A bright moon shines on the mirror-like river, creating a sparkling night scene. At this time, all kinds of ships converged on Zhenjiang, and within about 15 kilometers along the coast, the 24th and 25th Divisions of the Northern Expeditionary Army of the Western Route Corps, which were responsible for crossing the river, were making intense preparations. There was no noise, everything was going according to plan. On the artillery positions of the separate heavy artillery brigade and the 3rd Artillery Division, all the artillery was disguished and the muzzles were pointed at the opposite bank.

In the forward command center, Nie Fengwu, deputy commander of the Eastern Route Corps of the Northern Expeditionary Army, stood in front of the military map with a solemn expression. Wei Tianxiong, commander of the 24th Division, and Tie Ning, commander of the 25th Division, stood behind them, also without saying a word. Time passed second by second, and after a long time, Tie Ning said: "Deputy commander, there are still two hours before the attack is launched, if there is no problem, the two of us should return to the division command post." ”

"Deputy Commander! No matter how hard the bone is, we will swallow him, please rest assured! Wei Tianxiong assured. Nie Fengwu turned around and said, "Corps headquarters, I ask that you must occupy the beachhead on the opposite bank tomorrow morning, otherwise you will be passive after dawn." We had two divisions defending the Japanese army in front, with about 30,000 troops. The quality of our fight has a bearing on whether or not the main force of the Corps can cross the river on time and then achieve the objectives of the campaign. I made a promise in front of Commander Bai that you two must not drop the chain for me! ”

"Deputy Commander Nie, we promise to complete the task!" Wei Tianxiong and Tie Ning raised their hands and saluted and left. Nie Fengwu said to the combat staff officer: "The Japanese army on the opposite side has not moved!" "Report to the deputy commander, the latest intelligence shows that there is no change in the defending Japanese army." Nie Fengwu nodded. "Report, the support gunboats of the East China Sea Fleet have arrived!" An operational staff officer reports. "Order them to quickly enter the designated position!" Nie Fengwu's spirit was shocked when he heard this.

The advantage of choosing to cross the river in this season is that the Yangtze River is in the dry period, and the river surface becomes narrow, which is conducive to rapid river crossing. On the downside, there are large areas of river beaches on the shore, which makes it more difficult to land and fight. There is no danger to defend in the river beach area, and after going ashore, it is necessary to establish a beachhead, and at the same time to face the enemy's counterattack, and the pressure of attack and defense can be imagined.

The shore is full of secret wooden boats, all specially made, each capable of carrying 20 people. Both sides of the boat are lined with wood pulp, so you can row quickly forward with the wooden boat. By this time the soldiers had gathered on the shore and waited, and from time to time they could hear the muffled voice of the officer. More than 10 gunboats of the East China Sea Fleet arrived, and their rumbling roar pierced the tranquility on the river, which naturally aroused the vigilance of the other side.

The other side of the Zhenjiang River was originally defended by the Qing army, but at the beginning of the year, it was replaced by two divisions of the Japanese army to take up the defensive task. For defensive operations, McMahon had already lost confidence in the Qing troops. On the right side of the defense line was the Nagano Division, and on the left side of the defense line was the Itatsune Division, with a total strength of 30,000 horses. According to the Western military defense tactics, the Japanese army built strong fortifications, and relied on Yangzhou and Taizhou to form three fortifications. In particular, dense bunkers are formed on the banks of the river. In order to ensure an effective offensive operation, the Shanghai Arsenal provided a large number of explosives packages for the West Route Corps.

"Report to the division commander, there is an abnormal situation in the Northern Expeditionary Army on the other side of the river, and it is not clear because it is dark!" In the middle of the night, the commander of the Nagano Division was awakened, and an adjutant reported urgently. The head of the Nagano Division, Goku, was in his 40s, with a small black beard on his lips, and he looked a little nondescript. "The Allied Headquarters has asked us to keep a close eye on the movements of the Northern Expeditionary Army, so we can't miss any clues. The troops were ordered to go on alert, and the observation posts were ordered to pay attention to movements across the river. "For the Northern Expeditionary Army on the other side of the river, the Japanese army was particularly vigilant.

The adjutant had to order him to turn around and leave, but the commander of the Nagano Division called out to him again: "I have a hunch that the situation is not good, the opposite side has been too calm recently, and it is very abnormal. You immediately notify the Commander of the Banheng Division and tell them to be more vigilant. "Nagano seems to have dog traits, and he sniffs out some kind of danger. Over the past few years, little Japan has taken advantage of the military assistance provided by foreigners, and in addition to the fact that they are good at studying, military theory has its own thing, and its combat effectiveness has also been markedly strengthened.

The time was approaching minute by minute, and on the artillery position, all artillery shells had been loaded, and the commander was in position with the flag in his hand. The gunner, loader, and manipulator waited nervously with bated breath. Suddenly, a red signal flare was lifted into the air, and at this time, the Northern Expeditionary Army had made significant progress in commanding operations, and there was a signal gun to command unified action. "Fire!" The commander gave the order, and suddenly the earth began to shake, dozens of artillery groups began to roar, and countless swaying bright spots in the night sky formed a rainbow streamer, which quickly swept through the air. In the blink of an eye, the Japanese defensive positions on the other side of the river were shrouded in bombing points, and the flames of the explosion lit up the night sky.

"Attack!" The commander on the shore gave the order, and the soldiers immediately rowed the pulp, and the boat quickly rowed towards the center of the river. Countless small boats are like dragons entering the water, and the momentum is incomparable. In the first wave of sorties, the 24th and 25th Divisions mobilized the strength of two brigades to launch an attack on the opposite bank. At this time, the naval guns moved slowly, ready for artillery support at all times. The flotilla reached the center of the river, and the Japanese artillery fire began to return fire.

