On the eve of the counteroffensive, in the city of Huai'an, the street battle of Jī Lie was carried out as usual under the order of the commander-in-chief of the Japanese puppet army and the chief of the general staff of the Japanese Central China Front1 if he was unsuccessful. Patches of Japanese puppet troops, under the compulsory orders of commanders at all levels, were sent into Huai'an City, which was like a bottomless pit, and it was a street battle that continued to devour the lives of countless soldiers.

Of course, in the face of the frantic attack of the Japanese puppet army, in Huai'an City, even if it occupies the geographical advantage, there are more than 10,000 commanders and fighters of the Seventh Corps. Under the absolute superiority of the Japanese army and the offensive regardless of attrition, it began to gradually become unbearable. Concentrate their limited forces, compress their positions, shrink their defenses, and gradually retreat into the city.

With the sound of gunfire in the city, the temporary headquarters was getting closer and closer. In the headquarters, Commander Jiaohua, the supreme commander of the Huai'an City garrison troops, could no longer sit still. With a dignified face, he climbed to the commanding heights of the headquarters and learned about the specific progress of the street battle through the telescope.

"Old Chen, old don't, the enemy's advance speed is getting faster and faster. In this way, at most, in one day and one night, the surrounding Japanese puppet army will advance to the area around our headquarters" Looking at the battle situation in front of him, a trace of bad premonition appeared in Jiaohua's heart. Then, he said to the two partners behind him with a worried face.

"Commander, the whole situation, is even more serious than what we see. According to the reports of the commanders from all directions, the Japanese puppet troops entering the city, like mad dogs, launched round after round of attacks against us regardless of casualties, without end. At the same time, the houses and buildings encountered along the way were all blown into ruins in the bloody retaliation of the Japanese army, and without the cover of these houses, our advantages in street fighting could not be fully reflected. As a result, our defenders had to retreat to the rear gradually," said Chief of Staff Kishiquan.

"What about the casualties of the troops. So far, how many troops are still in our hands" shook his head helplessly, and the commander of the suburbs had to face this grim fact in front of him. Then, he asked.

"The situation is very encouraging,...... Sun Shiquan said.

"According to the latest statistics, in the defensive battle outside the city, almost half of the four main regiments we sent lost. In the street battles of these two days, the casualty data of the troops also rose in a straight line. In less than two days, nine main battalions had completely lost their fighting and lost their formation. At the same time, several main battalions had to withdraw from the battlefield for a short rest and replenishment because of more than half of the casualties. So far, in addition to the four full-fledged infantry regiments that are still holding out on the front line, there are only four main battalions and three infantry battalions that are not at their disposal that can be used............

"That is to say, the mobile forces in our hands, all combined, are less than 3,000 people" Hearing this, even Political Commissar Chen Kang, who had not spoken, couldn't help but exclaim.

"Political commissars, there are only more than 2,500 people. To put it more objectively, if more than 2,500 people are thrown into this fierce street battle, at most one day, they will be exhausted............

Sun Shiquan replied affirmatively.

For a moment, the faces of the three people were immediately shrouded in a trace of despair. Just when everyone is thinking hard about the possible solutions. The sound of hurried footsteps reached the ears of the three of them. Immediately after that, the figure of the communications staff officer appeared in front of everyone.

"Commander, Chief of Staff of the Political Commissar, Headquarters Secret Telegram Six" After reading the telegram in his hand quickly, the despair on Commander Jiaohua's face that had just come out of this lù was immediately swept away.

Instead, there is a look of excitement. said to the two partners next to him, "Haha, six old Chen, old farewell." We were still thinking about how to defend Huai'an City with the limited forces in our hands. As soon as the words were finished, the headquarters sent us charcoal in the snow: "What kind of charcoal in the snow, commander, what did the commander-in-chief say in the telegram?" The eyes of the two people, at the first time, gathered on the telegram in Jiaohua's hand, and asked expectantly.

"The headquarters reported that in addition to the Sixth Corps, the Eighth Corps, the Ninth Corps, the Tenth Corps, and the guard divisions directly under the headquarters will completely complete the encirclement of all Japanese puppet troops in the surrounding areas of Huai'an at 10 o'clock this evening. At that time, around Huai'an, including us in the city, a total of 80,000 troops, will launch a counteroffensive against the Japanese puppet army before the decisive battle under the personal command of the commander-in-chief, and completely annihilate all the Japanese puppet army units in the Huai'an area in one fell swoop," Commander Jiaohua said with a happy face. After reading the telegram in his hand, Political Commissar Chen Kang and Chief of Staff Bei Shiquan breathed a long sigh of relief almost at the same time, which was used to relieve the pressure that had been precipitated in their hearts for several days.

