After issuing the order, Liu Yimin directly said to Luo Ronghuan, Cai Zhong, and Feng Dafei: "The war is imminent. Whoever reaches Hanyang Town first, the enemy or us, will take the initiative. He ordered the troops to be completely lightly armed, except for weapons, ammunition, dry food, and torches, everything else was thrown away.
All cadres from the Corps Headquarters, divisions, and regiment headquarters must leave the army. All cadres in the army and the old Red Army have to help the weak soldiers carry their guns. Every 30 miles, you can rest for 5 minutes. The political commissar will accompany the 12th Division, and the Chief of Staff will go
The Artillery Regiment, Director Cai went to the Heavy Machine Gun Regiment, must ensure the marching speed of the two firepower regiments. If enemy planes are investigating, they are not allowed to fire. The troops will turn on the spot and make reinforcements to Mianyang to confuse the enemy planes. I will lead the Intelligence Information Department.
The communications company, cavalry battalion, and guard battalion will go first to occupy Hanyang Town and eliminate the enemy's leading cavalry regiment. The whole army has a slogan: rush to Hanyang Town and eliminate Hu Zongnan! Execute it!"
After finishing speaking, without waiting for a few people to react, he ordered Li Chengyi to notify the Intelligence and Information Department, and the communications company followed the guard battalion team, under the unified command of guard battalion commander Zhang Haitao, followed the cavalry battalion, and then mounted his horse to pursue the cavalry battalion.
Cai Zhong sighed: "Let this guy run away again!" He turned around and yelled at Li Chengyi who was about to notify the troops: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and protect the regiment commander, I will send someone to notify the troops."
Li Chengyi left with a cavalry guard squad, and Tang Xingying chased after him on horseback.
Hu Zongnan is a native of Zhenhai, Zhejiang. He was born in 1896 and is 38 years old. It is said that when Hu Zongnan applied for the Huangpu Military Academy, he was eliminated during the physical examination because his height was less than 1.6 meters. Fortunately, he met Liao Zhongkai, the party representative of the Huangpu Military Academy, and took the exam with Liao's permission.
Was admitted. At Huangpu Military Academy, Hu Zongnan met fellow Zhejiang principal Chiang Kai-shek. After graduation, he served as second lieutenant trainee, platoon leader, deputy company commander, battalion commander, regiment commander, brigade commander, and now the commander of the First Division.
After receiving the telegram from Chiang Kai-shek, Hu Zongnan, who respected the principal as a god, did not hesitate at all. He immediately ordered the chief of staff to formulate a march plan and sent a message to ask the Jiange garrison and the troops on both sides of the Jialing River if there was any change in the enemy's situation. After the garrison reported that there had been no change in the enemy's situation,
, Hu Zongnan personally sent a message to the defenders at Jianmen Pass.
After confirming that Jianmen Pass was under the control of the Sichuan Army, Hu Zongnan immediately held a combat meeting, conveyed the principal's telegram, and made arrangements. He ordered the cavalry regiment leader Xu Liangyu to lead the cavalry regiment to serve as the vanguard of the division, take the Shu Road, and advance to Jiange County via Jianmen Pass.
, after entering Jiange County, camped and rested, waiting for the large troops. He ordered Li Tiejun, commander of the first brigade, to be the first echelon, Peng Jinzhi, commander of the independent brigade, and Liao Ang, commander of the northwest supplementary brigade, to be the second echelon. He personally led the troops directly under the division and
The second brigade followed suit.
A group of generals sat in front of the conference table, listening to the concise and energetic commander making combat deployments with high spirits. After the deployment was completed, Hu Zongnan looked at his men and said hastily: "Everyone, the Red Bandits besieging Mianyang shows that they have experienced
When in danger, we are eager to escape. As long as our army moves south quickly and attacks resolutely, the defeated Red Bandits will inevitably collapse. By then, we will dominate the Mianyang Plain, Xue Yue will occupy Chengdu, and the entire Sichuan will be under the control of the central government. The principal will unify military and political orders
The plan has made substantial progress. I hope you, comrades, will work hard!"
