45 tanks fired two volleys of solid armor-piercing projectiles, creating a large crater with a diameter of three meters in the city wall. The soldiers and civilians on the city were so frightened that all the soldiers and civilians fled. Then another volley of high-explosive shells came.
, a large hole about 5 meters wide was opened in the Yangzhou city wall.
After the smoke dissipated, the broken city bricks on both sides of the gap were still falling down. The Qing soldiers and civilians on the walls on both sides were mixed together, and they were all rushing towards the collapsed place, climbing down along the collapsed place, some fled into the city, and some
fled outside the city.
Through the gap, you can see the figures of many Qing troops fleeing in.
On this side of the city wall, everyone near the gap had already escaped. Far away on both sides, there were still one or two machine guns on the wall firing, but they were all quickly left there without anyone taking care of them.
In the tank battalion where the Ming army bombarded the city wall, 15 tanks from one of the tank companies began to roar, puffing out smoke, and slowly drove towards the gap. However, they were covered with spare armor, spare tracks, and sandbags.
It is bloated like a small bunker and moves very slowly. However, it is equivalent to a modified heavy armor tank, an ideal infantry tank in street fighting.
The 30 armored personnel carriers behind quickly rushed up and followed the tank. About ten meters close to the gap in the city wall, the tank stopped. 150 soldiers jumped out of the 15 armored vehicles behind, and swarmed through the gap with submachine guns and light machine guns.
Enter. After entering, there were only two or three brief gunshots, and the gap was completely cleared.
Immediately afterwards, another engineer squad jumped out of an armored vehicle. They moved down the blasting tubes section by section, inserted them into the loose rammed earth on the cross section of the gap in the city wall, and then retreated to detonate. The rammed earth in the city wall was
A big hole was blown. Immediately afterwards, the engineers put the hatchback explosives in, shook the detonation wire and retreated behind the armored vehicle.
There was an earth-shattering explosion, and the gap in this section of the city wall was expanded to about 10 meters. Then the engineers conducted another small-scale detonation, blowing up the pile of rubble on the ground of the gap, allowing tanks to drive directly in.
15 tanks and 30 armored vehicles drove in one after another.
…
According to orthodox theory, tanks and armored vehicles are not suitable for urban warfare. This "unsuitability" does not mean that tanks cannot defeat infantry in cities. Even in urban warfare, tanks are much more powerful than without tanks. The so-called "unsuitable"
"Tanks are not suitable for urban warfare." It just means that tanks are more advantageous in urban warfare than in field battles.
It's just that it's less effective and easier to lose. In any country or army, tanks are always rare and valuable weapons. Using such precious weapons in urban warfare is wasteful, the gain outweighs the loss, and it is "unsuitable".
In fact, every infantryman who suffers from street fighting is very eager to have a tank to help him.
Therefore, the division commander Zhang Haitao plans to try to invest some tanks in Yangzhou. His opinion is: Although tanks are easy to lose in urban warfare, the reasons for tank losses are nothing more than the following: enemy artillery, enemy incendiary bottles, enemy fire bottles, etc.
The enemy's grenades and the enemy's explosive packs were basically the same. At this time, things like "Bazooka" and "Iron Fist" had not yet appeared.
It is almost certain that the Qing army in Yangzhou City should have no artillery. The Qing army in Yangzhou City was composed of defeated soldiers who fled, and it is unlikely that such defeated soldiers would carry heavy weapons such as artillery. Even if there were so
One or two guns are not a big threat. Except for artillery, other incendiary bottles and grenade explosive packs can only be used at a very close distance.
In other words, it is true that tanks are prone to losses in street fighting, but there is a prerequisite, that is, the enemy must have a strong will to fight and be unafraid of death. The person who threw the Molotov cocktail knew very well that he could secretly throw the Molotov cocktail.
But will he survive after being thrown away?
It's hard to say if you want to escape. Throwing it down from an upstairs window has a higher success rate, but the hope of running away after throwing it is even smaller. As for grenades and explosive packets, if you want to really blow up the tank, you have to get closer.
You can even hang it on the track pads of the tank with your own hands.
This requires an army with a strong will to fight, an army with a spirit of sacrifice. When the enemy attacks the city, the tank tracks rumble over the rubble, and the ruins underfoot are shaking. The sound of engines and the shouts of enemy soldiers are everywhere.
