Episode 71 Class Teacher

"Friends from the press," Xiang Xiaoqiang appeared at the door of the command car, first looked at the pocket watch, and then said to the following, "Brother only has ten minutes, the current battle is very fierce, every minute decides the life and death of the soldiers in front, brother really can't spare extra time, please forgive me!" ”

The sound of gunfire in the distance continued, and occasionally the shells fired by the Qing army fell nearby, although the caliber was not large, but it also seemed to shake the ground, lifting high pillars of sand and soil. A large circle of reporters in front of the command vehicle also shrank their heads in fright, and some of them had sand on their top hats. Although these reporters were bold and dedicated, most of them were on the battlefield for the first time, and they were both nervous and excited.

In order not to appear too arrogant, Xiang Xiaoqiang got off the command car. Immediately, four guard officers stood on both sides, preoccupied with protecting Xiang Xiaoqiang.

A few more flashes of white smoke flashed, and a reporter first rushed to ask:

"General Xiang, what is the main goal of my Ming army to take the initiative to attack Pukou this time? How big is the battle? How long will it last? ”

"These three of your questions all involve military secrets......" Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the reporters with a disappointed look on his face, and said with a smile, "...... However, my friends have crossed the river in such a dangerous way, so as not to disappoint the public and you, my brother can give a little explanation. ”

Dozens of reporters immediately smiled again, holding cameras and notebooks and waiting.

"This military operation," Xiang Xiaoqiang said loudly, "has only one main purpose, which is to annihilate the Qing army in Pukou." As everyone knows, a few days ago, the Qing puppet emperor issued a bold statement that 'he defeated Nanjing in the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve and went to the Nanjing Imperial Palace to spend the first day of the new year'. But unfortunately, we didn't let him make it happen. …… So, this morning, he once again issued the bold words of 'conquering Nanjing on the first day of the new year and going to the Nanjing Imperial Palace for the second day of the new year'......"

The reporters couldn't help but laugh one after another. Xiang Xiaoqiang also smiled and continued:

But now that the war situation seems to be unfulfilled, this second rhetoric will not be realized. Our counterattack action is to annihilate the Qing army on the other side of Nanjing, completely erase the possibility of the Qing army attacking Nanjing, lest the Qing puppet emperor say 'take down Nanjing on the second day of the Lunar New Year and spend the third day of the Lunar New Year in the Nanjing Imperial Palace'......"

The reporters laughed even harder. They laughed and remembered, glad to hear something so appealing to the reader. The photographer seized the opportunity in the back and kept capturing the chattering and laughing General Xiang.

Many reporters directly wrote alternative titles: "Lupine Towel Talking and Laughing, Qing Captives Disappear", "The Battle of New Chibi: Look at My Jiangdong Xianglang", "Ryukyu Horse Good Campaign", ......

"The second question," Xiang Xiaoqiang added, "the scale of the battle." Although I cannot provide you with the detailed strength of our army. But brother can tell you that at present we have captured 150,000 Qing troops. And the air battle over the Yangtze River, I believe you have also seen it. The scale of the battle, you can estimate for yourself. The third question is time. It's hard to say how long this battle will last, but it's certainly not going to be long. We need to do it quickly. …… Hmm, if you send it back to the museum now, how long will it take to get the newspaper? ”

The reporters looked at each other, and then one said:

"At the earliest, it's seven o'clock in the evening, to catch the evening newspaper."

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:

"Well, that's the case, the battle should be over before the newspapers come out. …… Hehe, you see, there's no need to keep this a secret. ”

The reporters laughed, not knowing if he was half-truthful or joking.

Another reporter rushed to ask:

"General Xiang, I heard that the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty is still in Pukou Town, and Pukou is surrounded by our army, does that mean that the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty is expected to be captured this time?"

This issue has attracted too much attention, and none of the reporters interrupted, staring at Xiang Xiaoqiang and listening with bated breath.

