Episode 44: It is said that the Three Qin Dynasties (2) will enter the pass
On October 25, the Zhengzhou Corps of the Qing Army collapsed completely.
From the night of the 24th to the noon of the 25th, in the continuous collapse for nearly a day, the entire group army split into a number of regiment-level and battalion-level independent armed forces, running wildly westward, fighting with large and small fires. However,
By the afternoon of the 25th, most of the fighting stopped. Because there was only one way to quickly capture Hangu Pass: the railway. There was only one railway, and only the fastest-reacting regiment and two battalions "captured" the railway.
, and left most other teams behind.
The so-called "seizing the railway" actually means seizing the train. The three groups of armed forces who reacted the fastest grabbed the locomotive and enough carriages, and drove westward to Hangu Pass. Not only did they seize the train themselves, but they also grabbed the train at every stop along the way.
They had to stop at each station and destroy all the carriages they could find at the station before continuing westward.
In this way, most of the armed forces behind found that once they fell behind, they could never catch up. Because the front carriages of the trains at each station were burned and blown up. It is one or two hundred kilometers from here to Hangu Pass, and there are poor places along the way.
, you can't even grab a car. You can walk on two legs until you reach the end of the year of the monkey. If you have to march by force, let alone grab Hangu Pass, you will have to lie down from exhaustion for most of it before you get there.
As a result, most of the "independent armed forces" officers became realistic. Seeing that it was really hopeless to capture the "Zhenguan Hou", they restrained their troops, turned around and headed east, and surrendered to the Ming army. No matter what,
Those who are regiment leaders can also get 10,000 Mingyang, and those who are battalion leaders can also get 3,000 Mingyang.
Many officers and soldiers regretted: If they had known this, it would be better to fight a good battle and protect Commander Chen as the "King of Guanzhong". But when everyone saw that the entire Thirteenth Group Army had fallen apart at this time, it was impossible to organize a defense again.
Yes. The Ming army also occupied Zhengzhou.
, drove into the Luoyang Plain, chased after the rear buttocks and pushed them over. At this time, if you turn around and resist, you will really get nothing except losing your life. If you surrender directly, the officials can also get bonuses, and the soldiers can
You can also save your life and get Nanming's "green card" directly. This is also very good.
Those soldiers are also thinking about it, and they are balancing themselves: Although Commander Chen originally said well that killing a Ming Army soldier would cost an ocean, and destroying a Ming Army tank would cost a lot of gold, but that would cost
risking one's life,
No matter how much gold you have, you must have life. Even if you are lucky enough to survive, if you are missing arms and legs and will be disabled for the rest of your life, then no matter how much gold you have, what is the taste of life? So, as the old saying goes: Peace
It is a blessing to be content and happy!
…
On the morning of the 25th, the light tanks of the People's Guard of the Ming Army roared past the city of Zhengzhou and advanced to the west. At 9 o'clock, an army battalion and a military police company held a symbolic entry into the city, and the people of Zhengzhou cheered intoxicatedly.
, marched into Zhengzhou in neat lines. This force will be temporarily stationed in the city to maintain order in Zhengzhou and prevent the occurrence of large-scale bloody incidents like before.
At noon, the troops of the Ming Army heading north from the Beiru River Corridor and the troops heading west from Zhengzhou and Xingyang Hulao Pass met at the foot of Luoyang City. The Luoyang Plain was captured and Luoyang was officially recovered. At 12 o'clock at noon, another army camp was formed
and a constitution
The Bing Company held a symbolic entrance ceremony. Like every city previously conquered by the Ming army, these two items: firecrackers and wine, were immediately snapped up by the people. Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Thirteenth Dynasty, was also filled with the sound of firecrackers and the aroma of wine.
among.
At Hangu Pass, 130 kilometers west of Luoyang, the sound of cannons was rumbling and the sound of gunfire was booming at this moment.
There were two divisions originally stationed at Hangu Pass, which also belonged to the Thirteenth Group Army. Logically speaking, they had the strongest troops, and Hangu Pass was their defense line. If they wanted to capture the "Zhenguan Hou", that force would
They couldn't get it either. Therefore, in order to mobilize the troops from Zhengzhou and Luoyang, the Ming army
The "motivation" of Hangu Pass was clearly stipulated in the leaflet: In this competition of "the first to enter the pass will be the marquis", the original garrison at Hangu Pass will not be allowed to participate. Even if they guard Hangu Pass, the "zhenguan marquis" will not
Grant it to them. This stimulates the entire Zhengzhou Corps to participate in this "competition".
