"Can the airship fly there?" Wu Luzhen turned his head uncertainly to look at a small airship floating in the air in the distance, which was tied to the ground with a rope and used as a lookout. Then, he looked at the clouds in the sky again, and reached out to test the direction and strength of the wind.

"Shoot it down?" Li Yuanhong guessed Wu Luzhen's thoughts, and said in a low voice: "Send someone to ask, I think you have to be 100% sure, in case something happens to the airship, it will break morale first." ”

Wu Luzhen nodded vigorously, professional is professional, she is angry, and people are more thoughtful and meticulous.

Soon after the reconnaissance hydrogen balloon was launched, the artillery group of the Beiyang Army, which had obtained the calibration data, once again threw countless shells at the forward positions of the revolutionary army.

The artillery preparation lasted less than ten minutes, and the Beiyang Army sounded the trumpet of the charge, and many yellow figures appeared about two miles away from the first line of trenches, moving rapidly towards the position.

The infantry of the Beiyang Army attacked, and they bent their waists, rifles with bayonets, and formed a formation of three skirmish lines, and launched a charge at the revolutionary position. It seems that the Beiyang Army was very confident, and after the shelling, it thought that it would be able to capture the enemy's position in one fell swoop.

Trumpets also sounded on the positions of the revolutionary army, and the soldiers in the trenches of the second and third lines began to move, advancing rapidly through the communication trenches. The density of soldiers in the front-line trenches increased sharply, and rifles and machine guns stuck out of the muzzles of black holes and pointed straight ahead.

In order to ensure that the first battle was undefeated, the General Staff also took great pains. Now nominally guarding the position was a mixed association of the Southwest Revolutionary Army, which not only had high tactical quality, but also had actual combat experience and a strong will to fight, and was also equipped with dozens of light and heavy machine guns, and each soldier was also issued four grenades. Such a force. It should be quite certain that a defensive battle will be fought again on the basis of trench fortifications.

Everyone's attention was attracted to the front, and no one noticed that the small airship behind had untied its ropes, slowly ascended, and flew towards the north.

Three hundred meters, there was no sound on the revolutionary army's position; Two hundred meters. It was still silent; Inside the trenches, the officers ran back and forth, constantly shouting, "Listen to orders, don't shoot indiscriminately." "Hit when you get closer, hit when you get closer." ”。

One hundred meters, there was still no response, not only the soldiers of the Beiyang Army felt strange, but the officers watching the battle were also a little breathless, and whispered in a low voice.

Eighty meters. "Da da da ......", with a series of palpitating machine gun fire, the revolutionary army position was like a boiling pot, and the gunfire like bursting beans blended into one.

The soldiers of the advancing Beiyang Army shook and fell down as if they had been struck by lightning, and the screams rang out uncontrollably, and there were people who fell everywhere.

More than a dozen tongues of fire erupted from various shielded firing points. The brass sounded in one piece, and the bullet casings splashed. Like the scythe of death, it swept by, cutting down the Beiyang Army soldiers in rows.

The blood mist splashed up in clusters, and the fire of life was extinguished one by one, this is the battlefield, and there are only two kinds of people on the battlefield, the living and the dead.

Impact to such a close distance. Retreat was no longer realistic, and the soldiers of the Beiyang Army, who had lost their fire suppression and cover, seemed to have no other choice but to rush forward with their heads covered. They were confronted with intense rifle fire, ferocious machine-gun fire, and beyond that, grenades that cut heads and faces. That's the difference between offense and defense, and the defending side always has a big advantage.

…………………

"Playing well, Deng Yulin can be called a fierce general."

"The Beiyang Army is nothing more than that, it's just that there are more artillery."

"Yes, yes, what 'China's strongest army' is about to be defeated in the hands of the revolutionary army."

Wu Luzhen listened to the excited discussion of the officers, smiled faintly, observed the hundreds of corpses that had fallen in front of the position, and after just one glance, he put down the binoculars and turned his head.

"Alright, you can go back." Wu Luzhen said loudly: "Go back and sum up your experience, conscientiously comprehend the operational essentials issued by the General Staff Headquarters, and immediately convey them to every soldier." ”

"The Beiyang Army suffered a loss, it was our surprise, and they underestimated." Wu Luzhen solemnly reminded everyone, "Don't be proud of this small victory and underestimate the enemy......"

"Yes, although the Beiyang Army is defeated or not, it is indeed extraordinary." Li Yuanhong nodded in agreement.

There was a burst of gunfire, and a burst of cheers suddenly erupted on the battlefield, and everyone hurriedly looked back to see that the gray observation balloon was gone, and a large fire was burning in the distance, and the little airship was flying back slowly......

"Hey, hey." Feng Guozhang kicked away the wreckage of the balloon that was still smoking under his feet, sneered twice, and his cold gaze swept over the face of Wang Zhanyuan, the third co-ordinator.

