Age of Rebirth

After receiving Tang Qiuli's telegram, the first reaction of Tang Qiusheng, commander in chief of the Xiduo Campaign, was that the situation in the East India battlefield had undergone unexpected changes. Otherwise, the division commander would not have mobilized so many troops to rush to the theater .

The subsequent campaign deployment report confirmed his judgment. On the afternoon of May [-]th, Tang Qiusheng issued a combat order. At that time, a fierce attack was launched on the British and Indian troops on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley in Xiduo. The rest of the troops held their positions to prevent the British and Indian troops from taking the opportunity to break through.

Tang Qiusheng understood Tang Qiuli's intentions, and cleared the passage on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley so that the eight brigades, artillery and tanks transferred to the East India battlefield could pass quickly. Therefore, this battle was not about annihilating the British and Indian troops. With a living force, as long as they are driven across the river, the purpose of the battle will be achieved.

However, in this way, 10,000+ troops marching westward through the left bank of the Hukang River Valley will inevitably alarm the besieged Alexander. A commander with a little military common sense will immediately judge what is going on and send a telegram No one can predict what changes will happen to the British and Indian troops assembled in the East India area?The efforts made by the troops who entered secretly in advance will be in vain.

This is exactly what Tang Qiusheng was most worried about. Major General Yu Guanghan, the chief of staff of the Corps, also raised the same concern, "Deputy division commander, eight brigades with 10,000+ people, both trucks and tanks, can't be fooled by the British. People, in this way, the division commander deployed in advance. In the East India region. The intention to conceal the attack will be exposed. Deputy division commander, is it necessary to point this out to the division commander to see if there is another way?" [

Tang Qiusheng did have this idea, but after careful consideration, he felt that it was unnecessary, and Tang Qiuli was changing the deployment of the battle.This point must have been taken into consideration when mobilizing the troops directly under the corps to move westward, that is to say, they were not afraid of exposing the intention of the campaign.What I want to do is to drive the British and Indian troops on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley across the river as quickly as possible, and clear the way for the troops to advance westward.

At [-] o'clock in the afternoon, on the Xiduo battlefield, which had been silent for two days, the sound of artillery rang out again. However, the battle only took place on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley, and the British and Indian positions on the right bank across the river.Not a single shot fell.

Lieutenant General Adams, the acting commander, put down the binoculars puzzledly. He couldn't figure out why the troops of the Independent Division suddenly launched an attack. After being surrounded for two days, the troops of the Independent Division never attacked. I understand that it is still due to insufficient troops, and I still have more than 7 people.If the Chinese want to swallow it in one gulp, they still need to work hard, otherwise, the Chinese will never be idle and go to Xiduo to surround themselves.

I can't break through by myself.It is still possible to stick to it and wait for help, but what happened now.It is really impossible to understand, what are the Chinese going to do? Could it be that their follow-up troops have arrived, and they will break down one by one?

While Adams was racking his brains, the communications staff officer ran over, "Reporting to the commander, I received a telegram from the commander of the left bank troops. Their position is being bombarded fiercely by the artillery of the independent division. The scale is larger than ever. The position is too dense, and the soldiers suffered heavy casualties. They requested to withdraw to the right bank to avoid the shelling, otherwise, the position will be lost!"

Are you still using them for funerals?Across the Hukang River Valley, Lieutenant General Adams could see clearly that just a few kilometers away on the opposite bank, it was already shrouded in thick smoke and dust, and the flames from the artillery bombardment, carrying mud, flew into the air. Inside, There must be the bodies of soldiers of the British Empire, who were beaten but unable to fight back. This kind of naive mood tortured him painfully.

The only thing Adams can do is to let the troops on the other side withdraw to avoid the overwhelming artillery fire from the independent division artillery, and to be safer for the time being. He will catch up with his heels, and at that time, he will also bear the baptism of these steel storms.

However, if the troops are not allowed to withdraw, can they watch them being blown to pieces by Chinese artillery, and finally the entire army is wiped out?Of course not, under the fierce artillery fire, the British and Indian soldiers on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley, as if fleeing for their lives, waded across the Hukang River in various ways desperately. The sight of that kind of embarrassment made Adams stare in eyes and burn his lips. Dry.

The soldiers who climbed ashore with frightened faces and panting were all like drowned chickens, and the strange thing happened again. The shelling of the independent division stopped suddenly as it had started. The silence gave Adams an unreal feeling, and the roar of the engine came from the still undispelled gunpowder smoke.

The effect of the shelling was beyond Tang Qiusheng's imagination. When the troops of the [-]th and [-]th Brigades rushed onto the road, the soldiers of the British and Indian Army had run away cleanly. Except for the fragmented corpses, even the wounded soldiers were struggling. Crossing the river, the expected fierce battle never happened at all, making Xiao Jinshan and Fang Yuanshan very depressed.

