The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

When the Gui army attacked just now, their formation was very scattered, but they had to gather together in front of the barbed wire.

Cursing "Damn you mother Guangdong Communists" in Guangxi dialect, the Gui soldiers of the Fifth Regiment used pliers, bayonets, machetes, and whatever other tools they could to break through the barbed wire. However, only pliers could actually cut through the barbed wire; machetes and bayonets were ineffective. The Third Division's barbed wire consisted not only of barbed wire stretched from piles but also of loose, soft coils of barbed wire that simply bounced when cut.

The artillery shells fired every ten seconds or so, and the accurate machine gun fire in the trenches ahead continued to kill the soldiers who leaned out to cut the wire, which made the Fifth Regiment in front of the barbed wire very tormented.

Moreover, the Fifth Regiment, from the regimental commander to the soldiers, had noticed that from the beginning of the battle until almost noon, none of them had seen a single enemy soldier's face at close range, nor had they even seen a full-body enemy soldier at medium distance. Their only knowledge of the enemy was the heads (small black dots) that loomed in the trenches and bunkers in the distance, and the bullets and shells flying everywhere.

Most of the battalion and regimental commanders in the Gui army have received formal military academy education. The "trench warfare on the Western Front of the European War" that they have seen in textbooks is now reproduced before them for them to experience.

"Report! Division Commander! The 4th Regiment said they broke through the third barbed wire fence! But the 4th Regiment can no longer fight!

Yang Tenghui grabbed the signalman's shoulders with both hands and asked, "Is the battle report accurate?!"

"Indeed! There are only a few men left in the three battalions of the Fourth Regiment!"

Yang Tenghui: "I'm asking, have you broken through the third barbed wire fence?!"

"yes!"

"Orders, Sixth Regiment, forward!

Yang Tenghui is now like a gambler with red eyes. When he sees a glimmer of victory, he immediately pushes out his last stack of chips.

The messenger ran out. The 6th Regiment of the 2nd Gui Division, the last regiment, also joined the battlefield.

Yang Tenghui was standing on a dirt slope a dozen meters high. He could see the stalemate of the attack and defense on a ridge, but not the battle on the flat ground. He walked down the dirt slope and paced back and forth anxiously in the command post, holding a telescope.

"Swoosh----" "Swoosh--"

“Swoosh—”

The whistling sound of the shells made Yang Tenghui shudder. But he soon realized that the whistling sound came from above his head, but there were no shells exploding around the division headquarters.

Yang Tenghui: "The Guangdong Communist Army's artillery shells flew over our heads. Were they going to hit us from behind?

"Yes... Commander, listen, there's an explosion in the north," said a staff officer.

Hmm? Yang Tenghui listened attentively for a while: "Hmm.

"Division Commander, the Communist army's artillery can indeed fire farther.

Yang Tenghui: "Huh? Damn!"

Staff: "?"

Yang Tenghui: "Nah! The enemy's artillery fire is extending, preparing to encircle and annihilate the troops attacking in front of us, so we are using long-range artillery to block it, covering the road leading to us, and preventing the reserve reinforcements!

"Nima!"

Chenzhou.

"By 5 p.m., the 2nd Gui Division was completely defeated.

"During the afternoon counterattack, our troops captured the commander of the 6th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Guilin Army. The commander of the 5th Regiment of the 2nd Division of the Guilin Army was killed in the previous battle.

“攻击防守一群的桂2师4团遗尸103具，遗留重伤员55人。攻击二群防线的桂2师5、6团遗尸690具，被俘1433人，含470名伤员，其中含177名重伤员。

"The casualties caused by the interdiction bombardment of the enemy's rear are unknown. The front observation reported that the enemy suffered approximately 100 to 150 casualties..."

After the Yapoling battle on December 14, the battle report of the 9th Regiment of the 3rd Division was compiled that night.

Chen Mingren: "The combat troops of the 5th and 6th Regiments of the 2nd Guangxi Division have been essentially wiped out here. The 4th Regiment attacking the mountain may have lost about half its combat troops. Now the 2nd Guangxi Division only has a few logistical support personnel left, such as transport soldiers, grooms, errand boys, staff, and cooks.

Chen Tianheng: "Judging from the results, it was a good defensive battle. But everyone should remember that we fired over a thousand shells in this battle, while the Gui army on the opposite side only fired 400.

The officers of the General Staff nodded.

Huang Wei: "If our arsenal can supply sufficient artillery shells, I really want to fight all future wars this way."

