In the early morning of June 26, Taiyuan Dongshan.

The sound of guns and shouts of killing resounded in the sky, and the four major fortresses of Dongshan had been beaten to pieces. The defensive positions that the Jin army once held were already in tatters, and there were corpses everywhere. There were the G Army in blue-gray military uniforms, and there were also Jin troops in earthy yellow military uniforms, and the layers of layers almost filled the entire trench. After a night of fierce fighting, the G Army launched twelve charges and finally broke through the defensive zone of the main position of the Jin army in Dongshan, captured several trenches, and repelled three counterattacks of the Jin army, and finally firmly consolidated the position. And relying on these positions, a more powerful offensive was launched to the core of the Jin army's defense line.

Now the position of Niuhuozhai, one of the four major fortresses in Dongshan, is already full of fire, and the twenty-four 152mm howitzers of the G Army are constantly tilting the shells onto the fortifications of the Jin Army. Clusters of fireballs continued to rise, and each roar exploded a huge bullet casing on the position of the Jin army, and everything within the scope of the explosion was lifted into the air, and the fragments of steel flew in all directions with a scream, turning the entire Niu Huozhai position into a terrifying hell

Half an hour of fire preparation seemed like a long time, and it seemed like a short time, and it was all at once. The battlefield was filled with breathless smoke. As soon as the cannon stopped, the sound of shouting resounded throughout the battlefield, comrades rushed for the sake of New China, "With this sound from the bottom of my heart, as if it was a roar with all my strength, thousands of warriors wearing blue-gray military uniforms once again raised their rifles with bayonets and surged towards the highlands entrenched by the Jin army.

……

At this time, in a village about five kilometers west of Dongshan, the temporary command post of the General Front Committee of the Taiyuan Campaign of the G Army was located here. In the courtyard of a landlord's house, more than a dozen antennas were erected high, and the young staff officers shuttled back and forth with solemn expressions, passing all kinds of information and orders. In the command room, Zhu D, Zhang Guotao, Liu Bcheng, Nie Rzhen and others were sitting around the table, and a large military map was spread out, and the location of Xu Gou on the map was densely marked with the number of the troops, red arrows and small needles. A battle seems to be about to start around this town, and compared to this battle, the situation of the siege of Taiyuan on the northern front seems to have become a little irrelevant.

However, the atmosphere in the war room at the moment is not particularly tense, or rather optimistic. Zhu D stared at the map for a while, exhaled lightly, and said with a smile, Very good, the first battle was won, it seems that the Kuomintang army is not three-headed and six-armed, and it will also defeat the battle, although the enemy has thousands of more cavalry, but it can still be handled. ”

Zhang Guotao was more optimistic, he tapped the map lightly with his fingers, and said with a faint smile: In this battle, if we can eat the four divisions of the Kuomintang army and 100,000 elite soldiers, not only will the comparison between the enemy and us on the battlefield in Shanxi be reversed, but also in the whole country, we will also be able to take advantage even if our reinforcements are exhausted, our other troops can still win the victory of the country, so we should give an order to Feng Yuxiang and Li Jishen, asking them to destroy the enemy in the north at all costs."

"B, you see? You're a top student at the Frunze Military Academy, tell me what you think. Zhu D seemed to see the faint worry between Liu B's eyebrows, and asked the opinion of the chief of staff of the Eighth Route Army with a smile.

Liu Bcheng lowered his glasses and shook his head slightly, the problem now is that we don't have enough control of the enemy's situation, and we haven't even figured out the opponent's number until now. Moreover, the 1st Brigade of the Independent Cavalry of the enemy army that Feng Yuxiang reported on was not on the Kuomintang army establishment list that we had in our possession."

"Yes, since the Kuomintang leftist comrades left Wuhan and went north, it has been difficult for us to understand their situation." Nie Rzhen, director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route Army, also nodded lightly in agreement.

