As the weather gets hotter and hotter, the battle in the areas surrounding Wuhan becomes more and more intense.
The battle in Xiaogan has been going on for less than half a month today. When Jiang Baili's fifth division successfully opened the channel and established a strategic path from Suixian to the Xiaogan front line, the main force of the First Corps followed closely and headed for the front line. After the rendezvous
, according to Yuan Su's order from Xinyang, Jiang Baili was promoted to the frontline command commander, responsible for coordinating the frontline command operations and all aspects of deployment. After the first corps and the fifth division were unified in the command system, the attack on Xiaogan was also launched.
Methodical.
The battle in the first few days was not too intense. Even though Yuan Su's order from the beginning was to expand the battlefield without limit, Jiang Baili was a pragmatic person and would only act according to his own combat routine. Of course, Jiang Baili was not disobeying
Yuan Su's order was precisely because he needed to first find out the true strength of Xiaogan's defense line, and then slowly adjust it and use precise tactics to expand the scale of the battlefield.
The Xiaogan defense line was indeed beyond Jiang Baili's expectation. He never expected that Cao Kun would actually put in so much effort and money to build an almost semi-permanent defense line out of concrete. He had conquered it easily all the way before, but only here.
We really encountered resistance. We bombarded with artillery for many days, and tried to send troops to bypass the flanks to launch surprise attacks. However, the results of all these were not immediate.
Furthermore, the troops stationed at Xiaogan were Cao Kun's main force, and there were also troops from Duan Zhiquan, Wang Zhanyuan and others. There were a lot of troops, and there were also a lot of artillery. In the artillery battle, even the fifth
The artillery models of the division and the 1st Corps are more advanced, but it is difficult for the attacking side to take advantage.
Until recently, due to the fierce fighting in Wuchang, Xiaogan had to expand the scale of the war to increase the intensity of the offensive. On the one hand, it was to cooperate with the pressure on the Wuchang front, and on the other hand, it was also in response to Yuan Su's order.
Jiang Baili knows very well that there are rarely opportunistic methods in attacking tough battles. Even if there are, one must be optimistic about the timing. Therefore, the current form can only be a strong attack, using iron and blood to continuously crush the enemy's defense line.
From early to mid-May, the First Corps and the Fifth Division launched large-scale assaults for five days.
Almost every day, four regiments of troops are deployed to attack simultaneously, completely filling the entire Xiaogan battlefield and extending the depth of the battle. It must be said that such a battle is indeed very cruel, both for the attacker and the defender.
That's right. The five-day storm almost shook the world. Artillery fire, heavy machine guns, shouts, and screams seemed to be able to spread throughout Xiaogan.
Since the beginning of May, the sky in Xiaogan has never been dark, with firelight and gunpowder smoke filling the air alternately. There is a burning smell all the time. The damage and casualties caused by the attack can be said to be the most tragic since the end of the Qing Dynasty. Even though
According to the most rough statistics, there are more than 500 casualties on the fire line every day.
It is precisely because of the high-casualty battles in Xiaogan that the logistical pressure is increasing. Not only the supply of frontline materials, but also the care of the wounded, the recruitment, training, and replacement of supplementary troops, etc., are all a major event.
For Xiaogan's defensive forces, although they can control casualties to a certain extent by relying on their solid defensive positions, and at the same time using extensive firepower bases, they can use heavy firepower every time the Central Guards launches a frontal charge.
Machine guns to carry out intensive strikes.
That night, at the Guards forward command headquarters stationed in Kouzi Town in the northwest of Xiaogan, Jiang Baili received a battle report sent by Li Jinfu of the Second Brigade from the western front, and the entire command post showed some improvement. Second
The brigade suppressed the flank positions of the Xiaogan defense line from the west. After seven or eight days of fierce fighting, it finally gradually gained the upper hand. The second brigade used the position shifting combat method to advance the front line to the enemy's flank defense line in Xiaogan, which was less than fifty meters away.
about.
"The telegram told all regiments to be vigilant. This time it was just because the enemy was unprepared and took advantage of it. Don't underestimate the enemy." Although Jiang Baili was in a happy mood, he should not forget to be prepared for danger in times of peace. He immediately issued instructions to urge him.
Order. "In addition, the situation on the Western Front was reported to the 15th Brigade and the 3rd Brigade, giving them some confidence."
The telegraph operator did not dare to neglect and began to transmit the message. Currently, the 15th Brigade and the 3rd Brigade were responsible for the main combat tasks on the front. These two troops fought the most fiercely and suffered the heaviest casualties.
"The enemy's defense line is still very stubborn. I estimate that we will have to spend a lot of effort to make a breakthrough in the future, so we must not be careless." Jiang Baili said seriously.
In the headquarters, the Third Brigade Commander Guo Wenyuan looked at the sand table map, his face gradually became worried, and said: "There are at least 20,000 enemies on the frontal defense line, and as we increase the intensity of our attack, they have also increased their numbers.
We have few troops. Now that we have not replenished the follow-up reinforcements in time, we are afraid that if the enemy counterattacks at this time, there will be some difficulties."
"They can't fight back. Now it's trench warfare. Even if Cao Kun's follow-up troops arrive before us, they will only huddle behind the defense line." Jiang Baili said with confidence.
"How do you say this?" Guo Wenyuan saw Jiang Baili's serious look and couldn't help but want to inquire further.
Jiang Baili picked up the command whip and clicked on two places on the sand table map. One was Xinpu Town, and the other was the Sanhan Town position where the direct artillery regiment was located.
"The enemy is still not fully aware of how our troops are deployed. Fortunately, we have saved a hand before. We ambush two surprise troops on the enemy's flank. Doesn't it mean that these soldiers do not have the courage to send troops? Moreover, if they really dare
If we take the risk of organizing a counterattack at this time, our two regiments will take advantage of it." Jiang Baili slowly explained.
"So that's it." Guo Wenyuan suddenly realized. "But since it is beneficial for us to wait for the enemy to take the initiative to attack, can we use some means and strategies to induce the enemy to give up holding on to their positions and instead take the initiative to attack?"
"It's not like I didn't think about it. In the afternoon, I had sent someone to telegraph all the regiment headquarters. Before my order, there was no need to use telegrams to contact the regiments in Xinpu Town. The regiments in Xinpu Town and Sanhan Town were no longer special.
In this case, there is no need to use telegraphs. In this way, these two troops will be shadow troops. However, I am not very confident that I can induce the enemy to take the initiative to attack. I just hope that these two troops ambushed in Xinpu Town and Sanhan Town.
The road troops can find every opportunity to find a suitable opportunity to attack!" Jiang Baili said meaningfully.
Guo Wenyuan still didn't want to give up, and he said again: "It all depends on manpower. It is expected that the generals on Xiaogan's side still hope to achieve miraculous feats. If we can give it a try, assuming it succeeds, then the next battle will be much easier.
We can't continue to fight for the lives of our brothers every day. The most frightening thing is that no obvious results can be obtained from our efforts. If this continues, not only will the battle line be delayed, but the expected breakthrough process will also be difficult to achieve.