Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Rommel blankly, his mind a little confused for a moment.
"Ah...ah...what about that, Zi Teng, turn on the light."
The room suddenly became brighter, and Xiang Xiaoqiang could see clearly now.
A face with clear bones, a well-defined chin, a strong neck, round and deep eye sockets, crow's feet at the corners of the eyes that curve downward, almost forming two semi-circular arc lines, lips as thin as paper, plus that iconic
Big forehead...
Yes, for sure, it was Rommel. Although he was younger than most of the photos in later generations.
Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know what attitude to use when speaking to the person in front of him... No, he couldn't show the slightest bit of admiration... Now he was the commander of the People's Guard of the Ming Empire, and Rommel was just a military academy instructor with no reputation at all.
No, I guess even the book "Infantry on the Attack" hasn't been published yet.
"Ahem," Xiang Xiaoqiang licked his lips, calmed down, and asked reservedly, "Sir, who is... Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Erwin Eugene Rommel?"
Rommel stared at him intently, grinned slowly, clicked the heel of his leather boots, stretched out a hand and said with a smile:
"Erwin Rommel, I am willing to serve you."
Xiang Xiaoqiang's hands were already covered with sweat. He pretended to be arrogant, nodded, stretched out his hand and shook it.
As a Caucasian, he is not really tall, just a little taller than Xiang Xiaoqiang, but his arms are very strong and his handshake is extremely strong.
What a tragedy, I have sweat on my hands, don’t let him find out that I feel guilty... Hmm? It seems like there is a lot of sweat on his hands too!
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Rommel closely, wanting to see if he was also nervous. Sure enough, Rommel licked his lips and saw a little sweat on the tip of his nose. But he didn't act like Xiang Xiaoqiang, but simply grinned.
A smile:
"You are the second big man I have shaken my hand with."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Oh, who is the first one?"
"A few years ago, our head of state visited our military academy," Rommel said with a look of nostalgia and admiration in his eyes. "The head of state once shook my hand."
Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded: Yes, this is Rommel. In his early days, he was a man who admired Hitler crazily. A few years later, when he served as Hitler's guard, he even took the initiative to recall the last handshake to Hitler.
Rommel glanced at the clock on the wall and pointed to the map on the desk:
"Sir, are you interested in studying the war situation near Nanjing with me?"
This sentence played right into Xiang Xiaoqiang's plan. He glanced at some of Rommel's maps and said with a smile:
"Mr. Rommel, your map is too small. Haha, we have a war room here with everything there, not only maps but also sand tables."
Rommel's eyes flashed with excitement, but Xiang Xiaoqiang turned around first and ordered Tie Hu to release Atie from the detention room first. He smiled at Rommel and said:
"We in the Ming Dynasty need all the help now. When other countries are rushing to evacuate, you have come to help. This sincerity touches me very much. Your Atie is involved in a spy case here, but now
I thought, among such a group of enthusiastic people, there will be no spy among them. You will meet him soon."
Rommel looked very happy and said:
"To be honest, I originally wanted to speak to you later... but you are so generous. Atie is my student and assistant. Without him by my side, my work efficiency will be much lower."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was a little shocked when he heard it. He didn't know whether it was because he didn't translate it well or what. It felt like a handy tool had been taken away and he was begging for it back.
A moment later, Atie was brought into the house. He looked around with his eyes. When he saw Rommel, his face immediately burst into tears and he cried out:
"Oh no, Lieutenant Colonel!"
Rommel was very happy, punched him in the chest, and laughed:
"Boy, you have been given an advantage these days. Be careful, if you are with me, hard times are coming again!"
Ah Tie said with a bitter face:
"Lieutenant Colonel, what do you want me to do now?"
Rommel hugged his arm excitedly and strode out, smiling:
"Of course I'm going to the war room. Now I need someone to calculate things for me, take notes for me, and translate for me, kid."
Then he looked up at Xiang Xiaoqiang and smiled:
"Look, do you mind having one more translator? This way we will have two translators, and the efficiency can be higher."
He smiled and nodded to Xiaoqiang, making a "please" gesture.
…
The large war room was brightly lit, and there were not many people there. Only a few staff officers were working at their desks, marking the latest battle situation on the map and sand table according to the latest news coming from the Purple Mountain Fortress.
Rommel walked straight to the sand table, pressed his arms on the edge of the large table, his eyes slowly moved on it, and his brows gradually furrowed.
"I didn't expect that the battle situation has become like this. It seems that the situation on my map has fallen behind."
