Chapter 3 of Part 5: The Soldiers Are Under the City

It was already late at night, but there were many people unable to sleep. Under a "angry wind" lamp, Feng Guozhang, holding the "New Army Training Manual", squinted his eyes and carefully read no word written on it.

Feng Guozhang was quite proud of his military training. When he was under Nie Shicheng, he wrote a letter to Chen Wuyi's army's training methods were backward and proposed an improved charter, but he did not accept it. Later, when he arrived at Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai was amazed when he saw the training methods he wrote, and then he received a rapid promotion.

When a person encounters a stronger opponent in his strengths, he naturally feels awe. The laughing book left by Chen Congyun embodies the German staff members of the General Staff’s understanding of the new army, as well as the essence of Chen Congyun’s advocacy of officers at all levels to make suggestions for improvement based on actual conditions during the formation of the new army.

It would be fine if Feng Guozhang didn't read this booklet, but how could he not be shocked after reading it? After reading it carefully, Feng Guozhang remembered Chen Congyun's comment about "backward training methods", and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

Not to mention other things, it emphasizes the coordinated combat between infantry and artillery of all levels of the army and emphasizes the concept of night war. Not to mention Feng Guozhang, even the world's strong soldiers today have few people who have raised night wars to such a level.

Emphasizing the importance of night war is a forced tactic adopted by the Chinese army in the war against foreign humiliation due to the backwardness of weapons and equipment. Chen Congyun has a large number of historical examples to prove that the great power of night war in the war naturally emphasized the importance of night war in the process of the creation of the new army.

With two beeping knocks, Feng Guozhang looked up at the door and said, "Who?"

"Huafu, it's me, I can't sleep, come and take a walk."

Feng Guozhang came over to open the door, and Duan Qirui came.

"I haven't even slept? Just in time, my brothers have a few drinks and chat." Before he could close the door, Wang Shizhen appeared with a jar of wine and a few bags of side dishes.

When Feng Guozhang saw this attitude, he knew in his heart that these two probably didn’t have much rest at night, and they were all thinking about the appearance of Chen Congyun during the day.

"Squeak!" After taking a sip of wine, put down the glass. Wang Shizhen touched her beard, squinted her eyes and smiled, "Both, are you thinking about the daytime things?"

"I didn't think that I was looking at the booklet left by Chen Congyun." Feng Guozhang explained with a smile. Duan Qirui looked at Feng Guozhang in surprise and said, "What? Have you stopped you?"

Feng Guozhang smiled and said, "Yes, I'm so pleased. I said Zhiquan, you are a man of artillery. You should really take a look at the theory of joint combat between infantry and artillery written in this booklet to see how others use artillery. Long-range fire suppression and close-range mortar fire suppression. Do you still remember the bomb that was thrown by your hands? It's called a grenade for close combat within 30 to 50 meters. Brother, it's really refreshing to see it!"

"Oh? Come and take it and let me see!" Duan Qirui was energetic. He was both from a soldier and studied in Germany, so he naturally couldn't stand it anymore. As he spoke, he reached out to hold the booklet in his hand and wanted to look at it in the light.

"Zhiquan, go back and watch slowly. Let's talk about it now. What medicine can Chen Congyun sell in the gourd?" Wang Shizhen asked with a puzzled look, and Feng Guozhang and Duan Qirui shook their heads together.

"Chen Congyun should not have any malicious intentions, otherwise there would be no need to treat us like this. It would be easier to kill us with just one shot. Now we are providing food and accommodation, and we have brought our little ones here. I think we want to gather us." Feng Guozhang said that he had never thought about it, but in fact he had already thought about it very clearly.

In fact, these three are all masters. Chen Congyun’s intentions cannot be understood. He just can’t understand why Chen Congyun doesn’t explain clearly, and he still has to beat around the bush.

"From my opinion, Chen Congyun is very scheming. He treats us like this now, and has three meanings. First, he wants to kill us. Second, he plays chess with Zhiquan and shows Hua Fu a booklet. This is called prescription of the right medicine. He wants you two to convince him from the bottom of your heart. Third, the above two points add up to him, and he wants us to be convinced by him and serve us with all our lives." Wang Shizhen finally said everything he thought in his heart, and the other two couldn't help but calm down.

"No? He didn't treat you very much?" Duan Qirui asked Wang Shizhen with a smile.

Wang Shizhen sighed softly and said, "Why aren't there? The eagle painted by Song Huizong, I will put it on the table in the study when I go back."

"Grandma! Chen Congyun is really amazing. This is called taking the right medicine." Feng Guozhang sighed. Duan Qirui couldn't help but sit up straight and stared at his eyes and said, "You guys think about how he played so well? I thought about choosing points with that move. As a result, he used two moves and one move, and I had no choice at all, and I was wiped out!"

