Chapter 40: The Battle of Tongdeng (10)

Chapter 40: The Battle of Tongdeng (10)

"The mountain of the Guitun Fort is called Pingdingshan, and this fort was built by the French in three years decades ago." He Guoan, an old militiaman, was drawing sketches on the ground and introduced to us: "At that time, the French used it to fight Little Japan, and Little Japan fought for 45 days and failed to take down this fort, which is 300 meters long, 100 meters wide, and 1.5-3 meters thick, all of which are poured with steel bars and cement. It's hard, no cannon can hit it......"

After a pause, He Guoan pointed to the sketch and said: "This fort is divided into three floors, with a three-meter-wide passage in the middle, and a room next to it, and there are two floors that are 'exposed' from the ground. Gao Mo ...... It has the appearance of five or six meters, there is an entrance and exit on all four sides, and the 'door' is an iron 'door', which can prevent poison and set fire; There are also ten ventilation windows and a lookout at the top, and the mortar can shoot outwards at that one*; There are also more than 300 'shooting' holes next to it, densely packed like honeycombs...... There are also water, electricity, and ventilation holes...... There's also an auditorium, and it's not a problem to fit a few thousand people in the entire fort......"

Listening to He Guoan's explanation, I couldn't help but be stunned, where is this fort, it is clearly a fortress, the soldiers also looked at each other, they always used to fight the ghost fort, but it was just like before, attacking the camp and pulling out the village, where would I think that this thing was still a big bunker that could accommodate thousands of people......

"Comrade He," I said, pointing to the sketch of the fort drawn by He Guoan, "this fort ...... Does it have a secret passage to anywhere else?"

In fact, this point is obvious, and the construction of such a fort, which can accommodate thousands of people, is certainly not to protect the common people. As a military facility, it has only one purpose, that is, to garrison troops.

If the fort is used to garrison troops, then it is certainly not only used to ensure the strength of the fort in one place. If this were the case, then the battery would become an isolated point of fire, and it would be nothing more than a turtle shell.

Of course, the French were not fools, and they had a lot of experience in building such strong fortifications. Didn't they build a "Maginot Line" during World War II? Although it turned out to be a joke, we still have to admit that the line of defense was indeed impregnable, just like the Ghost Forts they are building now.

"Yes" He Guoan nodded and replied: "The reason why the fort built an auditorium that can accommodate more than a thousand people is to transport troops to other places, so there are several underground passages that can lead to Tanmou, Tanlong, the railway station and the nameless highlands in its southwest."

"Oh" Hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help but suddenly realize, and said gossipingly: "No wonder when we inquire about a certain time, we always feel that the more devils are like that, but no matter how we fight, we can't finish fighting......"

"It turns out that there is still this cat, and the 638 regiment is also angry because of this reason, so I can't go down to the ridge for a long time."

"And that train station too"

……

In fact, this is reasonable, now that I think about it, the reason why we were able to successfully defeat Tan Mou is probably because when we captured Tan Mou's artillery position, a large number of shells and tunnels were blown up and blocked the tunnel of the Guitun Fort to Tan Mou's support.

That's right...... The chain explosion of those carloads was not to be underestimated. Moreover, there are still a large number of tunnel exits between the No. 16 and No. 17 positions, and such an explosion is actually a coincidence that cuts off the connection between Tan and the Guitun Fort, otherwise it will not be easy for us to take down Tan.

At this time, a signal soldier came forward and reported: "Commander Zhang asked why we haven't reached our destination yet......

"Don't go," I remembered that I was still on my way to reinforce the 637th Regiment. After patting his buttocks and standing up, he shook hands with He Guoan, and said with emotion: "Comrade He Guoan, thank you very much for the information you provided us. But...... In order for us to be able to lay the fort better, I hope you can go on the road with us, I don't know ...... you"

"No problem" Before I could finish speaking, He Guoan nodded and said: "I came back this time to help you lay this fort, and I don't want to drive me away if you want to."

With a coax, the soldiers laughed, and at the same time welcomed the zealous militia in their own way. Some soldiers warmly welcomed him into the team, some soldiers carried equipment for him, and some soldiers stepped forward to talk to him. This He Guoan is also a self-acquaintance, although he is old enough to be the father of the soldiers, but he still quickly got along with the soldiers.

The Ghost Tun Fort is not far from us, it is only a few miles away, and I led the soldiers to follow the tank of Battalion Commander Wu all the way, turning around in the mountains, and it took me more than 20 minutes to come to the station of the 637th Regiment.

The first thing that came into our sight was a large group of wounded soldiers, the screams and the smell of fish permeating the entire station, and the ground was littered with black 'colored' blood clots and bloody bandages. The scene was very 'chaotic' and 'chaotic', and several Jiefang cars were immediately filled with a bunch of wounded soldiers as soon as they drove up, and the wounded soldiers who could not get on the bus had to reluctantly retreat and wait for the next batch. The military doctor in the white coat was busy with these wounded soldiers, and he hardly stopped for a moment.

