readsfreenovel Chapter 206: Nanshan Army's Counterattack Begins
Chapter 206: Nanshan Army's Counterattack Begins
Fang Guoxuan then ordered: "At 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, the 4th, 8th and 11th Divisions will encircle and annihilate the Northern Army on the left wing. The 9th, 10th and 2nd Divisions will encircle and annihilate the Northern Army on the right wing."
"Division Commander, the Northern Army on the left and right wing battlefields combined are less than 40,000 people. Why don't you choose to attack the Northern Army on the front?" Fang Tianming asked after listening to Fang Guoxuan's instructions.
There are two divisions on each wing. After several days of fierce fighting, they suffered a lot of losses. Fang Tianming felt that it was not worth it to expose the main force just to annihilate these few people.
Fang Guoxuan shook his head slightly: "The enemy in Yanqiu is too close to Feng Huamin's headquarters, and there are still 30,000 people in his headquarters."
"If we attack the Northern Army in the front first, Feng Huamin will lead his troops to support us, and the besieging troops will be very passive. We should first eat up the Northern Army on the left and right wings, and then encircle and annihilate the Northern Army in the front."
After hearing Fang Guoxuan's arrangement, the others had no objections.
Fang Guoxuan thought that the six divisions should wipe out the left and right wings as quickly as possible and use artillery fire to tie down the Northern Army in the front. After the left and right wings were destroyed, the enemy in the front would be unable to escape.
After discussing some details, the other six division commanders returned to their respective bases and began to set up their team headquarters in preparation for tomorrow's war.
At six o'clock in the morning of the second day, the four artillery regiments of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 11th Divisions gathered and launched an artillery attack on the Northern Army in the front.
The artillery regiments of the 8th, 9th and 10th Divisions did not follow the other divisions to Changhuan. In order to provide support quickly, the three divisions had to abandon the artillery and rush from Guangshan to Yanshan.
The Northern Army's 13th Army and the 5th and 6th Divisions were stationed separately. Liu Tianhai was sleeping when they were bombarded.
"Is it thundering?" Liu Tianhai stood up in a daze and asked after hearing the sound of artillery fire.
At this time, the chief of staff, the commander of the guard regiment and others hurried into Liu Tianhai's tent.
The chief of staff said urgently: "Commander, the Nanshan Army has launched an artillery attack on our army. Let's hide with us first."
"Bombardment? What bombardment?" Liu Tianhai was still a little confused after being woken up.
It was not until the chief of staff repeated it that he realized what was happening and asked in surprise, "How is it possible? Why did the Northern Army suddenly launch an artillery attack on us?"
It's no wonder Liu Tianhai was surprised. During this period, the Northern Army had always been attacking and the Nanshan Army had been defending. When had he ever seen the Nanshan Army take the initiative to counterattack? He was familiar with this rhythm, and when he heard that it was the Nanshan Army that took the initiative to launch the artillery attack, he was unable to react.
"Commander, now is not the time to think about this. Go hide first." The chief of staff stepped forward and dragged Liu Tianhai up from the bed.
Liu Tianhai then realized that escaping was the most important thing.
After quickly getting dressed, they took shelter in a cave near the military headquarters under the escort of the guards. The commanders of the fifth and sixth divisions of the Northern Army also took shelter in the cave under the protection of the guards.
The soldiers of the 13th Army and the 5th and 6th Divisions were in a panic under the artillery bombardment and each sought cover to avoid the bombardment.
While the artillery bombardment was going on, the 4th, 8th and 11th Divisions of the Nanshan Army attacked the 7th and 8th Divisions of the Northern Army from three directions on the left wing.
The 2nd, 9th and 10th Divisions of the Nanshan Army also surrounded the 9th and 10th Divisions of the Northern Army on the right wing.
The Northern Army on the left and right wings were suddenly attacked and had no time to react before they were suddenly attacked by the Nanshan Army.
Seeing his soldiers break into the Northern Army's position, Cai Tingwu in the rear could not help but shake his head slightly: "The Northern Army's vigilance is too low. Although they are the attacking party, they have not arranged fortifications or defense troops."
