Chapter 139: Luring the Enemy

When Wei Jichen saw the soldiers looking at him, he smiled and nodded to show encouragement. Suddenly, Wei Jichen stopped, which made Nie Guilin, who was walking with his head down, almost bump into his back. It turned out that Wei Jichen saw a young soldier who might have lost his outer coat because he was in a hurry at night. At this time, he was lying on the ground shivering all over, and his lips had turned purple and black due to the cold. Wei Jichen's eyes paused slightly, and then he walked up quickly. When the young soldier saw Wei Jichen coming, he was even more panicked, fearing that the adults would blame him for losing his military uniform. Especially when Nie Guilin saw Wei Jichen walking towards the sergeant, he took the lead and rushed to the sergeant, slapped him casually, and cursed: "Waste, why don't you even lose your food." The soldiers of the military supervisor's army behind him saw that their commander was angry, and they were like wolves and tigers and wanted to grab him from the side. Wei Jichen's face darkened slightly, he stretched out his hand to stop him, then said to Nie Guilin calmly: "The road is rugged at night, and there are bound to be some mistakes. Lord Nie please don't blame him." Nie Guilin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. He was afraid that Wei Jichen would blame him for not disciplining the army strictly and would omit his credit when reporting the merits. Seeing that the soldier's face turned pale with fear, Wei Jichen stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him. Then he took off his coat, put it on him, clasped his fists and said to the people around him: "Brothers, you have suffered for me, Wei Jichen. After we annihilate the Japanese 3rd Division, I, Wei Jichen, will apologize to you." Looking at the young soldier who was frightened by him, Wei Jichen encouraged him: "Little brother, wear this coat first to warm your body. As long as you can kill more Japanese, I will not blame you for losing your uniform, but will also report for you." The smile as warm as spring breeze and the words that warm the heart made the young soldier's eyes fill with tears. He choked and said: "Marshal Wei, I, I will live up to your expectations and kill more Japanese at the risk of my death." Wei Jichen smiled and nodded, then led a group of people forward. This scene fell into the eyes of many Fengjun soldiers. When they saw Wei Jichen, who was thinly dressed but still upright, the look in their eyes changed from surprise to respect. Such a commander who loved his soldiers like his own sons and would rather suffer the cold than see his soldiers suffer was unheard of in the Qing Dynasty. For a moment, the soldiers felt warm in their hearts, and the cold weather was no longer a big deal. They looked down with firm eyes. Wei Jichen secretly entered the system and found that the morale of the Fengjun army had increased by 65 points at once. Military division skills can only improve morale for a while, but leading by example, thinking from the perspective of others, and caring more about the soldiers can naturally improve the morale of an army. Wei Jichen suddenly realized. Wei Jichen asked about the well-being of the soldiers all the way, from the Fengjun army to the Gongwei army, and then from the Gongwei army to the Xizi army. Countless soldiers changed from the original surprise of seeing him still alive to being moved. A soldier dies for his confidant. They all held their rifles tightly and looked at the road below with firm eyes. "Sir, ahead is Ma Jinxu's defensive position, Xujiayuanzi. As long as we capture Xujiayuanzi, we can reach Haicheng." The 3rd Division Chief of Staff Ogawa Jiro said excitedly. Katsura Taro and his generals were staying on a high ground, looking at the deployment of Xujiayuanzi through binoculars. Hearing what Ogawa Jiro said, Katsura Taro put down the telescope, sighed and said, "Since Wei Jichen died, the morale of the Qing army in Haicheng has really plummeted. Look, even Ma Jinxu's troops are the same. The positions are arranged mainly for passive defense, and they don't have the courage to compete with the imperial army." Ogawa Jiro also raised the telescope to look over, put it down after a moment and said with a smile, "It seems that the death of Wei Jichen has also dealt a heavy blow to Ma Jinxu. In this way, it won't take much time for our army to break through Xu Jiayuanzi." Major General Oshima Hisanao, commander of the 6th Brigade, said anxiously, "Sir, please order an attack. Nogi-kun has always been brave in battle. My 3rd Division should not waste so much time here, otherwise when we arrive in Haicheng, Nogi-kun might have been drinking in the city." The 5th Brigade has not yet recovered its vitality, so the 6th Brigade will naturally be the main force in this attack on Haicheng. Oshima Hisanao was afraid that Nogi Maresuke would take away most of the credit, and then his 6th Brigade would be completely reduced to a foil. Oshima Hisanao's worry was exactly what Katsura Taro was worried about. Others did not know Nogi Maresuke's background, but Katsura Taro knew it very well. In his mind, Nogi Maresuke was a fierce general who was inflexible and whose combat thinking could only be described as classical and old-fashioned. In the Southwest War to suppress the rebellion of Saigo Moritaka, Nogi Maresuke was defeated by the enemy halfway because he led his troops to run wildly. Most of his troops were raped, and even the regiment flag was taken away by the rebels, which really made the government army lose face. However, Nogi Maresuke's old tactics of fierce attack and charge can repeatedly achieve remarkable success when dealing with the Qing militia, because the two armies are not at the same level. After thinking so, Katsura Taro no longer hesitated and said softly: "Oshima-kun, please." "Hey, my 6th Brigade will definitely not let the division commander down, and will definitely become the first imperial army to enter the city of Haicheng." Oshima Hisahi nodded slightly and said confidently. In the command post of the Xujiayuanzi Renzi Army's defensive position, Ma Jinxu, Ma Yuming and other generals were anxiously waiting for news. "Report, the Japanese have begun to attack." The signalman rushed in and reported loudly. Ma Jinxu stood up and said: "Everyone, success or failure depends on this move, Yuming, everything depends on you." Ma Yuming replied with a depressed face: "Sir, can you let me change my job.