Xiang Xiaoqiang thought for a while and said:

"If you ask if it's 'hopeful', it's 'hopeful'. Hopeful. As you said, at present, there are still 30,000 or 40,000 Qing troops in Pukou Town, including the Qing Emperor, all of whom have been put into our pockets. But can you catch the Qing Emperor? I say it's just hope. Because we are just blocking the two ends, and we are not surrounded on all sides. This old mountain range in the northwest of Pukou is not high, nor is it dangerous, and small groups of people can completely climb over it. I don't think that Emperor Qing will live and die with Pukou, and at the last moment, he should be protected by the guards and escape from the mountain. Of course, it's not completely impossible to catch, but you have to be very lucky. ”

The reporters lowered their heads and snapped for a while, and then someone immediately asked:

"General Xiang, it is said that five group armies were dispatched this time, and the strength is so large, why can't it be surrounded on all sides?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Well, the five army groups, it seems that some people in our command are not taking care of their mouths. But fortunately, it should not be a high-level army, and the high-level will know that it is not the five group armies, but only some elite troops from each of the five group armies. The exact number is inconvenient for the brothers. At present, the capacity of the pontoon bridge on the river is limited, and we are not allowed to send a large force over, and our forces are not allowed to encircle on all sides. Because the forces of the Qing captives in Jiangbei are still absolutely superior, we must use a large number of troops to guard the east, west, and north directions to prevent them from being surrounded by the Qing captives.

“…… From the time the plan was set, it was not the goal of capturing the emperor. Our goal is to annihilate the Qing army in Pukou and defend Nanjing. We can't risk the lives of our brethren who participated in the counterattack station just to capture a Qing Emperor. In my personal opinion, no matter how noble the Qing Emperor is, he is far inferior to the most ordinary soldier of our Ming Dynasty. ”

The flash flashed, and many of the reporters present applauded. Many officers and soldiers in the surrounding crowd of soldiers were also very moved and shouted loudly.

"General Xiang," a female reporter said, holding up a notebook, "there are rumors in the outside world that your fiancée, Miss Shangxiu, is the princess of the Ryukyus, what do you think?" ”

Here it comes! Finally asked about this! Xiang Xiaoqiangyuan still had a fluke mentality, thinking that "war correspondents" would only ask about war-related things! It turns out that the public is always most interested in celebrity gossip, especially when it comes to "princesses".

Xiang Xiaoqiang was a little sweaty, he was most afraid that reporters would ask if Xiuxiu was a princess. Because he really didn't know how to answer. According to his own judgment, Xiuxiu is the illegitimate daughter of the Ryukyu King, but Xiuxiu obviously does not want to admit it. In addition to the reason of "illegitimate daughter", there is also a grudge against the family in Shangwangfu, and I don't want to get involved with them.

This is what Xiang Xiaoqiang doesn't understand the most. If it is a later generation, a royal family and a noble bloodline, what a glorious thing it is! A girl who knows that she is the illegitimate daughter of a certain king has long been in lawsuits, published books, made shows, wrote blogs, and given interviews, and has been crazy to gain fame and fortune. But Xiuxiu not only didn't want to get involved, but also regarded it as a pain, and she was afraid to hide from it. Now from Xiang Xiaoqiang to Qiu Yun, to the people in the headquarters, they all pay attention to the topic of not showing off the premise.

Xiang Xiaoqiang groaned for a while, and said very cautiously:

"This kind of legend has also been heard by brothers. But to be honest, Miss Shang and I currently admire each other, are engaged to be married, and don't care whether she is a princess or an ordinary woman. I haven't asked her for confirmation of this rumor. Because I personally think that Miss Shang is just an ordinary woman, there is no need to ask. Think about it, how likely is it that a girl who served on a submarine, a second lieutenant communications officer, and an ordinary adjutant in the headquarters would be a 'Ryukyu princess'? ”

The reporters were not satisfied and asked one after another:

"General Xiang, didn't you really ask her?"

"General Xiang, do you want Miss Shang to be a princess?"

"...... to the General"

Xiang Xiaoqiang's head is about to be big, he is in a hurry, and said very sensibly:

"You guys do me a favor, there is something I have wanted to say to Miss Shang for a long time, but I have never had the courage to ...... Just borrow your newspapers and help me convey this sentence to Miss Shang! …… That is: whether Miss Shang is a princess or an ordinary woman, she will always be the princess in my mind. ”

"Ah......h

"Wow......"

The magnesium light flashed, and the reporters shouted with envy, and they were all satisfied, and they all buried their heads in writing down this meaty sentence. The new title has been thought of again: "Expressing Love to the General's Battlefield, Princess Shang Sees the Truth in the Newspaper......

Xiang Xiaoqiang seized the opportunity and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, Brother Shu will not answer this topic anymore...... You braved the artillery fire to cross the river to find out the news for the people...... The people must be more concerned about the battle at hand than I am about someone's fiancée...... Time is running out, so please hurry up and ask more useful questions. ”

The reporters were also interested, and they also knew the main purpose of their adventure across the river, so they no longer dwelled on the topic of "Ryukyu princess" and began to ask about the war again.

