Chapter 40: The Wind Rises in Ji'nan (Three)
According to the battle plan, the third battalion was to launch a surprise attack at dawn, taking down the first wall of the stronghold and driving the bandits back to the second wall. Then, concentrated artillery fire would be unleashed to inflict maximum casualties on the bandits. After the ambush battle began, a general offensive would be launched.
The reason for taking down the first wall of the stronghold first was that Zeng's stronghold was like a large leather boot. The slope from the foot of the mountain to the first wall was very steep, like the sole of the boot to the toe, and then it was a long gentle slope all the way to the top of the mountain, where the slope became steeper again.
Therefore, as long as the first wall of the stronghold was taken down, the subsequent attack would be smooth sailing. The bandits would have no choice but to retreat to the top of the mountain and put up their last resistance there.
But now, not only did the bandits on the mountain get startled, but they actually came down from the mountain! "How many bandits came down?" Sun Li asked the chief of staff. The chief of staff felt that he hadn't made himself clear and was a bit embarrassed, so he hastily said: "The battalion commander reported that at the foot of the mountain, on the array ground, they saw the bandits on the mountain carrying more than 30 torches out from the first wall, the exact number is unknown, estimated to be about one platoon, should be going to Xiaogao Ridge to investigate the gunshot."
It was said that there was only one row, Sun Li felt relieved: "Order the first camp to take action after the bandits turned to the small high ground, regardless of life or death, but absolutely not allowed to open fire." Ten minutes later, the battalion commander called excitedly to report that the bandits who came down the mountain were only one row, and 12 were killed, while the rest were captured alive. These bandits went to the small high ground to investigate the situation. If the situation was normal, they would send a signal with firelight on the small high ground, and he had already arranged for someone to receive the signal safely. At the same time, it was suggested: take advantage of the dark night to disguise people as this bandit row, deceive the gate open, and take down the first wall of the camp in one fell swoop.
Sun Li heard from the Chief of Staff's tone that he was very moved, and after thinking for a moment, he ordered the Chief of Staff: "Tell the First Battalion to stand by in place, do not attack without orders."
Sun Li Jian saw the chief of staff still hesitating, thinking: "This chief of staff is still too young! In fact, it's not just him who is young, all the officers in the Security Guard Army are young, including the other two regimental commanders of the First Division, and even Song Zhe Wu. However, after half a year of life in the Security Guard Army, he liked this young and brand new army! These young military officers, although they were all trained by Song Zhe Wu, Xiao Guo Dong and others in the Security Guard Army's training team, had good military qualities, but after all, they lacked experience and still needed to go through some battles to temper themselves before they could finally take on major responsibilities."
Regarding the Chief of Staff's doubts, Sun Li explained in detail: "Disguised surprise attacks may easily deceive the enemy and capture the first line of defense. However, when two armies are facing each other, as a commander, one must understand the advantages and disadvantages of both sides. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' Currently, compared to the bandits, our advantage is almost all-around during the day, but at night, we have to make some concessions. Our most prominent advantage is firepower, which can only be fully utilized when visibility is good during the day. If we launch a surprise attack now and a chaotic battle ensues, our firepower cannot be brought into play, increasing our casualties. Moreover, our goal in attacking Zengjiashan is to lure the 26th Brigade from outside the mountain to come and reinforce. If we capture the first line of defense too early, we cannot continue to attack, otherwise, with our combat effectiveness, we can eliminate the bandits before dawn. However, this would mean that our plan to lure the 26th Brigade to come and reinforce cannot be achieved. If we follow the original plan and launch an attack at dawn, we will maximize the advantage of our strong firepower, especially since the high ground has already been captured by us, and the first line of defense is completely within our firing range. Even if that line of defense is very solid, it cannot withstand the bombardment of 82mm recoilless guns. We only need to use strong firepower for long-range attacks, and we can achieve the greatest results at a small cost."
The Chief of Staff knew that Sun Li was passing on his combat experience to him, and this time he didn't hesitate. He immediately went to make a phone call to give orders to the First Battalion.
Sun Li also called Zhang Ya-fei at the same time, reporting the situation of the 3rd Regiment in Zengjiashan and his decision.
