As soon as dawn broke, Wang Feng personally went to the front trench and observed the position of Zhangjiabao with several staff officers.

You are a town in Zhangjiabao, it should be called Zhangjiazhen! It's just that there is a large landlord of the Zhang family here, and his home is built like a castle, so the people here are called Zhangjiabao.

It's no wonder, in ancient times, there were so many bandits everywhere, as a big landlord, he naturally wanted to protect his property, and when he built this bunker, he didn't know that Wang Feng was coming!

However, this guy built a castle, which did become the most obstacle to this attack.

I have to say that the fifth town has a strong civil engineering ability, and from the gap in the wall, Zhangjia Town has been built into a village-fortress-style defensive position.

Moreover, the fire point is well hidden, and it is almost impossible to see where there is a firing port, and if you want to do fire reconnaissance, you can only fill it with human lives.

The division commander had already given a death order that Zhangjiabao must be taken within two days.

Before December 28, Xuzhou was recovered.

In Xuzhou, there are more than 3 million deposits of silver from the two Huai Salt Administrations, and more than 50 locomotives on Jinpu Road, so if you arrive in Xuzhou one day earlier, you can grab more things.

His brow furrowed, the kind of village fortress position that could not be bypassed. How many people would have to be sacrificed to attack with the poorly trained troops of the 1st Division? Can you beat it down in two days? Although he has a lot of cannonballs, the cannonballs don't grow in the ground after all.

The first battle of Bengbu knocked out one-third of the grain stocks of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. Through the Shanghai-Nanjing line and then transfer Jinpu Road, this transportation is also not easy to organize.

He put away his binoculars: "Dawn attack, cancel for now!" Waiting for further orders from the Chief of Staff and me! Officers at and above the brigade and battalion level were notified to go to the division headquarters for a meeting at 10 o'clock. ”

At this time, Wu Wencai was also standing on a high place where the division headquarters was located, setting up an artillery team and looking in the direction of Zhangjiabao.

Gu Zhizhong stood beside him, writing and drawing in his notebook, and the dawn attack planned from five o'clock finally did not start.

Wang Feng gave Wu Wencai the right to decide whether to launch an attack on the front line, it seems that this chief of staff still feels that it is too abrupt to attack at this time!

He stood up straight and sighed, how much he wanted to take Xuzhou as soon as possible, in addition to wanting Xuzhou's things, he also wanted to get more territory before the establishment of the provisional government.

Otherwise, when the time comes to an order to restrain the military operations ahead, will he listen or not?

What's even more secret is that he has contacted Zhang Jizhi and Yuan Shiren through now, and there is no definite news yet. If the contact is good, the land has not yet arrived, how can he bargain with others?

However, he has his own numbers, and he naturally has the idea of strategic matters. In terms of combat, it is better to respect the opinions of these professional soldiers! Wu Wencai, in particular, is simply a natural chief of staff.

Watching Wu Wencai return to the location of the division headquarters through the thin fog in the early morning, Wang Feng sighed again, it seems that this chief of staff is going to hold a meeting again. Thinking about the lives of his seventy-nine student soldiers who were lost in Zhangjiabao, he wanted to spare 10,000 shells and bulldoze Zhangjiabao to talk!

"Zhangjiabao's position is really strong, and there is no possibility of a roundabout attack. This battle is about to start, then it will really be a hammer against iron Zhan, it must be a tough battle with steel splashes! Everyone has seen the terrain and knows it themselves. ”

Wu Wencai looked at Wang Feng, who was looking at the map of 1/50,000 and asked, "What is the opinion of the division commander?" What team are you going to take and attack on it? ”

Wang Feng stood up and glanced at the eager officers under his command, only Lu Si was sitting there with his head down, he walked to the front of the map and slapped Zhang Bao on the spot.

"The opponent of the Fifth Town of Beiyang has blocked the way of our troops' advance for three days in Bengbu! How many backbones did the 2nd Brigade sacrifice! Now in Zhangjiabao, he has bitten us hard. These are veterans who have been trained for five or six years, and there are only two regiments of troops, and our first division has had such a hard time dealing with them along the way. Don't underestimate your opponents! No one should rush the task in this attack, listen to my arrangement with the chief of staff! Searing! ”

Wang Yangming shouted: "Yes! ”

Doing a simple life-and-death battle with an opponent like the Beiyang Army, it seems that he has the most appetite for this person, and I saw that his face was flushed with excitement.