"The Northern Army dispatched 180,000 troops this time, and did not take our Nanshan Army seriously, so they will naturally suffer losses." Du Feiyun said beside him.
The commander of the 11th Division, Xie Yuan, also nodded and agreed, "That's right, a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit. These Northern troops haven't figured out our situation yet, but they are so arrogant, how can they not be defeated?"
Cai Tingwu shook his head slightly and said, "Okay, command your subordinates to eliminate the enemy forces on the left wing as soon as possible. We also need to rush to the front battlefield as soon as possible."
With the coordination of the three divisions, the Northern Army's Seventh and Eighth Divisions were completely wiped out in just over an hour.
Seeing that the Northern Army on the left wing had been cleared, Cai Tingwu said, "Thank you, Commander. The 11th Division will stay to clean up the battlefield. My 4th Division and Commander Du's 8th Division will immediately rush to the front battlefield."
Xie Yuan's 11th Division had been holding the left wing for several days, and Cai Tingwu felt that they could be given an easier task.
Although they were both division commanders, Cai Tingwu had more seniority than Xie Yuan, so Xie Yuan did not object, and the 11th Division stayed on the left wing to clean up the battlefield.
At the same time, the right wing also eliminated the 9th and 10th Divisions of the Northern Army. The 2nd Division of the Nanshan Army left a regiment to clean up the battlefield, and Li Zhongwu rushed to the front battlefield with the 9th and 10th Divisions.
The Nanshan Army bombarded for a full hour. During this period, a lot of the 50,000 Northern Army troops in Yanqiu were killed and wounded, and only about 35,000 were able to fight.
After an hour of bombardment, the Union Army lost thousands of men again.
After the shelling stopped, the remaining soldiers were counted and it was found that there were less than 20,000 soldiers left in the 13th Army, and less than 10,000 soldiers in the 5th and 6th Divisions combined.
When the front battlefield was bombarded, Feng Huamin ordered all members of the 15th Army to be on alert.
Although he didn't know what the Nanshan army wanted to do, Feng Huamin still had a bad feeling.
"Send out scouts to check whether the left and right wings have been bombarded by the Nanshan Army." Feng Huamin instructed a staff officer.
After the staff officer went to convey the order, the adjutant beside him also said worriedly: "Commander, the Nanshan Army suddenly bombarded the enemy in front, and its purpose may not be simple."
"What do you think?" Feng Huamin asked with a frown.
Feng Huamin certainly knew that this matter was not simple, and he asked this question because he wanted to test his adjutant.
The adjutant said: "The Nanshan Army's move is either to launch a counterattack against our army, or to relieve the pressure on the front battlefield."
"Relieve the pressure on the front battlefield?" Feng Huamin shook his head slightly. He didn't think the Northern Army would have such a goal.
If you can't hold out head-on, at least you should wait until the Northern Army attacks. Then, launching an artillery attack will be more unexpected and more effective.
Feng Huamin then sighed: "The Nanshan Army is preparing to launch a counterattack."
The adjutant's expression froze. Given the current situation, the Northern Army was relatively scattered. If they wanted to escape unscathed, the best way would naturally be for the entire army to retreat and gather together.
"Commander, if the Nanshan Army counterattacks, we should evacuate all units and regroup now."
After hearing what the adjutant said, Feng Huamin couldn't help but smile bitterly: "It's not that simple. The Northern Army sent out 180,000 troops this time, and they can't just withdraw whenever they want."
Once Feng Huamin really orders the entire army to retreat, it will be very difficult to regroup for an attack, and it will easily turn into a major defeat.
"Send a telegram to the 13th Army, the 5th and 6th Divisions, and have them gather their troops and build positions to guard against a surprise attack by the Nanshan Army."
Although the adjutant was puzzled, he still went to convey Feng Huamin's order.
At the Northern Army's front battlefield station, the Thirteenth Army Headquarters, Liu Tianhai lost his temper and said:
"If the Nanshan Army bombards us a few more times like this, there won't be many men left in our Thirteenth Army. What will the commander-in-chief say?"