The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Chen Tianheng looks at the deployment icon of the 36th Army in Miluo Town.

The three divisions of the 36th Army were carefully deployed in and around Miluo Town, very close to each other and also close to the Miluo River Bridge.

It is estimated that today and tomorrow, the national army crossing the river will be in this cautious group formation.

Chen Tianheng looked at the map again and saw that 50 kilometers east of Miluo Town was Pingjiang County, where Peng Dehuai led his troops away during the uprising.

"Is it possible for the enemy to attack in a combined force? They could march south from Miluo Town, cross the Miluo River from Pingjiang County, and use this route to encircle Changsha?"

Chen Mingren: "So far, the enemy forces present in Pingjiang County are part of the 2nd Division of the 35th Army. Two of their regiments have crossed the pontoon bridge to the county seat on the south bank, while the divisional headquarters remains in Jinwo Village, north of the river. Aside from the 2nd Division of the 35th Army, no other Nationalist troops have been detected concentrating in Pingjiang."

Chen Tianheng: "We should respond as if the enemy is attacking along a single route, namely the railway line.

The National Army did not use the entry-level battle tactic - divide and conquer, or they may not have dared to use this tactic for fear that one of the two pincers they extended would be completely broken.

Now we only need to consider the enemy troops that start from Miluo Town and advance towards Changsha step by step along the railway.

It is not difficult to repel this group of enemy troops, but if you want to completely wipe out one or two divisions or more, you have to wait patiently for Tang Shengzhi to reveal his weakness.

Aishega::

"Commander Chen.

"Director Deng, you have to appear at the headquarters every day these days.

Deng Yanda came again. He looked around the headquarters for a while. Then it was lunchtime, and he and Chen Tianheng were eating in the cafeteria.

"Commander-in-Chief Chen, have you noticed that these past few days, when there's been a lot of fighting going on in the east and north, you've only been focusing on one thing at a time? In some cases, you've been focusing on one thing for quite a while.

"Hmm..." Chen Tianheng thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case.

“It seems like there is a problem.

Deng Yanda: "A few months ago, I was still at the Northern Expedition headquarters. The political director did not participate in the command of operations, but I would observe how they commanded the entire Northern Expedition Army and the Northern Expedition War. So, I made a comparison and it seems that there is this difference."

"Yes, we're currently engaged in a campaign involving a vast territory and numerous units. I'm bringing over the working methods I used to master when I was a division commander," Chen Tianheng said. "The Northern Expedition's headquarters should be Chief of Staff Bai Chongxi, right? I used to consult him frequently for a while... It seems I still have a lot to learn about commanding large-scale campaigns."

Deng Yanda shook his head: "No, at the Northern Expedition headquarters, I think the person most comfortable and skilled in dispatching troops was not Bai Chongxi, but General Galen, the chief military advisor."

Chen Tianheng: "That's right. General Galen was a senior commander during the Soviet Civil War. Before coming to China, he was the commander of the Far East Military Region and possesses the ability to command front-line operations. Director Deng, thank you for your reminder. I will pay more attention to this aspect in the future and control the entire battle process from a global perspective."

"But our campaign has been progressing smoothly so far," Deng Yanda said. "And I've also discovered that the division commanders and even regimental commanders of the First Army are able to assess the situation from a global perspective and direct their troops to respond appropriately. Their tactical command capabilities are also quite strong. This has given us the initiative in every direction across the battlefield."

"Besides the division commanders and regimental commanders, Chief of Staff Liu has also been very effective," Chen Tianheng said. "That's why I've allowed Chief of Staff Liu, the chief steward, to directly issue military orders in most cases. But Director Deng, your reminder is indeed very important."

"I've only seen pigs run, haha," Deng Yanda laughed. "So I can only describe how a pig runs. As for how to be a good commander of this front, Commander-in-Chief Chen probably has to experience it firsthand."

Chen Tianheng: "Director Deng, did you know that when General Galen was still at the headquarters, he mentioned that some young Chinese officers could be sent to the Soviet Union to receive training as senior military commanders?"

Deng Yanda: “There was such a plan, a suggestion put forward jointly by General Galen and Borodin. However, problems soon arose in the KMT-CPC cooperation, and the plan was postponed. Now Comrade Chen Duxiu has stated that the relationship between the CPC and the Comintern is not one of leadership and submission. I am afraid the situation is completely different now.”

