June 13, 1932. Korean Peninsula, Shariwon, the former enemy headquarters of the North Korean Army.

"Report," a North Korean staff officer burst into the war room, and Peng Dhuai, who was lying on a map studying the battle situation, glanced up at him. This staff officer ran very quickly, a little out of breath, saw Peng Dhuai looking at him, hurriedly stood up and saluted, and said in stiff Chinese: "Report, report, General Hu Shoushan called, the Japanese mechanized troops occupying Yuanshan have finished their rest and are advancing westward, and now the forward has approached Mazhuanli." ”

These few words stimulated everyone's nerves, Li Fanzheng who was on the phone, Jin Yuanfeng who was reviewing Wen Jiàn, Zhou Zhirou who was standing next to Peng Dhuai, and Zhu Peide, who had just arrived from Pyongyang, couldn't help frowning.

Peng Dhuai walked to the staff officer in a few steps and took the telegram, Hu Zongnan's telegram was very detailed, the Japanese mechanized group rested in Wonsan for three days, during which a Japanese oil tanker and bulk carrier arrived at Wonsan Port, after replenishing ammunition and fuel, the Japanese army resumed the offensive, but this time the leading troops were replaced by an infantry division, probably the second division. In addition, a large number of Japanese cavalry accompanied the Japanese infantry division, carefully searching the area where the troops might be ambushed, and it seems that they learned the lessons of the Battle of Tongchuan.

"Telegraph to Hu Shoushan, don't ambush anymore." Peng Dhuai first ordered the suspension of the Shoushan detachment's mission to ambush and delay the Japanese army. In the past few days of fighting, the Japanese infantry has shown extremely strong combat effectiveness, and now they are ready to counter ambushes, and using ambush methods against them will only incur unnecessary losses. Later, he pondered and said: "Telegraph to the General Command of the Eastern Route Guerrillas, and ask them to quickly find out the situation of the Japanese troops on the Eastern Route. ”

But before this telegram could be sent, the report of the Eastern Route Guerrilla General Headquarters arrived first, starting this morning. The main force of the Japanese army on the east road began to advance along the coastal road to Wonsan, but because the ordinary Japanese army basically did not have modern means of transportation, and even the number of mules and horses was insufficient, the main force of the Japanese army on the east road marched very slowly, and it was estimated that it could not walk more than 25 kilometers in a day. And also without being harassed by the guerrillas.

After listening to the report of the General Headquarters of the Eastern Route Guerrillas narrated by the staff officer. General Li Fanzao said suspiciously: "Alone in depth? Is the Japanese mechanized army really alone in the depths? There can't be any trickery, right? ”

"What's the trick?" Peng Dhuai sneered when he heard this, and said: "The commander-in-chief of the Japanese army is so courageous, he deliberately exposed such a flaw in exchange for a chance to fight a decisive battle, it seems that they are with me." ”

Li Fanzheng and Jin Yuanfeng looked at each other, and the latter twisted his eyebrows and asked, "Shi Gong, what are our chances of winning this battle?" ”

"There's a 60% chance of winning." Peng Dhuai said lightly: "The decisive battle location should be in the area from Xinchengchuan to Yangde. The time should be four to five days later...... The main force of the Japanese Eastern Route Army, which was marching north on foot, was still about five days away from the Japanese mechanized troops, and if we took into account the sluggishness of our blocking troops, it would take them at least seven days to join forces with the Japanese mechanized troops. These seven days were deliberately left to us by the Japanese commander-in-chief! ”

"Brother Shi wears, I think this is a trap! I have adopted the tactics of holding Pyongyang firmly. Zhu Peide came to Shariyuan from Pyongyang to persuade Peng Dhuai to give up the decisive battle with the Japanese army, but Peng Dhuai did not hesitate to refuse his offer.

