At two o'clock in the afternoon, the troops of the First Regiment and the Third Regiment in the northwest of Shangqiu came out in three directions and suddenly launched an attack on three villages and towns where the civilian army was entrenched. As Jiang Baili expected, the sudden attack caused the Fujian troops in the north of Shangqiu to
The army was in chaos.
In fact, the movements of the first and third regiments were known to the civilian army through oral transmission from the common people. However, firstly, the civilian army lacked sufficient military literacy, and secondly, time was too short, so there was really no way to respond in time.
Coupled with the powerful offensive of the 17th Division and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment on the frontal battlefield, it caused great damage to the people's army in terms of momentum.
The raid mission went very smoothly, and several civilian army strongholds were captured in just a few hours.
However, in the evening, the First Regiment encountered stubborn resistance from the militia in the north of Suiyang. Wang Ze seemed to have concentrated all his elite militia in Suiyang. Not only could it confront the 17th Division in the south, but it also
The North could still maintain a stalemate with the First Regiment. Until the sky became dark, the First Regiment did not dare to easily launch a strong attack at night, so it had to temporarily consolidate all the troops, set up defense lines near the occupied villages and towns, and wait for dawn tomorrow.
attack.
The third regiment had already detoured more than 50 miles before dark and came directly to the mountainous forest area in the northernmost part of Shangqiu, preparing to launch an attack on the north city of Shangqiu early tomorrow morning.
Yuan Su and Jiang Baili arrived at the First Regiment at one o'clock in the afternoon and met with Dai Fengxiang. They personally conducted tactical command throughout the afternoon. Jiang Baili was in high spirits and had enough confidence to formulate encirclement and annihilation tactics.
The defense line in the north of Suiyang was conquered in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, the soldiers under his command were all inexperienced recruits and could not fully utilize the tactics deployed by Jiang Baili.
Although Jiang Baili was very angry about this, he could still look at this erroneous operation rationally. He worried several battalion commanders and the company commander to conduct a detailed review, and once again formulated the offensive tactics for tomorrow morning, requiring all
Frontline officers must strictly lead their troops to implement tactics, otherwise they must be dealt with according to military law.
The temporary former enemy command post was located in a small farmhouse outside Qinjiawan. Since the occupation of this place in the afternoon, the regimental communication team has been working hard to build a telegraph line. It was only after dark that a telegraph line was barely connected.
Yuan Su and Jiang Baili were discussing the situation of today's daytime battle. Among the several militia strongholds that had been conquered, the first and third regiments captured about 300 militiamen respectively. But strictly speaking, these more than 300 militiamen were captured.
People cannot be completely regarded as militiamen. The key is that the definition of militiamen is very vague. Because only a few hundred of these people actually have firearms, and the rest are unarmed or only have some farm tools, wooden-handled guns, broadswords, etc.
cold weapon.
It can only be said that when the army launched an attack, these ordinary people resisted or obstructed the army's operations.
There was nothing worth mentioning about the battle scene during the day. In Yuan Su's opinion, this raid was not large-scale at all. Not only was the battle process fast and fast, but the casualties on both sides were also very limited. What he has to consider now is how to deal with the prisoners.
, and how to appease other people.
These prisoners were originally ordinary people, and they rose up because they had no other choice. In order to completely quell the civil unrest, it is natural that we cannot exterminate all these ordinary people. The most fundamental thing is to solve the problems that trouble the ordinary people.
"I think it is still necessary to implement relief work as soon as possible. Kaifeng is preparing food supplies. Once Shangqiu stabilizes, these supplies will be dispatched immediately." Yuan Su said solemnly.
"This is what it should be. However, the prisoners we are taking into custody now have certain uses, but they require a gamble." Jiang Baili nodded slightly and said.
"Oh. Really? What kind of gambling method?" Yuan Su asked with interest. He naturally felt that it was useless to keep these ordinary people in custody, but if he just let them go, he was worried that these ordinary people would rise up to fight again.
Officers and soldiers.
"First tell these prisoners that once the government regains Shangqiu, necessary relief measures will be taken. Each person will be given a daily ration. At the same time, the government will also provide relevant work to help Shangqiu recover after the war. Then, let these prisoners
Each one made a promise, and as long as they promise not to participate in the rebellion, they can go home immediately." Jiang Baili said unhurriedly.
"Brother Baili, I understand what your method is, and I also know why you said this is a gamble." Yuan Su said with a smile. Of course it was not that he didn't believe Jiang Baili's words, not to mention that Jiang Baili had already said it beforehand.
You have to make a bet. This method is simply to win people's hearts, but in effect it can also spread the news that the government will provide relief.
Of course, although this is a gamble, there is still a high chance. After all, these prisoners are ordinary people who just hope to have a way to survive. Now that they have a way to survive, they will naturally be grateful. These people have experienced
After a defeat, they will naturally feel afraid of war, and with their weapons confiscated, nine out of ten people will stick to their guns after returning home. Even if there are a few stubborn people who want to continue to resist, it will have no impact on the entire battle.
