Beiyang reactionaries

Cao Kun challenged Duan Qirui?

Even direct generals like Wang Maoshang are not optimistic.Duan Qiruiguang has trained three border army divisions in the past few years. The troops use Japanese weapons, which are exactly the same as those used by the Japanese army.The officers of the army are all elites selected from various units, and the grassroots officers are all graduates of Baoding Military Academy.It is the graduates of Baoding Military Academy, who are selected after thousands of selections.

The border guards are definitely elite troops.

Duan Qirui even claims that the border defense army can be compared with the army of any country in the world. It can be seen how much money and energy Duan Qirui has spent for the border defense army.

Moreover, the elite in Duan Qirui's hands is not only the three divisions of the frontier defense army, but also a northwest frontier defense army jointly built with Zhang Zuolin, a total of five mixed brigades.The weapons used by this army are also Japanese weapons, and most of the middle and senior officers are students who graduated from the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer Academy.There are more than 6 people in these two troops alone, and their strength is very strong, almost the same as all Cao Kun's troops.Including other troops around, there are 10,000+ people deployed around Beijing.In addition to the troops of Shandong Governor Chen Shuyuan and Henan Wu Guangxin's troops next to him, Duan Qirui's troops are several times that of Cao Kun.

Why is Cao Kun so bold.

Wang Maoshang is not optimistic about the direct troops in this war at all.

"As long as Cao Kun fails, do you think our Lord Overseer can still hold his current position?"

Husband and wife are birds of the same forest, and fly separately when disaster strikes.

Wang Maoshang was Wang Zhanyuan's former general, and he can be regarded as Wang Zhanyuan's person.However, Wang Zhanyuan has deducted military pay so severely in recent years, which also affected the development of No.18 Division.Wang Maoshang has long been displeased with him.

Moreover, Cao Kun was destroyed, and Wang Zhanyuan's life is estimated to be difficult. Whether he can keep his current position as the governor of Hubei is still a question.Wang Maoshang did not want to be buried with Wang Zhanyuan.

"Anyway, we are all of the same origin. When the time comes, we will defect to Duan Hefei. I think Duan Hefei will have to accept us. How can I say that I also have a teacher in my hand, and I also have a Xiangyang in my hand. When I defect to Duan Hefei, what should I say? They all have bargaining chips. Let’s go, go back, and save Xiangyang first.”

"Yes."

225 Battle of Hubei Jingzhou

1919 6 Month 24 Day.

On the same day that the Zhiwan War broke out, a war broke out in Jingzhou, Hubei.

The Fourth Army of the Northwest Frontier Defense Army entered Hubei by boat as early as two months ago.Due to ample time, Duan Xun recruited a large number of ships that Chongqing could call to transport troops.

Moreover, in order to fight the war, Duan Xun also transported a large number of heavy weapons into Hubei along with the ships.

The troops were stationed around Jingzhou.

When the Zhiwan War broke out, the No.11 Division led by Guo Songling took the lead in attacking.Without any stop, attack Jingzhou.Guo Songling's unit is the first division of the former armed police, and this unit has rich combat experience.

It has been at war since its inception.

First they suppressed bandits in Sichuan, and then after entering Yunnan, they began to suppress bandits in Yunnan.He also participated in the war against Tang Jiyao's troops and the elimination of bandit forces in southern Yunnan.Later, the unit was reorganized into the No.11 Division of the Southwest Frontier Defense Army.

Rich combat experience, sophisticated weapons and equipment, and strong strength.

For this war in Hubei, Duan Xun equipped seven 150mm heavy artillery pieces and ten 120mm heavy artillery pieces purchased from Japan.In addition to these heavy artillery imported from Japan, Duan Xun also equipped Guo Songling's troops with more than 40 75mm infantry guns, most of which were produced by the Sichuan Arsenal itself, and some were purchased by Duan Xun from Japan.

At present, the artillery regiment of Guo Songling's army is equipped with more cannons than one of the six towns of the Beiyang Army in the late Qing Dynasty.In the current division-level establishment of the Chinese army, there is absolutely no army that can match it.Even Wu Peifu's third division is incomparable at present.Of course, among Duan Xun's own troops, there is currently no division that can compare with Guo Songling's troops in terms of artillery equipment.

Because of the Yangtze River shipping, Duan Xun has been replenishing the ammunition of the Fourth Army during this time, and the shells have been sent to the troops in batches.

Therefore, Guo Songling's troops can be said to have sufficient ammunition.

On the morning of June 6, Guo Songling began to attack the city.In fact, Duan Xun's war in Hubei was earlier.Duan Qirui and Cao Kun's troops hadn't really come into contact with each other, and before they started fighting, Duan Xun's troops had already started fighting with the Hubei troops.

It's just that everyone's attention is on Beijing.

"Boom boom boom"

Guo Songling's tactics are very simple.

