The beacon of youth

Chapter 494 The real reason for the battle in Lanzhou——

Chapter 494 The real reason for the battle in Lanzhou

The old chief's analysis brightened up Li Yong and Wang Chengde's minds. Commander Zhao is worthy of being a commander from the old Red Army. He has fought many battles, and he looks at the problem very viciously. What he said is also the problem that Li Yong has been thinking about psychologically. However, Li Yong had been thinking about it in private before, and now Master Zhao's words are more credible.

The conversation between Li Yong and Master Zhao gave Wang Chengde a sense of enlightenment. No wonder Dayong has been preparing the troops to attack the city. The original reason is here. Dayong is a bit of a genius. How could he know that the Independent Brigade will participate in the attack on Lanzhou? action?It seems that I still need to learn more, Master Zhao and Dayong guessed together right away.

Commander Zhao, who had a brief greeting with the two of them for a while, did not stay too long. He led the soldiers of the Fourth Division and the Second Regiment to continue forward with the flow of people from the large force. Time was running out. The task of the Second Army was to advance to Xining, and The independent brigade has no news of its reconstruction, which makes the independent brigade and the second army, which were originally a unit, farther and farther away. It seems that they don't know when they want to meet again.

A half-new and not old jeep turned out of the marching sequence, and stopped in front of Li Yong and Wang Chengde with a "squeak". Li Yong took a closer look, good guy, several main leaders of the Second Army are here, Chief Guo Peng, political commissar Wang Enmao, and his old chief, Deputy Commander Chen.

Without too much nonsense, Commander Guo Peng said: "When the order of the Corps was issued to you, we also copied a copy to us. We don't know the specific tasks. However, no matter what special tasks there are, don't lose our second order." The prestige of the army, work hard, we are waiting to hear your good news."

The smiling political commissar Wang Enmao also said: "The war is imminent, and we will be separated soon. If there is anything your brigade needs to be resolved by the army, please tell us quickly. We will do our best to supply, and if you wait any longer, you will have no chance."

Li Yong was quite moved. The family of the Second Army is not rich. How can they reach out at this time? If there are any problems, they have to solve them by themselves. In the end, Deputy Commander Chen ordered: "The headquarters of the Corps is still half a day away from us. Commander Wang is waiting for you. , if there is no major matter, set off immediately, and put aside the work of supplying the large troops first, did you see the former migrant workers behind!! Our Corps is not what it is today."

Behind the marching troops were countless local migrant workers, horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, and wheelbarrows pulled by manpower. There were all kinds of means of transportation, and the carts were loaded with food and ammunition that the troops urgently needed. As well as various medical equipment, as well as some wounded and sick people who had lost their legs, they were also dragged over by fellow villagers and forced to hold them on the car. A banner with the name of the former team was written on it, and the whole team was waving red flags.

Chen Yi Boss Chen made a famous statement after the East China Field Army (Sanye) fought the Battle of Huaihai. The victory of the Battle of Huaihai was pushed by ordinary people with wheelbarrows.

In the past, Li Yong thought that Boss Chen said this on purpose to praise the enthusiasm of the migrant workers. Now it seems that Boss Chen is not exaggerating. An army without the support of the people is like water without a source and a tree without roots.

After bidding farewell to the marching Second Army and the Second Regiment, the Independent Brigade marched in the opposite direction of the main force, and finally found the headquarters of the First Corps—a small courtyard house—when the troops camped at night.

The commander's guard, a big man, was standing guard outside the door. Li Yong and Wang Chengde felt strange when they saw Li Yong and Wang Chengde hastily pulled them in. It's not his turn. What's going on today?

Wang Chengde asked as he walked: "Big man, why is this guy already on duty? What are the Corps guards doing? Could it be that there are no such people?"

The big man smiled and saluted Li Yong and Wang Chengde: "Both chiefs, it was the commander who asked me to stand guard. He guessed that you are coming soon. Isn't that right? He kept me guarding outside the door."

The big man joined the army very early, fought countless battles, and suffered many injuries on his body. He is a veteran in the second column. It is because of his bravery that Commander Wang took a fancy to this young man and let He is his own bodyguard. According to his qualifications and combat experience, he is qualified to be a battalion commander and regimental commander in a combat unit, especially when there is a shortage of veterans, but the big man doesn't do anything, He said that he didn't like being an official, so he was willing to be the commander's bodyguard. Later facts also proved that thanks to the veterans like the big man, he was able to keep Commander Wang out of danger several times. The last time Commander Wang was injured It was memorized by the big man. In front of such veteran soldiers, Li Yong and Wang Chengde couldn't afford to act as brigade commanders and political commissars. Li Yong stepped forward and moved the big man's saluting hand: "Big man, you What is this guy doing, take us to see the commander."