The staff officers looked up at the foreigner in surprise, wondering how he got in. They were about to drive him out when they saw Xiang Xiaoqiang coming in behind them.
Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head at the staff officers and indicated what they should do. Then he stood with Rommel and looked at the sand table.
Rommel looked at it for a long time and then asked:
"Why are we still on defense?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang is about to fall. This is really a classic Rommel-style problem. But boss, your "attack, attack, and then attack" should also score points. It is not possible to attack in all situations.
"The current situation is that the enemy is strong and we are weak. The Qing army is attacking fiercely. It will be good if we can hold the defense line. How do we attack?"
Rommel drew circles on the sand table with his finger:
"Then tell me where the line of defense is."
Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at him, feeling a little guilty, and drew on the sand table:
"From here...to here...to here."
"Here, here and here," Rommel said without looking up, pointing with his finger, "it's just that the place where the Qing army is currently fighting cannot be called a 'defense line'. In addition, the Qing army may also be here
, here and here, maybe even here.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang was startled:
"How could it be possible to run so far? Our army's security forces are all around a few kilometers away from the landing zone of the Qing army. At present, the Qing army is not trying to break through from these directions. Their main attack direction is Nanjing, and they only want Nanjing."
Rommel said:
"We only have two divisions here, or less than two divisions. Most of them are now resisting the Qing army on the 'defense line' you mentioned in the north. The border troops deployed in the east and south are too few, and
The area that needs to be guarded around is twenty kilometers long. The density is too small and there are too many gaps."
Xiang Xiaoqiang said unconvinced:
"On average, there is one battalion two kilometers away. As a security force, the density is quite high."
"Under normal circumstances, it is enough, but don't forget that there is fog now, and it is still quite thick. Even if there is one person standing every meter, holding hands, the Qing army may still get under their arms."
Rommel knocked lightly on the edge of the table and looked up at him.
Xiang Xiaoqiang already felt that what he said made sense, but he still refused to admit defeat:
"If you, Lieutenant Colonel, can think of this, then how come our generals in the General Staff can't think of it?"
Rommel looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang's slightly discolored face, slowed down his words and said with a smile:
"Yes, I can think of it, and they must have thought of it too... Maybe the Qing army really can't get through. But if it were me, I would try to get through, at least give it a try."
Then after a while, he said slowly:
"...I just said to attack because in this situation where no one can see anyone, there is no better way to fight than to take the initiative to attack. You know, in such a heavy fog, who has more soldiers and who has fewer soldiers?
, it can no longer be decided who is the winner. Now it depends on who is more proactive, more courageous,...more cunning."
As Rommel spoke, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the sand table, radiating anticipation and excitement. It was as if the sand table in front of him had been covered with a layer of fog.
Both of them looked at the map and didn't speak for a long time. Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly asked:
"Mr. Rommel, I'm a little curious. We have so many troops in the Ming Dynasty. Why did you come to our People's Guard?"
"Well," Rommel said casually, "because you have a tank battalion."
"But we already have a tank battalion commander."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled.
"It doesn't matter, it's just a feeling," Rommel said, "You have one mechanized infantry group and three motorized infantry groups, which have strong breakthrough capabilities. I think this...how should I say, this style is very suitable
I would be happy to serve in such an army."
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared into his eyes and smiled:
"However, I hope you don't have any experience in actually commanding armored troops."
"I know," Rommel grinned, "it seems like you don't either."
Xiang Xiaoqiang burst out laughing and patted this world-famous general on the arm very hard:
"Then you stay, I won't let you regret it. It's a pity that you can't speak Chinese, and I can't give you a command of the mechanized infantry regiment. You can be my staff first."
…
Ten kilometers east of the Zimuzhou battlefield, next to Ningyi Highway, outside Zhangjia Village, Moling Town.
"Sir," a Qing soldier wearing a steel helmet pierced his head downwards and said in a low voice, "I have checked more than fifty houses in the village, several hundred meters in diameter, and no Ming troops have been found!"
There was no light around, and the thick fog made the air even colder to the bone. A voice in the darkness said coldly:
"Surround the village!"
"嗻!"
With an order, more than a thousand black figures spread out with guns in hand and quickly surrounded the small village. In the darkness, the dogs in the village began to bark. Suddenly, someone from the east of the village asked
:
"Aquatic? Ah, aquatic?"
Then there was a scream, and then there was no sound. The dogs in the village barked even louder.
