Episode 45: The Legend of San Qin (3) to liberate the Mother River
Episode 45: The Legend of the Three Qin Dynasties (3) Liberation of the Mother River
"The Ming army has entered the pass!!!"
A frightening signal report from the communications force immediately echoed throughout the Manchu and Qing headquarters. When Emperor Guangwu of the Qing Dynasty heard the report, he sighed and slowly leaned back in his chair, his heart filled with desolation. Others, from the marshal to the general,
The middle and lower-level officers below were all filled with panic and anxiety.
Ever since he heard that the Zhengzhou Corps was beginning to disintegrate last night, and especially when he saw Nan Ming's "He who enters the customs first" leaflet and message, he understood: the Ming army's entry into the customs will definitely happen within dozens of hours.
The Qing Dynasty had no way to stop it.
Today, I finally heard this report.
Guangwu leaned his head on the soft leather backrest, looked at the ceiling, and thought of only one thing: the Qing Dynasty lost half of this war...Guanzhong is no longer the Qing Dynasty...Nanming, it is considered
The North has completely gained its footing.
He was thinking, 292 years ago, did the sound of "Qing troops entering the pass" also echo in this same panic here? Echoed in horror in this same city? At that moment 292 years ago... those Han people...
How did they feel when they first heard this sentence?
…
Guangwu shook his head, sat up, and looked at the big map on the wall. He pinched his forehead and mustered up his energy to plan the next strategy.
As the Ming army enters Guanzhong, the entire Shaanxi will definitely fall into the hands of the Ming army. The possibility of the Qing recapturing it is extremely slim. At least, the Ming army will completely control the entire southern Shaanxi within dozens of hours. As for northern Shaanxi, Guangdong
Wu judged that the Ming army might not immediately implement the occupation. Once the Ming army captured Shaanxi,
South, the next step that we are most concerned about must be to cross the Yellow River eastward and enter Shanxi. The strategic importance of northern Shaanxi is far less than that of Shanxi, and it is hundreds of kilometers away from the Loess Plateau. It has a backward economy, sparsely populated areas, inconvenient transportation, and a harsh environment.
To the north are the Mu Us Desert and the Yellow River, which are enough to act as a barrier.
However, even if the Ming army does not occupy northern Shaanxi for a while, the Qing army has little hope of occupying northern Shaanxi in the short term. The army closest to northern Shaanxi is still the Ming army. Whether the Qing army is the Northwest Corps, the Central Plains Corps, or the Beijing-Tianjin Corps
, the distance to reinforce northern Shaanxi is much further than that of the Ming army in southern Shaanxi.
It is Shanxi that needs urgent reinforcements now.
After hearing the report of the collapse of the Zhengzhou Corps last night, Guangwu judged that the Ming army would inevitably enter the pass, and the Qing Dynasty had no choice but to watch. He immediately made the decision of "a strong man has his arm cut off" and made an emergency move.
Purpose, order to explode immediately
The three floating bridges on the Yellow River between Shanshan and Shaanxi must be blown up at all costs. Since Shaanxi is destined to fall into the hands of the Ming army, and the Qing Dynasty has no hope of taking it back, they simply bite the bullet and completely lose Shaanxi to the Nanming army and try their best to keep it.
Shanxi.
Shanxi is directly adjacent to the North China Plain, and has high mountains as a barrier. It can be advanced, retreated or defended. As long as Shanxi is held in hand, it can threaten the enemy flanks in the North China Plain at any time, or reinforce the friendly forces on the North China Plain. Guangwu just said
After all, "Half of the Qing Dynasty lost" is still a bit exaggerated. It only lost Shaanxi, and at most, Nanming gained a foothold in the north.
.Moreover, the main railway line connecting the eastern part of the Qing Dynasty to the northwest is detoured from the Hetao Plain north of the Yellow River and does not pass through Shaanxi. Therefore, there is no such thing as "severing the connection between the Qing Dynasty and the west." As long as Shanxi is still in hand
, with the three barriers of the Yellow River, Luliang Mountain, and Taihang Mountain, Nanming can be firmly blocked to the west and cannot threaten the North China Plain.
Before Guangwu went to bed last night, he had issued an order to urgently mobilize 5 Eight Banner Divisions from the Beijing-Tianjin Corps and 15 Han Divisions from the Shandong Corps in the Central Plains, and immediately entered Shanxi by train. Originally, the railway network on the North China Plain was relatively dense, running from north to south.
It consists of two trunk lines and several branch lines running east to west, in the shape of a "mu", which can be called a "railway network". However, when North China enters Shanxi, there is only one railway. It is the "Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan-Lüliang" railway.
