The situation in southern Anhui continued to deteriorate, and on August 12, the intelligence officers in southern Anhui sent back the latest information, and the Nationalist Government ordered the New Fourth Army to move north immediately: "The Eighteenth Group Army and all units of the New Fourth Army will be extended to the north of the Yellow River to fight. Here are the regions separately. All New Fourth Army forces south of the Yangtze River are limited to the area north of the Yangtze River before 21 August of this year, and to the area north of the Yellow River before 1 October of this year. At present, all units of the 18th Group Army south of the Yellow River are limited to the area north of the Yellow River until 31 August of this year. I hope that we will follow the order of the Chief of Staff in the territory of the combat site indicated in October, to fight together, to fulfill their duties, and not to make any further mistakes. ”

"Lao Luo, what are the instructions from the central government?" Han Yunhua asked urgently.

"Out of consideration for the anti-Japanese national united front, the central government has ordered the New Fourth Army to go north, but the New Fourth Army does not seem to have a unified opinion, and so far the Fourth Army has not moved its defense immediately as the Nationalist Government and the Central Committee said, and although the troops have been assembled, they have not been moved for a long time." Luo Ronghuan said.

"Lao Luo things may have to suffer, Lao Jiang is not a person who can forbear, now although the Nationalist Government is on a slippery slope, but just now the United States and Britain and other countries have promised to give the Nationalist Government military assistance, I heard that the equipment of the first batch of 5 infantry divisions has arrived in Chongqing, it seems that Lao Jiang thinks that he can now re-argue with us. If the New Fourth Army does not follow the orders of the Nationalist Government, it is likely to trigger bloodshed. Han Yunhua said worriedly.

Luo Ronghuan thought for a while and said: "No, although the situation in southern Anhui is very tense now, it has not yet reached the time when it is necessary to fight." Besides, this dozen is not cheap little Japan, I think it is impossible for Lao Jiang not to even see this! ”

"Hmph, how can you not see it, but the anti-Japanese national united front is a scum for veterans, people are not willing to resist Japan, you must know that we are taking advantage of the favorable situation of the Xi'an Incident to force Lao Jiang to resist Japan, and now the little devil is concentrating on dealing with our Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, and has temporarily relaxed the military action against the Nationalist Government, so Lao Jiang saw the threat of our ** at one time, and the national contradictions have temporarily eased and the class contradictions have risen?" Han Yunhua analyzed.

Luo Ronghuan said: "Then what should I do?" Now we can't quench our thirst far from water, and southern Anhui is thousands of miles away from us, even if we really have the heart to help them, we can't catch it. ”

"Lao Jiang has no bottom in his heart now, so he doesn't dare to completely tear his face with our party and our army, as long as the New Fourth Army doesn't make any more moths, our side takes some positive actions, plus the central side and the national government high-level maneuvering, the matter is still possible to be resolved."

"So what do we do?"

"Well, are the troops in southern Hebei ready?" Han Yunhua said.

"Almost, during this period of time, the troops of all our military subdivisions are stepping up training, so it is convenient to assemble, when the order of the headquarters reached the southern Hebei military subdivision yesterday, Yang Chengwu guaranteed that as long as we give an order, the three elite divisions of the southern Hebei military subdivision will go south as soon as possible, whether it is Gao Shuxun's department in southern Hebei or Wei Lihuang's division in the first theater of war, they will be swept away by the devastating momentum."

"Very good, order the 59th Division of the Central Hebei Army Division to be temporarily assigned to the Southern Hebei Army Division, and order Xu Shiyou to lead the 7th Division, the 13th Division, and the 59th Division to immediately go south to Daming County, and at the same time the vanguard will enter and occupy Nanle County, if the Nationalist Government dares to act rashly, then our three divisions will go south completely, I want to see if the two group armies of Chief Wei are powerful or my three infantry divisions are powerful." Han Yunhua decisively ordered.