"Yigong. We can defend the city, they can besiege it, and how long can Pyongyang's supplies last? Peng Dhuai said to Zhu Peide while looking at the map: "We are trapped in Pyongyang to the end, and we still have to send the prime minister to send the national defense force to relieve the siege, and at least a million troops must be dispatched, and it is possible to force the Japanese devils out of the Korean Peninsula after more than a year of hard fighting...... Wherever such a large number of troops are used, they are a decisive force, and they are the most worthless on the Korean Peninsula. His tone became stern as he spoke. So just a little bit of a chance. We should try our best to use the South Korean army to hold back the Japanese army, which is equivalent to providing 1 million troops for the country! ”

"I see." Zhu Peide nodded, Peng Dhuai's words are reasonable, it is safe to defend Pyongyang, but in the end, China still has to send troops to rescue, and China's investment in the Korean Peninsula will inevitably weaken its investment in other more important battlefields. Peng Dhuai took a deep breath and said loudly: "From now on, we will divide our troops into two ways. Yigong, Yuanfeng, the headquarters of the Shali Yuan is in charge of you, and no matter what, you must resist the Japanese army's western and central armies in front of the third line of defense! Tie Ji (Li Fan-sang) and I personally commanded five armies to march westward from Pyongyang. Prepare for a decisive battle with the Japanese mechanized corps in the area east of the Datong River! ”

……

As soon as General Peng Da gave the order, the elite North Korean troops, who had been sharpening their knives in Pyongyang for a long time, immediately dispatched, and the 250,000-strong army came out of the cage like a fierce tiger and rushed straight to the east bank of the Taedong River.

The 1st to 5th armies of the North Korean Army are all old units that have been formed for many years, and they have been fighting the Japanese near the 38th parallel for seven or eight years. The combat experience is very rich, the equipment is excellent, the army and division levels are equipped with artillery regiments, and the regimental level is also equipped with a mountain artillery company, although there is no mechanized equipment, but the number of mules and horses is extremely large, all of them are Mongolian horses aided by China, and they are very hard-working and hard-working. Moreover, the bridges and tunnels on several major highways east of the Taedong River have not been destroyed, and now they have become convenient routes for the eastward advance of the North Korean army and the transfer of logistics and materials.

Unlike the apprehensions of the upper echelons of the North Korean military, the morale of the middle and lower ranks of these five elite North Korean units is high. The successive defeats on the 38th front made them, the patriotic officers and soldiers of North Korea, feel the crisis of national survival, and now as soon as they received the order to attack, they did not need to mobilize and marched eastward with great courage. Since June 14, all roads east of Pyongyang have been filled with brigades of North Korean infantry, cavalry, horse-drawn artillery, and carts of all sorts of mules and horses.

Such a huge march certainly could not hide from the aerial reconnaissance of the Japanese army, and neither of the belligerents on the Korean battlefield had overwhelming air superiority. The North Korean Air Force is equipped with old fighters that have been eliminated by the Chinese Air Force, while the Japanese Army Air Force does not have very good aircraft, so the air forces of both sides are only responsible for some aerial reconnaissance missions in most cases.

After learning the news of the eastward advance of the main force of the North Korean Army, the Japanese army's eastern and central armies immediately intensified their offensive. Eighteen divisions of Japanese troops deployed on the Yan'an-Kaesong-Xipu line, and launched a fierce attack on the ROK army on a front of more than 100 kilometers.

In the middle of summer in June, the sun is blazing. North of the 38th parallel, the sound of artillery rumbled, and under the sea breeze, the military flag of the red background and the golden sun fluttered high, guiding the Japanese GC fighters to go forward one after another. Repeated assaults on the North Korean military lines. On this land of the Korean Peninsula in East Asia, the most tragic fierce battle is going on, and nearly one million officers and soldiers on both sides have shown the greatest determination to sacrifice and fight to the death for their respective motherland and ideals.

In the war room of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense in Nanjing, there was a noisy and hectic atmosphere at the moment. The staff officers who were still living in the last peace came in and out with a straight face. Or whispering an exchange of opinions around the map. Occasionally, loud arguments are heard. On the map, the red arrows of the Japanese army are constantly extending. The cyan arrows representing the North Korean Army and the 38th-line defense system are already in disarray.

The 38th Parallel Line seemed to be collapsing on the imminent end of the war, and the huge arrows representing the Japanese army contrasted with the thin cyan lines representing the North Korean lines. The North Korean Army's eastern defensive line is no longer there, and the Japanese army's red arrows have penetrated deep behind the North Korean Army, just like the situation described in the Soviet Red Army textbooks for large-depth assault operations. Mechanized troops that have broken through behind enemy lines are crushing enemy lines as if they were no one. And a huge cyan arrow stretched out from Pyongyang. It represents the strategic reserve of the North Korean army, and now it is only waiting for the arrows of the two sides to collide together, and then divide into life and death.

