20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 606 Taking orders in times of danger
The brigade commander ran away. No wonder the whole camp is in such a mess.

Zhao Zhengbei was stunned, and then asked, "What about the deputy brigade commander?"

"The deputy brigade commander went into the city to see a dentist last night." The communications soldier didn't even raise his head, still fiddling with the telephone line in his hand carefully.

"What? You went to the dentist?"

Hearing this, Zhao Zhengbei was dumbfounded. He stood there in a daze, unable to speak for a long time, and a sense of absurdity arose spontaneously.

When two armies were at war, the chief and deputy chiefs in the camp were all away. How could the central army tent not be in chaos?
If even generals treat military laws as a joke, what about their soldiers?

Beifeng's mixed brigade does not have a regimental level. The brigade commander and deputy brigade commander have fled, and the military staff has disappeared. This means that he, like the other battalion commanders, is currently the highest military and political commander of the unit.

With a heavy burden on his shoulders, all he sees is a mess.

Zhao Zhengbei looked at the damaged field telephone and couldn't help asking again: "Did the brigade receive the message for help from the front line?"

"I don't know. I just repair the equipment."

"Where is the commander of the artillery battalion?"

The signalman seemed very impatient and dejected, and finally stopped talking.

Zhao Zhengbei simply rushed out of the tent and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Where is the artillery battalion? Are there any brothers from the artillery battalion?"

Unfortunately, the camp was now in far more chaos than before. Most of the soldiers were fleeing in groups on their own. Artillery fire was heard in the distance and seemed to be approaching.

After shouting for a long time without any results, Zhao Zhengbei simply stepped forward and fired a warning shot.

"boom!"

"boom!"

After the two gunshots, the camp suddenly became quiet. All the soldiers stopped abruptly and looked over here.

Zhao Zhengbei looked around and asked loudly, "Who is from the artillery battalion? Come out and answer!"

This time, a soldier finally stood up and stammered, "Report to the commander, Second Lieutenant Li Deshun of the artillery battalion is here!"

"Where did your battalion commander go?" Zhao Zhengbei looked at the man.

Li Deshun glanced behind him, looking embarrassed, and muttered to himself: "Uh... I saw it just now, but now I don't know what it is."

"What a fucking waste!" Zhao Zhengbei cursed, "Everyone in the artillery battalion, assemble! The brothers on the front line are running out of ammunition. Bring your weapons and follow me to support them!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Li Deshun turned around and ran away.

When the other soldiers heard that they were going to the front line, they immediately fell into chaos again.

Fortunately, Bei Feng was quick-witted and rushed out in three or two steps, grabbed Li Deshun, drew his gun, and threatened him sternly: "If you dare to run, I will shoot you dead!"

Unexpectedly, Li Deshun turned around, and without saying a word, he suddenly knelt down on the ground, holding Beifeng's military boots, and begged bitterly with tears in his eyes.

"Sir, please change someone! I have old people and children at home who are counting on me. Can you please leave me a way out?"

"Fuck you, you coward. Why would you join the army if you are afraid of death?"

Zhao Zhengbei raised his knee and kicked Li Deshun to the ground. He then threatened to shoot him on the spot with his pistol in hand.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to shoot, he suddenly felt a chill running down his spine.

Zhao Zhengbei looked sideways and was surprised to find that the soldiers were looking at him with strange eyes, and his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

This gun cannot be fired, as it will only cause mutiny.

Although the north wind is strong, it is mostly directed at those who are arrogant rather than bullying those who are inferior, and certainly not at those who are blinded by anger.

Looking around, he saw that everyone was in a panic, the morale of the army was broken, and it was hard to reverse the situation. This was definitely not a problem that could be solved by just shooting a few people.

The entire army is already so afraid of fighting that even if they are forced to rush to the front line, it is unlikely that they will be able to do anything to improve the situation.

After thinking it over again and again, Zhao Zhengbei had no choice but to give up angrily and waved his hand to drive them away, "You coward, you have brought shame to our hometown, get out of here!"

"Thank you very much, sir, for your mercy. Thank you very much, sir, for your mercy!"

Li Deshun kowtowed several times, then floundered, rolled and crawled, fleeing in panic.

Just at this moment, a field artillery shell suddenly exploded on the flank of the camp!

A strong heat wave came whistling in, carrying with it shrapnel!

Outside the camp, several soldiers who were busy escaping fell down in response.

Everyone was startled and immediately scattered like birds and beasts, and the central army tent fell into chaos again.

After the artillery bombarded, the infantry charged, and after the infantry charged, the artillery bombarded.

Field artillery shells fell on the flank of the camp, which meant that the enemy was about to launch a charge on the position.

Judging from the range of the field artillery, there is not much time left.

Zhao Zhengbei had no time to think about anything else and immediately turned around and rushed into the command tent.

Unexpectedly, when I opened the curtain, I saw the communications soldier standing by the table, talking on a field telephone.

