"What are the coordinates...what are the coordinates...Hey!...Hey..."
Ten kilometers south of Kaifeng City, on the position of the 5th Artillery Brigade of the 13th Group Army of the Qing Army, a communications officer sat in a trench and howled into a microphone. Outside the trench, there were constant earth-shaking explosions, and pounds upon pounds of soil were thrown continuously.
On top of his head, his eyes, ears, and mouth were filled with mud. His feet and buttocks were almost buried in the mud. He could only shake off the mud by shaking his head and continue to shout.
There is a huge artillery brigade with dozens of heavy artillery, but none of them are firing now. Other communications troops, artillerymen, etc. are hiding in the trenches and dare not raise their heads. They insist on firing and blocking the Ming army. They have completely ignored it. Every day
Everyone just wants to survive the bombing. Only he is like a fool, grabbing the field phone to contact the observers in the front. In fact, this is in vain. Even if he can hear the complete parameters, no one
Dare to climb out and fire.
The shocking explosions outside became sparse, and the screams of the dive bombers overhead gradually faded away.
"here we go again……!!!"
Between the loud noises, shrill shouts came from the side. Then, everyone in the trench knew what was coming next. They all shrank tighter, almost lying on the bottom of the trench, letting the soil cover them.
Buried.
Then, a low roar sounded throughout the sky, like a giant pipe organ playing. This low roar became louder and louder, and soon became deafening, as if it had reached the top of the head.
At this moment, the most terrifying sound sounded. To the Qing soldiers in the trench, this sound was ten times more terrifying than the scream of a dive bomber.
Countless overlapping sharp "whistles" pierced the air, followed by dense explosions, and the ground beneath me kept shaking. This kind of explosion was not as loud as the dive bomber bomb just now, but it was denser and more difficult to avoid.
.
Carpet bombing is back.
Dozens of Swan bombers lined up in a wide formation and flew "buzzing" overhead, sending huge plumes of smoke over the ground.
Amidst the clouds of gunpowder smoke, mud, and dust, every few dozen meters among the Qing soldiers in the ditch, someone felt that besides mud, something else was covering them. No need to ask, it must be blood, stumps, intestines, etc.
Something like this. When small carpet bombs are blown over, the trench is not that safe. A small bomb will fall in every once in a while. As for who will be hit and who will not be hit, it all depends on luck.
The bombing finally passed. The Qing soldiers in the trenches slowly emerged from the soil, shook the soil from their heads, spit out the soil in their mouths, and poked their heads out in horror.
The artillery position was a mess. The usually majestic heavy artillery, which had a caliber of a hundred and tens of millimeters and could hit the shells more than ten kilometers away, was now twisted into scrap metal and scattered everywhere.
, the rubber tires were burning, and some were still rolling, emitting thick black smoke.
The smoke dispersed in the distance, and countless staggering figures appeared. They were all infantry in the front. The infantry position must have been broken up, and the remaining defeated soldiers were retreating to the artillery position.
The Ming Army dive bombers from the sky came down again. The Qing soldiers on the ground screamed and quickly jumped into the bomb crater and lay down.
But this time no bombs fell, and the bombers turned around and flew away. The Qing soldiers looked up and saw countless leaflets floating in the sky.
In addition, there were some packages and other things that were thrown directly from the plane and fell on the battlefield.
Everyone in the Qing army soon had one leaflet in hand. Regardless of the officers and soldiers in the Qing army, no one cared about the discipline of "no leaflets allowed" and were all scrambling to read it. The contents of the Ming army's leaflets were similar to those dropped before.
.However, this time in addition to the concise publicity "policy", there are also
It was explained that the Ming Army ground troops would attack soon and welcome the Qing Army brothers to surrender. In order to avoid accidental injuries to the brothers who were willing to surrender, some white flags were specially dropped along with leaflets. Those who were willing to surrender could display the white flags and they would not be attacked.
Shooting of Ming Army tanks and armored vehicles.
At this time, the packages on the battlefield became hot commodities. Each package contained many white flags. Once a package was opened, all the white flags were immediately snatched away.
After only ten minutes, the ground began to tremble slightly.
The veterans who had been defeated in the Jianghuai battlefield now lay down on the ground to listen with experience, and then passed on their experience to the new recruits around them: This is the tank group of the Ming army. It will be here soon. Before this, it would not be possible.
There will be another bombing. You must throw the gun on the ground and raise the white flag above your head to avoid letting others
Beat him to death in one shot... It would be unjust if we have survived until now and then lose our lives... When the tanks come, let's stand aside first, don't block their way, and don't pester their tanks and armored vehicles.
Surrender, they are the vanguard, don't care about this. Let's wait until there are special troops behind to take in the prisoners...
…
In this way, the attack began in the early morning of the 24th. By around 10 a.m., the Kaifeng defense circle position composed of three divisions was breached. The weak defenders of Kaifeng's three divisions were completely destroyed, and Kaifeng's city defense collapsed. It was around 11 a.m.
