Chen Hao's unit broke away from the command of the 14th Division after the Gaomi Defensive Battle and became directly under the jurisdiction of the Military Region, and retreated all the way to Qicheng in the northwest under the cover of the 14th Division. The troops began to resent, much to the distress of the middle and senior officers of the 16th Brigade. More than 80% of the brigade is from Shandong, and it is deeply puzzled by the "indulging in the enemy's depth", the main force of the division is surrounded in Qingdao, but we keep retreating to the west, how did the above command it? It's not that the high density can't be kept? Why retreat? Although the mourning teacher has passed, the loss of land is real, how to explain this ending to the old folks? The migrant workers team who belong to them are also deeply dissatisfied, look at you, so many guns, why don't you fight with the little devils? Where are you going?

The members of the migrant labor team are basically Jiaodong people, and their hometown has fallen into the hands of the enemy. Most of the leaders were officials at the county and township levels, and some documents on mobilization were to be conveyed to them, and the atrocities of the Japanese army in several counties in Jiaodong were sorted out by the Propaganda Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense and the Political Department of the Central Military Region, and distributed to the troops to boost morale.

Fortunately, the troops stopped in the southeast of Qicheng and received an order to rest on the spot. The local government has prepared a garrison for the troops, and several villages have been vacated to accommodate the Shandong soldiers. The 16th Brigade was replenished here with 500 reservists and a large amount of ammunition, but did not receive orders to counterattack or build fortifications on the spot. The 6th Division was known for its defense, and it had extremely high requirements for the construction work. Although he did not receive an order, Brigade Commander Qu Zhiyong still led the regiment and battalion commanders to survey the terrain and study the deployment of defense.

Chen Hao's 1st Battalion was stationed alone in a village and entered a short-term battlefield recuperation. A day ago, Director Wang of the Political Department of the Military Region led a group to the 46 th Regiment to present the 46 th Regiment with a pennant of "Attacking Like a Tiger" on behalf of the Ministry of National Defense. This is a commendation for the 46th regiment's Qingdao attack. As is customary, units that have received regimental honors will never be dismantled. This was followed by the awarding and commendation of the officers and men of the 46th Regiment for their meritorious service, and all the officers and men who participated in the Qingdao offensive were awarded a "Qingdao Campaign Medal," and the officers and men who made meritorious contributions were given other rewards. Chen Hao was awarded a second-class hero medal, which is the highest reward for individuals in the 46th Regiment and even the 16th Brigade. The 2nd Battalion, which was the first to attack the No. 1 fortress of Xiaozhan Mountain, did not receive honor.

It has been more than a month since the Battle of Qingdao ended. Due to layers of approval. It is only now that the relevant rewards have been determined. Director Wang of the Political Department of the Military Region personally put on the Heroic Medal to Major Chen Hao, and said to Chen Hao, "Commander Feng of the Military Region appreciates your bravery very much, good example!" I hope you will make another success in the next battles! ”

A reporter from the "National Defense Daily" who accompanied Director Wang made an exclusive interview with Chen Hao.

That day. Chen Hao, who was excited, sent all the medals and bonuses to his wife. And attached is a heartfelt letter. The wound on his right hand has not yet healed. The handwriting was affected, and the characters were written Barbarala, but Chen Hao didn't care. His wife had been informed of his injuries. The more this happens, the more relieved the wife becomes.

In the morning, after receiving the order from the regiment headquarters, Chen Hao took the communications troops to the regiment headquarters five miles away on horseback to gather, the people in the village were not evacuated, and the streets were full of children frolicking, without a trace of the special atmosphere before the big war. Chen Hao led the horse out of the village, and the villagers greeted him warmly along the way.

The avenue north of the village was lined with endless marching columns, cars pulling artillery, more animal-powered carts carrying ammunition and food, and soldiers walking with rifles on their backpacks. It's the rhythm of a rapid march. Chen Hao noticed that this unit had not yet been issued with steel helmets, and the rifles and heavy machine guns were also old-fashioned, presumably newly transferred reinforcements to the battlefield.