However, the Korean battlefield is not the most touching, and what really makes everyone in this war room anxious is the every move of the huge red empire in the north. Just after the Korean battlefield began, rumors of the Soviet Union's imminent invasion of Manchuria, Mongolia, and Sanjiang also spread. Almost all the embassies of Western countries in the USSR reported to their governments: "The USSR is ready for war!" A large number of Red Army troops are moving eastward, and the news that China and the Soviet Union are going to war is spreading everywhere in Moscow! ”

The intelligence services of China, Germany, and Britain also noted that the latest delivery deadlines for the purchase of machinery and equipment signed by the Soviet Union with Western countries were all set before October 1, 1932. If before this day. If the goods have not yet been delivered to the ports of the USSR, the Soviet side will cancel the order. Moreover, the intelligence agencies of the three countries also heard that all Soviet and Japanese merchant ships must also return to the ports of their respective countries before this day. These two unusual events almost meant that after October 1, 1930, a world war would break out in full force!

And will China really be caught between the two GC military powers, the Soviet Union and Japan, after this day? If this possibility really exists, should China send troops to the Korean Peninsula to help the North Korean army defeat Japan before the Soviet Union can take action? But China is sending troops to North Korea in a big way. Will it prompt the Soviet Union to invade China ahead of schedule?

There was a lot of discussion in the war room, and different buildings were brought up one by one.

"The Wehrmacht is not ready, and an immediate start of war is clearly not in my favor, and the full-scale outbreak of war should be postponed as much as possible."

"If we sit back and watch the defeat of North Korea, our situation will be even more unfavorable. It is better to take advantage of the decisive battle between the South Korean and Japanese armies to send troops, and perhaps invest 200,000 troops to achieve victory. ”

"The total strength of the Japanese Red Army is at least 3 million, and now only 1 million people are put into the Korean battlefield, if we can send troops, they can also increase their troops, and it is absolutely impossible to defeat the Japanese army with 200,000 troops! There is a good chance that we will sink deeper and deeper into the Korean Peninsula......"

"Even if North Korea fails, it will not happen overnight, it should be able to support it for a few months, and if hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops are consumed, then we will be more prepared for war and more sure of sending troops."

"But if North Korea fails, we will probably face the dilemma of fighting on two fronts."

"Now sending troops is also a two-front battle! The Soviet Union has more than 3 million troops on our northern border, and it may launch an invasion at any time! ”

"Maybe the Air Force can be sent to help in the war?"

"The Air Force has just begun to replace itself with a new type of Attack 2 aircraft, and in the near future it will also practice ground-air coordinated operations, so there is not much spare strength to send troops. In addition, the North Korean Army has not been trained in low-altitude coordination at all, and it is difficult for the Air Force to achieve good combat results. ”

While the staff officers were arguing, a loud roll call came from the door: "Your Excellency the Prime Minister has arrived!" Then I saw Chang Ruiqing striding into the war room with his head held high. His Excellency the Prime Minister, who wore more suits or robes after retiring from active service, today has a straight military uniform, and the beard on his face is neatly trimmed. The whole body shows an awe-inspiring celebrity temperament.

Seeing the arrival of this backbone, the staff officers in the war room hurriedly stopped arguing and stood up to salute Chang Ruiqing, and Lieutenant General Liu Mingzhao, director of the training department of the General Staff of the National Defense Forces, who remained in the war room, hurriedly stepped forward, snapped a salute, and reported in a Sichuan dialect: "Prime Minister." Both the North-Western Front and the Northern Front have sent reports to them, and in recent days, the Soviet Red Army has made frequent movements along the border, and the number of incursions of Soviet planes into our airspace has also increased significantly......"

