Fuding County, the county seat in the northeast of Fujian in the early years, like other coastal ports in Fujian, relied on the import and forwarding of foreign tobacco and the export of porcelain tea and other things were very prosperous for a while, but in recent years, with the Qing court vigorously promoting national tobacco, Yunnan and other provinces of tobacco squeezed the domestic market, and the gradual decline of tea and porcelain exports made Fujian's fragile economic system suffer a disaster surname, not only the economic decline of Fuzhou and Xiamen, these major ports, even the small county town of Fuding has also been significantly affected.

In recent years, although Fuding County, which has gradually declined, is becoming less and less than before, its geographical status has not weakened with the weakening of the economy: Fuding is not only a coastal county, but more importantly, it is close to Zhejiang, whether it is from Zhejiang to attack Fujian, or from Fujian to attack Zhejiang, Fuding is a must for both sides. Because it has attracted a lot of attention as the northeast coastal gate of Fujian, even the newly formed new army has a battalion stationed here.

However, in the past few days, the people in Fuding County have found that the battalion of new troops stationed in the city seems to be in chaos, and the soldiers of the new army have begun to walk through the streets one after another, but looking in their direction to look outside the city. Some people who are not well-informed think that something is going on: "Is this something wrong?" Could it be that the bandits have come over? ”

Someone immediately answered him: "It's not a bandit, it's the national army!" ”

"The National Army?" Some people were puzzled: "Is it the National Army from Fuzhou?" Revolutionaries? ”

"Hmmm! That's them! ”

"I heard a few days ago that they were in Lianjiang, why did they come to our Fuding?"

"When did you have the news, the newspaper said that Lianjiang County had already been taken by Ma Cheng, and the people had already arrived outside Fuding City all the way north along the coast!" This person is obviously very concerned about the current situation, and he says it in a set way.

"That's fast! But who is this Ma Cheng? Isn't the military and political axe governor of Fuzhou called Chen Jingyun? Someone continued to ask.

Immediately, someone showed a look of disdain: "What kind of person is Chen Jingyun, but there are tens of thousands of strong soldiers under the Metropolitan Governor, and there are many generals, how can he personally bring people to Fuding!" The person who led the troops was called Ma Cheng, and it is said that he was Chen Jingyun's henchman, leading tens of thousands of troops! ”

"Tens of thousands? My good man, there are only six or seven hundred new troops in this Fuding City, this can't be stopped! ”

"You are wrong again, some time ago, the new army was only six or seven hundred, but these days I heard that they are all arresting Ding, plus the other patrol battalions, to say the least, there are two thousand!" Speaking of this, the man touched the braid on the back of his head again: "But I guess I can't stop it!" It's just that I heard that the National Army has to cut braids everywhere it goes, and I guess I can't keep this braid! ”

"Braids or no head?" Some people were frightened: "How can the parents of the body hair and skin be cut off easily!" ”

"Come on, if your ancestors dared to say this more than two hundred years ago, it is estimated that there would be no you!"

Not to mention the panic among the people in Fuding City, the price of food and other daily necessities have risen in an uproar, and look at a hill outside the city, several New Army officers wearing navy blue military uniforms and bowled front-brimmed hats are holding binoculars and looking into the distance, these people are none other than the officers of the 2nd Battalion of the 39th Standard of the Tenth Town!

After a while, these people put down the binoculars one after another, and the leader had a dark face: "It seems that the national army has made up its mind to take Fuding!" ”

At this time, a young officer behind him said: "Brother Ling, even if he Ma Cheng has a case far better than us, but we now have nearly 2,000 people, it may not be impossible to stop it!" ”

Another, older officer, had a different opinion: "Block? What do we rely on, although we have recruited a lot of people these days, but only a hundred or so people from our second battalion and patrol battalion can fight, and the rest can hold their guns steadily, how to block Ma Cheng's whole group of people! ”

"And when they still have cannons, what will we use to block the whole six 75-mm cannons!"

Gu Baoyu is also psychologically complicated at this time, as the pipe band of the second battalion of the 39th standard, he was born in the Fujian Military Academy, and he has heard a little about those revolutionary parties before, after the Wuchang incident, he is the same as all the generals of the Southern New Army, he is concerned about the development of events in various places, when Fuzhou is recovered, in the face of Chen Jingyun's persuasion telegram, Gu Baoyu is very embarrassed, on the one hand, he does not want to surrender to the revolutionary party in his heart, but on the other hand, he also knows that the domestic republic is the general trend, and he alone cannot be stopped.

Therefore, he ignored Chen Jingyun's telegram of persuasion to surrender, neither recognized nor opposed the Fuzhou military and political axe, but secretly expanded and merged continuously to guard against the national army in the direction of Fuzhou. Originally, I thought that his Fuding was located in the northeast of Fujian, and there was still the first battalion of the 39th standard in Lianjiang County in the middle, but I didn't expect that as soon as Ma Cheng's first brigade of the national army arrived in Lianjiang County, the first battalion of the 39th standard took his subordinates to surrender.

So much so that just half a month later, Ma Cheng's first brigade came to the city of Fuding, which made him anxious, and without waiting for the training of the newly recruited two battalions of soldiers, he pulled the troops out of the city to fortify, and before the first brigade came, he relied on the terrain to arrange a defensive line outside the city. As for whether he can block it, he has no bottom in his heart.

"Hasn't there been a reply from Twenty-One Town yet?" Gu Baoyu was not arrogant, when he felt that he was not sure to resist the national army, he sent a telegram asking for help to the twenty-first town in the neighboring province of Zhejiang, but there was no reply for so many days, let alone sending a new army to support, and even the old army patrol battalion and the like did not see anyone.

