【192】The Three Armies of the Galaxy Shadow Shake (20)

Yao Fan didn't answer, and stood silently in front of the map. Seeing this, a guard immediately lit a candle and walked over to illuminate Yao Fan.

"Where is the First Division now?" Yao Fan asked decisively.

"Chairman, according to Xiao Chukai's previous report, they chose a piece of high ground in the southwest of Cangzhou, south of Xian County, and stationed on the spot." Li Jundao.

"Order them to assemble immediately, intersperse to the north of Botou Town, be sure to cut off the connection between Botou Town and Cangzhou before dawn, and encircle the Qing army in Botou Town from the northwest."

Li Hainiu interrupted: "Chairman, the first division has been gone for a day, and I don't know if I can guarantee it." ”

Yao Fan took the cigarette handed over by Niu Hu, opened a pack, lit one, took a puff, and said after thinking: "Cui Guangwen, don't send a report for the time being." ”

"Yes, Chairman."

Yao Fan paced up in the Yali of Dongguang County, and after turning around, he said to Li Hainiu: "More than 20,000 Qing troops, dare to go out to meet us, and want to fight a field battle with us, this is either fearless, or there is a large force of backup.

In the first case, the enemy should have a trick up his sleeve that he thinks he can win. If it is the second case, Cangzhou still has a new force to come. ”

Li Hainiu nodded in agreement, Li Jun listened intently, and Zhou Sihu fell into deep thought with a face on his face.

"We've always played on two sides, head-to-head. This tactic is effective and practical, but it requires extremely high troops, generally requiring several times the enemy's strength, and about five times more is appropriate, but we always fight more with less.

In the past, we were able to achieve devastating victories mainly because our firepower density was much stronger than that of our opponents, and we were able to effectively make up for the inferiority in troops, but once we encountered an enemy who could compete with our army in firepower, our army's combat effectiveness would be severely tested. ”

Li Hainiu said: "Chairman is wise, we have always fought more with less, all relying on strong firepower, if we all use muskets like the Qing army, it is really difficult to resist such a small number of troops." ”

Yao Fan said: "I personally believe that we should give full play to our army's firepower superiority, pull the attack surface apart, and pull the width of the battlefield apart."

In today's battle, I think Xiao Chukai's first division can boldly insert it and let him press it from west to east, Hu Guangting's third division will be formed in squads and platoons on the spot, and directly launch a large-depth attack from south to north, and Liu Jinbao's second division will be outflanked from the east as a reserve, ready to flank and pursue at any time. ”

Li Hainiu scratched his head, took a pack of cigarettes from the cigarette slip that Yao Fan put on the middle table in the command room, and learned from Yao Fan to open it and light one: "Chairman, this foreign cigarette is quite easy to smoke, better than dry tobacco." ”

"I don't have a lot of cigarettes, so everyone smokes this cigarette."

When Li Jun and Zhou Sisi heard this, they came up curiously and took a pack each, and learned to smoke it.

Li Hainiu smoked a cigarette and said: "Chairman, in this way, the main attack of our army is the three divisions led by Hu, Zhang, and Yang, and I think that we must wait for the first division to come up and complete the flank encirclement of the west road before we can fight." The first division completed the intersperses in one night, and by the time dawn was exhausted, I thought there might be problems in the fight. ”

Zhou Sidao: "He Shicheng's previous telegram said that the military rations of the whole army for a month can be transported to Dongguang County at noon tomorrow, chairman, we traveled lightly before, and the military rations carried by the second and third divisions are only enough to eat for three days, and Xiao Chukai has enough military rations for their first division to eat for five days." If the battle starts early tomorrow morning, and after the victory, it will be chased all the way to Cangzhou, I am afraid that it will be too late to hand over the military rations with He Shicheng in Dongguang. I'll wait a little longer, and then fight when the military rations are handed over. ”

Yao Fan frowned and said, "Cui Guangwen, I said, you record." ”

"Yes, Chairman."

Hu, Zhang and Yang were sued.

