In order to rescue the stranded refugees, Tang Dao first had to obtain the right to blast the Yellow River Bridge, which was originally the task of the New Eighth Division of the city defense force stationed in Zhengzhou.
In the past time and space, they should have received the mission from Commander Cheng on February 12, and then arrived at the Yellow River Bridge to deploy defenses. Once the Japanese army approached the north bank of the Yellow River, they would immediately blow up the iron bridge.
The New Eighth Division was originally from the Guizhou Army and had poor equipment. When Tang Dao first arrived in Zhengzhou, he had seen an infantry company of them. Not to mention many of the guns were made in Hanyang, and most of the shoes they wore were straw sandals. Faced with having an aircraft
With the threat of the 14th Artillery Division, I couldn't blame them for blowing up the iron bridge regardless of the endless stream of fleeing people on the north bank.
The night of February 12th.
1st Theater Command.
"What, Tang Dao's four-line regiment went to Xinxiang and then returned, and they also volunteered to undertake the blasting of the Yellow River Bridge?" Commander Cheng, who was frowning at the war zone map in the headquarters office, glanced at it
The chief of staff of the theater brought over the telegram. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were full of surprise.
"This guy Tang Dao is a clever guy. He knows that a certain unit of the 14th Division may be waiting for him somewhere on his way to Jin Province. Going to Xinxiang is just a false shot, but he can completely divert to Jiaozuo.
The journey was a bit far, but it was safe enough. If he could go out day and night, if the Japanese didn't send out ground troops, they would be unable to do anything by flying alone. Why did he choose to return to Zhengzhou?
That's nothing. The 14th Division couldn't even withstand the tens of thousands of troops of the First Army. He even took the thankless task of blowing up the iron bridge. Chief of Staff Yan, what do you think he thought?
?”
"Tang Dao has a very bright mind, and his past achievements have shown that the arrangements he made were based on planning and then acting, and they all proved to be useful afterwards.
He returned to Zhengzhou. I guess he expected that the Japanese army would strengthen the Xinxiang frontline offensive to gain control of the north of the Yellow River, and then sent elite troops to detour in the direction of Jiaozuo. They did not need to pose a big enough threat to his Fourth Army Regiment, as long as they could hold back the Fourth Army.
During the day, the Japanese army had a large number of aircraft to support the battle. No matter how elite the Four Lines Regiment was, the battle losses would be too great for Tang Dao to bear. If the Japanese army sent out reinforcements again, even if the Four Lines Regiment could finally reach the Taihang Mountains, there would probably only be four left.
Just one percent is already a fluke." Yan Xunfu, who was then the Chief of Staff of the First Theater Lieutenant General, thought for a while and replied.
"Withdrawing to Zhengzhou, there was a time lag, allowing the Japanese army to detour and attack the air. Then, when the main force of the Japanese army was attracted by the main force of our theater, he marched north at full speed. The Japanese army would face two choices.
It was his small infantry regiment that attacked our war zone. This abacus was pulled so fast!
Commander and I have the same puzzlement. Bombing the Iron Bridge over the Yellow River is completely thankless, but we have to face the main force of the 14th Division at any time, and may also encounter the dilemma that our First Army and the people have not completely retreated.
Things."
The lieutenant general and chief of staff, who graduated from the Baoding Military Academy and the fifth batch of the Army University, is worthy of being a veteran. After learning about the latest trends of the Four-Hong Regiment, he came to a judgment that was almost consistent with that of "Tufeiyuan".
Of course, 'Dofei Yuan' is obviously more skilled, but he made such a conclusion after not receiving any information on the movements of the Four Elements Group.
However, what the senior generals of China and Japan collectively did not expect was that Tang Dao had no intention of choosing an opportunity to escape, but wanted to fight the Japanese first at the Iron Bridge over the Yellow River.
Really, this is unreasonable!
However, this is a battlefield. If everything is reasonable, then there is no need to fight.
The Chinese side wanted nothing but a large number of people, but the Japanese had drones in the sky and tanks and artillery on the ground. It was a completely dimensionality-reducing strike. It was absolutely reasonable for the Japanese army to win by crushing them.
