"Wen Qing, do you have to leave after you beat Anqing?" Tao Chengzhang asked very seriously. If Tao Chengzhang still looked at this matter with a skeptical attitude half a day ago, now the tone of the leader of the Restoration Society has changed to dissuasion.

"Anqing hasn't been beaten yet." Chen Ke didn't want to waste his energy on such meaningless discussions.

Tao Chengzhang undoubtedly misunderstood Chen Ke's meaning, and he misinterpreted this sentence to mean that Chen Ke had not yet made up his mind whether to occupy Anqing. This made Tao Chengzhang feel a lot more relaxed.

After Chen Ke calmly passed on a lot of knowledge to Tao Chengzhang, Tao Chengzhang has changed his original attitude towards Chen Ke. February 1, 1907 is not 100 years later. 100 years later, Chen Ke's knowledge has spread to all corners of China, and it doesn't take any special price to get this "precious" knowledge. And in 1907, it was possible for only those upper strata of society to have access to this knowledge. As for such a detailed explanation, it will only be taught to the disciples who have entered the hall. According to the general understanding of this era, Chen Ke was showing favor to Tao Chengzhang, and the purpose of the show was nothing more than to reach a compromise. The basis for cooperation that Tao Chengzhang can provide now is nothing more than helping Chen Ke seize the leading power in Anqing. Tao Chengzhang has no objection to this. Anyway, the biggest revolutionary faction in Anqing is the Yue Wang Society, the People's Party, and the Guangfu Society, all of which are undoubtedly outsiders. Working hand in hand with Chen Ke to dominate the situation in Anqing is by no means a losing deal for the Restoration Society. What's more, Tao Chengzhang has recognized Chen Ke's military talents.

Tao Chengzhang did not have Chen Ke's depth of knowledge of the world and revolution as a whole, so he was already confused by the negative effects of this knowledge. "Knowledge is power!" Tao Chengzhang, who had gained new knowledge, felt that as long as the existing things could be applied, the People's Party and the Restoration Society would join hands and occupy Anqing, and they would inevitably be able to create a glorious revolution. Didn't the Manchus occupy these cities? With the siege skills taught by Chen Ke, there are thousands of elites that the People's Party already has. Is there any other city on both sides of the Yangtze River that can't be beaten?

Since Chen Ke said, "I'll talk about it after Anqing is defeated", Tao Chengzhang didn't ask any more. He asked, "What is Brother Wen Qing going to do next?" ”

Chen Ke didn't even think about it, "Give the soldiers food." At dawn the general attack will begin. ”

Tao Chengzhang immediately approvingly said to this statement, which sounded very abrupt: "Well said! Wen Qing said it well! ”

Tao Chengzhang really praised the uprising launched by the Restoration Society, and those "heroes of the rivers and lakes" who came to charge into battle had to eat and drink spicy. If you don't take care of a meal, someone will make trouble. Chen Ke's letting the soldiers eat before the war was extremely important in Tao Chengzhang's view. However, the staff officers and guards in the headquarters felt that Tao Chengzhang's statement was really too strange, and the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had always attached great importance to the food of the troops, especially the food during the battle. The troops were arranged with extreme rigor as far as they permitted. Tao Chengzhang's exaggerated performance made everyone's eyes look with great disdain.

At half past one in the evening, the feint attack that had been harassing Anqing for most of the night finally came to an end. The exhausted fighters retreated to safe positions and began to eat. The People's Party's pre-war meal was very simple, two salted duck eggs, half a steamed bun, and a bamboo tube of water. The food in the eastern part of the city was all hot food from the cooking squad near the command post. The troops were strictly ordered not to make noise, so no one spoke. After silently eating his own meal, at this time, the dark blue simple tents were erected, and in the night, these tents were not conspicuous at all. Under the whispered order of the squad and platoon leader, the fighters went into the low tents one after another to rest. Everyone knew that it would not be long before the siege battle would be carried out, and the Qing army at the head of the city did not show special combat ability, which made the soldiers who were originally excited and a little apprehensive a lot more relieved. Everyone was tired too, and soon after eating, they all started to get sleepy. These fighters, who already had a lot of experience in warfare, soon fell asleep.

Commanders at all levels did not sleep, they were able to be selected, not only because they had a stronger physique than the fighters, but also because these commanders had more lasting willpower than the fighters. The general headquarters was not far from the front line, the squad platoon commander was in charge of the frontline position, and the company commanders in the east of the city rushed back to the headquarters, and the originally deserted headquarters soon became lively. Since people can't sleep, at least some hot soup and other food should be provided. Commanders gathered around the map with bowls.

