At one o'clock in the afternoon, the Red Army on the Datong'an battlefield retreated before the artillery battalion of Lu Yixuan's 17th Division entered the battlefield and fired the first round of artillery shells. The 50th Brigade Commander Guo Peirong and the 49th Brigade Commander Zhou Mingxi, the two Huangpu Phase III
After a brief discussion with the fellow graduates, the division commander Lu Yixuan agreed, and the 50th Brigade rushed through the smoke-filled battlefield to pursue the pursuit. Zhou Mingxi led the 49th Brigade, almost all of whom were officers and soldiers from Shandong, to follow.
At the same time, the 51st Brigade drove at full speed to the Huangmei Ferry upstream of Zhangshui River. Under the command of the brigade commander Zhang Zuying, the 51st Brigade began to cross the river. This major general who just turned 30 this year and graduated from the Zhejiang Jiangwu Hall was a 10-year-old major general.
The only general among the three brigade commanders of the 7th Division. Since the end of the Fengxin Campaign of the Northern Expedition, he has served as the combat staff officer of the Anyi Supplementary Regiment. He has successively served as the deputy battalion commander of the infantry battalion of the independent regiment, the commander of the machine gun battalion, and the deputy commander of the infantry regiment.
He was the military instructor of the Independent Division Teaching Group and the commander of the Fifth Regiment of the Hu Jialin Independent Division. He was later transferred to Yang Bin's Jiangxi Provincial Security Command and served as the Colonel and Chief of the Staff Office.
After He Yingqin annexed the Nanchang garrison, almost all the officers above the battalion commander level of the garrison forces in Jiangxi and central Jiangxi resigned. In the end, only two brigades were left among the officers and soldiers of the three brigades. Among them, the 51st had the greatest military morale problem.
The brigade had mutinied several times. After the former brigade commander Dong Qihui was executed on the order of Chiang Kai-shek for committing crimes and selling opium, the 51st Brigade became leaderless and unable to control it. Lu Yixuan thought for a long time before he had to put down his dignity and ask Yang Bin for help, and then he became steady and steady.
Zhang Zuying, who has a strong style of work, took office. With her prestige and deep experience in the Anjia Army and the garrison, she quickly calmed down the chaos in the two brigades. The two brigades were disrupted and reorganized, and the newly formed mountain brigade was handed over to Lu Yixuan.
The sworn brothers - Guo Peirong, who graduated from the third phase of Huangpu's infantry college, and the remaining two regiments, veterans from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, formed the 51st Infantry Brigade. Under the leadership of Zhang Zuying, they quickly showed good cohesion and combat effectiveness.
The 4,500 officers and soldiers who have undergone the Anjia Army's new training and political and ideological education have become more and more mature during the year-long encirclement and suppression campaign, and commanders at all levels, like their brigade commander Zhang Zuying, have become more and more stable.
The 152nd Regiment Assault Battalion successfully crossed the turbulent river through Zhang Zuying's telescope, and quickly occupied a favorable position to start a vigilance. More than ten huge hemp ropes more than 60 meters long were tightly fixed on both sides of the river by the officers and soldiers of the Engineer Battalion.
On the big trees and wooden piles, the wooden boats fixed on thick ropes with steel rings and iron chains were loaded with officers and soldiers, and they smoothly shuttled over the rapids. Zhang Zuying put down the telescope, wiped off the water stains on his thick beard on his upper lip, and ordered the combat staff to call the division commander Lu
Yixuan: The 51st Brigade is crossing the south bank and is expected to launch an attack on the original target in forty minutes.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Ping, commander of the fifth army of Peng Dehuai's regiment, who rushed over after receiving the urgent report, stood on the forested mountainside in the south. Looking at the sudden appearance of a large number of Kuomintang troops on the south bank of Zhangshui in the north, he was surprised: "How could it suddenly appear?
Send out an enemy force and find out the numbers of the troops crossing the river?"
The commander of the 7th Red Division hurriedly replied: "I am sure this is a brigade in Lu Yixuan's 17th Division, but it is not clear whether it is the 49th Brigade or the 51st Brigade. According to the report from the 12th Army, they are being led by them.
The enemy troops in Datong'an who walked by the nose were Lu Yixuan's elite mountain brigade, Guo Peirong's 50th Brigade."
Deng Ping nodded, raised the telescope again to observe carefully, looked for a while and said with certainty: "It must be the 51st Brigade led by Zhang Zuying. This brigade met us in late March. Almost all the officers and soldiers are veterans and ruffians.
, very capable of fighting, Zhang Zuying is also very cunning like their division commander Lu Yixuan. Our army failed to trap the unit several times by setting up heavy ambush. This time they dared to cross the river alone and rush forward, obviously hoping to capture Niutouling in one fell swoop.
