Volume 2: Famous all over the world Chapter 11: Vicious Blockade
As the first rays of sunlight rose in the early morning, the first shell landed on Wusheng Pass on time. The Beiyang gunners quickly pulled open the breech block without even looking at the column of smoke on the hillside, and the red-hot shell fell out of the barrel. The shell, which had just been yellow, was now covered with charred marks of burning. They reinserted a new shell, closed the bolt, and fired... their movements were skillful and swift.
The new military commander Feng Guozhang stood behind the artillery position in a military uniform, rubbing his white gloves with his fingers. The gilded scabbard on his waist sparkled in the sun. The corners of his lips covered by his beard slightly curved, and he looked at Wu Shengguan, who was trembling under the artillery fire, with cold eyes. Behind him, the Beiyang officers who were usually stationed in various places and rarely seen were talking happily, and they seemed to have no idea that they were in a war. Everyone had only one topic in their mouths: the founder of the Beiyang Army, the brain and soul of this army, was finally coming back!
Since Duan Qirui, the commander of the Second Army, had not yet arrived, the so-called 25 Hubei patrol battalions were nowhere in sight, and the Second and Sixth Regiments were still not at peace, so there were actually only two regiments and three associations that entered Hubei, plus some miscellaneous patrol battalions from Henan and Anhui, with a total of no more than 30,000 troops. Others might think that this was not enough to deal with 40,000 to 50,000 militiamen, but after a few days of testing, Feng Guozhang felt that this was enough.
In order to prepare for Yuan Gongbao's expedition, he dispatched another artillery battalion this time. Three artillery battalions with a total of 54 Krupp rapid-fire cannons roared continuously. However, even though the three passes were covered by black and yellow smoke, he did not show any joy. Artillery could not resolve the battle. The geographical advantage of Wusheng Pass was too obvious, and infantry was needed to clear out those "little mice" on the opposite side.
"Zichun, have you rested enough these days?" Feng Guozhang gently brushed the dust off his cuffs with his gloves, as if what was going on in front of him was not a life-and-death battle of tens of thousands of people, but an ordinary hunt. He walked up to Wang Zhanyuan and said, "You play as a forward? Is that okay..."
Wang Zhanyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Military Control Commission, the Third Mixed Brigade has been prepared for a long time!"
Feng Guozhang did not speak, but turned to look at Li Chun: "Xiushan..."
"Si Cheng (the commander of the Fourth Town, Wang Yujia)..."
Every officer who was named was eager to try. After following Yinchang in fighting a bad battle for so long, intentionally or unintentionally, these Beiyang generals had been holding their breath for a long time. This time, they could finally do something big!
After Feng Guozhang finished speaking, he walked up to the two infantry battalions of the 3rd Mixed Brigade that were preparing to go into battle. He waved his hand and asked the guards to bring a few large boxes. He opened the box lids with a scabbard, and the dazzling silver immediately attracted everyone's attention: "Capture an officer and you'll get a reward of 100! Kill him and a reward of 50, and a soldier will get 10. If you want to make money and eat meat, then beat him up!"
Several large boxes of silver dollars immediately aroused the emotions of the infantrymen. Their eyes turned red and they looked around greedily again and again.
Feng Guozhang disagreed, this is the Beiyang!
Jia Deyao stood out from the crowd, drew his sharp saber and waited for the bombardment to end. He was originally a student at the Baoding Army Speed Training School, and was later selected to study infantry at the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer School at government expense. After returning to China, he immediately joined the Beiyang Army. This time, he was transferred to the First Army with Wang Zhanyuan to suppress the rebellion. He was well-known in the Beiyang Army for his integrity and was proficient in infantry tactics, so Feng Guozhang specially asked him to command the front army this time.
"Brothers, follow me!" After half an hour of textbook artillery bombardment, the sky above Wusheng Pass was filled with smoke. Jia Deyao led two battalions and six battalions with more than 4,000 Beiyang soldiers to launch an attack. As many as three battalions were involved in the first wave alone. However, this time, before they reached the best shooting range, Wusheng Pass was sprayed with dense bullets, and the only two remaining five-gun and seven-cannon guns kept firing at the infantry.
