Episode 16 Mass Executions

45 tanks fired two rounds of solid armor-piercing bullets, smashed a crater with a diameter of three meters in the city wall, and frightened both the Qing soldiers and the people on the city to flee cleanly, and then another round of high-explosive shells salvo,.

The smoke cleared, and the broken bricks on both sides of the gap were still falling. The Qing soldiers on both sides of the city wall and the common people were mixed together, and they were all rushing to the collapsed place, crawling down the collapsed place, some fleeing to the city, and some to the outside of the city.

Through the gap, you can see a lot of Qing troops running inside.

On this side of the wall, the people near the gap had already fled, and in the distance on both sides, one or two machine guns on the wall were firing, but they were soon all thrown there and no one cared about them.

The 15 tanks of one of the tank companies of the tank battalion that the Ming army bombarded the city wall began to roar at this time, spewing green smoke, and slowly drove towards the gap. It's just that they are covered with spare armor, spare tracks, and sandbags, and they are bloated like small bunkers, and they are very slow. However, this is also the equivalent of a modified heavily armored tank, an ideal infantry tank for street fighting.

30 armored personnel carriers quickly rushed up and followed behind the tanks. Approaching a gap in the city wall a dozen meters, the tank stopped, and 150 soldiers jumped from 15 armored vehicles behind, armed with submachine guns and light machine guns, swarming through the gap. There were only two or three brief gunshots after entering, and the gap was completely cleared. Immediately afterwards, an engineer squad jumped from an armored car, and they moved the blasting canisters one by one, in the loose rammed earth in the cross-section of the gap in the city wall, and then retreated and detonated. The rammed earth inside the city walls was blasted into a large hole. Immediately afterwards, the sapper put the hatchback ** in it, shook the detonation line and retreated behind the armored car.

There was an earth-shattering explosion, and the gap in this section of the city wall was widened to about 10 meters. Then the sappers made another small detonation, blowing up the pile of rubble on the ground of the gap, allowing the tank to drive directly into it.

15 tanks and 30 armored vehicles, in turn, drove in.

……

According to orthodox theory, tanks and armored vehicles are not suitable for urban warfare. This "unsuitable" is not to say that tanks can't beat infantry in the city. Even in urban warfare, having tanks is much more powerful than not having them. The so-called "tanks are not suitable for urban warfare" simply means that tanks have fewer advantages and are more likely to lose money in urban warfare than in field warfare. In any country and army, tanks are always scarce and valuable weapons, and the use of such a valuable weapon in urban warfare is relatively wasteful, and the gains outweigh the losses, which is "unsuitable." In fact, every infantry who struggled in street fighting was very eager to have tanks to help.

Therefore, the division commander Zhang Haitao planned to try to put in some tanks in Yangzhou. His opinion is: Although tanks are easy to lose in urban warfare, the losses of tanks are nothing more than this: enemy artillery, enemy Molotov cocktails, enemy grenades, enemy ** bags, almost so few. At this time, there was no such thing as "Bazooka" and "Iron Fist".

And it is almost certain that the Qing army in Yangzhou should have no artillery. The Qing army in Yangzhou was composed of defeated soldiers who fled, and it was unlikely that such defeated soldiers would carry heavy weapons such as artillery. Even if there are one or two doors, the threat is not great. In addition to artillery, other Molotov cocktails and grenade packs must be very close to each other before they can be used.

In other words, it is true that tanks are easy to lose in street battles, but there is a premise, that is, the enemy army must have a strong will to fight, and it must be enough not to be afraid of death. The person who threw the Molotov cocktail knew very well that it was okay for him to throw the Molotov cocktail secretly, but it was difficult to say whether he would escape alive after throwing it. Throwing it down from an upstairs window has a higher chance of success, but there is less hope of running away after throwing it. As for grenades and ** bags, if you want to really blow up the tank, you have to get closer or even hang it on the tracks of the tank with your own hands.

It takes an army with a strong fighting will, an army with a sacrificial spirit, an army that can stay calm and close to the tanks and throw Molotov cocktails in the face of enemy troops' advances into the city, tank tracks rumbling through rubble, rubble beneath their feet, and the sound of engines and enemy shouts everywhere.

And the Qing army in Yangzhou City is obviously not such an army.

