After receiving Guo Bingxun's order to turn around, the first battle was successful, and Wang Guangyu, who had already defeated the resistance of a squadron of the Lin Fang detachment of the Fourth Division, did not hesitate at all to drive a wedge deep into the junction of the Fourth Division and the 44th Wing. With the fire support of a field artillery company, a fierce attack was launched on the 44th Wing from the southern flank.

Years of guerrilla experience as a weak enemy and a strong enemy have allowed Wang Guangyu to develop a stable character. Although he didn't know why Guo Bingxun changed the battle plan just after the battle started, he knew that it must be Du Kaishan's variables. Because the telegram was sent by the chief of staff who commanded the frontal operation, and not by the commander who was waiting in the north at the moment.

In order to break through the Japanese position in the shortest possible time and complete Guo Bingxun's order, it is also because the terrain in the south is more open than the terrain between two mountains and one ditch in Du Kaishan, which is attacked from the front. Wang Guangyu was not like Du Kaishan, because of the restrictions of the terrain, he could only invest troops one by one. Instead, two battalions were thrown into the attack at once.

Although he threw almost all the forces at hand into the attack, he knew that his troops were fighting against the 11th Division, a veteran division of the Japanese army, so he fought very steadily without losing flexibility.

He did not adopt the offensive tactics of pushing the stragglers on the front line, nor did he adopt the tactics of Du Kaishan striking and rushing, which was similar to fighting to the death. Rather, it adopts a multi-channel attack tactic that combines strong attack and penetration under the cover of artillery fire close fire, and a frontal attack is combined with a small area interspersed with detours on its flanks.

Wang Guangyu's focus is very accurate. Under his organization, a regiment of troops fought with tension and relaxation. It was only half an hour after the turn was completed that the southern flank of the 44th Wing was torn apart. After tearing apart the defensive positions of the Japanese army, Wang Guangyu, in addition to leaving behind an extended victory, personally led the rest of the troops to adopt the attack method of three groups and one team, and forcibly penetrated into the depth of the Japanese position according to Guo Bingxun's order.

The rescue of Sima Feng was just a company of rescue troops dispatched by his regiment that was interspersed into the depths of the Japanese army, near the location of the original headquarters of the 44th Wing of the Japanese Army, and was about to carry out the 44th Wing according to Guo Bingxun's order.

Compared with Du Kaishan's hard battle at the beginning, Wang Guangyu's progress was smooth. But Liu Changshun, who also started to play very easily, was quite speechless. His second regiment fought very well at the beginning, taking advantage of the opportunity that the Japanese attention of the Japanese army on the northern front was attracted by the middle and south routes, especially the middle road, and defeated the puppet Manchurian army on the first line in one fell swoop, and took advantage of the situation to tear open the Japanese defense line and penetrate deep into the Japanese position.

It's just that what he didn't expect was that the follow-up progress was extremely unsmooth. After tearing through the defense line of the Japanese army on the northern road, before he could intersperse the fight, the Japanese counterattack had already begun. The Japanese troops who counterattacked the two squadrons, and one squadron of the Japanese troops who converged on the two lines of defense, entangled his main force to the death.

With the strength of two battalions to fight a squadron of Japanese troops, Liu Changshun naturally had no problem. But three squadrons of Japanese troops came at once, and although they did not overstretch him, they also fell into a bitter battle.

Regarding Liu Changshun's unfavorable progress, Yang Zhen did not feel surprised. The 11th Division is a veteran division of the Japanese army, and its combat style is definitely not good at stubble among the Japanese army. Although the Battle of Songhu the year before last was a little unsmooth, as one of the first two divisions of the Shanghai Dispatch Army, the Japanese army was able to fight with hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops, including almost all the elite of the Central Army, before the arrival of Japanese reinforcements.

