"Political commissar, the enemy's two divisions, that's not a joke, with strength, we definitely can't afford to mess with it. But I was thinking about how much food and ammunition his two divisions would have to eat in a day, so I thought it was better to start with the enemy's supply line. In the last anti-encirclement and suppression, we beat his Jinzhong, and this time I decided to fight here and go straight to the heart of the enemy.

"What Taiyuan, commander, are you crazy, Taiyuan is the headquarters of the Shanxi army. Let's not talk about the city defense, even the garrison in Taiyuan is enough for our reading power master to drink a pot, you don't have a fever," the political commissar looked at the Taiyuan county town that Liu Hua pointed to, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Political commissar, you think like this, not to mention Bin Sanyuan, the commander of the North China garrison? I just want to surprise him this time, catch him off guard, and then quickly withdraw the army, isn't the little devil looking for the main force of our reading division, then let them go to Taiyuan to find it. When the main force of the little devil surrounds it, let's give him another golden cicada to take off the shell, and let the little devil toss it well! Liu Hua said confidently.

"Commander, I'm really convinced of you, you dare to think of such a bold attention. However, in any case, I, as a political commissar, absolutely support you unconditionally. The commissar agreed.

"Thank you, Commissar, this is just an idea of mine, and the specific implementation depends on the situation. Hehe, commissar, don't worry too much, I'll be measured. Looking at the political commissar with a worried face, Liu Hua comforted.

While Liu Hua and the political commissar were discussing this anti-encirclement and suppression, Bin Sanyuan, commander of the North China garrison of the Chinese Army, was listening to the report of the chief of staff on the preparations of various units in the battle of the Imperial Army's encirclement and suppression of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division.

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff. This time, we have organized two divisions with a total of nearly 40,000 troops, and I believe that with such a large number of troops mobilized this time, we will definitely eliminate the henchmen of this imperial army. After listening to the chief of staff's report, Bin Sanyuan nodded.

"Hi, Your Excellency Commander, this time we sent two divisions, including six infantry wings, two artillery wings, two baggage wings, plus engineers, etc., totaling more than 38,000 people. In addition, there are more than 100 tanks of a tank wing borrowed from the Kwantung Army by His Excellency the Commander to participate in our encirclement and suppression operations. I think that this time we will definitely wipe out all the Readers and avenge the Imperial warriors who have broken their jade in the hands of the Readers. The chief of staff complimented.

"Yo Xi, Chief of Staff, this time I will personally sit in the Taiyuan Headquarters. Directly command the encirclement and suppression operations against the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army. The heart of the total annihilation of the empire, the reading force of the Eighth Route Army. Bin Sanyuan said confidently.

"Hi Your Excellency, Commander. It's just that we have withdrawn a wing of troops from Taiyuan to join the attacking force, and now there is less than one wing of garrison left in the whole of Taiyuan. I'm afraid that Your Excellency the Commander will ask me to transfer a wing of troops from the front to join the defense of Taiyuan. The chief of staff said with a worried face.

"Chief of Staff Baga, do you think that the Reading Force Master at this time is still capable of attacking Taiyuan, which is heavily defended by our troops. Not to mention the heavy losses they suffered when they attacked the Baoding Beicun Shengsan Brigade, and in less than a month, they could not recover their combat effectiveness at all. What's more, we have two divisions on the front line, and these elite Imperial soldiers are not vegetarians.

You must remember that the forces on the front line must not be withdrawn. I think that one wing of elite imperial troops to defend the city is enough, please rest assured by this. It's just that during the period when I was commanding operations in Taiyuan, the chief of staff was asked to worry more about the affairs of the headquarters for the time being, and if there was anything important, he would send me a telegram directly. General Bin Sanyuan ordered affirmatively.

"Hi Your Excellency, Commander." At this time, Liu Hua didn't know that there was an important person living in Taiyuan City that he wanted to capture, that is, General Bin Sanyuan, the commander of the North China garrison of the Yue Army, but this also filled an indelible mark on Liu Hua's Liu Hua's record.

