At this moment, behind the woods is an infantry trench. A barbed wire fence has been temporarily stretched in front of the trench. Several 37mm anti-tank guns are mounted behind the barbed wire. They are separated by a distance of more than ten meters. From time to time, they fire a shot at the Qing army, and then quickly push it.
The small cannon goes to another place and fires another shot every few minutes.
Behind the cannon was the deafening roar of engines. Dozens of trucks kept crisscrossing each other, and a staff officer, like a band conductor, kept giving instructions, telling a certain vehicle to drive to a certain location and stop, and then
Make a parked car move.
The tank engines and truck engines of the Ming Army are both gasoline engines, so the difference in sound is not big. In addition, these trucks have their hoods opened, and the sound is much louder. Dozens of them are driving around, and they are equipped with anti-tank guns.
It fires from time to time, and it sounds like a swarm of tanks in the distance.
In the woods, several Ming army officers were observing several trucks pretending to be armored vehicles outside the woods. Each vehicle hung around outside for a while. After dodging a few Qing army shells, the officers would give a signal and let a vehicle withdraw.
, and then arranged for a truck from behind the woods to drive out, always keeping eight to ten "armored vehicles" in front, always putting a layer of confusion and fear on the hearts of the Qing army.
There was an explosion, and another car was hit by the Qing army. Several Ming army officers watched helplessly as the two drivers rolled down covered with fire, and were then killed by the Qing army. The machine gunner also escaped, and he
With better luck, the cat ducked all the way into the woods.
"Sir...sir..." He fell to the ground with his face blackened, breathing heavily, "I'm back...the kid next to me...I'm afraid he's dead..."
"Okay, brother, thank you for your hard work!"
Two officers put the soldier's arms on their shoulders and carried him back. At the same time, several soldiers behind the woods stuffed a machine gun into the passenger seat of a truck and smashed the windshield from the inside.
The tube sticks out. The driver drives the car, and the machine gunner sits next to it and controls the machine gun, like an armored vehicle.
"Okay, brothers, it's your turn! Let Qinglu have a taste of his power!"
The officer closed the car door for them, guided the car through the woods, drove through the trench on the wooden board, and joined the ranks of deceiving the Qing army.
Just as the truck rushed out, the Qing army's mountain artillery position opened fire five hundred meters to the south. Thirty-six 75mm mountain guns roared in unison, and the small woods and the trucks in front were suddenly trapped in an explosion.
In the firelight.
These thirty-six 75mm mountain guns are the largest caliber weapons carried by the Sixth Division of the Eight Banners of the Qing Army. This time their mission was to attack lightly and quickly, so they did not bring bulky large-caliber howitzers. That kind of thing would slow down the journey, and it would not be possible to move from the pontoon bridge.
It takes a long time to transport it, and in this dense fog environment, long-range artillery cannot be used. Although the caliber of the current mountain cannon is not small, 75 mm, the characteristic of the mountain cannon is that it is extremely light and very large.
The caliber can also be very light and can fully keep up with front-line troops. It is very suitable for the hilly terrain near Nanjing and is also suitable for the need for "close combat" in dense fog conditions.
There was another salvo, and a total of 72 shells were eaten in the woods. There were blazing fires in several places, accompanied by thick black smoke. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke and the strong smell of gasoline.
The cars parked in the woods were densely packed, and six of them were shot and exploded at once. Dozens of other trucks backed out of the woods under the command of officers and retreated north.
Opposite, the First Infantry Regiment of the Qing Army rushed over with bayonets in hand and shouts.
The Ming army's machine guns in the trenches fired like crazy, and the Qing soldiers who rushed up fell to the ground like cutting wheat. Originally, the machine guns were not very effective in this dense fog, and the Qing soldiers had to rush very close to be seen by the machine gunners.
. But the barbed wire fence a few meters in front of the Ming army's trench played a big role. The Qing army had to stop when they rushed there. After thinking about it, no matter whether they drilled or turned over, they had to stop for a few seconds. But the wolf teeth on the barbed wire
The thorns are densely covered with thorns, and the ones that are caught on clothes and the gun belt cannot be easily turned over.
