A few gunshots broke the silence in the Jinnan area. The roads were littered with panicked refugees fleeing in all directions, as well as teams of soldiers rushing to the front line with loaded guns and ammunition. The war horses galloping past the road from time to time, as well as the artillery wagons one after another, seemed to be even more warlike, and the tense atmosphere was simply suffocating.

The headquarters of the 53rd Army was located in Taitou Town, southwest of Tianjin, southeast of Xiqing District and northwest of Jinghai County, so that it was convenient to deploy troops in both directions at the same time. What's even better is that there is also a palace built by Emperor Qianlong in the town, which is very spacious and sturdy, and with a little modification, it is a ready-made headquarters.

Commander Zhou Fucheng turned around, nodded with satisfaction, and exclaimed: "Well, this place is very well chosen!" Taitou Town, well, good, is a good place! ”

Deputy Army Commander Zhao Xiqing said with a smile: "That is, even the emperor Lao'er can see it, can it be worse?" Junzuo, speaking of Taitou Town, the name of this town has a great history! ”

Commander Zhou said disappreciatively: "What is the origin of a small country town? Could it be that it was taken by Lord Qianlong? ”

Deputy Commander Zhao replied: "That's not it, it was already famous at the end of the Yuan Dynasty!" Legend has it that the original name of this place was 'Liujia Pimple', which was originally a paradise, but unfortunately it was bullied by thieves and the villagers were miserable. It wasn't until later that a general soldier named Hao Zongmi took refuge here, and single-handedly beat the robbers who came to plague the villagers. The villagers were overjoyed and felt that they could finally 'raise their heads', so they changed their name to 'Toutou Town', which later evolved into today's Taitou Town. ”

Commander Zhou Fucheng, who always had a stiff face on weekdays, rarely showed a smile, waved his arms and said, "Good name!" Good sign! Back then, General Hao defeated the thieves. Today, we are going to defeat the Japanese and let the villagers raise their heads and be people! He waved his hand again and said, "Let's go, go to the shelter, and we'll discuss the military situation again!" ”

In the military department's hideout, Zhang Wenqing, the newly appointed chief of staff, was analyzing the current war situation for everyone. It is worth mentioning that just a month ago, Chief of Staff Zhang was the commander of the first division of the 108th Division of the 67th Army.

In the early stage of the Battle of Wuhan, the 108th Division resisted stubbornly, with nearly 10,000 casualties in the division, and only more than 3,000 people were left in the end, which was given to Zheng Weiguo by Chang Kaishen as a favor. But Zheng Huzi felt struggling to feed six infantry divisions in a corner of Jizhong. How much more are eight? So the 105th and 108th divisions had to be dismantled into empty shelves. Only the number is kept. Most of the remnants of the two divisions were enriched to the 97th Army, and the officers were diverted to various units. When Zhao Yi, the former chief of staff of the 53rd Army, was transferred to the reorganized 91st Division as the division commander, Commander Zhou Fucheng asked Zhang Wenqing to take over Zhao Yi's position.

"Look, everybody!" Chief of Staff Zhang pointed to the map with a small wooden stick and said, "This is Jinghai County, and the Jinpu Railway passes through here." 12 kilometers further north is the Duliu River. It is an artificial river used for flood discharge. It was built in the last years of the Qing Dynasty. It has fallen into disrepair and has long been clogged. Both sides of the strait are also very muddy. It is a swamp and a natural barrier in Jinnan! ”

An officer asked, "Senzai, our 116th Division is in this area right now, right?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhang nodded and said, "Hmm." Not bad! Our 116th Division is now deployed between the Duliu River and Jinghai County, and the three regiments are arranged in a zigzag pattern. Among them, the 346th Regiment Cong Zhaolin Division defended the line from Duliu Town to Liangwangzhuang, the 347th Regiment Zhang Shaoxian Division guarded the Yangchengzhuang area east of Jinghai County, and the 348th Regiment Xia Shi Division was deployed to the area north of Jinghai County and the railway station to prevent the enemy from breaking through to the north. ”

