On the mountainside covered with dead grass and thorns, a gunshot suddenly rang out. On the road at the foot of the mountain more than 300 meters away, a blood mist appeared on the head of the squad leader of the cavalry patrol. Without making a single cry, he fell down from his horse.
Eight cavalry scouts raised their carbines and machine guns and panicked and fired in the direction of the gunfire. Two angry cavalrymen rushed into the path at the foot of the mountain in an attempt to shorten the distance and find the snipers who were making cold shots. However, they did not wait until they reached the foot of the mountain.
, a huge explosion sounded loudly, and two war horses and mounted scouts rose into the sky with the rising smoke, and their limbs torn by shrapnel flew far away.
There was another crisp gunshot in the chaos, and another scout who reined in his horse and turned quickly fell down. The man on horseback jumped up and ran northward like crazy. The remaining four scouts never fought back at all.
He turned his horse's head in panic and fled north in panic. When he returned to the camp, he still couldn't figure out where the person who had shot him coldly was.
Pang Bingxun, a veteran in Nanyang City, almost went crazy when he heard the news. In the past nineteen days, patrols under his command have been attacked frequently. The four forward camps in Xinye and Dengzhou were attacked or burned by small combat troops of the Fifth Army.
The total number of scouts and patrol officers and soldiers that were annihilated sporadically has exceeded 400. Half of the officers and soldiers who were attacked were fatally shot by elusive opponents. More than 300 seriously injured people were carried back to the camp for first aid.
Injured by powerful landmines, due to lack of medical treatment and medicine, these elite soldiers who were responsible for reconnaissance missions could only moan in agony and wait for death. The officers and soldiers of the entire Second Route were in panic, and no one in the army dared to send out patrols.
Five kilometers away from the military camp in front of the team, Pang Bingxun and his deputies, who were originally confident about the ever-changing battlefield situation, suddenly became blind and deaf. What's even more terrible is that with the two regiment commanders of the Xinye Jiu Eighth Division
After being killed in the attack, all the officers and soldiers turned from anger to fear. The invisible, intangible and oppressive breath of death hung over every officer and soldier.
Pang Bingxun and his staff had never encountered this kind of outrageous but unpredictable conspiracy attack before. This time it happened suddenly. The Second Route Army racked their brains from top to bottom, but they were still helpless. Heavy searches were all in vain.
Returning would only increase casualties and increase the number of scouts. Replacing them with fast-moving cavalry would not work. No matter how fast the horses ran, they would not be as fast as bullets. Three groups of elite soldiers were sent tit-for-tat to wait and wait. In the end, they all died in the wilderness, like meat buns.
Beating a dog will never come back.
The ghostly opponent not only calmly searched for weapons, but also did not leave behind the belts around the waists of the officers and soldiers who were attacked. The originally smooth roads no longer felt safe. No one knew what the despicable and crazy enemy would do.
Where are the landmines with huge lethality buried? Are those sharpshooters with accurate shooting skills who can kill people hundreds of meters away as easily as searching for objects hidden in the hills and forests on both sides of the road? Every dry ditch, every broken road.
The enemy's sharpshooters may be hidden in any wall. The killers wear weird costumes and completely blend in with the surrounding environment. They are invisible but everywhere, and the atmosphere of terror is deeply shrouded and spreading everywhere.
In the Xiangfan frontline headquarters, An Yi, who put on his summer camouflage combat uniform, rolled up his sleeves above his elbow joints, gathered around a huge sand table with his generals, and listened quietly to the explanations of the intelligence director and operations director.
With their shining eyes, as the indicator sticks rotated, every ravine, every village, and even every dry well in the enemy's defense area was clearly displayed, not to mention the hills and obvious reference objects in the war zone.
.
Chief of Staff Zhao Rui took the baton from the Chief of Operations and began to make a final summary:
"Through the twenty-day special operations of the three divisions' special forces, our goal has been basically achieved. Every enemy garrison is under the close surveillance of the headquarters and the reconnaissance teams of each division. New fields have been built to defend the enemy.
With two defense lines of about one thousand meters, Dengzhou defended the enemy and retracted its defense. Relatively solid civil fortifications were built in Longyan and Taoying towns within ten kilometers south of the city, and a six-kilometer-long arc-shaped defensive trench was dug.
From the analysis of the enemy's combat situation and troop distribution, it can be determined that the enemy has adopted a helpless passive defense at least in the near future. Therefore, our large-scale combat plan can begin.
The order of the Corps Headquarters is read below: General Yin Jinan is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Left Route Army and General Deng Bin is the chief of staff of the Left Route Army. It is under the jurisdiction of the 16th Division, the 44th Division, the New 9th Division of the 44th Army, and the Legion is temporarily one.