Even under noisy conditions, he could still stay calm and approach the tank and throw Molotov cocktails at the army.
The Qing army in Yangzhou City was obviously not such an army.
…
The large gap of about ten meters was basically unguarded. The dozens of tanks and armored vehicles at the front roared and climbed in, and a large number of infantrymen of the People's Guard Armored Division roared in behind. They usually passed through in armored personnel carriers.
The enemy troops were raining bullets, and they only jumped out of their vehicles to fight at close range. Their weapons were mainly light machine guns and submachine guns, and the proportion of automatic weapons and equipment was the highest among the Ming army. This was simply tailor-made for street fighting.
On the street, 15 tanks of the Ming army were separated, each advancing on a street. The tanks rushed in front, followed by two armored personnel carriers behind each tank, with a squad of soldiers sitting on each vehicle. In these three
On both sides and behind the tank were hundreds of Ming infantrymen. They were carrying submachine guns, light machine guns, universal machine guns, and some were carrying flamethrowers. They were simply killing groups.
The Qing army in the city was completely in panic. They felt the ground shaking in the distance, and after a while they heard the sound of an engine. Usually at this time, the Qing army officers could not control the soldiers, and most of the soldiers fled in a hurry.
.A few soldiers, under the threat of gunpoint from officers, lay on the ground or relied on street windows, holding grenades and anti-tank guns in preparation for an attack.
However, when they saw the steel behemoth on the opposite side slowly coming into view while roaring and turning on its tracks, the few Qing soldiers who planned to hold on trembled all over.
They threw the grenade from afar, then turned around and ran. After the sound of the grenade exploding behind them, there was the sound of a tank gun, and a puff of smoke erupted from the houses on the street.
These Qing soldiers, who had never faced a tank, usually surrendered in groups at this time.
...But there is one situation, that is, all the Qing soldiers who surrendered were soldiers, and there was not a single officer. The highest one was a sergeant, and there were no officers above that.
The Ming Army's leaflet clearly states that counting starts from the lieutenant. Therefore, so far, not a single lieutenant has been captured alive.
On both sides of the street, discarded rifles were everywhere. Groups of prisoners, with their heads bowed and crouched, trotted out of the city under the command of the Ming army, leaving the battlefield and not causing trouble here. The Ming army tanks in front were still firing.
Advance.
…
It has been almost an hour since the Ming army entered the city. So far, not a single tank or armored vehicle has been lost. And because the tanks and armored vehicles provide good cover, the infantry casualties are also very small.
When they first entered the city, the people in the city hid in their homes and closed the doors and windows tightly. As the Ming army continued to advance in the city and occupied an increasingly larger area, the people also ran out of their homes and welcomed them wildly.
Liberators of the Ming Army. The soldiers of the Ming Army were still crouching, hiding behind the tanks and advancing carefully. On both sides of the road, many people stood there brazenly, cheering at the Ming Army.
Some people rushed forward, hugged the Ming soldiers and cried loudly, crying and shouting:
"Ah... you are here... why are you here... we let those idiots die... there is nothing left in the house, they are all smashed to pieces... Oh my God..."
More common people also started crying. Some ran to the ranks of the Ming army, hugging the soldiers' shoulders and slapping them as hard as they could, like brothers they hadn't seen for many years. Some just mixed in the ranks and followed the soldiers forward.
He was crying and talking nonsense.
The soldiers of the Ming army were very nervous at first: Isn't this exposing the target? If there is a sniper in any window, he will be dead with one shot.
But later, the soldiers of the Ming Army generally discovered that not only were there no snipers in the buildings, but even the frontal resistance was very weak. So the troops on the streets were no longer as cautious as they were at first, but let go of their speed and rushed forward.
.
An hour and a half after entering the city, about 90% of the city had been occupied, with only the last northeastern corner still being defended.
A large number of infantrymen who followed into the city were searching for the remaining Qing troops from house to house. The Qing soldiers who had been captured, estimated at 15,000 to 15,000, were all holding their heads, and were being escorted by Ming military police in a steady stream.
The land was sent out through several captured city gates.
But so far, only more than 200 officers have been found, and most of them were killed in battle, and only more than 40 were captured alive. Now these 40 or so Qing army officers have been taken out of the city.
Centrally guarded by the People's Guard.
