At more than three o'clock in the morning, the lights were lit up on the platform of Xinmin Railway Station, and trucks were parked along the tracks in the fields near the railway station, and there were thousands of trucks and cars one after another. At this time, many officers and men of the Guards in tea-green uniforms were hurrying to and fro on the platform, most of these people were officers in charge of a certain task in the command organ of the Korean Front that was about to be formed, and their faces were surprisingly young with serious expressions, even a little nervous.

Logistics officers were counting personnel and supplies in the vicinity, and were dispatching radios, luggage, weapons and equipment and other supplies up and down the convoy. The cold wind of early spring howled from the wasteland of Liaoyuan, blowing the last dead leaves from the poplar trees near the platform, blowing them onto the platform, slapping the legs of these soldiers who were about to go on the expedition, and the powdery fine grains of sand peculiar to northern China hit the soldiers' bodies.

However, these soldiers, who had been hastily assembled in the last half month, did not seem to feel the cold of the early spring morning in the northeast, and the nervousness and haste made them re-engage in a new round of war like a wind-up machine, and after the resumption of the war, although there was no large-scale clash between the two armies on the main battlefield, many fierce battles broke out on the line from Mukden to Andong and from Liaoyang to Yingkou, and in each battle, the Guards mobilized at least three times the enemy's strength to quickly capture the towns and communication passes controlled by the army. And now, as they rallied, everyone knew that the flames of war were about to resume.

From the train station to the wilderness outside the station, only hurried footsteps and chaotic and hurried shouts and inquiries could be heard, and the sound of cars and motorcycles, and under the light of electric lights, there seemed to be little difference between officers and soldiers, they were just a tiny little screw in the Imperial War Machine of the Guard, and they only had to be dutiful and obedient.

It was the early morning of April 21, 1905, Yanhuang 4603.

When the train station and the hectic hustle and bustle in the wilderness were almost ready, the soldiers also boarded the trucks and cars in the prescribed positions. At this time, the dim lights on the platform seemed a little gray and faded—the first morning light had risen in the eastern sky, and the cold wind was still whistling, whirling on the platform that had become empty.

At this time, several cars drove out of the train station and stopped in the wilderness near the train station. From the first car walked a burly man, he was none other than Lan Tianwei, who had just been appointed commander of the Korean Front.

Wearing a tea-green military uniform, Lan Tianwei will look a little high-spirited, the sword on his waist is decorated with gold and silver ornaments reflected in the headlights, and he only wears the Liberation Commemorative Medal and the First-Class Yunmo Medal on his chest, although he has some high-spirited color on his face, but his heart is also a mentality of hanging fifteen buckets of water from seven to eight down, he knows what this battle is, it is the Chinese [***] team that once again stepped out of the country to fight, he can imagine tomorrow, when the news announcement is issued, What kind of expectations will the people of the whole country look at this "expeditionary force" consisting of eight divisions?

Several staff officers of the military department stepped forward to report to Lan Tianwei. All personnel, equipment, equipment and vehicles have been boarded.

"What about the radio?"

Lan Tianwei asked urgently, for the army headquarters, the most important thing is communication equipment, the army headquarters must maintain radio communication with the staff department and from the division to the regiment, if it is a defensive operation, it must also connect the telephone to the infantry company, communication first, this is the most basic combat code of the guards.

"Twelve radio stations are loaded with twelve communication vehicles."

Immediately a young staff officer replied.

Youth may be the biggest feature of this army, the average age of soldiers is 20.35 years old, and the average age of officers is 18.7 years old, which may be the youngest army in human history, especially his officers, the average age of officers is smaller than the average age of soldiers, perhaps in human history, there is only this time of the Chinese Imperial Guards.

"Can you get to work right away?"

Lan Tianwei asked again, until now, he has never had the experience of commanding a large corps to fight, everything can only be done in accordance with the regulations, and the requirements of the combat regulations are that "the command must keep communication open at all times".

"No problem, the picks are all experienced veterans, and the radio station is also the latest German radio station, with sufficient accessories, and there is no problem at all to ensure communication!"

"Director, Tianwei really doesn't know how to say this thank you!"

Lan Tianwei turned to Xiao Xinren who walked down from another car and said, both in words and demeanor with full respect, although he was not from the Whampoa Military Academy, but according to the habit of Whampoa students, Xiao Xinren was called the director, and he also understood that the reason why he was able to serve as the commander of the North Korean Army this time was recommended by the director in front of him.

"Thank you! As long as you can win! ”

Xiao Xinren shook his head, and then stared at Lan Tianwei.

"Ji Hao, my side is all for the front line. As long as you need it, someone will come out of it, and there will be something out of it. ”

In order to form the Korean Army, he used the four divisions of the First Army to replace the four divisions originally planned to be allocated to the North Korean Army, and even negotiated with the Second Army to transfer two divisions to the North Korean Army.

"Your Majesty, I'm watching you!"

