A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

On the threshing ground north of Yantou Village, Zhang Yi was leading the 3rd Company of the Sergeant Battalion in pre-battle training, following the battalion's guidelines for infantry-tank coordination tactics.

The 3rd Company didn't develop any new simulation equipment. Their method was simple: two people stood side-by-side about two meters apart in the middle, each holding one end of a bamboo pole, which was roughly the width of a tank. A squad was divided into two groups, positioned to the left and right of the two people, like a large arrow, and they ran back and forth in formation on open ground to train the soldiers' understanding of positions and distances.

"Keep your distance! Keep your distance! Spread out to the left and right, don't get too close to the tanks in front!" Zhang Yi shouted, his loud voice echoing across the training ground.

Song Hongfei observed from the sidelines; the training was going quite well.

"Company Commander, come here!" Song Hongfei beckoned Zhang Yi over. "Has every soldier mastered the key points and precautions?"

Zhang Yi replied, "We have organized the squad and group leaders of each platoon to study and discuss the material carefully, and it has been implemented to every soldier. There are only a few points, and everyone has mastered them! We are currently conducting group drill training."

"Only by strengthening practical skills can we truly master them." Song Hongfei nodded and added, "Most importantly, we need to have real objects in front of us to achieve twice the result with half the effort! The method used by the 2nd Company is quite good."

Upon hearing the training methods of the cadet company, Zhang Yi seemed to have a sudden realization and exclaimed, "Hey, that's a really good method! How come I didn't think of that? This way, a vehicle with the same length, width, and height will appear in front of you, and your understanding of position and distance will be much deeper."

Song Hongfei said, "Are there any spare horse-drawn carriages or oxcarts in Yantou Village? Find a few more and simulate the formation of war chariots."

"There are a few vehicles in the village! I'll find someone to cut some more bamboo," Zhang Yi said excitedly. "Messenger, come here!"

Song Hongfei said, "Go ahead, there's still some time before dinner, so hurry up and practice! The armored troops will send tanks over tonight, so make sure to do some live-fire exercises with them then!"

"Yes!" Zhang Yi immediately sent someone to get things done.

Song Hongfei arrived at the position of the 1st Company of the sergeant battalion south of Yantou Village. This was the front line of the confrontation with the southeastern army garrison of Qinglong Village, only about two hundred meters away.

"What's going on?" Song Hongfei asked Wang Jingxiong, the company commander of the 1st Company.

“Nothing unusual.” Wang Jingxiong smirked, a bit smug. “This morning they were still unwilling to give up and launched two small-scale counterattacks, but I repelled them both and they didn’t dare to make any further moves! Then the two sides exchanged sniper fire. Their firepower was no match for ours! Hey! Our semi-automatic rifles are really effective! They were suppressed so much that they couldn’t even lift their heads! They suffered a great loss and are now very obedient!”

Song Hongfei carefully observed the enemy's position southeast of Qinglong Village through binoculars from his cover. He saw that the soldiers of the 1st Company were in high spirits, chatting and laughing, and had clearly surpassed the enemy in morale and fighting spirit. He said with satisfaction, "Not bad! Their morale is soaring! Keep up the alert and don't let your guard down!"

Wang Jingxiong replied, "Yes!"

Song Hongfei asked, "Have the key points and precautions for infantry-tank coordination issued by the battalion been communicated to lower levels?"

Wang Jingxiong said, "The information has been conveyed to the squad leaders for discussion and study, but our 1st Company can't practice it. Fortunately, it's just a few key points, which the soldiers can easily grasp."

Song Hongfei nodded. The 1st Company was unable to break away from the front line of the standoff, so this was the only option. However, as a follow-up force, the 1st Company did not need to directly coordinate with the tank formation for the attack.

