On the evening of June 13, Taiyuan, Japanese First Army Headquarters.

Kushibuchi Soichi's expression was a little nervous, and he said in a somewhat unnatural tone:

"The 36th and 37th Divisions have reported the same situation. Starting from noon today, the troops will cease fire across the board. Jiangdong seems to be launching a general offensive, and the time of the general offensive is very likely to be tonight!"

Because he has been in a state of anxiety for a long time, Umezu Meijiro looks a little haggard, and the beard on his chin has grown a lot, which looks very inconsistent with the small bunch on his upper lip.

Hearing the sound, he shifted his attention from the map to the chief of staff, and asked in a hoarse voice:

"What's the situation with the 4th Division and the 222nd Regiment?"

All information will be gathered to Kushibuchi Soichi, so he answers effortlessly.

"The Fourth Division is still entangled with the Red Party guerrillas, and its troops are scattered along the Pinghan-Han Railway. It is still unable to provide support to the Licheng battlefield.

The strength of the 222nd Infantry Regiment has been completely dispersed. Wei Lihuang's troops are active in Linfen, Hongdong, Wanan and other places. The 222nd Infantry Regiment has limited strength and it is difficult to organize effective resistance.

Well, the northernmost army has reached the vicinity of Zhaocheng. The puppet soldiers everywhere are panicked and many people have fled."

As soon as Kushibuchi Kusama finished speaking, he looked at Umezu Mijiro's expression carefully.

Umezu Yoshijiro found the location of Zhaocheng on the map. He lightly clicked on the map with his left index finger, and then said in a tone that could not be violated:

"Let the 222nd Regiment regroup, abandon the cities south of Zhaocheng, and use superior forces to defend the front line of Zhaocheng. Wei Lihuang cannot be allowed to take another step north."

This is the only feasible way at present. If the 222nd Regiment is bitten by Wei Lihuang's troops, then the Jinzhong area will become a blank area for Japanese troops. By then, not only four or five county towns will be lost, but also very likely.

Even Taiyuan is really directly threatened.

"In addition..." Kushiyuan Yuan added after remembering the order:

"The army's offensive in the northwestern part of Shanxi and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei border branch is also very fierce. Up to now, three county towns have been lost. If this situation continues, I'm afraid the war situation will become even worse."

This time Umezu Yoshijiro said without thinking almost:

"Deploy an infantry brigade and a puppet army regiment from Taiyuan to go north to support, and tell Hiki Koshijiro that I will not hold him responsible for the three counties that have been lost for the time being. If something similar happens again in the future, let him have a disembowelment to thank the emperor!"

"Hiyi!"

After transferring an infantry brigade, Taiyuan will only have one and a half brigade of defensive troops. If China sends another surprise soldier, Taiyuan will be in danger. But Umezu Yoshijiro can no longer control so much at the moment, he must stabilize the situation as soon as possible.

Live the situation.

"Then how to reply to the 36th and 37th Divisions on the front line in Licheng?"

Umezu Meijiro's cold eyes were mixed with a little helplessness,

"Order the 36th and 37th Divisions to strengthen their alert. No matter whether Jiangdong launches a general offensive tonight, they must defend the front line of Licheng. What we need most now is time. If they can hold on for a little longer, the battle situation will definitely be better.

A reversal occurs.

Whether the First Army can turn defeat into victory and wash away its humiliation depends on them!

At the same time, the aviation force was ordered to provide full support. Without air superiority, I don’t believe Jiangdong can reach Taiyuan!"

"Hiyi!"

Kushibuchi Soichi left with the orders and documents. When he walked to the door, he looked back at the somewhat lonely Umezu Mijiro.

"Alas!" His Excellency the Chief of Staff sighed.

In fact, he had another piece of bad news that he didn’t say clearly just now:

There are not many aircraft left that can provide air support.

These days of reconnaissance and raids have caused heavy losses to the aviation group. Currently, there are less than ten fighter jets that can take off, and there are really few bombers.

If the aviation force is deployed for more than three days, it is very likely that even the last few aircraft will not be saved.

.

Lu'an, the headquarters of the only division.

The atmosphere of the war has become very strong, and the security outside the headquarters has been strengthened, and no random people are allowed to approach.

People in the headquarters were walking in a hurry, and the radio and telephone were ringing one after another.

Among all the busy people, Jiang Dong's behavior seemed out of place. Because he neither looked at the map and meditated, nor yelled at the staff, but sat in front of the huge sand table and slowly drank hot tea, looking relaxed and

calm.

There was no trace of nervousness at all.

Staff officers passing by would involuntarily glance in the direction of the division commander. In their eyes, Jiangdong's leisurely and leisurely attitude became a model for strategizing and winning a thousand-mile victory.