Several reporters asked a few more questions, namely, the bombing of the Manchu airfield, the question of air combat, the bombing of Pukou, and one reporter asked a more professional question, asking what was the difference between the dive bomber and the previous bomber......

When asked about the bombing, the question of civilian casualties naturally raises. Xiang Xiaoqiang seized the opportunity and said with a gloomy face:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now have absolute air superiority, we have dive bombers, and we have a large number of heavy artillery, all of which can easily wipe out the Qing army in the town. However, I have just ordered that none of this should be used. Our soldiers are fighting hand-to-hand with the Qing captives room by room, and they are taking their lives to fill it. Do you know why? ”

A couple of reporters asked:

"Ask what?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang's face became more and more gloomy, and he said bitterly:

"Before today, I only knew that the Qing captives were brutal and the people of the Northland suffered greatly, but to what extent, we can't imagine. We didn't know there was such a government in the world until we hit here today! And such outrageous things! …… Ladies and gentlemen, come on, brother, I'll take you to interview the refugees......"

A large group of reporters immediately carried tripod magnesium lamps and scrambled to follow Xiang Xiaoqiang, running to the refugee pile next to him. They were all excited, and they knew intuitively that there was something good.

……

An hour later, the shocked and excited reporters quickly wrote the press release and generously provided Xiaoqiang with two radio stations so that they could send the manuscript back to the library.

Soon, the reporters of Nanming's 10 newspapers, two radio stations, and four newspapers, The Times, The New York Times, The New York Herald Tribune, and Yomiuri Shimbun, also sent their articles directly back to the headquarters of their own countries.

……

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Li Guoliang called Xiang Xiaoqiang and reported that the vanguard of the Qing army on the other side of Ma'anshan was still ten kilometers away from the outskirts of Pukou. According to the report of the reconnaissance aircraft, the long marching army on the ground was not in sight, and several columns were advancing in parallel. No less than 20 divisions have been formed. In addition, at the assembly area on the other side of Ma'anshan, there are 30-50 divisions, which are moving in formation.

To the east of Pukou, the Qing army on the other side of the Zhenjiang River was also advancing, with no less than 30 divisions on the march, and the vanguard was still 25 kilometers away from Pukou.

"It's coming so fast!"

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up and looked at the alarm clock on the table. At this pace of marching, at six or seven o'clock in the evening, the Qing reinforcements would be engaged, and then they would be encircled. He glanced at the map:

"Where?"

Li Gensheng immediately marked a few times on the map:

"My lord, the west road has captured the headquarters compound, and the east road is blocked by this small river in the town, and it is impossible to cross for a while. Now the three Eight Banner Divisions are backed by this river, desperately resisting our offensive on the western route. They also occupy this small piece of the town center, two or three square kilometers. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang picked up the compass, compared it with the river on the map, and then measured the number with a triangle board and multiplied it by the scale. His eyes widened:

"Why, this inconspicuous river is more than thirty meters wide?"

Li Gensheng smiled bitterly:

"You look at it inconspicuous because it's on the edge of the Yangtze River. In fact, it is about the same width as our Outer Qinhuai River. This is all we can do for our eastern offensive. If you don't build a bridge, the tank will definitely be blocked, and if you build a bridge, the casualties will be too great. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at the map and frowned:

"What about the West Road? There's no reason for us to stand still. ”

Li Gensheng couldn't bear it and sighed:

"The Qing captives are now almost using the common people as shields. Every time a house is evacuated, the people in that house are taken away and the people are killed and wounded along with them. You ordered the bombardment to stop, and it seems that the Qing captives have caught our soft underbelly. They knew this, and we were bound and did not dare to attack. ”

"!" Xiang Xiaoqiang slammed his fist on the map table, gritted his teeth and scolded, "Have you ever seen anything more shameless than this, ah?" …… Take your own people hostage and stop the enemy attack! …… We're still so cheap, we're really blocked! My day! ”

Li Gensheng hesitated for a moment and said carefully:

"My lord, we have already occupied two-thirds of Pukou Town......"

"Hmm."

"Of the 200,000 Qing troops in Pukou, we have captured and annihilated 1670,000 of them......"

"What's wrong?"

Li Gensheng coughed twice and said:

"My lord, what my subordinates mean, it's no longer interesting to smash the remaining 20,000 or 30,000 Qing troops...... In this 'New Year's greeting action', our purpose has been basically achieved, is this a teacher? It also reduces casualties. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at him, didn't answer, just asked:

"How's the traffic on the river now?"

