readsfreenovel Chapter 115 The army presses the territory
Chapter 115 The army presses the territory
After more than two months, part of the cement road connecting the cities in Nanshan Province has been completed, which makes the transportation of the second and third divisions very fast.
In less than a day, the entire Second Division was transported to Changhuan, and when the convoy returned, the prisoners were transported back to Nanling.
On the third day, it also took a day to transport the Third Division to Changhuan.
During these three days, Fang Guoxuan's troops had set up a defense line in Yanping County.
Originally, Fang Jian sent out the 103rd and 104th Regiments to launch a surprise attack on the enemy in Panshan and Jingshui. Unfortunately, the enemy was highly vigilant and he only repelled the troops in the two places, but did not completely annihilate them.
After repelling the enemy, the 103rd and 104th Regiments did not stay in the two counties, but went straight back to Yanping.
On the way from Imjin to Yeonpyeong, the Third Army was marching in a mighty manner.
An officer approached the commander of the Third Army, Zeng He, and said, "Commander, telegram."
"Wu Lihuang, you bastard." Zeng He got off his horse, took the telegram, his face instantly turned gloomy, and he couldn't help but said angrily.
Zeng He then suppressed his anger and asked the officer, "Is there still no news about the 31st Division?"
Seeing the officer shaking his head, Zeng He was so angry that he almost lost his balance. The guard beside him immediately stepped forward to support Zeng He and shouted, "Commander, Commander, are you okay?"
After a while, Zeng He steadied himself, still with an angry expression on his face.
"Commander, what happened?" The chief of staff also stepped forward and asked with concern.
Zeng He gnashed his teeth as he handed the telegram to the chief of staff: "Yesterday, the troops of the 71st and 72nd Divisions in Jingshui and Lingshan counties were attacked and have now withdrawn from Changhuan."
"Wu Lihuang just sent a hypocritical telegram to us, asking us to remind the 31st Division to be on guard against the enemy's sneak attack."
"Since we were attacked by the enemy yesterday, why did they send me a telegram today? It is obvious that they have bad intentions and want to sit back and watch the 31st Division be defeated." The chief of staff also said angrily.
Zeng He still had an angry look on his face: "Order the troops to speed up their march and rest in Linjiang City."
"Telegraph Office, send a message to the capital, accusing the Seventh Army of deserting the battlefield, causing the 31st Division to fall into danger, and requesting assistance from the capital."
"Commander, we haven't been able to contact the 31st Division. Could something have happened to them?" the chief of staff reminded in a low voice.
Zeng He smiled with confidence on his face: "The 31st Division has more than 12 people, well-equipped, and carries artillery pieces. Even if we are attacked by the enemy, we should have no problem holding on."
"As for why we couldn't get in touch, it could be because the radio station had no signal or something went wrong."
"After the troops arrive in Linjiang, quickly send out scouts to search for the whereabouts of the 31st Division. Maybe after we arrive in Linjiang, the 31st Division will contact us on its own initiative."
Although Zeng He had a confident look on his face, he was also a little worried in his heart. If the more than 31 people of the st Division were really surrounded by the enemy, there would inevitably be considerable losses even if they could hold on or break out.
Seeing the confidence on the commander's face, the chief of staff tactfully did not remind him again.
One day later, in Linjiang City, a mansion in the city was requisitioned as a temporary headquarters.
The commander of the Third Army, Zeng He, the commanders of the 32nd Division, the 33rd Division, the 71st Division, and the 72nd Division all gathered here.
The main force of the 71st Division just arrived in Linjiang the day before yesterday. Because the 711th Regiment retreated from Jingshui County, the 71st Division stopped in Linjiang City and did not continue to rush to the front line.
Zeng He glanced at the commanders of the 71st and 72nd Divisions with a look of surprise on his face: "General Wu's plan is that your two divisions will attack Lingshan and Jingshui, and my 31st Division will attack Yanping County."