In the end, Xiao Xinren said in a serious and earnest sentence, although he proposed the "Huangpu of the Guards", he did not mind appointing non-Huangpu officers in the troops, and the Huangpu of the combat unit and the Lu Shi of the General Staff Department seemed to the outside world to be "rejecting dissidents", but in fact, Xiao Xinren, who put forward this suggestion, knew that the exclusion of dissidents was on the one hand, and on the other hand, the short-term training officers of Huangpu could not shoulder the responsibilities of the General Staff at all, and they could grow up on the battlefield, but they could not formulate wrong military orders in the General Staff. caused the sacrifice of combat troops, so he always insisted that "the best officers go to the general staff".

But when needed, he would suggest that those officers be transferred to the staff and sent to the rank-and-file units. Lan Tianwei, Wu Luzhen, and Zhang Shaozeng, the "three heroes of non-commissioned officers", were all appointed as the commanders of the troops under his recommendation, and now Lan Tianwei, a "republican sympathizer" with a number in the Investigation Bureau, has been appointed as the commander of the First Army.

Only Xiao Xinren knew how hard he had to go in the process of persuading His Majesty.

"Please rest assured, Director, Tianwei will live up to His Majesty's trust!"

Lan Tian Weiwei stood up and gave a military salute towards Xiao Xinren.

"Alright, get in the car and go immediately!"

Xiao Xinren nodded, waved his hand, and made a gesture.

"Congratulations...... Triumph! ”

When the convoy started, Lan Tianwei glanced at the director in front of him again, and finally added.

"Please rest assured, Tianwei knows the responsibility on his shoulders!"

Xiao Xinren just smiled and beckoned to him, then nodded and said.

"Just remember the responsibility, you just need to know that a soldier is a soldier, we are defending the country and doing our duty! Fight your battle well! If you win the war, you will be the hero of the country and the nation, if you ......"

He didn't continue, and Lan Tianwei knew the meaning of what the director was going to say, if he lost, I am afraid that not only would he need to apologize with his life, but even the entire country would pay the price for his failure, and China could not afford to lose!

Immediately, the roar of the cars began to rush rapidly, and the station buildings stepped back from the windows one by one. At this time, the people in the urban area of Shenyang are still in the sweet sleep in the early morning, there are few lights in the residential area, the houses are shadowy, and a few street lamps are glowing with a faint halo. The military column drove out of Shenyang, traveled through the northeast plain, and rushed to Andong, an important town on the Yalu River.

In the middle of the car, looking at the dust raised by the convoy, Lan Tianwei looked back on what happened in the past period of time, and felt that it was just a rush that had never been done before, and all kinds of things that had to be done came one after another, which made him overwhelmed, but more than that...... Seven up and eight up and down uneasy.

Because he had participated in the Liberation Conference and later served in the General Staff, he understood that for the Chinese Empire, there was an army first, and then a country, and only when the army remained stable could the future of the country be guaranteed. The political creed of the army is "order", and both initiative and creativity must be subordinated to the political leader, so the Guards must be a controlled, professional, and politically distant army.

Before the national election, all the soldiers who have joined the Liberation Society must make a choice, choose between joining the army and politics, either take off their military uniform and become a politician, or put on the military uniform and become a professional soldier, and from then on, only serve as a shield and sword for the country, and completely abandon their personal political beliefs.

Although he was inclined to the republican faction in his heart, after the general election, in order to fulfill the loyalty of the soldiers, he still swore allegiance to His Majesty and the empire, and the remarks he once made in support of the republican system made him think that his future might end here, but this time His Majesty unexpectedly ordered his general, in addition to the anxiety, there was more of a feeling of death for the person who knew it.

"Allegiance to Your Majesty!"

On the day the letter of appointment was issued, Lan Tianwei hung the portrait of the emperor in the living room of his home in Nanjing for the first time, and then took the military train to Xinmin and lived in the headquarters of the First Army of Xinmin. In the past few years, he has been constantly studying the situation of the enemy forces in the Korean area with the director and discussing matters related to the entry of the Korean army into the DPRK. A meeting of officers above the Korean corps level was convened for pre-war mobilization. …… It wasn't until the early morning of the 21st that he rode to Anton with the headquarters, and then he took a breather.

"April 21st, it's already started over there, non-stop!"

Lan Tianwei sighed to herself. This time he led his troops to the battle, which was different from the past. Although the scale of the enemy's troops is far inferior to what has already been said, the vast majority of the materials needed for the troops to fight abroad cannot be supplied on the spot and have to rely on domestic supplies, and this has further aggravated the logistical difficulties.

But no matter what the difficulties, this battle must be won.

"You don't need to see you before you go, and when you win, I'll pick you up in Nanjing!"

Lan Tianwei remembered the words of His Majesty conveyed by the palace attendants when he visited His Majesty as usual before departure, and Lan Tianwei felt a great responsibility, His Majesty did not see him, just because he didn't want to hear him say anything like "do your best", but told him in this way that what he needed was victory, just victory! Nothing else.

For more than ten days in a row, Lan Tianwei has never been able to sleep enough for three hours that day, and her eyes are bloodshot. Now when I get into the car, my brain is still dizzy, but strangely, I can't even take a nap.

He rested his head against the back of the car, squinting and wanting to rest for a while. After a moment, he opened his eyes again.