Chen Tianheng: "I would also like to ask Yu Chengwan how his regiment managed to defeat the attack of three regiments with only 97 rounds of artillery shells at Dishui Mountain today.

Chapter 152: Sad Dripping Mountain

Not all of Yu Chengwan's 2nd Division and 4th Regiment went to Dishui Mountain.

During the 2nd Division's 4th Regiment's "deterrent advance" toward Changning, the 3rd Battalion remained at Baibuling, forming a defensive perimeter. Chief of Staff Chen Lie led the charge. Yu Chengwan, commanding approximately 1100 men from the 4th Regiment, including two infantry battalions, an engineering company, part of a reconnaissance company, and a mortar company, advanced. Encountering a large number of Gui troops blocking the road, they moved to Dishui Mountain, a roadside perimeter, to form a defensive perimeter.

At noon on December 13, Liao Lei's troops of the 9th Guangxi Division launched their first attack on Dishui Mountain, but were defeated by Yu Chengwan. Liao Lei was surprised to find that the Guangdong Communist Army on the opposite side was more familiar with the terrain than they were.

The Guangdong Communist Party's troops knew where the valleys and deep trenches were, which hilltops had good firing ranges and which hilltops had poor firing ranges, and they also knew the relative heights of the hilltops and whether the slopes of the hills could be used as reverse slopes to block artillery shells, just like the locals.

Due to unfamiliar terrain and inadequate preparation, the three battalions of the Gui army attacked from three directions and were repelled. Liao Lei decided to surround Dishui Mountain from three sides and wait for the artillery of the 9th Gui Division to arrive the next day.

Dishui Mountain is part of Yin Mountain, located on the west side of the main ridge of Yin Mountain. The main ridge of Yin Mountain is so high and steep that it is difficult to climb even without hands. It is impossible to surround Dishui Mountain on all four sides, and at most three sides can be surrounded.

From the night of December 13th to the early morning of December 14th, Liao Lei launched a nighttime assault on two hilltops of the Dishuishan position. The Gui army rushed between foxholes on one of the hilltops but were ultimately repelled in hand-to-hand combat. Soldiers who retreated described the hilltop as being fortified late at night because the Guangdong Communist Army was reinforcing its fortifications overnight. As they approached in the darkness, the sound of digging and shoveling filled the air.

Only then did Liao Lei realize that he had miscalculated: the Guangdong Communist Army had just arrived at the mountain yesterday and had not had time to build solid and complete defensive fortifications. The 9th Guangxi Division made a tentative attack and then retreated, giving the Guangdong Communist Army time to continue strengthening the fortifications.

However, the good news is that although the main attack was delayed for one day, the 22nd Division of the Eighth Army also rushed from Changning to Dishui Mountain and joined the battle.

The transfer order for the 22nd Division came from Changsha.

Li Zongren was shocked to learn that a regiment of the Guangdong Communist Party's First Army dared to advance alone near Changchang.

On the main battlefield, over the past two days, the Guangxi troops encountered roving attacks from several regimental units of the Guangdong Communist Party's First Army. These regiments far surpassed the Guangxi troops in mobility, offensive power, and defensive capabilities, and their perception of battlefield situations and decisiveness were also sharper. During the dozens of kilometers from Leiyang to Chenzhou, the Guangxi troops failed to capture a single regiment and suffered significant losses.

Li Zongren noticed that the Guangdong Communist division approaching Changning had taken up defensive positions and refused to move. He ordered Liao Lei to destroy the regiment. To ensure success, Li Zongren also deployed the 22nd Division of the 8th Army, a member of the Hunan Army, and temporarily placed it under Liao Lei's command. Two divisions, six regiments, were to destroy one regiment.

On the morning of the 14th, just after the night attack of the 9th Division of Gui, the 22nd Division of the 8th Army launched an attack.

Dishui Mountain has one main peak, three hills with lower altitudes, and a small village in the depression between the hills (a logging site consisting of a dozen houses). The 22nd Division dispatched two regiments with more than 2,000 people at a time to attack the three lower hills.

The two battalions attacking the north-northwest hill were the first to suffer defeat. The terrain on this hill was extremely difficult for the attackers. A steep, 400-meter-long slope with a 30% gradient and no ravines to block it faced a single light machine gun stationed on the hill, capable of penetrating it completely. Within minutes, the two Hunan Army battalions were mowed down by light and heavy machine gun fire, killing over 200 men, and the battle ended abruptly.

The Hunan Army attacking the western hilltop, supported by mountain artillery, advanced almost to grenade-throwing distance. However, the Guangdong Communists on the hilltop unleashed a volley of rifle fire. The flurry of bullets was like the final straw that broke the camel's back. Already suffering heavy casualties, the Hunan Army's morale was shaken, and they were driven back down the mountain in disarray by the counterattack.

