Volume 2 King of the Northwest Chapter 40: Northern Expedition (V)
The battle first broke out in Sishilipu.
Qiuyan Mountain is the last gateway into Fushi. Although it is only a small mound of about 10 to 20 meters high, it is a hilltop connected to another with a winding road passing through it. Tian Yujie has stationed 20 to 30 people and 7 or 8 guns on each hilltop. The Shaanxi Army must conquer them one by one, and it is impossible to speed up the attack.
"It would be nice to have a mortar."
For such mountain warfare, the existing mountain and field artillery below 75 mm is not enough to cope with it, which is why Dai Jiliang made such an exclamation.
Looking from the Shaanxi Army's front-line command post in Xiaoxigou, there were shouts and sounds of gunfire everywhere ahead.
However, the militia showed exceptional tenacity and did not show any signs of collapse as before.
"Hu Jingyi is going to fight to the death."
Looking through the Zeiss 4x scope, as soon as the Shaanxi Army struggled to attack the top of the hill, the militia would rush out and fight back with the most primitive weapons. There were corpses everywhere and rivers of blood everywhere.
"Marshal, let me go to the front!"
Zhang Binnan requested.
Two companies of the First Regiment had been forced to retreat and reorganize. If the fighting continued like this, the First Regiment would be completely wiped out before it could climb out of Qiuyan Mountain. Zhang Binnan was naturally a little anxious.
"Okay!"
Dai Jiliang nodded.
With me here, Zhang Binnan's title of captain of the left detachment is just an empty title. It would be better to let him go to the front line to support the team.
"Let Li Xingzhong drag up the 2-pound and 3-pound guns and fire them at close range. I don't believe it. The Kuomintang is made of iron."
The battle became more intense.
The battle lasted until noon, and good news came that an important village on a commanding height had fallen into the hands of the Shaanxi Army.
Then the artillery regiment carried two 6-pound cannons weighing nearly 700 kilograms and two machine guns on their shoulders and delivered them to the high ground marked as Sanyi on the Shaanxi Army's map.
With the firepower support from high ground, the Shaanxi Army's offensive went smoothly.
By three o'clock in the afternoon, the vanguard had attacked to the 30-mile line along the Pegasus River.
"Brother Runchu."
Deng Baoshan came forward to meet the dusty and dusty Tian Yujie.
"Quick, quickly retreat. The commander is waiting for you in the back. Leave this to me."
"Baoshan, be careful. The Beiyang dogs have powerful guns and accurate shooting skills."
There were 900 people in Tian's regiment, but only half of them were able to evacuate successfully. The rest were left on the Qiuyan Mountain line. Tian Yujie didn't care about being sad about this. She gave a few simple instructions and then ran to the rear.
Deng Baoshan deeply appreciated Tian Yujie's care, and he was also a good fighter.
During the Xinhai Revolution, he took part in the Ili Uprising in Xinjiang, and later joined the struggle to expel Lu Jianzhang, causing a lot of trouble for Lu Jianzhang.
In early May 1916, he was incorporated by Chen Shufan and later joined Hu Jingyi's left wing detachment.
Have a clear understanding of the style and combat effectiveness of the Shaanxi Army.
He was also the only one besides Zhang Yian who supported Hu Jingyi in giving up Fushi and fighting again in another place during the meeting last night. But now that the military order had been issued, he had no choice but to obey it.
However, since Hu Jingyi's task, besides supporting Tian Yujie, was only to delay the opponent's offensive rhythm, there was no need for him to fight hard, so the tactics of the militia in front of the Shaanxi Army changed again.
"It seems that we can only go as far as Sanshilipu and Yangjiawan in Maozegou today."
Dai Jiliang had no good way to deal with the Kuomintang's cold-shooting tactics.
So, with the advice of his staff, he made it clear where today's offensive line would end.
"Song Cheng, has your intelligence department come up with the results of the interrogation of the prisoners?"
"Marshal, the one blocking us today is a regiment of the Tian Yujie Detachment of the People's Army. According to the prisoners' confession, the Kuomintang has decided to defend Fushi, and Hu Jingyi has already reached Liushu Lane. We are expected to have a fierce battle tomorrow."
War is cruel, and for the prisoners of both sides it was a torture worse than death to come up with these answers. Song Cheng must have tried every means possible.
"Twenty Miles!"
Dai Jiliang immediately found the most critical node on the map.
"Order. All troops except those on guard will rest immediately. We will launch the general attack at dawn tomorrow after lunch!"
The shells whizzed through the air, blasting away countless loose soil on the exposed loess slopes.
Accompanied by the crisp sound of machine gun fire, the Shaanxi Army soldiers leaped up from their ambushed starting positions. The sunlight was distorted in the reflection of the bright bayonets, and the blue-gray skirmish lines were about to erode the Kuomintang's crude fortifications.
"Pooh!"
While spitting out the dirt in his mouth, Kang Zhenbang secretly raised his head to observe the movements of the Shaanxi Army.
"Brothers, the Beiyang dogs are coming. Fight them!"
In an instant, countless people gathered together, and the militiamen endured the pain and fired their guns.
Although the guns in their hands were not as sharp as those of the enemy, the bullets they fired were equally deadly, and this created more gaps in the Shaanxi Army's already loose skirmish line.
"Infantry-artillery coordination needs to be strengthened."
In this battle in northern Shaanxi, the Shaanxi Army will gain countless experiences and lessons, among which how to strengthen the cooperation between artillery and infantry will inevitably become the top priority. Dai Jiliang stood on a hill two kilometers away and analyzed calmly.
