Episode 28 Reinforcements are wiped out

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Rommel in a daze.

"Ah...... Yes...... So what, Zi Teng, turn on the lights. ”

The room suddenly brightened, and Xiang Xiaoqiang could see it very clearly at this time.

A skeletal face, a well-defined chin, a strong neck, deep round eye sockets, crow's feet at the corners of the eyes that curve downward, almost in two semi-circular arcs, paper-thin lips, plus that trademark large forehead......

That's right, it's certain, it's Rommel. Although it is a little younger than most of the photographs of later generations.

Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know what attitude to use to speak to the person in front of him for a while. …… No, not the slightest hint of adoration,...... Now he is the commander of the People's Guard of the Ming Empire, Rommel is just a military academy instructor, and he is not famous at all, and it is estimated that even the book "Infantry on Attack" has not been published.

"Ahem," Xiang Xiaoqiang licked his lips to calm down, and asked reservedly, "Sir...... Johannes? Irwin? Eugene? Lieutenant Colonel Rommel? ”

Rommel stared at him intently, grinned slowly, and with a "snap" of his leather boots, he stretched out a hand and smiled:

"Erwin? Rommel, willing to serve you. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang's hands were already full of sweat, and he pretended to be arrogant, nodded, and stretched out his hand to shake it.

As a Caucasians, he is really not tall, and he is a little taller than Xiang Xiaoqiang, but his arms are very strong, and his handshake is very strong.

It's miserable, the sweat of his own hand, don't let him find out that his heart is empty...... Well? Looks like he has a lot of sweat on his hands!

Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Rommel, eager to see if he was also nervous. Sure enough, Rommel licked his lips, and a little bead of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose. But he didn't hold it like Xiang Xiaoqiang, but simply grinned:

"You're the second big guy I've ever shaken hands with."

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Oh, and who's the first one?"

"A few years ago, our Führer visited our military academy," Rommel said with a look of nostalgia and admiration in his eyes, "and the Führer shook hands with me. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded: Yes, this is Rommel, in the early days he was a crazy admirer of Hitler. A few years later, when he served as Hitler's bodyguard, he also took the initiative to recall to Hitler the last handshake.

Rommel glanced at the wall clock on the wall and pointed to the map on his desk:

"Is Lord Xiang interested in studying the battle situation near Nanjing with me?"

This sentence is right in the heart of Xiaoqiang's arms. He glanced at several of Rommel's maps and said with a smile:

"Monsieur Rommel, your map is too small. Hehe, we have a war room here, everything there, not only maps, but also sand tables. ”

Rommel's eyes flashed with excitement, but Xiang Xiaoqiang still turned around first and ordered the stomachache to release Ah Tie in the detention room first. He smiled at Rommel:

"We need all the help now. I was very touched by the sincerity of the others who took the initiative to help when other countries were rushing to withdraw. Your Ah Tie is involved in a spy case with us, but now I think that there will be no spies among such a group of enthusiastic people. You'll be able to meet him in no time. ”

Rommel looked pleased and said:

"To be honest, I was going to talk to you later...... But you're too generous. Ah Tie is my student and assistant, and without him by my side, I am much less efficient at work. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang listened a little thundery, and he didn't know if it was not translated well or what, it felt like a convenient tool was taken away and asked for it to be returned.

A moment later, Ah Tie was brought into the house, and when he saw Rommel, his face immediately became mournful, and he cried:

"Oh no, Lieutenant Colonel!"

Rommel was delighted, punched him in the chest, and laughed:

"Boy, you've been cheap these days. Be careful, stay with me, the days of tribulation are coming again! ”

Ah Tie said with a bitter face:

"Lieutenant Colonel, what do you want me to do now?"

Rommel took him by the arm excitedly, and said with a smile as he strode out:

"Of course it's going to the war room, I need someone to do the math for me, take notes for me, and translate for me, boy."

Then he looked up at Xiang Xiaoqiang and said with a smile:

"You see, you don't mind having one more translator, do you? In this way, we have two translators, which can be a little more efficient. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and nodded, and made a "please" gesture.

……

The large war room was brightly lit, there were not many people, only a few staff officers were working at their desks, and according to the latest news from the Purple Mountain Fortress, the latest battle situation was marked on the map and sand table.

Rommel walked straight to the sand table, pressed his arms on the side of the wide desk, his eyes slowly moving on it, and his brow gradually furrowed.

