The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 317 Li Yannian Corps

In the next few days, He Wei and Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling made further judgments on the direction of use of the assault force based on the intelligence collected from all aspects. The final conclusion was that it was still to be used in the fortress near Tianjia Town. Jiang defense mission is the most likely.

Responsible for the garrison task of the river defense fortress in the fortress. On the surface, a battle of this nature is covered by the solid river defense fortifications. It seems to be a way of waiting for work, squatting in the solid fortifications and waiting for the tired enemy with ease. The way of fighting seems to be easier than fighting in the field.

But this is not the case.

The fall of Madang Fortress has shown that although this kind of battle is supported by the fortifications along the river, it also means that it will be attacked by the Japanese army, naval vessels up the river, and even all-dimensional three-dimensional attacks by air power at the same time. The cruelty and intensity of the battle are even worse than those in field battles on land.

When conducting field offensive and defense with the Japanese army on land, at least the Japanese warships cannot reach the land, and the Japanese army's artillery damage can also be reduced by continuously strengthening fortifications.

But squatting in the fortress, you have to be beaten to death, bombed to death, and withstand the all-round three-dimensional firepower of the Japanese army on land, water and air.

Faced with such a severe situation and the possibility of transfer orders at any time, He Wei immediately issued a war preparation order to the entire team.

While intensifying training, the commando corps urgently replenished the reserves of various materials and ammunition.

With the orders of the Military Commission in hand and the assistance of Minister He, the material replenishment of the assault corps went particularly smoothly.

Several military stations near Wuhan replenished the Army Commando Corps with 600 boxes of 79-caliber bullets, 200 boxes of Mauser pistol ammunition and 500 boxes of long-handled grenades in just one week.

Not only were bullets and grenades replenished in large quantities, but even the more expensive artillery shells were given to the assault force by Shangfeng. They responded to requests. Two thousand 81mm mortar shells were replenished in one breath, and 70 Soviet Russian aids were provided. Two thousand five hundred six-millimeter mountain shells were given.

In order to replenish the artillery shells for the six Type 94 75mm mountain cannons captured from the Japanese army in the Assault Corps Artillery Battalion, the military depot near Wuhan even used the backlog of pre-war Hanyang Arsenal in the warehouse to imitate the Japanese 75mm mountain artillery shells. , and after the troops seized the trophies warehouse, the Japanese-made 75mm mountain artillery shells submitted were searched thoroughly, and more than 7,000 rounds were collected, all of which were handed over to the assault team.

The mg34 general-purpose machine guns and Brand mm mortars purchased privately by the Assault Corps could not be left behind. In order to have enough ammunition for these self-purchased equipment, He Wei also spent real money to find Ding Lunshi, and urgently A batch of mm mortar shells and imported -caliber rifle shells were purchased.

As a result, almost every day, cars, carriages, and carts from the military station came to the assault corps camp to transport supplies to the assault corps. All kinds of ammunition, rice, flour, grain, oil, and other combat supplies were continuously transported to the assault corps.

Weapons maintenance parts such as ammunition, food, gas masks, gun oil and purges, mules and horses, gun jackets, saddles, horseshoes, military uniforms and other materials were all thrown down as if they were free of charge.

And the generous replenishment by Li Feng also confirmed that the Assault Corps was about to face a fierce and bloody battle.

For a time, the assault team's camp was filled with an extremely tense atmosphere of preparation for war.
Half a month after receiving the order from the Military Commission to prepare for dispatch, the entire assault force was in an extremely tense atmosphere of preparation.

The battalions and companies at the grassroots level of the assault corps are intensifying their training while replenishing and receiving various materials. The corps headquarters is also very busy. The staff officers in the staff office are busy receiving materials and sorting out intelligence.

He Wei is also very busy every day, either studying and analyzing intelligence with Chief of Staff Wang Yuanling, deducing battle situations, keeping an eye on the situation on the front line anytime and anywhere, or going down to the grassroots companies to guide training.

In short, officers and soldiers at all levels in the entire corps are under great pressure.

Although no one talks about going to the battlefield, everyone knows that the war is already imminent and is about to break out. The Assault Corps, a new army that has been established for only four months so far, is about to usher in the blood of the war. Test by fire.

The Military Commission's formal combat order was finally conveyed to the assault corps in an extremely sudden manner, half a month after the preparatory order was issued.

Late that night, when He Wei and Li Youcai stayed up late to deal with the business of the logistics office, there was a loud noise and the door of the office was suddenly knocked open. Then, He Wei saw the panting and nervous chief of staff Wang Yuanling barging in. , holding a telegram in his hand.

Wang Yuanling gasped and was about to say something, but He Wei stopped him.

