In 1939, the Japanese invasion of China slowed down significantly.

Last year, the Japanese invaders fought too quickly, occupied too much territory, and the Kuomintang and the Communist Party continued to fight behind enemy lines, so the Japanese army had to rectify and digest the newly occupied areas.

On January 1, Wang Zhaoming was expelled from the party and removed from all his positions.

On January 21, the Kuomintang convened the Fifth Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Committee, the central topic of which was to determine the general policy of "resisting the war to the end" and "dissolving the Communist Party, preventing the Communist Party, limiting the Communist Party, and opposing the Communist Party."

On January 25, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued a public statement: "Cooperate with the Kuomintang but not merge." ”

At the same time, 120,000 copies of Taizu's "On the New Stage" were printed in Shanghai, pointing out that "it is inconceivable to leave the Kuomintang in the launching and persistence of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression", praising the Kuomintang as "having two great leaders before and after, Mr. Sun Yat-sen and Mr. Chang Kaishen", and highly praising the "unified leadership of the national leader and the supreme commander Chairman Chiang" since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression...... China has formed an unprecedented anti-Japanese unity" and solemnly called on the whole party to "unanimously and sincerely support Chairman Chiang."

Not only was "On the New Stage" widely circulated in Shanghai, but other underground publications of the Communist Party were also very popular, and "On Protracted War" was translated into English and disseminated to Europe and the United States.

The Communist Party's theoretical publications on the War of Resistance caused huge repercussions among the people, and Chang Kaishen finally couldn't sit still and established the "National Spirit Mobilization Meeting" on March 11. He proposed the construction of "national salvation morality" and "nation-building faith", that is, loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, love, faithfulness, righteousness, peace, the eight virtues and the Three People's Principles, so that the Chinese nation can be reborn in the flames of war.

The general mobilization of the national spirit called for by Chang Kaishen was, on the one hand, to suppress the voices of the internal proponents and factions, on the other hand, to fight a theoretical propaganda war against the Communist Party, and on the other hand, to strengthen the determination of the Chinese people to resist the war.

On March 27, Nanchang fell, but the Battle of Nanchang had just begun.

According to Chinese data, the National Army suffered more than 50,000 casualties and the Japanese Army suffered more than 20,000 casualties. Since then, the pace of Japanese aggression has become slower and slower, and it has gradually fallen into the quagmire of war.

When Zhou Hexuan returned to China, it was already mid-May, which coincided with the beginning of the "Battle of Nomenkan".

At this time, the Japanese government had completely lost its mind, and was controlled by a group of warmongering soldiers, and the tradition of the lower rank was thoroughly carried forward. The military cabinet is unable to fully command the military department, and it is difficult for the military department to control the troops invading China, and the navy and the army are even more wanton in order to compete for interests.

No, the Kwantung Army has gone completely crazy and actually wants to swallow up the Far East of the USSR.

Obviously, the Soviet Union could not be provoked, and the Kwantung Army had not yet invaded the borders of the Soviet Union, and just by entering Outer Mongolia, the Soviets directly rolled up their sleeves and went to war. The battle took more than three months, and the two sides continued to increase their troops, and Zhukov thus stepped onto his gorgeous military stage, leaving more than 50,000 Kwantung Army in ashes - well, the Japanese army only admitted 17,000 casualties.

In the eyes of many people, the Japanese army has fallen into the quagmire of aggression against China, and its troops are already insufficient, and it is simply impossible to understand it with normal people's thinking when it still takes the initiative to fight the Soviet Union.

In fact, everything stems from the "battle between the lower and the higher" and the "navy and army".

Because the Kwantung Army tasted the sweetness of the "Ganchazi Island Incident" and believed that the Soviet Union's compromise was weak and deceitful, it took the initiative to provoke the "Zhang Gufeng Incident" and began to prepare for war against the Soviet Union in February 1938.

Why did the Kwantung Army want to fight the USSR?

For military spending! In order to expand the strength of the Kwantung Army!