Of course, there are reasons for this, such as the backward equipment of the Chinese army, the lack of air and sea supremacy, the lack of heavy artillery, and the poor coordination ability of infantry artillery and infantry tank. However, the combat effectiveness of the 11th Division should not be underestimated, although its qualifications are not as old as those of the Fourth Division, but its real combat effectiveness and strong style are far from being comparable to the group of traders of the Fourth Division.

One of his wings, not to mention his current half-pulled troops, is the last army of the Central Army, and they may not be able to eat it in a short time. If it had changed its old unit and had had the worse equipped Eighteenth Army, it would have concentrated all three divisions, and I am afraid that it would not be an opponent in a regular face-to-face battle. In addition to the relatively excellent campaign planning, he has taken some tactical adjustments specifically to focus on the advantages of the Japanese army.

If the 11th Division, the veteran divisions of the Japanese army, were so easy to fight, wouldn't the hundreds of thousands of troops who concentrated all the so-called German armament divisions of the Central Army with new training, as well as the Gui Army and the Hunan Army, which were almost the best of the descendants of the Nationalist Government and miscellaneous brands, lose too unjustly?

Previously, Liu Changshun was able to break through his first line of defense in a short period of time, not so much because the combat effectiveness of his troops reached the level of the Japanese army, but because this guy took advantage of Du Kaishan. If it weren't for the fact that most of the attention of the Japanese army on the front was attracted by Du Kaishan, who took the lead in the frontal attack, how could he have made such great progress?

It's just that when Yang Zhen, who had been observing the battlefield situation with a telescope, found that the Japanese army actually took out two squadrons of troops at once and counterattacked his side, his brows furrowed deeply. Judging from the battle situation sent by Guo Bingxun, whether it was a frontal breakthrough or a breakthrough on the southern front, the Japanese army did not invest so many troops to launch a counterattack. It's just that part of the forces on the second-line defense has been added. Why is it so strong just to the north?

Putting down the telescope in his hand, Yang Zhen dragged the map and carefully calculated what the mystery was that would make this 44th Wing attach so much importance to the northern front?

Also observing the battle situation, Ma Chunsheng saw Yang Zhen's frowning brows, and after a little pondering, he understood what Yang Zhen was thinking about. Ma Chunsheng, who understood what the young commander was thinking, couldn't help but smile slightly. This commander has a lively brain, quick responses, and loves to use his brain to ponder, and although he is still a little immature in the use of troops, his vision of seeing problems is absolutely first-class.

But sometimes, it doesn't necessarily do any good to think too much, because it's easy to overthink things and complicate things. There are many things that can often be solved in the simplest way, to dissect. If you think about it, it might get complicated. Regarding the Japanese army's move to defend the northern front, I am afraid that this young commander feels a little abnormal.

After thinking about it, Ma Chunsheng walked up to Yang Zhen, pointed his finger on the location of the junction between the 44th Wing and the 3rd Cavalry Brigade on the map, and said: "The Japanese army is so desperate to counterattack, they are just trying to reopen the connection with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. It was clear that this 44th Wing did not trust the 4th Division. ”

"I don't know if they did it because of the character of the Fourth Division, or for some other reason. But one thing I know for sure is that the Forty-Fourth Wing is doing this to secure their own lifeline, or to protect their own way out. It is clear that they put their hopes for the 3rd Cavalry Brigade in the necessary time. ”

As soon as Ma Chunsheng said this, Yang Zhen immediately understood. The 44th Wing and the 4th Division have been participating in the encirclement and attack on Qunce Mountain for several days, and since they have been fighting side by side for several days, they naturally have a clear idea of what this 4th Division is. Once he is in danger, he will not be able to figure out that this Lin Fang detachment from the Fourth Division will leave himself and run first. Compared with the Fourth Division, it is natural that the Third Cavalry Brigade is more trustworthy.

