Episode 29 The Fox of the Fog

One o'clock in the night.

If before that, the atmosphere here was burnt out, now there is a smell of horror.

The officers were anxiously on the phone, asking and verifying the situation over and over again, but the accounts were quite contradictory, and many of the calls did not get through at all.

"What? Hear the sound of artillery in the south? …… When was this? …… And what about the scale? Can't hear it? Then you estimate! …… Can't estimate it? That's it, that's it! ”

"Hey, did you have any troops there? No? …… Okay, got it. ”

"I'm the Commandery, how are you in Jiangning County? Did you find out that the Qing army did not? …… I don't know? Never mind! ”

"Ah, where are you coming with a rout? Where are you? …… Dongshanqiao Town? Got it, which part of the rout? Is it a new 74 motorcycle? …… How many people are there? More than twenty? Scattered like this? Are those soldiers there? Okay, good, let them answer the phone! ”

The last few words silenced the officers around them, and everyone's attention was drawn. Because this was the first time in an hour that a rout had actually been spotted after receiving reports of a battle near Moling Town.

An officer brought the phone to the loudspeaker.

Suddenly, a small area around sounded the miserable voice on the phone:

"Sir, our new 74th Division is finished......"

This sentence broke out, and no one had the heart to call, so they hastily ended the phone in their hands and came over to listen. Soon the whole hall fell silent, and a crowd gathered around the small speaker.

The officer's face immediately turned white, a big bead of sweat rolled down, swallowed saliva, and said:

"Speak slowly, don't rush...... What the hell is going on? ”

"Sir, as soon as our division arrived in the south of Moling Town, we let the Qing army make dumplings on the highway! …… We didn't know what was going on, so it exploded, and there were grenades, shells, and machine guns everywhere, and the car in front of me exploded, and no one came down! My car overturned on the side of the road, and only the three of us in the car climbed out of the shift, and I had a broken arm......

"Getting to the point! How much firepower does the opponent have? What about density? ”

"Density? The density was so high that the mortar shells were raining, and there was nowhere to hide, and most of the brothers were killed before they could reach the side of the road, and those who ran down the road were killed by machine guns...... The three of us ran down the road, just ran a few dozen meters, and rushed out more than a dozen Qing soldiers, all of whom were tall and big, and the two brothers let the bayonets kill at that time, and I ran fast, and they didn't chase me......"

"How many people are estimated to be in the Qing army?"

"Estimated? It is estimated that there are a lot, at least more than fifty or sixty thousand! You think, not many people from our division have run away...... Our company commander blew up a leg and died halfway through, and before he died, he said that the estimated one we encountered was the Eight Banners Division......"

There was dead silence in the hall. The chief of the army general staff, who was listening to the meeting, slowly sat down in his chair, took out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead, and looked up at Wang Hantang, the commander of the garrison, whose face was like a dead man.

He muttered:

"Commander Wang, what are you going to do?"

Wang Hantang also staggered on the chair:

"Humble ...... The division of Qixia who was transferred to the south to intercept it. ”

"It's too late."

This ruthless sentence completely defeated Wang Hantang. yes, it's too late. Maps are all in the minds of these people. Qixia is in the north of Nanjing, and the town of Moling, where the battle took place, is in the south of Nanjing. If you want to stop this Qing army, you must at least use twice the speed of others and go twice as much. This Qing army could march ten kilometers in two or three hours, from the riverside to the Ningyi Highway to ambush, such a marching speed is difficult for even the elite capital garrison of the Ming army to surpass.

Zhang Zhaoxian, chief of the general staff of the General Headquarters, sighed:

"Let's mark it on the map first."

