The Japanese army's successful occupation of Jiujiang was a very happy thing for them, but who knew that the "Zhang Yufeng Incident" occurred, which caused the Japanese Second Army to stagnate in the Hefei area.

The 6th Division of Okamura Ninji's 11th Army was bitten by the 31st Army and the 68th Army in the area of Taihu Lake and Susong. Therefore, the Botian detachment and the 106th Division temporarily stayed in Jiujiang for a short rest.

Okamura Ningji has always had a vendetta, and he wants to climb Mount Lu in person to experience the feeling of being at the top of the mountain and seeing the mountains at a glance. Will he be able to endure the loneliness and wait for the end of the incident?

At the same time, Xue Yue knew that this was just the calm before the storm, and the Japanese army would definitely attack the Nanxun line if they did not die. Nanxun is the next main battlefield after Jiujiang. The first target of the Japanese army was Lushan.

Late at night on July 31, in the command post of the First Corps, which was located in the canyon at the southwest foot of Lushan, Xue Yue was standing in front of the map in front of the map and pondering.

The black copper-billed pipe he was holding in his mouth was "sizzling" a dark red fireball, and the rising smoke was rolling in the command post, and from a distance, Xue Yue seemed to be in the vast sky of clouds and waves.

Jiujiang was lost, and the situation on the Nanxun line turned sharply tense. The situation of the First Corps has also become dangerous and dangerous.

The Japanese army, which was fiercely offensive, only took more than a month to capture Anqing, Madao, Pengze, Hukou, and Jiujiang, and pushed the battlefield to the foot of Lushan Mountain in a blink of an eye. The Chinese army's carefully arranged front-line defensive positions collapsed in an instant.

At the beginning of the war, the Japanese army, with its modern weapons and three-dimensional offensive of land, sea and air, attacked cities and conquered the city, and was fierce and aggressive.

Xue Yue's highly sensitive nerves never slackened in the slightest.

Although the Nanxun line defended by the First Corps has so far been calm and unfighting, their intense preparations for war are no less arduous than those at the front.

After the loss of the fortress, Xue Yue strictly ordered all the units of the First Corps: the battle situation will be more severe than expected, and all the troops must seize the short silence before the battle, step up the construction of fortifications, and not slack off in the slightest......

The night was drunk and foggy.

At this moment, a rapid telephone ringing interrupted Xue Yue's deep thought, and Xue Yue hurriedly walked to the wide long command table and picked up the microphone of the red telephone.

This is a dedicated internal telephone, and the telephone is directly connected to the Wuhan Supreme Command and the Nanchang Ninth Theater Command.

The phone was called by Chiang Kai-shek himself, and as soon as Xue Yue picked up the microphone, Chiang Kai-shek's familiar Chinese with a thick Zhejiang accent immediately came from the other end of the phone.

"Boling, it's so late, haven't you slept yet? Take care of yourself! ”

Xue Yue held the microphone in his hand, stood upright, and said gratefully: "Thank you for your concern!" Jiujiang is lost, the battle of the Nanxun line is imminent, and Boling can't sleep. The commission is the destiny of the country and the nation, and we must pay more attention to the body!

Xue Yue knew that the chairman of the committee called late at night, not to discuss with him the profound philosophy of life, but to have a major and urgent military situation. But the chairman of the committee was on the rise, and Xue Yue had no choice but to listen to him.

Sure enough, after Chiang Kai-shek said a warm word, he went straight to the point,

"Boling, Zhang Xianghua disobeyed orders and had selfish thoughts! In order to preserve his strength, he abandoned Jiujiang without authorization! You already know that the Gao Command has ordered the removal of Zhang Fakui from his post as commander of the Second Corps. From now on, the military command of Nanxun will be fully responsible for you and Wusheng (Wu Qiwei's alias Wusheng). ”

Han Xin led more troops, the better. At once, there were three more soldiers, and Xue Yue couldn't ask for it, but Xue Yue couldn't be happy anyway.

Zhang Fakui is his old boss, a native of Shaoguan, Guangdong, and the world-famous Fourth Army.

Zhang Fakui is the veteran commander of the Fourth Army, known as the "father of the Iron Army", and Xue Yue is the well-known commander of the Fourth Army. The two have the same background, and they are both the same year. In the long-term killing campaign, the two became friends of life and death who were like brothers and sisters.

When Xue Yue heard the chairman's accusation against Zhang Fakui, he felt that Zhang Fakui was too wronged.

Xue Yue knew the truth about Zhang Fakui's abandonment of Jiujiang and retreating to the second-line positions of Niutou Mountain, Jinguanqiao, and Shili Mountain. Whether from a strategic or tactical point of view, Xue Yue always believes that Zhang Fakui is not wrong, in that kind of situation where there is no danger to rely on and he is completely passively beaten, Zhang Fakui is helpless to do this, and if Xue Yue is replaced, he is also likely to do so.

