Chapter 88: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 88: A Lone Army Defends Nanchang

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Inside Nanchang City, Lv Muzhi and Xue Yue stood together on the city wall, watching helplessly as the pontoon bridge was blown to pieces.

"Regiment Commander, our two regiments, three thousand men, are probably going to perish in this Nanchang City..."

"You're joking. At least I've stopped the First Division's artillery. First, get the cannons up onto the city wall. Nanchang is a strong city—how could it be easily taken by the enemy? Only that fool Wang Bolin could pull something like this off!."

Upon hearing Lv Muzhi curse Wang Bolin, Xue Yue couldn't hold back either: "You're right. I don't understand how Wang Bolin managed to sit steadily in the position of First Division Commander, and Sun Yuanlang, the Third Regiment Commander—our First Army's reputation has been completely ruined by them!"

"Deng Ruzuo's five thousand men have come from Zhangshu, and Zheng Junyan and Yang Genghe have brought a division and a brigade from Jiujiang. They are the forces attacking Nanchang City, about twelve thousand men. A one-to-four troop ratio might not be unwinnable. Think back to the Battle of Cotton Lake—we won at one-to-ten!"

"The First Division left behind six cannons. Two are deployed on each of the north, east, and south city walls. The west wall is less than two hundred meters from the Gan River's water surface, with no firing angle, so no cannons are needed there," Lv Muzhi suggested.

Xue Yue nodded: "Here's what we'll do. My Third Regiment will defend the north and east walls, and your Supplementary Regiment will defend the south and west walls."

After the two men divided their respective defense areas, they discussed defensive preparations.

Lv Muzhi had already looked over the map of Nanchang City in advance: "

"Nanchang City has too many city gates—seven in total. We'll block up five of them completely with sandbags and bricks, leaving only Zhangjiang Gate on the west side and Yonghe Gate on the east side, for breaking out to contact friendly forces or launching a sortie when necessary."

Xue Yue nodded repeatedly and added: "Nanchang has long been a key stronghold of Jiangxi. I discovered some fire oil and sulfur in the city that can stop the enemy from climbing the walls..."

Once their discussion was settled, they immediately split up to act.

The soldiers, together with the able-bodied men from within the city, began reinforcing the city defenses. Sandbags and bricks were quickly piled into the gateways, several cauldrons of fire oil were set up on the battlements to boil, and cannons were being dismantled and transported up to the walls...

Just as the defenders were nervously deploying their defenses, the enemy outside the city had already completed their initial mobilization and preparations, preparing to take Nanchang City with a thunderous strike.

Deng Ruzuo's five thousand men, who had advanced north from Zhangshu, were the first to launch a fierce attack on the area around Jinxian Gate and Shunhua Gate on the south side of Nanchang City.

"Kill!" The dense enemy troops surged toward the south city wall like a tide. The enemy carried scaling ladders, shouting and charging forward under the supervision of their officers.

"Take your positions! Prepare for battle!" Lv Muzhi shouted loudly from the city wall, and the soldiers of the Supplementary Regiment quickly took their combat stations.

Although the cannons had not yet arrived, the machine guns were already set up.

The machine gunners mounted their guns, the riflemen pushed bullets into the chambers, and Lv Muzhi's gaze fixed tightly on the ever-approaching enemy.

When the enemy charged into range, Lv Muzhi waved his hand and ordered: "Fire!"

In an instant, gunfire erupted on the south city wall, and a dense rain of bullets poured down toward the city below.

The enemy soldiers in the front ranks fell to the ground like cut straw.

Boom~ Boom boom~

Deng Ruzuo's artillery began bombarding the south city wall, but the terrain around Nanchang City was flat, and the enemy's artillery positions were set farther away, so their power and accuracy were greatly reduced.

Nanchang City's walls were several meters thick, up to three zhang at their thickest, wide enough to ride horses on, and built entirely of green bricks or long stone blocks.

Cannons firing from a distance, though they blasted out many brick and stone fragments, were merely scratching the surface in terms of overall thickness.

At the same time, rumbling cannon fire also came from the direction of Niuhang Station.

Liu Zhi fulfilled his promise, concentrating the artillery under the Second Division to conduct suppressive fire on the enemy attack formations outside the south city wall, across the Gan River.

Shells whistled down into the enemy ranks, exploding into clouds of dust and severed limbs, greatly disrupting the enemy's attack rhythm and relieving the pressure on the defenders on the battlements.

Under the stubborn resistance of Lv Muzhi's troops and Liu Zhi's artillery support, Deng Ruzuo's first attack was soon repulsed, leaving over a hundred corpses behind as they fled in disarray back to their starting positions.

However, just as the pressure on the south side eased somewhat, even more intense and dense gunfire and cannon fire erupted on the north side.

The main forces of Zheng Junyan and Yang Genghe, after some of their troops successfully crossed the river and established a foothold, began launching a fierce attack on Desheng Gate on the north side.

