Yang Fan announced loudly: "First, starting from the momentum, it mainly includes issuing a general mobilization order, implementing comprehensive military control, strictly implementing the curfew system, etc.;

Second, the Independent Division broke away from the Third Army and was officially renamed the Huaxia Tiger Army. From now on, we will only fight for the rise of the Chinese nation!

Third, implement a solid wall and clear the fields and completely destroy the railway line from Jiao County to Weifang!…”

After announcing the important decision, Yang Fan began to accept questions from reporters on the spot!

"Teacher Yang, does your second decision just now mean that you have completely broken up with Chairman Han?"

"Teacher Yang, I am a reporter from the National Salvation Daily. Will you and your troops retreat to the rear like Chairman Han?"

"Team Commander Yang, my Shandong Guangming Daily reporter, the Japanese army is now strong, is our Hu Ben Army really sure to defend Gaomi, Jiaoxian, and Zhucheng Defense Zone?"

“…”

"Please rest assured that the Tiger Ben Army has the confidence and ability to protect the country and the people! Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. All the officers and soldiers of the Tiger Ben Army vow to fight the Japanese invaders to the end, even if they fight to the last battle!"

Yang Fan answered the many questions that the reporters were most urgently aware of in their hearts with a sonorous and powerful force, and expressed his firm belief and determination to the end of the War of Resistance!

Yang Fan's reputation was as high as the sun, and his loud words were full of power at this time, just like a reassurance, instantly allowing everyone present to quickly stabilize their minds!

He was busy until five o'clock in the afternoon, and Yang Fan waved his hand to end the press conference.

After the meeting, the army, government, and newspapers and media began to act quickly, using flyers, radio stations, news newspapers, CCTV and other means to mobilize the people in the defense zone!

Soon, the troops entered the first-level combat readiness state, and the jurisdictions of Gaomi, Anqiu, Zhucheng and Jiao County were launched to clear the fields. All the people in remote rural and mountain villages were moved to the county and town for resettlement!

As the Japanese army was about to launch a war to invade Qingdao, Chiang Kai-shek appointed Shen Honglie as Qingdao Land and the commander-in-chief of the Navy, and implemented the plan to not resist the "scorched earth resistance" plan.

On December 18, Shen Honglie ordered the blow up of nine major yarn mills invested and operated in Qingdao, and also destroyed facilities such as power plants, breweries, water plants and port docks.

On December 25, Shen ordered the seven warships such as the Haiti, the Harbin, which were anchored in Qingdao Port, and five small steamers such as the Harbin Flying Whale, the Port Authority, to be loaded with sand and sank on the waterway from Dagang to Xiaogang.

On December 26, Japan announced the blockade of traffic on the sea surface of Qingdao. On the 27th, Shen Honglie led nearly 10,000 people, including the party and government organs and their families, to retreat to southwest Shandong.

At 9 a.m. on January 10, 1938, the Second Fleet of the Japanese Navy and some Marines landed in the Toutiao, Zhanshan Village and Huiquan Bay respectively under the cover of the aircraft.

On January 14, the vanguard team of the Kuozaki Detachment and the Fourth Navy Fleet of the Second Army of the North China Front Army successively occupied Qingdao, and Qingdao fell again and became a colony of Japanese imperialism for the second time.

On January 16, 1938, Japanese Prime Minister Mitsuki Komye issued a statement to induce Chiang Kai-shek to attempt to destroy China, claiming that Japan would "not take the National Government as its opponent" and build a "new government to support with Japan."

Japan has been clamoring to "destroy China in three months". In order to achieve an invasion plan to quickly destroy China, it is necessary to connect with the two battlefields of North China and Central China as soon as possible!

Therefore, the Japanese army decided to use Jinan and Nanjing as bases to attack along the Jinpu Railway from the north and south ends, and finally joined forces with Xuzhou to open up the Jinpu Road, so that the Japanese army in North China and the Japanese army in East China could join Wuhan!

To this end, the Japanese base camp successively concentrated eight divisions and five brigades with about 240,000 troops, intending to annihilate the main force of the Chinese army in Xuzhou!

At the same time, the National Army Command and the Fifth War Zone Chief Command had long realized Xuzhou's major strategic position and had started to mobilize about 600,000 troops to gather troops to deploy defense in October 1937!

Xuzhou is located in the northwest of Jiangsu Province, between the Yellow River and the Huai River. It is located at the key links of Shandong, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces. It is the hub of the Jinpu and Longhai railways.

Around Xuzhou, mountains overlap and rivers crisscross the rivers, has always been a must-fight place for military strategists in the history of Chinese military.

The focus of the battle between China and Japan naturally focused on the Xuzhou area, and the famous Battle of Xuzhou in the history of the War of Resistance Against Japan is about to begin!

This battle will be a large-scale battle. The Chinese army launched fierce offensive and defensive battles with the Japanese army on the vast land between the Huanghuai River.?

Similarly, Yang Fan, who had already registered with the Japanese army, attracted a lot of hatred this time, and was the first to be the focus of the Japanese army's "care" target!

The 10th Division and 5th Division of the Japanese North China Front Army successively occupied Weixian, Changyi County, Pingdu County and Jimo County, forming a semi-encirclement that was impenetrable in Yang Fan’s jurisdiction!

In addition, the Second Japanese Fleet anchored near Qingdao began to carry out multiple high-intensity bombings on the coastal defense line and Gaomi, Zhucheng, Jiaoxian and Anqiu a week ago.

However, these aggressive bomber groups first had nowhere to hide in front of all-weather air defense radars and were discovered early on intent

Then, these bombers were bombarded one after another under the strong anti-aircraft artillery fire, and no less than 60 bombers were shot down!

After suffering four times in a row, the Japanese Air Corps suddenly became much more honest and did not dare to come without bombing!

On the other hand, Yang Fan's property losses were much smaller. Every time the Japanese aircraft group took off, the air defense alarm within the defense zone of the Huaxia Hu Ben Army sounded early.

After several air strikes, some irrelevant houses and buildings were blown up at most, and more than 30 other civilians died in the Japanese air strike!

As one goes up and down, the morale of the military and civilians in the jurisdiction is greatly boosted. Not only is it no longer afraid of the Japanese planes causing trouble, but it hopes that they can send more heads!

Pingdu County, conference room of the 2nd Japanese Army Command.

"Mr. Commander, we have gathered two imperial A divisions now. Should we issue a general attack order to eliminate the damn Chinese commander and his so-called Tiger Army?"

The 5th Division Army Seishiro Sakagaki's face was full of arrogance. He did not feel anxious or solemn because he met a real opponent. Instead, he was eager to try and was a little excited.

The 5th Division was one of the 17 standing divisions in Japan before the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. At the end of 1937, the Fifth Division defeated more than 30 Chinese divisions with half of the division, creating the "high reputation" of the Itagaki Division.
Chapter completed!