Luo Ronghuan hurriedly said: "Yunhua, are we waiting, Nanle, Qingfeng, Neihuang and most of northern Henan are all places where we have disputes with the Nationalist Government, and we are blatantly entering and occupying Nanle like this, I am afraid that it will cause new friction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Central Committee has repeatedly ordered and reaffirmed that it is resolutely not allowed to have friction with the troops of the Nationalist Government, everything is subject to the anti-Japanese national united front, and we are violating discipline by doing this." ”

"Don't wait, if you wait any longer, something big will happen in southern Anhui, and the matter of Lao Luo Wannan is far from being as simple as you think. The contradictions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in southern Anhui have reached the point of irreconcilability, and they cannot be resolved in a few words. Ever since the New Fourth Army developed behind enemy lines in northern Jiangsu, it has been in constant trouble with the Kuomintang diehards, and even large-scale battles have broken out. Han Yunhua said. …,

"Well, I've heard about this matter, but I just heard it roughly, I only know that in October last year, the Kuomintang diehards besieged our New Fourth Army in order to recover the Huangqiao army occupied by the New Fourth Army, but due to the strategy of dividing and attacking together, the troops were scattered, and the troops directly attacking Huangqiao were insufficient, and the middle descendants and miscellaneous cards did not support each other, and the above reasons led to the failure of the offensive, ** heavy losses, the New Fourth Army successfully held Huangqiao with inferior forces and then occupied Jiangyan, Hai'an and other places. As for the details, I don't know, because there were very few relevant reports at that time, and the Party Central Committee did not do any propaganda about it. Luo Ronghuan said.

"Hehehe, this is politics, and it is said that war is a continuation of politics, and this is not false at all. At that time, out of consideration for the separate interests of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, all the newspapers in China did not report much on the battle of Huang Qiang at that time, and I also learned the truth about this incident from Lao Tan and Lao Zhou. At the beginning of last year, in accordance with the instructions of the central authorities, the New Fourth Army began to concentrate its development in the areas of northern Jiangsu and southern Anhui, and cooperated with the New Fourth Army to open up the first and second detachments of the fifth column of the Eighth Route Army (Huang Kecheng's department) to the south in northern Jiangsu and the fifth detachment of the New Fourth Army, and arrived in the area north of Lianshui and the west bank of the Grand Canal respectively, forming a favorable strategic situation with the troops of the New Fourth Army in northern Jiangsu. As early as the time of reorganization, Chiang Kai-shek and Gu Zhu both demarcated defense areas for the New Fourth Army, but the defense areas they demarcated were very narrow, which was not conducive to the operation and development of the New Fourth Army. As early as May 1939, Chen Yi sent Ye Fei to lead the Sixth Regiment to Jiangyin, Wuxi, and Changshu to carry out activities, and the Maoshan anti-Japanese base area of the New Fourth Army also had a certain scale. Chen Yi and Su Yu then decided to send troops north to cross the Yangtze River and develop to the north bank of the Yangtze River. After several months of operations and development, by the end of November, several main forces of the New Fourth Army had reached northern Jiangsu and controlled the Yangtze River crossing, and the New Fourth Army crossed both sides of the Yangtze River and occupied a favorable situation. ”

Before Han Yunhua's words fell, Luo Ronghuan said: "Comrade Chen Yi is a talented person, and the struggle situation of their New Fourth Army is not much more reckless than ours, and it is not easy for them to gain a foothold in southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, and southern Anhui. ”

Han Yunhua smiled bitterly: "The problem is here, the Soviet Union and southern Anhui are Han Deqin's territory, and Han Deqin had a whole group army in his hands at that time, what does the New Fourth Army have, thousands of broken guns, more than 10,000 personnel, such a force dares to grab territory with him Han Deqin, isn't this nonsense." Therefore, when Su Yu led the New Fourth Army into northern Jiangsu, there were many frictions with Han Deqin, although the scale was not very large, but it seriously hindered the development of the New Fourth Army. On 30 September last year, Han Deqin concentrated most of his forces and attacked Huangqiao by three routes from Hai'an, Taizhou, and other places. Chen Yi fought a decisive battle with the Han Department independently in the Huangqiao area with inferior forces. Su Yu assisted Chen Yi in organizing the campaign and taking charge of the battlefield command, and decided to take Huangqiao as the axis and adopt the operational policy of "luring the enemy deep and breaking through each one" to annihilate the ROK troops. From October 3rd to October 6th, Su Yu commanded the New Fourth Army to annihilate a total of 12 regiments of the main force, all of the 16th Security Brigade, one regiment each of the 3rd Security Brigade and the 5th Security Brigade, totaling more than 11,000 people, the commander of the 89th Army, Li Shouwei, the commander of the 6th Independent Brigade, Weng Da, and several brigade and regiment commanders were killed, and the commander of the 33rd Division was captured, Sun Qiren, the commander of the 33rd Division, Miao Ruilin, the commander of the 99th Brigade, and the chief of staff of the 117th Division, and more than 30 divisional, brigade, and regimental officers, and 600 junior officers; More than 3,800 long and short guns, 189 light and heavy machine guns, 3 mountain guns, 59 mortars, and a large amount of ammunition and military supplies were captured, and the New Fourth Army won victory. In just three days, more than 11,000 people below the commander of the 89th Army of Han Deqin's department were defeated by the New Fourth Army, and the commander was killed in battle. The New Fourth Army pursued the victory and occupied Hai'an, Dongtai and other places. While the Battle of Huangqiao made the New Fourth Army gain a firm foothold in northern Jiangsu, it also led to a growing gap between the New Fourth Army and Han Deqin's headquarters, and now it has come time to have to break out. ”

