Facing the ingenious disguise, Gu Zhutong immediately stopped in admiration and seriously asked the generals and commanders around him how they felt. A pair of eyes that could not see the intention slowly watched the reaction of each subordinate.
The operational staff officers and regimental commanders of the Third Division did not dare to slack off. They walked around and observed the situation. After walking around, they all said that it was an eye-opener. It was the first time they saw such a complete defensive position and such a realistic camouflage. They will definitely remember it after returning.
This good experience was passed on to the officers and soldiers under his command.
Gu Zhutong was a little disappointed with his subordinate's mediocre response, but he still nodded, turned to An Yi and Yin Jinan and asked in a low voice: "This place is only twelve kilometers away from the Doumen position, which is heavily guarded by the enemy, but your artillery array is so sudden.
You must have had your own plans beforehand, right?"
"Yes, instructor, please come with me..."
An Yi led Gu Zhutong and Han Deqin along the trench to the purple bamboo forest more than eighty meters behind, climbed onto the mound more than ten meters high on the edge of the trench, took out his telescope and handed it to Gu Zhutong:
"The enemy can only attack me from the five-kilometer area due east where the rivers intersect. The enemy's artillery will never dare to push forward because the water network is too dense and it is difficult for the artillery to move. Even if it moves forward, it will be difficult to retreat.
On the contrary, it will become a living target for us. Therefore, this terrain is very conducive to the use of our artillery.
Instructor, please look at Huadang Town, four kilometers to the south. That is the position of our second regiment... Please turn to the two highlands ahead in the southeast. There are the positions of the second company of our guard battalion. After that, look at the position of the third regiment in the northwest.
Position...The commander will definitely be able to see his subordinates’ intentions.”
Gu Zhutong and his generals were astonished after reading this. They put down their binoculars one after another and asked how the An Yi Department obtained so many artillery pieces. Not only was there a position with dozens of artillery pieces in the north of Huadang Town, five kilometers to the south, but also to the west of Dingbei Village in the north.
The position also has such a powerful artillery array. At a glance, it is all densely packed with fortifications, battle flags and mobile sentries. It looks astonishing. There are definitely more than two divisions stationed there.
An Yi introduced with a smile: "The two artillery positions in the north and south are fake. All the artillery are made of wood by brothers from the engineering companies of each regiment. However, from a distance, it is impossible to tell the authenticity. This is the continuation of
Let Ji Nan explain the strategy that Nan came up with during the second reconnaissance of the enemy aircraft to the commander."
Yin Jinan took a step forward and explained in detail: "After confirming the battle plan, we immediately continued to build fortifications on the basis of the original position and improved it before we deployed this forward layout that the enemy could not determine. The purpose was to create a problem for the enemy.
The illusion of massed troops prevented the two divisions defending the Taizhou direction from taking the initiative to seek a decisive battle. In addition, the Nantong direction was under a pincer attack by our army's commanders Liu Zhi, Chen Cheng and General Lai Shihuang. The Taizhou defenders had many worries and would not
Acting rashly before clarifying our intentions in the direction of Jiangdu will buy us two divisions precious time for their final actions.
Another thing is, this can prevent the enemy defenders in Taizhou from seeing our weakness. Knowing that our division only has more than 6,000 brothers, they can attack Jiangdu immediately to relieve their flank worries and maintain coordination with the enemies of Gaoyou in the north and Taixing in the south.
, so we had to dig trenches and build fortifications from the first day we entered. As a result, the enemy hesitated and missed the best opportunity to attack in the first three days, allowing us to gain a firm foothold. Even now, even if
He dispatched two divisions to launch a strong attack, but he couldn't even hope to get any benefits from us.
Now it seems that as long as the Second Division, the 21st Division and the 14th Army commanded by Commander He capture Nantong, the enemies of Taizhou will have no other choice but to flee eastward, and they will not dare to rush to the rescue of the Baibaoshan Division stationed in Jingjiang in the south.
Otherwise, our army will not stop attacking Taizhou, and they will be flanked by five divisions of our army in the bend of the Yangtze River with a radius of dozens of kilometers, and they will not be able to escape even if they want to."
After listening to it, Gu Zhutong thought about it carefully and scrutinized every word of Yin Jinan. The more he thought about it, the more reasonable he felt. He couldn't help but admire him. Han Deqin, the chief of staff of the third division, and several regiment commanders on the side only knew at this time that he was related to An.
