On October 5, the war in Shandong entered a climax. The three battlefields in three locations were all in fierce battles. On the northern front, the 6th Division of the Japanese Army, which forcibly crossed the Jiaolai Beihe River, attacked the position of the 47th Brigade of the 16th Division on the first line of Xiadian along the Jideng Highway and approached Changyi. The 18th Division (owing the 24th Brigade), which was deployed south of Jideng km, pounced on Wamiao in an attempt to detour to Changyi from the southern front and open the gate of Weixian. The 18th Brigade of the 24th Division overcame the attack of the small Chinese army, occupied Laoshan Mountain, and surrounded Qingdao from the north.

The 3rd Division of the Japanese Army on the Southern Front overcame the difficulties of transportation, advanced to the east of Gaomi, and began to engage troops of the 16th Brigade. A reinforced wing of the division advanced to the southeast to relieve the flank threat, engaging in a fierce battle with the 14th Brigade of the 41st Division.

The 9th Division continued to storm the fortress of Qingdao, and after the failure of the tentative attack on the 4th, it began to move to a full-fledged attack on the 5th. The Japanese concentrated a large number of heavy artillery to violently bombard the first-line positions of Xiaozhan Mountain, basically continuing the attack line of the 16th Brigade a month earlier, in an attempt to achieve a decisive breakthrough to the Qingdao fortress from the south.

The Wehrmacht's deployment was-for-tat.

Military controls and curfews have been imposed in Jinan. The inside and outside of the city has been completely transformed into an oversized military camp. Du Sanli's 1st Division (owed to the 1st Brigade) had been ordered to secretly dispatch in late September after the enemy's strength was fully exposed, and instead of directly reinforcing the northern and southern battlefields in the fierce fighting to the east, they were transported south by car from Jinan-Tai'an-Yanzhou, turning from Yanzhou to Yizhou, and then going north to Yishui, crossing the mountains and mountains and leaving the north of Zhucheng, and finally arriving at the counterattack positions scheduled by the General Staff and the Central Military Region.

Du Sanli's department was the decisive killing of the Chinese army.

In any case, a strong army must be deployed south of Gaomi-Jiaoxian. This is the unchanging line of thought of the General Staff Headquarters headed by Situ Jun on the Shandong war situation. This task was given to the main force of Du Sanli's 1st Division (owed to the 1st Brigade).

Right now. This Wehrmacht ace division was still on the hard march.

The 18th Division from the Southeast Military Region arrived in the western suburbs of Jinan on October 3. The 1st Division, 1st Brigade and 2nd Division from Zhili successively transferred Jinan along the railway. The actions of the 1st Brigade were high-profile, but the 2nd Division carried the banner of the 1st Brigade. It is impossible for such a large-scale military mobilization to completely deceive Japan's eyes, and the plan of the General Staff Department is to combine fiction with reality, and it is impossible not to transfer troops to reinforce Shandong, but it is hoped to deceive the Japanese base camp as much as possible and make them make wrong judgments.

In two days, all the troops used for the Shandong campaign will arrive at the predetermined assembly area, and the total number of troops involved in the Shandong battle will be 6 divisions, 15 infantry brigades, and a large number of special forces, with a total strength of more than 300,000.

On the evening of October 5th. Long Qian secretly arrived in Jinan by train, accompanied by Jiang Fangzhen, deputy chief of the general staff. It was the first time he had been on the battlefield before the war. In order to determine the direction of the counteroffensive.

Long Qian left Situ Jun in Beijing and took care of the base camp with Wang Mingyuan. Before leaving, Situ Jun and Wang Mingyuan went to Haiyan Hall to see Long Qian off, and Situ Jun was based on the battle situation mastered by the General Staff. Xiang Long Qian talked about his opinions on the development of the battle situation.