"I didn't expect the situation to have become like this. It seems that the situation on my map is outdated. ”

The staff officers looked up at the foreigner in amazement, wondering how he had come in. was about to drive him out when he saw Xiang Xiaoqiang following behind him.

Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head at the staff officers, signaled what they should do, and then stood with Rommel and looked at the sand table.

Rommel looked at it for a long time and asked:

"Why are we still defending?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang is going to fall, this is really a classic Rommelian question. But big guy, your "offense and offense" also score occasions, not all situations can be attacked.

"The current situation is that the enemy is strong and we are weak, and the Qing army is on the offensive, so it would be good if we could hold the defensive line. How do we attack? ”

Rommel drew circles with his fingers on the sand table:

"Then you tell me, where is the line of defense."

Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at him, a little weak-hearted, and rowed on the sand table:

"From here...... Here it is...... And then here is the first line. ”

"Here, here, and here," Rommel said without looking up, pointing with his finger, "but the place where the battle with the Qing army is taking place now cannot be called a 'defensive line.'" In addition to this, the Qing army may be here, here and here, and maybe even here. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang was stunned:

"How is it possible to run so far? A few kilometers around the landing zone of the Qing army, there are alert troops of our army, and at present the Qing army is not trying to break through from these directions, and their main direction of attack is Nanjing, and they only need Nanjing. ”

Rommel says:

"We only have two divisions here, or less than two divisions, and most of them are now resisting the Qing army on the 'defensive line' you mentioned in the north, and the troops deployed in the east and south are too small, and the surrounding places that need to be guarded are twenty kilometers long. The density is too small and there are too many voids. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang said unconvinced:

"On average, there is a battalion every two kilometers, and as a warning force, the density is not small."

"Normally that's enough, but don't forget that it's foggy now, it's still quite thick. Even if there were one person standing on every meter, hand in hand, the Qing army might still get under their arms. ”

Rommel tapped lightly on the edge of the table and looked up at him.

Xiang Xiaoqiang already felt that what he said made sense, but he still didn't admit defeat:

"This, since you can think of it, lieutenant colonel, how can the generals in our General Staff not think of it?"

Rommel looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang's face, which had changed color slightly, slowed his words, and said with a smile:

"Yes, I can think of it, and they must have thought of it too. …… Maybe the Qing army really can't get through. But if it were me, I'd try to get through, at least give it a try. ”

Then after a while, he said slowly:

“…… I just said that we want to attack because in such a situation where no one can see anyone, there is no better way to fight than to take the initiative to attack. You know, with such a big fog, who has more soldiers and who has fewer soldiers, it is no longer possible to decide who is the winner. Now it's up to you to see who is more proactive and bold,...... More cunning. ”

Rommel said, his eyes narrowed, staring at the sand table, radiating a light of anticipation and excitement. It was as if a layer of fog had been covered with a layer of fog on the sand table in front of me.

Both looked at the map and did not speak for a long time. Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly asked:

"Mr. Rommel, I'm a little curious, we have so many troops in the Ming Dynasty, why did you come to our People's Guard?"

"Well," Rommel said casually, "because you have tank battalions." ”

"But we already have tank battalion commanders."

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled.

"It doesn't matter, it's just a feeling," Rommel said, "you have a mechanized infantry regiment and three motorized infantry regiments, and you have a strong breakthrough ability." I think this kind of ...... Anyway, this style suits me perfectly. It would be a pleasure to serve in such an army. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang stared into his eyes and smiled:

"However, I guess you don't have the experience to actually command armored troops."

"I know," Rommel grinned, "as if you didn't either." ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang burst into laughter and patted the shoulder of this world-famous general very hard:

"Then you stay, I won't let you regret it. It's a pity that you can't speak Chinese, and I can't give you a command of the Jibu regiment. You should be a staff officer by my side first. ”

……

Ten kilometers east of the battlefield of Zimuzhou, next to Ningyi Highway, outside Zhangjia Village, Moling Town.

"Lord Hui," a Qing soldier wearing a steel helmet stabbed down a thousand times, and said in a suppressed voice, "I have checked, there are more than fifty houses in the village, a radius of several hundred meters, and no Ming army has been found!" ”

There was no light around, and the thick fog made the air even colder. A voice in the darkness said coldly:

"Surround the village!"

"Huh!"

