At one o'clock in the morning, Xuyi City was surrounded by screams and chaos. More than 6,000 officers and soldiers of the Second Brigade of the 39th Division of the enemy, who had been reinforced in place, stepped on the corpses and bloodstains on the ground in horror. The enemy brigade commander shouted at the top of his lungs and ordered his guard captain:
The Juliu Division rushed to the west at full speed, and asked the Juliu Division to immediately launch a comprehensive search and containment, and immediately use their radio to report the tragic situation in Xuyi City to the top.
At the same time, in the south of Heqiao Town, 21 kilometers southwest of Xuyi, more than 300 soldiers of Anyi Division were wielding shovels and crowbars to quickly demolish the 20-meter-long wooden bridge. Then they dropped everything in their hands and fled south quickly.
Chase the team.
Thirty minutes ago, 300 elite members of the Special Forces Brigade, led by Hu Jialin and Ding Zhicheng, rode carelessly into the north of the town. The two sentries at the intersection were surprised to see the cavalry of the main force that had just passed by return again. They were very surprised and went up to ask.
, before the two of them could react, two crossbow arrows were inserted into their throats. Almost at the same time as the crossbow arrows flew out, more than ten cavalrymen dismounted, pulled out their daggers and rushed into the hut beside the road, massacring a squad of guards in the blink of an eye.
After all, the twelve officers and soldiers who had just lay down did not see clearly the appearance of the enemy, and they died in the underworld after five steps of blood splatter.
The cavalry rushed into the town with thunderous momentum. More than two hundred elites armed with fancy machine guns dismounted, crashed into the largest courtyard, and shot all the enemy company commanders and more than 110 enemy soldiers who had hurriedly climbed out of the big bed.
kill.
A squad of defenders at the Zhennan intersection was awakened by the sound of gunfire. Just as they raised their guns and tried to resist, more than thirty war horses came rushing over. Four light machine guns and more than twenty shell guns on the horses spurted out tongues of flame. In the blink of an eye, ten
The remaining defenders of the enemy turned into blood gourds, and more than thirty knights moved south quickly without losing speed, once again taking on the task of reconnaissance of the former enemy. There were no casualties in the entire special operations brigade.
At 3:50 in the morning, the panting soldiers of An Yi Division stopped advancing on the trail five kilometers away from Jinli Town and rested on the spot. Many exhausted soldiers collapsed on the ground and refused to move. Those who still had physical strength
The brothers ran to the creek and filled pots of water. The chief officials whispered that everyone must sit up, take the time to drink water, rest, and eat solid food.
Three horses galloped from the south. The leader, Beard, dismounted in front of An Yi and announced the good news in a low voice:
"The injured brothers escorted by the Second Regiment arrived at Jinli Town safely. Under the leadership of Jinan and Lao Yang, they took a short rest and then drove to the southwest. Lao Ding divided half of his men and horses to guard the front and rear. It seems that they can be there at dawn
We rushed to Sanxing Village in the east of Mingguang City before. It is only eight kilometers away from Mazhuang Station in the east of Mingguang City and is filled with endless woods and reeds. It is relatively safe to hide there."
An Yi felt relieved and turned around to ask Zhan Huanqi: "Huanqi, how far is it from the nearest railway line?"
"The nearest is Mazhuang Station, which is still 22 kilometers away. Most of them are small roads." Zhan Huanqi answered quickly.
An Yi decisively ordered: "Xia Jian, Hutou!"
"arrive!"
"Each of you selects two hundred brothers who are physically strong and leads the team in person. Before seven o'clock tomorrow morning, you must occupy the mazhuang and completely block it. No one can escape from the mazhuang!
Attention, don’t forget that you are wearing the enemy’s clothes. When fighting bravely, you must also fight wits. Don’t reveal your identity unless absolutely necessary.”
An Yi looked expectantly at his two living and dead brothers.
Gu Changfeng turned around and went to gather the team. Xia Jian saluted and left in a hurry.
An Yi turned to Huzi and whispered instructions in his ear. Huzi nodded and mounted his horse again and left quickly.
Ten minutes later, An Yi led the more than 1,000 brothers who had stayed behind to rush southwest again. Even if his legs were broken, he had to lead his troops to catch up with the second regiment that was escorting the wounded brothers. He made every effort to reach Sanxingzhuang before dawn.
