When the time entered March of '42, after the final adjustment of the equipment of the troops, all aspects had entered the final stage of preparation for the war. All ammunition, supplies and, above all, fuel have arrived at clandestine stockpiles in all directions of the front line. The reconnaissance units directly under the command operating on the Western Front have completed reconnaissance of the offensive route across the Hunshandak Sands and have identified the water sources in the Hunshandak Sands. The minefields, width, and density of the Japanese front-line positions have been identified.

For the first time that the Japanese army discovered on the front line used mines on such a large scale, a minefield was laid for defensive operations. The anti-coalition military industry department urgently manufactured a batch of demining equipment and distributed it to the engineer battalions of each division. It also mobilized all divisions to make their own demining equipment using local materials and explosives distributed by their superiors.

At the same time, the aviation units have also completed the final preparations for the pre-war flight transfer. The work of secretly selecting and setting up the site for field airfields in various parts of Chadong has been completed, and the wireless communications and navigation detachments have already made preparations for going south. The health department is also ready to receive the wounded in large numbers and has completed the construction of field hospitals.

Although these preparations for the Anti-Japanese Federation were strictly kept secret, it was almost impossible for the slightest rumor not to spread the word. Although the information from the anti-union base area was limited, the Japanese army also smelled something unusual. In particular, the front-line combat units carried out topographic reconnaissance of the Hunshandak Sandy Land and the Chanan Mountains in advance, and it was impossible for them to go completely undetected by the Japanese army.

And the Japanese army also made great efforts to reconnoiter the movements of the Anti-Japanese Alliance. Although there is not much internal information gathered from the base area, it is really useful. However, in the frontline area of the confrontation between the two armies, the Japanese army's tactical reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance have always been very strong. In particular, the North China Front can almost be said to have made a bloody investment.

All the tactical reconnaissance operations carried out by the Anti-Japanese Union on the front line could not avoid the sight of the Japanese army under such circumstances. In particular, the Western Front, which has a relatively special environment, is the area where the two sides first came into contact. Since the beginning of the 42th century, there has been no shortage of encounters between the reconnaissance units of the two sides.

At this time, although the Hunshandak Sandy Land is not large, compared with the large deserts in northwest China, the small scale can be directly ignored. However, the terrain and topography here, which can be used as the most important water supply place for desert operations, and the passage of a large number of troops there, are quite important for the resistance alliance on the side of the attack.

The war is imminent, and it is impossible for the Anti-Japanese Federation not to find out the situation here and launch an attack recklessly. Especially in the desert, you must choose your attack route carefully. Even at this time, the area of Hunshandak sandy land was far less than that of later generations of indiscriminate reclamation and grazing. But the original environment that is now excellently preserved is much more complex than later generations.

It's not just sand in the sandy fields of Hunshandak. It is a crossroads of grasslands and deserts, with a large number of lakes in the desert. Even on both sides of the main inland river, the Gogostai, there are large swamps. With such a complex terrain, if the road is not surveyed first, it is very easy to have serious problems in the offensive and logistical supply of the troops.

Driving and driving tanks in the desert is not a simple infantry crossing. A few tons, or even a dozen tons of equipment, will be trapped in a sand nest if it is not done well. Moreover, it is necessary to consider that there can be water supply for the troops, that the ground there can support the movement of large corps, and that it can be used as a logistics supply line.

Although there is no shortage of water in the Sands of Hunshandak, the water there is not something that everyone can drink casually. A lot of water is not hardened and cannot be used as drinking water. It's all salty water or too high alkali to be cited. Fighting in this sandy area, even if the area is not large, the choice of water source must be the first priority.

In the first phase of the battle, the troops led by Chen Hanzhang suffered a lot of losses in the Horqin Sandy Land. The troops were slow to move in the sand, and the troops who entered the sand could not find a source of water. Moreover, in areas with large winds and sand, the engine power of the tank dropped quite sharply, and many vehicles fell into the sand nest.

That time in the Horqin Sands, it was almost a march, and large-scale interspersed battles were rare. If there is a big battle, the troops, who are almost unfamiliar with desert warfare, will have to suffer great losses. With the lessons of the past, Yang Zhen will naturally not be careless. As early as January, the troops in the front-line confrontation area dispatched a large number of reconnaissance personnel to cooperate with two squadrons of the reconnaissance brigade directly under the military region to thoroughly explore this sandy area.

Since the beginning of March, as the time of the campaign has become closer and closer, the reconnaissance intensity of the front-line troops has increased considerably. Although the battle had not yet begun, there were almost daily battles between the troops that had entered the sand to reconnoiter and the small units that were also conducting reconnaissance by the Japanese army. Ambushes and counter-ambushes were carried out quite frequently.

There is also the mountainous area of Chanan, although the relevant internal troops cooperate. But there can be heavy equipment, there can be used as a staging area, there is more suitable as an area for launching an attack, all of which need to be re-reconnoitred by front-line combat units. The equipment is different, and the conditions required for combat are also different.

In order to find out these circumstances, during the confrontation between the two armies, the Anti-Japanese Union dispatched a considerable number of reconnaissance units to infiltrate the southern and western fronts and conduct extensive reconnaissance. In particular, the entire operational terrain of the Western Front is basically unfamiliar to the Anti-Japanese Union. The real desert battle is the first time for the Anti-Japanese Federation, and it is impossible for Yang Zhen to act cautiously.

