Episode 23 The First Annihilation Battle

The first annihilation battle

Xiang Xiaoqiang turned his head and looked at the map and said:

"My dear sirs, I think there is a key factor. This key factor is air power. Yes, I have always cared about air power. The current situation is that although our front line cannot be said to be very long, we must admit that it is a bit "fast". In other words, the foundation is not very solid, and the large areas occupied have not been digested well and cannot be converted into motivation for further combat. In these newly occupied areas, the troops stations and supply points along the way have not been established yet. After all, after only a few days of war, we did not expect to fight so quickly.

"We have never fought this war model, and no country in the world has fought. Our officers learned in military academies and practiced and trained in daily life, but they are naturally in the same way as they are now... From a political perspective, the defeat of the Qing army is naturally reasonable, but we are soldiers, so we still have to look at the problem from a military perspective. In terms of military perspective, how much stronger are we than the Qing army? We are much stronger in quality, but in terms of quantity and war potential, we are all absolutely disadvantages.

"Of course, this is just about ground forces. Of course, our maritime power has an absolute advantage in both mass and quantity, but its role in war is limited. Apart from blockade and sea bombing, most of the power is idle... and we still have to talk about air force. At present, in this war, the only thing we have overwhelming advantage in quantity and quality and can play a huge role is air force. You all have seen how our air force helped our ground forces to destroy and achieve great victory in the first few days of the war."

As he said that, he glanced at Li Guoliang. Li Guoliang had been very excited, proudly thrusting his chest, but he looked around with a humility and lowered his eyes.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled:

"Ming Gong, Duke Tang, all of you, so I will believe that if we want to continue to achieve such a stunning victory in the next few days, that is, to encircle the 200,000 Qing troops in the middle section again, it will be dangerous. This is the unstable foundation caused by our rapid advancement, and it may be that it will be surrounded but cannot be eaten, or the flanks will be backfired.

"Of course, this also depends on the fighting will of the Qing army, as well as the integrity of their troops, that is, the control of the army. In other words, it is combat power. If we surrounded the Qing army without fighting will, not the wolves but the flock, then no matter how many flocks there are, what danger is there? And I think our land aviation is the key. Now that the front line has been lengthened and the combat area has expanded, can they maintain a high-intensity air strike against the Qing army like the first few days? This is the key to how we choose our next strategy....What do you think?"

Zhang Zhao nodded first with praise, then turned to Li Guoliang and said with a smile:

"How is Luhang here? It's right to say that, your side is the key."

Tang Yunsheng followed:

"Commander Li, it's not that you want to express your determination, you must express your truest grasp. It doesn't matter if you are cautious and conservative. This is related to the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers."

Li Guoliang took a breath slowly and smiled calmly as calmly as possible:

"Two General Staff, Master Xiang, sir, let me tell you the real situation of China Airlines. At present, the total number of aircraft that China Airlines can invest in the Northern Expedition battlefield is about 1,000 fighter jets, 650 dive bombers, and 400 horizontal bombers. These aircraft are only China Airlines, which means they only need to be invested in the current southern battlefield. The bombing of the Qinglu rear railway line in the north was completed by HNA aircraft.

"At present, our first encirclement area is only about 10,000 square kilometers. Of course, for ground troops, 10,000 square kilometers is a large combat area, but for aviation troops, 10,000 square kilometers is very small, with a circumference of only 400 kilometers, and it can fly around in an hour and a half. In such a small range, we can maintain a very high density, so that the Qing army inside cannot raise its head, and casualties increase rapidly, and a whole division can lose its establishment in a short period of time."

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:

"We have a deep understanding of this. Before our ground troops arrived, thousands of Qing troops in front surrendered voluntarily. It was like cutting lard with a quick knife. There was no chance to fight."

Li Guoliang quickly took it and said with a smile:

"I've come to the point. Indeed, our air force is too concentrated. At this stage, the combat area that the land aviation can cover is: in the eastern part of Anhui, the existing combat area of ​​the siege area is 10,000 square kilometers; in the western and northern part of Anhui, the combat area is about 30,000 square kilometers; in the central and northern part of Henan, the combat area is about 30,000 square kilometers; in the Hanzhong, Guanzhong, and southern Shaanxi, the combat area is about 20,000 square kilometers; in the southeast, the combat area is about 20,000 square kilometers. The total is only about 110,000 square kilometers.