Not only Zhang Yafei, but also Song Zhe Wu and Xiao Guotong were very satisfied with Sun Li's decision. Sun Li is 32 years old this year and has been in Sun Chuanfang's troops for over 10 years. He not only has rich combat experience, but also thinks about problems thoroughly and comprehensively, which is also the reason why Song Zhe Wu specifically asked the third battalion to be responsible for attacking Zengjiashan.
Song Zhe-wu picked up his overcoat: "Yafei, I'm going to the ambush site, you and the chief of staff stay here to command." Zhang Yafei hastily stopped him: "This won't do, as the commander-in-chief, you absolutely cannot go to the front line. I know you don't trust these young people, afraid they lack experience. I'll go command, you and the chief of staff stay here to back me up." After finishing speaking, he hurried off to the ambush site. To be honest, he didn't trust them either.
Xiao Guodong looked at Song Zhe Wu's helpless expression and smiled, saying: "Wen Ge, you don't have to go. I know you're worried. But the 26th Brigade, although it's a division-level unit, has only three regiments, with more than 5,000 people. One regiment plus several battalions of the third regiment have more than 10,000 people, not only twice as many as the enemy, but also with superior firepower. And we're launching a surprise attack, so you can put your mind at ease." Song Zhe Wu smiled bitterly and nodded, he was indeed worried. Although in terms of firepower, numbers, or even individual soldier quality, he believed they were not inferior to the Northwest Army's 26th Brigade. However, they lacked experience, these soldiers had almost no experience in large-scale battles. The 26th Brigade led by Shi You San was forged in the blood and fire of war. But with Zhang Ya Fei there, Song Zhe Wu felt at ease. A seasoned veteran from Baoding, who had the upper hand in all aspects, it was almost impossible for him to make mistakes.
In the northern winter, the sky brightened very late, and at 6 o'clock in the morning, it had just dawned. Suddenly, a military bugle sounded on the top of Zengjiashan Mountain. The third battalion commander Sun Li and his chief of staff were observing enemy movements with binoculars on a small hill in front of the battalion headquarters. They both paused when they heard the bugle sound. The chief of staff smiled and said, "This bandit from Zengjiashan is really something special, actually blowing reveille." Sun Li said, "The backbone of this bandit group is a regiment from Sun Dianying's unit, with Liu Yuru as its commander. Although Liu Yuru was born into a bandit family, he has great ambitions and attaches great importance to troop training. Sun Dianying let him hide here quietly for a while, but he expanded his forces instead. You've heard of that bandit who organized his troops according to regular army standards? Liu Yuru has completely organized his men into three regiments according to the regular army's organization. I think Liu Yuru is waiting for an opportunity, and as soon as he gets one, he will set up his own faction and make a big move." After finishing speaking, he handed the binoculars to the guard and led the way down to the battalion headquarters on the mountain.
Two men had just entered the team department and were about to go out to find their staff to report: "The high ground's first company of machine guns reported that the bandits in Zengjiashan are now doing morning exercises, they request an attack." The chief of staff saw Sun Li hadn't spoken up, so he told the staff: "Tell them to launch the attack according to the original plan." Sun Li looked at his watch, it was only 6:20, there were still 40 minutes until the start of the attack. But this was absolutely a good opportunity to attack, although their team's artillery battalion had been pulled away to set up an ambush, but two battalions still had 24 82mm mortars and more than 60 60mm mortars, now if they launched a barrage of shells, it would immediately cause huge casualties among the bandits. Although attacking 40 minutes ahead of schedule wouldn't disrupt the entire battle plan. Thinking this, Sun Li called out to stop the staff who was about to transmit the order. He told the chief of staff: "This is a good opportunity, let's ask for instructions from the division headquarters." After finishing speaking, he personally picked up the phone and dialed the division headquarters. Very quickly, the voice on the other end of the receiver was Song Zhiwu's. Sun Li reported the situation and requested to launch an attack immediately. The other side of the phone, Song Zhiwu, fell silent for a moment, then immediately ordered the third battalion to start attacking Zengjiashan at once.
