Boom, boom, boom, dada...... On the south bank of the Yellow River, the sound of dense gunfire was deafening, and a team of men and horses suddenly rushed out of the smoke of gunpowder. One by one, they were smoked like black charcoal, and almost all of them were injured.

This unit was a battalion of the 33rd Brigade, and after crossing the river, the unit was ordered to conduct a powerful reconnaissance to the south, but it did not expect to run head-on into a large Japanese army that counterattacked the ferry.

Battalion Commander Kang Jianfei led his subordinates to fight a bloody battle with the enemy, and finally retreated, but nearly one-fifth of his brothers had been laid to rest in the ground, and many of the remaining soldiers were wounded and lost.

The bandages on the shoulders of the deputy battalion commander kept oozing blood, and half of his body was stained red. He gritted his teeth, pointed ahead and shouted: "Yingza, the front is Beizhangzhuang Village, should we enter the village and hold on or bypass it?" ”

Battalion Commander Kang took a look at it and said, "I will lead the battalion headquarters and one company to stay, and the remaining three companies and the wounded will retreat north!" ”

The deputy battalion commander was a little angry and said, "No, I can't be a deserter, I have to stay and stay together!" ”

Battalion Commander Kang explained: "This village is too small to accommodate too many people, and now there are so many wounded in the army, you have to find a way to bring them to safety!" ”

The deputy battalion commander twisted his neck, glared at him and said, "Then I'll stay, and you will transfer with the wounded!" ”

Camp Commander Kang was angry and said angrily: "You are the battalion commander, I am the battalion commander?" Obey the order, get out of the way! As he spoke, he shouted behind him, "Follow me even those who are not injured!" ”

When the soldiers of the first company heard this, a large group of people hula passed, and some wounded soldiers also followed. The deputy battalion commander saw that the matter was irreparable. He stomped his feet vigorously and shouted in frustration: "The second, third, and fourth companies will follow me and bring all the wounded with me!" ”

Camp Commander Kang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that the donkey was finally gone. He turned to the company commander and said, "The little devil is coming after him soon, we have to hurry up and set up defenses." ”

The commander of the first company hurriedly said: "Yes, camp, I'll go!" After just two steps, he turned around and asked, "Camp, is it at the entrance of the village or in the village?" ”

Battalion Commander Kang said: "Put a platoon at the entrance of the village. There are three in the village. Get ready to shut down and hit the dog! ”

The commander of the first company showed a painful look on his face and said sadly: "Battalion, the first platoon has been exhausted, and we only have three incomplete platoons left!" ”

Camp Commander Kang was stunned for a moment. Immediately hardened his heart. He waved his hand and said, "Then you can do it!" ”

The fighters had just stormed the village. I saw that there were still a lot of villagers crowded inside. They carry large bags and small bags in their hands, holding children and carrying old people. I guess I want to escape, but I don't know why I haven't left yet.

The commander of the first company was anxious and shouted loudly: "Folks, the devils are coming soon, you guys go north!" ”

When the villagers heard this, they were so frightened that they hurriedly fled to the north of the village, crying all the way to their father and mother, so they were not miserable. Because they fled in such a hurry, many people lost their baggage, chickens, ducks and even children. There are even fewer who run away from their shoes and squeeze out their hats.

Battalion Commander Kang sighed and said, "Go quickly, send a squad to escort them to a safe place." ”

The commander of the first company hesitated a little and said, "Battalion, we don't have enough manpower, so we will divide it into another squad......

Camp Commander Kang smiled bitterly: "It's such a big village, no matter how many people there are, they can't hold it." We're just buying the Ryokan a little time. ”

The commander of the first company suddenly realized that he hurriedly selected eight of the youngest soldiers from the unit and asked them to temporarily form a squad to escort the villagers to transfer. With them as seeds, even if they fight hard in this battle, the inheritance will not be broken.

Da Da Da ...... A burst of heavy machine-gun fire was heard, followed by the sound of grenadiers and crooked handles. Camp Chief Kang's face changed, and he shouted: "It's not good, it's the entrance of the village!" As he spoke, he rushed in the direction of the entrance of the village.

The commander of the first company was also busy bringing a squad of soldiers to follow, and said in his mouth: "Damn, it must be a little devil, it came so fast!" ”

Before they could rush to the entrance of the village, the second platoon commander had already withdrawn with his brothers. He said with a pale face: "Camp, I can't hold the position in my humble position, please punish you!" ”

Camp Commander Kang was very angry and reprimanded: "I haven't been able to hold it for half an hour, what are you doing to eat!" ”

The second platoon commander was a little ashamed, lowered his head and explained: "The devil's fire is very fierce, and the brothers have suffered heavy casualties!" We have folded seven more brothers in the platoon, and we have done our best! ”

Camp Commander Kang let out a sullen breath and said, "Forget it, I'll settle accounts with you when I go back!" The devils are about to enter the village, so go to the village to set up defenses! As he was talking, he suddenly saw the sleeves of the second platoon leader dripping blood, and hurriedly said, "Are you injured?" Quick, hygienist! ”

The leader of the second platoon shook his body, squeezed out a little smile, and said, "Camp, no, no need, humble duty, I'm afraid I can't continue to fight devils with you." As he spoke, he shook again and suddenly collapsed.