Chen Ke's finger pointed to the important places on the map everywhere, "The political envoy department, the governor's yamen, the county government of Huaining County, the yamen of the prefect of Anqing, the arsenal in Anqing, and the arsenal." Everyone has identified what they are responsible for. ”

These commanders all followed Chen Ke step by step from the beginning of disaster relief, and re-followed Chen Ke to determine the combat objectives, so that everyone had a sense of familiarity that had not been seen for a long time. After all, Chen Ke has not been directly in charge of military operations for a long time. This Anqing Battle was almost a war promoted by Chen Ke alone. Up to now, whether it was a march on a thousand miles of water or an attack on Anqing City from both sides, the war had always been on a pre-planned track for Chen Ke. This kind of plan, which was originally unimaginable, has reached the stage of final actual combat, and has entered the actual siege battle for which these middle and high-ranking commanders have sufficient experience. The admiration of the crowd for Chen Ke has turned into an indescribable conviction. Didn't anyone even think about the possibility of losing the war?

Chen Ke pointed to these key departments in Anqing City, and immediately the commanders who were responsible for attacking these places stood up and repeated the battle plan they had to undertake.

In the west of the city, hot food was brought directly from the barracks' quarters. Chai Qingguo and Pu Guanshui also made a battle plan. The west of the city was not the main direction of attack, and the feint attack in the first half of the night was carried out in the east of the city. But from half past three, the troops in the west of the city had to make a feint attack on the three gates at the same time. In order to mobilize the troops in Anqing City, let them draw troops as much as possible to support the west of the city.

Chai Qingguo was not so conservative, after the night battle, he was not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the new army in Anhui, "Lao Pu, you said that if we beat the gate in the west of the city, what should we do?" ”

Pu Guanshui is a very orthodox soldier, since the plan let him feint, he put himself in the position of resolutely executing the order, listening to Chai Qingguo's question, Pu Guanshui was stunned, "Our troops are insufficient, and the implementation of the feint is not enough, not to mention whether we can capture the West Gate, that is, to capture one of the three West Gates, the Anqing defenders will attack from the other two gates, and we will take a detour, what should we do?" ”

Chai Qingguo was very disdainful of such a conservative attitude towards Pu Guanshui, "We have captured so many guns, and the new army has no bullets, but we have them." These 900 guns can't beat the new army? ”

Pu Guanshui couldn't be so optimistic, "How many of our troops have practiced this new type of rifle?" It's not like you can just have a gun to hit. Undertraining is not a no. ”

Chai Qingguo still didn't think his idea was wrong, he said: "If you can't hit it far away, let's get close." Since we are going to defend the gates of the city, we just need to release our guns. It's not about hand-to-hand combat. As for the new army you mentioned rushing out, there are more than 30 people in our door who know how to ride horses, plus those who are Yue Wanghui, there are always 70 or 80. It's enough for me to bring such a cavalry. "With so many horses captured, Chai Qingguo is already itching.

Pu Guanshui was very helpless about Chai Qingguo's attitude, he paused, and then continued to persuade: "Brigade Commander Chai, it's not just for you to think it's okay to fight. Since we have a battle plan in advance, we must strictly implement the plan. Otherwise, what would we do with all the effort to make this plan? ”

"Okay, okay, I can't talk about you. Then go according to the plan. Chai Qingguo himself did not have the courage to break discipline, and the idea of letting the cavalry defend the city was purely improvised. Seeing that Pu Guanshui did not cooperate, Chai Qingguo also gave up this idea of asserting himself.

But Pu Guanshui didn't take Chai Qingguo's suggestion as a deaf ear, he thought for a while and asked: "Brigade Commander Chai, if you lead this horse team of seventy or eighty people, how much momentum can you pretend?" ”

"Huh?" Chai Qingguo was quite puzzled by the strange question of Pu Guanshui.

Pu Guanshui said his thoughts to Chai Qingguo, "It's not easy to walk at night, it's a disadvantageous place. But the Qing army in the city couldn't see our actions clearly. If Brigade Commander Chai is ......"

After listening to Pu Guanshui's suggestion, Chai Qingguo couldn't help laughing, "Haha, you have read a book, it's indeed not easy to walk at night, I know." I'll take someone to explore the way first, and I'll talk about it when I get back. ”

The night of February 1, 1907 was a difficult night for the residents of Anqing City. Bandits from nowhere surrounded Anqing City, and the gunfire did not stop from nightfall. Nearly 50 years ago, Anqing was tormented by the fire, and the gunfire once again aroused the fear of the elderly residents, who closed their doors and almost all stayed awake at night. The soldiers of the Anhui New Army also did not experience any substantive battles, and when the battle suddenly came, none of them were really ready to fulfill the soldiers' accusations. Although they were sent to the city and in the streets, the performance of these new troops was not so much that of soldiers as of a group of "armed civilians".