Han Yunhua's words were so shocking that Luo Ronghuan didn't speak for a long time after hearing it. Han Yunhua also knew that Luo Ronghuan needed to digest everything he had just said, so he didn't urge him to express his position.

After a pause of about ten minutes, Luo Ronghuan finally sighed and asked: "Then we don't need to ask the Central Committee first, after all, it is not possible to work hard with the Kuomintang, if there is no authorization from the Central Committee, I am afraid"...,

Luo Ronghuan means Han Yunhua understands, but understands and does not necessarily agree, Han Yunhua looked at Luo Ronghuan and said: "Because of this, we can't ask the head of the Central Committee for instructions, if something happens, I will carry it alone, we will only make it difficult for the chairman to do it, I think we will handle this matter first, and I Han Yunhua will carry it alone if something happens." ”

"Fart, I'm the political commissar of the Inner Mongolia Military Region, isn't it a slap in the face of my Lao Luo if you are alone, besides, this matter is also for the party and the army, not for you and for my personal welfare, how can you let you bear it alone, if something happens, I Luo Ronghuan will bear it with you, or the old rules, I guard the house, you command the battle, is it feasible?" Luo Ronghuan said loudly.

"Okay, let's do it, tomorrow I will go to the Southern Hebei Military Division to inspect, and there can be no negligence in the fight with the first war zone, otherwise I will suffer a big loss." Han Yunhua said.

"Yes, Wei Lihuang is not easy to mess with, and the first war zone is the best elite, although the local miscellaneous army accounts for more than half, but the actual combat effectiveness should not be underestimated." Luo Ronghuan also reminded.

"Hehehe, Lao Luo, what we want to do now is a situation, a situation of sweeping Henan to dominate the Central Plains, whether to fight or not depends on the performance of Lao Jiang and his dictatorship, now our army is really strong and strong, the troops have risen more than a step after nearly four months of rest, it is time to pull out and practice. If the veteran doesn't know each other, I, Han Yunhua, don't mind eating him a group army, anyway, Pang Bingxun's old boy is not a good thing, just eat it, as long as it is eaten cleanly. ”

Luoyang. 1st Theater Command.

Wei Lihuang, commander of the First Theater of Operations, sat in his office chair and read the newspaper absentmindedly, feeling extremely heavy, the situation in southern Anhui is getting more and more out of control, and today the First Theater also received an order from the Ministry of Military Affairs, which asked Pang Bingxun's 40th Army to immediately advance eastward, ready to support the Han Deqin Department at any time.

"Report!"

"Come in!"

"The 40th Army's emergency telegram: Yesterday, more than 5,000 people under Han Yunhua's communist army suddenly went south and brazenly invaded Nanle County last night, and an infantry battalion of our army stationed in Nanle was disarmed, and the communist army is still increasing its troops," the adjutant said slowly.

"What, Han Yunhua's department has gone south, he doesn't know how chaotic the current situation is, it's really chaotic. Call Liu Yi to me, I want to ask them if there is any news from the military commander, go quickly. Wei Lihuang said angrily.

Soon, a colonel officer in his 30s was brought in by the adjutant, and after seeing Wei Lihuang, the colonel saluted and said loudly: "Report to the commander, Liu Yi, the intelligence officer of the first theater, was ordered to come to report, please instruct." ”

"Sit, Liu Yi, yesterday an infantry brigade under Han Yunhua's department suddenly went south and occupied Nanle County, did you know about this situation?" Wei Lihuang said.

