Only a small battle was fought on September 18, the Chinese did not go south, and the German-Austrian forces did not advance north. There was silence on the battlefield. The 73rd Regiment had been moved to the front, and the 2nd Battalion was deployed on the left side of the road, cutting down a miscellaneous forest that affected the shooting horizon and digging trenches in the rain-soaked clearing. The barbed wire fences carried by the Logistics Section were also brought up, defensive positions were arranged in accordance with the Wehrmacht's field drills, and the engineers advanced to lay mines a kilometre away from the positions, and the cavalry detachment, the only four-company cavalry battalion of the 25th Division, was divided into more than a dozen units and launched a power search curtain further south.

From the westernmost point of the 1st Battalion of the 73rd Regiment to the easternmost position of the 2nd Battalion on the east side, the frontal defense width of the 73rd Regiment was 3.5 kilometers, which could only play the role of holding the road. The 3 battalion was in reserve. A qiē is arranged in accordance with the practice of exercises and training in the country. To the west of the 73rd Regiment, another regiment, the 75th Regiment, had already driven over to cover the flank of the 73rd Regiment, and to the east there was no need to think about it, and along the main road leading from Buzeu to Ploiesti, the rest of the 25th Division and its follow-up units would arrive in a steady stream. In the morning, the divisional artillery regiment began to build a position in a forest about 2 kilometers behind the 73rd regiment, and 24 75-caliber field guns raised their black hole muzzles in the southwest direction. While the artillery was erecting fortifications, he sent the supplementary companies under his command to help. At lunchtime, the artillery regiment specially sent a few roast chickens to show gratitude.

Colonel Zhao Xin thought that the enemy would continue the attack in the afternoon, but there was none. Just two reconnaissance planes came. When the anti-aircraft machine guns began to roar, the two planes flew away.

At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Division Commander Qin Feng inspected the position of the 73rd Regiment and summoned officers above the battalion level to convey Deputy Commander Xiong's order to hold on to the spot, especially stressing: This is the first battle of our army to Europe, which is related to the reputation of the Wehrmacht and has attracted the attention of the country.

Qin Feng listened to Colonel Zhao Xin's analysis of the morning blockade battle, which was mainly an analysis of the enemy's tactical characteristics. It was pointed out that the Austrian army was nothing more than an insignificant reconnaissance operation. Doesn't explain anything. The rumors that the Austrian army was weak were based on a comparison with the German army, and did not mean that the Austrian army was weaker than ours. The German Army has been proven to be the first in the world in the two-year European War, and the Austrian army has not fallen behind in a series of battles with the Russian army and the Italian army, which shows that this so-called "soft persimmon" is relative. Compared with our army, it has an advantage in terms of equipment and combat experience. And the ammunition supply of our army comes from the country. We must fully understand the shortcomings of our army. Don't be arrogant.

Qin Feng finally emphasized the honor of the 9th Army. "The war against Japan did not come to us. It is said that the 1st, 6th, and 9th armies are the three trump cards of the National Defense Force, which come from the three major fronts of the Mengshan Army and are the representatives of the three major fronts. Don't lose the face of the Northern Army this time. Even with the prestige of Marshal Lushan. I judge that the enemy will attack tomorrow, and they will find out about us as well. The firepower of the European armies has been repeatedly emphasized, and your fortifications will continue to be strengthened. ”

General Qin Feng's prophecy was confirmed. At nine o'clock in the morning of September 19, the German 64th Infantry Division, which attacked from the direction of Ploiesti, began to bombard the positions of the 73rd Regiment with heavy firepower, and the 73rd Regiment did not know that the opponent had been replaced by the Germans, but the enemy's artillery fire was fierce, among which there were artillery of more than 100 calibers, and the positions of the 1st Battalion, which were "taken care of" by the focus, rained down bullets, most of the surface positions that had taken a day of construction were destroyed, two heavy machine guns were blown up, the command post of the 1st Company was blown up, and the commander of the 1st Company who remained at the front was killed. This was the first company commander of the expeditionary force to be killed. The shelter was built to standard, with thick logs on it, enough to withstand the bombardment of 75mm cannons, but not larger caliber shells. Fortunately, most of the strength of the 1st Battalion was placed behind the position, and the losses were not large. The shelling lasted for two hours, and then the German infantry appeared.

Dong Xiaomao saw the signal from the position and immediately ordered the troops to run into the position. The signal was also given from the observation post set up by the artillery regiment at the front. Artillery began to bombard the enemy's infantry. Just now, when the enemy artillery bombarded the position, the artillery remained silent. Major Dong, who had taken up the position, quickly instructed the deputy company commander of the 1st Company to act as the company commander and use the time gained by the artillery to organize the troops to repair the fortifications and resist the attack of the German infantry. When he saw clearly the figure of the enemy soldier through the smoke through the binoculars, Dong Xiaomao gave the order to open fire, and the deafening machine gun sound immediately rang out. Dong Xiaomao was satisfied to see that the enemy who bent over and ran over kept falling, and before he could reach the distance of the grenade throw, the enemy retreated.