Shilu Line".
The problem is that this railway runs from east to west and has to pass through the Taihang Mountains before entering the Jinzhong Plain. And the situation in Shanxi... is basically decided by the Taihang Mountain Column. The Taihang Mountains are the territory of the Taihang Mountain Column. Even with the Qing Dynasty
Compared with the reinforcements, they have fewer people and poor equipment, but the 124-kilometer mountain railway is bound to become a gateway for these five Eight Banners divisions and 15 Han military divisions.
It is conceivable that many of these 124 kilometers of railways were built winding between high mountains and cliffs. According to the degree of control of the Taihang Mountain Column over the Taihang Mountains, if they dismantled not a single trace of these 124 kilometers of railway tracks, that would be
That's being kind. A more likely approach is to plant explosives at every turn on the railway and at the cliff, waiting for military vehicles to pass by, and then with a loud bang, the whole train, including people and vehicles, will be blown off the cliff...
Guangwu thought about it and decided that the railway must not be used. If the railway were used, the mountain road of more than 100 kilometers would be enough to kill the Qing reinforcements more than 100 times.
There is also a road running parallel to the railway, called "Shilu Highway". Guangwu decided to use the road. Before the 5 Eight Banners Divisions and 15 Han Army Divisions were transferred from their original stations to Shijiazhuang, they could use the railway. The North China railway network is very safe.
. But when he arrived at Shijiazhuang, he went west to enter the Taihang Mountains. He planned to let the troops get off the train here and walk through the 124 kilometers of Taihang Mountains from the Shilu Highway.
Taking the road is still the same route. Although it will definitely be ambushed by the Taihang Mountain column, it will not be like the train, which will be annihilated. After being ambushed, the troops will retreat and fight back.
A machine calling for heavy artillery bombardment
Hui. Guangwu plans to let the Han military division take the lead, and the Eight Banners Division will supervise the battle from behind. This kind of mountain road is surrounded by cliffs and mountains on both sides, and the supervisory team behind it will only face the small weapons of the guerrillas. Those Han troops will never
Let's run away again.
But having said that, the east side of the Taihang Mountains has abundant rainfall and lush vegetation. It is difficult to detect any number of people ambushing in the mountains on both sides. Those guerrillas only need to set up a few machine guns and one or two mortars in the mountains and forests, which is enough to kill hundreds of people.
The lives of the Qing army were at stake...
...There is still time. We have to walk 124 kilometers, carrying heavy weapons and supplies...and encounter a few blocking battles in the middle...a week. If we are lucky, we can enter the Jinzhong Plain in a week, which is the fastest.
Thinking of this, Guangwu pinched his forehead irritably and sighed heavily. He couldn't help but sigh: The Ming army spent a lot of money to support the Taihang Mountain Column, but now it seems like a good deal! If nothing else, this is the critical moment.
It forced the Qing Dynasty not to use the railway, bought time for the Ming army, and made back the cost of so many previous airdrops.
Guangwu had learned how the Ming army's pontoon bridge troops built pontoon bridges. On the day of the attack, they built a pontoon bridge on the Yangtze River all day and night... Of course, it was at the door of Nanming's home. After a long period of sufficient preparation, all kinds of supplies
Complete equipment and extremely convenient transportation
Under the conditions. Now, Liancuo will clear Guanzhong, follow up with a large logistics force, and build a bridge... How can I put it this way, it will take three or four days at the fastest. The Yellow River is much narrower than the Yangtze River, and the Ming army will never build a bridge beyond
One day. That is to say, at most five days, the Ming army will enter Shanxi.
Depending on the emptiness of Shanxi and the advancing speed of the Ming army, the Ming army will basically occupy all of Shanxi in three days at most. If the Eight Banners Division of the Qing Dynasty can enter Shanxi within a week, there is still hope of saving half of Shanxi. Otherwise...
The war is really half lost.
…
Guangwu stood up with a cry, walked quickly to the map, and stared at the vertical line on the right half of the "ji" shape of the Yellow River. From top to bottom, they are the Wubao County Floating Bridge on the west side of Luliang City,
The Longmen Floating Bridge on the west side of Hejin County and the Fenglingdu Floating Bridge on the shore of Tongguan.
Were they...really blown up?
From the time the order was issued yesterday to now, I haven't heard the report "it has been blown up" with my own ears.
A stream of cold air rushed up from his back.
"Someone is coming!"
Guangwu shouted fiercely.
"emperor?"
"I issued an order yesterday to order the local garrison to blow up three pontoon bridges on the Yellow River. Have you reported back?"
