Starting from nightfall, sporadic gunshots rang out continuously. The enemies surrounded on three sides suffered heavy losses under the precise attacks of the snipers of An Yi Division and the outstanding shooters of each regiment and battalion, and there were cries of mourning.
The enemy's 19th Army encircled the north and suffered a lot. There was an east-west creek between the two sides. This creek, which was only six meters wide and waist deep, was not an obstacle at all during the day, but it was an obstacle at night.
Human lives - Due to the differences in the fighting methods and the psychology of the officers and soldiers between the two sides, the 19th officers and soldiers with more than 20,000 people were on guard across the water and tightly surrounded. However, the officers and soldiers of the Anyi Division quietly sneaked out and crossed the narrow stream to face the enemy.
The enemy launched harassment and precise sniping. In less than two hours, no one on the 19th Army position dared to raise their head.
Just after ten o'clock in the evening, Army Commander Han Liancheng, who rushed to the front line to command operations, received a report that hundreds of officers and soldiers had been killed by enemy fire. He was furious and ordered the two artillery regiments that had entered the battlefield to move forward three kilometers to attack An.
Yi Division blocked the position and launched a retaliatory artillery bombardment.
An Yi's division, which was under heavy siege, quietly made targeted changes to its breakout plan at nightfall. Both An Yi and Yin Jinan knew what the gestures repeated three times in a row by the affectionate Zhang Chengzhu meant, especially
Uncharacteristically, Zhang Chengzhu led all his elite troops northward when the war was about to begin, making it clear what he wanted to express: He suggested that An Yi go east as soon as possible, and then break through the encirclement of Jieji Town in the south to escape. He led his cavalry northward and told him clearly.
An Yi, don't worry about pursuit.
So far, Zheng Guang's independent regiment is the most intact main force among the four regiments of An Yi's division. This team led by An Yi and grown on the basis of the model camp is reassuring in every aspect. The surviving members
More than 1,400 officers and soldiers are all elites who have sworn loyalty to An Yi. They have a firm spirit of the model camp and a belief in serving the country. Yin Jinan and Hu Jialin have said proudly many times: Our independent regiment will never be defeated!
After removing the threat of the enemy cavalry in the southwest corner, Lu Guang led his soldiers to quietly withdraw from the position, followed Ding Zhicheng's 300 elites to sneak eastward, and reached the lake to ambush between Guihua Gang and Huzhuang, which was only more than 700 meters away from the lake shore.
.
A figure moved quickly and silently from east to west, and soon arrived at the temporary command post behind the post. The captain of the Fourth Squadron with a dirty face came to Ding Zhicheng and reported in a low voice:
"Battal Commander, there is a small wharf in Hanqianzhuang, one and a half kilometers due east and north, where more than forty fishing boats of various sizes and a dozen bamboo rafts are moored. There are two piers with a radius of 56 meters on the left and right of Wangzhuang, 800 meters southeast.
A small lake of 100 meters, the distance between the two lakes is about 70 meters. On this narrow passage, the enemy has built a solid defense fortifications and set up four heavy machine guns. It is guarded by about a battalion of troops.
It blocks our only way south."
Lu Guang reacted quickly: "Old Ding, do you think you can send two detachments to grab the boat? Then sneak around behind the enemy through the waterway. Once I start fighting here, it will definitely attract the enemy's attention. The brothers of the detachment will pick him up from behind.
, I’ll be done with one more charge.”
"Okay, that's what I mean too."
Ding Zhicheng nodded in agreement: "Cheng Guang, immediately sent a messenger to notify the division and asked him to quietly send all the brothers who can't run over. Dozens of fishing boats and bamboo rafts can hold five or six hundred people when squeezed.
As long as we are eight hundred meters away from the shore, we will be safe. We don’t have to wait until we get to Taiping to seize the boat and carry people. Without further ado, I will personally lead the team to seize the boat and attack it. It all depends on you here!"
"Don't worry!"
Lu Guang waved his hand, and the first battalion commander Lu Xiong arrived quickly. Lu Guang whispered a few words in his ear. Lu Xiong nodded and left quickly, instructing the battalion deputy to lead the team to report to An Yi immediately.
Ding Zhicheng led three hundred brothers into Han Qianzhuang quietly. The two men who were smoking dry cigarettes on the pier felt their eyes dazzled and suddenly lost consciousness. One hundred and twenty special elites from the two teams rushed down to the pier to relieve themselves.
Opening the cables, four larger fishing boats left the pier and sped southward.