As the main force of the Yue army moved more and more frequently, almost everyone saw that the Yue army would have a big battle in the near future. And the target of this battle was the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army, which had inflicted heavy losses on the Yue Army in the previous month. Whether it was Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing, the chairman of Yan'an, the general staff headquarters of the army, and the commander-in-chief in China almost at the same time, they began to pay attention to the inconspicuous junction of the two provinces in North China.

With the passage of time slowly, at this time, it has been a month since Liu Hua captured the county seat of Baoding. In the past month, the elite units of the two divisions were stationed in the two important towns of Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. At the same time, the army began to continuously deliver all kinds of supplies needed by the troops to the two cities, so as to make the final material reserves for the upcoming encirclement and suppression operations.

At this time, the base area is also busy. As early as a day ago, Liu Hua of the headquarters, Guan Xiangying, political commissar of the headquarters, and Xiao Ping, chairman of the base political axe, jointly issued an order for the base area to enter a state of alert. All villages on the edge of the base area are moving into the base area with the help of local troops. In particular, almost all the villages on the two lines from Zhangjiazhuang to Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang were mobilized.

The cavalry battalions under the three military divisions, under Liu Hua's orders, also began to act. They were assigned to conduct rapid and mobile patrols around the perimeter of each sub-division as a company. Even local militias have been mobilized to join the patrols. In order to delay the march of the main force of the army as much as possible after the devils entered the base area. On the second day after returning to the base area, Liu Hua ordered the arsenals under the base area to go all out to produce all kinds of mines.

In short, the entire base area, under the command of Liu Hua and others, began to operate effectively. Prepare for the upcoming encirclement and suppression of the heavy army of the army.

"Commander, Taiyuan's telegram" in order to be able to understand the information sent from various places more quickly. Under Liu Hua's order, the Intelligence Department has changed its office location to the headquarters. At this time, Meng Zhongheng, the director of the Intelligence Department, who had just received the telegram, hurriedly rushed into the headquarters with a telegram.

"Give it to me" Liu Hua took the telegram and began to read it seriously. The content of the telegram is not long, but from the content of the telegram, Liu Hua saw a message. That is, the army will send troops within these two days. Because, as clearly written on the telegram, the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army, which had just been transferred to Taiyuan City, had all entered combat readiness this morning and had already begun to replenish weapons and ammunition.

"Director Meng, call back to the intelligence personnel in Taiyuan immediately, and we must find a way to find out the troop allocation of this division and regiment quickly before the army sends troops. Also, send a report to the intelligence officers in Shijiazhuang, asking them to pay close attention to the 109th Division of the Chinese Army stationed in Shijiazhuang. If there is any disturbance, report it immediately. After reading the phone, Liu Hua frowned and ordered.

"Yes, Commander" Meng Zhongheng immediately turned around and left the command headquarters.

"Chief of Staff, how are the three regiments of the Rapid Reaction Brigade preparing now?" Seeing Meng Zhongheng walking out of the conference room, Liu Hua looked at Li Qing, the chief of staff, who was standing next to the huge sand table at the headquarters.

"Division commander, according to the reports of the three regiment commanders, has been trained almost. In particular, the captive soldiers of the last encirclement and suppression operation had a very high combat quality, and after less than half a month of running-in, the combat effectiveness of the troops had returned to the state before the war. More importantly, we replenished the three regiments with a lot of heavy machine-gun mortars. Now the combat effectiveness of the three regiments will only be stronger, not weaker, compared with the original. The chief of staff put down the document in his hand and said.

"Okay, very good, now that the army in Taiyuan has entered a state of combat readiness, we can't lag behind. Order," Liu Hua ordered loudly to the staff officers of the headquarters.

Hearing the word order, all the operational staff officers of the command almost stopped their work at the same time, remained upright, and waited for the commander's order.

"The rapid reaction brigade immediately stopped its training, and the baggage companies of each regiment immediately went to the logistics office to receive three bases of ammunition, and the whole army entered a state of combat readiness and was ready to be deployed at any time. Director Wang of the Logistics Department immediately organized the automobile company of the headquarters to deliver large-caliber artillery shells to the first division, and at least three base shells had to be transported, especially the heavy howitzer shells of the artillery regiment. The artillery regiment immediately dismantled the artillery and moved it to a division, requiring that all the artillery be moved to the edge of the base area within a week and concealed, waiting for the next combat order at any time.