Liu Bcheng looked solemn, the number of the first brigade of the independent cavalry still did not exist more than a year ago, and it was obviously a newly formed unit. I am worried that the Kuomintang has also formed other new units in the past year or so, and even new infantry divisions exist, so ...... It is likely that the army they sent to Shanxi will be more than four divisions"

Zhu D was stunned, and his face became solemn. At present, the General Front Committee's judgment of the strength of the Kuomintang army in Shanxi is based on the fact that the total strength of the Kuomintang field force is 21 infantry divisions. If the opponent's total strength is now not 21 divisions, but 22 or even 23 divisions, it means that they have more mobile forces at their disposal, and there will definitely be more troops sent to Shanxi, which means that the Kuomintang army on the front line of Xugou is likely to be more than 100,000...... In that case, the reinforcement corps commanded by Feng Yuxiang and Li Jishen may not have a chance of winning. But now he can't order to abandon the decisive battle plan and relieve the siege of Taiyuan and retreat north because of such an unfounded speculation, right? There are not many words in which G also made a bloody investment for this battle

"Boss, will you report our analysis to the central government along with the latest battle report? There are not many words: "Liu B Cheng is also deeply involved in this matter, it is difficult to decide, whether to fight or retreat, and the central government can only make the final decision."

Zhu D frowned tightly, staring at the blank space south of Xugou on the military map, as if he wanted to see through the battlefield shrouded in fog and find clues about the deployment of the Kuomintang army. After a while, he gently spit out a few words...... The only way to ask the central government to make up its mind. ”

……

Wuhan East Lake, Military Commission of the Nationalist Government.

In the conference room, the high-ranking Kuomintang generals sat solemnly, and everyone looked at a briefing on the battle situation that had just been sent out without saying a word. And Chiang Kai-shek turned his back to them, looking at the huge military map hanging there, motionless, and not thinking about it?

The briefing on the situation of the war consisted of two parts. The first is an urgent telegram of blood and tears sent by Yan Xishan, who was trapped in Taiyuan, in which Yan Laoxi claimed that he had been attacked by several times the enemy, and that the key points on the periphery of Taiyuan were in a hurry one after another, and if the Kuomintang reinforcements could not arrive in time, he was afraid that Yan Xishan would say goodbye to the princes of Wuhan in the next life, and the second part was a battle report sent by the headquarters of the Shanxi Front, reporting that the 1st Independent Cavalry Brigade had encountered the main force of the Central Army in Xugou Town, which was more than 10 kilometers away from the county seat of Taigu late last night. The 1st Separate Cavalry Brigade repelled about a brigade of enemy troops, and then retreated again with the enemy's superior forces approaching. According to investigation, it was the 20th Brigade of the CSKA Army to which Zhong G belonged...... Moreover, this brigade is only the vanguard of the southward corps of the Central G, and the follow-up strength is likely to be as many as 200,000, and now the six infantry divisions of the Shandong Front Army are deploying on the plain south of Xugou, preparing to dig trenches and hold on to meet the enemy.

The problems encountered by the Kuomintang are actually similar to those of the Central G, and they are also ignorant of the situation of the G Army, and with such an impenetrable political party as the Central G, the Kuomintang's infiltration of them is a tragedy at all. The people sent in by the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Party Affairs Investigation Bureau are basically meat buns and dogs, and even if a few people slip through the net, they are only wandering around the grassroots level, and they cannot reach the top level at all, nor can they grasp much valuable information. The Kuomintang now has the strength of Army G in the Shanxi Battlefield from the report of the Yan Xishan group, but its credibility is obviously questionable. For example, the report in front of you claims that "Taiyuan has been attacked by several times the enemy." At present, there are more than 100,000 Jin troops in Taiyuan City, if the G army attacking the city is several times as many as them, wouldn't it be hundreds of thousands plus 200,000 troops to block the south, how many troops should the G army have on the Shanxi battlefield? At least 500,000 troops, can the 178,000 people who rely on the Shanxi Front Army take it?