"That'...... How much? ”

Zhang Zhao first looked at the big map and muttered:

"This Qing army will not have fifty or sixty thousand people. If it can cross the cordon of our army and go deep into the interior, it should not be a large army. The main purpose of this Qing army is very clear, that is, to annihilate our vanguard reinforcements in advance, and to buy time for the Qing army to destroy the defenders along the river and deploy the troops. It should be a strengthened Eight Banners Division. It's probably between fifteen thousand and twenty thousand. …… Let's mark 50 first. ”

A little female soldier under the big map took out a large handful of red little people, wiping her tears and swinging them one by one with a pole on the map. The female officer next to her reprimanded her in a low voice:

"What are you crying about? Look at what scares you like this, you're still a soldier, right? What are you afraid of, even if the Qing captives enter Nanjing, they can't enter the Purple Mountain Fortress! …… Besides, even the villain in your hand can't enter Nanjing at all. ”

The little female soldier sobbed and posed as she made a small figure, choked up and asked:

"For ...... Why? ”

The female officer looked at the officers around her and whispered to comfort her:

"Cut, isn't the People's Guard Corps still moving......

Although the last sentence was not loud, it happened to be quiet for a while, and it seemed very clear, and many people around heard it.

This junior female officer looked at the generals and marshals around her, and quickly bowed her head in fright to help set up the villain.

All the generals looked at Zhang Zhaoxian again. Zhang Zhao first glanced at the female officer, and then said to everyone:

"What do you think of this?"

There was no sound around.

Zhang Zhaoxian said:

"The People's Guard Corps is a force defending the city of Nanjing, and it cannot be used for other purposes unless absolutely necessary. …… However, the old man felt that the time had come as a last resort. What do you think? ”

As soon as he said this, everyone around him stared at him, and many officers were already nodding.

Zhang Zhaoxian said to the Chief of the General Staff of the Army and the Commander of the Garrison:

"Let's go, let's go see Your Majesty."

……

Xiang Xiaoqiang and Rommel were not sleepy, they were staring at the map in the war room, chatting without a word. Xiang Xiaoqiang arranged for a staff officer to "look at the big picture" in the fortress command hall, and then told the changes of each step by phone, and the staff officers here immediately reflected it on the map.

The two of them suddenly stopped talking at the same time, staring intently at the map. The staff officer next to the map is putting a lot of red villains not far south of Nanjing.

Xiang Xiaoqiang jumped up and ran forward, trying to make sure he was right. The staff officer who was a small man looked at him nervously, and said first:

"My lord, I'm asking over there, I'll come over right soon for details."

At this time, the phone rang, Xiang Xiaoqiang took it, and listened to the frightened voice on the other end of the phone, and his heart beat wildly.

"That's all? Good. Got it. ”

He hung up the phone and stared at the map, a feeling of nervousness and excitement running through his body. He told the staff officers about the situation and asked for their opinions. Everyone agrees that Nanjing is already in danger.

Xiang Xiaoqiang then asked:

"What about Lieutenant Colonel Rommel?"

"I'm sleeping."

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Tell him not to sleep, and to get up and fight."

Then he said to the staff officers:

"Now there are no troops between this Qing army and us. They could attack Nanjing in the north, and they could attack the defenders on the riverside from behind in the west, forming a flank attack with the main force of the Qing army. Either way, Nanjing is in danger! We haven't received the appointment yet, but we'll be soon. Because we are the only ones who can save Nanjing! Now I order, the mobile units of the People's Guard, the whole army to get on the car and get ready to go! ”

……

The whole station roared.

Tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled guns, towed guns, trucks...... Cars drove out of the warehouse, armbanded gendarmes directing them out of the gate and onto the road. Orders were shouted one after another, and groups of soldiers stood neatly under the lamps and ran to get into the car.

Dogs barked wildly in the surrounding villages, and many villagers got up to see it with their clothes on. In the fog, they could only see the endless headlights of cars parked on the road in the distance.

There are a total of nine of those German officers, but Xiang Xiaoqiang doesn't plan to install so many foreign staff officers in the first battle, which will be troublesome. He intended to take Rommel alone. Fighting such an unpredictable battle, Rommel was simply a genius.

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood on the field, watching the cars drive out, listening to the noise of countless engines in his ears, and his chest was surging. This was the first battle since the formation of the People's Guard. The precious command car parked next to him, Rommel, and the staff officers were working intensively on it to make a battle plan.