Zhang Zhonglin, commander of the First Regiment of the Independent Brigade, stood up and saluted and reported: "Reporting to the division seat, Mianyang is in danger. Jianmen Pass is an important pass for our army to rush south for reinforcements. I request that my First Regiment be the vanguard and seize Jianmen Pass immediately.
, cover the army moving south."
Hu Zongnan admired Zhang Zhonglin very much. This young junior brother was full of fighting spirit and was a tiger general. However, no matter how fast your first regiment is, can it be faster than the cavalry? Hu Zongnan motioned for him to sit down: "He said, everyone should ask Lingfu
Learn and have the courage to take on the task of attacking and seizing the pass. However, Jianmen Pass is now in the hands of our army, and the cavalry is fast, so the cavalry regiment should still serve as the vanguard. After arriving at Jianmen Pass, a careful inspection and search must be carried out to confirm that there is no danger before proceeding.
Advance to Jiange. The entire division will camp all the way to Jiange County. Early tomorrow morning, we will advance to Zitong according to the marching sequence determined today. Beyond Zitong, we will reach the Mianyang Plain, and Mianyang will be ours!"
Xu Liangyu, commander of the cavalry regiment, reported: "Master, if we are harassed by red bandits on the road, should our troops rush over and penetrate directly into Jiange County, or should we search for the enemy and cover the main force?"
Hu Zongnan rolled his eyes: "It's stupid, of course it is going straight into Jiange County. Is our First Division still afraid of enemy harassment? We are not afraid of enemy obstruction. We are afraid that the enemy will flee immediately when they know the news that our army is about to arrive."
The generals laughed heartily.
Hu Zongnan waved his hand: "The meeting is dismissed, all troops will take action immediately according to the deployment."
All the troops were deployed for reinforcements. There were so many troops. Not to mention anything else, it took a lot of time just to gather the troops and mobilize them at all levels. Fortunately, most of the officers in the first division were Huangpu students. The military orders were strict and the actions were fast.
By 11:30 a.m., all the battalions of the cavalry regiment had been gathered together, and people were preparing to eat. At 12:30 a.m., the cavalry regiment left Guangyuan and headed towards Jiange.
Subsequently, the troops set off one after another, forming a long snake formation on the Shu Road from Guangyuan to Jiange, crawling forward.
At this time, Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen had led the First and Third Red Divisions to Jiangyou.
Jiangyou is the boundary between the upper and middle reaches of the Fujiang River, and is also the gateway from northwest Sichuan to the Mianyang Plain. Its strategic location is very important. Deng Xihou placed a brigade headquarters in the small city of Jiangyou, hoarding the strength of two regiments.
We have collected a lot of food and ammunition and are prepared to hold on for a long time.
The division of Jiangyou during the Republic of China was different from that of today's Jiangyou. Today's Jiangyou County was divided into two counties during the Republic of China, one was Zhuangming County and the other was Jiangyou County. The seat of Zhangming County was located in Zhicheng Town, which is today's Zhuangming Town; the seat of Jiangyou County was located in
In Wudu Town, they are all built along the Fujiang River. However, Wudu Town is on the west bank of the Fujiang River, and Zhangming Town is on the east bank of the Fujiang River.
In the early morning of the 26th, just as the Ninth Red Regiment was encircling Mianyang, Yang Dezhi, the leader of the First Red Regiment, and Li Lin, the political commissar, led the First Red Regiment across the Fujiang River and reached the west gate of Mingming County.
It was early in the morning and shrouded in mist. The fishermen who got up early had been waiting at the door for a long time. They were all anxious to open the door quickly so that they could catch the first fish of the day in Fujiang and come back to catch the morning market. There was a lot of noise and excitement at the city gate.
