Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

The delay in time made Tang Enbo extremely anxious.

Every minute and every second was related to the outcome of the battle and the lives of countless soldiers. However, what made him even more anxious was that the defensive fortifications at Nankou still needed to be re-prepared.

Due to the previous haste and chaos, the fortifications had many loopholes and hidden dangers and required large-scale repairs and reinforcement.

This is only a small part of the problems faced by the Chinese army. The more important problem is that in the vast area of Nankou and Zhangjiakou, various forces are intricately intertwined.

The Central Army, Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, Shaanxi Army, Northwest Army and the former Northeast Army all have their own interests and command systems.

Under such circumstances, the orders issued by the Nanjing government could not be effectively implemented at all. The various forces blamed each other and argued, making it difficult to coordinate military operations.

Faced with such a chaotic situation, the Nanjing Headquarters established the Seventh Army in order to balance the interests of all parties.

Fu Zuoyi was appointed commander-in-chief of the Seventh Army, Liu Ruming as deputy commander-in-chief, and Tang Enbo as commander-in-chief of the army's front line.

This appointment was like dropping a stone into a turbulent battlefield, causing ripples, and behind it lay the complex interests and thoughts of all parties.

In terms of troop composition, it was mainly composed of the 13th Army led by Tang Enbo.

This force is the direct force of the Central Army and has always been an important reliance of the Nanjing government in military operations.

In addition, there is the 17th Army of the Shaanxi Army, commanded by Gao Guizi. This unit is the local armed force of Shaanxi. Not only is it poorly equipped, but its soldiers are also poorly trained.

The 19th Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, commanded by Wang Jingguo, has always had an important influence in North China, and its combat effectiveness is second only to the Central Army.

The 35th Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, commanded by Fu Zuoyi, was a direct force led by Fu Zuoyi. The soldiers were loyal to him and their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated.

The 61st Army of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, commanded by Li Fuying.

And the 68th Army reorganized from the former Northwest Army, led by Liu Ruming.

Fu Zuoyi, as the chairman of Suiyuan and a veteran figure of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, enjoyed extremely high prestige in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

However, the reality made him quite helpless. Except for the 35th Army, which he personally trained and led, the other Shanxi-Suiyuan Army basically only obeyed Yan Xishan.

Yan Xishan, a local warlord with deep roots in Shanxi, had his own plans.

He was worried that excessive consumption of his troops would affect his ruling position in Shanxi. Therefore, he strictly controlled the number of troops that Fu Zuoyi could mobilize, and allowed him to mobilize very few troops.

This meant that the number of troops that Fu Zuoyi could directly control when commanding operations was very limited, which to a certain extent affected the overall combat deployment of the Seventh Army.

Liu Ruming, as the "local boss" of Chahar, is very familiar with the terrain, topography and other conditions of Zhangjiakou and Nankou.

This should have been a great advantage for him in the War of Resistance, but he held the illusion that the Japanese army would not expand the battlefield in China.

In his opinion, perhaps this war would not affect his territory too deeply, so his passive attitude towards resisting the war gradually grew.

What worried him even more was the arrival of the central army. He was afraid that the central army would take the opportunity to seize his territory in Chahar.

This narrow-minded thinking caused him to show great non-cooperation in military operations, which brought great obstacles to the coordinated operations of the entire Seventh Army.

As for Tang Enbo, he was very clear about the strategic importance of Nankou. He was determined to guard Nankou and protect this important line of defense.

However, as the commander-in-chief of the front line, he could only command the defenders in Nankou.

In terms of logistical support and deployment of reinforcements, he could only rely on Fu Zuoyi and Liu Ruming.

This limitation of power made him feel very depressed and helpless.

In this way, Fu Zuoyi, Liu Ruming and Tang Enbo were pushed to the front and shouldered the heavy responsibility of guarding Nankou.

But they each had their own thoughts. Fu Zuoyi faced the dilemma of limited military strength, Liu Ruming was passive in the war and worried about losing his territory, and Tang Enbo had limited power and no guarantee of logistical support.

Behind this, there was also the intrigue between the Nanjing Command and Yan Xishan.

The Nanjing Headquarters hoped to effectively organize resistance forces in North China to resist the Japanese attack.

Yan Xishan, on the other hand, was more concerned about his own local interests and was unwilling to consume too much of his troops.

Such conflicts and conflicts of interest among the upper echelons further exacerbated the chaos and instability within the Seventh Army.

In the complex situation where various forces were bumping into each other like a tangled mess, the Nankou defense line was finally barely completed amid the sound of artillery fire from the Japanese attack.

However, behind this seemingly formed line of defense, there are countless hidden dangers and crises.

The 13th Army of the Central Army took on the important task of blocking the front line of defense at Nankou. They were about to face the fierce attack of the Japanese Type A Division.

The command center was located in Huailai, which became the brain center of the entire front line of defense.

The subordinate 4th Division and 89th Division quickly deployed and built a seemingly solid line of defense.

The 89th Division led by Wang Zhonglian took Nankou Town as its core, and like a pair of pliers, its two wings extended towards Sulinkou and Deshengkou respectively.

Behind it is a direct route to Juyongguan and Badaling. The terrain here is dangerous and it is a place that military strategists must fight for.

The soldiers of the 89th Division fought day and night, building fortifications in various key locations. They were well aware of the heavy responsibility they shouldered. Once the Japanese army broke through here, the entire Nankou defense line would be in danger of collapse.

Wang Wanling's 4th Division was to the west of the 89th Division, guarding the mountain road from Hengling City to Huailai.

This mountain road is an important passage connecting Nankou with the rear. Once it is cut off by the Japanese army, the defenders of Nankou will be isolated and helpless.

The soldiers of the 4th Division built defensive barriers along the mountain road, ready to meet the Japanese attack at any time.

On the rear defense line of Nankou, Gao Guizi's 17th Army of the Shaanxi Army took over the important task of guarding.

The 21st and 84th Divisions under this army should have fought in coordination to resist the Japanese attack.

However, the actual situation was not optimistic. The 84th Division barely arrived before August 8 and was responsible for guarding Dushankou north of Chicheng County to prevent the Japanese army from invading the rear of Nankou from Rehe.

However, the 21st Division encountered repeated obstacles during its march. Many problems such as rugged roads, lack of supplies, and unclear intelligence acted like roadblocks, preventing the troops from reaching the designated location in time.

In addition to the 17th Army, there is also Zhu Huaibing's 94th Division behind Juyongguan.

This force was ready to reinforce Deshengkou at any time to prevent the Japanese army from advancing further.