He further explained: "It has been ascertained that the Japanese troops engaged in the battle belong to the 3rd Infantry Wing of the Chinese Garrison. At present, the enemy's three brigades have all been dispatched, the first brigade confronted the 346th Regiment of our 116th Division across the river on the line from Duliu Town to Liangwangzhuang, and the second brigade tried to cross the river in a detour to Xiaobian Zhuang in the east under the cover of artillery, but was fortunately blocked by our 347th Regiment in time. The 3rd Brigade was trapped in Jinghai County, and was fighting with our 348th Regiment at the railway station. ”

The 3rd Wing of the garrison was subordinate to the 27th Division of the Japanese Army. The division is a three-unit division with only more than 12,000 men. However, Tianjin, as a first-class defensive city, in addition to the 27th Division, also has a separate garrison, which is very powerful. This is also one of the reasons why Zheng Weiguo did not dare to let go of attacking Tianjin and other surrounding big cities. The 53rd Army was also full of vigilance when it was dispatched this time, for fear of hitting the knife edge of the Japanese army.

Zhou Fuchengjun frowned, and asked: "Lian Fu (Zhang Wenqing's character), what kind of heavy firepower is this enemy equipped with?" ”

Chief of Staff Zhang replied: "Judging from the information we have so far, the enemy has a total of four artillery pieces belonging to the wing, four Type 92 infantry guns, and no mortars, and two of the infantry guns are equipped with the Third Brigade to garrison Jinghai County. ”

The 27th Division is a three-unit division, and each brigade does not have an infantry artillery squad directly under its command, but is directly under the jurisdiction of the wing with a wing artillery squadron and an infantry artillery squadron, each with four guns. According to the actual situation on the battlefield, the wing headquarters will temporarily distribute these eight guns to each infantry brigade.

Commander Zhou was relieved when he heard this, nodded and said, "Well, I believe that the 116th Division will be able to deal with it independently." We still concentrate our forces on the western front, in case enemy reinforcements steal from the west. ”

The 116th Division had a mountain artillery battalion directly under it, with a total of eight mountain artillery guns of the 41 type, which was twice as large as the enemy in front of it. In addition, the regiments together had 12 150-mm heavy mortars, 12 37-mm flat-fire snipers, 18 82-mm mortars (equipped in the battalions), as well as a temporary anti-aircraft artillery battalion (with two 40-mm Bofors guns, four 20-mm Surothong anti-aircraft guns, and 16 anti-aircraft heavy machine guns) and a company of anti-aircraft artillery (four 47-mm Bailu guns).

This strength is not easy to say compared with a brigade of the Japanese army, but excluding the factor of training, the strength on paper is definitely far above that of a wing of the Japanese army. This is also the reason why Commander Zhou has the confidence to let the 116th Division "single-handedly" the Third Wing of the Garrison Army. If it had been left before the reorganization of the 53rd Army, Commander Zhou would never have dared to do so.

Deputy Army Commander Zhao Xiqing suggested: "Military seat, let's reinforce an infantry regiment for the 116th Division!" Now the Japanese reinforcements in Tianjin have not yet been dispatched, in case they do not make a detour this time. But to directly attack the front line of the Duliu River? ”

Chief of Staff Zhang Wenqing said: "Please rest assured at this point, the complex terrain of the Duliu River is not conducive to the deployment of large troops, and even if the Japanese army reinforces on a large scale, it can only send troops to the front one brigade at a time. Moreover, after we seize the Western Front, the Japanese army will not be able to make a detour, because we can move east at any time to outflank the rear of the Third Wing. ”

Commander Zhou nodded again and again, and said: "Okay, according to the previous plan, order Wang Lihuan to lead his troops to step up the forward insertion, and strive to seize the advantageous situation before engaging the enemy." ”

Wang Lihuan is currently the deputy commander of the 130th Division of the 53rd Army and a well-known general in the Northeast Army. He is now leading the 130th Division to command from the front. Historically. After General Wang was promoted to major general of the 130th Division, he led his troops back from the Burma expedition and was ordered to be stationed in Haiphong City, Vietnam. When France attempted to reoccupy Vietnam, it sent a fleet north to ask for defense. After General Wang's serious refusal, he did not declare war and sent troops to attack. At that time, the French army had nineteen warships. The total strength is more than 20,000 people.

