Chapter 840: Gaining Wisdom through Every Tribulation (1)
On March 7, the Japanese army began to launch a fierce attack on the front line of the Great Wall. The 32nd Army of Shang Zhen stationed at Lengkou, the 67th Army of Wang Yizhe stationed at Gubeikou, and the 29th Army of Song Zheyuan stationed at Xifengkou engaged in fierce battles with the enemy invaders.
Zhang Xueliang, the commander-in-chief of the Northeastern Army, also publicly issued a message on this day, announcing his resignation.
In two consecutive days of fighting, Wang Yizhe's troops, who occupied the high ground around Gubeikou and defended it firmly, fought very hard. Several highlands were fought over and over again in a war of attrition. The Jinsui Army and Shang Zhen troops, who were good at defending, fought well in Lengkou.
Stable and steady, Yan Xishan's ten years of painstaking efforts finally showed results. The Jinsui Army, equipped with a large number of homemade artillery and large-caliber mortars, fought easily and steadily. The Japanese army paid the price of more than 300 casualties and could not get close even after launching three charges.
The defenders were fighting the best and most tenaciously at Xifengkou. The soldiers, under the command of Song Zheyuan and Liu Ruming, went out to fight without fear. The Japanese army, who always thought the defenders would shrink back and defend themselves, were caught off guard.
Being beaten back repeatedly by the brothers of the 29th Army, they became furious. When the Japanese army called in the artillery, the defenders who took the initiative had retreated. The angry Japanese army immediately launched a large-scale attack. The hidden artillery fire of the defenders suddenly roared, and the Japanese army was routed.
, retreated continuously, and the brothers of the 29th Army suddenly rushed out to cover up the enemy. On the first day of the battle, they achieved excellent results by wiping out more than 400 enemy soldiers.
In the Miyun frontline headquarters, the commander of the 17th Army Xu Tingyao, deputy commander Hu Jialin, independent division chief of staff Yang Guan, second division commander Huang Jie, 25th division commander Guan Linzheng, deputy division commander Du Yuming and other generals faced the sand table and started a fierce battle
discuss.
Faced with successive rounds of Japanese ground artillery fire and aircraft bombings, Wang Yizhe's troops, whose battle losses were increasing, estimated that it would be difficult to sustain them for more than three days. Although the brothers of the Northeast Army, who knew their shame and were brave, fought very bravely under the leadership of Wang Yizhe,
However, in the face of the superior artillery fire of the Japanese army, there was really not much room to fight back. Half of the eighteen mortars given by An Yi were bombed by the Japanese army in the first battle. The steep terrain and rugged mountain roads could not defeat the 17th Army's mortars.
Artillery was pulled in to support, and apart from passive defense, there was no other way to go.
Looking at the map, Xu Tingyao and his generals knew very well that even if their two divisions attacked, they would be beaten passively like Wang Yizhe's troops. Although the entire army was gearing up and their morale was at an all-time high, all regiments and battalions were submitting requests one after another.
He wrote in blood and frequently asked for battle with the heart of death, but courage alone was far from enough. There was no room for maneuver in the passive position defense. Due to the limitations of the terrain, the defenders had a rare chance to even charge. But Gubeikou's
The strategic position is too important and must be defended resolutely. No matter how much it costs, the invaders cannot be allowed to step into the Great Wall. Therefore, the difficult problem facing Xu Tingyao and the generals is how to maximize the attack on the enemy and reduce consumption.
After a long discussion, no one could come up with a better solution. Guan Linzheng thought for a long time and came up with no idea. He turned to Hu Jialin and asked: "Sir Hu, if Junior Brother An is here, how will he fight?"
"That's right! Junior Brother An is such a cunning guy, he can always come up with ways that others can't think of." Huang Jie also leaned over and softly agreed.
Hu Jialin shook his head slightly: "I guess he has no good solution here. Under such terrain conditions, any unit that comes up can only defend one place and defend passively. What they fight for is consumption and will. There is almost no choice.
"
"Huzi knows me best. So many brothers who have experienced many battles are at a loss. What can I do? Haha!" An Yi's voice came in before An Yi arrived.
