Both sides chased each other. Li Qiufan led the troops and the national army and rushed into Mancaoping, heading towards the ambush site of the Fourth Division.
The national army did not find anything unusual along the way, and followed Li Qiufan directly into the ambush.
After leading the national army into the ambush circle, Li Qiufan immediately ordered the troops to stop advancing and relied on the terrain to launch a counterattack against the pursuing national army.
Seeing the fleeing enemy suddenly stop, the national army was puzzled, but before they could figure it out, intensive gunshots rang out from behind.
The intensity of the gunfire was not due to how many people there were, but because the shooting speed was too fast, and the crackling sound made people's scalp numb.
This was the Fourth Division that had been ambushing them for a long time. According to Li Qiufan's instructions, they set up an ambush at Mancaoping.
Li Qiufan lured the enemy troops here, and then joined forces with the Fourth Division to attack them from both sides and annihilate them in one fell swoop.
At this time, the national army, which was originally the dominant side, was instantly in trouble and was caught off guard by the sudden attack.
Especially for the Fourth Division, although there were not as many as Li Qiufan's, the soldiers of the Fourth Division were equipped with not only submachine guns but also light and heavy machine guns. A division could suppress firepower several times its own strength.
And although this time the heavy artillery division has not yet re-established its artillery positions and cannot provide artillery support to the battlefield.
But the Fourth Division directly shouldered the main beam and set up mortar positions before the Chinese army entered the ambush position.
At Li Xiping's order, mortars of various calibers began to pour shells frantically at the national army, and explosions continued throughout the battlefield.
"Send a telegram to Lao Ma and ask him to speed up and provide artillery support as soon as possible to annihilate these national troops!"
Although the mortars of the Fourth Division were numerous and powerful, they were still dwarfed by the heavy artillery divisions and could not cover the entire enemy.
Seeing this, Li Qiufan asked the correspondent to urge Lao Ma to provide artillery support as soon as possible to annihilate the enemy.
After all, after finishing here, they had to rush to Yan'an as quickly as possible to contain the other troops of the old fox.
Not long after, Li Qiufan received a reply from Lao Ma. The artillery position over there had been constructed and was now waiting for his order.
"Inform the heavy artillery division of the enemy's coordinates and ask them to cover the enemy with artillery fire. Quick!"
After seeing Lao Ma's telegram, Li Qiufan immediately asked the correspondent to send Lao Ma the coordinates so that he could attack and suppress the enemy's positions.
After receiving the enemy's coordinates, the heavy artillery division began to bombard them indiscriminately.
If the mortars of the Fourth Division were like pouring rain, then the heavy artillery division was filled with hail, and the hail was as big as a fist.
Being attacked from the front and back by Li Qiufan and the Fourth Division, coupled with the covering bombing by the heavy artillery division, the national army, which had no retreat, could no longer hold on.
They were not an elite force to begin with, and their weapons and equipment were no match for Li Qiufan.
In the past, we were able to fight back and forth purely because of the advantage of the terrain. This time, after being ambushed, we were defeated directly.
After resisting for more than an hour, the remaining 20,000 people on the national army surrendered directly.
In just over an hour, they lost about 10,000 people. This was not a war at all, but a naked massacre.
The surviving national soldiers were frightened by the hail of bullets and had no courage to continue fighting.
Li Qiufan was relieved after seeing the surrender of the national army. If the fight continued, he would have to kill all the national troops.
This is not facing the Japanese. Although the camps are different, they are all from the same nation. Moreover, the situation this time is different from that of Qing Huabian, and Li Qiufan cannot be so ruthless.
After receiving the prisoners and disarming them, Li Qiufan asked Li Yunlong to detach a brigade and escort the prisoners and captures back to the base, while the other troops rushed to the Yan'an area as soon as possible.
Continuous fighting and traveling made everyone a little exhausted, even Li Qiufan felt a little overdrawn.
But the soldiers did not complain at all and still gritted their teeth and marched towards Yan'an.
"Go and call Li Xiping over!"
Seeing how tired the soldiers were, Li Qiufan frowned and pondered for a moment, and then asked someone to call Li Xiping over.
"Commander, are you looking for me?"
Li Xiping quickly came to Li Qiufan and asked Li Qiufan excitedly.
At first, Li Xiping became sulky when Li Qiufan did not lead his fourth division to fight.
However, after receiving a telegram from Li Qiufan asking him to rush to Mancaoping for an ambush, the corners of Li Xiping's mouth never came down.
"What are you having fun with? Are you eating bee poop?"
Seeing Li Xiping grinning, Li Qiufan said angrily.
"Hey, isn't it nice to have a battle?"
Li Xiping scratched his head and said to Li Qiufan embarrassedly.
When they were garrison divisions in the past, they could only serve as reserves to support other main combat units.
This is the first time that Li Xiping has led his troops as the main force, and this feeling is simply not very satisfying.
Li Xiping was originally a militant, but he was suppressed by Li Qiufan before. It can be seen from the fact that he dared to fight against Erhu. Since the adaptation, he has really let himself go.
"Stop talking nonsense, bring all the cars of your division. The brothers of the first division can load as many as they can, and rush towards Yan'an first with the heavy artillery division!"
Li Qiufan waved his hand towards Li Xiping. This was not the time to regulate him, even if he had given him an order.
"Why are you pretending to be soldiers from the first division? What's wrong with our fourth division?"
Li Xiping's eyes widened when he heard Li Qiufan's words. Unexpectedly, Li Qiufan asked the vehicles of their fourth division to pull the soldiers of the first division to rush to Yan'an first. This made Li Xiping feel uncomfortable instantly.
"The First Division has rich combat experience. This is considered a dangerous move for me, so I still have to be safe."
"Don't be so impatient, you idiot. Isn't this the time to grab credit? If you delay a major event, there will be trouble in the three areas!"
Seeing that Li Xiping was not convinced, Li Qiufan explained to him, and Li Xiping's face looked better.
"I know Commander, I'll ask them to bring the car over right now!"
Li Xiping nodded reluctantly, and then returned to the army to issue orders.
"Go and call Er Hu and Li Yunlong over!"
After sending Li Xiping away, Li Qiufan sent someone to notify Li Yunlong and Er Hu, asking them to come and receive the order.
Li Yunlong and Er Hu quickly rushed over and asked Li Qiufan for any instructions.
"The cars from the Fourth Division will arrive in a moment. Erhu, you and some of the brothers from your division will go with me first to the Yan'an area."
"After I leave, the command of the army will be temporarily handed over to you, Lao Li. Let the brothers rest for two hours before starting the journey. I'm afraid that the brothers won't be able to hold on!"
Li Qiufan glanced at the two of them and said, then waited for them to express their opinions.
