The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Travel everywhere~~~The road is long and the water is long"

"Lost in the village after village..."

During the march, the First Division sang songs. Besides the divisional choir song, the soldiers sang any song they could find. "Zou Si Fang" (Spinning Around the World) was a song Chen Tianheng created during his time in Hengbei. Now, all the soldiers in the First Division know how to sing it and quite like it.

"We're really just wandering around now," Lu Deming said. "We're on this vast plain, one village after another. What's the name of the village ahead?"

Huang Wei: "Shuangduiji. It's 28 kilometers away from Suxian.

Lu Deming: "There should be two large mounds or small hills. Where are the mounds?"

"They are not two small hills. In ancient times, there were two large tombs here. The mounds were burial mounds. Later, the mounds were washed away by rain and dug by villagers, and the name of the village was left behind."

Chen Tianheng, who was riding in the front, turned around and glanced at Huang Wei, Xu Xiangqian and the others: "Let's rush to the front.

Huang Wei: "Yes, it would be best if we could catch up with the first group.

The marching column of the 1st Division was under the control of the regimental commander and was well managed. Chen Tianheng and several staff officers from the division headquarters rode their horses and gradually moved forward, but when they arrived in Suxian, they were still a step too late and the battle was over.

"After completing their reconnaissance mission, the reconnaissance company also engaged in the battle to eliminate the outer strongholds of Suxian County, if those could be considered outer strongholds," Zheng Dongguo said. "There wasn't much suspense. When the First Regiment arrived, they skipped the outer battles. The two battalions attacked the city from two directions—the wall had been breached, too—and they took it in one attack."

Chen Tianheng: "Clear the battlefield, recruit and take in the defeated soldiers who have fled into the county town,

Also, check if there are any available locomotives and wagons at Suxian Station. The second regiment will rush to Caocun Station."

Zheng Dongguo: “There really isn’t a locomotive here.

Wei Lihuang: "The Second Regiment has no problem marching; they don't necessarily need to rely on the railway."

Chen Tianheng: "You have marched 40 kilometers from day to afternoon today. Caocun Station is 30 kilometers from Suxian. Your Second Regiment will also need to carry food and ammunition for five days of independent operations. ... Motorcade, arrange 12 trucks.

Huang Wei: “It has been arranged.

The Second Regiment was divided into three groups, the front, the middle, and the back, and rushed towards Cao Village. The front was a reinforced company carried by 12 cars; the middle group was the rest of the Second Regiment's infantry; and the rear was a group of wagons carrying food and ammunition.

In order to maintain reliable contact with the headquarters of the First Division, the Second Regiment carried two radios with it, one being the regimental radio carried on its own horse-drawn carriage, and the other being the reconnaissance battalion's portable radio.

According to intelligence, there are very few defenders at Caocun Station, and there is no old city wall (not even one with a gap in it), so the reinforced company's assault is likely to take it down.

In Suxian, Chen Tianheng waited until 7:30 in the evening, when Wei Lihuang called through the Caocun-Suxian railway telephone line, saying that the Second Regiment had captured Caocun.

The Third Regiment, the baggage train, and all the troops of the First Division have arrived in Suxian. Yuan Yelie commanded the vehicles to deploy 8 field guns on both sides of the railway north of Suxian City, hiding them and waiting for Zhang Zongchang's armored train. The Third Regiment also deployed its defenses towards Xuzhou.

What Chen Tianheng had to wait for next was news from the Fifth Battalion of the Reconnaissance Battalion.

The.

The Fifth Brigade in Guzhen was waiting for it to get completely dark.

The headquarters of the An Guo Army was in Caolaoji, a railway station 15 kilometers north of Bengbu.

Now Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang had to reconsider the next stage of this battle.

At around 4:00 p.m., the defenders of Suxian suddenly sent a radio message, reporting that Suxian was under fierce attack by the Northern Expedition Army. After this telegram, there was complete silence in the Suxian direction. Telegraphs and telephones were not working, and no more radio messages were sent.