Cut off our army's east-west passage, and form a rivalry with the two brigades of the 17th Division twelve kilometers to the east... Lao Peng is really awesome. This also made him think of it, and he also made a targeted layout in advance. Don't you accept it?
!”
The commander of the 7th Red Division also picked up the telescope and looked at it again and again, but he could not see any difference between the unit in front of him and the other two brigades of the 17th Division. Finally, he put aside his doubts, looked at Deng Ping and asked in confusion: "
Commander Deng, how can you tell that this is Zhang Zuying's 51st Brigade and not Zhou Mingxi's 49th Brigade?"
"You guys just don't want to use your brains. The 49th Brigade is almost entirely composed of Shandong men. Although the 51st Brigade in front of you wears the same toad suit and carries the same weapons, they are generally short in stature.
, they are clearly Jiangxi and Hunan soldiers, you can tell them apart with a little care."
Deng Ping turned to look at a group of laughing division commanders: "Order that each division immediately evacuate its positions around the two roads and ambush in the depths of Jiguan Mountain and Ma'an Ridge on both sides. Let the enemy in and place them at the foot of the ridge to the north of the town.
Set up an ambush on the battlefield. Remember, never try to capture and eliminate the enemy's reconnaissance team, let alone let the enemy discover the traces of our troops. Anyone who exposes his whereabouts will be shot!
"This time we must annihilate the Seventeenth Division, the most elite in the Kuomintang army, so that the reactionary leader Chiang Kai-shek will feel the pain and know how powerful our Red Army is! Go and prepare."
"yes!"
The generals saluted and left quickly.
Deng Ping whispered to his political commissar: "Order the Independent Regiment to immediately leave the hiding place and detour to the right. After the battle begins, immediately annihilate the small group of enemy troops staying at the ferry, occupy the favorable terrain, and tighten the retreat route of the 51st Brigade."
Block it tight. Lao Peng's instructions are that once any one of the 17th Division appears, we will kill it without hesitation. As long as any one of the 17th Division is destroyed, the first army in the east will be much easier to defeat.
If everything goes well, our two legions and six divisions will definitely be able to wipe out this troublesome force in one fell swoop and put an end to the conspiracy of the Kuomintang reactionaries."
"Okay, I will personally rush to the Independent Regiment. This is a rare opportunity. We must eliminate this 51st Brigade!" After saying that, the political commissar turned around and left, without hesitation going to the front line to command the battle.
Deng Ping turned to the communications staff in the hut: "Send a telegram to the chief: The enemy's 51st Brigade is slowly advancing towards our joint headquarters. It is expected that within an hour, the enemy's forward troops will arrive at the foot of Zhenbei Ridge and enter our army's ambush circle.
.”
At 2:10 p.m., Dazu Temple at the northern foot of Meiling.
Corps Commander Lin Biao, who had been sitting here in the morning to command the operations of each division, listened silently to the reports of his staff officers. He calmly drew marks and arrows on the map with the two-color pencil in his hand. He put down the pen and nodded slightly to Nie Rongzhen and Chen Qihan beside him:
"Commander Peng knew the enemy had the upper hand! They used three reserve regiments under the banner of the main Fifth Army, and with the cooperation of four local brigades, they rushed eastward. With one charge, they tore through the encirclement of Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army and feigned an attack.
After dark, attracting the enemy's attention, they quietly withdrew from the battlefield and turned around at full speed to advance eastward. This finally caused the enemy to misjudge. The enemy's 17th Division, which is known for its stability, was the first to be mobilized with the close cooperation of our two armies.
"Based on the current layout of Comrade Deng Ping's Fifth Army, the enemy's 51st Brigade of the 17th Division will soon enter the ambush circle of their two divisions and two regiments. After their Western Front is fully launched, we will
You can launch a pincer attack on the enemy's 50th Brigade, and fight hard as soon as the battle occurs, forcing the 49th Brigade, which is three kilometers behind the 50th Brigade, to quickly rush to rescue, and then the 1st Division ambushing at the western foot of Datong Mountain to attack and occupy Datong with all its strength.
An Pass, these two elite brigades will be blocked in this four-kilometer radius area, and we will launch a charge at nightfall to divide and completely destroy this stubborn enemy with superior force."
All the generals nodded in unison, their faces full of joy. Nie Rongzhen thought for a while and asked: "All the large troops have been transferred to our place. Mr. Zhu only used two divisions and more than 2,000 local troops to deal with the enemy's fifty-two divisions."
Is the division a little weaker in strength?"
Lin Biao shook his head: "That's enough. Mr. Zhu never fights an uncertain battle. He made repeated calculations before allocating his three main regiments to us. Li Ming's 52nd Division was severely damaged by our army at the beginning of the year and has just been reorganized.
