20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 604 All Quiet on the Western Front

Chapter 604 All Quiet on the Western Front

The Fengtian Army entered the pass and was divided into two routes, east and west, each with three echelons.

The Eastern Army was composed of the 27th Army Division as its main force, with Zhang Fuchen as its commander-in-chief, supervising the battle along the Jinpu Line; the Western Army ordered the 16th Army Division as its vanguard, with Zhang Xuwu as its commander-in-chief, and stationed troops in Changxindian outside Beijing.

In fact, long before the Fengtian Army issued the order for a general offensive, the two sides had already had many exchanges of fire and friction in the area where their forces intersected.

Wu Xiucai did not fight a civilized and polite war. He took advantage of the fact that the Fengtian Army had not yet entered the pass in large numbers and launched an undeclared war. He sent troops to raid the Fengtian garrison in Nanyuan. The Fengtian Army's eastern route also frequently attacked the Zhili Army's defense zone in an attempt to retaliate.

This decisive battle is no joke.

After the war broke out, both sides deployed a total of more than 200,000 troops, the scale of which far exceeded any previous warlord infighting, and even attracted many foreign immigrants to the battlefield to watch.

In the early stages of the war, the Zhi and Feng armies fought fiercely, with both sides winning and losing.

Although the Zhi Army won more battles than it lost, it never found an opportunity to turn the tide; although the Feng Army's vanguard suffered a setback, it did not lose its composure thanks to its artillery advantage.

The two sides fired artillery and machine guns at each other. The rumbling sound of war resounded over Beijing and Tianjin. The people in the two cities had almost no peace at all.

Everyone knows that Marshal Zhang is warmongering and has insatiable greed; but few people know that Marshal Wu Peifu is also competitive and unwilling to give in.

After all, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain.

The interests of the Zhili and Feng families are in conflict with each other. If they don't explode in silence, they will perish in silence. How can there be a so-called debate between good and evil?

After Marshal Zhang issued the order for the general offensive, the Eastern Army took the lead in launching a large-scale battle.

Just as the two sides were fighting fiercely, the Western Route Army also entered the hot war stage.

This is the first time that Beifeng has been on the battlefield since he joined the army. His mixed brigade is a special group. As early as the beginning of autumn last year, it had secretly entered Rehe, waiting for an opportunity to go.

After the Fengtian Army was changed to the "Zhenwei Army", the mixed brigade where Zhao Zhengbei was located was incorporated into the second echelon of the Western Route Army. Then the entire army set out to Changxindian in the suburbs of Beijing to participate in the war.

Like many young military officers, Zhao Zhengbei also had an inexplicable longing for fighting on the battlefield.

Under the continuous bombardment and in front of thousands of enemy troops, taking the general's head, bringing honor to the family, and returning home in glory - this seems to be the dream of every man.

However, when he actually joined the army to fight, he found that many situations were far from what he had expected.

Zhao Zhengbei was a graduate of the Military Academy. Due to the recent deterioration in relations between Zhili and Fengtian, he was reassigned as the battalion commander of the Marine Battalion and also the vanguard of his mixed brigade.

Although this mixed brigade belonged to the second echelon of the Western Route Army and could not act rashly, but had to obey orders and formulate corresponding reinforcement strategies based on the situation on the front line, but after a few days, its marching progress was always slow, with stops and starts, as if it was a young girl getting married, and it couldn't wait to look back every few steps.

It was not until the day before the general offensive order was issued that Zhao Zhengbei's troops finally arrived, and in the afternoon, they finally reached the Changxindian area.

Seeing that the Western Route Army's headquarters was within reach and that they could arrive at the battlefield in person at any moment, the soldiers could not help but get ready and started discussing matters of military exploits and profits.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the brigade commander suddenly sent a messenger over, asking Zhao Zhengbei and others to rest on the spot and set up camp.

Everyone was at a loss and had no idea what had happened on the front line.

Zhao Zhengbei was also confused and asked on the spot: "Isn't Changxindian just ahead? It's still early now, why are we setting up camp here?"

The messenger reminded him quietly, "Captain Zhao, I am only responsible for delivering the message, you are responsible for executing it. You asked me why we set up camp here, how would I know? Maybe it is to stabilize the rear. Do you know the situation on the front line better than the brigade commander? Set up camp quickly, don't delay the military opportunity, the troops behind will catch up soon."

Although Zhao Zhengbei was confused, he had no choice but to nod and agree.

After the messenger left, he ordered his soldiers to set up camp on the spot according to what he had learned in the Military Academy, and sent out a few capable men to scout the surrounding area.

After resting for a night, at dawn the next day, a burst of fierce artillery fire suddenly came from the distance.