"Within these 110,000 square kilometers, multiple aircraft are needed to attack, but only a few point-shaped targets. Large areas can be passed by patrol fighters. The current situation is that our aircraft are a bit wasteful and there are too few concentrated combat points. The Qing army, who we are planning to encircle, is actually within our combat range. What we need to do now is to place this area into the key combat range and increase the intensity of air strikes. In this way, our aircraft can also enter the most efficient configuration state, rather than so concentrated."

Tang Yunsheng asked:

"If the Qing army in the northern part of the Dabie Mountains is included in the key strike range, will it weaken the attack on the Qing army in the eastern encirclement?"

Li Guoliang smiled and said:

"The General Staff can rest assured. Tactical bombing is not as good as strategic bombing. It is not that the longer the bombing is, the more the better. It has a saturation, that is, the position that needs to be bombed is always changing, and the area is constantly shrinking. I just gave an example to the quick knife to cut butter, and I will give you an example. Tactical bombing is like chopping meat filling. Put a large piece of meat there, and the first few dozen knives are the most effective. You can see a large piece of meat quickly turning into small pieces. But later, as the meat becomes smaller and smaller and more broken, we will feel that even if we chop hundreds of knives, the change will not be big... This is the feeling. Now, half of the Qing army in the encirclement has become minced meat, one third has become small pieces of meat, and the other third is still relatively large, but there is no need to spend a lot of effort to cut hundreds of knives. We should use our strength to chop another large piece of new meat, and that piece of meat is still very complete."

When Li Guoliang talked about the second half, everyone laughed. Everyone understood what he meant. Although this metaphor was vulgar and a little bloody, it was very appropriate.

On the evening of the 7th, the Supreme Command of the Ming Army made a decision not to annihilate the 300,000 Qing troops surrounded in the eastern region, but instead to achieve the meeting of the left and right armies in central Henan as soon as possible to put the 200,000 Qing troops in southern Henan into pockets.

...

The Great Plains!

The endless plain!

The legendary flat plain in North China finally fought in front of the mechanized troops of the Ming army.

This is not a plain like Wu Yue and Jiangnan with water nets and hills everywhere, nor is it a plain like Jianghan, Sichuan and Xiangfan surrounded by mountains, but a real big plain. It is a big plain that is driving a tank for three days and three nights, and will not be blocked by a mountain or a river.

The left-road army group that just emerged from the mountains was very happy.

The right-road army group that just came out of the water net also felt very happy.

They have now realized what is true "promotion".

From the morning of the 8th, two armies drove towards each other on the Great Plain. They were guided by the First Division of the People's Guard (Armored Division), the Second Division of the People's Guard (Armored Division), the Fifth Division of the People's Guard (Armored Division), the Sixth Division of the People's Guard (Mechanized Division), the Eighth Division of the People's Guard (Mechanized Division), and the Ninth Division of the People's Guard (Mechanized Division). More than 2,000 two tanks and armored vehicles were in combat formations and galloping in the fields. All the roads behind and on the dirt roads in the countryside are endless military vehicles and tow artillery of the Moban Division.

Above heads, there are batches of bombers roaring by. Higherly, there are fighters as small as black spots. These all take off from Xiangfan Plain Battlefield Airport and Sihong Airport. In addition to ready-made airports like Sihong Airport, more fighters take off from battlefield airports launched with bulldozers on newly acquired land.

...

The permanent Qing army pressed on the Yangtze River defense line of the Southern Ming Dynasty were divided into three categories.

The first type is stationed opposite the eastern section of defense line. This type is the strongest type, ready to cross the river and invade south at any time.

The second type is the Qing army stationed in the Xiangfan Plain, because Xiangfan is a gap between the Dabie Mountains and the Daba Mountains, and it is relatively easy to invade the Southern Ming Dynasty and the Wuhan and Jingzhou Plain. This type of Qing army is a little inferior, but it also belongs to the relatively elite troops of the Han army.

