Late at night on August 13th, in the north of Huotian Town, Chaling, eastern Hunan.
The first heavy rain after the beginning of autumn lasted from nightfall to around ten o'clock in the evening before it gradually stopped. The rolling mountains were deep and vast, and the steaming mist was floating in the changing mountain wind.
The air current carries a hint of chill, spreading between the pines and bamboo forests.
In the abandoned mountain temple located on the east bank of the Beijiang River, a tributary of the tea river, there are lights like beans. Two radio stations are set up on the temporarily cleared sacred table. The "tick-tick-tick" sound of transmitting and receiving reports is still going on. Four people are communicating.
, the combat staff got busy quietly, the two
A man in a camouflage combat uniform shook the rain off his body, walked into the main hall together, took off his raincoat, took off his helmet covered with camouflage cloth, and then gathered around the square table in the center, listening to the reports from his staff officers.
While looking at the map carefully.
"...Please look here: To the west, Tan Wenfeng's team is closely monitoring Chaling County. The more than 1,400 officers and soldiers of the Seventh Hunan Security Regiment who arrived at Chaling at noon yesterday showed no signs of moving eastward; to the south, there are no signs of Yaoshui and Quanshan lines.
Any abnormality was found; enemy traces were found in Gaolong Town, nine kilometers to the east. About a company of troops marched from east to west to station in the town in the evening. They were initially determined to be the leading reconnaissance force of the Sixth Army's teaching division.
Half an hour ago, the Chief of Staff, Commander Xie, called and informed us that the 1st and 2nd regiments of our division had entered the deserted Yongxin City at 6:40 in the evening. They have all rested and are waiting for further instructions from the deputy division commander."
Ye Qingfeng, a combat staff officer who graduated from the fifth phase of Huangpu, finished his report and stood aside waiting for instructions.
Ding Zhicheng nodded happily: "This Xie Chi walked very fast. It was windy and rainy, the mountain road was rugged and muddy, and it was a night march. It was not easy for the 4,500 brothers in the two regiments to reach Yongxin City in advance.
.”
"Ah! Is this speed fast? I think it's okay. If the two main regiments in my hands can join the battle, they will definitely go much faster than your security division. Although we are nominally a local security force, we only need to change
The clothes of the regular army are a hundred times more formal than those of the so-called regular army. We have had two confrontation exercises in the past few months. When will your security division be able to take advantage of his younger brother?"
Major General Commander Xia Jian still has the same bad temper.
The brothers around him wanted to laugh but didn't dare. Ding Zhicheng rolled his eyes at Xia Jian who was proud of himself, lit a cigarette, and tapped the map on the table:
"Stop talking so much nonsense, tell me what you think. When do you want to fight? Where? How to fight?"
Xia Jian snatched the "Three Fortress" cigarettes from Ding Zhicheng's hand, took out one and lit it, exhaling the smoke happily, and then slowly pointed at the map:
"Fight at dawn! I'll ask Zhang Hao's regiment to open a blocking line here, and the artillery battalion to coordinate here. Your special forces brigade will be deployed on the high ground on both wings to cooperate. The premise is that your two regiments will arrive here before eight o'clock tomorrow morning.
And here, only this area is the most suitable for blocking the encirclement. If the battlefield is set up in the east of Yaopi Town according to the original plan, I am afraid that the 7th Security Group of the Hunan Army from Chaling City a few kilometers to the west will come over and cause mischief.
It’s not easy to handle.
Let's try to resolve the battle in two or three hours, and then leave without leaving a single feather for them. After He Jian's grandson took office as the director of the Hunan Qingxiang Supervisory Office, he killed innocent people indiscriminately and plundered the people's wealth and wealth.
The public resentment is boiling, and my younger brother has long disliked him."
"This is a good idea. The two of us thought of going together. As long as the two regiments led by Lao Xie can arrive at the east of Zhitang Town at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, they can seal the only passage within thirty kilometers of the Luoxiao Mountains and enter the high altitude.
The enemy in Longzhen will become a turtle in the urn. When the time comes, we can make a decision...Qingfeng?" Ding Zhicheng turned around and shouted.
"arrive!"
Operations officer Ye Qingfeng strode forward.
"Order: First, the special brigade sends a detachment to closely monitor the enemy's leading company in Gaolong Town, and do not alert the enemy; second, telegraph Xie to the chief of staff that the main force must arrive at the east of Zhitang Town at seven o'clock tomorrow morning." Ding Zhicheng was decisive.
Order.
"yes!"
Ye Qingfeng did not dare to neglect. The eight-hour and forty-kilometer rush march in the dark was still a huge test for the soldiers of the garrison division who had been trained for a long time and had become combat-ready.
