Chapter 39: Song of Life and Death
Jiang Fangzhen wiped away the blood and phlegm that had sprayed from his mouth, but instead of getting angry, he said, "You have backbone, but people with hard bones also have hard hearts. Just watch your soldiers go die."
The soldiers responsible for the surprise attack are in a bad situation at this moment, with 2,000 people being surrounded by soldiers who have retreated from the front line, and more than 10,000 people tightly surrounding them in the middle. The enemy is even digging trenches to prepare to starve them to death inside.
Zhang Lingfu was shot, but he didn't die. He lay on the stretcher, holding Wang Yaowu's hand and said, "You little brat, I might not make it, but I won't let down my senior. These 2,000 people need to be taken out, can you help me?" Zhang Lingfu's eyes were filled with tears as he thought about his exceptional talent, great ambitions, and outstanding performance since joining the army. Now, he was lying here, defeated, how could he not feel sad?
"Captain, I, Wang Yaowu, may not have any special skills, but I'll risk my life to get the men out, trust me." Wang Yaowu said excitedly to Zhang Lingfu, who was on the verge of passing out at any moment.
"Alright, foolish kid. From the day I became a soldier, I've been mentally prepared for this. I just hope you won't end up like me in the future. Listen to me, we're surrounded and deeply trapped. The enemy must have already informed our superiors by now, but they are also surrounded by the enemy, so it's hard to say how much support they can provide us. Therefore, at the latest tonight, the entire army must retreat with all its might towards Niuxing." After finishing this speech, Zhang Lingfu seemed to have exhausted all his energy and closed his eyes without saying another word.
Wang Yaowu took out the silk flag that his senior comrades had given him when he was training at Huangpu, which he always carried with him. On it were inscribed two characters: "Hu Ben". Originally, his senior comrades had encouraged him to be like a tiger entering a pack of wolves on the battlefield one day, but now he had arrived in this peaceful land of Pingyang.
A blood-red silk banner with a yellow tiger head embroidered on it; when he rose into the sky, this surprise attack unit had its own flag.
The panicked soldiers saw the commander's handwriting, saw the lieutenant who had led the troops to a great victory at Dingxi Bridge, and the soldiers remembered that they were Huangpu military men, remembered the glory of belonging to the Third Division, and the soldiers began to actively surround Wang Yaowu.
The morale rose again, "War! War! War!" Wang Yaowu held the brocade flag in his hand and shouted loudly under the gaze of the soldiers.
"What's wrong with the soldiers on the opposite side?" Jiang Fangzhen asked very puzzled. In China for so many years, there has never been a unit that can persist in such a strong siege and still have such combat effectiveness. According to his calculations, the other side should not even have much ammunition left.
"Report to the Chief of Staff, there is a young man on the opposite side who has taken over the command. He holds a brocade flag in his hand and shouts for battle. The morale of the soldiers on the opposite side has risen to an extreme." The guard reported.
"Hmph, final struggle, useless. Notify all troops to attack." Jiang Fangzhen was unwilling to believe this situation, and he ordered the soldiers to launch an attack.
Wang Yaowu concentrated all his forces and launched a charge against the troops at the foot of the mountain. If they persisted in the middle of the mountain, they would definitely be beaten into a pulp, but the attack on the lower part of the mountain was indeed a real feint.
Wang Yaowu let all the Whampoa officers take the lead, taking off their outer coats and revealing their white shirts. They charged to the front of the troops, breaking through Chiang's three defense lines in a row with the fastest speed, occupying the local positions.
"It was that regiment that lost ground just now." Jiang Fangzhen furrowed his brow, but still asked lightly.
"It's the Fifty-Seventh Regiment, and the Seventeenth Brigade," the guard said respectfully.
"We can't afford to lose our lives, we've lost the battlefield, what's the use of keeping them! Kill!" Jiang Fangzhen didn't even blink when he gave the order to kill. "Bang bang." Two gunshots rang out, and Jiang Fangzhen executed a colonel and a major general.
"Whoever breaks through the enemy's defense line, I will shoot whoever. Whoever can capture the opposing commander alive, will be promoted one rank." Jiang Fangzhen's words were filled with killing intent, and it is unknown how many division commanders were intimidated by them. The crowd dispersed in silence, and they all wanted to personally command their troops. Jiang Fangzhen had a magic sword, and they had no way to counter him.
Wang Yaowu then made use of the fortified position in front to continue repairing it, on the one hand allowing his soldiers to recover their strength, and on the other hand relying on this position to hold out until tonight, preparing to break through.
It turned out that the soldiers under Sun Chuanfang, one of the three major warlords, were quite good in terms of equipment and upbringing, and they were still very fierce if they wanted to fight.
A stormy attack ravaged Wang Yaowu's position, but he persisted in the trenches left behind by the enemy.
At this moment, Liu Yuan finally confirmed the news that the soldiers were surrounded by the enemy in their midst. However, in broad daylight, if they rashly provided support, they would likely be eaten away by the enemy together.
In the command post, several regimental commanders, staff officers and party representatives were anxiously pacing back and forth. Hu Zongnan was the calmest, "Fu Guo, let me go rescue them, our three divisions have never abandoned their brothers like this."
"Yes, Auxiliary Country, hurry up and dispatch troops. Yu Dong is a fellow student of mine from military school. If he dies in battle, I won't be able to face his parents." Du Yuming urged.
Liu Yuan shook his head, looking at the young people in front of him. "What's the hurry? Can you rush in and come out now? We're already surrounded by the enemy."
"But what can we do? Are we just going to watch them die? If it comes to that, I'd rather die with them." Ning Bo's eyes welled up with tears. Having been in the army for so long, he had never felt so helpless before. Those who were surrounded by the enemy were all his seniors and juniors, they were all brothers who ate together in the same trench.
Liu Yuan beckoned with his hand, "The intelligence from the Jun Army Military Intelligence Bureau has arrived, and the enemy's ammunition is pouring into Nanchang City. I want to invite the enemy to watch the fireworks."
Upon hearing Liu Yuan's words, everyone's eyes lit up for a moment, but immediately dimmed. "The walls of Nanchang are high and deep, and if the enemy can think of sneaking up on us from Ganjiang, they must have made preparations to prevent our sneak attack." Zuo Quan shook his head and said.
We don't need to do it ourselves, we just need to concentrate a part of the troops and make a gesture of crossing the river and attacking the city, which can attract the attention of the enemy in Nanchang City. As for sneaking into the arsenal, someone will naturally help us do it.
Liu Yuan's words immediately made everyone feel much more at ease. Song Xini hurriedly applauded, "Thank goodness, has our reinforcement arrived?"
Liu Yuan shook his head and said, "Reinforcements, this thing, I don't know how long we'll have to wait, but I do know that the wolf is coming."
The life-and-death battle of the three masters is about to arrive. Also, Xu Ke will update one chapter in the morning and one at night, approximately at 8 am and 11 pm. Comrades who follow updates can wait, oh, and there are already ten collections, I will find a time soon to update multiple chapters.