Since this was the first battle of the People's Guard, and it was related to the safety of Nanjing, it could only be won and not defeated, so Xiang Xiaoqiang let the People's Guard Mobile Team pour out. He sent a car to send them to the headquarters in the city, in case the Qing army rode through the fog.

At this time, a staff officer ran over, panting and asked Xiang Xiaoqiang to go to the office to answer the phone. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt a burst of excitement in his heart, knowing that the long-awaited call had finally come.

A weak voice in the earpiece:

"...... to the teacher"

"Your Majesty."

Zhu Yourong's voice was full of shame and remorse, and he choked up and said:

"Qingyu is here...... Reinforcements crushed the ...... The Qing captives are advancing towards Nanjing, and we ...... We ......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart softened, but he didn't expect Zhu Yourong to have reached this state. But that's exactly what he wants. The more Zhu Yourong is at this time, the more she has to be like a strong backing, making her feel that she is her strongest defender and making her feel safe.

His voice was very calm:

"Your Majesty, the minister already knows."

Zhu Yourong sobbed and said:

"It's all my fault...... If I had listened to you, I had sent the People's Guard over earlier, and the Qing captives might not have been able to come...... That division may not have perished...... I'm really upset......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang said firmly

"No, Your Majesty, it's not your fault, it's the fault of the Qingyu. If the Qing had not started this war, there would have been no misfortune. ”

Zhu Yourong sniffled and asked softly:

"Teacher Xiang, is it too late? You...... Are you sure? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly and said:

"Listen to it for yourself."

Then he pushed open the window and held the microphone up to the window.

The roar of the engines outside had become a chorus, the glass was shaken slightly, and the sound of passwords came into the room.

Xiang Xiaoqiang took the earpiece back and asked:

"Did you hear that?"

Zhu Yourong choked his throat with excitement, and said for a long time:

"I ...... I heard ......"

"Then you give the order."

"Good...... I'll order......" Zhu Yourong paused and said with some embarrassment, "This...... How should such an order be given? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said into the microphone:

"In this way: I order, all the officers and men of the People's Guard Mobile Brigade ......"

Zhu Yourong followed and said:

"I order, all the officers and men of the People's Guard Mobile Brigade."

Xiang Xiaoqiang said again:

"Immediately set out and go to five to ten kilometers south of Nanjing......"

Zhu Yourong followed and said:

"Immediately set out and head to five to ten kilometers south of Nanjing."

Xiang Xiaoqiang said:

"Actively, resolutely, and tenaciously meet the enemy army and prevent the enemy army from attacking Nanjing......"

Zhu Yourong followed and said:

"Actively, resolutely, and tenaciously meet the enemy army and prevent the enemy army from attacking Nanjing."

Xiang Xiaoqiang licked his lips, and finally made up his mind and said:

"And to divide, encircle, and annihilate it as much as possible."

Zhu Yourong was silent for a while and didn't speak, Xiang Xiaoqiang could feel that her breathing was becoming shorter, as if he couldn't believe that he could "divide, encircle, and annihilate" the Qing army. At last, her voice became cheerful, and she said aloud:

"And do your best to divide, encircle, and annihilate it!"

Xiang Xiaoqiang also had a burst of blood rolling through his body at this moment, and said:

"Obey the order!"

Hung up the phone and strode towards the earth-shattering roar outside.

……

The mighty torrent of steel went south along the ring road, because it was not possible to meet the Qing army in this section, so all the vehicles turned on their headlights, increased their speed, and tried to occupy a favorable position before the Qing army, and also as far away from Nanjing as possible.

But Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't want to make the mistake of the new 74th Motorized Infantry Division, so he sent out the alert troops early. Far to the south, sidebikes have been dispatched to reconnoitre. In the fields on both sides of the road, a warning curtain has also been cast out in the distance, which is a tracked armored vehicle with machine guns and strong traffic capacity.

In the armored command vehicle, Xiang Xiaoqiangzheng and the regiment commander and staff officers studied the battle plan.

