The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

"Jiangxi is too dangerous!" Pang Bingxun said fiercely, "Ambushes can be set up everywhere! We won't leave today. We have enough time. The three divisions will camp together. The same will be done tomorrow. Our three divisions will set out in sequence. We will also camp together to avoid giving the Communist army a chance to launch a night attack.

At 3 p.m., the 17th Army stopped advancing. In fact, if Pang Bingxun had climbed a nearby hill and looked back, he could even have seen Fengcheng—they hadn't gone far.

Pang Bingxun really put the three divisions together for camping, and even let one of the divisions walk an extra 3 kilometers, arranging the camps of the three divisions in a triangular shape.

The chef prepared the meal, and Pang Bingxun ate it in his tent. As he ate, Pang Bingxun felt something was amiss.

"Be quiet! Don't talk! Don't make any noise!"

The officers and soldiers in the tent shut up. Pang Bingxun listened attentively again and said, "Oh no! There are cannon shots coming from Fengcheng."

Fighting did indeed break out in Fengcheng. The one causing trouble in Fengcheng was the latecomer to this battle, the 6th Division of the 2nd Army, who were so engrossed in helping the villagers harvest rice that they forgot to start their march.

When they arrived at the Ganjiang battlefield, the 6th Division was two full days late, and was then transferred by Zhu De to attack Fengcheng, which was a long journey, and would be delayed for another day.

But - what surprised the 6th Division was that the Fengcheng they were ordered to capture was actually almost an empty city.

Ji'an.

The Third Army Headquarters & Ganjiang Campaign Front Command.

"The Sixth Division has called! At 6:00 PM this evening, our troops arrived outside Fengcheng. Reconnaissance revealed that the enemy was undermanned and the defenses were lax. We decided to launch an immediate attack. The 17th Regiment, the first to arrive, launched a surprise attack, entering Fengcheng in one assault. At 7:20 AM, the 16th Regiment arrived and joined the battle, and the remaining enemy troops in Fengcheng surrendered.

"In this battle, more than 500 men from the Fengcheng Security Corps were annihilated, and the remaining enemy troops in Fengcheng included an infantry company of the 32nd Army and a supply battalion of the 17th Army, totaling more than 600 men.

Yan Kuiyao quickly updated the map.

Zhu De: "Now, our encirclement of Zhangshu is not just about the two divisions of the 32nd Army, but the 32nd Army and the 17th Army, a total of five divisions."

Yan Kuiyao asked: "Commander, there are five divisions here, and there are three more divisions in Xiajiang County over there. Can we handle it all?"

Zhu De knocked on the map on the wall and said, "Whether you can eat or not, let me put the knife and plate in place first.

Nanchang. Headquarters of the Second Nationalist Army.

Cheng Qian, commander of the Front Army, was in charge of the command of the battle to capture Ji'an. However, his command was not always counted, as Chiang Kai-shek often sent telegrams directly from Nanjing/Shanghai to intervene in the command details.

Cheng Qian believed that the setback suffered by the offensive troops a few days ago was closely related to Chiang Kai-shek, because he had originally planned to send troops to Xinyu and Yichun first, using these two counties as bases, and then attack Ji'an. Instead, Chiang Kai-shek ordered him to advance directly to Ji'an, covering more than 200 kilometers.

As a result, the 32nd Army lost one division, and the remaining five divisions seemed to be locked up and unable to move.

Upon hearing the tragic news, Cheng Qian responded immediately by dispatching troops to rescue the victims. Almost simultaneously, Chiang Kai-shek, still in his wedding gown, went to headquarters in Shanghai and sent a telegram requesting Cheng Qian to dispatch troops to rescue the victims. This did not interfere with Cheng Qian's command.

The 17th Army and the 59th Division of the 20th Army rushed to Zhangshu from two directions, first rescuing the 32nd Army, and then letting the 26th Army fight to break through. The two sides joined together and were safe.

In the morning, the 17th Army left Fengcheng, which means that at the normal marching speed, the 17th Army's camping location tonight will be within the war zone.

After Cheng Qian received the news, his previously uneasy mood calmed down a little. Overall, the 17th Army's march was quite resolute and decisive. They set out quickly and marched quickly in the first two days. However, it was unknown how effective they would be in a fight.

"Telegram from the 17th Army, telegram from the 17th Army!"

At 1 a.m., at the Second Front Army camp, a communications staff officer on duty ran into the command center shouting, and several staff colleagues in the command center looked back.

"Is this an urgent military situation?

Communications Staff: "If the 17th Army is not lying, it is quite urgent. Pang Chengbingxun reported that Fengcheng was captured by the Communist army and his retreat was cut off. He sent a reconnaissance team back in the direction of Fengcheng, and it was his trusted scout who reported it to him personally."