……

The gap of more than ten meters was basically undefended, and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in the front roared and climbed in, and a large number of infantry of the armored division of the People's Guard roared and swarmed in. They usually sit in armored personnel carriers through the enemy's bullets, and only jump out of the vehicles to fight at close range. Their weapons were also dominated by light machine guns and submachine guns, and the proportion of automatic weapons and equipment was the highest in the Ming army. It's simply tailor-made for street fighting.

On the street, 15 tanks of the Ming army were separated, each advancing on a street. The tanks rushed to the front, each tank was followed by two armored personnel carriers, each of which sat a squad of soldiers. On both sides and behind these three chariots were hundreds of Ming infantry. They carried submachine guns, light machine guns, general-purpose machine guns, and some carried flamethrowers on their backs.

The Qing army in the city was already in complete panic, and the ground was shaking from afar, and after a while, the sound of the engine was heard. Usually at this time, the Qing army officers could not control the soldiers, and most of the soldiers fled in a hurry. A handful of soldiers, threatened by the guns of officers, lay on the ground or leaned against street windows, grenades and anti-tank guns ready to meet them.

However, when they saw the steel behemoth on the opposite side roaring and turning its tracks and slowly entering the field of vision, these few Qing soldiers who planned to hold on were also trembling.

They threw the grenade from a long distance, then turned around and ran. Behind him, the sound of a grenade explosion was followed by the sound of a tank gun, and a puff of smoke and dust from the houses on the street.

These Qing soldiers, who had never faced tanks before, generally surrendered in groups by this time.

…… But there was a situation in which the surrendered Qing soldiers were all soldiers, and there was not a single officer. The highest is the sergeant, and there is no more.

The leaflet of the Ming army stated that it was counted from the captain. So far, not a single lieutenant has been captured alive.

On both sides of the street, there were discarded rifles everywhere, and groups of prisoners bowed their heads and bent their waists, trotting out of the city under the command of the Ming army, leaving the battlefield and not causing chaos here. And the Ming tanks in front of them are still advancing.

……

It has been almost an hour since the Ming army stormed the city, and so far not a single tank or armored vehicle has been lost. And because there was good cover from tanks and armored vehicles, the casualties of the infantry were also small.

When the attack first came in, the people of the city hid in their homes and firmly closed their doors and windows. As the Ming army continued to advance in the city and occupied more and more areas, the common people also ran out of their homes to frantically welcome the Ming liberators. The soldiers of the Ming army were still hunched and hiding behind the tanks to advance cautiously, and there were many people on both sides of the road standing there unscrupulously, cheering at the Ming army.

Some people rushed forward directly, hugged the Ming soldiers and cried loudly, crying and shouting:

"Ah...... You're coming...... Why are you here...... We're going to let those *** do it to death...... There's nothing left at home, so let's smash it...... Oh my God......"

More ordinary people also began to cry, some ran to the Ming army column, holding the shoulders of the soldiers and patting desperately, like brothers who had not seen each other for many years, and some mixed in the queue and followed the soldiers forward, crying and chattering.

The soldiers of the Ming army were very nervous at first: Isn't this revealing the target! If there's a sniper in one of the windows, he'll be dead with a single shot.

But later, the Ming soldiers generally found that not only were there no snipers in the buildings, but even the frontal resistance was weak. So the troops on the streets were no longer as cautious as they had been, but let go of their speed and rushed forward.

After an hour and a half of entering the city, about 90% of the city had been occupied, and only the last northeast corner was still holding.

A large number of infantry who followed into the city were going from house to house searching for the remnants of the Qing army. The Qing soldiers who had been captured, estimated to be fifteen or six thousand, were all holding their heads and were being escorted by the Ming military police, and they were continuously sent out from the occupied city gates.

So far, however, only more than 200 officers have been found, most of them killed in battle, and only about 40 have been captured alive. Now these more than 40 Qing army officers have been taken out of the city and placed under centralized detention by the People's Guard.

At present, the Qing troops who have been captured and killed in the city add up to almost 17,800. This is already more than Ming Military estimated first. But according to the usual ratio of officers and soldiers in the Qing army, with so many troops, even if they do not count non-commissioned officers, the number of officers should be about 1,000. But now only about 200 are seen. In other words, the officers were basically compressed in that northeast corner.

