Chapter 34 of Part One

  Ningbo city has now entered a state of martial law, and in order to prevent the possibility of internal traitors, Li Lei had no choice but to take such measures. Fortunately, the ordinary people were very cooperative, and under the influence of food distribution and propaganda team's propaganda, the ordinary people's views on the Liberation Army have undergone some changes. Although they still have some doubts about whether this army can truly liberate Ningbo city and the whole country after a long period of rule by the Qing army, as long as these ordinary people do not engage in destructive activities within the city, it is the best support for Li Lei.

  Li Lei stood on the city wall, looking at the movement in front of him with binoculars. It had been two days, and according to reason, Geng Jingzhong's troops should be approaching Ningbo soon. Now the only thing that made Li Lei uneasy was that the damage to the city wall was very serious. Whether it could withstand the bombardment of cannons was still a question. Li Lei looked around and said, "We can't just sit here and wait for death. We must resolutely go out and attack. Harass and disrupt the enemy, slow down their speed, and make preparations to support our Second Division." He then turned to the soldiers beside him and said, "Call the team leaders and chief of staff to the conference room for a meeting."

  Looking at the various leaders who had all walked in, Li Lei said: "Good, everyone is here. I'll say a few words." After thinking for a moment, he said: "Now Ningbo City's city wall can't withstand Geng Jingzhong's attack at all, and the main gate has already been blown up by us. Faced with such a situation, what good suggestions and ideas do you have, speak up."

  Li Keming of the Third Regiment stood up and said, "Commander, I think this thing can be handed over to our Third Regiment. Just assign the division's artillery and machine gun battalion to me. I guarantee that Geng Jingzhong will be eliminated outside Ningbo City."

  "Commander, I think we should take the initiative to attack. Isn't one of the airship troops' airships left here to help us? We can dispatch it when necessary, and this way, we can launch a comprehensive attack on the enemy from both morale and firepower aspects." He paused for a moment and said, "In the past, when we first started out, our leader taught us the 16-character guiding principle of guerrilla warfare. I think none of you have forgotten it, right? As long as we can hold them off and counterattack, I'm sure there won't be any problem. When the time comes, if the Second Division attacks from behind and our airship takes action, I think we can crush the enemy's morale to its lowest point. We will surely win."

  Comrade Tang Ke stood up and said, "Comrades, superiors, I'm not here to show off my qualifications. I've followed the commander for over a year and learned a thing or two about his combat experience." After taking a sip of water from the cup on the table, he continued, "The commander emphasized early on in the war that cities must be breached. Yue State was the best test case back then. Modern warfare is no longer just cold weapons; the use of firearms has made city walls useless. I agree with the Second Regiment's view - we should fully utilize guerrilla tactics to tie down the enemy's main forces. Also, let's leave one regiment to guard Ningbo and prevent a small portion of the enemy's troops from attacking."

  Deputy Chief of Staff Deng Zhijiang stood up and said, "Good, everyone has spoken well. Let's first take a Chinese cigarette. This is one of the few packs I asked the chief to bring over." He handed out several cigarettes to everyone and continued, "I think it won't be that easy. Geng Jingzhong's troops are quite skilled, and he should have received news from within Ningbo City by now. If we just contain them without striking, they might escape back to Hangzhou. This would require us to put in a lot of effort. I think we can consider using one battalion to launch a feint attack while other troops carry out strong harassment on both flanks. If they retreat to Hangzhou, we must immediately cut off their retreat route. The Second Division will likely arrive within the next few days. We just need to hold on for two or three more days."

  Li Lei stood up and said: "Well, I think it's better to follow the Chief of Staff's idea. Now let me assign tasks."

  Then they all stood up, and Lei looked around and said: "The first battalion is in charge of attacking on the left wing. Be sure to remember the flexible use of guerrilla tactics. The second battalion is responsible for making appropriate harassment on the right wing. At the same time, the first and second battalions should pay attention to cutting off the enemy's retreat route when the enemy retreats. If necessary, they can also make a strong blockade against the enemy, and must cut off the enemy's retreat route. The third battalion is responsible for making a feint attack on the front line, paying attention to the style of fighting with both virtual and real forces. Other troops under the division are in charge of defending Ningbo City, and the chief of staff is fully responsible for this battle."

  Geng Jingzhong sat on his horse, watching the advancing troops with a sense of sorrow in his heart. He wondered if surrendering to the Qing was right or wrong, as the anti-Qing forces had already occupied more than half of China. The Qing army had retreated to the mountains of Hebei and Shanxi for their last stand. Only the Han Eight Banners' army remained, fighting desperately. The enemy's attack grew fiercer by the minute. Simultaneous attacks from Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Shaanxi, and other places had put a strain on the Qing treasury. Just then, gunshots and cannon fire erupted in front of them, and the war horses neighed. Geng Jingzhong patted his horse to calm it down, pulled the reins, and asked his personal soldier, "How many enemy soldiers are there up ahead?" The soldier returned after a while and reported, "Your Highness, our troops are fighting hard to counterattack, and the enemy is slowly retreating." Just as the soldier finished speaking, gunshots rang out from both sides. Fortunately, Geng Jingzhong's troops were well-trained and did not panic. They quickly formed a defensive formation and counterattacked against the enemy on both sides.

