The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

The First Division of the First Army had already set out, crossing the Nanling Mountains and rushing towards Chenzhou. The Second Division had just disembarked at Shaoguan Station and was now assembling into regimental units. The First Army's headquarters moved with the Second Division, but according to the marching order, the headquarters and the army's direct troops moved only after the Second Division had set off.

"I'll be back soon! I'll be back in time for the birth of your baby!"

Du Yuming said goodbye to his wife.

Cao Xiuqing was pregnant with a big belly and had been pregnant for more than eight months. Her due date was the end of December, which was only one month away.

"You should stay home and take good care of yourself and our children, mua~"

Yu Chengwan, commander of the 4th Regiment of the 2nd Division, bids farewell to Kuang Qionghua. Chen Tianheng and Lu Deming: "Ahem."

Yu Chengwan: "I'm sorry, Commander, I didn't see you just now and showed off my wife and children in front of you.

Chen Tianheng: "Okay, no need to be so sentimental. I don't feel anything myself."

Du Yuming: "Commander, thank you for bringing my family to Guangdong.

Chen Tianheng: "Of course. You can't keep your family in Shaanxi. We have to liberate all of China, including Shaanxi, which will take several years. If the North and the South continue to fight to the death, and Chiang Kai-shek hears that the commander of a main division of the Communist Party is from Shaanxi, then he will be in trouble.

"Commander, I think it's time for you to get married and have a baby."

Chen Tianheng: "I'll think about it when I have time.

Lu Deming: "Me too. I'll think about it when I have time. By the way, Commander, is Jiang Xianyun feeling better recently?

Chen Tianheng: "I went to Ganzhou some time ago and saw that he seemed to be in good spirits.

Jiang Xianyun's wife had passed away a few months earlier, a fact he learned only after he and the Fourth Army had reached Guangzhou. Upon hearing the news, Jiang Xianyun was deeply saddened for a long time.

"But, but, Commander," Lu Deming hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Do you really intend to bring Jiang Xianyun together after the battle... I mean, let Jiang Xianyun become your cousin's husband?"

Chapter 149: The Strongest Opponent the First Division Encounters

"Leiyang County fell?

"What were the casualties of the 2nd Brigade of the Fifth Army? How many were evacuated? Have all the key commanders been evacuated?"

"What are the numbers and strength of the attacking enemy? What are their tactics, organization, and morale during the battle?"

"What? They destroyed the radio station when they retreated? How urgent is this?"

30 kilometers south of Chenzhou, Yizhang County.

The First Army Headquarters & the Fifth Army Headquarters & the Xiangnan Battlefield Command.

Yesterday, the First Army Headquarters arrived in Yizhang County and met with Peng Dehuai. At noon the next day, the radio station received the news that Leiyang County had fallen.

Peng Dehuai's Pingjiang Uprising Group has now expanded to four infantry regiments and organized into two brigades, namely the First Brigade and the Second Brigade of the Fifth Army.

Leiyang County lies between Hengyang and Chenzhou, 60 kilometers from Hengyang and 70 kilometers from Chenzhou. Leiyang County boasts excellent terrain, with the Leishui River winding through it to form a U-shape. The county seat lies within this U-shaped area, surrounded by water on three sides and land on one side. It's known as a mini-Constantinople, making it ideal for defense. Therefore, the Second Brigade stationed in Leiyang before the battle, serving as a vanguard for the counter-encirclement campaign, while the First Brigade remained in Chenzhou.

On the evening of December 7, enemy troops appeared outside Leiyang County. On the morning of December 8, the enemy troops launched an attack.

The attackers were the 8th Guangxi Division of the 37th Army, formerly the 8th Brigade of the Guangxi "Steel 7th Army" during the Northern Expedition. The Second Brigade withstood the attack of the 8th Guangxi Division and maintained the outer defense line outside the county wall.

That same evening, another Guangxi clique unit, a regiment from the 7th Division of the 37th Army (the 7th Brigade of the "Steel 7th Army"), circled the eastern bank of the Leishui River. In the early morning of December 9th, enemy riflemen swam across the over 300-meter-wide Weishui River, while heavy machine gunners crossed on makeshift bamboo rafts. The Guangxi troops crossed the river under cover of darkness, reaching shore at daybreak. Nearly a thousand infantrymen then launched an assault on the Leiyang defensive positions. Despite the fierce attacks of the 7th Division, the 2nd Brigade's river defenses were unable to defeat the crossing assault force.

