Since August 20, the three towns of Beiyang, which attacked Texas, have been put on the defensive. That night, Ye Yanbing received a report of the retreat of the second and fourth towns. He understood that due to Wu Nian's victory at Linjiaqiao, Yuan Shikai decided to suspend the Dezhou Campaign.

Can the three towns of Beiyang be kept and annihilated near Texas? After confirming the intelligence that Beiyang had retreated, Ye Yanbing's first feeling was to "stay" the enemy in front of him. Don't talk about the benefits, it's obvious. However, Ye Yanbing carefully counted his strength and believed that he was unable to "detain" the main force of Beiyang at all, and even the strength of the plot was seriously insufficient.

On the morning of August 21, Ye Yanbing and Qu Hongxiang jointly sent a telegram to the Jinan Military Headquarters, and after reporting the movements of the enemy in Dezhou, they put forward a proposal to speed up the 7th Division to join Dezhou, "at least stay in the third town and annihilate it in Dezhou." ”

Zhang Yulin, chief of staff of the Shandong Army, who stayed behind in the military headquarters, quickly called back, "Commander Ning has gone to Dezhou for an interview on the specific situation. ”

After the victory in the Battle of Linjiaqiao, Ning Shijun left Zhang Yulin and rushed to Dezhou overnight to discuss the follow-up military operations with Ye Yanbing.

At noon on the 21st, Ning Shijun rushed to Ye Yanbing's division headquarters and analyzed the situation in detail with Ye and Qu.

"With the current strength of our division, we are powerless to prevent the enemy's full retreat, and at most we can only plot a part. Since Li Chun's second town is the most 'shallow' in Dezhou, Feng Guozhang's fourth town has the smallest troop losses and its retreat is smooth, and there is no need to cross the river, we can only fight Cao Kun's idea of the third town," Ye Yanbing, who had lost weight in seven or eight days, pointed to the map and said to Ning Shijun, "Two troops must be concentrated, each with at least one regiment." Attack from Cao Kun's left and right, and try to encircle him to the east of the Grand Canal. Yesterday, we began to raise troops, and after the 17th Brigade and the 16th Brigade each drew out a regiment and strengthened it, led by Gao Huzi and Xue Xiaocai, they launched a counterattack from these two directions, and I am afraid that I can't wait for the 20th Brigade to come up. ”

Ning Shijun stared at the map, "The Twenty Brigade is definitely too late, they have a large number of prisoners in their hands, and they can't all be transferred." Is Third Town on Retreat? Aren't you afraid that Yuan Shikai will fight you back? ”

"The Third Town is retreating much slower, and their front-line troops are still squatting in their original positions. Apparently they took on the task of covering. As for the Beiyang counterattack. No! They've been scared out of their minds. ”

Ning Shijun stared at Ye Yanbing, who was scruffy, "I know that your strength is running out!" Are you sure you can concentrate enough strength to fight a war of annihilation? ”

"You know the situation of the troops, and I don't hide it in the slightest. It's really getting to the point where the oil runs out and the lamp is dry! However, because the morale of the troops was very high because they won the battle, Xue and Gao both put forward the idea of counterattacking. I think it's too unwilling to watch the enemy withdraw like this. And. It will add trouble to future battles. Even if you can't leave all of the Third Town behind. Gnaw off a big piece of him too. ”

"The commander believes that there may be a political solution to Beiyang in the future......"

"I don't think about politics, I only think about it. If you don't fight now, it will be more troublesome to let the tiger return to the mountain. The brigade commanders can see this. ”

"That's the right thing to think. When are you going to do it? ”

"Wait another day. Wait for Li Chun and Feng Guozhang to withdraw farther. Start tomorrow afternoon. Ye Yanbing went to study the map again.

"In this case, I'll go and see the troops first. This time, I brought the headquarters guard battalion and handed it over to you. There are many veterans in the guard battalion, and they have long been looking forward to coming up to do it. ”

"That's great. Xue Xiaocai's strength was weaker along the way, and it just happened to be strengthened. ”

"Don't follow me, go get some sleep! Otherwise, I won't be able to explain it to Mr. Chen! And, to fight the last battle of Texas, you have to rest. I'm here to watch, not to replace you. In terms of actual command, I am not as good as you. Ning Shijun said with a smile.

Ning Shijun first went to the left road, which was scheduled to be used as Ye Yanbing's two-way assault, and the 50th Regiment was transferred from the 17th Brigade, this regiment was replaced as the reserve of the 17th Brigade after three days of hard fighting, and Ning Shijun found that although it had been replenished, the total strength of this regiment was only more than 1,500 people. But the regiment commander Zhang Ping was very confident, "Commander Ning, we have few soldiers, and there are not many of them." Please rest assured, my approach was along the line of demarcation with the 16th Brigade, and the 16th Brigade transferred a company and four staff officers, who were familiar with the terrain and the enemy on the opposite side. ”

Ning Shijun was shocked by the heavy casualties of the troops, and even more shocked by the cruelty of the battlefield. This is unimaginable in the Jinan Command, when those digitizations become a reality, Ning Shijun almost shakes the determination he has made.