A little further on, I saw several warriors sitting or lying down. At first, I wondered why they could stay here without any injuries. But I seemed to understand something from their empty eyes, and they seemed to be exhausted, or rather, they had lost faith in the war......

Later, I learned that it was not just a few of them who were like this, but the entire 637 regiment seemed to be in such a negative mood. There are two reasons for this, one is that the casualties are too heavy, which is a big blow to their morale. The second reason is that the Ghost Forts are too strong, and many soldiers think that it is an unbreakable fortress. As the Vietnamese army boasted, they also considered the Ghost Tun Fort to be an "impregnable fortress"

No one came to greet us, only the sound of artillery and machine guns in front of us. I think this is normal, the 637th Regiment is under such a heavy blow, I am afraid that everyone is anxious, where would they think of arranging people to receive reinforcements from other troops......

After finding a place on the second front line as a temporary station for the troops, I took Battalion Commander Ding, Battalion Commander Wu, He Guoan and a few others all the way to the regimental headquarters of the 637th Regiment. I asked several soldiers along the way, and finally found the regimental headquarters in a rock 'cave'.

After the guards went in to report, they quickly greeted two people, one tall and one short, from inside.

"Alas, we were talking about reinforcements just now, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon," the tall man warmly shook my hand and said: "Welcome, comrade, I am Zhao Chuangqiang, the head of the 637 Regiment." This is political commissar Wang Hui."

"Hello comrade, hello comrade, welcome ......," Political Commissar Wang also shook hands with us one by one very politely.

"Report to the regiment commander" I replied: "I am Cui Wei, the commander of the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 639th Regiment, and I was ordered to come to reinforce"

"Are you...... Captain? Hearing this, Head Zhao couldn't help but be stunned.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Then you came for reinforcements...... How many troops are there? ”

"Two infantry companies," I replied, "plus a tank battalion, but ...... There are only two dozen Type 63 tanks "

There was obviously a hint of disappointment on Chief Zhao's face.

Political Commissar Wang obviously felt this embarrassing atmosphere, and hurriedly stepped forward to play a round and said, "Come on...... Comrades, go in and sit down for a while."

As soon as I walked into the regiment headquarters, I felt a depressing atmosphere, although the telegraph corps and the signal corps were still busy, but when they listened carefully, they were all there: "What? It's not down yet, how did you guys do it? ”

"How can the casualties be so big?"

"No matter what the cost, you must take down the nameless heights for me"

……

There were also several cadres, one of whom still had a bandage on his head, and he was supposed to be a deputy regiment commander or chief of staff. They all sat in front of the map with their heads pulled and didn't speak, just 'smoking' their cigarettes. The smell of tobacco was already thick in the cave, and even I, a smoker, had an urge to escape.

"This is the commander of the first battalion, the commander of the second battalion, Chief of Staff Li......" Regiment Commander Zhao pointed to the cadres and introduced them to me casually, and those cadres also nodded at me, and one of them politely handed me a cigarette, and then stopped talking.

"The situation is like this," Commander Zhao said, pointing to the map on the table, "In front of us, there are mainly three strongholds of the Nameless Heights, the Railway Station and the Guitun Fort, which form a triangle and can support each other with firepower. If we want to attack the positive slope of the Guitun Fort, we must pass through the railway station. The railway station is located in a low position, which is not difficult to fight, but it is supported by the fire of the Guitun Fort on the unnamed heights. If we attack the anticline of the Ghost Tun Fort, we will not only face the fire of the fort, but also be 'fired' from the side of the unnamed heights of the Vietnamese army......"

Hearing Commander Zhao's introduction, I quickly understood that there was a triangular defensive position in the place of Guitun Fort.

After "Company Commander Cui" said a lot, Regiment Commander Zhao said directly to me: "We have suffered seven or eight hundred casualties in our two attacks, and your reinforcements this time are only two companies plus one tank battalion...... It's still a Type 63 tank, I think that's a drop in the bucket."

"I know that your troops are also insufficient," Commissar Wang said: "Your 639th Regiment has successfully defeated Tan, and sending two more companies to reinforce us can already be said to be the limit." But...... I also think that if we want to take down the Ghost Fort, this amount of troops is still far from enough."

"What do the regimental commanders and commissars mean......," I asked, "are you going to wait for more reinforcements to arrive before launching a third attack?" ”

"I think this is a safe way to play," Commander Zhao nodded and said, "We need more artillery support, more fire cover, and more troops...... And it will have to go through a detailed and well-thought-out plan before launching a third attack, otherwise...... I think it's all irresponsible to the fighters."

I have to admit that Commander Zhao's idea was right, and if he didn't find a suitable way to attack, it would only increase unnecessary casualties, and at the same time, it would also be irresponsible for the lives of the soldiers.

But......

I circled the three locations on the map: the Guitun Fort, the Nameless Heights, and the Railway Station, and said: "This triangular defense covers an area of only a few square miles, and in such a small area, I don't think that a large number of troops will help us much but increase casualties."

"Hmm" Head Zhao nodded, having to admit this fact.