At 6:20 in the morning, south of Gaolong Town.
A team with simple equipment and messy clothes but with a completely new spirit quickly passed under Shibi Peak from south to north, followed the winding trail to Baieling, which is more than 1,800 meters south of Gaolong Town, crawling on the
On the rolling hills, we are ready for battle.
At the foot of the hill, four war horses came running quickly. Four people wearing red five-star and eight-pointed hats immediately dismounted and, led by two scouts, quickly went up the mountain, passed through the dense woods, and arrived at the entrance to the north of the hill.
Next to the big tree on the mountain road, people were surprised by the wooden sign nailed to the ground.
Commander Gong of the Fourth Red Army read the above text in a low voice: "Our army is about to fight, and bullets have no eyes. Please wait and see. Ding Zhicheng, deputy commander of the Nanchang Garrison Division, sincerely... A big battle? How is this possible? Nanchang
When did the security division arrive here? Xiaolong, come and see if the Nanchang security division has a deputy commander named Ding Zhicheng?"
Li Xiaolong, who was covered in water, took off his hat, wiped the sweat and mud from his face, looked at Gaolong Town with smoke curling up in the mist, shook his head and sighed slightly:
"Old Gong, it seems that there is more than one enemy company in Gaolong Town. It is very likely that we will encounter a big fish this time! I know this Ding Zhicheng very well. He is definitely a ruthless person who has no money and no face. I told you before
The An Yi Independent Division Special Forces Brigade was trained by this person, and he is indeed in Yin Ji now
The Nanchang Garrison Division in the South serves as the deputy division commander. The major general who was just promoted three months ago, and Xie Chi, another graduate of the ninth artillery department in Baoding, was also promoted to the chief of staff of the garrison division after recovering from his injury. Although they are nominally the garrison division
, but its combat effectiveness and equipment are several times stronger than those of the local army, so it’s a tough nut to crack!”
"What kind of stubbornness? All reactionary armies are the same. They will kill him on sight! Who is the Nanchang garrison division? Who wants to insert a wooden sign and want to destroy the three days of hard work of our regiment?"
Deputy Captain Li kicked the wooden sign away angrily, and looked at Captain Gong with sharp eyes. Seeing that he was thinking with his brows furrowed, he couldn't help but snorted, and then fixed his gaze on the face of Political Commissar Li Xiaolong, thinking about you.
You are a capitulationist. If you fear the enemy and avoid fighting and go back, I will expose you.
Facing Deputy Commander Li's provocative gaze, Li Xiaolong shook his head and smiled bitterly, then turned to the frowning Commander Gong: "Old Gong, you make up your mind."
Captain Gong once again glanced at Deputy Commander Li who was full of disdain. He climbed onto the boulder on the roadside in a few steps, raised his telescope, and silently observed the quiet Gaolong Town. He was nervously calculating the gains and losses in his heart. This man who was only 26 years old
The commander of the Autumn Harvest Uprising, who had participated in the Nanchang Uprising at the age of 18, was very worried about the dangers that might result from a hasty attack. Army Chief of Staff Wang Erzhuo, who had also graduated from the first phase of Huangpu, introduced the backgrounds of An Yi, Yin Jinan, and Hu Jialin at the conference.
At the expanded meeting on the analysis of the current revolutionary situation held by the Fourth Red Army's military headquarters half a month ago, Commander-in-Chief Zhu also specifically asked Li Xiaolong to introduce the situation of the Nanchang Garrison Division and the Central Jiangxi Security Force. All participants were very impressed. Faced with
Most of the participants regarded An Yi as a wise and courageous man with a rising reputation, as well as the goodwill expressed by Director An Yi over the years.
Yi's headquarters has been regarded as a target that can be fought for, especially the recent support provided by the old Nanchang Chamber of Commerce to his troops in the supply of medicine, salt, cloth and even ammunition, making every commander feel extremely complicated as to whether to attack the Nanchang area and surrounding areas.
On the issue of the county, several meetings have been unable to make a decision. At present, two fierce and tit-for-tat opinions have formed.
The Third International, through the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in Shanghai, has suggested more than once that Zhu Mao’s Red Army concentrate its main force to attack big cities like Ji’an, Ganzhou and even Nanchang. However, the current strength of the Fourth Red Army is really limited. After the main force of Zhu Mao’s Red Army joined forces,
Organized into three divisions and nine regiments, its strength has been improved after trade with old Nanchang, but now it only has more than 6,000 guns.
