Episode 44 Chuan Ding Sanqin (2) enters the customs

On October 25th, .

From the night of the 24th to noon on the 25th, in the continuous collapse of nearly a day, the entire group army was divided into several regimental and battalion-level ** armed forces, all the way to the west, accompanied by large and small fires and battles. But by the afternoon of the 25th, most of the fire and fighting had stopped. Because there is only one way to quickly grab Hangu Pass: the railway. There was only one railway, and only one regiment and two battalions that reacted the fastest "grabbed" the railway, leaving most of the other teams behind.

The so-called "grabbing the railway" is actually grabbing the train. The three armed forces that reacted the fastest grabbed the locomotive and enough carriages first, and drove west to Hangu Pass. Not only did they grab the train themselves, but they had to stop at every stop along the way, destroying all the wagons they could find at the station before continuing westward.

In this way, most of the armed forces behind found that once they fell behind, they could no longer catch up. Because the front cars of each station were burned and blown up. It is one or two hundred kilometers from here to Hanguguan, and there are poor places along the way, and even cars cannot be grabbed. Walk on two legs until the Year of the Monkey. If you force the army, let alone rob the Hangu Pass, you will have to get tired before you get there.

As a result, most of the "** armed forces" commanders in the back became realistic, and they saw that it was indeed hopeless to rob the "Zhenguan Hou", so they restrained the troops one after another, turned around and went east, and surrendered to the Ming army. In this way, no matter what, if you are the commander of the regiment, you can still get 10,000 Mingyang, and if you are the battalion commander, you can get 3,000 Mingyang.

Many officers and soldiers regretted it: If they knew this, it would have been better to fight a good battle and make Commander Chen the "king of Guanzhong." But everyone saw that the entire Thirteenth Army had fallen apart at this time, and it was impossible to organize a defense. The large army of the Ming army also occupied Zhengzhou, drove into the Luoyang Plain, and chased after the buttocks. At this time, if you turn around and resist, you really can't get anything but lose your life. If you surrender directly, you can get a bonus if you are an official, and you can save your life if you are a soldier, and you can directly get Nanming's "green card". It's also very good.

Those who were soldiers also wanted to open up, and they were all balancing themselves: although Commander Chen originally said well, how much ocean is killed by a Ming soldier, and how much gold is destroyed by a Ming tank, but it is necessary to fight with their lives, and no matter how much gold there is, they must have a life to spend. Even if you are lucky enough not to die, get a missing arm and leg, and end up crippled for the rest of your life, no matter how much gold you have, what is the taste of life? Therefore, as the old saying goes: peace is bliss, contentment and happiness!

……

On the morning of 25, the light tanks of the People's Guard of the Ming Army roared past the city of Zhengzhou and advanced westward. At 9 o'clock, a battalion of the army and a company of military police held a symbolic ceremony to enter the city, and amid the intoxicated cheers of the people of Zhengzhou, they lined up in a neat queue to enter Zhengzhou. This force will be temporarily stationed in the city to maintain order in Zhengzhou and prevent the large-scale bloody incidents that preceded it.

At noon, the troops of the Ming army marching north from the Beiru River corridor, and the troops advancing west from Zhengzhou and Xingyang Hujiao Pass, met under the city of Luoyang. The Luoyang Plain was taken, and Luoyang was officially recovered. At 12 noon, another army battalion and a gendarmerie company held a symbolic entrance to the city. Like every city the Ming army had conquered before, these two things: firecrackers and wine, were immediately snapped up by the common people. Luoyang, the ancient capital of the Thirteen Dynasties, was also permeated with the sound of firecrackers and the fragrance of wine.

Hangu Pass, 130 kilometers west of Luoyang, is the rumbling of artillery at this moment, and the sound of gunfire is shaking the sky.

Originally, there were two divisions stationed at Hangu Pass, which also belonged to the 13th Army. It stands to reason that they have the strongest troops, and Hangu Pass is their defensive ground, if they want to rob the "Zhenguan Hou", that army will not be able to rob them. Therefore, in order to mobilize the "enthusiasm" of the troops in Zhengzhou and Luoyang, the Ming army clearly stipulated in the leaflets: The garrison troops of the original Hangu Pass are not allowed to participate in this competition of "the first to enter the customs is the marquis." Even if they hold the Hangu Pass, the "Zhenguan Hou" will not be sealed to them. In this way, the entire Zhengzhou Corps was stimulated to join this "competition".

On the morning of the 25th, a regiment came speeding from the east by train, stopped in front of Hangu Pass, and asked for a change of guard.