——This is An Yi's last ditch effort. Success or failure has reached a critical moment. If it fails, the consequences will be disastrous.
At four o'clock in the morning, the main camp was in Wuhe City.
The conference room was brightly lit, filled with smoke, and the unique strong smell of opium smoke spread everywhere. Chu Yupu and more than 20 generals under his command gathered around the big table, waiting with great anxiety for information from the ministries ahead.
The news that An Yi's remnants massacred more than 2,100 Zhilu officers and soldiers in Xuyi City shocked everyone. Cheng Guorui, who had not tried his best to encircle the city, finally saw the horror of An Yi and realized the bloody nature of this desperate remnant.
and evil.
As early as the Liuquan Blockade, Cheng Guorui knew about the powerful combat effectiveness of the Anyi Independent Division, but he, who had always been aloof, never expected that the army of the nationally renowned "Model Battalion" would be so cruel and ruthless.
He was able to die so quickly and still have such super endurance after fighting for so many days continuously. This unconventional and incredible performance really shocked him.
Cheng Guorui paid great attention to it at this moment and no longer dared to laugh at veteran Chu Yupu's anger in his heart, because those who were massacred in Xuyi City were all from the Thirty-ninth Division under Cheng Guorui.
The generals talked around the map and had different opinions. Some said that the stubborn enemy must have succeeded with one blow and then retreated into Hongze Lake; some said that they probably fled to the Wuhe area in the southwest because that was where An was once.
They were all familiar with the terrain and people's sentiments in the place where Yi Division was so domineering; some speculated that An Yi Division was likely to sneak to the southeast and quietly drive from the junction of the Anhui Army to Gaoyou Lake... At this time, no one thought that An Yi Division would dare to directly
Going south, they also forgot that the An Yi Division also had a high-horsepower steamboat. The most important reason was that the Second Brigade of the Thirty-ninth Division, which was rushing to Xuyi City, did not encounter the An Yi Division when it was heading north at high speed. Therefore, it is generally believed that the An Yi Division
It is unlikely that Master Yi will flee directly from the south.
The Sixth Division ahead, Wang Dongjun and a brigade rushing to Xuyi City are all searching in a wide area, but no trace of the enemy has been found so far. The generals in the hall suddenly became angry and lost their temper. Cheng Guorui's chief of staff actually went to Xu Yuanquan for a possible judgment.
There was a big quarrel, and Chu Yupu, who was already angry, broke the cup again and glared. Only then did the two quarrels wake up and immediately apologized in a low voice in fear.
"Report: Commander Lu of the Sixth Division has sent an urgent message. The enemy has killed all the brothers in a company in Heqiao Town and demolished the wooden bridge in the south of the town. The cavalry battalion of the Thirty-ninth Division is searching southward. The Second Brigade of the Sixth Division has moved south to the female
Mountains and lakes are on the front line!" the communications staff member shouted anxiously, taking a deep breath and shaking.
The generals in the hall were shocked. The enemy actually fled from the most unlikely direction. This reality was like a big slap in the face to the generals.
Cheng Guorui sighed loudly: "It would be great if every brigade was equipped with a radio. I don't know how long it took for the enemy to break through Heqiao Town, which is 20 kilometers away from Xuyi. After the brothers of the 39th Division discovered the enemy's situation, they had to ride
Quickly jump up and down to find the Sixth Division and use the radio to report, and I don’t know how many hours have passed, which has delayed the fighter plane!"
Chu Yupu hit the table with his palm, and after the whole hall was silent, he said coldly: "Everyone, this is not the time to blame each other. Now that the enemy's whereabouts have been discovered, you should concentrate on finding countermeasures before letting me hear your complaints.
"Don't blame me for being so indifferent! Jingwu, please tell me your opinion first."
Cheng Guorui blushed, looked at the map on the desktop, pondered for a moment, adjusted his mood, and said slowly: "My subordinates believe that the remnant enemy can only go in two directions, one is around Nvshan Lake, and the other is Mingguang City... Dong
Xian?"
"arrive!"
Cheng Guorui's chief of staff Dong Xian answered loudly.
"Immediately call Liao Mingyi of the 39th Division of Mingguang City and ask him to lead his troops to conduct a rigorous search to the north!" Cheng Guorui did not wait for Chu Yupu to say anything and took the lead in making a decision.