And even though the intelligence within the Anti-Japanese Federation is as low as ever, the Japanese army can still clearly perceive the busy transportation at night on the Sitao Railway. In particular, when the anti-Japanese army consciously exposed the military columns fully loaded with T26 tanks equipped with the 1st Armored Brigade and a large number of fuel tankers, passing through the Shuangliao and Tongliao lines and transporting them to the western front, the Japanese army could see it very clearly through high-powered telescopes.

Moreover, although all the troop movements during the movement were all at night, it was impossible not to have a certain impact on the transportation of the entire railway. At least all freight trains need to adjust their schedules to suit military operations. It is almost impossible to organize such a large-scale railway transportation without a single piece of information leaking.

In March, after discovering that the activities of the anti-coalition in person were becoming more and more frequent in various parts of the front, as well as a small amount of internal intelligence, it was not clear whether the focus of the anti-coalition attack was on the southern or western front. However, compared to the army, which was slow to move in some aspects, the Japanese army's reaction speed this time can be described as surprisingly fast.

At about the same time that the Anti-Japanese Union began to carry out the general mobilization, the Kwantung Army and the North China Front Army were also immediately put on high alert at the same time. The entire Kwantung Army and the North China Front, as well as all the front-line troops confronting the Anti-Japanese Alliance, all entered a state of imminent battle in the shortest possible time.

Ammunition and combat materials began to be distributed in large quantities to front-line combat units, and artillery positions began to undergo final camouflage. Sappers are constantly making final additions to the density and width of the minefield. At the same time, the reconnaissance of the forward positions of the Japanese army in various field divisions and regiments against the United Nations became more and more frequent.

A large number of military trains have also been mobilized at Siping Street and Fengtian in the northeast, and several large railway hubs in North China, such as Beiping, Tianjin, Zhangjiakou, and Taiyuan, and are ready to mobilize troops at any time. The Japanese army also successively ended the sweep of the major enemy base areas in North China, and began to concentrate all the troops involved in the sweep. In order to shrink his troops, he even took the initiative to abandon a stronghold he had occupied in the mountains during the sweep.

Entering March, both the anti-Japanese alliance and the Japanese army in North China, the two major strategic clusters, are making final preparations for a big war. In particular, since the beginning of 10 March, the front line of confrontation between the two sides has become tense. There was a strong smell of tension in the air, even a fool could smell it.

Although this war was a crucial battle for China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the future fate of the Anti-Japanese Federation. But for a world war that has already burned all over the world, it is just an ordinary battle. It's just that this war hasn't really started yet, because the timing of the launch has already attracted attention from many sides.

At this moment on the battlefield in Southeast Asia, the British army in Burma replicated the rout in Malaya. The British, who had lost the Burmese capital of Rangoon, retreated all the way to the interior of Burma in March. The three armies of the expeditionary force organized by the Chongqing side are also entering Burma at the same time.

In the southwest Pacific direction, the Japanese army is continuing to attack the city. The United States, Britain, Australia, and the Netherlands in the Dutch East Indies have disintegrated. All the defenders of the Dutch East Indies have ceased to resist. U.S. troops in the Philippines have all been withdrawn to the Bataan Peninsula and are in their final death throes.

At the same time, the Japanese army had successively captured Rabaul, a strategic point in the southwest Pacific, and captured the entire Bismarck Islands. The resistance of the Australian defenders was almost instantaneous. Having tasted the sweetness, the Japanese army was launching an offensive against the Solomon Islands in order to ensure the safety of Rabaul.

In the entire Asian and Pacific theater, in order to maintain the last line of communication with the outside world, troops have been sent to Burma, and the Chongqing side is now bargaining with the Americans for the amount of US aid. The United States and Britain were overwhelmed by the deteriorating situation. The Soviets, who had just finished the Battle of Moscow and drove the Germans out of the city of Moscow. There is also Yan'an, which is also mobilizing troops to cooperate with the anti-Japanese alliance for this war.

At this moment, whether it is domestic or international attention, or because of the conflict of interests, or because of future development, or because of the current unfavorable war situation, they are all paying close attention to North China. Almost all of the intelligence agencies in all areas are operating at a rapid pace.

In particular, at this time, Chongqing, which had all the flavors in its heart and did not even know what it was like, whether it was in the northeast or Pingjin, whether it was the Central Unification or the Military Unification, or the intelligence agencies of a certain theater were all going all out to try to collect information on the movements of the two armies.

Yang Zhen didn't pay attention to the outside world's expectations, or mixed tastes, and didn't know what to like, he was still making the final preparations before the war step by step. For Yang Zhen now, the more critical the time, the calmer his mentality. For this battle related to the fate of the Anti-Japanese Federation and even the entire China, Yang Zhen hardly made any waves.

On 10 March, after all operational plans had been finalized and all material preparations and transshipment had been completed. On 11 March, Yang Zhen convened a joint meeting of cadres at and above the division level and above of the advanced army column, as well as cadres from all branches of the Anti-Japanese Federation and at the level of ministers at and above the second level of the three general departments, to issue the entire battle plan and deploy action plans in all aspects.

In accordance with Yang Zhen's request, on 13 March, all units participating in the battle began a large-scale mobilization of the Tongguò railway in accordance with the mobilization plan issued by the General Headquarters. And in strict accordance with the transfer plan issued by the headquarters, pedaling at the designated place and designated station. All of them must arrive at the combat area within the specified time.

In order to maximize the confidentiality of troop movements, deadlines were met. The various departments of the railway transport were carried out all at night, and the trains were boarded at the small stations around the station and driven in one by one. On the other hand, the various ministries that enter the highway will adopt the regimental system, and the separate divisions will be concentrated in the designated areas.