Age of Conquest Reborn

Chapter 561 Encounter

At the foot of Wuxiang City, Shankou, who was confronting the Jin army, had long thought of retreating. Looking at the situation around him, several main attacking troops had already retreated. The thought of leaving his lone army here made him tremble with fear.

I don’t have the courage to retreat privately, so I can only wait for the order from the dispatched army headquarters. (Baidu search,)

A sudden heavy snowfall made him even more troubled. The strong wind and snowflakes rushing in through the tent curtain made him shiver. The little heat he got by burning the stove was gone in an instant. He was so worried about this intrusion.

Yamaguchi was so angry that he opened his mouth and said "Baga"

The people who came in were no better. They were covered in snow. They didn't care about Yamaguchi's yelling and scolding. They threw themselves directly in front of the stove, stretched out their stiff hands and lit the fire. Yamaguchi was even more angry and wanted to slap him directly. Suddenly,

When he found out that it was his chief of staff, he retracted his outstretched hand and looked at him eagerly, knowing that the chief of staff came despite the heavy snowstorm and must have something important to do.

His chief of staff warmed himself over the fire for a while, then took out a telegram from his pocket. Yamaguchi took it and read it. He was so excited that he almost cried. God knows, that old bastard Seiji Kozuki

Finally, he showed mercy and ordered the Yamaguchi troops to evacuate immediately.

Wuxiang battlefield, however, did not order him to assemble in Shijiazhuang, but asked him to return to Pingjin to serve as a strategic reserve for the dispatched army. Yamaguchi was not surprised at all. As long as he could be withdrawn from the damn mountainous areas of China, the troops could be assembled there.

Can.

The chief of staff reported another bad news. Heavy snow had blocked several roads from Wuxiang to Pingjin. They could only wait for the snow to stop and clear the roads before the troops could retreat. Moreover, in the heavy snow last night,

Hundreds of soldiers have frozen to death, and more than a thousand have suffered frostbite on their hands and feet. If effective measures are not taken, non-combat casualties will increase.

It didn't take him to tell Yamaguchi to understand that he still felt cold while sitting around the stove, let alone the ordinary soldiers who had no heating. Therefore, they had to evacuate as soon as possible. He ordered the chief of staff to immediately send troops to clean up the area from Wuxiang to Licheng without waiting for the snow to stop.

The troops were immediately ready to set off to clear the snow on that stretch of road.

The chief of staff was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Leicheng?" Seeing the cunning eyes flashing in Yamaguchi's eyes, he seemed to understand and couldn't help but shudder. It was so cruel that the soldiers of the three regiments...

This was thrown out as bait. If the Chinese army intercepted it midway, it would definitely not let go of the route from Wuxiang to Yushe.

At the same time, I also secretly admire him for being able to climb up to the position of chief of staff of the North China Expeditionary Force in one fell swoop as an ordinary staff member. Yamaguchi-kun is indeed outstanding, but this method is quite destructive.

This heavy snow also caused great difficulties for the mobilization of troops of the ** Division. Tang Qiusheng's troops were forced to stay in the Lucheng area. Fortunately, the troops of the ** Division had a complete logistics supply system and

Close to Huangyadong, a supply center in the Taihang Mountains, the soldiers were not only well fed and warmly clothed, but also had warm tents to live in. Compared to the Japanese soldiers, this was no less than a world of difference.

The overwhelming heavy snow, which was caused by God's will, not only hindered the march of the large troops, but also prevented the reconnaissance personnel on both sides from functioning normally. Due to a combination of circumstances, Tang Qiuli wondered how the troops could reach the line from Wuxiang to Yushe on time.

, was worried about setting up an ambush on time, and several troops were trapped around Li City due to heavy snow.

Yamaguchi chose what he considered to be the safest route from Wuxiang to Licheng. Before that, he had continuously received reports that the troops building bridges were often attacked by the cavalry troops of the ** Division.

The bridge was also damaged. Please ask for more

When sending troops, he thought he had a trick. Let the troops of the ** Division wait on that route. He hurriedly ordered the troops to march in the snow in order to get out of danger as soon as possible, but he didn't know that he would run into it*

At the gathering place for more than 200,000 troops of the * Division, the result can be imagined.

For two days and two nights, the heavy snow finally stopped, and the Taihang Mountains were a pure white world with no wind and only the coldness after the snow. The sun rose, reflecting the light of the snow, which made people unable to open their eyes and the birds that had nowhere to look for food.

, I am no longer afraid of people, I frequently rise and fall in inhabited places, hoping to find something to satisfy my hunger.

According to old people, the heavy snowfall in January 1938 had not been seen in decades. If this had been left in the past, many people would have died of cold and starvation. Fortunately, it was the base area of ​​the Japanese Army.

People have no shortage of food and clothing. They stay in warm houses and plan for a good year next year.

Tang Qiuli did not have such good luck. As soon as the snow outside stopped, he took the soldiers of the guard brigade and left the old county on horseback, heading towards Licheng. Where was the headquarters to annihilate the mountain pass?

A portion of the command staff, a cavalry team totaling more than 1,800 people, set foot on the vast snowy wilderness, leaving a series of deep horse hoof prints behind them.

