Volume 2 King of the Northwest Chapter 42: Northern Expedition (VII)
On November 6, 1917, the left and right detachments of the Shaanxi Army met in Yichuan County, but at this time, their enemies had retreated to Suide.
However, due to previous losses, the Shaanxi Army had to temporarily stop and reorganize.
"Marshal, the First Brigade has been badly wounded. Do you think we should send them back to Guanzhong to reorganize and transfer the Eighth and Ninth Regiments?"
Since there was no trace of large groups of Kuomintang troops on the Fushe line except for a small group of enemy troops that continued to harass, the defensive pressure on the Shaanxi Army was greatly reduced.
In addition, after the two armies joined forces, they could use the supply line of the right detachment, so Zhang Zili suggested replacing the First Brigade, which had suffered the most damage, with the General Reserve, which had been resting and recuperating.
"Brother Pu Chu, do you think we can completely wipe out the Shaanxi-Northern Militia Army if we continue to fight?"
Although it took less than a month to force the militia to retreat, the Shaanxi Army itself suffered heavy casualties.
Not only did the Left Detachment suffer losses of more than 1,500 men, but the Second Brigade also suffered over 500 casualties.
Moreover, the ammunition and banknotes were like spilled water, and Dai Jiliang was a little hesitant for a moment.
"The Democratic Party has not yet woken up. Once it is broken up into pieces, we will be in deep trouble."
"The Marshal is right. The first snow is about to fall. The roads in northern Shaanxi have not been repaired for many years. If the Kuomintang retreats blindly, our supply lines will be too long, and the war will be delayed until next year."
When asked this by Dai Jiliang, Zhang Zilii also felt a little worried.
"Oh, Marshal, Ma Kang and I have discussed this several times along the way. The two artillery regiments are really slowing down the troops' marching speed. I suggest that we immediately organize an artillery detachment, return all the 75-pound guns to Guanzhong, and it's best not to organize too many 6-pound guns."
"You go and arrange this."
Dai Jiliang naturally believed in Zhang Zilii's professional judgment. Besides, he also felt that it was a waste to use a heavy weapon like the 7.5-cm mountain cannon, which looked powerful but was actually flashy, in the complex terrain of northern Shaanxi.
Anyway, the militia only has a few artillery pieces. Instead of letting these useless and stupid guys slow down their marching speed, it is better to let lighter artillery play the leading role.
"Also, let Zhang Binnan organize a complete regiment first."
Regardless of whether we continue to fight or not, the troops must be reorganized first.
"The other two regiments retreated to Guanzhong for reorganization, and the one in Pucheng could not be moved.
Bring the Seventh Regiment from Baishui here first, disband all the military stations of the Left Detachment, and incorporate all the baggage troops into the Right Detachment.
As for the public security in Fushi, Luochuan and other counties, retain one tax police brigade in each county to maintain the local security, and let Brother Guangfu take the rest back to the provincial capital."
A tax police brigade has a staff of 300 people, which is enough to deter a small shareholder army of 10 to 20 people.
"The Second Brigade should also immediately form a fully staffed regiment and return to Baishui for replenishment. The Ninth Regiment will be responsible for garrisoning the counties of Huanglong, Yichuan and Yanchang."
Zhang Zili added.
"Let the Ninth Regiment protect the safety of the military stations and supply units along the way. Together with the Seventh Regiment, we will have four full regiments and one artillery detachment, about 6,000 troops. Whether we fight or not, it will be enough to deter the Kuomintang in northern Shaanxi."
"Then send a telegram to Xi'an immediately and ask Wang Danping to invite Li Yuanding and Guo Xiren to mediate.
I can retain the position of Yulin garrison commander and a brigade for the militia, and I can give them the taxation authority of the counties north of Qingjian and the personnel power of the county governor, and both sides can rule their own territories.
Since everyone is doing good for Shaanxi, why not take a look at their respective governing abilities? "
Dai Jiliang's idea was very simple. Northern Shaanxi was like chicken ribs, tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away. If a peaceful situation could be maintained at an appropriate price, it would at least be a win-win situation for both sides.
Even if he could only maintain an illusion of peace in the end, he could achieve his goal of keeping the thief safe.
"good idea!"
