Out of self-preservation, the 448th Regiment withdrew behind the 119th Regiment, which was eager to reinforce Madu Bridge. It was tantamount to taking the initiative to give way to the front, creating an excellent opportunity for Yang Zhen who stayed behind in Xingtan. It almost allowed Yang Zhen to retreat.
Yang Zhen, who was originally prepared to fight a tough battle, easily broke out of the encirclement with little effort.
After protruding out of Xingtan, Yang Zhen led the troops of the company's guard company and a battalion left in Xingtan, which was no more than a reinforced battalion at full count. He followed the retreat route of the 448th Regiment without making any pause and went straight to kill them.
The front line of Madu Bridge. No matter where the sound of gunfire came from, the front line of Madu Bridge was the last way for the troops remaining in Xingtan at this time.
Although most of the 119th Regiment of the Forty Division and the two battalions of the 448th Regiment that followed the retreat of the 119th Regiment were gathered on the front line of Madu Bridge at this time. However, with the main force of the 52nd Division to the north and the troops over there,
Compared with the main force of the Forty Division, Yang Zhen would rather choose this enemy who has been exposed to the public.
By the time Yang Zhen used intensive machine gun and mortar firepower, coupled with a sufficient amount of grenade rain to defeat the retreat, he had eliminated 30% of his vacancies. In addition to the previous casualties in Xingtan, the actual number of soldiers was less than five.
After the hundred-man 448th Regiment blocked the attack, it was discovered that the southern front troops who were fighting fiercely with the 119th Regiment of the 40th Division of the Maduqiao Front Line turned out to be the missing southern troops.
Faced with the commanders of the southern front troops who wanted to report why they did not evacuate to Xingtan as ordered by the military headquarters, but instead appeared on the line of Madu Bridge east of Xingtan, Yang Zhen did not listen to their explanations. He just ordered them to do whatever it took.
At the price, prepare to go straight to the northeast of Jingxian County to look for the military headquarters and the main force.
Although Maduqiao is an inconspicuous spot on the road from Langqiao to Sanxi on the 1:50,000 map, this small village located on the narrow plain of the Huihe River is actually a
A very critical strategic point. As long as we break through here, it means breaking through the encirclement circle built by the 40th Division after it was broken through at the Xingtan line.
As long as we enter the mountainous area east of the Huihe River before the main force of the 52nd Division, which is probably heading south, arrives, even if the pursuers arrive in time, there may be nothing they can do. But for Yang Zhen and the men he led,
This small section of plain, which is only a few miles wide from the east of the Huihe River to the mountains, is an extremely difficult terrain to pass through.
Especially when the main force has been transferred and the attention of the surrounding enemy divisions has been attracted by this small force led by Yang Zhen. How to pass this last road before escaping at the fastest speed and at the lowest cost?
The natural chasm has become an urgent problem that Yang Zhen must solve.
Although the resistance of the Forty Division on the front line of Madu Bridge has been defeated, it is due to a serious shortage of troops. The troops deployed by the Forty Division on the front line of Madu Bridge were not so much defeated as they were led by Yang Zhen
After the troops arrived, they took the initiative to retreat to the Zhexi Bridge line in the south because they could not figure out the actual situation and were attacked from both sides.
As for the 448th Regiment, although it was completely defeated, this regiment with serious shortages was not the main force of the entire battlefield. What we really need to face next is the 448th Regiment, which is not far away, just on the line of Zhexi Bridge in the south.
Division troops. At this time, the enemy troops who had retreated to the front line of Zhexi Bridge were using firepower to try to blockade this narrow mountainous plain.
Yang Zhen knew that he no longer had time to delay here. After the front line of Madu Bridge was breached, the Forty Division, which had completed its adjustment and deployment, would definitely try every means to blockade this place again. And now that the sky was gradually starting to lighten, the surrounding enemy troops
We must speed up and get here.
If you continue to stay, you will be blocked on this small mountainous plain with a width of only a few miles. With no depth and no danger to defend, and a huge disparity in troop strength and firepower, the outcome waiting for everyone will be
There was only a dead end. Taking advantage of the time difference to rush into the mountains before the Forty Division could adjust its deployment was almost Yang Zhen's only option.
He raised the telescope and carefully observed the surrounding situation, especially in the north and south directions. Yang Zhen pointed at the map and said to Feng Dafei, Ye Chao, and the spy leader Liu Biesheng: "There is no time, tell the troops not to care.
The enemy's artillery fire blockade in the south passed through the Hedong Plain and entered the mountainous area as quickly as possible. The enemy on the Zhexi Crossing line in the south only had two mortars. Even if it posed a certain threat to us, it would not have much impact."
"The marching procession procedure is carried out by the special agent group in the front, teaching the general team to protect the wounded in the middle. Ye Chaoyou commanded the guard battalion to serve as the general guard of the entire army. Lee Myung-bak commanded the military guard company and the mortar platoon to be deployed on the spot to serve as the flank.
Cover, use firepower to cover the passage of troops."
"Tell Li Mingbo that I will give him both mortars and the remaining thirty or so shells. I don't care what method he uses. When the troops pass through this open area, they will line up the Zhexi Bridge."
Knock out the two 82 mortars of the 118th Regiment. Even if they cannot be completely destroyed, I have to shut them up."
"Also give him the two heavy machine guns and all the heavy machine gun bullets that I brought out. At all costs, before the troops pass through this plain, I will stop the enemy on the front line of Zhexi Crossing. If the enemy army
Counterattack and let me speak with firepower. After completing the mission, blow up all the heavy machine guns and mortars that cannot be taken away."