Wang Shizhen gently filled the two of them with a glass, put down the wine pot and said with a smile: "You can't say it, it's not difficult to think of the first-hand silence. The second move is gentle, the big trick is as clumsy as it is, and the weight is as light as it is. This person is not very eye-catching on the outside, but he just walked out of Vietnam step by step and stood at the highest peak of power today. What does this mean?"

"What does it mean? Haha, it means that people have been doing practical things down-to-earth, unlike the people around us who are keen on intrigue. When we spent more than ten years on the camp, he was working hard to build an invincible strong soldier. This is the gap. I am convinced!" Feng Guozhang's tone of this was full of emotion. It would be impossible not to accept it. The facts were in front of him.

"Haha, do you still remember that blocking battle? We had a whole army of troops, and we failed to fight in one battle against more than 200 people. We felt embarrassed to say it. At the beginning, I could see clearly that when those two hundred people were suddenly attacked, it seemed that we were ambushed." When Duan Qirui said this, Feng Guozhang lost his words first. Wang Shizhen couldn't help but sigh. It was this battle that completely destroyed the morale of the Beiyang New Army.

Feng Guozhang looked dazed for a moment, as if he had returned to the battlefield that night. The new army of the two companies showed their fearless fighting will in the crisis.

"Two hundred people, the battle was 70% lost, but they were not at all confused. If they were defeated by such an opponent, what else would they say?"

After Feng Guozhang's helpless words, Duan Qirui couldn't help but shake his head gently and said, "I don't care about others. Anyway, I will never be willing to face such an opponent again. If Chen Congyun looked at me, I would have had sex with him. It would be strange if the world was not his if he could bring out such an army."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three of them looked at each other for a moment and suddenly burst into laughter.

……………………………………

When the storm in Beijing was surging, a team was singing military songs on Fujian Avenue to the south, approaching Fuzhou with great strides.

"Forward! Forward! Forward, our team is like the sun!..."

On the war horse, Wang Chao was riding on the war horse and watching the troops rolling eastward, I really couldn't understand how Chen Congyun's belly got along with such tunes and lyrics? This song really makes me feel refreshed!

"Born with the hope of the nation, we are an invincible force,..."

The team was still moving forward, only fifty miles away from Fuzhou. Suddenly, the marching speed in front slowed down. Wang Chao tied his horse and stood up to look.

Tata Tower! A war horse ran towards him quickly. The soldiers from afar had quickly turned over and fell off the horse. After running forward and saluted, he shouted: "Report! News came from the vanguard group ahead, a team of people ten miles ahead occupied a hillside on the side of the road. The vanguard group asked whether to launch an attack?"

"Send the order, the entire army is on guard and ready for battle!" Wang Chao was happy on his face, and he was ready to urge the war horse forward.

When Wang Chao was catching up with the front line, Song Zhigao, the young commander of the vanguard regiment, was nervously observing the enemy situation ahead. This officer who had experienced the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 had grown from a company commander who was a little young at the time. It was somewhat regrettable for Song Zhigao. In the battle of going east to Fuzhou, Song Zhigao volunteered to be the vanguard regiment, which was a kind of compensation for the failure to go north.

"Song Zhigao, what's the situation?" Wang Chao asked immediately. Seeing that the commander had come in person, Song Zhigao quickly put down the telescope in his hand and stood attentively and saluted: "Master, why did you come in person? Just a few little thieves."

"Stop talking nonsense, have you not heard what the military captain said? A arrogant soldier will be defeated. How did Zhao Youlian suffer in Tianjin? Have you forgotten?" Wang Chao looked serious, and Song Zhigao showed a disdainful expression and said, "How could Liu Kunyi's troops be with the Beiyang New Army? Just a group of militias."

Seeing that Song Zhigao's morale was so high, Wang Chao couldn't beat him up, so he smiled and said, "Okay, let's talk about the situation."

As he said that, Wang Chao walked forward and came to the soldiers who were in charge of surveying on the high ground.

"Salute!" The soldiers in front of the observer stood at attention and turned to the side. Wang Chao leaned over the observer and looked ahead. On a hillside, a group of soldiers with old military uniforms and braids on their heads were busy building a camp.

"The division seat is opposite the hillside next to the main road. There are also situations inside. I sent a reconnaissance team to check it up close. There were a lot of troops on both sides, at least five or six thousand. Although they were large, they were just a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals. One of them strengthened the regiment, one fired and the other charged, to ensure that they were defeated." Although Song Zhigao did not take his opponent seriously, he was still very careful in reconnaissance.

Wang Chao did not reply immediately, but continued to observe and turned around to ask the follower's intelligence consultant: "Guo Quan, what did Clawson say in the telegram yesterday's announcement? Tell Commander Song."

The young intelligence officer showed a cautious expression to Song Zhigao, and then smiled and said, "General Clawson called to say that Fuzhou defended tens of thousands of enemies. Although our army was strong, it was fighting in another place after all. It should not be like a duck. We must strive to encircle and annihilate it before we can make it all. Therefore, General Clawson suggested that no matter which side arrives first, it is best to wait for another group of troops and join forces before launching a general attack."