"Now the troops should cross the Yalu River!"

"Sir, according to the plan, the main force of the army should have crossed the Yalu River an hour ago!"

The staff officer's answer made Lan Tianwei's eyes, which she originally wanted to squint, widen again.

"Oh, I see, didn't the eleventh phase of Whampoa send eight hundred trainee staff officers? Did they get to the troops? This is something that His Majesty has specified! We must ensure that these officers enter the regimental and battalion units, and we must train qualified staff officers in war! ”

After receiving an affirmative answer, Lan Tianwei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

It is very difficult for people to change their beliefs, and now Lan Tianwei is trying to change his beliefs, from a republican to a professional soldier, and the only thing you need as a soldier is loyalty, and a soldier does not need political beliefs. But what is this loyalty? To the country, to the emperor, to the people...... He hasn't gotten that answer yet.

"Okay, let's do that for now."

Although the face is relieved, but in the heart, Lan Tianwei is still a little uneasy, now the troops are crossing the Yalu River, the troops crossing the river actually hit the army a time difference, the army stationed in Yizhou, 18.5 kilometers away from the mouth of the Yalu River, the troops in the seizure of Andong at the same time, has cut off the telephone and telegraph lines, and snatched the Jiangkou Engineer Railway Bridge, and then captured Andong in half an hour, and the first batch of troops into the DPRK are two sharp knife battalions, they are responsible for blocking the enemy reinforcements in Yizhou.

On the evening of April 20, 4603, after taking Andong County with one regiment, six divisions of the Imperial Chinese Guards crossed the Yalu River in three ways. The 40th and 39th Divisions and the 1st Artillery Division crossed the Yalu River from the Andong Railway Engineer Bridge.

The 38th Division, the 113th Division, and the 2nd Artillery Division crossed the Yalu River from the mouth of the Changdian River via an engineer pontoon bridge, and the 32nd Division, the 42nd Division, and the 8th Artillery Brigade crossed the Yalu River from Ji'an via a pontoon bridge.

In accordance with the telegram of the General Staff Headquarters, all the troops crossing the river have dispatched four times as many search units during the past 13 days of marching in order to strictly maintain secrecy, and in the course of marching along the mountains and forests, they have found that the armed bandits have been exterminated on the spot and civilians have been detained, and sometimes they have even taken resolute measures for the sake of secrecy.

Yesterday afternoon, after the 135th Regiment seized Andong County, at nightfall, the 40th Division of the Guards Corps rushed to cross the Yalu River at the first time on the Yalu River Engineer Railway Bridge. Before dawn, the main force of the river-crossing troops was already hidden in the mountains and forests, and there was hardly a trace of it.

And the cold wind of early spring carries the dead branches and leaves of the winter years and scratches the waves of the Yalu River. When night was about to fall in Andong County, there was no light in the execution of the ban on Anton, only the stars blinking in the sky with their dim eyes, which seemed to reveal the uneasiness before the battle.

A car drove out of Andong County, took advantage of the night to drive south, and drove onto the Yalu River Engineer Road Bridge. Wu Luzhen sat in the car and watched the 40th Division on the bridge advancing southward.

Like any Guards unit, the soldiers, with rifles on their shoulders and bags of rations and bullets on their backs, strode south and quickly across the railway bridge into North Korea. There is no noise in the whole process, no strange words, the movements are fast and consistent, and every simple or witty face reveals a sense of sacred mission.

As their commander, Wu Luzhen was familiar with these soldiers, most of them were peasants, and at the beginning, they were no different from the grain of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and they came to be soldiers for a salary of 10 yuan a month, which was nothing more than a soldier to eat grain and be a grain.

But now? Under the teaching of the officers over and over again, they knew what they were fighting for, for the country and the nation, and for the first time, under the guidance of the officers, those soldiers understood that the fate of the individual and the country were closely linked.

Perhaps this is precisely the two contradictory concepts in the Guards, the officers who want to be restrained, professional, and far away from politics, and the fanatical, huge, and enthusiastic national soldiers who are eager to participate in society, and they want professional officers, and they want fanatical troops, and this contradiction probably only exists in China, but in any case, the Guards who are now armed with nationalism have fought bravely and are not afraid of sacrifice in the past and now...... Today, when the country needs them, they all cross the Yalu River without hesitation and fight for the fate and future of the country.

"The soldiers of the Guards are the children of the people, they are the essence of the people, and they embody the will of the people...... In the face of danger and sacrifice, they do not know fear and retreat, they only know how to kill the enemy bravely and serve the country. ”

He repeated the teachings of His Majesty, but because of this, as an officer, he felt deeply responsible for loving them, leading them to victory over the enemy and reducing unnecessary casualties.

But can you do it yourself? To be honest, Wu Luzhen was not sure in his heart, but he repeatedly told himself: It must be ...... Certain...... We will surely lead them to victory!

"China rises and falls, fight here!"

Gritting his teeth, Wu Luzhen's eyes were fixed on the land on the other side, whether it was personal or national honor or disgrace, it would be decided by this battle.

(To be continued)