Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

At this time, the main force of the Chahar Dispatched Corps of the Kwantung Army was still stranded in the direction of Rehe. The Zhangjiakou line was relatively calm. Only the puppet Mongolian army was stationed north of the Great Wall, and the defense was very weak.

Fu Zuoyi seized this opportunity keenly and decided to launch an offensive before the Kwantung Army moved westward to seize Zhangbei County, a strategic location north of the Great Wall.

He carefully deployed an encirclement plan from both the east and west.

The Eastern Route Army, led by Liu Ruming's 68th Army, attacked northward from Zhangjiakou, first capturing Chongli as a forward base, and then waiting for an opportunity to advance to Zhangbei.

In the Western Route Army, Fu Zuoyi personally led the 35th Army and the 1st Cavalry Army to attack Shangyi, Shangdu and Huade.

Forming a pincer attack on Zhang Bei from the west and north.

This famous general, who had inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese army during the Suiyuan Anti-Japanese War, was full of confidence and was not afraid of the arrogance of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

However, just as Fu Zuoyi's troops were conquering Shangdu and Huade in succession and their offensive was in full swing, the Nankou battlefield suddenly took a turn for the worse.

Moreover, Liu Ruming's troops suddenly stopped advancing after capturing Chongli. Faced with the strong defense of Zhangbei County, they hesitated and refused to carry out the order to attack.

To make matters worse, emergency telegrams kept coming from Nankou, indicating that Tang Enbo's 13th Army was in a tough battle and urgently needed reinforcements.

Faced with this sudden change, Fu Zuoyi had to reluctantly give up the fruits of victory that were about to be achieved.

He immediately adjusted the deployment and urgently transferred the 72nd Division and the Independent 7th Brigade from the rear to support Nankou.

He personally rushed to Huailai to coordinate the mobilization of reinforcements.

Order Liu Ruming's Eastern Army to hold the occupied positions and stop advancing recklessly.

The Nanjing Command was also closely following the development of the war situation at this time.

In the telegram to Tang Enbo, clear instructions were given: the existing positions must be defended to the death and no retreat was allowed without authorization.

Even if the situation worsens, we must hold on to Huailai and wait for reinforcements to arrive before seizing the opportunity to counterattack.

This telegram highlights the importance Nanjing attaches to the strategic location of Nankou. Even at the risk of annihilation, it is necessary to defend this gateway of Nankou.

Although Fu Zuoyi's northern offensive was forced to stop, its strategic value cannot be ignored.

It successfully tied down the Japanese troops in northern Chahar, reduced the pressure on the Nankou front, and demonstrated Fu Zuoyi's keen battlefield sense and decisive decision-making ability.

However, it also shows the dilemma of the Chinese army in the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan, where they had to set up defenses everywhere and their forces were dispersed.

Liu Ruming's troops' hesitation exposed the problem of some generals' lack of determination to fight, a problem that would recur in subsequent battles.

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On August 1937, 8, the Battle of Nankou reached its bloodiest day.

At Huanglouyuan, Hezijian and Shawopu, the Chinese army and the Japanese Fifth Division fought a desperate battle.

By dusk, the positions of the 13th Brigade of the 12th Army were littered with corpses. In just one day, more than 1200 officers and soldiers fell forever on this scorched earth.

Meanwhile, the situation in Juyongguan was even more dangerous. The Japanese troops of the 11th Independent Mixed Brigade broke through the layers of resistance of the Chinese defenders and not only reached the city walls of Juyongguan, but even broke through the south gate.

The defenders relied on the city walls to put up a desperate resistance, and every street and alley became a meat grinder.

At the most critical moment of the battle, Wei Lihuang brought exciting news that the three divisions of Li Mo'an's 14th Army were rushing to support and were expected to arrive near Zhenbian City in one or two days.

Tang Enbo immediately realized that this was a rare opportunity for battle.

He decided to take advantage of the opportunity when the Japanese flank was about to be exposed and launch a large-scale counterattack to turn the tide of the war in one fell swoop.

On August 8, Fu Zuoyi rushed to Huailai with reinforcements.

He did not care about the fatigue of the journey and immediately started emergency consultations with Tang Enbo.

After careful analysis, the two finally finalized a counterattack plan.

The main force of the 72nd Division assembled at Hengling and launched an attack from the north.

The 7th Independent Brigade entered Chengjiabao and launched a pincer attack from the south, focusing on the Japanese troops in the direction of Huanglouyuan.

After Li Mo'an's troops arrived at Zhenbian City, they formed a siege.

The combat order was quickly drafted and was waiting to be issued for execution. The commanders of all units had received the notice and were making intensive pre-war preparations.

Just when the counterattack order was about to be issued, Fu Zuoyi suddenly called a halt to the attack plan!

It turned out that he had just received an urgent military report.

At 1937:8 a.m. on August 20, 3, Zhangjiakou was in danger!!!

The Chahar Dispatch Corps of the Kwantung Army stationed in Rehe has broken through the Zhangbei defense line and is rapidly advancing towards Zhangjiakou with mechanized troops.

As the commander of the Seventh Army, Fu Zuoyi certainly understood that once Zhangjiakou was lost, it would not only mean the fall of the entire Chahar region, but would also cut off the retreat of the entire Nankou battlefield.

"If Zhangjiakou is lost, our army will be attacked from both sides!" There was a rare anxiety in Fu Zuoyi's voice.

He immediately decided to lead his troops back to defend Zhangjiakou, and the Nankou battlefield had to temporarily switch to defense.

Faced with this sudden change, Tang Enbo had to urgently adjust his deployment, shrink the defense line, replan the Nankou defense system, and divide the front line into three defensive areas.

The first defensive area, Juyongguan, Qinglong Bridge.

Defending forces: 89th Division, 21st Regiment and 121th Regiment of the 124st Division.

Mission: To control the strategic point of Pingsui Railway and ensure the safety of Nankou Gateway

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The second defensive area is the Huanglouyuan area.

Defending forces: remaining troops of the 21st Division, 4th Brigade of the 10th Division.

Mission: Block the main force of the Japanese Fifth Division and delay its offensive.

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The third defensive area, Hengling, is located in the border town.

Defending forces: main force of the 4th Division and one brigade of the 72nd Division.

Mission: Build the last line of defense to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.

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Flank defense: Yongxing, Yanqing, and Chicheng defense lines.

Defending forces: 94th Division, 84th Division

Mission: Prevent the Japanese army from encircling from the direction of Rehe.

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Although this defensive deployment temporarily stabilized the front, it also exposed serious problems:

The troops are scattered and the troops in each defense zone are obviously insufficient. The total strength of the Chinese defenders in the Nankou battlefield is less than 3!

It was difficult to organize an effective counterattack, and they were forced to give up the initiative and completely switch to passive defense.

The 94th and 84th Divisions' defense lines were as long as 120 kilometers, and their defenses were extremely weak!

Li Mo'an's troops are still on the march, and the exact arrival time is difficult to determine.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tang Enbo's idea of defensive contraction was a good one, but unfortunately the Japanese army acted faster and more efficiently.

When Tang Enbo's defense plan was just released, the Japanese army had already smelled the opportunity.

After the reconnaissance plane discovered signs that Li Mo'an's 14th Army was moving north, the Japanese army immediately responded.

The 6th Brigade was withdrawn from the 36th Division and temporarily organized into the Niudao Detachment, which was ordered to quickly enter the Mentougou area and set up an ambush.

At the same time, the 20th Division was transferred to Liangxiang to contain the possible reinforcements of the 26th Army.

The Japanese army's series of actions were clean and neat, completely catching the Chinese army off guard.