Because of Tang Jingming, Wang Derong got some information as he wished, but these news were basically the same as the information he had before, and the slight difference was that the Eighth Division and the Tenth Division of the Beiyang Army that went south to reinforce Henan had arrived near Yanshi and Luoyang, and it was not just an infantry regiment led by Tang Tianxi, commander of the Fifth Brigade of the Third Division of the Beiyang Army, who occupied Lingbao County, because it was also equipped with an artillery battalion with 18 75 mountain guns. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

In China in this era, looking at the armies of all sides in the country, except for the People's Army, if they can match the regimental size of the troops with artillery operations, then the unit is definitely the main force of the main force and the elite of the elite.

After learning of Wang Derong's report, Fan Shisheng, who knew how powerful it was, hurriedly reported the situation to the regimental headquarters behind, and personally led two companies to rush forward to support the third company, ready to defend against the attack of the Beiyang Army at any time.

Although the transmission of news was relatively slow in recent years, Fan Shisheng's action of building fortifications outside Yangping Town with great fanfare was quickly known to Tang Tianxi in Lingbao City. Now, the People's Army is passing through Tongguan and is continuously transferring troops and combat materials into Henan, and the current situation is not very good for the Beiyang Army. If we can get off to a good start at this time and give the vanguard of this People's Army a head-on blow, it will not only be able to boost the morale of the Beiyang Army, but also be able to deal a blow to the arrogance of the People's Army. Thinking so, Tang Tianxi quickly started to act after some planning.

On May 5, 1913, outside the town of Yangping, the two armies held each other's positions.

Tang Tianxi rode a horse and stood on a small hill, then took out a telescope and continuously swept the positions of the People's Army in front, and said to Zhang Muhan, the commander of the Ninth Infantry Regiment who accompanied him: "Brother Zhang, this People's Army seems to be very well prepared!" ”

"There are no vain people under the fame, if the rumors are true, then this battle is going to be difficult!" Zhang Muhan also looked ahead, and said with a somewhat bad face.

Since he was preparing to come to find trouble, Zhang Muhan naturally studied the enemy's details. Although the troops of the 10th Division of the People's Army are not as trump cards as the 3rd and 4th Divisions, they are also the main force that has been tempered on the battlefield in Burma.

"It's hard to fight. Now the division commander is watching in Shaanzhou, as a striker, if we don't do something, I'm afraid it will be difficult to turn back! Tang Tianxi sighed leisurely and said.

Zhang Muhan nodded: "That's right." In this case, brigade commander, I'll pick one and test one or two first. ”

"Well, tell the brothers below to fight me well, and be sure to test their firepower configuration." Tang Tianxi said this, and continued: "Tell them that our Beiyang Third Division is not muddy. ”

Soon, in the front where the two armies were holding each other, a group of more than 100 Beiyang Army wearing gray military uniforms began to break away from their own line and quickly rushed towards the position of the People's Army. While the infantry was charging, a battalion of artillery under the 3rd Artillery Regiment of the Beiyang Army, which came with the 9th Regiment, also began to continuously shell the positions of the People's Army, providing artillery support for the infantry of the Beiyang Army who were constantly charging on the front line.

When the cannon roared, on the opposite position, Fan Shisheng was lying on a hillside, watching the Beiyang Army carry out such a standard infantry and artillery coordinated attack from the telescope, and his expression was unprecedentedly dignified. The infantry of the Beiyang Army is all strong and strong, and the tactical movements look extremely standardized, and the artillery of the Beiyang Army is also fast and ruthless, stable and accurate. Fan Shisheng knew the strength of his own troops, especially after the test of the Burma battlefield, but now he intuitively saw the scene of the Beiyang Army charging under fierce artillery fire, and he had to admit in his heart that aside from weapons and equipment, the strength of this Beiyang Army in some aspects was definitely not inferior to his own.

If Fan Shisheng felt the pressure in the telescope, then Wang Derong, who was in the front line, directly faced this huge pressure.

"Damn, these bastards, they're really ruthless!" Wang Derong scolded with some hatred in the face of the charge of his old troops. Although their own mortars had begun to continuously block the shelling, and the shells also fell in the middle of the charging crowd, their formation was not chaotic, and their charge did not stop at all.

The artillery of the People's Army began to fire back, which was expected for Tang Tianxi, Zhang Muhan and others, who were watching the battle in the rear, but they were still a little surprised.

"There's got to be a battalion of artillery, right? Or curved artillery? The caliber does not seem to be small. Zhang Muhan said with some uncertainty. For this tentative attack, the Beiyang Army concentrated a battalion of mountain artillery for artillery support, but he never imagined that the artillery density of such a small army of the People's Army would not fall behind them in the slightest.

