According to the plan of the German advisers, the 15th Army should occupy a position at Tianyingzhai on June 3 and 6 o'clock to contain the enemy of Tongxu; Most of them gathered in the cinnabar gang, the steep wall post, the small city set and other places, and successively entered Kaifeng in the starry night, and arrived at the outskirts of Kaifeng before 3 to 5 o'clock. The 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division was instructed to arrive at the line of Wagang, Banmu, Chengzhuang, and Yuzhen at 6 o'clock on June 2, and build fortifications to fight the enemies of Fuji and Huaigang; At 12 o'clock on the 2nd, the 2nd and 3rd regiments built fortifications on the lines of Baicheng, Gangcun, Lizhuang, Yuezhai, and Shawo to face the enemy in the southwest of Qixian.

The rest of the main force arrived at the vicinity of Hangang, Luzhuang, Shilipu, Penggang, and Chenliu at 14 o'clock and assembled as a general reserve, and sent a section to the north of Shunchengji and Xinglongji to disrupt traffic.

At 12 o'clock on June 2, the 5th Division occupied positions on the line of Susuozhai, Chaocunji, and Chuzhai to face the enemy in Qixian and Persimmon Garden; At 14 o'clock on June 2, the new 21st Division occupied positions on the lines of Fulizhuang, Qinfengzhai and Chazhai to face the enemy in Yangyuanji and Guzhai; At 6 o'clock on June 2, the 1st Cavalry Brigade searched and alerted Wangguo, Baozhai and other places with a small unit, and the main force passed through Cuiqiao, Zhangwugang, Dige, Tongxu, Ergang, and Liulao, and guarded the south of Kaifeng, Weishi, and Weichuan.

The general reserve corps instructed the 3 regiments of the 2nd Division to advance to the line of Wagang, Yuzhen, Baichenggang, and Shawo. The remaining 3 regiments, the 5th Division, and the New 11th Division advanced to the line of Longquji, Gaoxianji, Gaolinggang, Yanzhuang, Zhouzhai, and Fulizhuang. However, when the 5th Division arrived at Lizhuang, it should advance diagonally towards Jubaogang, Dawangqi, Huojiaotun, and Chuzhai.

The frontal armies should actively cooperate with the detour to contain the movement of the troops, and take the initiative to launch a fierce attack on the targets in front of them.

That is, at dawn on June 1, the divisions should attack the following targets: the 1st and 2nd divisions Kaifeng; the 3rd Division Guzhai; between the 11th Division's Yang Qi set and Persimmon Yuan set; The 6th Division Matouji, Weidian, Shilipu; Huaigang of the 9th Division; The 52nd Master Collection.

This plan fully embodied the tactical thinking of the German army, that is, to encircle the enemy's living forces in a roundabout way, if it was really implemented, because Feng Yuxiang had withdrawn part of the main force to the west to aid the Pinghan line, the strength of the Longhai line was relatively weak, and even if it could not completely encircle and annihilate the main force of the anti-Chiang coalition army on the Longhai line, at least the anti-Chiang coalition army would no longer have the strength to attack in an all-out way.

However, the attack planned by Chiang Kai-shek had not yet been carried out and the troops were still being assembled, so the anti-Chiang coalition forces launched a ferocious offensive by mistake according to their own plan, and the plan was immediately stillborn.

First of all, Shi Yousan defeated Chen Tiaoyuan, Chen Tiaoyuan was defeated and Cao County, and Chiang Kai-shek had to mobilize troops for reinforcements. Many units of the other Central Army were also hit hard by the Second Front Army, suffering heavy losses and heavy casualties.

Among them, Chen Cheng's troops were broken through the position of his 61st Regiment by Liang Guanying's division at night, resulting in the instant collapse of the 11th Division's position and heavy losses.

Since the Central Army launched an attack on all fronts, Chen Cheng led his 11th Division to capture Mamuji, Liankeningling, and Suixian. Then they marched westward and attacked Yangguji and Persimmon Yuanji between Lanfeng and Qixian. It can be said that it is a success, which makes Chen Cheng very complacent, although he is short, but he walks with his head high these days, so that in the eyes of others, it seems that Chen Cheng has grown a lot taller.

