The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

It was indeed a construction site. Along the river, infantrymen were digging trenches and foxholes. Other soldiers were using the rails and sleepers stored at Guzhen and Suxian stations to build anti-artillery bunkers to use as command posts.

"Hello, hello, hello, can you hear me? Okay, I can hear you too!"

The telephone line at the anti-artillery command post was finally connected. The line extended about two kilometers from the riverbank to the depths of the riverbank, where the artillery firing positions were located, and where twenty or thirty soldiers were digging the pits.

Among the soldiers busy waving shovels, there were two or three soldiers and officers holding optical instruments, holding their breath, measuring the terrain on the opposite bank.

“66度33分10秒。确认，16度33分10秒。那边的结果呢?"

"55 degrees, 19 minutes, 20 seconds!"

"confirm?"

"confirm!"

"it is good!"

The surveying officer of the artillery battalion obtained the two angle data, plus the two measurement points of known distance, and opened the trigonometric function manual to look up the table.

One side confirmed, two angles confirmed, the triangle confirmed. "Object No. 3, distance, 585 meters! 66 degrees, 33 minutes, 10 seconds! Calculate again!"

The surveying officer continued to look up tables in the manual. The distance between the artillery firing position and the observation point, as well as the angle of the connecting line, were already known. Now that the distance between the observation point and target number 3 had also been measured, the next step was to calculate the length of the side of a triangle.

After the calculation, the distance and azimuth between the artillery firing position and target No. 3 were determined.

Target number 3 was a single house on the opposite bank of the Hui River. The first group was to locate 10 to 15 distinct targets like this on the opposite bank, measuring the distance to each one.

If the An Guo army boarded ships on this section of the river bank and prepared to force a crossing of the Rui River, the front-line observation post only needed to observe the distance and direction between the An Guo army's fleet/troop assembly point and this civilian house. The artillery in the rear could directly open fire by slightly correcting the offset and covering the target area in the first round.

Artillery positions were set up every few kilometers, all near the highway.

Calculating trigonometric functions is truly a traditional artillery skill. That's why geometry is included in junior high math, and geometry textbooks also include a significant amount of trigonometric functions. This isn't meant to torture junior high students; it's meant to prepare those who have received a junior high education to be able to handle artillery when they are called up to the military. This applies to all countries.

Zheng Dongguo: "Commander, when will the artillery battalion arrive?

"The artillery battalion's field artillery is squatting in the north waiting for the armored train, and the mountain artillery is temporarily placed in Suxian. The mountain artillery now has to take care of both the north and the south at the same time," said Chen Tianheng, "So, when the An Guo army really wants to launch an attack, the mountain artillery battalion will come over.

Zheng Dongguo: "The motorcade will be very busy.

Chen Tianheng: "Of course we are busy. The motorcade will arrive tomorrow night or the day after tomorrow. We will also have another artillery team to move. It is the artillery battalion of the Second Division, with 12 mountain guns.

Zheng Dongguo: "With two mountain artillery battalions and precisely marked firing parameters, holding the Ruihe River defense line should be easy!"

"You can't just consider our artillery firepower. The Fengtian Army on the other side has three-digit field and mountain artillery," Chen Tianheng said. "Perhaps in a few days this battlefield will be a scene of artillerymen harming infantrymen.

"Our defense points consist of one infantry squad and one heavy machine gun squad, less than 20 people. Let them bomb them."

"Commander! Commander! A ship is coming!"

Zheng Dongguo took a few steps forward, reaching a good view of the Rui River. "Division Commander, a medium-sized wooden ferry, manned by An Guojun soldiers, is sailing along the Rui River's south bank. The An Guojun on the other side are gathering boats from all over the river. Should we fire a .37mm cannon at it, just to show our authority?"

Chen Tianheng: "It depends on where the ferry is parked. If a ferry is in motion, it won't save ammunition."

Zheng Dongguo: "Hey, it stopped, right across from us.

Chen Tianheng: "Fight.

Chapter 69: The battle suddenly entered a slow-paced period

Opening up the Hui River and Su County was the top priority for the Anguo Army. Wang Shuchang was the first to realize this and ordered his 10th Army to collect all the boats they could on the Hui River.