"Lord Qi," a soldier from the Qing Dynasty ran out from the entrance of the village and called Qian'er down to report, "The whole village is surrounded and no one has escaped!"
"Enter the village."
"Come into the village!"
More figures rushed towards the village in the darkness, and the noise became noisy. Within a few minutes, all the dogs in the village were barking, and the pigs were also barking, mixed with the cries of many adults and children. Countless footsteps were running, and everywhere
It was the sound of gun bolts and threatening shouts.
"Don't light the fire, don't light the fire!"
"Dispatch alert!"
"Machine gun squad, go to the south and guard!"
"Don't let the dog bark anymore!"
"What the hell can I do?"
"Kill all the dogs! And the pigs too!"
…
Ten minutes later, a weak oil lamp was lit in a hall in the center of the village. Under the yellow light, a Qing army colonel sat on a grand master's chair, drinking freshly heated hot water and listening to his subordinates' report:
"Guanzu, all the villagers are gathered in the open space behind the village!"
"how many people?"
"That's more than fifty people, half of whom are old men and women. After asking, the other villagers have already run away, and these are the only ones who don't want to leave."
"Well, tie them all up in a bunch and send someone to keep an eye on them. Has the whole village been checked?"
"Checked!"
"Are the guards sent out to the east, south and north outside the village?"
"Yes, the dispatch has been sent out!"
"Send people to the west to meet the main force!"
"嗻!"
After a while, from the west of Zhangjiacun, one regiment after another quietly entered the village. The small Zhangjiacun was quickly overcrowded by Qing soldiers. All the houses were filled with officers, who were drinking and drinking.
Good water, dry field food, and the windows were blocked with quilts to prevent any light from leaking out.
The densely packed soldiers could only sit on the ground in front of and behind the house, with these Qing soldiers huddled on top. Everyone just gnawed on dry food and did not even look at the killed dogs and pigs that could be seen everywhere.
All the haystacks have been pulled apart, and many military horses are tied next to them, lowering their heads to eat hay quietly, snoring from time to time. Behind the horses are unmounted mountain guns, 37mm anti-tank guns, and baggage trucks...
…
In the hall in the center of the village, the person sitting on the Taishi chair was no longer the leader of the vanguard, but a Qing army major general in his forties. He unfolded the map, and his adjutant held an oil lamp for him. Several staff officers were beside him.
Huddled together and looked at the map.
The major general squinted his eyes, stared at the Ningyi Highway on the map, and asked slowly:
"What did the villagers say?"
"Go back to the teacher's seat," a staff officer replied, "They said they didn't hear troops passing by the road in the middle of the night. It must be that we got ahead of the Ming army."
The Major General showed a satisfied smile and asked again:
"Don't let them fool you."
The staff officer also smiled and said:
"Master, we have tortured more than a dozen people, and one old man has been beaten to death. The answers are all the same. The Ming army reinforcements have not arrived here yet. We are ahead of them."
"Very good," the division commander nodded with satisfaction, "As planned, the Ming Army's motorized infantry division is expected to pass through here within an hour. We established a headquarters in this village and immediately deployed our troops to set up ambushes on both sides of the road.
This time we must completely annihilate the motorized infantry division of the Ming Army. This is the only reinforcement they can arrive within two days. By annihilating them, our Qing army will have time to expand. The fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty is just around the corner."
…
In the diffuse fog, a string of headlights swayed on the road. These large trucks drove carefully, keeping a long distance between each one. After the light of the headlights was filtered by the fog, the weak yellow light could only illuminate ten people.
A few meters away, countless small water droplets were floating in the light pillar, which was extremely strange.
Hundreds of military vehicles were divided into groups of more than a dozen and lined up in a long column, driving on the road. A car was parked on the roadside. Major General Yan Bangguo, commander of the newly formed 74th Motorized Infantry Division, had one hand on his waist and the other supporting him.
He opened the car door and looked anxiously at the slow military vehicles one after another in front of him.
A motorcycle with a sidecar parked beside it, and the orderer on it said:
"Reporting to the commander, the vanguard battalion has arrived at Moling Town!"
Yan Bangguo looked at his pocket watch, frowned and waved his hand, and sent away the messenger. Looking at the endless marching troops, he thought irritably: How could there be such unlucky weather? It has never happened to the Yangtze River Defense Line in the many years since it was built.
Does God really want the Ming Dynasty to be destroyed this year? The current visibility is not good, and the motorized march cannot be driven. The second reason is mainly that my own division was temporarily cobbled together from several divisions. There is an equal level between superiors and subordinates.