In less than two months, the division has been transformed from an A division of two brigades and five regiments into a B division of three regiments, and more than half of them are newly recruited soldiers. Their combat effectiveness is almost negligible. As long as they enter Youshan
The valley south of the town cannot escape the fate of defeat; secondly, the 14th Zhou Zhirou Division seems to be less than ten kilometers away from Li Ming's 52nd Division in a straight line, but there is a mountain of more than 30 kilometers between the two divisions.
, Zhou Zhirou abandoned the baggage and crossed the mountain col at full speed to help. It would take six hours to arrive in broad daylight, let alone a dark night without stars and moon? We have six hours, which is enough. Maybe after the fight is over, we can still fight hard.
Beat up Zhou Zhirou's Fourteenth Division and completely disrupt Chiang Kai-shek's strategic deployment."
After listening to Lin Biao's explanation, the generals all put down their worries. Lin Biao glanced around and said solemnly: "Comrade Peng Dehuai is worth learning from. This time he carried out the instructions of the Military Commission very resolutely and made arduous efforts to cleverly use the enemy's second force.
The Fourth Army traveled a long distance and was relatively weak. It was a good opportunity to decisively attack the defense line of Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army and break through it twice. This caused the enemy to misjudge that our main force would break out to the west and hurriedly sent troops from Chen Cheng's headquarters.
Judging from the advance, the enemy had been completely fooled, which laid a solid foundation for our army to ambush the enemy's main force and break their encirclement. What is even more valuable is that the three reserve regiments moved 150 miles day and night and launched two major campaigns.
The large-scale charge caused Zhang Fakui's troops, who had not yet gained a firm foothold, to rush to fight. They are still waiting for reinforcements and dare not push a step eastward. This created a fighter opportunity for the main force of our army to gather to annihilate the enemy. Their contribution is very great. If this battle goes smoothly, it will
For the purpose, the first credit should go to them.”
At 2:40 in the afternoon, the headquarters of the 17th Division of Dayu County Government.
Lu Yixuan and a group of staff members held intense discussions around the map. The intelligence sent back by the brigades on the front made Lu Yixuan increasingly unsure. The enemy troops pursued by the 50th Brigade had been fleeing to the southwest without any obstruction along the way.
, after the 51st Brigade crossed Zhangshui, the progress was surprisingly smooth. Even the Red Guards who used to rely on dense forests to harass and block the attack were not seen. Such smooth progress suddenly made Lu Yixuan alert:
"Something's wrong, something's wrong, the other side's response is really against the rules... Chief of Staff, should we stop the advance of Peirong and Lao Zhang first, and wait for the 52nd Division to arrive at the predetermined location, and then we can continue to advance south? Now I
It's dangerous if there are too many troops in front of each division!"
"I'm also very nervous and feel that something is going to go wrong... It seems that you and I feel very much the same." Wen Junhao, chief of staff from Zhejiang, raised his head anxiously. This man was transferred to the Hu Jialin Independent Division early last year as a combat officer.
A graduate of the third phase of Huangpu who is the deputy section chief of the lieutenant colonel, Lu Yixuan was asked by Lu Yixuan to serve as his chief of staff through the headquarters in November last year. During the seven-month transition, he brought great help to Lu Yixuan.
Just as Lu Yixuan was about to make up his mind, the head of the intelligence section hurriedly arrived: "Reporting to the division commander, the 51st Brigade was ambushed by enemies on three sides. Commander Zhang requested to abandon the target and retreat at full speed."
Lu Yixuan was shocked: "Quick! Call back and agree with Brigadier Zhang, asking them to retreat at full speed and return to the north bank of Zhangshui River. If that doesn't work, they have to retreat to the south bank to defend themselves. I will send troops to help them cross the river smoothly!"
"yes!"
Wen Junhao was very calm and waved to the chief of the operations section: "Immediately order the division's engineer battalion to bring all felling tools and ropes and chains for binding the bamboo rafts. The division's special agent battalion will assist in the operation and rush to the upper reaches of Huangmei Ferry to cut wood and bamboo with all their strength.
The 51st Brigade must be brought back as soon as possible.
"If my estimate is correct, the engineer company of the 51st Brigade left to guard the South Bank Ferry will most likely become the target of the first attack by the Red Bandits. If the Red Bandits really occupy the South Bank Ferry, the First Company and the Engineer Battalion will try not to expose themselves and bypass them.
From the ferry on the north shore, we quickly rushed to Caojiawan, two kilometers upstream. From there, we made bamboo rafts and floated them down the river. They floated to the west of the red bandits on the other side and caught them off guard. Only in this way can we cooperate with the main force of the 51st Brigade to break out."
"yes!"
Lu Yixuan looked at the meticulous and thoughtful Wen Junhao and sighed in a low voice: "Is it enough to have one company of engineer battalion and special agent battalion? If my judgment is correct, the 51st Brigade will encounter at least three times the main force of the Red Bandits.
