Wuhan, Hubei, Luojia Mountain. It used to be the famous National Wuhan University. During the war, the national government was forced to move westward to Wuhan, which became the military command center of the Nationalist government.

In order to boost morale, Chang Kaishen set up a Kuomintang senior officer training regiment at the foot of the mountain, and personally served as the head of the regiment, inspected the officers here many times, and also watched the fierce air battles of the Chinese Air Force against the Japanese invaders on the mountain.

Chang Kaishen returned to Wuhan only after the fall of Kaifeng. There is no way, the battle of Lanfeng failed, but the battle has to be fought. Zheng Huzi helped the Nationalist government win an opportunity to hook up with the Germans this time. But how to take advantage of this opportunity, Chang Kaishen has not yet thought about it.

"Take a seat!" A fat man like Maitreya Buddha stood respectfully in front of Chang Kaishen, with a smile on his face. This dead fat man is the legendary chairman and Sun Cannon's brother-in-law - Kong Xiangxi.

Kong Fatzi is said to be a 75th generation descendant of Confucius, but judging by his actions, he is more like a descendant of Brother Kong Fang. This long-sleeved man is good at dancing, successively served as the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Minister of Industry, and Minister of Finance of the National Government, and his family opened a Xiangji company, making a fortune in the country, and was a famous official and businessman during the Republic of China.

Chang Kaishen nodded and said, "Sit, sit!" In other words, there is no need to be formal at home. Compared with another relative and financial expert Song Ziwen, Kong Fatzi is undoubtedly more pleasing to Chang Kaishen. Because Song Ziwen is a bit arrogant, he often quarrels with Chang for financial matters, and once he was slapped by Chang Kaishen. Kong Fatzi is completely looking at the horse, saying whatever he says, even if it is wrong, he will follow the rules.

"That's the case. In your opinion, what should we exchange with the Germans? At a critical time, Chang Kaishen was a little uncertain about paying attention, so he deliberately brought this henchman fat man to discuss. At the moment, this opportunity is rare, and there will be no such store in this village after this village.

The fat man hesitated for a moment and said, "Commission, I'm afraid it's not the best choice to change materials, my subordinates have a suggestion, don't be angry when you say it." ”

Chang Kaishen raised his eyelids, and his heart moved. Say, "What can't you say?" Mean. Just say it. ”

The fat man leaned closer and said in a low voice: "Commission, now we have failed one after another militarily, and the international community has ignored what happened to our country. It can't be financially sustained. Wang Zhaomin's gang disregarded the overall situation. The jumping up and down made people panic, so ......" The fat man stopped, looked at Chang Kaishen and said, "I think." Be sure to seize the opportunity to have harmony! ”

Chang Kaishen said in surprise: "You mean to ask Ambassador Todmann (that is, the German ambassador to China at that time) to help mediate?" ”

The fat man nodded again and again and said, "Not bad! This is our last way to live, you must not let it go! ”

Chang Kaishen sighed and said, "Alas, I don't know the current predicament, but I can only fight to make peace." We are now defeated again and again, and Wuhan is in danger, how can the Japanese agree to mediate? ”

Kong Fatzi persuaded: "How can you know the Tao if you don't give it a try, what if you can do it?" ”

Chang Kaishen hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.

Zhengzhou, Henan, the headquarters of the first theater. At this time, the Japanese army had already captured Kaifeng and was still advancing westward, and there was no intention of stopping. The First War Zone was powerless in the face of a strong enemy, and suffered several defeats in a row, and the top and bottom were in chaos. Even Luoyang, which is in the rear, is panicked and frightened every day.

In fact, the capture of Kaifeng was not due to the instructions of the Japanese base camp, but the arbitrariness of the Northern Branch Army.