1. It is very good that you will continue to reconnoiter and find out the detailed deployment of the enemy's camps near Botou Town, and find out the roads and terrain.

2. The artillery battalions of your divisions should use some mortars to make use of hidden positions after dark, under the cover of infantry companies and platoons, and use night-vision scopes on mortars to carry out exploratory fire strikes against the enemy in front of the camp, so as to observe the enemy's reaction and troop movements, and at the same time deter the enemy.

3. In accordance with the tactical norms of the infantry, all units immediately set up trench fortifications on the spot and outposts in all directions at night, and were always ready to meet the enemy's night raids and raids. The command judged that the enemy's choice to encounter our troops in the evening was a premeditated and planned action, and there was a great possibility that the enemy would launch a night attack on our troops, and the enemy intended to take advantage of the night to offset the backwardness of weapons.

A military finger. ”

After Yao Fan finished speaking, he asked Li Hainiu: "Do you think it's okay to say this?" ”

Li Hainiu took a puff of cigarette and nodded: "Hu Guangting is brave in battle, Zhang Ercang is a clever ghost, Yang Weiyi is honest and willing to work, and their three divisions can fight very well."

I agree with you, Chairman, that the Qing army will not meet sooner or later, and the encounter between our army at this place at this time is likely to be a battlefield that they have carefully planned and set in advance. The terrain in the area of Botou Town is complex, and there are many small river forks, so the speed of our attack will inevitably be affected. The positions of our army south of Botou were all plains and fields, which was conducive to the Qing army to launch an attack. Once the Qing army left Botou Town to launch an attack on our army, it was very convenient.

The 20,000 Qing troops dared to go out of the city to fight us, and they must have been the main force sent by Li Hongzhang from Tianjin, and it is estimated that there are still Ming troops going north, and maybe there are also Mongolian cavalry. If they can be defeated in one battle, then there will be no resistance to attacking Jinjing next. ”

Li Jun nodded and said, "But how can Li Hongzhang be willing to take out the last old book to go out to fight?" I think it's a bit weird. As the chairman said, it was premeditated to choose this place as a battlefield. ”

Zhou Si smoked a cigarette and said, "The telegram is no problem, let's send it first." ”

Yao Fan nodded, and Cui Guangwen saw Yao Fan nodding, so he immediately sent a report.

Li Hainiu said: "According to the chairman's wishes, the first division will tell them to go east overnight, and then transfer them back to Dongguang to receive grain after the fight is finished tomorrow." The 3rd Division will be on strict alert tonight to guard against night attacks and launch an attack early tomorrow morning, while the 2nd Division will leave the city with the 3rd Regiment and the base camp tonight, and the 1st and 2nd Regiments will immediately leave the city and outflank the east side of the 3rd Division. ”

Yao Fan nodded, and verbally proposed a telegram again, and Cui Guangwen immediately sent a report.

……………………

In the camp where the Qing army was stationed in Botou, the main general was Liu Mingchuan.

In the Northwest Rebellion, because of the mutiny of Cao Kezhong's troops in Shaanxi and Gansu, Liu Mingchuan was accused of using non-human people and was dismissed and returned to the field. This has not been secluded for a few years, Shandong is in turmoil, Li Hongzhang's capable general Zhou Shengchuan was killed in battle, so he remembered him again, and immediately recalled him secretly to Beijing and re-entrusted it to reuse.

As the founder of the Ming Army, Liu Mingchuan was extremely shocked after hearing about the defeat in Shandong and Northern Jiangsu, and he did not want to take on this task because he had no understanding of Yao Fan's army.

However, the imperial court order could not be disobeyed, Liu Mingchuan had to put on the battlefield again, bringing more than 6,000 people from 12 infantry battalions of the Ming Army from the sea, plus 13 infantry battalions of the Sheng Army, 2 cavalry battalions, 8,000 people, as well as Li Hongzhang's three foreign artillery battalions in Tianjin with 1,800 people, 16 Mongolian light cavalry battalions with 250 people with 4,000 people, and 4,000 garrison green battalions from eight parts of Hebei, with a total strength of more than 24,000 people stationed in Botou, and the company battalion from west to east for 15 miles, blocking the way north to Cangzhou. intends to fight to the death with Yao Fan here.