Moving the timeline another dozen years, the Chinese military is facing a multi-national force that is armed to the teeth. It not only has aircraft carriers and cannons, but also aircraft carriers. However, China still only has the characteristic of having a large number of people. All of them are analyzed rationally.
To paraphrase a Sichuanese mantra, give me a hammer!
Hammer, who was running happily with Ximei on his back, was very unhappy. Why did you have to hit me!
"No matter what the purpose of Tang Dao is, where is the combat effectiveness of his Si Xing Regiment? Good guy, a small infantry regiment is equipped with Type 41 mountain cannons and machine guns. This is comparable to the 10,000 people of the New Eighth Division.
The mob is much stronger.
Then leave this task to them. They must blow up the iron bridge immediately after the retreat of our first group army. If the Japanese army attacks with all their strength, they must defend the north bank until the bridge is blown up successfully, allowing the Japanese army to occupy the iron bridge.
Then Tang Dao is the culprit for the loss of Zhengzhou, please be sure to tell the Four Elements Group about this."
Commander Cheng was a decisive person. After mentally comparing the combat effectiveness of the Fourth Army with that of the newly established New Eighth Division, he was shocked to find that the New Eighth Division, in addition to having more people, seemed to be unable to compete with the Fourth Army in terms of equipment and the will of its officers and soldiers.
Compare the group and make a decisive decision immediately.
"In addition, please express my gratitude to all the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Army Regiment on my behalf for assisting the friendly forces in fighting. If the mission is successfully completed, the First Theater Command will truthfully report its military exploits to the Military and Administrative Department!"
The lieutenant general and chief of staff nodded, turned around and left.
"Wait!" Commander Cheng suddenly remembered something. "Tang Dao's telegram also included a request not to revoke the military order of other troops to blow up the bridge. That should be because he was not sure whether there were any Japanese spies in Zhengzhou City. He was hiding something from the truth.
In this way, the New Eighth Division, which had already set off, was ordered not to return but to go to the direction of the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River. However, it did not need to participate in the task of blowing up the iron bridge. Instead, it was stationed along the south bank of the Yellow River to prevent small groups of Japanese troops from using rafts to cross the river to cause damage.
The dispatched engineer company will not be withdrawn for the time being, and will be handed over to the unified command of the commander of the Tang Dao Regiment of the Four Lines Regiment."...
February 13th!
Zhengzhou Yellow River Iron Bridge!
The First Army was defeated after all. As the 14th Division launched an offensive at all costs, Japanese planes continued to bomb in the sky. Two days ago, the First Army, except for the small-scale troops left behind, resisted layer by layer and hindered the Japanese army from advancing.
The main force has already begun to retreat towards Zhengzhou in great strides.
It was completely dark, but along the way there were people fleeing, dragging their families with them and carrying heavy salutes as they moved forward slowly. The faces of the adults were sad and confused, while the children were so frightened that they cried.
This is what I saw after arriving at the Yellow River Railway Bridge after a long and dusty journey.
The fleeing people looked at the four groups who jogged all the way to the north bank of the Yellow River and immediately started building fortifications on the north bank of the Yellow River. The panic on their faces was not much reduced, and they were more numb.
The tens of thousands of troops of the First Army collapsed under the Japanese offensive in just 20 days. What could these thousands of people do?
Lei Xiong was responsible for all construction of fortifications, Gong Shaoxun was responsible for deploying cavalry units and special squadrons for reconnaissance, and the regiment headquarters was dispersed by Zhuang Division to choose a location. According to Tang Dao's requirements, everyone in the Four Lines Regiment must stay on the north bank.
Whether it's a baggage company or a regiment headquarters, it's the same!
It actually had the meaning of burning the boat. If it were replaced by other troops, ordinary officers and soldiers might not need to fry the pot. Several deputies of Tang Dao would have to constantly persuade them.
There is no problem in blowing up the bridge, but once the bridge blows up, everyone staying on the north bank will have no way out. Isn't that the rhythm of the entire army being annihilated?
But in the Four Elements Group, Tang Dao has absolute control, and Lei Xiong and others have followed Tang Dao for a long time, and they know that their commander is a super iron head, but he is the kind of intelligent iron head, and the result of a collision with him
, it is often the opponent’s head that is broken and bleeding.