"Brother Yuan Ling, wait a minute."

He Wei asked in a deep voice: "Brother Yuan Ling, this is the battle order from the Military Commission."

"Yes, the telegram just sent from the Military Commission."

Li Youcai, the director of the Logistics Department next to He Wei, was shocked when he heard this. However, He Wei's expression remained normal and he continued to ask Wang Yuanling calmly: "Is our judgment accurate?"

Wang Yuanling nodded, handed over the telegram, and said: "Captain, your judgment is very accurate. The Military Commission requires us to set off immediately. We will go to Hankou the night after tomorrow and march towards Tianjia Town by water transport, which will be assigned to the 10th Army The order of battle of a legion!”

He Wei received the telegram and saw the full text of the Military Commission's order. Compared with the last lengthy and nonsense preparation order, this formal battle order was much more concise and concise, with only a few words.

"The Japanese army is invading along the river. We have ordered your troops to take a boat to Tianjia Town in Hankou the night after tomorrow. They will be placed under the battle order of the 11th Army Corps of the Army. They will be responsible for the garrison task of the Banbishan Fortress on the other side of Tianjia Town. The transportation matters have been ordered to the Wuhan Garrison Headquarters. Collaborative management must be prepared as soon as possible.”

He Wei looked at the short telegram. At the end of the telegram, even the date, unit, and some clichés and honorifics commonly used in the Military Commission's telegrams were useless. This shows the urgency of the Military Commission in sending this telegram.

The urgency of the frontline battle situation can also be seen from the recent exchange of communication messages between the Commando Corps and the Military Commission.

At the beginning, the Military Commission only urged the assault corps to form an army many times, and also conducted a review of the assault corps after it was formed. Then it suddenly took a turn for the worse and asked the assault corps to prepare for departure. There was no need to talk about any review. , and then suddenly in the middle of the night, the order to set off was sent. It can be seen that the situation on the front line is really not optimistic.

At this time, Director Cai of the Logistics Department said with a serious face: "Captain, since the order has been issued, I will go back to the Logistics Department to prepare in advance!"

"Go on, thank you for your hard work, get ready as soon as possible!"

He Wei nodded, and after Li Youcai, the director of the Logistics Department, left, he murmured to the telegram in his hand: "It was assigned to the 11th Army Corps, and we were also asked to guard Banbi Mountain opposite the Tianjia Town Fortress. It seems that Li Feng is attacking our assault team. It’s really important.”

"Captain, I'm afraid the battle situation on the frontline has deteriorated further. According to what we have recently learned about the situation on the frontline, the Eleventh Army Corps just set off from near Hankou to Tianjia Town not long ago, and now we are suddenly included in the battle order of the Eleventh Army Corps. , I’m afraid the Japanese have made another breakthrough on the front line.”

Wang Yuanling said worriedly.

He Wei was very calm at this time, as calm as if the mountain was collapsing before him, and asked with a smile: "Brother Yuan Ling, I remember that the 11th Legion has the designation of one legion, and there seems to be only the second legion below. There is one army, and there seems to be only one division under the second army? Can such a thin force be able to defend Tianjia Town? Even if we are added to the force, it is still insufficient. "

The Eleventh Corps in the cable is a recently established corps-level unit of the National Army. The corps leader is Lieutenant General Li Yannian, a first-term graduate of Whampoa Military Academy.

Of course, the name Legion sounds very big, but the Eleventh Legion only has one Second Army under it, and its commander is also served by Li Yannian. However, under this Second Army, there is only one division, the Ninth Division. of military strength.

There is only one corps under a legion, and there is only one division under a corps. This means that the actual strength of the unit with the legion designation is only one infantry division.

Although the Eleventh Army has only one Ninth Division, this division is no ordinary person. A regiment under this division is an adaptation of the Second Teaching Regiment of Huangpu Military Academy, one of the five old teaching regiments at the beginning of the establishment of Huangpu Military Academy. Since then, this division has billed itself as the "ancestor of the revolution," and has a great reputation among the Central Army.

Lieutenant General Li Yannian, the commander of the Second Army of the Ninth Division and the current commander of the Eleventh Army, is also a number one figure. He graduated from the first class of Huangpu Military Academy and is considered a veteran of the National Revolutionary Army. They are also in the first echelon among first-year students.

This Second Army had just participated in the Battle of Xuzhou. After withdrawing from Xuzhou, it had been stationed in Hankou for rest and recuperation. It had just been upgraded to the Eleventh Army recently and was sent to Tianjia Town for river defense tasks.

Because of its reputation, He Wei also paid close attention to this unit, but he did not expect that his assault team would also be included in the battle order of the Eleventh Army.

