sjar Chapter 109: Multiple Sieges Approach the City
Chapter 109: Multiple Sieges Approach the City
Du Chenyu estimated that the troops in front were led by Yang Chong, who had attacked twice and saw no effect, so they should have retreated immediately. Behind them were the assisting troops of the joint defense brigade, who had launched two attacks to buy time for Yang Chong to retreat. Now Yang Chong's troops had been gone for at least half an hour, and they were unable to pursue them, so they could only leave behind the group of soldiers behind.
"Beep, beep..." The charge sounded, "Charge..." Lei Jianqin, as the leader of the counterattack, picked up the guard's machine gun and rushed down.
"Let's move towards the ridge and observe the enemy's position." The enemy had mortars, and they had been staying in the rear camp. This caused a delay in command. Xue Chen was in charge of the command in front of the battle, and Du Chenyu only made a general reverse judgment.
When they arrived at the ridge, the attacking force of Du's army had already captured the enemy's position. The troops who stayed in the position to cover the weak resistance surrendered, and "let the 3rd Squadron and the Independent Squadron follow and pursue." Du Chenyu saw that the enemy had indeed retreated, and now he wanted to expand the victory as much as possible, so he sent all the troops out.
The enemy fled along the river to Gaochengbao, and the Du family army pursued them closely. Every time they reached a pass, the enemy would leave a few people to block them, which delayed the pursuit of the Du family army. However, the blocking personnel would not fight to the death. When the bullets in their guns were used up, they would surrender. However, this would take about ten minutes, and they would not only complete the cover mission assigned by their superiors, but also save their lives, killing two birds with one stone. This is also the biggest feature of the decades of warlord melee in Sichuan. When you are a soldier, changing your superior is as simple and fast as finding a job and changing your boss now. You just drop your gun, raise your hand, and then you can change to the next one.
"Report, Captain Lei has led the enemy to surround Songlingou. Captain Li's 7th Squadron is blocking them in the front, and our pursuers are behind. We are gradually compressing and encircling the enemy's 300 people," a reconnaissance team member reported on horseback after two hours of pursuit.
"Send a message to Captain Lei, try to persuade them to surrender, don't be impulsive, or you will be punished by military law if you disobey your order." Du Chenyu was afraid that Lei Jianqin would lead his team to shoot the enemy in revenge for the 1st Squadron, then he would regret it. Population is the greatest wealth at present, not to mention 300 young and strong people.
When they arrived at Songlingou, the enemy had already surrendered. Everyone raised their hands above their heads. More than 300 people walked out one after another, including dozens of logistics porters. The porters were released on the spot and only the combatants were left behind. The biggest gain of this battle was the capture of a heavy machine gun. The mortar was taken away by the Yang family when they retreated because they had run out of shells. The heavy machine gun needed to be suppressed by firepower all the time, so it was left behind at the end of the retreat.
Du Chenyu touched this big thing. This heavy machine gun is the French-made Hotchkiss M1897. This machine gun has a simple structure and a low price. China imported a large number of it after World War II. It is still rare in the country now. Only the main force is equipped with some. It is estimated that this machine gun was brought back by Yang Chong and now it is left to them. Thinking that the Yang family still has a Maxim, Du Chenyu felt his saliva flowing out. While everyone's attention was on the machine gun, he touched his mouth.
"Good guys, good guys, but we just have fewer bullets," said Du Chenyu.
50 garrison members were sent out to escort the prisoners back to Luojiaba. They continued to chase, and the troops ahead were estimated to have reached Gaochengbao.
It was already past 12 o'clock when they arrived at Gaocheng area. He Chaowu and his garrison had already guarded the northern intersection, and Li Haoran was guarding the western passage of the Gaocheng and Tongping intersection. In this way, all three passages leading to the outside world from Gaocheng were blocked.
"Master Chenyu, Gaocheng has been surrounded by our forces, please give us instructions," Xue Chen came to report.