“I knock!

"Your mother!

"Damn it!"

The staff officer on night duty at the headquarters was shocked.

"How come the Communists are even in Fengcheng? This is outside the war zone! They've gone off the map!"

"You're confused! Zhangshu-Ji'an is our self-determined war zone. The Communist army doesn't necessarily abide by it!"

"Anyway, the Communists have already fought their way to Fengcheng. Just how big is their appetite? Are they going to wipe out the 26th, 32nd, and 17th Armies all at once?"

Communications Staff: "Commander Cheng, we need to invite Commander Cheng over.

"Commander Cheng is sleeping!" A staff officer spread his hands: "Wake Commander Cheng up? You go and do it?"

"Another telegram from the 17th Army!"

"Our retreat has been cut off, and we are unable to supply food, fodder, and ammunition. It is unwise to continue advancing. The 17th Army must turn back and recapture Fengcheng tomorrow morning to resolve our remaining concerns. Please direct the headquarters."

Chapter 139: The Great Pursuit on Ganjiang River

Fengcheng is only 55 kilometers away from Nanchang, with a road distance of 75 kilometers: it is only 35 kilometers away from Nanchang County (where Chiang Kai-shek’s army is also stationed).

More importantly, geographically, Fengcheng is located on the southern edge of the Ganjiang Plain with Nanchang as its center.

From Fengcheng, the mountains begin to increase near Zhangshu Town in Qingjiang County. Continuing south along the Ganjiang River, the mountains gradually become continuous, reaching the highest point. Finally, we arrive in Ji'an, surrounded by mountains.

Therefore, the Second Front Army's General Staff hadn't anticipated that Fengcheng would become a battlefield. The Communist Party's army, formed in the mountainous valleys of Hunan and Jiangxi, was actually a guerrilla force. How could they dare to enter the Ganjiang Plain? Were the guerrillas planning to engage in a decisive battle with us?

At this time, Cheng Qian was sleeping, and the staff of the Second Front Army was unable to make a decision for a while.

The Second Front Army currently has three response options.

The first option was to follow Pang Bingxun's advice and let him return to reoccupy Fengcheng, but this meant that the 26th and 32nd Armies, which were blocked by the Communist army in front, could not be rescued and could only hold on to their positions.

The second option was to have Pang Bingxun continue forward to the area between Yongtai Town and Zhangshu Town in Qingjiang County and join the 32nd Army. However, this would mean sending another army in, and it was unclear whether the first two armies could be rescued or all three armies would be lost.

At three or four in the morning, the Second Front Army Headquarters finally sent a telegram to Pang Bingxun asking him to adopt the third plan:

The 17th Army sent one division to continue moving forward and rush to Zhangshu Town to meet up with the 32nd Army; it sent two divisions to turn back and attack Fengcheng, restoring the connection between Chiang Kai-shek's army in the Ganjiang River area and Nanchang.

At the same time, the 59th Division coming to support from Fuzhou accelerated its advance, and Nanchang sent another force to advance towards Fengcheng to meet up with the 17th Army.

Guangzhou. Morning of October 12th.

"Chief of Staff Liu, you haven't slept all night, you should go back and rest.

Chen Tianheng hadn't slept the previous night either, but he'd managed to stay awake the next morning thanks to a pot of coffee. Liu Bocheng... Liu Bocheng said he got sleepy the moment he drank coffee.

Look at the time, 8:30 in the morning.

"The enemy's and our movements last night may well have affected the outcome of this Ganjiang Campaign," Liu Bocheng said, wiping his eyes with a towel. "The 6th Division of the 2nd Army's long-range penetration was resolute and carried out orders to the letter. The enemy must have made a decision last night, but we don't know what it ultimately was yet."

Chen Tianheng: "It's a matter of whether the 17th Army turns back, retreats, advances and rendezvouses with the 32nd Army, or splits into two groups, one to open up the rear and the other to aid the 32nd Army. But no matter what, at most we can rescue the 32nd Army, but I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to rescue the 26th Army. We have the 26th Army in our grasp, and combined with the 20th Division of the 32nd Army that we've already captured, we can definitely win this battle."

"Report! Telegram from Ganjiang Front Command!"

"We observed that the enemy's 17th Army split up. The majority, about two-thirds, turned around and headed towards Fengcheng; the remaining one-third headed towards Zhangshu!"

Liu Bocheng: "..."

Chen Tianheng:

Liu Bocheng: "What is the current status of the 6th Division of the 2nd Army?