……

The garrison of Hangu Pass was composed of two divisions. The army headquarters kept receiving urgent telegrams from the Zhengzhou Group Army Headquarters all night, ordering them to urgently hold the Hangu Pass and not let a single soldier enter the pass. The orders came one by one, and each one was signed in the name of Chen Wangwu himself. The commander of Hanguguan also knew what was happening in the east for a long time, and he also understood that the Hanguguan in his hand was a strange commodity to live in, and the entire Zhengzhou Corps wanted to get it. He also knew that Chen Wangwu wanted to use the control of the Hangu Pass garrison to regain control of the Zhengzhou Corps.

The army commander also pretended to reply to Chen Wangwu, saying that he would obey the order, and at the same time strengthen the defense, thinking in his heart how to use the Hangu Pass in his hand to seek the greatest benefit for himself.

He knew that he only had two divisions in his hands, and he still had to plug the division, and when he got out of the fortifications, he basically only had light weapons in his hands, and even few cannons. Moreover, there is a lack of means of transportation, and it is heavily dependent on logistics supplies. Although this amount of troops can control Hangu Pass, it cannot control the entire Guanzhong. Therefore, the dream of the "King of Guanzhong" was done by the commander of the group army, but he could not do it himself.

So I had to settle for the next best thing. His second thought was to blackmail the Ming army from Hangu Pass and force the Ming army to seal the "Marquis of Zhenguan" to himself. Although the Ming army clearly excluded itself on the leaflet, the Ming army was eager to enter Hangu Pass, and Hangu Pass was in their own hands, so it seemed that it was not difficult to force the Ming army to seal the "Zhenguan Hou" to themselves.

But he thought about it, forcing the Ming army to go back on his word like this is tantamount to playing with fire. What if the Ming army is in a hurry to attack? If the entire Zhengzhou Corps had withdrawn to Guanzhong and the troops and logistics were sufficient, the Ming army might not have been willing to attack. But now he is only two divisions, his firepower and strength are far inferior to the Ming army, and the logistics also depend on the entire group army to provide, and now the group army has collapsed, which is equivalent to saying that he can only rely on himself......

…… Even if it has a geographical advantage, how long can it be held? The brothers under him are all looking forward to being the Ming people, how sure are they that they will fight bloodily for their own wealth? Chen Wangwu has the bank wealth of two cities in his hands, and he has the strength to blackmail the "King of Guanzhong", and he can offer a price that will make his brothers sell their lives. Can you drive it yourself?

Besides, there is more than one way to get in. There is also Wuguan in the south. There is also the Great Scattered Pass to the west. As soon as the Zhengzhou Corps collapsed, the old, weak, sick and disabled Qing troops in Qinling and Hanzhong still did not hope for the wind? Those soldiers guarding Wuguan and Dasan Pass, dare to negotiate terms with the Ming army? When the Ming army came in from both sides, they had their own good-looking ...... With these two divisions on his own, he won't divide his troops to defend Wuguan and Dasanguan, right?

The most important thing is whether the Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou has been blown up, I don't know yet...... If it falls intact into the hands of the Ming army, then the Ming army can advance to Shanxi and then turn back to Guanzhong...... There is more than one pontoon crossing on the Yellow River......

After thinking about it, the commander of the Hangu Pass army felt that he must not blackmail the Ming army from Hangu Pass. There is no good fruit to eat.

However, Hangu Pass still has to be held. Because, he didn't dare to blackmail the Ming army, but he still dared to blackmail friendly troops.

……

On the morning of the 25th, a regiment that first arrived at Hangu Pass by train came down happily and asked for a change of guard. However, the commander of the Hangu Pass garrison made a request that they did not expect - it was okay to change the guard, and take the money.

The regiment commander was stunned for a moment, and immediately thought that there was nothing strange about this. The news of "the first to enter the customs is the wait" must have spread here a long time ago. The guy guarding the pass saw that he was not on the "candidate for the Marquis of Zhenguan", and it was estimated that he didn't have the courage to blackmail the Ming army from Guan, so he began to blackmail himself.

In peacetime, the other party is the army commander, he is the regiment commander, and the officer is the first level to crush people, which is still three levels behind, and he must nod his head. But now both sides know that their military ranks will not be able to carry for a few days, and when they turn around and surrender, they are all ordinary people. So the commander of the army stopped putting on a show, the regimental commander stopped nodding and bowing, and the two sides sat face to face in the bunker, drinking tea, and bargaining like two businessmen.