Face a strong enemy. General Wang led the officers and men of the 130th Division to respond to the battle calmly. Fierce counterattacks were carried out with rockets and anti-aircraft guns, causing one sinking and two wounds to the French ship. The French were so frightened that they had to put up a white flag and fled. Vice Admiral Ababnu, commander of the French Far East Fleet, was forced to apologize to General Wang Lihuan in person. And promised to sail the warship out of 10 nautical miles. When the Vietnamese people learned of the news, they rushed to tell each other, and the citizens of Haiphong held a parade, and they held high the Chinese flag and cheered long live.

This battle was really very satisfying, but it was a pity that the 130th Division was then transferred by the Military Commission to Guangzhou to encircle and suppress the Dongjiang Column, and Haiphong fell immediately. China also lost Vietnam completely.

At present, Deputy Division Commander Wang is leading the 130th Division to follow the large army on the front line. He will have full command of the war south of Tianjin and west of Duliu Town.

Chief of Staff Zhao Longtao, chief of staff of the 130th Division, saw Deputy Division Commander Wang rubbing his head with his hands from time to time, and asked with concern: "Deputy Seat, is your injury okay?" ”

Deputy Division Commander Wang didn't care, waved his hand and said, "It's no big deal, that foreign doctor's medical skills are really good!" ”

In February 38, the 53rd Army was ordered to guard the Yellow River Railway Bridge, and Wang Lihuan was the commander of the 696th Regiment at the time. During the battle, Commander Wang was shot twice in the head (one in the head and the other in the eyebrow), and his left eye was blinded on the spot. However, he was worried about the impact on morale and frustration, so he did not evacuate the battlefield until the end of the battle, and as a result, he fainted as soon as he returned to the regimental headquarters. Even now, the injuries are not good, and Deputy Division Commander Wang is wrapped in bandages to command the battle.

As the troops were marching, a herald ran over panting and saluted, "Report!" The people of the town were reluctant to evacuate. Yes, there are several big families who have asked to see you. ”

Deputy Division Commander Wang reprimanded: "You can't do such a thing, you are embarrassed to be a soldier with a head to eat food!" Then he asked curiously, "Why do they want to see me?" ”

The herald said with a strange face: "They offered to give us a sum of money, so that we can change places to fight devils, so as not to cause the war to reach their town." ”

"Phew!" Deputy Division Commander Wang Lihuan spat angrily and scolded angrily: "Is this the place that Lao Tzu picked? You go back and tell the townspeople that the little devil will be killed in two hours at most, and then the game will be over!" ”

The herald hurriedly said, "Yes, sub-seat!" ”

Deputy Division Commander Wang urged: "Go quickly, if you can't do your errand, be careful that Lao Tzu beats your military stick!" As he spoke, he stopped another herald and ordered: "You, go to the 388th Regiment immediately, tell Liu Yuanxun, immediately lead your troops to leave the town, and build fortifications outside the town, and move quickly." ”

Chief of Staff Zhao Longtao was puzzled: "Deputy seat, why can't you enter the town?" At least there are ready-made houses to use, and there is no need to dig fortifications! ”

Deputy Division Commander Wang explained: "The little devil is not stupid, he must have pointed at the town first. I don't want it to become a second Taierzhuang, Lao Tzu doesn't have so many people to fill it in! Well, but you have a point, ask the military department to immediately send an additional engineer battalion to help build the fortifications. ”

The 388th Regiment in front quickly withdrew from the town after receiving the order. This town is called Yangliuqing Town, which is famous for its good New Year's paintings, and it is very wealthy, and it is the first good place to go in Jinnan. Of course, this is also an important reason why the villagers are reluctant to evacuate.

