Chapter 1585 Extra 7 Japan's Post-War Reconstruction (Continued)

  When the telegram for help from Korea reached Han Yu, Xue Yue's army was already on the main road between Yufang and Fuzhou.

  Knowing that the main force of the Red Army was ambushing the 59th and 93rd Divisions in Qingxi Town, Xue Yue's mind went "boom" and he almost fell off his warhorse.

  No matter how hard they tried, they never expected the Red Bandits to be so daring as to touch the tiger's buttocks and directly attack their own powerful Central Army main force.

  It's really unbelievable. The high-ranking officials, including myself, only saw that the Red Bandits suffered heavy losses in the battles of Wanjialing and Xiangjiang, but didn't think that a tiger would eat humans as long as it's not dead? I was just thinking about how to directly attack Guiyang, seize Wang Jialie's power, and force him to go north to suppress the bandits. How could I not have thought that the Red Army would suddenly intervene and target me directly? Now it's too late to say anything, I only hope that after the Battle of Xiangjiang, the Red Bandits' strength has not recovered, their combat power and firepower are greatly reduced, so that the 59th and 93rd Divisions can escape with their lives. We must act quickly, if we're late, the situation will be unpredictable.

  Several staff officers unfolded the military map, and Xue Yue looked at it for a long time without saying a word. The chief of staff said: "This terrain is very bad, the Wuyang River closes off the right side, the left side is mountains, which is not conducive to the actions of large troops, there is only one road from Xiangtan to Qingxi Town. There is a key point in between, which is Yangping Town. If we occupy Yangping Town, we can attack Qingxi Town, and if we retreat, we can defend it, and we can also divide our forces to encircle and capture the enemy from here."

  Xue Yue nodded in agreement after considering the situation, feeling that his six main force divisions plus a division-level organization of the Huiji detachment would be more than a match for the Red Bandits. He then ordered his chief of staff to send a telegram directly to the commander-in-chief: "The 59th and 93rd Divisions were ambushed by the main force of the Red Bandits in Qingxi Town, Zhenyuan County, and request immediate air support. Order Ou Zhen's 90th Division to take the lead, occupy Yangping Town at a run, and establish a solid defensive position on the Yangping line to cover the actions of the entire army; order Wu Qizhi to lead the 92nd Division and the first detachment of Huiji to follow closely behind the 90th Division, and after the 90th Division occupies Yangping Town, quickly reinforce the 59th and 93rd Divisions in Qingxi Town along the highway; order Xie ?fu's 5th Division to lead Zhou Yanbin's Taxation Police Battalion and Artillery Regiment to follow behind Wu Qizhi, cross the river at Yangping Town, advance along the riverbank towards Qingxi Town, leave the artillery regiment on the opposite bank of Qingxi Town to carry out artillery attacks, and continue to advance with the main force to Jigongguan, where they would cross the river and encircle the Red Bandits from behind; order Wan Yaohuang's 13th Division to go up the mountain from Xindian, advance along the mountain road towards Qingxi Town, control the high ground of Qingxi Town, attack the Red Bandits from the left flank, and cover the actions of the main force; order Zhou Hengyuan to lead Xiao Zhiping's 96th Division and Guo Siyan's 99th Division as the rear guard of the entire army. Order the 59th Division's Han Han'ying and the 93rd Division's Tang Yunshan to gather their troops, hold their ground, and wait for reinforcements."

  After the order was issued, a large army composed of 6 divisions and 1 brigade quickly set off, like a monster in later animated films, pressing towards Yangping Town and Qingxi Town.

  Since the victory of Xiao Shui and Xi Kou battles, He Xinghua, the head of the Central Guard Regiment's radio station, and Lu Wen, a reporter, would wake up with a smile. Especially Lu Wen, who had been working underground before, hiding in the enemy camp every day with bated breath. Now he was back with his own troops, surrounded by comrades, no matter how hard or tired he was, it was much better than sleeping uneasily among the enemy every day. He didn't expect that after being captured and returning to the revolutionary army, Xiao Shui would immediately make achievements, and the regiment commander and political commissar would personally award him with honors. The glory! Just thinking about how listening to the enemy's radio could help the troops achieve such great results, eliminate so many enemies, Lu Wen felt that this job was worthwhile.

  After the battle of Qingxi Town, He Xinghua and Lu Wen took the radio staff to find the radios and signal corps of the 59th and 93rd Divisions. Fortunately, they were all found. However, these two signalmen had been trained by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and were very stubborn and uncooperative. This did not deter He Xinghua and Lu Wen, as long as they had the codebook, they could check their transmission records and receive Xue Yue's telegram.