"In general. The shape shì is proceeding according to our vision. The loss of Jiaoxian County is not detrimental to the overall development. On the contrary, it played an unintentional role, at least let the temple Zhengyi underestimate the enemy. It also strengthened Commander Feng's idea of counterattacking on the southern front. It makes sense for the Central Military District to insist on moving on the southern front, two divisions and regiments. The 9th Division was tethered to Qingdao, leaving only one 3rd Division. After defeating his southern front, the siege of Qingdao was lifted, and the Japanese army had no choice but to deploy and retreat. However, "Situ Jun raised his voice," the General Staff repeatedly studied and believed that the southern front was inferior to the northern front, and that the southern front might only be able to seize one 3rd division, while the northern front might trap the 6th and 18th divisions into the net. This time, Japan sent out the four strongest divisions at once, and it would be a pity not to let him break his muscles and bones. Commander Feng was in a bit of a hurry, but I think the time is not yet ripe to launch a counterattack, and he must exhaust his strength before making a move, and one move will be a thunderbolt, so that he will not have time to organize reinforcements. ”

"Hmm, was it a mistake to send Du Sanli to the southern line in the first place?" Long Qian put on his coat with the help of Chen Shu.

"Nope. That's a must. In all battles, before winning, first consider defeat. The 1st Division was to give Qingdao a spare pawn to relieve the siege, and in case Qingdao was in danger, this division had to be put in advance. It's better not to have that happen. Situ Jun explained.

"Yes, Situ is right. According to the information received today, all units reported that the Japanese army was extremely strong. The optimism is basically gone......," Wang added.

"Okay. How to fight depends on the development of the war situation. Are the current forces sufficient? ”

"Enough. The four divisions of the Japanese army were full of 120,000 men and horses, and the six divisions of our army plus the subordinate troops exceeded 300,000 people. Situ Jun was very relaxed, "The key is how to realize the president's intention to fight a war of annihilation!" It's better to cut off one of its fingers than to hurt its ten fingers! Since the establishment of the Meiji Army, Japan has not lost a single formed army. Their wing flags were all given by the emperor himself, and they cherished the anomaly. Commander Feng said that this time he must give the president a few seizures and come back. ”

"It's not that easy." Long Qian's face became solemn. There is nothing to be optimistic about in his memory, not to mention the wing, even if it is a formation to destroy the Japanese brigade, there are very few combat examples, in the time and space that he is familiar with, a division of the Japanese army dares to go deep alone, inserted into the strategic depth of our army, several times, the Chinese army is even more than ten times the enemy's superiority is difficult to turn into victory.

But that's no longer the case. One of the greatest advantages of the Mengshan Army is that it despises the enemy, and this self-founded army has never been afraid of anyone, the Russians and the Germans have fought, and every battle has greatly boosted the morale of the army. Moreover, although the national strength is generally weak, there are basically no internal constraints, and the whole country can mobilize its strength to deal with the invading army.

"The two of you stayed in Beijing to preside over military affairs, and the burden is not light. If the battle situation in Shandong is smooth, I will be back soon. If it doesn't go well, ......," Long Qian told his two generals.

"President, it's better for you to come back as soon as possible, and you won't leave your position. Leave the battle to us, that is, believe in the national pillar and believe in the national defense force that you have single-handedly built. Wang Mingyuan didn't approve of Long Qian's inspection of the front. thinks that it will bring great pressure to Feng Guozhu.

"Who says I don't trust the pillars anymore? Don't trust him to hand over the Central Military District to him? Awareness of the Japanese army. Those of you who specialize in military affairs are not necessarily deeper than me. I had to get to know the situation on the ground to be reassured. ”

Hearing that his father was going to the front, ten-year-old Xinghua asked for leave to go with his father. Of course, Long Qian would not agree to his son's request, "If you want to learn from your brother, do your homework first." Otherwise, don't cry if you can't get into the Naval Academy at that time. ”

Unlike the eldest Zhenhua, Zhenhua is a well-known "prodigy" in the whole school, skipping two levels in primary school and one level in middle school, and the twelve-year-old Zhenhua has been promoted to senior high school, showing amazing talent in mathematics and physics. During the summer vacation of 1913. The Beijing Municipal Department of Education organized a mathematics competition for middle school students, and Zhenhua was recommended by his middle school to participate and won a silver medal – he was three years younger than the contestants, which attracted the attention of the Ministry of Education. This is especially true after learning that he is the eldest son of the President.

In view of Zhenhua's excellent results. David persuaded Long Qian several times to agree to Zhenhua's study in the United States. Long Qian had no opinion. But Chen Shu thought that her son was too young, and she was a little worried, so she didn't let her go.