"Commander-in-Chief, Vice Marshal Sun," Zhang Zongchang said, "Suxian is the midpoint between Xuzhou and Bengbu. If Suxian is cut off, the Jinpu Railway will be cut off, which will have a significant impact on our operations. We must restore the railway line."

Zhang Xueliang: "My Third Front Army can send troops back to attack Suxian. Marshal Zhang, where are your troops in Xuzhou?"

Zhang Zongchang: "Naturally, we will also march towards Suxian, advancing from the north and south to recapture Suxian. I have armored trains and the 15th Army in Xuzhou.

Zhang Xueliang: "The Northern Expeditionary force that crossed the river yesterday was said to be the Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army. Could this Northern Expeditionary force that suddenly appeared in Suxian today be the First Division of the Revolutionary Sword?"

"Very likely. We need to be more careful."

Sun Chuanfang: "Commander, ... I think we can discuss a retreat plan and withdraw the troops currently concentrated in Huaibei to Xuzhou.

Zhang Xueliang: "Withdraw the troops?"

Sun Chuanfang stated: "After several days of attacking, our army has been unable to gain a foothold on the other side of the Huai River. The Fourth Army on the east side has been forced back across the river. Although we have gained control of the situation, the Fourth Army of the Northern Expedition is already seriously threatening our flank. Now that Suxian has fallen, it is likely that the Northern Expedition has crossed the river at a secret location on the western front to make a detour. Our entire army is in great trouble."

Zhang Xueliang's good mood for the day was gone, and he frowned and said: "It seems that the hundreds of thousands of people fought in vain.

"Yes, Commander, but..."

"All right, all right," said Zhang Xueliang. "I know how to fight. It's time to pull back and reorganize things in Xuzhou. Everything is in chaos. After we take Suxian tomorrow, we'll gradually pull the troops back. The artillery corps should be withdrawn first."

"yes!

The action agreed upon by Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang to open up Suxian and gradually withdraw will be implemented tomorrow, March 4th.

In the darkness of night, the Fifth Battalion - the Reconnaissance and Demolition Battalion Action Group launched an attack.

On the river upstream of the bridge, Huang Yinglong observed the two ends of the Guzhen Railway Bridge. Under the dim lights, two soldiers with rifles were guarding each end. These soldiers may have just finished dinner and were a little sleepy and listless.

The advantage of attacking the Guzhen Railway Bridge was that the defenders were relaxed and their combat skills were not high. The disadvantage was that the railway bridge was only 600 meters away from the Guzhen garrison barracks.

Therefore, the action team must eliminate the guards at both ends without firing a shot.

Guan Linzheng said that there is a kind of silent pistol in foreign countries, which means there is no sound when firing, but we haven't had time to get it yet. This time, the action team will have to rely on swordsmanship and crossbows to find the sentry.

In the distance, lights flickered on the bridge. A dazed An Guojun soldier suddenly froze and collapsed onto the track. The seated soldier, startled, stood up and ran a few steps to see what had happened to his good friend. As he left his post, a figure leaped from the ground nearby and tackled the soldier, gun and all, to the ground.

This is the northern end of the bridge. A similar scene is playing out at the southern railway bridge.

Two minutes later, the team members at the railway bridge appeared and waved their flashlights twice clockwise upstream to signal. Huang Yinglong waved his flashlight three times in response.

“Aren’t we going to blow up the bridge piers?

Huang Yinglong: "Yes, blow up the bridge, just blow up a section of the beam. If the bridge piers are broken, it will be impossible to repair it in a few months. The people of the whole country will curse the Fifth Battalion."

Xuzhou.

Xuzhou Bureau of Jinpu Railway. Deputy Manager Wen Yanrong, who was working the night shift in the office, suddenly received a call.

Wen Yanrong: "Yes! This is the Xuzhou branch of Jinpu Road! Manager Wen!"

“How much does it cost to buy the Guzhen Railway Bridge?

Wen Yanrong: "Ah???"

"Oh, Manager Wen, I'd like to ask how much did it cost to repair the Guzhen Railway Bridge?"

"How can I remember that clearly?" Wen Yanrong asked in confusion. "The cost of the bridge built in Guzhen over the Hui River must have been at least 700,000 or 800,000 yuan, right?"