"According to intelligence, this should be a mortar that is not even equipped with the armies of the great powers at present, and only the People's Army is equipped alone." Zhang Muhan couldn't figure it out, but Tang Tianxi was still very clear. There is some information that Zhang Muhan, as the regiment commander, can't reach, but as a brigade commander, he can.

The artillery of both sides was engaged in heavy shelling, but the damage suffered by the shelling was different. In Burma, the People's Army was faced with even more fierce artillery bombardment, hiding in the anti-artillery holes built behind the trenches, although facing the fierce shelling of the Beiyang Army, but did not suffer much losses, on the other hand, the Beiyang Army was different, they were in a state of offensive charge, they suffered such a dense artillery fire in the open field, and many people were injured. Although the Beiyang Army of this company was still charging non-stop, and had rushed to a distance of three or four hundred meters from the infantry, Tang Tianxi, who was watching the battle from the rear, frowned more and more.

Because as the Beiyang Army rushed closer and closer, the light and heavy machine guns on the People's Army's position also began to be suppressed from a long distance, and as soon as the machine guns were fired, the Beiyang Army in the charge was suppressed in an instant. Although the commander of the Beiyang Army on the front line hurriedly ordered to find cover, and then took the few remaining Beiyang Army and the People's Army to shoot at each other, but because the distance was too far, such a confrontation obviously made the Beiyang Army suffer more.

"It seems that the KPA's weapons and equipment are even better than we imagined. Not to mention that it is not inferior to our army in terms of artillery, it is far superior to our army in terms of machine guns. Seeing this, Tang Tianxi said with a gloomy face. At present, the Beiyang Army does not have the concept of light and heavy machine guns, and Tang Tianxi did not look carefully just now, so he did not find the difference between light and heavy machine guns, so he regarded the light machine guns equipped by the People's Army as heavy machine guns.

After a rough estimate of the weapons and equipment of the People's Army in his heart, Tang Tianxi pondered for a while and then ordered to Zhang Muhan beside him: "Prepare to cover and let the company in front withdraw!" ”

Since it is a test of firepower, then the task of the company in front of it has been completed, and it is useless to continue to spend it there now, so it is better to withdraw directly. Tang Tianxi said it lightly, but Zhang Muhan's face collapsed when he heard this. A full company of more than 100 people, how many people are left who can move at this time? Cover them to retreat? But under such circumstances, how many people can be withdrawn? But the order is still being carried out, and things still have to be done. As a result, another large-scale artillery bombardment of the Beiyang Army began, and several companies in front also launched a feint attack at the same time, and the company responsible for testing the firepower finally began to retreat slowly under the rumbling gunfire, but in the end it was only a dozen people who could withdraw completely.

"The Beiyang Army, it's really a fierce enemy! It is only stronger than the British Army. Fan Shisheng, who had been watching the battle from behind, couldn't help but sigh. After sighing, he immediately counted his own casualties and the consumption of ammunition and materials, and reported in detail to the regimental headquarters about the brief confrontation with the Beiyang Army.

After reading Fan Shisheng's telegram by his regiment commander and division commander, it was finally forwarded to the headquarters in charge of the war on the Eastern Front in Tongguan, which also gave the headquarters a more intuitive judgment of the overall strength of the Beiyang Army. After all, all the units of the People's Army before, except for a brief and unofficial battle with the Beiyang Army, the other units had never been in contact with it at all, and their combat strength was only based on hearsay. Only now, after the first battalion of the 28th Regiment of the 10th Division and a company of the 9th Regiment of the 5th Brigade of the 3rd Division of the Beiyang Army had a head-to-head confrontation, the People's Army had an intuitive understanding of the actual combat effectiveness of the Beiyang Army. Of course, in the same way, the Beiyang Army also received a lot of information from the People's Army.

Fan Shisheng handed the report to the above, Tang Tianxi naturally would not be idle, and he also sent a relevant battle report to his boss, Cao Kun, the commander of the Third Beiyang Division. In the report, he not only emphasized the real combat strength of the KPA, but also highlighted the large number of machine guns and mortars that the KPA is equipped with.

"Mortars? It is mainly a curved fire, with a short gun body, a short firing range, light and flexible, and can shoot at targets behind shelters. Cao Kun looked at the report in his hand, and muttered about the mortar: "It seems that this battle is really not easy to fight!" ”

That night, the main force of the 3rd Division led by Cao Kun personally arrived at the periphery of Lingbao, and after joining up with the 9th Regiment of the 5th Brigade, he sent a regiment to try to surprise the People's Army defending Yangping Town with the superiority of troops.

If the Beiyang Army wants to get off to a good start, the 28th Regiment of the People's Army will naturally do the same. It was with the same idea in mind that in this fierce field battle, in the face of the superiority of the People's Army's firepower, the Beiyang Army, which launched a series of fierce attacks, suffered heavy casualties and finally had to take the lead in withdrawing from the battle.