Chen Tianheng: "Those Soviet military academies are Soviet institutions, not Comintern institutions. ... Let's see how we will reposition our relationship with the Soviet Union in the future.

"Commander, Director Deng.

He Long came with a rice bowl.

A month ago, He Long still called Chen Tianheng "Army Commander", but now he has changed it to "Army Commander".

Chen Tianheng: "Old He, the 7th and 8th Regiments of the 3rd Division fought well in the defensive counterattack at Miluo River, which is much better than before.

He Long: "Yes, yes.

Chen Tianheng: "By the way, how many characters have you learned now?

He Long: "Hiss...more than 400.

“Then it seems that you have made as much progress as the 7th and 8th Regiments.

"Haha," He Long rubbed his head and laughed, "I never thought I'd go to private school for five years and didn't know many words. Now that I'm involved in the revolution, I have to learn to read every day."

He Long returned to Changsha to take over the reconnaissance company of his Third Division to be trained by the First Division.

The next day after the reconnaissance company was brought back to the front line, the enemy troops in the direction of Miluo Town finally moved.

"The enemy marched south from Miluo Town at 8:00 AM. An armored train was approaching from Wuhan, along with approximately 3,000 infantrymen from the 1st Division of the 36th Army. The infantry were in the vanguard, with the armored train trailing a kilometer behind them.

Report from the front on the movements of the 36th Army.

Armored trains were not uncommon, but what was unusual was that the Hunan Army did not use them as the vanguard of this attack. Instead, the infantry served as a human shield, with the armored trains at the rear. This was probably due to the lessons learned from previous battles where armored trains became flat targets for cannon fire, and the infantry line was now in the front.

In this way, the efficiency of the armored train's fire support will definitely decrease, and the heavy machine guns on the train generally cannot hit anything, but the artillery can still be used.

Chen Tianheng: "Xu Xiangqian, it's time to withdraw the scouts from the hills south of Miluo."

"I've ordered the scouts to stop pushing the cattle and move back off the hills on either side of the railway line!"

Very good. It seemed Xu Xiangqian had already done a flawless job preparing for the battle, so there was no need for Chen Tianheng to remind him step by step.

so.…..

"Contact Pingxiang's Second Army."

"Comrade Commander-in-Chief, there are no enemies directly in Pingxiang. According to the Fourth Division's reconnaissance team, the 14th Army has retreated to Yichun. Our Farmers' Association's armed forces fired a surprise attack outside Yichun County, which frightened them.

Chen Tianheng: "Comrade Chen Yi, has the 1st Regiment of the 6th Division in the Liuyang direction spotted any reinforcements coming from Tonggu?

An hour ago, the 1st Regiment of the 6th Division reported to me that there was no

There are no problems with the two main routes from Jiangxi to Changsha, and it is safe to go east.

In the direction of Miluo Town, three divisions attacked the three divisions of the 36th Army. The only difficulty was that the 36th Army was very close to the subsequent 10th Army and the 8th Army. The 5th Regiment of the 2nd Division had to penetrate the several-kilometer gap between the two armies to separate the two enemy groups. However, Du Yuming also arranged this matter well.

Then came He Long's Third Division, but the task Chen Tianheng assigned to the Third Division was very simple. After everything was ready, they would attack the core position of the 36th Army and tear open the defense line.

"Report! The vanguard of the enemy's 36th Army has arrived at Baishui Station. The vanguard infantry and armored train have stopped. The 1st Division has entered the next phase of the plan.

Well, Chen Tianheng had originally intended to try to broaden his horizons and monitor the progress of the battle from a high-level perspective, but the battle didn't require his intervention. He even suspected that even if an unexpected situation arose during the battle, Xu Xiangqian and Du Yuming would be able to resolve it on the spot.

How about I show you watching "Story Club" at the military headquarters?

Or take a drive in a small car? (What Vatutin?

coser)

Chen Tianheng: "Chen Mingren, can you play checkers?

Chapter 113: Can we steal the armored train? Yes!

Chen Tianheng set up the checkers and placed the glass beads on the board, but then he lost interest and reached out to sweep the glass beads back into the chess box.

The same goes for Chen Mingren on the opposite side.

“Let’s take a look at Whitewater Town.

The two looked at the town 15 kilometers south of Miluo Town in front of the map.

The Guangdong-Hankou Railway has a station in Miluo Town, and the next station is Baishui Town.