"I don't know, you know that northern Henan has always been the territory of the Japanese before, and we drove the little devils out of Henan not long ago, so our military commander's intelligence network in Henan is very weak, and yesterday we suddenly lost contact with the northern Henan intelligence station, and the reason has not been clarified until now, and Shangfeng has sent someone to investigate. Originally, I thought it was served by the little devil's special high-tech, but now I think it should have been exterminated by the intelligence department of Han Yunhua's department. "Liu Yi is one of the relatively high-level officers sent to the first theater by the military commander, and he can be regarded as half an expert in the entire intelligence department.

"What, our intelligence network has been wiped out? What is he Han Yunhua going to do, do you really want to grab territory with our first war zone, do you really think that I Wei Lihuang is easy to bully, Liu Yi, you immediately send a telegram to Zhu and Peng of the Eighth Route Army, ask about the situation in detail, and see if it is the instruction of the ** high-level. Wei Lihuang also realized the seriousness of the matter at this time, it seems that Han Yunhua really wants to do something to the first war zone, although he doesn't know what the specific reason is, but since he has already made a move, he, the commander of the first war zone, can't be indifferent.

"Okay, I'll go now, but I think Han Yunhua's subordinates must have a deep meaning when they go south, according to the information collected by our military commander, Han Yunhua is not a reckless person. A lot of information shows that this person is a very patriotic commander, and this person has never made a move to **, and even helped Gao Shuxun's 39th Army in southern Hebei, during the last war, his troops could have taken the opportunity to occupy northern Henan, but in the end they gave up, which shows that in Han Yunhua's eyes, northern Henan is not very attractive, Han Yunhua means that the drunkard does not mean to drink. Liu Yi judged. …,

"The drunkard's meaning lies in the landscape, so where does Han Yunhua's intention point? I don't have much to do with this person, but I have heard of this person's personality, he is generous and uninhibited, often does something unexpected, fights quite methodically, is good at using reverse thinking, and is a rare handsome talent. This man suddenly sent a large army south, and as soon as he made a move, he surrendered a battalion of our army, which is not a very friendly move. Wei Lihuang said.

Liu Yi thought for a while and said, "Commander, there is a sentence that I don't know whether to say or not. ”

"There's something to say, but it's okay to say it."

"What does the commander think of the war situation in southern Anhui, and whether the New Fourth Army will move north in accordance with the instructions of the party-state." Liu Yi said.

Wei Lihuang looked at Liu Yi in surprise and said: "Judging from the current situation, it is impossible for the New Fourth Army to go north obediently according to the government's edict, what's wrong!" ”

Liu Yi said: "Commander, the New Fourth Army is now growing stronger in southern Anhui and northern Jiangsu, and Han Deqin's ability to control is indeed very unsatisfactory, and the vast majority of the troops and horses are integrated from the security regiment and other local troops, and their combat effectiveness is limited. Therefore, the strength of the New Fourth Army in the region is far greater than that of the first army, and if the New Fourth Army goes north according to the government's requirements, it is better to say, otherwise, it will be a dragon and tiger fight, and bloodshed is inevitable. Besides, Han Yunhua's department, the force of the department is huge, the soldiers and horses of the department are strong, and it is definitely not a good thing to be able to completely collapse the Japanese North China Front in just a few months, and according to the information collected by the Military Command Bureau about Han Yunhua, the most powerful thing about Han Yunhua is not the level of military command, but his strategic layout and judgment of the situation, it can be said that this person is a smiling tiger, and when he does not make a move, he is harmless to people and animals, but once he makes a move, it is a thunderous momentum. In this way, many units of the Japanese army were folded in North China. ”

"What's your conclusion?" Wei Lihuang asked solemnly.

Liu Yi calmed down and said: "I think that Han Yunhua's subordinates are indeed coming to our first war zone this time, but they don't have to fight to the death with us. Their purpose may be to force the government to compromise, just as they ignored their occupation of Hebei and Beijing-Tianjin, and if the government allows the New Fourth Army to develop, it is better to say, and we and Han Yunhua's subordinates will not be able to fight. If the government wants to make a move with the New Fourth Army, then Han Yunhua's headquarters will launch an attack on our army, and it is very likely that the main force of the military region will be dispatched. ”

Liu Yi's words were very straightforward, Wei Lihuang thought about it and felt that it was very possible, and suddenly the second-class general of the Kuomintang Army, who was called the "Tiger General of China" by the senior commander of the Japanese army, Kazuki Kiyoji, fell into deep thought.