Moreover, the Si Xing Regiment was stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River, not just near the iron bridge, but had pushed the entire defense line forward nearly 3,000 meters, giving enough room for tactical maneuvering, and the leading soldiers were 10 kilometers away for reconnaissance.
"Let's go and see the iron bridge!" Tang Dao and Erya waved to the guard platoon behind them, and took the lead in striding toward the bridge, which was built during the Guangxu period.
In the future, not many people will know about the existence of this bridge. Even if some people know about it like Tang Dao, they have only seen this bridge in the literature, which has left a rich record in the history of Chinese bridges.
The Yellow River Railway Bridge is not an ordinary bridge. It is a road and railway iron bridge. The whole bridge has 102 bridge holes, each hole is about 31 meters apart. The total length of the bridge is 3015 meters. It is considered a great project in the world.
The bridge sentries had been informed before and had checked various documents. Tang Dao and the guard platoon were standing in front of this famous bridge. Under the lighting of torches, the huge Yellow River Iron Bridge looked like it stretched across the Yellow River.
A giant steel dragon.
This is the crystallization of the wisdom and efforts of the Chinese ancestors. Standing in front of such a huge artificial building, one should be amazed.
But at this time, the eyes of the Chinese soldiers were more desolate, because the majestic body of the bridge had become the last escape route for the people in the Xinxiang direction. What was even more painful was that they had to destroy it on the mother river of China. In order to
More Chinese people.
Tang Dao also stood in front of the bridge and remained silent for a long time.
What makes this future little butterfly heartache is not just the bridge, but the crowds of people passing slowly on the bridge.
Before coming to this era, all the sacrifices he saw were recorded sacrifices, but only when he arrived on this battlefield did he know the dire sufferings the Chinese people suffered in this war.
The Japanese are killing Chinese people like pigs and dogs.
In Xinxiang alone, there were more than a dozen atrocities involving the massacre of villages and annihilation of households by the Japanese army from people fleeing along the route.
On February 7, the Japanese invaders conducted door-to-door searches in Dongguan Town, Xinxiang, and arrested innocent people. Then they asked the fake security chief to issue a certificate to collect the people. More than a dozen people were killed by the Japanese invaders with bayonets before the security chief could claim them.
On February 8, 17 innocent people were buried alive by the Japanese invaders in a pond next to the small suspension bridge in Beiguan. In the Dongguan school yard, the Japanese invaders dug pits and buried 27 innocent people alive.
On February 10, at the north end of Tongqingli, the Japanese invaders shot and killed more than 80 passing farmers and vendors. They buried more than 50 innocent people alive beside Xinhui Road.
On February 3rd, in Liangjiafen, the Japanese invaders killed five or six hundred Chinese people in one day. All seven members of a peanut vendor on Zaoba Street were killed.
This is also an important reason why people in Xinxiang are willing to leave their hometowns. The whole family may never have a fixed place to live and become a living person. Even if they freeze to death or starve to death, it is better than having their family members humiliated by the Japanese army and stabbed to death with bayonets, right?
?
These tragic deaths are destined not to be obscured by more casualties, but for any Chinese, they are heartbreaking pain.
At this moment, the entire army of the Si Xing Regiment was able to use their lives, including the students and even the once pampered and privileged sons of heaven. They wielded their engineering shovels and worked hard to dig fortifications on the north bank of the Yellow River. Not only did they have Tang Dao's military orders, but also because of the oral instructions of the people.
The desire to fight to the death aroused by disaster.
By comparing the casualty figures in the Battle of Songhu, the Battle of Jinling, the Battle of Xuzhou, and the Battle of Jiangxia, anyone with a discerning eye can see that as the war progresses, all Chinese soldiers are forced to grow. If they do not grow, there will be a series of casualties.
.
The Four Lines Regiment is the best among them. Their progress is not only about tactics and equipment, but also about their sense of honor. As Chinese soldiers, their glory does not come from how many battles they win, but from how they treat ordinary people.
Protection of the public.
If you can't even protect your own people, how can you be a soldier? The Four Elements Regiment is establishing such a concept under the subtle leadership of Tang Dao.
This is the Chinese army that Tang Dao wants, the soul of a true Chinese army.