Chang Ruiqing waved his hand to interrupt him and said, "Has the 'Iron Fist 60' been sent to the Northwest Front Army and the Northwest National Guard Force?" ”

"It has already been sent," Liu Mingzhao cupped his nose and eyes, and said: "As of the end of May this year, the Ministry of Armaments has delivered a total of 300,000 'Iron Fist' 60. The front-line troops have now assigned this weapon to the squad level. ”

Chang Ruiqing nodded thoughtfully, walked to the side of the sand table, stared at it for a while, and then asked, "Did Peng Shishou have any latest reports delivered?" ”

"Not for the time being," Liu Mingzhao took a baton from the staff officer beside him, pointed to the area with the most dense military symbols of the North Korean Army on the sand table, and said: "The battlefield of the two sides has been set up, and 70,000 Japanese troops have set up positions between Onjeong-ri and Yangdeok. Relying on the Nanjiang River to make a defensive posture. The 250,000 North Korean troops commanded by Peng Shichuan took Janglim and Sin-eup, northwest of Yangdeok, as their large strongholds, and marched eastward to the Japanese fronts of Onjeong-ri and Yangdeok, and it is estimated that the two sides will be able to meet fire tomorrow morning. In addition, a detachment of about 30,000 people under the command of Hu Zongnan had already inserted behind the Japanese army in Yangdeok, cutting off communication between Yangdeok and Wonsan. The main force of the Japanese Eastern Route Army was at least 180 kilometers away from Yangde, and it would take at least 7 days to reach the battlefield according to the speed of ordinary infantry marching. ”

"Oh, so this Japanese army is now surrounded by North Korean forces four times their size?" Chang Ruiqing nodded. "What is Peng Shi's idea? Ready for total annihilation? ”

Liu Mingzhao shook his head with a wry smile and said, "The battle of pulling teeth from the tiger's mouth...... The Japanese deliberately sold a flaw and took out 70,000 troops as bait, just to lure the main force of the North Korean army out of Pyongyang. Peng Shichuan was a plan, concentrating 280,000 troops to fight 70,000 Japanese troops...... However, the Japanese also made all arrangements, on the one hand, they put 18 divisions into the frontal onslaught, and on the other hand, they concentrated reinforcements from 10 divisions to the north. There are 28 divisions and regiments, and it is estimated that there are still new forces in the back that have not moved! Even if Peng Shichuan succeeds in Wenjingli and Yangde, he must retract to Pyongyang in time, otherwise the consequences are unimaginable. He paused slightly. "Prime Minister, if we lose this battle, do we want to intervene?" ”

Chang Ruiqing listened to his question, shook his head silently, and said after a while: "If Peng Shi's army is defeated in North Korea." Naturally, I have a way to deal with Takeda Heng and Higa, but not to send troops...... The main battlefield of this war is not Korea, and Japan is not the main enemy, and our main forces should always be used in the north and northwest! Now we have pinned our hopes on our General Peng! North Korea is his blessed land! ”

A burst of thunderous artillery fire swept across the east bank of the Namgang River in North Korea. The entire Japanese front was turned into a sea of fire. Looking from the hill where Peng Dhuai's former enemy headquarters was located, in the direction of the battlefield more than ten kilometers away, the flames and smoke that were constantly rolling there, like countless heavenly thunders bombarding the ground. There was also a faint heart-rending shouting and killing sound, which made people feel frightened.

The fierce battle on the east bank of the Nanjiang River, even if he was not on the battlefield, it was not difficult for Peng Dhuai to imagine. The thunder-like artillery fire was incessant, and the North Korean army put a full 20 artillery regiments and more than 700 artillery pieces of various calibers there! In the sky, dozens of artillery observation balloons soared into the air, and dozens of planes of the South Korean and Japanese armies engaged in fierce battles. However, the location of the battle line was still maintained in the area on the east bank of the Namgang River, and the ROK army had not yet made a breakthrough. Although Peng Dhuai left a very short time for the defenders to build their positions, the Japanese mecha army spared no expense and buried more than 300 tanks and armored vehicles that had driven to the east bank of the Nanjiang River into the soil and used them as fixed fire points. This move caused great difficulties to the attacking ROK troops, and the ROK infantry, which had no anti-tank weapons, had no choice but to urgently transfer 37mm anti-tank guns from their respective divisions and corps to carry out direct bombardment. However, the Japanese infantry also knew the importance of these fixed firing points, and did not hesitate to defend their safety at any cost, as long as they found the traces of the ROK anti-tank guns, they would use their mortars, mountain guns, machine guns, and even rifles to shoot desperately, and even launch infantry to carry out counter-assaults.