Of course, Zhang Zili thought that Dai Jiliang was releasing a smokescreen in order to deploy troops.
"But we can't let the militia get away with it too easily. We should move forward a little further. I suggest that once the First Brigade is reorganized, we use two regiments to conduct a forceful search in the direction of Qingjian and continue to pressure the militia to retreat."
"Report!"
As the two were talking, Song Cheng ran in with a dark face.
"Marshal, Chief of Staff, the militia has already abandoned Qingjian County."
Looking at the two people's surprised expressions, he added.
"I have sent two staff officers to Qingjian for reconnaissance. Please advise us on what to do next!"
“The Democratic Party has given up on Qingjian.”
Zhang Zili immediately went to the map and looked at it carefully.
"We should immediately send a reconnaissance team to Anding, Marshal. If there are no enemies in Anding, I suggest that the entire army immediately move north to further reduce the space for the militia to operate."
Zhang Zili was full of confidence, but the atmosphere in the Suide People's Army Headquarters was gloomy.
Of the 15,000 militiamen who emerged at the beginning of the war, only less than 8,000 remain now. This was the result of Zhang Xun's full-scale military expansion in Suide. What to do in the future has become a controversial topic among the militia leaders.
"According to my estimate, the Shaanxi Army should be able to mobilize 8,000 to 10,000 troops, which we simply cannot handle."
Thanks to Dai Jiliang's publicity that the Shaanxi Army had 20,000 troops, the militia exaggerated the strength of their opponents.
In fact, even if the Xi'an Garrison Regiment, the garrison regiments in Hanzhong and other places, and the cavalry regiment of the new recruits were included, the Shaanxi Army only barely reached 20,000 people.
And now the number of people who can be deployed to the battlefield is much less than the militia had imagined.
"I suggest that we continue to retreat to Yulin and rely on the desert and the pass to persist in the struggle."
"I disagree!"
As soon as Cao Shiying finished speaking, Deng Baoshan immediately stood up to refute him.
"It's not that the Shaanxi Army didn't make any losses. During the Battle of Fushi, the Shaanxi Army's artillery ran out of ammunition. The terrain in northern Shaanxi is so complicated that the Shaanxi Army definitely can't cover everything. Why can't they take advantage of the Shaanxi Army's lack of manpower to march south? As long as any of the Shaanxi Army's supply stations or Shaanxi Army's grain transport teams are destroyed, the Shaanxi Army will be unable to protect both ends and will collapse without a fight."
"I don't agree with what Brother Baoshan said!"
Kang Zhenbang was frightened by the Shaanxi Army.
The whistling artillery shells and the gleaming bayonets were still a bit frightening to think about now. Deng Baoshan actually suggested sending light troops south. His face suddenly wrinkled into a bitter gourd shape.
"It's not like we haven't fought against the Shaanxi Army's grain transport team before, but the Shaanxi Army actually used two infantry companies to protect one transport team. How can we fight? Besides, we only have two cannons now, and there are only a few shells. How can we open the city? Do we have to fight with our brothers' flesh and blood? It's not that I, Kang Ziding, am weak, but Brother Baoshan, we can't fight a battle like the one in Fushi again."
"Ziding, what you said is not pleasant to hear. What do you mean by can't?"
Li Huchen stood up.
"Last time, Xingmin and I almost succeeded in ambushing the Shaanxi Army. If it weren't for a few cowards who pulled the troops away, maybe the battle wouldn't be like this now."
Li Huchen's words were almost like pointing at their noses and scolding them in person, which immediately made Cao Shiying and Gao Jun very angry.
"Yunlong, who are you talking about?"
Gao Jun glared at Li Huchen in disapproval.
"Last time, you and Xingmin disobeyed orders and acted blindly, causing harm to more than 800 brothers, and you two are still here with such shamelessness."
"Gao Feng Wu, who are you talking about? You're a coward!"
Li Huchen rushed towards Gao Jun and saw that the two were about to fight.
At this moment, the crisp sound of a tea bowl hitting the ground was heard between the two of them.
Everyone was startled and when they looked carefully, they saw Zhang Xun standing up with his hands on his hips.
"Fight, I didn't expect that fighting in the same family would lead to such a bad result. Why don't you fight? It would be best if you beat him to death!"
