The news that the People's Revolutionary Army was going to attack Anqing City, the first thing known in Anqing City was the Anqing New Army. Much of this is due to the lobbying tandem of the Yue Wanghui in the new army. The other half is due to the hard work of the BJP members. Before Enming identified an unknown armed force to attack Anqing, at least one-sixth of the ordinary new officers and soldiers had learned that "it is possible that a revolutionary party called the People's Party is going to attack Anqing."

What is laughable is that despite this, many new officers and soldiers knew about the news, and Yu Dahong, the supreme commander of the Anqing New Army, that is, the co-commander of the 31st Mixed Association of the Qing Army Department, was completely unaware of this. When Yu Dahong, who was at a loss, arrived at the Anhui Governor's Yamen, he saw that the Governor's Yamen was already heavily guarded, and when he entered the living room, he immediately saw the Governor Enming walking around the room like ants on a hot pot.

As soon as he saw Yu Dahong coming in, Enming immediately approached Yu Dahong and asked menacingly: "Yu Xietong, who is the chaotic party outside?" How many soldiers and horses did they bring? ”

Yu Dahong also just learned the news, he didn't know anything about the situation outside the city, but at this time he said bluntly to the governor, "I don't know." There is a lot of risk, Yu Dahong gave a common answer in officialdom: "My lord, I am inquiring about the news now, and someone will come to report in a while." ”

Enming was really panicked at this time, he actually took Yu Dahong's prevarication seriously. "Yu Xietong, how long will it take to get a reward?"

Yu Dahong, the commander of the New Army, scolded in his heart when he heard this, "How can Lao Tzu know such a thing." If you have this spare time, hurry up and let Lao Tzu go and see what's going on! Scolding in his heart, Yu Dahong still had to speak to the governor of Anhui with a pleasant face, "My lord, I will go back to the barracks now, and immediately send someone to protect the governor's yamen." ”

As soon as he heard Yu Dahong's words, Enming immediately answered, "The political envoy's yamen and the powder magazine must be sent to protect them tightly to prevent thieves from making trouble." ”

What Enming said was what Yu Dahong told Enming before. At that time, Enming had not long been in office, and he was still willing to ask people for advice. When he and Yu Dahong discussed how to suppress all kinds of rebellion, Yu Dahong told Enming these basic points. Yu Dahong was very self-contained, listening to Enming's words, Yu Dahong replied with a very approving look on his face: "Obey." It was as if this was Enming's own original idea.

Seeing Yu Dahong's statement like this, Enming also felt that it was not appropriate to leave Yu Dahong here. He hurriedly said, "Then Yu Xietong should go quickly." ”

As soon as I got out of the Anhui governor's yamen, I saw that there were already a few officers and soldiers waiting at the governor's yamen, but they were Yu Dahong's adjutant. Only then did Yu Dahong ask him to find out the news, but he didn't expect to come back so quickly.

The adjutant immediately stepped forward to report, "My lord, the thieves have blocked the Zongyang Gate in the east of the city, probably to seize the Yingjiang Temple." The Jinbaomen, Yuhongmen, and Tong'anmen in the west of the city all have the movement of thieves. There was no movement at the Jixian Gate in the north of the city. ”

"Where are these thieves?" Yu Dahong is more concerned about this.

"This lowly position has not yet been clarified. However, the lowly and degrading thieves are noisy under the city, but it is the accent of northern Anhui. ”

"Northern Anhui?" Yu Dahong was a little confused, Anhui can actually be divided into three parts, northern Anhui, western Anhui, and southern Anhui. The folk customs and accents of these three places can be said to be completely different, and there is not much communication between them. Knowing that the thieves under the city were from northern Anhui, Yu Dahong was even more puzzled, how did the thieves from northern Anhui come to Anqing?