Fortunately, the Northern Expedition Army on the opposite side had just occupied Guzhen and arrived at the river bank, and had not yet had time to "clear" all civilian ships in the Rui River.

But at the same time there is a piece of unfortunate news: the civilian ships on the Rui River are not

The first boat the An Guojun found was a large wooden ferry, capable of carrying thirty or forty men, its flat back section even large enough to accommodate a carriage and two horses. Under the An Guojun's command, the boatmen maneuvered the ferry close to the south bank, sailing downstream. Then, they turned into a small tributary of the Hui River on the south bank, sailed upstream a few dozen meters, hid there, and the soldiers disembarked while the boatmen tied the ropes.

"Boom boom!" "Swoosh--"

There was a sharp whistling sound and two explosions. About ten meters away from the ferry, two columns of water suddenly burst out from the river.

Soldier: "Oh no! The Confederate artillery is coming!

“Boom boom!

Two cannonballs struck the ferry, tearing through its wooden planks with ease, sending broken planks and wood debris flying everywhere. The opposing artillery fire didn't spare the ferry either, and two more bangs rang out, leaving the ferry with four holes in its side, effectively rendering it useless.

Wang Shuchang: "37mm flat-firing cannon?"

Adjutant: "It's the flat-firing cannon from the 11th year of the Taisho era. We have them too, and you can tell by the sound!"

Wang Shuchang: "But the question is, where the hell did the Northern Expedition Army hide their artillery?"

The south bank of the Rui River is bare, and the north bank is also bare.

In the bleak winter, the Huanghuai land did not have enough grass and trees to provide cover for the army. Looking around, an abandoned stable on the north bank was the only protruding building. Apart from that, there were some straw stacks piled in the fields by farmers after the autumn harvest.

Just now, the Northern Expedition Army used two 37mm flat-fire cannons in a three-round burst. During this time, the An Guojun observed that the muzzle smoke seemed to be coming from between the haystacks, but now that the three-round burst had destroyed the ferry, the flat-fire cannons had stopped firing, and it was impossible to confirm which haystack was being targeted.

The An Guojun's heavy machine guns fired furiously, and the Stokes mortars blasted at the haystacks on the opposite bank. A few shells struck the haystacks, sending stalks flying everywhere, but Wang Shuchang didn't expect to hit the Northern Expedition's flat-fire artillery at this point. The enemy had stopped firing, and the flat-fire artillery had long since moved away.

The Taisho 11-year model 37mm flat-fire gun was also copied by the Fengtian Arsenal, so Wang Shuchang was particularly familiar with it. It weighed only 95 kilograms and could be carried by four men. If disassembled, an entire squad could easily march with the parts and ammunition, capable of hitting anything within 1,500 meters.

Adjutant: "We need to inform our people upstream and downstream not to gather the ferry boats immediately and wait until dark.

"Yes, we have to wait until dark.

Wang Shuchang answered absentmindedly.

Which unit of the Northern Expedition is this? They fight in silence, only coldly and indifferently slaughtering people.

The situation is urgent. No matter how many boats we gather tonight, the 10th Army will have to start a battle to force a crossing of the Rui River tomorrow. By then, we don't know how many of its troops will be lost to the Northern Expedition Army.

North of Suxian, towards Caocun Station.

"Here it comes! The armored train is coming!"

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the Second Regiment finally saw the Anguo Army reinforcements departing from Xuzhou. An armored train was leading the way, followed by a sealed train.

A thousand or two thousand soldiers disembarked from the train and spread out on both sides of the railway line. The armored train drove all the way to the damaged section of track and stopped. A dozen people got out of the armored car, these were the train's own track repair workers.

Seeing the road workers gathered near the damaged tracks, the 2nd Regiment fired two mortar rounds at that area.

Three or five workers who were repairing the railway with chisels were blown away. The rest of the workers cried for their parents and got back on the train, never to come out again. The flat-fire guns and mortars on the armored train started immediately, firing continuously in the direction where the shells had just come from.

Wei Lihuang: "Artillery, retreat, everyone, retreat, prepare to abandon Caocun Station!"