As for whether the Central G has so many weapons and equipment to arm so many troops, to be honest, the members of the Kuomintang Military Commission have no bottom in their hearts. After all, there was still a Soviet Motherland behind it...... Two or three hundred thousand guns and hundreds of guns are a piece of cake for an industrialized power like the Soviet Union, perhaps the previous judgment of the total strength of China and G was too underestimated, right? No small number of words

Luo Yaoguo, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and chief of the General Staff, sat there, his head bowed, his eyes half-squinted, holding the report as if he was not looking at it. He really can't mention his interest in the current "civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party", but the Kuomintang and the Communist Party are now holding back their strength, and it seems that they have to compete for a while, but he knows very well in his heart that this battle will not last long...... Zhang Xueliang, the silly second ancestor, mobilized 200,000 troops to enter the pass to "armed mediation", can he go back now? I'm afraid that the September 18 incident will be advanced to 1930, right? No small number of words

As soon as Little Japan makes a move in the Northeast, can the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party continue? It is the Chinese GCD that is now in power in Beijing, and the people are resolutely opposed to fighting outside the country and must first settle the interior, and Zhang Xueliang is so patriotic, and he is also a subordinate of the Beijing government, so he naturally wants to resist to the end. As for the Kuomintang, Chiang Kai-shek was only one of the five bigwigs...... So for the current battle, let's find a way to fool around.

Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo raised his head and glanced at his brother-in-law, An Sihua, who replaced Deng Yanda and was elected to the Military Commission. An Sihua got the hint, snapped and stood up, touching the tables and chairs with a chaotic sound, and his slightly pale face was full of anxious looks, the current enemy situation is unknown, the total strength of the G Army is likely to exceed expectations, and the weather conditions in Shanxi have been bad recently, and the air force cannot be dispatched. Therefore, it was suggested that the Shandong Front should first set up a defensive position because of the strategy of prudent use of troops. At the same time, please immediately form the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th divisions in Shandong in case of emergency."

The room was solemn, An Sihua was the number one general of the Kuomintang army, who had commanded troops to defeat strong enemies such as the Soviet Union and Japan, and he was half of German blood. Immediately afterwards, most of the participants nodded their heads in agreement.

Chiang Kai-shek, on the other hand, remained motionless, did not seem to hear the opinions of the crowd, and remained staring at the map. The map shows the location of the Kuomintang troops with blue arrows and small pins, but it is blank north of Xugou...... If this map had been shown to Comrade Zhu D, or the map in Zhu D's hand had been shown to Chiang Kai-shek, the battle would have been much easier

In the end, Luo Yaoguo slowly stood up, and his tone was earnest, the 170,000 troops of the Shanxi Front Army were all our mobile forces. If we fail, we will be in total passivity. Therefore, the General Staff also recommended that troops be used cautiously and take a firm defense first. ”

Chiang Kai-shek turned around slowly, his slightly emaciated face was as hard as iron, the corners of his mouth were bent downward, and a pair of eagle eyes looked around the entire conference room, taking everyone's expressions into his eyes, including Zhu Peide, with a solemn face. Lao Jiang sighed lightly, his expression softened slightly, and he ordered the Shanxi Front to take a solid defense and let the GCD attack first......"

June 26, 27, 28, 1930, three consecutive days. The entire front line of the Xugou battlefield on the southern front of the Taiyuan Battle was relatively calm, except for occasional sporadic firefights, the two armies invariably chose the strategy of digging trenches and defending them. All of them were restrained offensively.

The 1st, 8th, 10th, 12th, and 13th Divisions of the Kuomintang Army, and the 1st Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade were slowly unfolding on a front about 36 kilometers wide south of Xugou and from the Fenhe River in the west to the rest of the Taihang Mountains in the east. The 11th Division, the 1st Independent Cavalry Brigade, was on standby in Taigu County, at the rear of the battle line, as a campaign reserve. The 1st Brigade of the Independent Mountain Corps seized several key points in the nearby Taihang Mountains to cover the security of the flanks of the army. An army of more than 170,000 men, with nearly 1,000 cannons of various calibers, met the front of the G Army's southward movement, and for three days in a row dug trenches and built fortifications day and night, waiting for the enemy to attack first.

