Episode 31 I'm here to defend Yuhuatai

On the command vehicle, the "fog fox" Rommel was pointing to the map and said quickly:

"According to reconnaissance reports, five kilometers away, now the enemy forces have fully advanced into our selected area. You see, this area cannot be called perfect, but it is also very suitable for a war of annihilation. ”

He drew a circle with a baton:

"To the north of Moling Town, this area of about 25 square kilometers is bordered by Jiangjun Mountain and Niushou Mountain in the west, and this mountain range runs north-south and is the barrier to the west of the Fuhuan. To the east is the Tangshan Mountains, which run southwest to northeast, and are also the barrier to the east of the volcanic circle. To the north is the Wai Qinhuai River, which is very good, almost a hundred meters wide and deep enough, just across the north side of the circle, which is a good obstacle. To the south, that's us.

"Now Lord Xiang has established a headquarters on Yuhuatai, personally commanding the decoy troops to hold the Outer Qinhuai River, trying to attract and hinder the elite troops of the Qing army, Chief Li and this staff officer will lead most of the armored forces, quickly interspersed from the rear of the Qing army, and chop and flatten the Qing army in one fell swoop."

As he spoke, his hands pressed hard into the middle, his thin lips pressed together, and his large forehead wrinkled in deep lines under the lamp. After speaking, he bowed lightly to Li Gensheng and sat down.

In the face of this new German staff officer, Li Gensheng felt a kind of pressure. Although he is the commander of the People's Guard Mobile Force, he is only a young officer in his thirties who has not experienced a major war. The biggest scene I have ever experienced is to lead the commando team to the Northern Qing Dynasty to carry out a mission. But the Lieutenant Colonel Rommel in front of him, in his forties, was full of traces left by the years, and he looked like he was scheming. I heard that Lord Xiang said that he had participated in the Great War in Europe, and that he had made a lot of achievements, won three medals, and commanded the troops to be fierce and strong, and he made the whole plan tonight.

…… Fortunately, he was a German. In addition, Li Gensheng used to command commando troops, and Rommel's bold and flexible military style also had an appetite for him.

Li Gensheng nodded, stood up and said:

"The whole plan was formulated by Staff Officer Rommel, which can be said to be very ingenious and bold, and at the same time the requirements for the quality, courage, and level of our troops are also high. However, we are the People's Guard, and we are mobile troops, and this requirement is also the most basic. It was 3:35 a.m., and twenty-five minutes later we marched eastward, unfurled our troops, and completed the encirclement.

"Judging from the lure attack to the north of the army, although the armored forces can achieve a certain degree of suddenness and give the enemy a certain psychological deterrence in night fighting, especially in the case of fog, the line of sight is too poor, and the firepower advantage of the tank is very limited. Small-scale raids are fine, but large-scale raids are not. Therefore, we will wait until 5 o'clock sharper to launch the general attack. The main battles will take place during the day. ”

……

500 meters outside Nanjing Jubaomen (later Zhonghua Gate) is Yuhuatai.

This is a beautiful hill surrounded by pines and cypresses. It is about 100 meters high and 3.5 kilometers long, and has a plateau at the top. It consists of 3 hills. The east gang is also called the plum gang, the middle gang is also called the Fengtai gang, and the west gang extends to the outside of the Ande gate, and there is no alias.

When Xiang Xiaoqiang was in college in Nanjing, he once came to Yuhuatai to play, listened to the introduction of the tour guide, and knew that Yuhuatai was not only a famous attraction, but also had high military value. It is a commanding height in the south of Nanjing, and it is a place where soldiers of all dynasties must fight. The Eastern Jin Dynasty Yuzhang Taishou Meiyi once resisted foreign invasion here, the Southern Song Dynasty Jin soldiers invaded, and the famous anti-Jin general Yue Fei attacked the Jin soldiers here; Since then, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Tianjing Defense War, the Xinhai Revolution crusade against the Qing soldiers, and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression "Capital Defense Battle" have all set off fires here.

Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that it was time for him to perform today.

When studying the battle plan, his staff officers all suggested that Xiang Xiaoqiang establish a command post on Yuhuatai. If the defense battle is launched in the southern suburbs of Nanjing, Yuhuatai is indeed the most ideal commanding height.

Although he trusted his People's Guard, if the battle really didn't go well and the defenders on the side of the Qinhuai River didn't hold out, Yuhuatai would be the last battlefield outside Nanjing. A few hundred meters behind is the city gate, but as long as Yuhuatai is not lost, the Qing army will not want to attack the city smoothly.

At this moment, it was already four o'clock in the morning, and the defensive positions from Yuhuatai to the Outer Qinhuai River had been deployed and stopped, and a sparse explosion was faintly heard south of the Outer Qinhuai River in the distance. It was the small group of armored troops left behind by themselves who were entangled with the vanguard of the Qing army, and the fog delayed their advance, making them unable to figure out their strength, thinking that the front was the main force of the People's Guard, and they did not dare to rush forward.

Now we were waiting for five o'clock, which was the appointed time with the main force in the south. In the south, Li Gensheng and Rommel mainly attacked, and their strength was a mechanized infantry regiment and a motorized infantry regiment, and they mainly carried self-propelled guns with smaller calibers, and the largest caliber was 75 mm.

On his side, he mainly relied on the defense of the Outer Qinhuai River, and his strength was two motorized infantry regiments. Large-caliber towed artillery remained here, with 36 105-mm howitzers, 12 150-mm howitzers, and a number of large-caliber mortars.

Facing an area of 25 square kilometers, Xiang Xiaoqiang's strongest feeling is the lack of artillery. But there is no way, at present there are only 10,000 people in the south of Nanjing, less than one division, although tanks and cars are very abundant, but the artillery is still an ordinary infantry division.

After discussing with Xiaoqiang and the staff officers, everyone also thought that it was impossible to effectively cover the entire encirclement with such a light cannon, especially since the fog was so thick that it was not easy to observe. You can only try to let the artillery play a defensive role, that is, to hit as close as possible to stop the offensive of the Qing army. It's a little more accurate.

Now the entire Nanjing, the entire Purple Mountain Fortress, and Zhu Yourong are staring at this battle. If the battle under the city is lost, then the city walls must be defended.

But...... With such a big fog, the Yangtze River defense line can't hold it, and a city wall ......

……

Because it was winter, it was still dark at four o'clock. The high temple on Yuhuatai is bathed in clouds and mist, and the lush cypress trees all over the mountain exude oxygen that has been vomiting all night, combined with the smell of damp earth, and it feels very comfortable to inhale in the lungs.

Xiang Xiaoqiang strolled in the courtyard of this temple, stepping on the greasy bluestone slab under his feet, and holding on to the stone railing to look down. In the night, the fog is misty, and you can't see a few meters away, and all you can see is the dark pines and cypresses in the distance.

But he knew that just below the fog, on the hillside, there were his own soldiers in foxholes, heavy machine guns and mortars, aiming at the bottom of the mountain.

Because of the arrival of this group of soldiers, many of the monks in the temple got up early, and they didn't have the heart to do morning classes, they were all watching this group of soldiers coming in and out. The young monks looked at their equipment and were curious, while the older monks closed their eyes and chanted the Buddha with a sad expression on their faces, clearly unable to bear to see the pure Buddha Gate become the headquarters for manipulation and killing.

Because of the recent war, Nanjing is close to the battlefield, and many foreign monks in the temple have left, vacating many rooms. The abbot gave the best meditation rooms to Xiang Xiaoqiang as an office. Now the officers of the People's Guard Corps are coming and going, holding maps, sand tables, and radios, and thick black telephones are lying on the ground, leading from one meditation room to another, like a coiled black snake, which will trip if they are not careful.

