Regarding Ye Chao's doubts, Yang Zhen waved his hands and said: "It is precisely because there is no gunfire in the northeast that we cannot break out in that direction. It is also precisely because the southwest is the enemy's main attack direction that we have to break out in that direction. The reason It's simple. Just because there's no gunfire doesn't mean there's no enemy ambush."
"With a large number of enemy troops already appearing in three directions: due east, southwest, and north of our army, don't you think the northeast is a little strangely quiet? Indeed, the 52nd Division and the 40th Division are in the northeast. The joint part. But the joint part does not mean that the troops are weak. Don't forget that a regiment of the 52nd Division has bypassed the blocking of the Third Regiment and is moving southward."
"According to the original plan, the Third Regiment has already evacuated the road from Bangshan to Langqiao at this time. In other words, there are no more troops of our army to defend the front of the 52nd Division. The main force of the 52nd Division should also be there now. They are pressing towards us. We still don’t know where they are now. The information we have is from a few hours ago.”
"In front of two enemy groups, light and dark, if it were me, I would choose the open enemy. Moreover, the enemy's 40th Division in the southeast came from the Sanxi front line to reinforce Xingtan. They fought fiercely with our army for half a night. They were already extremely tired and there were no casualties. Light. And after a fierce battle in the middle of the night, we already know the entire deployment situation of the enemy in the southeast of Xingtan."
"Choose the southeast direction to break out. Although it may take a hard battle, it is much better than encountering one or even two fully formed regiments. Please come to more and faster chapters. When the enemy's situation is unknown, choose a An opponent who has been exposed is more appropriate. You must know that it is easy to hide from an open gun, but difficult to guard against a hidden arrow."
Just when Ye Chao, who heard that Yang Zhen finally decided to retreat, was about to go out to convey the order, the battalion commander who stayed to block the 40th Division's counterattack and cover the main force's breakout was carrying a shell gun with the nose of the machine wide open. He came in happily and said: "Political Commissar, Chief Ye. The enemy troops in front of us suddenly withdrew. And there was just intensive gunfire from the direction of Madu Bridge behind Xingtan. It seems that our troops have hit Madu Bridge."
When Yang Zhen heard what was said in person, his heart suddenly moved. He immediately grabbed the telescope on the table. He immediately stood up and said to Ye Chao and Yin Yang beside him: "Ye Chao, hurry up and prepare. Wait for the guard to update as soon as possible." As soon as the camp arrived, the whole army broke out. Yin Yang followed me to the front to see what was going on."
After arriving at the forward position, Yang Zhen discovered that the enemy in front of him was just as the battalion commander said. Not only had all the troops disappeared completely, but judging from the large amount of supplies left behind, it could be said that the retreat was very panicked.
At this time, except for dozens of wounded soldiers of the 40th Division, not only a large amount of ammunition was dropped on the empty position, but also a Type 24 heavy machine gun with its legs in the air. There were even dozens of wounded soldiers who were not able to evacuate in time. Yang Zhen stepped forward and touched the water-filled sleeve outside the barrel. It was still hot.
Looking at the messy enemy position, he heard the gunshots coming from the direction of Madu Bridge. Yang Zhen did not hesitate at all. He turned his head and said to the defenders who had arrived: "I will send my guard company Here you go. All of you, fix your bayonets and bring all the light machine guns. Attack me immediately towards the front line of Madu Bridge."
"When you encounter the enemy, don't hesitate. Use grenades and light machine guns from a distance. Use bayonets from close range. In short, it doesn't matter how many enemies you have in front of you. In one word, just hit me hard. Wherever there is gunfire, go there. Rush. Remember, I'm right behind you."
After hearing Yang Zhen's order, Ye Chao hesitated for a moment and then said: "Political Commissar, are you sure? Send a unit to conduct reconnaissance. Don't you think that the Forty Division has the upper hand? Update as soon as possible. Their retreat was somewhat inexplicable and they were so panicked that they even lost their heavy machine guns."
Regarding Ye Chao's worries, Yang Zhen pondered for a moment, but then shook his head and said: "There is nothing to worry about. It doesn't matter what kind of medicine they sell in the gourd. For us, these enemies in front of us are all open enemies. As long as we chase their butts, there won't be any big problem. When it comes to ambush and ambush warfare, they are still far behind. Just execute it. The worst it will be is a bloody battle."
The rearguard battalion commander heard Yang Zhen's order and knew that the situation was urgent. Without any hesitation, he left one company as the rearguard and the rest, together with the attached guard company. A total of three companies formed a three-way column, with bayonets attached to the guns. An assault was launched towards the front line of Madu Bridge.
After the rear guard battalion launched the breakout operation, Yang Zhen gathered the remnants of the battalion originally deployed in Xingtan into a company to cover the heavy machine guns and mortars. They provided fire cover for the troops' breakout operation. These heavy machine guns and mortars Yang Zhen never thought that he could bring the artillery across the river. The bullets and mortar shells were like splashing water on the troops of the 448th Regiment of the 148th Division who were retreating to the Sanxi front line.
When Yang Zhen's breakout operation began, the 448th Regiment, which was retreating to the Sanxi front line, was obviously deceived. In fact, if the troops of the 40th Division were reinforcing Xingtan, this dramatic turning point would not have happened so quickly. .The 40th Division, which was adapted from the Tax Police Corps, is not only well-equipped, but its combat effectiveness is second only to the elite 52nd Division of the Central Army in the third theater.
