Master Yuan, start!

An ordinary ballistic correction might take more than a minute for the National Revolutionary Army, but the French artillery only took more than 20 seconds. This is the so-called foundation of a strong artillery country.

The shell landed accurately in a bunker behind a rock, smashing the Black Flag Independent Brigade soldiers hiding there to pieces.

Seeing this scene, the soldiers of the National Revolutionary Army who came to support took a deep breath.

The Black Flag Independent Brigade was not a regular National Revolutionary Army. Because it had just been reorganized, the Central Military Commission had not had time to send a political instructor to the brigade and only provided a batch of ammunition and two division staff officers.

However, no one expected that they could hold on until now in the face of such precise bombardment from the French.

In fact, even the National Revolutionary Army has not yet reached the level of the Red Army in the original time and space, either in terms of ideology or combat level.

Novel County 86-0

However, the Black Flag Independent Brigade vaguely had the feeling of a religious army.

The so-called religious army does not refer to an army that believes in religion in a narrow sense, but an army that has faith.

The most important thing for an army to fight is belief, which can be an ideal or a religious belief.

There is no good or bad in beliefs. When the difference in weapons is not big, whoever is more determined will win.

It is like the Ma family army and the West Route Army during the Long March. One of them was a Muslim fighter and the other was a Marxist-Leninist fighter.

Although the Islam that the former believed in was behind the times, the soldiers' faith was extremely firm.

On the other hand, although the Western Route Army believed in communism, which represented the direction of development of advanced productive forces, the army had just experienced a split, and many people began to doubt their beliefs.

After a period of intermittent fighting, the Western Route Army was eventually surrounded by the Ma family army and suffered a devastating defeat.

Although the Black Flag Independent Brigade is not religious, after being reorganized, they have been forged into the genes of a strong army by relying on the friendship of their same ethnicity, fellow townsmen, and sharing life and death.

Trapped in a desperate situation, they developed a spirit unique to this Black Flag Army.

The officers of the Black Flag Army have already rushed to the front line of defending the city in large numbers. Almost one-fifth of the soldiers fighting back with guns in the bunkers are officers of various levels.

Even high-level commanders like the regiment commander went to the top of the city wall and raised machine guns.

This is extremely rare in a modern army.

This scene also made the National Revolutionary Army who came to support admire them.

"Comrades, brothers, we are late!"

The reinforcements of the National Revolutionary Army took off their hats and saluted the Black Flag Independent Brigade who were lying on the ground in the city.

Most of the Black Flag Independent Brigade members in the city were asleep and did not see the arrival of friendly forces. At least a few of them showed relaxed smiles.

They knew that Lord Liu had made the right bet this time.

...

As if to welcome the arrival of the National Revolutionary Army, the French artillery's volleys suddenly stopped.

It didn't take long before the soldiers defending the mountain noticed the changes and hurried to Zhennan Pass to report.

"The French soldiers attacking the city have all retreated!"

"They are retreating, sending people to cover their rear while heading down the mountain!"

"What's going on? The French are actually going to retreat on their own initiative, just when they're about to take a breath?" Lu Yongxiang was skeptical.

"They're halfway down the mountain fighting. Aren't they planning to continue?"

"Has the army coming to rescue them already circled the rear of the French and cut off their retreat?" Liu Yongfu hurriedly asked the brigade commander who was leading the reinforcements.

"This..." Brigade Commander Xiao Yaonan hesitated for a while.

Logically speaking, the division commander Wang Zhanyuan should be faster than himself, but he was not sure whether he had successfully encircled the French army's rear.

When Zhuo Tuo was about to leave, the leader of the telegraph squad, who had just set up wooden sticks and flew a kite on the top of Zhennan Pass, brought confirmed news.

Bait: "Report, received the radio message from Division Commander Wang Zhanyuan!"

After hearing the telegram, Xiao Yaonan's eyes lit up and he quickly said:

"Read quickly!"

"Our main force has breached Lang Son City from the rear, and the National Revolutionary Army is rapidly advancing northward.

"I hope the Zhennan Pass garrison and reinforcements can come down the mountain together to stop the French army. The two armies will encircle and annihilate this French army between Zhennan and Liangshan!"

Upon hearing this telegram, Liu Yongfu was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, Commander Wang raided Lang Son from a thousand miles away. Heaven will not destroy our Black Flag! Heaven will not destroy our Black Flag!"

The Black Flag Army soldiers who were originally lying on the ground and sleeping were awakened by Liu Yongfu's laughter.

When these soldiers rubbed their sleepy eyes and learned from their companions that the friendly forces' surprise attack was successful, they first looked incredulous, and then their faces showed expressions of extreme excitement and relief.

At this moment, the nerves that were tense even when they slept finally relaxed.

As a result, many people just stood up and fell to the ground due to excessive relaxation and exhaustion.

However, even though they were bruised and battered, they could not hide the smile that came from the heart on their lips.

The situation in the city is about to improve.

And changes were also taking place outside the city.

The several French artillery regiments that attacked Zhennan Pass were one of the elite troops of the French army in Tonkin and even the entire French army in Indochina.

Therefore, after learning the news of the fall of Lang Son in the rear, Nissen immediately realized how embarrassing and deadly his situation was.

The road ahead is blocked and the road back is also cut off.

There are mountains to the west and the sea to the east. It is impossible to pull the 75mm field gun to the mountain or on the beach.

