At noon on the 26th, the sky was full of daylight, and there were a few clouds as white as snow floating in the blue sky.
After traveling thousands of miles along the way, the officers and soldiers were accustomed to the beautiful scenery along the way, but they did not expect that Lingzhi's natural environment could still exceed their imagination.
The highest point in the Lingzhi area is Namjagbarwa Peak, which is 7,700 meters above sea level. The lowest point is the Brahmaputra River, which is more than 100 meters above sea level. The huge altitude difference of more than 7,000 meters is second to none in the world. This forms extremely rich vertical climate zones.
Snow-capped peaks, canyons with thousands of walls, vibrant coniferous and broad-leaved forests, subarctic deserts, alpine shrubs, etc., the various forms of Antelope cover almost everything, and the officers and soldiers who came here for the first time felt like they were in a immersive environment. As if in a paradise, everyone was dumbfounded.
"Bless yourself." Zhou Changfeng jumped out of the car and said while stroking his collar.
"I hope..." Liu Wanyun, whose hands were tied, looked at him deeply and said, "Goodbye."
After arriving at Lingzhi, the First Battalion immediately entered the predetermined station for rest and recuperation as arranged. Xie Wancheng took people to contact the liaison officer and quartermaster here, saying that they were trying to get more supplies.
Liu Wanyun was taken away, and she received the special treatment of being escorted for interrogation by a squad of military police and several agents from other factories.
Now the entire Lingzhi is not only the location of the rear headquarters, but also a material distribution and transshipment center. Materials transported via the Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Sichuan-Tibet Highway are transported to the front line through here.
All the glass windows of the house were covered with crossed white tapes, which are rice-shaped air defense tapes.
Looking around, one can see flags fluttering, and patrolling soldiers and trucks can be seen everywhere; on the anti-aircraft position in the distance, the slender barrels of several six-and-a-half-point anti-aircraft guns point slantedly at the blue sky; one is equipped with four trumpet pickups. The anti-aircraft listening device was parked on a small slope.
In the basement of Rongzang Bank, several guards and staff were changing light bulbs, while Wei Gaoming was pacing around with a frown on his face.
Feedback from the front line showed a change in the battle situation. The British and Indian troops, who had been fighting and retreating along the Janamu River a few days ago, suddenly stabilized their position and assumed a posture of fighting to the death without retreating.
Now, two divisions of the Ming army ran into a solid defense line laid out by the British. The defense line consisted of a small amount of permanent fortifications built of reinforced concrete and a large number of semi-permanent fortifications. There were many sections, each section was dozens of miles long.
Compared with the British and Indian troops who were in the plains and had a railway network, the Ming army was unable to carry a large number of heavy weapons because they had to cross mountains and ridges. This level of defense exceeded their ability to attack difficult areas.
What's more, these two divisions have already crossed the border for 400 miles, and some scout units are even closer to 500 miles, and the logistics supply has exceeded the limit.
The momentum was too strong and the fight was too aggressive.
Wei Gaoming had ordered the retreat five times from the night before yesterday to this morning, but the two division commanders begged to give them more time.
Due to the rapid retreat of the British and Indian troops, except for the initial annihilation of two regiments (battalions), the Ming army has never surrounded enemy troops above the battalion level. It can be said that everyone is unwilling to do so - —We haven’t fought in so many years, how could we just stop so hastily?
In fact, militarily, this battle was to expel the British and Indian troops entrenched south of Uzang; but politically, this battle was just to test the reaction of Western countries.
Both goals have been achieved, and there is no need to dwell on it any longer.
Now, as long as the two divisions can retreat safely, it will end beautifully.
However, reality often backfires.
Chief of Staff Han Zhixun, with an anxious look on his face, walked quickly in three steps at a time and said anxiously: "Something big happened! It was discovered that the enemy's newly arrived reinforcements, about five or six thousand people, appeared in Tezi'er. Now we are rushing towards Gopur, and we want to take a detour to the rear of our army and directly cut off the retreat!"
The so-called Tezir is Tezpur and Gopur is Gokhpur, which are the two towns from west to east.
If this British-Indian army is allowed to advance northeastward, the Ming army's retreat will be directly cut off.
The Ming troops of both divisions crossed the Janamu River to continue their attack. After that, they had to re-cross the river to retreat. When they arrived at the river and found that the other side was full of enemy troops, wouldn't it be immediately over?
Now it can be said that the situation has suddenly taken a turn for the worse.
"Damn it!" Wei Gaoming's face turned solemn when he heard this. He stared at the map and said in a deep voice: "The ambition is not small."
"This situation was discovered by the 38th Regiment. They have sent a battalion across the river to stop the attack, but the battalion has been cut off for two hours." Han Zhixun sighed: "Now the enemy in person will definitely cooperate. They are probably going to get involved with our two divisions."
After spitting a few times, Wei Gaoming covered his forehead and said, "The Thirty-eighth Regiment suffered the most losses from the Twelfth Division. How long can one battalion they sent last? One day? Now we have to mobilize the reserve team."
Han Zhixun nodded and said, "I'm just going to tell you why the British have so many telegrams these days. It's really a big plan! If you want to eat two divisions in one go, you have a big appetite."
At this time, a famous official reminded: "Jin Zuo, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to mobilize the first and second border battalions. The British in Myanmar to the east are also ready to move. To transfer them is to tear down the east wall to make up for the west wall."
So now the only remaining combat reserves are the 3rd Border Guard Battalion and one battalion of the 107th Regiment? In addition, there are only garrison battalions and gendarmerie responsible for protecting the rear headquarters.
The border defense battalion is also a garrison unit. Its weapons and equipment have not been updated, and its combat effectiveness is definitely inferior to that of field units.
"Isn't the lead battalion of the third mixed brigade arrived? Let them go!" At this moment, Wei Gaoming was extremely grateful for the timely arrival of Zhou Changfeng's troops.
After a while, Zhou Changfeng was called to the headquarters.
Stepping into the dimly lit basement, filled with the smell of cigarettes and sweat, he couldn't help but hold his breath after breathing fresh air for so many days.
"I arrived on time, please give me the instructions." After a neat fist-clenching salute, Zhou Changfeng stood up straight.
Without saying a word, Wei Gaoming pointed to the map and said straight to the point: "Contrary to the good news these days, the battle situation has suddenly changed. An enemy outflanking force of more than 5,000 people is advancing eastward along the north bank of the Janamu River with the intention of cutting off Our army’s retreat.”
Han Zhixun, who was standing next to him, added: "The 38th Regiment on the Western Front detached a battalion to stop the attack, but they can't hold on for long."
He picked up a long baton, clicked on the huge map, and said seriously: "Demaji, you are likely to encounter the enemy there, and you must arrive in time to defend it. Do you understand? Success? Success. Whether it does or not determines the outcome of this battle.”
"If it is not blocked, the two divisions will probably have to disperse and break out. Once the formation is dispersed, the British will inevitably claim to be a total annihilation. The loss of the division will be humiliating to the country." Wei Gaoming, with worries in his eyes, ordered again: "Reserve team There’s not much left, I can only assign you another team.”
There were more than a dozen people standing around the sand table in the middle. At this moment, their eyes were all focused on Zhou Changfeng.
What else can the latter say at this moment? He nodded slightly, then stood at attention and gave a standard raise of hands salute, "Promise to complete the mission!"