The three infantry regiments of the 6th Division of the 2nd Army were all in Fengcheng. The division had no barreled artillery, but only 12 mortars and two 37mm flat-fire guns, with a total of 4600 personnel. Ammunition was slightly limited, with approximately 400 mortar rounds and 100 37mm flat-fire gun rounds.

Liu Bocheng: "Send a telegram to the Ganjiang Front Command, pointing out that Fengcheng is the key point of the battle. The 6th Division of the 2nd Army must hold Fengcheng for 2 days, or at least repel two attacks from the 17th Army. After 2 days, the 6th Division will complete its mission and evacuate Fengcheng. Depending on its own losses, it will move to a safe area to rest or participate in subsequent battles. The specific siege and attack operations against the 32nd Army and the 17th Army will be decided on the spot by the Ganjiang Front Command, and the Guangzhou General Staff will no longer give individual instructions.

The frontline commander of the Ganjiang Campaign was Zhu De. Of course, Chen Yi also rushed to the Jishui headquarters from the Hunan-Jiangxi border yesterday.

The 7th Division and one regiment of the 5th Division were now locking down the 26th Army in Xiajiang County, while the 4th Division, the 8th Division, and the 5th Division (minus one regiment) were locking down the 32nd Army in Zhangshu. The troops were concentrated near the 32nd Army because Zhu De intended to attack the 32nd Army first.

The Sixth Division penetrated and occupied Fengcheng.

One regiment of the 9th Division was used to contain the 59th Division coming to support from Fuzhou, while the other two regiments were on standby in the mountains of the war zone.

Pang Bingxun's troops started moving in the morning, and by noon, fighting had broken out in both the Zhangshu and Fengcheng directions.

Pang Bingxun had no hope of advancing on Zhangshu, as he was being intercepted by the 8th Division of the 3rd Army, commanded by Cai Shenxi, who had come from the 4th Army to support the 3rd Army during the army's establishment and reorganization. The 50th Division sent by the 17th Army was unable to break the 8th Division's defenses.

In the Fengcheng direction, the 51st Division and the Independent 10th Division launched an attack on Fengcheng at noon on October 12, but were stopped by the 6th Division of the 2nd Army. Noting that Fengcheng's walls were low and incomplete, the 6th Division spent the night digging simple trenches and foxholes outside Fengcheng, forming a flexible defense line one or two kilometers deep.

Pang Bingxun was extremely anxious and personally went to the front line to supervise the battle. At 4 pm, two divisions of the 17th Army launched another attack. After losing many troops in the flexible defense line outside Fengcheng, the 17th Army attacked the old city wall of Fengcheng, but was immediately driven back by a tactical counterattack launched by a main regiment of the 6th Division, and the two sides returned to the starting point.

In the direction of Xiajiang County, Chen Chao knew the situation of the 32nd Army and the 17th Army behind him, so he was also very anxious. The front army headquarters in Nanchang ordered him to break out with all his strength, so the 26th Army also made a breakout at noon, but failed to open the road to Zhangshu Town and retreated back to Xiajiang County.

In the direction of Zhangshu, the 32nd Army, which should have taken the initiative to attack and cooperated with Pang Bingxun's 50th Division, did not move. Qian Dajun explained that the Communist troops besieging them were not weak in combat effectiveness and had a huge advantage in manpower, and there was no way to break out.

On the evening of October 12, the situation faced by the Second Front Army Headquarters was:

Within one day, all military operations on the Ganjiang battlefield were thwarted.

The 26th Army's breakout attempt failed. The 17th Army's plan to break through Zhangshu Town failed, as did their plan to open a retreat route through Fengcheng. The 59th Division, rushing to the rescue from Fuzhou, had its radio turned off, but it was likely they had no good news either. The most despicable thing was the 32nd Army in Zhangshu Town, who refused to move despite being told to break out.

Cheng Qian was in charge of the base camp and made a decision: the 26th Army should give up.

Cheng Qian telegraphed Qian Dajun, telling him in a serious tone that the Ganjiang operation plan had been canceled. He was withdrawing across the board, including the 17th Army, which was supposed to rescue him. He hoped he would break out tomorrow and take advantage of the chaos to rush back to Nanchang with the 17th Army.

Cheng Qian then switched to another code, specifically for communicating with the 26th Army, and sent a message, telling Chen Chao to lead his 26th Army to hold on. Xiajiang County must hold on and not panic, as reinforcements are arriving soon.

Chen Zhuo. Hey, General Chen, just wait for the posthumous award of the rank of general.

"Is it true that it was not the First Army and the Fourth Army that were fighting on the Gan River?" Cheng Qian asked his staff.

"Chen Zhuo's telegram stated that he encountered the First Army, but both the 32nd and 17th Armies stated that it was not the First and Fourth Armies that were fighting them. Therefore, it is likely that it was not the First and Fourth Armies.