The Second Regiment's forces, which had come into contact with the armored train, were small to begin with: just one company and four mortars. The hundred-plus men turned and fled, but after two miles, they looked back to see the An Guojun armored train still firing.

"D Ding Ding P Ding"

Chen Tianheng, who was in Su County, picked up the phone and said, "Hello, what's up, Old Wei? It's already six in the afternoon, and you're still the stationmaster of Caocun Station? Shouldn't you be retreating to the mountains by now?"

Wei Lihuang: "It was like this. The reinforcements of the An Guo army arrived. Out of courtesy, we fired two rounds of mortars at them to cover them. Then I withdrew the lead troops. After that, the An Guo army's armored train kept firing guns and artillery in place and did not move forward.

Chen Tianheng: "From 4pm to 6pm, the An Guo army was still firing guns and cannons?"

"Yes."

Chen Tianheng: "...I understand.

The garrison at Xuzhou was under the command of Liu Wenzhao, commander of the 15th Army of the Zhilu Allied Forces under the Anguo Army. Chen Tianheng now labeled Liu Wenzhao a "coward."

"We originally estimated that Liu Wenzhao's reinforcements would depart at noon and, regardless of casualties, advance rapidly, capturing Caocun Station in the afternoon. However, it is now 6 p.m., and Liu Wenzhao's troops have not yet entered Caocun. This means we may have to wait a while longer to resolve the threat from the north. Liu Wenzhao will probably not enter Caocun until tomorrow, and then attack Suxian from Caocun.

Chen Tianheng returned to the General Staff Headquarters to discuss with Xu Xiangqian.

Xu Xiangqian: "Isn't Wei Lihuang's resistance too resolute?"

Chen Tianheng: "No, he just fired two mortar rounds at the armored train out of courtesy.

Xu Xiangqian and Lu Deming looked at the map for a while and said, "Commander, the situation is not bad, because the An Guo Army in the south was also frightened by the First Regiment.

Chen Tianheng: "When I was inspecting Guzhen, I saw them destroy the first boat they had assembled for crossing the river. Then what happened?"

Lu Deming: "Throughout the afternoon, no more boats appeared on the opposite bank of the Anguo Army River."

Xu Xiangqian: "It's possible that they got the boats but didn't gather immediately. They probably waited until nightfall and then gathered secretly. In short, the enemy in the south was also intimidated by our accurate artillery fire and slowed down their movements.

Chen Tianheng chuckled: "Today they only experienced the direct fire of the regimental artillery. Tomorrow there will be even bigger surprises."

At 7 pm, Liu Zhi led the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division to Suxian.

"Lao Liu! That's amazing! You guys covered 98 kilometers in just two days!"

Liu Zhi leaned back and said, "Don't underestimate our Second Division.

Chen Tianheng: "Hey, where's Hu Zongnan?"

Liu Zhi: "Hu Zongnan,...he, he fell behind.

The 4th Regiment, the flagship infantry regiment of the 2nd Division, arrived in Suxian after a two-day forced march. However, its commander, Hu Zongnan, fell behind.

Because Hu Zongnan twisted his leg (not really), because Hu Zongnan's horse twisted its leg. He was riding a horse and the horse's legs gave way and it fell to the ground, causing Hu Zongnan to fall and get injured.

Liu Zhi: "Hu Zongnan won't arrive until tomorrow. That's fine. I'll lead the Fourth Regiment myself now."

"Instructor Liu, it's like this, the situation has changed again..." Chen Tianheng explained the slow movements of the An Guo Army in the north and south.

Xu Xiangqian: "So, Instructor Liu, the fastest situation in the north is tomorrow afternoon, when the 15th Army of the An Guo Army can launch an attack on Suxian. We will block the front line in Suxian, while the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Division will harass Caocun Station and threaten his retreat, forcing Liu Wenzhao to deploy heavy defenses in Caocun. The day after tomorrow, the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the 1st Division will launch a general attack on Caocun, and the 2nd Division will launch a counterattack against the enemy in Suxian, eliminating these two groups of enemies at the same time. By the way, the enemy's armored train will be eliminated by our pre-set ambushes.