But the second Xinghua's homework is poor. I don't like to study, I always want to be a soldier, and I like the navy after going to Guangzhou with my father, and I have collected a lot of ship models, and ship models of various materials are all over his room.

What's bad is that Long Qian basically doesn't care about the second son's studies. Regarding the transcript that Xinghua can't get at all, Long Qian is very open-minded: It's nothing, children, there are few who love to learn.

"But why is his brother so good?" The upper echelons of the capital have formed a small circle, and those who interact with Chen Shu, including Qiu Jin, are some "noble ladies", and talking about children's homework is also a common topic, Zhenhua makes Chen Shu proud, and Xinghua makes her unhappy.

"Zhenhua is an example. Not enough training. Xinghua is playing at an age that is not worth making a fuss about. Long Qian said to his wife, "Of course, Zhenhua is good, maybe there will be a mathematician in our family." ”

"I'm going to the front soon." Chen Shu reminded her husband again. The Women's Federation organized a condolence group to prepare to go to the front line to offer condolences, Qiu Jin was the head of the regiment, Chen Shu was the deputy head of the regiment, raised 90,000 yuan of labor and military funds, and sent people from the Women's Federation to Shandong to purchase condolences on the spot.

"You've said it at least three times." Long Qian felt that Chen Shu was getting more and more verbose.

Of course, Long Qian would not take his son to inspect the front line. At 2:30 a.m. on 6 October, his special train arrived at the Jinan Railway Station, which was built under the auspices of the Germans, and a battalion of the guard regiment of the Central Military Region Headquarters had completely placed martial law on the station and along the way. On the way to the headquarters, five meters away was a soldier standing like a nail.

"That's it." Long Qian lowered the curtain of the car.

"Be careful. Didn't you say that? The Japanese are just a pile of shit that they don't like humans, they can do anything. It has been confirmed that more than one massacre of civilians took place in the war zone. ”

"Totally expected. The political department should convey the situation to the following in a timely manner so as to boost the morale of the army. ”

"This has already been done. Shandong is worthy of being our old base, and 500,000 migrant workers have been organized just to support them! The troops held their breath and hoped to launch a major counterattack as soon as possible. ”

"Of course you have to fight back. But the timing is right. Without the navy, the dogs are free to come and go. ”

"Shi Jun did a good job." Feng Guozhu lost no time in saying a few words for his old comrades-in-arms, "There are also aviation units, which have played an unexpected role in my life." I have no more opinions on strengthening the building of aviation. "At the beginning, the pillar of the country was a staunch infantry supremacy.

"yes, it's good to know that. Strategies and tactics will change as technology advances, and if they can't keep up, they will fall behind. Long Qian lifted the curtain again and looked at the familiar street.

There are no breaks. As soon as he arrived at the headquarters, Long Qian immediately listened to Xue Xiaocai, chief of staff of the Central Military Region, a comprehensive report, especially the situation on several battlefields during the day today.

The Japanese assault on the fortress of Qingdao suffered a crushing defeat. The arrogant 9th Division did not repeat the glory of the 16th Brigade. According to Qu Hongxiang's telegram, the Japanese army did not seize a single position in the all-day assault yesterday, and abandoned at least 1,000 corpses at the front of the two main positions of Xiaozhan Mountain and the north of Xiaozhan Mountain. The 3rd Division's attack on Gaomi also failed. Only the Japanese army on the northern front gained something, and the 6th Division was worthy of being a strong army. The bloody battle captured Xiadian and approached Changyi. The main force of the 16th Division has withdrawn to Changyi to continue the fight.

"It's the northern front that is in danger now," Feng Guozhu pointed to the large-scale wall chart on the wall, "I've put the 1st Brigade to use." The 16th Division has been fighting fiercely for ten days in a row, and the troops are very tired, and Weixian must not lose ......."

The General Staff has a clear order for the use of reinforcements transferred to the Central Military District, which must be approved by the General Staff. Feng Guozhu's request to transfer the 1st Brigade to reinforce the 16th Division has been approved by the General Staff.

"Tell me your general thoughts." Long Qian stared at the map marked with symbols and numbers.

