?
"Master, we really weren't defeated. It's just that the officers asked us to retreat for a while and reorganize the troops to fight with the masters! "The Xiang Army captives seriously wanted to correct the Liberation Army officer's statement.
The encirclement of the Second Regiment gave the 5,000 Xiang Army the final blow. When the more than 700 Xiang Army soldiers, who had run for 13 kilometers in a row, saw the thousands of Liberation Army soldiers coming head-on, they didn't even have the strength to raise their guns and shoot. Of course, the more than 700 Xiang Army soldiers had basically thrown away the weapons in their hands and were empty-handed.
More than 600 of the 5,000 people were injured and killed, and the rest were taken as captives in the pursuit. When interrogating the captives, the Liberation Army asked the Xiang Army captives why they had to run all the way. Perhaps it was because they were straightforward, or maybe it was because they didn't want to lose face. More than one Xiang Army soldier said that they weren't running away, but that the Liberation Army had pounced on them, and their firearms were sharp. The Xiang Army was going to retreat for a while, temporarily widen the distance between them and the Liberation Army, and then calmly form a formation to fight the Liberation Army.
This statement was understandable. The Liberation Army's breech-loading was a one-on-one fight, and there was even training to reload while marching in the training course. There was an automatic cartridge ejection device on the rifle. Open the locking device, take out the bullet, insert the bullet, lock the lock, raise the gun, aim, and shoot. This action could be completed while moving.
But there was a problem with front-loading. When loading the bullet, the muzzle had to be as straight up as possible. This kind of action was basically impossible to complete while running, and one had to stand still. When encountering a surprise attack by the Liberation Army, it was impossible to reload calmly without pulling away, let alone reorganize the formation.
It was just that the theoretical judgment and what they saw in reality were too different. The Liberation Army held their guns and chased fiercely. Not only did they chase on the road, but they also sent troops on both flanks to chase them in parallel. The Xiang Army was completely suppressed. From the beginning of their escape, they couldn't stop. They were constantly captured along the way, and after chasing for more than 10 kilometers, they fell to the ground exhausted. The Liberation Army found it ridiculous that the war had turned out like this.
On the training ground, the words "sweat more in peacetime, less blood in wartime" were constantly reminding the soldiers of the importance of training. The latest military training made the soldiers feel like they were in hell. Even the usual ample supply of meat, eggs, poultry, and fish was no longer attractive. After entering the battlefield, reality proved to everyone that the hellish training was worth it.
After killing 5,000 members of the Xiang Army, the Liberation Army's heaviest casualty was a comrade who fell to the ground during a pursuit. He broke a leg, had many scratches on his face, and showed signs of a mild concussion. There were seventeen or eighteen others with broken legs or fractured bones. There was no hope that they would be able to participate in the battle within three months. Secondly, the forty odd officers and soldiers suffered some light injuries when the Xiang Army resisted. Within two months, they had also lost their ability to fight. As for those who had sprained their ankles, there were about 50 of them, and all of them would be able to recover within a month.
For the 30,000 troops besieging Hengyang, there were more than 100 people in total. The loss of less than 0.5% of the personnel had a very limited impact on their combat effectiveness. For the Hunan Xiang Army, the loss of 5,000 people was close to 10% of their total strength. If they fought this kind of battle ten more times, there would be nothing left of the Hunan Xiang Army. Of course, this was not a far-fetched fantasy. The Liberation Army had already surrounded Hengyang. It was said that there were seven or eight thousand Xiang Army in the city. It was also said that there were six or seven thousand Xiang Army in Baoqing. After the Xiang Army in these two cities were taken care of, the Xiang Army's losses would be reduced by 30%.
Therefore, there was a debate in the troops on how to deal with the prisoners of the Xiang Army. At the party committee meeting, many comrades felt that it was more appropriate to temporarily keep the Xiang Army in custody. Zhou Jinguo put forward a different opinion. "If we let them go, we can effectively publicize our policy of captivity."
The division commander, Qian Liqun, immediately objected. "The policy of captivity can't be compared with our lives! After the Xiang Army was captured, they were still arguing that they were not defeated, but retreated. It was obvious that they were not convinced. If we let them go, it would be like letting the tiger return to the mountain. It would be better to lock them up first. Besides, I also asked some of the captives. Many of them were released by us before. Didn't they continue to follow the Xiang Army and fight with us? "
Zhou Jinguo nodded. "That's right. So you see, when the Xiang Army saw that they could not win, they immediately raised their hands and surrendered. Where did they learn this action of raising their hands? Didn't they learn it from us? Besides, after we let the Xiang Army go, we seized all the weapons of the Xiang Army. So many of them will not be able to fight when they go back. "
Qian Liqun was speechless. He noticed that many of the captives had been captured by the Liberation Army. He also saw many of the Xiang Army raise their hands when they surrendered. But in Zhou Jinguo's words, this action was the result of the Xiang Army's will to fight becoming weaker. Qian Liqun, the division commander, was very critical of Zhou Jinguo's point of view. If the Xiang Army did not raise their hands and raised their guns, the result would be death. However, the policy of captivity was an order from the central government. As a division commander, he could not disobey it. So Qian Liqun said, "If they don't have rifles, they can still use cold weapons to attack. We can't ignore this kind of thing. "
When Zhou Jinguo heard this, he could not help but laugh. "Division Commander Qian, only the Liberation Army can say this."
As the armed force with the most powerful firearms in China, the Liberation Army had also put a lot of effort into hand-to-hand combat. Bayonet combat was an important training subject for the Liberation Army. In addition to the bayonet combat after the normal gunfight, there was also a large-scale bayonet charge drill when the ammunition was insufficient.