Moreover, the distance from the barbed wire fence to the trench was just enough for the machine gun to see. For a time, blood spattered on the barbed wire fence and was filled with dead bodies.
After dozens of people were killed, the Qing soldiers behind stopped rushing forward and lay down on the spot. Grenades rained down on them. The Ming army machine gunner quickly retracted his head into the trench. After an explosion, he threw himself in front of the machine gun and continued.
They opened fire, but many Qing soldiers had already taken the opportunity to climb over the barbed wire fence and jump into the trenches to fight.
The Ming army infantry resisted with all their strength with submachine guns, but the trench was too narrow and could not be used. In addition, the Qing army kept jumping in from the front, rear, left and right. The Ming army resisted for a while, and a whistle sounded in the woods. As if they heard a signal, Ming
The military machine gun crew climbed out of the trench and retreated carrying the machine gun. The other Ming army soldiers no longer fought hard and climbed out of the trench one after another and ran into the woods.
More than a thousand Qing soldiers rushed into the woods, advancing cautiously with guns in hand. Because several trucks near and far were burning, it was not so dark anymore, and the thick fog was floating strangely and turned red under the light of the fire.
, like hell.
The Ming troops who had been resisting desperately just now were all running away, and only occasionally saw corpses on the ground.
The sound of guns and artillery has ended, and it is now quiet. The sound of tank engines that was connected just now is gone now.
A Qing soldier held a bayonet rifle tightly, and while bending forward, he swallowed dry saliva and whispered:
"Hey, is there an ambush ahead?"
The companion next to him had his scalp exploded and cursed in a low voice:
"Shut your stinky mouth!"
The search progressed for dozens of meters, and the woods became increasingly dense. The front was dark and unfathomable, and it felt like something was waiting for me.
"boom!!!"
There was a loud noise in the fire, and one of the Qing soldiers at the front had one of his legs blown off and staggered to the ground. All the Qing soldiers immediately lay on the ground, covering their heads, waiting for more shells to fall.
The stump of the leg spun several times in mid-air and hit the soldier in the last row behind him in the face, causing him to let out a strange scream.
The forest was quiet for a while, and nothing happened. Only the Qing soldier whose leg was blown off kept screaming. A company commander shouted:
"Everyone, get up, it's a landmine!"
Then he ordered everyone to stay where they were, and asked the communications soldiers to run to the back and request the regiment headquarters to send a platoon of engineers to clear mines.
The engineers came up quickly, using flashlights, and slowly moved forward to detect mines.
Following the engineers, looking forward, were several staff officers from the division headquarters. They were ordered by the division commander to inspect this area.
Several staff officers followed the engineers and also used flashlights to shine on the ground, looking for ruts and other traces.
"There are tire tracks all over here."
"Same here."
…
"Has anyone seen the track marks?"
"No."
"I don't have one here either."
…
The infantrymen sat on the ground, leaning against the trees, breathing heavily, temporarily relaxing their nerves that were about to be broken. Many soldiers opened the kettle to drink water, and many soldiers took out half-smoked cigarettes.
Strike a match, light it, and smoke beautifully.
"Hey," several officers began to whisper, "don't strike a fucking match and expose the target!"
"Grandma, you're such a bear... you're such a bastard," the Qing soldiers threw the struck matches on the ground and cursed in a low voice, "It's so much trouble to strike a match, and those mine clearers are still using flashlights.
The exposure has been exposed long ago!”
They put the matches back in their arms and exchanged cigarette butts for fire. All kinds of low-pitched complaints and curses were everywhere, and the arrogance that had been stored up for half the night broke out one after another.
"Donkey Day! The fight we are having in the middle of the night is called a bird fight!"
"What I'm talking about is, the annihilation battle in the first half of the night was so beautiful! But what the hell is this in the second half of the night!
"The Ming army didn't come out to fight openly, they just took small bites."
"Small mouth? You can eat our leading reconnaissance battalion in one bite. Are you still young?"
"You deserve to be eaten! He went on a reconnaissance mission and caused so many of us to die. Fuck him..."
A soldier next to him rushed up to him, grabbed him by the collar and shouted:
"Who are you fucking? Who are you fucking? Are you brave enough to say it again?"
