The Fourth Outstanding Person of Huangpu Military Academy

Chen Tianheng read the letter.

"The 2nd Regiment has arrived at Tangjiabu. The reconnaissance company arrived outside Tangjiabu 20 minutes ahead of the 2nd Regiment headquarters. The firepower probes conducted by the reconnaissance company and the 2nd Regiment indicate that there are a large number of enemy troops in Tangjiabu, estimated to be over 3,000. The enemy responded with mountain artillery after the firepower probe. I believe this enemy force is most likely the headquarters of the 10th Division of the Allied Forces and the 40th Regiment. After arriving at Tangjiabu, the 2nd Regiment deployed according to procedure to seize the retreat route from Tangjiabu to Fuyang."

"This is a letter Wei Lihuang wrote half an hour ago," Chen Tianheng said. "Is it time for the First Regiment to arrive at Tangjiabu now?"

Chen Mingren checked his watch and said, "If they hadn't encountered any additional battles along the way, they should have arrived at Tangjiabu by now."

Chen Tianheng: "Two regiments besieging Tangjiabu will not be a problem, but there are enemy artillery units in Tangjiabu, which is a bit troublesome."

Chen Mingren: "Before the battle, all the officers and soldiers of the division were told about the combat principle of not fighting a battle that would result in a tragic victory. They should all have understood it."

Chen Tianheng: "Artillery Battalion, continue across the pontoon bridge and advance behind the First Regiment. Send the signalmen to notify the First and Second Regiments along both routes simultaneously. The general attack on Tangjiabu will be coordinated by Xu Xiangqian, but the troops must wait. We will launch the general attack after our artillery has been transported up."

Chapter 139

At 0:30 a.m. on January 5, the artillery battalion of the 1st Division crossed the ferry pontoon bridge and moved forward to provide reinforcements.

At the same time, the divisional radio station at the ferry received a telegram from the First Reconnaissance Battalion: "No unusual activity in Fuyang City tonight." The First Reconnaissance Battalion repeated the message, emphasizing that there was indeed no unusual activity.

The battle to capture the Allied 10th Division took place in the evening and into the night. The enemy forces in Fuyang might or might not have known about the situation on the front lines, depending on whether Zheng Junyan immediately requested assistance from Fuyang or even Hangzhou. Since there were no unusual movements at this time, it seemed they were completely unaware of the disappearance of the Allied 10th Division on the front lines.

At 0:35, the radio station of the Second Battalion came online.

The Reconnaissance Battalion's 2nd Battalion had originally served as a communications relay station, as the 1st Battalion, the furthest-reaching unit, was beyond the range of portable radios from division headquarters. However, the 1st Division had been advancing rapidly over the past few days, enabling direct radio communication with the 1st Battalion. The 2nd Battalion no longer needed to act as a communications relay, and instead crossed the Fuchun River eastward, collecting intelligence in the Shaoxing-Ningbo direction (the combat area of ​​the 19th Army, 21st Division, and 22nd Division).

"Division Commander, the ferry dock has been surveyed and is suitable for berthing the division's requisitioned cargo ships."

Chen Tianheng: "Huang Wei, the logistics department should change the location."

"Yes. Lao Luo, take the two men to Tonglu and wait at the Tonglu River Port. Tomorrow morning, when the shipping team arrives at Tonglu River Port, tell them not to unload the cargo. Instead, drive directly to the ferry and unload the cargo there. This will save you more than ten kilometers of mountain road."

Chen Tianheng: "Divisional Health Department, how are the wounded being accommodated?"

"One hundred and forty-four wounded soldiers from my division have been accommodated, four of whom are critically injured and receiving intensive care. There are seven hundred and seventy captured wounded. Well, all we can say is that they've all been bandaged. We haven't identified any of the critically injured, as we lack both manpower and medical equipment."

Chen Tianheng: "You did the right thing, Cheng Kui. Medical facilities are limited, so this is the only way. You also need to prepare manpower and be prepared to receive another batch of wounded. The 1st and 2nd Regiments still have a big battle to fight at the front."

……

"Report! Telegram from the Third Regiment!"

The division headquarters moved from Tonglu to the ferry, and the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division remained in place to deal with the situation in the direction of Si Lie. If the Si Lie Division suddenly collapsed, the 11th Division of the Allied Forces would rush to Tonglu.