"Stop shooting." He shouted.

Soon, the men from the logistics section sent the ammunition to the forefront.

"Lieutenant Colonel, why don't you do this work yourself." Dong Xiaomao stretched out his hand to Meng Enfan.

"When I hear the guns, my heart itches. What do you think? I heard that it was German? Meng Enfan held Dong Xiaomao's hand.

"It's German. Nothing remarkable. It's a pity that the 1 company commander. He stopped talking and listened to the gunfire coming from the direction of the 75th Regiment on the west side, "Lieutenant Colonel Meng, take your people down." There's nothing to do with you here. ”

By noon, the two battalions of the forward of the 73 regiment had repelled four German attacks. The last one was more dangerous, the Germans broke through the position of the 1st Battalion at one point, but were quickly recaptured by the 1st Battalion. The casualties reported by the 1st and 2nd battalions were 19 killed and 34 wounded. The casualties were minor, and the reserves did not need to be used at all.

Division Commander Qin Feng said in a telephone report to Lieutenant General Xiong Xun, "The enemy's tactics are completely different from those reported. The enemy's firepower is not strong, and the spirit of attack is not strong. Jian yì turned into a counteroffensive at the right time. ”

The two levels of training before going abroad repeatedly emphasized the characteristics of the powerful firepower of European warfare, and an offensive even required six or seven days of firepower preparation, and millions of shells were consumed. But the battle in the morning was not like this, but like a war between Shandong and the Japanese army. Although Qin Feng did not participate in the Shandong War, the relevant materials have been studied repeatedly.

"The enemy on the opposite side has basically ascertained that Germany and Austria have one division each, and it is the German division that is attacking you. But he didn't use all his strength. The Austrians, who had engaged you yesterday, turned west and attacked the 75th Regiment, again to nothing. Four divisions of our army have been assembled on the Buzeu line, and we have launched an attack on Ploiesti from Commander Ye. Get ready. ”

But the battle in the afternoon was fierce, and Cheng Dù raised several levels. The German artillery firepower increased a lot compared with the morning, and while fiercely suppressing the 25th Division Artillery Regiment, there was still room to strike at the front of the 73rd Regiment, and under the cover of artillery fire, the German infantry placed on both sides of the road, steadily advanced, and approached the main position of the 73rd Regiment little by little. At least six aircraft in the sky assisted the battle, focusing on the 1st Battalion, which occupied the high ground. Telephone communication between the 1st Battalion and the regimental headquarters was interrupted, and later even radio communication was lost. Zhao Xin successively sent three groups of signal troops to the position of the 1st Battalion to understand the situation. After discovering that the 1st Battalion had suffered heavy casualties, the 11th Company of the 3rd Battalion was reinforced. Only then did the 1st Battalion defend steadily. Major Dong Xiaomao said to the regimental correspondent, "You go to sue the regiment commander, you must launch a counterattack!" See that high platform, right? If the enemy is allowed to occupy there, our battalion's fire will be pinned. The battle will be difficult to fight. ”

Mountain attack and defense have their own characteristics. Dong Xiaomao did not wait for the order of the regiment commander. Two platoons were drawn from the 3rd Company, and under the cover of heavy fire from the machine gun company, a counterattack was launched. to seize a small high ground to the south occupied by the Germans. The German heavy machine guns on that high ground posed a great threat to the 1st Battalion, and the artillery of the machine gun company had fired dozens of shells at that small high ground, but the effect was very poor.

The counterattack troops of the two platoons, led by the commander of the 3 company, relied on the cover of the fire of the machine gun company of the 1 battalion and rushed to a small high ground about 700 meters from the main position. Dong Xiaomao has been up to that highland. It was believed that it was difficult to reinforce the lonely front line, and did not send troops to defend. Dong Xiaomao is a graduate of the Whampoa Infantry School, obsessed with infantry tactics, and has a reputation as a tactician within the 25th Division. At that time, he did not think about occupying this small high ground, but at most one platoon could be placed here, and no matter how many troops there were, he could not let it go. Although the occupation of small heights can play the role of the main position of the barrier, reinforcements become a problem, and the distance of 700 meters is definitely a nightmare for reinforcements. You can't treat that platoon as an outcast, can you? How to deliver ammunition and how to evacuate the wounded are all issues that he must consider. After weighing the pros and cons, Dong Xiaomao gave up that high ground. But he underestimated the capabilities of the Germans, who, having captured the heights, organized powerful machine-gun fire, which posed a great threat to the frontal positions of the 1 battalion.

Now this nail must be removed! Even if he lays down a small high ground, he is also facing the problem of sticking to it, so Dong Xiaomao asked the regiment to fight a counterattack. It's always better to defend than to take the initiative offensively.

