On the afternoon of February 22, 1916, four reconnaissance planes flew in formation in the air. It was obvious that it was going to snow, the clouds were low, and the reconnaissance planes did not dare to fly too high. Because of the freezing of the wings, fuselage, and even the propellers caused by the intrusion into the clouds, the Northeast Air Force of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army paid a heavy price.

These comrades who are now on duty are all the elite of the Air Force of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, and when they saw the general situation on the ground from the air, their expressions became solemn. The pilots of the Air Force are all from the Army and are no strangers to land warfare. Just by looking at the divisions dressed in those small black dots on the ground and the orderly direction of movement, the comrades of the reconnaissance unit understood that these Japanese troops in black uniforms were by no means a rabble. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army rarely encountered an enemy who really dared to fight, and the Japanese army was undoubtedly different from its previous opponents. Moreover, the momentum of the Japanese troops moving in the snow looked very unusual.

After a brief observation, the Air Force landed at the temporary airfield. It's not that the comrades of the Air Force are afraid of death, but the Air Force of the Northeast Military Region at the moment really cannot afford any meaningless losses. Originally, the number of air forces entering the northeast was extremely limited, and due to the limited supply of fuel, parts, and maintenance, and the crash of planes caused by the severe cold weather in the northeast, the patrol and reconnaissance flight of the four-plane formation was already the largest scale of daily patrol and reconnaissance that the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army could maintain in the northeast.

On the map of the headquarters of the 18th Army, the situation of the enemy and us is very clear. From the northwest and southeast, the Japanese launched an attack on the 18th Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, which was sandwiched in the middle. The map marks a broader war situation. After the 14th Army captured Shenyang, two divisions were left as reserves, and the other two divisions were ready to move south. The 15th Army set out eastward from the Panjin area, and the 16th Army took over the vast defense area of the 15th Army and assumed the logistics work that it firmly believed.

If the 19th Division of the Japanese Army retreating from Shenyang and the receiving troops from the Korean side caused a flanking attack on the 18th Army on the battlefield, all four armies of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army entering the northeast constituted an encirclement posture against the Japanese army.

Mu Husan, commander of the 18th Army, who had just been promoted to commander of the Fourth Field Group Army, said: "Once again, the issue of the campaign will be finalized, and our army will take the destruction of the enemy's living forces as the campaign goal. Since the Japanese army is willing to invest a lot of troops to fight us, then the Japanese army will be completely annihilated here! ”

The battlefield set by the 18th Army was a plain south of Benxi Lake (Benxi City). The Japanese retreat route was along the railway, and whether it was the Japanese troops going south or the Japanese reinforcements going north, this was an area that they could not bypass. The reconnaissance cavalry of the Japanese army on the north and south roads have been in the vicinity of the defense line set up by the 18th Army many times, and the frequency of their activities has increased markedly in the past day or so. The 18th Army judged that the Japanese army was also ready to fight here.

Liu Guange, chief of staff of the group army, said to the cadres at the regimental level who participated in the pre-war meeting: "If we can hold off the Japanese army for two days, the Japanese army on the northern route will be caught in our front and rear attacks. Therefore, it is likely that the Japanese army will take a detour. Of course, there is no faster and most effective way to deal with the Japanese army than to annihilate us. The chief of staff never cared about saying something unlucky, and he didn't even think about the issue of lip wrap at all, "So all troops must strictly hold their positions, and the people are in the positions!" The Japanese must not be allowed to break through our positions. ”

All the regiment-level cadres attended the last meeting before the war, and everyone did their best to prepare for it, and this meeting was not so much a military arrangement as a final determination of the requirements for the battle.

The chief of staff continued to describe the situation, "as long as it holds out for two days, two days at most, the situation for the Japanese army will become extremely bad. If it held out for three days, the 15th Army might have copied the rear road of the Japanese army, and the results at that time would be more than one Japanese 19th division. ”

The commander of the first division said: "Our army has to face the attack of about three divisions of the enemy, this news is correct, right? ”

"Yes, we now have less than 20,000 troops. The Japanese army's receiving force in the north, as well as the troops behind, probably had more than one division. If we had fought a battle for two days and two nights, and the enemy had mobilized all his forces, we would have faced 50,000 Japanese troops from three divisions. However, it is unlikely that the Japanese army will have more troops at this time, and they will not have enough time to mobilize. ”

The defending side already had various advantages, and after Mu Husan saw the possibility of the Japanese retreat, he mobilized the 18th Army to start moving, and the troops cut off the enemy's retreat less than two days in advance. With the tools and experience, it was quite quick to make an ice and snow defense system, and the troops finally did not lie on the snow to fight. So in the face of the enemy's attack, all the commanders did not worry too much. Even if the action was hasty enough, the comrades could sleep in the relatively simple ice and snow camp.