And that's true. At this point, the battle became more and more difficult to fight. A small northeast corner, just over one square kilometer, gathered about 800 Qing army officers. They know that if they are captured, they will die, so they are desperately resisting.

The casualties of the Ming army began to rise sharply, and even lost a tank.

What is even more tricky is that these more than 800 Qing army officers hijacked a group of ordinary people and hid in several buildings in this block, desperately resisting and shouting to negotiate with the Ming army.

As soon as the Ming tank approached, a Molotov cocktail flew out of the window of the opposite building, smashed into the street with a "snap", and ignited a fire. It seems that these officers collected quite a few bottles, as well as gasoline.

The Ming army wanted to open fire, but one of the civilians was pushed to the window and used as a shield.

……

"We're going to negotiate! We're going to negotiate! ”

In the window, a voice roared and reached the Ming army across the road.

The Ming soldiers hid behind the tanks, smoking cigarettes and muttering:

"Negotiations? You don't need to talk about it to know that they just want to save their lives, and we want to execute them again...... This thing, how can you talk about it? ”

"We want to negotiate ......" the Qing army officer on the opposite side continued to shout, "as long as you don't kill us, we will surrender!" Just let the civilians go! Otherwise, you will not surrender! We're going to die with these civilians! ”

The voice was poignant and desperate, echoing through the streets.

These Ming soldiers didn't want to die, and they also knew that if they attacked hard, they would suffer heavy casualties. Again and again, Qing demands and casualty reports were reported back to the division headquarters. Zhang Haitao looked at these casualty reports and hesitated. He sent a telegram to Xiaoqiang, reporting to him the requirements of the Qing army.

……

Nanjing, Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the telegram, "hummed", and threw it aside. Turned his face to Li Gensheng and said:

"Do you want to survive at this time? Dream. When Lao Tzu's previous warning was air? It's tricky now, but now spare these people, those Qing troops will continue to do such things in the future, and the really tricky time is still to come! …… How many casualties are there now? ”

Li Gensheng picked up the telegram again and looked at it, and said:

"My lord, 112 people have been killed and 405 wounded."

Xiang Xiaoqiang had experience at this time, so he looked at both sides first, and then whispered:

"It's not that I don't care about the casualties of the brothers, it's because the 'Saving Civilians Order' has just been launched, and this 'first case' must be handled solidly and really kill a group of people in order to deter the Qing army behind...... Now the brothers have suffered more casualties, but there will be many more tailwinds in the future...... As long as the Qing army does not hold civilians hostage, it will be easy to surrender. In the future, the lives of more brothers will be saved by today's tough battle! ”

Li Gensheng nodded and said:

"What the adults are saying is that this is indeed the truth. Then we call back and order a storm? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded and said:

"Assault!"

……

In the city of Yangzhou, the last Qing army position began to be attacked. This is in the northeast corner of the city, with both east and north sides leaning against the city walls. Now the Ming army has laid out the two city walls, with a loud "boom", the ground shook, and the two city walls collapsed a large section, and now this block is surrounded on all sides.

Hundreds of smoke grenades were thrown over, smoke filled the air between several buildings, and several tanks took the opportunity to rush towards them at full speed. A large number of Ming troops trotted under the cover of tanks to follow, and soon rushed to the bottom of those buildings.

Grenades and incendiary bombs exploded one after another between the streets, and the Qing officers upstairs threw them down desperately, and the Ming troops below also suffered many casualties. However, the disparity in numbers and firepower between the two sides was too great, and thousands of Ming infantry rushed into the neighborhood with submachine guns and machine guns, shouting and rushing upstairs. At each staircase, there are Qing army officers holding light machine guns to hold on there, but there are too many directions to guard, most of the floors and walls in Yangzhou City are made of wood, and the Ming army can shoot through the walls and floors. The Qing officers who held the stairs were soon shot and killed.

The cries of the common people were heard in several buildings, and the Qing army officers began to kill hostages. However, in this way, the people who were held hostage fled desperately, and they could not kill a few in an instant. Moreover, such a distraction made the Ming army attack faster.

……

At about eleven o'clock in the afternoon, the last positions were also completely conquered.