"There is no reply yet, but I heard that there is also a lot of chaos over there, Shanghai has gone anyway, I don't think Zhejiang will dare to send the twenty-first town over, as for the old army of the patrol battalion, it is estimated that they will also be stationed in situ to monitor the new army!" Someone reciprocated to him right now.

"Fuck, they don't come to the rescue, after the Nationalist Army takes Fuding, Zhejiang is the southern gateway to the cave, and the Nationalist Army can kill Wenzhou at night, and then see what they do?"

When Gu Baoyu and others were sad, Ma Cheng and the others were smiling, since the uprising, Ma Chengcheng, who was deeply trusted by Chen Jingyun, was smooth sailing, first as the regiment commander, and then directly promoted to the brigade commander of the First Brigade. As Chen Jingyun's henchman, the First Brigade was the first to be fully equipped, and in less than ten days, Ma Cheng grew from a small pipe band to a senior general with an army of nearly 5,000 in his hands.

When I was in Lianjiang County a few days ago, I was worried that Chen Chen's first battalion of the 39th standard would also be as hard a bone as the 37th standard, which would make his fledgling department suffer a lot of losses, so I was worried for several days, but I thought that Chen Zhen was far happier than Qin Yunian, and when Ma Cheng's vanguard reconnaissance cavalry arrived outside Lianjiang County, he Chen Zhen surrendered, which made Ma Cheng surprised and relieved a lot.

The surrendered Qing army, the old and new armies, who were willing to join the national army, were organized into four companies and assigned to four battalions, and at the same time, one company was drawn from each of these four battalions to form a new infantry battalion to garrison Lianjiang, while Ma Cheng led the first brigade to continue northward, and finally arrived at the city of Fuding a few days later.

And this time, Gu Baoyu, the commander of the second battalion of Fuding's 39th standard, was not as good at talking as Chen Chen, not only arranged the defense line first, but also seemed to have expanded the army to at least three battalions with 2,000 men.

According to the management, he first sent someone to persuade him to surrender, but Gu Baoyu avoided it! Next, Ma Cheng didn't want to talk nonsense, and directly asked his subordinates to make all kinds of preparations, preparing to forcibly attack and take Fuding.

In the temporary headquarters of the First Brigade, Brigade Commander Ma Cheng, Deputy Brigade Commander Xiao Qibin, Second Regiment Commander Lin Feitai, New First Regiment Commander Jia Tao, and battalion commanders were all sitting upright, and the desktop was covered with a military map near Fuding!

"What do you think, tell me!" Ma Cheng has been a brigade commander for so many days, and he can be regarded as having found the momentum of Shangguan, and he talked one after another, and as soon as the words came out, everyone's attention was attracted to him.

First of all, Xiao Qibin spoke: "This Fuding is not easy to fight, there are many mountains near the county seat, and the enemy army has now set up a defense line on the periphery relying on the terrain!" ”

Lin Feitai also nodded: "I went to the front line just now to see, the enemy's fortifications were dug very carefully, and if you want to attack, I'm afraid there will be a lot of casualties!" ”

Jia Tao said: "Although they have terrain, but we have advantages in strength and firepower, and the problem of taking it is not big, it is the casualties ......."

Everyone does not have much doubt about taking Fuding, whether it is morale or firepower, the first brigade has an absolute advantage, and it is never a problem to take a Fuding, and now the crux of the problem is that the enemy will suffer a lot of losses if they defend and attack, and if the losses suffered are too great, even if they take Fuding, they will be punished by the governor, which is not what they want.

Ma Cheng glanced at everyone before he said: "Before leaving, the governor told me that I must take Fuding within half a month, lay the foundation for the northeast of Fujian, and thus promote the prestige inside and outside Fujian, and now it has been twelve days!" ”

Ma Cheng's words were very simple: "No matter what, we must take Fuding within three days, otherwise I will have no face to see the governor!" ”

Hearing that Ma Cheng's attitude was so resolute, everyone also showed a resolute look, and Lin Feitai said: "Brigade seat, I ask you to take the department to attack Pig's Head Mountain as the forward of the whole army."

Pig's Head Mountain is located three miles outside Fuding County, no more than two hundred meters high, but this hill is a little dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, the main peak has been stretched to the eastern seaside, and Gu Baoyu's defense line is based on Pig's Head Mountain. However, once the pig's head mountain is taken, the six guns of the artillery company of the first brigade can be pulled up, so that the artillery fire can cover the entire Fuding area, and the pig's head mountain can not only be used as an artillery position, but also it faces the side of Fuding county town is relatively gentle, and the infantry can rush down Fuding county town along this direction.

It can be said that taking Pig's Head Mountain means winning Fuding. It is precisely because of the important surname of Pig's Head Mountain that it is expected that the enemy army will definitely deploy heavy troops there, and it is not so simple to take it.

"I am very happy that Feitai has this determination! In this way, the main attack task was handed over to the 2nd regiment, the 1st regiment pinned down the enemy troops, and the artillery company carried out artillery support! Ma Cheng continued: "After the various departments are ready, they will launch an attack tomorrow morning!" ”

On the same day, the various units of the Nationalist Army had already begun to deploy, and at night the Nationalist Army launched several small-scale night attacks on the frontal front, although it could not break through the enemy's position, but it successfully attracted the attention of the enemy and pinned down the enemy's main force.

Before dawn the next day, the artillery of the artillery battery of the National Army began to carry out heavy shelling in the direction of Pig's Head Mountain