The third type is the Qing army stationed on the north side of the Dabie Mountains. The Qing army in this area is also very powerful, but it is not for the purpose of fighting from the Dabie Mountains, but for the purpose of quickly increasing the troops there no matter where the east and west ends are fought. This type of Qing army belongs to the second and third-rate troops.

The fourth category is stationed on the western section of the Yangtze River Defense Line, the northern side of the Daba Mountains and Hengduan Mountains. Because the western section of the defense line is hundreds of kilometers wide, there are often mountain canyons above, and there is a surging torrent under the abyss, and there is not even a cable bridge. Don’t talk about the army, even if you crawl over empty-handedly and don’t fall to death, it is a lucky thing. The Ming and Qing armies will not be able to fight there. Therefore, the Qing army here has the weakest strength and quality, and basically there is a post for a long period of time, with several elderly, weak, sick and disabled people stationed in the post.

...

In a flat environment, facing more than 2,000 tank and armored vehicles of the Ming army and thousands of bomber fighters whistling from the sky, the second-rate Han army in front of them had almost no resistance and was defeated like a mountain. They were defeated on the Great Plain for more than 200 kilometers. By noon on the 9th, it took only one whole day and one morning that the two offensives of the Ming army completed their respective advances of more than 100 kilometers and met in Fuyang County in northwest Anhui.

More than 200,000 Qing troops were surrounded in the northern part of the Dabie Mountains, with a narrow range of more than 200 kilometers long and less than 30 kilometers wide, and were divided into three sections.

It can also be said that the Qing army south of the Huai River were all put into pockets, with a total of about 500,000.

The first large-scale annihilation war of the War of Unity began.

The Ming army kept running and surrounded at noon on the 9th and launched a general attack in the afternoon. And it was day and night, from afternoon to night, to early morning, to morning, and noon on the 10th... During the day, the "surgical" precise bombing of dive bombers was carried out, with the rapid advancement of 20,000 artillery, 1,000 tanks, and 1,500 armored vehicles. From the easternmost Gaoyou Lake, the shore of Hongze Lake, to the westernmost northwest corner of Dabie Mountain, the narrow battlefield was divided into five large pieces, and then gradually divided into dozens of small pieces...

At night, it was a large-scale bombing of horizontal bombers.

Especially at night, the Qing army in the encirclement felt unprecedented horror. First, the entire black sky was roaring, then the dazzling flares in the sky, followed by the explosion on the ground...

Under such dense "hail bombs", hiding into trenches and foxgloves seems to be of little use. Small bombs are still coming in, and several people will be killed by one...

The Qing army north of the Dabie Mountains had received orders to attack the Ming army at the east and west ends. In the past few days, they had been marching slowly on the highway, with carriages, equipment, and endless marching queues on all roads. Before the 9th, although they were bombed, they were all harassing, aiming to slow down the marching speed, but the planes came to temporarily avoid it. However, after the 9th, the bombing suddenly became "crazy", and the planes in the sky no longer appeared in two or three waves, but came a large group of aircraft, killing dozens or hundreds of people at a time.

After the group left, in addition to the craters and corpses on the ground, there were countless flying flyers.

Even the Qing army soldiers who could not read a single word, now they understood it. The Ming army now clearly wanted to wipe out them all. Since the afternoon of the 9th, no division commander in the Qing army surrounded the circle could control their troops. The troops below all abandoned the carriages and heavy equipment on the road and ran to nearby villages and towns to hide. They guessed that the Ming army would not bomb these settlements. And the Ming army did not actually bomb the settlements.

Although this could not eliminate the Qing army, it completely disrupted the Qing army and scattered in hundreds of towns and thousands of villages. Both officers and soldiers knew that being exposed to the wilderness was dangerous, while hiding in residential areas was absolutely safe. Under such uninterrupted attacks, the separation of this system was irreversible. Once the army was dispersed, it would be impossible to concentrate on its original appearance.

Basically, there was a leaflet of the Ming army hidden in each literate Qing army's pocket. The illiterate Qing army also spread all over it.

"I was caught by the Ming army and wanted to be shot!"

"What does it mean to entangle civilians?"

"It's just a scoundrel who is playing a scoundrel during wars and hiking into the crowd of ordinary people!"

"Ah, then we can be considered as tying civilians like this?"