The government can impose a curfew to prohibit people from colluding with each other. However, it is not forbidden for officers and men to exchange information with each other. Since many people already knew that the People's Party was going to attack Anqing, the news began to spread frantically among the officers and soldiers. The skirmish at the North Gate killed the fifty New Army brothers in an instant, and the news spread even more. The legendary "People's Party" of thousands soon became tens of thousands. The two dull loud noises in the Battle of the North Gate turned into the People's Party using artillery and killing dozens of brothers. Some people are already secretly asking how to save their lives in battle. The soldiers of the New Army serve as soldiers for the sake of pay, and all their meritorious deeds are for better and more pay. Since he has encountered a strong enemy, there is no reason to die for the imperial court. If it weren't for the daily drills of the new army, it would have been okay, but I am afraid that the current situation would be even more chaotic.

Yu Dahong's mood became extremely bad, and he originally thought that there was just a rabble outside, and he could send people out from the city gate to drive them away. Unexpectedly, the opponent's firearms were sharp, and many rifles turned out to be the equipment of the officers and soldiers, and there were enemies outside several city gates. This confuses him, who the hell is out there. Since he couldn't rush out, Yu Dahong was simply ready to wait until daytime. If you can't see it clearly at night, it's always no problem during the day, right? But the other party's feint attack on the Zongyang Gate in the east made everyone wonder what to do. His own artillery is in Yingjiang Temple, and it has been taken by the other party. There was a burst of gunfire and explosions in the horse camp on the west side of the city, and when the sound ended, all the gates west of the city were blocked. The camp has also been destroyed. Such a military force suddenly appeared in Anqing City, and Yu Dahong no longer knew how to deal with it. He even suspected that the other party was a rebel new army that was preparing to capture Anqing.

After the hour, the thieves outside the city seemed to be tired, and finally stopped putting their guns down. Yu Xietong finally put his mind at ease, the city wall of Anqing is very high, and although the navy army is not there, it will be back soon. As long as you hold until that time, you will not worry about the thieves and the thieves will not retreat. However, the governor yamen sent people to inquire one after another, which made Yu Xietong very annoyed. In the end, Yu Xietong simply let people say that he had gone to patrol the city, and then he went back to the bedroom and lay down in his clothes.

Not long after lying down, someone ran in from outside. "My lord, there are people outside the west of the city who are trying to persuade you to surrender. The horse battalion has mutinied! ”

Yu Dahong was already a little sleepy, and he was immediately awakened by fright when he heard this. "What?"

It was a battalion officer from the west of the city who came in, and his face turned pale with fright under the light, "My lord, the horse camp has indeed surrendered to the rebels. The rebels professed to be what the People's Party. Many people in the horse camp helped them to surrender under the city. ”

"Then you guard the city well, what are you doing here with me?"

"They failed to persuade them to surrender, and they refused to open the city gate in the west of the city, and the large group of men and horses had already gone to the north of the city."

"How do you know they're heading north?" Yu Dahong hurriedly asked.

The subordinates heard clearly, and the team of people and horses was shaking. Heading straight to the north of the city. ”

Yu Dahong is very jealous of the fact that the 50th person was killed in one fit in the north of the city, although there has been no movement in the north of the city so far, how many thieves are hidden in the dark night? Yu Dahong was very worried about this, so he put a lot of troops in the north of the city. Now that the rebellious horse battalion and the thieves rushed to the north gate together, he no longer dared to slack off. "Pass the order, and first draw two reliable teams from the north gate to the north gate to defend. If anyone wants to defect to the thieves, they can be killed immediately. In addition, two teams of men were sent to me from the east of the city to the west gate. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Dahong felt uneasy again, he got up from the bed, "I'll go and give the order myself." ”

Ambushed by the moat with the soldiers, Pu Guanshui listened to the riots at the head of the city, and a large number of troops began to move. When the voice calmed down a little, Pu Guanshui said to Xiong Mingyang beside him: "Commissar Xiong, it's up to you." ”

Xiong Mingyang nodded, he didn't speak, just quietly took off his clothes, leaving only a pair of pants. Taking a bowl of wine from the warrior behind him and drinking it all, Xiong Mingyang crawled forward, until he reached the moat and slipped quietly into the water. Anqing is on the Yangtze River, and to the north is a large lake, so there is no shortage of water at all. Therefore, the moat is several zhang wide and the river is quite deep. The water was very cold in winter, and Xiong Mingyang slipped into the river, only to feel as if there were countless small needles poking his skin. He continued to swim forward without saying a word.

The warriors who were lying in ambush by the river watched Xiong Mingyang disappear into the dark moat, everyone held their breath, and they didn't know how long it had been, until they saw that there seemed to be a figure crawling across the moat. Arrived at the city wall again, and then a white thing was waving, which was the agreed signal, after Xiong Mingyang crossed the moat, he would wave a white cloth. The person with good eyesight saw Xiong Mingyang waving for a while, and quietly slipped back into the moat. After a while, Xiong Mingyang climbed up to the river bank from this side, still crawling back to the starting position in a prostrate posture.

