On February 3, the fifth day after the night battle of Heigoutai, the South Manchurian Independent Regiment again entered the battlefield and served as the reserve of Mishuchenko's cavalry corps.

During the days when the Independence Regiment rested and licked its wounds, on the right flank of the Russian front, that is, on the western flank of the southern battlefield in Mukden, the Russian and Japanese armies continued to engage fiercely on offense and defense, but the attacking side was transferred to the Russians. On the 27th, Mishuchenko's cavalry corps, which attacked from the western flank of Heigoutai, again inflicted heavy losses on the remnants of the 8th Division, and buried the 8th Division's Lieutenant General Shangwen committed suicide by disembowelment, and even his command knife fell into Mishuchenko's hands. From 28 February, four divisions of the Second Army attacked the Japanese Fifth Division, which had hastily arrived to take over the position of the 8th Division of Tachimi Naowen, south of Long Beach and Liutiaokou, but was defeated by the 5th Division, known as the "Steel Army", with heavy casualties and had to go on the defensive. With the arrival of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army, the battle situation on the right flank of the Russian army became delicate again.

In a sense, the victory of the Fifth Division eliminated the victory opportunities created by the Lushan troops for the Russian army.

The intention of the Japanese army was to rescue the 1st Cavalry Brigade that was encircled in Shendanbao and consolidate the pivotal position of Shendanbao. However, the Russian army's plan was much narrower, and it was decided to first eliminate the Akiyama Brigade entrenched in Shendan Fort and build strong fortifications, and then divide the 3rd and 5th Divisions after freeing up their hands, striving to eliminate one of them, completely crushing the left flank of the Japanese army, and then rolling the middle road to win the victory of the Battle of Mukden.

The focus of the battle remained on the western flank. This was determined by the terrain, and even if the Japanese right flank, the eastern flank, won and occupied Fushun, the mountains in that area were not conducive to the movement of the large corps, but the western flank was different. If the Japanese army crushes the Russian Second Army, it can bypass Mukden and insert itself into the rear of the Russian front, cut off the supply lines of the Russian army, and even create an opportunity to completely annihilate the main forces of the Russian Far Eastern Army.

Although Admiral Kuropatkin was not decisive enough, the point of the situation was clearly visible. The decision to seize Shendan Fort was undoubtedly the right one.

In view of the incompetence shown by the commander of the Russian Eighth Army in the attack on Shendanbao, Kuropatkin crossed the headquarters of the Second Army and directly appointed General Mishuchenko, who had distinguished himself after the night battle at Heigoutai, as the supreme commander of the attack on Shendanbao.

Mishuchenko was well aware of the significance of the victory in the night battle of Heigoutai and admired the Chinese regiment very much, and as soon as Major Lushan and Marinin arrived, Mishuchenko summoned them to his command. Listen to Lu Shan's opinion on the capture of Shendan Fort.

"General. War is deception to play. If our army wants to take Shendan Fort as soon as possible, it must choose the focus of attack, and cannot divide troops to attack, and flowers bloom on all sides. Lu Shan wanted Major Marinin to express his meaning clearly. The words are slow. "The Japanese army at Shendanbao had to give up something to defend this large village. There were eight or nine thousand of them, and they went through a series of battles. The damage will not be small, and the ammunition will be even more strained. When they misjudge the direction of our army's attack, other places will definitely show flaws, and our army will take advantage of the situation to enter and go straight to the core, and this battle will be won! ”

"Very good, it coincides with my thoughts. What are the specific plans? Mishuchenko asked with a smile and touching his beautiful beard.

"A few days ago, the army attacked in which direction and continued to fight. Because the positions of the Japanese troops in these directions must have been strong. It is better to leave the one that does not move and the one that does not attack violently as the main direction of attack......"

"Very well, please look here." Ignoring the ugly faces of the Russian generals present, Mishuchenko brought Lu Shan, who was wearing a Russian military uniform and wearing the rank of colonel, to the map. Lu Shan only glanced at it, and knew that the road was similar to what I expected, the Russian army was full of heavy troops on the east, north and west sides of Shendan Fort, but the south was blank. Especially to the east, the map is covered with criss-crossed arrows.

"See that, right? Time is very urgent, the third army of Nogi Xidian, who is heading south from Lushun, is almost arriving in Liaoyang, and time is not on our side. I have decided that your regiment will take on the task of attacking from the south, breaking through from here and entering Shendan Fort. Mishuchenko's big furry finger pointed to a small village south of Shendanbao, "This village is connected to the core position of Shendanbao, and it is judged that the Japanese artillery is located." Your troops should give full play to the advantages of night fighting, and quietly move here this evening, and seize this village by sneak attack, and open the way for attack. Got the task? ”

"Understood. I have a few requests. ”

"Please." Ignoring the opposition of everyone, Mishuchenko insisted that the Chinese regiment take on the task of the main attack, and now that Lu Shan agreed without hesitation, he would naturally allow others to put forward some conditions.