He actually fixed the phone!

Seeing this, Zhao Zhengbei rushed over and asked, "Is it the headquarters' call?"

The signalman glanced at Bei Feng's shoulder straps, nodded, handed the receiver over, and said, "You are a high-ranking official, so I'll tell you!"

Zhao Zhengbei took the phone, reported his number, stated his position, explained the current situation, and then shouted:
"Our brigade commander and deputy brigade commander have lost contact. The right wing of the camp is under enemy artillery fire. Please allow me to..."

"The whole army retreats!"

The sound in the receiver was very loud, accompanied by bursts of harsh electric current. I didn't know whether it was a malfunction of the phone itself, or whether the headquarters was also under fire.

"what?"

"The whole army retreats! Repeat the order, the latest instruction from the Western Route Army Headquarters: The whole army retreats!"

Unexpectedly, it makes sense.

The battle has only been going on for a few days and the entire army is going to retreat?

The battle has come to this point, it would be strange if we don’t retreat!
Zhao Zhengbei was not surprised at this. Since the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army had already issued an order to withdraw, there was naturally no need to support the front line.

Having said that, this is by no means a complete order.

If tens of thousands of troops want to retreat in an orderly manner, it is definitely not something that can be arranged by simply saying "retreat of the entire army."

Zhao Zhengbei couldn't help but ask: "My troops are less than 80 miles away from the front line. Please allow me to take over the military authority and give clear instructions for the withdrawal mission!"

"What clear instructions? How can you be a battalion commander? The right wing of the second echelon has been lost. The entire army must retreat as far as possible. Don't you understand?"

The person on the other end of the phone was impatient and seemed extremely flustered.

Bei Feng frowned when he heard this.

No matter what happens in the world, the worst thing is for laymen to give orders to professionals, which can make people angry to death!

Although Bei Feng was only a dabbler and far from being proficient in military tactics, he at least knew what retreat and rout meant.

When an army of tens of thousands is retreating, they must at least clearly explain the assembly point, rearguard troops, and flanking defenses. Otherwise, fleeing in panic would be tantamount to suicide.

Hearing the other party cursing, Zhao Zhengbei also became angry, picked up the microphone, and responded on the spot:

"Fuck you, are you all good-for-nothings in the headquarters? You can't even organize a retreat, what's the point of fighting a stupid battle!"

The person on the other end of the phone paused, then said, "What's your name, kid? Say it again if you dare!"

"Your father's name is Zhao Zhengbei. If you have the ability to return alive, feel free to report me to the Military Governor's Office!"

Bei Feng cursed wildly for a few words, then hung up the phone with a "pop". He felt as if there were invisible shackles all over his body, binding him and preventing him from moving.

His curse scared the person next to him.

The communications soldier couldn't help but glance sideways and cast a few more glances at Zhao Zhengbei.

But after Beifeng hung up the phone, he immediately turned around and collected the battle maps on the table. He didn't even have time to sort them out and just stuffed them into his arms.

The signalman was so fascinated by this action that he suddenly came over and asked, "Sir, are we going to withdraw?" "Run for your lives, don't count on them. If they continue like this, the whole army will be killed by them!"

Zhao Zhengbei didn't even raise his head and continued to randomly collect the battle maps.

The signalman looked at it and asked again, "So you are the acting brigade commander now?"

"No, that bastard just said that he would report to his superiors and remove me, the battalion commander, as well!"

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Let's go back to the position. The battalion headquarters I lead is still there. Someone needs to go and tell them the news."

"The battle line may have been pushed forward."

"I know, but I can't just leave my brother there."

"They may have run away a long time ago."

"Yes, but what if there are still people waiting there? They believe me, I can't run away by myself. If there really is no one left, then I will accept it."

The signalman listened and watched, thinking for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Sir, are you still short of people? How about I go with you?"

Zhao Zhengbei frowned and couldn't help asking back: "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm going to the position. It might be dangerous over there!"

"There's danger everywhere now!" the signalman said, "I see you're pretty calm, take me with you!"

Zhao Zhengbei was stunned for a moment, and suddenly felt a lot lighter, so he said: "I see you are quite calm, it's a good thing you fixed the phone."

The signalman scratched his head and replied simply: "Nothing, just my duty."

Zhao Zhengbei suddenly stopped and looked at the young man in front of him.

This man was no more than twenty years old, with a look of stubbornness typical of a scholar. He was serious and stubborn.

"What's your name?"

"New recruit of the Communications Company, Fu Chengyu!"

"Not afraid of death?"

"I'm afraid, but it's my duty!"

Fu Chengyu stood at attention and answered.

Zhao Zhengbei felt relieved when he heard this, but he was in a hurry, so he just nodded and waved at him, "Okay, follow me!"

After saying that, the two men walked out of the military tent one after another.

At this time in the camp, most of the soldiers had already fled, the sound of artillery fire became louder, and the noise gradually died down.