Chen Hao led the horse and squeezed through the column, causing dissatisfaction among others, "What are you squeezing around?" ”

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Chen Hao said apologetically to a lieutenant glaring at him, "which part are you from?" ”

"What part are you?" The lieutenant asked rhetorically. Suddenly, he saw the golden plum blossom on Chen Hao's collar badge, and the young officer in front of him turned out to be a major! Therefore, the Standing Straight Salute -- the military regulations of the Wehrmacht, in the same unit, those with low posts should first salute those with high posts. In different units, those with low ranks should first salute those with high ranks, "Report to the major, according to the order of the superiors, not to reveal the number of our department." ”

"Well, I wish you victory." Chen Hao returned the salute and led the communication corps through the marching column.

"Listen to the accent is southern." The communications soldier muttered.

Chen Hao admitted that he was on the horse, thinking in his heart, this is not far from Weixian, it is said that the fighting in Weixian is very fierce, and the 16th Division is almost unable to withstand it, if this army is to reinforce Weixian, the direction is not right? Isn't this crossing the battle line?

After meeting the head of Li Shaoqian, Chen Hao expressed his doubts.

"Don't ask, just take care of your own business. Brigade Commander Qu wants to show us the terrain, let's go. Li Shaoqian led several of his battalion commanders to ride towards the assembly place.

"Chen Hao, you kid is beautiful, when the "National Defense Daily" publishes your photos and deeds, you will be famous in the whole army." Qu Zhiyong, who was sitting on a small earthen bag, was laughing with the officers under him, and when he saw several main officers of the 46th Regiment coming, he stood up, ignored Li Shaoqian, and greeted Chen Hao first.

"Thank you for the chief's love, Chen Hao didn't dare to take credit. Listen to the head of the regiment, you want to show us the terrain? ”

"Talking! However, you deserve it, and you have won glory for our brigade. As for looking at the terrain and repairing fortifications, it is the old rule of our division commander Ye, and the troops must first master the terrain when they live. However, there was already an order, there was no need to build fortifications, and the 14th Division came down after us. Qu Zhiyong waved his horsewhip and pointed to the southeast.

At your feet is the sparkling Wei River.

"Brigade commander, what order did the above give us to the brigade?"

"Rest and be on standby." Qu Zhiyong also muttered in his heart, what is it if you don't advance or retreat and stop here?

"It is said that the fighting in Weixian is fierce......" Li Shaoqian said cautiously. His backer in the army is far worse than Chen Hao, although his military rank is higher than Chen Hao, but he does not have Chen Hao's casualness in front of his boss. Commander Feng knew about this battalion commander, but he definitely didn't know himself.

"yes, yes." Qu Zhiyong's gaze turned back and looked in the northwest direction, "Everyone, guess what's the purpose of putting our brigade here?" You said! He pointed at Chen Hao with his horsewhip.

"I saw the eastward brigade just now, and I couldn't see the end at a glance...... It should be a new transfer to our military district. Chen Hao sorted out his thoughts, "The Japanese army attacked on two fronts, the north and the south, the southern front had already occupied Gaomi, and the northern front was approaching Weixian, and the superiors ordered us to abandon Gaomi and retreat to the north. Maybe it's all the way to concentrate the main forces to fight back against him? Chen Hao remembered the unfamiliar army he had just encountered.

"Oh? Which way to fight back? Qu Zhiyong looked at Chen Hao with a smile.

"It's the Northern Route, right? If you hit the southern line. We have a problem with our deployment. ”

"Good boy, dare to doubt Commander Feng?" Qu Zhiyong smiled, "Go on, why is it the northern route and not the southern route?" ”

Chen Hao's thinking became clear. "Report to the brigade commander. If you counterattack the southern front. Our brigade should not have withdrawn to Qicheng. Perhaps the superiors asked our brigade and the 14th Division to resist on the spot and provide cover for the counterattack on the northern front. ”

Qu Zhiyong's face turned stern. Chen Hao's judgment is reasonable, but there are obvious loopholes. If it was to support the flanks for the northern front, then the headquarters would not have held the 16 Brigade in its hands and should continue to be under the command of the 14 Division. He had already seen that unit just now, apparently a large interspersed detachment inserted behind enemy lines from between Weixian and Gaomi, at least one brigade, maybe a division, who knows? In a war of this magnitude, he, the brigade commander, is not yet up to the ranks, and he will not be informed of the full plan of the headquarters. But it is certain that the retreat from Gaomi to Qicheng was to fight back.

"If you guess right, I'll treat you to dinner, in the best restaurant in Jinan. Ha ha. Qu Zhiyong slapped his high leather boots with a horsewhip, "If you guess wrong, you are the east, and we are invited to have a good drink." ”

"No problem. Deal. However, the superiors will never use a main force like us. Chen Hao said with a smile.