Because of the great cost, the Japanese base camp decided on May 29 to stop the pursuit operation in Lanfeng, Guide and other places, and issued an order: "Without approval, it is not allowed to cross the line of Lanfeng, Guide, Yongcheng, Mengcheng, Zhengyangguan, and Lu'an for combat." ”

However, Terauchi Shouichi was so happy that he did not listen to the orders of the base camp at all, and on June 2, the 14th Division was also assigned to the 2nd Army, and issued an order to pursue to the west of Lanfeng: "First, the enemy's main force has begun to retreat to the west of the Jinghan line; Second, the dispatch army decided to first pursue the enemy to the line of Zhongmu and Weishi; 3. The commander of the 2nd Army shall also command the 14th Division and its subordinate units to pursue the first line designated in the above paragraph. In addition, the first department of the order quickly advanced and cut off the Jinghan line. ”

After receiving the order, Tu Feiyuan, who was determined to take revenge, immediately led the remnants of the 14th Division to advance by leaps and bounds, connecting several cities, and approaching Zhengzhou, where the headquarters of the First Theater was located.

Cheng Qian, the commander of the theater of operations, was so anxious that he walked around the room and said in a loud voice: "What can I do, what can I do here?" ”

Chief of Staff Yan Xunfu gritted his teeth and said, "Junzuo, so far, I can only use the last move." ”

This Chief of Staff Yan is a ruthless person, why do you evaluate him like this? Because he is accustomed to using poisonous schemes, if he stays in ancient times, most of them are military strategists such as Jia Xu and Li Ru.

As early as 1935, this contemporary Jia Xu had drawn up two plans: one was to burn Zhengzhou if necessary, so that the enemy would occupy the ruins and have nothing to use. The second is a water attack, digging the embankment of the Yellow River to flood the enemy. Paying Zhengzhou with a torch can only play the role of a strong wall and clearing the wilderness. Breaking the embankment can not only drown the enemy's vanguard troops, but also isolate the enemy's main force on the westward road, and achieve the strategic goal without a fight.

Yan Xunfu and Zhang Xuxing, deputy chief of staff, explained to Cheng Qian the plan for breaking the embankment, saying: "A considerable part of the enemy is mechanized troops, and there are more than 1,000 armored vehicles, trucks, and artillery tractors. ”

He also said: "This is an immature idea, if not, please rule on Junzuo!" ”

Cheng Qian lit his pipe, but his hands kept shaking, and he refused to speak. What he is worried about is that after the embankment is dug, hundreds of people will die, and once the truth is leaked, it will be pointed out by thousands of people, and under the pressure of public opinion, it is likely to be pushed out by Chang Kaishen as a scapegoat.

Drowning hundreds of thousands of people, Chief Cheng can be ruthless as soon as he grits his teeth, but if he takes his own future or even his life for this, it will be too cost-effective.

Chief of Staff Yan was anxious and urged: "Junzuo, you better make a decision quickly, it will be too late for the Japanese army to capture the Pinghan Line." ”

Cheng Qian was also sweating profusely, crying and saying with a sad face: "Chengyou, don't force me." This is going to make me infamous for the ages! ”

Chief of Staff Yan hesitated for a moment and persuaded: "Junzuo, you don't have to worry, how can this infamy fall on your head!" ”

Cheng Qian said angrily: "Don't lie to me!" I am the commander of the theater of operations, who else is behind this black cauldron besides me? ”

Chief of Staff Yan didn't speak, but secretly pointed his finger at Lu Shang.

Cheng Qian suddenly realized, and hurriedly asked Yan Xunfu to apply to Chang Kai through Lin Wei, the director of the attendant room. After the telephone call was made, Chief of Staff Yan briefed him on the critical situation facing the First War Zone, and of course, in order to attract attention, he had to exaggerate a few words.

Director Lin did not expect the situation to deteriorate to such a point. Taken aback. Busy asking what countermeasures there were in the First War Zone.

Yan Xunfu then replied: "Director Lin, don't hide it, the matter has come to this point, and we plan to dig the embankment of the Yellow River. Release water to stop the enemy! ”

"Burst the embankment and release water?" Lin Wei was also taken aback. After a pause, he asked, "Then where are you planning to dig?"

