The battle is raging in the front, the cannons are rumbling, and the troops in the rear are not idle either. Those who are organizing and training are also rushing to assemble.
On the 5th, the enemy captured the entire territory of Jining, and the troops near Xuzhou were close to 80,000 troops.
On the 6th, the northward marching troops of the National Army on the Jinpu Line had crossed Zouxian County and were approaching the Sishui Bridge. On the same day, Commander-in-Chief Li Zongren officially launched the mobilization of young people in the Jiangsu, Shandong and Anhui theaters to join the army and organized a youth student corps. More than 2,000 people had signed up. .
On the 7th, the advancing troops of the national army (Sichuan Army) who were fighting the enemy were defeated by the Japanese army. The Japanese army captured Zoucheng and approached Teng County. Suddenly, southern Lunan was shaken.
After the Japanese army captured Zouxian, they took Zouxian as their stronghold and Liangxiadian as their advance position. They temporarily maintained a confrontation with the Sichuan army on the east-west line of the boundary river.
After investigation, it was found that the enemy troops in Zouxian and Liangxiadian were part of the 106th Division, with about 800 people, commanded by Major Furong.
On the 8th, the anti-Japanese troops near Xuzhou gathered more than 100,000 troops to cooperate with various forces to attack the enemy.
Also on the same day, Zhang Tianhai received an order from the Chief of Staff to follow Xu Zuyi, chief of staff of the theater, to Kaifeng for a meeting. He obeyed Xu Zuyi's command and went to Xuzhou Railway Station to board a train heading west.
After receiving this order, Zhang Tianhai immediately gathered all the officers above the battalion commander of the regiment and the heads of departments directly under the regiment for a meeting.
After all, this order did come too suddenly, and the training plan of the Zhiyi Regiment had to be temporarily suspended.
"Regiment leader, why did this order come so suddenly?" This was the first question Zhou Fangjie asked after returning to the regiment headquarters.
Zhang Tianhai sighed and said: "We are not officers, so we can only choose to obey orders."
After seeing Zhang Tianhai's attitude, Zhou Fangjie's impatient mood immediately calmed down. After all, such a sudden order would be extremely detrimental to the training of the entire Zhiyi Regiment.
After calming down, Zhou Fangjie asked: "Tuan Zuo, what do you mean by asking us to follow you to Kaifeng?"
"The stage has been set up, and the monkeys who want to retreat without a fight are all here. The only thing missing is the chicken that was killed. I guess they want us to clean up the chicken shit from this chicken." Zhang Tianhai He said with a wry smile, if it weren't for the commander's orders, he really wouldn't be willing to take the troops to that stupid place in Kaifeng. After all, it would affect the training of the Zhiyi Regiment.
"The chicken that the regiment is talking about refers to Han Fuqu, the deputy commander of the fifth theater who fled without fighting and abandoned Jinan, right?" Seeing Zhang Tianhai's description of it very humorously, Zhou Fangjie couldn't help but laugh too - -This guy's mouth is really poisonous. What is chicken shit? The co-author's Third Army, with more than 100,000 people in total, are all chicken shit, right?
Zhang Tianhai glared and said: "That's not it? Who else besides him? Since the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, you can see the determination of the principal. This is a national war, not a civil war. This is Deputy Commander Han. Ah, is this still the way of the old warlords, retreating without a fight at this juncture? Doesn't this force the principal to kill someone?"
"Do you also think that Han Fuqu has no chance of surviving?" Zhou Fangjie asked.
I saw Zhang Tianhai saying with great certainty: "That's for sure. Da Luo Jinxian came and couldn't save Han Fuqu's life. As the deputy commander of the fifth theater, Han Fuqu retreated and defended Jinan without fighting. He also repeatedly disobeyed orders. , the impact is extremely bad. This will definitely bring a very bad atmosphere within the national army. If everyone can retreat without a fight, especially senior officers, can the war of resistance be continued? Will China still exist? Really? Therefore, the principal must kill Han Fuqu."
"It's true. Han Fuqu is bound to die. But Han Fuqu's third army is not easy to deal with. If you are not careful, these 100,000 troops mutiny, which is a pity." Zhou Fangjie looked worried. said.
"You don't have to worry about this matter. The principal will find a way to handle it. Don't forget how our Central Army defeated the Northwest Army in the Central Plains War." Zhang Tianhai said with great certainty. After all, it is in the history books. It’s written like this.
Besides, in the environment of the Central Plains War, Chiang Kai-shek could still deal with the Northwest Army, which was comparable in strength to his own and had strong combat effectiveness, let alone deal with a small Han Fuqu now when the army was gathering.
"That's right, captain, you are right. But is it necessary to implement our training plan to the end?" Zhou Fangjie asked. After all, the situation has changed now. Zhang Tianhai is the group leader, and he must obtain the title of group leader. support and consent.
"The original plan remains unchanged and we will continue to reorganize and train. It's just that we changed from Xuzhou to Kaifeng. We are taking a train to the west this time. It will definitely not take long. We will continue to reorganize and train after arriving in Kaifeng. The battle on the front line is now in full swing. , although the Japanese army has temporarily stopped their offensive, they will soon take the next step." Zhang Tianhai said decisively, it is not that the Japanese army does not want to continue the attack or open the Jinpu line as soon as possible, but the Japanese army's front expansion The move was too fast, and the battle line was stretched too long, making it impossible to effectively control the area occupied by the rear. To put it bluntly, I was afraid that if I took too long, I would lose my eggs.
When the Japanese army slowly digests the occupied areas, they will launch a new offensive climax. By then, the situation must be very critical. Not only the Japanese army must seize the time to adjust, but also the first group will need time. Rest and training.
This moment has come. Both sides are scrambling for time, trying to seize the opportunity, and are actively preparing for war, ready to annihilate or defeat the other side's main force in the shortest possible time.
The Japanese army's strategic intention is to open up the Jinpu Line to connect the strategic territories of the Central and North China Fronts. If possible, they would not mind annihilating the main force of the fifth theater in one fell swoop.
The intention of the national army is to defend Shandong and northern Jiangsu, and actively fight against the southward troops that consume the Japanese army.
The Japanese army's strategic intention is to open up the Jinpu Line to connect the strategic territories of the Central and North China Fronts. If possible, they would not mind annihilating the main force of the fifth theater in one fell swoop.
The intention of the national army is to defend Shandong and northern Jiangsu, and actively fight against the southward troops that consume the Japanese army.
The Japanese army's strategic intention is to open up the Jinpu Line to connect the strategic territories of the Central and North China Fronts. If possible, they would not mind annihilating the main force of the fifth theater in one fell swoop.
The intention of the national army is to defend Shandong and northern Jiangsu, and actively fight against the southward troops that consume the Japanese army.
