Episode 24 The beauty of the fortress

In the past few days of the war, Xiang Xiaoqiang has always lived in the Supreme Command, and as a senior general, Xiang Xiaoqiang has a good single room. But it's also a single room, not a suite. But the Purple Mountain Fortress is a military fortification, not a hotel, there is only one suite, which belongs to Zhu Yourong.

Although there are suites, they are very different from the conditions in the palace. Zhu Yourong is obviously more "difficult" to live here. But there was no way, during the war, Nanjing was on the Yangtze River, and the palace was not safe enough. But yesterday, Xiang Xiaoqiang had already whispered to Zhu Yourong: At most, for a month, let you move back to the palace.

Zhu Yourong also understood this meaning. This means that in a month at most, the Ming army will have at least 300 kilometers of occupied territory in Jiangbei.

300 km, which is the minimum distance to ensure that Nanjing is absolutely not bombed by Beiqing aircraft. 300 kilometers, which is also the maximum combat radius of the main fighters of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Beyond this radius, the bombers are left without fighter escort. At least on the side of the Ming army, the Qing bombers will be shot down like ducks.

Of course, this is to ensure that Nanjing will not be bombed "absolutely", and the requirements are relatively high. If there is to be "basically" protection from bombing, it has already been done. It's just that the life safety of the empress is at stake, and it must be demanded with "absolutely".

After walking towards Xiaoqiang at that time, Zhu Yourong immediately asked someone to come in with a map and draw a distance of 300 kilometers on it with a ruler. Then I looked at it and was a little stunned.

The straight-line distance is 300 kilometers, and Xuzhou has been included.

Xuzhou, a place where soldiers must fight since ancient times, is a traditional military town of the Northern Qing Dynasty and the largest garrison of the Qing army in the Central Plains. Draw a big circle with Xuzhou as the center: Huaibei, Suzhou, Suining, Suqian, Pizhou, Zaozhuang, Linyi, Fengxian, and Peixian, and the permanent strength of that county is more than three divisions, with a total strength of about 450,000.

In addition, these 450,000 are not like the Qing army along the Yangtze River, although they are also hundreds of thousands, but they are scattered for hundreds of kilometers. The Qing army near Xuzhou was concentrated at 450,000.

Xuzhou is the intersection of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan provinces, and is also the most important transportation hub in the Central Plains. The road network in all directions converges in Xuzhou and extends in all directions again. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes through Xuzhou. What's more, the two major railway arteries of the Northern Qing Dynasty: the Jinpu Line and the Qinqi Line converge in Xuzhou.

The Tianjin-Pudong Railway, from Beijing to Pukou, is the only north-south railway artery in the eastern part of the Northern Qing Dynasty. (The other is in the middle, Jingnan Railway, Beijing to Nanyang)

The Qinqi Railway, starting from Xi'an in the west, passing through Hangu Pass out of Shaanxi, passing through Luoyang, Zhengzhou, Shangqiu, intersecting at Xuzhou and Jinpu Railway, and then entering Shandong in the north, passing through Linyi, Rizhao, Qingdao, until Weihai.

There is a saying that if you control Xuzhou, you will control half of the railway traffic in the Northern Qing Dynasty.

This statement is a bit exaggerated, but after laying Xuzhou, it opened the door of the entire Shandong and Zhili, which is true. The Central Plains region south of Zhili, that is, Henan and Shandong, was the richest in the Northern Qing Dynasty, with the highest grain production, the largest population, and the largest amount of taxes. With the loss of this large area, most of the war potential of the Northern Qing Dynasty will be cut in half.

And this area is also a large source of soldiers. In the entire Qing army, Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi accounted for more than 70 percent of the total, of which more than 40 percent were from Shandong and Henan. Taking the Central Plains will directly lead to a drastic change in the morale of the entire Qing army. It can be expected that unless extremely severe and cruel measures are taken, the Qing soldiers will escape, mutiny, surrender and return to their hometowns controlled by the Southern Ming Dynasty even more without scruples.