Just to guarantee your way out, right? Thinking of this, Yang Zhen raised his head and looked at Ma Chunsheng opposite him a little uncertainly, and was silent for a long time before he said, "Do you mean that they have already retreated at this moment?" ”

In response to Yang Zhen's rhetorical question, Ma Chunsheng shook his head and said, "I can't see this yet." If it is light, it will retreat, which is not in line with the Japanese army's consistent style of taking the initiative to seek war. However, opening up the connection with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade is absolutely beneficial to the 44th Wing. ”

Ma Chunsheng's answer made Yang Zhen frown, but he didn't ask again. After looking at the map for a while, Yang Zhen stood up, threw the pencil in his hand onto the map and said, "I'll go to the chief of staff to meet him." I am here, and the battle situation of the other two regiments has to be forwarded to the chief of staff, and it is somewhat inconvenient to command the overall situation. This is under the command of you and Liu Changshun. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen pondered for a while and said, "You are responsible for the overall responsibility, and you can take over Liu Changshun's command when necessary." I only need one result, that is, the two battalions of the 2nd Regiment are exhausted, and I must not allow the 44th Wing to merge with the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. ”

Regarding Yang Zhen's idea of letting himself take charge of the overall situation, Ma Chunsheng was also taken aback. After a few days of contact, he already knew that this young chief was extremely courageous. But he didn't expect that his courage would be so great, and he actually let himself, who had only been in the army for a few days, command such a heavy burden that had a bearing on the overall situation. And what he meant in his words was that he was going to eat the forty-fourth wing in one bite.

After hesitating for a moment, Ma Chunsheng said: "This place is still under the command of Regiment Commander Liu, and I have full authority to assist him." I have only been in the army for a short time, and I am afraid that I will not be convinced by the general situation rashly. It is more important for me to be a good staff officer to Commander Liu. In addition, the commander I recommend yì don't fight hard. Judging from the current situation, once our casualties in this battle are too large, it will be extremely difficult to replenish the troops. I'm still building a rout battle. ”

Ma Chunsheng's construction made Yang Zhen shake his head and said: "My old army has a saying when fighting that it is better to cut off one finger than to hurt ten fingers. You've only been in the army for a short time, but you're still a veteran. The strength of an army's combat effectiveness is fundamentally there, and I don't need to tell you. ”

"Although we don't have the strength to fight hard with the entire Kwantung Army at the moment, we can bleed them a little bit. Gradually weaken his strength. If we completely annihilate one of their squadrons, we will destroy the backbone of one of their squadrons. To eliminate a brigade of them is to make them have to train a brigade of recruits from scratch. The more officers and veterans they exterminate for many years, the more their combat effectiveness will decline. ”

Regarding Yang Zhen's idea, Ma Chunsheng said with some disapproval: "I understand your thoughts, but you must also understand that the entire Anti-Japanese War has been fought for two years, and the Nationalist Government has suffered heavy losses, but for Japan or the Japanese army, it is far from breaking the bones." We've done our best, and people can't even reach in and half-stretch their bodies. ”

"Although the Japanese army does not live in the formation of new divisions, other veterans should be discharged normally. The Japanese army itself has a complete training system and mobilization system, and at least the soldiers they replenish are much stronger than those brought in by the national army. Since the formation of the troops, you have had several exchanges with the pioneer regiments in Manchuria composed of so-called soldiers in the countryside, what do you say about the combat effectiveness of these people? When necessary, with a conscription order, these people put on military uniforms and become another group of veterans. ”

"Unless the Japanese army is fully involved in a full-scale war like the First World War, and the army is massively expanded. Otherwise, under the complete mobilization system of the Japanese army, your tactic of cutting off one finger may not be able to play such a big role. Why should you afford a price that we probably can't afford now? ”

Regarding Ma Chunsheng's idea that he wanted to completely eat the 44th Wing, Yang Zhen shook his head and said, "Officers and soldiers who have never seen blood and have not fought can never be called soldiers. Exercise and training grounds can never replace the battlefield. Defeat a group of veterans who have actual combat experience, and they will have one less batch. Without a backbone, it will be much more difficult for the little devil to form a force with the same combat effectiveness. The traditions of the army have always been passed down by veterans. ”