  Tang Zhi looked at the situation beside him and said, "Pass down the order. Temporarily retreat." Our warriors quickly retreated, and this repeated attack, retreat, retreat, and attack continued to harass Geng Jingzhong's troops. In one day, Geng Jingzhong's troops had only advanced more than ten miles, and some soldiers were injured.

  Li Lei stood beside the messenger and said: "What's the situation with the Second Division?"

  The signalman picked up the telegram he had just received: "Report to the superior, the troops of the Second Division have caught up with Geng Jingzhong's unit, only 20 kilometers away. The Second Division asked us to launch a comprehensive attack to block Geng Jingzhong now, and the main force of the Second Division followed behind them."

  "Order the first and second battalions to launch a fierce attack on both flanks. This time, we're really going to fight. The artillery battalion will prepare to coordinate with the third battalion's soldiers to launch a powerful attack on the enemy's front line. We must hold back the enemy's breakthrough."

  When the battle really started, Geng Jingzhong finally realized that he had been fooled by them. Now the enemy's main force must have come from behind, it seemed that they were surrounded. Geng Jingzhong listened to the sound of cannons and guns outside, pacing back and forth in his tent. It seemed that he would end up like Wu Sangui and Hong Chengchou, going down to accompany them to meet Emperor Chongzhen. A strong desire for survival made Geng Jingzhong sit in front of the map again, studying it. After a while, he stood up and said: "Have me break through from the left wing. Send some troops to attract their attention, and the rest will follow me to break through from the left wing."

  Facing the fierce resistance and firepower bombardment of the Liberation Army in front, these Qing soldiers who had no way to retreat fought back desperately. They would not be outdone by the Liberation Army in sacrificing their lives. Geng Jingzhong was even more so, charging forward on horseback and shouting: "Those who want to live, follow me and charge out!"

  The left wing, under the deliberate control of Tang Ke Feng, began a planned retreat. However, not much time was given to Geng Jingzhong and his men. Slowly, the right wing also attacked from that side. At this time, a burst of gunfire sounded from the rear of the Qing army. Our Liberation Army soldiers had already cheered a little. The Second Division finally arrived at this critical moment. The aircraft also took off. The Qing soldiers saw such a big thing flying in the sky for the first time and some timid ones were scared to kneel on the ground, kowtowing non-stop. When a person is thoroughly desperate, all they can think of is fear and death. The battle continued with Geng Jingzhong's desperate resistance. Most of the Qing soldiers had already dropped their weapons. Geng Jingzhong was still desperately resisting until the end, perhaps he knew that being captured would be the same as death. He led a group of people in resistance, and when a bullet passed through his head, he slowly fell to the ground with an unyielding expression.

  The battle ended soon. Li Lei grasped Ding De Sheng's hand and said, "General Ding, fortunately you arrived in time, otherwise we would have let Geng Jing Zhong get away."

  Ding Desheng burst out laughing and said: "How dare we? It was I who sent the telegram to order you to launch an attack. If we can't make it, what's the point? I'm responsible for this."

  Li Lei smiled and said, "Oh no, no." At this time, the guard came up to report: "This is the list of battles for this time. Take a look." Li Lei took it and looked at it, saying, "Let Commander Ding take a look." He handed the list over to Ding Desheng.

  Ding Desheng looked at him and said, "Not bad, more than 23,000 prisoners were captured. More than 20 cannons were seized. Haha. Commander Li, your division has made a fortune this time. I heard that you initially captured 21 cannons, now it's over 20."

  Li Lei looked at Ding Desheng's eager expression and said, "Old Ding, if you want some, just take a few. But I've already agreed to give you no more than five. The rest are still needed for coastal defense."

  Ding Desheng said with satisfaction: "No problem, I have five doors and that's enough. Haha, I won't enter Ningbo today, I still have to rush to Hangzhou. Now in Zhejiang province, only the area around Hangzhou has not been taken yet." After finishing speaking, he turned to Li Lei and said: "We must hurry up, Wan Sui is about to ascend to the throne soon. Now all the brother units are desperately attacking, trying to recover Jiangsu and Fujian provinces before the ascension."

  "Alright, alright, you can go to Hangzhou now," said Li Lei with a nod. At this time, one of the soldiers from the flying boat unit walked over and said, "Commander Li, we must hurry to Fujian." Li Lei shook hands with the soldier and said, "Please give my regards to your Captain Lan. Welcome him to come play here sometime." The soldier replied shyly, "Yes, sir, I'll be sure to pass on your message." He stood at attention for a moment before climbing aboard the flying boat.

  After seeing them off, Li Lei felt a lot of pressure in his heart as he watched the old people inside the city cheering and celebrating. These people may have really become numb under the strong rule of the Qing army, until Geng Jingzhong's head was hung high on the city gate, they showed their original thoughts. Zhejiang is originally a place with many beautiful women. When the Jiangnan female talents here saw the elegant appearance of the female soldiers in the propaganda team, they all asked to join the army. In the liaison office of a division in Ningbo, it was crowded with girls who came to ask to join the army, but there were not many boys. This has become a very headache for Li Lei, after the new policy was released, the whole Ningbo and even the whole Zhejiang have been activated, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions are also important grain-producing areas, now our soldiers and troops stationed in localities are helping the people all the time, asking about their difficulties. After ruthlessly striking a few big landlords, the landlord class in Zhejiang has also become stable. However, at this time, an unexpected thing happened in Zhejiang.