湘军36军簇拥着装甲列车已抵达白水镇，36军后面是第10军，第10军后面是在汨罗镇的第8军和18军。当然第10军和18军只有两个师，第8军更惨，只有1个师七千多人。

In the area from Miluo Town to Yueyang in the north, there are currently at least two confirmed armies.

Therefore, the 36th Army was not advancing alone, but was followed by a group of friendly troops, relying on each other.

Chen Tianheng asked, "This is the position from two hours ago. What's the current situation of the 8th Army?"

Lu Deming: "We're waiting for the report from Du Yuming's division headquarters. They report on the hour."

"You can call and ask," Chen Tianheng said, "we don't have to pay for the call.

A two-hour delay was a bit too long. If the road was good, a soldier could trot 15 kilometers in two hours.

Lu Deming picked up the phone.

"This is General Command. Reporting the latest position of Liu Xing's 36th Army. Is there still one reconnaissance unit from the reconnaissance battalion that hasn't returned yet? First, report the reconnaissance results of the returned units to me. The army headquarters and approximately 8,000 men are stationed in Baishui Town, another 7,000 are stationed in Maoling Village, and 6,000 to 7,000 are stationed in Qunyu Village. Has the Maoling Village unit been confirmed to be the 36-2 Division? Very good. ...Is the reconnaissance information confirmed? Okay, I understand."

Lu Deming put down the phone. "The 36th Army is in Zishui Town, centered around the Zishui Station and spread across three villages and towns. They plan to camp there today. However, reconnaissance troops from the Second Division observed over 2,000 enemy troops leaving Maoling Village and gathering, seemingly intending to capture the large house two kilometers south of Maolin Village."

Chen Mingren changed the original rough icon of the 36th Army on the map into a detailed deployment map down to the division level.

The phone rang again.

Chen Mingren answered the phone and put it down within twenty seconds: "The latest report from the Second Division's reconnaissance unit is that the armored train has moved south from Zishui Town.

Chen Tianheng: "A cautious, exploratory attack. If we take Dayu Village, we'll have eliminated a potential obstacle on our route tomorrow. If we can't take it, we can retreat without much loss."

Chen Mingren: "The armored train is supporting the battle of Dawu Village. Do we have a chance to destroy it?"

Chen Tianheng: "This will be decided on the spot by Du Yuming. The Second Division is most familiar with the battlefield's detailed terrain. I'll tell Du Yuming later that the troops in Dayu Village can repel the enemy's initial attack and then voluntarily withdraw and vacate the village. Tang Shengzhi's troops are currently too densely packed to be easily separated. If the 36th Army advances to Gaojiafang, it will be more beneficial to the overall campaign objectives."

The two original field artillery companies of the 1st Division were now withdrawn to form an army-affiliated field artillery battalion, which was then assigned to the 2nd Division in this battle, because the two regiments of the 2nd Division were responsible for confronting the 36th Army head-on and controlling its speed of moving south.

陈天衡还在注意36军北边的第10军。王天培的第10军被驱赶着过了汨罗江，两个师跟在36军屁股后面5~7公里。

Chen Tianheng discovered that the formation Tang Shengzhi deployed was not an offensive formation at all, but a defensive formation, similar to the formation that would have been formed if the National Army had completed its deployment adjustments as planned during the Huaihai Campaign, the "Snake of Changshan."

In other words, although Changsha was Tang Shengzhi's hometown, his first thought in this battle was not to recapture Changsha, but to ensure that his troops would not be easily defeated, and then to slowly crawl towards Changsha.

Thank you, thank you, Lu

Chen Tianheng looked at his watch. It was 6 p.m.

6pm on July 23rd.

Chen Tianheng pointed to the map and said, "The 36th Army has a strict formation. Attacking the well-prepared 36th Army will probably result in heavy casualties. We should attack Wang Tianpei's 10th Army instead.

Chen Mingren: "Tomorrow, the 36th Army will advance from Baishui Town towards Gaojiafang. Wang Tianpei's 10th Army is expected to move to Baishui Town. If an attack is launched on Zishui Town, then the three regiments of the 1st Division will also be in the starting position for the attack, but the attack direction will be slightly different.

Chen Tianheng: "No, the 2nd Regiment needs to take on the blocking mission and prevent the enemy troops from Leiluo Town from coming to the south to reinforce. ... After an hour, send a message to the three regiments to adjust the attack targets. Also send a message to Song Xilian of the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Division to let the 5th Regiment join the formation to attack the 10th Army and be under the command of Xu Xiangqian.

