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Chapter 736: Who is the Boiled Duck (3)

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the Red Army on the Datongan battlefield retreated before the artillery battalion of Lu Yixuan's 17th Division entered the battlefield and fired the first round of shells, and the commander of the 50th Brigade, Guo Peirong, and the commander of the 49th Brigade, Zhou Mingxi, the two brothers who graduated from the third phase of Huangpu, had a little discussion, and with the consent of the division commander Lu Yixuan, the 50th Brigade rushed through the battlefield filled with gunpowder and launched a pursuit. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

At the same time, the 51st Brigade, which had advanced to the Huangmei Ferry in the upper reaches of Zhangshui, began to cross the river under the command of Brigade Commander Zhang Zuying. Since the end of the Fengxin Campaign of the Northern Expedition, he began to serve as the operational staff officer of the Anyi Supplementary Regiment at that time, and successively served as the deputy commander of the infantry battalion of the Independent Regiment, the commander of the machine gun battalion, the deputy commander of the infantry regiment, the military instructor of the independent division's teaching regiment, and the commander of the Fifth Regiment of the Hujialin Independent Division.

After He Yingqin annexed the Nanchang garrison force, almost all the commanders above the battalion commander of the garrison units in Jiangxi and Jiangxi resigned, and the officers and soldiers of the three brigades were left with only two brigades in the end, among which the 51st Brigade, which had the most military morale fluctuation problems, had mutiny several times, and after the former brigade commander Dong Qihui was executed by Chiang Kai-shek for committing opium trafficking against the wind, the 51st Brigade was even more leaderless and could not be controlled, Lu Yixuan thought about it for a long time, so he had to put down his son and ask Yang Bin for help, and then Zhang Zuying, who had a steady and down-to-earth style, took office, With its prestige and profound qualifications in the Anjia Army and the garrison force, the chaos of the two brigades was quickly quelled, the two brigades were disrupted and reorganized, and the newly formed mountain brigade was handed over to Lu Yixuan's sworn brother - Guo Peirong, who graduated from the third phase of the Huangpu infantry department, and the remaining two regiments of veteran ruffians from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi formed the 51st Infantry Brigade, which quickly showed good cohesion and combat effectiveness under the leadership of Zhang Zuying. The 4,500 officers and men who have undergone the new training and political and ideological education of the Anjia Army have become more and more mature in the year-long encirclement and suppression battles, and the commanders at all levels have become more and more stable like their brigade commander Zhang Zuying.

The assault battalion of the 152nd Regiment successfully crossed the turbid and turbid river through Zhang Zuying's telescope, and quickly occupied a favorable position to launch a vigilance; more than 10 ropes more than 60 meters long were tightly fixed by the officers and men of the engineer battalion to the big trees and wooden stakes on both banks, and the wooden boats fixed on the thick ropes with steel rings and iron chains were loaded with officers and men, and smoothly shuttled over the rapids. Zhang Zuying put down the binoculars, wiped the water stains from the thick beard on her upper lip, and ordered the combat staff officer to call the division commander Lu Yixuan: The 51st Brigade is crossing the south bank, and it is expected to be able to attack the original target in 40 minutes.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Deng Ping, commander of the Fifth Army of Peng Dehuai's Corps, who had received an urgent report and hurried, stood on the forested mountainside in the south, looking at the large number of Kuomintang troops that suddenly appeared on the south bank of Zhangshui in the north, and was surprised: "How could a group of enemies suddenly appear and find out whether the number of the troops crossing the river is clear?" ”

The commander of the Red Seventh Division hurriedly replied: "It is certain that this is a brigade in Lu Yixuan's Seventeenth Division, but whether it is the forty-ninth brigade or the fifty-first brigade has not yet been figured out." According to the report of the Twelfth Army, the enemy army in Datong'an, which was being led by their noses, was the 50th Brigade of Guo Peirong, Lu Yixuan's elite mountain brigade. ”

Deng Ping nodded, raised the binoculars again to observe carefully, looked at it for a while and said with great certainty: "It must be the 51st Brigade led by Zhang Zuying, this brigade met with us in late March, almost all the officers and soldiers are veteran ruffians, very capable of fighting, Zhang Zuying is also very cunning like their division commander Lu Yixuan, our army has failed to trap the department several times with heavy troops, this time they dared to cross the river alone and rush forward, obviously wanting to occupy Niutouling in one fell swoop and cut off the east-west passage of our army, It formed an angle with the two brigades of the 17th Division, which were 12 kilometers to the east...... Lao Peng is really powerful, which also thought of him, and he also made a targeted layout in advance, if he is not convinced, he can't do it! ”