At this time, there was nothing to say, everyone knew that a bloody battle was inevitable, the meeting was not long, and the commanders and political commissars of the various units hurried back to make the final preparations for the position.

Liu Guange looked at Mu Husan, who was staring at the map in the empty headquarters, because of the hasty preparations, although the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army occupied various advantages, the position was still not strong enough, and the depth of the position was less than 5 kilometers. The Japanese artillery of a slightly larger caliber pierced the entire position with a single shot. Moreover, it was only a little more than a day before a young army commander like Mu Husan received the military order to become the commander of the Fourth Field Army, and Liu Guange really had no confidence in coordinating other troops, so he couldn't help but ask: "Commander, can other troops catch up?" ”

"The strategic thinking of our Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army is to annihilate the enemy's living forces, so we must believe that our comrades can understand and carry out the current arrangements!" Mu Hu replied without replying.

Liu Guange couldn't respond to this, and it was impossible to adjust the deployment at this time. Turning around and walking out of the tent, Liu Guange prepared to go one last time to check the logistics deployment. He also fought for so many years, and this was the first time that the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was completely surrounded by the enemy. Even though it was less than five o'clock in the afternoon, it looked as dark as night. As soon as he looked around at the surrounding barracks like big steamed buns, Liu Guange felt cold in several places on his face, and when he raised his head, he felt that it was snowing.

The commander of the 19th Division looked at the map with a frown, the biggest enemy of a long march in the northeast in winter is actually the weather. He thought that no one would be stupid enough to set up a position in the ice and snow in this winter, but the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army on the opposite side obviously did not belong to the normal category. If it weren't for the complete annihilation of the 20th Division in the hands of the 18th Army on the opposite side, the division commander of the 19th Division would have liked to think that the commander of the 18th Army was a fool, and the Chinese soldiers of the 18th Army were slave-like soldiers.

The 19th Division originally thought of abruptly abandoning Mukden, withdrawing all of them to Anton, and then marching south from Andong. First determine the situation on the Liaodong Peninsula, and then attack the Panjin area at the beginning of spring. Therefore, the Japanese army let the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army seize Mukden without the slightest reaction. However, this approach may be in response to China's old saying that "being smart is being mistaken by being smart", and the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army clearly did not act according to the ideas of the Japanese army, and seeing the current situation, the Chinese army was determined to annihilate the 19th Division. The 19th Division, on the other hand, abandoned the Mukden operation, which put them in a difficult situation where they were intercepted in front and pursued later.

Thinking of this, the commander of the 19th Division asked: "I can't see the enemy on the position, what the hell is going on?" ”

The commander of the reconnaissance unit replied with some trepidation: "They are wearing very strange clothes, and it is difficult to see clearly in the snow. While it is possible to see enemies in action, it is difficult to determine the number and deployment of enemies. ”

Hearing such "irresponsible" words, the commander of the 19th Division waved his hand, "Go down!" ”

The chief of staff couldn't help but ask: "Division commander, should we attack at night?" "The black uniforms of the Japanese army actually have some advantages in fighting at night.

The division commander thought for a moment before replying: "Take a rest first, the troops are marching for a long time, and the physical exertion is very great." ”

"But the troops who came to meet us wanted us to attack first, so we might as well attack head-on in one go. In this way, they can also determine the direction of the pick-up. The chief of staff still insisted on his point of view.

"I said it, the troops need to rest!" The division commander said with some annoyance. It's not that he doesn't know the benefits of night raids, launching a night raid on such a snowy night is easier to get in the early stage. However, the enemy on the opposite side was not the Northeast Army, nor was it the Qing Army. The attack on a snowy night could only lead to a scuffle, and the Japanese army could well lose command sooner than the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. At least for the time being, it's not the best option.

"Then we can't let the enemy stay like this, can we?" The chief of staff of the 19th Division still had his own ideas.

"What the troops need now is rest!" The commander of the 19th Division was a little annoyed, it stands to reason that he should be the main battle, and the chief of staff should emphasize the preparation of the troops. However, the division commander took into account the fatigue brought about by the Japanese army after a long march, but the chief of staff did not have such an awareness, which is really a very abnormal thing.

The chief of staff finally couldn't help but lower his voice and said: "Because of the hasty march, our army has insufficient tents......"

"Yaga!" The division commander finally understood why the chief of staff said this, it turned out that this incompetent guy actually did not prepare logistics supplies. glaring at the chief of staff angrily, the division commander finally endured it. He knew very well that the Japanese army did not take into account the reaction of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army so alertly, and in the original plan, at this time, the 19th Division should take the train from the direction of Andong and then return to the Andong stronghold comfortably. But the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had cut a lot of gaps in the railway, and the possibility of taking the train no longer existed.