The Hunan Army attacking the southwestern hilltops first entered a large depression. The enemy troops on the hilltop had likely already noticed this depression and had calculated the distance with their mortars. When 300 of the 600 Hunan Army's attacking force were milling about in the depression, Yu Chengwan opened up a concentrated mortar fire, inflicting over 140 casualties with just over 30 rounds.

At 10:00 AM on the 14th, the 22nd Division's attacking forces were completely defeated. At 11:00 AM, the 9th Gui Division took over the attack. By the afternoon, the 9th Gui Division had also been driven back down the mountain. Compared to the Hunan 22nd Division, the 9th Gui Division had made some progress, reaching the summit of a mountain in the southwest. Some soldiers had already sighted a logging camp, with more than a dozen carts and piles of supplies parked there. However, this Gui unit was ultimately driven back by a fierce counterattack.

At 3:00 PM, Liao Lei mobilized his troops for a third attack. This attack was jointly launched by the 2nd Division of the Hunan Army and the 9th Division of the Guangxi Army, with mountain artillery supporting the 9th Division's attack direction.

At 6 p.m., Liao Lei returned to the headquarters trembling and dictated a telegram to Li Zongren.

Since 6:00 this morning, our troops have launched three consecutive attacks on the Dishuishan position. After 12 hours of fierce fighting, we have failed to break through the enemy's main position. We have captured and lost one of the hilltops twice. Casualties have been heavy. One battalion of over 400 men was reduced to only 18 men by afternoon. Divisional reconnaissance units have discovered that the enemy has reinforcements nearby, and the remaining Guangdong Communist Party units in the battle zone appear to be moving toward Dishuishan. We request the cancellation of the offensive plan and the withdrawal of all units to Changning for defense.

"Liao: Since the beginning of the battle, the Guangdong Communist First Army has been engaging in mobile warfare with our army using regiments as units. A single infantry regiment has dared to move through our entire army, attacking, defending, advancing and retreating with ease. We must completely annihilate this enemy regiment at Dishui Mountain! Otherwise, given this situation, our army will never be able to achieve the objectives of the battle!"

Li Zongren's stern reply almost made Liao Lei's blood stop, but he was personally on the front line of the Dishuishan battlefield, observing and commanding with a telescope. This battle was really too difficult to fight.

"Commander: The enemy troops at Dishui Mountain are well-trained and tenacious, with ammunition and food supplies, and an unstoppable water supply. The terrain is extremely unfavorable for our attack. Our troops have suffered heavy casualties, all of them from Guangxi, who have traveled thousands of miles north to fight, only to die in a foreign land. How can we bear this!"

"Liao: You don't need to say this. Everyone in the Guangxi clique knows this. This battle is of great importance. We must not let mercy ruin the opportunity. If we let the enemy at Dishui Mountain escape, the 9th Guangxi Division will be unnecessary, and the Guangxi clique will have no reason to claim to be formidable.

Chenzhou.

On the map in the northwest corner of the battlefield, the numbers of the two divisions and six regiments of the Gui army near Dishui Mountain were displayed.

Outside the Dishuishan battlefield, the 5th and 6th Regiments of the 2nd Division are advancing rapidly from two directions and are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

The General Staff changed the combat plan in the northwest corner of the battlefield early this morning, and the entire Second Division was concentrated towards Dishui Mountain.

It was not an easy decision to make.

The first thing to determine is whether the Guangxi clique has concentrated all its troops on the northwest flank at Dishui Mountain to attack the 4th Regiment. If both divisions on the Guangxi flank are present, then there is no problem. If only one division is attacking the 4th Regiment, then there is no need for the entire 2nd Division to be concentrated at Dishui Mountain.

因为此场战役，卷入其中的桂系已有4个军又2个师11万余人，我军只有2个军加2个旅4万人。

The second thing to determine was whether Yu Chengwan's Fourth Regiment could hold out until reinforcements arrived. If they could, the center would explode and the enemy would be defeated in one fell swoop. If they couldn't hold out at Dishui Mountain for two days and two nights, then it would be better to retreat.

After consideration, Chen Tianheng chose to believe Yu Chengwan's enemy situation report and self-situation report, and the First Division eliminated the western flank forces of the Guangxi clique here.

Chen Tianheng: "Taking into account Li Zongren's psychological state, he actually hoped very much to annihilate or at least defeat an entire regiment of our army on the battlefield. This determined that even if the Gui army commander Liao Lei on the scene hesitated, Li Zongren would press Liao Lei to attack from Changsha.

