The roar of artillery outside made the expressions of the staff officers become solemn and solemn. It is conceivable that such fierce artillery fire would not be a tentative attack. The Japanese finally began to attack. Such intensive shelling would How many lives of young soldiers in the Xuebing Army have been taken away?
Ouyang Yun seemed not to hear the sound of the cannon. His face was calm and his clothes were thoughtful. Mu Jiandie looked at him, secretly admiring his general demeanor. Ouyang Yun threw away the pencil and raised his head. Let’s start by saying: “Jiandie, how about we have a big gamble.”
"A big gamble." While Mu Jiandie was thinking about this sentence, Ouyang Yun had already loudly ordered Chen Shichang: "Send a report to Li Ganjiang, and they can take action."
"Yes." Chen Shichang saluted and walked to the telegraph room next door.
Mu Jiandie was shocked. Only then did he know what he meant by the big gamble, and he hurriedly admonished: "Military, why don't you wait a little longer? The morale of the Japanese army is very high at this time."
"We have no time. If my prediction is correct, as long as Yan Xishan escapes from Shandong, the entire Shandong will become a piece of scattered sand. By then, all we can hope for is Chang Gen."
Chang Gen was originally appointed by Ouyang Yun as Mu Jiandie's deputy, but as the Japanese army sent troops to Shandong by sea, Liang Chao, who was in charge of intelligence work, accidentally became the captain of the security team in Liaocheng. Considering that Chang Gen Gen was used to fighting guerrillas when he was on Yingya Mountain, so Ouyang Yun sent him there. He was supposed to be Liang Chao's deputy, but in fact he was responsible for the entire defense of Liaocheng and the surrounding areas. Ouyang Yun did not have high demands on him. , as long as it can create a nuisance behind enemy lines and delay the advance of the Japanese army, it will be fine. After all, the quality of the Shandong army is so bad that even the leader of the army, Yan Xishan, can't expect it, let alone the xiaoliang who is not upright.
Ouyang Yun continued: "But how long can Chang Gen and the others hold on? In the end, the only ones who can really stand on their own are the two new regiments led by Gu Yifei and the security brigade led by Deputy Commander Li himself, and the Japanese Second Army in North China. Compared with the army, the number is really too small."
"But Military Commander, how can you be sure that Yan Xishan will run away?"
"Of course I hope he won't run away, but..." Ouyang Yun did not finish his words, but shook his head. At this moment, the phone rang, and a young staff officer answered it and immediately shouted: "Military seat, Zhang Yantian brigade Long phone call.”
Zhang Yantian's troops were originally used as a reserve force to encircle and annihilate the Japanese army, but because Xiangyue Qingsi came to break through and attack along the Great Wall, Ouyang Yun had no choice but to place his troops in Malanyu.
Ouyang Yun walked over in a few strides, took the phone and said: "Brigadier Zhang, this is Ouyang Yun."
The rumbling sound of artillery came from the microphone, and Zhang Yantian's voice seemed a little urgent. He roared: "Military seat, the Japanese army has placed a brigade in Malanyu. Their firepower is very fierce. I estimate that there will be at least one brigade of artillery. Our side The losses were heavy. Our reconnaissance personnel found a group of Japanese soldiers twenty miles behind them. The flag was the 108th Division. There were also a large number of tank troops and military positions. What I am worried about is that Xiangyue Is this old Japs, Seiji, just trying to make an attack in the east? After dawn, once the Japs' planes are dispatched, it will be very difficult for our troops to hold them."
Erzhang's special agent brigade had not long since joined the cadet army, so in addition to changing its equipment, in terms of air defense and anti-tank, both training intensity and equipment were very backward.
Ouyang Yun's heart sank and his brows immediately furrowed. He was not worried about which brigade was launching the offensive, but he had to worry about the 108th Division behind him. "Isn't the 108th Division confronting the 57th Army outside Shanhaiguan?" Why did it appear in Malanyu?" He thought, and said: "Brigadier Li, your report was very timely. I will immediately dispatch an air defense battalion and an anti-tank company. In addition, I will try my best to arrange troops to deal with the situation. Your troops will send reinforcements, but I want to emphasize that no matter how great the losses are, even if we fight to the last man, you must defend Malanyu for at least two days."
Zhang Yantian was silent for a while, probably having an ideological struggle. After a while, he said in a low voice: "Yes, we promise to complete the mission, and we will never retreat even if we fight to the last person." After that, he hung up the phone. ,
After putting down the phone, Ouyang Yun went for a cigarette as a habit, but couldn't find it in his pockets. At this time, Mu Jiandie handed one over to him and lit it.
The situation reported by Zhang Yantian can be said to have completely disrupted the arrangement that Ouyang Yun thought was foolproof. The sudden appearance of the 108th Division was like the last straw that broke a cow, making what he had previously imagined The audacious plan became ridiculous. Different from Zhang Yantian's idea, he did not think that Xiangyue Qingsi was attacking in the east, because the attack momentum of the artillery fire at Xifengkou was not fake at all. What Xiangyue Qingsi was doing now should be For a multi-pronged attack, it is appropriate to focus on two points. These two points are Xifengkou and Malanyu. The distance between Xifengkou and Malanyu is not far, but it is not close either. Because of the mountains, it is sixty or seventy miles away. Even if the infantry uses a forced march, it will take three hours to arrive. No matter which pass between Xifengkou and Malanyu is breached, it will be fatal to the Xuebing Army. In this way, the Japanese army's numerical advantage will be highlighted. , Moreover, the war will really occur within the jurisdiction of the Xuebing Army, and the bad impact it will cause will be unimaginable. He took a deep breath of cigarette, picked up the phone, and dialed the dedicated line with Zhang Zizhong,
Zhang Zizhong was obviously still sleeping at this time, and he came to answer the phone five minutes later. Before Ouyang Yun could say anything, he asked: "Brother Ouyang, there's a fight over there."