Liangbi rushed from Beijing to Xiaogan as a minister, and not only brought the official to make a wish, but also brought two million taels of the Empress Dowager Longyu's inner son. Under the temptation of official position and money, the middle and lower-level officers in Beiyang were quite moved, especially Wang Zhanyuan and Li Chun were the most active, and Feng Guozhang pushed the boat down the river, and also wanted to show the strength of the Beiyang Army and give the revolutionary party a little color.

Therefore, the Beiyang Army mobilized nearly 100 artillery pieces to bombard the positions of the revolutionary army, and the preparations were not inadequate, and it was thought that under such artillery fire, the revolutionary army would suffer heavy losses even if it did not collapse, and after a round of infantry attack, it should be very sure to break through the defense line of the revolutionary army.

Speaking of which, although the Beiyang Army is well-equipped and rigorously trained, it has not experienced the test of a major war. The arrangement of troops follows the rules, but it is suspected of being dull and monotonous. The first attack was frustrated, and a battalion of Beiyang Army soldiers suffered heavy casualties, one of the reasons was to overestimate the power of artillery fire and underestimate the role of the trenches built by the revolutionary army; Second, I didn't expect that the main force of the revolutionary army was not placed on the front line, not only did the casualties be small, but they were all elite and stubborn in defense; Third, I didn't expect the revolutionary army to have so many light and heavy machine guns, as well as grenades, which are sharp weapons in close combat.

"My lord, let the lowly post organize an attack again." Wang Zhanyuan was embarrassed by Feng Guozhang's eyes, and at the beginning he swore that with the cooperation of the artillery, he would defeat the rabble in front of him in one fell swoop, but the reality gave him a slap in the face.

"The chaotic party is just a momentary blood spirit, and how many of them can force up the bombardment of our army's artillery fire." Liangbi smiled and played a round for Wang Zhanyuan, "Wang Xietong, organize the attack more carefully." If the artillery preparation time is longer, how can the chaotic party and the people's army stop the footsteps of the Beiyang strong army? ”

"Chincha-sama has a point." Feng Guozhang also wanted the army to save face as soon as possible, and the loss of a battalion was nothing to the Beiyang Army, he pointed to the position of the revolutionary army on the opposite side and said: "The first round of attacks was frustrated. It was also because of the lack of strength in the follow-up attack, with only a battalion of soldiers and horses, he wanted to break through the defense line of the chaotic party, which was indeed a bit too big. It is necessary to launch several successive waves of attacks, so that the rebel party army is overwhelmed and has no respite. ”

"Yes, I understand." Wang Zhanyuan saluted, and went down to rearrange it with a high spirit.

Feng Guozhang suddenly raised his head and stared at the black dots in the air in the distance. The telescope was raised.

"Here we go again." Liangbi also saw it, and scolded in his mouth: "It's just an airship that plays a reconnaissance role, how can it become a weapon for victory, and the chaotic party is really poor in donkey skills." ”

"I've seen this thing in the newspaper, and I've heard that it's very expensive?" Feng Guozhang put down the binoculars and said with some unanswered questions.

Liangbi shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't understand this. But there was a question in my heart, what did Feng Guozhang mean by this? He came from Beijing. Naturally, knowing the embarrassment of the imperial court's financial situation, the great powers declared neutrality and strangled the way for the imperial court to ask for help. Even the silver rewarded this time was paid by the Empress Dowager Longyu. Seeing that revolutionary independence is spreading like a contagion in all provinces, and the finances and taxes are almost cut off, if the war drags on. If you don't have to fight, the court won't be able to support it.

A wave of sadness welled up in his heart, and Liangbi gently turned his face away to hide his true feelings. Those who are powerful and mediocre are in power, but those who are loyal and good are taboo. He was conceited and arrogant, cherished his talents and hated mediocrity, but he offended the important ministers of the court because of excessive reforms, and was repeatedly excluded and suppressed.

Now, although he has been given great power, how difficult is it to support the building alone? There are revolutionary party uprisings outside, there are constraints inside, and Yuan Shikai is ambitious, and the Beiyang Army also has different intentions.

Even if Wuchang is captured, will the future be bright? With the revolution in the south surging and the Qing rule crumbling, how could the revolutionary army give up because of the gains and losses in one place?

"To say, this revival will really produce a lot of talents." Feng Guozhang continued to take care of himself: "If nothing else, just saying that we can organize such a huge force in a few years is enough to make my generation ashamed. ”

"If the Revolutionary Party sincerely joins it, the court will be rewarded." Liangbi smiled faintly: "If Brother Huafu can quell the bandits in one fell swoop and become a famous minister and a heavy general like Zeng Hu Zuoli, what is the difficulty?" ”

Feng Guozhang grinned, and was about to speak, but his face froze, and he stretched out his hand to the sky in a daze.