Is this how the Sixth Division will be wiped out?

He rushed to Xue Xiaocai's 16th Brigade at dusk and inspected the 47th Regiment that had been assembled. The officers and soldiers who participated in the attack were rewarded with 100 silver oceans each, 50 for wounded, and 50 for those killed. ”

"Commander Ning, everyone knows what Lu Dao is fighting for, no need." Xue Xiaocai said.

"No, it has to be. Regardless of whether the goal is achieved or not, the reward is cashed out after the battle. ”

Cao Kun did not expect that the Sixth Division would still have the strength to launch a counterattack, and the Shandong Army was obviously planning to encircle the third town east of the canal. According to Yuan Shikai's order, he undertook the task of covering the retreat of Li Chun and Feng Guozhang, the morale of the troops was scattered, and the various departments rushed to retreat to the west of the canal, and were caught off guard by the interspersed attacks launched by the Shandong army, and until it was dark on the 22nd, Wu Peifu was surrounded by the eleventh standard. But it was also difficult for the Shandong army to go deeper.

Can you save Wu Ziyu? Cao Kun was engaged in a fierce ideological struggle. To rescue Wu Ziyu, it is necessary to gather at least one target force to counterattack, but now all the departments are in a state of chaos, and besides, it is dark.

The two-way counterattack force that had modified the attack route because it could not attack the depth and completed the encirclement of the eleventh standard at close range had joined forces, and Gao Huzi and Xue Xiaocai invariably thought that they had caught the main force of the third town. Therefore, both Gao and Xue ordered their troops to go on the defensive on the spot to prevent Beiyang's breakthrough and response.

After dawn, Cao Kun received a strict order from Yuan Shikai to give up the eleventh bid! Although Cao Kun was heartbroken, he was in charge of the situation, and he also knew that he was unable to gather enough troops to rescue the eleventh standard! Wu Ziyu's troops became outcasts.

On the 23rd, the Shandong Army violently bombarded the positions held by the 11th Standard. The bullets fell like rain, Ye Yanbing coordinated the actions of various units, attacked the 11th standard on all sides, fought until late at night, the 11th standard of stubborn resistance was finally annihilated, Wu Peifu was wounded and captured, and about 700 people left the troops of the 11th standard laid down their weapons.

Because the 11th Standard restrained the energy of the Sixth Division of the Shandong Army, all the Beiyang armies withdrew from the battlefield when the Wu Department fought the 23rd.

The Battle of Texas finally came to an end.

What made Ning Shijun and Ye Yanbing strange was that after reporting to Long Qian about the last battle in Texas, they soon received an order issued by Long Qian himself. "Properly treat Wu Peifu. The person must be rescued and held in solitary confinement, and given preferential treatment in life. ”

The officers and men of the Sixth Division, especially the 16th Brigade, hated Wu Peifu's 11th standard. Long Qian's inexplicable order made Brigadier Xue Xiaocai extremely depressed. Wu Peifu was in his own hands, and he was ready to shoot this Beiyang warrior who had caused huge losses to the 16th Brigade. Long Qian's order did not dare to disobey. Because Wu Peifu was injured in two places. But there is no fear for life. Therefore, after Xue Xiaocai read Long Qian's order to Wu Peifu, he slapped his opponent twice. "If it weren't for the clear order of my family's handsome, Lao Tzu would have killed you! Knowing that there is no hope of breaking through the road, what else can you resist? I don't know what to live or die! ”

Wu Peifu, who thought that he had done his best for Beiyang, also wondered, how could Long Qian send a telegram specifically to himself? He is just a standard, and he is not even a pawn in Long Qian's eyes, is it because he is also from Shandong? No way? Or was it because of his desperate resistance that he angered Long Qian and wanted to execute himself personally? It's even more unreasonable.

"Please tell your boss that Lao Tzu was captured with all his might, but he is not a bad seed!" Wu Peifu said coldly to Xue Xiaocai.

Wu Peifu was a small episode, the head of the Shandong Army carried out Long Qian's order, and soon, Wu Peifu was sent to Jinan. Ning Shijun, Ye Yanbing, and Wu Nian, who was ordered to rush to Dezhou, urgently studied the situation in Shandong.

The situation on the southern front had calmed down, Zhang Xun's troops retreated after the battle of Linjiaqiao, and the 19th Brigade failed to achieve the encirclement, the brigade was under-strengthened, only two regiments, and only 12 artillery pieces, so it could only be driven out of Shandong.