The air after the snow was so fresh and fresh that Tang Qiuli, who had been bored in the house for two days, was invigorated and his mind was clear. The distant mountains were like giant white beasts, crouching on the endless wilderness, green pines and

The green cypress trees, with their branches hanging low under heavy snow, are a touch of dark green among the pure white, dotting the monotonous world.

The clear sky was as blue as washed bluestone. Under the sun, countless twinkling stars danced on the snow. In his eyes, this heavy snow made him vaguely feel the smell of his hometown, kind and slightly...

He smiled to himself at the strangeness. There was a forest and a snowfield. The snowfield was there, but it lacked the green pines all over the mountain. It was still different from the snow in his hometown.

The snow blown up by the strong wind formed a block of snow mounds on the leeward side of the road, which was as deep as the belly of the horses. Sometimes, they had to dismount and clear a path on the snow mounds so that the horses and men could continue to move forward. In this way, the marchers

The speed inevitably slowed down. Before setting off, he left most of the division's personnel in the old county, so there was no need for everyone to suffer along with him.

It turned out that he also wanted to keep Mei Ting in her hometown, considering that her body had not yet fully recovered. However, Mei Ting refused to agree, and he pulled a war horse, jumped on it, and galloped around.

, leaving Tang Qiuli speechless. At this moment, Tang Qiuli turned sideways and looked at his wife with concern.

Mei Ting, who was wearing a thick leather army coat and was forced to wear a fox fur shawl by Tang Qiuli, returned her husband's eyes with a smile. Tang Qiuli was still uneasy, so he leaned over and straightened Mei Ting's coat.

She put on her leather collar and used the hem of her coat to wrap Mei Ting's knees tightly. Mei Ting obeyed Tang Qiuli's mercy. Her husband's actions made her heart beat with a warm fire in the ice and snow.

In order to get to the Licheng headquarters as soon as possible, Tang Qiuli took a shortcut. He started from Gu County, passed through Qin County, and went straight to Xiangyuan from Xindian. From Xiangyuan he took a country road. This route coincided with the route from Wuxiang to Licheng.

The road is at a ninety-degree angle. At noon,

Just taking a short break for two hours in the wild, because I was well prepared and carried charcoal fires and other heating appliances with me, it was a unique experience. The mountain tiger even accidentally shot a few hares, which gave Tang Qiuli a taste of the snow-covered outdoor barbecue.

Interesting.

After resting, the troops continued to set off. According to Tang Qiuli's estimation, they would arrive in Xiangyuan at around four o'clock in the afternoon and in Licheng at noon tomorrow. Who knew that the weather did not go as expected, and soon after departure, another storm started

Strong winds stir up snow particles, hitting people's faces with burning pain. The intensity is so low that no one can be seen from hundreds of meters away.

Braving the flying snow whipped up by the strong wind, the troops advanced hard until after four o'clock, when they arrived near the country road from Wuxiang to Xiangyuan. Tang Qiuli thought to himself that he might not be able to reach Xiangyuan even if it was dark.

Suddenly, a command came from the front to stop advancing and take cover. Moreover, Tang Qiuli heard the faint sound of gunshots keenly. He was stunned. What happened in front? He quickly turned over and dismounted, and the horses and people were hidden.

On the snow, he tried his best to look forward with his eyes wide open. He could see nothing except the snowflakes blown up by the strong wind, but he still protected Mei Ting behind him.

After a while, Shan Hu's figure appeared in front of him, covered with snow, and reported a piece of news that shocked Tang Qiuli. A large number of Japanese troops were found on the road from Wuxiang to Xiangyuan. The vanguard troops had already engaged the Japanese troops.

The fire was on, and it seemed that the Japanese army had a lot of troops. Part of it had already passed in front, but the end could not be seen behind.

This was a typical encounter. More than a hundred soldiers from the Third Team of the ** Division Guard Brigade, as the vanguard of the brigade, were three kilometers away from the brigade. They were the first to arrive at the fork in the country road. Through the hazy snow and fog, they reached the front

There seemed to be a lot of people marching, and the squad leader who was leading the group was greatly surprised. There was no notice that there were troops on this road? He couldn't help but feel secretly vigilant.

He immediately sent more than a dozen soldiers to check and contact him. Watching the soldiers disappear into the snow and fog, he ordered the troops to prepare for battle. Then, fierce gunfire came from the front, and more than a dozen soldiers were fighting fast.

He withdrew, followed by hundreds of cavalrymen. Bullets kept passing over his head, and he suddenly understood that these were Japanese soldiers. It was strange, where did these beasts come from?

He ordered two soldiers to report the situation to the captain immediately, and then led the troops to meet them. The battle started without the enemy and ourselves meeting unexpectedly. In the vast wind and snow, more than a hundred soldiers

, barely able to withstand the attack of hundreds of Japanese cavalry, the two sides fought together in a heavy snowstorm, and an unknown number of Japanese cavalry came up from behind.

Shan Hu, who learned of the situation, was also surprised. He did not expect to encounter a large group of Japanese troops in this place. He immediately made a correct decision and sent four detachments of more than 500 reinforcements to make sure to block the Japanese cavalry.

No retreat is allowed without orders. At the same time, the brigade is ordered to stop advancing and take cover on the spot.

Then, he hurried to the back and told Tang Qiuli the truth about the situation. At this time, the gunshots in front became more and more intense, and there were also the roars of heavy machine guns and the shouts of Japanese soldiers.

(To be continued)