Xiang Xiaoqiang gestured on the map and said:

"Let's calculate the marching speed of the Qing army. The Qing army only conquered the fortress of our mother island at six o'clock last night, and only landed on the east bank at about seven o'clock. Since then, they have been trying to build a pontoon bridge, but due to the heroic obstruction of our Yangtze River fleet, they did not build the pontoon bridge until about ten o'clock in the evening, after which they were able to transport large equipment such as mountain artillery, military horses, and baggage vehicles. According to the soldiers who escaped from the 74th Motorized Infantry Division, this Qing army had these equipment. That is to say, they set out from the river at the earliest after ten o'clock and headed for the ambush site.

The rout of the 74th Division said that the battle took place at about 12:30 a.m., near the town of Moling, about 10 kilometers from where the Qing army had landed. In two and a half hours, the Qing army marched 10 kilometers at a speed of 4.1 kilometers per hour. It was already half past one, and at this rate, the vanguard of the Qing army should now reach the vicinity of Dongshanqiao Town.

"The Qing army was traveling at 4 kilometers per hour, and we are now traveling at 15 kilometers per hour, which is nearly four times as fast as theirs. Therefore, our determination in this battle should be to encircle and annihilate the enemy army. ”

As soon as this sentence was said, everyone in the car was a little stunned, because the previous situation in everyone's minds was to "repel the Qing army", and they did not dare to think of "encircling and annihilating" the Qing army. Only Rommel was excepted. He listened to Ah Tie's translation, pinched his chin and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang, his face did not react, as if it should have been like this.

Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at the pocket watch and said directly:

"Every minute is precious now, let's hurry up and talk about our ideas, let's briefly summarize it, it's the battle plan."

Rommel looked at the fact that no one else had spoken, and then raised his index finger. Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly, and said in his heart that this is the Rommel in my mind.

"Lieutenant Colonel Rommel?"

The wrinkles in the corners of Rommel's eyes seemed to be more curved, and the small eyes in his sockets rolled, staring at the map, and said:

"I have a little idea......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at his mouth that spoke a string of German, and the teeth under the thin lips were snow-white and shiny, like the teeth of some kind of beast......

……

At half past two in the evening, the Sixth Division of the Eight Banners of the Manchu Army marched north along the Ningyi Highway.

This time, the Sixth Division of the Eight Banners did not carry motorized vehicles, but all horses. The division commander judged that in such foggy conditions, the sound of the vehicle's engine would far reveal the position of the troops.

The division commander Ha Feng'a rode a tall horse and planned in the ranks of the division headquarters. Looking at the fog around him, and listening to the movement of the large army around him without much sound, he couldn't help but feel how correct his decision to "go to motorization" was.

A few hours ago, relying on the silence of the troops, they had sneaked through the defense line of the Ming army unconsciously, and now they should also unconsciously touch as far forward as possible, if possible, all the way to the city of Nanjing.

But it is unlikely, because more than two hours ago there was a battle in Moling Town, and the 74th Division of the Ming Army was completely annihilated, and people must have known their existence.

The only possible opponent is the People's Guard. It was said that it was a division of tanks and armored vehicles. But Hafona didn't care. The reason is simple, in this visibility, tanks and armored vehicles do not play a little role. Once the opponent can only rely on infantry to fight, it is not their own opponent at all.

……

At the forefront of the ranks was the vanguard of the division, the divisional reconnaissance battalion.

On the road, there were ten Qing soldiers on bicycles every fifty meters. This is the reconnaissance battalion bicycle company. They carried rifles on their backs, and on the back of every few bicycles, they carried a light machine gun, or a thick anti-tank gun. These scouts were cautious, not saying a word, hunched over the car, white mist spewing out of their mouths and noses, their ears listened carefully to the silent Siye, and their eyes tried their best to look, but it was too dark and foggy, and they could only see less than ten meters away.

Within a radius of more than 100 meters on both sides of the road, Qing soldiers on horseback were scattered. They were the cavalry company of the division's reconnaissance battalion, and at the moment they were trotting with the reins on their horses, and the hooves of the horses were turning over the soil in the fields, but there was no sound. The cavalry company was also armed with several light machine guns and anti-tank guns, as well as 50mm mortars.