But the most important thing now is not to find out where the thieves are, Yu Dahong said: "Go back now and assign a new army." ”

The troops of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army were fighting on the front line, and the headquarters, located a kilometer behind the troops at the East Gate, seemed rather idle. Now there is no telephone, and there is no telegraph. It is all up to the communications corps to deliver information. Even if the BJP uses the language of lights, the speed of communication is far from that fast. Those party members of non-combat units, such as Chen Tianhua and Shang Yuan, have been enriched to the front line, and in addition to Chen Ke and Tao Chengzhang, there are more than a dozen operational staff officers and communications staff officers left in the headquarters. Although he said that he was a staff officer, he actually did the actual work.

Tao Chengzhang asked, "Brother Wen Qing, what are you going to do next?" Just wait until dawn? ”

Chen Ke said with a solemn face: "I hope that Yu Dahong, the commander of the new army in the city, thinks so. ”

With a burst of laughter, Tao Chengzhang was amused. The guard glared at Tao Chengzhang with dissatisfied eyes, and the atmosphere in the entire command headquarters was solemn, and Tao Chengzhang's laughter was too abrupt.

If it goes according to the plan, from now until three o'clock in the morning, the revolutionary army will have to plant explosives at the breach. The detonation was detonated at four o'clock, and then the troops swarmed through the gap, and some of the troops pressed the enemy on the walls, and the main force attacked several of the most important sectors of the city. It was already half past nine in the evening, that is, in the remaining five and a half hours, the demolition team must have installed the explosives. In order to cooperate with the work of the demolition team, the troops on the east and west sides also had to constantly harass the enemy and attract the enemy's troops. During this time, it would be great if the enemy could cower inside the city and not come out. But fighting a war is never a good thing of wishful thinking, and Chen Ke does not dare to make such naïve plans.

Tao Chengzhang originally came to study military affairs, and he asked: "Brother Wen Qing, according to what you said, the number of troops is insufficient, and you have to defend so many city gates, how to distribute the troops." ”

Chen Ke also wanted Tao Chengzhang to increase some military knowledge, so that Anqing would have to rely on the Yue Wang Hui and the Guangfu Society to maintain it in the future, and if they were about to collapse under the siege of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it would not be a good thing for the People's Party. So Chen Ke simply explained: "At night, it is necessary to plant mines and equip small forces to block the attack. So that the enemy could not tell how many troops there were outside, and did not dare to rush out of the gate. ”

As he spoke, a dull explosion was heard in the distance, along with a flurry of gunfire. But it came from the north, and Chen Ke knew that it was the sound of a mine exploding in the base area. In order to succeed in the plan to attack Anqing, the troops specially carried a thunderstorm that could be described as "heartbroken" in this era.

The troops ambushed at the north gate consisted of only four platoons, totaling less than 60 people. Shang Yuan volunteered to join this unit. Shang Yuan still remembers Chen Ke saying earnestly: "Comrade Shang Yuan, weapons are not the only condition that determines the victory or defeat of a war. Since you are going to work in Hebei in the future, then you will inevitably have to face the Beiyang Army, which is in an advantageous position, and if you have the erroneous idea of weaponism, it will be absolutely harmful. ”

Shang Yuan didn't quite understand what Chen Ke's cliché meant at first. He followed the troops to discredit and set up a mine array outside the north gate of Anqing, so he withdrew and prepared a sniper position. Not long after, as the city gate opened, a group of seventy or eighty Qing troops ran out of the north gate with torches. It didn't take long for them to enter the minefield, triggering the lead. Then a small flame erupted from the ground, Shang Yuan's eyesight was not very good, and he did not see anything pushed into the air by the gunpowder. It was the explosive body of a mine. Shang Yuan could see that a flash of light suddenly appeared in the ranks of the Qing army, and a loud noise followed. The sphere that jumped to the ground three or four feet high exploded violently, and when the hard ceramic sphere was fired, there was a special place for inserting iron plates outside. Accompanied by air waves, fragments of metal and non-metal flew in all directions in the air. Or penetrate the human body deeply, or cut off a large piece of flesh, or simply penetrate the human body.