There were also a few telephone lines running across the courtyard and down the hill. To the south, it leads to the position by the Qinhuai River, and to the north, it leads to the city of Nanjing, where it is connected to the telephone system in the city, and leads to the fortress of Purple Mountain. The Supreme Command and the Empress can all know the battle situation here in time, and Xiang Xiaoqiang can also know the battle situation on the riverside battlefield and even the entire Yangtze River defense line at the first time.

The abbot of Gaoza Temple, Zen Master Fayun, was accompanying Xiang Xiaoqiang, introducing him to Yuhuatai like a tour guide.

The old abbot is over sixty years old, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, wide and fat, and long snow-white eyebrows and a big red robe, showing his status as a high monk. Yuhuatai is close to the city gate, and has always been a famous spot for Nanjing dignitaries and nobles and people from high society to burn incense and play. The abbot in the temple has also practiced, whenever there is a distinguished guest to visit, when the specifications of the monk are not enough, the old abbot will personally go out as a tour guide. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that he was more experienced than the red tour guide of Yuhuatai in later generations.

Master Fayun touched the rosary and said slowly:

"From 1147 B.C. when Taber came to this area to teach agriculture, Yuhuatai has a history of more than 3,000 years. Since 472 B.C., when King Goujian of Yue built 'Yuecheng', the area around Yuhuatai has become a good place to climb the Range Rover in the south of the Yangtze River. During the Three Kingdoms, because the post was full of colorful stones, it was also called Shizigang, Agate Gang, and Jubao Mountain.

Since the Southern Dynasty Liang Tianjian six years, the temple of the Yunguang Master often set up an altar on the stone hill to say, said vividly and wonderfully, moved the Buddha, the sky actually fell flowers like rain, Yuhuatai got its name from this. In this dynasty, the 'Yuhua Saying' has become one of the eighteen views of Jinling. There are two clear springs in this temple, the name is Yongning Spring, its water quality is clear, and the drink is sweet. After the Southern Song Dynasty poet Lu You tasted its spring water, it was called 'the second spring in the south of the Yangtze River', although the water of the two springs is dry, but the ancient reputation still exists. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Master, there are still a lot of Yuhua Stones in Yuhuatai, right?"

Master Fayun smiled:

"Oh, there is, there is, but because of the past generations of tourists to play, are admired to pick up and find, now there are some rain stones on the mountain, but they are already inferior, boutique is very rare. This, when it comes to rain flower stones, the temple has preserved some, all of which have been carefully selected by the monks of the past dynasties, and they are all exquisitely clear, all of which are fine. Hehe, Lord Xiang is interested, and when the Lord kills the Qing captives and wins this battle, Lao Wei will make the decision, choose the most exquisite set, and give it to Lord Xiang. ”

Hehe, it turns out that there are souvenirs to give. Xiang Xiaoqiang hurriedly clasped his hands together and smiled:

"Thank you Master Abbot for your kindness.

Pacing to the Daxiong Treasure Hall, Xiang Xiaoqiang looked up at the Buddha who closed his eyes and smiled, he did not believe in Buddhism in his life, and solemnly knelt on the futon in the center of the hall at this moment, and bowed three times seriously. The monk next to him hurriedly chanted the Buddha and rang the Dharma bowl with "ding-".

Xiang Xiaoqiang's original impression of Yuhuatai is just a red tourist attraction in later generations, and every year the school organizes party activists to visit and listen to party classes. Even in this era of another time and space, this is an eerie execution ground for criminals. However, in this time and space, in the time and space where the Chinese civilization has been completely inherited, Yuhuatai has finally swept away the haze of "murder execution ground" and "ideological base", reproduced the true color of Jiangnan cultural attractions, and re-became a place that exudes culture and bookish atmosphere.

Now under the Yuhua Stage, the arrogant Qing army is in front and Nanjing is in the back. Xiang Xiaoqiang knelt on the futon and made a wish to the Buddha that he must let him defend Yuhuatai, Nanjing, the remaining half of the south of the Yangtze River, and the only remaining rich, democratic and civilized land in China.