The regiment commander first made an offer, willing to sign a contract, and gave the military commander 500,000 silver after becoming a marquis.

The commander laughed and didn't do it. 500,000 oceans is too little, even if he directly leads the team to surrender to the Ming army, the bonus alone will be 500,000 Ming Yang. is also 500,000, but it is Mingyang, which is worth twice as much as Dayang. In his eyes, Hanguguan in his hands is far more than so much money. In front of him, if this kid is in his hands, he will have an annual income of 500,000 Ming Yang in the future. Want to spend yourself with a mere 500,000 oceans? He's a little too tender.

The head of the regiment was calm and relaxed on the surface, but he was very anxious in his heart. Because he was only the first to reach Hangu Pass, there were many people chasing after him.

The commander also understands this. He could have stayed at Hangu Pass, and when all the people and horses had arrived, he would "auction" it, and Hangu Pass would be won by the one with the highest price. That way he can maximize his benefits. But he didn't dare to do that. As soon as all the people and horses are due, maybe the Ming army will arrive, and everything will be blown. Second, it's too damaging to do this, and it's too easy for people to hold grudges. Even if a regiment commander and battalion commander gritted his teeth and promised him a large sum of money, but after the people surrendered, it would be Hou Ye. After surrendering, he was just a flat-headed commoner. According to the logic of the military commander, if a marquis wants to take revenge on himself, it is not like crushing an ant to death? Even if he doesn't take revenge on himself, if he defaults on his debts, what can he do to the common people?

Therefore, this army commander is still very realistic, and he doesn't dare to extort too much, and if it is too high, he may not be able to get it in the future. It's impossible to get people to pay as you go. A regiment leader, even if he can collect money again, he can't take out 500,000 oceans on the spot. must be "on credit" first, and then pay it back after becoming a Hou Ye.

The two sides went back and forth, bargained fiercely, and finally set the price at 1 million oceans. Then the regiment commander was very calculating, and he took the initiative to give an extra 150,000 oceans, on the condition that the defenders of Hangu Pass assisted him in guarding the pass until the arrival of the Ming army.

Originally, the strength of his regiment may not be able to guarantee that Hangu Pass will not be taken away. In this way, no one else can take it away anyway.

The commander thought about it and readily agreed. In this case, it is equivalent to 500,000 Mingyang. In other words, the first year's annuity of this Hou Ye will be all his own.

After finalizing it, the two laughed and toasted with care. Both have a "win-win" feel.

……

From the morning to the morning of the 25th, another regiment and a battalion arrived at Hangu Pass by train. When they found that Hangu Pass had been occupied by the previous regiments, they united and stormed it. But after only one wave, dozens of corpses lay down in the narrow valley, and the attackers found that they could no longer command the army. Originally, the brothers under his command were shouting to protect themselves as the marquis of the town, and the fiercest person who shouted was the fastest person at this time. At the end of the frenzy of his men, in the first attack, they were beaten by machine-gun bullets.

Only then did the regiment commander and a battalion commander who had been shut down come to their senses: it turned out that it was no problem for the gang of people under their own command to rush to "seize the pass" first, but if others had already grabbed it, it would be pure wishful thinking to expect them to "tackle key problems" in a bloody battle.

The "lesson of blood" made them all realistic, and they gathered their brothers one after another, turned east, and surrendered to the Ming army.

The regiment commander who was guarding the gate regretted it at the moment: if he knew that it was so easy to guard, he wouldn't have spent the 150,000 yuan more unjust money.

……

At 1:30 p.m., the Qing army of Hangu Pass saw that on the Baoluo Highway in the east, sidecar motorcycles and light tanks appeared in the distance. The flag of Nanming was flying on the tank.

The vanguard of the People's Guard of the Ming Army arrived at Hangu Pass.

The commander of the garrison of Hangu Pass had already made enough money, and he did not dare to make it difficult for the Ming army anymore, so he immediately ordered: white flags were hung out at all fortifications, and the troops laid down their weapons and lined up on both sides of the road, waiting for surrender.

The mechanized infantry division of the People's Guard Corps of the Ming Army did not fire a single bullet, and drove steadily through the "Hangu", which was long and narrow and deep, and the mountains on both sides were full of machine-gun and artillery fortresses.

At 2:00 p.m., the vanguard of the Ming army passed through Hangu Pass.

At 3:30 p.m., the vanguard of the Ming army passed through Tongguan, which is surrounded by lofty mountains on the left and the surging Yellow River on the right, and officially entered the pass.