At that time, the Northern Qing Dynasty had no war potential. What the Northern Qing Dynasty faced was how to prevent the collapse of the entire empire.

And all this will start from the laying of Xuzhou.

Zhu Yourong knows this kind of political and strategic stuff. That's why she was skeptical of Xiang Xiaoqiang's quiet promise. She was sure that Emperor Guangwu would defend Xuzhou and the Central Plains at all costs.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's confidence, the current victories, and the smiling faces of the officers in the Central Command Office made Zhu Yourong happy from the bottom of his heart. But her own judgment made her sweat for the next grim situation. There are still more than 100 divisions of the Qing army's "Exercise of the Century", which are desperately moving south from the north of Zhili!

Zhu Yourong handed everything over to the officers outside and to the cabinet. She desperately controls herself every day to go to the command hall to watch the battle situation, just nesting in her room, playing the guitar, and drawing.

However, she has faintly hoped in her heart that one day in the near future, she will be able to re-enter the Ming Forbidden City of the former Beijing Division, re-worship the Beijing Daming Taimiao, and go to the Ming Tombs again to worship the tombs of the ancestors.

She also made up her mind, and on that day, she must promise Xiang Xiaoqiang to draw a perfect end to the relationship between the two. At that time, no matter who says anything, no matter how much they oppose it, it will be useless. Zhu Yourong is already iron-hearted, and he is not ready to save face when the time comes.

…… On the day of the return of the edict, I and my husband untied their robes...... That's what I said!

"Back then, Empress Changping had already become Elizabeth, and now, all I need to do is Victoria. A lucky, happy Victoria. ”

Zhu Yourong stroked the map, his face flushed, and he said sweetly to himself.

……

In the pre-war Qing army's "Great Exercise of the Century," the Qing army still had more than 100 divisions of troops, which were assembled in the north of Zhili at the beginning of the war, and after the war began on the 4th, Guangwu did not immediately transfer these troops to the south, but was busy reconnoitring and figuring out the situation, and it was not until the evening of the 5th that it was confirmed that the Ming army had broken through the Fangcheng corridor and entered Henan in a big way, and after confirming that the Baoying airport was occupied, he realized how serious the problem was.

However, at this time, Guangwu still believed that there were still about one million elite Han troops in the south, which was enough to block the offensive of the Ming army, and still thought that it was not worth transferring the exercise troops in the north of Zhili to the south.

It is true that the Qing army had a million troops in the south, but on the day of the Ming army's attack on the 4th, about 300,000 Qing troops guarding along the Yangtze River and guarding the Xiangfan Plain were encircled and annihilated on the spot. A total of 700,000 Qing troops in central Jiangsu, southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui, and southern Henan, which were arranged slightly behind, except for more than 100,000 who ran fast and retreated to the north, more than 500,000 left south of the Huai River had already been encircled, and were now being annihilated by the Ming army's integration of air and ground.

It was not until the evening of the 9th that Guangwu received the news that all the Qing troops south of the Huai River had been encircled. He was stunned. The entire high-level of the Northern Qing Dynasty was also stunned. Now, Guangwu finally understands how powerful the Ming army's attack is.

On the night of the 10th, the exercise troops in the northern part of Zhili did not sleep all night, and were forced by the holy decree to march overnight, marching on foot along the highway from the northern Hebei and central Hebei plains, and concentrating along the Jingnan Railway in the west. When they arrived there, all the troops had to undergo a major rearmament, that is, they would first wait for the munitions and equipment trains from their original places and arsenals, replace the empty ammunition used in the exercise, re-equip them with real ammunition, and then take the train south.

More than 100 divisions, with the efficiency of the Qing army, the deployment and management level of the Northern Qing railway system, and the destruction of the underground organizations in the Southern Ming Dynasty, it will take a week at the earliest.

……

October 10, d+6.

This morning, Xiuxiu, as Xiang Xiaoqiang's adjutant, officially entered the headquarters for the first time and worked with Xiang Xiaoqiang.