Seeing that a fight was about to begin, the officer quickly came over to stop it and lectured:
"What are you doing, one by one? You have energy, right? You have nowhere to go, right? What kind of hero do you think you are if you fight with your own brothers? Let me tell you, I am saving my energy for when we enter Nanjing, and then I will do whatever you want with me!"
After saying this, these Qing soldiers stopped arguing and became violent:
"When I enter Nanjing, I will kill anyone I see. Don't fucking stop me!"
"Kill everyone you see. Do you have so many bullets?"
"Damn it, I'll use a bayonet to tie them up and pick them one by one."
"I burned down the palace with a fire."
"Hey, if you want to say that Nanming has the most good things, which one has the most?"
"What?"
"Beautiful woman!"
"Yes, yes, not bad! Haha!"
At the mention of women, the eyes of these Qing soldiers lit up, and they began to swear with red faces:
"Grandma, we just need to capture Nanjing and search every house. Let's go to the Qinhuai River area to find them. There are all official wives and young ladies there."
"I can get one seventy-eight or seventeen a day. No, I want fifteen or sixty-six. Don't you guys argue with me..."
…
These Qing soldiers' faces glowed brightly as they spoke, and the arrogance they had accumulated for the middle of the night was temporarily forgotten.
The engineer platoon searched for mines for a long time. The mine detectors passed through the forest and found only four other mines in the large area. It seemed that the Ming army retreated in a hurry and only had time to plant these five mines.
Moreover, the tire tracks on the ground were densely packed and intertwined. It seemed that many cars had driven here. However, only one track mark was found, and judging from the depth, it was not a tank, but an armored vehicle.
At the rear division headquarters, Ha Feng'a heard the report on the phone and bit his cigarette hard:
"Order the first regiment to arrange for the reconnaissance troops to move forward. The first and second regiments will immediately follow through the woods. The mountain artillery battalion will also follow me!"
After hanging up the phone, Hafeng'a gritted his teeth and said:
"I knew that was the case! ... So, where are all the tanks of the People's Guard?"
…
On the Yuhuatai, Xiang Xiaoqiang was staring at the map in the meditation room. Suddenly, a thunderous sound of artillery came from the distance in the south. The sound was not very loud, and it seemed to be a mountain artillery. According to the account of the prisoners captured from the Qing army's reconnaissance camp
, the main artillery carried by the Sixth Division of the Eight Banners this time is the 75mm mountain gun.
There was also a clear sound of artillery among the mountain artillery. It should be the Ming army in the outer Qinhuai River position fighting back. This was the sound of medium-caliber mortars.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the pocket watch on the table. It was now four-thirty, half an hour away from the scheduled main attack at five o'clock.
It will start to light up after half past five. It's still a bit early now, so we still have to hold on here for a while. If Rommel's side launches now, then the main battle will be carried out in the dark, which is too difficult for the armored group.
Not good.
At this time, the communications troops came to report that the leading troops of the Qing army had launched fire contact with our army along the Qinhuai River outside.
He nodded to Xiaoqiang, looked at his watch again, and ordered:
"Order the heavy artillery position to fire at the predetermined area."
"yes!"
The communications soldier saluted and ran out. After a while, dense muffled sounds came from the distance on the left and right sides. A moment later, explosions of different distances came from the south. It seemed that the earth was shaking here.
Fired at Xiaoqiang's heavy artillery positions deployed on both sides of Yuhuatai.
The shells of 36 105mm howitzers and 12 150mm howitzers screamed in the air and rushed toward the Qing army assembly area south of the Qinhuai River.
However, although the heavy artillery is powerful, after all, there are only a few dozen, and it has to cover an area of 25 square kilometers, so its lethality is really limited. If there is no heavy fog and it is daytime, aircraft can be sent to observe and guide the artillery strike, so that the artillery shells can be concentrated
The gathering place of the Qing army. Even if no planes are sent, it can be seen very far from the Yuhuatai.
At this time, the communications soldier asked Xiang Xiaoqiang to answer the phone. Xiang Xiaoqiang went to the meditation room next door and picked up the phone. It turned out to be a call from the Chief of Army General Staff in the Purple Mountain Fortress. The fort on the top of the Zijin Mountain observed a large flash of light in the southern area. The General Staff
The commander called specifically to confirm whether it was our side or the Qing army that fired the artillery.