The squad leader of the Sichuan Army guarding the city gate yawned and walked toward the city gate with his gun slung across his back. As he walked, he cursed: "You guys, why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning? I've made me anxious. I'll go to your house to look for you at night."
You are playing with the guests."
A fisherman named Li Saner shouted: "Monitor Hu, did you win a lot of money last night?"
Squad leader Hu laughed when he heard this: "You son of a bitch has such a vicious vision, you know even if I win money."
The fishermen laughed and laughed.
Captain Hu opened the door and said, "Li San'er, leave me two fishes when you come back. Your sister-in-law's father's birthday is today, and I have to go and give him a gift."
Li San'er regretted it as soon as he heard it. He blamed himself for being too talkative. What did he yell? The two fishes were gone. Bastard, your hall guest's father is celebrating his birthday and you care about my business? He cursed in his heart, but said: "
Don’t worry, the insurance company will get you two big, fresh fish to make you stand tall in front of your sister-in-law!"
Monitor Hu's eyes narrowed with laughter: "You son of a bitch insists on getting it, okay, when I have free time, I can drink and play with you."
The city gate opened and the fishermen filed out.
Soon the fishermen retreated again. Captain Hu was surprised. These melons had taken the wrong medicine. Why did they retreat? He looked up and looked outside the door. Hey, obedient, a group of red bandits were charging towards the city gate with bayonets in hand.
The city gate could no longer be closed, and it was too late to call the brothers. Captain Hu was very clever, and he immediately slipped into the city with the fishermen.
The red regiment that entered the city immediately divided into several groups, controlled the city gate, and the main force headed straight for the defenders' barracks.
The county town of Mingming is not large, and it is the kind of small town where you can stand and look across, smoke a cigarette and walk to the end. When the main force of the Red Regiment arrived at the garrison barracks, the Sichuan army was still going out for morning exercises. They looked at the black holes of the guns.
With mouths and gloomy bayonets, a regiment of Sichuan troops had no other choice but to be captured.
Changming City fell into the hands of the Red Army without firing a shot.
Lin Biao, who was accustomed to sneak attacks, immediately ordered the Red Regiment to change into Sichuan army uniforms, and asked Yang Dezhi to select soldiers from the Sichuan army who were willing to lead the way and lead the troops to Jiangyou with a reward of 5 silver dollars each.
The Sichuan Army soldiers heard that they could get 5 silver dollars for leading the way for the Red Army, so there is no reason why they would not want to go. As for whether the Red Army would sneak attack on Jiangyou, what does it matter to them? The Red Army didn't sneak on Jiangyou, and they didn't see any benefit from Jiangyou's garrison.
! So, except for a few officers of a regiment of Sichuan Army defenders who stared unconvinced and wanted to fight for their lives, the soldiers actually asked to lead the way, which made Yang Dezhi dumbfounded. He had to select soldiers from one battalion to lead the way, and the rest were exchanged.
Let the second regiment, third regiment and division headquarters follow up to handle it.
By the time the Red Regiment crossed the Fujiang River and marched all the way to Jiangyou, it was already noon.
Yang Dezhi knew that troops were very fast and did not dare to hesitate. He directly ordered the troops to disguise themselves as broken troops and rush towards the south gate.
The Sichuan troops guarding the south gate of Jiangyou already knew that the Red Army was besieging Mianyang, so they were very vigilant. When they saw the defeated troops arriving, they immediately entered a battle-ready state. They asked which part they were from.
A captured soldier of the Sichuan Army immediately jumped to his feet and yelled: "Blind your turtle eyes. We are the troops stationed in Mingming. They were dispersed by the red bandits and escaped here. Open the door quickly. I have been here this morning."
I haven’t had a sip of tea yet!”
Other soldiers followed suit and started making noises, calling fellow villagers by name, brother and brother, creating a chaotic mess.
They were all in the same unit, and the defenders knew many of them. Considering that the Red Army was besieging Mianyang, it was impossible for them to just rush here and let them go.