The huge gap between Yi and Yin Jinan, from the kilometers of trenches and fortifications seen along the way, from Yin Jinan's leisurely and detailed analysis, and from the confident faces of An Yi, Yang Bin and others, everyone suddenly realized that independence
The reason why the division has reached this point is definitely not due to good luck, but because they have not ignored every detail and done everything down-to-earth, which is why they have so many victories and military exploits. Nothing else.
He said that just Yin Jinan's analysis and keen response to the battlefield situation, as well as his bold and decisive handling of the situation, can benefit everyone a lot.
Before the sighs stopped, Yin Jinan's further explanation left everyone dumbfounded: "According to the requirements of the entire combat plan, we have invested half of our main force in silent operations since last night. The four companies of the division's guard battalion and the mortars of each regiment
The artillery company, machine gun company and reconnaissance company have sneaked into the deep areas of Taizhou to defend the enemy from the junction of the north and south enemy forces. They will begin to launch all-round harassment and attacks on the enemy forces at dusk tonight, including blowing up the enemy's north-south routes.
bridges, attack important transportation towns and temporary supply depots behind the enemy's rear, use mortars equipped by each regiment and battalion of our division to bombard enemy barracks and warehouses, especially carry out devastating attacks on small groups of enemy defenders in villages and towns north of Taizhou.
Strike, shoot enemy patrols, etc.
In short, from today on, we will never let the enemy defenders in Taizhou sleep well. We must beat them so that their scattered defenders retreat and dare not come out again. Only in this way can the enemy generals make wrong judgments so that they can
Let our army take the next step."
The generals of the Third Division were shocked by such bold actions by Yin Jinan, An Yi and others, and they all turned their attention to the thoughtful Gu Zhutong.
Gu Zhutong nodded, walked to Yin Jinan very easily, patted Yin Jinan's arm and joked: "Why didn't you stand out at all in Huangpu? We instructors all know An Yi's name, but we don't
I know that among the students of the Engineering Department, there is actually a young Yin Jinan who is so powerful, you kid is hiding it very well!"
Yin Jinan, who had been tempered for a long time, did not show any embarrassment at all. Instead, he pointed at An Yi beside him and said passionately:
"Thank you for the instructor's praise. In fact, I have grown up step by step. If my eldest brother hadn't bullied me every day, I wouldn't have been thinking of ways to deal with him, and I wouldn't be where I am today...especially after the Northern Expedition when I was with my eldest brother.
, teach by words and deeds, practice slowly, and then you will make progress, otherwise I will be lost to everyone now!"
After saying that, Yin Jinan's face was filled with emotion, and his eyes looking at An Yi were filled with gratitude.
Everyone nodded silently. Gu Zhutong patted Yin Jinan's hand again to show his approval, but his eyes fell on An Yi, thinking that this kid was really good at training talents.
Returning to Longchuan Camp, the headquarters of the independent division in Jiangdu Town, Gu Zhutong ordered his subordinates to discuss with Yin Jinan, Yang Bin and others. He took Han Deqin and An Yi into the combat command room, closed the door and walked to the large map.
He watched quietly for more than five minutes: "Xiao Yi, how can you be sure that Gaoyou's enemies will rush to Taizhou's aid?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm very sure. Gaoyou defender Qiao Zhensheng is the same junior fellow student of Taizhou defender Cui Jinggui. These two are also instructors and senior fellow students of the third phase of Baoding Military Academy of Commander Han. We learned from the prisoners' mouths that Qiao Zhensheng
Sheng's division only had more than 8,000 men, and more than 3,000 of them were unarmed soldiers. A shipload of guns, ammunition and artillery purchased by Sun Chuanfang from the Belgians had just arrived in Haizhou to be unloaded, and there was no time to supply the front line.
It is said that Qiao Zhensheng was a man who dared to love and hate, and was very loyal. He was deeply loved by the officers and soldiers of Sun Chuanfang's unit. During the Zhi-Wan war, he was the battalion deputy. When his senior brother Cui Jinggui's unit was besieged and the battalion commander hesitated, he flew into a rage.
Furious, he resolutely led more than 500 officers and soldiers under his command, including horsemen, to travel more than 80 miles overnight. They bravely defeated Wu Peifu's brave general Lu Mazi's temporary headquarters and rescued nearly a thousand trapped Cui Jinggui's remnants. After the war, he was appreciated by Sun Chuanfang.
, jumped up the ranks and was promoted to leader. Therefore, after comprehensive analysis, we believe that he will also come to rescue Cui Jinggui this time. The more painful we beat Cui Jinggui in Taizhou, the greater the chance.
One more thing, instructor, haven't you successfully occupied Jiepai Town, 38 kilometers northwest? I believe that the brothers of the Ninth Regiment have found enough boats and boatmen, and they can cross Gaoyou Lake by surprise just waiting for an order.