Commander Wang, who was holding his high sleeves, was very excited. He looked at Li Yong and Wang Chengde who came to report and shouted: "Hey, you two boys are here at last. The Independent Brigade fought well. When the battle is over, I will fight with you." The Party Committee of the Bingtuan will give you a great credit, and tell you another thing, don’t look at the fact that I signed the telegram asking you to come back, I am not the one who issued this order.”

Li Yong and Wang Chengde were puzzled at the time. Was the telegram sent by the headquarters of the First Corps, or the commander? If it wasn't the commander, who gave the order?

Commander Wang laughed loudly: "Okay, I won't let you play charades anymore. I was the one who signed the telegram, but it was Boss Peng who gave the order. You know, Boss Peng asked you to come back by name."

Li Yong and Wang Chengde looked at each other. Hearing what Commander Wang said, the matter is really not trivial. There must be something strange in the order of the troops.

The Independent Brigade has been acting as a direct unit of the second column to follow Commander Wang's headquarters. Li Yong and Wang Chengde are no longer familiar with Commander Wang, and there are no ordinary junior officers who see the embarrassment of senior leaders. Li Yongtian With a straight face, he asked, "Commander, let us know a little bit. Look, my heart is like a cat's scratching. It's very itchy."

Commander Wang laughed again: "Okay, it's not a bad thing to reveal to you, let you prepare early, do you know how many troops our field army wants to use to encircle and wipe out the Qingma Army in Lanzhou?"

Wang Chengde, who had been silent all this time, replied: "Didn't we decide to use our First Corps at first, plus the Second Corps and the Nineteenth Corps? Later, the mission of our First Corps changed. The Field Army asked us to cut off the enemy's retreat. It is also necessary to prevent reinforcements from the enemies in Qinghai and Xinjiang, and to attack Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, and directly attack Ma Bufang's lair, so that the only enemies left in Lanzhou to encircle and wipe out are the Second Corps and the Nineteenth Corps."

Commander Wang nodded: "That's basically what it means, but you're not right about one thing. The 64th Corps didn't use all its strength. They had to dispatch a 63th Army to monitor Ma Hongkui in Ningxia, so I said At present, the troops that the field army can use to encircle and wipe out Lanzhou are the three armies of the Second Corps (Third, Fourth, and Sixth Armies) and the 64rd and [-]th Armies of the Nineteenth Corps, a total of five armies."

After taking a breath, Commander Wang continued: "The five armies seem to be a lot, but Lanzhou's city defense is very strong, and the Qingma Army's combat effectiveness is very strong. Boss Peng is worried that the force to attack the city is insufficient. The powerful firepower of the brigade left a deep impression on the chiefs, which made Boss Peng decide to draw you out of our First Corps to participate in the Battle of Lanzhou and encircle and wipe out the Qingma Army. The total number of artillery pieces in your brigade exceeds one hundred ? It’s a pity not to attack Lanzhou with such power.”

Commander Wang stopped when he said this, looked at Li Yong and Wang Chengde and said, "This is the real reason for you to come back. Do you have any ideas?"

Li Yong and Wang Chengde glanced at each other again, and both of them could see a trace of excitement in each other's eyes. On such an occasion, Li Yong, the military chief, puffed up his chest and said, "Commander, the Kuomintang is about to end. Liberation is imminent, and the Battle of Lanzhou should be the last major battle on the Northwest battlefield. As long as the military group of Ma Bufang in Qinghai can be eliminated, future battles will be easier to fight. In the Northwest battlefield, there will never be any force that can face our army face to face. So, the Battle of Lanzhou is a key battle that determines the situation of the Northwest War, and the troops who participated in this battle will be recorded in the annals of history, Commander, we wish for it."

Commander Wang slapped the table fiercely: "That's right, as long as the cancer of the Qingma Army is cut off, the entire Northwest battlefield will be dominated by me. The military system) is not a problem, the process of national liberation can be further accelerated, go, set off tomorrow morning, take back all the honors you deserve, and don’t embarrass me as a commander.”

After returning from Commander Wang's headquarters, what he had been guessing for a long time was completely confirmed. The independent brigade was personally named by Boss Peng to participate in the Lanzhou Campaign. The work done can't be let down at all. The entire independent brigade once again set off an upsurge of training before the war. The soldiers all understand that what the brigade commander once said is simple and clear. Sweat more before the war and bleed less during the war. Not much, but it works.

Li Yong and Wang Chengde seized every moment of time and went to each unit to check the work, from every shell to every pack of explosives, they had to see in detail.

……