"I see. It doesn't seem very expensive." The mysterious voice on the other end of the phone said this and then hung up.

In Suxian, Chen Tianheng, bored, hung up the phone. He had nothing to do just now, so he called the Xuzhou Railway Bureau to have some fun.

There was nothing to do because... he was waiting for news from the reconnaissance and demolition team and the second division.

According to Bai Chongxi's new battle plan, Liu Zhi's Second Division does not need to monitor Huaiyuan County for 48 hours, 24 hours is enough. This morning, the Second Division has left the west side of Huaiyuan County, and Xue Yue took over the monitoring mission. Liu Zhi led the entire division north.

"Commander! The Second Division's radio has responded to the call!

Chen Tianheng: "Finally he's online! Tell him where the Second Division is camping today."

….The Second Division called back and said that they had marched 48 kilometers today. The First Regiment had already seen the floating bridge over the Rui River that we had built. The Second and Third Regiments were 5 kilometers behind the First Regiment.

Liu Zhi's marching speed was not slow, but... this division got separated. The first regiment, which had the strongest legs, walked 48 kilometers, and the second and third regiments could not stay in the camp after walking 43 kilometers.

Chen Tianheng: "This distance is neither far nor near, which is rather awkward. I called back to ask: The entire march is 98 kilometers. Will the Second Division arrive in Suxian tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

...I received a call back from Liu Zhi! He said he would do everything in his power to ensure the swift march of the First Regiment. The First Regiment could arrive in Suxian by tomorrow afternoon!"

Chen Tianheng: "Very good."

Guzhen. 9:15 p.m.

The railway bridge in the south of the town suddenly made an earth-shattering explosion, and the An Guojun military camp hundreds of meters away was shocked.

"Railway bridge? Railway bridge!

"There's an accident on the railway bridge!"

The garrison commander led a group of soldiers and hurried along the railway at night. When they reached the railway bridge, they saw a scene that made them depressed:

In the middle of the railway bridge, a section of the beam more than 20 meters long connecting the two piers has disappeared!

Chapter 68, Guarding Su County

Sun Chuanfang, deputy commander-in-chief of the An Guo Army and commander-in-chief of the Five Provinces Allied Forces, has been in a good mood in recent days.

Since October last year, Sun Chuanfang had suffered a series of setbacks, lost most of his territory, and his self-confidence was severely hit. However, all these frustrations were thrown away as the Fengtian Army suffered repeated setbacks on the Huaihe River defense line.

The Fengtian Army was no better than this! Despite the fierce artillery fire and the infantry's forced crossing of the Huai River, the Northern Expedition Army's charge wiped out all 3,000 people who crossed the river.

A branch of the Fengtian Army, Zhang Zongchang's Zhilu Allied Forces were no more than that! With the original Fengtian Army artillery support, the infantry forced a crossing of the Huai River. The Northern Expedition Army charged and wiped out all 3,000 people who crossed the river.

Zhang Zongchang, you should just write poetry.

So, it’s not that I, Sun Chuanfang, can’t fight, it’s just that the Northern Expedition Army is too strong, and it doesn’t matter who encounters it.

With this comfort, Sun Chuanfang fell asleep peacefully.

The next morning, Sun Chuanfang woke up in his own carriage on the special train, waiting for the orderly to bring him breakfast.

Breakfast must include pancakes, made with green onions shipped from Shandong, and a bowl of hot Tai'an noodle soup.

..The orderly didn’t come, but Sun Chuanfang’s staff officer did.

"Marshal, the railway bridge in Guzhen has been blown up by the Northern Expedition Army! Our retreat is cut off!"

Guzhen.

The first to arrive at the south side of Guzhen was Wang Shuchang, commander of the 10th Army of the Fengtian Army.

What he saw was the Ruihe Railway Bridge, with a section of its girder missing. It was unknown how the Northern Expedition Army had blown it up, but the piers and other girders remained intact. It was just this section that had been flung away and was probably now in the Ruihe River.