Dong Xian explained in a low voice: "Military seat, there is only one regiment stationed in Mingguang now. Should we ask Marshal Yu to urgently mobilize a new force from the railway line from Bengbu to help?"
When Chu Yupu saw Cheng Guorui looking at him, he immediately gave the order without hesitation: "Pass the commander's order and order Bengbu Station to send a special train to Fengyang. He loaded up Gao Guanying, the fourth division stationed in Fengyang, and drove to Mingguang at full speed. He temporarily returned to the commander of the 39th Division.
Liao Mingyi restrains himself!"
"yes!"
Chu Yupu glanced at Cheng Guorui meaningfully, turned to his adjutant Qin Shanhu and issued an order: "Immediately call Luling of the Sixth Division, do your best to launch a large-scale search in the Nushan Lake area, and requisition all ships to block the entrance of Nushan Lake and Qili Lake;
Order Wang Dong to immediately lead a division under his command to cross the river and head to Liuxiang for close surveillance!"
"As you command!"
Chu Yupu took out the exquisite pocket watch with a gold chain in his pocket, opened it and saw that the time was 5:20 in the morning. He sighed deeply and issued another order, instructing his subordinates to call the Anhui Army on the Eastern Front to closely monitor the Lai'an to Tianchang lines.
Chu Yupu knew very well that although the order had been issued, the ministries that had received the notice had to get up in the middle of the night when it was best to sleep, and they also needed to prepare for the expedition. Without an hour's buffer, they would never be able to move, and they could only move temporarily.
They hope that the remnants of An Yi will escape into the Nushan Lake area - no matter how fast An Yi escapes, as long as he shrinks into the two narrow lakes on the east and west, he can be forced out through aircraft reconnaissance and bombing, and then besieged with heavy troops.
Annihilate.
I am afraid that An Yi will really grow wings and rush to the Mingguang area, causing him to jump over the wall and fight his way to the Dingyuan area in the south. That area has undulating mountains, lakes and swamps, and is getting closer and closer to the river. If he wants to besieged again,
It's difficult, not only can't keep up with the troops, but time also doesn't allow it. The fighting in the north is getting more and more intense, and the transfer of most of the main force of the Zhilu Army to the north is just around the corner.
At 6:10 in the morning, the third surname is Zhuang.
As the sky dawned, more than two thousand exhausted officers and soldiers of the Anyi Division carried a pair of makeshift stretchers, either on their backs or supporting their wounded and sick brothers, quickly crossed the main road and entered the forest path to the south.
On the side of the road, An Yi was explaining in a low voice to two villagers who had gotten up early to go to the fields. He asked the two hard-working villagers, who carried plows on their shoulders and led their cattle, to follow him into the woods and promised again and again not to hurt anyone.
Under An Yi's smiling face and the dark muzzle of the gun next to them, the two villagers panicked and carried the plow into the forest. Two guards helped them lead the cattle in, and they walked straight into the dense forest for more than 300 meters before stopping.
After coming down, the two villagers looked extremely surprised to see an acquaintance from Beicun sitting among fifty or sixty civilians under a big tree. As soon as they sat down next to the acquaintance, two guards strode over and handed each of the two villagers an ocean.
, and then left.
The two villagers stared blankly at the ocean in their hands, at a loss. Next to them, a forty-year-old boy from Beicun pulled on the clothes of the two villagers and whispered: "Brother Old Guan, don't be afraid. It's okay. You
Just accept the money and say nothing."
The middle-aged fellow, known as Lao Guan, quickly put away the money and asked, "Where did these soldiers come from?"
"I don't know either. The clothes look like the Northern Army, but the accent sounds like the Southern Army."
The Beicun villager explained in a low voice: "I got up to pee and saw the army passing by the fork. As a result, my whole family was brought here in a daze. However, these military masters did not make things difficult for us. They gave us each an ocean and kept talking.
Say sorry, let's sit here until they leave before we can go home."
The old guard looked around in panic, and couldn't help but be surprised when he saw a group of wounded soldiers groaning in low voices to the south. However, except for a dozen friendly military men holding guns, no one around them paid attention to them.
This group of honest folks gradually became bolder and gathered together to speculate.