It won't cause much hindrance anymore.
Compared with the news spread by the reconnaissance team in Shangqiu before, this time it was a direct answer from the government and the army. The two-pronged approach can obviously make the people believe it is true.
"The Governor is indeed a smart man. As for whether to make this decision, it is entirely up to you, Governor." Jiang Baili also smiled.
"Then it's decided. Anyway, these rabble are definitely not our opponents, so it's okay to let them go." Yuan Su said directly.
Afterwards, Yuan Su ordered Du Yu to arrange relevant matters. First, gather all the prisoners, and then instill the unique style of the central yang army into these prisoners. He also stated in Yuan Su's own name that he would definitely carry out zhengzheng after the war.
fu relief. The top priority is to hope that all the people who are trying to resist will stop being stubborn and return to their homes to wait for further news from the government.
Of course, giving hope also provides deterrence. As the saying goes, only by paying equal attention to kindness and power can you get twice the result with half the effort. In order to prevent those unscrupulous people from thinking that the government's attitude is weak, Yuan Su also requested a series of warnings, including hints that the next battle will be more intense.
At the same time, prisoners will not be released easily again. If the prisoners released this time are captured on the battlefield again, the lighter ones will be sentenced to twenty years of hard labor, and the more serious ones will be shot directly.
Through deterrence, these prisoners can be indirectly informed of the news to more civilian armies after they go back. Then the civilian armies all know the current situation. If they surrender as soon as possible, they will give up. If they continue to be stubborn, the consequences will be dire.
It's serious. With the mentality of these grassroots people, under the dual pressure of hope and threats, it is very likely that they will be shaken.
Just after arranging these things, Dai Fengxiang walked quickly to Yuan Su and Jiang Baili with a telegram.
"Captain, there is a telegram from Captain Sun of the Second Regiment. There is something going on in the city." Dai Fengxiang's face was gloomy, and his tone of voice was also a little heavy.
"What's the situation?" Yuan Su asked, then took the telegram and read it over.
"Captain Sun said that many soldiers from the 17th Division entered the city and ransacked, robbed, and even committed evil acts like raping women. The Nancheng area is now in chaos. In addition to the 57th Regiment and the 50th Regiment, the 17th Division
Besides the eight regiments, the remaining three regiments cannot help at all. Instead, they go around causing chaos and causing trouble." Dai Fengxiang said angrily.
"That's unreasonable." Yuan Su slapped the message on the map table, and his smiling face suddenly turned cloudy. He had always known that the Beiyang Army's military discipline was lax, and he had expected it before setting off.
Incidents like this occur, but I can accept that these are isolated cases. However, the telegram in front of me shows that the officers and soldiers of the 17th Division committed crimes and wreaked havoc in groups.
"Didn't Commander Li impose restrictions?" Jiang Baili also frowned and said. What he always attaches most importance to in running the army is military discipline. No matter how bad the performance of the army is, it must abide by the rules and regulations. He is very concerned about China's current situation.
The military situation is very worrying. "Officials and bandits belong to the same family" is really the heaviest and most shameful blow to the honor of the military.
"Master Li rushed to Shangqiu City from Ningling County in the afternoon, and he should have arrived now." Dai Fengxiang said.
"We are here to solve problems, not create them. On this day, the Second Regiment counted forty-five cases of disturbing the people, of which thirty were involving jianxyinx women. Do you know why the people would rather fight with the officers and soldiers with hoes?
Aren't you willing to accept recruitment despite confrontation? This is the reason. It's sad and hateful. If those bastards from the 17th Division can't help, just let them go." Yuan Su was very excited and squeezed his hands tightly.
Fists, eyes blazing with obvious fire.
"This matter must not be tolerated. We are trying to ease the people's conflicts with our officers and soldiers, telling them that the government will provide relief, but the other side has done such unscrupulous evil deeds, how can the people believe it?
Us?" Jiang Baili said sternly.
"But how should we intervene? After all, this is a matter of the Seventeenth Division, and Commander Sun said in the message that even Deputy Commander Li may not be able to solve this matter. The war is currently going on here, and in terms of system
, In terms of military strength, even if you want to intervene, I'm afraid it will be difficult." Dai Fengxiang said with a sigh, the reason why he was depressed was because of the difficulty of this matter.
Jiang Baili fell into deep thought. This matter is related to the internal affairs of the two armies. It is indeed unreasonable to intervene directly. However, if left alone, it will only make this battle more difficult. What was originally a simple military operation has allowed such a black sheep.
It is really hateful and infuriating to make it so complicated and embarrassing.
"Captain, I think this matter should be reported to Kaifeng immediately, and Governor Zhang must make the decision himself." After thinking about it, Jiang Baili said to Yuan Su very seriously.
"I am going to prepare a telegram to state my rights and interests, so that these bastards will get the punishment they deserve. In addition, I will send someone from Kaifeng to send 20,000 yuan to the headquarters of the Second Regiment, so that Sun Youtao can first compensate those families who have suffered misfortune.
We must not cause public resentment at this time." Yuan Su gritted his teeth.