Having said that, Song Zhigao, who was eager to fight, still stepped forward unwillingly and said, "Secretary, look at this road, this is the only way to the west. I ask to launch an attack immediately. Tonight, the entire army can camp in the small town in front. Maybe even the supplies can be saved! Clawson asked us to wait, so let's wait? When he comes, the daylily will be cold."

Wang Chao thought that the army was in full swing, and it was hard to march along the way, and it really needed a victory to raise the spirit.

"Haha, the mountain road is difficult to walk, the heavy artillery regiment landed forty miles behind, without the firepower reinforcement of the heavy artillery, are you sure to hit the opposite hillside?"

When Song Zhigao heard this, he knew there was a door. He quickly raised his chest and said, "Teacher, I ask you to allocate the heavy mortar battalion to me, and ensure that within two hours, you can take down the opposite mountain and open the door to Fuzhou. I have already inquired. The town in front is called Jingxi Town. After taking it, it is equivalent to the troops coming to the city. Liu Kunyi is known as the Hunan Army's general. Our army has advanced eastward and has not encountered decent resistance. I think he is just a false reputation."

Wang Chao heard this and said unhappy: "Arrogant! Can a person who can sit in the position of governor be a worthy master? How do military stewards teach you in the military academy? Strategically despise the opponent, and tactics should pay attention to the opponent. After defeating Jingxi Town, you must strengthen your defense. There are at least 50,000 people in Fuzhou City, so do you think it is 50,000 pigs? Go down and prepare. It is two o'clock in the afternoon, and I will give you four hours. Before six o'clock, my main force will enter Jingxi Town."

"Yes!" Song Zhigao stood at attention, then smiled and whispered: "Thank you, Master."

Wang Chao snorted in his nostrils, ignored him, and held up the telescope to continue observing.

The heavy mortar battalion carried by mules and horses soon came up. Song Zhigao quickly arranged artillery positions and was anxious to find a pre-war mobilization meeting.

Half an hour later, Song Zhigao ran to Wang Chao and said, "Mr. I'm ready. Can you help me with your hard work and say a few words to your brothers and cheer me up?"

Wang Chao had long expected this kid to have this trick. Although these guys are young, they are all erotic characters, and they are flattering without any trace. This is also a major feature of Chinese cultural people.

Following Song Zhigao to the company-level officers of a battalion, Wang Chao cleared his throat, glanced at him and said loudly: "Brothers, it's already a Republic. President Shen is watching us in Beijing. Liu Kunyi in Fuzhou City is not convinced by the new army. Let's teach him a lesson today so that this Hunan Army general knows what a new war model is. Just now, I told your regiment commander that I will give him four hours, and now half an hour has passed. Before six o'clock, I will enter Jingxi Town. Do you have confidence?"

"Yes!" The shouts were shocking and morale was rising.

All preparations were carried out in an orderly manner. After the positions of the heavy mortar battalion were set up, three rounds were started to be tested at three kilometers away. After the dongdongdong bombardment, the deviation was corrected.

"Master, everything is ready, can you start?" Song Zhigao ran to Wang Chao for advice. Wang Chao put down the telescope and said, "It's okay to start, remember, don't embarrass me."

The red signal flares soared into the air, and the calm afternoon became lively. The dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong fu dong dong dong dong dong dong dong fu dong dong fu dong dong fu dong dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu dong fu fu dong fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu fu

After a single base of shells was smashed, the infantry lined up the scattered troops and trotted toward the uphill. Although Song Zhigao was a big man, the tactical use was still very meticulous. While the main force besieged the mountain, the forces of a battalion approached the junction of Jingxi Town and the hillside to prevent the Qing army from reinforced the mountain.

The comparison of the army's firepower is not as simple as having more people than fewer people, but rather than the firepower of both sides' volleys. From this point of view, compared with the Qing army under Liu Kunyi, a regiment can support his troops of five regiments, otherwise Keze would not have magnified the words, and a mixed brigade can handle Fuzhou.

The biggest feature of the new army is that artillery fire supports the front line, and the new army equipped with a large number of mortars is completely equipped according to the degree of arming to the teeth.

The forces of the two companies attacked uphill as the first shock wave. The hillside was bombarded with a mess, and the sound of blocking gunshots seemed a bit sporadic. When the assault troops rushed to a distance of 100 meters, the gunshots gradually became dense. It must have been the result of the officers on the top of the mountain.

The troops that have not fought with the new army cannot realize the strength of the new army's firepower. After the blocking strength on the hill increased, the company's mortars immediately responded, quickly set up, and specially selected places with large crowds to bombard them. Dozens of shells fell into the dense crowd, and immediately exploded a group of people overturned the horse. This is the disadvantages brought by dense formation shooting, which can cause good results in the killing of artillery fire.

Seeing that the Qing army on the mountain began to collapse again, Wang Chao finally showed a smile on his face.
Chapter completed!