Zhu Jiahua received three telegrams from Meng Da within three months. Each telegram frightened him. Especially the tragedy that occurred in the Chongqing Tunnel on June 5 made him realize the significance of Meng Da's first telegram.
Importance. Since mid-to-late August, the Japanese 11th Army began to gather combat forces in northern Hunan. Meng Da promptly sent a second message in early September:
The main units and assembly locations are: 3rd Division: Attached to 4 mountain artillery brigades, it set off from near Yingshan, Hubei Province in late August, and assembled in Xiaoqiaozhen, southeast of Yueyang, around September 16th;
The 4th Division: equipped with one mountain artillery and one mortar brigade each, set off from Yingcheng and Anlu areas in Hubei Province in late August, and gathered near Xinkaitang in the southeast of Yueyang around September 10th;
The 6th Division: Attached to 2 mountain artillery battalions and 1 mortar battalion, it was originally stationed in Yueyang and Chongyang as garrison. In mid-September, it gathered near Caoxie Ridge south of Yueyang;
The 40th Division: Attached to a mountain artillery brigade, in early September, it moved westward from Daye and Xianning areas in Hubei Province to assemble near Taolin;
Zaoyuan Detachment: It is composed of 4 infantry brigades and 2 mountain artillery brigades of the 13th Division. It set off from Zijinling south of Yichang on August 18 and assembled near Lengshuipu east of Yueyang on September 15;
Araki Detachment: It is composed of 3 infantry brigades and 1 mountain artillery brigade of the 33rd Division. It departs from the Anyi area of Jiangxi Province and gathers near Taolin in early September;
Pingye detachment: It is composed of an infantry brigade and a mountain artillery squadron of the 14th independent mixed brigade. In mid-September, it moved from Ruichang, Jiangxi to gather near Chenglingji, Yueyang;
Jiangteng Detachment: Based on an infantry brigade of the 14th Independent Mixed Brigade, it moved from Ruichang, Jiangxi to the vicinity of Linxiang in mid-September to assemble;
The 13th Tank Regiment: Attached to 2 light armored vehicle squadrons, it assembled from Wuhan to Yueyang in mid-September;
The 14th Field Heavy Artillery Regiment assembled from Wuhan to near Yueyang in mid-September;
The 11th Army Engineer Corps: composed of three independent engineering regiments and eight bridge-building material squadrons, it assembled from Wuhan to Yueyang and Linxiang areas in early to mid-September.
Chongqing was busy, and the Xueyue Ninth War Zone in Changsha was also nervous. Dai Li already knew that the Japanese troops were mobilizing. Looking at the detailed message, he said to Zhu Jiahua: "Sir, your disciples are not simple."
"Isn't it simple? For this operation, he sent out thousands of people from the special agent battalion, guard battalion and shotgun brigade in April. They went to Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou, and used the Japanese army's phone calls and investigations to get this job
intelligence!"
Chiang Kai-shek listened attentively, nodded frequently and said: "Friends from country M admitted that the Zero fighter intelligence he reported was very important. Chennault was very grateful. He must meet this powerful Commander Meng. The Japanese troop deployment is basically clear. The Ministry of National Defense
Come up with a battle plan quickly!"
"yes!"
"Report! Commander Meng sent another message!"
Zhu Jiahua took it in his hand and looked at it, and shouted in surprise: "Ah, how is this possible?"
"Hey!" Dai Li's face changed drastically, he grabbed the message and shouted in surprise: "The little devil is going to use force against country M!"
"ah!"
Chiang Kai-shek panicked. He took the telegram and browsed it nervously, only to see it read: "It is reported that the Imperial Council of the Emperor of Japan secretly decided to go to war with Country M. The detailed plan is not known."
"Don't make this telegram public yet. We need to step up our intelligence search and deciphering work. Director Dai, the second battle of Changsha is about to begin. We'd better go all out to deal with it." Zhu Jiahua thought for a long time and quickly made a decision.
Decide.
