The Battle of Taierzhuang lasted for more than a month. The Chinese army killed and injured more than 19,000 Japanese troops, captured 1,840 people, and captured 54 cannons, 27 armored vehicles, 16 large and small tanks, and two light and heavy machine guns. With more than a thousand rifles and 20,000 rifles, they achieved a brilliant victory in the war against Japan. After the Japanese army was defeated by the New Second Division several times in the East China battlefield, it was defeated by another Chinese general. The Japanese army base camp lamented that "the glorious tradition of the Japanese army was once again destroyed." It dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army's aggressive arrogance and inspired It strengthened the will of the National Government and the people across the country to resist the war, enhanced the confidence of the entire Chinese people in winning the war, and eliminated some people's fear of Japan. The victory of Taierzhuang changed the international view on the Sino-Japanese War. Newspapers from Britain, the United States, France, the Soviet Union and other countries published the news of the victory of Taierzhuang in big headlines and commented one after another. On April 9, Reuters wired that: "The British military authorities are extremely concerned about the situation of the battle on Jinpu Road in China. When the news of the Chinese army's victory came out at first, all parties were not very convinced because no other army except the New Second Army had achieved victory. Similar achievements, but the news of the defeat of the Japanese army has been proved to be true. The British mentality has gradually changed, and they all believe that the final victory belongs to China. "The German newspaper said: "The strength of China's resistance in Xuzhou is surprising." "The most cautious observer cannot further admit that Japan will inevitably fail." These public opinions have a certain positive guiding role in improving China's international status and gaining support from foreign governments. However, it was precisely because of the failure of Taierzhuang and the strong demand of the Japanese invaders to expand the war situation in order to save face, and the discovery of a large number of Chinese troops gathered in Xuzhou, that the Japanese army decided to invest heavily in the Xuzhou Battle. On May 16, Chairman Chiang Kai-shek of Wuchang East Lake Residence meeting room. Looking at the urgent telegram sent from Xuzhou, Chiang Kai-shek was speechless for a long time. Since mid-April, the Japanese army has once again adjusted its strategic deployment and made certain replacements and additions to the frontline combat series. The 5th and 12th divisions marched south from Shandong to attack the Chinese defenders of the Second Group Army and the 3rd Army in front. 20. The Third Army and the 27th Army and the 59th Army carried out diversionary attacks. The Chinese army fought tenaciously, and by the end of April, the Japanese army was stopped at the front lines of Hanzhuang, Pixian and Tancheng. Subsequently, the main force of the Japanese army launched a roundabout encirclement to the west of Xuzhou from the north and south. In the south, the 9th and 13th Divisions affiliated with the Central China Front marched north from the Bengbu area along the west banks of Beifei River and Wohe River respectively. By May 13, after falling into Mengcheng and Yongcheng, they headed towards Xiaoxian County, Jiangsu Province. , Dangshan attack; the third division entered the Dayingji area from Bengbu and attacked Suxian. In the north, the 16th Division crossed the canal from Jining, Shandong, and on the 14th, after falling into Yuncheng, Shanxian, Jinxiang, and Yutai, it advanced to Fengxian and Dangshan, Jiangsu; the 14th Division started from the south of Puyang, Henan After crossing the Yellow River, it fell into Heze and Caoxian counties in Shandong Province, and then plunged straight into Lanfeng, Henan Province. The situation was extremely dangerous. Chiang Kai-shek looked very ugly. He looked around and asked: "Everyone, the war in Xuzhou has reached this point. Is there any good strategy to solve the current crisis?" The glorious victory of Taierzhuang once went to Chiang Kai-shek's mind. , Facing the aggressive Japanese offensive, Chiang Kai-shek ordered the fifth theater to attack instead of defend, resolutely repelling the Japanese counterattack, in order to achieve a comprehensive victory in the Battle of Xuzhou. The current situation is rapidly deteriorating, and all fronts are in constant emergency. The leaders of the Military Commission and Chairman Chiang's staff are looking at each other and not knowing what to say. At this time, Chen Cheng, the newly appointed Minister of the Political Department of the Military Commission, Chairman of Hubei Province, Commander of the Wuhan Garrison and Commander-in-Chief of the Sixth War Zone, pushed open the door of the conference room, holding a telegram in his hand, strode up to Chiang Kai-shek, and took a deep breath Later, he reported to Chiang Kai-shek: "Commissioner, General Li Delin of Xuzhou has an urgent message." "What's the matter?" Chiang Kai-shek asked calmly. Chen Cheng hesitated and reported: "General Li Zongren reported Yesterday, after the Japanese Tenth Division handed over the defense of Hanzhuang and Taierzhuang areas to the Japanese troops of two mixed brigades transferred from Peking, they crossed Weishan Lake near Xiazhen , attacked Pei County. Now the Japanese attack is very fierce. Our army's various departments follow the committee's policy and launch a fierce counterattack against the Japanese attack, but the casualties are heavy. " "Niang Xipi," Chiang Kai-shek cursed bitterly. Minister of Military and Political Affairs He Yingqin