They are not familiar with each other, and there is no tacit understanding when commanding, as if they are commanding other people's troops.
There are more than a dozen broken down vehicles on this road, and they are still parked at the location where they broke down for repairs. It is very difficult to coordinate parts, baggage, and trailers. It sounds nice to be a motorized infantry division, but its combat effectiveness is very worrying. Generally speaking, this is the case
The patchwork of troops needs at least one or two battles to break them up. After a battle is won, the troops will be brought out. But if the first one or two battles are defeated, then there is nothing to say. I don’t know what the combat effectiveness of the Qing army ahead is like.
, but since it can defeat the Yangtze River defense line, its combat effectiveness should still be very strong.
I heard that there were several Eight Banners Divisions in the Qing army that were very elite, and they were all composed of Manchus. They were not comparable to those of the Han army. According to intelligence before the war, these Eight Banners Divisions were already pressed against the Yangtze River defense line. Today the Jiang defense was lost.
I wonder if there is an Eight Banners Division among the Qing troops coming over. If you are unlucky enough to encounter one, you will have to ask for good luck.
Seeing the troops approaching the rear, division commander Yan Bangguo got into the car again and drove forward.
Sudden--
There was a burst of intensive mountain cannon fire, and a dozen trucks in front exploded into fireballs in the flames. The convoy suddenly became a mess. The driver of the car was hit, and the body of the car rolled over into a ditch on the side of the road. The driver was hit head-on and lying on the steering wheel.
It stopped moving, and the horn kept honking.
Yan Bangguo climbed out of the car with his face covered in blood. He saw a long convoy with explosions everywhere in front and behind. Amidst the fire and loud noises, there were whistling bullets everywhere. The sound of rifles on both sides of the road was like fried beans, and there were several
The sound of heavy machine guns kept ringing in the distance.
Some soldiers lay down, some jumped to the roadside, and most of the soldiers were shot and fell down after running a few steps. Some soldiers gathered together in groups of three or five, hiding behind trucks, and fired in all directions.
Grenades were thrown like raindrops, and the road was surrounded by flames. Now few cars were burning. What was more terrifying than the grenades were the mortar shells that screamed and fell from high altitude. Wherever they landed, blood and flesh flew everywhere.
Yan Bangguo lay tightly behind the overturned car, and the bullet to his head made a clanking sound on the chassis of the car. Suddenly, flames burst out from the chassis of the car, and the flames grew higher and higher. Yan Bangguo did not dare to hide next to the car anymore.
He found the wreckage of a truck, where two or three brothers were dodging bullets, which seemed to be safer. He pulled out his pistol, hunched over and ran out with his head covered.
However, a mortar shell fell in front of him, and the division commander Yan Bangguo was thrown into the air like a leaf, fell to the ground, and was blown to pieces.
A green signal bomb soared into the air, and shouts of killing resounded all over the mountains and plains. Thousands of Qing troops sprang out from the darkness, charging onto the road with bayonets in hand. They fought hard for a while, and the remaining Ming soldiers surrendered one after another. It ended without any suspense.
fought.
Thousands of Ming army prisoners formed a long queue on both sides of the road, walking dejectedly, some carrying stretchers, and more people supporting each other. In the middle of the road were the arrogant Qing army, marching in the opposite direction. They carried
guns, carrying heavy machine guns and running forward. The army horses in the queue pulled mountain cannons and baggage carts. The commander rode a tall horse, hung a telescope, and shouted loudly to the back:
"Send the order - speed up and move forward!"
Suddenly, the team's running speed increased by 20% and they continued their forced march to the north.
Many people in the queue of Ming army prisoners were whispering quietly:
"Damn it, we are thousands of miles away from the battlefield, and we can still make dumplings for Qinglu!"
"Shhh...you still said 'Qinglu'! Are you going to die?"
"It's more than ten kilometers. Didn't the forced march come here in two hours?"
"It turned out that Qinglu's army was so capable of fighting!"
"It's unlucky for us to run into the Eight Banners Division..."
"They are still driving north. Are they going to Nanjing?"
"No, their emperor promised that the first division commander to enter Nanjing would be rewarded with 500,000 silver dollars, promoted to marshal, and awarded the title of Baylor..."
"How dare they attack Nanjing as a division?"
"Why don't you dare? There are no troops in between from here to Nanjing... Nanjing is going to be lost this time..."