Raid on Gaoyou. Before launching the raid, the instructor's Seventh Regiment launched a fierce attack from the Wangzhuang front line in the south of the city. The impatient Qiao Zhensheng would definitely not be able to sit still. Even if Qiao Zhensheng huddled on the front line of Gaoyou and did nothing to save him, he would eventually be killed by many
The brothers of the Third Division, who were twice as outnumbered as him, attacked from the north and south and were quickly defeated, not to mention that Gaoyou has no city walls." An Yi said with a relaxed smile.
Han Deqin nodded frequently: "The situation is already very clear. In other words, no matter whether Qiao Zhensheng goes south to rescue Cui Jinggui or not, we can easily capture Gaoyou without city wall guards through a strong attack from the front and a surprise attack from behind. If he leads his troops to rescue
Cui Jinggui and Duan Chengze in Taizhou, it will be easier for us to capture Gaoyou, and the victory will be greater if we go back to deal with them. But in this case, Xiaoyi, you will face greater pressure. Not only do you have to constantly attack the enemy defenders in Taizhou
If we don't dare to move, we still have to defend Jingjiang in the south, and the enemy Li Baozhang's division in Taixing will retreat to Taizhou, which is very risky!"
"Please rest assured, Chief Han. Li Baozhang will not be able to reach Taizhou. He is as timid as a mouse and will only retreat to Rugao or Jiangyan in the northeast, because as soon as we start fighting tonight, he will know that Taizhou is not safe. The enemy will not be there all day long.
Are you sending out planes for reconnaissance? With the cooperation of our division and the newly arrived General Du Qiyun's headquarters, there are obvious signs of the gathering of the Jiangdu army in Zhenjiang City and under his subordinates. I believe this news has been spread to all the enemy generals in Jiangbei, plus
His subordinates transported two thousand new soldiers back and forth on the Yangtze River, creating the illusion of constantly increasing troops in Yangzhou and Jiangdu, and then created two such huge artillery positions. It would be strange that Li Baozhang dared to retreat to Taizhou. If Chief He was there
If the fighting on the eastern front is fiercer and the march is faster, Li Baozhang and Bai Baoshan divisions will never be able to escape."
An Yi smiled brightly and seemed confident.
Han Deqin cheered loudly, but Gu Zhutong clearly saw the flash of regret in An Yi's eyes. After thinking for a while, he knew where An Yi's regret lay.
In fact, An Yi's regret is also Gu Zhutong's regret. If he had one more division of troops at his disposal, Gu Zhutong would be more confident and faster, and achieve greater results. It's a pity that now he has more major generals.
The chief officers of each division are all people with extraordinary qualifications. They are all coveting the upcoming military expansion. They all want to rise higher and have greater power and strength. They don't know when it will be their turn to advance to the next level.
.
"Instructor, what do you think?" An Yi saw Gu Zhutong's quiet contemplation and asked humbly.
Gu Zhutong waved his hand and smiled slightly: "I have no objection. You have already thought very carefully about resisting the enemies in the south and east for us, so that our division can attack Gaoyou boldly and safely, leaving the risk to yourself, but you are like this
I can't thank you enough for taking care of us. However, I'm afraid there will be trouble on Commander He's side. Once the battle between our two divisions starts, the enemy defenders in Taizhou will definitely be in chaos, and they may be worried about being flanked by our army from the northwest.
And retreated to the Hai'an front line.
Looking at the entire front on the East Road, in the Jiangbei area controlled by the enemy, only the Hai'an front line has the strongest defense. The enemy will definitely concentrate its troops on the Hai'an, Xingtai and Xinghua front lines to launch a tenacious resistance. Sun Chuanfang has just arrived at the Yancheng front line to rest.
The four divisions will also go south for reinforcements one after another, and now Commander He will have a headache."
An Yi smiled meaningfully and asked: "Don't we have a headache? We are two divisions of 20,000 people facing an enemy of more than 40,000 people! According to the analysis of his subordinates, the three and a half armies commanded by Commander He have 70,000 people.
The remaining officers and men are all elite troops who are brave and capable in fighting, and there will be absolutely no problem in taking over Hai'an."
Gu Zhutong and Han Deqin looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Gu Zhutong cordially took An Yi's arm and walked towards the door:
"Xiao Yi, after this battle, it is estimated that our two divisions will move to Chuzhou in the northwest, and will officially be under the command of Chief Bai Jian. They will no longer be able to cooperate with the divisions of our First Army. What do you think?"