About 3,000 kilometers to the north, another army of 200,000 people was also building a defensive strip about 34 kilometers long, also stretching from the Fen River in the west to the Taihang Mountains in the east. The 3rd, 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Route Armies of the Central Army, the 3rd Artillery Brigade and the two regiments of the Heavy Artillery Division directly under the Central Committee led by Zhong G were also deployed in turn. Like their opponents, this army could not figure out the enemy's situation...... However, the fighting spirit of the Central G was obviously higher than that of the Kuomintang, and after completing the deployment and deploying the defensive positions, Feng Yuxiang, the commander-in-chief of the Southbound Corps, and Li Jishen, the deputy commander-in-chief, felt that they needed to launch a tentative offensive to find out the reality of the opponent.

……

On the night of June 29, Beiguan Village.

The sound of artillery was faint, floating from the east bank of the Fen River, and the smoke of gunpowder was also wafting on the front line of Xugou Town for a while.

Commander-in-Chief Feng Yuxiang Feng and General Li Jishen, who was still a leftist member of the Kuomintang, stood side by side on the roof of the headquarters in full uniform, holding binoculars motionless and looking in the direction of the front line.

In the courtyard of the headquarters, the young staff officers were busy running around, passing on any bit of news reported from the front, and then loudly reported to the two main generals who stood on the roof to watch the battle. However, the faces of these staff officers were very unpleasant, and it seemed that the battle situation was not ideal. Although today's offensive was only a tentative action, the defense of the Kuomintang on the opposite side was too tight...... One, the G Army launched three full-front charges at a frontal distance of more than 30 kilometers, trying to find out the weak links from the opponent's defensive zone, but all of them were easily repelled by the opponent.

"Brother Ren Chao, do you see the problem?" Feng Yuxiang put down the binoculars in his hand, turned his head and smiled at Li Jishen, the elder brother was the commander of the National ** Army, so he should know their situation well, right? Without a lot of words, how many troops do you think they have? How many cannons? Are there any tanks? ”

Li Jishen also put down his binoculars, and his tone was cold, and the standard artillery configuration of an infantry division of the Kuomintang Army was a divisional artillery regiment, two brigade-affiliated artillery battalions, four regiment-level artillery companies, and twelve battalion-level artillery platoons equipped with 70mm infantry guns. A total of 18 150mm howitzers, 36 105mm howitzers, 60 75mm mountain guns, and 24 70mm infantry guns. If the artillery of a division is fully loaded, it should be 138 guns, which is more than our artillery division...... By observing their artillery fire, we should be able to roughly judge the strength of the opposing side. Judging by today's fighting, three or four divisions should have been deployed on the opposite front. Of course, it is also possible that the other party is hiding its strength. ”

Feng Yuxiang's answer was also very calm. After saying that, he picked up the telescope and began to observe the front line.

Li Jishen touched his chin, they should only have four divisions, and at most one or two more brigades. Otherwise they wouldn't be so conservative......"

His tone gradually became a little sarcastic, these Kuomintang rightists, they are not miscellaneous generals and officers at all...... There is only the Whampoa Military Academy in the eyes, and there is only the Army University, but how many people does a Whampoa Military Academy recruit in a year? It's only three thousand, and the school system is two and a half years, plus half a year of military probation. It takes three years to graduate, Brother Huanzhang, do you calculate how many officers they have trained over the years? How big of a scene did these officers hold up? Moreover, their units are completely modeled after the European powers in terms of weaponry and training, and they cannot command without a sufficient number of highly trained officers."

Feng Yuxiang replied coldly, this kind of army is also strong in combat effectiveness."

Li Jishen smiled faintly, if such troops are exhausted at the moment, it will be difficult to replenish them, if they are allowed to delay for a few more years, more and more officers will be trained, and their army will become stronger and stronger, and it will be easier and easier to replenish. When the time comes, it will be difficult for us to defeat them again."

Feng Yuxiang put down the binoculars again, and said to himself in an inaudible voice, "If it is difficult for them to replenish, our army will be able to replenish it?" Whose troops will be after the replenishment? He suddenly raised his voice again, and shouted at the staff officers below to send a telegram to the General Front Committee, saying that the enemy in front of our army is estimated to be as many as six divisions, and it will be difficult for our army to defeat it with thousands of artillery pieces of various kinds.

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