"Haha, it seems that they are frightened by the large formation of the Military Control Commission. How can they be accurate when shooting from such a distance? Xiushan, brother will take the lead this time." Wang Zhanyuan and Li Chun were chatting, and it seemed that they saw the scene of themselves taking the first credit. Only Feng Guozhang suddenly frowned. Except for the first and second days, the Hubei Army should be said to have fought very well. Why did they lose their position today? Did the commander change? Or did the support no longer save ammunition?
At the city gate, Yang Qiu ignored Hakan's threat and personally led three battalions and a detachment on the left and right gates to cover the retreat. In order to prevent Feng Guozhang from seeing the true situation, in addition to ordering full-speed fire at the maximum distance, he also gritted his teeth and left all the machine guns behind to create the illusion of sufficient defense.
Although it was fake, the play had to be done well. In addition to the Maxim gun, there were a total of 24 light machine guns on the position. The eight platoons of the guard company alone had as many as eight light machine guns, so the Beiyang's momentum of attack could be temporarily suppressed.
Seeing so many firing points suddenly appearing on the city gate, Feng Guozhang's brows finally relaxed and he ordered the Beiyang machine gun team to go out.
Beiyang had been equipped with Maxim not long ago, and its advantage was that the machine gunners were all trained by German instructors, and Beiyang was wealthy and not stingy with bullets, so each machine gunner had fired a lot of bullets, which was much better than Yang Qiu's butter hands who could only sweep and fire fiercely but not deal with difficult problems.
Several Maxim machine guns began to sweep upwards, and the bullets hit the stone wall bunker with a chirping sound. The firepower of heavy machine guns was not comparable to that of light machine guns, and it was not a matter of one plus one being greater than two, so Beiyang gradually suppressed the firepower. Seeing that the enemy was unable to move due to the hitting of their own machine guns, Jia Deyao took the lead, jumped down, lowered his body, pulled out two automatic pistols, and rushed forward like an angry wild boar.
It has to be said that the officers of the Beiyang generation who went to study in Japan were too deeply influenced by the Japanese Army. The pig-rushing tactics first created by the "Army God" Nogi Maresuke during the Russo-Japanese War were also brought back vividly. The three wedge-shaped skirmish lines were all shaped like arrows, and all the soldiers inserted bayonets and ran with their heads down, with beast-like howls and echoes one after another. But this imitation is only similar in form. First of all, the Beiyang soldiers did not have the fanatical Bushido spirit of Japan. Secondly, the pig-rushing tactics also required firepower cover. Beiyang's firepower was only slightly stronger than Japan's at the time in terms of artillery. Once the heavy machine guns entered the assault, they dared not fire again, and the continuity and oppression of the impact were incomparable. But this also indirectly confirmed that the later generations said that the early six towns Beiyang had the strength of the Japanese Army was not an empty talk.
The soldiers were a little nervous when they saw this kind of assault tactic for the first time. After all, Russia was able to hold on with the help of a large number of Maxim machine guns. Now they only had one heavy machine gun. The light machine gun had limitations in the face of this kind of assault tactic due to its lack of continuity, so Yang Qiu immediately ordered the use of grenades.
Jia Deyao was leading his troops in a violent charge. When they were about to reach the position, a string of small black dots were suddenly thrown out from the battlements and trenches of the position.
This is?
Just as he was stunned, Yang Qiu smiled. The M24 long-handled grenade finally worked wonders. Densely packed grenades exploded and rolled in front of the position. The 72 fragments on the preset shells quickly disintegrated after the explosion and shot out in all directions. Before the Beiyang infantrymen could understand what was happening, they were blown away by the shrapnel. The scaled-down version of the pig-throwing tactical arrows were blown to pieces by a stream of metal fragments, and those who were not dead were all killed by light machine guns.
It was also the first time for the guard company to use hand grenades in actual combat. Seeing such a good effect, they threw them more vigorously. Most of the more than 1,000 hand grenades they brought were used up in the blink of an eye. Taking advantage of the moment when the Beiyang army was stunned, light and heavy machine guns fired crazily, and large numbers of soldiers fell down like wheat being cut.
Feng Guozhang and many Beiyang officers felt a little suffocated when they saw through the telescope that so many "small bombs" suddenly flew out from behind the enemy's position. They had never expected that the enemy had such a killer weapon. Wang Zhanyuan was so angry that he ordered a second wave of attack, not wanting to give the opponent any chance to breathe.
"Commander...Jiuliguan!"