Not far away, the gunfire from the supervision team finally stopped.

It seems that all units of the Western Route Army have received instructions to withdraw one after another.

To Beifeng's surprise, when he walked out of the military tent, there were dozens of soldiers blocking the tent, waiting for him to come out.

Looking carefully at those dusty faces, it turned out that there were several classmates from the Military Academy. It was just that Beifeng had made great contributions in saving his master, so he was promoted faster.

"Sir, why did you come out just now? Are you going to leave now? Wu Xiucai and his gang will rush over soon."

Everyone looked towards Bei Feng with a wry smile.

Zhao Zhengbei was puzzled and asked, "Are you waiting for me?"

"What you said is that you are the most senior official among us. Who else should we wait for if not you?"

Zhao Zhengbei smiled and said, "The headquarters did not allow me to exercise military authority. I only manage the brothers in the battalion that I lead."

"The headquarters is nothing now!" The person who spoke was not from the Military Academy, but seemed to be led here by his comrades in the same company. "We recognize you now!"

"Okay, since you guys trust me, I won't hesitate any longer. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to withdraw now. The main force has left, so there's no point for us to stay."

"Well, let's retreat, just don't get captured. We'll be too embarrassed to face anyone if we go back." Everyone said hurriedly, "Sir, we'll follow your instructions."

Zhao Zhengbei nodded, and taking advantage of the break in the shelling, he quickly walked to the center of the camp, looked around, and then gave instructions.

"I'm going to the battlefield to pick up my brothers. You take as much supplies as you can. If you can't take anything away, burn it and blow up the artillery."

Everyone agreed.

Zhao Zhengbei then pointed to the distance and said, "After the burning is finished, go to the small woods behind the hill in the east and wait for me. I will be back soon. Where is the horse?"

"Here!" The soldiers of the cavalry company brought three war horses. "Luckily I was sharp-eyed just now, and those guys almost stole it."

Then someone else shouted, "Two men, escort the commander to the position to help the brothers retreat!"

Since everyone voluntarily formed a group, the orders were naturally carried out very smoothly and no one shirked their responsibilities.

Zhao Zhengbei didn't bother to be polite. He immediately jumped on his horse and galloped away with his men.

Not long after I ran out, I heard several explosions behind me.

Soon, blazing flames rose in the camp.

For a moment, flames shot up into the sky under the night sky, and the wilderness was dyed in a strange orange-red color.

Looking towards the rage, I saw the dark figure of the North Wind, as if coming out of the flames, galloping on horseback and whistling towards me.

Soon, the front army position was in sight.

Just as expected, when the north wind arrived, there were only a few brothers left in the trenches.

The Marine Corps Battalion, which originally had three to five hundred men, now has only about a hundred men.

The two company commanders had already fled with their men and were not seen on the road. They must have headed towards the capital. Instead, the commander of the second company stayed put.

After asking carefully, I found out that after Bei Feng left, although the battle line did not close, many defeated soldiers passed by, which immediately dispersed the morale of the army.

The second company commander did not dare to open fire, for the same reason as Bei Feng. The situation at that time was such that opening fire might lead to mutiny.

Zhao Zhengbei listened, but naturally did not blame him.

He himself also broke his promise. He said he would be back in ten minutes, but was delayed because of a call from the headquarters.

When we returned to the position, nearly half an hour had passed.

Everyone asked him what the situation was like in the rear.

Zhao Zhengbei just waved his hands and said, "There's no time to elaborate. All troops retreat! Pack as many guns, bullets, and grenades as you can. I'll take you back!"

The soldiers responded hastily and were about to pack up, but suddenly stopped and asked, "Captain, aren't we going with the main force?"

"There is no large army anymore. The headquarters is giving blind orders. If we follow them, we will either be intercepted or captured."

After hearing this, the soldiers seemed a little hesitant.

They didn't know the extent to which the Western Route Army had collapsed, and they still had a little faith in the instructions from their superiors, so they couldn't help asking:
"Then... where should we retreat to?"

"Nonsense!" Zhao Zhengbei asked harshly, "Where are you soldiers from?"

Everyone looked at each other and seemed to realize something: "Soldiers from the East, Northeast!"

"Then why are you asking? Soldiers from the Northeast, if they don't go back to the Northeast, how the hell can they go to the Northwest?"

Zhao Zhengbei urged: "Hurry up, it's too late!"

The position was too close to the front line, and there was no time to destroy the remaining supplies. Fortunately, the reserves were not large, so they were simply abandoned.

That night, Zhao Zhengbei did not follow the crowd, but took a wild road and led his brothers to withdraw quickly at night.

This was Bei Feng's first time on the battlefield. From the beginning of the battle to now, a full five days had passed, and except for a few planes, he had not even seen the shadow of the enemy. It seemed that the Western Route Army had already lost.

However, the war is not over yet.

The Zhi army will certainly continue to pursue the victory and expand the results of the battle...

(End of this chapter)