Li Zixiong asked, "Commander, when will Liaoyang fight?" ”

"What about the opinion of your staff? Wang Yue asked.

Li Zixiong said: "The safest way is to besiege, Liaoyang will inevitably be self-defeating." The total strength of Liaoyang is about 90,000 people, including 200,000 people, and the surrounding areas have been controlled by our army. Judging from the amount of grain hoarded in Liaoyang, Jiannu can last for three to four months at most.

Of course, our army can also choose to fight, and Liaoyang can be taken within ten hours, but the risk still exists. According to the interrogation of the relevant prisoners by the Military Investigation Bureau, 200,000 catties of gunpowder were put into the defensive positions of Liaoyang to lay out minefields. Although it cannot be compared with the minefield of the first battle of Gaizhou, our army must also expect casualties. ”

In addition to the Gaizhou defense line, the last line of defense of the Qing army was the Liaoyang defense line, although the scale and area could not be compared with the Gaizhou defense line, but the Liaoyang defense line was more dense.

With Liaoyang City as the core and the moat as the outer edge, the outside of Liaoyang City was dug by the Qing army like the surface of the moon, and more than a dozen circular positions were uneven. Trenches, cat's ear holes, earthen forts, tunnels, and minefields that threaten the Tiance army have become the reliance of the Liaoyang defenders.

Liaoyang City is the second largest city in Liaodong, with a total circumference of 12 kilometers, in order to resist the attack of the Tiance army, the Manchu Qing Dynasty also made a bloody capital, here is the last line of defense, so Liaoyang City is also a deep ditch fortress, in order to fight street battles with the Tiance army to make full preparations.

Through meticulous aerial reconnaissance, it was found that Liaoyang could not be broken with one blow like other cities, so Li Zixiong conservatively estimated it at twelve hours.

What the Tiance army is really afraid of is the minefield, and the other defensive facilities in Liaoyang will not be able to withstand it for long under the large-scale shelling, after all, Liaoyang is not a reinforced concrete fortification.

"Isn't there accurate information on the location of the minefield yet?" Wang Yue asked with a frown.

Gu Xiuquan, director of the Military Investigation Bureau, said: "Report to the commander, according to the prisoners, the construction of the Liaoyang position was personally grasped by Prince Li Daishan, and those who participated in the construction were all detained by Daishan in Liaoyang City, so no one knows the specific location of the minefield." ”

The military meeting fell into a brief silence, Wang Yue tapped his fingers on the table, and the participants waited for him to come up with an idea.

Fighting or encircling is a dilemma, fighting can be done once and for all, completely solve the last heavy army of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and clear the last obstacle in Liaodong. The cost of the siege is the smallest, but it takes too long, and this is not the style of the Tiance army.

But if you choose to fight, casualties are inevitable, and if the casualties are heavy, no one dares to take this responsibility, so it is best for Wang Yue to make the decision.

"Commander, there are some superficial views on the humble position, I don't know if I should say it or not?" Li Xuewen, deputy chief of staff of the special operations brigade and staff officer of the headquarters, raised his hand.

Li Xuewen's main post is that of a staff officer of the headquarters, and the deputy chief of staff of the special operations brigade is his part-time job.

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Staff Officer Li, please speak." ”

Li Xuewen stood up, sorted out his thoughts, and said: "After the first Gaizhou Battle and the second Gaizhou Battle, I went to the scene to collect some relevant data, which may be helpful for our army to attack Liaoyang. ”

Wang Yue smiled and said, "Staff Officer Li's opinion is to fight?" ”

Li Xuewen also smiled and said: "The humble position is just to mention a little reference, please ask the commander to correct it." Observation from the site of the Jiannu minefield on the Gaizhou defense line found that all the explosives in Jiannu were buried seven to eight centimeters below the ground, covered with gravel and floating soil as a cover. ”

"The 155 self-propelled howitzer possessed by our army has a firing range of up to 40 kilometers, and after the shell lands, it can penetrate below 30 centimeters into the ground, and after exploding, it can create a funnel crater with a radius of about 1.3 meters, which can completely destroy any explosives buried in the area."

"Perhaps the number of self-propelled howitzers is not enough to accomplish such a task alone, but the caliber of our army's Type 38 artillery reaches 1005 millimeters, and the number is as high as 235 guns, and the Type 38 artillery shells can penetrate about 15 centimeters into the ground after landing, and after exploding, they can create a crater with a radius of more than 80 centimeters, and can also effectively destroy the explosives buried in the explosion range."

"In addition, our army has aerial bombardment to replenish. He found that a 100-millimeter mortar shell falling from a height of 800 meters could penetrate between 15 and 20 centimeters into the ground according to the hardness of the soil, and after exploding, it could create a crater with a radius of about 70 centimeters, all of which could destroy the explosives buried in the area. ”

"Therefore, it is recommended that all the self-propelled howitzers and Type 38 artillery of the 18th Straight Air Force, two divisions and one brigade of the Navy and Army Aviation be gathered to carpet bomb the Liaoyang position, so as to open up a safe passage of up to one kilometer wide for our attacking troops, and then quickly take Liaoyang City. The city of Liaoyang was broken, and the supply of Jiannu on the periphery of Liaoyang was all cut off, and within three days, Jiannu was destroyed without attacking. ”

As soon as Li Xuewen's words fell, Chief of Staff Li Zixiong, Political Minister Huang Bo and others took the lead in applauding.

Li Zixiong praised repeatedly: "Staff Officer Li is meticulous in his observations, meticulous in analysis, and rigorous in logic, and this strategy is completely feasible. The primary intention of our army is to take Liaoyang, and the outer Jiannu will not attack and will be in chaos, even if minefields are arranged in other directions, it is already useless. ”

Wang Yue laughed and said, "It seems that the General Staff is ready to adopt this strategy and choose to fight?" ”

"Fight, of course fight, the nail of Liaoyang must be pulled out in order to eliminate the last heavy fortress of Jiannu as soon as possible. After recovering Liaoyang, our army was able to completely free up its hands to encircle and suppress the remnants of Jiannu walking in Liaodong. Li Zixiong said.

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Okay, then it's decided, after the coordination of all departments is ready, you can launch an attack." ”

"Yes!"

......。

On 12 June, after more than a day of preparation, the 3rd and 6th Divisions of the Tiance Army, a brigade of the 1st Division, and a special operations brigade began the Liaoyang offensive.

The first to speak were 80 155-mm self-propelled howitzers, and the deafening sound of artillery resounded through the sky, and the huge projectiles crossed a distance of five kilometers and smashed fiercely into the positions of the Qing troops.

The shells fired by the 80 howitzers were arranged in a straight line like a rake, plowing through the Qing army's position, and wave after wave seemed to advance forward.

Two hundred and thirty-five Type 38 guns immediately joined the shelling.

Soon after the bombardment began, a wave of 70 Z-18 transport planes was also in the air, and then the carpet bombing began, the first wave of bombs was about to end and return home, the second wave of 70 and 18 planes arrived one after another, followed by the third wave, and when the third wave was about to finish its work, the first wave was again fully loaded, and the air raids were like a surging river.

。 vertex