On the morning of the 25th, a group came quickly from the east on a train, stopped in front of Hangu Pass, and asked for a change of defense.
…
The Hangu Pass garrison was organized as a corps, consisting of two divisions. The army headquarters kept receiving urgent telegrams from the Zhengzhou Group Army Headquarters all night, ordering them to urgently hold Hangu Pass and not let a single soldier enter the pass.
.The orders came in more urgently than the other, and each one was
It was signed in the name of Chen Wangwu himself. Commander Hangu Pass had already known what was going on in the east, and he also knew that the rare goods in Hangu Pass in his hands were valuable, and the entire Zhengzhou Corps wanted to get them. He also knew that Chen Wangwu wanted to use control of the Hangu Pass defenders to regain control.
Zhengzhou Corps.
The army commander also pretended to reply to Chen Wangwu, expressing his obedience to the order and strengthening defense at the same time. He was thinking about how to use Hangu Pass in his hand to maximize his own interests.
He knew that he only had two divisions in hand, and they were also fortress divisions. Once the fortifications were established, he basically only had light weapons, and even very few cannons. He also lacked transportation and relied heavily on logistical supplies. Although this small amount of troops could
He controls Hangu Pass, but he cannot control the entire Guanzhong. Therefore, the group army commander can achieve the dream of "King of Guanzhong", but he cannot.
So he could only settle for the next best thing. His second thought was to seize Hangu Pass to blackmail the Ming army and force the Ming army to grant him the title of "Zhenguan Hou". Although the Ming army's leaflet clearly excluded him
, but the Ming army was eager to enter Hangu Pass, and Hangu Pass was in its own hands, so it seemed that it would not be difficult to force the Ming army to grant the "Zhenguan Hou" title to itself.
But then he thought about it, forcing the Ming army to renege on its words was tantamount to playing with fire. What if the Ming army was provoked and attacked by force? If the entire Zhengzhou Corps had withdrawn into Guanzhong and the troops and logistics were sufficient,
Then the Ming army may not be willing to attack by force. But now it has only two divisions, and its firepower and military strength are far inferior to that of the Ming army. Its logistics must also rely on the entire group army. And now that the group army has collapsed, it means that it can only rely on itself...
... Even if he has the advantage of terrain, how long can he hold on? His brothers all hope to become Ming Dynasty people. How confident are they that they will fight bloody battles for their own wealth? Chen Wangwu has the bank wealth of two cities in his hands.
, and he has the strength to blackmail the "King of Guanzhong" and can offer a price that makes his brothers sacrifice their lives. Can he offer it himself?
Besides, there is more than one way to enter the Pass. There is Wuguan in the south and Dashan Pass in the west. Once the Zhengzhou Corps collapsed, how could the old, weak, sick and disabled Qing troops in Qinling and Hanzhong still surrender?
Those soldiers in Wuguan and Dashanguan dare to negotiate terms with the Ming army? When the Ming army invades from both sides, they will have something to look at... With these two divisions, they will not divide their troops to defend Wuguan.
Is it going to be a close relationship with Da San?
The most important thing is whether the Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou has been blown up. I don’t know yet... If it falls into the hands of the Ming army intact, then the Ming army can advance to Shanxi and then turn around and enter Guanzhong... on the Yellow River.
There’s more than one pontoon ferry…
After much thought, the commander of the Hangu Pass Army felt that he must not hold Hangu Pass to blackmail the Ming Army. That would not yield good results.
However, Hangu Pass still needs to be held. Because he does not dare to blackmail the Ming army, but he still dares to blackmail friendly troops.
…
On the morning of the 25th, one of the regiments who first arrived at Hangu Pass by train came down happily and asked for a change of defense. However, the commander of the Hangu Pass garrison made an unexpected request - they could change the defense, but they could pay for it.
The group leader was stunned and immediately thought that there was nothing strange about this. The news that "the first to enter the gate is the marquis" must have spread here long ago. The guy guarding the gate saw that he was not among the "candidates for Zhenguan Hou", so he probably
He didn't have the guts to hold the gate and blackmail the Ming army, so he began to blackmail himself.
In normal times, if the other party is a military commander and I am a regiment commander, with one level of seniority, I will kill him. This is still three levels short of that. I would definitely have to bow my head. But now both sides know that their military ranks will not last more than a few days. When they look back,
It was the common people who surrendered. So the army commander stopped putting on airs and the regiment leader stopped nodding and bowing. The two sides sat face to face in the bunker, drinking tea and bargaining like two businessmen.