Zong Xingzhen, who stayed on the dock, immediately arranged for more than a hundred brothers to disperse and monitor more than a dozen houses near the dock. No sound was allowed to alert the enemy two kilometers to the north.
All arrangements were in place, and the sudden rumbling sound of cannons made Zong Xingzhen and others who were waiting anxiously panic. They all raised their heads and looked at the bursts of fire that exploded from time to time in the northwest. The cannonballs with red tail flames in the sky were smashing one after another.
Toward the blocking position in the encirclement.
The villagers were so frightened that they opened the door to check. Zong Xing really didn't care about worrying about other departments, and immediately ordered his brothers to gather the villagers together and explain to them in a friendly manner, tell them whose army we are, and strive for their understanding that we must never harm innocent people.
Not long after the sound of cannons sounded, the entire battlefield suddenly experienced an unpredictable change. The anger of a small company commander of the 19th Army of the Anhui Army unexpectedly shattered the plans and deployments of the generals on both sides - the Zhilu Army and the Anhui Army were surrounded and annihilated.
The overall plan was shattered, and the retreat that An Yi's remnants were quietly conducting suddenly failed.
All this happened just because a company commander on the 19th Army position in the north had half of his head shot off by a sniper. The sworn brother of this unlucky company commander was also a company commander. In grief and rage, when he heard the sound of cannons, he no longer cared about it.
In any military discipline, the brothers of a company under his command launched a desperate charge against Xia Jian's regiment's position. On the adjacent position, the company commander died, and more than a hundred brothers who were saddened by the death of the company commander also shouted slogans to avenge the company commander and followed them.
The officers and soldiers of each battalion and company mistakenly thought that the charge order had been issued, and involuntarily raised their guns and jumped out of their positions, rushed towards the creek, quickly crossed the creek and stormed the An Yi Division position on the south bank.
The battalion commanders on the position were shocked when they saw their soldiers rushing up one after another, and immediately reported to the police. Seeing the fierce fighting, they were afraid that their soldiers would suffer losses, so they gritted their teeth and rushed forward. So, the right wing of the northern encirclement circle
The nearly 10,000 Anhui troops in the position went into battle, and a division on the left wing followed closely.
On the west bank of the Xuhong River, Xu Zhisheng, who had already turned red-eyed and harbored deep hatred, heard the thunderous shouts and the flames of the battle. He immediately took advantage of the situation and ordered the 5,000 officers and soldiers of the mixed brigade under his command to board the boats of various sizes that had been collected and quickly cross the river to join the battle.
The Luling 6th Division on the front thought that the plan had changed and besieged them in advance, so they moved accordingly. The tens of thousands of troops who had originally planned to encircle them step by step after dawn, mistakenly launched the attack in advance.
On the northern battlefield, the two thousand soldiers of Xia Jian and Gu Changfeng's regiment suffered heavy losses in the twenty-minute fierce enemy shelling. The hastily constructed positions were unable to withstand the intensive artillery fire. Tens of thousands of enemy troops were pressing down on them.
They rushed across the creek in front of the position, crawled on the south bank of the area more than 200 meters wide and three kilometers long, fired fiercely at the positions of the two regiments of An Yi Division, and only waited for the artillery fire to stop to launch a full-scale charge.
Gu Changfeng and Xia Jian could not sit still and wait for death. They led the remaining troops under their command to retreat quickly, braving the enemy's artillery fire and quickly rushed to the main southeastern position.
The main position had been bombed beyond recognition. Fortunately, ten minutes before the enemy suddenly launched the bombardment, Yin Jinan and Yang Bin, under the leadership of Lu Xiong, had already led more than 800 wounded and sick brothers to the Hanqianzhuang Pier in the southeast to escape.
The two groups of heralds sent by An Yi and Hu Jialin to notify Xia Jian and Gu Changfeng to withdraw from their positions were killed by fierce enemy artillery fire as they approached the frontline positions. Twenty minutes of continuous shelling left no trace.
Unprepared and eager to plan how to escape without alerting the opponent, An Yi's division suffered heavy losses.
Under the urging of Hu Jialin and surrounded by guards, An Yi fled east quickly. Hu Jialin and Chen Kan led a teaching company and risked their lives to stay behind to support them. They saw two sparse brothers, Xia Jian and Gu Changfeng, rushing quickly.