At the sound of an order, more than a thousand black shadows with guns and cats scattered forward, and soon surrounded the small village. In the darkness, the dogs in the village began to bark. Suddenly, someone in the east of the village asked:

"Aquatic? Ah, it's aquatic? ”

Then there was a miserable cry, and there was no sound. The dogs barked even harder in the village.

"Lord Qiyu," a Qing soldier ran out at the entrance of the village, and told Qian'er, "The village is all surrounded, and no one has run away!" ”

"Enter the village."

"Whew, enter the village!"

More figures rushed towards the village in the darkness, and the voices became noisy. Within minutes, all the dogs in the village were barking wildly, and the pigs were barking, mixed with the cries of many adults and children. Countless footsteps ran, and everywhere there was the sound of bolts and threatening shouts.

"Don't light a fire, don't light a fire!"

"Send out the guard!"

"Machine gun squad, go to the south and guard!"

"Don't let the dog bark anymore!"

"What can I do ***?"

"Kill all the dogs! Pigs too! ”

……

Ten minutes later, a faint oil lamp was lit in a hall in the center of the village, and under the yellow light, a colonel of the Qing army sat on a Taishi chair, drinking freshly boiled hot water, and listening to his subordinates' report:

"Tuanza, all the villagers are concentrated in the open space behind the village!"

"How many are there?"

"That is, there are more than 50 people, half of them are old men and old women, and after asking, the other villagers have already run away, and this is the rest who are unwilling to leave."

"Well, tie them all up, tie them all together, and send someone to watch them. Has the whole village been checked? ”

"Checked!"

"Have you been sent out to the east, south, and north of the village?"

"Yes, sent out!"

"Send men to the west to meet the main army!"

"Huh!"

After a while, from the west direction of Zhangjia Village, one regiment after another quietly entered the village, and the small Zhangjia Village was soon overcrowded by Qing soldiers. All the houses were crowded with officers, who drank boiled water, ate dry field rations, and blocked the windows with quilts to prevent a single ray of light from leaking out.

The dense soldiers could only sit on the ground in front of the house and behind the house, and these Qing soldiers were crowded on it. Everyone just nibbled on dry food, not glancing at the dogs and pigs that were being killed everywhere.

All the haystacks were pulled apart, and many of the military horses were tied to the side, bowing their heads and eating the hay quietly, snorting from time to time. Behind the horse, there were mountain guns, 37-mm anti-tank guns, and baggage trucks......

In the hall in the center of the village, sitting on the Taishi's chair was no longer the head of the vanguard, but a major general of the Qing army in his forties. He unfolded the map, the adjutant helped him hold the oil lamp, and several staff officers huddled together to look at the map.

The major general squinted his eyes, stared at the Ningyi Highway on the map, and asked slowly:

"What do the villagers say?"

"Back to the division," replied one of the staff officers, "they all said that they did not hear troops passing by the highway in the first half of the night. It should be that we are ahead of the Ming army. ”

The division commander of the major general showed a satisfied smile and asked again:

"Don't let them fool you."

The staff officer also smiled:

"Shizuo, we tortured more than a dozen people, and an old man has been killed, and the answer is the same, the reinforcements of the Ming army have not yet arrived here. We're ahead of the curve. ”

"Very good," the division commander nodded with satisfaction, "As planned, the Ming Army's motorized infantry division is estimated to pass through here in an hour." We set up a headquarters in this village and immediately spread out our troops and set up ambushes on both sides of the road. This time, we must completely annihilate the Ming Army, a motorized infantry division. It was the only reinforcement they could get in two days. Annihilate them, and our Qing army will have time to unfold. The fall of Nanming is just around the corner. ”

……

In the thick fog, a string of headlights flickered on the road. These big trucks drive cautiously, keeping a long distance between each one. After the light from the headlights is filtered by the fog, the faint yellow light can only shine more than ten meters away. Countless small water droplets were fluttering in the pillar of light, which was extremely strange.

Hundreds of military vehicles were divided into a dozen in a row, lined up in long columns, and drove on the road. A small car was parked on the side of the road, and Major General Yan Bangguo, commander of the newly formed 74th Motorized Infantry Division, crossed his waist with one hand and held the door with the other, looking anxiously at the slow military vehicles in front of him.

A sidecar stopped beside it, and the herald said:

"Report to the division, the vanguard battalion has arrived in Moling Town!"