As Song Hongfei drew a line on the combat map he carried with his finger, he said to Wang Jingxiong, "Tomorrow's attack at dawn will be a three-pronged assault. Your 1st Company will attack from the north, your 2nd Company from behind the main trench on the west, and the Special Service Battalion of the Brigade from the east. We'll take Qinglong Village first, and then join forces with the 1st Regiment to continue the attack on the southern line of Ganjiazhuang, Chishui Railway Station, and Longhai Railway! Your company, as the follow-up echelon of the deep assault, will focus on coordinating closely with the 2nd Company, and from this position west of Ganjiazhuang, we'll advance deep southwest along the enemy's main trench! All the way to this position!"

Wang Jingxiong stared at the map, listening intently. He drew a line with his hand to the area west of Ganjiazhuang and north of Changmin Village, and said, "The Southeast Army has strengthened its defenses in this area. It seems that they have connected the original positions and fortifications here with trenches. In other words, they have dug another trench."

Song Hongfei nodded and said, "I have already received a report from the scouts of the brigade. They are not stupid. If they just sit and wait to be beaten, they will truly be unworthy of being part of the National Army. Come with me to the 3rd Platoon's position and take a look."

Song Hongfei and Wang Jingxiong arrived at the west side of Yantou Village, on the main trench that leads straight to the Wei River. This trench had been captured by the 3rd Company that morning, and now the 3rd Platoon of the 1st Company was responsible for the defense of the west side of Yantou Village and this section of the trench.

From this trench to the area west of Ganjiazhuang, north of Changmin Village, and the backwater of the Wei River, less than 1.5 kilometers away, one could clearly see through binoculars that the Southeast Army was carrying out intensive earthwork and constructing positions there.

Looking at the map, the newly dug trench by the Southeast Army connects to the original main trench, forming a huge "Y" shape. The left fork is short, about 300 meters long, while the right fork is longer, nearly 1.5 kilometers long. After the two forks meet, the trench extends southwards, reaching the Zhangjialing Heights to the south.

"It's better late than never, but it's still too rudimentary to deal with armored vehicles." Song Hongfei observed carefully through his binoculars. "The engineering detachment is responsible for dealing with this. They should blast open a passage for the assault formation's vehicles to pass through."

The two were carefully observing the enemy situation when they suddenly heard a sound coming from behind. When they turned around, they saw several people walking towards them.

Those who came included the commander-in-chief Gui Shuaizhen, the chief of staff Fu Zhaoqian, the armored corps battalion commander Peng Keding, two company commanders Guo Hengjian and Lu Jianxiong, as well as the artillery battalion commander, the engineer battalion commander, and others.

Gui Shuaizhen said, "With a major battle imminent, I came to check on your battalion's preparations. Battalion Commander Peng and a few others from the armored corps also came to survey the terrain and routes. We just arrived at the battalion headquarters in Sanzhang Village and heard that you were in the 1st Company in Yantou Village, so we came all the way here."

Peng Keding said, "I had long heard that Battalion Commander Song led the sergeant battalion with great success and might. Today, I have seen it with my own eyes, and what he said is indeed true! Just now, I saw your 2nd and 3rd companies not waiting for help but building armored vehicles out of horse-drawn cart frames to simulate infantry-tank combined arms training. Your foresight and meticulous planning are truly admirable!"

Peng Keding looked at Song Hongfei with an extremely earnest and moved expression, and said, "I wholeheartedly agree with the views expressed in Battalion Commander Song's book. Future wars will be mechanized warfare. I have never seen any other unit as dedicated and diligent in studying the latest developments in modern military affairs as the Training Corps, presenting a completely new image. Battalion Commander Song is truly a model of our army's leadership in strengthening the military and striving for self-improvement! I admire him! I admire him!"

Peng Keding was also very shrewd and tactful. While speaking, he didn't forget to look at Gui Shuaizhen again, and his words naturally included the Training Corps.

Song Hongfei extended his hands, and the two couldn't help but feel a sense of mutual appreciation, their hands clasped tightly together.

Gui Shuaizhen was well aware of this, and he was also very proud, saying, "The Training Corps has many veterans and trainees. They are highly educated, have strong learning abilities, and are highly proactive. In this respect, the Sergeant Battalion is the best in the Training Corps."

“Proactiveness is the most valuable quality! Yet it is precisely what our military forces generally lack,” Peng Keding exclaimed in admiration.