It is better to have a living force well preserved than to put nearly 100,000 troops on a tidal flat that can be defended without danger and to defend a city under the indiscriminate bombardment of Japanese aircraft and artillery!

Thinking of this, Xue Yue deliberately complained about Zhang Fakui, he knew that Chiang Kai-shek had a temper that was soft and not hard, so he clenched the phone and tried his best to plead with the chairman in a gentle and euphemistic tone.

"Commission, Boling has a word in his throat, I don't know if I should say it or not......"

"Say it!"

Chiang Kai-shek's tone was much softer for this confidant general.

"Boling thought that Zhang Xianghua's abandonment of Jiujiang and retreating to the second-line positions of Niutou Mountain, Jinguanqiao, and Shili Mountain was completely excusable, and he was forced to do it, and he hoped that the chairman would ......"

"Okay, I don't want to hear that, it's over."

Before Xue Yue could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Chiang Kai-shek.

Seeing that Xue Yue didn't say anything more, the chairman continued: "Boling, what I'm most worried about now is the three armies that I just allocated to you. The morale of the newly defeated division is not high. In particular, the fear of the enemy of the senior generals, one soldier is bearing, and the general will be a nest! You have to strictly order them to hold the second-line positions of Niutou Mountain, Jinguan Bridge, and Shili Mountain. If there is a retreat, shoot and kill! ”

"Yes, please rest assured! Boling must have done his best to command carefully! ”

Chairman Jiang seemed very satisfied with Xue Yue's answer. Immediately, he turned to Xue Yue in a low and serious tone:

"Boling, I handed over the Nanxun battlefield to you. Jiujiang is lost, and your situation has become extremely dangerous. After Okamura Ninji's Eleventh Army occupies Jiujiang, the next target of the attack will be you. In this battle of Wuhan, the Nanxun battlefield where your first corps is located will become the center of gravity of the battlefield. You have to make the best use of the terrain of Nanxun, use it in the best place, drag Okamura Ninji and his 11th Army to death, trap them to death, and then break them down individually. The burden on your shoulders is not light. ”

Xue Yue replied loudly: "Please rest assured, Boling has already made full preparations, and has the determination to die and the belief of victory!" Drag the arrogant Japanese army to death on Nanxun Road, and then eat them fiercely! ”

"Okay, Boling, I'm waiting for your good news!"

Only then did Chairman Jiang hang up the phone with satisfaction.

At this moment, Wu Yizhi, chief of staff of the First Corps, quietly walked in and handed over a map of the battlefield situation that had just been drawn to Xue Yue.

Xue Yue took a look at it, it was the battlefield situation map of Zhang Fakui's three armies in the second line positions of Niutou Mountain, Jinguanqiao, and Shili Mountain.

Looking at the battlefield situation map in his hand, Xue Yue asked, "Chief of Staff Wu, what is the current situation of these three armies?" ”

Wu Yizhi replied: "In the past few days, I have exchanged information with the three armies that have retreated to the second-line position, and the position of these three armies is not very far from us, so I have a very clear understanding of their situation. ”

Xue Yue said, "Okay, tell me quickly!" ”

Wu Yizhi continued the topic just now and continued unhurriedly.

Jiujiang was lost, and the officers and men of these three armies not only did not have the slightest discouragement and fear of the enemy, but they all harbored a nameless resentment and anger in their hearts.

These people only recognize Zhang Fakui, but do not recognize the chairman. Zhang Fakui was wrongfully dismissed, and the soldiers were all filled with righteous indignation.

After retreating to the second-line position, Commander-in-Chief Zhang Fakui had strictly ordered all units to build fortifications at various dangerous passes.

After Xue Yue heard this, he was extremely happy in his heart, because the morale of the three armies did not drop but rose.

Of the three armies newly allocated to Xue Yue by the Supreme Command, except for Li Jue's 70th Army, which was a Hunan army, Ou Zhen's Fourth Army and Li Hansoul's 64th Army were all from Guangdong. In the Guangdong army, Xue Yue is more handy.

just wronged Zhang Fakui. A trace of unhappiness once again swept through Xue Yue's heart.

The big war is coming, and Xue Yue doesn't want to do so much. The old boss Zhang Fakuimeng was dismissed in disguise after being wronged, and the burden of defending the south bank of the Yangtze River fell on his shoulders. Now, the troops he commanded and mobilized had suddenly increased the strength of three armies, and Xue Yue couldn't help but feel a great increase in confidence.

It was close to the morning, Xue Yue opened the door and walked out gently.

Outside, the misty white mist dipped the earth into a chaotic world.

The beautiful scenery at the foot of Lushan before the war is still so quiet and charming.

(End of chapter)