The radio station of the Third Regiment also allowed Chen Tianheng to obtain information about Tonglu/26th Army in the shortest possible time.

The Third Regiment's telegram stated that they had received information from the 26th Army regarding the Si Lie Division's safety. The remaining troops of the division had crossed the Fenshui River and dismantled the wooden bridge over it, now facing the Allied 11th Division across the river. Furthermore, the Allied 11th Division had also been engaged in fierce fighting since early morning, and both sides had now called off their operations.

Chen Tianheng immediately called back and asked the radio station of the Third Regiment to remain in Tonglu, and the rest of the combat troops to rush to the ferry to prepare for the next stage of the mission.

After arranging the tasks of the third regiment, Chen Tianheng looked at his watch. It was 1:20 in the morning.

Although the fighting was fierce that day, Chen Tianheng did not see a single Beiyang Army soldier in a hostile state, did not fire a shot at the enemy, and neither did anyone around him. In other words, there was no fighting between the enemy and us within his visual range that day.

However, on this day, the last veteran force under Sun Chuanfang was beaten to the point of being on the verge of death by the First Division, and only one final blow was needed to put the lid on the coffin of the Allied Forces' 10th Division.

What kind of large-scale military operations...

No, it's a small group.

The 1st Division now plays the role of a smallest combat corps, leading a battle to encircle and annihilate Sun Chuanfang's army on the battlefield west of Fuchun River in Zhejiang.

He was in charge, not in direct command, because the 26th Army on the same battlefield was not under the command of Chen Tianheng. Chen Tianheng just used the 26th Army as a mobile NPC.

During the final capture of Jiujiang on the Nanxun Line, Chen Tianheng also had a division under his command. However, the battle on the Nanxun Line took place along the railway line, making the battlefield quite crowded. As the division commander, he was not far from the front line. In Zhejiang, Chen Tianheng finally felt the vastness of the concept of "battle" in terms of space.

Come on! Chen Tianheng thought, if he could hone the staff department to be more capable, he could read novels in the headquarters when commanding operations in the future, and all other command duties would be handled by the chief of staff and the staff department.

……

When Du Yuming led the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division to the ferry, it was already late at night, early morning of January 5th.

"The division commander has already rested. Your entire regiment should also rest where they are."

The only one awake now was Chief of Staff Chen Mingren, while Chen Tianheng was catching up on sleep in his sleeping bag at the headquarters. Chen Mingren had slept in the first half of the night and had gotten up at 3:30 in the morning.

Du Yuming: "Aren't the 1st and 2nd Regiments fighting Zheng Junyan up ahead?"

"The battle is progressing smoothly. The earthen wall constructed by Zheng Junyan's division was breached half an hour ago. The 1st and 2nd Regiments are probably already picking up the remaining troops, so there's no need for the 3rd Regiment to join the battle," Chen Mingren said. "The General Staff's current battle plan is already targeting the Allied 11th Division."

Du Yuming left the command center to rest. Huang Wei's logistics department had set up a number of tents for the Third Regiment in the past few hours, and everyone could sleep in them if they squeezed together.

Tangjiabu.

The defenses of Zheng Junyan's 10th Allied Forces Division weren't actually earthen walls. These were rural structures in the northern plains designed to protect against large-scale bandit attacks. They connected individual houses and courtyard walls, forming a defensive system. In Zhejiang, except for the Tujia people in remote rural areas, who built defensive systems, most other dwellings were built haphazardly.

Zheng Junyan's defense line actually mainly relied on foxholes and trenches dug in the farmland, with houses serving as support points and observation posts.

The 10th Division sent three regiments to chase the 26th Army, but they were all gone. Zheng Junyan learned about the 37th Regiment's annihilation around 11 p.m., and around noon, the defeated soldiers of the 38th and 39th Regiments also returned.

Zheng Junyan immediately dispatched a signalman to Fuyang for assistance and ordered the entire division to remain on guard. Various light and heavy machine guns and firearms formed an oval-shaped defensive perimeter outside Tangjiabu-Huishan Village. The mountain artillery battalion and the three infantry guns that the 37th Regiment had not taken out were stationed in the open space between the two villages.