Xiang Xiaoqiang immediately confirmed that this was the heavy artillery position of the People's Guard and opened fire on the Qing army assembly area. Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly thought of an idea and asked with the mentality of giving it a try:
"Chief of Staff, our artillery is currently too few, the area that needs to be bombarded is too large, and its vitality is too weak. We may not be able to kill the Qing captives enough before the tank attacks. Can the headquarters order the artillery group on the Yangtze River defense line to turn the artillery?
To help bombard this area?"
The Army Chief of Staff hesitated and said:
"I'm afraid not. The battle on the Yangtze River defense line is tense. But please wait a moment and I can help you ask."
After a while, he came back and told Xiang Xiaoqiang that it was unrealistic to mobilize the Yangtze River defense line artillery group to participate in the bombardment. Firstly, the war was tight, and the artillery there had to bombard the other side of the river with all its strength. Secondly, the artillery on the defense line were all installed in fortifications.
The shooting range is towards the other side of the river, and it is impossible to turn around and shoot back. As for those all-steel turrets that can rotate 360 degrees, the caliber is too small and the range is not enough.
Xiang Xiaoqiang put down the phone helplessly. It seemed that the casualties of the armored forces would be greater after a while. The sparse shells at the moment were like scratching an itch.
The phone rang suddenly again. Xiang Xiaoqiang grabbed the phone and heard Zhu Yourong's voice:
"Xiang Qing! Xiang Qing, do you want a cannon?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang was surprised that Zhu Yourong was still awake! It seemed that she was also excited tonight. Zhu Yourong's voice was indeed very excited, and she asked anxiously:
"Xiang Qing, how many cannons do you want?"
Zhu Yourong called herself "Xiang Qing", so the fight should have been in the Central Command Hall. She was generally unwilling to call herself "Xiang Teacher" in front of the civil and military ministers. But when she asked, did she have a cannon?
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Your Majesty, do you have a cannon?"
Zhu Yourong said:
"I thought of an idea, but they all said no, so I'll tell you!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know what other whimsical things she was going to do again, so he smiled bitterly and said:
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"I think there are hundreds of anti-aircraft guns in Nanjing and around Purple Mountain. Well, is it possible..."
Zhu Yourong's voice trailed off as he spoke. But Xiang Xiaoqiang's mind immediately thought of the huge power of the famous 88-gun in World War II joining the land battle.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that those anti-aircraft guns in Nanjing, which he saw every day in the city, were produced by Ming Dynasty with a caliber of 75 mm. They had no problem with their range and power, so they should be competent.
His whole body immediately became excited and he kept saying:
"Your Majesty, it can be done, it must be possible, I know it can be done! ... Even if we have never done this before, we can give it a try. Your Majesty, can you help me coordinate?"
Zhu Yourong also seemed very happy. She found that she could help Xiang Xiaoqiang at the most critical moment.
…
An order spread throughout the anti-aircraft artillery units inside and outside Nanjing. Ten minutes later, all the 75mm anti-aircraft guns shook their barrels and aimed at the area selected by Xiang Xiaoqiang. The delayed fuses were removed from the shells and replaced with quick-fire fuses.
Xiang Xiaoqiang gave an order on the phone, and hundreds of anti-aircraft guns inside and outside Nanjing roared and spewed out flames. One after another, 75mm high-explosive bombs hit high altitudes and landed in the south of Wai Qinhuai River and north of Moling Town with curved ballistic trajectories.
The Qing army gathering place.
This was the first time in the military history of the Southern Ming Dynasty that a cannon was used with a higher elevation angle and used as a long-range howitzer... Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know if it was also the first time in the world's military history.
…
A large-caliber howitzer of the People's Guard was exploding in the distance. In the tent of the Sixth Banner Division headquarters, Hafenga pushed away the helmet handed to him by his staff and scolded:
"Take it away, you don't need this thing! Wear it yourself if you're afraid of death!"
Then he glanced contemptuously in the direction of the cannon fire and snorted.