Where did the Qing army think that it would encounter such an attack, a single thunderbolt blew up more than a dozen people. Those who were killed by the explosion were quiet, and those who were not dead were also scared silly. Some of the lucky Qing soldiers were not injured for the time being, first they were frightened and scattered, and then they ran around like flies without their heads. As a result, another jumping mine was triggered. Immediately after the loud bang, the troops began to shoot. Knock down the Qing soldiers who can still stand one by one.

Under such a sudden and fierce blow, this group of seventy or eighty Qing troops suffered a lot of casualties. Shang Yuan saw that the Qing soldiers who could run back were at most more than twenty people. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's troops, less than 60 people, combined with two jumping mines and a single shot, eliminated the No. 50 enemy, which shocked Shang Yuan. Shang Yuan's first thought was that if this battle continued like this, the Qing army would be nothing at all. However, Shang Yuan was not an ordinary soldier after all, and Chen Ke's words that could be described as "inexplicable" before the battle were immediately remembered by Shang Yuan. Chen Ke's attitude of opposing the "weapon-only theory" is by no means pretending to be profound, and Shang Yuan understands Chen Ke's good intentions very well. After arriving in Hebei, it is simply impossible to have an arsenal of the current scale of the base area, and it is impossible to receive a large amount of weapons support. Chen Ke was afraid that Shang Yuan would be confused by the huge power of the weapon.

The soldiers of the army did not have as many as Shang Yuan thought, and everyone cheered when they saw that so many enemies had been solved in one go. The commander of the unit was a political commissar named Xu Licheng, who hurriedly ordered the soldiers of the unit to quickly clean up the battlefield. The weapons carried by the Qing troops who came out of Anqing City were definitely bullets. The troops at the north gate thought that the number was small, the task was heavy, and the troops were all elite. Chen Ke deliberately chose a soldier who had used the new rifles of the Anhui New Army. Only half of the troops had guns, and as long as everyone hurriedly collected weapons from the wiped out Qing army, the small unit could make sure that everyone had guns, and the combat effectiveness would be doubled at once. The political commissar's order to quickly clean up the battlefield was immediately carried out, and the soldiers quickly collected a batch of weapons through the safe passage in the mine array. For the seriously wounded Qing army, the political commissar's order was to "let them wait for their own death", and the lightly wounded Qing army was picked up and brought back for interrogation.

It's just such a small battle, and everyone in the army immediately has guns. It is still a high-quality weapon used by the new army, and everyone is happy. One side checks the weapon, distributes ammunition. Everyone was noisy, creating the illusion that there were many people. After the captives were simply bandaged, they were interrogated. The captured were ordinary soldiers, and they didn't know the news. And there is no value in sending it to the command. After tying them up and gagging them, the troops, who already had guns in their hands, immediately adjusted their positions and prepared for more intense battles.

"There's an ambush outside the north gate?" Yu Dahong was stunned by the news. Facing the "thieves" who didn't know the origin at all, Yu Dahong thought that the other party was just a rabble. In his opinion, against these rabble, only one charge will solve the problem. The thieves at the east gate looked at the crowd, and they were afraid that they would not be able to break away for the time being in the dark night. So Yu Dahong asked the officers and soldiers of Ximen to rush out and try it. There were no thieves at the north gate for the time being, so he deliberately selected an elite army and asked them to go out from the north gate and go around to the west of the city to attack the flank of the thieves. Unexpectedly, the team of 80 people rushed out, and more than half of them were killed in a moment, and there were seven or eight wounded in the new army that fled for their lives. The troops, which are equal to a "shed", have basically been completely explained. At the beginning of the war, he lost his troops and lost his generals, how can this battle be fought in the future?

At this time, news also came from Ximen that the thieves were hiding in the dark shadows and firing their guns one by one, and the new army went out with torches, suffering heavy casualties. This can only wait for the dawn, Yu Dahong thought helplessly. He then ordered not to go out again for the time being, and the new army began to intensify patrols in the city.