Liu Zhi: "That's good. The 5th and 6th Regiments of the 2nd Division are only 15 kilometers away from Suxian. They will be able to arrive in Suxian by noon tomorrow.

Morning of May 3th.

The 15th Army of the Zhilu Allied Forces finally entered Caocun Station.

After occupying the railway station, the 65th Division of the 15th Army did not move on. The armored train stopped at Caocun to refuel with coal and water. The sealed carriages transported the infantry to Caocun Station, then turned back, and a second train entered Caocun Station.

In one morning, more than 5,000 to 6,000 people gathered at Caocun Station, which should be the entire combat force of the 65th Division. However, these soldiers did not start the attack after arriving at Caocun. At noon, these more than 5,000 people had a meal. At 2 pm, the 65th Division finally started to move.

--It was marching towards the west of Cao Village, pursuing Wei Lihuang's troops who retreated into the coal mining area on the west side.

There was a wilderness to the west of Cao Village. At that time, there was no Huaibei City. There were only two small coal mines in the wilderness, with a few not-so-high barren hills in the middle.

According to the pre-war arrangements, Wei Lihuang led the Second Regiment to retreat about three kilometers. The Anzhan National Army continued to pursue them. Wei Lihuang stopped where he was and resolutely blocked the pursuers.

The second regiment only made a slight effort and the An Guo army's troops retreated again.

Chen Tianheng felt that the battle had suddenly entered a slow-paced period.

The rhythm of this Jinpu Road battle is quite different from the 1st Division's previous combat rhythm!

"Commander, the An Guo Army's artillery fire on the Rui River has been going on from morning to noon, but their fleet still hasn't set off.

Zheng Dongguo called to report from Guzhen.

Chen Tianheng: "Which section of the Ruihe River are they bombarding?

"It's the same section of the river where we set up our flat-fire artillery ambush yesterday, three kilometers downstream from Guzhen."

Chen Tianheng: "There's a small tributary across from that section of the river. That's where they hid their boats. The An Guojun are really lazy. Just sail to the other side from where you boarded the boat. Move the mountain artillery to that section. Now the artillery battalion's mountain artillery is under the command of your First Regiment!"

"Yes!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Tianheng continued to smack his lips: "It's so slow that it's unbearable."

Xu Xiangqian: "The main thing is that we have to match the rhythm of the entire battle."

Chen Tianheng: "Another major reason is that the First and Second Divisions are defending in place. When the battle enters the next phase and the Northern Expedition Army attacks the An Guo Army cluster across the board, the battle can once again follow the First Division's pace.

Chapter 70: The Lone Brave Man

At 2:3 PM on March 5, the 10th Fengtian Army on the other side of the Rui River finally moved.

The.

In order to force the crossing of the Rui River, the Fengtian Army bombarded for 5 and a half hours with more than 40 75mm and 77mm guns, which fully demonstrated the sincerity, no, fear, of the commander of the 10th Army, Wang Shuchang.

Yesterday, the Northern Expedition Army's flat-fire artillery fired from over a thousand meters away, instantly destroying the first ship collected by the 10th Army. In Wang Shuchang's eyes, this was a warning to him, and he knew that the Northern Expedition Army on the other side was not to be trifled with.

That night, the Fengtian Army found 21 boats of varying sizes, capable of carrying a total of over 400 men, roughly the equivalent of a battalion. Establishing a bridgehead with just these 400 men would be a significant challenge. To successfully cross the river and establish a bridgehead, the artillery preparation time would have to be doubled.

"Commander, the troops on the other side are the First Division of the First Army of the Northern Expedition.

The adjutant came to report. Wang Shuchang was stunned when he heard the news: "Is it the sword of revolution?"

"Yes.

Wang Shuchang was worried: "This is getting difficult.

Adjutant: "Then, should we allow Brigadier General Liu to continue boarding the ship?

"What else can we do if we don't get on the boat? We have to cross the river now, otherwise we will be trapped here." Wang Shuchang sighed, "Liu Lianrui said that he would personally lead the troops to board the first wave. I think he should not join the first wave.