The generals looked up and found that An Yi led Gu Changfeng, Yang Jiuxiao and Operations Director Fang Pengxiang and other generals were already standing in the door raising their hands in salute. Xu Tingyao and others quickly returned the salute and hurriedly greeted them. They were already very familiar with each other.
There was no need for any politeness at all, everyone started joking happily.
Guan Linzheng looked up and down and sighed: "Xiaoyi, we brothers all thought that you were either visiting the wounded soldiers in Baoding Hospital, or throwing a tantrum and refusing to see guests in Langfang Camp. I didn't expect you to come here."
.What? Have you thought about it?"
An Yi cried out loudly: "All the senior brothers look down on my younger brother too much, don't you? Is the An Yi you know so little? I judge the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain. The ancients will not deceive me..."
Everyone laughed and cursed, launching verbal counterattacks at An Yi. The originally tense room was immediately filled with laughter and laughter.
Xu Tingyao shook hands with Gu Changfeng and Yang Jiuxiao politely. Knowing that An Yi came with two strong men who had just returned from Liaoxi at this time, they must be here to help him. He was happy and invited everyone to the conference table.
Sit down next to me, and without any instructions, the clever staff officers have already brought the tea.
"Don't tell me, I really thought you were busy dealing with the aftermath of various ministries. General Ji Kuan and General Geng Guang have either been in meetings or inspecting the front lines these days, and I can't see them." Xu Tingyao was still so calm and calm, not
Proud but not impatient.
An Yi nodded and sighed: "My little brother has not been easy these days. He has been very busy visiting the soldiers and comforting the wounded... Yesterday I heard that Generals Shang Zhen and Song Zheyuan were at Lengkou and Xifengkou.
It was a good fight, and I felt that I couldn't let the hearts of the frontline soldiers be cold, so I immediately distributed a batch of ammunition, food and medicine from the Langfang camp to the frontline military stations of the two armies, as a way of expressing my feelings.
"I have been busy until today to deliver the last batch of supplies here. I took the opportunity to come and see all the brothers and fellow apprentices. It is estimated that the transport convoy will arrive in two hours. Since one-third of the injured brothers have already taken special trains
We were sent to Hankou and took a boat back to the old Nanchang Hospital to recuperate. The two field hospitals in Langfang and Baoding were easier. Hutou also brought the 80-person medical team from the 44th Division Field Hospital and some emergency medicines with him this time. I hope he
Can help."
The generals thanked Gu Changfeng one after another, and they admired An Yi for putting aside his grudges and taking the overall situation into consideration.
Huang Jie said with some regret: "General Wang Yizhe and his troops have fought very hard these past two days, especially the bombing by Japanese aircraft, which caused heavy casualties to the brothers of the 67th Army. Just one bombing this morning killed three of their
The regiment sadly withdrew from its position. I heard that there were only about 300 men left when the regiment withdrew, and most of them were wounded.
"The high ground inside and outside Gubeikou is made of hard stone. It is impossible to dig trenches and bunkers, and we dare not use small stones to build positions. I am afraid that the shells fired by a cannon will not kill people, but the rocks thrown up will kill people instead."
, so the 67th Army suffered heavy casualties but was helpless. It is not easy for them to persist until now.
"After weighing it, we all agreed that it would be the same if our two divisions were to attack us. There is no other way except to carry it to death. Several of our brothers have also discussed it privately. If your two aviation brigades still have three points left,
If we had a fighter plane, things would probably be much easier to handle."
Xu Tingyao saw the flash of hesitation in An Yi's eyes, and immediately understood that An Yi and his staff must have had a special discussion on this. With Xu Tingyao's familiarity with An Yi and their deep friendship with each other, Xu Tingyao did not need to talk to An Yi at all.
An Yi was polite: "Xiao Yi, you have a solution, right?"
An Yi smiled bitterly and said: "What can I do? I can only say that I have some ideas, but they are very immature. Before coming here, I discussed the defense issues of Gubeikou with my brothers. All along, the former enemy headquarters has been paying close attention to the situation of each army.
After summarizing the two days of battle, Brother Zhao Rui believed that the key points of this battle were Xifengkou and Gubeikou. These two passes are the gateway to Peiping. The Japanese army could only capture these two passes.
Only then can we cross the Yanshan Mountains and drive into the Beiping line on a large scale. The line from Lengkou to Shanhaiguan in the east is relatively easy.