coughed lightly and quickly signaled the staff to unfold the Xuzhou battle map that was covered with a curtain, and clearly marked the latest Japanese offensive on it. Chen Cheng thought for a while and suggested: "Commissioner, according to the analysis of the battle situation in Xuzhou, the Japanese army mobilized heavy troops, with planes above to clear the way, artillery support below, and tanks and armored vehicles to assist in the battle. Now the Japanese army's intention to fight is very obvious, which is to annihilate them in one fell swoop. The main force of our army is in the Xuzhou area. " "Judging from the situation of the troops participating in the Xuzhou Fifth War Zone, all units of our army are actively engaged in the battle and are very heroic in resisting the Japanese army. However, the firepower of the enemy and ours is very different, and the losses of our army are too great." "General Cixiu is absolutely right"Bai Chongxi took over the words: "Based on the current situation on the battlefield, the Japanese army is advancing from the north to the south and launching a large-scale encirclement operation against our Xuzhou. Now the situation has become declining. If we do not choose the opportunity to break out, hundreds of thousands of troops will all fall into the hands of the Japanese army." Chiang Kai-shek had clearly seen the Japanese army's attempt to annihilate the national army in the Xuzhou area. Only on the 30th of last month did he order the various departments in Xuzhou to attack instead of defend to resolutely repel the Japanese attack. On the 10th of this month, he issued the seventh order He issued a combat order, urging all ministries to attack, and sent Liu Fei, director of the Operations Department of the Military Command Department, to supervise the battle. However, he now chose to retreat hastily, and the order was changed at the end of the day, which made leader Chiang Kai-shek a little embarrassed. Seeing that Chiang Kai-shek was silent, everyone had to look for help at He Yingqin, who was sitting first on Chiang Kai-shek's right. Although He Yingqin's power has been greatly reduced, he has the most seniority. Faced with the safety of hundreds of thousands of troops in Xuzhou, He Yingqin had to stand up and speak. He Yingqin leaned forward slightly and said to Chiang Kai-shek: "Committee, the war in Xuzhou has reached a critical moment. Although the soldiers of our army are brave, their manpower cannot withstand the aircraft and artillery. Moreover, the elite of our army are gathered in Xuzhou. Once there is a loss, "Then the Central Plains and Wuhan will have no troops to defend, and the consequences will be disastrous." "Furthermore, Wu Ming's troops launched a series of raids in the Jiangnan area. We gave up Xuzhou and took the initiative to withdraw westward, allowing the Japanese supply line to be lengthened, and the long territory would inevitably be diluted. With the strength of the Japanese army, in the next battle, our army will definitely defeat the Japanese army and return without success. " "Since you all said so, I think this is the only way to go." Chiang Kai-shek came down the steps happily and immediately ordered Chen Cheng to draft a letter. A message asking Li Zongren to retreat. Li Zongren, who received the order from Chiang Kai-shek, quickly took advantage of the opportunity that Xuzhou had not yet been completely surrounded by the Japanese army to break out of the encirclement in the mountainous areas on the border between Henan and Anhui. He broke into pieces and dispersed out of the Japanese encirclement. By the time the Japanese army occupied Xuzhou, it was already May 19th, and the entire Xuzhou Battle was declared over. In this battle, China and Japan relied on their respective advantages and each made unique moves, but in the end it was the Japanese army that had the last laugh by relying on its advantages in training, weapons and equipment. The Japanese base camp was not satisfied with the results and immediately ordered the frontline divisions to pursue the victory and prepare for the Battle of Lanfeng. After receiving the order, the Japanese Central China Front immediately ordered the 3rd Division to assemble near Fuliji, the 5th Division to assemble near Bengbu, and the 13th Division to advance towards Mengcheng. As early as the night of the 19th when they entered Xuzhou, the Japanese North China Front Army had issued a pursuit order to expand westward and ordered the Second Army to occupy Guide. Time passed quickly, and it was already early June. The Battle of Lanfeng ended with the Chinese army retreating again. The Japanese army successively occupied Lanfeng, Guide, Kaifeng and other places, threatening the safety of Zhengzhou and the Pinghan-Hankou Railway, where the First Theater Command Headquarters was located. On June 9th, the Huayuankou embankment burst. It was raining heavily at that time. The breach became bigger and bigger, and the water spread down. On the 12th, it merged with the water flow washed away at Zhaokou and flowed south along the Jialu River, causing the Jialu River and the Eddy River to flood. The villages and towns in the river basin became a vast ocean, and the water flooded the Zhongmou, Weishi, Fugou, Xihua, and Shangshui areas, forming a vast water barrier. When the fast-flowing Yellow River water poured into the Huaihe River, it submerged the banks of the Huaihe River. Then the flood broke off the Bengbu Huaihe River Iron Bridge, and the area from Bengbu to Suxian also became Zeguo. At this point, the national anti-Japanese war has entered a new stage. The Eighth Route Army of the Communist Party of China went deep into the North China region behind enemy lines and actively opened up anti-Japanese guerrilla zones and base areas, posing