The commander of the Red Seventh Division also picked up the binoculars and looked at it again, but he didn't see the difference between the unit in front of him and the other two brigades of the Seventeenth Division, and finally put down his doubts, looked at Deng Ping and asked puzzledly: "Commander Deng, how can you tell that this is Zhang Zuying's 51st Brigade, not Zhou Mingxi's 49th Brigade?" ”

"You guys, you just don't want to use your brains more, the 49th Brigade is almost all composed of Shandong big men, although the 51st Brigade in front of you is wearing the same toad suit and carrying the same weapons, but the stature is generally short, it is clearly Jiangxi and Hunan soldiers, you can tell it with a little care."

Deng Ping turned his head and glanced at the group of division commanders who were smiling: "Order, all divisions immediately withdraw from the positions around the two roads, ambush in the depths of Jiguan Mountain and Ma'anling on both sides, put the enemy in, and ambush the battlefield at the foot of the ridge north of the town." Remember, don't try to capture and destroy the enemy's reconnaissance team, let alone let the enemy discover the traces of our army, whoever exposes his whereabouts Lao Tzu shoots him!

"This time, we must completely annihilate the 17th Division, the most elite division of the Kuomintang army, so that Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the reactionaries, can feel the pain of his skin and know the strength of our Red Army! Go ahead and prepare. ”

"Yes!"

The generals saluted and quickly left.

Deng Ping whispered to his political commissar: "Order the independent regiment to leave the hiding place immediately, detour to the right, and immediately annihilate the small force of the enemy army remaining at the ferry after the battle starts, occupy favorable terrain, and tightly block the retreat of the 51st Brigade." Lao Peng's instructions that once any part of the 17th Division appears, we must eat him without hesitation, as long as any part of the 17th Division is defeated, the first army in the east will be much easier to fight, and if everything goes well, our two corps and six divisions will definitely be able to annihilate this unit that gives us a headache in one fell swoop, and bankrupt the conspiracy of the Kuomintang reactionaries. ”

"Okay, I'll personally rush to the Independent Regiment, the opportunity is rare, we must eliminate this 51st Brigade!" After saying that, the political commissar turned around and left, and without hesitation, he went to the front line to direct the operation.

Deng Ping turned to the communications staff officer in the grass hut: "Send a telegram to the chief: The enemy's 51st Brigade is slowly advancing towards our joint headquarters, and it is expected that within an hour, the enemy's forward troops will reach the foot of the Zhenbei Ridge and enter the ambush circle of our army." ”

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Great Ancestral Temple at the northern foot of Meiling.

The corps commander, who had been here in the morning to direct the actions of the divisions, silently listened to the reports of the staff officers under his command, calmly drew marks and arrows on the map with the two-color pencil in his hand, and threw down the pen and nodded slightly to Nie Rongzhen and Chen Qihan beside him:

"Captain Peng expects the enemy to take the lead! With three reserve regiments under the banner of the main force of the Fifth Army, with the cooperation of the four local brigades, they rushed eastward, tore through the encirclement of Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army with a single charge, made a feint until dark to attract the attention of the enemy, and then quietly withdrew from the battlefield, turned around and advanced eastward at full speed, and finally caused the enemy to miscalculate, and the enemy's 17th Division, which was known for its steadiness, was the first to be mobilized with the close cooperation of our two corps.

"Judging from the current arrangement of Comrade Deng Ping's Fifth Army, the 51st Brigade of the enemy's 17th Division will soon enter the ambush circle of their two divisions and two regiments, and after their western front is fully launched, we can launch a flanking attack on the enemy's 50th Brigade, and as soon as we engage, we will fight fiercely, forcing the 49th Brigade, which is three kilometers behind the 50th Brigade, to rush to help, and then the 1st Division, which is ambushed at the western foot of the Datong Mountain, will go all out to attack and occupy the Datongan Pass, block the two elite brigades to the death in this area within a radius of four kilometers, and strive to launch a charge after dark. Divide and completely destroy this stubborn enemy with superior forces. ”

All the generals nodded in unison, their faces were full of joy, Nie Rongzhen thought for a while and asked: "The majority of the troops have been transferred to us, and Mr. Zhu only uses two divisions and more than 2,000 local troops to deal with the enemy's 52nd division, is it a little weaker in terms of troops?" ”