The infantry gun was purchased from Japan by Sun Chuanfang, the 11th-year model 37mm infantry flat-fire gun. Although the gun was light and portable, the 37th Regiment still did not like to use it because it had no wheels and was too tiring for people to carry and too troublesome for horses to carry.

"What? The ones attacking us are the First Division of the First Army of the Northern Expedition?"

Zheng Junyan asked the officers and soldiers who ran back from the front line. Among the dozen or so remnants, a second lieutenant said that the unit that attacked them was the First Division of the Northern Expedition Army.

"Yes, I was only a few meters away from them when I was closest. I saw that in addition to the Northern Expedition Army logo on their upper arms, there was also a cloth badge with a blue sky and a white sun with a 1 in the middle. Isn't that the emblem of the First Division of the First Army?"

Zheng Junyan: "I know, I know. You, don't talk nonsense outside after you get out!"

Although Zheng Junyan's troops had never fought against the First Division, the entire Sun Chuanfang Army, including officers at the level of division commanders and brigade commanders, knew about the First Division. They also understood that they must never encounter the First Division on the battlefield.

Xie Hongxun, a renowned general among Sun Chuanfang's senior officers for his skill in employing troops, was killed by the First Division. According to officers from the redeemed Soviet Fourth Division, Xie Hongxun's 7,000 to 8,000 men were decimated in a single afternoon. The First Division's officers and soldiers, armed not only with rifles, cannons, and machine guns, but also with daggers, were also equipped. Xie Hongxun was hacked to death with these daggers. (Heavy fog)

Lu Xiangting, considered Sun Chuanfang's second-in-command in the Soviet-led army, led the renowned Second Central Division, which was nearly annihilated by the First Division. Sun Chuanfang spent 8 silver dollars to redeem Lu Xiangting and rebuilt the Second Central Division. However, Lu Xiangting is now reportedly in very poor condition, frightened by any noise. Firecrackers are forbidden near his residence, doors and walls cannot be banged on, and even his cooks are forbidden from breaking dishes while cooking. The rebuilt Second Central Division is now under the management of its deputy commander.

The two Sun-affiliated warriors mentioned above, one deleted his account and the other went offline. Now, it is Zheng Junyan's turn.

At 2:45 a.m., the defensive perimeter came under sudden artillery fire. The first round consisted of a dozen mortar shells falling almost simultaneously. After four rapid rounds, flares were suspended high at the junction of Tangjiabu and Huishan Village, and strings of heavy machine gun rounds flew in from the darkness.

The artillery of the 10th Division immediately turned its guns in this direction and fired a row of shells in the direction of the attack on the defense line, which landed 500 to 600 meters in front of the position.

Then, the artillery battalion of the 10th Division was counter-covered by the mountain artillery battalion of the 1st Division.

Xu Xiangqian had long guessed that the 10th Division's artillery should be deployed in the open space between the two villages and could not be deployed anywhere else. The 1st and 2nd Regiments first concentrated their mortars to bombard the defenders' defense line. When Sun Chuanfang's army's mountain artillery opened fire, the front line roughly located the position of the smoke rising from the defense circle and summoned the 1st Division's mountain artillery battalion for coverage.

As for why the infantry could see the smoke and roughly locate it, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment was only about 100 meters away from the 10th Division's defense line...

Battalion Commander Wang Erzhuo glanced behind him. Just now, Sun's army's artillery shells had been raining down row after row a few hundred meters behind him, attempting to maintain the artillery blockade. Now, no more shells were flying from the center of the position. Wang Erzhuo continued to glance behind him until a signal flare rose into the night sky. Then he gave the order: "Blow the charge!"

The "Little Toad" trench gun captured just a few hours ago fired its last round of shells. After the smoke from the three shells dissipated, the three front combat teams of the first battalion were already approaching the trench.

The soldiers of the 10th Division in the trenches chose to escape.

While firing, he shouted, "The First Division is coming! The First Division is coming!"

The first group of combat teams chased the fleeing enemy troops, while the second group of combat teams aimed their guns at the trenches, searching for the remaining enemy troops. However, they searched the trenches and found only corpses and a few wailing wounded soldiers, not a single enemy soldier standing to resist.

Xu Xiangqian and Wei Lihuang were outside the defense line, staring through binoculars at the 10th Division's defensive positions, which were engulfed in explosions and flames.

"The enemy's central defense line has been breached," Wei Lihuang said. "Their center is a weak point, so it's easy. Now it all depends on when we can break into Huishan Village."

Xu Xiangqian also noticed it. He continued to stare at the night sky until a signal flare rose in the middle of the elliptical defense line. This was the signal that the central assault group had hit the enemy's mountain artillery position and completed the capture or destruction of the artillery.

"Order the artillery battalion to turn its firepower toward Huishan Village."

The situation in Huishan Village was even better than that of the central defense line. Shortly after the 76mm mountain artillery shells flew in, hundreds of soldiers abandoned their positions and fled. These soldiers also fled while shouting:

"The First Division is coming! The First Division is coming!"

At the other end of the oval defense line was Tangjiabu, where the 10th Division's headquarters was located. Zheng Junyan witnessed the center of his defense line being breached, and then the connection between Tangjiabu and Huishan Village was cut off.

Although he didn't know the details of Huishan Village, Zheng Junyan guessed that the garrison's fall was only a matter of time. He had stationed the 40th Regiment, his most regular combat unit, at Tangjiabu. Huishan Village was occupied by the supply regiment, which had taken up arms and played a supporting role. The positions connecting the two villages were occupied by the remaining troops of the 37th and 38th Regiments.

"You go to the front line to supervise the battle! Hold your ground. If the front-line trenches are breached, the reserve troops will go up and retake them! We must hold out until dawn!"

Zheng Junyan gave orders loudly.

"Commander! Will there be reinforcements at dawn?"

Zheng Junyan: "The Marshal's reinforcements are on the way! He won't leave us alone!"

"Yes!"

The commander of the 40th Regiment turned around and went out to supervise the battle.

Zheng Junyan and Chief of Staff Cheng Xuanyi turned around and slipped out the back door of the courtyard. Tangjiabu was also a river port. Just over a hundred meters from this courtyard was the dock. There was a boat docked on the Fuchun River right now, according to information gathered by the General Staff during the day.

Zheng Junyan and Cheng Xuanyi jumped onto the wooden boat one after another.

"Commander, how are we going to explain to the Marshal when we return?" Cheng Xuanyi asked.

"Just explain it however you want," Zheng Junyan said. "At worst, I'll be fired and go home to farm."

The boatman untied the ropes and rowed the boat, and the wooden boat slowly left the shore and disappeared into the night.

It was still dark and there were few boats on the Fuchun River/Qiantang River. There seemed to be only one fishing boat or a small ferry boat on the river ahead, with the lights on the bow flickering.

Chapter 39, Shadow Strategist

Two wooden boats were side by side.

The boatman carefully rowed the oars to keep the two boats relatively still in the center of the Fuchun River. Zheng Junyan and Cheng Xuanyi jumped from one boat to the other naturally but very cooperatively, feeling ashamed and angry.

"Commander of the 10th Division of the Allied Forces, Zheng Junyan? Oh, a big... No, a high-ranking official.

Guo Rugui, the squad leader of the First Squadron of the Reconnaissance Battalion, recognized Zheng Junyan. The enemy generals' profiles distributed before the battle included their photos. Guo Rugui then looked at Cheng Xuanyi and asked, "Who is this?"

Cheng Xuanyi: "Chief of Staff.

Guo Rugui: "Fellow countrymen! It's okay! You can go now! By the way, have they paid the boat fare? If not, I can ask them to pay for it! Oh, they have paid, good! Goodbye, and have a safe trip! Two senior officials, I want to advise you that since you are here, you should make the best of it. You have been captured by the Northern Expedition Army now, so don't plan any escape plan. Besides, the water in the Fuchun River is too cold now.

“I don’t have to run.

Zheng Junyan thought, isn't it just a matter of being locked up for a few days, waiting for the Marshal to redeem him?

Lu Xiangting's ransom is 8 yuan, and my ransom will not be lower than this amount.

Guo Rugui stopped chatting with Zheng Junyan and had something important to do. He picked up the telescope and locked onto a small hill a few hundred meters from the shore: "Wei Zi, light the lantern."

The soldier named Wei Zi stood at the bow, shielding the bowlight with a shading board, moving it away, then shielding it again, then moving it away again, repeating this a dozen times. This was Morse code, using light signals.