"Yes, if we fight this battle well, we will inflict heavy losses on the Japanese army." Lao Jiang nodded, agreeing with Zhu Jiahua's suggestion.
"Report!"
A telegraph operator ran in excitedly and said before Dai Li could speak: "Our intelligence personnel found that the People's Army was mobilizing troops. The Kaihua County Independent Division, the cavalry detachment and an artillery regiment disguised themselves as Japanese troops and have quietly moved to Yixing.
!”
"Hey, Commander Meng is being cruel this time!" Bai Chongxi was overjoyed. He took the message and looked at it and shouted in surprise: "My dear, there's something good to watch!"
"Report, military secret telegram: A train carrying arms and supplies from the Japanese army was ambushed in Huishan District, Wuxi. All the supplies were taken away. Witnesses discovered 500 cars moving towards Yixing."
Chiang Kai-shek's official residence was quiet. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and finally burst into cheers. They all understood that this operation must be Mengda's militia. They dared to dispatch large-scale troops and vehicles, which really surprised them. Zhu Jiahua
He sighed and said: "This kid, no wonder Director Dai doesn't even want arms for him, he already has a plan!"
"It's amazing to be far-sighted!" Bai Chongxi exclaimed in amazement.
Chen Cheng frowned and said, "He is sabotaging the Japanese army's extra plan."
"Yes, according to the intelligence we have, unknown armed forces have appeared on all roads in the Japanese-occupied areas. The Japanese army's transportation lines were frequently ambushed, and many supplies failed to be transported to the front line." Dai Li took over the topic and told what he knew.
.
"Operation Dagger!" Zhu Jiahua smiled and took out the telegram sent to him by Meng Da.
Operation Dagger was launched. The Japanese army moved towards the front line, but the civilian army began to launch crazy attacks towards the enemy's rear. Liu Dakun led the independent division unstoppably and headed towards Changzhou with sufficient ammunition. The special agent battalion and the guard battalion began to destroy the railways on a large scale, and the cavalry
The detachment, led by Lu Shijie, blocked the Japanese reinforcements.
During the attack on Changzhou, artillery shells were flying all over the sky. The Japanese army was frightened. They were out of strength, so they had to abandon the defense of the city and flee towards Nanjing. Lu Shijie became cruel and bit the defeated Japanese army, and few of them escaped.
.
Liu Tai led the troops into the city, robbed all the important supplies, and distributed other things to the local residents. They quickly exited and swaggered towards Liyang. There were more and more cars, and the seized supplies made them smile. Liu Dakun vs. Lu Shijie
He ordered: "Cooperate with the special agent battalion, the guard battalion pay attention to the investigation, and the large army begins to rest!"
"yes!"
In Suzhou City, Meng Da was always paying attention to the news ahead. He knew that Peng Ze had sent troops according to his instructions, and he also knew that they had overwhelming power and completely occupied Lujiang County. Liu Dakun's decision was right, and the little devil has not yet been mobilized
Soldiers and horses must wait for the opportunity before deciding on the next move.
The Japanese and puppets in Liyang County fled after hearing the news, and the Jiangsu Provincial Administrative Office took the opportunity to take over the power. They sent telegrams to Chongqing one after another, bluntly stating that all five nearby counties had been liberated. Good news came one after another, and Chiang Kai-shek couldn't stop laughing with joy.
: "Niang Xipi, he is fighting hard, but he is very beautiful."
"Principal, the people's army has received reinforcements from the Japanese army. They will definitely fight a fierce battle, a big battle. They should let the third theater cooperate and strive to expand the results." Zhu Jiahua said this, but he was actually thinking about Meng Da's troops.
.If the little devils surrounded them, the losses they would suffer would be immeasurable.
"Yes, the Third War Zone and the Sixth War Zone should take action to make the Japanese army's conspiracy go bankrupt!" Of course, Chiang Kai-shek would not let go of such a good opportunity and signaled Chen Cheng to inform him immediately.