The rumbling sound of artillery could be heard through the phone. Ouyang Yun said straight to the point: "Brother Zhang, I have an emergency and need your confirmation. Is the Japanese 108th Division outside Shanhaiguan still there?"
"Of course, wait a minute, what do you mean by that?"
"We saw the flag of the 108th Division outside Malanyu."
"Impossible, no, let me think about it. A few days ago, another Japanese army came from outside Shanhaiguan, but they left that night." As he spoke, Zhang Zizhong also became nervous and continued his thoughts: "Could it be that , this old devil, Xiangyue Qingji, actually came to replace the prince with a civet cat. That's wrong, this old devil is a very cautious person, and he is not expected to make such dangerous moves."
Ouyang Yun sighed and confirmed in his heart that the 108th Division appearing outside Malanyu was real. He couldn't figure out which Japanese army was staying outside Shanhaiguan now. The Japanese army had strict military regulations. , Although many troops in the North China Front Army came from the Kwantung Army, they did not mobilize the power of the Kwantung Army without authorization. He thought for a moment and said: "Brother Zhang, as a brother, I have to ask you for a favor this time. Can your department help you?" Are you taking the initiative to attack the Japanese troops outside Shanhaiguan? If the 108th Division really appears in Malanyu, then Xiangyue Qingsi will press the entire First Army against our cadet army. Brother Zhang, you know that our cadet army With the strength of the army, it is not a problem to deal with three divisions alone, but now there are nearly seven divisions, and there are still problems from Shandong..."
"Ouyang, I understand. Don't worry. North China is not only the North China of your army. Our 57th Army is also the Chinese army. I immediately ordered a probing attack on the Japanese army on the opposite side. Ouyang, if your army is short of troops, I can support you. A division."
"Brother Zhang, thank you. I will call if necessary. Please tell me the test results as soon as possible."
"Okay, I wish my brother a great victory."
Because of the ownership issue of the remaining units of the 29th Army, especially the ownership of the teaching corps, which is the most elite unit of the 29th Army, cracks appeared in the originally close relationship between Ouyang Yun and Zhang Zizhong. This is why Ouyang Yun implemented this plan. One of the reasons why he did not dare to join the 57th Army. However, Zhang Zizhong's current tone made him feel relieved. How much he hoped that the 108th Division that appeared in Malanyu was fake.
When Ouyang Yun hung up the phone, Chen Shichang, who had already heard the whole story, asked: "Military seat, do you want the Third Division to postpone its actions?"
"No." Ouyang Yun said firmly: "Not only will I not postpone it, I will also transfer Hu Li's chariot troops to Li Ganjiang and ask them to hurry up and strive to form a breakthrough before dawn. Shichang, please make a trip. Come to Peiping. Take my car and take it with the general's air defense battalion. In addition, if you want an anti-tank company from Guo Da, you can go directly to Commander Qin and ask him to send a brigade or so of troops to Malanyu immediately. Say what I said, our Xuebing Army needs their help."
Chen Shichang hesitated and said: "Military air defense battalion, military seat, what if the Japanese come to bomb the front finger with planes?"
Ouyang Yun scolded: "Take me away when I tell you to, and execute the order."
Chen Shichang gritted his teeth, saluted, then turned around and ran away.
On the position below the Xifengkou Pass, the Japanese artillery fire finally stopped. Then, a large group of Japanese soldiers formed several skirmish lines and attacked all over the mountains and plains. Five minutes later, the trenches of the first line of defense of the Second Division were filled with loose soil. Inside, more than a dozen heads were drilled out first. Under the loud shouts of these dozen people, more bulletproof holes were drilled out.
Xu Rongfang's company was still responsible for the first round of defensive tasks in the Second Division. After the last round of defense that ran out of bullets, the company not only did not receive a commendation for annihilating half of the Japs in the brigade, but instead became the target of ridicule by the brothers. , In private, many people have begun to refer to Xu Rongfang and his company as "The Prodigal Company Commander" and "The Prodigal Company", which made him and the soldiers in the company feel evil. Next, During the training, he consciously worked hard on the single-shot training of the Wei Qing rifle, but instead cultivated a large number of sharpshooters.
With the last killing experience, it can be said that the temperament of every soldier in the current company has undergone a qualitative change. The calmness revealed on his face is enough for an expert to tell that this is a company. A soldier composed of "veterans" who dare to fight,
Xu Rongfang was the first to get out of the shell-proof hole. At this time, he shouted loudly: "Roll roll in each squad to see which of the unimproved ones did not escape the round of shelling just now."
No one paid attention to the company commander's rude words. After the sound of "1, 2, 3..." was heard, the squad and platoon leaders proudly shouted loudly: "Report to the platoon commander, there is not a single hair missing from our squad." "Report to the company commander, none of our platoon has even seen red."...