The defeated troops entered the city, and the Red Army soldiers sandwiched in the middle also entered the city. Gunfire rang out immediately at the south gate. The Sichuan army guarding the south gate never imagined that one of their own people suddenly turned against them and could shoot at them. When they reacted,
The Red Army's bayonets were already to the chest.
The Red Regiment, which controlled the south gate, set up mortars and heavy machine guns on the city tower in preparation for the enemy's counterattack. They also divided out small units to seize other city gates along the city wall.
The gunshots from the South Gate alerted the Sichuan Army defenders in the city. When the enemy brigade commander saw the Red Army sneak attack on the South Gate, he knew something was wrong and ordered a regiment to organize troops to counterattack at the South Gate, drive the Red Army out and consolidate the city defense; one
The regiment consolidated the defense of other city gates and served as a reserve force. Feeling uneasy with such a deployment, the enemy brigade commander ordered the special agent battalion to immediately control the ferry boats and be ready to board the boats and retreat at any time.
The Sichuan army, which was ordered to retake the South Gate, quickly completed its preparations, formed a battle formation, and rushed towards the South Gate.
Yang Dezhi stood on the tower and saw the Sichuan troops swarming towards the south gate. With a smile on his lips, he ordered the artillery battery of Zhao Zhangcheng, the master artilleryman under his command, to fire to disperse the Sichuan troops. He ordered the heavy machine guns to open fire and hit the enemy.
go back.
After receiving the order, Zhao Zhangcheng first knelt on the ground, muttered something in his mouth, and prayed, saying that he was ordered to fire, and that no innocent souls would come to him. Then he stretched out his thumb, took a look with his eyes, and called out the direction, elevation, and distance.
Order to fire.
The first artillery shell fell on the open space in the middle of the street. After a slight correction, the next six artillery salvos were fired, all of which exploded in the middle of the Sichuan army's attacking team. At this time, the Sichuan army soldiers fainted with fright, and many people shouted "My
"Oh my God", turned around and ran away. The angry officers who led the attack fired their guns and killed several deserters one after another before stabilizing the team. However, the momentum of the attack was disrupted. Machine guns and mortars on the towers
The artillery fire is so vicious that everyone only has one life. Who is willing to trade his life for Red Army bullets?
Seeing that the troops' counterattack failed, the enemy commander could not sit still and personally brought the guards up to check. When he was approaching the south gate, he saw the brothers crawling in the corner with their buttocks sticking out and on the ground under the eaves. The enemy commander felt angry.
He went up and kicked an officer on the butt: "You son of a bitch, if you act like a coward, you will be shot. Get up and rush forward for me!"
When the officer who was kicked turned around and saw that it was the regiment leader, he did not dare to stand up. He crawled on the ground and said tremblingly: "Regiment seat, Jiangyou can't hold it anymore, the Red Army troops are coming."
The enemy commander picked up the telescope and looked at the city gate. Outside the city gate, a large force of the Red Army was rushing along the road towards the south gate. His hands trembled and the telescope fell to the ground. The enemy commander did not bother to pick up the telescope and immediately ordered to stop.
Attack, the troops quickly retreated towards the ferry.
After giving the order, the enemy commander turned around and ran away with the guard troops. This was a mess. The Sichuan soldiers who were advancing along the walls on both sides of the street suddenly stopped caring about covering their bodies and turned around and ran back in a chaotic manner.
, herding sheep.
The machine guns and mortars on the towers fired more vigorously, chasing the retreating Sichuan army and harvesting lives.
Seeing that the Sichuan army was about to run away, Yang Dezhi ordered the bugler to blow the charge horn and directed the troops to split up and pursue.
When the enemy regiment commander ran to the ferry, he found that all the boats had been robbed by troops directly under the brigade. Looking from a distance, the largest boat the brigade was on had raised its white sails and was floating downstream.