The cavalry regiment should immediately attack and carry out activities around the 1st Division, and it is necessary to find out all the enemy situations around the 1st Division. The air defense company was ready for battle and was always on guard against the bombing of our headquarters by the dispatch of planes. Liu Hua ordered loudly.

With the issuance of the order, the atmosphere of pre-war preparation at the headquarters became more and more intense. In this way, in Liu Hua's anxious waiting, another day passed. And the next day, Liu Hua and the political commissar had just walked into the headquarters and had not yet sat down. Meng Zhongheng, the director of the Intelligence Division, followed closely behind the two of them with a few telegrams and entered the conference room.

"Commander, political commissar, and the intelligence officers in Taiyuan have sent a telegram back, and they have already found out the deployment of the army." Meng Zhongheng took a few telegrams, walked in front of the two, and said excitedly.

"Okay, very good, Director Meng, this time the intelligence department has made a great contribution. When the battle is over, I will definitely give these meritorious personnel a commendation. Quick, read it to us, Counselor Wang, you make a record, and when you are done, you must mark all the enemy situations on the map. Liu Hua ordered.

"Yes, Commander," Staff Officer Wang said, then took out a folder, sat down at the table, and prepared to take notes.

"Commander, commissar, according to the reconnaissance of the intelligence department. At present, the Yue Army stationed outside Taiyuan City has a total of two units, namely the 9th Infantry Brigade and the 21st Infantry Brigade of the 5th Division of the Yue Army, as well as the cavalry wing, field artillery wing, and engineer wing directly under the division and regiment.

Among them, Major General Noboru Kunisaki, commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade, and Wing Commander of the 11th Infantry Wing, Yu-Lang Osa, and Wing Commander of the 41st Infantry Wing, Tetsujiro Yamada. Major General Toshiji Miura, commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade: Wing Commander of the 21st Infantry Wing, Hideosa Awaiihara, and Wing Commander of the 43rd Infantry Wing, Oba Shihei Osa. The commander of the 5th Cavalry Wing, Xiao Di, is Fan Daisa, and the commander of the 5th Field Artillery Wing, Takeda Xin. Wing Commander of the 5th Engineer Wing and Osaku of the Kaoji Wada. In addition, since these troops were all drawn from the front line, basically every infantry wing could not reach full strength. According to estimates, the entire division is about 18,000 people. The heavy armament included 16 37-mm rapid-fire guns, 24 70-mm infantry guns, 36 75-mm field guns, and 12 120-mm heavy guns.

In addition, Shijiazhuang intelligence officers also sent information this morning, confirming that the 109th Division of the Chinese Army was stationed on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang. However, he only had three infantry wings, namely the 69th Infantry Wing Commander Yuyuki Isa, the 107th Infantry Wing Commander Nagasawa Shiro Osa, and the 136th Infantry Wing Commander Matsui Setsu Osa. In addition, there are also Yamazaki Kiyonzakasa, captain of the 109th Cavalry Brigade directly under the division headquarters, Masazo Kurosawa, commander of the 109th Wing of the Mountain Artillery, and Yoshizo Shomura, commander of the 109th Engineer Wing. According to estimates, the entire division totaled more than 15,000 people. Among them, the heavy weapons included 12 37-mm rapid-fire guns, 36 75-mm mountain guns, and 12 75-mm field guns. They also entered a state of combat readiness this morning and began to replenish ammunition supplies. Meng Zhongheng said.

"Damn, the strength of the little devil is very strong, more than 30,000 people. It seems that this is another protracted anti-encirclement and suppression battle, by the way, I remember that at the beginning, I heard that the army also sent a lot of tank troops to participate in the attack, why was there no information just now," Liu Hua asked.

"Commander, regarding the participation of the tanks of the Chinese army in the battle, I wanted you to make a report two days ago, in Taiyuan, the Japanese army has prepared a total of 25 tanks to deal with us, Shijiazhuang has prepared 15 tanks, in addition, the North China headquarters of the Japanese army has also transferred a lot of bombers from Tianjin Airport, and now they are stationed at Taiyuan Airport." Meng Zhongheng reminded.