Xue Yue's Third Regiment was under enormous pressure. Not only did the enemy have numerical superiority, but having just landed, their morale was high, and their attacks came in wave after wave.

Shells kept falling on the city wall, sending bricks and stones flying. Even worse, Liu Zhi's artillery positions couldn't reach the enemy directly in front of Xue Yue, and their own cannons had not yet been put in place.

"Regiment Commander Xue's side is in trouble!" an officer reported to Lv Muzhi.

Lv Muzhi leaned out from the south city wall and saw dust and smoke billowing on the north side, with shouts of battle shaking the sky. Obviously, the fighting was extremely fierce.

"Song Xilian, you immediately take your battalion and rush to reinforce Regiment Commander Xue. You must hold the north city!"

"Yes, Regiment Commander!" Song Xilian hesitated not at all, immediately mustered his men and horses, and ran quickly along the horse path inside the city wall toward the most critical direction of the north city.

The arrival of the fresh troops in time stabilized the northern defensive line.

After Song Xilian led his troops to arrive, they immediately joined the battle, using fierce firepower to temporarily curb the enemy's offensive.

Zheng Junyan and Yang Genghe temporarily fell back. Actually, it had just been a probing attack. They would later link up with Deng Ruzuo on the south side, the three men began coordinating their offensive, preparing for the next wave of attack.

Inside the temporary command post set up by the Beiyang warlords on Yangzi Island, Zheng Junyan, Yang Genghe, and Deng Ruzuo, who had just rushed over from the south side, met. Xie Hongxun also hurried over.

Smoke filled the air at the scene, and the four warlord leaders were all anxious.

As soon as Deng Ruzuo entered, he slammed his military cap onto the table: "Damn it, Xie Hongxun! Were you eating dry rations at Niuhang Station? Liu Zhi's artillery fire can still support the city across the river to this day! My brothers are being blown up for nothing under the south city wall, with heavy losses!"

Xie Hongxun had a cigarette in his mouth: "What can I do... you go up if you're so capable..."

Zheng Junyan's expression was very unpleasant. He said in a deep voice: "Brother Deng, calm yourself. Division Commander Xie's side is also under great pressure. Liu Zhi's Second Division is a tough nut to crack, and the fortifications at Niuhang Station are strong. It cannot be taken quickly. However, your concern is reasonable. We cannot let Liu Zhi fire so recklessly anymore."

Yang Genghe added from the side: "Jiujiang will send two mixed brigades to reinforce us. Division Commander Xie's division can confidently intensify the attack on the front of Niuhang Station. We must pin down Liu Zhi's main forces and artillery fire, preventing him from diverting attention to support Nanchang City."

Xie Hongxun nodded: "Fine, I'll do my best."

Deng Ruzuo snorted coldly: "Marshal Xin (Sun Chuanfang) on the other side is pressing us hard. He wants us to work hard to capture Nanchang and wipe out the surrounding revolutionary armies. If we botch this, watch your heads!"

Zheng Junyan nodded and called his adjutant: "In the name of the four of us, urge Marshal Xin to send those two mixed brigades. Tell him Nanchang City, including Niuhang Station, will surely be taken soon!"

After speaking, Zheng Junyan looked at Deng Ruzuo and Yang Genghe: "During the afternoon assault on the city, we have roughly gauged the enemy's firepower. I propose we attack again at night! The night can conceal our army's actions and also make the artillery fire from the opposite bank lose its aim."

"Our three forces will coordinate well, applying pressure simultaneously on the south, north, and east sides. Then we'll send a surprise force to climb the walls and enter the city near Zhangjiang Gate on the west side. I want to see how long those few thousand remnant soldiers in the city can hold out!"

"Good! It's set for eight o'clock tonight!" Deng Ruzuo gritted his teeth. "Xie Hongxun! You must fiercely attack Liu Zhi's Niuhang Station to support our assault on the city!"

Inside the Northern Expedition Army General Headquarters, Sixth Army Commander Cheng Qian slapped a telegram into the Principal's hand, reporting the fact that Wang Bolin was carousing in the city and fleeing the city, abandoning it. He spoke bluntly that his retreat was justified: without Wang Bolin's First Division, this main force of direct lineage, Nanchang City could not be held for long.

The telegram not only accused Wang Bolin of seeking personal glory and recklessly advancing while swallowing up the fruits of victory, but also described in detail how, while the enemy was pressing upon the city, he actually caroused with Sun Yuanlang in the pleasure quarters, ultimately deserting in the face of battle, causing the collapse of the Nanchang defense line, with Xue Yue's Third Regiment and Lv Muzhi's Supplementary Regiment trapped in heavy encirclement.

"Bastard! Shameless! Traitor!" The Principal read the telegram, his complexion turning iron-blue.

"A soldier doesn't go to battle, but strolls around East Lake with a woman—he deserves to die!"