Chapter 86: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 86 You Run, I Run, Everyone Runs

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Hu Gongnan couldn't care less about anything else at this moment; he was glad reinforcements had arrived, yet furious at his appearance, and roared: "Damn it, you bastard! Look at your face! The battle has come to this, and now you show up?"

Sun Yuanlang looked somewhat embarrassed, then hurriedly explained: "Forget it, the division commander was only just found... now isn't the time to talk about this; where are the enemies?"

Hu Gongnan suppressed his anger and quickly pointed out the situation: "The pressure on the front is immense, enemies have appeared on the northern flank; the gap must be plugged immediately! Have your regiment go up there and push the enemies on the flank into the river!"

Sun Yuanlang hurriedly agreed, directing the First Regiment toward the flank to try to block the enemy forces coming around to encircle them.

The addition of the fresh troops temporarily stabilized the line, and Hu Gongnan breathed a little easier, focusing on dealing with the enemies forcefully crossing on the front.

However, the enemy's cooperation and coordination were clearly far better than the First Division's, and the messenger brought another despairing battle report:

The five thousand enemies coming from the Zhangshu direction to the south totaled three regiments, and their vanguard had already reached the southern suburbs of Nanchang City.

This enemy force did not commit all its strength to attacking Cheng Qian's Nineteenth Division in the southern part of the city; instead, it detached one regiment's worth of troops, rounded the southeast corner of Nanchang City, stayed away from the city wall, and quickly thrust toward the rear of Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang north of the city!

"Bad, our rear! Our way back into the city is about to be cut off!" Hearing this news, Hu Gongnan's spirits sank to rock bottom again.

The main enemy force was forcefully crossing on the front, a river-crossing detachment was outflanking on the right, and now another regiment of enemy troops had arrived on the left; Hu Gongnan's Second Regiment and Sun Yuanlang's First Regiment were already trapped in a desperate situation of being attacked from three sides!

Upon learning his rear had been cut off, Sun Yuanlang panicked; after fighting for half an hour, the enemies only grew more numerous, and he had not managed to drive them back into the Gan River, because there were simply too many enemies, he had arrived too late, and the enemies had already established a foothold on the riverbank.

Seeing the enemies on the flank growing more numerous and the gunfire behind drawing ever closer, Sun Yuanlang ran straight to Hu Gongnan's side: "Brother Gongnan, this river defense truly cannot be held; my men will break out first and open a gap, you lead the Second Regiment to hold off the river-crossing enemies here for a while;"

"First Regiment, follow my orders! Break out south with me! Back into the city!"

Sun Yuanlang still had some conscience; there were no enemies to the east, so fleeing east might allow escape, but there were no friendly forces to the east either, so fleeing east was actually thoroughgoing desertion, truly panicking without choosing a path.

Sun Yuanlang led his men to break out southward, intending to return to Nanchang City and join Wang Bolin's division headquarters.

Hu Gongnan gritted his teeth and cursed: "Damn it, just arrived and already running! Third Battalion stays to cover, the rest break out and return to the city!"

With Sun Yuanlang's flight, the flank was wide open, and the enemies to the north immediately swarmed in; Hu Gongnan's Second Regiment was once again in a state of being attacked from two sides.

Having lost unified command and effective resistance, the river defense positions quickly collapsed.

Zheng Junyan and Yang Genghe's vanguard successfully landed; seeing Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang routed, the enemies already ashore immediately pursued, and launched a pincer attack with a regiment coming from the Zhangshu direction.

Wang Bolin was now standing on Desheng Gate north of the city, watching his two great generals being pincered by the enemy, and hastily summoned Xue Yue: "Regimental Commander Xue, this this this... hurry and rescue Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang!"

Xue Yue's lips were also white at this moment, but white from anger: "I can only send one battalion to rescue them; now in the city I only have this one regiment, and if the rescue fails and Cheng Qian's Nineteenth Division's line in the southern part of the city is also breached, there will be no one in the city, and then Nanchang City will truly be lost."

"Hurry... my First Division..." Wang Bolin almost said with a sob in his voice.

Xue Yue sent out a battalion of soldiers to help Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang open a gap for breakout.

At this time, Hu Gongnan's First Regiment and Sun Yuanlang's Second Regiment, under layers of enemy encirclement, suffered many casualties, but even more were stragglers, captives, or had fled eastward as deserters.

With Xue Yue's support, both sides finally managed to open a gap, and the remnants of Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang finally made it into the city.

Meanwhile, the enemies continued landing on the east bank of the Gan River north of Nanchang City, and soon gathered nearly five thousand vanguard troops on the beachhead, their morale soaring.

The regiment that had previously cut off Sun Yuanlang's rear had already moved to the eastern part of the city to deploy, preparing to form an encirclement of Nanchang City.

Hu Gongnan and Sun Yuanlang found Wang Bolin in the midst of the chaotic troops, looking panic-stricken, having just been retrieved from East Lake.