Li Gensheng replied:

"Back to my lord, two pontoon bridges have been erected on the side of Shogunate Mountain, and a third one is being built. On our side, we have already built two and are building a third. In this way, the original three were added, and there were seven in total. It is estimated that those two will be completed within two hours. ”

"Very well, how are the prisoners of war being transported?"

"Back to my lord, the seven pontoon bridges are carrying prisoners of war in full force, and almost half of them have been transported. The Pukou wharf we occupied, there are still many intact assault boats and many tugboats, which are now being shipped in large quantities. If all goes well, all the captives will be transported to the east coast within three hours. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang groaned and commanded:

"The order is to speed up, we don't have much time, and once we have a side, we must give priority to ensuring that all our troops are withdrawn. The captives are not finished...... It doesn't matter. ”

Li Gensheng shuddered and asked:

"What do you mean, ...... sir?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced up at him and said lightly:

"Throw it here, of course. What else do you want to do? ”

Li Gensheng breathed a sigh of relief:

"That's what my lord said. …… My lord, what about the seized weapons? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang thought about it for a moment and said:

"Give priority to heavy weapons, heavy howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, anti-tank guns, etc., and pick the ones that are in good condition and transport them back. The artillery of the Qing captives is still good. The second is that relatively good light weapons, light and heavy machine guns, are also picked and shipped back. As for those hundreds of thousands of rifles...... Put it at the end, transport it when you have time, and pour gasoline on it when it's too late, and burn it. ”

"Your Excellency has made a reasonable arrangement."

"The area that has been captured, give me as much destruction as possible. Except for private houses. In particular, railway stations and docks are not allowed to leave a complete building. The railroad tracks in the train station were blown up for me. Warehouse area, all burned down. ”

"Yes."

After giving Xiaoqiang the destruction order, he lowered his head and thought. Li Gensheng is right, the purpose of this operation has basically been achieved. The remaining 20,000 or 30,000 Eight Banner Divisions are stinky and hard, and they are hidden in the pile of ordinary people, which is not easy to gnaw. It can be said that the only one with some value is Emperor Guangwu. But whether it can be caught or not, it is difficult to say. It is likely that another 20,000 or 30,000 Ming troops and 120,000 people will die to occupy the town, but they will find that Emperor Guangwu has already run over the mountain.

It can be said that this military operation was earned until the morning of the attack on the town. But then the casualties began to skyrocket, and the losses began to rise. At the moment, in general, it is still earned. But if you continue to attack, you won't know in the end.

Of course, this is a war, not a business, and it cannot be measured only by losses and gains. But the problem is that there is only one determination in this operation: to annihilate the Qing army in Pukou. And that's pretty much the thing.

Moreover, this operation was not a tough battle in the first place, and the commanders of the five group armies willingly followed him, just thinking of making great contributions, beating the water dogs and pinching soft persimmons, not gnawing hard bones. Now that 85 percent of the 200,000 Qing troops in Pukou have been annihilated, it makes no difference whether the remaining 25 percent is eliminated or not. Moreover, the price to be paid for this 25 percent is many times higher than the original 85 percent.

…… Of course, if you can catch Emperor Guangwu, it will be worth the price. It's another thing to say nice things to a journalist. But the question is, after paying a huge price, can you catch it?

The commanders of the five group armies were the first batch of generals who fought with them and obeyed their commands. For the first time this time, this battle must be fought comfortably, let them "earn" a lot of money, and gain both fame and fortune. When this example is set, more generals will be willing to obey their own self-control. Only by holding the edict in his own hand can he deserve his name as soon as possible.

"Roots."

He said.

"Your Excellency?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said:

"Your suggestion is very good, I'll prepare the class teacher."

"Your Excellency is wise!"

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"But it's not like a class teacher is a class teacher. Gotta explain. Those journalists are still there, right? Tell them that they are not afraid to die and follow me, and I will take them to the front line to interview. ”

Li Gensheng exclaimed:

"My lord? It's too dangerous! ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Let them take a few more pictures to see how the Qing captives are used as shields. also let the whole world know that I am now a teacher of Xiang Xiaoqiang, not because I dare not fight a tough battle, but because I love the people. ”

Li Gensheng thought about it for a while and immediately understood. He also said:

"My lord, you should also call Your Majesty and tell me about the situation here, and it is best to let Your Majesty personally order the teacher. It's the safest way to do it. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:

"You're quite right. …… In addition, didn't the Pukou Headquarters compound be taken down? I also want to revisit the old place, go to the small building at the sticky pole in Pukou to have a look, and it is best to pick up a few souvenirs. …… You know, that's where I met Monk Qiuyu? ”