"Then let's go to Benxi Lake first and borrow some quilts from the Chinese." The division commander almost gritted his teeth and said, "The troops really can't fight now!" ”

"Hey!" The chief of staff lowered his head and said, this is the best way in the last resort environment.

Without waiting for the chief of staff to take action, the commander of the 19th Division said: "Let the Miyazaki Brigade rest first, and distribute warm clothes for other troops as much as possible." ”

"Hey!" That's all the chief of staff can answer.

Gao Yucheng is now an ordinary soldier in the 18th Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, and four months ago he was a small squad leader in the Northeast Army. After Panjin was captured, Gao Yucheng witnessed the mass execution of the Japanese by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, and he immediately chose to join the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. In these years, the best way to survive is to follow the strong.

However, after joining the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, Gao Yucheng gradually began to doubt whether his choice was correct. The greatest advantage of being a soldier is that you can plunder reasonably, but in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, whoever dares to plunder the people will face inevitable death. The former officers and men of the Northeast who defected to the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army were not without them, but the guys who thought that the "three major laws and eight points of attention" of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army were just a simple propaganda were now shot at the public trial meeting in front of the people they plundered.

The only thing that surprised Gao Yucheng was that the officers in the Northeast Army only had to order the soldiers to charge, and even a small squad leader could order his ten soldiers to rush forward. In the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, when fighting a war, the soldiers only had to rush forward with the commanders at all levels. Therefore, as a warrior, Gao Yucheng did not encounter greater danger than others, so he survived safely.

However, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was not the army that Gao Yucheng really hoped for, and after becoming a commander, not only did he not have special privileges, but the risks and hardships were even greater. It was obviously useless to try to use methods such as sycophancy, and Gao Yucheng applied what he learned in the Northeast Army to the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, which not only had no effect, but was severely criticized. In the election of the squad leader elected by the soldiers' committee, Gao Yucheng was not shortlisted at all.

But if he did not stay in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, Gao Yucheng had nowhere else to go. He came out to join the army because he didn't like farming. And despite all kinds of inconveniences, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was still quite good. No one was beaten or scolded, let alone deducted military salaries. As for the various equipment of the troops, it is indeed to ensure that everyone can fight better battles to the greatest extent. Gao Yucheng thinks this is still a very good choice.

In the early morning of February 23, Gao Yucheng was woken up from the tent by his comrades. In combat readiness, at least one-third of the troops are on standby. The snow that had been held back for a long time had been falling all night, and the ground that had become slippery due to constant stepping on it was also suitable for running again. First, according to the regulations, everyone wiped their faces and ears with snow until their bodies began to heat up at low temperatures, and then they hurried to eat. After eating, the troops were able to take over the comrades who had been on duty at night for several hours, which had been freezing for several hours.

After entering the position, everyone carefully looked at the situation outside the position. The days are dark on snowy days, but the nights are much brighter. The sky was still the same reddish gray, but it was easy to see clearly on the snow. Gao Yucheng wrapped his coat tightly and put away his hat and everything. He was going to huddle behind the snow that served as a defensive wall for a little more sleep.

At this moment, the whirring sound of cannonballs suddenly came from the air. "Watch out for artillery!" The commanders did not relax at all, and in the defensive positions, their shouts rang out.

The Japanese did not take advantage of the snowy night to attack, but they launched an attack on the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army before dawn.

No matter what advantages the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army adopted in terms of its organization and tactics, up to now, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army has always been inferior to the Japanese army in terms of the number of large-caliber artillery, and even to the Beiyang Army. The 19th Division, which was heading south, was well aware of the situation it was facing, and they unceremoniously poured artillery fire on the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army first.

All the soldiers wore thick military uniforms, and Gao Yucheng huddled tightly behind the ice and snow wall, not only erecting the collar of his coat, but also wrapping his neck tightly with a scarf. The steel helmet was also firmly fastened to the head with a woolen hood. The cannonballs exploded violently in the defensive position, and Gao Yucheng felt the scattered slag and hail knocking out various sounds on the steel helmet. And the cotton coat also felt the impact of various small pieces.

The Japanese troops on the opposite side seemed to want to shoot out all the shells in one go, and the sound of the cannons continued for almost twenty minutes. The positions of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army looked in shambles.

As soon as the artillery stopped, a sharp whistle was heard on the first line of defense. The short whistle only means that the enemy is approaching! And it's very close!

Taking advantage of the snowy night and the cover of artillery bombardment, the Japanese army unknowingly approached the position of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. Gao Yucheng, who was in the second line of defense, suddenly felt his heart tighten together as if he was being grabbed by something. The sound of rifles and machine guns rang out violently as the silence of the cannon sounded.