"If you can get there, there seems to be no one in the city. Comrades, make your preparations and come with me immediately. Xiong Mingyang said. Although he tried his best to endure it, his teeth still couldn't help but tremble.

There were already soldiers handing over the clothes, but Xiong Mingyang didn't answer them at all, he said while holding the cold air, "I'm used to freezing it." ”

Half of the troops in this assault were party members, and the other half were party activists, and they were all quite good fighters in the water detachment. Commissar Xiong has already set an example, and everyone will not say more. First, a long ladder was quietly transported to the river, and everyone took off their clothes. Put clothes, guns, and grenades in a wooden basin. More than 30 men carried ladders and dragged wooden basins into the water.

This plan is extremely risky, and if it does not come true, these thirty or so people will be in danger. Pu Guanshui had already ordered people to prepare dozens of temporary bunkers, that is, he put up sacks full of soil on the table. Once Xiong Mingyang and the others were found in the opposite city, these temporary bunkers were immediately transported to the river, and the riflemen fired at the enemy in the city to cover the return of the assault team.

However, the enemies at the head of the city may feel that no one will actually swim across the moat in winter, so the number of enemies on this section of the wall is already small. In addition, Chai Qingguo's horse team attracted the attention of the enemy, and now the city is quiet.

"Let the silence continue!" All the warriors on this side of the moat, including Puguan Shui, couldn't help but pray. The assault team had quietly crossed the moat. The ladder slowly erected, and when it came into contact with the wall, it made a small impact. The commandos then began to climb up the ladder. Pu Guanshui's eyesight is good, and the commandos at the front have already climbed halfway, and they can climb another three or four meters to reach the top of the city wall. At this moment, it was determined that someone at the head of the city shouted, "Who! Then the torches lit.

"Quick! Push the table! Pu Guanshui anxiously whispered. According to the plan, the assault team would retreat immediately when it encountered problems, and Pu Guanshui would provide fire cover. When the comrades on this side of the moat stood up and prepared to act, they heard Xiong Mingyang's voice sounding on the other side of the moat, "it, comrades, get on!" With this roar, a violent explosion suddenly sounded at the head of the city. It was the sound of a grenade from the BJP, and the sneak attack turned into a storm.

The formidable Pu Guanshui of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army has seen it many times, as early as when this unit was still called the Insurance Regiment, the comrades in charge of the feint attack and siege in Fengyang Mansion turned the feint into a strong attack more than once, and they were able to succeed in the strong attack. Pu Guanshui was extremely satisfied with such morale, but the problem was that the landlord who didn't have a few decent rifles in the city was not the one in the enclosure. And inside the city are two or three thousand trained Anhui New Army.

Faced with such a backbone move, Pu Guanshui was immediately put in a dilemma. If they didn't support Xiong Mingyang, they would immediately face the enemy's siege. But the preparations up to now have been preparations for shooting at the enemy at the head of the city. When Xiong Mingyang commanded the assault team to attack the city, it was very likely that the commando members would be injured by mistake by shooting at the enemy at the head of the city. If the reinforcement of troops is implemented, then Pu Guanshui, who not long ago opposed Chai Qingguo's feint attack into a strong attack, will personally change the original plan.

Pu Guanshui's dilemma did not last long, the first commandos had successfully climbed to the top of the city, and the soldiers behind followed one by one to the top of the city. Then there was the explosion of grenades, then the sound of rifle fire. and the screams of the wounded. The battle intensified in an instant.

It is absolutely impossible not to save him when he dies, Pu Guanshui gritted his teeth and shouted to the cadres around him: "Third platoon leader, you immediately lead the team over to support." ”

"Yes!" The third platoon commander did not hesitate at all. "Three rows out of line!"

With this command, dozens of fighters ran out with a bang. "Undress! Carry the ladder! Offal! The third platoon leader shouted. After yelling, he took the lead in unbuttoning his shirt, took off his military uniform and threw it on the ground.

Xiong Mingyang didn't know that his actions had greatly changed the original deployment, and when he was discovered by the enemy, Xiong Mingyang immediately made a judgment in his heart, "If you turn around and flee, you will die, and if you fight bravely, you will die." Such a thought was only a matter of a moment, and then Xiong Mingyang immediately made a decision that was almost instinctive for a true warrior. Offensive!

As soon as this order was given, the members of the commando team did not pause at all. In accordance with the tactics that had been practiced many times, the grenadiers had already pulled the fuse of the grenade and threw the grenade on the top of the city. Warriors who are climbing the ladder don't have to worry about making noise, and their climbing speed is more than doubled. It didn't take long for the assault team to rush to the top of the city.

February 2, 1907, 3:05 a.m. The siege of Anqing has entered the level of fierce fighting.