Camp Commander Kang hurriedly stretched out his hand to hold it, and there was a burst of warmth at the tentacles, and when he looked down, he saw that it was full of blood. The soldiers suddenly exclaimed, and Battalion Commander Kang felt a sinking in his hands, and when he looked up, he found that the second platoon commander had passed away suddenly......

"Platoon commander, platoon commander!" The fighters whimpered and shouted.

Battalion Commander Kang sighed and said, "Find a place to put it first, and then we will bury it properly when this battle is over!" ”

As he spoke, a cannonball whistled and exploded. The commander of the company, who had gone to the entrance of the village to investigate, ran back and shouted: "Prepare for battle, the devil has entered the village." ”

Battalion Commander Kang shouted: "Don't panic, let's fight guerrillas with devils in the village, and holding on until dark is victory!" ”

Boom Boom Boom ...... A dense burst of shells suddenly smashed in, and the village was in shambles. Under the cover of gunpowder smoke and flying dust, the soldiers quickly dispersed and hid in various courtyards in squads and platoons.

At the entrance of the village, a Japanese squadron leader suddenly pulled out his command knife and pointed at the village, howling viciously: "Give a few presses!" ”

"Onboard!" A large group of Japanese soldiers with rifles and shouting Banzai poured in......

At Chen Liukou's position, Brigade Commander Zhao Yunxiang raised his telescope with a worried face and looked in the southwest direction. The deputy commander of the first battalion hurriedly said: "Brigade seat, camp seat they are trapped in Beizhangzhuang Village in front, you quickly send troops to rescue them!" ”

Zhao Yunxiang shook his head. said: "Unless they can hold out until dark, they will not be able to save our 33rd Brigade even if they fight it out!" ”

Zhang Zhankui, commander of the 14th Cavalry Brigade, said: "Commander, let me take the brothers to rush once!" We are cavalry, fast, maybe we can catch the devil by surprise! ”

Zhao Yunxiang waved his hand and said, "Brigade Commander Zhang, you don't have to worry about the affairs of North Zhangzhuang Village. Now you are given a task, you immediately move west with your troops and take all the refugees who have fled here with you! ”

Zhang Zhankui hurriedly shook his head and said a little angrily: "This is not good!" Didn't we say we would fight side by side? Do you look down on us or something? ”

Zhao Yunxiang patiently explained: "The terrain here is narrow. There are not too many troops to hide. Squeezing in one will only be fried by the devil in vain. You are cavalry, you are fast, there is no need to stick in one place, it is better to take advantage of the enemy army to get closer. Get the first step to the outside. ”

Zhang Zhankui was a little puzzled. said, "You mean to let us stab the devil in the back?" ”

Zhao Yunxiang said: "It's not behind the scenes. It's the left flank of the Japanese army! Withdraw at once, and wait for my orders. ”

Zhang Zhankui thought for a while and said, "That's good." Don't forget your brother when you fight back! As he spoke, he ordered his troops to quickly withdraw to the west.

At this time, the large force of the Japanese army had bypassed the village of Beizhangzhuang and rushed towards the ferry. They found that some cavalry were moving westward, thinking that the 97th Army was planning to abandon the ferry and escape, and they were so anxious that they shouted. Since the 4th Brigade of the Independent Mixed Brigade had been annihilated and the supplies had been blown up, the ferry was worthless to the Japanese army, and it only made sense to annihilate the river-crossing troops of the 97th Army.

There is also a small village in the northwest of Beizhangzhuang Village, called Zhongwangzhuang Village. Zhongwangzhuang Village is just below the embankment of the Yellow River, southeast of Chenliukou, very close to the ferry.

If you want to attack Chen Liukou head-on, you must expose the right flank to Zhongwangzhuang Village. Since the location of this village is very important for the defending side, Zhao Yunxiang specially sent the second battalion to guard here. As for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th battalions, they were deployed at Chenliukou in a zigzag shape, and no matter which direction the Japanese attacked from, they would be attacked by at least two battalions.

The commander of the second battalion was calling Zhao Yunxiang and shouted loudly: "Brigade seat, the devil is coming, should we attack!" ”

Zhao Yunxiang said: "Does the devil have any intention of attacking you?" ”

The commander of the second battalion hurriedly said: "Report to the brigade, not for the time being, they seem to be going to chase the 14th Brigade of the Cavalry!" ”

Zhao Yunxiang was taken aback and said, "The devil has a large group of cavalry? ”

The second battalion commander said: "Yes! At least one reinforced squadron, and a dozen more cars! ”

Zhao Yunxiang hurriedly said: "You continue to strengthen the position, and then open fire after receiving my order!" As he spoke, he hung up the phone and asked the bannermen to contact the 14th Cavalry Brigade and ask them to speed up the transfer.