Looking at the Red Army who were catching up, and then at his men who were in a mess at the ferry, the enemy commander cursed a bastard in his mouth, sat down on the ground, and never got up again.
Lin Biao and Nie Rongzhen were all smiles when they entered Jiangyou. It is no wonder that in order to defend Jiangyou, Deng Xihou stored a large amount of ammunition and food supplies here, and the captured Sichuan soldiers were easier to mobilize. Poor Deng Xihou was equivalent to reserves for the First Red Army.
supplies and soldiers.
Lin Biao, who was in a happy mood, changed his stern style and urged Nie Rongzhen to quickly arrange for cadres to mobilize prisoners to join the Red Army. Nie Rongzhen felt funny and couldn't help teasing him: "Commander of the Army, weren't you like this in the past? We used to capture prisoners,
You usually don't ask questions. Why did you suddenly change your temper?"
Lin Biao also found it funny. Why did he become so impatient? After thinking about it, he said: "It's all the fault of this kid Liu Yimin. Look at his seven legions, weapons and equipment, material reserves, and total number of people. None of them are better than ours."
How much? If we don’t hurry up, that boy will snatch away the first-class main force of my army!”
Nie Rongzhen said: "That guy does have his own tricks. Look at the grievance activities he engages in. They are simply designed to transform prisoners. I heard that he has a famous saying, which is to get married first and then fall in love. That is to first integrate the prisoners into the army, and then
Educate them slowly. In short, except for the tyrants and ruffians, no other prisoners will be spared."
Lin Biao's eyes lit up: "Yes, we also need to get married first and then fall in love. We can simply mobilize the prisoners and directly integrate them into the army for education, and raise awareness while educating them."
Nie Rongzhen laughed so loudly that Lin Biao suddenly felt embarrassed. He looked at the political commissar and couldn't help but laugh too.
After learning that the Second Division had also occupied Zitong, Lin Biao ordered the Third Division to withdraw a battalion, supplement some of the prisoners who came from Changming to lead the way, and set up a Jiangyou garrison to garrison Jiangyou, mobilize the masses, and expand the territory; he ordered the Second Division to withdraw a battalion and prepare troops on the spot.
Replenish the prisoners, set up the Zitong garrison, station in Zitong, mobilize the masses, and expand their popularity. The other prisoners were immediately incorporated into the army and underwent education and transformation. The three main divisions took a break to recover their strength, and then concentrated on Zitong, preparing to attack the Jialing River on the front line of Langzhong
The Sichuan Army ordered the Ninth Army Corps to pay attention to enemy air attacks when encircling Mianyang, leaving a small force to monitor Deng Xihou's movements, and the main force to rest in hiding.
Lin Biao's order made Nie Rongzhen shake his head. He really let Liu Yimin lead him astray. Commander Lin also began to think about expanding the army's organization.
Lin Biao was really right. In the afternoon, National Army planes began to fly towards Mianyang, dropping bombs and strafing the Red Army positions outside the city. Fortunately, Liu Yimin was so painful when he was hit by the Wujiang River last time. These planes did not dare to
The flight was too low, and the hit rate of the bomb dropped. This made Luo Binghui grit his teeth in pain. Since the transfer to Guizhou, the Ninth Army Corps has been going smoothly, and the troops have continued to grow. How have they ever suffered such a loss? I wish I could do it right away.
Launch an attack and capture Mianyang.
Fortunately, He Changgong kept reminding Deng Xihou that Deng Xihou was already prepared, and the losses from a storming attack would be too great. Besides, the mission was to besiege Mianyang and lure the enemy to come for reinforcements. Not to mention failing to capture Mianyang, we would just try to cripple the whole army and defeat it.
If you destroy the enemy's reinforcement group, you will lose more than you gain.
Luo Binghui decided to carry out a small-unit infiltration attack on the enemy after nightfall. He could not let Deng Xihou feel so comfortable in the city. He had to feel the pressure and actively seek help.