It is not difficult to repair such damage. The Xuzhou Bureau of Jinpu Railway has a repair vehicle that brings a beam and stops at the bridge head. It lifts the beam and sends it forward. A platform is built at the other end of the bridge to provide support. The beam is placed flat in its original position. The rest is just a small job and it can be repaired in less than a week.

Key point: The repair train from Xuzhou Bureau must arrive.

According to various intelligence reports, Suxian had been occupied by the Northern Expedition Army and the repair train could not get there at all.

Now the situation north of the Rui River was not peaceful. Inside Guzhen, there were still bursts of gunfire, a constant clatter of "da-da-da" and "bang-bang-bang".

"Commander, it's our 88th Regiment stationed in this town! This isn't looking good!"

"I," Wang Shuchang's throat tightened: "Of course I know that the 88th Regiment is not doing well! The key now is that our 10th Army, no, all of us, are not doing well now! Notify the people below to find a boat quickly.

Suxian North, Caocun Railway Station.

It was 10 o'clock in the morning and Wei Lihuang was still at the train station, using the railway telephone to contact Suxian.

"There were no large-scale enemy forces approaching, either on the railway or on the highway," Wei Lihuang said. "At 9:30, a few scouts arrived from the north. They made brief contact with our front-line troops and then fled back. The troops had already set up a second radio station 3 kilometers west of the road and had selected a camping site for the entire regiment.

Chen Tianheng: "Maintain vigilance, and gradually withdraw the main forces from the railway line. Pay special attention to the direction of the railway, as the enemy may charge directly with armored trains without prior preparation.

Wei Lihuang: “We have dismantled two sections of track 1 kilometer north of the station.

Chen Tianheng put down the phone and said, "The railway is cut off, and 12 troops are trapped between Xuzhou and Bengbu. Food and ammunition are running out of stock. This is a matter of urgency. Why didn't the An Guojun rush to rescue us? They made Wei Lihuang wait so long."

Xu Xiangqian: "Either the wireless communication between the Anguo Army Headquarters and Xuzhou was poor, or the 15th Army in Xuzhou was lax in its combat readiness.

Lu Deming: "Another possibility is that the 15th Army is timid and afraid to confront the 1st Division."

Xu Xiangqian: "Did Liu Wenzhao of the 15th Army fight against us?"

"No, but he had a nephew who was in the Five Provinces Allied Forces, ah, that is, the Soviet 10th Division. He was captured by us and then released. After that, he left the Five Provinces Allied Forces and went to join Liu Wenzhao.

Xu Xiangqian: "That's understandable.

"Hello! I'm Zheng Dongguo! The First Regiment has cleared out the remaining enemy forces in Guzhen and established a command post in the north of the town!"

It was still the railway phone on Jinpu Road. Zheng Dongguo called back and said that Guzhen had been settled.

Chen Tianheng: "Leave one battalion to guard the broken bridge in Guzhen, and the rest of the First Regiment will immediately implement the river defense plan!"

The general direction of the Ruihe River is from northwest to southeast. The river channel in Guzhen is 100 meters wide. The river width in the northwest, that is, upstream of Guzhen, is 90 to 120 meters, and the river width in the downstream is 100 to 150 meters.

Even though the railway bridge had been blown up, if the An Guojun desperately tried to escape, they would find a boat to cross the river or build a pontoon bridge. This would mean losing all their heavy artillery, tanks, and a considerable amount of baggage, but at least 10 people would be able to escape.

The river defense line to be established by the First Regiment is 20 kilometers wide, with Guzhen as the center and extending 10 kilometers upstream and downstream.

This defensive width is a bit too large for a single regiment, but preventing the An Guo army from crossing the river and escaping to the north is not a task that the First Regiment alone must complete. The First Regiment is only conducting preliminary reconnaissance.

"Commander!"

Zheng Dongguo saluted and Chen Tianheng jumped out of the passenger seat of the truck.

"Commander, the downstream road is in good condition, but there is a bad section of the upstream road. We need engineer support."

Chen Tianheng: "I've also brought the 3rd Regiment's engineering company here. And the division's communications team. Communications are as important as roads. Let's go to the front line and take a look."

Walk 2 kilometers downstream from Guzhen, you will find the construction site of the Second Battalion of the First Regiment