Chen Mingren: "In fact, not all of the Fourth Regiment is at Dishui Mountain. We are still short of one battalion.

Chen Tianheng: "At least in the eyes of the Guangxi clique, that's a regiment on the mountain. ... Send a telegram to Yu Chengwan, watch out for the enemy's night attack tonight. The enemy is likely to continue the night attack, and the force may be even greater than last night."

"Secondly, tell him that the 4th and 5th Regiments will arrive at the battlefield tomorrow afternoon. The two regiments will advance in two directions. The probability of both being late at the same time is almost zero. If one regiment arrives, Dishuishan can be relieved. If both regiments arrive at the same time, the enemy around Dishuishan will be defeated. Therefore, the use of ammunition, especially artillery shells, can be adjusted."

"The battle around Dishui Mountain will change the entire situation of the campaign... Yes. That's right. Chen Mingren!"

Chen Tianheng suddenly thought of another thing, the direction of this battle after tomorrow afternoon.

Chen Tianheng walked to the side of the map and pointed at the central axis of the battlefield: "Chen Mingren, when the 4th and 5th Regiments of the 2nd Division attack the positions of the western group of the Guangxi clique tomorrow afternoon and the enemy army is completely defeated, what changes will occur on the main battlefield at this time?"

Chen Mingren: "The western wing of the Guangxi clique has collapsed, and Changning cannot be defended; if Changning cannot be defended, it means that our second division can advance eastward from Changning and retake Leiyang; retaking Leiyang means that the rear route of the main group of the Guangxi clique in the middle road has been cut off by us. Therefore, if Li Zongren and Xia Wei were qualified commanders, they would have issued an order for a general retreat after learning that the western wing of the Guangxi clique had been defeated near Dishui Mountain and the two divisions had lost their combat capability.

"That's right!" Chen Tianheng crossed out the central area of ​​the battlefield: "Right now, the various infantry regiments are engaged in mobile warfare during the day, and radio stations are usually unable to turn on. We need to predict the battlefield situation 24 hours later and have the divisions and regiments of the First Division and the Second Army change their combat direction tomorrow daytime.

Chen Mingren: "Yes! I understand!

Today's battle commanders are all based on past intelligence, speculating on what is happening on the battlefield now and predicting what will happen in a few hours or even 24 hours before making effective combat orders.

Chen Tianheng's words immediately made Chen Mingren understand. Everyone in the General Staff Department busied themselves developing a new operational plan as quickly as possible, turning it into a military order, and distributing it to the relevant troops on the battlefield before dawn to ensure they followed the plan.

“Call from the Military Commission channel.

The Chenzhou Command Center is now a very large organization. The communications department is the Communications Department instead of the Communications Office. The radio station has four duty channels, which means that when the command center is operating, there must be four telegraph operators wearing headphones on duty, ready to receive messages at all times on the four frequency bands.

The four frequency bands are the CMC-General Staff band, the army and division-level band, the regimental-level battlefield communication band, and the radio interception band. The first three bands are agreed-upon communication frequencies, while radio interception involves repeatedly flipping switches to see which bands harbor suspected enemy activity.

The call on the Military Commission frequency band reported that the Jiangbei Detachment had returned to Jiangbei from Jiangnan.

The Jiangbei Detachment was originally a seed force sent from the Hunan-Jiangxi border base area to support the Huangma Uprising and establish the Hubei-Henan-Anhui base area. Due to Chiang Kai-shek's massive encirclement and suppression campaign, the Jiangbei Detachment was deployed by Mao Runzhi and Liu Bocheng. After crossing the river, the detachment made a surprise attack on Huanggang a few days ago, then returned south of the Yangtze River and launched a surprise attack on Daye, poised to push back into Xiushui County. While the enemy forces encircling Xiushui County were frightened and quickly gathered from various rural areas to prepare for battle, the Jiangbei Detachment returned to Jiangbei this afternoon.

After reading this telegram, Chen Tianheng felt that there was no need to add any comments, as Mao Runzhi and Liu Bocheng were having a great time.

Immediately afterwards, the Communications Department decoded and compiled the second telegram from the Military Commission to the General Staff, which reported the situation on the eastern front in Ganzhou.

The Fourth Army and the Third Army let the invading enemy forces - a group of three armies - into Ningdu. Now Ye Ting and Zhu De had complete freedom of battlefield maneuver and freedom of intelligence. Now Ye Ting and Zhu De planned to attack Ningdu when it was halfway across the river, that is, when the three enemy armies crossed the Meijiang River in Ningdu County one after another.