Just as everyone opened their eyes, with a light mist still floating in the air, the brigade commander's messenger rushed to the vanguard camp again.

"Captain Zhao, the brigade has issued an order. The entire army is to set out immediately and advance sixty miles. You lead the 1st Marine Battalion and lead the way!"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhengbei's heart surged, and he immediately became energetic. He turned around and ordered: "Brothers, did you hear that? The time to perform meritorious deeds has come. In five minutes, the whole battalion will assemble and set off immediately!"

"Good!" All the soldiers immediately raised their arms and shouted in response.

Early that morning, Zhao Zhengbei led his troops, lightly equipped, and marched towards the Changxindian front line.

The closer we got to the front line, the more real the rumbling of artillery fire became.

Just by listening to the waves of noise, one can infer that the fighting on the front line must be extremely fierce.

Some soldiers began to show timid expressions, but more young people seemed to be getting more excited.

Unexpectedly, near noon, a burst of hurried horse hooves sounds suddenly caught up with the vanguard led by Zhao Zhengbei.

Everyone turned around and saw dust flying on the loess road. The messenger came on horseback and asked quickly, "Where is Captain Zhao? Where is Captain Zhao?"

Zhao Zhengbei rushed over following the sound and asked hurriedly, "What's going on?"

"Retreat! Retreat!" The messenger waved his arms desperately on horseback, "All officers and soldiers in the battalion, retreat immediately!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the soldiers looked at each other and began to discuss quietly.

"No, what's going on? You just left this morning, and now you're asked to go back? To walk the dog?"

"From just now till now, the field artillery has been making noises all the time. Is there something wrong on the front line?"

"It's over, it's over. The front has definitely lost. If they tell us to retreat, we should retreat quickly!"

"Shut up! What the hell are you talking about!" Zhao Zhengbei shouted, then turned around and asked the messenger, "Brother, what's going on? I can take the soldiers to check it out first. From the noise, they are not far away."

"The brigade commander has ordered the entire army to retreat. Why are you still asking questions?"

This time the messenger was much more impatient than the last one. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his horse around and galloped away immediately.

Zhao Zhengbei watched the messenger leave, then turned around and looked towards the front line. Although he was anxious and irritable, he had no idea what the overall situation was, so he had to follow the instructions of his superiors.

So, the entire battalion's rear team was changed to the front team, and with the sound of fighting getting louder and louder, they retreated inexplicably.

In this way, the whole day is wasted.

Not only was the army in disarray, but rumors began to spread among the troops that the front had been defeated, causing the soldiers' morale to drop and their spirits to drop.

The troops, who were supposed to rush to the frontline in one go, had already lost their fighting spirit before they even started fighting.

Zhao Zhengbei strictly prohibited the army from criticizing the battle situation. His original intention was good, but it ended up having the opposite effect. Everyone seemed to be more certain that the front line had already been defeated.

Towards evening, when the Marine Battalion was about to retreat to its original position, the messenger came again with news.

"Captain Zhao, your troops should stop retreating. The brigade commander wants you to dig trenches on the spot and keep an eye on the battle situation on the front line for the headquarters."

"This place is more than 30 miles away from Changxindian. How can I keep an eye on the battle situation on the front line for my headquarters?" Zhao Zhengbei said anxiously, "Brother, why don't you go back and tell the brigade commander to let me take my men directly to the front line?" As soon as he finished speaking, several old soldiers cast resentful looks at him.

Everyone thought: If you want to be a hero, just go by yourself, why do you have to drag us along to take the blame for you?
Fortunately, the messenger immediately rejected Bei Feng's proposal on behalf of his superiors, and reiterated: "Captain Zhao, the combat plan is decided by the military staff, don't interfere, just do whatever you are told to do!"

"Yes, yes, Captain Zhao, let's just follow the arrangements from our superiors!" Several veteran soldiers stepped forward and agreed.

Zhao Zhengbei was helpless and had to order the entire battalion to stop and start building temporary defensive fortifications on the spot.

However, they did not expect that the repair would take three days and two nights, and all the trenches and bunkers were complete, which even made people suspect that the Western Route Army was preparing for a decisive battle here.

During this period, the brigade's messenger would come to inspect the camp every day and convey the brigade commander's instructions to Zhao Zhengbei.

The instructions from the superiors are always just one sentence - strengthen the defense and wait for the opportunity.

Having said that, the messenger did not say what opportunity the mixed brigade was waiting for. His refusal to say it naturally led to a lot of speculation in the trenches.

The army's morale is in turmoil, which is almost impossible to reverse. Only good news can bring everyone together again.

However, many scattered troops had no way of knowing the battle situation on the front line, whether they were winning or losing, and could only wait for news from their superiors.

