Chapter 89

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Inside the headquarters, Li and Bai of the Gui clique, along with the old Russian advisor General Galun and others, had heard some rumors through various channels, but upon seeing the specific contents of the telegram, they still felt a wave of embarrassment.

The Principal said Wang Bolin deserved to die, but what he truly thought in his heart might not be the same as what he said.

"These two should be executed according to the Revolutionary Army's collective responsibility law! This defeat is the most dishonorable thing for our Revolutionary Army; my First Division used to be the most glorious and honorable army, and now it has actually been ruined by these two?

Transmit the order immediately! Have the Military Law Department swiftly apprehend Wang Bolin and Sun Yuanlang, punish them severely without mercy, to uphold military discipline!"

However, as soon as the order was issued, a staff officer reported that Wang Bolin and Sun Yuanlang had vanished without a trace since leaving Nanchang, leaving only their remnant troops in Fengxin County.

Li Zongren saw the situation, coughed once, stepped forward and said: "Principal, please calm your anger; Wang and Sun are indeed unforgivable, but the current crisis in Nanchang is even more urgent,

Liu Zhi's Second Division is still fighting bitterly at Niuhang Station, while Lv Muzhi and Xue Yue's two forces are holding Nanchang's isolated city as a lone army, tying down large numbers of troops under Zheng Junyan, Deng Ruzuo, and others.

The most urgent task now is to find a way to lift the siege of Nanchang and turn the tide of the Jiangxi battlefield."

General Galun also pointed at the map and analyzed: "General Li is absolutely right. Currently, below Wuchang City, our offensive is blocked, but the Fourth Army is fully capable of continuing the siege.

I suggest ordering the main force of the Seventh Army to withdraw from the Wuchang frontline, advance east quickly, cut horizontally into northern Jiangxi, and directly take De'an, the gateway to Jiujiang. Once De'an is captured, the Nanlu Line can be severed, cutting off the main route for Sun Chuanfang's troops to send reinforcements and supplies to Nanchang.

At the same time, order the Second and Third Armies to accelerate their attack on Zhangshu, pushing their troops to below Nanchang City.

By then, the enemy forces of Zheng Junyan, Yang Genghe, Deng Ruzuo, Xie Hongxun, and others who have penetrated deep into the surroundings of Nanchang will instead become an isolated army.

Our army can then reorganize the Second, Third, Sixth Armies and others, using Nanchang City as bait and a strong point, to attack from inside and outside simultaneously, and annihilate this enemy force in one stroke!"

Upon hearing this, the Principal turned his gaze to Li Zongren, "Delin, if your Seventh Army carries out this eastward advance mission, how many days will it take to capture De'an and cut off enemy reinforcements?"

Li Zongren thought for a moment, not daring to make a guarantee: "Sun Chuanfang has strong forces in northern Jiangxi; the exact time is hard to determine, but please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, I will do my utmost to capture De'an as soon as possible!"

The Principal stared at the map for a long time, finally making up his mind: "Good! Order the Seventh Army to prepare for the eastward advance into Jiangxi immediately, target De'an! At the same time, telegraph Zhu Peide and Cheng Qian to quickly wipe out the enemies at Zhangshu to the south and march north to support Nanchang;

Second Division Commander Liu Zhi succeeds Wang Bolin as Commander of the Left Route Army, commanding the troops of the First and Second Divisions, all under his command, must hold Nanchang City and Niuhang Station, waiting for Zhu Peide and Cheng Qian's main forces to come from Zhangshu to support!"

After everyone dispersed, the Principal's face was full of worry: if Nanchang City and Niuhang Station were both lost, wouldn't his First Army be looked down upon?

"Someone! Tell Liu Zhi immediately that as long as Nanchang City is held, all officials inside the city will be promoted one rank! Hold Niuhang Station, and the commander of the First Army will sooner or later be him, Liu Zhi!"

Night fell, and the sounds of battle outside Nanchang City shook the ears.

According to the predetermined plan, the three enemy forces of Zheng Junyan, Yang Genghe, and Deng Ruzuo simultaneously launched fierce attacks on the north, east, and south sides of Nanchang City.

Outside Desheng Gate to the north, Yonghe Gate to the east, and Jinxian Gate to the south, the sounds of guns and cannons never ceased, and firelight lit up half the sky red.

The defending forces of Xue Yue's Third Regiment and Lv Muzhi's Supplementary Regiment immediately relied on the city defense works to counterattack, and the battle entered a white-hot stage from the very beginning.