Military spirit!
"Sir, who are you?" An army lieutenant running over from the bridge interrupted Tang Dao's meditation.
The army lieutenant glanced at Tang Dao's colonel's collar badge and quickly stood at attention and saluted.
"I am Tang Dao, the leader of the Four Lines Regiment, and I have been ordered by the war zone to carry out the task of blowing up the Iron Bridge of the Yellow River." Tang Dao glanced at the army lieutenant, returned the salute, and took the initiative to introduce his identity.
The lieutenant of the Army stood up straighter and said, "Sir, the Engineer Company of the New Eighth Division has been ordered to assist your department in completing the bridge bombing mission. Bai Sheng, the commander of the Engineer Company of the New Eighth Division under my command!"
"Bai Sheng? This is a good name. It means victorious in every battle. Please say hello to your new Eighth Division Commander for me!" Tang Dao smiled slightly.
Although he is still unable to confirm the authenticity of this engineer company, this engineer company does exist in history. As early as two days ago, they were ordered to arrive at the Yellow River Bridge and eventually became the main force in blowing up the bridge.
military.
The Japanese army's pace was not that big yet. By the time they rushed over, all the Yellow River railway bridges had been blown up. In the end, they could only look at the river and sigh.
However, the necessary exchange of documents and inspections between the two parties are also necessary, but this is the task of the communication troops of both parties. Tang Dao, the chief officer, does not need to do these small things. He should encourage this person, increase the intimacy and strengthen the cooperation between the two parties.
This is what a chief officer has to do.
"You're welcome, sir!" Seeing that Tang Dao, the commander of the regiment, was very accommodating, the young lieutenant was obviously relieved. "Our engineering company has been ordered to fully obey your command, Commander Tang. Please give me your order."
"Okay! I came along the way and saw that there are still many soldiers and civilians who have not yet evacuated. The bombing of the bridge must be subject to my personal orders, otherwise military law will be violated. I hope you can understand this, Captain Bai." Tang Dao nodded.
"Sir, has your four-line group not arrived yet?" Bai Sheng did not agree immediately, but changed the subject and cast his gaze behind Tang Dao.
There were not many people behind Tang Dao except for a platoon of armed guards. This was obviously what made the army lieutenant extremely different.
"Our regiment is digging fortifications three kilometers away from the bridge. The regiment headquarters is about 400 meters away from the bridge. If the Japanese army unexpectedly comes, our regiment will try our best to stop the Japanese army and will not delay your engineer company's bombing of the bridge. I don't know.
Are you satisfied with this, Commander Bai?" Tang Dao glanced at this rather 'nosy' engineer company commander, with admiration flashing in his eyes.
The engineer company commander, who was only in his mid-twenties, was more thoughtful than many soldiers he had encountered.
The reason why he did not agree outright was entirely due to the tactical arrangements of the Four Lines Regiment. If the Four Lines Regiment was afraid of death and deployed its main force south of the Yellow River, then he would have to think carefully.
Because that means there is too little reaction time left to blow up the bridge.
If the reaction time is not enough and the destruction is not thorough enough, and given the strength of the Japanese engineers, if it takes a while to repair it and there is no need to pass through the train, as long as it can pass through the tanks and artillery, Zhengzhou will also be finished.
In other words, the engineer company commander has a good brain. He knows that it is difficult to build such a bridge, but it is equally difficult to destroy it. And blowing up the bridge is related to the safety of the entire Zhengzhou. How important is that?
Obviously far above Tang Dao, the colonel leader.
Although Tang Dao doesn't like those who are good at making decisions, he never hinders the officers under his command from displaying their personal qualities. He does not want everyone to become his yes man, especially for the guerrilla battlefield that is destined to have multiple attacks in the future.
Regiment commanders at all levels must have their own logical judgment and tactical planning abilities, and Tang Dao has been deliberately cultivating them from a very early age.
For example, Tang Dao now has a general direction in which the entire regiment will deploy defenses on the north bank of the Yellow River to block the approaching Japanese army. The rest is left to a group of deputies such as Lei Xiong, Gu Shaoxun, and Zhuang Shisan. He does not have to do everything personally.
If there are any inconsistencies with his ideas, he will naturally discuss them and then revise them.