Seeing the confident look of the top officer, while everyone in the staff was busy, the anxiety and tension in their hearts also continued to decrease.

Jiangdong's confidence infects everyone!

In fact, Jiangdong is not as confident as he seems on the outside, but he has done everything he can to the extreme, and then the process of waiting for the results is next.

He used the bitter fragrance of tea to drive away the tension in his heart and keep his brain in a calm state at all times to cope with all possible emergencies.

At this moment, the Japanese army has no way to recover, and it is imperative for Jiangdong to capture Licheng and other places.

The most critical thing in this battle is to completely annihilate the 36th, 37th, and 39th Brigade of the 20th Division. As long as these three forces are completely annihilated, a large area of ​​land in eastern Shanxi will be freely claimed by Jiangdong.

'The 4th Division is always a hidden danger. I hope they only care about their own business and interests as the legend says, and don't interfere!'

Jiang Dong squinted his eyes and thought.

Xie Chengrui walked over with a smile and said jokingly:

"Teacher, we are so busy that you are so leisurely and contented here. You are really envious of others!"

Jiang Dong raised his glass and gestured to Xie Chengrui, who shook his head. He shrugged and said:

"Why, my chief of staff has something to say?"

Xie Chengrui pretended to think for a while,

"Hey, I really can't think of anything I should bother you with."

Jiang Dong rolled his eyes, moved his butt, and changed into a more comfortable position on the chair.

Xie Chengrui first glanced at the sand table next to him, and then sat down next to Jiang Dong.

"All ministries reported that all preparations are nearing completion, and the general offensive can be launched as planned!"

"Hmm..." Jiang Dong hummed, not sure whether it was okay or not.

Xie Chengrui continued:

"Military newspapers and civilian newspapers have been prepared, and the news of the war will be announced to the public at dawn.

The Logistics Department and the Political Department recruited a new group of personnel to prepare to take over the city and collect supplies after the war.

Also, the negotiators from the Soviet Union and Germany will be arriving in the next two days, do you think you need to find someone to receive them?"

"Let Qi Zhemao from the Logistics Department be responsible for receiving the weapons and equipment. As for the reception, let Mr. Rabe and General Kachalov do it." Jiang Dong stretched out.

"Negotiations are more about whose words are more durable. There will be no results in a short time. Let the representatives of the two parties talk first, and I will win a big victory as a gift for the success of their negotiations!"

Xie Chengrui lowered his head and thought for a while, and felt that there was nothing wrong with Jiang Dong's arrangement, so he nodded and agreed.

.

At 10 o'clock in the evening on the 13th, Xiangyuan County, the headquarters of the 36th Division of the Japanese Army.

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, it's already 10 o'clock. Judging from that person's previous combat habits, Jiangdong's general offensive is likely to be at 0 o'clock or 1 o'clock!"

Colonel Matsuyama Soemon, commander of the 224th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army, said while rubbing his cheek.

The Japanese officers in the headquarters all looked prepared. The division commander, Lieutenant General Maideno, paced uneasily in front of the battle map. After hearing Matsuyama Soemon's words, he stopped.

"Jiangdong has always been cunning. We must take strict precautions. Are the frontline troops ready for the battle?"

Matsuyama Soemon stood up from his chair with a respectful tone,

"Both the 223rd Regiment and my 224th Regiment are ready for battle. All soldiers are hiding in the forward trenches. The troops will not relax their vigilance until 2 am."

Wu Chuannan nodded.

This passive way of fighting made him uneasy. The Imperial Army had always known only offense and defense. Everyone felt awkward, especially in this situation where they didn't know when the opponent would take action.

.

Licheng, headquarters of the 225th Regiment of the Japanese Army.

Wing Commander Takeshi Miyazaki looked outside the headquarters from time to time, as if waiting for some kind of movement.

The radio station in the headquarters was beeping, and the sound was so harsh.

Soldiers have been on the battlefield for a long time. In the tranquility of this confrontation, everyone can feel that a storm is coming that will stir up the world.

The officers and soldiers in the headquarters deliberately lowered their voices when walking and talking. The soldiers on the front line clenched their steel guns and raised their ears, waiting for the rain to fall.

.

At 3 o'clock in the morning on the 14th, all the soldiers of the One Division woke up from their sleep under the kicks and beatings of the grassroots officers.

In fact, nearly half of the people were not completely asleep. The little Japs waiting to be attacked on the opposite side were nervous, as were the soldiers in Jiangdong.

At 3:15, after all the soldiers solved their personal problems, they began to eat dry food in unison to replenish their physical strength.
To be continued...