Adams and a dozen senior staff officers looked at each other, not knowing what happened on the other side. After a long time, the smoke cleared, and what appeared in Adams' eyes was the road on the other side, dozens of earthen machines, busy leveling the road The pit on the top, the soil machine will pass quickly.

Afterwards, the beginning and the end were invisible, trucks full of soldiers from the Independent Division, gun carriages towing large-caliber howitzers, and tanks roaring in, the traffic was rolling in, stirring up dust all over the sky, and Adams stared dumbfounded. All this, the brain is in a state of numbness.

A senior staff officer beside him muttered: "The Chinese shelling just now is to seize the road on the left bank of the Hukang River Valley. Their troops are heading west. God, wouldn't they be attacking East India? If we have artillery , this is the best chance to kill Chinese soldiers!"

Adams shook Lingling into a cold war. At this moment, he understood everything. Tang Qiuli's purpose was not in Xiduo, let alone his tens of thousands of remnants. His purpose was to rescue his Dongjin The legion, itself and tens of thousands of soldiers are just bait, a conspiracy, a huge conspiracy.

Adams' heart sank coldly to the bottom of the valley. He knew that the telegram for help that he and Commander Alexander jointly sent would have the consequences. It would ruin the 10,000+ soldiers of the Eastward Army!Tang Qiuli's vicious eyes had already fixed on them.

Adams suddenly yelled like crazy: "Communications officer! Communications officer! Send the report immediately!" The sudden movement made more than a dozen senior staff officers around him tremble in fright, thinking that the acting commander could not stand the stimulation just now, and his nerves shuddered. confused?

The communications officer stumbled over, and what he saw were the blood-red eyes of the acting commander. When Adams dictated the telegram, his words were incoherent, and the content was only one sentence. Tang Qiuli set a huge trap in Xiduo. Eastward Legion, immediately abandon the plan to rescue our troops!

The telegram was sent, and Adams waited impatiently for Lieutenant General Chelsea's call back, while looking dully at the other side of the Hukang River Valley, the troops of the Independent Division were rolling westward.

The troops of the Independent Division, after a whole afternoon, at night, can still see the long dragon-like light band formed by the lights of the cars, piercing the night sky, but Adams did not wait for Lieutenant General Chelsea's call back, and he sent several letters one after another , It was like a stone sinking into the sea, and there was no news. Adams was so anxious that he sent another letter to the General Staff, but there was no reply. [

Desperation, fear, worry, remorse, all negative emotions filled his heart. His Excellency the Acting Commander, who has always been gentle and gentle, finally showed his true colors. Like a shrew, he cursed at Jesus in his tent. , Listen carefully, not only scolding Chelsea Lieutenant General, but also General Brandes, the Chief of Staff, and even the Prime Minister Sir Churchill, has also become the object of his greetings to his female relatives.

Lieutenant General Adams was in the encirclement of Xiduo, jumping up and cursing, almost exploding in anger. Lieutenant General Chelsea, the commander of the Eastward Army, was also cursing. However, the young and vigorous Commander, only one person, that is Commander Alexander.

After a few days of busy work, the troops assembled and equipped with weapons and equipment, and finally got a clue. The American equipment, passing through the port of Calcutta, arrived in India in a steady stream, and was quickly dispersed and transported to various assembly points. American-style weapons were going to kill Xiduo in a mighty way, but at this moment, that damned old bastard Alexander came with such a telegram.

What is the basis for Tang Qiuli to set up a huge trap in Xiduo, waiting for himself to jump into it?I saw with my own eyes that the troops of the Independent Division continued to drive westward. It’s a big joke. The Hukang River Valley is the road on both sides of the bank. Your Alexander’s tens of thousands of troops are stuck there. The soldiers and tanks of the Independent Division have grown wings and flew. Didn't work in the past?

Even if the troops of the Independent Division are indeed headed towards the East India, then how can you, Alexander, be safe and sound, and send me a warning telegram of what a bullshit? Could it be that Tang Qiuli has been extra merciful to you and let you go? Tip me off?This is so illogical!

If I were Tang Qiuli, the Chinese who has been rumored to be miraculous, the safest and most direct way would be to kill you, the old bastard first, so that I would not be afraid to reveal my intentions, and my surprise is not counted. , Also sent a telegram to the General Staff, falsely reporting military information, the mission of the Eastward Army was not only to relieve the siege of Sido, but also to keep the Chinese out of the East India Gate.

Therefore, the opinion of the General Staff is for me to decide whether to rescue Sido’s besieged troops. Chelsea’s attitude is very simple. Rescuing Sido is no longer important. We should have made early preparations to speed up the assembly of troops.

Adams' telegram not only failed to warn Chelsea, but instead accelerated the assembly of the British and Indian troops. If Adams knew that this was the effect, he would definitely regret everything he had done.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)