In the entire model brigade and mercenary group, when it comes to command quality and the ability to grasp the rhythm of the battlefield, Meng Yuting is ranked second and no one can be ranked first. Even Zhao Changshu and Chen Wanli are slightly inferior to him.
Meng Yuting's only weakness is that he is limited by the size of his mercenary group and lacks experience in commanding large-scale battles.
Now, it is an opportunity for Meng Yuting, an opportunity to improve his commanding ability, and an opportunity to make up for his shortcomings.
Soldiers who don't want to be marshals are not good soldiers, and Meng Yuting is no exception.
As an elite officer in the Northwest Army who was favored by the commander-in-chief, after experiencing the baptism of the battlefield, he studied in the top foreign military academies for several years.
The key is that even at the Frunze Military Academy, which is known as the "cradle of generals", Meng Yuting's various results belong to the top group of outstanding students, and he can be said to be talented.
However, due to the domestic political situation, he could only have the opportunity to display his talents in Zhou Wen's mercenary group. However, in his heart, he did not want to lead thousands of troops to fight against the enemy on the battlefield and use all his talents and abilities to serve.
nation.
When he looked at the encouraging eyes of Zhao Changshu and Zhou Wen with his face flushed, a feeling that a scholar would die for his bosom friend emerged spontaneously.
Of course he knew that this was the best choice at the moment, and he was not pretentious. He straightened his body and stood at attention and said: "Yu Ting is favored by Chief Zhao and the scholar. I dare not to die and do my best."
Zhao Changshu smiled and nodded, turned to face the officers under his command, glanced around majestically, and said loudly: "From now until the end of the battle, any disobedience or disrespect to Commander-in-Chief Meng Yuting's orders will be regarded as an act of disobedience."
, all acts of pretexting will be punished in accordance with battlefield discipline. Zhang Cheng's Guard Battalion 1 Company serves as the inspection team, wears armbands, and is under the personal command of Meng Yuting. Anyone arrested by the inspection team is authorized. Do you understand?
"
All the officers looked solemn and stood up to answer: "I understand."
…
The Great Wall defense line has a defense width of hundreds of kilometers, but not every distance requires heavy defense. There are many steep mountainous and river-blocked areas that are not suitable for large troops to gather and march, and even after entering the pass, they are still in high mountains and dense forests.
, there are no accessible roads, and it is not suitable for the deployment of the Japanese army's semi-mechanized forces.
Therefore, the Chinese military's defense forces are mainly deployed at several important pass points.
The so-called pass actually refers to the main transportation arteries and strategic locations within and outside the Guan Guan, such as Gubeikou, Xifengkou, Lengkou, Yiyuankou, etc. The Peiping Branch of the Military Commission also attaches great importance to these pass.
The most elite troops in northern China were dispatched for defense.
The defense deployment from west to east is that the 17th Army of the Central Army defends Gubeikou, the 29th Army of the Northwest Army defends Xifengkou, the 32nd Army of General Shang Zheng and the Jin Army Model Brigade defend Lengkou, and the section east of Lengkou to Yiyuankou
It is defended by the 53rd Army and the 57th Army, which are still fully organized by the Northeastern Army.
The five armies with a total of more than 100,000 troops are basically deployed on the front line of defense. There is a lack of strong mobile forces and reserves deep in the rear. This has resulted in the Chinese army being able to only defend passively without the means or strength to counterattack.
This kind of strategic deployment is not something Zhou Wen, a young colonel, can interfere with. In such a passive situation, he can only use the relatively strong combat effectiveness of the mercenary group and the imitation brigade to make some changes on his own territory and take advantage of the situation.
Before the large Japanese troops could reach the Great Wall defense line, they needed to find and seize the fleeting fighter planes that could severely damage the Japanese army.
That night, on the Cherry Orchard Highlands east of Lengkou Pass, a team of thousands of people and hundreds of mules and horses loaded with supplies passed through Position 1 on the Cherry Orchard Highlands and headed into the darkness below the mountain.
go.
The cherry orchard is located on a high ground in front of the Great Wall. It is named after the wild cherries that grow on the mountain. The high ground here and Baili Mountain, 2 kilometers away to the east, are both high ground with the same height as the Great Wall.
Cherry Orchard and Baili Mountain guard the Great Wall wall a few hundred meters behind, one on the left and the other on the right. They are at odds with each other. They are important areas that must be conquered first if the enemy wants to get close to the Great Wall.
The mountains to the north of these two highlands are steeper, more dangerous and more difficult to conquer than the main position of Fenghuang Mountain at Lenkou Pass.
However, in history, it was because these two highlands that were easy to defend and difficult to attack were successively captured by the Japanese army that led to the fall of Lengkou Pass.
The reason was not that the defenders were not brave enough, nor that the Japanese army was strong, but mainly because there were too few defensive troops.
At that time, General Fashion Zheng only deployed more than 5,000 troops of the 139th Division on the front line of Lengkou Pass. However, these more than 5,000 troops were to defend Lengkou from Baiyangyu in the west to Baili Mountain in the east, which was more than 20 kilometers long.
The defense line seemed to be stretched thin in terms of strength. Only one battalion of troops was deployed in Cherry Orchard and Baili Mountain for defense.
The Japanese army concentrated its forces and launched a full-scale attack in all directions at Lengkou Pass. The Chinese defenders in Cherry Orchard and Baili Mountain fought tenaciously without any support, and no one retreated. Under the fierce Japanese artillery and days and nights of fighting,
Under the continuous attack, the defenders of the two battalions were basically lost, which led to the fall of the two highlands.
In fact, to put it bluntly, the Chinese defenders were actually being killed by the Japanese army's continuous attacks.
The main reason was that there were too few defensive troops, no reserves, and no solid fortifications to rely on. Most of the sacrificed officers and soldiers were killed by Japanese artillery.
But now it is different. With the Model Brigade responsible for the defense of Fenghuang Mountain and Baiyangyu at Lenkou Pass, more than 5,000 people of the 139th Division can focus on the defense of Cherry Orchard and Baili Mountain. Moreover, they have also received guidance from the Model Brigade Engineer Battalion.
A large number of fortifications and troop hiding holes were built on the reverse slope of the mountain, which greatly reduced the lethality of Japanese artillery. At the same time, a regiment of reserve troops was deployed on the Great Wall to provide support at any time.
With these new deployments and measures, Zhou Wen was full of confidence in the right wing of the 139th Division guarding Lengkou Pass.
Not only Zhou Wen has confidence in the 139th Division, but Commander Huang of the 139th Division is also full of confidence. He is now standing on position 1 with a few guards, looking at the team meandering in the dark, and praising Zhou Wen beside him.
Said: "Young people are to be feared. Young people are really to be feared. Huang really didn't expect that Changshu and you young people would actually plan such a big article."
If Zhou Wen and Zhao Changshu want to achieve the goal of annihilating the Japanese 14th Brigade, the 139th Division is also an indispensable help. Even if they do not need to participate in the battle, the presence of more than 5,000 friendly troops helping to wave the flag and shouting at the last moment cannot be underestimated.
The strength may be the last straw that breaks the camel's back for the Japanese army.
