On January 12, after the Japanese 36th Division took Nianci, the 27th Division retreated to the second line of defense, and the Japanese did not immediately attack in this direction. On the same day, the 41st Division of the Japanese Army faced the 165th Division of Hengguanling. To defend the main position, the 9th Brigade of the Japanese Army, with the cooperation of the 3rd Division of the Puppet Army, launched a full-line attack on the flank positions defended by Gongbing Domain, and the middle attack officially kicked off. Since the Japanese did not achieve their goal of outflanking the 5th Army from the south, they targeted the 14th Army defending the eastern part of Nakajo Mountain.

In order to achieve the goal of deception, the Japanese army still strengthened its offensive in the west, and at the same time launched an attack in the middle, with the aim of taking Hengguanling and approaching Jiangxian County, and then capturing the strategic point of Hengqu to form an encirclement of the 14th Group Army. However, in order to achieve the goal of encircling and annihilating the 14th Group Army, it is necessary to first break through the defense line of Hengling Pass, take Jiangxian County, and finally capture Hengqu, so as to complete the encirclement of the 14th Group Army. Therefore, the Japanese army gathered heavy troops in the middle road, namely the 41st Division, most of the 36th Division, the 9th Independent Brigade of the Japanese Army, and the 3rd and 4th Divisions of the Puppet Army, with a total strength of 60,000 troops.

Ouyang Jian crossed the Yellow River north and arrived at Hengqu County It was nearly dusk. The ferry docked at the wharf, and Sun Weiru, commander of the 4th Army, personally went to the wharf to meet him. In January, the Yellow River is at the bottom of the dry season, and large areas of river beaches are exposed on both sides. The ferry moorings are at least 50 meters away from the pier and are connected by a trestle. The connecting trestle was dilapidated and reinforced in many places. There is no need to guess that it was caused by the frequent air raids of the Japanese army on the ferry. The two sides exchanged military salutes and shook hands.

This time, Ouyang Jian returned to the war zone again, and Gong Nan, the head of the security department, specially sent 10 guards from Chongqing who were born as special forces to strengthen his guard force.

As soon as Xiao Yang, the 10 guards and guards, came ashore, they scattered out vigilantly to observe the movements around him and entered a state of high alert. "General Ouyang, do you know how much pressure I have? Commander Wei called me to absolutely guarantee your safety, I'm very worried about you coming! "General Sun, what can you do on the front line, why can't I be on the front line, okay, don't be hypocritical, how is the battle situation in the north?"

Kong Lingsui reported that the 41st Division of the Japanese Army, the 9th Independent Brigade, including the 3rd Division of the Puppet Army, launched a fierce attack on the main position and the left flank position of Hengling Pass! ”

"After a day of fierce fighting, as of dusk, the 165th Division of the main position of Hengling Pass repelled 3 Japanese attacks, and the 34th Division on the flank repelled 4 Japanese attacks. The first day of fighting suffered heavy casualties. Ouyang Jian didn't squeak, and then Sun Weiru introduced the situation on the western front and said that Xia County's defense had become stable. Walking into the headquarters of the 4th Group of Hengqu, all the generals and officers had already gathered in line to greet them. Ouyang Jian raised his hand and saluted: "Everyone, I came to the front line to be with everyone, we must not only stick to Zhongtiao Mountain, but also show the determination of a strong man to break his wrist, so that the Japanese army can not move an inch." ”

"Whether or not the Japanese army's strategic attempt to occupy Zhongtiao Mountain can be crushed depends on the unity of everyone and the unity of all people. I can tell you unequivocally that if the Japanese army wants to capture Mt. Nakajo, they will end up stepping on me! Ouyang Jian's sonorous words were loud, and after all the generals expressed their positions, the commanders turned back to the troops.

Sun Weiru said: "General Ouyang, I have already reported to Zeng Wanzhong, the commander of the group army, and Zeng Wanzhong asked me to tell you that the headquarters of the group army will soon cross the river and relocate. Ouyang Jian knew in his heart that when he came to Hengquzuo Town in person, Zeng Wanzhong's group army headquarters had to be relocated to Pinglin Ferry on the north bank of the Yellow River, and this was the result he wanted.