Xiang Xiaoqiang lived in the fortress, so he didn't take Qiuyun and Xiuxiu with him, but let them stay in the headquarters. It's better without Qiuyu, but without Xiuxiu, Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Xiuxiu is not only his wife, but also the best person he has at hand. Xiuxiu is smart, careful, discerning, very capable, and has very solid military expertise. Her major was originally military telecommunications, code compilation and decipherment, intelligence analysis and processing, and she was not only a naval communications officer, but also trained as an intelligence officer of the East Factory. Now it is very suitable to be placed in the post of adjutant commander of the People's Guard.

Xiang Xiaoqiang is not only Xiuxiu's husband, but also her superior. As a husband, he found that this little wife was very good at things and always served herself comfortably. And as a superior, he found Xiuxiu to be a very promising person. Xiuxiu is quite diligent and can endure hardships. Compared with the pampered eldest lady Qiuqiu, Xiuxiu, as a high-achieving student from a poor village, always has a strong sense of crisis. She is the kind of person who carries the responsibility for the happiness of the whole family on her shoulders and can't wait to "carry her mother to school".

Xiang Xiaoqiang often woke up at four or five o'clock in the morning to find that Xiuxiu was not around, and the light was faintly shining in the study behind the curtain. He knew that Xiuxiu was self-taught in the army. Among them are books on army staff service, motorized and armored units, and air force books.

Xiuxiu's spirit often moved Xiang Xiaoqiang. He knew that Xiuxiu wanted to be his right-hand man, and she was born in the navy, and she was relatively lacking in knowledge in the army, so she was frantically charging. asked Qiu Yun, Qiu Yun said that Xiuxiu's hard study had been like this as early as in the Naval University, and many people admired it to death. Once the Military Intelligence Bureau, that is, Jinyiwei, openly came to poach her, she actually pushed it away, and finally went to the submarine as a small communications officer, Qiu Yun felt sorry for her, and kept saying that Xiuxiu was stupid.

When Xiang Xiaoqiang heard Qiu Yun say this, he was secretly laughing in his heart, it was still Qiu Yun who was stupid. How can Xiuxiu be stupid, people have long been picked up by Dongchang and cultivated secretly.

Xiang Xiaoqiang is almost sure that even if Xiuxiu does not marry her, with her own intelligence and struggle, she will be able to spread her wings and fly in the end.

No, after being his adjutant for more than half a year, he has taken most of the affairs of the commander's office in his hands. Although there are two adjutants in the commander's office, Qiu and Shang, everyone knows now that it is not easy to find Adjutant Qiu in everything, and only when you find Adjutant Shang is in charge. And Qiu Yu is still stupid, hehe's not taking it seriously.

sighed to Xiaoqiang, it seems that it is really as he expected, the day when Qiu Yu will be completely squeezed out of the headquarters and go home to be a full-time wife is not far off.

If it weren't for the scruples that Xiuxiu is his wife, Xiang Xiaoqiang would have brought Xiuxiu into the headquarters a long time ago and would have been called at any time. This is still Zhang Zhaoxian saw that although Xiang Xiaoqiang has a circle of staff officers around him, there are many things that those staff officers can't handle. Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the staff officers what was going on, those staff officers were not familiar with it, and they always kept calling the headquarters and asking Adjutant Shang, while Xiang Xiaoqiang was waiting with his fingers on the side.

Zhang Zhao couldn't see it first, so he directly asked Shang Xiu to enter the fortress and work directly beside Xiang Xiaoqiang. He admires Xiuxiu very much, and thinks that Xiuxiu is very down-to-earth, not the kind of frivolous little female officer who relies on her face.

