Chapter 290 Battle of Koyama 1

In the front-line headquarters of the Third Division.

Gu Lanyu withdrew her sight from the map, and then turned to look at many subordinates: "You have also seen the latest order of the military headquarters. General Xu asked our division to solve the Lashan war as soon as possible, and then go south to intercept the Lu army's north reinforcement detachment!"

Kong Guanbei said: "Now that the Lashan war has reached the final stage, our department has continuously conquered many important strongholds in Lashan, and it is expected to completely solve the Lashan war tomorrow!"

Gu Lanyu nodded and then turned to Pei Lianying and said, "The Sixth Brigade should be ready to go south tomorrow afternoon!"

Since the outbreak of the Jinan Campaign, Zhang Huaizhi's third army reinforcements have not stopped. When Zhao Dongyun entered the customs, Zhang Huaizhi began to transfer troops from Jiangxi and Anhui to the north. However, this mobilization does not mean that all the troops can be transferred to the north at one time. After all, although the troops of the Southern Federation were beaten However, it was still stationed in Jiangxi and southern Zhejiang at the beginning, and Zhang Huaizhi's control of Anhui was short, and it also required a large number of troops to exercise local control.

However, as the Feng army entered the customs and continued to win the battle, especially after the Tangshan Campaign, Zhang Huaizhi accelerated the pace of withdrawing troops to the north.

It was also officially because Zhang Huaizhi transferred troops to the north early, so that he was able to arrive in Jinan and deploy defensive battles before the Feng army, from more than 4,000 in a brigade at the beginning to more than 10,000 now.

More than 5,000 troops are on their way north. If they intercept them, the army's more than 5,000 reinforcements are expected to arrive in Jinan in three days.

Now that there are more than 10,000 Lu troops in Jinan, it is not easy to fight. Xu Bangjie is unwilling to let this Lu army reinforcements arrive in Jinan.

"Now it has been found that the Lu army reinforced by going north is the second mixed brigade of the Shandong Army. The army was formed at the beginning of the year. In the past six months, it has fought against northern Jiangsu and Anhui, and there have been many large-scale battles with the Southern Federation. It has rich combat experience, and its combat effectiveness is still not small!" Pei Lianying said, "However, according to our intelligence, the equipment level of this brigade can only be said to be average. Although they do not lack light weapons, there is not much heavy weapons, especially artillery!"

The lack of heavy weapons in domestic warlord forces is not a separate special case, but a common phenomenon. Even in the Feng army, this situation exists. Only a few main forces can maintain the full artillery, and more troops are not equipped with heavy weapons. Although the third army under Zhang Huaizhi is not weak, The expansion in half a year has reached a scale of more than 20,000, but the artillery is still extremely scarce. Even the 5th Division now has only two battalions. It is good that other mixed brigades and provincial army forces can be assigned to an artillery battalion.

The most artillery in the domestic army is naturally the Feng army and the previous direct army. After the direct army was defeated and most of the troops defected to Zhao Dongyun, most of the belongings of the direct army were accepted by the Feng army. Now outside the Feng army, the Anhui army with the most artillery is Duan Qirui.

In addition to the artillery of the original 4th Division, Duan Qirui's artillery captured a considerable number of weapons and equipment of the Southern Federation in the southward operation. At the same time, Duan Qirui currently controls the Jinling Arsenal and the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, among which the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau can produce artillery, although the output is very small. In addition, Duan Qirui seized Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other two river regions and seized a large amount of money. Duan Qirui used the money to buy a large number of artillery from foreign banks in various countries.

Interestingly, in addition to buying Japanese and German artillery like Zhao Dongyun, he also bought a considerable team of legal and British artillery, which can basically be bought, and he wants artillery that can be delivered in a short time.

Although there is no accurate information at present, the Anhui army under Duan Qirui has at least hundreds of barreled artillery. Although there are old and chaotic models and calibers, this cannot deny the fact that the Anhui army has more than 100 guns.

Zhang Huaizhi's Lu army is much worse!

However, the lack of artillery does not mean that Zhang Huaizhi's troops cannot fight. Although the Lu army under Zhang Huaizhi is actually the third army formed when Wang Yingkai was president. This third army number. The first army under Duan Qirui's command and Wang Shizhen's second army are old numbers. Nowadays, most people no longer shout like this. Generally, they are directly called the Lu army, the Anhui army, the Hubei army, the Jin army, the Feng army, etc. Some of the names here are the birthplace of warlords, and some are called the warlord-controlled areas, and There is no unified law, it is just people's habit of calling it convenient.

For example, Fengjun is called the warlord-controlled area, but at the same time, Zhao Dongyun is from Jiangsu, so outsiders will also call the military and political group led by Zhao Dongyun and the Soviet system, so many people will say 'Soviet Fengjun'.

Although the troops under Duan Qirui's command have the number of the First Army and the Liangjiang Army, people are still used to calling it Duan Qirui's native Anhui Province, so it is generally called the Anhui Army and Anhui Army.

The Third Army under Zhang Huaizhi, the Shandong Army and the Anhui Army are called the Lu Army, because Zhang Huaizhi is not only a Shandong native, but also because his old territory is Shandong.

Wu Fengling entered Shanxi, so people called Shanxi, his control area, and called the troops under Wu Fengling the Jin army.

Wang Shizhen controlled a large area of Hubei north of the Yangtze River and southern Henan, and people called his troops the Hubei army.

Of course, these names are just people's customary names, not formal establishment. Their official establishment is still a division of the Central Committee and a division of the provincial army.

Although Beiyang is fragmented, the numbers of the troops are relatively unified. Except for the Central Division, the troops under the warlords are compiled in accordance with the provincial army regulations issued by the former Ministry of War.

In these units, the Shandong Army's Second Mixed Brigade under Zhang Huaizhi was formerly known as the Ninth Infantry Brigade of the Fifth Division, but the serious old Beiyang troops, like the old Beiyang troops of other warlords in the past six months, have gone through many times to transfer the backbone to form new troops, resulting in quality decline and the dispersion of heavy weapons. , but the combat power still exists.

"Jinan is a hard bone. Although there are only more than 10,000 people left in it, it is not a short time to take it down, so the military department has changed its original plan to attack Jinan and strive to eliminate the reinforcements of the Lu army!" Gu Lanyu said, "And the task of assisting has been entrusted to our third division!"

In fact, the strength of the Second Army of the Feng Army under Xu Bangjie is not much. The Third Division and the 10th Division and many other forces together are only more than 30,000, so there are not too many troops that can be drawn out to help. Now it is Xu Bangjie who can draw out a third division to attack Keji in a short time. South's situation.

As for the reinforcements of the Feng army, the closest is the first mixed brigade, but now they are still in the Cangzhou area, and it will take a long time to reach Jinan.

Fortunately, the reinforcements of the Feng army are far away, but the situation of the opposite Lu army is not good. In the early stage, more than 10,000 people arrived in Jinan. The nearest mixed brigade is still more than 50 kilometers away from Jinan. As for the other troops of the Lu army, they have just entered Shandong and have to arrive in Jinan. Nan is not a short time.

That is to say, today's battle in Shandong will be about more than 30,000 Xu Bangjie and 16,000 people in the Lu army for at least half a month, and it will take at least half a month for other troops to reinforce.

"If we can eliminate this second mixed brigade, then we will be able to calmly attack more than 10,000 defenders in Jinan in the next half a month, and it will be much easier to conquer Jinan!"

Gu Lanyu continued after saying, "All departments should be prepared to end the Lashan war tomorrow morning, and then my troops will immediately go south to fight!"

Kong Guanbei, Pei Lianying and others naturally responded!

The next day, the 3rd Division lived up to Xu Bangjie's expectations. After a fierce attack in the morning, it finally conquered the last stronghold in Lashan. Then the 3rd Division left a regiment to wait for the 10th Division to take over the local defense area, and the other main forces of the 3rd Regiment of the 3rd Division immediately turned around and went south.

When the Third Division went south, the 10th Division's offensive against Jinan continued, and in the afternoon of that day, it conquered Wujiabao and cleared the Yellow River area north of the area. Next, the 3rd Division did not continue to advance eastward, but covered the troops on the north bank of the Yellow River, especially artillery and a large number of heavy troops crossing the river. After the artillery troops cross the river in place, it is time for the 10th Division to continue to launch an attack.

The main force of the Third Division quickly went south. The next day, its forward force fought in Guashan Town and the second mixed brigade of the Shandong Army reinforced from Tai'an.

Gushan Town, this town is not well-known and strictly speaking, it is not a strategic place, but this place is on the passage from Tai'an to Jinan.

What is the terrain to the south of Jinan? That is the world-famous Mount Tai, and the old forests in the middle and west of Mount Tai are mountainous and it is difficult for large troops to pass, and its western areas are much smoother. The Lu army can only cross the Taishan Mountains from Tai'an to the north, and the most convenient and shortest passage is to go north from Tai'an, and then pass through Wande, Zhang Xia and Gua. After arriving at Mount Ku, you can choose to continue north, cross a small mountain and go straight into the area of Lashan. This channel is actually the route of the Jinpu Line. Although the Jinpu Line has not been repaired yet, it can serve as a railway channel in this era. This terrain is naturally much better than other mountainous areas of Mount Tai. If the Lu army captures Kushan Town, they can also choose to enter Changqing County in the west, and then enter Lashan along the Yellow River in the east.

Then it can be seen from here that this town can be said to be the necessary passage of the Lu army to go north, and it is also the only way for the Feng army to go south. Previously, due to the shortage of troops, the Feng army only hurriedly controlled the Changqing Dynasty and only sent a battalion in Kushan Town.

With the outbreak of the Jinan Campaign, this small Kushan Town has become the main point of competition between the two armies. At that time, if the Lu army reinforcements want to reinforce Jinan, they must conquer this Kushan Town!