"That's right! So take a good rest, rest is also an important task. ”

After resting for two days in Qicheng, the 16th Brigade finally received an order to cross the Wei River and secretly advance south along the right bank.

"If you guessed wrong, let's go back and fight the old enemy of the 3rd Division." Chen Hao listened to the clear sound of artillery coming from the south, it was the 14th Division that had started the blocking battle against the 3rd Division that had caught up. After the bloody battle with the German army in Qingdao, Chen Hao's fear of the armies of the great powers was gone, especially the Japanese army, with the training and equipment of the 16th brigade, it had an advantage in dealing with the Japanese army. In the Gaomi Blockade Battle, the 1st Battalion suffered minor losses and easily repelled the Japanese troops.

"What time is it?" He asked the communications corps.

"What's the number? Number 11 or number 12? ”

"Stupid! I can't even remember the number. Chen Hao scolded, "Give this letter to the military post, and then go to the riverbank to find me." Chen Hao handed over the letter he had written to his wife last night to the communications soldier.

It was October 12th. After shrinking the forces and inducing the Japanese army to lengthen the front, the counterattack campaign of the Central Military Region was first started on the northern front.

The main force of the 2nd Division inserted the battle line from the vicinity of Cheliuzhuang south of Weixian, cutting off the weak connection between the 23rd Brigade and the 6th Division and forcing the 23rd Brigade to the south, and a brigade of the division (4th Brigade) was inserted from the east of Cheliuzhuang and went straight to Xinhe, forming the outer line of the Japanese army on the northern front and blocking possible Japanese reinforcements from the direction of Laizhou. Another brigade of the division, with the support of the division's direct subordinate troops, assaulted Changyi to form the inner layer of the eastern front of the encirclement.

To the east of Qicheng and Weixian, there was also a direct subordinate team of the 23rd Brigade and the 18th Division of the Japanese Army, whose mission was to ensure the security of the southern flank of the 6th Division attacking Weixian. This brigade was to be handed over to the last brigade of the 2nd Division and the 16th Brigade assembled near Qicheng.

According to the campaign plan of the Central Military Region, two encirclements of the north and south will be formed east of Weixian and west of Changyi, with the entire 6th Division in the large circle and the headquarters of the 18th Division and the 23rd Brigade in the small circle.

After the counterattack on the northern front was launched, the counterattack on the southern front was launched. The 14th Division, which was supplemented by Sun Wu, resisted the 29th Brigade that had caught up with it to ensure the safety of the encirclement and annihilation on the northern front. The headquarters had confirmed that the Japanese 3rd Division did not go north after occupying Gaomi, but left half of its troops to take care of the rear, so Feng Guozhu decided to make a move on the northern front first. After judging that the Japanese army was in a crisis on its northern front, it would order the 5th Brigade left behind in Gaomi to go north for reinforcements, and after the brigade went north, the main force of the 18th Division, which was concealed in the mountains east of Gaomi, could go forward, seize Gaomi, close the door to the retreat of the Japanese army, and join the 14th Division to encircle and annihilate the Japanese 3rd Division.

This was the third encirclement designed by the headquarters of the Chinese army.

The Chinese army on the southern front also had a strange army, that is, the main force of Du Sanli's 1st Division. The task of the division was to attack Jiaozhou Bay after the counterattack began. Flank the rear of the 9th Division, break the Japanese logistics line and try to stop the 9th Division's assault inland. If the 9th Division abandoned the encircled troops and fled for their lives, the main force of the 6th Division, which held Qingdao in Qingdao, would attack decisively, cut off its retreat to the ship, and joined forces with the main force of the 1st Division to encircle and annihilate the last division of the Japanese invasion of Shandong.

The headquarters' counterattack was conceived with great boldness.

The total strength of the Chinese army was deployed as follows: the 16th Division of the Northern Front, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division, the 2nd Division and the 16th Brigade of the 6th Division. There were 7 infantry brigades, and the opponent was one and a half divisions of the Japanese army. On the southern front, the 14th Division, the main force of the 18th Division and the 1st Division (owed to the 1st Brigade) and the 6th Division were two brigades, a total of 8 infantry brigades. The opponent was two and a half divisions of the Japanese army.