They fought extremely hard under the siege of local troops such as Jin Handing and Wang Jun. How can they attack Nanchang and its surrounding areas, which are tightly controlled by An Yi's troops? But at this time of crisis, when the revolutionary cause is in turmoil, who can
I don’t dare to say I won’t fight. The right-leaning label is scary! Li Xiaolong was frightened by this big label and chose to remain silent.
"Old Gong, fighter opportunities are rare and fleeting, so give the order! No matter who the opponent is, our heroic Red Army cannot be intimidated by these paper tigers!" Deputy Li, who graduated from the Wuhan branch of Whampoa Military Academy at the age of 23,
The leader asked loudly.
Commander Gong put away the telescope, walked down the boulder in a few steps, put the telescope into Deputy Commander Li's hand, and pointed to the ridge 800 meters ahead on the left:
"What are you yelling about? Take a look for yourself. They deliberately placed two machine gunners for us to see. The nearby grass is shaking, and there is obviously an ambush. Looking at the terrain, there are more than eighty meters below the machine gunners.
The fork in the mountain road is our only way to attack the town.
, the other side only needs to send a platoon to block the fork with a few machine guns, and we will not be able to get through. If there is a conflict, let alone attack the town, it is just the high ground that lies across the road we must pass, and it may not be possible to attack it with two companies.
Taking it down will only increase casualties.
Alas, it seems that they are not willing to let us fight this battle. If my estimate is correct, the main force of the Sixth Army's instructor division will soon enter Gaolong Town from the east. The best fighter plane at present has been lost.
We cannot eat the more than 6,000 troops of the Hunan Army."
Deputy Commander Li was stunned for a moment, raised his telescope and looked at it immediately. He finally caught two figures wearing camouflage military uniforms and camouflage helmets in the camera lens. He saw one of the two people also holding up a telescope and observing unscrupulously.
Oneself, Deputy Commander Li
His face turned from red to white, and then from white to blue, and his teeth were clenching but he could not say a word. He had obviously realized the seriousness of the problem and realized that he had been chasing the enemy hard for three days and waiting for an opportunity to annihilate an army.
The desire to gain trophies and expand strength was in vain.
"Xiaolong, you came from An Yi's model camp and are most familiar with the enemy generals. Do you think Ding Zhicheng's words are credible? Only four days have passed since the Sixth Army mutinied. Their reaction was so fast.
?Whether it’s the mediator
The Security Command and the Nanchang Garrison Division are both far away in the central and southeastern areas of Jiangxi. Can they really mobilize a large army to encircle the remnants of the Sixth Army in such a short period of time?" Commander Gong asked Li Xiaolong in a low voice, still hoping that he could
Take advantage.
Li Xiaolong put down the telescope, smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Old Gong, do you believe that soldiers fully armed and carrying six 82 mortar shells can march forty kilometers overnight in hilly areas with dense water networks, and then participate
Fight?"
Captain Gong thought for a while and said with a serious face: "Of course I believe it, but there are not many such strong soldiers. Our regiment can only pick out one platoon. This is based on your new training method in the past two months.
I just came to this understanding, but even if Ding Zhicheng’s garrison division is well-trained, I’m afraid there won’t be more than one regiment of such powerful soldiers, right?”
Li Xiaolong glanced at Deputy Commander Li and waved his hands helplessly: "Let me make it clear first: I am not trying to boost others' ambitions and destroy my own prestige, nor am I promoting a sense of failure. I am only telling you what I know: the three units under the Nanchang Garrison Division
The main regiments are all well-trained veterans. Each regiment is equipped with about 150 light machine guns, and there is no less than
There are twenty-four 82 mortars and twelve heavy machine guns in the cannon battalion. All regiment squad leaders and above are equipped with shell guns and self-produced new machine guns. More than half of the officers and soldiers have experienced at least one major battle test. The entire division has
From the group leader down to the cook, the first thing I do every morning when I get up is a five-kilometer cross-country run in full gear, and I only have breakfast after returning to camp.
An Yi's team has always been well-fed, well-paid and well-paid. One soldier can easily feed a family of five. In addition, they have always implemented the weird political education system of the 'Model Camp', which has greatly reduced the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the officers and soldiers.
They are all very strong. Each of their regiments is also equipped with a five-member military medical team, and they conduct field trips between regiments once a month.
In raid competitions, soldiers who fall behind are usually removed from the main regiment and transferred to the logistics unit. If they perform poorly, they will get out with two months' salary. Every time they fight, half of the captured items will be converted into cash.
Rewards are given to all officers and soldiers who participated in the war, and those with outstanding military exploits are recorded and promoted. The systems, regulations, treatment, etc. implemented are exactly the same as those of the Anyi Independent Division.