The total number of Qing troops who have been captured and killed in the city is almost 17,000 or 8,000. This is already more than the Ming army had estimated. But according to the usual ratio of officers and soldiers of the Qing army, with such a large number of troops, even if not counting
The number of non-commissioned officers and officers should be around a thousand. But now we only see more than 200. In other words, the officers are basically compressed in that northeast corner.
Facts have proved that this is indeed the case. At this point in the war, it became increasingly difficult to fight. In a small northeast corner, just over one square kilometer, there were about 800 Qing army officers gathered. They knew that they would die if captured.
So we are fighting tooth and nail.
The Ming army's casualties began to rise sharply, and even one tank was lost.
What's even more troublesome is that these more than 800 Qing army officers held a group of civilians hostage and hid in several buildings in this neighborhood. While resisting desperately, they shouted that they wanted to negotiate with the Ming army.
As soon as the Ming army tanks approached, a Molotov cocktail flew out of the window of the building opposite and smashed into pieces on the street, igniting a fire. It seemed that these officers had collected a lot of bottles and gasoline.
The Ming army wanted to fire, but a common man was pushed to the window to serve as a shield.
…
"We want to negotiate! We want to negotiate!"
From the window, a voice roared, reaching the Ming army across the road.
The Ming soldiers hid behind the tanks, smoking cigarettes and muttering:
"Negotiation? You don't need to talk to know that they just want to save their lives, and we want to execute them... How can we negotiate this thing?"
"We want to negotiate..." the Qing army officer on the opposite side continued to shout, "As long as we are not killed, we will surrender! Let the civilians go! Otherwise we will never surrender! We will die together with these civilians!"
The voice was shrill and desperate, echoing on the street.
These Ming soldiers did not want to die. They also knew that if they attacked hard, they would suffer heavy casualties. The Qing army's requests and casualty reports were reported back to the division headquarters again and again. Zhang Haitao hesitated when he looked at these casualty reports.
.He sent a telegram to Xiang Xiaoqiang and reported the Qing army's requirements to him.
…
In Nanjing, Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the telegram, "hum" and threw it away. He turned to Li Gensheng and said:
"Do you want to survive at this time? Dreaming. When my previous warning was in vain? It is difficult now, but if these people are spared now, those Qing troops will continue to do such things in the future. The real troublesome time is still behind!
...How many casualties are there now?”
Li Gensheng picked up the telegram and read it again and said:
"Sir, 112 people have been killed and 405 wounded."
Xiang Xiaoqiang was experienced now. He looked both sides first, and then whispered:
"It's not that I don't care about the casualties of our brothers, it's because the 'Rescue Civilian Order' has just been launched, and this 'first case' must be handled solidly. Only by truly killing a group of people can we deter the Qing troops behind... Now
The brothers suffered more casualties, but there will be many more smooth battles in the future... As long as the Qing army does not take civilians hostage, it will be easy to surrender. In the future, the lives of more brothers will depend on today's tough battle!
"
Li Gensheng nodded and said:
"What your Excellency said is indeed true. Then we call back and order a strong attack?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded and said:
"storm!"
…
In Yangzhou City, the last Qing army position began to be attacked. This was in the northeast corner of the city, with the east and north sides leaning against the city walls. Now the Ming army had placed explosives on these two city walls, and they were "bombed"
There was a loud noise, the ground shook, and a large section of the two city walls collapsed. Now the block is surrounded on all sides.
Hundreds of smoke grenades were thrown over, and the smoke filled the air between several buildings. Several tanks took the opportunity to rush over at full speed. A large number of Ming troops followed behind at a trot under the cover of the tanks, and soon rushed under the buildings.
Hand grenades and incendiary bombs exploded one after another in the streets. The Qing army officers upstairs threw them down desperately, and the Ming army below also suffered many casualties. However, the disparity in numbers and firepower between the two sides was too great. Thousands of Ming army infantrymen carried
Submachine guns and machine guns rushed into the neighborhood, shouting to go upstairs
Rush up. At each stairway, there are Qing army officers holding light machine guns and standing there, but there are too many directions to guard. Most of the floors and walls in Yangzhou City are made of wood. The Ming army can use the walls and floors to
Shooting. Those Qing army officers who were holding on to the stairs were quickly shot to death.
The cries of the people came from several buildings, and the Qing army officers began to kill the hostages. However, the hostage people fled desperately, and they could not kill many in an instant. Moreover, such a distraction would only
This allowed the Ming army to attack faster.
