The second division, like the first division, belongs to the absolute main force of the national army, and the reconnaissance cavalry battalion under its jurisdiction is also fully established, but because the cavalry units of the national army are extremely short of war horses, and there are not even many qualified riders, there is still a certain gap between the cavalry of the national army and the cavalry of the Beiyang Army.

The cavalry regiment of the Beiyang Army had three cavalry battalions, each of which had four cavalry companies, and each cavalry company had about fifty or sixty people. This is a typical large regiment and small company system, which is just the opposite of the small regiment and large group system in the cavalry units of the great powers today, and in the armies of the great powers, especially the cavalry regiments of infantry divisions, generally adopt three to four cavalry companies under one regiment, and then each cavalry company is subordinate to two hundred to three hundred cavalry.

The Nationalist Army originated from the 10th Town of the New Army, and the cavalry unit was also developed from the cavalry battalion of Huang Anyuan, and the establishment adopted was also the same as that of the Beiyang Army. Each company had only fifty or sixty cavalry, and then the reconnaissance cavalry battalion had four cavalry companies under its jurisdiction, and with the machine gun company, there were about three hundred cavalry, and the armament was equipped with light machine guns and sixty-millimeter mortars in addition to cavalry guns.

However, in terms of troops, the reconnaissance cavalry battalion of the division of the National Army is equivalent to one-third of the cavalry regiments of the division of the Beiyang Army.

In this way, the cavalry force of the divisional division of the National Army cannot be compared with the Beiyang Army in terms of quantity or quality, so in many cases, the National Army does not regard the cavalry as the main force to participate in the operation, but more as a reconnaissance force. As can be seen from the name, this cavalry battalion is not a divisional cavalry battalion, but a divisional reconnaissance cavalry battalion. Reconnaissance was the main objective of this cavalry battalion, not cavalry charges or large-scale battles with the enemy.

In the evening, a reconnaissance detachment of the 3rd Company and 2nd Platoon of the 2nd Division's Reconnaissance Cavalry Battalion was trotting on horseback.

During the march, the lieutenant platoon commander in front suddenly raised his hand, and the more than ten horsemen behind immediately stopped, and then a second lieutenant came up and asked softly: "Brother Li, what's wrong, is there a situation?" ”

The lieutenant platoon commander had a cold face, and did not speak, but pointed ahead with a horsewhip in his leather gloved hand, and the second lieutenant cavalry officer looked at the line of sight, the sky was already a little gray at this time, and the sight was not very good, he couldn't see anything after a little look, and then he just picked up the telescope hanging on his chest.

When he looked through the binoculars, his face also calmed down, and then he put down the binoculars and said to the lieutenant platoon commander: "Brother Li, it seems that we have found the Beiyang Army!" ”

Lieutenant Li still nodded with a cold face, and let out a slightly hoarse voice: "That's right, if my estimate is right, there is at least a large force of nearly a thousand people over there, and it is very likely to be the forward force of the Beiyang Army!" ”

Lieutenant Li picked up a pen and paper at this time, wrote down the surrounding terrain and other conditions, and said: "Let's go, let's go back, don't alarm others!" ”

The number of cavalry in this platoon led by Lieutenant Li is no more than twenty, and if the enemy is alarmed, the other side sends cavalry troops to chase after him, then there may be trouble, and the most important thing now is not to disturb the enemy, but to bring this information back.

However, as soon as his words fell, the face of the second lieutenant officer on the side suddenly changed greatly, and Lieutenant Li's face sank: "What's the matter?" ”

The second lieutenant's face was a little panicked: "They, they found us!" ”

Lieutenant Li looked in the direction pointed by the second lieutenant officer, and sure enough, he saw a small puff of smoke and dust rolling up from a distance, and quickly took out his binoculars to take a look, only to see a group of Beiyang Army cavalry wearing blue-gray military uniforms galloping towards them, and the number was at least seventy or eighty.

Lieutenant Lee immediately made a rough estimate of the strength of the enemy's possible cavalry company.

Row to company, Lieutenant Li didn't have any heroism, and he didn't like to do something that made him die and didn't get any value, so he immediately turned his horse's head: "Withdraw!" ”

With his order, this group of seventeen or eighteen cavalry galloped towards the south quickly, and behind them were sixty or seventy Beiyang cavalry chasing after them, and the distance was not much closer under the pursuit and escape of the two, and slowly, these two cavalry units were hidden in the night.

The cavalry of the Beiyang Army chased for a while because the night deepened, and they were also afraid that if they went too south, they would get into the main force of the Nationalist Army, so they turned back, and the contact between the two small-scale cavalry was also the first official contact between the Beiyang Army and the Nationalist Army, although these two forces did not engage in an exchange of fire, but they both gave their commanders an important message, that is, the enemy was not far away.

When Ma Cheng learned that the enemy was twenty miles away, on the one hand, he pondered whether he should take the initiative to attack and defeat the enemy's vanguard first, and on the other hand, he also reported the situation to Hangzhou.

"So fast, it's only been a day, and they have already taken control of Nanjing and sent the forward troops out?" Chen Jingyun was a little surprised by the rapid action of the Beiyang Army.