At this time, several units of the Central Army that attacked Lanfeng and Qixian were successively resisted by the Jin Sui army relying on strong fortifications, and suffered heavy casualties. Chen Cheng felt that the opportunity to show his face again had come, so he volunteered to use the middle breakthrough tactic, trying to open the gap in Yang Guji and then roll at the wings.

However, the actions of his troops were detected in advance by Sun Chu, the former commander-in-chief of the Jin Sui Army on the Longhai Road, who mobilized four artillery regiments of the Jin Sui Army in advance, and concentrated most of the artillery of his First Army and Yang Xiaoou and Guan Fu'an to preset positions in the main direction of Chen Cheng's attack. After Chen Cheng commanded the troops to attack, Sun Chu commanded the front-line troops to take the initiative to retreat, inducing Chen Cheng to move his troops forward, and then was bombarded by hundreds of mountain artillery and many mortars of the Jin Sui army, and the losses were great.

Sun Chu took advantage of the situation to continue to counterattack with small troops, and the most commendable thing is that Sun Chu commanded the Jin Sui army at Pheasant Gang and defeated the ace army of the Central Army in one fell swoop.

Chen Cheng stormed for two days without progress. Chen Cheng, who kicked the iron plate, was very unwilling, and then, he cooperated with Jiang Dingwen and Zhao Guantao to advance to the left flank, but was blocked by Sun Liangcheng, Ji Hongchang and other troops from Qixian, and even attacked for several days, but there was no progress. Later, he made a detour from the south of Qixian County, attempting to attack Kaifeng through Tongxu and Chen Liuqi, but was also resisted by Pang Bingxun, Liang Guanying and other departments, and launched a battle in the area of Weizhai and Chenzhuang.

Therefore, on June 24, the position of the 61st Regiment was lost by the night attack of Liang Guanying's troops. Chen Cheng, who was extremely high-spirited and ready to do a big job, was so angry that he strictly ordered the brigade commander Li Mo'an to supervise the 61st and 62nd regiments to counterattack and regain the lost position. However, Li Mo'an led his troops to fight fiercely, and although the troops suffered heavy casualties, they still failed to regain their positions. Even Li Mo'an was shot and wounded.

The commander of the 61st Regiment that broke through the Chenzhuang position was Liu Zhi's nephew Liu Tianduo, and the angry Chen Cheng ignored all sides of his intercession, and immediately shot Liu Tianduo after reporting to Chiang Kai-shek for approval. Since then, Chen Cheng has also formed a feud with Liu Zhi.

The First Division, Chiang Kai-shek's most descendant unit of which Liu Zhi was the division commander, also suffered heavy casualties.

The First Division was the army started by Chiang Kai-shek, and his favorite general Hu Zongnan's First Brigade was his heart. In March, Hu Zongnan was ordered to lead the 1st Brigade from Wuhan to Xuzhou with the 1st Division.

When Hu Zongnan's 1st Brigade passed through Pukou, Chiang Kai-shek specially ordered Hu Zongnan to lead all officers above the company commander level of the brigade to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. He also came to give them a lecture in person, and rewarded Hu Lu, which was undoubtedly the greatest honor for them.

When the divisions of Liu Zhi's division of the Second Army of the Longhai Line attacked the strategic place of Guide. The first division where Hu Zongnan's brigade was located, because the division commander Liu Zhi was also the commander-in-chief of the Second Army Corps, Xu Tingyao, deputy division commander, served as the acting division commander. At the beginning, the Central Army not only attacked fiercely, but also had the air force to help the war, but also said that it had surrendered Liu Maoen, and on May 21, it was said that it had ensnared Wan Xuancai and successfully occupied Guide.

However, as Yan Xishan and Feng Yuxiang urgently transferred the elite of the Northwest Army, Sun Liangcheng and Ji Hongchang, to come to reinforcements, the situation changed. The two sides fought fiercely in eastern Henan in late May. Hu Zongnan commanded three regiments of the 1st Brigade to serve as the frontal attack arrows of Chiang's army, and met Sun Liangcheng's army along the Longhai railway line.