"Okay, I see, you go down first. If there is any important information, report it to me and the commissar immediately. Liu Hua nodded and ordered.

"Yes, Commander, Political Commissar" Meng Zhongheng replied simply, turned around and left the headquarters.

"Commander, do you want to expand the scope of evacuation of the common people from our base area, we have only evacuated the villages within ten kilometers from the two places to our Zhangjiazhuang line, this time, the strength of the two armies is more than 10,000 people, one division. Moreover, each division has a wing of cavalry, and I am afraid that these will greatly threaten the common people in farther places. "After listening to the intelligence department's information, the political commissar was completely frightened by the deployment of the army's troops.

"Yes, I also agree with the political commissar, I am not afraid of 10,000 in case. It is better to transfer the common people, so that we can rest assured, and the troops can fight on the front line with peace of mind. Chief of Staff Li Qing also stopped what he was doing and sat next to the two of them and echoed.

"Since you all agree. I also agree, leave the matter to the commissar. But it must be carried out immediately, the operation of the army is within these few days, and we must rush to let the villagers move safely before the devils launch. Liu Hua nodded in agreement.

Just when the villagers in the base area were moving to the mountainous areas with the help of the troops, General Bin Sanyuan, commander of the North China garrison of the Chinese army, had already arrived at the temporary headquarters in Taiyuan with a group of staff officers, took over the command of the two divisions, and prepared to launch the most fierce encirclement and suppression operation since the invasion of China.

"Itagaki-kun, how is your Fifth Division preparing now, can you launch an attack on the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army at any time?" As soon as he sat in the commander's position, General Bin Sanyuan asked Lieutenant General Seishiro Itagaki who was the commander of the Fifth Division in front of him. Obviously, the commander, General Bin Sanyuan, was very concerned about the encirclement and suppression that was coming.

"Hi, Your Excellency Commander, now all the officers and men of the Fifth Division, starting with me, and every soldier is ready to serve the Great Emperor and His Majesty the Emperor at any time. When the soldiers heard that we were going to destroy the Eighth Route Army's strong enemy, the Empire, every soldier of the Imperial Army was full of confidence. Please rest assured, Your Excellency, that the Fifth Division will never fail to live up to your favor. When the time comes, we will definitely fight hard to eliminate the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army and make contributions to the Great Empire. Seishiro Itagaki replied confidently.

"Yo Xi, Itagaki-kun, the heavy responsibility of encircling and suppressing the Reading Division this time has fallen on you and the commander of the 109th Division, Yamaoka-kun, I hope that the two of you will work together and work together to annihilate the main force of the Reading Division of the Eighth Route Army. Avenge the Imperial warriors whose jade shatters are in the hands of the Reading Force, and avenge Major General Kitamura Katsuzo. General Bin Sanyuan said fiercely.

"Hey, Your Excellency Commander, I, Seishiro Itagaki will definitely live up to your kindness, please rest assured, Your Excellency Commander." Seishiro Itagaki replied solemnly.

"Yo Xi, Itagaki-kun, you are ready to go on the expedition at once, and you are ready to wait for my orders at any time." General Bin Sanyuan nodded, glanced at Itagaki Seishiro in front of him appreciatively and said.

"Ono-kun, now that the various sorties have been prepared, is your intelligence department ready? You know, I'm going to dispatch bombers tomorrow to bomb the headquarters of the Eighth Route Army's Reading Division and the barracks of various units and paralyze their command system. Then the two divisions immediately attacked, penetrated straight into the enemy's headquarters, and before the enemy's main forces had broken out of our encirclement, they surrounded it and let it enter into a decisive battle with our troops. Bin Sanyuan is full of confidence in his tactics.

"Hi, Your Excellency, Commander. The intelligence services are ready. When the time comes, use fireworks as the target to help our air force units find the enemy's headquarters and thus carry out bombing. The head of the Intelligence Section, Nakasa Ono, replied with a confident face.

(To be continued)