After receiving a telegram from Wang Suihua, a female major of the military commander, Qin Zhongxiao, the commander of the 391st Regiment of the Central Army, felt a trace of anxiety. Previously, he had decided to send a small force to infiltrate the Japanese camp at Little Elm Mountain. However, what made him feel uneasy was a piece of information sent to him by Zhang Hong, chief of staff: After investigation, the soldiers of the special service company found that the transportation of Japanese trains on the Tongpu railway had been significantly weakened recently, and there were no longer large quantities of military supplies and frequent pick-up and drop-off of combat personnel; This may indicate that the Japanese army's reinforcements on the Jinnan front may have stopped, which means that the war ahead is coming to an end and the second theater of the national army is completely defeated.

Since the last combat meeting, Qin Zhongxiao sent a platoon of soldiers of the special service company, divided into almost a dozen groups, to carry out reconnaissance in the direction of Nantongpu Road, including the Junling Tomb, which the special service company had visited many times before. During this period, he obtained a large amount of information showing that Wei Lihuang's central army was retreating to the area of Zhongtiao Mountain, and Yan Xishan's Jin army also appeared to have crossed the Yellow River to Shaanxi. The operations of the Sena Division of the Japanese Army in the southern and southwestern directions of Jinjin can be described as a breakthrough and a decisive victory.

The colonel of the Central Army once had such an idea - since the main force of the Sena Division is currently assembled in southern Jin, then in the central Jinzhong area: some county towns near the south of Taiyuan, including Junling, the garrison force should be quite empty and weak, and Qin Zhongxiao is considering sending a powerful force to sneak out of that area and seize part of the county seat. But the plan was met with immediate opposition.

The opponent, of course, is his chief of staff, Zhang Hong. Chief of Staff Zhang believes. With the current strength of the 391st Regiment, we should concentrate on considering reconquering Fengdian County; In addition, the attack on Little Elm Mountain was also listed under the requirements of the Shanxi Station of the Military Command. At this time, it was not a wise decision to ignore these two current tasks and instead maneuver and sneak out of the heart of the Japanese-occupied area: near Taiyuan.

In fact, Qin Zhongxiao's counterattack on Junling and other places in the direction of Taiyuan was more out of a utopian concept, in his mind, as the main combat force of the Central Army, although the establishment was incomplete, he still had the responsibility and obligation to carry out a counterattack on the heart of the Japanese army. It is certainly unrealistic to fight Taiyuan, and there is no certainty at all. However, if one or two counties around Taiyuan are defeated, judging from the current intelligence analysis, it is still feasible.

According to the information sent back by the spy company's reconnaissance, Junling, Qixian, Taigu, and several other county towns distributed on the Tongpu railway line, the Japanese garrison force in each county town at present has more than 100 people and less than dozens of people, which really surprised Qin Zhongxiao. Compared to these important towns along the Tongpu Railway, Fengdian, between the two mountains, seems so insignificant. However, it was this Fengdian that was stationed hundreds of elite Japanese soldiers and cavalry of the puppet Mongolian army.

So once upon a time, Qin Zhongxiao felt that his nearly 1,000 soldiers and horses were shrinking in the Great Elm Mountain, looking at each other with this little-known Fengdian County, and falling into a very helpless state of confrontation, which was really a waste of time and troops. Opposite. If the whole regiment is mobilized to counterattack on the front line of Junling, Qixian, and Taigu, and if one or two famous county towns can be recovered by surprise, it will also be a beneficial move for the entire anti-Japanese war situation in Shanxi.

Thinking about it, Qin Zhongxiao couldn't help but feel more and more excited about his idea. In the regimental headquarters of Xiaozhai, facing the large military map and sand table, he already had in his mind the feat of commanding two main battalions plus a machine gun company and a special agent company to conquer Junling City in one fell swoop. However, when he confided these ideas to Chief of Staff Zhang Honghe, what he got was a basin of cold water.

The colonel of the Central Army felt frustrated, but this frustration was not serious, because he himself knew very well in his heart that this was just a fantasy of wishful thinking!

The chief of staff reminded him of the two urgent tasks of the moment, and how could he have so many in mind? But the sudden idea of recovering famous cities such as the Junling Tomb gnawed at his ambition from time to time like a small bug.

"O my Chief of Staff! Think about it, we are dealing with the devils of Fengdian in the mountains, how many people know about our actions? Win or beat? ”

The colonel of the Central Army banged on the sand table and complained not without regret:

"But if I can take down the city, it will be different. Overnight, Taiyuan, the whole of Shanxi, and even the entire second war zone will feel the shock! Such a battle is the only one that can effectively strike at the Japanese army. But now we can only shrink into the mountains, competing with the sturdy and tall county town next to us, and the result of the competition, you and I don't know! ”

Zhang Hong was not moved, and replied slowly: "Tuanzao, I also feel very admired for your strategic concept. However, you should also see that the current 391st Regiment is no longer what it was when it first entered Shanxi, and its soldiers, weapons, ammunition, and supplies cannot support a long-distance battle target of more than 100 miles away. ”

Qin Zhongxiao did not like the usual calmness of the chief of staff, although the other party was usually always right. So he left Zhang Hong and walked outside the village for a walk alone. Looking at the big elm mountain in the spring, I thought of the Fengdian outside the mountain pass again. At this moment, a thought suddenly appeared clearly in his mind, which was still very impetuous just now: Fengdian, such a little-known county town far away from the railway line, why is there so many Japanese soldiers stationed!?