After two hours of fierce fighting, thick smoke first emerged from Jiuli Pass. This was the signal agreed upon before. If they could not hold it, they would immediately prevent fire. First, it notified Wusheng Pass that they had begun to retreat. Second, it prevented the Beiyang infantry from quickly occupying the pass and ensured that the enemy could not use the two places before Wusheng Pass retreated. Then Pingjing Pass was also filled with flames. Feng Guozhang, Wang Zhanyuan and others who were watching the battle from a distance all smiled knowingly. After the two passes on the left and right were breached, they could easily attack Wusheng Pass from both sides.
"kettle!"
The continuous smoke signals from the two gates on the left and right made Hao Wenbao anxious. With a loud shout, the assistant machine gunner turned on the kettle and poured cold water on the barrel of the Madsen light machine gun. The hot barrel was immediately stimulated by the cold water and hissed. Although this could speed up the cooling of the barrel, it would cause too much damage to the barrel. However, as soon as he saw the dense Beiyang infantry, he could not care so much. The curved 30-round magazine was stuffed in tightly, and after two kettles of cold water soaked the barrel, he immediately picked up the machine gun and drove it back to the sandbag. With the sound of shooting, several Beiyang infantrymen who were caught off guard were immediately knocked to the ground.
Light machine guns cannot completely block the enemy like heavy machine guns, so he needs to keep changing his position to prevent being targeted. By the time he crawled into a pile of rubble and re-set up the machine gun, the entire Wushengguan defense line had begun to crumble. The only remaining heavy machine gun was spewing long flames like crazy, and the assistant machine gunner was connecting three belts of ammunition together in a row.
But camouflage is just camouflage after all. It is impossible to defend Wusheng Pass with only three battalions. When Hao Wenbao pinned a Beiyang squad to the ground and had to retreat, the squad leader of the heavy machine gun squad connected the fuse of a large bomb. Although the commander promised to give them a new one as soon as they returned to Hankou, the soldiers were still reluctant to give it up. However, it was impossible to evacuate to a safe distance quickly with the heavy Maxim bomb. In order not to fall into the hands of the enemy, it had to be completely blown up.
After the squad leader connected the fuse, he patted the machine gunner on the shoulder, who immediately tied the trigger with a rope. The assistant machine gunner also connected several belts, fixed them with a wooden stick, and let the machine gun fire automatically before withdrawing from the machine gun bunker. The four boxes of bullets could only last for a few minutes in full automatic mode, so after leaving the machine gun bunker, the machine gun squad ran all the way south, and a large number of comrades behind them also received orders to retreat.
"Commander, you must..."
"I know." Yang Qiu interrupted Hakan and turned around to see that several engineers who had tied their bodies with branches and dead grass were ready to retreat. He immediately took the last battalion and the guards to light the firewood pile and release smoke to cover the company's retreat to the south.
Jia Deyao, who was stunned by the grenade, reorganized his troops with great difficulty and led the second wave of two battalions to launch another attack, but this time it was unexpectedly easy. Not only was there no dense bullets, but there was no sound of machine guns. In the blink of an eye, they broke through the position. Such an easy success gave him a sense of alarm, but he didn't pay too much attention to it, because the soldiers in the front had already begun to rush forward, trying to cross the pass and enter the city.
The soldiers didn't care about anything else. Wouldn't it be better if there was no resistance? So they all rushed to the city gate. When Jia Deyao ran in, he found that the Hubei troops stationed here had already evacuated. He only saw a high-flying Flying Tiger flag suddenly rising from the south slope. Just as he was about to give the order to continue the pursuit, he suddenly found something different.
What about the bomb craters inside the city?
In six days, the artillery dropped no less than a thousand shells on this obvious fortress. Logically, the surface of the fortress must be full of potholes, but now it is almost all filled with rubble. This is nothing in normal times, but... could it be that the Hubei Army still has the leisure to repair while fighting? More and more Beiyang soldiers crawled in, scrambling to cut off the ears of the dead Hubei Army to collect the reward, until a spark appeared under the southern wall, Jia Deyao suddenly opened his mouth wide, and his pupils suddenly shrank into a little cold star!
…
A few kilometers away from the south slope of Wusheng Pass, the soldiers of the First Division who had retreated ahead of time all stopped and looked quietly at the Wusheng Pass behind them, which was filled with smoke. The dense sound of gunfire made everyone uncomfortable. Although retreat was part of the plan, they still felt a little sad when they thought of giving up all these days of persistence and the sacrificed comrades.