The airship flew slowly over the head of the Beiyang Army, huhula and scattered countless leaflets, like snowflakes flying in the sky.

"The Beiyang Army, full of slaves, died on the battlefield and fed wild dogs, wives and children at home were cold and starving, and white-haired parents were in tears. Empty tears, freezing and starvation, the Manchu lord ate wine and meat, compatriots killed each other and got evil retribution, and they helped to abuse the heavens and did not have mercy. ”

"Brothers Beiyang soldiers, may I ask how many taels of silver can you get if you are disabled in battle, and how long can the Manchu court support you, are you ready to beat dog sticks and beg for food? If you die on the battlefield, how much compensation you can get, the Manchu court will deduct it, haha, it's dead anyway, you can't see it. I wonder if your wives and children are doing well, and whether you continue to be whipped and oppressed by the Manchu officials because of your heroic battles? ”

"Beiyang officers, are you still satisfied with the Manchu reward? Is it enough for you to buy a house and land, hire a prostitute to marry a child, and spend all day drinking? If it's not enough, then be greedy for some soldiers' life money, anyway, you guys who drink the blood of soldiers are already very skilled. ”

…………………

"Vicious, sowing discord, creating a ...... out of nothing" Liangbi tore the leaflets he received to shreds, walked around the ground twice with a frown, and asked with some concern: "Huafu, how much impact does this have on the morale of the army?" ”

Feng Guozhang smiled slightly, and said indifferently: "Brother Chen, the six towns of Beiyang are not as good as those southern new army, this little trick is useless. ”

Liangbi blinked his eyes, nodded slightly, and said: "I am naturally relieved that the army led by Huafu is naturally assured, as long as our army's attack is successful, the propaganda of the chaotic party will be insignificant." ”

The rumbling cannon rang out again, and Wang Zhanyuan's Third Association attacked again.

Gunsmoke, flames, explosions, and fighting, two armies of the same color, the same roots, the same origin, and the same race launched a life-and-death struggle and bloody battle on the ground and in the trenches.

At that time, the artillery fire was completely not as dense as it was decades later, and the caliber of the artillery could not cause the effect of landslides and ground cracks. In other words, as long as the fortifications were intact and the soldiers were strong-willed, the Beiyang Army could not easily break through the positions defended by the Southwestern Revolutionary Army. Moreover, after being dragged into the trench battle, it was difficult for artillery fire to play much of a role. The melee revolutionary army had no less light and heavy machine guns than the Beiyang Army, grenades, numbers, will, and bayonets, and the Beiyang Army did not have much advantage.

The sun was lower, and it was as red as blood. The breeze stopped, the ripples on the water calmed down, and an endless silence seemed to permeate the entire battlefield.

In the afternoon battle, the revolutionary army firmly guarded the position, and with the help of the guidance of the airship, and also used a small number of artillery, the reinforced infantry counterattacked successfully, and drove all the enemy who had occupied part of the trench out of the position.

"My lord, today I have figured out the details of the rebel army, it should be the elite, but the rebel army has also suffered a lot of losses, tomorrow-" Wang Zhanyuan explained cautiously.

Things didn't happen anyway, and it was reasonable to use assumptions as an excuse, but Wang Zhanyuan knew in his heart that it was impossible.

Caught in trench warfare, the advantages of the Beiyang Army were effectively restricted, such a battle was very cruel and fierce, but the technical content was low, that is, fighting for the will, fighting for the number of people, plus the revolutionary army soldiers on the position were basically the elite who had experienced the battle formation, and were equipped with grenades, and they did not show the upper hand in the trench battle. After three days of fighting, the revolutionary army stationed in the position suffered a lot of losses, but Wang Zhanyuan's Third Association also suffered more than half of the casualties.

Feng Guozhang and several officers looked down at the map and didn't speak for a long time, Chen Guangyuan, the commander of the 15th Mixed Association, raised his head and squeezed his eyes at Wang Zhanyuan, and pointed to the seat next to him with a smile, while Wang Zhanyuan grinned and shook his head, feeling uneasy in his heart.

"From tomorrow, the attack will continue as usual, but with a weakened intensity and smaller and smaller so as not to cause unnecessary casualties." Feng Guozhang finally spoke.

"My lord, although my Third Association has suffered more casualties, it still has the strength to fight." Wang Zhanyuan stubbornly insisted: "And the rebel army didn't get any benefits......"

"Needless to say, carry out the order." Feng Guozhang waved his hand and said, "Wang Xietong has worked hard, let's go down and rest first!" ”

Wang Zhanyuan retired with a bowel and pretended to be a stomachful of questions. (To be continued.) )