"The city of Anqing in 1907 was built by Zeng Guofan, and the city is about 3.65 square kilometers. This kilometer is a foreign unit of length. The Anqing New Army in the city could send no more than 2,000 people to the city wall, and the average person guarded the width of 2.5 meters. It's about a zhang in length. If it's really so defensive, it's just a military joke. The defense of the city is all focused on defense and intensive patrols. If we launch a column attack, such a defense is like paper, and it will be broken at the first poke. Chen Ke explained to Tao Chengzhang in detail.

"Column attack?" Tao Chengzhang asked. He is not unaware of kilometers and meters, Tao Chengzhang once donated an official to seek to go to Japan to study at a military academy, and he made up for some knowledge. But the term column attack has not been heard.

Chen Ke wanted Tao Chengzhang to understand the key points of siege and defense, although Chen Ke was not an expert in this area, but the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had rich experience in siege, and the military summary meeting was the focus of the army. From officers to soldiers, they should participate in summarizing and refining various methods. Chen Ke's biggest advantage as a traverser is that he knows a lot of theories about the skin, and the combination of a large amount of practical combat experience accumulated by the troops in besieging the siege and the theory of fur sex provided by Chen Ke has produced explosive and effective results. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army went so far as to establish its own system of theory and practice for siege.

"Column attacks are not one after the other. Rather, it is a column in squads. Chen Ke said as he laid out the graphics on the map with a few pencils and paperweights, "The characteristic of a column attack is a little breakthrough, and then quickly penetrate deep into the enemy's position and deploy inside. Cut off the enemy's communication and divide and destroy it. The core point is control. We do not seek to overwhelm the enemy in all respects, but all the enemies in our line of attack must be completely overwhelmed and destroyed......"

Tao Chengzhang listened attentively like a primary school student, and Chen Ke talked about very useful knowledge, and the language was simple and easy to understand. Tao Chengzhang went south and north, and he has seen the world very much. I was also very interested in military affairs, and after listening to Chen Ke's explanation, I immediately felt that I was suddenly opened.

At the same time, in the northeast of Anqing City, a group of people had already secretly crossed the moat. The rope was secretly lowered from the city, and a dark figure fell down the rope. After the people from the two sides converged, the comrades from the city gave a brief introduction to the situation. The New Army guarding the area is the internal response of the BJP. The people of the Yue Wanghui were trying to win over comrades in the new army with great fanfare, and they had long been clearly seen by the comrades who were in ambush within the People's Party. The new army defending on this section of the city wall happened to be the area where the People's Party and the internal officials of the Yue Wang Association were jointly responsible.

The demolition team confirmed the news and immediately began to work carefully. The comrades in charge of internal response and the comrades who were arranged by the demolition team to look out for the wind returned to the city together. Fan Chuanjia of the Yue Wang Society looked at the soldiers of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army with suspicion. I saw that the soldier had cut his hair short, but he was wearing a new army uniform, and he looked neat and tidy. Fan Chuanjia asked, "How many of you came?" ”

The soldier of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, who was the backbone of the reconnaissance force, laughed in a low voice: "Didn't Mr. Bai Wenwei make it clear to you?" ”

When Fan Chuanjia heard the name Bai Wenwei, he let go of a lot of hearts for no reason. Bai Wenwei is the actual controller of the Yue Wang Society, and he also personally reached an agreement with the People's Party. When the other party says this, he should be a trustworthy person. Fan Chuanjia wanted to continue to ask, but the investigator skillfully demonstrated Chuanjia secretly, don't pay too much attention now, and hurry up to prepare for blasting.

Although he was unhappy in his heart, Fan Chuanjia could only cooperate with the People's Party now. The blast was thus determined.

The night was getting darker, and the time was soon past 12 o'clock. In addition to the harassing fire of the BJP resounding everywhere, the substantive fighting has been temporarily suspended.