Wang Feng looked at him: "I will assign you all six artillery battalions, the second brigade will be your reserve, the Zhangjiabao battlefield can accommodate a regiment to attack, you take out your strongest regiment, how much time can you take Zhangbao?" ”

Wang Yangming pondered for a moment: "It doesn't count that time in Guzhen, this time the enemy is prepared to defend... The division commander gave me two days, and I will definitely smash Zhangjiabao for you! ”

Chen Jianghe pouted beside him, but if he fought with the Second Brigade, he really wouldn't dare to boast like Wang Yangming.

The gap in the strength of the two brother brigades, the first brigade and the second brigade, is really not small.

Wang Feng nodded: "Okay!" Brother Zhuoran, give you another two hours to prepare, the Beiyang Army saw that we did not attack at dawn, and at noon, I am afraid that it is the most scattered time, so we will attack on time! Today is the 25th, and before 6 p.m. on the 26th, my boots are going to step on the railway bridge behind Zhangjiabao!

Gu Zhizhong bowed his head again and remembered fiercely, but all the officers did not have such leisure and elegance as him, they all saluted with straight faces, and scattered back to the troop layout.

Wang Feng tidied up his armed belt and said to Wu Wencai: "Let's go to the headquarters of the first brigade to personally supervise the battle." I'd like to see what happens when my strongest troops meet the Northern Army fairly! ”

When it comes to 12 o'clock in the afternoon, this is the time of the day when visibility is at its best. The three battalions of the regiment, which the 1st Brigade used for the attack, were in the positions from which they departed, holding their breath and waiting for the sudden roar of artillery.

Although they had been prepared, when the seventy-two mountain cannons of the six battalions roared at the same time, all the soldiers were still shaken by the violent sound of this continuous formation, and their bodies were tightly pressed to the ground.

The sound of these cannons was like a drum beating in their ears, and there was nothing else in the whole world but the roar.

A shell of 75 mm caliber with different fuses in a wicker box was pushed into the chamber.

Then, with the pull of the fire rope, these blasting bombs and shrapnel all fell towards Zhang Bao.

The artillery regiment was all equipped with a new type of cannon with a tube retreat, and the firing intensity was very fast, and in the five-minute rapid fire, these artillery officers played a superhuman level and fired almost 1,500 shells at Zhangjiabao!

Zhangjiabao has been completely shrouded in smoke and fire, dust and fog, many shells have crossed Zhangjiabao and hit the canal, and the water column rises and falls. The shrapnel from the explosion cut down a small mulberry forest outside the town.

In the sound of explosions, in Zhangjiabao Town, from time to time, someone's limbs were lifted high, and I don't know where they ended up.

Standing at the headquarters of the first brigade, Wang Feng was also enduring the heart-rending sound of artillery and vibration. Looking at the rising fireworks in Zhangjiabao through the telescope, there was a huge explosion at the last time, and a watchtower in the southwest corner of Zhangjiabao was knocked down, and the ammunition inside may have been hit, and the bullets were screaming and flying around. Several of them also had a broken machine gun, which fell down together with the collapsed watchtower.

Wang Feng involuntarily put down the binoculars, and fought like this with artillery, the Beiyang defenders of Zhangjiabao should have lost the courage to resist, right?

As the artillery fire gradually stopped out of the position, there was a sharp whistle blowing. The heavy machine guns attached to the positions of the various assault companies suddenly opened fire on all cylinders after the artillery fire stopped.

Dozens of fire snakes spat in the direction of Zhangjiabao, and the edge of the wall of Zhangjiabao was filled with smoke stirred up by bullets. Just now, this wall has been cut down by artillery fire, and such fierce machine gun fire has cut this wall down by another layer.

The infantrymen put their rifles on bayonets and were led by the officers. In a dense company charging formation, they first walked briskly, and when they reached the distance of the charge, they accelerated at the same time and ran quickly.

