Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

At this time, Zhao Ping'an had led the main force of the Third Battalion on a forced march to the scene. After joining forces with Zhao Dongliang, the brothers' strength was greatly increased.

"Brother, that's settled, the Fourth Regiment is gone. How's it going here?" Zhao Ping'an asked.

"We decimated one of his battalions, and now he's leaving one battalion to cover his retreat while the main force tries to escape." Zhao Dongliang pointed to the map.

"Desheng is blocking the way ahead, and Liu Dali is keeping an eye on the rearguard battalion. Ping'an, you leave a connecting pipe position behind to give our brothers a way out! The rest of you, come with me, we're going to take out Sun Degong's rearguard battalion."

"yes!"

With a clear division of labor, Zhao Ping'an immediately arranged for Liu Dazhu's third company to take over the position, and led Wang Dahe's second company to follow Liu Dali's location.

With the three forces combined, Zhao Dongliang observed the hastily constructed makeshift position of the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment and sneered:

"Mortars, prepare! Mark those obvious machine gun nests and command post! Liu Dali and Wang Dahe, each lead a company to flank from the left and right. Listen for my artillery fire!"

A few minutes later, several cannon shots rang out as several mortar shells landed precisely on key positions in the enemy's position, sending up bursts of fire and plumes of smoke.

The enemy's firepower was momentarily halted.

"Heavy machine guns, cover fire! Infantry, advance!" Zhao Ping'an ordered.

Six heavy machine guns were set up and began suppressing the enemy positions with long bursts of fire. At the same time, loud bugle calls and battle cries rang out from both flanks.

—Liu Dazhu and Wang Dahe's flanking forces have arrived!

Besieged on both sides and with their positions under heavy artillery fire, the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Regiment, already demoralized, collapsed instantly.

The soldiers abandoned their weapons and fled or knelt down to surrender. The battle ended quickly; most of the 3rd Battalion was annihilated or captured, with only a hundred or so escaping.

Zhao Ping'an left behind Wang Dahai's Second Company to clean up the battlefield and guard the prisoners, while he followed Zhao Dongliang and the other three companies, rushing to Zhao Desheng's blocking position without stopping.

Meanwhile, the battle on Zhao Desheng's side had just begun.

The atmosphere was heavy on Zhao Desheng's blocking position.

The soldiers were no longer the beggars they had been that morning; they were all dressed in neat uniforms, and their weapons were brand new.

—A uniform array of Type 38 rifles, several Czech light machine guns, and most importantly, four Maxim heavy machine guns were already set up at carefully selected firing positions, their muzzles pointing towards the narrow mountain path.

"They're here!" the observation post whispered.

In the distance, billowing smoke and dust could be seen, and the main forces of the First and Second Battalions of the First Regiment were retreating in panic, their ranks somewhat chaotic.

"Closer, closer..." Zhao Desheng lay prone behind cover, his eyes fixed on the approaching enemy.

When the enemy's vanguard was fully within optimal firing range and crowded the mountain path, Zhao Desheng suddenly swung his hand downwards and shouted, "Fire!"

"Thump thump thump thump—!"

Casualties: Thirty-seven people were injured, and two people died.

Zhao Dongliang's hands trembled slightly as he held the battle report.

He had fought for more than a decade and had fought many tough and victorious battles with Fu Zuoyi, but he had never won so decisively and so "comfortably" as he had today!

Every step was calculated ahead of the enemy, every firefight was fought with absolute firepower advantage, and with the support of walkie-talkies, every deployment was incredibly smooth.

The enemy was led into a carefully designed trap like a puppet, and then ruthlessly divided, surrounded, and annihilated.

He turned around abruptly, grabbed Zhao Ping'an's shoulders tightly, and his voice trembled with excitement:

"Ping An! Did you see that? We...we won! We won so beautifully!"

This is the first time in my life, Zhao Dongliang, that I've fought such a... such a "comfortable" battle! It's like... like an adult hitting a child!

Seeing the tears glistening in his elder brother's eyes and his unprecedented excitement, Zhao Ping'an was also filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

He knew that this was not just a victory in equipment and training, but also a crushing defeat in tactical thinking, organization, and information superiority.

This victory completely washed away the humiliation of the 6th Regiment in the past and proved to everyone the powerful fighting ability of this uprising force.

"Brother, this is just the beginning." Zhao Ping'an smiled, but his gaze was already fixed on something further away.

"With this 'gift', I have an even bigger gift to give you later, which will give us even more weight in our words."