Everyone present was deeply moved. The sergeant battalion's resounding victory was no fluke. Success is not something that comes easily; it requires immense effort. They also gained a deeper understanding of the military principle of "never fight a battle unprepared." Only through careful planning and rigorous training can one be truly prepared.

The group carefully observed the Southeast Army's positions from their shelters west of the village using high-powered artillery scopes and binoculars. Song Hongfei pointed to the distance in the southwest and said, "The Southeast Army has strengthened its defenses here, connecting points into a line, and has dug a trench about 1.5 kilometers away, roughly 300 meters long." He then drew a line on the map where it had already been marked.

Song Hongfei looked at Peng Keding and said, "I don't know if they dug anti-tank trenches, but the earthwork is rather rudimentary. The engineers can blast them flat to allow tanks to pass through."

Gui Shuaizhen nodded, then said to Yang Houcan, the battalion commander of the engineering battalion: "Your battalion's attached assault team must be well organized in terms of manpower and equipment. Bring plenty of explosives and make sure to secure the path for the tank assault!"

He then turned to Lou Dishan, the artillery battalion commander, and said, "We must give special attention to the artillery preparations here!"

"Yes!" Yang Houcan and Lou Dishan replied confidently, "No problem!"

Song Hongfei said, "This area is open fields and plains, relatively flat, without major bumps or undulations. How fast can the chariots move across such terrain for attack?"

Peng Keding carefully observed through the artillery scope. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The maximum speed can reach more than 10 kilometers per hour, but generally it is only a few kilometers per hour."

Song Hongfei then asked, "Can the tank fire while moving?"

"No! The tank needs to be stopped before firing the cannon, but the machine gun can be fired." Peng Keding smiled wryly, then seemed to remember something and looked at Song Hongfei with some curiosity: "Has Battalion Commander Song ever seen a tank fire its cannon while it's moving?"

Song Hongfei realized he had said too much and almost revealed the truth. Tanks in the 30s certainly wouldn't have a gun balancing mechanism or a stabilized fire control system. If they were to fire while moving, they would at most make a sound.

He could only laugh awkwardly and say, "The attack speed isn't fast; the infantry can keep up perfectly well."

Song Hongfei pointed to several locations on the nearby positions and said to the armored corps commanders, "Four passages have been prepared here as the departure position, and the tanks can pass through here."

Several armored corps officers went over and carefully inspected the area. They were all delighted and said, "There's absolutely no problem. The tanks can pass quickly!"

Subsequently, the officers carefully studied the route of advance, the route of attack, the deployment of firepower, the communication and command, and some details of infantry, artillery and tank coordination.

Song Hongfei said to Lu Jianxiong, the company commander of the armored reconnaissance company: "Company Commander Lu, the 2nd and 3rd companies of my battalion are using horse-drawn carts for coordinated training out of necessity. It's a bit of a copycat approach. Tracked armored vehicles make a lot of noise coming from the rear. Could you send a few of your company's wheeled armored vehicles over first so that my battalion's infantry can coordinate with them in real vehicles? It would be best if we could coordinate at the platoon level."

Lu Jianxiong thought for a moment and said, "No problem. I'll have breakfast earlier, send one platoon of vehicles to Yantou Village, and the rest to Sanzhang Village. We'll conduct joint training with the infantry before dark."

Song Hongfei was overjoyed and said to Gui Shuaizhen, "Commander, the 1st Company is currently in a standoff with the enemy defending Qinglong Village at the Yantou Village position and is unable to conduct infantry-tank combined arms training. Could we replace the 1st Company and give them some time to practice as well? This is a rare opportunity, and as the follow-up echelon, they should also get some training."

Gui Shuaizhen thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, it's time to let the 1st Company practice as well. Tomorrow, the Foxiao Special Service Battalion and the 1st Company will attack Qinglong Village from both flanks, so they should familiarize themselves with the position first. Chief of Staff Fu, order the Special Service Battalion to send a company to replace the 1st Company of the Sergeant Battalion!"

"Yes, sir!" Chief of Staff Fu replied.