Considering that after the counterattack on the northern front was launched, the 24th Brigade attacking Qingdao from Fushan may turn around and move south. The pressure on the northern line will be greater than on the southern line. Feng Guozhu also has a cadet brigade that has just been formed for three months. The backbone is basically cadets, and units such as the brigade (there are only two regiments) and the guard regiment of the Central Military District will be the last reserve forces, ready to be put into the battlefield on the northern front at a critical moment.

The counterattack plan formulated by the Central Military Region and approved by the General Staff was heavily adjusted after Long Qian's inspection of the front line, changing the original principle of dealing with the 3rd Division first and then fighting the 6th Division to moving on two fronts. Split heads interspersed with surrounding. Strive to annihilate all the 23rd brigades of the 6th, 3rd and 18th Divisions.

Such a bold and even bold counterattack plan was based on the statistics of the battle loss ratio since the beginning of the war. The Central Military District Operations Department got the 2nd Division. After reinforcements from the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division and the 18th Division, a total of 7 brigades, they are determined to fight an unprecedented war of annihilation! In the face of the president's concerns, the Central Military District Operations Department listed the ratio of battle losses on the northern and southern fronts. In particular, it was pointed out that the troops of the 16th Division alone resisted the attack of one and a half divisions of the Japanese army and did not collapse! Xiadian and Changyi were all abandoned as planned, and several attempted breakthroughs by the enemy's 6th Division were crushed by Commander Gao's troops, and the casualties of the 16th Division were greater, but there was no situation where the strength was overwhelmed. As a result, the 1st Brigade, which was ready to be put into the northern front at any time, was never used until the start of the Weixian Defensive Battle, in view of the fact that the combat strength of the 16th Division (an indicator of the strength of the Chinese Army General Staff) had been weakened by more than 35%, in order not to break the muscles and bones, the 1st Brigade was put into the front of the Weixian defense under the order of Feng Guozhu. The brigade's input immediately stopped the onslaught of the 6th Division and dealt a heavy blow to the Kumamoto Division by virtue of its superior equipment. The Operations Department of the Central Military Region said that if the president gives us a huge reserve of seven brigades and does not fight a war of annihilation, we will have no shame in facing the president and the people!

Under the self-proclaimed national pillar, the Central Military Region's determination to completely annihilate the Japanese army invading China in World War I became stronger and stronger, and it was not satisfied with driving the Japanese army out of Shandong.

But Long Qian has an understanding of the tenacity of the Japanese army that no one else has. The prey is too big to turn over the pot!

Jiang Fangzhen, deputy chief of the General Staff, pointed out that if only the 3rd Division was plotted, it would lead the Japanese army to flee on the northern front! There is more than one port along the long coastline - the Japanese army will undoubtedly launch a rescue, of course, we can't let them merge with the north and the south, and division is the premise of annihilation. However, once the Japanese army found that the rescue was hopeless, General Terauchi made the right choice, the southern front withdrew from Qingdao, and the northern line boarded the ship by sea, losing a 3rd division. But if the northern route is attacked first, it will be difficult for the Japanese troops on the southern front to escape.

Jiang Fangzhen's plan was approved by the Central Military Region. Xue Xiaocai proved that the Japanese army on the northern front was extremely arrogant, and they would not have thought that our army would dare to attack them! This is also one of the favorable conditions.

After listening to the opinions of the Central Military Region and the General Staff Headquarters, Long Qian did not make a decision immediately. That was on October 7th. For this reason, Long Qian sent Jiang Fangzhen, accompanied by Xue Xiaocai, to the 16th Division, which had retreated to Weixian County to resist stubbornly, to understand the situation on the spot. In Weixian, Deputy General General Jiang sent a secret telegram to Long Qian, saying that the 16th Division suffered heavy casualties but had a high fighting spirit, and the division showed an extremely tenacious style and had the demeanor of the 6th Division. According to the report of the 2nd Special Operations Brigade that had infiltrated behind enemy lines, the Japanese army was running low on supplies, looking for food everywhere, and there was also a crisis in ammunition, and the front-line troops confirmed that in the past two days, the artillery preparation of the 6th Division of the Japanese Army had significantly weakened. The commander of the 16th Division, Gao Division, judged that the supply of Japanese artillery shells was already insufficient.

However, our army has a stable supply of Jinan military industry and the strong support of the local government, and so far there has been no shortage of ammunition and supplies. However, the consumption since the beginning of the war has exceeded expectations, and the end of this battle has also emptied the stocks of ammunition that have been stored in the past three years, especially large-caliber artillery shells.