The First Division was worthy of being the descendant of Chiang Kai-shek, and Hu Zongnan was even more worthy of Chiang Kai-shek, commanding his First Brigade to fight very bravely and tenaciously. The first battle was in the carriage set, and the siege of Peng Jin's department of the Second Brigade of the Central Reading Force was relieved; Following the attack on Longmen Village, it advanced. The first regiment of Yuan Pubu conquered Tangfen, Shuikou, and Yifeng Zhai; The 3rd Regiment Li Tie's military headquarters captured the large and small Magu villages. Lian said that the battle situation was unprecedentedly tragic, and the two sides repeatedly swooped down, fighting for every inch of land, entering and exiting five times in one night, and suffering heavy casualties.

Because Xu Tingyao, the commander of the 1st Division and acting division, was injured in the right arm by a mortar shell in the Battle of Lizhuang, he was unable to command the operation. Hu Zongnan was appointed acting commander of the "First Division under Heaven" in early June. Hu Zongnan ordered Li Tiejun, commander of the Third Regiment, to be promoted to commander of the First Brigade.

In this sudden night raid by the anti-Chiang coalition forces, although the 1st Division fought bravely and skillfully and withstood the attack of the main force of the Northwest Army, because the positions of friendly and neighboring troops were lost one after another, the 1st Division also had to abandon its positions, and the losses in the retreat were also not small.

At this point, the two sides launched a tug-of-war in the eastern Henan battlefield, the battle was inextricably linked, and the battle situation was in a stalemate, although each had its own victory and defeat, but the central army appeared to be passive, and the casualties were more serious.

The Central Army made great efforts, but apart from a large number of casualties, it gained nothing, and the two sides were deadlocked, which was very unfavorable to Chiang Kai-shek. After a period of fierce fighting, some of the Central Army units have lost their combat effectiveness, such as Liu Maoen's troops, and most of the troops suffered heavy casualties. Chiang Kai-shek himself, in addition to gritting his teeth, also wrote letters to several backbone generals to cheer him up, and Chiang Kai-shek wrote to Gu Zhutong, Jiang Dingwen, Chen Cheng and others, saying: "Our army has always tempted people to attack, but not to counterattack once, not only to fight against the flames, but also to be ashamed of the revolutionary soldiers." …… Looking at the horror of the soldiers and the fear of insufficient troops, the Zhongzheng was so sad and indignant, why did the spirit of our revolutionary soldiers be so sluggish? ”。

The morale of the troops of the descendants is still like this, and the morale of the miscellaneous Central Army can be imagined, and if the situation is allowed to develop, it is very likely that an "avalanche" will occur, and the miscellaneous troops will probably all defect overnight. Therefore, in any case, it was necessary to boost the morale of the army, stimulate morale, and strengthen the faith, so Chiang Kai-shek decided to instigate another offensive.

Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek concentrated more than 30,000 people on the main force of his descendants, as well as a large number of artillery, and prepared to attack from Qixian and Taikang, or attempted to attack Kaifeng through Tongxu and Chen Liuqi. When Feng Yuxiang learned of this situation, he ordered Sun Liangcheng, Pang Bingxun, and Ji Hongchang, who had already withdrawn to Longhai Road, to quickly retreat, dodge the line of Qixian and Taikang, and lure the enemy into going deeper.

The Central Army repeatedly sent planes to reconnoitre, but they did not find anything abnormal, thinking that most of the Northwest Army in this area had already participated in the offensive on the Pinghan Line, and it was a good opportunity to take advantage of the gap in the void, and Chiang Kai-shek, who was overjoyed, ordered the commanders of the various armies to drive straight into the direction of Kaifeng.

According to the predetermined plan, Feng Yuxiang ordered Sun Liangcheng, Pang Bingxun and Ji Hongchang to block from the front, Sun Lianzhong and Zhang Zizhong to the left side of the Gao Xianji Central Army, and the left flank relied on the defense of the Jin Sui Army in front of Longhai, while Sun Dianying's troops disrupted the rear of the Central Army in Luyi and Tuocheng, forming a pocket-shaped encirclement situation. Prepare to annihilate the main forces of the Central Army in one fell swoop.

This time, Dai Li made another great contribution, and his electronic investigators deciphered Feng Yuxiang's telegram in time and obtained absolutely valuable information.

(To be continued)