**Shaking his head: "Enough, Mr. Zhu never fights uncertain battles, and he only allocated the three main forces in his hands to us after repeated calculations." Li Ming's 52nd Division was heavily damaged by our army at the beginning of the year, and it had been less than two months since it was reorganized, and its headquarters had changed from two brigades and five regiments of Division A to three regiments of Division B, and more than half of them were newly recruited soldiers, and its combat effectiveness was almost negligible. Secondly, Zhou Zhirou's 14th Division seems to be less than 10 kilometers away from Li Ming's 52nd Division in a straight line, but there is a mountain more than 30 kilometers long between the two divisions. Six hours is enough for us, and maybe after the battle, we can beat Zhou Zhirou's 14th Division and completely disrupt Chiang Kai-shek's strategic deployment. ”

After listening to the explanation, all the generals put aside their worries, glanced around, and said solemnly: "Comrade Peng Dehuai is worthy of our learning, this time he is very resolute in carrying out the instructions of the Central Military Commission, and has made arduous efforts, skillfully taking advantage of the enemy's Fourth Army's long journey and relatively weak troops, decisively commanding the headquarters to attack the defense line of Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army and break through twice, causing the enemy to make a misjudgment that our main force is breaking through to the west. It laid a solid foundation for our army to ambush the enemy's main force to break its encirclement, and what is even more commendable is that the three reserve regiments fought for 150 miles day and night, and launched two large-scale charges, so that Zhang Fakui's troops, who had not yet gained a firm foothold, hurriedly met the battle, and they are still waiting for reinforcements, and did not dare to take a step to the east, creating fighters for the main force of our army to gather and annihilate the enemy, and their contribution is very great. ”

At 2:40 p.m., the headquarters of the 17th Division of the Ya in Dayu County.

Lu Yixuan and a group of staff officers around the map to discuss nervously, the information sent back by the brigades on the front line made Lu Yixuan's heart more and more bottomless, the enemy army pursued by the 50th Brigade has been fleeing to the southwest, there is no resistance along the way, after the 51st Brigade crossed Zhangshui, the progress was surprisingly smooth, and even the Red Guards who used to harass and block by the dense forest did not see a single figure, such a smooth progress, suddenly made Lu Yixuan alert:

"Something is wrong, something is wrong, the other party's response is really unconventional...... Chief of Staff, do you want Pei Rong and Lao Zhang to stop advancing first, and wait for the 52nd Division to arrive at the predetermined location before we continue to advance south? Now there are too many departments in my division, and it is dangerous! ”

"I also felt that something was going to be wrong...... It seems that you and I feel very much in agreement. Wen Junhao, chief of staff from Zhejiang, raised his head with some anxiety, this Huangpu No. 3 graduate, who was transferred to the Hujialin Independent Division at the beginning of last year as a lieutenant colonel and deputy chief of the operations section, was asked by Lu Yixuan to serve as his chief of staff through the headquarters in November last year, and brought great help to Lu Yixuan during the seven-month war.

Lu Yixuan was just about to make up his mind, when the chief of the intelligence section hurriedly arrived: "Report to the division, the 51st Brigade was ambushed by the enemy on three sides, and Chief Zhang asked to abandon the target and retreat at full speed. ”

Lu Yixuan was taken aback: "Quick! Call back to agree with Brigade Commander Zhang, let them retreat at full speed, return to the north bank of Zhangshui, if it is really not possible, they must retreat to the south bank and defend to the death, I will draw troops to help them cross the river smoothly! ”

"Yes!"

Wen Junhao was very calm, and waved his hand to call the chief of the operations section: "Immediately order the division's engineer battalion to bring all the cutting tools and ropes and chains to tie the bamboo rows, and the division special service battalion company will assist in the operation, and rush to the upper reaches of Huangmei Ferry to cut wood and bamboo, and we must bring the 51st Brigade back in the shortest possible time."

"If my estimate is correct, the engineer company of the 51st Brigade left behind to guard the south bank ferry is very likely to become the target of the Red Bandits' surprise attack, if the Red Bandits really occupy the South Bank Ferry, the 1st Company and the Engineer Battalion try not to expose themselves, bypass the north bank ferry, and quickly rush to Caojiawan, two kilometers upstream, from there to make bamboo rafts and go down the river, and float to the west of the Red Bandits on the opposite bank to catch him off guard, only in this way can they cooperate with the main force of the 51st Brigade to break through."

"Yes!"