Recently, I have been studying the two teams of the Nanchang Garrison Division and the Central Security Command that were separated from the Anyi Independent Division, and judged that their combat effectiveness will not be much lower than that of the Anyi headquarters. If Ding Zhicheng, the deputy division commander, takes action in person,
It is very likely that they will bring no less than two regiments of troops, and they will be able to march 200 kilometers in four days."
"Old Li, I'm not talking about you. You are clearly a capitulationist. It is not the tradition of our Workers' and Peasants' Red Army to be timid before fighting! Hum, so what if he brings two regiments? He ran so far in one go.
, no matter how good the equipment is, no matter how strong the combat effectiveness is, it is still at the end of its tether!
I suggest that we just sit back and watch the fight between tigers and tigers in this battle. When the two of them are exhausted from the dog-eat-dog fight, we will give him a hard blow! I don't believe that they are made of iron, even if they are really made of iron, they have to knock it down.
With three pounds of nails coming, our regiment of more than 700 soldiers can't be busy for three days and three nights in vain, right?" Deputy Commander Li's attitude was very firm, and his tone was not small.
Li Xiaolong couldn't bear it any longer and asked with a sneer: "Deputy Commander Li, no matter how brave the Red Army is, they still have to respect the facts and try to maximize their strengths and avoid their weaknesses to avoid unnecessary losses, right? We only have more than 700 people in our regiment. You know them?"
How many people are there in a group?”
"How much?" Deputy Commander Li was stunned.
"Their regiment consists of five battalions with a total of 2,800 people! It is equivalent to one of our divisions! There is also a special brigade with no less than 300 people. I don't need to repeat the equipment and combat effectiveness of this special brigade.
?" Li Xiaolong said helplessly.
Deputy Commander Li was shocked: "Ah! This... so many? How can we fight this?"
"We just can't fight! If we are attacked, our little wealth will be gone. What else can we do to make a revolution?"
Commander Gong immediately made a decision: "Deputy Commander Li, you order the battalions to stand still and let's wait and see what happens. I judge that Ding Zhicheng will not take the initiative to attack us. I also want to see how they fight this battle. If
If the situation changes, we will immediately hold a temporary meeting to decide whether to respond accordingly
After working hard for three days and three nights, I can’t justify it without achieving anything. I will be laughed at by Commander-in-Chief Zhu and Political Commissar Mao when I go back. In addition, I have another idea. I will immediately convene a meeting of the Youth League Party Group to decide whether to send someone to communicate with Ding Zhicheng.
Let’s get in touch, and if everyone agrees, we will also join the war!”
Deputy Commander Li looked at Commander Gong in surprise. Seeing Commander Gong's meaningful smile, he immediately reacted and strode to the rear to issue the order:
"Guard, notify the instructors of each battalion and company to come immediately for a meeting!"
"yes!"
Half an hour later, Li Heng, the liaison officer selected by the collective through Li Xiaolong, came to the lurking post of the special detachment. He held up the liaison letter signed by Captain Gong and Li Xiaolong and shook it for a few times. Gu Fengyi, the captain of the special brigade of the garrison division, strode down the mountain road and saluted Li Heng.
As a gift, he took the letter and opened it on the spot. Li Heng quickly stopped it, saying that it was written "personally issued by General Ding" and could not be opened.
Gu Fengyi read it regardless, put away the letter and smiled at Li Heng: "Take me to see your Commander Gong and Political Commissar Li."
"You..." Li Heng became anxious.
"Time is urgent. If this letter is delivered to our deputy commander Ding, the battle will be almost over. Another thing, I know your political commissar Li Xiaolong. At that time, he and several leaders of your Jiangsu Provincial Committee were arrested, and I was the one who sent them
Back to Zhenjiang." The strong and unsmiling Gu Fengyi left no room for negotiation.
When Li Heng heard this, he quickly asked Gu Fengyi to wait and ran back to Baieling in the southeast. Captain Gong and Li Xiaolong quickly greeted them halfway with four guards. They shook hands with each other before they had time to speak.
Suddenly, intensive gunshots came from the direction of Gaolong Town down the mountain.
Li Xiaolong and Commander Gong quickly ran to the edge of the cliff, took out their binoculars and observed carefully. They found that thousands of Hunan troops poured into the town from the east in chaos, and mortar shells followed the rear ranks of thousands of Hunan troops and exploded.
The entire town's war horses neighed, and the crowds roared. The war flags of the garrison divisions were also raised one after another on the highlands in the east, north, and west directions of the town, fluttering in the wind...