It seems like there are dead ends everywhere.

Only the Sino-Vietnamese border in the northwest, where several fortresses and passes had been captured by the French infantry regiment, could be moved there.

However, it is also a rugged mountainous area, and once you get in, you still have to go through a lot of obstacles.

This made Nissen think rapidly about the way out for his artillery regiment.

Of course, the problems France faces today go far beyond military issues.

Whether it was Major General Jeannissen who presided over the situation in front of Zhennan Pass, the prestigious Raphael Artillery Regiment, or even the Tokyo Skirmishers composed of Vietnamese, they were all the foundation of France's colonial rule in northern Vietnam.

Now half of the Tokyo Skirmishers have been wiped out in the battle of Lang Son. If the three artillery regiments encounter problems again, I am afraid that Tonkin will be handed over to others.

Chapter 435: The Final Battle

The foothills of Zhennan Pass, which were still filled with shouts and cries a few hours ago, became quiet for a short time. After the soldiers of the Black Flag Independent Brigade on the mountain received the news that reinforcements were coming quickly, they immediately took advantage of the French army's retreat and rushed out of the pass.

Looking around, the French camps scattered at the foot of the mountain can be vaguely seen.

The southern end of the French camp had even come into contact with the vanguard of the National Revolutionary Army coming from Lang Son.

However, despite facing the crisis of being surrounded from both front and back, the French artillery was worthy of being the French artillery. Under Jeannisson's order, two-thirds of the hundreds of 75mm cannons originally aimed at Zhennan Pass were quickly turned around and aimed at the troops coming from the rear.

On the flat ground, shrapnel from the exploding artillery fire flew in all directions, forming an artillery barrage with a depth of nearly 100 meters behind the French position.

This curtain wall, like the Wall of Sighs in Western mythology, blocked the National Revolutionary Army coming from the south, less than 5 kilometers away from the French camp.

Every step forward taken by the leading National Revolutionary Army came at the cost of dozens of casualties.

5 kilometers, within the advantageous range of the French Army's 75mm rifle, but far exceeding the range of the Hatch rifle in the hands of the National Revolutionary Army.

It was almost impossible for the National Revolutionary Army to retaliate. The falling shells turned the plain at the foot of the mountain into a red land.

Wang Zhanyuan, Zhang Huaizhai and Tian Zhongyu, who had followed Yuan Shikai in his campaigns from Korea to the north and south and made countless contributions to the founding of the People's Republic of China, felt such fierce artillery fire for the first time.

In previous years, the National Revolutionary Army had always relied on advanced weapons and equipment to gain the upper hand, but this was the first time that it was suppressed by others.

"Damn it, who is attacking whom?" Wang Zhanyuan put down the telescope and spat fiercely on the ground.

The three men were surprised that the French army could launch such an excellent counterattack even when being surrounded.

The three of them led a team to intercept in the rear, but they had no way to deal with this situation. In desperation, they could only choose to let the soldiers who were charging retreat temporarily.

"Wait, I don't believe it. We've already cut off their artillery supply. Let's see how long they can keep bombarding us!"

Sure enough, not long after, the frequency of the French artillery bombardment slowed down.

It turned out that the defense troops of Zhennan Pass in the north had already gone down the mountain. Although the Black Flag Independent Brigade looked tired, their spirits were extremely high. They and the National Revolutionary Army soldiers who came to support them were crowded in the passage going down the mountain.

Major generals such as Liu Yongfu, Chen Guangyuan, Lu Yongxiang, and Xiao Yaonan were all in the vanguard.

In order to respond to the offensive of friendly forces, they launched an attack on the French camp at the foot of the mountain like a tiger descending from the mountain.

Seeing this, the French could only turn their cannons around and fire again towards the north.

The Black Flag Army in the north was using their lives to consume the French's cold artillery ammunition stocks.

Just as the artillery fire was concentrated on the north, the National Revolutionary Army in the south seized the opportunity and started a new round of breakthroughs.

One after another, figures were lying on the ground, crawling forward relying on the undulating terrain.

: They are the commandos in the army and have always been responsible for the most important offensive tasks.

EThis time is no exception.

They were carrying two bulging bags of nitroglycerin explosives on their backs, ready to break through the surface with a single blow.

Some fearless soldiers even found their way to the French outposts on the periphery.

Lin said it was a sentry post, but it was actually a semi-underground trench. The above-ground part was made of wooden boards as a shelter and an observation point. The environment inside was very cramped.

Without the cover of intensive artillery fire, the French soldiers in the outpost did not dare to poke their heads out to gather intelligence.

Dozens of people huddled together, with no intention of defending themselves, as they were all worried about being trapped from both sides by the National Revolutionary Army.

At this moment, outside the sentry post, a bag of yellow explosives shot into the sky. After the fuse was ignited, it drew a beautiful red arc and fell into the pit of the sentry post.

There was a loud "boom", followed by countless wails and roars, and seven or eight broken limbs were blown out of the sentry post by the shock wave of the explosive package.

The blood of the French also dyed this land red.

"General, the enemies south of the camp are gathering in greater numbers!"

"Two outposts have lost contact. The Chinese are coming in!"

"Machine guns, machine guns, General, the Chinese are actually using the machine guns we placed in Lang Son City!"

Bomb the south, attack the north, bomb the north, attack the south.

If both sides are bombed, the decrease in artillery fire density will greatly reduce the killing effect.