Liu Mingchuan's tactics are still "hardening the village and fighting in a stupid battle", but Liu Mingchuan is very smart, he chose the Botou Town area, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack on the terrain, as the battlefield, hoping to make up for the disadvantage of weapons with night attacks.

"General, the glue thieves have continuously sent people to attack and harass our army camp, and they have shot and killed nearly 100 of our troops from afar! Our army fired back, but the gun couldn't go far, and the movement of the glue thief's troops was weird, and the formation was extremely scattered, so he always couldn't hit the glue thief! Chen Jinyu, the officer of the Ming military camp, reported anxiously.

"What about the cavalry?"

"The two sentinels went to charge, but they were ambushed by a machine gun in the hidden place of the glue thieves, and they suffered heavy casualties, and the rest fled back!"

Liu Mingchuan's face was even worse, his face was worried, and his right hand kept twisting the tip of his beard: "Order all battalions to open artillery to deterrence!" Whether you hit it or not, you can shoot it from time to time! Fight until it's completely dark! As soon as it gets dark, the glue thief can't shoot cold. In any case, it can't affect tonight's night attack. ”

"Mark it and get it!"

Liu Ming said to the Mongolian general in the tent: "General Kalu, tonight our army attacked the rubber thieves at night, and the four thousand cavalry of the Mongolian heroes of the Lai Gui Department took the lead!" ”

Galu had a big beard on his face, and said with his fists clenched: "General Liu, rest assured, it is incumbent on Kalu to serve the royal family!" ”

Liu Mingchuan nodded slowly, walked out of the tent, and looked into the distance, at this time it was dark, and it was not far away. At this time, the moon had not yet risen, and the earth was darker than it was in the middle of the night.

Because of his instructions, the artillery in the distance suddenly rang out, and it thundered indiscriminately.

Liu Mingchuan frowned, and said to himself: "Victory or defeat in this battle, the rubber thief firearms are sharp, if you don't fight at night, you will win, and you will fight during the day, I am afraid that you will have to follow the mistakes of Wang Zhengqi and Zhou Shengchuan!" ”

This seemed to be emboldening himself, and after finishing speaking, Liu Mingchuan nodded to himself and recognized his idea again.

……………………

After receiving the telegram, Hu Guangting immediately ordered the Third Division to speed up the construction of fortifications, and political commissar Zhang Erpao then said: "Guangting, I think this kind of fight is a bit passive, right?" ”

Hu Guangting was stunned when he heard this, his eyes lit up, and he nodded: "I also feel a little passive, I agree with the judgment of the command, the Qing army is unwilling to sit still in Cangzhou City, but it has been repeatedly defeated in the field, this time the sudden army is dispatched to meet the battle, it must be prepared, just like the judgment of the command, eighty percent will launch a night attack on our army." The Qing army wanted to take advantage of the night to offset the firepower advantage of our army, relying on the superiority of troops, fighting with our army and seeking victory in chaos. ”

Deputy division commander Yang Weiyi said: "It's already dark, the moon hasn't risen yet, if the Qing army wants to attack, it must be the cavalry first, and when the moon hangs in the sky, attack by the moonlight." ”

Hu Guangting borrowed the candle and looked at the map on the table and pondered.

Zhang Erpao came over and looked at the map together, and said: "The chairman has always told us that we must take the initiative in combat, Guangting, you are the best at attacking, and our third division should make use of its strengths and avoid its weaknesses." ”

Hu Guangting took out the infantry company and platoon tactics he had been carrying with him from his trouser pocket, flipped the crumpled book directly to the rules of night warfare, pointed to the book, and said: "In the tactics issued by the chairman, there is a special discussion on the infantry company platoon attacking the enemy who defends the position at night, but we have never fought a night battle before. ”

Yang Weiyi was a little worried, and came over and said, "You two don't change the instructions of your superiors without authorization, since the command wants us to build a position, we still listen to the command." ”