"First, provide a map of the Shendanbao area in as much detail as possible, and mark the defensive positions and firing points of the Japanese army."

This is as it should be, Mishuchenko nodded, and motioned for Lushan to continue.

"Second, the sooner the better, all units of your army must launch an attack to attract the attention of the Japanese army in order to cover the attack of our regiment."

"Yes. From 12:30 p.m. today, three reinforced infantry divisions will be deployed on the east, north, and west sides. ”

"It is recommended that your unit adopt the method of civil engineering, dig communication trenches, and adopt the tactics of not retreating an inch to force the Japanese position, fatigue and attract the strength of the Japanese army. Artillerymen don't skimp on shells, keep fighting, I don't need artillery support. ”

"Dig a trench in such weather? Oh, my God! A Russian major general exclaimed.

"Yes," Lu Shan said fearlessly, looking at the Russian general, "that is the best way to reduce the casualties of the soldiers." It's better to sweat than to bleed. ”

General Mishuchenko closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Very well, just do as you suggest." The troops participating in the offensive, especially those attacking head-on (from the north), are now immediately in action. Right away! Colonel Land, I would like you to send a staff team to direct the divisions in the excavation of the attack trenches. He looked at the table below, "Two hours, no, an hour and a half to get started." ”

"Then the attack will be advanced." His chief of staff reminded.

"Yes, there are no secrets now. Artillery strikes at the enemy's front line, destroys machine-gun positions, covers digging. ”

"Yes." The generals of the Russian army received the task.

"Thirdly, the timing and manner of our attack will be determined by ourselves, and it will not be later than five o'clock in the morning. However, the weapons proposed by our department were not fully replenished, and not a single machine gun was given. The same goes for artillery. Only one thousand two hundred rifles were allocated. Now it is necessary to replenish my unit with at least 10,000 grenades and corresponding bullets, in addition, to give me at least four mortars with 200 rounds each. The artillery can't move, and the close-range fire support depends on it! ”

"Fourth, I beg your pardon for the fact that my soldiers have different motives from your subordinates for fighting, so the capture of our army after the attack on Shendan Fort is all at the disposal of our army."

"Ha Lu Ha. Dear Lu. That's no problem at all. As long as you open Shen Dan Fort, not only will the seizure belong to you, but your ministry will be rewarded heavily, you. Mishuchenko pointed to Lushan. Will receive the Order of St. George! ”

The Russian generals let out an exclamation later. Lu Shan cursed in his heart. What does Lao Tzu want a medal for? It can't be eaten as a meal, "Your Excellency General, I have the last request." ”

"Say it." Mishuchenko seemed a little impatient.

"After this battle is over, please allow our regiment to be transferred to the rear to rest and recuperate in order to regain strength."

"Yes. General Kurupatkin had already promised to expand your division into a Manchurian independent division after the victory in the battle, directly under the command of the headquarters of the Far Eastern Army. Anything else? ”

"Nope." Lu Shan glanced at Marinin, saw him nodding, and stopped talking.

"Very well, mortars, ammunition will be delivered to your ministry this afternoon. But," Mishuchenko sank his face, "if your ministry fails to fulfill its mission, it will be severely sanctioned by military law!" Behind you, I will arrange for my cavalry army to follow up, and those who dare to retreat and flee on the battlefield will be shot! ”

"Please rest assured, the independent regiment will only die in battle, and there will be no escape."

"Very good! I believe you, please go back and prepare. Mishuchenko waved his hand haughtily.

Lu Shan returned to the station at 10:45 a.m. Not wanting to delay for a minute, a meeting of officers above the battalion commander level was immediately convened to study and plan for tonight's operation.

The senior officers of the Mengshan Army learned a lot from Long Qian, among which conference research was the main one. The "veterans" who came out of Mengshanzhai realized the wonders of it, and although there were things of efficiency and formalism, the benefits of conference research were still the main ones.

"That's the case," Lu Shan studied the topography of the Shendanbao area with his officers in front of the map he had just arrived, focusing on the terrain of the small village south of Shendanbao, and recounted the tasks he had received.

"The map is clear, there can't be a mistake, right?" As chief of staff of the unit, Deng Qinghua had a duty to draw up operational plans.

