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On the eve of the great battle, not only were these 15 troops being urgently mobilized, but the Japanese were also mobilizing on a large scale.

It seems that due to the heavy losses in the Battle of Queshu Valley and the vague understanding of the 88th Army's anti-aircraft firepower, the Intelligence Department did not investigate the Japanese's preparation to deploy fighter jets.

In fact, it is very easy to know whether the Japanese will mobilize fighter jets. You just need to see whether there are any planes flying over from the North China Front Army Command in the Peking area in the near future.

The Third Flying Group directly under the North China Front Army had only three flying regiments under its command, with a total of no more than 300 fighters and bombers. In the Battle of Queshu Valley, it almost lost two flying regiments, and only a few fighters escaped back to the base.

In addition, the Japanese recently mobilized heavy troops to attack Southeast Asia, and the army, which was already short of aircraft, transferred two squadrons of aircraft from the North China Front Army. Now the Japanese only have one independent flying squadron in North China, with no more than 30 aircraft.

These 30 aircraft cannot be deployed and must remain at the base to protect the safety of the headquarters.

No other planes have arrived in Beijing recently, so it is certain that the Japanese will not deploy any planes in this battle.

What's more, the Japanese are on the defensive in this battle, so deploying aircraft will have little effect. Unless the Tang Dynasty deploys fighter jets, the fighter jets in Peking will not be deployed.

I'm afraid Xu Le and others didn't know that just one air defense made the Third Flight Group exist in name only.

In order to deal with this defensive operation, the Japanese not only set up multiple lines of defense in Luowangzhuang to prevent the 88th Army from leaving Queshu Valley.

Several passes were also set up along the Qin River to prevent the Tang army from crossing the river.

The defense was effective as long as the army could not cross the river.

This is the front-line battlefield, and behind enemy lines, the 88th Army Intelligence Department is naturally also busy and intense, with Xiao Cui as the focus.

Since the Lu family surrendered, with the assistance of Lu Ningyi, Xiao Cui has expanded the intelligence department's influence into all the counties in the Jinzhong area. After nearly a year of taking root, she has contacted many anti-Japanese groups and formed a huge underground network.

Their mission was not to collect intelligence or assassinate Japanese officers, but to mobilize the people.

"Boss Lu, how are the preparations going on your side?" Xiao Cui asked Lu Ningyi while arranging everyone in an orderly manner.

Lu Ningyi was also busy at the moment, and after taking a sip of hot tea, he said, "Pingyao, Qixian, Taigu, Wenshui and Jiaocheng have all been arranged. The people from my branch of Lu's Trading Company are already cooperating with local anti-war personnel to mobilize the people, and strive to move more people out of the city before the troops come!"

Xiao Cui nodded and said, "Well, don't rush things, to avoid being noticed by the devils. Send some important people out of the city and settle them down. The people who stay in the city must do their work in secret. Once the war starts, remember to protect them."

"I will instruct them. The number of people migrating from each city every day is only a few dozen, which will not attract the attention of the Japanese. After leaving the city, they will slowly move to the mountains with the people in the towns and villages. As long as they enter the mountains, there will be no worries!

I have also used all the funds that can be mobilized in my business to purchase supplies to ensure that the people can live in the mountains for a month."

After a long period of training, Xiao Si has become Xiao Cui's right-hand man. He does many things by himself. He started to speak:

"Master said that our troops are all mechanized. After the war begins, the troops will be deployed on a large scale, so we have to make room for Master in advance to prevent the Japanese from using our villages and towns to resist!"

Xiao Cui sighed and said, "Try to move the villagers in the open areas away. There is nothing else we can do! After all, we are fighting on our own land of the Tang Dynasty. There are some things that cannot be avoided!

The pressure in Xiaoyi and Jiexiu, which I am in charge of, is relatively high. These two places were the first to be affected by the war and are also the places under the strictest surveillance by the Japanese. The Japanese have begun to seal off the city, allowing people to enter but not leave. I am afraid that there will be no way to evacuate the people out of the city later.

We can only send more people over to help the people escape, which will also make it easier for the troops to attack the city!"

Xiao Si stood up without any hesitation and said, "I'll go to Jiexiu!"

Xiao Cui glanced at Lu Ningyi, then nodded and said, "This heavy responsibility can only be entrusted to you. Let Shiyi and the others go with you. I feel relieved with them around!"

If we are attacking a Japanese city, there is no need to consider the safety of civilians at all. We can just fire artillery shells directly into it.

But this is the Tang Dynasty, and most of the people in the city are Tang civilians. When attacking the city, it is inevitable that stray bullets will fall into the city, and it is inevitable that civilians will be accidentally injured.

Therefore, someone must lead the people to escape the war, or at least stay away from the war zone before the war.

This was also the reason why Xu Le asked Xiao Cui to go to Fenyang in person, in order to build a force behind enemy lines to protect the people at critical moments.

This was also the reason for conquering Keiko Yamaguchi. No matter how powerful the Intelligence Department was, it could not do anything in Taiyuan. But Keiko Yamaguchi could do it. She could lead her men to evacuate the people in a high-profile manner by just finding any excuse.

There is another important reason. Yamaguchi Keiko's family is a Japanese noble family, and her brother-in-law is Prince Mikasa Takahito.

Xu Le’s first target after attacking the Tang Dynasty will definitely be Japan, but it is very difficult to destroy a race. The best way is to find a puppet like the devils did.

The left-wing Prince Mikasa Takahito is the best choice. Perhaps Prince Mikasa will not betray his country, but as long as Xu Le's army arrives, Xu Le believes that Prince Mikasa will have to agree to be a puppet in order to protect the Japanese people.

Xiao Si packed up his things and went to Jiexiu that day, but he only took Jiuba and Jiujiu with him, leaving 8 and other people to Xiao Cui.

Jiexiu is now a time bomb that may explode at any time. Once you go there, you may never come back.

......

On January 1, the three divisions of the 22st Cavalry Army secretly arrived in Shuitou Town one after another. The 1rd Artillery Regiment of the Motorized Infantry Division had purchased artillery positions on the front line and was ready to launch an attack at any time.

In Yudu Village, 10 kilometers north of Lingshi, the armored division and mechanized infantry division are also ready, and the artillery brigade's four 4mm howitzer battalions are also deployed here.

As for the Jincheng and Changzhi directions, they are under the responsibility of the Motorized Infantry Division and the 5th and 6th Army Groups, and the fire support is provided by the two rocket artillery battalions of the artillery brigade.

Zhen Zhiying's 665th Regiment set out from Yicheng and headed for Jincheng.

Tan Qiuzong's 520th Regiment and He Weili's 521st Regiment will set out from Anze County in the east of Hongdong County, and will split into two groups after capturing Qin County.

One route goes south to attack Changzhi, and the other route goes east toward Liao County. The entire southeastern Shanxi will be completely encircled.

.....

Xu Le was not idle either, but he was not busy with the commander-in-chief's duties. This time, Jiang Feng stepped forward to coordinate the overall situation.

Yuncheng Airport has been taken over, and two guard battalions and a newly established independent air defense battalion have also taken over there. Xu Le is going to take advantage of this battle to start planning the air force.

The first step is to screen the pilots!