"Judging that the north and south lines of the Japanese army are plotting to meet, this point is Weixian (Weifang). This is not allowed. The Japanese forces had to be separated in order to carry out the individual breaks. My plan was to hold on to the northern front. They were not allowed to seize Weixian. The southern route is waiting for an opportunity to open up Gaomi. Continue to lure the enemy westward, leaving the 3rd Division alone. Then the main force of the 1st Division attacked Jiaoxian, cutting off the return route of the 3rd Division and preventing reinforcements from the 9th Division. Concentrate the 2nd, 18th and 14th Divisions to annihilate the 3rd Division......"

"Uh-huh." Long Qian stared at the map and pondered. "And then?"

"When the 3rd Division was surrounded. The 9th Division must withdraw from Qingdao to relieve the siege of the 3rd Division. In the second phase of the campaign, the 9th Division was targeted, with Qu Hongxiang's 6th Division attacking and cooperating with the 1st Division to encircle the 9th Division. ”

"Brother Baili. What about your opinion? Long Qian turned around and asked Deputy Director Jiang Fangzhen.

"There were no major problems in the first phase." Jiang Fangzhen pondered his words, "When the 3rd Division is surrounded, it is not the 9th Division that will first come to the rescue, but the 18th Division. Maybe the Japanese army will also use the 6th Division and concentrate two and a half divisions to fight a decisive battle with me! ”

Jiang Fangzhen has an elegant temperament, and he thinks that his qualifications are difficult to match Feng Guozhu's class, and he is afraid that he will stimulate General Feng in language. But the president has entrusted himself with a heavy responsibility, and he must express his views. On the train from Beijing to Jinan, Long Qian slept, but he repeatedly studied the situation in his box, believing that the counterattack plan proposed by the Central Military Region to the General Staff Department was flawed.

"Well, move on." Long Qian nodded.

Jiang Fangzhen did not say anything more.

"That's nothing. The three brigades of the northern front should be able to keep the three brigades of the Japanese army out of the encirclement. I annihilated the 3rd Division with three divisions and seven brigades, and it would take three days, or five days at most, to achieve my goal. Once this forward division is eliminated, it will be my freedom to go north and east. "Feng Guozhu is full of confidence.

"Brother Baili, don't have any worries. You are representing the General Staff Officer. Do you think that if Du Sanli achieves a breakthrough in the center, according to Commander Feng's deployment, three days, oh, five days, can annihilate the 3rd Division, an old division? ”

"Back to the president's words. I don't think it's insured. The desperate tenacity of the Japanese army cannot be underestimated. If it is in the form of a siege, it is safer to drain its energy, and the casualties of our army will be much smaller. The gist of the second phase of the operation was to encircle the points and send reinforcements, grasping the 3rd Division with one hand and dealing with the 6th and 18th Divisions approaching with the other. It would be ideal if a second encirclement was formed. The key issue now is that the intentions of our army must not be exposed, and in particular, General Du's 1st Division should not be moved lightly at present. ”

"Guozhu, what do you think of Deputy General Jiang's opinion? His opinion represents Situ's opinion. ”

"If it happens, of course it's good......" Feng Guozhu counted the troops in his hands. If one part is annihilated and the other is defeated, the forces in your hands are enough, and if you try to pocket all the Japanese troops on the north and south fronts, it seems to be a little insufficient, "I need to calculate." ”

"Yes, calculations are needed." Long Qian was very satisfied with Feng Guozhu's caution. Judgment and decision-making are based on calculations, not only of the troops and equipment of both sides, but also of logistics and transportation.

"Immediately organize your staff officers to make calculations. Give you four hours," Long Qian looked at his watch, it was already 3:55 in the morning, "At eight o'clock in the morning, I will listen to your report." ”

"President, I'll do it with my colleagues in the Central Military Region." Jiang Fangzhen asked for instructions.

"No matter how good it is." Long Qian nodded, "Guozhu, how are the casualties of the troops?" What is the situation with the 14th Division? Long Qian changed the subject.

"Normal. Sun Wu's 14th Division suffered losses in Jiaoxian, mainly because the 40th Brigade did not fight well, but the 41st Brigade did not perform well. I didn't come forward to criticize, this division is currently in Gaomi, and today the table is normal. (To be continued......)