After the Gui troops landed, Leiyang was no longer tenable. The Second Brigade's commander, Yang Puquan, ordered the entire brigade to break out and retreat westward into the mountains. Because the opening was tenuous and the Gui troops could re-engage at any time, the Second Brigade abandoned much of its supplies, including its radio, during its retreat.

But the good news is that although the radio was lost, Yang Puquan brought the wounded of the Second Brigade out.

In the last telegram from the Second Brigade, Yang Puquan said that the wounded had been transferred away and only briefly mentioned the situation of the 37th Army of the Guangxi Clique.

The soldiers of the 37th Army were experienced in combat, adept at exploiting the terrain and dodging artillery fire during the offensive. A significant number of them could swim, and they undertook the rather challenging armed swim. Their fighting spirit was also remarkably strong—with temperatures ranging from 5 to 8 degrees Celsius these days, navigating the river was no ordinary feat.

In terms of artillery, Yang Puquan noticed that the enemy had 75 mountain guns. Judging from the density of fire during the bombardment, there should be 8 or 9 75 mountain guns. In addition, the Gui army also used mortars during the attack, with 4 mortars participating in the battle.

The Second Brigade had a pre-battle strength of 4300 men, but suffered 843 casualties during the battle, nearly 20% of its strength. A detailed tally of enemy casualties was not available.

"When faced with the choice between the wounded and supplies, we chose to take the wounded with us. That was the right decision," Chen Tianheng said. "But the Second Brigade's defenses facing the river were inadequate, which prevented the enemy from breaking through the defenses by swimming, and they succeeded on the first attempt. This should be discussed in the post-battle review. Now... never mind. They didn't have a radio either."

Peng Dehuai: "Yang Puquan still lacks some experience. In front of Leiyang, the harassment and attacks of the Peasant Guards delayed the enemy for a whole day. If I had commanded the battle in Leiyang, perhaps we could have held out for a few more days.

Chen Tianheng: "Old Peng, you are now the army commander. You are going to Leiyang to command the Second Brigade. What about the Fifth Army?

"The Fifth Army only has two brigades. Now that the second brigade is lost, I'm actually just a brigade commander.

The Second Brigade was not completely wiped out, but suffered heavy casualties. Crucially, without a radio, the Second Brigade was now "lost."

Chen Tianheng checked the map. Before destroying their radio, the Second Brigade announced a westward breakout. According to Peng Dehuai's earlier retreat plan, the Second Brigade would break out westward via Renyi and Anhe Towns, then retreat southward to join the battle near Zhou. Following this route... It would likely be tomorrow night before the Second Brigade encountered friendly forces and resumed contact.

Now the 7th and 37th armies of the Guangxi clique are advancing side by side. The 37th army was blocked in Leiyang for more than a day but less than two days, while the 7th army was not blocked. Tomorrow night, that is about the time when our army in the Chenzhou direction will make contact with the 7th army of the Guangxi clique.

"The Seventh Army is composed of the 1st, 2nd, and 9th Guangxi Divisions. I'm familiar with their marching speed during the Northern Expedition," Chen Tianheng said. "Under a forced march, they could cover 40 kilometers a day; with a limited 48-hour forced march, they could reach 50 kilometers a day. Our vanguard will be near Ma Tianxu tomorrow night to further confirm the positions of the Seventh Army's units. Then, we'll make one final adjustment to the defense line."

"At the same time, we cannot ignore the 37th Army. Judging from the Second Brigade's description of the battle, the two divisions of the 37th Army that participated in the battle did not suffer heavy casualties. Moreover, the 37th Army also had the 10th Gui Division that never participated in the battle. We must pay attention to this 10th Gui Division, as it may take another route to encircle Chenzhou."