, Otherwise, with Lao Zhang’s bullish temper, he would never have requested a retreat in such a hurry.”
Wen Junhao nodded: "I have thought of this. Lao Zhang will definitely face fierce attacks from three powerful enemies. At this time, it will be difficult for him to leave the battlefield immediately. It seems that he must be mentally prepared for a hard fight."
Lu Yixuan lowered his head and checked the map nervously: "I guess Peirong's 50th Brigade is also in trouble. I hope they can retreat smoothly and reoccupy the dangerous frontline position of Datong'an. Otherwise, they may be attacked from both sides like Lao Zhang. I'm going to
Send a telegram to Chief Chen and tell him that we have been fooled, and Brother Li Ming’s 52nd Division might also encounter the same situation."
"Go quickly, I'll contact you."
Wen Junhao called his adjutant and quickly issued a series of orders.
In the valley north of Niutouling Town, gunfire roared and smoke filled the air. The rolling mountains on three sides reflected the sound of gunfire and the explosion of grenades, making the entire atmosphere even more tense.
After the initial brief confusion, the officers and soldiers of each regiment of the 51st Brigade jumped into the ravine full of water and found suitable natural bunkers, and launched a fire counterattack against the Red Army who launched fierce attacks from three directions.
Zhang Zuying was sitting on the stone slab between two huge rocks, looking at the fierce fighting scene of the 152nd Regiment to the south. She was extremely anxious. Suddenly, the scream of a mortar shell came. The captain of the guard quickly picked up Zhang Zuying and threw her down on the rocks.
Under the raised stone wall, the mortar shell accurately hit the top edge of the rock more than five meters high, exploded with a bang, and several screams were heard among the flaming stones and shrapnel.
Zhang Zuying endured the sting of her ribs hitting the rocks and was helped up by the captain of the guard. She glanced at the combat staff officer who was tumbling violently with shrapnel and the two radio operators, one dead and one injured, and quickly rushed to the deputy brigade commander who hugged the communications staff officer tightly.
Jiao Yida saw that one of the communications staff's arms had been broken off at the elbow, and blood was pouring out of his chest. He was obviously dying.
The captain of the guard grabbed the sniper rifle from one of the guards, aimed at the smoky mortar firing point on the left mountainside and fired three times. Finally, he cursed in vain and begged Zhang Zuying to move immediately.
Zhang Zuying glanced at the green smoke on the mountainside. Without saying a word, she bent down and patted deputy brigade commander Jiao Yida on the shoulder. She strode out of the stone door to the south and opened the door to the spy company commander seventy meters away.
The voice shouted loudly:
"Zhu Bin, come here quickly -"
Special agent company commander Zhu Bin rushed in front of Zhang Zuying. A mortar shell fired from the mountainside on the left slid over a distance of 1.5 kilometers and landed behind two rocks with a loud bang, but did not cause any casualties.
Zhang Zuying slapped away Zhu Bin's outstretched hand and shouted loudly: "What are you afraid of? The shell that can kill me has not been built yet! Listen to me, the brigade radio operator and radio station are gone, you will be connected immediately."
The communications team inside is called over. I need to restore contact with the division immediately. If there are no reinforcements behind me, we may be dead today!"
"yes!"
Zhu Bin quickly rushed to the south.
Halfway up the mountain, the deputy commander of the 49th Regiment of the Red Army put down his binoculars and was very angry. The performance of Zhang Zuying and his officers and soldiers made the deputy commander very angry. He rushed to the only 80mm mortar in a few steps and fired at it.
The unshaven and remorseful gunner asked loudly:
"Old Li, what's going on? Each shot is hitting more ridiculously than the last! Look at the enemy officers in the cracks in the rocks. They don't care about your shells at all!"
Gunner leader Li held the last shell and shouted with great grievance: "Deputy commander, I don't want to do it either! Look, this old gun has no sights and only has four shells. Three consecutive rounds.
There’s nothing I can do if it doesn’t hit! There’s only one shell left, I hope God has an eye for it!”
The deputy commander hurriedly knelt down and smiled kindly: "Okay! Lao Li, don't worry, just aim and hit. As long as the enemy commander is killed, the enemy will be in chaos without a fight, and we can end the battle as soon as possible.
Turn to the east to expand the results. Now it's up to you, Lao Li, don't worry! Take your time and aim..."
Lao Li nodded heavily, holding the only shell in his left hand, stretched out his right hand, and gave a thumbs up to the bottom of the valley where the gunfire was filled with smoke and the sound of gunfire. He slowly aimed for a long time before making up his mind. He was holding it in both hands and was already warm.
The cannonball was slowly placed above the muzzle...