you don't care about him, you will fight according to our deployment, and the victor will not be blamed. "Brother Ouyang, you judge that the Japanese army will use despicable methods in this battle - poison gas warfare, it seems that the Japanese army is really vicious!"

"In the first few battles, the Japanese army used a small amount of poison gas. Due to the small number, the Ministry of Defense did not pay enough attention to it, but the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army attached great importance to it, believing that once the Japanese army went crazy, it would not follow the rules. The massacre of hundreds of thousands of our unarmed soldiers and civilians in Nanjing by the Japanese army is proof of this, so the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army began to take targeted measures. "No wonder, hundreds of thousands of gas masks have been shipped from Jiangxi, it's incredible." "Don't fight a battle of uncertainty, don't fight a battle of unpreparedness, is our magic weapon to win, if you can't even do the least of common sense, you can only be caught!"

"You judge that the Japanese army may dispatch special forces to paralyze our forward command and cause my command to be ineffective. Based on your proposal, we have also made careful preparations. Departments have been notified to strengthen the security of headquarters at and above the regimental level. In addition, at your request, once the command organ is destroyed, an alternative plan is available. At present, all units at and above the regimental level in Zhongtiao Mountain are equipped with radio stations. The theater command can directly command the regimental units to fight. ”

"Very good, this battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, we must show the courage to break the cauldron and sink the boat, as long as we hold on for two months, we will win!" "Are you sure?" "The war materials of the Japanese army are basically enough for a month's continuous operation, and eating, drinking, and Lazar can be solved in Shanxi, but weapons and ammunition must be transported from the northeast and even from the country, and the long transportation line is the bottleneck of the Japanese army. The Battle of Songhu lasted for 4 months and almost exhausted its war reserves, which is characteristic of a small country. If there was no northeast as a rear base, the Japanese army would not have dared to launch an operation of this scale. ”

"Report, the Independent Division of the Eighth Route Army is in an emergency!" As soon as Ouyang Jian's words fell, an operational staff officer reported. "Read!" "The theater command is like a guide: the 4th Brigade of our department found a puppet army unit in Heshun County, and it has been confirmed that this puppet army unit is the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Manchurian Division. Signed by Xu Shiyou, commander of the 2nd Independent Division of the Eighth Route Army! When Ouyang Jian heard this, he immediately walked to the military map to check.

Chapter 323 Dismounted