On the long front, two regiments of the Shaanxi Army have been fully engaged in the battle. Now he only has half of the regiment's reserve troops and unarmed soldiers, including his own guards.
In short, it can be said that he had already put all his eggs in one basket, so he was not satisfied with the results of the artillery fire.
"Kill!"
Although their comrades were knocked down one by one by flying bullets, the Shaanxi Army still fought hard and rushed to the fortifications.
The faces of the Kuomintang members on the opposite side could already be seen, and everyone clenched their guns tightly.
Suddenly, a string of artillery shells flew in from behind the Kuomintang front line. Although they were only 2-pound shells, the shrapnel and dust from the explosion still curbed the Shaanxi Army's offensive.
Just when the Shaanxi Army was stunned by the sudden artillery shells, the militia in the trenches suddenly rushed out, and hand-to-hand combat began.
"Notify Deng Chaoqun immediately!"
Dai Jiliang was furious. It was not surprising that the militia had cannons. Many cannons and gunners from the artillery battalion of the core regiment had fallen into Hu Jingyi's hands.
However, their own artillery regiment failed to discover the opponent's artillery positions and suppress them. This was the immaturity of the Shaanxi Army's artillery.
"Find it out for me right now!"
"yes!"
Although Dai Jiliang did not explain it clearly, the messenger still conveyed the message truthfully.
In fact, there was no need for Dai Jiliang to emphasize that less than three minutes after the enemy's artillery bombardment, the Shaanxi Army's artillery fire was able to suppress the fire, but it was too late. The Shaanxi Army's attack had obviously failed.
However, just as the militia was cheering for their victory, the Shaanxi Army's machine guns fired even more fiercely, immediately knocking down a group of militiamen who were bending down to pick up the bullets of the fallen Shaanxi Army.
"Ma Qingyuan sent someone to report that three 2-pound guns of his company were destroyed by the artillery of the Shaanxi Army."
The largest caliber of the militia's artillery was only two 6-pound guns. It was natural that they would suffer a loss when firing against the Shaanxi Army, which had many large-caliber artillery pieces. The militia, who treated these artillery pieces as treasures, were naturally heartbroken.
"Should we ask them to retreat to the second line?"
Chief of Staff Li Wenqing suggested.
"Dismiss the First Artillery Company, merge the remaining guns and gunners into the Second Artillery Company, and let Ma Qingyuan take the remaining men to reinforce Goumen."
What both sides are competing with now is willpower. Except for the guard battalion which serves as the reserve and cannot be easily mobilized, even the Tian Yujie Regiment, which suffered heavy losses yesterday, has been sent up by Hu Jingyi.
"The 6th Company of the 2nd Regiment of our army has already taken the bridge, but the enemy in front of them has retreated to the hilltop behind Huaishuwa and continues to hold on. The 2nd Regiment would like to ask what we should do now?"
It's already four hours.
Except for a few hilltops that were captured by the Shaanxi Army, most of the positions remained in the hands of the militia.
Faced with such a stalemate, the commanders at the Shaanxi Corps level were unable to handle the situation on their own.
"We have lost nearly 600 people, and four companies have been disbanded."
"Marshal, this way of fighting is feasible!"
Zhang Binnan really feels sorry for her.
The Kuomintang on the opposite side is in a terrible state, but it is not easy to train the soldiers under your own command.
" map!"
Dai Jiliang lay on the map and looked at it carefully, and it took him a long time to raise his head.
"Brother Binnan, I'll give you four companies, you just follow these."
Dai Jiliang pointed to a place on the map.
"The militia is limited in manpower, and all its troops are concentrated in Huaishuwa, Goumen, and Shangjiagou. Taichungou has not sent any troops at all. You go down in person, lead the team to bypass the mountain, and open a way for me to survive from behind Shangjiagou."
"Four companies? The Marshal would only have the guards and a few baggage soldiers left."
Zhang Binnan was stunned. Dai Jiliang was gambling.
If they fail, the Shaanxi Army will definitely lose the battle.
"The baggage soldiers have also received infantry training, right?"
Dai Jiliang waved his hand and said, "The supply company still has 300 spare rifles in reserve. I think we can organize the artillery and baggage troops. Brother Binnan, you don't have to worry about me. As long as you make a breakthrough here, it doesn't matter if I run out of weapons here."
"Okay, I'll go right away!"
Zhang Binnan nodded.
He has been tied up with the Shaanxi Army group. If the Kuomintang gains power, there will be no good result for him. Since Dai Jiliang is willing to gamble, he will naturally join in.
"Report!"
Just after sending Zhang Binnan away, the artillery director Deng Chaoqun sent someone to ask for help, "Our army has very few artillery shells left, please find a way to replenish them."
The previous attack consumed two-thirds of the Shaanxi Army's artillery shells, and the remaining ones were not enough for another similar attack.
"Replenish?"
It's not that there aren't any shells, they're just piled up in Ganquan, and Dai Jiliang can't produce them out of thin air.
"Tell Deng Chaoqun if he needs artillery shells! Tell him to stop firing and wait until the artillery is reorganized before firing all the shells out."
Dai Jiliang drove away the young officer who asked for help and looked at the guards around him. "It seems that we have to fight desperately."
He took off his gorgeous army lieutenant general uniform and asked his groom to find an ordinary military uniform for him to wear. "Zuo Liang, take your men and follow me to the battlefield. Damn it, I'm going to lead the charge myself!"