Because only after experiencing "nothing" can we truly understand the value of "being".

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and smiled at his father-in-law:

"After turning around and fighting this battle, you should give sesame oil money."

Master Fayun immediately clasped his hands together, bowed down and said:

"Amitabha Buddha ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang then smiled:

"It's not that I don't want to give it now, hehe, it's just that the big war is coming, and I really don't know what the fate of this mountain, this city, this land, and myself will be. …… Well, what if...... In case of...... If...... Then it's all clear, hehe. ”

Master Fayun clasped his hands together again, and proclaimed the Buddha's name:

"Amitabha, Buddha blesses, Lao Wei firmly believes that he will definitely receive the sesame oil money from the adult."

If it had been at any other time, an abbot would have said it rather funny. But now what Master Fayun said was quite contagious, and Xiang Xiaoqiang also nodded firmly:

"Well, I also believe that it will."

At this time, the abbot turned around and took a rice paper book, opened it and held it in front of Xiang Xiaoqiang, and the little monk next to him held the pen and ink. The abbot smiled:

"Sir, please."

Hey, what's the matter, merit book?

Didn't you say that you should give it on credit first and give it back? What I just said is very good: "The old man firmly believes in ......", this is going to be bookkeed?

Seeing that he was puzzled, the abbot smiled and said:

"It's the first time I've come to the temple, and this is the guest book of the temple, and the guests who come to visit the temple always like to leave a few words. Hehe, don't you leave a few words to the adults? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang took it and flipped through the pages one by one. This book is also old, antique, and the paper is very old, but it is well preserved. Looking at the inscriptions of many predecessors above, most of them are high-ranking officials and ministers, relatives of the emperor and relatives, and the earliest retention is decades ago.

The messages are mostly poems, or a few lines of classical Chinese:

What "480 temples in the Southern Dynasty, how many buildings are in the smoke and rain", "Southeast Shengxing, Sanwu Metropolis", "Yu Nai made a statue for his deceased wife Li, willing to ...... for the destined person" and so on.

Occasionally, a few sheets are carefully protected with translucent tissue paper. It can be seen through the thin paper that these are the inscriptions of several emperors.

The most recent one is an inscription poem by Zhu Yourong:

"People sing small wine, flowers dance Tang Chun. May it be like this for a long time, and it will be new every year. ”

It depends on whether the retention is the "first year of Yifu", or two years ago, it is the first year of her accession to the throne.

…… May it be like this for a long time, and every year it will be new......

Xiang Xiaoqiang put the book on the table, raised his head, and stared out of the hall. The rumbling of artillery in the distance was still heard sporadically.

The abbot was stunned, thinking that he didn't dare to leave a message behind today, so he said with a smile:

"Don't ...... to adults"

Xiang Xiaoqiang said suddenly:

"I'm not used to brushes."

Then he took out his pen, bent down, and wrote the next line of large letters on the book:

"On January 21, 1936, we came here to defend Yuhuatai. - People's Guard, Xiang Xiaoqiang"

……

Three kilometers south of Yuhuatai, is the position of the Outer Qinhuai River, five kilometers south of the position, Hafeng'a selected a place, established a division headquarters, and prepared to command the elite of the Qing Dynasty here, the Eight Banners Division, and the legendary elite of the Southern Ming Dynasty, the People's Guard.

In front of the division headquarters, soldiers were rapidly digging trenches and building field fortifications, and the machine gun team was assembling Maxim heavy machine guns and filling water tanks. The communications corps had already set up the field telephone, and the thick black telephone line stretched far ahead, disappearing into the darkness.

The orderly soldiers around him set up field tents, folded drawing tables and set up horse lanterns in them. Several staff officers are marking the military map with various detailed figures based on the data sent back by the map detachments ahead.