Nahai, the commander of the Qing army, jumped off a building at the last moment to escape, broke his legs on the spot, and was immediately crushed by a tank. The scene was miserable, he was crushed in two from the waist. After a while, when the Ming soldiers found him, he was not dead, and finally he was shot before he died.

The Ming army lost 325 killed, 1,163 wounded, 502 Qing officers killed, and 410 prisoners.

Most of these surrendered Qing army officers raised their hands to surrender with a glimmer of hope in the end, hoping that the Ming army would abide by the Geneva Conventions and save their lives. At least to be able to provide yourself with the opportunity to go to court-martial. In this way, at least he can defend himself and find a way to prove that he did not kill the people, and it is the fault of the chief...... At the very least, I hope to save my head.

More than 40 Qing army officers who were still alive, including 410 newly captured officers, a total of more than 800 people, were escorted out of the city by the gendarmerie of the People's Guard Corps with machine guns and gathered for detention.

Zhang Haitao looked at these Qing army officers, more than 800 people sat on the ground in the dark, and he was also a little hesitant. He sent another telegram asking for instructions to Xiaoqiang.

Soon, Xiang Xiaoqiang called back: Strictly guarded and waited for the action team.

The meaning is very clear, these people must be killed. But the combat troops will not be allowed to do it, it is still the old rule of the People's Guard, there is a special "action team".

……

At about twelve o'clock, more than a dozen large trucks drove far away from the south, and the People's Guard markers were also sprayed on them.

The "task force" was sent from Nanjing.

When they arrived at the place, more than 100 People's Guard soldiers jumped out of several military trucks, all armed with Thomson submachine guns, and their faces were cold and murderous.

The captain at the head of the group held a cigarette in his mouth, rolled his arm, and carried a submachine gun, and with a wave of his hand, more than a hundred people below slowly walked over.

The local soldiers who were guarding the Qing army officers were a little apprehensive when they looked at these people.

The captain showed a badge with the words: People's Guard Action Team, Captain, Captain Xu Xiangde.

Xu Xiangde, this name is already thunderous among the officers and soldiers of the People's Guard. He was in the city of Batavia in the South Seas, and he shot more than 200 natives with his own hands, and he already had the nickname of "butcher".

……

Xu Xiangde glanced at the local People's Guard officer. They understood, beckoned, and withdrew with their men. These captives were handed over to the squad.

Several of the team's large trucks were reversed, forming a large arc. But the action is very natural, and it is very casual to cover up by moving things and other actions.

More than 800 Qing army officers sitting on the ground looked up with their heads and looked at these soldiers with submachine guns in horror. They know what a submachine gun is, and they know they can't run away. Now the only thing that sustains them is a military court.

Xu Xiangde obviously understood their psychology very well, carried a submachine gun, raised an arm, and shouted:

"Listen, now you're in our care! We are the law enforcement team of the People's Guard, and we are responsible for escorting you back to Nanjing and handing you over to a military court for trial! Don't be complacent, I tell you, for you people, a third of them will be sentenced to death! The rest is not any better! ”

More than 800 officers erupted in cheers. They thought they had finally escaped death. Although a third of them have to be sentenced to death, who would think that it is themselves? Everyone thinks that they will definitely live.

"Alright, alright!" Xu Xiangde waved his hand, "Come here, squat here, wait for our trucks to arrive, and then get in the car!" ”

More than 800 people got up very obediently and walked to the circle designated by Xu Xiangde, and then were ordered to all squat down and hold their heads in their hands.

On one side of this large circle is exactly an arc of more than a dozen large trucks, each of which is facing them with its butt facing them, covered with canvas.

Xu Xiangde looked around and retreated.

……

Then, he pulled out his whistle and blew it violently.

The canvas of a dozen military trucks was violently opened, and a dozen woodpecker machine guns spewed tongues of fire at the same time, and the piercing sound of gunfire was accompanied by countless heart-rending screams mixed into a death symphony. Hundreds of Qing army officers fell to the ground one after another in the rain of bullets, like cutting leeks, and most of them fell in pools of blood before they could react.

The gunfire fell silent.

In the middle was a large pool of blood, which had already merged into a small stream. More than 800 corpses were lying inside, each with several bullet holes.