A few dozen meters behind them was a support company attached to the reconnaissance battalion. There was an anti-tank platoon with three 37-mm anti-tank guns and an infantry gun platoon with two 57-mm mountain guns. As soon as the lightly armed scouts in front were attacked, the support company could immediately pull up the cannon and fire.

It should be said that such a reconnaissance lineup is still very strong. That is, the elite Eight Banners Division, and it is difficult for other ordinary infantry divisions to achieve this configuration.

Less than a kilometer behind the reconnaissance battalion was the main force of the 6th Division of the Eight Banners. Originally, the safety distance should have been widened, but now it is night, and the visibility is too low, so the various distances have to be shortened a lot, and the marching queue of the entire division is much tighter.

Suddenly......

A bicycle in front of him braked suddenly, and the soldier raised his arm and whispered:

"Stop!"

Suddenly, several rows of bicycles in front and behind stopped, and orders were whispered to both sides, and the cavalry in the field also grabbed the reins and watched the surroundings uneasily.

A breeze blew, and the fog in front seemed to weaken a little, and the figure of a tank loomed.

The commander of the bicycle company hurriedly waved his arms and signaled his men to retreat immediately.

Dozens of cyclists bent over and pushed their bikes and tiptoed back. Soon, the cavalry on both sides also slowly retreated into the distance.

The company commander was left alone, observing the tank. The tank was parked right in the middle of the road, did not start, was quiet, and did not find itself.

It should be the people's guard net.

The tank was not too high, but wide, with a 37-mm gun on the turret facing itself. It should be the Ming Army's Lightning 2 light tank.

He nervously pushed the bicycle, trying not to make a sound, and retreated a few dozen meters back.

The company commander waved his hand, and a soldier came up:

"Sir!"

"Go," said the company commander, "inform the division headquarters that a Ming tank has been found ahead, but there is only one." ”

"Huh!"

The soldier got into the cart and rode back.

The company commander wiped the sweat from his head and exhaled lightly, glad that he found the other party first, not the other way around. If the tank had found itself first, it would have at least paid heavy casualties.

He said to those around him:

"We've got to get rid of this tank."

"With an anti-tank gun?"

"No," he shook his head, "an anti-tank gun can't stop it with a shot or two, and we're going to have to die." Now that the tanks haven't discovered us, we have taken a big advantage, so we can be more secure. Tell the support company to push the three anti-tank guns up. ”

"Huh!"

After a while, the support company behind pushed three 37mm cannons up. The three artillery crews held their breath and gently pushed the small cannon forward on the road, staring at the deadly tank in front of them, for fear that the tires of the small cannon would press a stone or something, and make a noise, and they would be finished.

A gunner broke out in a cold sweat and asked in a suppressed voice:

"Okay, right? Do you want to go forward? ”

Even the long hair was about to stand on end, but he still commanded in a low voice:

"Keep pushing, get as close as you can! …… Okay, okay, stop here! ”

Three small guns were scattered along the road, and the muzzles were pointed at the tank, which was less than ten meters in front. The tank remained motionless, as if there was no one in it at all.

The gunners began to slowly shake the handle, allowing the barrel to press down. Then the loader holds the shell, which is a little larger than the carrot, carefully pulls the chamber open, and gently fills the shell.

At this moment, the front tank suddenly started, the tracks "creaked", retreated at a high speed of thirty kilometers, and disappeared into the fog in the distance in the blink of an eye.

After more than ten seconds, several gunners got up from the ground in shock, half-kneeling and looking.

There was no sound anymore, the night wind was foggy, and there was a dead silence in the distance, and there was no sound of the engine at all. I don't know if the tank went away, or if it was hiding somewhere and turned off the engine.

Not only the gunner, but even the bicycle company commander behind him felt a little creepy.

There was an eerie atmosphere wafting through the fog.

The company commander had a sense of foreboding. …… Very ominous.