At the same time, in the direction of Niuhang Station, Xie Hongxun's forces, to support the siege of Nanchang, launched the most fierce attack since the war began against Liu Zhi's Second Division positions.

Just as fierce fighting raged on the three city walls, west of Nanchang City, near Zhangjiang Gate by the river, one hundred enemy soldiers familiar with swimming took advantage of the night to cross the water, swimming to below Tengwang Pavilion.

Tengwang Pavilion is located by the river west of the city, only over a hundred meters from Zhangjiang Gate, which ironically became cover for the enemy army.

One hundred men of the commando team carefully selected by Zheng Junyan, using the cover of night and the sound of the river waves, carrying several bamboo ladders, silently crept to the foot of the wall.

Responsible for defending the western city wall were a company of Guan Linzhen's Second Battalion and Company Commander Zhang Fei of the Special Service Company.

Only two companies were sent to guard the western city wall because the western wall was only over a hundred meters from the Gan River, making it difficult for the enemy to organize a large-scale attack in such a narrow area.

Moreover, both men were shrewd despite their rough appearance, and their trained subordinates were very alert; although visibility was poor at night, the sound of the enemy's bamboo ladders leaning against the city wall quickly alerted the soldiers.

"Situation! The enemy is climbing the wall!" the sentry shouted loudly, simultaneously pulling the bolt and opening fire at the foot of the city.

Pa-da pa-da, while speaking, several more cloud ladders leaned against the city wall near Zhangjiang Gate, and the enemy began to climb up incessantly.

Once this side succeeded, the enemy forces feigning attacks on the north and south immediately split their troops to rush to Zhangjiang Gate in the west, with three routes converging, preparing to climb the western city wall via the ladders.

Obviously, this had been planned long ago!

Because most of the enemy were hugging the foot of the wall, the defenders' heavy machine guns had no suitable shooting angle.

Guan Linzhen held a rifle, the bayonet aimed at a cloud ladder, waiting for the enemy soldiers to come up.

Seeing the cloud ladder shaking incessantly, after a few seconds, a black head appeared before his eyes; Guan Linzhen thrust forward, and the bayonet directly pierced the enemy's head.

Zhang Fei also brandished his broadsword; wherever the blade flashed, an enemy soldier would surely scream and fall.

Lv Muzhi noticed the commotion at the west of the city and led a company to support.

By the time he arrived, the city wall was already in chaos, with over twenty enemy soldiers having climbed onto the wall.

Lv Muzhi saw the situation, aimed at isolated enemy soldiers, grabbed a submachine gun, and fired.

Da-da-da, peng-peng

The submachine gun proved effective at close range; the enemy soldiers engaged in the melee were caught off guard and directly mowed down several.

Lv Muzhi saw the enemy below the city climbing the wall without stopping; the enemy would only keep increasing, and immediately ordered: "Fire oil! Quick! Pour the fire oil down! Light it!"

The soldiers quickly lifted the pots of fire oil, already set up on the city head and boiling, and poured them over the enemy soldiers climbing the ladders below the city wall.

The scalding fire oil drenched the enemy soldiers, immediately eliciting a chorus of shrill screams.

Next, torches were thrown down from the city.

"Boom!" Flames rose instantly, forming a wall of fire, turning the area below the city wall into a sea of fire.

The enemy soldiers climbing were either burned into torch men and fell, or were forced to jump off the ladders; the assault ladders also burned fiercely in the flames.

The enemy soldiers who had climbed onto the wall were constantly eliminated in close combat by Guan Linzhen and Zhang Fei; Lv Muzhi led men carrying oil pots, pouring oil onto the cloud ladders, then setting the cloud ladders ablaze with torches.

A smell of fried meat and roasted meat instantly permeated the air; the soldiers on the city wall looked down, saw the miserable state of the enemy being fried in oil, and felt a chill in their hearts, but the next second they complained there wasn't enough oil, continuing to add oil and fan the flames.

Zhang Fei looked at the oil pot and felt a bit embarrassed for a moment: "In the emergency, I actually forgot there was fire oil!"

"There's still some in the warehouse; go replenish it quickly. By night, Zhangjiang Gate nearby must be strictly defended. This open space outside the city is long and narrow; once the enemy sneaks over, we will have no shooting angle." Lv Muzhi instructed.

Guan Linzhen sighed: "Who would have thought that the fire oil used in ancient city defense could still be useful in modern warfare today..."