"Our troops will defend Xuehua Mountain to the death, and wait for an opportunity to counterattack Jingcheng County, and never let the Japanese invaders use Jingcheng County as a bridgehead to attack our defense area." Lieutenant General Zhao's fingers focused on the map, and he was arrogant.

"Although the terrain of Xuehua Mountain is dangerous and difficult to defend and difficult to attack, the fortifications are also not easy to build, if the Japanese invaders bomb with heavy artillery and aircraft, I am afraid that the casualties of the troops will be too great. General Zhao, with all due respect, I am afraid that this place should not be defended. The future general of the republic pondered for a moment and spoke persuasively.

For the future generals who have accepted Taizu's old man's offensive and defensive concept of "if you save people and lose land, everyone and land will survive, and if you lose people and lose people", it is obvious that they are not in favor of defending with heavy casualties, and are more inclined to destroy the enemy in a mobile war.

But Zhao Shoushan shook his head, with a hint of desolation in his eyes, and said categorically: "Brother Chen, what you said is very right, but I can't help but do it, my 17th Division belongs to the children of Shaanxi, and the bank of Shanxi is Shaanxi, if Shanxi is lost, the gateway to Shaanxi will be lost." If our troops can't defend the danger because of the heavy casualties, then who will defend it? After speaking, he sighed again and said: "Since the 77 Incident, our department has been under the command of the 52nd Army, and has retreated again and again in Hebei, until the battle of Baoding a few days ago, although our army wants to fight to the death, but the friendly army has retreated, although I Zhao Shoushan has the determination to kill Chengren to protect the family and defend the country, I can only retreat into Shanxi again. Now, with you here, if more than 12,000 people in our department retire again, how will the people of the country look at the amount? What do the fathers and villagers in Shaanxi think? ”

Although he didn't say it too clearly, Liu Lang still understood what he meant. For this backbone general of the Northwest Army who launched the "Xi'an Incident" for the anti-Japanese united front, the troops he led on the anti-Japanese front retreated again and again, and the blow of Pingjin and even the entire territory of Hebei into the hands of the enemy was huge.

If the Northwest Army had not made a name for itself on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, the "Xi'an Incident" a year ago would undoubtedly be the biggest joke of the Northwest Army and the Northeast Army. You yourself are not active in resisting Japan, and you still carry the so-called anti-Japanese banner to "kidnap" the supreme leader?

"If Xuehua Mountain is lost, our troops still have a way to retreat, retreat to Donkey Ridge, and we will build a second line of defense here." Zhao Shoushan then clicked on a location on the map that was not far from Xuehua Mountain.

Liu Lang sighed in his heart.

In the past time and space, this patriotic general also chose to do so.

Liu Lang knew what his decision meant, but he, a bookish but extremely bloody Shaanxi man in front of him, didn't know that his decision created the most tragic sniper battle on the battlefield in northern China, so that tens of thousands of Shaanxi Lengwa under his command could never return home.

A full-strength division of nearly 13,000 men suffered as many as 10,000 casualties, and the casualty ratio reached almost 80 percent before it withdrew from the line of fire.

However, after this battle, the 17th Division of the Northwest Army became famous all over the world. Although one division of the 17th Division was almost wiped out, the casualties ratio was nearly 3 to 1, and the Japanese troops, armed with aircraft, artillery, and even tanks, also suffered heavy losses. The smoke over Baihuagou, where the bodies of the dead were burned, obscured the sky and the sun, and it took five days and five nights to completely dissipate.

And the reason why Zhao Shoushan chose these two important places as his blocking positions is that these two positions are too important.

If the Snow Flower Mountain is a barrier in front of the Niangzi Pass, then the lack of donkey ridge is the gateway to the right side of the Niangzi Pass.

Donkey Ridge is a strange name, but it has a beautiful legend.

In ancient times, Zhang Guolao and Chai Rong drove donkeys, carried the sun and the moon, and used the car to carry the four famous mountains of Taihang, Wangwu, Zhongtiao and Luliang, and went to Xinzhou. Hence the name of the Lack of Donkey Ridge.

The donkey cart driven by Zhang Guo was overturned, which shows how steep and dangerous the Donkey Ridge is. Therefore, since ancient times, whenever there is a war in North China, the army will defend this pass.

The "Defense Minutes" recorded: "Lack of Donkey Ridge, garrison place." Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "if you want to take the Niangzi Pass, you must take the lack of donkey ridge". Therefore, if the Japanese army wants to attack Niangzi Pass, the Donkey Ridge is an important place that the Japanese army must win. And Zhao Shoushan's 17th Division retreated here, and it was destined to fight a fierce battle with the Japanese army from the beginning, and it was impossible to retreat with all its bodies.

Of course, Liu Lang also knew the mystery of the 17th Division's defense of two important places with the strength of one division. First, the 17th Division, headed by Lieutenant General Zhao, had the desire to serve the country; Second, it was some indescribable careful thinking of the bald headmaster.