The soldiers of the Sichuan Army defending Mianyang City saw planes bombing the Red Army positions and knew that reinforcements were coming. Their momentum increased. Many soldiers climbed on the city wall and cheered.
After the plane flew away, the officers took the opportunity to spread the word to the soldiers that the Central Army's army was about to arrive. As long as Mianyang was held, not only would the army be rewarded, Chairman Liu would be rewarded, but Chairman Chiang would also be rewarded. The soldiers' eyes turned red with encouragement.
, I wish the red bandits would attack quickly and let them practice their marksmanship.
It was already 5 p.m. when Deng Xihou learned that Jiang You was missing.
The enemy brigade commander who escaped from Jiangyou went down the river, not daring to stop along the way, and went straight to Mianyang. Fortunately, the Red Army did not have naval vessels and could not block the water, so the enemy brigade commander entered Mianyang anyway.
When he saw Deng Xihou, the brigade commander who had escaped did not blush. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Then he hugged Deng Xihou's legs and cried out for the commander to shoot him.
When things got to this point, even if the brigade commander was shot, Jiangyou would not be regained. Deng Xihou asked the brigade commander to gather the spy battalion and join the Mianyang City Defense Force. The brigade commander went out with great gratitude.
Deng Xihou sat in a chair and worried. It seemed that the red bandits had opened a big net and were preparing to catch all their garrison in Mianyang. It didn't take much to think about it. It didn't take much to know that Mingming's garrison was finished, and Zitong's garrison was probably finished too. The Red Army's
You have too much appetite, so you can just take advantage and leave, but you really have to fight me in Mianyang!
At this time, Deng Xihou could no longer think about anything else, he only wanted to defend Mianyang. As long as he could defend Mianyang and wait for the central army to arrive, he would have done a great job. If Mianyang was also lost, this country of abundance would probably not have a foothold on its own.
place.
The chief of staff asked whether the red bandits could take advantage of the fact that they could not control the river and retreat downstream by boat.
Deng Xihou said patiently: "We can't withdraw. Our territory is here. It's impossible to retreat to other people's territory. If we stick here and wait for the Central Army to arrive, there is still a possibility of annihilating or defeating the Red Bandits. If we
If we withdraw, we may no longer have the name of the 28th Army. We can only hold Mianyang. No matter whether it is the envoy, Liu Xiang or the Red Bandits, whoever has the upper hand will have tea with us and create a dragon gate formation. No more
In Mianyang, no one will pay attention to us, and no one will even invite us for tea."
The chief of staff said: "It is possible to hold on to Mianyang, but the problem is that the losses of the troops are too great. From morning to now, two regiments have been lost in the Mianyang city gate assault, Jiangyou has lost two regiments, Mingming has lost one regiment, and Zitong's regiment has lost 80%.
There is no more, plus a battalion on guard outside Mianyang, we have lost six regiments and one battalion. If this continues, it will be terrible!"
Deng Xihou remained silent. The chief of staff saw that nothing could be done and went to urge the rescue telegram to be sent.
After nightfall, the mortars attached to the Ninth Red Army Corps fired at the targets marked during the day, bombarding the Sichuan troops defending the city wall. Taking advantage of the cover of night, the small units of the Ninth Army Corps launched a penetration attack on Mianyang. One small unit even touched the city wall.
Root, they used explosives to blow a gap in the city wall. The Sichuan army was so frightened that they immediately mobilized their troops to block the gap.
Fortunately, the Red Army did not intend to attack the city on a large scale. They only fired artillery fire and heavy machine gun fire to cover the small troops' multiple attacks. The harassing Sichuan army had no peace of mind all night.
The radio station of Deng Xihou's 28th Army Headquarters also kept working all night. Nanjing, Chongqing, Guangyuan, and even Yang Sen and Wang Zuanxu as far away as northern Sichuan received distress telegrams.