"Tighten the encirclement" and take over all the outer areas before sending envoys to persuade them to surrender," Du Chenyu ordered.
Now the defense force in Gaocheng area is only about 100 old and weak people. They mobilized nearly a thousand people, a veritable army approaching. Although Gaocheng has a city wall more than 3 meters high, which is considered strong, it cannot resist their attack.
Gaochengbao was called Gaocheng Township in the early years of the Republic of China (now the Eighth Militia District). Houba River flows from north to south into Qinglongchang, and Taohua Creek meets it here. Due to the flat terrain, the direction of the water flow is invisible. The river bank at the intersection is wide, with rippling blue waves, and fish sometimes leaping out of the water. The three rivers converge to gather wind and air. It is a Feng Shui treasure land with rich coal and iron resources, flat land, and a population of more than 7. It is their first step to move south to Beishan.
He rode his horse across three rivers and planned for future generations.
Guns and cannons bid farewell to the old year, and the people usher in the new year.
Gunshots continued to be heard all around, and the surrounding outposts and checkpoints were gradually cleared. They came from the east, so they needed to cross the river to meet up with Li Haoran, and then prevent the Gaocheng Guards from retreating westward. To the east and north of him were all Du family territories.
Fortunately, the Houba River is wide, with the water level not higher than the thighs. At the waves, everyone rolled up their trouser legs and walked straight over. The opposite side had already been taken over by Li Haoran in advance, so they would not be ambushed.
At 1:30 p.m., they captured all the outer checkpoints. When the troops were scattered at the two city gates in the north and west of the city, the city gates were closed and there were not many guards on the city walls, but they were still resisting stubbornly.
"Brother Xue, please draft a simple letter immediately. Please rest assured, Captain He Minzhang, we are following the orders of the County Joint Defense Brigade. We are only entering the city to search for the culprit who attacked our defense team members. We will not harm anyone else. As long as Captain He cooperates, you will still be the captain and everything will remain the same. If you don't cooperate, we will attack the city on time in half an hour, that is, at 3 p.m., guns have no eyes, so we can't guarantee the safety of you and your family. Deputy Captain of the County Joint Defense Brigade: Du Zongyi." Du Chenyu was narrating while Xue Chen was writing it himself. Five minutes later, a simple letter was completed and someone was sent to tie it to an arrow and shoot it directly onto the city wall.
The waiting time was used to prepare siege materials. The siege plan was: four machine guns were used as fire suppression, and then assault personnel were sent to deliver two explosive packs and five gunpowder packs to the base of the city wall to directly blow a gap.
At 1:52, the city gate was gradually opened, and a group of people walked out. In the front center was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a black silk brocade gown and walking briskly. Slightly behind him was a slightly plump old man, and a thin old man with glasses and a beard, with a hunched back. It was obvious that they were either accountants, butlers or counselors. There were also a few young guards behind them.
"He Minzhang, the head of the Eighth Regiment of Baizhang District, is visiting Captain Du. Please help pass the message on, brothers," He Minzhang said politely when he was stopped by the guards.
"It's Captain He. Sorry, our Captain Du is not here. Captain Xue Chen is in charge here," the guard explained.
"Well, then let's visit Captain Xue," He Minzhang continued.
"Then please go in," the guard let He Minzhang go, and Du Chenyu decided not to meet him for the time being. This large piece of fertile land was in the hands of his He family, and they would definitely have to take it back in the future. They had fought twice, and the family members suffered a lot of casualties. They would definitely not be able to become friends for the time being, so there was no need to build relationships. It would be better for Xue Chen to handle official business.
"Captain Xue, I don't know why you brought a large group of people to surround us. Is it something wrong or a misunderstanding?" He Minzhang looked modest and innocent. After seeing Xue Chen, he greeted him and started asking questions.
"Um, Commander He, our guards in Jinxigou were suddenly attacked yesterday, with hundreds of casualties. When interrogating the prisoners, we found that many of them were done by the Gaocheng militia. Please give a reasonable explanation," Xue Chen asked.