The little engineer company commander in front of him had very clear logical judgments, and he was the type that Tang Dao liked.
Hearing what Tang Dao said, the young engineer company commander had a look of disbelief on his face.
Bai Sheng had thought that the Si Xing Regiment would be stationed on the north bank of the Yellow River, but he never thought that not a single soldier of the Si Xing Regiment would be able to cross the river, and even the regiment headquarters would be on the north bank.
You must know that before receiving the order to blow up the bridge to be transferred to the Sixings Regiment, the order he received from the division headquarters was that the New Eighth Division would send four infantry battalions to garrison the north bank. His engineer company had to wait until the four infantry battalions were evacuated.
, no one is allowed to light a fire or blow up a bridge without permission before receiving a death order from the division headquarters.
The four infantry battalions looked like a lot, but their strength was only about one-third of the total infantry strength of the New Eighth Division. Compared with the Si Xing Regiment, where the entire regiment was on death-defense, it was a decisive battle.
After being shocked, the young army lieutenant looked at Tang Dao, the colonel commander who was several years younger than himself, with admiration in his eyes.
"Yes! Bai Sheng guarantees that the entire engineering company will abide by Commander Tang's orders! But if he disobeys the order, Bai Sheng will raise his head to see you!" Bai Sheng looked solemn and solemnly saluted Tang Dao again.
This time, it was not just a military salute from a subordinate to a superior, but a salute from Chinese soldiers to Chinese soldiers.
Soldiers can understand without using any words!
Tang Dao, without using any great principles, only used the actual actions of the entire regiment to conquer this engineer company commander who was carrying several tons of explosives.
With this person's full cooperation, Tang Dao was confident that the bridge could be blown up within the stipulated time. The only thing in his heart was that the Four Elements Regiment would delay the time again this time and completely evacuate the stranded people.
More importantly, he had to lead the entire regiment to escape before the main force of the 14th Division arrived.
No matter how tough Tang Dao is, he won't be able to use an infantry regiment to fight with the 14th Division. It will definitely be like a meat bun beating a dog and there will be no return.
It is really impossible for Tang Dao to predict whether the First Group Army will retreat towards Jin Province as it did in time and space. The main force of the 14th Division is like a shark that smells blood. It has been successfully diverted to the point where it waits.
They discovered that after the railway bridge was bombed, there was no way to save the day.
Just as Doi Yuan guessed the ending correctly but not the process, Tang Dao also guessed half of it right.
The main force of the 14th Division was indeed attracted by the retreating First Army. In order to avoid being cut off by the Japanese army, at least 10,000 people evacuated from the flanks of the battlefield towards Shanxi Province. Madoka Doi ordered the 28th Infantry Brigade under his command to pursue them.
, the first section of the 27th Infantry Brigade occupied major towns in Xinxiang and collected supplies in preparation for the upcoming offensive and defensive battle in Zhengzhou.
However, the 2nd Infantry Regiment responsible for searching for and pursuing Ishiguro Sadzo broke away from its main force and headed toward Zhengzhou at high speed.
Just as Chief of Staff Yan of the First War Zone guessed, the tactic implemented by the 2nd Infantry Regiment was to find the Fourth Line Regiment, hold them back, and then use air superiority to bomb their positions and then kill them.
Under the guidance of this tactical concept, even though he knew that the Four Elements were not easy to bully, Ishiguro Sadazou, who had been taught by Madoka Doi, was still full of confidence and could run faster than a rabbit.
On the 15th, its main force had arrived 30 kilometers away from the Yellow River Railway Bridge, and its leading reconnaissance troops were 15 kilometers ahead of the main force.
The soldiers of the special squadron of the Fourth Line Regiment also operate in an area 15 kilometers outside their main force.
Therefore, the first close contact between the Si Xing Regiment and the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 14th Division belonged to the top soldiers of both sides.
The elites of China and Japan...
PS: Brothers! Call for subscriptions! There was no update the day before yesterday, so yesterday’s subscriptions were small. Why is Mao’s subscriptions so low today? Give Feng Yue some encouragement. Monthly tickets and subscriptions are all required by Feng Yue! I’m about to beat Tu Fei Yuan.