Very simply, the Northwest Army is not only a miscellaneous army, but also the "culprit" who launched the "Xi'an Incident" to imprison it, and under the pressure of the world, after returning to the capital, the bald boss only imprisoned the two initiators separately and downsized the 17th Route Army, but he still resented the two armies.

Therefore, on the battlefield here, the 17th Division could only resist with the strength of one division. The Central Army, which was defending on both flanks of the battlefield, would not give him reinforcements.

In the past time and space, when Zhao Shoushan's division withdrew from the battle of Donkey Ridge, it had been a bloody battle for nine days and nights. The 17th Division suffered heavy casualties in this battle, and of the 13,000 officers and men, only more than 2,700 remained.

This wrote a poem on the battlefield with pride and sadness: "The demonic atmosphere is permeating Kou Fangzhang, and a hundred battles are not a word for national mourning." The soldiers charged and killed the enemy, and the moon outside the lady was like frost. The general had to be completely white overnight, and when the order to retreat was given, the general of the first army cried like a tearful man, and could not stand up on the table.

He cried that he could not continue to guard the position defended by the soldiers with their lives, and also cried that the Sanqin children under his command could never go home again. After the war, Huxian County, Shaanxi Province, almost "every family set up a mourning hall, and every household hung white sand", crying for hundreds of miles, shuddering.

But in this time and space, he Liu Lang came. The fate of the 17th Division will never be the same again. While a layer of mist rose in Liu Lang's eyes, he also secretly made a decision in his heart.

Raising his eyes and glancing at Liu Lang, who had not spoken for a long time but obviously had some mood fluctuations, and Brigade Commander Chen, who was a little choked in his throat, Zhao Shoushan couldn't help but smile slightly: "The two brothers don't have to be like these children, the horse leather shroud is the fate of the soldiers, I still remember that when I was on the Great Wall, your Colonel Liu explicitly ordered a telegram to the whole country, and the independent regiment was determined to coexist in the position and fight to the death." Brother Liu! Do you know that if it weren't for what you said at the beginning, how could I have just arrived at the defense line of our army and be able to come to meet you, a young hero, in a hurry to meet you more than 20 miles away? ”

"Senior Commander Zhao, it's okay for your troops to defend the important ground, but how to defend it, you can decide after listening to my analysis of the battle situation?" Liu Lang calmed down his emotions and said.

"Okay, Zhao listened." Zhao Shoushan's swollen eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity, and he picked up the teacup again and nodded.

Obviously, Liu Lang's meaning is very clear, and his analysis of the battle situation has the same points as his, but there are also different opinions.

"Come, come, Brother Liu, tell me quickly, I have been thinking about the focus of the Japanese attack for a long time, but it is basically the same as General Zhao thought." The future generals of the Republic on the side were also excited.

"Sanchuan'er, bring me the sand table I made last night." Liu Lang suddenly shouted loudly outside the door.

Soon after Liu Lang shouted, Sanchuan'er led the four soldiers of the guard platoon to carefully put a panoramic sand table in front of the three of them.

The two generals were dumbfounded.

On the sand table, the mountains and rivers in the Niangziguan area, including railways, highways and even small roads and valleys, are clearly marked with signs, which is completely a three-dimensional version of the map. No, it was far more detailed than the map of Jindong sent by the Second Theater Command in front of the two generals.

It has been more than 10 days since the independent regiment came to the Niangziguan area, and although there has been no military action in the whole army, the special brigade of the independent regiment has not sat there and waited, and this sand table is the result of more than 40 special forces for more than ten days. On average, people travel hundreds of miles of mountain roads every day, and the peaks and mountain roads within a radius of hundreds of miles here are clearly explored and marked one by one, even the mountain roads that can be walked by one person and one horse are not missed.

"Good fellow, no wonder you can have such an earth-shattering attack in the Battle of the Great Wall. Everyone in the world only thinks that Liu Lang hit the luck and repaired the fortifications, and the Japanese themselves accidentally hit their heads and broke their blood. When I saw this sand table today, I realized that the battlefield is changing rapidly, so what is the saying of bad luck? In terms of the fact that the heart is as careful as hair, I might as well go far. Lieutenant General Zhao couldn't help but applaud and sigh.

"Yes! You kid can't really be the reincarnation of Zhuge ! Did you really know that there would be a battle in Jindong? This preparation is very good. The future general of the republic couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"Hehe, don't praise me so much, two commanders, I've sent a lot of gifts out for this sand table in the past ten days, otherwise how could the scouts I sent out so easily survey the terrain between the various military defense areas?" Liu Lang said with a smile.

"It's a good gift. With this guy, we're going to be a lot more comfortable with this fight. Brother, you won't still want to move back to this sand table! If you are not tired, I will be tired for the brothers, so leave me here! Save some effort. The future general of the republic praised Liu Lang while playing the autumn breeze of Liu Tuanzuo with great concern.

At the end, he also shouted outside the door: "Xiaoshanzi, remember to get two pieces of big fat meat in Liu Tuanzuo's bowl at noon, the kind with thick fat." ”

Yes, a sand table is worth two pieces of fat. Liu Tuanzuo couldn't help but roll his eyes.