Peng Dehuai looked at the map. The First Army had now arrived in Chenzhou and taken over the defensive battle near Chenzhou. The Third Division chose to build a defense line in Xujiadong, 8 kilometers north of Chenzhou City. The First Division was the mobile force, and the First Brigade of the Fifth Army was the general reserve.

When will the Second Division join the battle?"

Chen Tianheng: "Li Zongren's offensive forces coordinated with each other and were deployed widely. The Second Division did not advance into Chenzhou, but instead set out from Guiyang, moving northward in battalion or regiment units. ... What about the Second Army?"

Family expenses

The Second Army was in Chaling, which was the northeastern edge of the battlefield, and Mao Runzhi was also there.

The Second Army's radio station had been communicating frequently, but it was Mao Runzhi who was communicating with Chen Tianheng and the General Staff Headquarters in Guangzhou.

Mao Runzhi just proposed that the northbound detachment that had crossed the Yangtze River attack Huanggang with the assistance of the Huangma Uprising troops. At the same time, the support troops assisting in crossing the river should concentrate their ships again.

The Northbound Detachment was roughly the size of an infantry regiment, with a slightly higher proportion of officers and political cadres. Mao and Liu Bocheng intended for the Northbound Detachment to launch a "blitz" attack on Huanggang County and then quickly withdraw and return to Jiangnan.

After Chen Tianheng replied by telegram expressing his agreement, Liu Bocheng issued the military order.

Then the discussion of the Chenzhou battlefield began. The 4th Division of the 2nd Army led by Chen Yi was currently in Anren, the closest division to the battlefield, while the 5th and 6th Divisions were in Chaling County.

Chen Tianheng asked the 4th Division in Anren to prepare for infiltration, and about 48 hours later, the entire division was deployed to the battlefield.

At noon on December 9, the battlefield entered a brief silence. The battle in Leiyang County ended, the Second Brigade temporarily lost contact, and the Gui army had no new intelligence until 5 pm, when the portable radio of the reconnaissance brigade sent back the latest intelligence.

"At noon on the 9th, the 9th Division of the 7th Army entered Changning. At 4 p.m., about a regiment of the 1st Division of the Gui Dynasty deployed near Yinshan."

Peng Dehuai: "Changning, 30 kilometers west of Leiyang County?"

Chen Tianheng: "This is because Li Zongren knew that our army had extremely fast mobility, so he blocked the Changning-Yinshan intersection in advance to prevent us from bypassing the west side of the battlefield to the rear.

Changning.

The headquarters of the 9th Division of the 7th Army entered the county town, and the two infantry regiments of the division also camped in the county town.

The bustling Guangxi officers and soldiers lined up in front of the big pot of the kitchen squad. Each of them untied their straps and took off the bamboo tube on their backs. Each of them poured a bowl of rice from the bamboo tube and poured it into the big pot. The kitchen squad lit a fire and cooked.

Each soldier of the Gui army carried a portion of their own rations (rice), and of course the other units of the National Revolutionary Army/Northern Expedition did the same. However, the Gui army, accustomed to fighting in the rainy southern regions, used large bamboo tubes instead of cloth rice bags to carry their rations, which were less susceptible to being soaked by rain.

Even the soldiers of the 7th Guangxi Division who swam across the Leishui River last night carried rice tubes with them. They were able to swim very fast as well, and the half-full bamboo tubes could provide some buoyancy.

Liao Lei, commander of the 9th Guangxi Division, was guarding the radio station. He had just reported his troops' position to Changsha and was waiting for Li Zongren's call back.

You were stationed in Changning until December 12th, when the 22nd Division of the 8th Army took over. Your unit joined the Leiyang-Chenzhou battlefield and participated in the second wave of the attack on Chenzhou. Please report on the enemy's movements on the battlefield in front of you. Are there any Guangdong Communist Army scouts?

Liao Lei: "No enemy troops have been spotted on the battlefield. The reconnaissance team has set out and will receive intelligence within a 30-kilometer radius tonight. There are Guangdong Communist Party scouts on Yinshan Mountain. We have observed them but have not been able to engage them."

Changsha.

Since the battle to encircle and suppress the "Guangdong bandits" began, the expression of Li Zongren, commander of the Fourth Army, has been very serious.