, the Ming army entered Kaifeng.
While occupying Kaifeng, the Ming army in the Kaifeng direction quickly adjusted its attack direction and continued to advance to the east. Another fierce attack was carried out by strong winds and rain, causing the large Qing army in the Shangqiu direction to retreat eastward, all the way through Lankao County and Sui County.
It was not until Ningling County, only 30 kilometers away from Shangqiu, that we could establish a foothold.
At this time, the Ming army basically stopped its offensive and retreated slightly. By the time it got dark around 6 p.m., the battle line between the two sides had basically stabilized. The Ming army no longer took the initiative to attack, and the Qing army was busy gathering back.
The remaining defeated troops were busy catching their breath and gaining a foothold, digging trenches and building new lines of defense.
After the Ming army captured Kaifeng, they immediately organized tens of thousands of Qing prisoners of war to dig trenches on the spot, set up artillery positions, build field airports, and establish a new line of defense 30-40 kilometers east of Kaifeng, along the lines of Lankao, Qixian, and Suixian.
.
In this way, the Zhengzhou Corps and the Central Plains Corps are separated. Now the Zhengzhou Corps is bounded by the Yellow River to the north, the mountains and Hangu Pass to the west, and the Ming Army-controlled areas to the east and south.
Chen Wangwu of the Zhengzhou Corps had two choices at this moment. First, hold on and hold the Qing army's last place outside the pass in the western theater. Second, retreat to preserve its strength.
Chen Wangwu had been worried about the Kaifeng direction for many days before the Ming army attacked. The Kaifeng direction was the weakest place of the Zhengzhou Corps, with only three divisions. But there was no way, the Zhengzhou Corps had only 15 divisions in total, and Zhengzhou and Luoyang both
Much more important than Kaifeng. Needless to say, Zhengzhou is the western theater
The only Yellow River bridge is located. Whether the Corps retreats north into Shanxi or receives reinforcements from the north, it must rely on this bridge. Luoyang is to the west of Zhengzhou, between Zhengzhou and Hangu Pass, and is also an important military location.
Historically, no matter which army wanted to attack Hangu Pass from the Central Plains, it had to capture Luoyang first.
In addition to Zhengzhou and Luoyang, the Zhengzhou Corps must also deploy two or three divisions at Hangu Pass. Calculated in this way, Kaifeng is considered the "least important" direction. This is also a helpless choice. Chen Wangwu has been requesting the imperial court for reinforcements, but the imperial court has been
It was believed that that area was not the main direction of the Ming army's attack, and too many troops could not be "contained" by the Ming army there.
If the Ming army had attacked a few days ago, it would have been easier for the Zhengzhou Corps to receive reinforcements quickly. Because at that time, the drill corps was still to the north, and a Beijing-South Railway would come directly down. But now it is no longer possible. There are no large corps in the north.
The exercise corps has
It no longer exists, and has been added to the Central Plains Corps and the new Shandong Corps respectively. Regardless of the fact that the court must still think that this is a feint attack by the Ming Army, even if the court believes that this is the main attack direction of the Ming Army, it will now mobilize troops from the east.
, it’s too late.
In the Zhengzhou headquarters, Chen Wangwu stared at the map with bloodshot eyes, watching a large group of staff officers around him hurriedly marking the map. The phone room next door seemed to be exploding, with countless voices saying "Hey, hey, hey".
Howling. The headquarters can be described as "panic".
Chen Wangwu sat in his chair, his face dull, but he was weighing fiercely in his heart: What should we do? Hold on? It's unrealistic.
The imperial edict sent by the emperor required that the Zhengzhou Army must stick to it. It was neither allowed to retreat north across the Yellow River nor westward into Hangu Pass. The emperor's logic was: This was a feint attack by the Ming army. The Ming army was a feint attack.
If you are not determined to win, you will not make great efforts to attack desperately. Then as long as the Zhengzhou Corps defends with all its strength, it will be able to defend.
But Chen Wangwu knew very well that when the air supremacy was completely in the hands of Nan Ming, even if the Ming army did not attack desperately, he would not be able to hold on for long. Now he is at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, firepower, morale, and training quality.
There is simply no way to resist. Three days at most - more likely not even two days.
Then, within a few hours, he would face a decision - where to evacuate. This must be arranged in advance, otherwise if a temporary retreat is ordered, it will not be a retreat, and it will definitely become a collapse.
Chen Wangwu hoped to withdraw to the north. This is the most convenient. If the Ming army really wants to cross the Yellow River and continue the attack, it would be more convenient to get reinforcements from the Shandong Corps and the Beijing-Tianjin Corps. On the one hand, if the Ming army really wants to cross the Yellow River north to continue the attack,
The distance is short, and on the other hand, it is also within the North China Railway Network, so troop deployment can be fast.