Cheng Qian: "Guangzhou is already in trouble with the First and Fourth Armies. Now several powerful divisions have emerged in Hunan and Jiangxi. The Communist army is getting stronger and stronger."

"Captain! About 2000 enemies have broken out from Zhangshu and are retreating northeast through Yutang Village!"

The scout reported to Su Yu, commander of the 10th Regiment of the 4th Division of the 2nd Army.

"Is the reconnaissance accurate?"

"The number of people and the marching direction are correct, but the designation of this enemy group has not yet been determined."

Su Yu: "To the northeast of Yutang Village is a large area of ​​more than a dozen fish ponds. Who is the commander of this unit? Is he crazy?

"Commander, the area northeast of Yutang Village is the territory of the 11th Regiment. Should we chase them there?

Su Yu: "There is too much water to the north of Yutang Village and the land is narrow. If we move in, it will only cause more trouble. The 11th Regiment can deal with these enemies. Now the enemy has broken out from Zhangshu in large numbers. All the roads and paths leading to Fengcheng are full of enemy troops. We will have no worries about not having a fight. This group of enemies will be left to the 11th Regiment. We will advance parallel to the direction of the enemy's retreat and rush to Jitang Village.

"Trapping the enemy of the 32nd Army in Jitang Village?

Su Yu: "No, no, we have to continue on our way to Jitang Village. Makou Village is the best location.

Now the 32nd Army and the 17th Army are both in desperate escape mode.

After noticing that the enemy troops began to flee in all directions, Zhu De immediately ordered each division to act on their own to pursue and annihilate the enemy.

Unable to capture Fengcheng, Pang Bingxun chose to bypass the city and retreat northward. In the Ganjiang Plain, you can indeed bypass Fengcheng, but in order to pass those narrow and muddy roads, you will have to abandon baggage and artillery.

"Damn it! We can't lose this great mountain artillery battalion! We can't lose it!

Pang Bingxun truly cherished his artillery. After surrendering to Chiang Kai-shek, his 17th Army received an artillery battalion equipped with Type 41 mountain guns, a replica of the Northeast Arsenal. But after less than two months in service, this artillery battalion was abandoned along the way?

Absolutely not, the artillery battalion must be brought back to Nanchang.

"Commander, Makou Village ahead!"

Pang Bingxun: "What other troops do we have?

参谋官想了想:“军部警卫营，还有独立第10师二50师在断后，独10师的1、3团联系不上。”团。

"We'll camp in Makou Village tonight! Waiting for the supply regiment and artillery battalion! I've already circled halfway around Fengcheng, and I'll be all the way there in just one more quarter!"

On a country road in the evening, Pang Bingxun rode his horse crookedly. He, several staff officers, and several horses stumbled through the fields of Jiangxi. As they approached Makou Village, Pang Bingxun, feeling anxious, spurred his horse to a gallop. Tonight's resting place had been found!

"one-

Before hearing the gunshots, Pang Bingxun had actually seen a flash from the window of a house in Makou Village. Pang Bingxun should have recognized it as the muzzle flash of a heavy machine gun, but he and his staff were so exhausted that they didn't have the brainpower to react.

A bullet from the Maxim machine gun pierced the neck of Pang Bingxun's horse and then lodged itself in his chest. Both man and horse fell to the ground in a roadside rice paddy.

The evening of June 10.

At the command center of Jishui County, front-line troops set up radio stations one after another to report the day's battle achievements.

But not all the troops had telegrams to send back. The situation at the front was too chaotic. Although each infantry regiment of the Second and Third Armies had a radio station, many infantry regiments were always on the move and fighting and had no time to set up a radio station to send messages.

“4师12团追击至松龙，全天战斗歼敌约1500人，其中俘虏1135人。另，8师24团与我团在一起，24团今日歼敌1200人。

--The 24th Regiment did not have time to set up a radio station, so they asked the 12th Regiment to report their situation to Zhu De.

"The 11th Regiment of the 4th Division destroyed the 21st Division headquarters during the pursuit! The 21st Division Commander, Jiang Changdingwen, was captured!"

Zhu De: "Good! I sent a telegram to praise you and ordered the 11th Regiment to keep up the good work and achieve even greater results!"

"4th Division, 10th Regiment sends a message. Hmm...

The staff officer looked at the telegram draft. "Su Yu of the 10th Regiment said, please quickly send a medical team to Makou Village, 10 kilometers south of Fengcheng. The medical team must include surgical experts. Otherwise, they won't know whether they have captured Pang Bingxun or killed him."

Chapter 140: War Dividends