Rise of 1926 sodu
On the mountain, Xu Fang saw the shocking effect of the cannon fire, delighted with shining eyes, and with a wave of his hand, ordered the artillery to extend their firing range, and the Second Regiment charged as one. As the loud charge bugle sounded, the blocking position on the mountain top immediately erupted in a heaven-shaking killing sound, and a large group of green-clad soldiers surged out from the mountain top, brandishing shiny bayonets, like a suddenly appearing flood peak, surging towards the retreating 55th Division.
At this time, if viewed from the air, a very spectacular scene would be seen: two large groups of people flowing wildly and rapidly southward on the ground. The front gray crowd was extremely chaotic, with high smoke columns constantly rising in the crowd; the rear green crowd was swift and orderly, with dozens of teams of all sizes maintaining their formation, closely chasing after the gray crowd. The gray crowd was constantly being swallowed up and annihilated by the green crowd that was tightly pursuing them from behind. The wildly fleeing crowds were constantly shrinking. When the gray crowd passed through Ren Village Town, they didn't hesitate at all, directly passing through the village. The 26th Brigade troops who stayed behind in Ren Village Town were initially stunned to see these friendly troops fleeing for their lives and throwing away their guns, then suddenly woke up and also took off running, joining the fleeing ranks.
The green-clad troops stopped in Ren Village, because the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the Security Guard Army, Xu Fang, was intercepted by the communications officer of the division headquarters who had been chased for over 40 miles. Zhang Ya-fei ordered the 2nd Battalion to stop pursuing and quickly clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.
With a reluctant heart, Xu Fan ordered the 26th Division to thoroughly clean up their garrison in Ren Village Town before leading his troops back to Hebei Province with great fanfare.
Song Zhe-wu made a round of the entire battlefield and returned to the division headquarters, where Zhang Ya-fei was talking to Xiao Guo-dong with a bitter face. Seeing Song Zhe-wu return, Zhang Ya-fei immediately came over with a smile to report: "Commander, this time we have won a great victory, annihilating the bandits of Zeng's stronghold and Shi You-san's 26th Brigade, and defeating Han Fu-chu's 55th Division. We killed 4,520 enemy soldiers and captured 12,996. Among them, 2,864 bandits were captured; 4,878 from Shi You-san's 26th Brigade were captured; 5,254 from Han Fu-chu's 55th Division were captured. We seized 24 75mm mountain guns, including 12 that were found in the warehouse of Zeng's stronghold, all brand new and unused; 12 60mm mortars; 242 light machine guns; 36 Type 92 heavy machine guns; over 12,300 rifles. Our side suffered 248 casualties; 564 wounded. The second battalion had no casualties, only one seriously injured and 35 lightly injured.
For the Second Battalion to complete the blocking task, he thought it was a matter of course. However, in such a short period of time and at such a small cost, they defeated an entire division, which did surprise him somewhat. Moreover, the total number of enemy soldiers killed or captured was over 17,000. The Zeng family village and the 26th Brigade combined had only around 10,000 people, which means that the Second Battalion alone killed or captured over 7,000 soldiers from the 55th Division! According to intelligence, this division had over 12,000 people, and the Second Battalion took out 7,000 of them in one battle - it wasn't just a defeat, they clearly crippled the entire division. They directly helped Han Fuzhong downsize an entire division into a brigade. "How was this battle fought?" Song Zhe Wu asked with some puzzlement.
Facing Song Zhe Wu's inquiry, Zhang Ya Fei and Deputy Regimental Commander Xu Zheng smiled unnaturally without speaking, only using their eyes to glance at Chief of Staff Xiao Guo Dong repeatedly. Song Zhe Wu felt that there was a problem and wanted to ask more questions, but Xiao Guo Dong pulled him down to sit, while Zhang Ya Fei hastily poured water and handed it to Song Zhe Wu's face. Xiao Guo Dong smiled and said: "Wen Ge, this is what happened. The 2nd Battalion Chief of Staff Meng Xi believed that the enemy reinforcements would have a psychology eager to rescue the 26th Brigade and might misjudge our blocking forces and combat effectiveness. Even if the entire 55th Division came, they only had around 12,000 people. The 2nd Battalion, with the addition of mountain artillery units from the 1st and 3rd Battalions, also had around 9,000 people, with a similar number of troops to the 55th Division but several times stronger firepower. The enemy was far away and didn't have solid fortifications; if we used sudden cannon fire to inflict massive casualties on them, it would be highly likely to create an opportunity for battle and defeat this 55th Division in one go. Therefore, he suggested moving all mountain artillery and 82mm mortars to the front line positions on the mountain. This unconventional move increased the range, and at the first moment, they would bring the enemy into their firing range. The 2nd Battalion Commander Xu fully agreed with this suggestion and adopted it. As expected, the 55th Division immediately launched a fierce attack on the 2nd Battalion's position with one regiment of troops as soon as they arrived at the front line; the other five regiments were all within their artillery firing range. With a sudden barrage of cannon fire, they routed the 55th Division, killing its commander and then charging forward in unison, pursuing them to Ren Village and even capturing the old nest of the 26th Brigade." Under Zhang Ya Fei's gaze, Xiao Guo Dong added: "This battle was indeed well-fought and can be considered a classic."