Jiang Fangzhen first attacked the northern front and put forward a specific plan, that is, to immediately put in the 1st Brigade to consolidate the Weixian defensive line, to give relief to the 16th Division, which had been fighting hard since the beginning of the war, and to free up troops to prevent the roundabout assault of Umezawa Michiji. The key to the counterattack on the northern front was the 2nd Division, which would have been won if the division had successfully achieved a breakthrough in the center!

The 2nd Division became a key pawn in the Shandong campaign.

"Commander, our division will definitely achieve its mission and live up to the high expectations of the commander!" Han Ziying, the commander of the 2nd Division, was overjoyed after learning of the task scheduled for him, and made a military order in front of Long Qian in front of Feng Guozhu and others, "If I can't complete the task, I am willing to be punished with the most severe punishment!" ”

Although Han Ziying has not experienced the entire army of Mengshan, he is also an old man of the Mengshan army. He joined the Mengshan Army in Xigu. In the Wehrmacht, calling Long Qian a commander is a sign of seniority.

The predecessor of the 2nd Division was the 10th Town, and further on was the 10th Association of the 5th Town. Historically, the division belongs to the oldest units of the Wehrmacht and can be on an equal footing with the 1st Division. Later, the 6th and 9th divisions, which became famous, were all little brothers in front of it. But unfortunately, there was a Xinning incident before raising troops against the Qing Dynasty, and the 2nd Division has been unlucky since then. Below Lan Xinzhi, all the officers held their breath and patiently looked for an opportunity to turn over and correct their names.

The 2nd Division was unlucky because of Feng Lun and Zhou Yidao. But the situation has changed in recent years, first of all, Zhou Yi, the teacher of the 2nd Division, was finally released from the "solitary confinement", and with the approval of Long Qian, Zhou Yi was appointed as the dean of the newly formed Logistics College, and his military status was also restored, but he was not awarded a military rank. Zhou Yi's comeback was a signal, and the 2nd Division was promoted by a group of people, such as Chai Shouye, the commander of the 18th Division who participated in the Shandong Campaign, who turned out to be the brigade commander of the 2nd Division.

There are also objective reasons why the 2nd Division is inferior to the 6th and 9th Divisions in the Wehrmacht. As the main force of Long Qian's southwest, the 2nd Division ran a lot of roads in the anti-Qing war, but it did not make any sensational achievements for the whole army. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff planned to march into Tibet, and the 2nd Division stationed in Chengdu strongly requested to undertake the task, but in the end it was "appointed" by Long Qian to Cao Kun's 13th Division, which made Cao Kun, Wu Peifu and other Beiyang generals fiercely out of the limelight. When the Shandong crisis broke out this time, the current commander of the Southwest Military Region and the teacher of the 2nd Division, Lan Xinzhi, strongly demanded the use of the 2nd Division. Long Qian agreed. Although Lan Xinzhi could not personally command the 2nd Division to go to Shandong, he personally went to the 2nd Division to hold a meeting above the battalion commander to make a combat mobilization, and asked the 2nd Division to turn over in the first battle and play the demeanor of an old army.

Holding his breath, the 2nd Division went east by boat, transferred to a train in Wuhan to Shimen, and carried out some refitting and replenishment at Shimen; under the personal care of Long Qian, the whole division strengthened its artillery and engineering forces, launched a month-long large-scale military training, and conducted a live confrontation exercise with the 1st Brigade. Long Qian personally went to the 2nd Division to inspect and express condolences and cheer up the troops. Then, the whole division secretly went south to Jinan with full personnel and was incorporated into the general reserve of the Central Military Region. After inspecting the 2nd Division, Feng Guozhu was deeply satisfied and made up his mind to hand over the most critical task of the counterattack to the division.

"Ziying, you must understand the meaning of this battle, if the intention of the headquarters is achieved, it will break the backbone of the Japanese Army! From then on, let him give up his ambition to compete with us on land. But if you smash it, what's the use of me punishing you? Long Qian held Han Ziying's hand, "Ziying, you have participated in the Battle of Gengzi, think about the humiliation that our country has endured, it is finally time for a snow national shame!" I believe in you, in the 50,000 officers and soldiers of the 2nd Division. Let's fight with your heart and prove the strength of the old troops of the Mengshan Army with victory. (To be continued......)