As the sound of artillery fire became more and more frequent, everyone began to worry about the fate of Yang Qiu and several troops who were left behind to cover the retreat. Even Yue Peng and Wu Zhaolin were not spared. The hands holding the hilts of the swords were unknowingly covered with sweat.
Dai Tianchou quickly noticed the solemn atmosphere and quickly turned on his camera to take pictures. The solemn faces were recorded on the film. Since Yang Qiu issued a gag order, except for the officers and some soldiers, most people did not know about the rearguard plan, which made the soldiers even more uneasy.
"Look! It's the commander's flag!" Just when everyone was most anxious, the young Chen Zutao suddenly jumped up from the crowd. Following his finger, Dai Tianchou immediately saw that the fluttering Flying Tiger battle flag had been raised high from the southern slope, moving southward little by little.
The flag instantly caught everyone's attention. Known and unknowable people, soldiers or civilians, even ordinary people living nearby saw the flag. Many people who didn't know the details couldn't help but shed tears. They knew that Yang Qiu couldn't be blamed, and even less the soldiers. A regiment plus several battalions with less than 6,000 people used their lives and blood to block the most elite Beiyang for seven days! What else needs to be praised more than these?
Dai Tianchou pressed the shutter button rapidly, wishing to take a picture of everyone here. When the camera was aimed at the flag, a thick column of smoke suddenly rushed out from the Wushengguan Pass, which should have been occupied!
Immediately afterwards, more and larger columns of smoke rose up one after another, and huge fireballs spread in all directions along with the smoke columns. A moment later, a series of deafening explosions filled every pair of ears. The smoke columns gradually entangled together, forming a huge mushroom cloud that appeared above Wusheng Pass. The whistling shock wave could be felt several miles away, and the ground beneath the feet shook a few times.
Although Jia Deyao shouted "Not good" and lay down on the spot, he still failed to save the thousands of soldiers who had already rushed into the city. Explosions occurred under the craters, and the inner wall of the city wall also exploded and sprayed out countless rubble. Explosions also occurred on the hillside outside, and the entire Wusheng Pass was exploding! The strong shock wave swept up tons of rubble and swept down all the upright and uncovered objects.
The air was filled with smoke and dust. In an instant, Wusheng Pass seemed to disappear from all sight, leaving only a smoky shadow. When Jia Deyao finally survived the explosion and looked around with wounds all over his body from being cut by stones, he discovered that Wusheng Pass, which had been filled with cheers and shouts just now, was no longer in sight.
While the south was surprised, Feng Huafu and the Beiyang generals in the north also stared out their eyes. A hundred-meter-high cloud of smoke rose into the sky, carrying rubble and gravel, like a terrible whirlwind sweeping across. At the same time as a piercing pain came, more than a thousand Beiyang elite infantrymen who first rushed into Wusheng Pass were covered by black smoke and gravel in the blink of an eye. When the whirlwind gradually dissipated, the entire Wusheng Pass... was dead silent.
Feng Huafu pinched his chest and his eyes turned red!
Vicious! The person who came up with this plan was so vicious! He set a trap and took advantage of the moment when his own side was too happy to investigate after occupying the place, and instantly launched a terrible massacre! That was nearly two battalions of elite soldiers! Adding the consumption of these days, the Beiyang Army actually suffered nearly 5,000 casualties for Wusheng Pass! In other words, before entering Hubei, a mixed brigade was lost! ! What's more serious is that this explosion will directly lead to the complete paralysis of the road into the pass. The strongest artillery at hand can't even move. It will probably take four or five days to open up a new road. By that time, the Hubei Army will be ready for battle!
The power of the bombs filled with a full ton of German yellow explosive hidden in Wusheng Pass was extremely terrifying when they were detonated at the same time. From the power, the entire Wusheng Pass seemed to be ravaged by hundreds of 305mm heavy artillery shells. Not to mention Wusheng Pass, which was less than four square kilometers in radius, even the old town of Hankou could not withstand such a terrible blow.
The fluttering military flags began to speed up in the silence. When Yang Qiu, who was walking in the front, appeared in the field of vision of the First Division with the soldiers who were left behind, everyone cheered, and the haze of forced retreat was instantly blown away.
"Let's go."
Walking up to Yue Peng and Wu Zhaolin, Yang Qiu took off his military cap and said firmly: "We will be back."