After winning the Battle of Shandong, Ning Shijun began to plan his next move. After consulting with Ye, Wu and others, he sent a telegram to the General Headquarters of the Mengshan Army at noon on the 24th, "The war in Shandong has been settled. Preliminary statistics show that the casualties of our army are between 14,000~15,000. The main reason is that the 6th Division has been seriously damaged, and the division has lost the possibility of action, and must be vigorously replenished and need more than a month of rest before it can be used. But the Seventh Division is basically complete and can be used. In this regard, our ministry has put forward two plans for instructions, please make a decision as soon as possible. Case 1: In view of the fact that the remnants of the three towns of Beiyang under Yuan Shikai have retreated from Hengshui, there is no ability to threaten Shandong for the time being. The 6th Division was stationed in Dezhou, resting and replenishing while monitoring the main force of Beiyang. The 19th Brigade was reorganized, and the 7th Division was assembled in Wuding, attacking Tianjin along Nanpi, Cangzhou, and Qingxian, and planning the Northern Army's advance to Guannei. Case 2: Secretly assemble the 7th Division in Caozhou, and attack from Henan in the direction of Guide and Chenzhou, aiming at Xinyang. Respond to the attack of the Southern Army on Wuchang. Our department is inclined to the first case. Please give us a quick indication of the strategy. ”

In the early morning of the 25th, Long Qian sent a telegram to Dezhou, "At present, we will not attack the hinterland of Zhili in order to seek the possibility of a political solution." The second case of your unit is in line with the strategic intent of the General Headquarters, but it is only because of the bloody battles of your unit and the fatigue of the troops, so you should take necessary rest and recuperation before you can take action. The Henan Campaign was aimed at finding and destroying the 29th Mixed Association. In addition, the 43rd Association of Shanxi has signs of transferring Wuchang, and your department should focus on cutting off the Luhan line. Wu Nian could be responsible for the war in Henan, and Fang Shengyuan acted with the army and chose the opportunity to go to Wuchang to meet the headquarters. After entering Henan, the 7th Division was placed under the direct command of the General Headquarters.

After Fang Sheng left, the military, government and civil affairs of Shandong returned to Ning Shijun, and Chen Chao and Ye Yanbing assisted him. If Beiyang does not attack Shandong, your troops will not go out of Shandong. After capturing Changsha, the Southern Army will go all out to seize Wuchang and determine the overall situation as soon as possible. It is hoped that the military and government of Shandong will make every effort to deal with the aftermath, compensate for the dead and wounded, strengthen propaganda, stabilize the people's minds, and make meritorious contributions to the national victory. ”

Reading Bi Longqian's call, Ning Shijun said to Ye Yanbing, "Well, since you have judged that Beiyang is no longer capable of attacking, leave the troops to Qu Hongxiang, and go back to Jinan with me." ”

"No," Ye Yanbing shook his head, "I'd better stay in Texas, I'm a little worried about leaving." Suddenly there was silence, there was no constant gunfire and screaming all day long, Ye Yanbing felt a little unaccustomed, and in addition, Chen Xian's family letter mentioned Chen Hao several times, hoping that he would take care of him. The battle was in full swing, Ye Yanbing was unable to take care of his next company commander, and when the battle was over, he found out that Chen Hao's battalion was basically wiped out on the first day, and the opponent was Wu Peifu, who was taken care of by Long Qian. The 46th Regiment carefully cleaned the battlefield and found no body of Chen Hao. On the first day (August 10), the night raid did capture a group of Shandong officers and soldiers, but they were all evacuated, and I don't know where they are now. They swore that no prisoners were killed, and all the wounded soldiers were treated.

"Shi Jun," Ye Yanbing's seniority in the army is not inferior to Ning Shijun, and the two have a good relationship, now only Wu Nian is present, and Ye Yanbing will not call him an official position, "I don't dare to go back to Jinan to see my father and fellow villagers." So many children were handed over to me, and they all died in this projectile land. If they ask me, how do you ask me to answer? Ye Yanbing choked up.

"What's that called?" Wu Nian used to be Ye Yanbing's deputy, "How can there be immortals in war?" The Sixth Division fought against the three towns of Beiyang with the strength of one division, and made the first contribution to the seizure of the world by our Mengshan Army. Aren't the elders of Shandong looking forward to this day? ”

"That's what you call." Ye Yanbing retorted unceremoniously, "Shandong fathers and elders are looking forward to their children dying on the battlefield? Torn to pieces by a bomb with no bones left? Wu Nian, speak with your conscience! I don't have the joy of victory, no, not a single bit. Ye Yanbing shouted sharply. As he spoke, Chen Hao's face, Duan Baochang and the voices and smiles of a large number of officers who had confirmed their deaths appeared in front of him, making Ye Yanbing overwhelmed.

Ning Shijun knew that the pressure in Ye Yanbing's heart was too great, "This battle has made the Sixth Division and Shandong hurt their bones." But it's worth it! With more than 10,000 casualties, we crippled the main force of Beiyang, bought time for the Northern Army and the Southern Army, and cleared the biggest obstacles. You don't need to blame yourself too much, and no one else will do better than you. Don't you want to think about it, if Beiyang breaks into the hinterland of Shandong and Jinan is lost, how much loss will the commander's years of hard work suffer? Next, we will also study in detail the replenishment of troops and the departure of the Seventh Division, you are the deputy commander of the Shandong Army, come back to Jinan with me. ”

"No!" Ye Yanbing shook his head stubbornly.

"It's an order! In my capacity as commander of the Shandong Army, I order you to return to Jinan with me. Ning Shijun lowered his face. (To be continued......)