However, Fang Riying, the commander of the 40th Division as the general of the Central Army, obviously had considerable distrust of the 148th Division, which was reorganized from the 5th Division of the Sichuan Army before leaving Sichuan. At the most critical moment of the war, except for the general who had been beaten in Xingtan The remaining 120th Regiment withdrew outside Sanxi Town, where the division headquarters was located. The first part of the 119th Regiment was deployed on the Langqiao line.
The 118th Regiment, which originally played a key role in the Xingtan counterattack but suffered heavy casualties in the previous battle, withdrew behind the 448th Regiment. The 448th Regiment was instead responsible for the main attack. And his The 118th Regiment built a position behind the 448th Regiment. It was to build a second line of defense. It was also to watch over the 448th Regiment, a miscellaneous force, and play a disguised role in supervising the battle.
What Commander Fang didn't expect was that he and almost all the Central Army generals had always adhered to the Central Military System's style of plugging holes with miscellaneous troops and direct troops sitting in the rear and supervising operations. But at this critical juncture, Something went terribly wrong.
As a miscellaneous unit from the Sichuan Army, the 148th Division was adapted from the miscellaneous troops recruited by the King of Sichuan during the melee in Sichuan. As a miscellaneous unit among miscellaneous names, it has been involved in the whirlpool of the civil war in central Sichuan for decades. This division The awareness of self-preservation is very strong.
Moreover, as a miscellaneous unit, its combat effectiveness, equipment, and training are not comparable to those of the Forty Division, which is the elite of the Central Army. It is composed of the Sichuan Army's most elite instructors, model divisions, or divisions like the 144th Division and the 145th Division. Compared with the troops adapted from the main troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd divisions, they are also very different.
If compared to the 40th Division, the 52nd Division and other central armies, the 144th Division, the 145th Division and other local troops are all miscellaneous. Then this one was adapted from the 5th Division of the 21st Army of the Sichuan Army. The 48th Division is a no-name among the no-names. Although it is better than the super no-names like the 22nd Army, it is not much better. At best, its weapons and equipment are not so shabby.
Moreover, adhering to the principle of mutual vigilance, the Sichuan Army generals who were afraid that the Central Army would use their swords to kill people sent out to reinforce the 40th Division the 448th Regiment of the 148th Division. As an unknown force among the elite Sichuan Army, they updated their equipment and training as soon as possible. The situation is even worse. The entire regiment has no more than a thousand combat soldiers. The equipment is mainly Sichuan-made rifles when they came out of Sichuan.
Among the three battalions, only one battalion was equipped with rifles made in Hanyang. However, Commander Fang left him to look after his home and nursery. There were only two heavy machine guns in the entire regiment. Each company only had two light machine guns, copied from the Sichuan Arsenal. The Kirari-type light machine gun and the equipment are shabby. It is only not much better than the 88th Army equipped by the commander himself.
For those miscellaneous army generals, who are good boys to stay in other people's homes? Especially when they are cooperating with the Central Army in fighting. After two years of war of resistance, they have become accustomed to the Central Army's trick of killing with a knife and even taking the opportunity to disarm and annex. The local army generals who are very thorough, when fighting in cooperation with the central army, all have some reservations. They are afraid that the few troops they rely on for survival will be swallowed up by others inadvertently.
However, as a member of the Sichuan King's direct troops, although he is a no-name, Haolai is a little stronger than those no-names among the no-names. In addition to being equipped with heavy machine guns that the general Sichuan army's no-name troops do not have, the 448th Regiment also has heavy machine guns. Two Sichuan-made 47mm mortars.
The Central Army and the miscellaneous troops were on guard against each other. It was not uncommon on the frontal battlefields during the War of Resistance. The Central Army looked down upon and distrusted the miscellaneous troops in those places. On the battlefield, they often placed the miscellaneous troops in the most dangerous position. Above. Even in coordinated operations, miscellaneous troops are often used separately. Even this encirclement and suppression of troops in southern Anhui is no exception.
The Third War Zone used the 108th Division of the Northeast Army system. However, the 108th Division was dismantled to pieces. The 108th Division had two brigades and four regiments. All three regiments participating in the war were assigned The 52nd Division of the Central Army commanded one division headquarters and two brigade headquarters. In the blink of an eye, they were vacated. Except for one regiment, even the division's directly affiliated teams were taken away.
The Sichuan Army that participated in the war, although it belonged to the 50th Army, the 21st Army, and the 1st Section of the 23rd Army, all came with troops, and the command structure remained in place. Each unit was not assigned to the Central Army's command. It is directly under the command of the Army Headquarters. The original military headquarters became the Air Force Commander.
A regiment with the smallest strength among the regiment-level organizations among the three war zones participating in the war. Now it has been split into two parts. After arriving at the front line of Xingtan, it was directly pushed to the front line. It was originally equipped with elite equipment. The Central Army has become a bystander and also supervises the battle team. No one will be too happy if it changes.
When gunshots rang out on the front line of Madu Bridge, the 118th Regiment of the 40th Division behind them turned back and marched eastward to reinforce the front line of Madu Bridge. The 448th Regiment, who was unwilling to stay and be the scapegoat, simply stopped doing nothing and directly responded to the first wave. The 448th Regiment, in the name of the 18th Regiment, immediately withdrew its troops. For fear of not paying attention, the 448th Regiment, which was left here to take the blame for the 119th Regiment, and its wounded soldiers and the 40th Division had just arrived at the Xingtan front line to replenish their troops. I didn't even bother to pack up the ammunition.
Even because he left too hurriedly, one of the only two heavy machine guns in the whole regiment was simply discarded because it had a fault that was not too big and could be repaired in a short period of time. It seems to these people that as long as they keep their roots, that is, their troops, and their weapons are lost, they can still think of ways to do it. But if all their troops are wiped out, then they will be nothing.