"The line from Zhaokou to Huayuankou." Yan Xunfu added another sentence according to Cheng Qian's prompt: "The stakes are very high. Director Lin is requested to report to the chairman of the committee. ”

Of course, Lin Wei didn't dare to call the shots about such a big matter, so he put down the microphone and hurriedly ran to report to Chang Kaishen.

Chang Kaishen immediately ordered the convening of the Supreme Military Council. But he was the first to agree at the meeting. At this time, he was thinking about making peace with Japan, and felt that it was necessary to show Japan its determination to resist the war to the end. Let Little Japan know, don't force me, I can do anything if I'm in a hurry.

As for the innocent people, in his words, you have to pay for school fees, you have to pay money for business, and you have to make small sacrifices in exchange for big victories.

As soon as the old man spoke, everyone naturally did not dare to disagree, and most of them tended to echo it. Chang Kaishen also said at the meeting that this matter is a top military secret, and it must be kept secret, and it is not allowed to organize the transfer of the people in advance. That is, he has made up his mind to sacrifice tens of millions of people in the Yellow Flood Area.

Chen Cheng, the newly appointed minister of military affairs, asked: "It is easy to keep secrets in advance and during the process, but after the flood is flooded, there will be reporters to report on it, and public opinion will also inquire about the reasons. ”

He Yingqin, chief of staff of the Military Commission, proposed that an order could be issued to strengthen censorship of the press and that no newspaper should be reported. "No!" Chang Kaishen immediately denied it, "Let it be reported, and report the disaster truthfully." ”

Everyone immediately understood the meaning of Chang Kaishen's words - to put the responsibility on the Japanese. Of course, without Japan's invasion of China, this tragedy would not have happened, so this black pot devil is not wronged on his back. At the end of the day, they're the culprits.

Historically, less than an hour later, Yan Xunfu received a call back from Lin Wei: "Your plan to dig the embankment has been studied by the Supreme Military Council, and the chairman of the committee has agreed to it. ”

This time, however, an unexpected telegram interrupted the proceedings. Just as everyone was about to leave, Lin Wei hurried over with a telegram. This is an urgent telegram sent by the 97th Army overstepping the ranks, and it is also Zheng Weiguo's last effort.

Chang Kaishen hastily read the telegram, snorted and said, "How can this be reasonable, how can this be reasonable!" After a few victories, will they climb on top of me? ”

He, Chen and the others looked at each other, and hurriedly picked up Zheng Huzi's telegram and circulated it. Zheng Weiguo described in detail in the telegram the dangers of the bursting levee.

The water of the Yellow River was surging down, and dozens of counties (cities) in Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces were affected. Tens of millions of people have been displaced and nearly a million have been killed. This was only the first year, after which the Yellow River poured into the Huai River and flowed for nine years, causing many evils. After entering the 21st century, the people of Anhui are still troubled by the silt brought by the Yellow River.

So, is it necessary to pay such a big price? There is no need! First, even if the Japanese army occupied the Pinghan line, they would evacuate, because they no longer planned to move south from the Pinghan line. Second, the Japanese attack on Wuhan was not delayed by the bursting of the Huayuankou embankment, and the Japanese occupied Wuhan five months later.

There is also a third point, the water of the Yellow River could not stop the Japanese soldiers at all. Historically, the Japanese army did not advance westward mainly because of its lack of troops and its unwillingness to consume national strength. If you really want to fight, how can the water of the Yellow River be of great use?

For example, in 1941, in response to the Battle of Changsha, the 35th Division of the Japanese Army forcibly crossed the water barrier in the Yellow Flood Area on October 2 with only 5 infantry brigades and 3 cavalry brigades, and captured Zhengzhou on October 4.

Another example is the Battle of Henan-China launched by the Japanese army in 1944, the 17th Division of the 12th Army crossed the New Yellow River (i.e., formed by the Yellow Flood Barrier) by Zhongmu on April 17, occupied Zhengzhou on the 19th, and captured Luoyang and central Henan in just over 30 days.