If you don't care about the cavalry alone, you can still run if you can't beat it. The worst thing is that there are still a large number of refugees in the team, and once the Japanese cavalry and cars catch up, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Deputy Brigade Commander Huang observed it for a while, and said anxiously: "Brigade seat, notify the artillery to intercept it, according to the advance speed of the Japanese army, Brigade Commander Zhang, they can't get out at all, at least those refugees don't want to escape." ”

Firing the artillery meant attracting the Japanese troops, and now the fortifications were not complete, and every minute of delay could save the lives of the soldiers. Brigade Commander Zhao hesitated for a moment and said, "Inform the artillery to open fire immediately!" ”

After weighing the pros and cons, he still decided to attract the Japanese army, after all, there were still positions to hold in the area of Chen Liukou, but the 14th Cavalry Brigade and the fleeing villagers did not even have a place to hide.

The soldiers of the 14th Cavalry Brigade also spotted the Japanese troops approaching at high speed, and a battalion commander hurriedly said: "Brigade seat, the devil is coming after him, let's withdraw quickly!" ”

Brigade Commander Zhang scolded: "Let your mother's fart, let's run away, what should the villagers do?" ”

The battalion commander said aggrievedly: "Brigade seat, we can't save them if we stay!" It's better to leave a useful body and avenge the villagers in the future! ”

A company commander also said: "I don't think that Zhao Yunxiang is at ease at all, he just wants us to lure the devil away!" ”

Brigade Commander Zhang snorted and ignored them, just urged the troops and villagers to speed up. The cavalry were fine, but the refugees really couldn't run fast, because in addition to the young men, there were many old people and children, as well as some people with unchanged legs and feet.

The Japanese army was getting closer and closer, and the soldiers were howling and chasing after the 14th Cavalry Brigade as if they had been beaten with chicken blood. The cavalry squadron leader shouted: "Hurry, you can't let go of a single person!" ”

A sharp-eyed Japanese cavalryman suddenly shouted: "Ha, look, there are flower girls in the team!" ”

When the soldiers heard this, they immediately became excited, and one by one they howled: "Oh! Chase quickly, you can't let any of them go! ”

Even the squadron leader shouted excitedly, "Yo Xi! After the annihilation of this army, you will be allowed to move freely for an hour! ”

The cavalry cheered loudly, and the Japanese soldiers who followed in the car also began to go berserk, standing on the carriages one by one and screaming.

Boom Boom Boom ...... Shells suddenly whistled and swooped down on the marching Japanese column. For a while, the explosion was full of smoke and dust, and people shouted and neighed, screaming again and again. However, it was difficult for such a light shelling to inflict a devastating blow on the Japanese troops, and only a few shells happened to hit the carriage, killing many Japanese soldiers.

"Yaga!" The angry Japanese army quickly adjusted its direction and began to turn around and rush towards the Chenliukou position. At the same time, Japanese artillery also began to bombard the ferry.

Boom Boom Boom ...... The power of the Japanese heavy artillery was much greater than that of the mortars and infantry guns of the 33rd Brigade. Most of the civil fortifications that the soldiers had built with great difficulty were quickly blown up.

"Danger!" Zhao Yunxiang just poked his head out, ready to observe the enemy situation, but was pushed by Deputy Brigade Commander Huang. Coincidentally, as soon as the two fell into the trench, Japanese artillery fire poured down on the place.

"Phew, phew!" The two of them spat out the dirt in their mouths as they struggled to get up. Under the cover of the trenches, neither of them was injured, but they were so shocked by the shock wave from the explosion that they wanted to vomit blood.

Zhao Yunxiang suddenly found that the two guards standing next to him just now were blown up to a blur of flesh and blood, and said with palpitations: "Lao Huang, thanks to you just now!" He scolded again: "Why did the little devil's artillery react so quickly!" ”

Deputy Brigade Commander Huang guessed: "It may be that the target for shooting is marked in advance, and it can be hit at any time!" Brigade seat, if we continue to fight like this, we are afraid that we will not be able to hold it, so hurry up and ask for reinforcements from the military headquarters! ”

Zhao Yunxiang's face was worried, and he said anxiously: "The ferry is so big, and the fortifications are not complete, so no matter how many troops come, it is useless." It would be nice if friendly troops could come in from the west, and the military seat said that he would ask the war zone to send troops to support, but I don't know if the war zone agreed to it! ”

Deputy Brigade Commander Huang frowned and said, "I'm afraid the war zone can't be counted on!" If we can't think of a way, we'll have to carry it! ”

The national army has always been friendly and in difficulty, and it is as immobile as a mountain. Deputy Brigade Commander Huang is also an old soldier, and he is very clear about these ways, so he has no confidence at all.

Zhao Yunxiang smiled bitterly and shook his head, but did not speak. It can be seen that he is not very optimistic about this request for help.

While they were talking, Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang suddenly hurried to the headquarters of the 97th Army, still holding a telegram in his hand. Zheng Weiguo and Chief of Staff Zhou hurriedly asked, "Chief Zhang, how did the war zone reply?" (To be continued......)