The biting cold wind swept wildly with all its might, coldly facing everything and daring to stop its progress. The cold wind swept up the snow and flew all over the sky, exposing the dead grass on the snow cover, looking so helpless and ravaged at will. Despite its small size, the withered grass still struggled with the wind demons. It can be said that the wind knows the grass, and the steel is soft and competes with each other. This situation and this scene sketch another picture of the prairie.

The wind and snow were blowing vigorously in the prairie, and a force was struggling to advance. A market town appeared in front of the haze, and the officers and soldiers suddenly came to their senses. "What's up ahead?" Division commander Lin Xiong raised his head from the collar of his sheepskin coat, and his sheepskin hat was wrapped very tightly, revealing only his nose and mouth. And the ears of the sheepskin cotton military hat are covered with white frost flowers. As the voice came out of Lin Xiong's mouth, the temperature was already more than minus 20 degrees.

A staff officer's appearance was not bad with the division commander Lin Xiong, he took off his cotton gloves and took out the map, looked at it carefully, and said: "Division commander, Fengzhen is ahead, and we have arrived at our destination." "After a while, the forward troops came to report that Fengzhen had been uninhabited since it was burned down by the Russian cavalry units. After investigation, it was discovered that several wild wolves in the town had fled in fright.

There is only one street in Fengzhen, there is no barrier around the town, and there is a small river in the west that has been frozen, and after being covered by heavy snow, it is impossible to see the shape of the river at all. Walking into Fengzhen, what catches your eye is the broken wall, and the traces of the smoke and fire are still clearly visible. When the officers and men saw this scene, a roar of anger rose from their hearts. A relatively complete house was packed up and used as a temporary division headquarters. An iron stove was burning in the room, and the heat was soothing the room.

Division commander Lin Xiong walked into the room, took off his cotton hat, took off his coat, stretched out his hand to roast in front of the stove for a while, and said: "Order the troops to quickly repair the room and set up tents. In addition, troops were dispatched to drive wooden stakes around the town and pull barbed wire. Lin Xiong continued: "Order the patrol troops to carry out a cordon within a radius of 100 kilometers in the northwest and east directions of Fengzhen. Then Lin Xiong sent a communications squad to Datong and reported to the commander-in-chief He Meng that the troops had successfully arrived in Fengzhen.

The officers and men began to work in full swing, repairing and repairing houses, setting up tents, driving piles, pulling barbed wire, pulling barbed wire. By dusk, all the work was completed, and the troops were stationed in Fengzhen. In order to effectively intercept the onslaught of the Russian cavalry, two barbed wire fences were drawn, and circular fortifications were formed around Fengzhen. Due to the snow and ice, the frozen ground could not dig trenches, so the soldiers had to build protective walls out of snow and pour water on the outside.

In the headquarters of the Datong Advance Column, He Meng was standing in front of the military map and was pondering, and Lei Zhensheng, deputy commander of the independent cavalry column next to him, broke the silence and said: "Commander-in-chief, the weather is cold, ice and snow, can our luring enemy Jihua Russian cavalry take the bait?" The weather is so cold, I am afraid that the Russian cavalry will not be dispatched. He Meng groaned and said: "Since the Russian cavalry has been harassing in the south, we have been tolerating, to be precise, helpless forbearance. ”

He Meng walked to the military map, pointed to an area and continued: "This area in the north has become a vacuum, and the harassment tactics of the Russian army are restricted. In particular, we fought several ambushes, which caused the Russian cavalry not to dare to penetrate deep into the hinterland. In the previous stage of burning, killing and looting, the Russian cavalry tasted the sweetness. I judged that they had not only tasted the sweetness, but that we had nothing to do with them. The Russian army has achieved its goal and has very much to hold back and we have to take a defensive position in the north. ”

Judging from this, the Russian cavalry has been very arrogant. Now suddenly a division of troops appears in Fengzhen, what will the Russian army think. You see Fengzhen is very abrupt, according to our repeated reconnaissance, after entering the winter, the main force of the Russian cavalry is transferred away, and there are only two divisions of Kosako cavalry on the first line of Hohhot and Baotou, so we must lead the snake out of the hole. ”

He Meng confidently continued: "The proud Xosako cavalry is currently in high morale, and we are stationed in Fengzhen with infantry troops. In this way, the Russians will think that we are bold and humiliating them. I just want to provoke the Russian army to take the bait, and I believe that the arrogant Russian cavalry will definitely be fooled. He Meng's face was full of confidence.

Lei Zhensheng said with some apprehension: "Commander-in-chief, in the case of no danger to defend, the infantry cannot resist the cavalry at all, and the powerful impact of the cavalry cannot be prevented at all. Is it too risky to make those barbed wire fences whether they are good or not, and they have not been tested in actual combat? He Meng said: "We launched an attack with a small force of cavalry in Xi'an, and the effect of barbed wire was good, but in the face of large-scale cavalry impact, we were not very sure ......."

He Meng continued: "But there is a very important point, that is, the barbed wire can slow down the speed of the impact cavalry, just imagine what would happen if the cavalry had no speed? If barbed wire can do that, we're at least 70 percent sure, so it's worth the risk. "The commander-in-chief analyzed it thoroughly, but I don't understand what it means to have our cavalry units in the rear?" Lei Zhensheng was confused.

He Meng said slyly: "After all, our cavalry unit has just been formed, and the combat effectiveness is not good, I want to let the limited cavalry play the maximum effect, and attack at the most critical and powerful time, I want to eat a large part of the Russian army in a battle, I must hurt him, so that he does not dare to continue to act rashly, and our goal will be achieved." As soon as He Meng's words fell, an operational staff officer came in to report: "Report to the commander-in-chief, the commander of the 42nd Division, Lin Division, report that the division has successfully entered Fengzhen." "Great, our decoy is on, and now we will wait patiently for the Russian army to take the bait."