An Yi shook his head: "Soldiers take obedience as their bounden duty. I just try my best to fight every battle and have no idea about anything else."
Gu Zhutong said: "I heard that Commander-in-Chief Bai Jiansheng was a little unhappy with our unauthorized actions. The day before yesterday, he went to the principal as soon as he arrived in Nanjing and said that since he acted for the principal to command the Second Route Army, he didn't know that it belonged to the Second Route Army.
The two divisions of the Route Army started such a large-scale battle with Chief He of the First Route. I felt really guilty. The principal quickly comforted me for a while and promised that our two divisions and the First Division of Acting Division Commander Hu Zongnan would go out in three days.
The area south of Chuzhou was under the command of Chief Bai, and Chief Bai was given the right to act expediently.
I think Commander Bai must feel uncomfortable, and as the Chuzhou defenders he has to face have doubled, he will definitely feel unhappy. Therefore, neither of our divisions will be able to rest after this battle. You must be available at any time.
Mental preparation for departure.”
An Yi turned his head and asked strangely: "Didn't General Li Zongren of the Third Route Army on the Western Front just come out of the north of Wuhu? Chief He's First Route Army on the Eastern Front also needs a lot of time to advance together. Chief Bai will not do this.
Do you care? Besides, if we use this precious time to fight a war, it will be beneficial to everyone. In any case, we will annihilate the enemy!"
"Hey, why are you so ignorant? You are so good at fighting, but you don't know anything about interpersonal relationships and officialdom practices! Forget it, don't say anything. I have to rush back to direct the actions of various ministries.
Keep in touch by radio at all times. I will come back to you after the battle. You must listen to me on what to do then. As an instructor, I have to give you a good make-up lesson!"
Gu Zhutong slapped An Yi, and An Yi smiled gratefully.
After seeing off Gu Zhu and his entourage, An Yi had a half-hour wireless telegraph communication with Hu Jialin, the former enemy commander at the front, to learn about the latest developments of various ministries and then held a pre-war meeting.
Half an hour later, the teaching brigade and divisional combat troops led by Chen Kan used the cover of dusk to quietly drive to the southeastern front. The thousand recruits left by Xia Jian were temporarily under the command of the Yin Jinan Independent Regiment, and led more than 700 elite troops of the headquarters to do a good job.
Be prepared for reinforcements at any time.
An Yi handed over the command of the headquarters to Yang Bin and led the guards to quickly cross south by boat and return to the shipyard east of Zhenjiang Pier. As another division of Du Qiyun's department received the order from the headquarters and quickly moved towards Zhenjiang,
The Anyi Independent Division, which no longer had many troops stationed in the city, readily moved its logistics departments to the shipyard on the riverside and gave up all the military camps in the city to friendly forces.
Gu Changfeng, who was preparing to have dinner, had already been waiting at the dock of the shipyard. When he saw An Yi disembarking, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Boss, how are the brothers in our regiment doing now?"
"Don't worry, your third regiment is led by Old Wu and has good morale..."
An Yi glanced at the figure on the small western-style building in the front left and flashed through the door. He was very surprised, took a few steps and asked in a low voice:
"What's going on? Miss Zhou and Miss Feng are still here?"
Gu Changfeng chuckled, touched his head and said, "They came over this morning to say hello. They saw that you had boarded the boat and crossed to the middle of the river. They felt very sad and said they didn't know when they would see you again. Miss Feng stayed for a few minutes.
Then we went back. Miss Zhou said she liked to see the scenery here and the training of the new recruits, so she stayed and had a look...I will send her back later."
An Yi smiled knowingly: "No wonder you have to rush to the battlefield. It turns out that you are in love. You can find time to be romantic and happy just before the war. I am convinced by you! Tell me, what is the result?"
"I told you not to tell others. Miss Feng walked away with tears in her eyes. Miss Zhou knew that I was also going to the front line. As soon as she went upstairs, she lay on my shoulder and cried. The warm fragrance of nephrite is touching your heart. I really guard my heart.
I couldn't stand it any longer, so I made peace with Miss Zhou...but when I woke up, it was almost dark. If she hadn't had her first period and couldn't walk, I would have sent her back a long time ago." Chief Gu.
Feng Chunfeng replied proudly.
An Yi was shocked, stopped suddenly, looked at Gu Changfeng with wide eyes for a while, and then sighed in a low voice: "You can do it! But you and a thousand recruits are about to set off, how are you going to deal with the aftermath?
Ah! If God had the eyes to sow the seeds of your Gu family..."
"I wish I could! If this is the case, I will marry her immediately, haha..."