In fact, I think it's not that he doesn't know this truth, but because the casualties of their regiment are too great, or they just have lost confidence in attacking the Guitun Fort, hoping that another army can take their place.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but glance at Head Zhao, who seemed to feel that I had seen through it, and his face couldn't help but show a trace of shame.

However, I think this is normal, and it is said that most of the cadres at the division and regiment level at this time were promoted from the battalion and platoon levels. They have little command experience and combat experience, and as soon as they come up, they will encounter the hard nail of the Guitun Fort, so it is no wonder that they will not have some negative emotions

"Regiment commander, political commissar" In order to enhance their confidence in this battle, I pulled the old militia He Guoan behind me and said: "Let me introduce, this comrade's name is He Guoan, he built a fort for the French when he was a child, so he knows the internal structure of the Guitun fort very well."

"Oh" Hearing me say this, the cadres who originally had no 'fine' color couldn't help but light up, and they all looked at He Guoan. There were even a few people on the spot who stood up and asked, "Do you really know the internal structure of the Ghost Fort?" ”

It's useless to just say, the last time He Guoan drew on the ground with a branch, this time he drew with a pencil on paper, and while drawing, he recalled and explained.

"This is it...... On the second floor, I remember that there was another fellow here who fell down and never got up again."

"And here, a big rock fell from above, crushing two people underneath, and the blood flowed...... No one will recognize them as they are."

……

Of course, we didn't bother to listen to those little stories from him, but watched the ghost fort appear in front of us one by one.

Finally, when the internal structure of the Guitun Fort appeared in front of us, Regiment Commander Zhao couldn't help but shake his head and sighed: "I didn't expect that there are so many famous halls in this fort, no wonder we paid so many casualties and failed to capture it." Now it seems that this is not far off."

"Yes" Political Commissar Huang also nodded: "We still think that there are so many people in the fort, and we want to slowly consume them." Now it seems that it is a fool's dream, and they are not even hurt by the skin."

"But......" the bandaged cadre asked, getting up, "how can you know the internal structure of this fort?" Our mortar will only hit a white spot if it shoots at that battery."

There was silence again in the cave. Everyone knows that this cadre is right, our army's two attacks, and even the Guitun Fort has not been 'touched', so knowing its internal structure does not seem to play a role.

But that's not the case.

"Comrade," I pointed to the structural diagram and asked He Guoan, "Do you remember...... In which direction did the turret's tunnel lead to the rest of the place? ”

"It seems to be ......" He Guoan thought for a while, pointed to the two locations on the map and said: "It seems that there is one here, and there is here, which direction is it...... I don't remember very clearly."

"Think again, think again"

"Well, there is another one in this position," He Guoan pointed to another position and said, "It is due south, and there is another one in the southwest direction."

"Hmm" I nodded, turned around and asked Commander Zhao, "Can Commander Zhao arrange a few artillery observers?" ”

"Artillery observers?" Regiment Commander Zhao and the other cadres looked at each other, then nodded and said, "No problem, but why do you want artillery observers?" ”

"That's it," the battalion commander with a bandage on his head continued: "If you want to blow up the battery with artillery, then I advise you not to try it, that thing can't be blown up even by airplanes."

"I'm not trying to blow up the fort," I shook my head and said, "I'm trying to blow up the Secret Tunnel."

"Blow up the dark passage?" Everyone threw suspicious and confused glances at me.

"That's right," I nodded, pointed to the map, and said, "Comrade He Guoan has just said that there is a cantonment auditorium in the Guitun Fort, and there are thousands of Vietnamese troops here. It was also these thousands of soldiers and Vietnamese troops who sent reinforcements to the soldiers' highlands, railway stations, Tanmou, and Tanlong through the secret passages under the Guitun Fort. It is precisely because of this that our army has always been unable to clean up the Vietnamese troops in these locations. But...... What if we could blow up these tunnels? ”

"That's right" Regiment Leader Zhao couldn't help but slam his fist on the map and said, "We were only thinking about how to knock down the ghosts, why didn't we think of blocking their way out first." Once the dark passage is blown up by us, then the Vietnamese troops in the Tanlong, the railway station, and the nameless heights will not fight less and less, and a few artillery fires will be completed with one more charge. The rest of the ghost tun is not up to us to play......"

"But...... How do we know where the enemy's secret passages are? Another question was raised.

"Artillery observer," Regiment Commander Zhao said excitedly, "We just need to know the location of the secret passage inside the fort...... I don't know how to 'get it', let the artillery observers toss around, let them use the mirror to aim at the corresponding direction of the battery...... You can see the direction of the dark path with a big sigh, right? ”

"Commander Zhao is right," I nodded and added, "but not necessarily, we also have to observe the firepower points in other places, such as where the Vietnamese troops at the railway station are replenished from." In this way, you can know the location of the entrance and exit of the secret passage, so where the secret passage is, it will not be far away."

"Once these secret tunnels are blown up," Commander Zhao gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "The thousands of troops of the Yue Devil will only be suffocated to death in the Ghost Tun Fort."