Wang Yuanling nodded: "Captain, it is no longer a division. Commander Li Yannian's Second Army arrived in Tianjia Town and was upgraded to the Eleventh Army. The Military Commission transferred Shi Zhongcheng's 57th Division to the Tenth Army. The First Army Corps, Li Yutang's Eighth Army and Huo Kuizhang's Fifty-fourth Army were also included in the battle sequence of the Eleventh Army. It seems that the Military Commission does not want to repeat the mistakes of Madang Fortress and is preparing to invest here in Tianjia Town. Heavy troops blocked the advance of the Japanese army, but there was nothing we could do. After Madang was lost, the only fortress in front of Wuhan was Tianjia Town, so we could only fight to the death. "

"Captain, the strength of the Eleventh Army is now so strong, the defense of Tianjia Town Fortress can be considered guaranteed."

Wang Yuanling took another deep breath and said, seeming to be grateful for the increase in the strength of the Eleventh Legion.

He Wei shook his head and sneered: "Hmph, there are too many troops on paper, but I don't think there may be so many troops that Commander Li can command. If nothing else, the 54th Army is from Chen Cheng's civil engineering department. I'm afraid that the basic troops will not recognize anyone except Chen Cheng and will they obey other people's orders? "

Wang Yuanling was speechless for He Wei's sudden ridicule. This top student from Army University was naturally excellent in business ability, but he was not very good at Laoshizi factions, relationships, etc. For a moment, he was speechless. He was also stunned by He Wei's ridicule of the civil engineering troops.

He Wei was also aware of the temperament of his chief of staff, and immediately changed the subject and said: "Let my headquarters guard Banbi Mountain. Although we are not allowed to directly guard the Tianjia Town Fortress, the fact that Banbishan Fortress is handed over to my headquarters shows that the superiors really care about us. It’s very useful, and our judgment is indeed correct.”

He Wei pulled Wang Yuanling to the map, picked up the baton, and pointed at the intended garrison area of ​​the Assault Corps - Banbishan Fortress.

Wang Yuanling sighed: "Yes, this is a battleground for military strategists. The Army University has also included the wars that took place in Banbi Mountain in ancient times into its courses. The ancients had a poem about the abrupt and towering Banbi Mountain, the key to the Yangtze River turning the tide, and the majestic gateway. Xiong Sanchu, the waves hit the wind and the thunder came out of the dangerous pass, which is the half of the mountain. I didn't expect that we would have to fight with the little devil on this ancient battlefield today. "

Although the Military Commission wanted the assault team to go to Banbishan Fortress and not to Tianjia Town Fortress as He Wei had expected, it was actually the same thing.

Tianjia Town Fortress is not only the name of the fortress itself, but also the name of a large-scale fortress group, and Banbishan Fortress is one of the fortress groups near Tianjia Town.

Tianjia Town is located on the north bank of the Yangtze River, about 65 kilometers upstream from Jiujiang and 150 kilometers downstream from Wuhan. The river here is narrow, the terrain is difficult, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the mountains are rolling. It is known as Shiliguan Mountain.

Tianjia Town is backed by Yangcheng Mountain that stretches along the river, and Banbi Mountain is opposite Tianjia Town that relies on Yangcheng Mountain. They are horns with each other, forming a blockade of the river. From the operational map, the Yangtze River flows through Tianjia Town. There is a sudden turn near Banbi Mountain, and the river suddenly narrows. The distance between the north and south banks is only about 500 meters.

Therefore, the river guarded by Tianjia Town and Banbi Mountain is the throat from the Yangtze River into Wuhan. It has been known as the "Key to the Chujiang River" since ancient times. It is known as the "No. 1 Gate of Wuhan" and is located at the hub of Hubei and Jiangxi. Half of the Yangtze River is a solitary peak, lying on both sides of the Yangtze River. It has always been a battleground for military strategists.

Li Zicheng was defeated at nearby Fuchikou, which led to the fall of the Dashun Dynasty. The Hunan Army in the late Qing Dynasty also defeated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Western Expedition here.

If the Chinese army can firmly hold the frontline fortresses of Tianjia Town and Banbishan and lock the key to the Chu River, then the Japanese army's plan to attack Wuhan by waterway upstream will definitely not be possible.

The National Army is well aware of the importance of the line between Tianjia Town and Banbi Mountain, and the Japanese Army, which has an extremely in-depth study of China's military geography, understands this very well. The National Army has invested heavily here, and the Japanese Army will definitely attack there with considerable military strength and firepower.

He Wei knew very well that what the assault force was about to face this time would be an extremely cruel, all-round and three-dimensional bloody battle involving the three armies of the sea, land and air force.

(End of this chapter)