According to the spies and spies, even the railway line towns such as Junling, Qixian, and Taigu are already garrisoned by only a few Japanese soldiers, so this Fengdian county town in the mountains is still stationed close to a large number of Japanese puppet soldiers at least for the moment. This is definitely no coincidence! It just shows that this county town has its ulterior secrets, including the small elm mountain that is a step away from the county seat.

Qin Zhongxiao's mind became active again, and the frustration just now had been swept away. He was thinking, what secrets did Fengdian and Little Elm Mountain hide from the Japanese after all? Major Wang of the Shanxi Station of the Military Command was bent on spying, and even now far away in Wencheng, he still sent telegrams from time to time to urge him to ask if he had sent a small force to reconnoiter to Little Elm Mountain. It seems that the article here is still very large.

The commander of the spy company has been seconded to Wencheng by Major Wang, but the spy company is still there; He decided to still send this elite force to disguise himself as villagers and mountain people to conduct infiltration reconnaissance on Little Elm Mountain. He was going to let the chief of staff discuss the specific infiltration site with the local people who were familiar with the terrain of Little Elm Mountain.

Geographically, Little Elm Mountain is on the same meridian from east to west as Wencheng of the Tongpu Railway. If Wencheng is the rear and base camp of the Sena Division currently fighting in Jinnan, then the small elm mountain adjacent to Wencheng can also be regarded as part of the base camp of the Sena Division. And in this base camp, there must be important secrets of the Japanese army, which may be closely related to their operations in Jinnan.

If his own inference is true, then the 391st Regiment will not only have to complete the task of touching the attack assigned by the female major of the military commander, but he must consider concentrating superior forces and carrying out an overall and comprehensive attack on Little Elm Mountain. If the Japanese army in the mountain is strong, it must also be pulled up to the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army Forest Division at the foot of Guanmen Mountain.

Thinking of the Second Battalion of the Eighth Route Army, Qin Zhongxiao showed a subtle smile on his face, he was thinking, maybe fate destined him, the colonel of the Central Army, to deal with this Eighth Route Army to the end! They had previously drawn up a plan to jointly attack Little Elm Mountain, but by mistake it has not been realized to this day. But it seems that Little Elm Mountain, as an important strategic goal, has become more and more clear, so it is imperative to cooperate with the second battalion of the Eighth Route Army Forest Division.

The cavalry company of the 2nd Battalion of the Lin Division, which had been left at the headquarters of the 391st Regiment to recuperate from its wounds, has returned, and it can be learned from the information provided by the liaison officer sent by the Eighth Route Army that Wu Zijian, deputy commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Lin Division, is recovering the defense area of the two villages at the foot of Guanmen Mountain. This indomitable man is regrouping; This is undoubtedly good news.

How many Japanese troops were there in Little Elm Mountain? How many mobile troops could the Japanese army in Bunjo (the brigade commander of the Hagiwara Brigade of the Sena Division, who had been verified to be in charge in person) send to reinforce Little Elm Mountain at any time? These are still unknowns, and he needs to clarify them as soon as possible.

At a small-scale military meeting held later, on the issue of uniting the Eighth Route Army, Chief of Staff Zhang Hong reminded that if the current Japanese puppet forces in Fengdian County were taken as a reference, then the number of Japanese troops stationed in Xiaoyushushan might not be less than that of Fengdian. Therefore, at present, the 391st Regiment has to do more reconnaissance than to rush to invite the Eighth Route Army to join forces.

The colonel of the Central Army knew very well that his chief of staff, like the female major of the military commander in Wencheng, did not have a good impression of the Eighth Route Army, and they all thought that this communist army was a partner of the chairman of the committee, and they came together against their will in the general climate of the Anti-Japanese War; And important actions at critical moments should still be kept away from them. Qin Zhongxiao did not intend to continue to waste time convincing his chief of staff, but inviting the second battalion of Wu Zijian's Lin Division, which was strong in combat, to join forces, had already formed an ironclad plan in his mind.

At this moment, a sudden situation disrupted Qin Zhongxiao's deployment.

The brothers of the spy company who went to the Junling area to investigate encountered several friendly soldiers who participated in the Battle of Xinkou last year, they were officers and soldiers of the 64th Division of Liu Maoen's 15th Army. Later, in order to avoid the Japanese army, they changed the color of the common people's clothes and have been wandering on both sides of the Tongpu Railway. Accidentally met with the personnel of the 391st Regiment Special Service Company, and learned that the regiment was still fully established and resting in the Great Elm Mountain, so he asked for containment. According to their accounts, at the end of last year, when the 15th Army retreated to the central and southern part of Jin, some of the weapons and ammunition could not be carried, so they were buried in the mountains west of Junling County!

The soldiers of the special service company immediately asked them to lead the way to the location where the munitions were buried, and wrote down the relevant topographical features, hand-drawn drawings, and then hurriedly returned to the Great Elm Mountain to report.

This sudden situation surprised and delighted Qin Zhongxiao. According to the account of the 15th Army's rout, most of the munitions buried at that time were heavy weapons and ammunition that were not easy to carry on the way to retreat, including mountain artillery and heavy machine guns, which was tantamount to sending charcoal in the snow for the 391st Regiment.

The colonel of the Central Army immediately ordered to organize a battalion of troops and transportation capacity to sneak out in the direction of Junling overnight, and quickly transport this batch of munitions back!