Until the afternoon of May 3, the Marines still didn't know what they were doing.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhengbei took the messenger aside and asked in a low voice: "What is the situation on the front line? If the brigade doesn't tell me, I can't lead my soldiers."

The messenger naturally saw that the army was in disarray, so he brought back a message from his superiors, saying, "The battle on the front line is intense now. Our army will stay in our garrison and wait for the right time to launch a surprise attack and win."

"Win by surprise?" Zhao Zhengbei scolded on the spot, "What the hell are you talking about? After digging trenches for three days, you tell me you are going to win by surprise?"

"Captain Zhao, please pay attention to your attitude. I am speaking to you on behalf of the brigade commander."

"Then ask him for me, can he really fight?"

"You..." The messenger blushed, but after thinking for a while, he said, "Okay, I'll go back and ask for you."

Seeing this, several veterans rushed forward to persuade them.

The messenger was unmoved and turned away.

Everyone advised Beifeng to think of his excuse quickly, otherwise he would be taken back to the command post later.

Zhao Zhengbei was not afraid at all. He waved his hand and said, "Fuck it, just bet it. There's nothing wrong with what I said. What kind of war is this? We can hear the exchange of fire on the front line, and he actually wants us to dig trenches here for fun!"

Seeing that persuasion was fruitless, the soldiers returned to the trenches to smoke in disappointment.

I thought that it wouldn't be long before the messenger would bring the supervision team to arrest people, but I didn't expect that there was no news from the brigade until dusk.

After dinner, the sky gradually darkened.

Everyone was still doing all kinds of useless work in the trenches, unaware of the situation the war had reached, let alone what their tasks would be.

The sound of gunfire showed no sign of stopping and even became more intense.

Time passed without a sound.

Life in the trenches was dull and tedious. In early April, it was still a little chilly in the mornings and evenings. Everyone huddled together. Occasionally, a small insect would crawl over their heads, or an unknown bird of prey would flap its wings in the woods.

Before he knew it, Zhao Zhengbei had already started arranging soldiers to take turns on night duty.

At this moment, a loud roar suddenly passed over everyone's heads.

"Om-"

The sound was deafening, like a military truck passing by.

Zhao Zhengbei subconsciously picked up the rifle beside him, and the soldiers' hearts tightened as they hurriedly stood up from the trenches.

Following the sound, they saw two giant "iron birds" flying across the sky above Changxindian, a suburb of Beijing, in the remaining light of day and flying towards the back of everyone.

"Fuck! Plane!" Someone in the trench shouted, "That's a plane, right? Is it a plane?"

Everyone immediately started talking about it, and they seemed more excited by the novelty than by fear.

However, the plane disappeared in a flash, leaving people with endless imagination.

Zhao Zhengbei had studied at the Military Academy and recognized that the "iron bird" was indeed what the military called an airplane. After all, he had the good fortune to see one with his own eyes.

In fact, the Fengtian Army also had twelve planes like the one just shown. They were all spoils of war obtained during the Zhi-An War. However, due to the lack of relevant talents in Fengtian, they were not deployed this time.

There were still many soldiers in the trenches marveling at the thought and asking each other the simplest question - would the plane fall down halfway?

In the entire battalion, only Zhao Zhengbei knew what the plane's overhead flight just now meant.

"Stop looking at it!"

Bei Feng opened his voice, veins popping out on his neck, and roared: "Load your gun, find shelter, who the hell is starting a fire? Put it out!"

Before he finished speaking, a shout was heard suddenly from the front of the trench.

"Captain Zhao, Captain Zhao!" It was the scout who was in charge of the night patrol. "Someone is coming, someone is coming!"

Several veterans quickly poked their heads out and asked loudly, "What's going on? Are the Zhi troops coming? Damn it, it's all over, we're screwed this time!"

Unexpectedly, the scout came over and said, "They are not Zhijun, they are our people, who came back from the front line!"

"How many have come?" Zhao Zhengbei jumped out of the trench and responded hurriedly.

"One, just one!"

Before the scout finished his words, a figure suddenly jumped out from the dim darkness behind him.

At first glance, this man was covered in mud, his face was pitch black, there was still blood on his cheekbones, and he opened his mouth with a mouthful of white teeth, looking like a ghostly mandrill, which was terrifying.

"Which unit are you from?" He roared in a loud, hoarse voice.

Zhao Zhengbei reported his number.

"What did you say?" The continuous sound of gunfire had almost made the visitor's ears deaf. "What the hell did you say?"

Zhao Zhengbei reported the number again.

The man still couldn't hear clearly, so he simply stopped asking and grabbed Bei Feng by the collar, roaring crazily, "Fuck you, I'll fucking kill you! Why don't you send reinforcements? Why don't you send reinforcements?"

(End of this chapter)

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