a huge threat to the vast rear area of ??the Japanese army. Overseas Chinese enthusiastically donated money and materials, and people all over the country devoted their financial resources to the fight against the war. There were even passionate young people joining the army to serve the country, especially Wu Ming's New Second Army, which was the most popular. June 15th, Fenghuang Mountain Base, the large conference room of the New Second Army Military Headquarters. Zhang Ying, chief of the operations section of the General Staff Office, held a pointing stick and explained the Battle of Xuzhou and the Battle of Lanfeng to the surrounding generals based on the map: "Everyone, in the Battle of Xuzhou, the arrangements of the enemy and ourselves have been explained before. In this battle, the vast number of officers and soldiers of the Chinese army were brave and brave. Fighting hard, first on the southern front, the Japanese army was stopped on the south bank of the Huaihe River, breaking their attempt to join up with the Japanese army on the northern front; then on the northern front, the Japanese army on the east route was defeated in the Linyi area, and the right wing of the Japanese army on the west route was stopped in the Jiaxiang area, crushing the Japanese army. The plan to join forces in the Taierzhuang area. "In the battle in the Taierzhuang area, the fifth theater adopted an active defensive strategy, with one unit serving as internal defense and the other operating on the outer line, combining attack and defense, and achieving great victory. Regardless of the overall situation in which the enemy was strong and we were weak, the military authorities mobilized large forces near Xuzhou in an attempt to engage in a decisive battle with the Japanese army. However, the battle was passive in the later stage. However, this battle consumed the Japanese army's effective strength and slowed down the Japanese army's offensive speed. " He nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Zhang Ying's fair comments. "Compared to the remarkable results of the Battle of Xuzhou, the Battle of Lanfeng can only be described as a defeat." Wu Ming took Zhang Ying's baton, pointed to the Lanfeng area on the map, and sighed: "In In Lanfeng and surrounding areas, Xue Yue assembled twelve central armies of the East Henan CorpsThe direct division faced the attack of two Japanese divisions. First, Gui Yongqing led his troops to retreat to Kaifeng and Qixian. Later, Long Muhan of the 88th Division abandoned the city and fled without permission, causing the Japanese army to occupy Longhai without a fight. Lanfeng is a strategic point on the road. At the same time, Bai Huizhang, commander of the 102nd Division of the Eighth Army, also ordered to abandon his position and flee westward. After that, he fled all the way and was chased by the Japanese army like a lost dog. "In the end, these arrogant Central Army troops also dug up the Yellow River at Huayuankou. Embankment¡ª¡ª" Wu Ming's face was ashen and he snorted coldly: "After the Yellow River embankment was dug, although it blocked the Japanese attack, it also caused great harm to the people along the coast. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese people died as a result. Tens of millions of people have gone bankrupt, which is sad and deplorable." Major An Zhiguo, deputy director of the Military Staff Office who was in charge of propaganda after Chiang Ching-kuo left, graduated from the first phase of Kaihua Political School and was a native of Jiangshan, Zhejiang. He thought for a while and asked: "Military seat, then What should we do in terms of publicity? Should the truth be publicly disclosed? "No, the digging of the Yellow River channel will have a very negative impact on the entire political, economic and moral situation of the National Government." If it is exposed, it will be extremely detrimental to the overall situation of the Anti-Japanese War. Moreover, the relationship between our New Second Army and the Nationalist Government is quite bad. If a dispute arises at this time, it is likely to give the Japanese army an opportunity to take advantage of it. Speaking of this, Wu Ming cursed bitterly: "What a group of guys who gave birth to a son without an asshole, and they did such a heartless thing. No matter how the central government publicizes it, history will make a fair judgment for them." In the conference room The atmosphere was a bit depressing. Zhang Dongning coughed lightly, pinched the document in his hand and said: "Military seat, after the establishment of the Second and Third Divisions, our New Second Army now has three main divisions and two reserve divisions. In addition, there are twelve regiments of the Maoliangwu Militia Group, plus the expanded troops behind enemy lines. In terms of the entire force, our New Second Army has reached 120,000 people. " Dai Ziran said with excitement: "Military seat, you don't know that the passionate young people joining the New Second Army have almost broken our threshold. Now, both the army and the militia are full. The officer below said that as long as you agree, relying on the golden sign of our New Second Army, we can recruit as many soldiers as we want. Now we have no shortage of soldiers, but the quality of our officers and soldiers has shown a downward trend. The most important task at the moment is to continue training and develop elite soldiers." Wu Ming stood up, looked around, and finally his eyes fell on Zhang Dongning and Dai Ziran: "The next stage How prepared are you for the regiment-level exercise at the Phoenix Mountain Base? " "Everything is ready, just wait for the order from the military commander." Zhang Dongning and Dai Ziran answered in unison with their heads held high, their faces full of confidence.