Even after hearing the good news that the 37th Army had captured Leiyang County, Li Zongren's expression was still not relaxed at all.

"The Communist troops in Leiyang County are not the main force," Li Zongren said. "They are a force the Communist Party has assembled in southern Hunan, and they have only been in existence for less than five months. Even with the results, their combat effectiveness is not bad."

"Yes, the Communist First Army must have reached Chenzhou.

"It's not just the First Army," Li Zongren pointed at the states on the map. "You're only focused on the Chenzhou battlefield. Actually, on the Hunan border, our troops have been advancing without any hindrance over the past two days. That's abnormal. This shows that the Communist Party has basically withdrawn all the troops on the Hunan-Jiangxi border, leaving only a few armed peasants. This army is either in Chenzhou or in Ganzhou, Jiangxi. I have to consider how we should respond if this army is in Chenzhou.

"Should the Eighth Army turn to the northwest to set up defenses and prepare in advance for an attack by the Communist Hunan-Jiangxi troops?" The staff officer proposed a plan.

Li Zongren was still deep in thought. After a while, he pointed to Hengyang with his pencil and said, "Let the 18th Army in Hengyang move forward to join Xia Wei's group. The 36th Army in Changsha will send two divisions to Hengyang.

On December 10, the 1st and 2nd Divisions of the 7th Army of the Guangxi Clique did not stop marching. When the 37th Army attacked Weiyang County, the two divisions of the 7th Army crossed Leiyang and advanced rapidly towards Matanxu.

The 10th Gui Division of the 37th Army crossed mountains and rivers with light equipment and rushed to Yongxing County on the east side of the battlefield.

At 4 p.m., scouts from the 1st Guangxi Division and the 1st Division met in the hills southwest of Ma Tianxu.

"Ten o'clock!

He Kun, the captain of the reconnaissance battalion's third squadron, roared, and the dozen or so scouts around him immediately rolled over and hid. When a figure reappeared at 10 o'clock, a few dozen meters away, more than a dozen guns of various types immediately fired in that direction.

After a round of bullets, the dry grass dozens of meters away also spewed out bullets, and the two sides exchanged fire among the rocks and grass on the hill. While firing, the Third Battalion split into two squads to encircle the enemy from both sides. However, by the time the two squads arrived, the enemy had already retreated, leaving only a bullet-ridden Gui army scout on the ground.

The Third Battalion continued to advance, but the enemy reconnaissance team did not flee, but kept a distance in front.

He Kun noticed that the opposing Gui army's scouts were actually outmatched by their own firepower. The Third Battalion consisted of over thirty men, equipped with a 1:2 ratio of Bergmann submachine guns to rifles, and three light machine guns. The opposing Gui army scouts had only two or three submachine guns. However, the Gui army, realizing their firepower disadvantage, decisively chose to fight and retreat, primarily to the point of retreating beyond the submachine guns' effective 200-meter range.

After dealing with the Gui army scouts for more than 20 minutes, He Kun finally found the main force of the Gui army.

""""

Two red flares rose into the sky.

"In the direction of Yushan, the enemy's corps-level forces!"

"The first battalion will search and attack the south side of Yushan Mountain, and the second battalion will search and attack the north side of Yushan Mountain. The third battalion will seize the high ground in front of the village to block the road. Two mortars will follow the third battalion, and four mortars will follow the regimental headquarters. The engineering company will follow the second battalion, and the regimental headquarters will follow the first battalion. Move!"

Before the signal flare hit the ground, Qiu Qingquan, commander of the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division, issued the combat order.

The 3rd Regiment, resting and on standby southwest of Ma Tianxu, launched an attack in three directions within minutes. After the 1st Battalion trotted two kilometers along the country road, the 3rd Battalion of the Division Reconnaissance Battalion appeared on the roadside.

"We interrogated the wounded and captured enemy soldiers and confirmed that the unit in front of us was the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Guangxi Division!

Qiu Qingquan: "Did you find out the location of the 1st Guangxi Division headquarters?

He Kun: "It's north of the bridge, more than 20 kilometers away from here!

Qiu Qingquan: "Forget it, let it go, first deal with the Second Regiment of the Gui Army

In the twilight of December 10, the First Division of the First Army and the Gui Army had their first main combat force collision.