Speaking of this, Yang Zhen looked at the sky that was approaching dusk, took the reins handed over by Xiaohuzi and turned over on the horse, and said to Ma Chunsheng: "I still have to hurry, so I won't say more." You should have a better grasp of the situation here, and if there is any situation, you should report it to the chief of staff first. Have faith in yourself. From here to Qunce Mountain, the fast horse gallops, but an hour's journey, I will try my best to rush through. ”

Although he is not very familiar with horseback riding, in order to meet Guo Bingxun as much as possible, Yang Zhen still rode the horse along the way. Even in order to buy time, he passed directly through the northwest corner of the battlefield where the fierce battle was taking place. When Yang Zhen arrived at Guo Bingxun's headquarters in Qunce Mountain, he had already received a report, and Guo Bingxun, who had been worried about him, breathed a sigh of relief.

After carefully looking at Yang Zhen and not finding that he was injured, Guo Bingxun smiled bitterly: "I said Commander, you can't live in peace." With only two guards, you dare to cross directly from the battlefield, are you a little too bold? If the commander-in-chief knew about this, he would have to scold him. ”

"You are the military commander of this unit, the commander of the entire unit. It's only an hour away, and you're going to take such a big risk? Your riding skills are not good, and you have two guards with you, what if something goes wrong along the way? Who commands the troops? ”

For Guo Bingxun's words of half complaining and half worried, Yang Zhen smiled: "I also want to bring a cavalry regiment to escort me, but we also have to have so many cavalry." Liu Changshun has more than a dozen war horses there, and I took them all, what should he do there? Besides, it's not like you haven't seen it behind me, what is there to be afraid of a few lonely ghost soldiers. ”

Regarding Yang Zhen's defense, Guo Bingxun said sternly: "Old Yang, you are the supreme military commander of this army, and your every move is related to the life and death of the army. If nothing else, it's for the sake of the troops, and you shouldn't take that risk. This is the battlefield, and even a missed bullet can kill someone. If the accident can be expected, can it be expected? ”

Looking at Guo Bingxun, who had a stern face, knowing that he was really angry, Yang Zhen hurriedly said: "Old Guo, I know it's wrong. Be careful next time. When this battle is over, you will be criticizing me. I'm not in a hurry. The shape of the battlefield changes in an instant, I don't have a radio station, and I am almost deaf and blind along the way, what if there is any change in the battle situation? It was precisely because I was the military commander that I was in a hurry to come back. ”

Hearing that Yang Zhen realized his mistake, Guo Bingxun did not dwell on it any longer, but immediately introduced to Yang Zhen the situation of his absence. After returning to the headquarters, Guo Bingxun laid out the latest battlefield diagram: "Commander, there have been new changes in the war situation during this time. ”

"After breaking through the defense of the Japanese army on the southern front, Wang Guangyu's regiment, which was penetrating the depth of the Japanese army, advanced smoothly. At this time, the Japanese army, including the commander of the 44th Wing, Kawama Hammer Taro Osa, had been encircled. After breaking through the second line of defense of the Japanese army in front of him, Du Kaishan, who was attacking and advancing to the rear of the Japanese army in the north who was fighting fiercely with Liu Changshun. ”

However, due to the extremely tenacious resistance of the Japanese army before, and due to the terrain restrictions, the casualties of the three regiments that could only be put into one battalion and one battalion were very large, and now only one battalion is still complete. The strength of its attacks decreases rapidly. At this time, Liu Changshun's second regiment was still in a fierce battle with the three squadrons of Japanese troops in front of him, and he made little progress. ”