The regiment commander made an offer first and was willing to sign the contract. After becoming a marquis, he would give the army commander 500,000 silver dollars.
The army commander laughed and quit. 500,000 yuan was too little. Even if he led the troops to surrender to the Ming army, the bonus alone would be 500,000 yuan. It was also 500,000, but that was a mingyang, which was twice as valuable as a dayang. To him
In his eyes, the Hangu Pass in his hand is far more than this amount of money. He can only think that if this kid holds it in his hand, he will have an income of 500,000 yuan a year in the future. Want to use a mere 500,000 yuan to kill himself? He
It's still a bit too tender.
The leader looked calm and calm on the surface, but he was very anxious in his heart because he was only the first to arrive at Hangu Pass, and there were many people chasing him.
The army commander also understood this. He could have held Hangu Pass, waited for all the people to arrive, and then "auctioned" Hangu Pass to the highest bidder. In this way, he could maximize his profits. But he didn't quite
Dare to do this. Firstly, when all the troops have expired, maybe the Ming army will arrive, and then all this stuff will be blown. Secondly, it is too damaging to do this, and it is too easy for people to hold grudges.
Even if a certain regiment commander or battalion commander grits his teeth and promises him a large sum of money, after he surrenders, he will be a marquis. After he surrenders, he will be just a commoner. According to the logic of the army commander, if a marquis wants to
Revenge against himself is not like crushing an ant to death? Even if he does not retaliate against himself, if he defaults on his debt, what can he, a common man, do to the Marquis?
Therefore, this military commander is still very realistic. He does not dare to extort too much money. If it is too high, he may not be able to get it in the future. It is impossible to ask people to pay in cash. As a regiment commander, even if he can make money again, he will be able to get it on the spot.
I can't come up with 500,000 yuan. I must "take it on credit" first and then pay it back after I become a marquis.
The two sides went back and forth, and after a fierce bargaining, the price was finally set at 1 million oceans. Then the regiment leader was very good at calculating, and he took the initiative to give an additional 150,000 oceans, on the condition that the Hangu Pass garrison assisted him in guarding the pass, until
The Ming army arrived.
Originally, the strength of his regiment could not necessarily guarantee that Hangu Pass would not be taken away by others. In this way, others would not be able to take it away no matter what.
The military commander thought about it and readily agreed. In this case, it would be equivalent to 500,000 mingyang. In other words, the prince's first year's annuity would be all his own.
After finalizing the decision, the two laughed loudly and drank wine in a serious manner. Both of them had a feeling of "win-win".
…
From the morning to the morning of the 25th, another regiment and another battalion arrived at Hangu Pass by train. They found that Hangu Pass had been occupied by the previous regiment, so they united to attack. However, they only attacked one wave, and lay in the narrow valley.
After dozens of corpses were dumped, the attackers discovered that
They could no longer command the army. The brothers under them were clamoring to keep themselves as marquises of Zhenguan. The man who clamored the loudest was now the one who ran the fastest. The fanaticism of his men at that time ended.
In the first attack, he was completely shot by machine gun bullets.
Only then did the regiment commander and the battalion commander at the pass come to their senses: It turned out that it was his group of people, and it was no problem to let them rush to "seize the pass" first. If others had already grabbed it, they could be expected to fight bloody battles to "seize" it.
That's pure wishful thinking.
The "bloody lesson" made them all realize reality. They gathered their brothers one after another, turned around and headed east to surrender to the Ming army.
The regiment leader who was guarding the gate was filled with regret at this moment: If he had known it was so easy to guard, he would not have spent the 150,000 yuan more.
…
At 1:30 noon, the Hangu Pass Qing Army saw sidecar motorcycles and light tanks appearing in the distance on the Baoluo Highway to the east. The flag of Nanming was flying on the tank.
The leading troops of the People's Guard of the Ming Army arrived at Hangu Pass.
The commander of the Hangu Pass garrison had already made enough money, and he did not dare to make things difficult for the Ming army anymore. He immediately ordered that white flags be hung on each fortification, and the troops put down their weapons and lined up on both sides of the road, waiting to be surrendered.
The mechanized infantry division of the People's Guard of the Ming Army drove steadily through the "Han Valley", a long, narrow and deep place with machine gun and artillery fortresses dotting the mountains on both sides, without firing a single shot.
At 2:00 in the afternoon, the leading troops of the Ming Army passed Hangu Pass.
At 3:30 in the afternoon, the leading troops of the Ming Army passed Tongguan, with mountains on the left and the roaring Yellow River on the right, and officially entered Guanzhong.