Jingzhou has always been an important military town and a battleground for military strategists, so the city walls of Jingzhou are also very complete.Jingzhou City was first built in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was originally an earthen city, and the brick city was built in the Southern Song Dynasty.It was demolished in the early Yuan Dynasty, rebuilt in the early Ming Dynasty, and destroyed in the late Ming Dynasty.The current Jingzhou City Wall was rebuilt in the third year of Shunzhi.

The wall is nearly 9 meters high and about 10 meters thick.

In the era of cold weapons, such a city wall has a great protective effect.It is very difficult to attack the city.

However, after entering the era of hot weapons, especially in the face of the development of artillery, the role of city walls is getting lower and lower.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, when the Qing soldiers captured many cities, they used artillery to bombard the city walls.At that time, many cannons in the Qing Dynasty were imitated red cannons.

Today, hundreds of years later, the power of the artillery is already many times that of the artillery in the late Qing Dynasty.Especially the 120mm and 150mm heavy guns that Guo Songling currently has in his hands are amazingly powerful.

Guo Songling chose this style of play this time.There is no other tricky way, because Guo Songling knows that Jingzhou is an important place and must be taken, and it needs to be taken quickly to deter the opponent.But to win Jingzhou, there is only a strong attack.

Guo Songling not only organized the artillery regiment, but even the explosives unit was ready.

If the cannon can't break the city wall, it may not be very smooth.Then use tunnel work, bury explosives under the city wall, and blow down the city wall.

"Bahhhh-"

Wang Ruqin lay on the ground without grace.

"Master, go down, it's too dangerous here."

"Walk."

Wang Ruqin was very satisfied with being so considerate to his Chief of Staff Fan Shihong.Because Guo Songling bombarded the city wall with dozens of cannons, the power was very powerful, and even holes began to appear in some corners.Wang Ruqin was terrified on the city wall.So he hurried down the city wall with Fan Shihong, and Wang Ruqin breathed a sigh of relief when he was away from the city wall.

He couldn't help but said, "Grandma, where did Duan Xun's army get so many cannons, and there are so many shells."

Although Wang Ruqin also graduated from the Japanese Non-commissioned Officer Academy, he also became famous in the Beiyang Army.However, Guo Songling fired more than 200 shells in just a few minutes, and this was the first time I saw it.

These Chinese troops lack ammunition and shells.

Even if there was a cannon, who would fire so recklessly.

Waste of shells.

"Master, have you forgotten that when Duan Xun bombarded the British warship last year, there was already news. It said that Duan Xun used heavy artillery purchased from Japan. I think the troops on the opposite side are currently using 120mm guns purchased from Japan. and 150mm heavy guns."

"damn it."

"Master, if they are allowed to bombard like this, they will blast away the city walls of Jingzhou sooner or later. They are still looking for weak spots in the city walls to see which parts are easier to bomb. When they find the weak points, they will concentrate their cannons to bombard them." Weaknesses. Our city walls are unstoppable. I see that the smallest caliber of their cannons is 75mm, and there are more than a dozen heavy cannons coming down. No city wall can stop such bombardment.”

Fan Shihong was very worried.

The ancient city walls are indeed very important in the cold weapon era.But in the face of troops with heavy artillery, the role of the ancient city walls has actually been weakened a lot.As long as Guo Songling and the others are willing, they can find the weaker point of the city wall and bomb it vigorously, and they can blast away the city wall no matter what.

Of course, if the troops in the city are strong, they can attack them.Or even if the city wall is blown away, as long as there are enough troops in the city, they are still in an advantage.Because the city wall is only a small part of it, no matter how powerful you are, it is impossible to blow down all the city walls.It's just a part of the collapse, as long as the defense line is built, it's not a serious matter.

But Fan Shihong has no confidence in the Eighth Division.

Originally, the Eighth Division was the main force of the Beiyang Army, which was adapted from the Gongwei Army back then.Whether it is in terms of numbers or weapons and equipment, it is also among the top troops in the Beiyang Army.However, after the outbreak of the Law Protection War, the fate of the Eighth Division was rough.

Wang Ruxian led the Eighth Division, together with Fan Guozhang's No.20 Division, to suppress the Hunan Army during the Dharma War.At the beginning, the performance was very good. The Hunan Army was defeated all the way, and the troops also pursued to Hengyang.But it was here that the Eighth Division was counterattacked by the Hunan Army several times because of its fierce charge and heavy blows, and suffered huge losses.

In addition, Wang Ruxian and Feng Guozhang had a good relationship at that time, so Wang Ruxian wanted to negotiate a peace.But Cheng Qian didn't like him.After receiving the support of the Guangdong and Guangxi troops, Cheng Qian led the troops to chase Wang Ruxian all the way from Hengyang to Changsha.Then the Battle of Changsha was launched, driving Wang Ruxian's Eighth Division to Yueyang.

Even so, Cheng Qian never let Wang Ruxian go.