The division is a reserve force; General Zhu Shigui is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Right Route Army and General Zhang Cunzhuang is the chief of staff of the Right Route Army, with seventeen divisions under his jurisdiction, the new tenth division of the Forty-fourth Army, and the first teaching division of the Forty-fourth Army as the reserve force.
General Fan Shisheng, commander of the Jingxiang Garrison Command, is appointed as the commander-in-chief of the reserve corps, which has four brigades in total: Yichang Garrison First Brigade, Jingzhou Garrison First Brigade, Xiangyang Garrison First Brigade and Second Brigade."
The generals laughed excitedly. Yin Jinan, who was thoughtful and meticulous in his work, pulled Gu Changfeng, Deputy Commander of the 44th Army Deng Bin, Commander of the New Ninth Division of the 44th Army Wei Yangxin, and Commander of the Temporary First Division Ding Zhicheng, and pointed.
Before and after Dengzhou on the sand table, they discussed in low voices. Zhu Shigui, commander of the 17th Division, Zhang Cunzhuang, chief of staff of the 44th Army, Zhang Shaodong, commander of the New 10th Division, Tan Liangde, commander of the 1st Teaching Division and other generals gathered together to conduct their right army offensive.
Final discussion.
Fan Shisheng looked at the mighty young generals in the hall, shook his head and sighed slightly, then came to An Yi, who was leaning on the edge of the sand table with his hands to carefully observe the terrain, and whispered:
"Commander, all the 110,000 elite soldiers of the seven divisions are in place, which is more than enough to deal with the more than 50,000 troops of Pang Bingxun's Second Route Army. I, the commander of the reserve army, may only be able to do some work as a grain supervisor."
"Uncle Quan, this is not certain! Come on..."
An Yi led Fan Shisheng to the large map behind him, pointed to a certain location and said: "Look here... Luoyang and Zhengzhou have gathered three newly formed divisions of the Northwest Army. All weapons and equipment were donated by Yan Xishan's Jinsui Army.
Yes, it is also equipped with an independent artillery regiment equipped with twelve 122-caliber howitzers. Originally, their reinforcement direction was Haozhou or Lanfeng line. If we start fighting here, I am afraid these three divisions will turn around and come west.
Reinforcements are coming to Nanyang. But if we can attract these three divisions, we will have achieved our strategic goal.
Now the juniors are most worried about Liu Ruming's troops in the direction of Shaanxi. Please look here - the three divisions of Liu Ruming's rear army are stationed along the line from Shangnan to Tongguan. Because the warlord Yang Sen in northern Sichuan is hesitant, he is unwilling to break up with the Northwest Army before the war situation becomes clear.
, so Liu Ruming can calmly transfer three to four divisions eastward to Nanyang for reinforcements, and he will not let us occupy the important area of Nanyang in any case.
Therefore, as soon as the war starts, the Northwest Army Headquarters is likely to assess the situation and quickly deploy heavy troops to support the Nanyang front line from the east and west routes at the same time. By then, our troops will not have the advantage, the transportation line will be stretched again, and what's more terrible is that the area is hilly and ravine
The water network is densely covered with heavy weapons that cannot be pulled up. Facing the violent attack of the Northwest Army, the entire war zone will bear extraordinary pressure. Therefore, Uncle Quan's reserve army is likely to use it.
To be on the safe side, I have already asked for reinforcements from General Cheng Guang's Marine Division and General Yang Bin's security forces in Nanchang. Within three days, two brigades of security forces and a batch of ammunition and supplies will be transferred from the waterway. It is estimated that they can catch up with Jiangnan.
The shipping company brought the food fleet, and when the time came, the juniors asked them to leave two patrol speedboats and a ferry so that Uncle Quan could form the water security brigade of the security headquarters. After reinforcements and a large amount of supplies arrived, various affairs would become
It’s extremely heavy, Uncle Quan will have a hard time.”
Fan Shisheng patted An Yi on the shoulder gratefully: "Alas! Your principal took away my 51st Division designation, and you, a disciple of the Emperor, gave me military pay and financial aid to form three brigades of security forces. I
I'm so grateful! Although we no longer have the Central Military Commission number, the strength of our department has not been lost but has been strengthened. Even the military uniforms have been changed to the same ones as yours. All the brothers in the department are very grateful, so you can
Feel free to issue orders."
"Uncle Quan, this time your department's re-equipment and the benefits of maintaining three garrison brigades were not given by juniors, but specifically ordered by the commander-in-chief. Starting from March, the monthly military expenditures of the entire army have been rising steadily. By this month
The monthly payment has already reached 15 million yuan. This month, the commander-in-chief allocated 3.8 million yuan to my fifth army, of which 800,000 yuan is earmarked for Uncle Quan’s unit to change uniforms. This junior is just
It's just a few boats and guns, Uncle Quan doesn't need to worry about it. After this battle, Uncle Quan can start taxing and self-sufficient according to the relevant measures of the Yichang Garrison Headquarters. Commander He at the Yichang camp will be sympathetic to the Jingxiang garrison.