When facing the Xiang Army that came out of Hengyang this time, the Taiping army had made a plan for the Xiang Army to possibly carry out a large-scale hand-to-hand combat. The reality was that when the Xiang Army saw that they could not use rifles, they did not immediately use the advantage of numbers to carry out hand-to-hand combat. Instead, they ran away. Zhou Jinguo did not believe that this army would use cold weapons and bravely charge with bayonets against the army equipped with rifles.
Not only Zhou Jinguo was laughing, but the other cadres were also laughing. In the end, the division commander Qian Liqun could not help but laugh. The political commissar had the most right to speak on the issue of political captives. In the end, the party committee meeting agreed to release the Xiang Army.
Zhou Jinguo used his power to let the Xiang Army captives have a meal when they were released. There was not much food in the army, and now it was said that the Military Governor Vaize, who had the title of "King of Han", had long proposed to pay attention to vitamin and coarse fiber supplements in the food and drink. The logistics department did not dare to use up the coarse food. The cafeteria could only provide all the captives with a meal of half beans and half rice. Porridge made from corn grits was served. Everyone was also provided with three taels of canned fish in chili oil and a portion of dried tofu with vegetables.
This most common food in the Liberation Army caused a strong shock among the captives. Immediately, some of the captives asked if they could have another portion of this food. Of course, this request was rejected.
The officers were not released, but the soldiers were released. Before leaving, he first explained to everyone the Liberation Army's policy on captives and the method to surrender. Then, the political workers from Hunan advised these people to hurry home. If they continued to fight, their lives would inevitably be in danger. When the Xiang Army left, everyone was given a four-tael cornbread with a few pieces of shepherd's purse stuffed in the cornbread.
Looking at the backs of the Xiang Army leaving in a hurry, the division commander Qian Liqun said in a mocking tone, "We can't afford to provide food for them according to the policy on captives."
Of course, Zhou Jinguo knew the sarcasm in Qian Liqun's words. He sighed slightly and said, "Division Commander Qian, I used to fight with the Commander-In-Chief. At that time, I only felt that I killed too few people. Now, I don't think so. These people are all ordinary people. It's already very pitiful for them to risk their lives for the Xiang Army. Why should we laugh at them? "
Words that came from the bottom of their hearts were naturally persuasive. After listening to Zhou Jinguo's words, although Division Commander Qian might not agree, he could not say anything against it. There were many locals in the Hunan military region. These girls and boys were simple and honest. As long as they were treated like soldiers, they would sincerely train well and fight seriously. The soldiers of the Xiang Army were no different from the Hunan soldiers of the Liberation Army. It was just that they followed the Xiang Army for the sake of living. Therefore, these soldiers of the Xiang Army narrowly escaped death. Even if they were lucky enough not to be killed, they were captured again and again. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Liberation Army walked from one victory to another. If he had to find a reason for this huge gap, Qian Liqun could only say, "This is fate!"
The battle started on November 22nd. On November 26th, Hunan's Inspector-General Mao Hongbin received the most detailed report. On November 23rd, Lord Mao Hongbin heard a very ridiculous piece of news. The 5,000 Xiang Army that went to rescue Hengyang "disappeared." It was said that this army fought a battle with the Liberation Army. But in a war, even if they were defeated, there would always be people who could escape. But none of the 5,000 Xiang Army escaped. This greatly exceeded Lord Mao Hongbin's knowledge.
It wasn't until the afternoon of the 25th that the released Xiang Army returned to Xiangtan. On the 26th, the detailed report arrived in Changsha. Lord Mao Hongbin cursed in the Inspector-General's yamen, which was rare for him. "Not to mention 5,000 men and horses, even 5,000 pigs can't all be captured alive in half a day!"
The civil and military officials of Hunan all had ugly expressions. Of course, they knew that Lord Mao Hongbin was cursing, but this question also resonated with these civil and military officials.
From the bottom of their hearts, the civil and military officials of Hunan certainly hoped that there was some unexpected reason behind this. But the released Xiang Army said very clearly that the Liberation Army ran faster than rabbits. There was the Liberation Army chasing behind them, the Liberation Army intercepting them in front, and the Liberation Army on both sides responsible for a pincer attack. This Liberation Army didn't seem to know fatigue and wouldn't get tired at all. The Xiang Army ran more than ten li in one breath and was about to vomit blood. But the Liberation Army was full of vigor and vitality from beginning to end. They didn't seem like humans at all.
The civil and military officials of Hunan knew very well that the reinforcements sent by Xiangtan were already very elite troops. It was impossible for ordinary troops to assemble in such a short time. If the difference in strength between the Xiang Army and the Liberation Army was so great, Hunan couldn't be defended at all.
After Lord Mao Hongbin finished cursing, he sat back in his chair dejectedly. It was bad that the battle in the field ended up like this. What was worse was that although the Xiang Army came back, they didn't have weapons. Lord Mao had tried to collect 120,000 taels of silver from the Likin, but after collecting only 40,000 taels of silver, all the local shops in Hunan closed down. The aristocrats not only used all methods to come to complain, but some people even directly complained to the Governor of Huguang, Guan Wen.
In the end, Guan Wen could only tell Mao Hongbin to stop here. So the Xiang Army just barely made up for the rifles. But this guy had lost 5,000 rifles. They couldn't hope to make up for it in a short time. They didn't have enough weapons. Facing the ferocious Liberation Army, they couldn't fight this battle!
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