As a result, the Kwantung Army made all kinds of fools to the Korean army and military headquarters, saying that the Soviet Union was a paper tiger after carrying out a great purge. At that time, the North Korean army was also stationed on the border, and the commander of the North Korean army, Koiso Kuniaki, was relatively sober-minded, believing that the war was at a critical juncture in the attack on Hankow, and there must be no more conflicts with the Soviet Union.

However, the Japanese military department did not know which way to go crazy, and at first decided to avoid a conflict, but as a result, it temporarily changed its policy in order to test the attitude of the Soviet Union.

The Navy resolutely opposed this, but the Army believed that it could be fought - only one division and regiment could be mobilized, and it would not matter if it lost, and the real purpose was to see how the Soviet Union reacted.

As a result, the tradition of "going down and going up" was once again revealed, and this time it was not the Kwantung Army that sang the leading role, but the Korean Army.

The commander of the DPRK army repeatedly stressed the need to avoid conflict, but the commander of the DPRK division, Otaka Kamizo, jumped out. This guy saw that the fighting in the south was hot, but he could only blow a cold wind on the border of the Soviet Union, so he made meritorious service and attacked without authorization against the emperor's order.

The Japanese emperor was also speechless, and could only say: "The matter has come to this point, and there is nothing to be done." It is hoped that the front-line soldiers will stick to the border and refrain from deviant actions. ”

The Japanese and Soviet armies fought repeatedly, and the Soviet Union finally won the victory, but took the initiative to demand reconciliation. Although the Japanese army was defeated, it was very happy, believing that the Soviet Union did not want to fight, and that it was strong outside and capable in the middle.

Seeing that the Korean army fought very well in the "Zhanggufeng Incident" and caused huge casualties to the Soviet army, the Kwantung Army took the initiative to provoke the "Nomenkan Incident". They believed that as long as they started a war with the Soviet Union, they would be able to get a large amount of military spending and a large number of military merits, and they would take the opportunity to expand the strength of the Kwantung Army again.

The military department actually expressed its support for this, because judging from the results of the trial of previous incidents, the strength of the Soviet army was very bad. In fact, the Great Purge reduced the combat effectiveness of the Soviet army, and although Zhukov defeated the Japanese army at Nomenkan, the Soviet army also suffered heavy casualties.

The Yankees saw that the excitement was not a big deal, and when they saw that the Soviet army and the Japanese army were both defeated, they mocked that "(Japan and the Soviet Union) are venting their anger in the corners of the world." What they did not expect was that this battle would cause Japan to completely change its strategic direction, and the next goodbye would be Pearl Harbor.

It's like two drunks fighting, and they are laughing happily, only to have one of them suddenly turn around and hit him.

……

Due to the occupation of Shanghai and Guangzhou, Zhou Hexuan, Feng Yong, and a group of flight cadets went directly to Haishengwei by boat, and took the Trans-Siberian Railway to the northwest and south to Sichuan—they first had to go to the Soviet Union to inspect the goods.

The Soviets were very generous this time, not only did they bring in fighter planes without deception, but they also disposed of 10 bombers at a low price by half-selling and half-giving away.

Unlike the U.S. government, the Soviet Union was not afraid to sell planes to China, but it was afraid that China would be too poor to afford them.

Now that the situation in Europe is becoming more and more tense, the Soviet Union does not have much energy to fight Japan, and desperately hopes that China can hold back Japan's forces.

China is short of money? Well, the USSR was willing to borrow.

China is equipped? Well, the USSR was willing to sell equipment.

There are not enough pilots in China? Well, the USSR was willing to send volunteers.

Zhou Hexuan was moved by the enthusiasm of the Soviets, waved his dollars, and bought 10 fighters and 12 bombers in one go—Soviet planes were much cheaper than American planes.

After these planes were transported to Xi'an, Feng Yong led the pilots directly to Chongqing, and Zhou Hexuan also took the risk to take a plane back to accompany the capital.

When they arrived over Chongqing, the city frantically sounded the alarm, because these planes did not have the national army livery, and the air defense personnel thought that another Japanese plane was coming to bomb them.