  After receiving Xue Yue's telegram ordering him to hold his ground, He Xinghua immediately reported to Liu Yimin, who instructed He Xinghua to reply in the name of Han Ying: "Commander Xue: My department is surrounded by the enemy and is in extreme danger. I have decided to hold out until reinforcements arrive, with a loyal heart repaying Chairman Chiang's kindness."

  Then, Liu Yimin ordered Wu Zheng to speed up the cleanup of the battlefield and transport the captured materials and prisoners to Qingxi Town for concealment. He ordered the troops advancing towards Yangping Town to pay attention to concealment and air defense, and ordered the Guard Regiment and the Cavalry Regiment, which served as the reserve team, to reinforce the 3rd Regiment. He ordered Li Qing's 4th Regiment, 5th Regiment, Guard Regiment, two companies of Engineer Regiment, and two companies of New Soldier Regiment to occupy the eastern mountain peak of Yangping Town, engage in battle with Wan Yaohuang's 13th Division, concentrate firepower and troops, and resolutely defeat the enemy. He himself led the 1st and 2nd Regiments quietly along the mountain road to rush to the east of Yangping Town, to join forces with He Mingliang's Engineer Regiment 3rd Company, and hide in wait.

  The city received the second telegram from Xue Yue to Han Ying. He was so anxious that he stomped his feet and repeatedly urged the command to send out air force quickly. Ordered the 90th Division and Wu Qiwu to advance at a running pace.

  Yangping Town is connected with Yuping County in the east and faces Zhenxiong County across the river.

  Ordinarily, on the road there are trucks and on the river there are cargo ships. It's quite lively.

  The sound of gunfire had long shocked the quiet town of Qingxi. However, the common people did not know that the town mayor and team leaders who were usually arrogant and domineering had been secretly taken away by the guards' reconnaissance company with guns. The town was in a state of chaos. Residents ran around, closing doors and windows. It looked desolate.

  Luo Yan and his scouts have been active in this area for two days. The terrain and roads are very familiar, guiding the troops to their expected positions.

  First

  The ground is a sniper team.

  The battle of Qingxi Town had not yet ended when Li Lingfeng led the second and third squads of the sniper company to set out. The division commander's pre-battle orders were clear: after the battle of Qingxi Town, the troops would be mobilized to counterattack against Xue Yue's main force. Li Lingfeng was a veteran Red Army soldier and a graduate of Qing* University, so he knew that although the Guard Division was strong, counterattacking against Xue Yue's main force was indeed very risky. The two squads under his command would not be able to play a significant role in a large battle, but they might have a chance if they launched a surprise attack, captured an enemy officer, or destroyed an artillery position. Therefore, without asking anyone for instructions, he led his troops along the mountain ridge straight towards Yushan direction.

  Wang Tongsheng led a row that was later than Li Lingfeng, but earlier than several main forces. They didn't need to replenish and replace their weapons, so they weren't interested in sweeping the battlefield. As soon as the 59th Division surrendered on one side, Wang Tongsheng whistled, and the soldiers emerged from each hiding point and followed Wang Tongsheng away.

  As they arrived at the eastern slope of Yangping Town, Wang Tongsheng made another gesture, and the soldiers immediately formed pairs to find their own sniping points. Before long, no one was visible. Watching this, Wang Tongsheng couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. After three battles in Xiao Shui, Xi Kou, and Qingxi Town, the soldiers in the sniper company had already become proficient in basic sniping tactics and had improved their ability to observe and control the battlefield. As soon as the battle started, enemy junior officers, machine gunners, and mortar gunners would be unable to escape the soldiers' gunfire. In the Battle of Qingxi Town, the reason why the enemy's two regiments were defeated was not only due to the strong firepower and suddenness of the ambush but also because many junior officers, machine gunners, and mortar gunners were killed. It seemed that his comrades had already become accustomed to this method of fighting, so they hid well.

  After Battalion Commander Chen Dayong climbed up the mountain on the east side of Yangping Town, he immediately ordered the troops to occupy their positions. He had Ding Zhuodong, who had just been assigned to command the third battalion, lead his 40 men to set up a defensive position halfway up the mountain and fire all the explosive packs before withdrawing to prevent enemy aircraft from bombing them. The mortar platoon supporting the battalion chose several positions that were easy to move around; light and heavy machine guns uniformly reinforced the first line of defense. The primary task for the entire battalion was to do a good job of hiding, not allowing anyone to fire or speak without orders, ensuring the suddenness of the attack when it came.

  Still worried, Chen Dayong personally ran to the mortar battery of the firepower support company, led them to choose the main position and the predetermined position, and arranged for cover.

