Bright Sword: Start with Ding Blast Bridge, Homemade Sweet Potato Cake

The battle was not tragic, it should be called a rout.

The tanks pressed forward one after another and easily pushed away the interception positions set up by the 87th Division before the infantry attacked.

The wooden stakes on the road could not stop the tanks from pressing in.

The so-called heavy machine guns cannot penetrate the armor of tanks.

The bazooka is a powerful weapon that can counterattack tanks, but the key is that Chen Mingren does not have much equipment, and supplies were lost during the retreat.

The logistics supply and the main force of the army had been dispersed long ago. They got separated last night and we have no idea where the various troops are located.

When it's pitch dark, just run as fast as you can. Losing contact is sometimes better, because it will be easier for a small group of troops to escape if they find a gap in the encirclement.

In the direction of the frontal attack, Zhang Dabiao pressed forward forcefully, showing the other three columns what it meant to crush with overwhelming force.

Rocket launchers were in position, covering the area to be attacked with fire.

Katyusha stood on the beautiful shore, the whizzing rockets were as terrifying as the life-threatening Sanskrit sounds.

The troops that stayed behind to block the attack didn't even see anyone. They were first hit in the face by Katyusha, then charged by tanks, and then they saw a large number of infantry pressing forward.

Their numbers are several times theirs, and they cannot be defeated by manpower alone.

Is there any other option besides surrendering?

"Chinese people don't fight Chinese people. We treat prisoners well, providing them with white flour buns and pork stewed with vermicelli."

The man with a loud voice called on the national army to surrender.

The hungry soldiers were physically and mentally exhausted in the freezing weather and no longer had much willpower to resist.

Thinking of pork stewed with vermicelli, screw it, just surrender and you can still have a hot meal.

Sometimes, a soldier's loyalty is not as direct as a pot of pork stewed with vermicelli.

Soldiers who are not from the regular troops have a hard time.

The soldiers had their salaries deducted and had to fight for their lives. The soldiers of the direct line had a more comfortable life, with money to earn and cigarettes to smoke.

There are factions within the National Army. Some factions are doing well, while others are hard to describe.

The 87th Division suffered heavy losses. Under the attack of the main force of the column, its men were rapidly reduced. Except for some officers who were still thinking of breaking out, a large number of soldiers surrendered at the bottom.

In the eyes of many ordinary soldiers, being captured is nothing. The Eighth Route Army treats prisoners well, provides them with good food and drink, and there is no need to fight to the death.

How could the lower-level soldiers share so much honor and disgrace?

When it comes to defending the country, most people are willing to fight to the death, but when the real civil war comes, except for the most loyal troops, who would it matter who they fight for?

Commander Chen had already abandoned the 87th Division and was retreating to Siping with his most elite regiment, or his most trusted regiment.

His younger brother Chen Mingxin was also surrounded. It was time to ignore him. Even if he was his biological brother, he was not worth stopping for.

Commander Chen was decisive, abandoning a large amount of combat supplies and a large number of infantry troops, and drove all the way back to Siping.

There were also small groups of troops that broke out from the gaps in the encirclement and rushed to Siping one after another.

As the highest-ranking officer, Chen immediately took over command of Siping's defense forces.

Chen Mingren recruited all the armed personnel in government agencies, police officers responsible for security patrols in the city, and operatives from other organizations of the Military Control Commission.

Including the two regiments that escaped from his 88th Division and the four original regiments in the city, there were a total of six regular regiments.

The 88th Division, which was crippled by the pursuit, immediately incorporated the 3rd Temporary Division. In the past, Du Yiqi looked down on the temporary troops and the security forces, and treated them differently from the so-called main force.

We can’t take care of so many things now. The organizational structure has been destroyed and the entire division’s number has been lost.

Relying on forced conscription, Chen Mingren managed to gather about 3.5 people to strengthen Siping's defense.

He was really scared. After arranging the defensive forces, he breathed a sigh of relief. The cold sweat on his forehead was almost freezing.

No one knows how they got through that night. I really have to thank God for being able to escape from such a tense and chaotic situation.

The team on the Siping side was composed of two columns, with Kong Jie's column responsible for the main attack and Wang Tao's column providing assistance.

Although he did not have much advantage in terms of military strength, Kong Jie was very confident in the siege and believed that he could take the city in 3-5 days.

On another battlefield, the New 38th Division could not hold on any longer, and the leader of the five main forces of the National Army was the first to feel the pressure of the attack.

The enemy's offensive was one wave after another, and it was impossible to withstand it.

The troops suffered heavy casualties, especially the wounded, who could not receive effective medical treatment and whose mortality rate remained high in the cold weather.

Without adequate medical care, injury means death.

The soldiers under Li Hong have the courage to fight tough battles; the key is whether it is worth fighting.

All the troops retreated southward, leaving the 38th Division here to die?

Planes were bombing from the sky, and tanks were pressing in from the ground. No sooner had five tanks been destroyed than several more appeared.

The tank guns fired continuously, specifically targeting anti-tank weapons.

Fighters in the air wreaked havoc, first neutralizing the 38th Division's supporting firepower and destroying its artillery and anti-aircraft gun positions.

Without the threat, the fighter jets can circle recklessly, searching for suitable targets to destroy.

Sun Fumin was also heartbroken. He originally wanted to take over one of Ding Wei's regiments, but ended up sending his own direct subordinates into the trap.

Retreat, retreat.

The 38th Division put all its efforts into the retreat, which cost more than people from the first engagement to the emergency retreat.

The Gao Qing Column fought very hard, and he himself felt it was very exciting. It was really fucking thrilling to fight against the main force of the ace.

The howitzers in hand were put into position and fired blindly in the direction of the enemy's retreat. The blast caused huge air waves and some shells hit the cars.

The people in the car exploded instantly, and both the car and the people were destroyed by the high-explosive grenade.

The soldiers at the center of the explosion were left with no bones left.

The horrors of war may take a lifetime to heal.

The 38th Division retreated at a fast pace. It had no intention of moving towards Siping and was focused on continuing to move south.

Li Hong felt sad. More than 2600 people were lost. These were the real main combat forces, equivalent to one third of the main combat force.

If we remove the logistics personnel, how many main combat forces can a division have? Every loss is heartbreaking.

The loss of more than 2600 people in one go caused serious damage in a short period of time.

Considering that the 38th Division is the soul of the New st Army, it would take half a year or even a year to recover without the reinforcement of veteran soldiers.

Ding Wei's combat headquarters began to receive battle reports from the front-line troops one after another.

Destroying the 87th Division and crippling the 88th Division and the new 38th Division was a barely acceptable result. If Siping could be captured and the 88th Division destroyed, Ding Wei's expectation would have been barely achieved.

"Order the troops to rest for a while. Kong Yong and Wang Tao's columns will press forward to Siping. The three columns will take down the crippled 88th Division. We must take it down within three days."

After thinking about it, Ding Wei shortened the time to 2 days.

Kong Jie hesitated on the phone, "Lao Ding, the reorganized troops we have lack experience in siege, and two days is a bit tight."

"What experience do you need? Attacking a city depends entirely on artillery. Artillery fire destroys the front-line positions, and the rest enter the city to fight street battles."

If you don’t have enough experience, you can make up for it with artillery.

It was already annoying enough that they failed to defeat the New 1st Army, but they took Siping in two days.