Lu Yixuan looked at the meticulous and thoughtful Wen Junhao, and sighed in a low voice: "I don't know if a company of the engineer battalion and the special service battalion is enough?" If my judgment is correct, the 51st Brigade will be flanked by the main force of the Red Bandits at least three times its size, otherwise Lao Zhang's bullish temper would never have asked for a retreat in such a hurry. ”

Wen Junhao nodded: "I thought about this layer, Lao Zhang must face the fierce blows of strong enemies on three sides, it is difficult for him to leave the battlefield immediately at this time, it seems that he must be mentally prepared for a hard battle." ”

Lu Yixuan lowered his head and looked at the map nervously: "It is estimated that Peirong's 50th Brigade is also in trouble, I hope they can retreat smoothly and reoccupy the dangerous position on the front line of Datongan, otherwise it is likely that they will also suffer from the enemy like Lao Zhang." I sent a telegram to Chief Chen, telling him that we had been fooled, and that the 52nd Division, which had not been able to get Brother Li Ming, had encountered the same situation. ”

"Go ahead, I'll just get in touch."

Moon Junhao called the adjutant and quickly issued a series of orders.

In the northern valley of Niutouling Town, the guns roared, the smoke of gunfire filled the air, and the sound of gunfire and grenade explosions reflected and echoed on the rolling mountains on three sides, making the whole atmosphere even more tense.

After an initial brief period of confusion, the officers and men of the 51st Brigade had already jumped into a waterlogged ravine and found suitable natural shelter to launch a fire counterattack against the Red Army, which had launched a fierce attack from three directions.

Zhang Zuying sat on the stone slab between the two huge rocks, looking at the fierce battle scene of the 152nd Regiment in the south, his heart was extremely anxious, suddenly a scream of mortar shells came, the chief of the guard quickly picked up Zhang Zuying, and fell under the raised stone wall, the mortar shell accurately hit the top edge of the rock more than five meters high, exploded, and several screams sounded in the blasted stones and shrapnel.

Zhang Zuying endured the stinging pain of his ribs hitting the rocks, was helped up by the chief of the guard, glanced at the combat staff officer who was violently tumbling with shrapnel and the two newspaper operators, one dead and one wounded, and hurriedly rushed to Jiao Yida, the deputy brigade commander who hugged the communications staff officer tightly, only to see that one of the arms of the communications staff officer had been broken off at the elbow, and blood was constantly gushing out of his chest, obviously dying.

The chief guard snatched a sniper rifle from one of the guards, fired three shots at the smoky mortar firing point on the mountainside on the left, and finally cursed in vain, begging Zhang Zuying to move immediately.

Zhang Zuying glanced at the green smoke on the mountainside, said nothing, bent down and patted the shoulder of the deputy brigade commander Jiao Yida, strode out of the stone gate to the south, and shouted loudly at the spy company commander seventy meters away:

"Zhu Bin, come here, you kid—"

Zhu Binfei, the commander of the spy company, rushed in front of Zhang Zuying, and a mortar shell fired from the left halfway up the mountain slid over a distance of 1.5 kilometers and landed behind two rocks and exploded, but did not cause any casualties.

Zhang Zuying slapped Zhu Bin's outstretched hand away and scolded loudly: "What are you afraid of? The cannonballs that can kill Lao Tzu haven't been made yet! Listen to me, the brigade headquarters operator and radio station are gone, you immediately call the communication team in your company, I will immediately restore contact with the division headquarters, if there are no reinforcements behind us, we are afraid that we will die today! ”

"Yes!"

Zhu Bin rushed to the south.

Halfway up the mountainside, the deputy commander of the 49th Regiment of the Red Army put down his binoculars and was annoyed, and the performance of Zhang Zuying and the officers and men under his command made the deputy regiment commander very angry.

"Lao Li, what's going on? One shot is more outrageous than the other! Look at the enemy officers in the cracks of the stones, they don't bird your shells at all! ”

Artillery Elder Li held the last cannonball and shouted aggrievedly: "Deputy Regiment Commander, I don't want to either!" You see, the sights of this old cannon are gone, and there are only four shells, and I can't help it if I miss three shots in a row! There is only one shell left, I hope God can have long eyes! ”

The deputy head of the regiment hurriedly knelt down and smiled kindly: "Okay! Lao Li, don't worry, aim and fight, as long as the enemy's commander is killed, the enemy will be chaotic without a fight, and we can end the battle as soon as possible and turn to the east to expand the results. It's up to you now, Lao Li, don't worry! Aim slowly for ......"

Lao Li nodded heavily, holding the only cannonball in his left hand, stretched out his right hand, and gave a thumbs up to the bottom of the valley where the gunsmoke filled the sky, and slowly aimed for a long time before he made up his mind, holding the cannonball that had been covered with heat in both hands, and slowly placed it above the muzzle......