After returning, Hu Jialin ordered Chen Kan to gather the remaining troops and quickly move to the southeast. He led a squad of guards to go up to look for Gu Changfeng and Xia Jian. The enemy's killing cries to the west and north were earth-shattering and they were getting closer and closer.
To the southeast, Lu Guang saw that the time was up, so he drew his pistol and took the lead, launching a fierce charge towards the enemy's position. The special detachment that quickly circled to the rear of the enemy's position, led by Ding Zhicheng, rushed towards the enemy's position without fear of death.
, shooting wildly at the defending enemy almost in close combat, and the enemy positions that were surrounded by enemies on both sides were immediately defeated. The frightened enemy troops fled crazily to the west, and the enemy positions opposite the Second Regiment Commander Chen Zhibiao were attacked into chaos.
Seeing this, the smart and courageous Chen Zhibiao would never let go of such an opportunity. He quickly led his six hundred brothers to charge in unison, and he was extremely lucky to break through the enemy formation and join up with the third battalion of Li Guangbu.
Chen Zhibiao, who was still frightened, was just about to order his troops to retreat south when Lu Guang led his troops to rush over quickly, rushed to Chen Zhibiao, grabbed his shoulders and shouted loudly:
"Zhibiao, don't stop fighting. The enemy is very confused. He is obviously frightened by our sudden attack. Quickly bring your troops with me and fight to the west. Take advantage of the enemy's panic and attack again. For the division's peace
Brothers from other regiments quickly retreat south to buy time!"
"This... okay! Brothers, follow me -"
Although Chen Zhibiao, who was full of resentment, was very reluctant, the advice given by Li Lu with the rank of major general was equivalent to an order from the top at this time. Although they were both regimental commanders at the same level, Chen Zhibiao had to strictly implement it, otherwise
With An Yi's strict military laws, he will be severely punished. Even if a confidant like Xia Jian makes a mistake, An Yi dares to strip off Xia Jian's clothes, beat him ten times in front of the entire regiment, and then lock him up for three days.
Close, let alone Chen Zhibiao?
It was Lu Guang's very far-sighted attack that took advantage of the victory and defeated the enemy Qu Tianze's independent division in one fell swoop.
The enemy, together with Cheng Zhiguang and Chen Zhibiao, led their troops to charge fiercely without fear of death, and successively defeated the two enemy battalions that were panicking. In panic, nearly 10,000 enemy troops lost their command and retreated for three kilometers. When they stabilized their position,
, the fierce revolutionary army had already retreated southward and successfully reunited with various ministries.
At two o'clock in the morning, the remnants of An Yi's division, which had left the pursuing enemy six kilometers behind, quickly repelled the local militia's blocking position in the north of the town without much effort. More than two thousand soldiers roared into Taiping.
town, Ding Zhicheng led his elite troops to rush to the dock to seize the fishing boats. Cheng Guang and Gu Changfeng led more than 1,600 of their remaining troops to alert the town. Chen Zhibiao and Xia Jian were responsible for gathering the injured brothers and rushing to the dock. Everything was tense.
And proceed in an orderly manner.
At 2:40, more than 2,800 brothers began to gather at the pier. Gu Changfeng rushed over holding the unconscious Li Guang. An Yi and others were shocked when they saw the situation clearly. Shen Fengdao strode forward to pick him up. After passing Chengguang, he quickly boarded the boat for treatment. The young doctor followed anxiously with a medicine box on his back.
"What's going on?"
An Yi's heart was as sharp as a knife, and he grabbed Gu Changfeng's clothes and shouted loudly.
Gu Changfeng endured the pain of being shot in his arm and replied angrily: "The vigilantes shot me coldly. If I hadn't been knocked down by the adjutant, I would have been dead!"
An Yi's eyes were about to burst, he let go of his hand and shouted loudly: "Huzi Jinan is responsible for evacuating and boarding the ship, Xia Jian——"
"arrive!"
Xia Jian rushed up with his clothes in pieces, his muscles bulging and stained with sweat.
"Take your brothers and follow me, kill and rob all the big families in the town! Hutou, you are responsible for setting the fire!" An Yi roared out through gritted teeth.
"yes!"
A uniform roar echoed throughout the sky.
A sudden revenge began. An Yi, who was seriously injured and lost his mind, led nearly a thousand brothers under his command who were also murderous and rushed into all the buildings with more than two floors in the town. They killed everyone on sight and looted them all for half an hour. Before long, the whole town was ablaze with fire. When tens of thousands of enemy troops came after them, the remnants of An Yi's troops were already on the lake one kilometer away.