In order to conceal its campaign attempts, the Japanese army created the illusion of China. In late April, they carried out a "sweeping" operation near Xunyang, and carried out feint attacks on Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake with navy, bombing key points of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces with aviation, making an attitude of taking action in the ninth war zone to divert China's attention. After its main forces were assembled, according to the scheduled plan, the main forces of the fifth war zone were captured and annihilated from the Tanghe River and the area east of Baihe River to Zaoyang.

The brute-handed approach was adopted to detour the two wings and break through the middle, and launched an attack in early May 1940. The 3rd Division on its right wing (strengthening the Shiben Detachment from the 40th Division, two chariot corpses and one engineer corps) took the lead in attacking Xinyang and pointed at Biyang, breaking through the front of the 2nd Army on the same day. The next day, the 13th Division on its left wing also launched an attack from Zhongxiang, and broke through the front of the 33rd Army on the same day. After the two Japanese troops broke through, they advanced with all their strength and pointed directly at Zaoyang.

The main force of the 33rd and the 2nd Army chased the Japanese army and waited for an opportunity to ambush them. On May 4, the 39th Division of the Japanese Army (Strengthening Ikeda Detachment) launched an offensive on the Central Front and immediately broke through the front of the 11th Army. The 11th Army immediately moved to the southwest with the 45th Army and the 84th Army to the northwest with the efforts to defend Zaoyang. This kind of battle deployment is exactly the same as that of the Sui and Zao Battles.

After the Chinese side found out the operations and forces of the Japanese army, Chang Kaishen called Li Delin on May 5, pointing out that the various Japanese army "has only three strong divisions and all of them were pieced together from other aspects to be distributed in Pinghan, Xinnan, Xianghua, Jingzhong, and Han. Each of the troops was only one brigade, and at most the first division. The strength was limited and there was no active and great intention. It can be concluded... Our army should understand the enemy's situation and seize the opportunity... and advance bravely regardless of everything, and he will definitely give the enemy a fatal blow."

On the same day, the Fifth War Zone adjusted its deployment in response to the situation of the Japanese army: the 29th Army in Dahongshan, and attacked the two Japanese army along the Jingzhong and Xianghua routes; the left group Sun Lianzhong commanded the 1st Guerrilla Column to fight in Tongbaishan, and attacked the Japanese army on the southwest side of Xianghua Road; in addition to the original mission, the Jiang Defense Army should cross the river with strong troops eastward, attack towards Zaoshi and Lianshan direction, threaten the rear of the Japanese army and support the right group to fight; the right group still defended the west bank of the Xianghe River with one force, and the main force was in the area east of the Xianghe River.

Cooperate with the Central Group to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army heading north from Zhong Xiang; the Central Group should block the current position and delay the Japanese army advancing westward. When it was necessary to ensure Xiang and Fan, they resisted one after another east of Zaoyang. Then, they cooperated with the You Group and the Dahongshan Guerrilla Army north of Zaoyang to attack the Japanese army, and the main force moved to the Tanghe and Baihe westward; the 2nd, 31st and 92nd Army should encircle and annihilate the Japanese army advancing westward in Tongbai and Biyang, and moved to the west of Tanghe.

However, after breaking through the front line of the Fifth War Zone, the Japanese army made rapid progress and advanced at a speed of 30 to 40 kilometers per day. On May 7, the 3rd Division occupied Tanghe, the 13th Division advanced north to Wangji, and the 39th Division arrived in Suiyangdian, forming a siege against Zaoyang.

However, there are many gaps between the Japanese army. After the defenders resisted one after another, they turned to the outside line in time before the Japanese army encirclement had not yet closed. Only the 173rd Division of the 84th Army covered the main force around Zaoyang and failed to retreat. They were besieged by the Japanese army and suffered heavy losses. The division commander Zhong Yi was killed.

On May 8, the Japanese army occupied Zaoyang and claimed that the purpose of the left (east) shore of the Han River had been completed, but in fact, the attempt to capture the main force of the Fifth War Zone was not achieved. In fact, the Fifth War Zone had already concentrated 23 divisions of troops around the Japanese army, preparing to fight for a decisive battle.

The Military Commission judged that the Japanese army would retreat to its original garrison, and the main retreat was Xianghua Road, and the vehicles could not move after the rain. Therefore, it ordered the troops of the Fifth War Zone to take advantage of the situation of the Japanese army, lack of supplies, and difficult retreat, to capture them with all their might and annihilate them near the battlefield, and then pursue Yingcheng and the line of garden. The Fifth War Zone immediately deployed a counterattack against the Japanese army.

On the night of May 8, the Japanese army's double stents were about to be established. It is obvious that there were no other major results in the battle besides the 84th Army of the National Government. However, the 11th Army of the Japanese Army still issued an order, ordering the frontline divisions to reverse and return to their original garrison after arriving at the Tanghe-Baihe line, preparing to carry out the encirclement battle on the west bank of the Han River. At the same time, one was 8 pm and the other was 11 pm. Shancheng issued a general offensive order to the fifth war zone. At this time, six divisions of the 31st Army were in the north and moved south rapidly in the Nanyang area. Five divisions of the 33rd Army were in the south, and five divisions of the 45th Army and the 94th Army were chasing the Japanese army in the southeast, and almost surrounded the Japanese army. A fierce battle began.