What made the soldiers of the 130th Division cry and laugh was that at first the residents refused to evacuate, and they were so anxious that Regiment Commander Liu Yuanxun was about to kneel down for them. But after Commander Liu led his troops to withdraw from the town, the villagers rushed to evacuate. It only took a short time to escape cleanly.

People in the Northeast have a common characteristic, that is, they are curious, so they often like to ask a person "What are you doing" or "What is the whole thing"? Regiment Commander Liu did not fall out, so he hurriedly sent soldiers to stop a few villagers who were running slowly. After repeated questioning, they finally found out the truth, but this result made the soldiers cry and laugh, and secretly annoyed.

It turned out that when the 388th Regiment was stationed in the town, everyone thought that the national army would definitely not stay long. As soon as the Japanese advance arrived, they would inevitably flee. They hear a lot about this kind of thing. I'm used to seeing it. It's just a matter of course. At that time, the Japanese army was busy chasing the national army, and then sent someone to send some wine and meat, and this catastrophe was avoided. As for who wins and loses this battle, what does it have to do with the old and young masters? As long as the shop still sells stick noodles, it's done!

"!" Head Liu scolded with a foul language. Then he asked, "Then what are you running now?" ”

The villagers said with bitter faces: "The bosses withdrew too quickly. In case Taijun comes, he will not find anyone. No, if the devil comes and can't find someone to be angry, won't this anger have to be on us? ”

Head Liu was ashamed and annoyed. angrily reprimanded: "Let your mother's dog stinky fart, who said that Lao Tzu was going to withdraw?" Seeing that the villagers all shrank their heads in fear, they waved their hands and said: "Forget it, I'm too lazy to mess with you, hurry up and take my daughter-in-law and children to roll the calves, don't delay Lao Tzu to kill devils!" ”

Seeing that the villagers were all hugging their heads and running around, they shouted behind their backs: "When this battle is over, you will look back and see how the lords kill the devils!" When the soldiers heard this, they all shouted hello, and the cultural instructors of each company and platoon took the opportunity to take the lead in shouting slogans, and their morale was greatly boosted.

Commander Liu is still old-fashioned, and he doesn't like his subordinates to coax blindly, so he waved his hand and said: "Don't fix these useless things, hurry up and repair the fortifications!" As he spoke, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch, and said anxiously: "Look, there is only one hour left for the blind delay at this moment." ”

The regimental chief of staff suggested: "Tuanza, why don't you let the soldiers get some sacks, planks, or something in the town!" It's much stronger than a simple dirt trench. ”

Regiment Leader Liu's eyes widened, and he reprimanded: "Nonsense, disturbing the people is going to kill the head!" Do you want me to be beheaded by the master? ”

The chief of staff hurriedly explained: "That's not what I meant! Tuanzao, anyway, when the devil comes, there will definitely be a burst of shelling, and this town will not be able to be saved, so it is better to give us an emergency first. It's a big deal, let's compensate according to the price in the future! ”

The deputy regiment commander also persuaded: "Yes, regimental seat, I think the chief of staff is reasonable!" Just now, the division and the deputy seat also said on the phone, let us be careful of the devil's artillery fire. It's such a big town, what's left after a burst of artillery fire? ”

Head Liu nodded, and said with some embarrassment: "Well, well, it's just that there are not enough people!" "It's easy to deploy defenses in the town, relying on various compounds and building barricades. But when you get out of the town, you have to dig your own trenches, plus traffic trenches, etc., which is really laborious.

As he was talking, an engineer battalion urgently transferred by the military headquarters of the 53rd Army arrived. This sapper was already deployed in front of the company and prepared for emergency use, so it came quickly. Liu Yuanxun was overjoyed and hurriedly asked them to go to the town to prepare supplies, and then distribute them to various positions.