  The artillery battalion and reconnaissance battalion led by Liu Jianli were the first to relocate, but they had to take a detour to get to Yangping Town. The plank road on the riverbank where the trackers pulled the ropes was impassable for cannons and heavy machine guns. Fortunately, Liu Jianli was well-prepared and had Luo Yan's reconnaissance soldiers and guides leading the way. After the Third Battalion seized the eastern position of Yangping Town, they quickly arrived at the ferry area opposite Yangping Town.

  Liu Jianli led the artillery regiment commander Li Chang and the heavy machine gun regiment commander Wei Xiufeng to observe the terrain, and decided to set up the main artillery position on a mountain waist 2000 meters east of the crossing point. This location is directly opposite the Xiang-Qi Highway, and the cannon fire can cover several kilometers of road sections and the hillside on one side of the highway, as well as support the battle on the top of the mountain. Then, three pre-set positions were set up to prepare for transferring positions in time when enemy planes arrived. The heavy machine gun regiment was deployed along the mountain waist, with sufficient firepower to cover several kilometers of road surface.

  After the terrain was observed, the artillery regiment and the heavy machine gun regiment immediately began to establish positions. Time was pressing, and enemy planes might arrive at any time for bombing and strafing. Liu Jianhua required all battalion and company cadres to go down to the artillery emplacements and machine gun positions to direct fire, shooting and transfer.

  Wei Xiufeng was introverted and didn't speak much, only letting the cadres carefully inspect and ensure that the position arrangement was both conducive to concealment and convenient for shooting.

  Li Chang was different, he called the class leader, platoon leader and company commander together, lowering his voice to ask "Was it enjoyable just now?" The cadres didn't dare speak, they all nodded frantically. Li Chang asked again: "Do you want to enjoy it again?" The cadres nodded vigorously once more.

  Li Chang said, "If you want to survive, hurry up and take action, measure the distance accurately, follow the method taught by your superiors, just like in the previous battle, divide the battlefield into squares, aim carefully, and give me a good fight. Whoever fights well, when we return to Zhenyuan, I'll treat him to a drink. If anyone doesn't fight well, go directly to the logistics camp to be a groom, there are many people in the guard regiment who want to be artillerymen."

  "If the enemy planes come to drop eggs, hurry up and evacuate, don't wait to get bombed. In times of crisis, the cannons can be abandoned, but people must run first. If the cannons are lost, the commander will still provide us with new ones; if people die, the commander will make me become a groom."

  The officer nodded hastily.

  Li Chang waved his hand like Liu Yimin and said "go to work", the cadres rushed to their own artillery positions.

  Li Qing led the 4th, 5th and affiliated guard, engineer, and new recruit regiments to rush along the highway to Yangping Town. Under the guidance of scouts and guides, they quickly climbed up the mountain, bypassing the 3rd regiment's position, and divided into three routes to seize the mountain peaks behind the 3rd regiment's position, controlling the mountain road from Yushan Xin Dian to Yangping Town. Li Qing deployed the engineer and new recruit regiments near the main peak to block the enemy, while the 4th and 5th regiments hid on the mountain peaks on both sides of the main peak. He himself led the guard regiment as a reserve force, planning to wait for Wan Yaohuang's troops to climb up before having the engineer and new recruit regiments open fire first. When the enemy concentrated their forces to attack the main peak, the two wings would emerge simultaneously, annihilating the enemy in one fell swoop.

  Liu Yimin's 1st and 2nd regiments were the last to arrive at their designated positions.

  Seeing the main force coming up, He Mingliang quickly explained their deployment. The three companies of engineers laid explosives at 15 places along the highway, which were not discovered when the 59th and 93rd Divisions passed by earlier. At that time, the soldiers all wanted to pull the trigger

  The Nineteenth or Ninety-Third Divisions could have blown up the individual bandits, but considering that it might affect... T?| Dare to start an explosion. Finally, He Mingliang said regretfully: "Unfortunately, there were too few explosive packs. If we had more, we could bury one or two hundred along the highway and wait for the enemy to arrive. Everywhere would be explosions, scaring them to death."

  Liu Yimin smiled and patted He Mingliang's shoulder, saying: "Don't worry, wait a little longer, Xue Yue's main force will be here soon. When the time comes, we'll launch an explosion and let Xue Yue see the power of the Red Army's engineering troops. In future battles, if you find someone who can make explosives, pay attention to them and try to keep them."

  He Mingliang's eyes widened in surprise: "Master, are you thinking of making explosives yourself?"

  Liu Yimin nodded.

  He Mingliang immediately said: "I must complete the task!"

  Just as we had finished setting up here, the roar of enemy planes was heard in the sky.

  Four Nationalist planes flew over Yangping Town towards Qingxi Town. Above the highway to Qingxi Town, the pilots found that the battle had already stopped, with bodies of Nationalist soldiers scattered all over the road, but not a single Communist was seen. As they flew over Qingxi Town, they saw that the iron factory's chimney was still emitting smoke, as if the fighting hadn't affected production at all. The town seemed very calm, with no signs of Communist activity visible.