Just after breakfast in the morning, Hu Boyu came to Zhang Xuchen's 33rd Army Command in person and said straight to the commander-in-chief Zhang Xuchen, "Commander Zhang, the battle can't be fought like this anymore. The Japanese are obviously pulling us into the trap. Their strength has not been greatly damaged. If you give us a back shot, our army will be in danger!"

Zhang Xuchen stared at the map and said heavily: "I also know that there will be serious problems if I continue to fight like this, but the Shancheng Military Committee is determined to eat the main force of the 11th Army. Chief Li Delin will not listen to us!"

"Bastard, I'm so happy to win this matter again, and I don't consider the actual situation at all. Commander Zhang, I ask my brothers to retreat to Yicheng to build defensive fortifications just in case."

"Okay! Please Brother Boyu, the retreat of my 33rd Army."

Zhang Xuchen had been through the battlefield for a long time, so he naturally knew that the situation was very dangerous at this time. He was born in the Northwest Army, not the direct lineage of Chang Kaishen. He understood that once the war changes drastically, his 33rd Army might have to be responsible for cutting off the rear, so he recognized Hu Boyu's idea.

"Commander Zhang, don't fight the Japanese. If you don't do anything, retreat to Yicheng. I'll pick you up there," Hu Boyu said solemnly.

After obtaining the permission of Zhang Xuchen, Hu Boyu immediately took the two mountain divisions who had just finished breakfast to head towards Yicheng. As soon as he arrived in Yicheng, he had no time to rest. He immediately organized his subordinates and soldiers and the surrounding people to start building defensive fortifications, and at the same time sent a report to Luoyi for help.

"Look, I was fooled by Ning Ji, Gangcun. Li Delin wanted to eat a fat man in one bite. He really thought the 11th Army of the Japanese were made of mud." Wu Siren complained in front of Chen Zi after receiving the telegram from Hu Boyu.

"Moran, the Japanese are in charge of command this time, Sonobu and Ichiro, what's wrong with Guangang Village?" Chen Ziliang said with a smile.

Wu Siren said disdainfully: "Sumuba and Ichiro are just stupid pigs. He can't formulate such beautiful tactics, but Xiao Guicao is just following him. Don't forget that the former commander of the 11th Army was Gangmura Yanji. Chief of Staff ordered Gao Mingji to take off the transport plane of the Air Combat Division and drop a batch of military supplies to Hu Boyu. This battle in Yicheng is not easy to fight!"

The Japanese army, who were preparing to retreat, first had contact with the main force of the 33rd Army, which was forcing from the south on the 10th. After the Japanese army discovered this phenomenon, they determined that it was a good opportunity to defeat the Chinese army. They immediately ordered the 13th and 39th Divisions and the Ikeda Detachment to go south to attack the 33rd Army, and used the 3rd Division to cover its northern wing.

On May 12, a fierce battle broke out. The Japanese army attacked Zhang Xuchen's 33rd Army with two divisions. The 33rd Army was in a difficult battle. Due to the lack of confidentiality awareness of the Chinese army, the telegrams between the Military Commission and the Fifth War Zone were intercepted by the Japanese army. The Japanese army also learned about the specific location of the 33rd Army from the telegrams Zhang Xuchen reported to Chang Kaishen about the operations of the five divisions led by the authorities. Fortunately, he was careful and did not report to Jiangcheng the situation of the two mountain divisions of the Tax Police Corps led by Hu Boyu.

The Somama and Ichiro, who received the exact information, immediately decided to concentrate the forces of the 13th and 39th Divisions, head south along the east coast of the Han River, and counterattacked the Zhang Xuchen Army, and ordered the 3rd Division south of Xinye to retreat to near Zaoyang and cover the rear.

Faced with the fierce Japanese army, Zhang Xuchen did not fall in love with the battle, but quickly retreated to Yicheng, preparing to rely on the fortifications built by Hu Boyu to fight to the death with the Japanese army. Using his body as bait, he lured the enemy's main force to attack and complete the battle goal of Li Zongren's encirclement and annihilation of the main force of the 11th Army, just like the fetus in the first battle.

The Japanese intelligence department measured the outward contact information and location of the radio station based on the radio call sign and radio wave direction. This time, it was learned that Zhang Xuchen's General Headquarters was in Yicheng, and the Japanese army surrounded this area with the cooperation of the aviation force.

On the night of the 15th, the 39th Japanese Division rushed into the Pumpkin Shop from Fangjiaji and Nanbattalion. At dawn on the 16th, the tactical encirclement of the 33rd Army General Command was completed.

At this point, both the enemy and us believed that the preliminary goal had been achieved.
Chapter completed!