After all, the Japanese army was prepared, and when the artillery fire of the Northern Expeditionary Army opened fire fiercely, the commander of the Nagano Division realized that the Northern Expeditionary Army had attacked in a big way. In addition to being frightened, this guy was quite calm, and immediately ordered the defending troops to enter the position, and on the one hand, he did not forget to send someone to report to the rear. The defense command of the Japanese army was located in Yangzhou, and it was necessary to let the command know about the situation at the front. Because the coalition forces suffered the loss of our artillery armor-piercing shells, the fortifications of the coalition forces were strengthened and repaired on a large scale, and they were basically able to resist the bombardment of the artillery fire of the Northern Expeditionary Army. In particular, the fortified artillery positions of the Japanese troops in the rear were much stronger, and it was impossible to destroy them.

This Japanese unit was responsible for the defense of the whole of Jiangsu, so the Allied Headquarters provided the Japanese troops with German 76mm field guns, and the artillery fire was equally fierce. The Japanese army fiercely returned fire and formed an artillery blockade area in the center of the river, and a large column of water was suddenly formed on the surface of the river. The guns began to roar, and the main guns in front of the guns were 130 mm guns, which were designed to suppress the enemy's artillery fire. At this moment, the soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army are desperately paddling for the purpose of quickly passing through the artillery blockade area.

Many wooden boats were shot, and almost as soon as they hit, the entire wooden boat was blown away, and the soldiers on board could imagine what it looked like. I thought about the level of difficulty in advance, but the level of difficulty was still unacceptable. The order for a general attack has been issued, and we can only move forward and not retreat. At the forward command post, at 25 o'clock, the division commander Tie Ning, held a telescope in his hand, and his face was pale. The 1st offensive echelon received a heavy blow, which was not expected.

"Order the 2nd echelon to attack, not to retreat or waver." Tie Ning shouted loudly. Since the Japanese artillery fire was designed in advance, the artillery blockade played a very high efficiency. The first echelon passed through the artillery blockade area, and the battle losses amounted to a third. The soldiers made it to the opposite bank with difficulty. Due to the dry season, the bare river beach on the river bank is at least 100 meters away from the original bank. The soldiers not only had to brave the dense rain of bullets of the Japanese army to go ashore, but also had to cross the river beach that was not dangerous to defend and capture the fortress group on the bank of the Japanese army, which was unimaginably difficult.

A wooden boat docked, and the heavy fire of the Japanese heavy machine guns came head-on, and the soldiers on board were so suppressed that they could not raise their heads. Suddenly, the rain of bullets thinned out, and it was apparently the Japanese heavy machine gun changing magazines. The soldiers on board quickly jumped out of the boat and lay down on the shore. The Japanese heavy machine guns began to strafe again, and the soldiers were suppressed again. At this time, a platoon commander was in a hurry and ordered the wooden bed to be dragged ashore as a bunker. The soldiers pushed the wooden boat ashore and turned it sideways, and it worked.

With wooden boats as cover, the soldiers quickly unloaded the heavy machine guns from the ships and began to suppress the Japanese fire. Other soldiers began digging bunkers with shovels, and another wooden boat docked there. The soldiers quickly disembarked and began to build a beachhead. With the beachhead firmly established, wooden boats continued to come up from behind, and the position began to extend forward. Three hours later, six beachheads appeared on the river beach, but this was only the beginning of the fighting.

At the headquarters of the Japanese division, the division commander Nagano was standing in the bunker, and the impact of the continuous explosions outside broke down, shaking the dust and falling continuously, and Nagano's body and face were already covered with dust. "Report to the regimental commander, the Northern Expeditionary Army is attacking like a tide, and has already built 6 positions on the beachhead." A disgraced officer ran in to report it. Nagano realized that he could not let the Northern Expeditionary Army gain a firm foothold on the river beach, so he said fiercely: "Immediately organize troops and beat the Northern Expeditionary Army into the river." ”

A beachhead, a large number of Japanese soldiers poured out of the Japanese fortifications on the opposite side, and they braved the fierce artillery fire and fiercely pounced on them. At the beachhead here, the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army was less than a company. The Japanese army launched a desperate charge regardless of casualties, and the Japanese army's lifeless tactics were impossible for the French army, the British army, and the Russian army. The two sides soon engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and the enemy was outnumbered, and all the soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army of one company were killed.

The two sides fought to the death, testing the will of the soldiers on both sides. The Japanese counterattack also paid a heavy price, because the Japanese soldiers who counterattacked had to brave the blockade fire of the Northern Expeditionary Army. The day is getting brighter, the headquarters of the 24th Division, the division commander Tie Ning is still holding a telescope to check, he has spent several hours in this tense state, and the kind of torment in his heart can be imagined. "According to the report, the Pioneer Brigade has secured 4 beachheads, but there are ・・・・・・ casualties."

"I didn't want to listen to the casualty figures, so I ordered the vanguard brigade to put in all reserves, and ordered the artillery group to form an artillery blockade area in front of the beachhead, and we must contain the counterattack of the Japanese army." After Tie Ning finished speaking, he let out a long breath and leaned against the cover. The 25th Division faced the Japanese Banheng Division, and they also faced a bloody battle. After daybreak, the vanguard brigade of the 25th Division stabilized three beachheads. The tide of battle began to tilt toward the side of the Northern Expeditionary Army. The Japanese counterattack stopped after dawn, because the beachhead of the Northern Expeditionary Army was already secured.

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