"Deputy Commander Lei! You will lead the 1st Cavalry Division to Liuzhen, which is about 150 kilometers southwest of Fengzhen. Feng Jingzhang was ordered to lead the 2nd Cavalry Division to station in Taocun, which was located 160 kilometers southeast of Fengzhen. The purpose of putting your two cavalry divisions in such a position is to flank Fengzhen. You have to send out scouts and keep an eye on the situation in Fengzhen. Remember, no matter what happens to Toyojin, you are not allowed to attack without my orders. "Yes! Subordinate Leader! Lei Zhensheng straightened his chest and replied loudly.

Feng Jingzhang led the 2nd Cavalry Division into Taocun, although the village was not looted, but it was empty, and the desolate scene was sad. At this time, Feng Jingzhang and the adjutant were drinking, and the adjutant said: "Division commander, the commander-in-chief let the infantry troops be stationed in Fengzhen, and let our cavalry troops be stationed in the rear, isn't this sending the infantry to death." We have learned the strength of the Xhosako cavalry, and it is really incomprehensible that no matter how tenacious the infantry of a division is, it is difficult to resist the onslaught of a brigade of cavalry. ”

"Hugh is talking nonsense, the combat effectiveness of the Northern Expeditionary Army is known to the world. Besides, the commander-in-chief must have a clever plan, otherwise it would not have been possible to do so. How the commander-in-chief used troops in Sichuan and Xi'an was simply superb. So I'll just wait patiently, maybe there will be a happy revenge. Feng Jingzhang's face was full of anticipation. Division commander, what you said makes sense, but I can't figure out the beauty of such a troop arrangement. "The adjutant is confused.

"You kid have to figure it out, the position of commander-in-chief is yours!" Feng Jingzhang teased. The adjutant was startled and said, "My lord! Don't dare to say this, be careful that the wall has ears! Feng Jingzhang smiled: "You think it's the former Qing army!" The most commendable thing about the Northern Expeditionary Army is that it is not guilty of speech, and we are really glad that we are. Did you find that Commander Leng was reused when he followed Commander-in-Chief Deng back then, and there is nothing to say. However, Commander-in-Chief He and Chief of Staff of Kazakhstan are both Confucian generals, and they are not only excellent in themselves, but also both civil and military, which is the most commendable. The key is that they are all cultivated by Commander-in-Chief Deng himself, and you think about what kind of character Commander-in-Chief Deng is. ”

"The division commander, the subordinates are bold, and the people of Zuo, including Li Hongzhang, are overshadowed by Commander-in-Chief Deng. I have heard rumors that Commander-in-Chief Deng is not a mortal, he knows what happened 500 years ago and 500 years later, and he can pinch and calculate, and he is like a god. "I heard that Commander-in-Chief Deng is only in his 30s, which is really a blessing for China, and one day I can see the true face of Commander-in-Chief Deng, this life is enough!" Feng Jingzhang's face was confused, and he was silent in an atmosphere of admiration.

The night was hazy, and the snow-capped grassland was very quiet. About 5 kilometers northeast of Fengzhen, the sound of horses' hooves breaking the silence of the wilderness with the sound of horses' hooves that had been patrolling. The patrol force is about 20 people and is a patrol squad. Suddenly, there was the sound of horses' hooves on the left, and a group of black shadows pounced quickly. "Not good! It's the Russian cavalry! The patrol leader reacted quickly, and the soldiers quickly removed their rifles and loaded them.

With the sound of heavy gunfire, a rider dismounted. The horse team running on the opposite side was very alert, and soon the horse team turned left and ran out of the shooting distance and stopped. On the opposite side was indeed the Russian cavalry reconnaissance cavalry, with a number of 30 people. In a hail of bullets, one of the cavalrymen was dismounted and two were wounded. The Russian cavalry had excellent fighting skills on horseback, but their marksmanship was far from good. And our patrol squad is not cavalry at all, but reconnaissance detachments. The reconnaissance detachments were not equipped with sabers at all, so it was impossible for them to fight with the Russian cavalry.

"Captain, it's the Russian cavalry, about 30 people," one soldier said shrewdly. "There are only 30 of them and there is no need to be afraid, the Russian cavalry does not leave, probably thinking about the soldiers who have been knocked off their horses. Go down to the two of them, see if they are dead or alive, and if they are alive, they will take them back. "Shaoqing," reported to the captain, the guy was dead, and the bullet hit him in the head. The squad leader saw that the Russian cavalry in the distance was still lingering and ordered a retreat. When the Russian cavalry saw that the patrol was retreating, they came to check on the soldier. Then the Russian officer gave the order, and the dead soldiers were loaded on their horses and roared away.

Fengzhen Divisional Headquarters, Lin Xiong listened to the report of the patrol squad leader and motioned for the squad leader to go down. "Division commander, it must be the reconnaissance cavalry of the Russian army, it seems that we have been discovered by the Russian army."; Lin Xiong said excitedly: "If the Russian army doesn't come, then our jihua will be in vain." All patrol units were ordered to stop patrolling. The communications squad was ordered to rush to Datong and report to the commander-in-chief. ”

After Lin Xiong finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something and said: "Order all the officers and soldiers to sleep well, wait for the rabbit, and meet the cruel battle." A staff officer suggested: "Division commander, since entering Fengzhen, I haven't slept well, can I drink some wine?" "No problem, I'll get you drunk tonight!" There was a cheer all around.