Zhang Xun had the highest seniority among the militia. When he was the division commander, even Hu Jingyi was just a small company commander. His power was so great that he immediately suppressed everyone.
"If you have something to say, just say it. I'm not a woman pulling your hair or clothes, so just sit down!"
Seeing that everyone sat back timidly, Zhang Xun turned around and looked at Hu Jingyi.
"Monk Li, what do you think?"
"Brother Boying, how many bullets do we have now?"
After the Battle of Fushi, Hu Jingyi's left-wing army suffered heavy losses.
The original 7 regiments had 7,000 troops, but now there were only 2,300 people and 600 guns. However, after retreating to Suide, all supply matters were under the control of Zhang Xun alone, so Hu Jingyi asked this question with a purpose.
"If we include Song Sheng's guns, we still have more than 2,800 rifles, three 2-pound cannons, one 3-pound cannon, 150,000 bullets, and more than 30 shells."
Of course, these indicators cannot reflect the fact that the guns and bullets owned by Zhang Xun’s expanded guard regiment account for a considerable proportion of the current militia.
"Can't we give each regiment some bullets?"
The little ammunition stock that Hu Jingyi left in Fushe fell into Dai Jiliang's hands before he could even transport it.
Now each of his guns has no more than three or four bullets, or even none at all. In this situation, he cannot fight no matter what the circumstances.
"Even bullets?"
Although Hu Jingyi was talking about topics unrelated to the content of the meeting, Zhang Xun could not help but take it seriously. You know, Hu Jingyi is still the largest force in the militia. But it is difficult for Zhang Xun to directly agree to Hu Jingyi's request. After all, Cao Shiying and others are also watching eagerly. It is obvious that favoring one over the other will damage his prestige as the deputy commander-in-chief.
Besides, bullets are precious nowadays, and Zhang Xun is reluctant to pluck the hairs from his own body.
"Since the monk has spoken, how about this? I will give 5,000 pills each to you and Junfu."
However, Zhang Xun was able to roam both sides of the Yellow River and was regarded as the leader by countless underworld gangs, which showed that he had extraordinary abilities.
He understood that it was indeed important to restore the combat effectiveness of the left and right armies, so he gritted his teeth and allocated part of the reserves with great pain.
"Thank you, Deputy Commander-in-Chief!"
Although this would only give a gun 10 bullets, at least it was no longer a fire stick. Hu Jingyi nodded gratefully.
"Brother Boying just asked us what we should do. I think it's easy to do. It's already late autumn. If we can hold back the Shaanxi Army, we can survive this winter."
Hu Jingyi's words made everyone's eyes light up.
Indeed, delaying and waiting for changes is the best strategy at the moment. "During the winter, we can reorganize our troops and purchase guns and ammunition.
Although guns and bullets are expensive now, as long as we can contact Guangzhou, we still have a way to purchase some from other places.
Besides, can the Shaanxi Army stay in northern Shaanxi forever? Doesn't Dai Jiliang want Xi'an City anymore?"
“That makes sense!”
Zhang Xun clapped his hands and shouted loudly.
"well!"
He said yes, but his fear of Hu Jingyi deepened.
“I think besides , we should also actively develop our own territory.
Northern Shaanxi is suffering. Suide, Mizhi and Yulin alone cannot support our 8,000-strong army. We must take advantage of the Shaanxi army's temporary distraction to occupy more territory.
Junfu and Fengwu, in the name of the deputy commander-in-chief, I order you to go to Hengshan Dingbian to develop. Liseng, you are capable and should do more work. Jingbian, Dingbian, Wuqi, Baoan and Ansai are now handed over to you. "
"this?"
Suddenly, everyone's faces changed except Zhang Xun's own confidants!
" Of course, this is something."
Zhang Xun was already very smart. He naturally knew that his words had angered the public, so he immediately tried to remedy the situation.
"The key now is to stop the Shaanxi Army from continuing to move north, otherwise everything will be in vain."
Although Zhang Xun was secretive, the atmosphere in the room was still very tense.
At this moment, someone appeared to break the deadlock.
"Report to the deputy commander-in-chief, our people who stayed in Yanchang have returned, and a vanguard company of the Shaanxi Army has set out for Qingjian."
"What? So fast!"
Everyone present stood up at once.