"In the two parts of the Japanese army on the periphery, the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, after discovering that our troops had cut off their contact with the 44th Wing, continued to launch onslaught against our blocking troops in an attempt to reopen contact with the 44th Wing. It's just that these guys are all cavalry, and foot combat is not their forte. In the mountainous areas, where it was impossible to give full play to the combat advantages of its cavalry, it could only dismount and fight. Tactics are rigid and stiff. ”

"Compared with the almost desperate rescue of the Third Cavalry Brigade, the Lin Fang detachment left behind by the Fourth Division in the south after the withdrawal is very interesting. After Wang Guangyu cut off the contact with the rest of the 44th Wing, the rescue action was not active, and even gave people the impression that they were coping with errands. ”

"As a result of several adjustments to the deployment, all three regiments have now moved away from their original operational objectives. The entire battlefield is now almost completely disrupted. In addition, when the second line of defense of the Japanese army in front of him was blocked, Du Kaishan dispatched a small unit to take advantage of the opportunity that the Japanese army in front of him had been firmly attracted by him to carry out a forced penetration, defeated the Japanese headquarters, and captured the communication code of the 44th Wing up and down and the communication with the Japanese troops on the left and right. ”

"What is most beneficial to us now is that after the command headquarters has been knocked out and all means of communication have been lost, the entire 44th Wing has fallen into a situation of fighting on its own, creating a good condition for our army's next operation. In order to completely destroy the contact with the Japanese army, I have ordered Li Mingrui to personally lead a reconnaissance company to infiltrate the battlefield and hunt down the Japanese signal corps. On the disadvantage, the sky has gradually begun to darken, and the artillery superiority of our army in the previous battle has been almost completely lost. ”

"As one of the veteran divisions of the Japanese army, the 11th Division once received systematic night combat training. Except for a few veteran backbones, most of the new soldiers in our army have not yet started this kind of training. Although it has an advantage in terms of strength and firepower, it is difficult to take advantage of it in night battles. Commander, see if you should suspend the attack and wait until tomorrow dawn to resume the attack. ”

Regarding Guo Bingxun's idea of suspending the attack, Yang Zhen shook his head and said, "Old Guo, I understand your thoughts. But we can't pause the attack now, under any circumstances. Judging from the current situation, although our original battle plan has changed greatly, it can be said that we have completed the division of the 44th Wing of the Japanese Army. ”

"If we can't complete the encirclement and annihilation of it as much as possible, once the Japanese army mobilizes reinforcements to arrive. At that point, we will be in a situation where we will be in a situation where we are in the back of the enemy. According to the combat habits of the Japanese army, after discovering that the 44th Wing was divided and surrounded by us, they would definitely not sit idly by. It is bound to be rescued in the shortest possible time. ”

"Even if it takes a while for the devil to mobilize reinforcements, if the Japanese troops in the encirclement take advantage of the suspension of our army's attack, concentrate the remaining forces to break through, or implement a tactical counterattack and regroup together, it will bring a lot of unnecessary trouble to our next battle."

Although Du Kaishan broke the brains of the 44th Wing, the 44th Wing is currently in a situation of fighting on its own. But after all, they are one of the old regular divisions of the devils. The initiative of its junior officers is very strong. Once they find that they have lost contact with their superiors, they will try to get closer to each other. We stopped attacking during the night, and it was easy for them to take advantage of their opportunities. ”

"So, at the moment, not only can we not stop attacking, but we have to intensify our attack. The fact that many people in the army have not experienced night battles does not mean that they should not study, and since we have not had time to train on the training ground, we can only let them go to the battlefield to learn. Lao Guo, now is not the time to feel sorry for the troops. ”

Regarding Yang Zhen's attitude, Guo Bingxun hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded. He knew that what Yang Zhen said was not wrong, and now was not the time to feel sorry for the troops. Not to mention the Japanese reinforcements who don't know when they will be dispatched, that is, if the Japanese troops in the encirclement take advantage of their own suspension of the attack and get a chance to breathe, relaunch a counterattack, and gather together, then the next operation will appear passive.