In Nanjing, the commander-in-chief of the "China Expeditionary Forces" Shunroku Hata and the new commander of the 11th Army, Anami Yuki, are intensely discussing plans to deal with the civilian army. The frontline troops cannot withdraw one soldier and the existing troops cannot target the powerful
The civilian army launched an effective offensive.
"Report, the Chinese army is resting in Liyang, there is no movement at all."
Shunroku Hata asked indifferently: "How long will it take for our railway to recover?"
"It will take at least two months."
"Baga!" Shunroku Hata was angry and said to Anami Weiki with his eyes wide open: "All transportation lines have been cut off, and there is no supply of supplies in the front. Can this battle be continued?"
"The Chinese are very cunning. Once we retreat, they will follow us. The civilian army is not just one division. If they set up a trap, our troops will be wiped out. According to intelligence from various places, the Kuomintang's third theater,
The Sixth War Zone launched operations at the same time, and each place was too busy to take care of itself that it was impossible to send troops to encircle and suppress them."
Anami Weiki understood that the civilian army had already planned it, and maybe their plan to add numbers had been leaked. But he could not change the stubborn Shunroku Hata, so he had to avoid the railway issue and told the current situation. Shunroku Hata was not an idiot, he
He said sternly: "We have prepared a plan to increase our number for half a year, is it aborted like this?"
"The only way at the moment is to supplement the frontline troops from Wuhan."
"Yo Xi." Shunroku Hata nodded and said to Anami Weiki: "Attack and open the road to Guangzhou as soon as possible. Our supplies will be continuously transported from the sea."
"Hi!"
It had been five days, and the troops were still resting. Liu Tai and Lu Shijie asked for battle one after another, but Liu Dakun calmly did not reply. Wang Yong asked Liu Dakun: "Master Liu, how long should we wait?"
"Wait until the little devil and the *** start fighting!"
"Understood!" Wang Yong raised his thumb and said with a cheerful smile: "High, the best time for us to send troops is to prevent the little Japanese from pulling out his legs."
"Communications Officer!"
"arrive!"
"Get in close contact with the Ninth War Zone and tell them that we are behind enemy lines and will launch a violent attack based on their fighting situation!"
"yes!"
The Military Commission repeatedly ordered on September 1 that the Third, Fifth, and Sixth Theaters launched a wide range of harassment activities in front of the Japanese troops, posing a certain threat to several Japanese strongholds and lines of communication. In particular, the Sixth Theater's counterattack against Yichang
The battle developed to a larger scale and shocked the Japanese army.
The Third Theater Command was ordered to start a full-scale attack on September 23. Its 100th Army launched frequent attacks on the strongholds of the Japanese 34th Division around Nanchang, advanced to Niuxing, Lehua and the suburbs of Nanchang, and captured Louqian City.
Huangxi Crossing, repulsed many Japanese counterattacks.
The Fifth Theater focused on destroying the Japanese railways and highway transportation lines, and began to launch widespread attacks and guerrilla operations on September 25. Its 21st Group Army, based on the Dabie Mountains, formed an independent 14th Brigade against the Japanese troops from Guangji to Wuhan.
The first division of the 40th Division defended various strongholds on the north bank of the Yangtze River, as well as the Japanese 3rd Division's first division guarded various strongholds on the southern section of the Ping-Han Railway.
Ten days passed, and Liu Dakun waved his hand and shouted: "Lu Shijie!"
"arrive!"
"The cavalry is the vanguard, targeting Ma'anshan!"
"yes!"
"We are a sharp dagger. As long as we take down Ma'anshan, Wuhu, and Xuancheng, the Japanese army will become a turtle in the urn. Commander Liu Tai, the battle to attack the city must be fast and fierce, and we must be fast and accurate like Mrs. Xia Ying's Thunder Palm."
, Ruthless. We don’t want to be wary. We only need ammunition and valuable materials for the captured cities, and give up everything else!"
"yes!"
"Brothers, the most exciting time of Operation Dagger has arrived, let's go!"