Each company also carried two ladders, which were ready to be used to climb over the trenches. The soldiers rushed faster and faster, and they all shouted loudly. Several layers of yellow waves of people are surging towards Zhangjiabao Town, as if they are about to submerge this town!

In the town of Zhangbao, which had already been beaten to tatters, the scorching fire of the rifle machine guns suddenly erupted. Some of the small two-story buildings on the wall are flickering with machine gun fire, and a regiment in Beiyang has six heavy machine guns, but Zhangjiabao definitely has more than this amount of machine gun firepower, and it seems that the machine gun firepower at hand of Zhang Da Bianzi is concentrated in Zhangjiapu Town.

These machine guns threw a fan-like rain of fire, and the charging man-wave forwards suddenly fell down. However, the charge of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade this time also seemed to have made the greatest determination, and the waves of people behind were still surging forward, and they were constantly being knocked down.

The yellow corpses that had fallen outside the trench had become piles of corpses, and finally several ladders had been erected on top of the trench.

The charging company, now crowded in front of the trench, found the exit and immediately rushed to the ladder. The machine guns of the Northern Army cleverly diverted their firepower, blocking a ladder every two machine guns, the bullets swept like a rainstorm, and the brass of the machine guns was already connected.

The brothers of the first regiment kept falling down from the ladder, and some of them hung on it, and they were beaten like a beehive by the constant rain of bullets.

Only one officer rushed close to the wall, he was already covered in several wounds, and I don't know what kind of force drove him to the front.

But he finally leaned against the wall, his hands wide open, and his lifeless body solidified into a statue.

The first charge suffered the most painful defeat.

Wang Feng closed his eyes in pain, the first brigade was the trump card in his hand. In outflanking detours and even pursuits, as well as in field battles, they can play at a fairly high level.

After all, they are well equipped and have high morale, but in this kind of fortified village fortress, the military quality is far from enough.

This charge should be advanced for a while, and then followed by fire, suppressing the opponent's fire with its own firepower and suffocating the enemy's resistance. Then move forward with the swift movements of a small group, borrowing terrain features instead of being so brave, like a medieval charge! In the field, this may be able to overwhelm the enemy, but in a strong battle, an opponent who is equally determined to hold on will only incur the heaviest casualties.

The 1st Brigade was retreating, regrouping into charge, and the artillery fire began to roar again, but it was noticeably less intense than the last one.

The artillery regiment carried only one base of ammunition, and just now it had knocked out thirty percent. The smoke and dust from the explosion of the shells shrouded the battlefield again, and only the yellow of the piles of corpses that had piled up south of Zhangjiabao Town was as dazzling as the smoke.

"Reserves of the various battalions, into the positions! Companies with too many casualties, temporarily merged! Adjust the stormtrooper formation again! ”

Zhang San, the commander of the first regiment, did not wear a military hat, his head was covered with sweat, and he sorted out the retreating companies one by one along the trench.

The soldiers, who had made their first charge and were defeated, filled the several trenches on the starting position. Some were pale, some were wounded, but they still held their rifles tightly, waiting for a second charge. More of them are at a loss, and they don't know what to do.

The green tendons on Zhang San's neck jumped and jumped, his face was covered with dust, and he shouted loudly: "What about the officer? The officers are all standing up! Damn, get the line up for me! We are the first regiment! Where are Jinling Company and Guzhen Company? Where's your company commander? ”

Several soldiers hugged the body of a young officer and walked out: "Regiment commander, our company commander is here." When he charged, he was in the front, and when he retreated, he was still organizing fire in the back to cover our retreat, and the enemy's machine guns came over, and we desperately tried to grab his people back, but the company commander he ............"

This young officer, who is no longer breathing, is the company commander of the Jinling Company among the two ace companies of the First Brigade.

When attacking Yuhuatai, he once followed Zhang Sanchong to the front, and during the white-knuckle battle, one person picked out the intestines of four Jiangfang soldiers. Now with six or seven machine gun bullet holes on his body, he lay quietly in the arms of the soldiers under his command.

And Zhang San didn't know that the officer who died in front of the wall of Zhangjiabao Town was his cousin, the company commander of Guzhen Company, Xikui!