…
At around 11 o'clock in the afternoon, the last position was completely conquered.
Nahai, the commander of the Qing army, jumped off a building to escape at the last moment. He broke his legs on the spot and was run over by a tank. The scene was very miserable. He was crushed in two from the waist. After a while, Ming Ming
When the soldiers found him, he was not dead, but he was shot to death in the end.
The Ming army suffered 325 killed and 1,163 wounded, killed 502 Qing officers and captured 410 alive.
Most of these surrendered Qing army officers surrendered with a glimmer of hope. They hoped that the Ming army could abide by the Geneva Convention and save their lives. At least they could be given the opportunity to go to court-martial. In this way, they could at least defend themselves.
Trying to find a way to prove that he didn't kill any civilians, it was all the officer's fault... at least, he hoped to save his head.
More than 40 Qing army officers who had been alive before, together with the 410 people who had just been captured, totaling more than 800 people, were escorted out of the city with machine guns by the People's Guard Gendarmerie and gathered together for custody.
Zhang Haitao looked at these Qing army officers, more than 800 people sitting on the ground in darkness, and hesitated a little. He sent a telegram to Xiaoqiang again for instructions.
Soon, I called back to Xiaoqiang: be under strict guard and waiting for the action team.
The meaning is very clear. These people must be killed. But the combat troops will not be allowed to do it. It is still the old rule of the People's Guard and there is a special "action team".
…
At around twelve o'clock, a dozen large trucks drove up from a distance from the south, with the People's Guard logo spray-painted on them.
The "action team" was sent from Nanjing.
When they arrived at the place, more than a hundred People's Guard soldiers jumped out of several military trucks. They were all armed with Thompson submachine guns, and they all had cold faces and murderous looks.
The leader, a captain, held a cigarette in his mouth, rolled his arms, and carried a submachine gun. He waved, and more than a hundred people below slowly walked over.
The local soldiers who were guarding the Qing army officers were a little shuddered when they looked at these people.
The captain showed a certificate, which was printed on it: People's Guard Action Team, Captain, Captain Xu Xiangde.
Xu Xiangde, this name is already well-known among the officers and soldiers of the People's Guard. In the city of Batavia in Nanyang, he shot more than two hundred natives by himself, and he already had the nickname "The Butcher".
…
Xu Xiangde winked at the local People's Guard officers. They understood, waved, and withdrew with their men. These prisoners were handed over to the action team.
Several large trucks of the action team reversed, forming a large arc. However, the movements were very natural, and they were covered by movements such as moving things, which was very casual.
More than 800 Qing army officers sitting underground raised their heads and looked at these soldiers with submachine guns in horror. They knew what submachine guns were and knew that they could not escape. The only thing supporting them now is the military court.
.
Xu Xiangde obviously understood their psychology very well. Holding a submachine gun, he raised an arm and shouted:
"Listen up, now you are under our care! We are from the People's Guard Law Enforcement Team, responsible for escorting you back to Nanjing and handing you over to the military court for trial! Don't be complacent, I tell you, just you people, in the end there will be three
One of them will be sentenced to death! The rest will not get better!"
More than 800 officers burst into cheers. They thought they had finally escaped death. Although one-third of them had to be sentenced to death in the end, who would think it was them? Everyone thought that they would definitely survive.
.
"Okay, okay!" Xu Xiangde waved his hand, "Come here, squat here, wait for our trucks to arrive, and then get on the truck!"
More than 800 people stood up obediently and walked to the circle designated by Xu Xiangde. Then they were ordered to squat down and hold their heads in their hands.
On one side of this large circle were a dozen large trucks arranged in an arc, each with its butt facing them and covered with canvas.
Xu Xiangde looked around and retreated.
…
Then he took out his whistle and blew it hard.
The canvas covers of more than a dozen military trucks were suddenly opened, and more than a dozen Woodpecker machine guns spurted tongues of fire at the same time. The harsh gunshots and countless heart-rending screams blended into a symphony of death. Hundreds of clear voices
Military officers fell to the ground one after another in the hail of bullets, like cutting leeks. Most of them fell into a pool of blood before they could react.
The gunfire fell silent.
In the middle was a large pool of blood, which had formed into a small stream. More than 800 corpses lay scattered in it, and each corpse had several bullet holes.