This plan was submitted to the General Staff, and Liu Bocheng approved it. Chen Tianheng—it seemed that no additional comments were needed.

This is quite worry-free, isn't it?

Chapter 153: The Gui Army also has combat engineers?

late at night.

The headquarters in Chenzhou was brightly lit and the atmosphere was solemn.

Chen Mingren looked at the map on the table, then went to the wall to look at the full map of the battle, walking back and forth several times.

The same was true for Fan Hanjie, Zhao Zijun, Huang Wei, Qian Deng Ruoxian, Yuan Zhongxian and others from the General Staff. It could be seen that these people appeared calm on the surface, but in their hearts they were trying their best to suppress their anxiety and irritability.

At 1 a.m., the General Staff still had not come up with a battle decision and combat plan for tomorrow's battle.

Chen Tianheng: "Chen Mingren, where exactly are you stuck?"

"If we launch an all-out offensive, we're still a little short of manpower," Chen Mingren said. "Excluding the Dishuishan battlefield in Changning, the enemy has four armies and 10 divisions on the main battlefield, two of which are direct troops of the Guangxi clique. We have three divisions and two brigades at most. Of course, the enemy's 23rd Division and the 2nd Division of the Guangxi clique have basically lost their combat effectiveness, but the 9th Regiment of our 3rd Division has also been withdrawn for a good rest. As of dark today, the enemy's position has not been disrupted. In fact, due to the attack of the 1st Division of the Guangxi clique in the mountains, the first ridge of Yapoling has become a salient.

"As for the direction of Dishui Mountain, I estimate that after the battle, Yu Chengwan's Fourth Regiment will also need a long rest. They achieved a high exchange ratio in the defensive battle, but the losses were indeed not small." Zhao Zijun added.

Chen Mingren: "It would be great if the 5th and 6th Divisions of the Second Army joined the main battlefield. But it may be too late now.

Chen Tianheng frowned as he read the messy draft route outlined by Chen Mingren on the map. "The 5th and 6th Divisions have already penetrated and trapped a division of the 36th Army on the Changsha-Hengyang highway, essentially annihilating it. Only one division of Changsha's reinforcements has entered Hengyang. The next step for the 5th and 6th Divisions is to attack Hengyang... Occupying Hengyang is extremely advantageous to us strategically. Do you know why?"

Chen Mingren: "If we win this battle, Chiang Kai-shek's military budget will be completely depleted, and many of his main forces will be destroyed or severely damaged. He will be unable to launch a large-scale attack on the base area for at least six months. The possibility of a temporary ceasefire and peace between the two sides is very high. If we capture Hengyang at the end of the battle, we will be able to effectively control Hengyang after the war and revitalize the entire central and southern Hunan region."

"That's right. You should also understand that our army will have a long rest period after this battle. Therefore, the factors and standards we consider in our battle plan must also change," Chen Tianheng said. "The troops deployed in the battle can be allowed to fight some tough battles with heavy casualties.

"I understand." Chen Mingren nodded.

"However, the maximum casualty limit allowed is only slightly higher than the previous standard, so as not to cripple the entire regiment.

"yes!

"Command center calling!"

"Strike back tomorrow afternoon!"

East of the main road, northwest of Yongxing County, a vast bamboo forest stretches across the hilly slopes. The 1st Regiment of the 1st Division and the 11th Regiment of the 4th Division have spent the past two days fighting within the bamboo forest, and their headquarters are now combined.

Three days ago, the 10th Division of the Gui Army passed through the bamboo forest in the mountains and tried to steal Yongxing County, but the 11th Regiment of the 4th Division held it. When the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division also joined the battlefield, the 10th Division of the Gui Army left Yongxing County and went back to the mountains to circle around.

After two days of searching, the two regiments were unable to destroy or defeat the 10th Guangxi Division, which really embarrassed Zheng Dongguo, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division.

"Command orders: The 1st Regiment of the 1st Division will attack the main road tomorrow afternoon and independently identify weak points in the enemy's deployment to break up the enemy group. The 11th Regiment will continue to engage the 10th Gui Division," Zheng Dongguo pointed at the map. "Huang Zaixin, if your 11th Regiment acts alone, you should conduct offensive defense."

"Our regiment can roam around and defend here," said Huang Zaixin, commander of the 11th Regiment, "with Xinwan Village as the center, the slope below the forest is the range of maneuver.

“No, Xinwan Village is not conducive to tomorrow’s combat mission.