The 150mm artillery shells of the People's Guard were very abnormal. The ground shook when they fell, and even the ground trembled here. But there were only a few cannons, and they couldn't observe them in such a heavy fog. They fell in pieces in the distance.
Most of the guys didn't even have to go into foxholes.
Across the Qinhuai River in front, the Ming army could no longer hold on. Their small-caliber mortars were no match for their dozens of mountain cannons, and they were so overwhelmed that they could not lift their heads. Thanks to the heavy fog, their heavy howitzers
They only dared to shoot in depth and did not dare to use it to bombard our troops attacking by the river. It would be easy to accidentally injure themselves.
Nowadays, the Ming army on the north bank of the river no longer dares to stand on the bank and fire machine guns. Every time a new machine gun point appears on the other side, they will quickly fall into a sea of fire from mountain artillery.
Originally, Hafenga planned to have his engineers build a pontoon bridge, but when they reached the river, they found that there was already a Ming Army pontoon bridge on the river. It is estimated that the Ming Army military vehicles just retreated from here to the north bank. But the bridge has been blown up.
Yes, engineers are working on repairs and it will be repaired soon.
Just then...
Halfon'a seemed to hear a large and dense artillery fire in the north.
No, the Ming Army’s current troops in Nanjing are only the People’s Guard! I’ve even calculated how many cannons the People’s Guard has. How can there be so many?
Besides, Nanjing City is not far to the north. Where could the Ming army have such a large artillery position?
But the truth is cruel.
After a moment, the air above our heads howled, and large-scale, dense shells rained down like hail.
Halfon'a cried out in despair:
"Lie down————"
As soon as they arrived, they fell to the ground. Around them, front, back, left and right, shells exploded like dumplings. The small tent collapsed in an instant, and the staff were all covered by canvas, lying on the mud ground and hugging each other.
I raised my head and felt large pieces of soil, stones, branches, small tree trunks... hitting my back again and again.
There was only one thought in Hafeng'a's mind - why he rejected the helmet just now.
…
The anti-aircraft artillery bombarded for a full fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, the sound of the artillery stopped suddenly, and the last artillery shell hit the ground and exploded. A small cypress tree flew into the air, spun around a few times, and fell heavily.
10 kilometers to the south, Moling Town.
Li Gensheng stood next to the armored command vehicle, looking at the firelight in the north, and murmured after a long time:
"Oh my God, Master Xiang...where did you get so many cannons..."
Then he looked at his watch and saw that it was already four fifty-five. Li Gensheng took the wireless phone in the armored vehicle and said in a deep voice:
"All attention... All attention... I am a fox, I am a fox... All units are now reporting the final situation."
The radio hissed, and voices came out one after another:
"The elephant is ready."
"The lion is ready."
"Tiger is ready."
"The Wolverines are ready."
"Coyote is ready."
"The zebra is ready."
…
Li Gensheng was very excited when he listened to the final reports from each unit on the radio. This was the first large-scale cluster battle since the establishment of his mobile team, tank battalion, mechanized regiment, and motorized regiment.
Li Gensheng turned his head and saw Rommel beside him, whose face was also glowing with excitement. One hand was on the belt around his waist, and the other was stroking the Iron Cross medal on his collar. He stared intently at the steel figure looming in the mist ahead.
This entire combat plan was conceived by Rommel. Now his "work" will become a reality with his own order.
Li Gensheng raised the microphone to his mouth and said loudly:
"All - activate -"
In an instant, engines roared from behind, left, and behind. The engines of more than a hundred tanks, armored vehicles, and hundreds of trucks vibrated at the same time, and the ground beneath our feet was shaking. Even the steel doors of the armored command vehicles beside them were shaking.
Trembling slightly.
The air was soon filled with the smell of engine exhaust. A staff officer in the command car stuck his head out and said something to him. But the noise was too loud and he couldn't hear it at all.
Li Gensheng knew that he was being asked to get on the car and command the advance. He climbed into the command car with Rommel, put on the headset, then looked at his watch and said into the microphone:
A small triangular flag was hoisted high on a Lightning 3 command tank. The commander of the tank battalion, Shi Shengli, revealed half of his body. His black leather gloves touched the steel plate on the top of the turret. He waved his right arm forward and ordered while wearing a headset: