161 Breathing Night (Outside: Part 2)

The night is particularly quiet.

The fury hidden in the night is ready to move.

When the red signal bombs of attack soared into the air, cut through the night sky and shattered the tranquility. The assault troops of the revolutionary army went down the mountain like a tiger, rushing to the enemy's stations and strongholds. The huge explosion of thunderous stocks, the dense sound of wind and rain-like gunfire, one after another, swept the whole line of the Beijing-Han Railway like a storm.

Li Xiping's eyes crossed the smoke-smoky battlefield and turned to the continuous layers of Dabie Mountain in front of him. There was a loss in the night, a little desolation, a kind of magnificence.

Dabie Mountain stretches and has a steep terrain. It is located on the border of the three provinces of Hubei, Henan and Anhui. It is connected with Tongbai Mountain in the west. It is the main traffic road of the Beijing-Han Railway, and Wusheng Pass is the natural barrier outside Hubei. Wusheng Pass, one of the nine famous gates in China, is known as a treasure of "the green division of Henan and the three rivers". For thousands of years, it has been the place where soldiers must fight for four battles. But this mission is not to compete for Wu Shengguan.

The division under his command is responsible for the attack task from Wushengguan to Guangshui, and the key point of the attack is very clear to Li Xiping. If you are rashly greedy, even if you win the Wusheng Pass, the Beiyang Army, which is constantly going south from Xinyang, will soon be able to recapture the Wusheng Pass, and the revolutionary army will be sacrificed in vain. Only the destruction of this section of the railway, so that the Jinghan Line cannot be connected for ten days and a half months, will be the heaviest blow to the Beiyang army in Hankou and Xiaogan.

From Wusheng Pass to the south, you will arrive at Dawu through the General Village, the Filial Piety Shop and the Beacon Fire. Jingguan in Guangping and Jiuliguan in Dawu County are also known as the "Three Passes in North Hubei", which has become the trend of horns. The general's village controls Wushengguan in the north, Jiuliguan in the east, and the beacon tower in the south. The Beiyang Army occupied all the time and place.

Li Xiping has learned in advance from the reconnaissance that there are more than 100 Beiyang Army stationed in Wushengguan, one hundred and eight rifles, all German Mauser, four small steel guns, and one Mark Qin; there is a battalion of Beiyang Army stationed in the general's camp, one small steel cannon and one Keluboshan cannon, two Mark Qin heavy machine guns, and one rifle. ; There are more than 60 Beiyang Army and 60 rifles stationed in Xiaozidian; there are more than 60 Beiyang Army and one Mark Qin light machine gun stationed in the beacon; more than 100 Beiyang Army stationed in Pingjingguan, there are more than 100 Mark Qin light machine guns and more than 100 rifles; there are more than 100 Beiyang Army stationed in Jiuliguan, one Mark Qin light machine gun and one rifle.

From the perspective of troop deployment, the Wushengguan area is full of heavy defense and strong firepower. Among them, two "hard bones" are the most difficult to nibble: one is, of course, Wu Shengguan, which is guarded by danger. The other is the heavily armed and well-equipped general's fortress.

Wushengguan is located in the middle of the canyon, which is dangerous and controls the whole Beijing-Han railway channel. Guancheng takes mountains as obstacles, chisel mountains into passes, and the wall is strong. In ancient times, "cars can't be square tracks, and horses can't ride together" is described as dangerous. The peaks stand on both sides, the mountains are continuous, and the mountains are densely covered with pine, fir, bamboo and other vegetation. Jigong Mountain, located seven kilometers to the northeast, is more than 700 meters above sea level, with a view of Wusheng Pass. Below Guancheng is a railway tunnel, through which the Jinghan Railway passes through.

General Zhai is located near the Filial Piety Store. Through the Beijing-Han Railway and find a mountain road path, you can find a mountain gate built of giant stones, which is the general's village. According to the Records of Yingshan (now Guangshui) County, Di Qing, a famous general in the Northern Song Dynasty, was built here to build a fortress, hence the name. This village is built of large pieces of stone, about 700 meters long, four meters high, and nearly four meters thick. Its strength can be imagined. On each side of the cottage, there is a ticket top gate with a high wall.

It is conceivable that it is difficult to break through the railway in such a strong fortress and heavily guarded place as the Beiyang Army. Li Xiang gave Li Xiping the task of gnawing the "hard bone".

Since the battle of Sandaoqiao, Li thought that as long as there was a tough battle, he would involuntarily think of Li Xiping. He is one of the two highest generals who followed his ideal path with Zeng Gao after his first righteousness in Wuchang. At that time, Li Xiang didn't see any future and dared to follow him to cross the river. Except for that noble ideal, he did not have any utilitarian heart. This is also the most direct reason why Li wants to make a bold appointment for them. He handed over such a difficult task as Wu Shengguan to Li Xiping. Li wanted to believe that he would resolutely complete the task beautifully.

In Li Xiping's heart, it is a very happy thing to follow Li Xiang to do the revolution. Li wants this guy to be a general. Although he is very lazy, he is absolutely responsible and courageous. Along the way, every battle is vigorous, and everything done is exciting.

"In order to smash Yuan Shikai's false intention to seek peace, intend to usurp the revolutionary regime and crack down on the capitulation faction in the Democratic Party, I want to use our Hubei Revolutionary Army to completely destroy the Beijing-Han Railway, so that the enemy can't open to traffic for half a year at least this year, so that the enemy has no choice but to get out of Hubei. In this way

First, guide the people of the whole country to carry out the revolution to the end. This is the ultimate strategic goal of the campaign that Li wants to send to him. Li Xiping gently meditated in the bottom of his heart, "Let the revolution to the end!" The blood burned with it.

In front of revolutionaries, there are no unfinished tasks! Wait, Beiyang Army, it's time for you to cry.

When the fireworks in the night sky are in full bloom, the war begins. The revolutionary army concentrated its firepower and attacked Wushengguan. The battle was extremely fierce. The shells that the enemy counterattacked even hit the command post where Li Xiping was located.

Li Xiping could no longer fight on the front line like Sandao Bridge, but his command post advanced to the enemy's eyes, completely inheriting the bold style of Li Xiang's revolutionary army. Such benefits are also obvious: you can grasp the front-line dynamics in a timely manner and flexibly transfer troops.

The staff around him is reporting to him the current progress of the revolutionary army: "According to the deployment of the command post, the task of attacking Wushengguan has been handed over to the Third Regiment. The third company first entered Wushengguan Village. The village is on the west side of Wushengguan, and there are more than a dozen Beiyang troops stationed in the village. Most of them have been sleeping, and several people who haven't slept because of the cold weather are also chatting about women and the weather... Several people in the village have been spoiled by them..." The staff officer couldn't help but turn the topic of the report and saw Li Xiping's stiff face moving, but he didn't know why he was angry. This young The staff quickly stopped and got back to the point. "The sharp knife class of the third company secretly leaned up and said "Don't move", which made the sleeping one open his eyes, the sleepy opened his eyes wide, and obediently became a prisoner. Then, relying on Wushengguancun, the third company of the third regiment launched a strong attack on the Beiyang army in Guanshang.

"Well, the third company did a good job!" Li Xiping nodded and fell silent. When the young staff officer was ready to continue, Li Xiping said again, "Those Beiyang prisoners will be handed over to the villagers after the war, and it doesn't matter if they are immersed in pig cages."

"Yes!" The young staff hesitated a little and then answered.

"According to the front-line reconnaissance report, the Wushengguan Beiyang Army has added four fortress groups on the basis of the original fortifications. The bunker is surrounded by barbed wire and trenches. The north side of Niangzi Pass is not easy to approach, and only the south side is relatively easy to approach.

"Easy to approach" is actually very difficult. The reason why Wusheng Pass can be called one of the nine famous gates in China is that the mountains are steep and steep, mostly cliffs.

The Beiyang army must occupy the strong mountain positions in Wushengguan one by one, but it is very tricky to attack that fortress just start the battle. Due to the poor equipment of the revolutionary army and the little support of the artillery, the infantry on the front line completely relied on the resolute revolutionary spirit to attack along the steep hillside at the cost of their lives. Step by step, it is easy to approach the enemy's position, and the barbed wire mesh is in front of you... The long-trained division of the Beiyang Army, which has been waiting for work, is very calm. It was not until the revolutionary army was out of breath and lost its momentum before it opened fire fiercely at close range. The officers and soldiers who climbed all the way and exhausted their strength in the mud could not be on the steep and slippery slopes

To avoid, he could only stab a gun and move forward desperately. After being knocked down, some soldiers did not fall to the ground, but rolled along the hillside to the bottom of the cliff... However, after one fell down, the other rushed up again. This is the spirit of the revolutionary army!

The firelight reflects the soldiers' successive figures, forming a magnificent scene together with the sound of killing and gunfire.

Li Xiping clenched his fist, and his eyes were colder than the cold wind blowing on the mountain. He stared at the magnificent battlefield in the distance and said nothing.

"At this time, the troops behind the Wusheng Pass of the Fifth Regiment approached the vicinity of the Beiyang Army Fortress Group and attacked the Beiyang Army from behind. At the same time, the second battalion that attacked Wushengguan also attacked Wushengguan in two ways. The staff around him kept reporting the situation to him.

After the battle at Wushengguan began, the Japanese army at the gate did not believe that it was a large force of the revolutionary army at all, and thought that it was the guerrillas at best.

Beiyang has caught fire with the revolutionary army in the outer position of Wushengguan, and fierce gunfire can be heard from afar in Wushengguan.

The Beiyang Army guarding Wusheng Pass is a standard of the independent mixed association of the fourth town, and the standard is the old man of Baichi. Before the battle began, Li Xiping obtained the analysis of the enemy information provided and said that Baichi was full of combat experience and tenacious style.

The Lord Baichi received a report from a spy under Yuan Shikai in the morning. According to the report, Li Xiang's large army of thousands of bandits had the intention to move eastward to the bottom of Xiaozi's store. Bai Chi didn't care about this news. He received too many false information. Some of them did not figure out the operation and deployment of Li Xiang's bandit army, but most of them were to ask for meritorious service.

But there has been a lot of information recently, and I can't believe it. Not long after the first information was sent in the morning, in the afternoon, Old Lord Baichi received the information sent by Lu Jianzhang, the spy leader of Yuan Shikai, "There are many unknown intentions of Li Xiang bandits who invaded Podi Village, three kilometers west of Wusheng Pass." Lord Bai Chi finally couldn't calm down, and he had to pay attention to Lu Jianzhang's information. Therefore, he led the police to attack Podi Village, but Li Xiang's bandit army was very "weak" and collapsed at a touch. Mr. Baichi thought very confidently: With the power of these bandits, he can't help the solid Wu Shengguan?

This time, Mr. Baichi had to believe it.

Tonight, Lord Baichi led 20 people who had just returned from patrolling Pingjing Pass in the north of Guangshui. After his training and announced a few precautions, when he was about to order disband, he was suddenly fiercely shot by the 79-caliber Mauser rifle made in Hanyang on the 300-meter west.

Immediately, the sound of Wu Shengguan's killing was shocking, and the flames of war suddenly broke out violently. The old man Baichi saw that the battlefield was dark, and the sun and moon were lightless.

After all, Mr. Baichi has rich combat experience and tenacious style. Immediately arranged a counterattack while returning to the team headquarters to report to Xinyang and Xiaogan. He judged from the sharp sound of gunfire that the troops attacking the Beiyang Army this time were by no means ordinary bandits, but a large civilian army.

Although he had a premonition that the situation was a little bad, with his tenacious style made him show the air of the standard in the face of danger. Therefore, when he picked up the phone and reported to the nearby Xinyang Town, he said, "Our department has been attacked by bandits, and the exact number is not clear. But in any case, you have to repel it alone. Please rest assured.

But in the rumble of gunfire outside the city, Mr. Baichi has felt more and more pressure.

In the fierce battle until midnight, the weather suddenly changed, the continuous drizzle began to fall, and the positions of the two armies were shrouded in rain and fog. In such a dark night, nothing can be seen a few meters away. The battlefield is muddy. The officers and soldiers are lying in the muddy water, and their thin military uniforms are close to their bodies. Li Xiping and others watched the battlefield and trembled coldly. They were not as good as those soldiers who fought on the battlefield.

A shell broke through the rain and exploded before and after the position.

Li Xiping's eyebrows were wrinkled. Without looking at it, he could imagine that the revolutionary army was sliding step by step in the mud, rolling and climbing mountains, and organizing the attack.

"Did the heavy rain in the sky, the river rose. At the same time, more than a hundred enemies attacked our army. Our army was afraid that our army would give up the gate and retreat to the position near the filial piety shop." The staff officer reported to Li Xiping on the battle of the general's fortress.

While the third regiment attacked Wushengguan, the fifth regiment also launched an attack on the general's village.

The task of the fifth regiment is to "resolutely attack the enemy of the general's village with a regiment of troops and seize it with a camera". Because the general's fortress was very strong, the Beiyang army stationed was well equipped and did not order to "resolutely occupy it", but only "attacked" and "camera captured it".

"After the fight against Wushengguan, our fifth regiment also quickly launched an attack on the Beiyang army in the general's village. He fired platoon guns, threw grenades, and occupied several bunkers outside the station with a rapid attack. While waiting for a deep attack and expanding the results, he met the Dawu Beiyang Army garrison patrolling on the railway line. Under the support and cover of the Dawu Beiyang Army's garrison, the Beiyang Army launched a counterattack on the Fifth Regiment. The Fifth Regiment was forced to return to the filial piety shop and formed a stalemate with the enemy.

After the young staff said, he looked at Li Xiping nervously. The attack suffered setbacks everywhere, which made him, the reporting staff officer, also frightened. As we all know, General Zeng Gao's temper is gentle and elegant, a little like a general, and this General Li Xiping is brave and strong on the battlefield, and his temper is also hot. Such a sinking face makes people frightening.

"The fifth regiment left a battalion to continue to contain the Beiyang army, and the rest of the troops quickly broke the road." Li Xiping did not get angry, but calmly gave new orders, although his eyebrows were still wrinkled. Finally, he added, "The purpose of our battle this time is only to break the road."

Around Wusheng Pass, there are almost all the steep mountains with a height of about 1,000 meters, overlapping and undulating. From halfway up the mountain, the Beiyang Army further improved the fortress group around Wushengguan, with barbed wire nets and trenches, layer by layer to the top of the mountain, and the surface of the mountain was transformed like a spider web. This is also the capital that Old Baichi has the courage to speak out.

While attacking Wusheng Pass, Li Xiping Division has always been trapped in front of this tight position network, and it has to pay a lot of lives and blood every step. It was not easy to attack the position on the mountainside, thinking that they could take advantage of the trenches abandoned by the defenders to avoid being killed and injured on the surface. Unexpectedly, the Beiyang army inserted grenades on both walls of the trench and hooked them with khaki ropes. The revolutionary army, who was eager to develop the attack, paid attention to his head, didn't care about his feet, and kept hanging grenades.

The bloody battle in the middle of the night could not make progress. Li Xiping couldn't stand it and went to the foot of the mountain to supervise the battle.

Li Xiping stood in the rain, wearing a raincoat that he didn't know where his subordinates got from. His long horse boots were filled with rain, and the soles of his feet were cold. The command knife waving high was useless, so he had to insert it deeply into the mud in front of him. Through the telescope, Li Xiping stared motionlessly at the offensive and defensive battle near the top of the mountain.

About a battalion of soldiers crooked their bodies and followed the rare bullet screen of the artillery to attack upwards. It's close, close to the main position of the mountain! There was a burst of ecstasy in Li Xiping's heart, "Life

Let the gunfire extend!"

As soon as the gunfire extended, rain-like bullets burst out from the top of the mountain. The soldiers who straightened up and were waiting for the final charge were cut to the ground in rows, and the rest still rushed up. The grenades from both sides flew at each other, and a muddy rain blew up and down the mountain. Suddenly, the sound of gunfire and explosions was silent, and a group of Beiyang soldiers emerged from the top of the mountain, like a group of mud monkeys, rushing down with bayonets. In a cruel battle, the revolutionary army and the powerful Beiyang army launched a unique life-and-death struggle. The two armies fought, and the blood flowed into a river. The few remaining revolutionary troops could not continue and retreated.

Li Xiping threw away the telescope, grabbed the command knife in front of him with both hands, knelt on the ground fiercely, and roared on his back, allowing the rain to wash away the anger in his heart.

"It's not a way to fight like this." Liu Jing ran over angrily and failed to attack three times in a row. He threw off his raincoat and coat, only wore a shirt, and had nowhere to vent his evil fire. He only felt better if he let the piercing cold wind blow on his body. Holding the sheathed sword tightly in his hand, he led the team up the mountain in person when Li Xiping gave an order.

"Do you want to fight in person regardless of the rules of the battlefield?" Li Xiping asked coldly.

Liu Jing roared and said, "I don't care what rules he has to do. The general doesn't go to the battle in person... His battalion commander, company commander may be killed or injured. If he doesn't fight in person, the attack all night will be in vain."

Li Xiping stopped talking and became silent. When he was disturbed by Liu Jing, his heart had calmed down and he was considering a fourth attack. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.

Obviously, it is not enough to rely on a lifeless charge. We must give full play to the advantages of the artillery, but so many shells have hit the top of the mountain. Why does the Beiyang Army still have the power to charge back? The Beiyang Army obviously figured out the tricks of the revolutionary army. They must have hidden in the dead corner of the mountain to avoid the shelling. As soon as the artillery fire extends, they will rush to the position.

It seems that the tactics must be changed. The Beiyang army thought that they had mastered the tactics of the revolutionary army, but they also formed a corresponding routine. This time I made a strange move to catch the Beiyang Army off guard.

Li Xiping immediately deployed to Liu Jing. Liu Jing nodded repeatedly and said yes. He turned around and led the troops up like burning his buttocks.

Li Xiping squatted under the awning opened for him by his subordinates and personally grasped the telephone to contact the artillery, "Start the shelling!"

The revolutionary army led by Liu Jing followed the bullet screen and pushed up. It entered hundreds of meters away from the hill and lay down.

The captain a few meters in front of him was impatient about the attack that broke through and stopped. He turned around and just shouted, "Captain!"

Before the words were finished, he was interrupted by Liu Jing and blocked back: "Fuckold, listen to my command, don't talk much!"

The shells on the top of the mountain kept blowing up, and the garrison Baichi old man still let the army cat rest under the cliff at the back of the mountain as usual. Occasionally, a few shells passed overhead and exploded on the mountainside far away. Mr. Baichi also put up a awning with his hand and smoked a cigarette tastefully. "The shells on my head and under my feet can't hurt me. When the bandit army has enough, I will go up and beat him."

This set of tactics summarized by Mr. Baichi has been tried and tested, and the officers and soldiers of the whole association have been ordered to follow suit.

Halfway through the third cigarette, the artillery fire of the revolutionary army began to extend. Lord Baichi extinguished the smoke unhurriedly, pressed the remaining half of the smoke under a stone to avoid getting wet by the rain, and then followed the officers and soldiers who rushed to the position from both sides of the cliff to the top of the mountain. Lord Baichi was very satisfied. "At this point, there is no need for me to command the order. When to avoid the gun? When to attack, the soldier knows better than me. If I were a presidential officer, all my brothers would give him a standard and co-worker.

The Beiyang Army of Old Baichi has just entered the position. Li Xiping at the foot of the mountain shouted at the microphone: "Armor, bombard the mountain again, no interruption!"

Several Krulbershan cannons, wild cannons and small steel cannons of the revolutionary army completed the transfer shooting in an instant. The mountains in this area are too familiar. In the middle of the night, so many shells have been fired, and you can hit your head with your eyes closed. Liu Jing, who had been lying on the mountainside for more than half an hour, also got up and led the infantry to rush to the top of the mountain.

Lord Baichi and his troops had nowhere to hide in the dense explosion. It was impossible to retreat under the cliff. Beiyang officers and soldiers desperately pressed their bodies into the trench, but the trench and fortifications had been blown up by shells, leaving only a shallow ditch. Half an hour later, the dead and injured pillow on the ground. The old man Baichi's right leg and knee were cut off by shrapnel, and several wounds on his body were bleeding, and only his mind was still a little clear. There is a trace of chagrin, a trace of regret, and a confusion in my heart. The unjust wealth obtained by hard work is just a loess after death. What is the meaning of this person's life?

The blood was almost finished, and the soil around him became bright red. The old man Baichi looked up to the sky, and his mind was dizzy. The rain hit his face unconsciously. It was exactly the same as the dead. Only his mouth closed one by one, muttering a few intermittent words: "This life is dry. After doing bad things, will you go to hell after death..."

Li Xiping breathed a sigh of relief and put down the telescope. The war of Wu Shengguan can basically draw a satisfactory end. After three hours of fierce battle, most of the enemy was annihilated by the revolutionary army, and the blood-stained five-star red flag floated over Wusheng Pass.

Beiyang's remnant enemy retreated to Jiuliguan on the east side of Wushengguan.

With the help of fellow villagers, the revolutionary army of a battalion of the Dawu Beiyang Army Garrison Store was dug a shooting hole in the wall, set up fortification bunkers on the roof, and was ready to fight against the Beiyang Army.

The villagers of Xiaozi's shop are often caught by the Beiyang army. They carry water to cook, and the food for the winter is also splundered. Now they can cook a meal for their children and send a bowl of boiling water. Don't mention how happy they are. They also insist on the soldiers, "Strike hard, don't beat these Beiyang robbers, we Don't want to live a good life."

Just after cleaning up Wu Shengguan, the young staff officer quickly reported the situation of the filial piety shop to Li Xiping: "The soldiers of the first battalion have repelled the enemy's many charges in a row, leaving the enemy with many bodies in front of the house. The first battalion not only defended, but also took advantage of the favorable conditions of the night to take the initiative to attack, disturb and exhaust the enemy. The first battalion attacked repeatedly, which made the Beiyang army exhausted. But the cunning Beiyang Army also saw that the revolutionary army was weak and had no backup. Immediately, the Beiyang Army organized three consecutive charges, one more fierce and one more people. I don't know whether it's rain or blood flowing from the house. The rain was mixed with blood, which dyed the roof and the ground red. The casualties of the first battalion were very large, and there were only one or two people left in some classes.

"Hmm." Li Xiping looked at the sky speechlessly, and the dawn was approaching.

"Order, all troops quickly withdraw from Wushengguan and return to the mountains to stand by."

He hesitated again and again, but Li Xiping still gave this difficult order and refused to swallow Wu Shengguan's **. This battle is only to break the road, and no more unnecessary sacrifices can be added. Occupying Wusheng Pass and waiting for the Beiyang army's counterattack, he didn't know that he would pay a terrible price. This is not what Li Shuai wanted.

"Notify the Fifth Regiment that the attacking troops of Xiaozi Store can be withdrawn."

Li Xiping looked south, the country was full of smoke and rain, and the smoke had not dissipated. Li Shuai, I will live up to your trust and succeed in the attack.

(Is it enough for tonight? In terms of the hard work of the snow, you can get one more recommended ticket. If you have more tickets, you will get more tickets.)