The hill that Guo Rugui was looking at with his telescope responded. It was also a light, flashing rhythmically for more than ten times, indicating that the light language of the reconnaissance ship had been observed and the content could be recognized. Then formal communication could be carried out.

A few minutes later, the reconnaissance ship completed communication with the shore base.

"Our superiors have told us to return early and take these two high-ranking officials to division headquarters," Guo Rugui said. "Division headquarters is at Lianwu Ferry. Let's go!"

Although rented by the reconnaissance battalion as a reconnaissance vessel, the wooden boat lacked power. The boatman and scouts worked together to row the boat, but the boat could only slowly move upstream. By the time the wooden boat reached Tangjiabu from downstream, daybreak had already arrived. Zheng Junyan witnessed the final destruction of his own Allied 10th Division.

A regiment or battalion was beaten down to a small number of men, but as long as the core officers were withdrawn and the troops and weapons were replenished, the regiment/battalion could still recover. If the entire regiment was wiped out, as long as the division still existed, experienced officers could be drawn from other regiments or divisional staffs to rebuild it. The combat effectiveness of the rebuilt regiment-level unit would be reduced, but after all, the same number would be restored.

But if a division is completely wiped out, it will be difficult to rebuild it.

Furthermore, Sun Chuanfang's Five Provinces Allied Forces lacked a full-fledged arms industry and an officer academy (Sun Chuanfang's own military academy only opened its first term in late 1925). Even if the 10th Division were later rebuilt, it would likely be similar to the Central Second Division rebuilt after Lu Xiangting's release, instantly becoming a fourth-rate unit.

"Commander, the First Division of the Northern Expedition Army is so powerful. According to this situation, Division Commander Wang Miao of Xiaojing Village is also in great danger."

Zheng Junyan looked at Tangjiabu on the shore and said, "The 11th Division only inflicted heavy damage on the enemy in front of them yesterday, but failed to completely wipe them out. Wang Miao got carried away and led the entire division in pursuit for a long distance. Now they may not be able to retreat back to Fuyang. They are finished.

Cheng Xuanyi: "If our division and the 11th Division were to be completely occupied here, Hangzhou would be in danger.

Zheng Junyan: "It's not just Hangzhou that's in danger; the Marshal is in danger too. From now on, the Marshal may have to abandon Jiangnan and retreat to Jiangbei to join forces with the Fengtian clique.

Cheng Xuanyi: "Zhejiang and Shanghai will be swept by the First and Second Divisions of the Communist Army. Nanjing can still hold its ground for a while."

Zheng Junyan: "The situation in Jiangxi and Anhui isn't optimistic either. The Fourth and Seventh Armies of the Northern Expedition are also extremely fierce units. They're currently moving down the Yangtze River, seizing cities along the river one by one. But if they join forces with the Fengtian clique..."

"Commander, there's no sound from Tangjiabu anymore, it's completely over.

Cheng Xuanyi noticed that the gunfire and explosions at Tangjiabu had stopped. After the last burst of machine gun fire, a long silence fell on the riverbank.

Guo Rugui: "It's definitely over. There's no position the First Division can't capture. Since the beginning of the Northern Expedition, all the troops that have faced the First Division have been defeated by us. The best outcome is that four regiments ran away and one regiment fled, without the commander.

"And at that time, our 2nd and 3rd Regiments had not yet been fully trained." A scout soldier interrupted.

Zheng Junyan looked back at Guo Rugui and the several scouts on the boat. It was daybreak, and now the details of the soldiers' equipment could be clearly seen.

None of them were wearing the standard Northern Expedition uniforms. Their jackets were made of light green fabric, with open collars. While they looked less imposing when lined up, they did allow for easier neck rotation. They wore sweaters underneath, scarves around their necks, and floppy hats that seemed to provide adequate warmth.

Guo Rugui was armed with an MP18 Bergmann, while the other scouts were equipped with rifles and MP18s. The seven-man reconnaissance team also had a Madsen machine gun. The gunner sat relaxedly on the bow smoking, the gun strapped diagonally across his waist by a two-point sling.

In addition to the firearms, each scout also has a large backpack and some unnamed equipment hanging around his waist, and the equipment hung on each person is different.