However, the emperor has explicitly prohibited the withdrawal to the north... Even if you withdraw to the north, even if you openly resist the order, even if you save the troops, you will not be in danger of your life during the war. However, after the end of this war and the signing of the armistice agreement between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Ming and Qing Dynasties
The army will most likely keep the areas that have been conquered... Then, the area south of the Yellow River was given up by himself. The emperor will definitely put the blame on himself, and he will never be able to keep his head...
But what if we obey the imperial edict and insist on resisting? We will end up defeated and captured in two or three days... The emperor does not allow the retreat, so does the emperor allow the entire army to be wiped out, defeated and captured? Anyway, the left and right
None of them ended well.
So, Chen Wangwu made a plan.
He envied those generals who guarded dangerous passes, such as Huizhang, the defender of Fangcheng. When they guarded there, they had to fight or surrender. The initiative was in their own hands. The Ming army also had to use poles to persuade them to surrender, and they were granted official posts and made wishes.
With just one surrender order, that boy Huizhang received hundreds of thousands of dollars in reward. This not only saved his wealth and life, but also ensured that he would be rich and worry-free for the rest of his life.
And what about yourself? If you resist the decree and retreat to the north bank, you will inevitably die after the war. If you obey the decree and stick to Zhengzhou, you will still be defeated and captured, and the Ming army will not even give you a cent. Even if you surrender now, according to the policy of the Ming army
, it is no longer considered an "active uprising". Moreover, the Ming army is now unstoppable and can easily capture Zhengzhou and Luoyang as if it were a matter of seconds, and they will not be interested in making any deals with them. Those who are willing to pay for the deal must be like Fang Cheng.
place.
Chen Wangwu looked at the map and slowly moved his eyes to the left, past Luoyang and to Hangu Pass.
Hangu Pass has been a place that has been easy to defend but difficult to attack for thousands of years. It is known as the "Hundred-Two Pass". This means that even if the enemy has a million troops to attack, our army can hold it with only 20,000 troops. In the history of the Qin State,
On many occasions, the armies of the Six Nations were buried here with millions of corpses, bleeding and floating in the oars.
This place is ten times easier to defend and harder to attack than Fangcheng.
Chen Wangwu's mind became excited, and his breathing became more and more rapid... He led the army to retreat into Hangu Pass, defended it, and bargained hard with Nan Ming. As long as Nan Ming planned to enter Guanzhong, he must give him the fattest piece of the pie.
Himself. And Nanming has already reached this point and doesn't plan to enter Guanzhong? It's unlikely. Even if they had no plan to enter Guanzhong originally, they would not refuse this opportunity now that they see that they can negotiate.
You know, once the Nanming army captured Guanzhong, it would be impossible for the Qing Dynasty to take it back. Now Shanxi and the Qing army in Shaanxi are very empty. Once the Ming army enters Guanzhong, they can immediately go north and occupy the entire Shaanxi and Shanxi. In that way,
Even if Nanming is in the future
After suffering losses in the eastern plains and retreating south, the Qing army could not continue to move south without any scruples. The Qing army must always be wary of the west, and the Ming army could rush into the plains from the mountains of Shanxi at any time, threatening the Qing army's strategic flanks.
, and can be returned at any time.
Then Nanming would be in an invincible position in this war.
How could the Nanming court not see the huge benefits of this to Nanming? Then as long as they hold the Hangu Pass firmly, Nanming will give them whatever price they offer.
Chen Wangwu's heart was beating wildly with excitement. He looked at the group of sweating staff officers in front of the map, watching them busy contacting the front and arranging resistance. He smiled secretly in his heart: I spent the first half of my life working for the Qing Dynasty.
From now on, I will work hard for myself!
…
Chen Wangwu began to ignore how to defend against the Ming army's attack, and began to stare at the map, thinking about how to withdraw as many troops and equipment as possible into Hangu Pass.
...First of all, the Yellow River Bridge was blown up, cutting off the Ming army's route from Zhengzhou to Shanxi and Zhili, forcing it to take a detour through Hangu Pass.
Secondly, he immediately sent his cronies to lead troops into Guanzhong and go to Xi'an to protect his family, in case the imperial court found out that he had different intentions and took control of his family first.
Thirdly, protect the several pontoon bridges on the Yellow River between Shanxi and Shaanxi. Although Shanxi and Shaanxi are next to each other, there is a Yellow River separating the two provinces. There are several permanent pontoons on the Yellow River. Once the Ming army enters Shaanxi,
You can use these pontoon bridges to quickly enter Shanxi, join forces with their Taihang Mountain column, and occupy the entire Shanxi Province. Therefore, these pontoon bridges are bargaining chips for you and the Ming army.
Finally...do a good job in the "ideological work" of all the officers and soldiers in the army. Fortunately, the Zhengzhou Corps is all descendants of Guanxi, and the west of Hangu Pass is their hometown. If you follow yourself to take risks and eat inside and outside, you don't have to worry about your family being retaliated by the imperial court. Those generals under your command
, you must win them over and promise them prosperity and wealth. When you ask for a price for yourself, you must not forget to ask for a share for them...
So Chen Wangwu stood up and started making arrangements.