Before the last Battle of Pukou, at the meeting in the fortress to discuss the bombing of the Qing Dynasty, the generals were also very impressed by the "Ryukyu Princess" who memorized all kinds of military data. Zhang Zhaoxian thought that even if Xiuxiu was allowed to enter the headquarters, the generals would not have any complaints.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was a little worried, because after the last "radio door" with Qiu Yu, he found that this kind of thing is really not a joke in the army, especially during the war. He is very careful, and always tries his best to avoid this feeling of "taking his wife with him wherever he goes", and usually goes out of the headquarters to other places, only taking Hu Jiong with him. Although Hu Jiong is also very clever and eye-catching, in terms of professional ability, he is far worse than Xiuxiu.

Xiang Xiaoqiang hesitated:

"Ming Gong...... Sang-so is not only the student's aide-de-camp, but also the student's wife...... If you openly bring it into the fortress and be seen by your colleagues, it will affect ......"

Zhang Zhaoxian said:

"Don't mess around! These are two different things! Colleague? Which colleague? You tell me, I'll do ideological work for him. ”

“……”

"Not only you Xiang Xiaoqiang, but the entire command, as long as someone's wife can be his adjutant, just bring it in. I'll approve it first. ”

“……”

"And you don't have to think about anything. After Sang-su came in, you were colleagues during the day and you were still colleagues at night. You live in your general's single room, and she lives in her women's dormitory. ”

"No, Ming Gong ......"

"Okay, that's it. Young people work with peace of mind and don't think too much. ”

“…… Be. Students get it. ”

In this way, Xiuxiu, the right-hand man, returned to Xiang Xiaoqiang's side and maintained a pure relationship between superiors and subordinates.

"It's okay," he thought, "and it will save Qiu Yu jealousy." ”

……

On the 10th, the battle of annihilation in the encirclement entered the stage of being in full swing, and the command hall was noisy and busy. However, the main busy ones are the staff officers at the tactical level below. After the encirclement, Xiang Xiaoqiang and other strategic-level generals were a little easier. Xiang Xiaoqiang also had time to sneak a little bit away from Xiuxiu.

After lunch, when the two returned from the officer's canteen, they disappeared one after another, and then gathered in a remote tunnel to seize the time for a tryst.

After the kiss, the two hugged each other, telling their heartfelt thoughts in the past few days. Then, as they spoke, both of them involuntarily turned to the Northern Expedition.

Xiuxiu snuggled in Xiang Xiaoqiang's arms, frowning with thick black eyebrows, her index finger lightly scratched on his chest, and she muttered softly:

“…… To put it this way...... My lord, it will take three to five days to end the Jianghuai Campaign, and it will take three more days for the troops to rest and recuperate, during which they will build supply depots and repair railways...... It will add up to a week at the earliest, and after a week, we will be able to start the Central Plains Campaign......"

"Yes, you're smart. Don't forget to roll out a few more field airfields...... Are we a model couple in the Northern Expedition? Even trysts are so dedicated...... I said, let the relevant departments publicize it. ”

"Okay...... Xiuxiu lowered her head and smiled lightly, and said glutinously, "I don't need the relevant departments, I'll draw up a draft and send it to the political work team......

"Well, okay," Xiang Xiaoqiang said with a smile, "Just write: The victory of the Jianghuai Battle was kissed by the general and the monk's wife in the tryst......"

"You don't need to write about the general and the lady," Xiuxiu said in a seductive voice, lowering her voice, "just write about the commander and the adjutant...... That seems to be more exciting......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang was finally disarmed and surrendered by Ma De first, and laughed loudly:

"Ahh I can't stand it anymore! Oh my! Give me back the pure Xiuxiu from before! ”

Xiuxiu chuckled:

"Xiuxiu hasn't changed, it's the adults who have changed......"

……

After flirting for a while, the two became dedicated again and talked about military issues again.

"By the way, Xiuxiu," Xiang Xiaoqiang said suddenly, "I kissed you just now, and I really kissed out a plan." Probably my wisdom and yours met in an instant through a passionate kiss, so that a spark sparked. What's that, I said you listen to it. ”

Xiuxiu covered her mouth with a smile and nodded:

"Good...... Good...... Adults say it...... I listened......"