Having said this, Yang Zhen turned to Liu Biesheng, the leader of the special agent group next to him, and said: "It's your special agent group that will take the front line. All troops should mount their bayonets and unscrew the caps of grenades. Concentrate all light machine guns and submachine guns into the first echelon.
If he encounters an interception, I will use the fiercest firepower at all costs to defeat him in the shortest time. Tell the troops not to be afraid of fatigue or sacrifice. When we meet on a narrow road, the brave will win."
Hearing Yang Zhen's order, Liu Biesheng was a little confused: "Political Commissar, we are not afraid of tough battles. But except for the battalion that serves as the general defender, I now have a total of less than four companies of troops. The whole regiment can still be used
There are only four light machine guns in total, and there are less than twenty portable machine guns and the submachine guns you mentioned."
"The key is that ammunition is now insufficient. On average, each of these four light machine guns only has more than ten rounds of ammunition. The grenades have basically been consumed, and each rifle has less than five rounds of ammunition. In the Niulanling front-line blocking battle, due to
There is a huge disparity in troop strength, and we mainly rely on firepower to block the attack. We fought hard with the 79th Division for nearly a day, and the ammunition consumption was too great."
"In addition, the movement to the front line of Niulanling was too hasty, and the additional ammunition was still in the hands of the military department, and the logistics department had not had time to send it out. The troops themselves hardly carried any spare ammunition. When we set off, one of our soldiers only carried
Two grenades, fifty rounds of ammunition."
"When we set out, we carried six light machine guns and one heavy machine gun, and only carried a base amount of ammunition on average. After nearly a day and night of fierce fighting, the ammunition in the hands of the soldiers was almost exhausted. Since the encounter with the enemy, we have
The fight was another blockade, and basically nothing was captured."
"With the little ammunition left on hand, when we were evacuating from Niulanling, Deputy Commander Feng asked the teaching corps to give us part of it, as well as the ones just captured at the Madu Bridge line. Otherwise, all the weapons of our regiment will be lost.
No cooking. Coupled with the insufficient number of bayonets, the weapons in hand are really like fire sticks."
"If the rearguard hadn't arrived in time, we, who had just exhausted all the ammunition, would have had no choice but to fight the enemy with our rifle butts, let alone capture them. In addition, our regiment's rifles with bayonets were still
Less than half. Also, all the cadres and soldiers of the regiment have only eaten a few mouthfuls of dry food from the time they arrived at Niulanling to the present."
Liu Biesheng's words made Yang Zhen frown tightly. When he set off from Yunling, he repeatedly emphasized that each soldier must be equipped with two hundred rounds of ammunition and four grenades. Each regiment must be in motion.
Sometimes a company is assigned to serve as a baggage company, specifically to carry supplementary ammunition.
And according to their own requirements, when each regiment is fighting, in addition to the ammunition carried by the soldiers, they must bring at least 50,000 rounds of ammunition and 2,000 grenades as spare ammunition. I am worried about the complicated terrain of fighting in mountains.
The movements of troops are changeable, and it is difficult to replenish them during the battle. Once ammunition is insufficient, the fighter opportunity will be delayed.
Given the huge disparity in military strength and the fact that he had brought a large amount of additional ammunition, Yang Zhen did not advocate easy hand-to-hand combat with the enemy whenever possible. In Yang Zhen's view, the vast majority of the troops in southern Anhui, especially the cadres, were
Having experienced the test of three years of guerrilla war, it is not worthwhile to fight the enemy with bayonets when there is sufficient ammunition.
Unexpectedly, as the fist force of the Southern Anhui Army, the special agent team was sent to such a critical position on the Niulanling front line. Each person was actually issued fifty rounds of ammunition and two grenades. The light machine gun was only given a basic amount of ammunition.
The attached heavy machine gun also gets the same treatment.
To fight with a well-equipped central elite such as the 79th Division, it is simply ridiculous to give such a small amount of ammunition. I brought a large amount of ammunition from Yan'an, not just to keep it for future generations. There is insufficient ammunition in the front, and there is hoarding in the back.
A large amount of ammunition cannot be delivered due to the complicated terrain. Now that the military headquarters and the main force have broken out of the encirclement, there is no place to replenish even if they want to.
Thinking of this, Yang Zhen couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Before setting off, why didn't he go down to the army to check the distribution of ammunition? He just thought that with enough ammunition, the army would not have to restrain its hands when fighting. Even if it encounters danger, the army will still be able to fight.
Don't be afraid to use firepower because of lack of ammunition.
But I didn't expect that the logistics department, which was used to suffering, did not spend lavishly because it suddenly became a nouveau riche. Before, they were used to being poor. Before going to the battlefield, bullets were replenished according to the number. On average, each soldier had twenty rounds of bullets.
It is considered a wealthy household. Although the family is suddenly much richer now, the petty mentality cannot be changed in a short time.
When issuing ammunition, although it was much more generous, it was still too frugal. Troops like the Special Agent Regiment were mainly responsible for covering the military headquarters and did not have any combat missions. Except for the battalion serving as the general defender, they were dispatched according to Yang Zhen's requirements.
Standard, except for the ammunition issued.
The rest of the troops were only given fifty rounds of ammunition each. As for replenishing ammunition, because according to the prescribed marching sequence, the special agent group responsible for covering the military headquarters was with the military headquarters during the march. It seemed that it was easy to replenish ammunition.
, so it was not issued at all.
Not to mention compared with other regiments, this standard is far behind. Even compared with the teaching corps, which is responsible for the general reserve team and each of them fired 120 rounds of ammunition before departure.
.When the submachine guns brought by Yang Zhen were distributed, the entire secret service group had only been given sixty.