Huang Xing abandoned the city and fled last night, and the Beiyang Army found out in the morning at most, and then estimated to enter Nanjing at noon, but according to Chen Jingyun's previous prediction, the Beiyang Army should stay in Nanjing for a day or two to establish a logistics supply base and cross the river to cross the south bank. However, in just one day, the Beiyang Army already had a force of 1,000 men in the southern suburbs of Nanjing.

Chen Jingyun looked at the map, although Nanjing is urgent, but because Nanjing has been occupied by the Beiyang Army, then the next thing is not so urgent, anyway, now Nanjing's strategy has been decided, that is, to wait for the arrival of the Seventh Division, first block the southward momentum of the Beiyang Army, and then recapture Nanjing according to the situation, and resist the Beiyang Army in the area north of the Yangtze River.

"How is it in Zhenjiang now?" As long as there are no accidents on the Nanjing side, then the strategic defense will be carried out according to the plan that has been formulated in the next few days, but the direction of Zhenjiang is much more complicated.

Zhenjiang and Nanjing have always been two mutually dependent military locations in modern times, before Huang Xing carried out strategic deployment was also in Zhenjiang to put a Jiangsu third division, used to prevent the Beiyang Eighth Division from crossing the river attack, a few days ago Zhang Xun's troops have also reached the north bank of the Yangtze River, but also tried several small-scale river crossing operations, but because the scale is too small and is a river crossing operation, so they have failed.

However, Huang Xing was persuaded by Sun Wen to go to Anhui, Huang Xing took away the Jiangsu First Division, the Second Division, his guard regiment and some other troops in Nanjing, totaling more than 20,000 people, but he could not take away the Jiangsu Third Division on the Zhenjiang side, on the one hand, the distance was too far, Huang Xing did not have time to transfer the troops back, and on the other hand, the Jiangsu Third Division in Zhenjiang was engaged in a battle with Zhang Xun's department, although the scale was not large, but if it retreated, it was likely to become a rout, but he couldn't take away the troops on the Zhenjiang side.

The commander of the third division of Jiangsu is Dong Hong, he is also born in the early years of the revolution with Sun Wengan, but also followed Huang Xing to plan several uprisings, after Xinhai he has been with Huang Xing, after the peace talks between the north and the south Huang Xing dismantled the people's army near Nanjing, he first served as the deputy commander of the eighth division, and then Huang Xing reorganized the eighth division into the first division of Jiangsu, and on this basis to form the second division of Jiangsu, the third division, he was successfully appointed as the commander of the third division of Jiangsu, This can be regarded as Huang Xing's subordinate in terms of relationship.

When he learned that Huang Xing had gone to Anhui despite himself, he was depressed. At that time, Zhang Xun also knew that Huang Xing had run away, and he did not cross the river head-on, but began to cross the river five or six miles away, trying to contain the troops on the Zhenjiang side, and waiting for the Fifth Division on that side to come to help.

In such a situation, he, Dong Hong, complained about Huang Xing in his heart, but he could only hold on to the scalp inheritance and urgently ask Hangzhou for help.

It was his request for help that Hangzhou transferred the First Division to Zhenjiang to meet the Jiangsu Third Division.

Feng Qin, as the chief of staff, was naturally clear about these situations, and immediately said: "At present, Dong Hong in Zhenjiang is still holding on, but judging from the situation he reported, due to the loss of Nanjing, they have no supplies, and the morale of the army is also very poor, I am afraid that it will not be able to delay for a few days!" ”

Chen Jingyun nodded: "Call him, let him hold on, and we will supply him in terms of supplies!" ”

Then he turned his head to Sun Guangliang and said: "Chief Sun, you can arrange this matter, and as soon as our army arrives in Zhenjiang, we will supply the Jiangsu Third Division in time!" ”

Sun Guangliang said: "Understood! ”

The reinforcement of Zhenjiang by the First Division was very fast, mainly through the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway, which was also the first time that the Nationalist Army felt the convenience of using the railway for rapid maneuvering. The railway in the southeast is roughly from Hangzhou to Shanghai, there is a Shanghai-Hangzhou line, and then the section from Shanghai to Nanjing is the Shanghai-Nanjing line, and these two railways are connected. Although the railway distance from Hangzhou to Zhenjiang is four to five hundred kilometers, it is far stronger than simply walking from Hangzhou to Nanjing.

When the 1st Division went to Zhenjiang for reinforcements, the 4th Division also followed, leaving a regiment stationed in Shanghai and along the railway, the main forces of the two regiments of the 4th Division also went to Zhenjiang along the Shanghai-Nanjing line.

Liang Xunqin, director of the Operations Department, who was responsible for drawing up a detailed battle plan, explained the battle plan to Chen Jingyun as follows: "Our army quickly maneuvered to Zhenjiang through the Shanghai-Nanjing Line and the Shanghai-Hangzhou Line, concentrated one division and one or two regiments to form a superior force, first held Zhenjiang, and then the troops on the Zhenjiang side coordinated with the troops on the Lishui side to capture Nanjing. As long as the two are well coordinated, then it is completely possible to form a superior force against the Beiyang Army in the direction of Nanjing. ”

According to this operational plan, the Nationalist Army will be able to concentrate three divisions of troops in Nanjing to attack Nanjing, and if it goes well, it will be able to move south to Nanjing in one fell swoop, completely reversing the current crisis.