"An Yi comforted in a low voice.
Fan Shisheng nodded with emotion: "I know all this, but if you hadn't repeatedly begged for us, I'm afraid Commander-in-Chief Chiang would not remember us. We keep this love in our hearts. Commander, don't worry, I will fight for this battle."
The department will go all out to support the soldiers of the left and right armies in the battle. If you have any requirements, just give the order!"
"Okay! Uncle Quan, I would like to ask Uncle Quan to command the brigades of the reserve corps to build two lines of defense fortifications at these two choke points. The specific fortification construction plan has been completed by the combat office and will be handed over to Uncle Quan later. Among them,
The fifty-four firepower points are all constructed of reinforced concrete. The amount of work is not small, and the entire project is required to be completed within ten days. Uncle Quan, are you sure?" An Yi pointed at the map and asked sincerely.
Fan Shisheng's eyes widened and he was obviously taken aback: "What? After the battle, the armies on the left and right will retreat?"
"Yes, I don't want to waste our troops in vain. Although we have the advantage of being able to wait for work, and our equipment and training are far better than the other party, it is not worth fighting against the desperate Northwest Army soldiers, let alone one city and one city.
The goal of gaining and losing territory is to annihilate the enemy's vitality. Once he is crippled, the territory will naturally belong to us.
If Liu Ruming's troops don't come, we will occupy Dengzhou, storm Nanyang, and fight a tough battle with the Northwest Army to see whose fist is stronger. If he rushes for reinforcements, we will retreat to the line between the two provinces and rely on the advantageous terrain.
Stick to the two channels of northern Hubei and northwest Hubei.
It is estimated that Liu Ruming would not be stupid enough to attack the enemy with all his strength, and he would not be able to keep his troops on the front line in southwestern Henan for a long time, leaving the entire Shaanxi defense area extremely empty and in danger of being suddenly attacked by Sichuan warlords or occupied by internal rebel forces.
In contrast, the Northwest Army's supplies are scarce and cannot be consumed. The reason why the juniors want to retreat is to use up all the enemy's financial, material and physical resources, lengthen the enemy's transportation lines, and let the long front make
Several divisions of the Northwest Army rushing to support the front line of Nanyang are exhausted and unable to advance or retreat. If they find the right opportunity to attack suddenly, give them two hard blows and annihilate one or two of their divisions, then the rest of the battle will be easy to fight." An Yi put his
The plan was revealed to Fan Shisheng.
Fan Shisheng finally saw An Yi's level. He looked at the map and praised the map, and repeatedly praised his clever tricks. Finally, he couldn't help but worry about the Northwest Army:
"If Liu Ruming really dares to mobilize troops eastward, I'm afraid it will be difficult to go back. It is estimated that the three divisions in Luoyang and Zhengzhou will make General Feng Huanzhang feel distressed. Judging from his arrangement, these three divisions originally wanted to use them to deal with us on the front line in southeastern Henan.
If these three reserve divisions of the Third Army are forced to support the Nanyang War, the Northwest Army's battle situation in southeastern Henan will be tight. As long as our Third Army seizes the favorable opportunity and defeats one of the Northwest Army's hundred-mile front, General Feng Huanzhang
There will be no way to recover, which will further affect the Shanxi-Sui Army on the Qilu battlefield. Once the Northwest Army falters, the commander-in-chief can calmly dispatch a few divisions to support the Qilu battlefield, and the balance of power between the two sides will be broken."
An Yi smiled slightly: "That's it. Therefore, the Commander-in-Chief has high expectations for our Fifth Army. During this period, he called me every day to urge the juniors to launch the offensive as soon as possible. The juniors all delayed because the time had not come yet. Now Commander Liu Jingfu's
The Second Army suffered a serious setback and was extremely exhausted and fought very hard. The total number of casualties on both sides of the two main battlefields has reached 400,000, so I can't do anything without fighting here. If we don't fight again, I'm afraid the commander-in-chief will shoot this junior."
Fan Shisheng laughed: "Don't be so modest. If the commander-in-chief was willing to shoot your favorite disciple, I'm afraid many generals would have been killed long ago! Time is urgent, so I won't say more. Give me the plan and I will mobilize the troops immediately.
All preparatory work before starting construction, even if we risk our lives, we must complete all projects within ten days!"
"Thank you Uncle Quan! After this battle is over, I will accompany Uncle Quan to old Nanchang. My old Taoist priest and Taoist Master Songjian of Wanshou Palace will definitely be able to talk to Uncle Quan. Uncle Quan is proficient in traditional Chinese medicine and it will be a good time to discuss with them.
." An Yi said with a smile.
Fan Shisheng, who likes to study medicine and medical science, was very excited: "Zhenren Songjian is the number one national player in Xinglin, Jiangnan... He can keep his word?"