  The pilots who got nothing were unwilling to give up, driving the plane to chase in the direction of Zhenyuan Town, hoping to catch up with the Red Bandits on the road and avenge their infantry brothers. As a result, they still got nothing. The angry pilots returned to Qingxi Town, circled around again for reconnaissance, searched carefully, but really didn't find any traces of the Red Bandits, so they had to report to the ground that the battle was over and the Red Bandits were nowhere to be found. Then flapped their wings and flew back to the airport.

  Upon receiving the air force report, Xue Yue felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head again in this weather, and he was chilled to the bone. It's all over, my two divisions are done for. Those Red Bandits are ruthless, daring to take down two elite divisions at once! This vendetta will not be avenged, I swear not to be human! Immediately order the troops to take action, quickly occupy Yangping Town, and then pursue the Red Bandits in the direction of Qingxi Town.

  The Chief of Staff added a thought and reminded him on the side: "Since the battle has ended, the task of each division should be changed to search and pursue, in order to prevent the red bandits from taking advantage of their victory and plotting against our army again."

  Xue Yue's arrogant nature was exposed again, and he scolded: "I think you've been intimidated by the Red Bandits. What else can these guys do besides ambushes and sneak attacks? My tens of thousands of troops, let alone the broken Red Bandits, looking around the country, which unit is our opponent? Chase for me, we must catch up with the Red Bandits and eliminate them!"

  The Chief of Staff was also afraid that Xue Yue would get angry and said, "Please think thrice, Commander, a steady ship sails for ten thousand years. It's better to change to search and pursuit."

  Xue Yue also calmed down a bit and thought for a moment before saying, "The order must be clear: the Qingxi Town battle has ended, each division will search and pursue."

  The Chief of Staff responded with a sound and went to issue orders.

  Yu Zhen, the commander of the 90th Division, who was in charge of the vanguard mission, along with Han Ying and Tang Yunsheng, were all from the same province of Guangdong. As soon as he heard that the 59th and 93rd Divisions were in trouble, he was dispatched to lead the reinforcement vanguard. He immediately organized his troops to advance lightly, and seeing that they weren't moving fast enough, he directly mounted his horse and ran alongside the troops, shouting "First ones to arrive will be rewarded!"

  As he ran, he heard the sound of planes overhead and looked up to see Nationalist planes flying towards Qingxi Town. Ou Zhen thought that the 59th and 93rd Divisions would be saved now. The Red Bandits had no anti-aircraft guns, and when they encountered air raids, they usually hid in the mountains. Their attacks on the Nationalists would naturally cease. If he could just increase his speed a bit more, occupy Yangping Town, and cover the main force's full-scale reinforcements, he could lift the siege for his two fellow townspeople. So Ou Zhen resolutely raised his whip, running and striking slow-moving soldiers, urging the troops to advance at a rapid pace.

  Look ahead, it's Yangping Town. Ouzhen was about to whip his horse when a cavalry messenger brought Xue Yue's order. It said clearly that according to the air force report, the Qingxi Town battle had ended, and the whereabouts of the two division commanders Han and Tang were unknown, and the direction of the Red Bandits was unclear. The order was for each division to search and pursue towards Qingxi Town, paying attention to searching and rescuing the surviving officers and soldiers of the two divisions.

  At this time, Ou Zhen calmed down. Since the battle had ended, the air force searched for dozens of miles around and didn't see the main force of the Red Bandits, where did they go? It's worth noting that the Red Bandits had difficulty supplying themselves, and they were always very meticulous in clearing the battlefield. The weapons and ammunition of two divisions were not a small number, and they also had to escort prisoners. In such a short time, it was impossible for them to go far!

  The Red Bandits won't go far, so what are they doing? Are they fleeing into the mountains? Impossible, they're now in a big victory, they definitely won't flee easily. Following this reasoning, with strengthened weapons and ammunition, what will the Red Bandits do? If I were Mao Zedong, what would I do? Oh no, could it be that the Red Bandits are hiding somewhere waiting for our army to fall into their ambush again?! It's said that three divisions of the Xiang Army were ambushed three times in a row, will the Red Bandits reenact the battles of Xiaoshui and Xikou again?

  The more Ou Zhen thought about it, the more afraid he became. He lifted his head and took another look at the eastern slope, why did the forest seem so gloomy, as if there were troops hiding inside?

  Ou Zhen immediately ordered the troops to stop advancing. As soon as he spoke, a gunshot was heard, and he hurriedly ducked down, with a bullet flying past his ear.

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