This division commander of the First Division, who had previously been full of pride and immersed in the joy of victory, was now at his wits' end, his face deathly pale.

Hu Gongnan had only half a regiment left; Sun Yuanlang had retreated too quickly, with large numbers of soldiers captured or scattered in flight, leaving fewer than one battalion.

Wang Bolin looked at the two equally disheveled regimental commanders before him, listened to the deafening cannon fire from outside the city and the increasingly close shouts of killing, his lips trembling: "Two regiments routed... the enemy is at the city gates, I am beside myself, how could the Principal spare me? What to do... what to do?"

Hu Gongnan looked at Wang Bolin's soul-lost appearance, then glanced at Sun Yuanlang beside him, still shaken and with disheveled uniform, and his heart turned ice-cold.

Xue Yue looked at the three men's dejected appearance and said: "Division Commander, no matter what, we should first consolidate the city defenses; let one regiment of Commander Cheng Qian's Nineteenth Division come in to strengthen the city defenses. Commander Cheng Qian's main force is guarding the floating bridge in the southern part of the city; with the floating bridge, this is still a playable game, and the Second Division can also send troops to support."

"Floating bridge? There's a floating bridge? After so many days, why didn't I think of building two floating bridges on the Gan River?" Wang Bolin's eyes lit up.

"It was a floating bridge built by Division Commander Liu Zhi of the Second Division outside the southern part of the city; Commander Cheng Qian's Nineteenth Division also came over via the floating bridge." Hu Gongnan explained.

"Good! Sun Yuanlang, come with me to inspect the floating bridge, and on the way go ask Liu Zhi for reinforcements, uh... Regimental Commander Xue, the city's defense is temporarily handed over to your command." Wang Bolin ordered.

After speaking, Wang Bolin took Sun Yuanlang's troops and ran southward.

Xue Yue watched the direction Wang Bolin fled in, not yet realizing the seriousness of the matter, still hoping Wang Bolin would bring reinforcements back to take over command.

Wang Bolin took Sun Yuanlang out of the city through Zhangjiang Gate on the west side, passed Tengwang Pavilion, and headed south all the way to the floating bridge, where Cheng Qian was guarding the floating bridge with one of his divisions.

Wang Bolin paid no attention, led his troops onto the floating bridge, and headed for Niuhang Station on the opposite bank.

"Division Commander? Are we going to Niuhang Station to ask Liu Zhi for reinforcements?" Sun Yuanlang asked, following behind Wang Bolin.

"Reinforcements? Useless now; Nanchang City cannot be held. Sun Chuanfang has many mixed brigades, and the enemy reinforcements coming from Jiujiang will only grow. Now enemies are on the north, east, and south sides of Nanchang City. For now, the floating bridge is still there because the enemy artillery from Zhangshu hasn't arrived yet. Once their artillery arrives and blows up the floating bridge, no one will be able to escape! Then we'll just sit in the city and await death!"

After hearing this, Sun Yuanlang took a deep breath and followed Wang Bolin even more closely.

The two men led their troops across the floating bridge, had no face to go find Liu Zhi, and headed west all the way, fleeing toward Fengxin County in the direction they had come from.

On the position of Cheng Qian's Nineteenth Division, an officer guarding the bridge reported: "Report, sir! Division Commander Wang Bolin of the First Division, with Regimental Commander Sun Yuanlang and several hundred men, crossed the floating bridge and ran west!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qian flew into a rage: "Wang Bolin ran again?! Good, good, good! The Principal's direct-line troops have all run away, and am I supposed to stay here and guard this mess? The enemies are growing more numerous; staying here is just waiting to die. Notify the troops: pass through the bridge in an orderly fashion, withdraw to Shengmi Street behind Division Commander Liu Zhi's Second Division, and await orders from the Northern Expedition Command!"

Cheng Qian had just finished speaking when he saw Hu Gongnan also leading people out from within the city.

"Hmph, another one comes out. Brothers, alternate covering as we cross the river. Everyone saw it—the First Division ran first. Let's see how the Principal explains this time!"

Only Xue Yue's one regiment remained in Nanchang City. When Hu Gongnan left, he kindly advised Xue Yue: "Regimental Commander Xue, the division commander left first; we follow behind. The Principal won't blame us. Let's go; this city cannot be held. Once the enemy masters the landing point, reinforcements will only keep increasing."

Xue Yue merely waved his hand: "Although I've only recently joined the First Division, I know it's an honorable unit. During the Eastern Expedition, the First Division wasn't like this. How did it change during the Northern Expedition? Is it because all those Worker-Peasant Faction party representatives have left? I don't believe that's the case. I will stay and fight."

Hu Gongnan shook his head and paid no more attention to Xue Yue: "Life and death are a matter of fate. Second Regiment, retreat to Niuhang Station!"