Qiu Qingquan, acting on the scouts' guidance, launched the offensive, but the Gui army knew the enemy's attack was imminent. Scouts from both sides exchanged barrages of fire in the mountains, with the closest approach coming within 2 kilometers of the main force of the Gui Army's Second Regiment. Naturally, the Gui army knew something was amiss.

The Gui troops first seized a roadside hill, Shiling, over 40 meters above sea level. This hill was part of the "Yushan" hills. The Third Regiment, advancing in a search and attack, also discovered Gui troops on this hill. The battle quickly shifted to the First Battalion attacking the Gui troops on the hill from above.

The Gui army on Tuling blocked the first round of infantry assault of the first battalion. However, Qiu Qingquan was not in a hurry, because the second battalion was about to reach the north side of Yushan.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Second Battalion arrived and quickly occupied a hill with a relative elevation of more than 60 meters. At a distance of more than 1000 meters, the battalion's heavy machine guns covered the hilltop occupied by the Gui army with fire.

Finding themselves covered by heavy machine gun bullets coming from the side, the Second Regiment of the Gui Army quickly left the earthen ridge more than 40 meters high. The three battalions took turns to provide cover and evacuated to the northeast.

"Report! Telegram from the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division!

At 5 p.m., our regiment encountered the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Guangxi Division and repelled it. During the pursuit, another Guangxi infantry regiment arrived to reinforce the 3rd Regiment, which retreated 2 kilometers and established defenses on the high ground west of Ma Tianxu. The enemy launched an attack on our defenses. Our regiment, with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, conducted a small-scale outflanking maneuver and annihilated an enemy battalion, causing the enemy to withdraw from the battle.

"During the battle, our side suffered 95 wounded and 37 killed. 115 enemy corpses were found on the battlefield. 331 enemy soldiers were captured, including 130 wounded. The number of wounded who escaped is unknown."

Tonight, our troops plan to set up defense and camp in Hujia Village, southwest of Matanxu.

With the main forces of both sides about to engage, the commanders and mid-level officers on both sides were on edge. Chen Tianheng felt relieved when he received Qiu Qingquan's battle report.

The investigation of the Gui army's combat effectiveness has yielded preliminary results.

The First Division and the main division of the Gui Army fought head-on in the field, and still achieved a casualty ratio of 1:3 or even 1:4. The Battle of Chenzhou seemed to be stable.

However, this Gui army was indeed the strongest opponent the First Division had ever encountered since it went into battle.

Chapter 150: Battle of Dripping Mountain

“Commander, the positions of the three regiments of the 2nd Division have been updated.

Chen Mingren marked the positions of the three regiments of the 2nd Division last night on the map, and also marked the marching direction of the three regiments today.

The 2nd Division penetrated from the west side of the battlefield. In view of the fact that Li Zongren had seized Changning yesterday, Chen Mingren immediately ordered the 2nd Division to adjust its penetration direction and change its destination to between Changning and Leiyang.

The 2nd Division must close the retreat route of the Gui army on the battlefield. This is the key to whether this battle can be won as an annihilation battle.

Chen Tianheng: "Chen Mingren, you will control and command the Second Army's movements and operations during the day. The operations of the 1st Division of the 1st Army have been instructed to the regiment, so there is no need to adjust the plan in detail. Huang Wei, we will go to the north of the city to check the defensive positions of the Third Division."

448

Chenzhou County was not easy to defend. It was a county built on a small plain between mountains. It was no problem in the era of cold weapons, but now, if the commanding heights of the hills near the county were occupied and the mountain artillery was high above, the county would be useless.

The defense line of the 3rd Anti-Enemy Division and the 1st Brigade of the 5th Army was located in the north of Chenzhou City, that is, the Suxianling, Daguling, and Yapoling line near Xujiadong. The terrain here was conducive to defense, but it was necessary to give the 3rd Division enough time to build a position.

The hunting-style blocking by the 1st and 3rd Regiments of the 1st Division near Matanxu was to delay the attack of the Gui Army to the greatest extent. If the Gui Army arrived at Xujiadong one day later, the positions on the three ridges would become more solid.