Battalion Commander Dong witnessed the general process of the offensive and defensive battle on the small heights through the binoculars. The attacking unit of the 3rd company was carried out in accordance with the standard procedure of the detachment's mountain attack, and the movements were impeccable. The soldiers ran quickly but methodically, maintaining the formation of squads and platoons. Dong Xiaomao is proud of his troops. He originally thought that the 11th Company would seize the high ground, but after all, it was a "guest army", and people were here to help. So the 3rd Company, which had already suffered casualties, was still dispatched.

However, the 3rd Company suffered considerable casualties on the way to the high ground, and at least seven or eight people fell in the attack. The greater casualties came from the process of capturing the small heights, and whenever he saw his soldiers fall, Dong Xiaomao's heart was dripping blood. He could only keep ordering the machine gun company to suppress and suppress the fire again.

The 3rd Company's attack was resolute, and twenty minutes later the green flares were raised to inform that Dong Xiaomao's position had been occupied.

Dong Xiaomao breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could implement the remaining strength of the 3rd Company attack force, the German counterattack began. That little plateau was just as important to the Germans. If the Chinese were allowed to occupy it and deploy strong machine-gun fire, the German attack on Alonda would not be able to be launched. There are often examples of this tactically, like the tendons in Go, which are extremely important for both sides.

The regimental headquarters had already noticed the significance of the small heights. The fire of the divisional artillery regiment began to take care of this direction. From the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Company launched a counterattack to recapture the small high ground until dark, the two sides engaged in several rounds of bloody battles around this projectile land. The position changed hands several times, and Major Dong sent three batches of reinforcements in succession, and lost one company's strength in the battle for the small heights. The commander of the 3rd company was seriously injured and was desperately sent back to the main position by his subordinates. The last battle before dark was lost, and the heights were still occupied by the Germans. Just when Dong Xiaomao was red-eyed and organized troops to prepare to personally lead the night attack, Colonel Zhao Xin called and said that there was no need to fight for that place, and the decision to attack Ploiesti had been made.

The decision was naturally made by Ye Yanbing. Although Lieutenant General Xiong Xun is the deputy commander-in-chief and has the command of the former enemy, this kind of strategic decision still needs to be made by Ye Yanbing.

Ye Yanbing is still at the headquarters of the group army on the Wuluo border. After confirming the enemy's situation, he adopted the advice of Chief of Staff Xue Xiaocai, and took advantage of the good opportunity of the division of the Falkingham Army to concentrate the four divisions that Lieutenant General Xiong Xun had assembled to capture Ploiesti and seize the initiative in the Romanian campaign. The benchmark point of Xue Xiaocai's plan lies in the importance of Ploiesti, and he believes that Xiong Xun relying on his four divisions to defeat the two German-Austrian divisions in front of him is not a big problem, and the probability of capturing Ploiesti is more than 70%. Fakeham, on the other hand, would never allow Xiong Xun to capture the city and ignore it, and would inevitably transfer back the three German divisions to the east. In this way, General Brusilov's order to the expeditionary force to respond to the safe retreat of the Russian 9th Army was completed. Moreover, it created a fighter for the next operation of the expeditionary force.

Ye Yanbing affirmed the chief of staff. He thought farther than Xue Xiaocai. He believed that the conditions were ripe for the expeditionary force to carry out the Romanian campaign. It was a relatively ideal battlefield, and the three armies on the Central Powers side were divided into three places, giving the expeditionary force a chance to break through, although this opportunity was still very vague and could not be seen clearly. However, Ye Yanbing realized that the expeditionary force had several advantages in implementing the Romanian campaign, the first of which was the issue of the initiative of the campaign. Fighting in Romania, the 1st Expeditionary Army would dominate rather than be fought by the Russians. The second is that it is relatively easy to make a name for itself as an expeditionary force. The latter is more important. Regarding the mission of the expeditionary force, Ye Yanbing is currently clearer than anyone else.

Now it will take time. The two divisions of the 5th Army have completed their assembly and can be sent to Xiong Xun to increase their strength. The next three corps were arriving one after another, and under the coordination of Fan Deping, the speed of the expeditionary force's transportation was accelerated, and at least two regiments arrived every day. The main forces of the 12th Army have arrived in the assembly area, and the 7th and 16th armies are already on the way. The Expeditionary Force Command has been formally established in China, with General Wang Mingyuan as the commander of the Expeditionary Force, and he has been appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the Expeditionary Force. The 2nd Army of the Expeditionary Force, which has 14 divisions under its jurisdiction over four armies, has begun to be formed, and the President's determination to "Russian strategy" has been fully demonstrated.

If Xiong Xun can buy himself half a month in the direction of Ploiesti, he can command the other three armies to rush to the aid of Romania, and the initiative of the battle situation will be in his own hands.

The most important thing is to make the Russians and even the British and French aware of the combat effectiveness of the Chinese expeditionary force! After a few hours of thinking, Ye Yanbing made the decision to attack Ploiesti.

At seven o'clock in the evening of September 19, Ye Yanbing officially ordered Xiong Xun to carry out the Battle of Ploiesti. The two divisions of the 5th Army have already set out for reconstruction, and they are unified under the command of Lieutenant General Xiong Xun. (To be continued......)