When the Second Division was reorganized, Song Xilian was transferred from the First Division to the Second Division as the commander of the 5th Regiment. The 4th Regiment of the Second Division is now commanded by Yu Chengwan, the 5th Regiment is commanded by Song Xilian, and the 6th Regiment is commanded by Lan Yundong, a member of the War Research Association who was originally in the Second Division.

Tai Uk Village.

第二师6团2营在击退36军2师的进攻后，主动收摊从村子撤出。在村北边，进攻受挫的36军2师还在重新调整队形，准备发动第二轮仅供。

Two kilometers northeast of the village, the armored train accompanying the 36th Army's attack was parked on the Yue-Han Railway. During the previous battle, the armored train fired more than a dozen rounds from its mountain artillery at Dayu Village, but the effect was not very good. Ten minutes and a dozen rounds of fire were too sparse.

If you get closer, the mortars and even heavy machine guns on the armored train will be within range, but for safety reasons, it is better to keep your distance.

Less than two kilometers from the armored train, two 75mm field guns from the Army's Field Artillery Battalion, ambushed in the grass, quietly withdrew further south. Because it was completely dark, the field guns could simply be towed along the main road by horses. Second Division Commander Du Yuming was also at the field gun position.

“In fact, the field artillery had an opportunity to fire just now.

Xu Guangda reported to Du Yuming.

"I've seen that the chances aren't very good. You're basically firing from the front, and the train has a small area to be hit, so it's easy to be blown away.

Xu Guangda: "Shall we move on to the next ambush location?

"No," Du Yuming said, "Retreat directly to the south of Gaojiafang.

"1st, 2nd, 3rd Regiment radio call received!

"The 1st Regiment arrived at Majia Village, the 2nd Regiment arrived at Nantang, and the 3rd Regiment arrived at Houjia Village.

The three regiments of the First Division were not on the Yue-Han Line, but on both sides of the railway line. They had moved to the designated position and reported the situation by radio.

The General Staff issued the latest adjusted deployment to the three regiments. Since the battle shifted from the 36th Army to the 10th Army, the three regiments did not need to march extensively; only the 2nd Regiment had to move about 10 kilometers.

After the 2nd Regiment received the telegram, Wang Erzhuo said "act immediately". At 9:30 p.m., the 2nd Regiment's radio called again, indicating that the 2nd Regiment had maneuvered to the designated position.

Thank you

Now, from the Miluo River to the south of this area, the red flags on Chen Tianheng's side are all over the map, while the blue flags on Tang Shengzhi's side are crowded together on the railway line.

On July 24, the enemy's movements were just as Chen Tianheng had predicted. The 36th Army continued to advance, bit by bit. They first passed through Dayu Village, which they had captured the day before, and then attacked the next village.

The Second Division deployed even fewer blocking forces in the subsequent villages, not even a single battalion. Instead, they deployed companies, each withdrawing immediately after engaging in combat. However, even during this engagement-withdrawal phase, the 36th Army remained cautious and never advanced rashly. Soldiers surrounded the armored train, gradually advancing from village to village.

Before we knew it, another day had passed and the staff department had been busy all day.

Lu Deming: "Commander, our original plan to defend Changsha was to hold it until July 25th. It seems that after tonight, it will be July 25th."

Chen Tianheng: "This is because Tang Shengzhi was too cautious and slow to act. It's true that holding on until July 25th won't be difficult, but we must eliminate some of the enemy on the northern front. Otherwise, when we evacuate Changsha, the enemy will get the signal and quickly move south along the Yuehan Railway, occupy Changsha, and run trains all the way to Zhuzhou. Then, when we march towards Guangdong, we will have to arrange a strong rearguard to prevent the enemy from catching up. Locust."

Chen Mingren: "Having the enemy always chasing us would make us lose the element of surprise in our battles. When we march towards Guangdong, the enemy would always know where we are.

"The First Division is calling!

"Wang Tianpei's 10th Army has entered Zishui Town! The army headquarters and the 28th Division are at Baishui Town Station, and the 30th Division is in Maoling Village, not much different from the 36th Army's camping location yesterday!"

Chen Tianheng: "Call Xu Xiangqian back and proceed as planned.

The original plan was to launch an attack on Wang Tianpei's 10th Army between 6 and 7 p.m. At that time, the enemy had just arrived at the end of their march and were finishing their meals or cooking. It was a good time for the attacker.