"General Ouyang, let the 4th Army be a reserve, Kong Lingsui, the commander of the 80th Army, expressed dissatisfaction, and the rapid retreat of the 27th Division is a sign." "You don't have to worry, Kong Lingsui is a soldier, and he won't be unclear about his duties. The theater command clearly stipulated that Nian Ci could be abandoned, and he was playing a side game. However, it is not a big problem, the outer line of defense was originally planned to hold on for 10 days, and at least 5 days will be enough. Our main purpose is to hold the core defense line from Zhangdian, Hengqu to Lishan. The role of the outer line of defense was to consume time for the Japanese army. ”

At the military headquarters of the 80th Army in Jiangxian County, army commander Kong Lingsui was listening to the battle situation on the front line. "The army commander, Wang Zhiqi, the commander of the 165th Division, reported that after a day of fighting, the headquarters repelled three Japanese attacks, and the Japanese army stopped the offensive half an hour ago. Wang Zhiqi reported that there were more than 400 casualties in the unit. The commander of the 34th Division, Gong Bingfan, reported that his headquarters repelled four attacks by the Japanese puppet army, with more than 500 casualties. At present, the wounded are on their way to the rear, and it is estimated that it will arrive in Jiangxian County after dark. "Report to the commander, the Fourth Army reported that General Ouyang arrived in Hengqu and personally sat in Hengqu to command the operation."

When the generals were shocked when they heard this, and the battle situation was confusing, a senior military adviser with the power of life and death suddenly appeared at the front-line command headquarters, and it was self-evident. "Army commander, General Ouyang came to the front line in person, is it to hold the 27th Division of our department responsible for giving up Nianci without authorization?" The chief of staff clamored. "No, General Ouyang personally sat in command of Hengqu, the purpose is to strengthen the defensive determination of the front-line soldiers, this person is really not simple!" "Commander, he's just a military adviser, there's no need for us to talk about tiger color change!" One of the subordinates was dismissive.

"Fool, last year's Battle of Guinannan, General Ouyang personally shot a brigade commander. It is said that Kong Xiangxi sued the president, but nothing happened to the president. Obviously, the president gave Ouyang Jian the power of life and death. When the generals heard this, they couldn't help but feel a chill on the back of their necks. Kong Lingsui continued: "Immediately inform the commanders of the divisions on the front line that General Ouyang will come to Hengqu to command the battle in person, and let them all cheer me up, don't say that I didn't remind me when the time comes." ”

Kong Lingsui suddenly understood why the First Army was allowed to serve as the general reserve of Zhongtiao Mountain, and it turned out that the Fourth Army would be responsible for the defense of the core defense line, which was very important for the stability of the Zhongtiao Mountain defense line. In addition, if the outer line of defense is breached, the frontline units can calmly retreat to the core line. Kong Lingsui knew that the outer defense line would definitely have to be abandoned, but he didn't know how long he would hold on and give up the outer defense line. Kong Lingsui understood this, and his spirit was lifted and he suddenly had confidence.

The guns roared, the battlefield was filled with gunsmoke, and the heat seemed to dissolve the cold of nature. The 165th Division of the main position of Hengling Pass has been fighting fiercely for three days, and the fierce battle has already paid the price of more than 2,000 casualties. The Japanese used the tactics of attacking in turns, but the attacks were all unsuccessful. As dusk came, the gunfire became sparse, and the Japanese attacking troops retreated. The soldiers in the trenches immediately went into the warm trench fortifications to rest, and the logistics troops hurriedly buried the dead soldiers and transferred the wounded to the rear.

It was getting dark, and there was a dim light in the tunnel. The soldiers ate steaming flatbread and fragrant mutton soup, but the soldiers had solemn expressions, after all, the battle was too cruel. The comrades-in-arms around him fell one by one, not knowing when it would be their turn. "Hey, big man, you've already eaten 5 flatbreads, be careful!" A soldier couldn't stand it. "Damn, Lao Tzu will die in battle tomorrow, and he can't be a starving ghost!" The big soldiers gobbled up and ate unsightly.