It can be seen that the breaking of the levee is really unnecessary, and it only hurts the people in vain. Zheng Weiguo also persuaded Chang Kaishen to do this useless thing and bear the infamy of the ages, why bother?

After reading the message, all the senior officials of the Military Commission were silent. Chen Cheng said in a low voice: "Commission, is this matter a slowdown?" ”

Chang Kaishen was furious and said, "Slow what? The situation is critical, and there is no room for delay! If you are afraid of reciting infamy, I will recite this infamy. ”

Everyone didn't dare to persuade again, Lin Wei had no choice but to run to the first war zone, and said to Staff Officer Yan that the old man had already agreed to your plan.

After receiving the reply, Chief Cheng was overjoyed and hurriedly said: "It's good that the chairman agrees, even if someone asks about it in the future, I won't be blamed." Cheng You, you should quickly notify the Yellow River Water Conservancy Committee and the military and political personnel concerned about river defense to hold a meeting, and you must do it before the Japanese army breaks through the Pinghan Line! ”

Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang said in a low voice: "Junzuo, the stakes are very high, what is the basis for a message?" ”

Chief Cheng suddenly came to his senses, patted his head, and muttered: "My mother sold X, and I almost fell for someone Jiang's big deal again!" He then sent an official telegram requesting instructions.

Chang Kaishen secretly cursed the old fox in his heart, but he finally called back and agreed, ordering the First War Zone to break the embankment at a selected location on the south bank of the Yellow River north of Zhongmu, so that the river would flood southeast between Zhengzhou and Zhongmu to prevent the enemy from attacking westward, and asked for the water to be released at midnight on the 4th.

Cheng Qian handed over the task of digging the embankment to the 20th Group Army, and after discussing with Wei Rulin, the commander-in-chief of the group army, and Wei Rulin, the chief of staff, sent a regiment of the 53rd Army to carry it out, and the location of the break was set at Zhaokou. Note that none of them are their own descendants. It can be seen that in their hearts, it is not a good thing.

As soon as it was ready, at 6 o'clock in the morning on June 4, Zhaokou dug the embankment and broke the ground. Due to underestimation, the strong foundation stone and slope protection stone are not enough.

Chang Kaishen was worried that the matter would be detected by the Japanese side, so he ordered Shang Zhen in the early morning of June 5: "This ruling, the fate of the country, without small sacrifices, how can there be great achievements?" At this critical juncture, we must break all scruples and overcome all scruples! ”

The order directly issued by the chairman of the committee is almost like a holy decree when it is put aside. Shang Zhen and Wei Rulin dare to slack off? At 8 o'clock in the afternoon, the sappers carried out blasting and blew up the cornerstone, but the slope was too steep and seriously collapsed, and all the openings were blocked, and all the previous efforts were lost!

Shang Zhen had no choice but to find another place, but he failed three times in a row. Chang Kaishen was anxious and angry when he learned about it, and asked about the progress several times a day. Wei Rulin, who was urging on the embankment, was as anxious as ants on a hot pot, and Cheng Qian and Shang Zhen were also worried.

At this time, Jiang Zaizhen, the commander of the new Eighth Division stationed at Huayuankou, took the initiative to take over the work. Shang Zhen was not at ease and asked, "Are you sure?" ”

Division Commander Jiang said: "Absolutely sure, if it doesn't work, military law will be engaged!" ”

This division commander Chiang really had a way, and the deployment was launched late at night on the 6th, and the construction began on the morning of the 7th, and the officers and men worked for three days and three nights in a row, and finally dug the embankment, and the water of the Yellow River surged down the gap.

On the 12th, it merged with the water that had been washed away at Zhaokou, and flowed south along the Jialu River, making the villages and towns in the Jialu River and the vortex river basin a vast ocean. On July 13, the Huaihe River Iron Bridge in Bengbu was broken, and the area from Bengbu to Suxian County also became Zeguo. (To be continued......)