Yan Bangguo looked at his pocket watch, frowned and waved his hand, sent the heralds away, looked at the endless troops, and thought irritably: How could there be such unlucky weather. How many years have the Yangtze River defense line been built, it has not been encountered. Could it be that God really wants the Ming Dynasty to be destroyed this year? Now the vision is not good, and the motorized march cannot be driven second, mainly because his own division is temporarily drawn from several divisions and pieced together, and he is not familiar with the upper and lower levels and between the equal levels, and there is no tacit understanding in command, as if he is commanding someone else's troops.

More than a dozen broken down cars along the way are still parked at the broken down site for repairs, and it is difficult to coordinate parts, baggage, and trailers. It sounds like a motorist, but its combat effectiveness is very worrisome. Generally speaking, such patchwork troops need to fight at least one or two battles before they can be run-in. After a victory, the troops are brought out. But if the first battle or two is a defeat, then there is no need to say anything. I don't know what the combat effectiveness of the Qing army in front is, but since it can penetrate the Yangtze River defense line, the combat effectiveness should still be very strong.

I heard that there are several Eight Banner Divisions in the Qing army that are very elite, and they are all composed of Manchurians, which are not comparable to those Han troops. According to intelligence before the war, these Eight Banner Divisions had been pressed on the opposite side of the Yangtze River defense line, and today the Jiang Defense was lost, and I don't know if there are any Eight Banner Divisions in the Qing army that came over. If you're unlucky, you'll have to ask for a lot of luck.

Seeing that the troops were approaching the rear, division commander Yan Bangguo got into the car again and drove to the front.

Suddenly—

There was a dense sound of mountain artillery, and more than a dozen trucks in front exploded into fireballs in the firelight, and the convoy was suddenly in chaos. The driver of the car hit horizontally, the body overturned into the ditch on the side of the road, and the driver hit his head on the steering wheel and did not move, and the horn kept honking.

Yan Bangguo crawled out of the car with a bloody face, and saw the long convoy, there were explosions everywhere in front and behind, in the firelight and loud noises, there were whistling bullets everywhere, the sound of rifles on both sides of the road was like fried beans, and the sound of several heavy machine guns was "da-da-da" in the distance.

Some of the soldiers lay down, some jumped to the side of the road, and most of them were shot and fell down after not running a few steps. Some soldiers gathered in groups of three or five, hid behind trucks, and shot around with their guns in hand.

Grenades rained down, the roads were in flames, and few cars were no longer burning. Even more terrifying than grenades are mortar shells that scream from high altitudes, and wherever they fall, flesh and blood fly.

Yan Bangguo was lying dead on the back of the overturned car, and the bullet in his head hit the chassis of the car "clanging". Suddenly, the chassis of the car burst into flames, burning higher and higher, Yan Bangguo did not dare to hide next to the car anymore, and saw the wreckage of a truck, where two or three brothers were dodging bullets, and it seemed to be safer. He pulled out his pistol and ran out with his head clutched.

However, a mortar shell fell in front of him, and the division commander Yan Bangguo was thrown into the air like a leaf, fell to the ground, and was blown to pieces.

A green signal bomb soared into the air, shouting and killing sounded all over the mountains, thousands of Qing troops rushed out of the darkness, rushed onto the road with bayonets, and after a fight, the remaining Ming soldiers surrendered one after another, ending the battle without suspense.

Thousands of Ming prisoners lined up in long queues on both sides of the road, walking dejectedly, some carrying stretchers, and many more supporting each other. In the middle of the road was the swaggering Qing army, marching in the opposite direction. They ran forward with guns on their backs and heavy machine guns, the troops in the queue pulled mountain guns and baggage carts, and the commander rode a tall horse and hung a telescope, shouting loudly backwards:

"Herald - speed up!"

Suddenly, the team's running speed increased by two percent, and they continued to force their march to the north.

In the queue of Ming prisoners, many people were quietly muttering:

"***, this is 108,000 miles away from the battlefield, and we can also let Qingyu make dumplings!"

"Shh......h And say 'clear captives'! Don't you want to die? ”

"Ten kilometers or so, didn't the forced march come in two hours?"

"The army of the Qing Capture can fight like this!"

"It's unlucky for us to run into the Eight Banners Division......"

"They're still heading north, are they going to Nanjing?"

"But no, their emperor promised that the first division commander to enter Nanjing would be rewarded with 500,000 silver dollars, promoted to marshal, and awarded Baylor ......."

"Their division, dare to fight Nanjing?"

"Why don't people dare, from here to Nanjing, there are no troops in between...... Nanjing is going to lose ...... this time."