The deputy head of the regiment asked the reason, and said happily: "The deputy seat is still careful, we have to fight hard this time, so as not to embarrass the deputy seat." ”

Head Liu nodded and said, "It's not just the face of the deputy seat, we also have to have face!" Every day, the villagers point to the backbone and scold the deserters, aren't you too embarrassed? ”

A soldier said unconvinced: "Tuanza, when did the Central Army not run ahead of us?" Why do you call us deserters? ”

The Northeast Army's performance in the civil war before, and after the September 18 Incident, was indeed poor, and it was a typical case with good equipment and poor combat effectiveness. However, after the July 7 Incident, there was a great change, and great sacrifices and contributions were made to resist Japan. Whether it was the Pinghan Line and the Jinpu Line in the north, or the Battle of Songhu in the south, the resistance of the Northeast Army was very resolute. In terms of combat will alone, it was not inferior to the Northwest Army, the Sichuan Army, and the Gui Army, and on the whole it was even better than the Central Army, because the five armies of the Northeast Army had never abandoned their positions without authorization, and even if the whole army suffered 90 percent casualties, it never wavered.

Taking the 53rd Army as an example, during the Battle of Baoding, the department had been stubbornly guarding the line of the Yongding River. Judging from the memoirs of the Japanese army published after the war, the resistance of the Northeast Army at that time was quite resolute. Like the 53rd Division under the command of the 91st Army at that time, Shengsheng fought from a division A to a division B. The Central Army was good, the long-legged general Liu Zhi didn't greet him, he withdrew as soon as his legs were lifted, and he also buckled the basin on the head of the 53rd Army.

It was rare that the head of the regiment did not get angry, and patiently explained: "Where can the villagers tell who is who? Besides, what's the difference between running first and then running? If you want to earn back face, you have to give Lao Tzu all the strength to eat milk this time. Let the villagers see if our Northeast Army will run away when they see the devil! ”

When the soldiers heard this, they all secretly cheered up, just waiting to fight to the death with the little devils. The Japanese did not let everyone wait longer, and only an hour and ten minutes later, the second wing of the garrison army that had rushed from Tianjin to reinforce appeared east of Yangliuqing Town, and exchanged fire with the sentinels of the 388th regiment.

You may have questions, why did Chief of Staff Zhang of the 53rd Army and Deputy Commander Wang of the 130th Division be so accurate in time? In fact, this has a lot to do with the information provided by Kun Feng.

The main combat units of the 27th Division consisted of three infantry wings, one cavalry wing, and one mountain artillery wing. The First Wing of the Garrison Army has been stationed there since Tangshan fell again, and it is impossible to rush to reinforcements in a short time. The 3rd Wing of the Garrison Army was stationed in Jinghai County and Jinnan area, so the 116th Division quickly exchanged fire with them. The Second Wing of the Garrison Army, the 27th Wing of the Mountain Artillery, and the 27th Wing of the Cavalry were all stationed in Tianjin, and it was these troops that could quickly come to reinforce them. The location of their military camp and the preparation time for the weekday drill were all found out by Feng Kun one by one.

As for the route of the march, it is also easy to judge. At that time, Tianjin was not like later generations, there was no high-speed around the city, and if you wanted to go fast, you had to follow the avenue. In addition, the east of Duliu Town is a tidal flat and the sea, and if you want to outflank it, you can only go to the west, so the only passage is stuck here in Yangliuqing Town. After the route was determined, the staff officers could calculate the time for the enemy's reinforcements as long as they made a comparison on the map.

In charge of commanding this reinforcement was Okazaki Kiyozaburo Osa, the commander of the 2nd Wing of the garrison, and the 1st Brigade of the 27th Wing of the Mountain Artillery was also temporarily assigned to his command. They fought all the way along the official road, and soon rushed to the front of Yangliuqing Town. And here, the 388th Regiment and the 130th Division and the troops directly under the 53rd Army who are hurrying to come are also ready to fight.

A staff officer in charge of reconnaissance leaned his legs and saluted: "Your Excellency Dazuo, the position of the Chinese Army has been found ahead!" ”

Kiyozaburo Okazaki glanced coldly at the front, pulled out his command knife and shouted: "Give the artillery ten minutes to bombard there, Uday!" ”

Boom Boom Boom ...... Dense shells whistled in, thick smoke billowed out, and the ancient town of Yangliuqing was engulfed in an instant...... (To be continued......)

PS: I wish you all a happy Chinese New Year!