The big soldier didn't care about life and death, infecting the other soldiers. A second lieutenant platoon commander said: "Brothers, in the past, when we fought, we had to have ammunition but no ammunition, and we had to be fed without provisions, and we all survived such hard days, but now we are afraid of something." In this defensive operation of Nakajo Mountain, we had plenty of ammunition, we had no shortage of food and drink, and the food had never been so good. In order for the people of Sanqin not to be ravaged by the Japanese army, even if they die in battle, it is worth it. Come! The brethren are well fed and drunk, and tomorrow we will kill more little devils. ”

"Yes, killing one is enough, killing two earns one!" The soldiers clamored and the atmosphere became lively. That night, the Japanese army dispatched several plainclothes teams to attack the forward headquarters, but they did not succeed.

On the 6th day of the fierce battle at Hengling Pass, the right flank position of the 165th Division was captured by the Japanese army, Kong Linghui personally called Ouyang Jian to report, and made a military order, ordering the 165th Division to form a death squad to recapture the lost position on the right flank. However, to the great surprise of Kong Lingsui, Ouyang Jian ordered the 165th and 34th Divisions to abandon the Hengling Pass defense line and retreat to Jiangxian County.

Kong Lingsui received a call from Ouyang Jian himself, and he almost didn't believe his ears. After reconfirmation, Kong Lingsui ordered the 165th Division and the 34th Division to alternately cover the retreat. "Commander, what does General Ouyang mean by this?" "I estimate that the Theater Command plans to hold on to Hengling Pass for 5 days, and today is the 6th day, which means that we have completed the task!" "Since we are required to hold out for 5 days, why don't you say it?" The chief of staff was visibly dissatisfied. "This is the mastery of the theater command, which is to avoid shaking the morale of the military."

In fact, what Kong Lingsui didn't know was that on the 5th day of the war, the 47th Independent Brigade of the 98th Army attacked from Zhangdian to break the encirclement of the Japanese 37th Division for the county seat of Xia County, which was the main reason why Ouyang Jian ordered to abandon Hengling Pass. The abandonment of Hengling Pass also created an illusion for the Japanese army and made the Japanese army scratch their heads. In the past, the Nationalist army fought to the death until the entire army was annihilated, and a consensus had been reached on this mode of operation in the combat experience of the Japanese commanders. The Chinese defenders abandoned the key points of Hengling Pass, which really confused the Japanese army.

The Japanese front headquarters in Yancheng, commander Tada Jun, should have been happy when he received the news that Hengling Pass had been captured, but on the contrary, the Chinese army took the initiative to abandon the Hengling Pass position. It stands to reason that the attacking force should take advantage of the victory to pursue, but Tada Jun ordered the attacking force to stop the pursuit. Because he had obtained information from the secret service, the legendary figure of the Communist Party was on the front line to take command, and he also knew that the legendary figure of the Communist Party had a powerful reserve in his hands. The point is that this communist legend has never played his cards according to common sense, and there may be some scheme.

The fate of the 6th Division of the Guinan Campaign made Tada Jun feel palpitations. At this time, if a unit is eaten, it will be a fatal blow to the Japanese army. For this reason, Tada Jun ordered the reconnaissance plane to repeatedly reconnoiter between Hengling Pass and Jiangxian to confirm whether there were any enemy ambushes. After two days of reconnaissance, the reconnaissance planes confirmed that there were no enemy ambushes, and all the Chinese troops retreated to Jiangxian County. Although Tada Jun was a little remorseful when he heard this, he thought it was better to be careful. It can be seen from this that Ouyang Jian's prestige is important in the hearts of senior generals of the Japanese army.

Two days later, the Japanese army began to divide its forces from Hengling Pass to the south. A regiment of the puppet 4th Division acted as the pioneer on the avenue, and the puppet 4th Division was put into operation for the first time, and the commander of the 4th Division made meritorious service and ordered the troops Chen Sheng to advance, and he should take the lead in launching an attack on Jiangxian County, and he could not let the Japanese Imperial Army underestimate himself. Under the supervision of the division commander, the puppet army vanguard regiment advanced rapidly.