The map is made by professionals, both on paper and in drawing, which is much better than what the staff officers of the Mengshan Army have made.

"It's hard to say, now you have to believe it." Lu Shan said coldly. Shang Fengchun was "driven away" by Lu Shan, and no one objected to this battle, and Cheng Erhu, who had privately expressed his opposition to the Japanese army, did not say anything, and came over to stare at the map and think.

"You can't move during the day," Fan Deping said, pointing to the open field, "and you can only move at night, and the troops will move here first," he said, pointing to a piece of high ground southeast of the village, where the contour line indicated that the terrain was relatively high, "to set up artillery and heavy machine-gun positions to cover the movement of the assault troops." Moreover, the first wave could not be deployed with many troops, not even a battalion. ”

"Give me this job!" Cheng Erhu said loudly, "Don't anyone, don't rob me." ”

"We're not going to rob you." Xiong Xun said with a smile. In the night battle of Heigoutai, the damage of the first battalion was smaller than that of the other two infantry battalions, and the first battalion was known as the elite of the whole regiment, and this kind of desperate work should be borne by the most elite troops.

In the afternoon, Jiang Cun first led the reconnaissance team up to reconnoiter the route of the march, and the people of the artillery battalion went together to choose the position where the artillery would be placed. After dark, the troops began to move, and the artillery first organized a mortar company, with its own four mortars and three guns sent in the afternoon, to act in advance, under the direct command of Mu Changchun, to establish an artillery position on the small plateau. In addition, a machine gun company was organized to set up a position on the high ground with six heavy machine guns, and Xu Gongzhi selected and transferred a shooting group to follow the action of the machine gun company, which was under the command of Mu Changchun. The first battalion, as an assault battalion and equipped with the finest weapons, including the only four Madsen machine guns, was the first to attack. After the 1st Battalion broke through, the 3rd and 2nd Battalions and the Cavalry Battalion followed up and launched a surprise attack on the main position of Shendanbao. The rest of the artillery battalion's artillery battalion quickly advanced to the firing position with the help of the baggage battalion, carried out extended firing, and covered the troops' assault in depth at Shendanbao.

Next, it's time to hone the details. Explosives, the use of mortars by the artillery battalion for the elite assault practice, the marching route and echelon of the troops at night, the acting order of the officers participating in the battle at all levels, the tools for carrying the artillery, the camouflage uniforms and weapons of the assault battalion, the final confirmation of the liaison signal flares, and the identification of the troops after entering Zhuangzi, etc., were studied and determined one by one to ensure that the commanders understood correctly, and the meeting ended at 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

"Major, what is your opinion?" At the end of the meeting, Lu Shan politely asked Major Marinin, the liaison officer and war officer.

"No more. Very good. Major Marinin has great admiration for the combat effectiveness and style of the Independent Regiment, and the people present are all extremely good professional soldiers, I really don't know where they came from, they are simply sent by God to help Russia, "Please rest assured, I will immediately rush the delivery of mortars and ammunition, and in addition, I will participate in the attack with the colonel." ”

"Very good," Lu Shan nodded, "Deping took the guard company to stay at the headquarters, and was responsible for the transfer of the wounded and the delivery of ammunition, the guard company was the reserve of the most rear, and it was not allowed to move lightly," Lu Shan stopped Fan Deping, who was about to speak, and then ordered, "Each battalion will go back to do the best rectification and mobilization, I will take the second echelon, that is, the second and third battalions, Lao Deng is responsible for establishing the command post of the former enemy and coordinating the actions of various departments, and the cavalry battalion is under the command of the chief of staff." ”

"Yes!" The officers replied immediately.

"Brothers, this battle is not for Russia, let alone for me, Lushan!" Lu Shanzhi said that Marinin could not understand the Shandong dialect, "We are fighting like this for the great cause of the commander and for the future of the detachment!" Without this battle, it will be impossible to realize the planned strategic development in Shandong! I take full responsibility for this battle. After this battle, we will turn to the north, and what will happen to this side has nothing to do with us. Therefore, everyone must think clearly, now is not the time to retain strength. Lao Jiang, don't be in a hurry, when the fort is opened, your task is to grab horses, as many as possible. They are a cavalry brigade, with nearly 10,000 horses! Also, don't take prisoners, we don't have the energy to take prisoners! Now start the meal, take out all the good things you have saved, and get some wine for the brothers, so that everyone can eat well, but keep the wine in check, and don't get drunk. ”

"Eating and eating, I have long been close to my heart." Sheng Guang shouted. (To be continued......)