"There has been no news from my 31st Division yet. Why are you all retreating? You are deserting the battlefield and leaving my 31st Division unscathed."
"Commander Zeng, you can't blame us for this defeat. We tried to contact the 31st Division before retreating, but we were not able to get through." The commander of the 72nd Division said unhappily.
Of course, this is completely an attempt to shift the blame. Even if the 31st Division could come back for a confrontation, it could be said that there was something wrong with the radio station.
The commander of the 72nd Division went on to say: "Whether it is Lingshan or Jingshui County, the enemy is heavily guarded. It is difficult to capture the city by surprise except by force."
"Also, we still haven't contacted the 722nd and 723rd Regiments of our army. I'm afraid something has happened to them."
After saying this, the commander of the 72nd Division looked a little heavy.
Zeng He sneered: "Since we can only attack by force, let's attack Yanping by force."
"Isn't your General Wu going to come to the front line to command? If your General Wu doesn't come, then you will be under my command temporarily."
The commanders of the 71st and 72nd Divisions looked at each other, and the commander of the 71st Division said, "General Zeng, this matter needs to be reported to General Wu by telegram."
"Okay, no matter how Commander Wu arranges it, the troops must march to Yanping County." Zeng He waved his hand indifferently.
"Since the enemy has the power to attack, it means that they have a large number of troops. If we divide our forces, something unexpected may happen."
"Okay." The commanders of the 71st and 72nd Divisions had no objection to this and agreed directly.
On the afternoon of February 2, the Third Army, as well as the 28st and 71nd Divisions of the Seventh Army, arrived in Yanping and briefly exchanged fire with the 72nd Regiment in Yanqiu.
In the temporary command center, Zeng He's face was livid. They encountered the enemy in Yanqiu and there had been no news for several days. He estimated that the 31st Division was in great danger.
The chief of staff advised: "Commander, the most important thing now is to find out the number of people in front of us, their deployment, and how many defenders there are in Yanping."
"Commander, the enemy has set up a deep defense line in Yanqiu, and the line is very long. We don't know their exact strength yet." Soon, the commander of the reconnaissance battalion came to report.
"Moreover, there are troops stationed on the left and right wings of the enemy's Yanqiu defense line."
The chief of staff took the map and looked at it for a long time, but because the map was not detailed, he could not see anything.
Zeng He raised his lips slightly and said, "Oh, the enemy is planning to use Yanqiu as a defense line to delay our army here? Then let's see if they can stop our attack."
"Send an order. Starting tomorrow, the 71st and 72nd Divisions will attack the left and right wing positions of Yeonqiu, and the 32nd Division will launch an attack on the enemy's main position in Yeonqiu."
Wu Lihuang had authorized Zeng He to temporarily command the 71st and 72nd Divisions. As the messenger conveyed Zeng He's order, the Third Army and the 71st and 72nd Divisions had no choice but to act according to Zeng He's arrangements.
The battlefield was filled with a tense and solemn atmosphere, and the soldiers of both sides stayed in their respective positions with solemn expressions. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and dust, making the entire battlefield seem even more depressing and dull.
Fang Guoxuan had already received the report. He looked at the map with a serious expression on his face.
The enemy's Third Army still had 71 people left, plus the 72 people from the st and nd Divisions, which put him under considerable pressure.
Judging from the previous two battles, the military quality of the Northern Army was much stronger than that of Ma Jincen’s troops. The most important thing was that the Northern Army had prepared artillery.
No one knew how many casualties would be caused by artillery fire.
Fang Guoxuan ordered: "Leave one battalion behind in the 103rd Regiment, and station the rest of the troops on the left wing of Yanqiu."
"The same goes for the 104th Regiment. Leave one battalion behind and the rest of the troops will garrison the right flank of Yeonchu."
"Always keep the artillery positions ready. Once the enemy opens fire, destroy the enemy artillery positions as soon as possible."