Seeing that the two partners were relaxed and the battle-hardened Commander Banghua was not so optimistic. After a short period of movement, he had extremely rich experience in combat command, and for the first time, he thought of the possibility that the Japanese puppet army might launch a final decisive attack on Huai'an City at the last moment before his death. Then, he reminded with a serious face.

"Lao Chen, Lao Sun, don't be too happy. Although, the encirclement of the Japanese puppet army will be formed tonight. However, if nothing else, the Japanese puppet army, which learned that it was surrounded by our army's serious illness, would definitely use the last bit of time to attack us and seize Huai'an City. Relying on Huai'an City, we have a strategic advantage in confronting our main force. So, the real pressure that awaits us is still to come,......

"Commander, what should we do next?" Political Commissar Chen Kang, Chief of Staff Bei Shiquan, and the two of them also reacted from the jī movement under the reminder of the commander. Immediately after, a hint of worry once again hung over their faces. Chen Kang, as the political commissar, first asked.

"Pass on my order that all combat units on the front line do not have to defend every position in the course of street fighting. While preserving his own vital strength as much as possible, he relied on street fighting fortifications to kill and injure a large number of the living forces of the Japanese puppet army. Tell all the commanders that "before dark, I allow each of their troops, before ten o'clock in the evening, to retreat back five hundred meters............

"Commander, this is the only way to drag the enemy while reducing the casualties of the troops............ Chief of Staff Bei Shiquan nodded silently and agreed.

"Don't, this is just the first step. In the counterattack of the Japanese army before death, we must hold Huai'an City and ensure the foolproof of our last stronghold. Just the four main regiments that joined the street fighting were enough. Therefore, at the critical moment, all the remaining reserves in our hands must be dispatched. Even all the civilian personnel of the command, including you and me, need to go to war if possible. So, give orders to all reserves at once. ”

"First, take out all the light machine guns and grenades from the captured Japanese munitions warehouses and equip them with these reserves, ensuring that each infantry squad has at least two tǐng crooked handles. You know, in street fighting, automatic weapons can take a big advantage. ”

"Second, order these reserves to rest immediately, replenish their strength, and prepare for the bloody battle that they may need to face tonight,......

"Yes, Commander, I'll give the order right away............

Accompanied by the three corps, the headquarters directly under the guard division of a total of 70,000 troops attacked together, and the headquarters of the East China Field Army, which had been sitting in Zaozhuang County and commanding the troops to fight, also followed the troops to a market town less than 10 kilometers away from Huai'an City, and began to command the decisive battle in the temporary command headquarters, which decided the fate of the entire northern Jiangsu region and the fate of hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops.

In the temporary headquarters, after several days of rapid marching day and night, there was no time to take any rest from the commander-in-chief Liu Hua, the political commissar Jiao Xiaoping, the chief of staff Zuo Quan, and the brother commander Wang Zhen and others. They gathered around the huge sand table that the combat staff officer had just made, and began to discuss the battle situation in front of them.

"Chief of Staff, has Jiaohua sent a telegram back, can the troops hold Huai'an City before completing the encirclement of the Japanese army,...... After looking at the sand table, the specific division of the enemy's and our forces.

Commander-in-Chief Liu Hua raised his head and asked with a serious face to the chief of staff beside him.

"Jiaohua just called back and promised to complete the task," Zuo Quan's chief of staff responded.

"Okay, as long as Jiaohua can hold Huai'an City and ensure that Huai'an City does not fall into the hands of the enemy, in this decisive battle, we will have a chance of winning eighty percent" A confident look immediately shrouded Liu Hua's face.

He was still stern just now, and immediately said with a jī move.

At this moment, the political commissar on the other side, Jiao Xiaoping, did not have such great confidence, and reminded with a worried face: "Boss, there are still four hours to go, and my three corps plus the guard division have a total of 70,000 troops, and we will complete the encirclement of the Japanese puppet army in the surrounding area of Huai'an." You see, should we start studying the specific offensive lines and plans of each combat unit in this decisive battle...... After all, in this decisive battle, the total number of troops invested by the enemy and our armies reached an astonishing 200,000 troops. And compared with the Japanese puppet army, we do not have any advantage. ”

"The political commissar is right, time is running out, it's time to discuss it." While speaking, several people began to formulate a specific attack plan around the combat sand table in front of them@.