The communication soldier on the side shook the phone handle a few times and picked up the receiver:

"Hey, hey, I'm the division, I'm the division, this is the test, can you hear clearly? Okay, no problem......"

Ha Feng'a went over, took the microphone and asked:

"I'm the division commander, what's the situation ahead?"

"Ding! While! The tank cannon rang out, and the soldiers inside shouted:

"Division, the tanks of the Ming army are fighting very fiercely, but they always hide behind the fog, they just don't rush up, they always rely on the wheels to be faster than our legs, and they go in circles with us for a while in the east and west, and we have suffered a lot of casualties......"

"How is the damage of the Ming army?"

"Back to the division, our anti-tank battalion has achieved great results, and has destroyed 18 military vehicles and two armored vehicles of the Ming army, and killed and injured more than 80 people of the Ming army!"

Ha Feng's eyebrows furrowed and he asked:

"Why are they all military vehicles? What about tanks? Didn't you wreck their tanks? ”

The front-line soldiers shouted:

"Back to the teacher's seat, no! The front and us are basically military vehicles and armored vehicles, and the tanks seem to be hiding behind the armored vehicles, just listening to the old guns that are driving around, and the old guns of 'Dangdang' do not come out to rush! ”

"What about the quantity? How many are there? ”

"It sounds like a lot, there is the sound of an engine behind the woods, and the machine gun is sweeping at us as it opens!"

Ha Fenga slowly put down the microphone, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it tasted wrong. Since the Ming army has so many tanks, why don't they take them out and rush and hide behind the woods? Why do you want to rush in front of a military vehicle with bad off-road ability? Why are there even so few armored vehicles?

Could it be that heavy armored troops were placed in the front, but they deliberately showed weakness and lured our army to go deeper? …… No, the soldiers in front said that the sound of the engine could be clearly heard behind the woods, and if it was an ambush, how could it be so obvious? ……

He knocked lightly on the door of his head twice, slapped the table with a "snap", and said:

"Order the anti-tank battalion to withdraw one after another, the mountain artillery battalion to lean on me, bombard the rear of the woods for two rounds, and then the infantry regiment will rush hard, don't think about any tanks, take down that forest for me! I'm going to see what's behind that! ”

The communications soldier hurriedly shook the handle and grabbed the microphone to convey the order......

……

Five kilometers to the north, in front of the position of the anti-tank battalion of the Eighth Banner Division, in the temporary trench, the heavy machine guns of the Qing army kept firing into the dense fog. From time to time, the dense fog roared past the behemoth, and the bullets occasionally hit them, splashing sparks.

Then the anti-tank guns in the trenches of the Qing army would immediately aim in that direction and fire "on the spot", but most of them could not hit. The big guys who appeared from time to time in the dense fog would also use machine guns to strafe the Qing army's trenches, but they just didn't rush up.

"When! - Boom!! ”

There was an explosion in the darkness, and then a large fireball exploded, and another "big guy" was hit. The outline can be seen clearly in the firelight, not a tank, not an armored car, but a truck of the Ming army.

The cockpit door opened, and a Ming soldier rolled down with fire burning in his back, and was killed by a bullet after two flips. Another Ming soldier jumped down and ran quickly into the distance, hiding in the fog.

In the trenches, a Qing company commander observes the fireball with a telescope — yes, it's still a truck. There was also a machine gun barrel sticking out of the windshield.

The truck is equipped with a machine gun, this configuration ......

So far, there have been quite a few destroyed Ming army trucks, but only two armored vehicles have been hit, and the tanks have not yet been seen.

At this time, the herald came over on his stomach, rolled into the trench, and conveyed the order of the division headquarters to let the anti-tank company withdraw to the rear first.

Of course, this command pleased the brethren. Everyone retreated with machine guns and small cannons, and saw that the infantry of the first regiment were already waiting to go up with rifles with bayonets. Further back, a mountain cannon had been pushed up, and those boys were swinging cannonballs.

This is going to rush...... Don't you clear the tanks?

……