"Not bad, indeed classic, the tactical deployment is very good!" Song Zhe Wu could even imagine the chaotic scene of the 55th Division being suddenly attacked by dozens of artillery fires. "This Meng Xi is a talent, why didn't you tell me earlier?" Song Zhe Wu regretted not witnessing this wonderful battle scene with his own eyes.
Song Zhe-wu asked, and found that Zhang Ya-fei and Xu Zheng both had bitter smiles on their faces. He immediately understood that the Second Regiment must have acted first and reported later, even deceiving them. His face sank.
Zhang Ya-fei saw that the situation was not good, and quickly put on a smiling face to say in a low voice: "Commander, although they didn't report before taking action, after all, they achieved the great feat of defeating an enemy division. I have already severely criticized them. You see if it's okay to handle it lightly."
After learning about the situation with the Second Regiment, Zhang Ya-fei immediately sent a communications officer on horseback to chase down Xu Fang, who was still pursuing the enemy. As soon as he got through on the phone, he scolded him severely.
It is known that on the battlefield, unless there are special circumstances requiring commanders to adapt on the spot, generally changing combat orders requires prior reporting. If there is time to report but no report is made, it can be considered disobedience of orders, which is a major taboo in the military.
Xu Fang was not only the younger brother of Deputy Regimental Commander Xu Zheng but also his trusted subordinate and protégé. Even so, Zhang Ya-fei was furious on the phone and wanted to remove him from his post.
Xu Fang was quite brazen, admitting that he didn't report beforehand because he was afraid the regiment would not agree. He took full responsibility, insisting it was his own idea and had nothing to do with others.
Meng Xi saw that they were in big trouble and didn't want Xu Fang to take the fall alone. He called Zhang Ya-fei to report the whole incident truthfully and requested punishment.
Although Zhang Ya-fei was angry at them for not reporting, he was also delighted to have such a brilliant and brave general under his command. Therefore, he had been pleading with Xiao Guo-tang on behalf of Xu Fang and Meng Xi earlier.
Seeing Song Zhe Wu unhappy, Xiao Guo Dong was also afraid that Song Zhe Wu would be too harsh in his anger, so he smiled and said: "Wen Ge, they made a big mistake by not reporting or asking for instructions." Xiao Guo Dong's words immediately scared Zhang Ya Fei and Xu Zheng into a cold sweat. Song Zhe Wu was easy-going about other things, but when it came to building the troops, especially emphasized strict discipline and absolute obedience to orders. This time, these two foolish kids had committed a grave offense, and except for Xiao Guo Dong, no one else's pleading would be of any use. If Xiao Guo Dong didn't intervene, these two kids would be in big trouble. Before Song Zhe Wu could speak, Xiao Guo Dong continued: "However, this battle was indeed fought beautifully, almost annihilating the 55th Division with just one encounter. They're both young people, and I think they have great potential for development."
Song Zhe-wu understood what Xiao Guo-dong meant, and young people should be given opportunities. He nodded and said: "The Chief of Staff is right, the battle was fought well. However, mistakes are also obvious, credit is credit, and faults are faults, and they cannot simply offset each other. The most important thing in the army is to follow orders and distinguish between rewards and punishments. I think so: The Deputy Chief of Staff Meng Xi, accurately judged the enemy's situation on the battlefield, made proper arrangements, and had high tactical skills. He was promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel and transferred to the Military Department as the Director of Operations. The Chief of Staff has too many things to do, so don't take this position again, just hand it over to him, you're in charge." "Good, I also have this idea. This time, setting up the artillery position on Yilu Mountain was a bit adventurous, but he accurately judged the enemy's mind, used unconventional tactics, and combined regular and irregular forces, making him a good candidate for Director of Operations." Xiao Guo-dong nodded in full agreement.
Jian Mengxi not only didn't get punished, but also got promoted. Zhang Yafei and Xu Zheng both let out a sigh of relief. Since those who made plans have been promoted, Xu Fang won't be in trouble either.
Song Zhe-wu continued: "And the team leader Xu Fang, can be good as flowing, adopt the correct opinions of subordinates, achieve great results in battle, record a major achievement once, and reward 1000 yuan. Then he said seriously: 'In the case where time permits, without reporting or asking for instructions, changing the combat plan arbitrarily, record a major demerit once; demote and retain, act as deputy team leader, and announce to the whole army. The merits and demerits cancel each other out, neither recording achievements nor recording demerits.'"
Zhang Yafei and Xu Zhen finally put their minds at ease, thinking that it would be good enough if Xu Fang could be demoted to the regiment level, but unexpectedly he was still able to act as the deputy commander.
Song Zhe-wu looked at Zhang Ya-fei and Xu Zheng and said: "The reward of 1000 taels is still to be given. If subordinates make mistakes, their leaders are also responsible. Each of you will be deducted 500 taels, and the deducted money will be used as a reward for Xu Fang. Do you have any opinions?"
According to the military salary of the National Army officers at that time, the salary of Major General officers like Zhang Ya-fei and Xu Zhen was over 200 but less than 300 yuan per month. In the Security Guard Corps, the salary is much higher, and they are 1,200 yuan per month. Deducting 500 yuan from them, keeping a brave general, what opinions would they still have? The two men said in unison: "No opinion, no opinion!"
Sorry, I broke my promise last night and didn't update, apologies to everyone!