The staff officer did not dare to neglect and immediately went to investigate. After a while, he returned and reported:
"Reporting to the Emperor, at two o'clock in the morning, the Fenglingdu Floating Bridge garrison responded and blew up the Fenglingdu Floating Bridge. The Emperor had already gone to bed at that time, and the staff on duty was afraid of disturbing the Emperor's rest, so he did not..."
"Okay, okay, Fenglingdu was blown up, what about the other two?"
"Your Majesty... my servant... I haven't found any reports from those two places..."
Guangwu became agitated and shouted:
"Go to the power station and ask questions! Ask if it blew up!"
"嗻!"
"The Wubao Floating Bridge in northern Shaanxi doesn't matter, but the Longkou Floating Bridge in southern Shaanxi must be blown up!"
"嗻!"
…
Throughout the afternoon of the 25th, the Ming army "speeded" through Hangu Pass and Tongguan at extremely fast speeds, and rushed into Guanzhong. Now the Nanjing Headquarters and the Beijing Headquarters understand that time is life!
When passing Tongguan, Ming army soldiers stood in an armored vehicle, holding on to the armor plate and looking to the right.
On the right side of the highway, between the embankments on both sides, is a loess beach. On the broad loess beach, a khaki "belt" - the legendary Yellow River - is winding.
...the mother river of the Chinese nation.
Although it was raining continuously in the upper reaches and the autumn floods had already entered, in the eyes of these Ming soldiers, the Yellow River in front of them was still so gentle and calm, like a yellow satin stretched on the wide river beach.
It was the first time for the officers and soldiers of the Ming Army to see the Yellow River. They always felt that the legendary Yellow River in front of them was not like the Yellow River they had read in textbooks since childhood. It did not roar and flow like they imagined.
They are used to seeing the Yangtze River, and feel that even if the Yellow River is in flood season now, it cannot be compared with the usual water volume of the Yangtze River. In normal times, even when the water volume of the Yangtze River is at its lowest, ripples can be clearly seen on the surface of the river.
Pushing and rolling forward.
It is because "the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead." But the Yellow River in front of me is exactly like a kind old woman, watching the long-lost children appear in front of her, wiping her hands on her apron, grinning happily,
Revealing missing teeth and deep wrinkles on his face.
Looking at the "Mother River" they had only known from books since childhood, the male soldiers of the Ming Army were already filled with excitement, and the female soldiers were even more sincere. Many girls had sore noses and tears on their faces.
…
"Look, our mother river..."
In the political work team, a little girl was sitting in a communication car, holding the car fender, looking at the Yellow River under the embankment, and said with tears in her eyes.
"Well," another little female soldier beside her was also stirred up. She looked down seriously and said emotionally, "Three hundred years ago, a group of barbarians snatched away our mother from the Yellow River... We fled to the south,
Mother Yangtze River opened her arms to protect us, sheltered us from wind and rain, and continued to nurture us... We will not forget our adoptive mother, but we must save our biological mother... That is the Yellow River..."
This little girl is also very talented and good at sensationalism, and she often makes herself cry when she stirs up emotions. Therefore, she was selected into the political work team and was responsible for persuading surrender. At this moment, after she invested in such sensationalism, everyone in the carriage
Among the little girls, there was not a single one who did not shed tears.
Suddenly, the radio in the car rang, and the commander's voice shouted urgently:
"Attention everyone, Nanjing has issued an emergency order not to occupy Guanzhong for the time being, but to immediately turn around and go north to seize the Longmen Floating Bridge! Do you understand?"
"Sir!" The squad leader of the female soldiers immediately grabbed the microphone and asked, "Hasn't the Longmen Floating Bridge been blown up yet?"
"No, but it's coming soon. The Taihang Mountain Column is fighting fiercely with the Qing garrison. If we don't grab it quickly, the pontoon bridge will be blown up at any time!"
"Yes! Got it!"
After hanging up the phone, the few female soldiers in the car immediately exploded.
"Isn't Guanzhong restored?"
"Guanzhong, you can't run away if you leave it there. Anyway, it will be recovered sooner or later! The key now is to enter Shanxi!"
"Then, how should we change our next promotional slogan?"
"Guangfu Guanzhong can no longer be used...then it is called 'Guangfu Mother River'!"
"No, it's better to use 'liberation' instead of 'recovery'!"
"Yes, it's called 'Liberating the Mother River'!"
…
On the afternoon of the 25th, just after passing Tongguan, the Ming army made an emergency U-turn and headed north along the "L-shaped" turn of the Yellow River to seize the Longkou Floating Bridge 120 kilometers north.