"We don't count! Anyway, when the Ming army fought, we surrendered directly, maybe it won't be fine!"

"Didn't the Ming army say that they only shoot the officers?"

"Who did you hear me? Even the officers and soldiers were killed!"

...

Qing army officers hiding in some county towns often gathered together in groups of three or five, carefully adjusting the radio in the room, while listening to the Ming army plane flying around on their heads in fear, and the sound of bombs and cannons in the distance.

A soft female voice came from the radio, with a glutinous Jiangnan flavor:

"Brothers of the Qing army, please come here... You have no other way out... For soldiers who put down their weapons, the Ming Dynasty guarantees your life safety, ensures that you have good treatment, and your injuries will be properly treated... Really, the brothers who have already sent over all said that the meals eaten in the Ming army's prisoner-of-war camp are better than those in the original military camp... For officers, as long as they lead their brothers to put down their weapons in time and no longer resist, the Ming Dynasty will recognize your vested interests, that is, your title will be retained, and your existing property, regardless of whether the source is legal, as long as they are not directly robbed in this war, we will respect it... Regardless of officers and soldiers, the Ming Dynasty will accept you as new citizens and enjoy the same treatment as those of the Ming citizens..."

A group of lower-level Qing army officers of similar ranks were guarding a radio and talking:

"They said they recognized our vested interests, that is, the fine and soft things in our suitcases were thrown over or ours?"

"What, do you want to join the Ming army?"

"What's the matter? What's wrong with me? Don't the fuck do you want? It's not normal for anyone not to want anyone."

"Fuck! Your mom..."

"Forget it, it's all brothers..."

"Damn it, it sounds better than singing! It's a fool!"

"Tsk tsk, this little lady has a very seductive voice..."

"Miss Nanming, let alone, it's really good to get two..."

"It's easy to deal with. Let's throw it over. With the fineness and softness in the box, who can't marry a few openly? If you want money and people, you are all from military academy. That's just a study and literacy, both civil and military..."

"I don't know if what I said is really not... I'm afraid that I will throw the gun over and change my face when I find an excuse. Once the property is collected, you have no place to talk about it."

"Tsk, they are Nanming, do you think they are our court? They speak like farts?"

"Anyway, the world is as dark as crows, and the world is as low as the court... No matter how good the court is, it is composed of officials. How many good things are there for officials? I am not as much as you think about it. I just need to save my life and give me another meal and errand..."

"Only black? Why are we running to others with our own efforts? Why don't we run to others with our own efforts?"

...

At this time, the propaganda of Nanming was completed and this section began to be replayed again. An officer smacked his lips and reached out to adjust the station.

An inspiring male voice came from the speaker:

"This is the Qing Dynasty Radio Station!... At present, our Qing Dynasty's invincible army has achieved a major victory in the south! The small-scale harassment of the Southern Ming Dynasty on my border has been shameful failure!! At present, our Qing Dynasty army is full of momentum and is winning victory on various fronts!!!... In the past few days, rumors have frequently spread from all over the Qing Dynasty, such as how big the army is, how fast the attack speed is... and other ridiculous statements have also been smashed to pieces by the soldiers in front of the Qing Dynasty!

"The clowns of the Southern Ming who fabricated these rumors and tried to shake the morale of the Qing people at this moment saw their rumors failing, and were in a state of panic all day long... As for the new rumors that just appeared, such as how many people in the Qing army were trapped in the encirclement and will be wiped out soon, etc., it is even more worth refuting... We advise the conspirators of the Southern Ming who fabricated these rumors not to waste any more..."

"Your mom!!!"

An officer slapped the radio and slapped the sound to abruptly. He cursed:

"Damn it, just let it go, I'm still bragging at this time! Fuck! The brothers' lives are not as valuable as the court's face! Guys, you all heard it. We are all working hard, just such a bunch of disgusting things!"

"Tsk, I've known it a long time ago."

"Invest in the Ming Dynasty! The Ming Dynasty is not so disgusting. Are there any hesitation?"

"Terror to the Ming Dynasty."

"Terror to the Ming Dynasty."

"Yes, before we can call us, we will take our brothers... and then we will take our brothers to vote over. I heard that there is still a reward..."

...
Chapter completed!