"Ma Jinxu did not tell the soldiers about his plan to use his Renzi Army as bait and pretend to retreat. He only told a few people in a small area, otherwise the Japanese would easily see the flaw. He asked Ma Yumeng to flee privately when the troops were resisting, causing panic among the soldiers in other camps and making them unwilling to fight. In the end, the Renzi Army would naturally flee. If Ma Jinxu did so, some brave soldiers who were unaware of the inside story would definitely fight to the death, and his Renzi Army would also suffer heavy losses. However, in order for Wei Jichen's plan to succeed, he had no choice but to sacrifice his army in tears. As the first to escape, the troops of Ma Yumeng's camp would definitely suffer less losses. Ma Jinxu said solemnly: "Yumeng, your troops suffered heavy losses in the battle of Yushubao and have been seriously injured. I don't want you to be the only general left in your front camp after luring the enemy this time. If you don't think about yourself, you have to think about your brothers." "The subordinates will obey the orders of General Ma. "Ma Yuming bit his lip and turned away. At Xujiayuanzi, the Japanese had already formed their offensive formation, waiting for Oshima Hisanao's order. He glanced at the position of the Renzi Army with contempt. Turning around, he smiled and said to several captains, "You are trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm, overestimating your own ability. Gentlemen, Nogi-kun's mixed brigade has already advanced towards Haicheng. Should we waste time in this small place?" The two regiment commanders and several captains were also eager to make achievements, and they shouted in unison, "Break through Xujiayuanzi and move forward." "Gentlemen, although my 3rd Division suffered several small setbacks, that was because my 6th Brigade did not catch up. Otherwise, how could we have been defeated by the Qing army? I ask you to join me in washing away the shame of the 3rd Division. Pass on my order and attack!" Oshima Hisanao drew out his command knife, swung it forward vigorously, and shouted loudly. "Long live the Emperor, long live the Empire. "The Japanese generals shouted in unison with red faces and thick necks, and the Japanese soldiers were all in high spirits. As the vanguard of the Kurifa Regiment, he put on white gloves, waved his command knife, and personally commanded. Boom. The Japanese artillery team was the first to show its power. After a little test firing, they adjusted the angle. Twelve field guns pulled by six horses and 12 mountain guns carried by horses were arranged on both sides of the 3-foot high ground, and they bombarded Xu Jiayuanzi with volleys of artillery. The deafening rumble sounded everywhere in the front positions of the Renzi Army. The dirt, rubble, and gravel on the positions were scattered, and smoke immediately filled the entire battlefield. Fortunately, Ma Jinxu's fortifications were well built, with air-raid shelters and single-soldier pits. Although the Japanese artillery shells The bombardment was fierce, but not many soldiers were killed or injured. Only the defensive fortifications on the position were slowly destroyed under the bombardment of artillery. The Japanese artillery team bombarded for more than half an hour, suppressing the Chinese army to hide in the fortifications and dare not show their faces. Looking down from above, the position was full of potholes. The embers had not yet dissipated, and under the cover of artillery fire, the Japanese soldiers shouted and bent their bodies to attack bravely. Seeing this, Ma Jinxu immediately ordered the artillery to fight back. The Japanese regiment guard flag soldier died and three were injured, and more than ten soldiers were killed immediately. Katsura Taro stood in the back and watched the battle. Seeing this, he couldn't help but say to his left and right: "The white-haired old general's men really look like a separate army." The white-haired old general refers to Song Qing, who is over 60 years old and has a head full of white hair. It is very eye-catching. Ogawa Jiro said disapprovingly: "Perhaps among the Qing army, this army can be regarded as a strong force, but compared with the imperial army, it has become a third-rate army. "Katsura Taro smiled and nodded gently. A cold light flashed in the eyes of Kurifune who was commanding the attack. As the starting force, and the first battle between the attack on Haicheng and the Qing Dynasty, he must seize the initiative and take this place in one go, and quickly disintegrate the morale of the various armies in Haicheng. Kurifune threw away his military cap and coat, wrapped a white headscarf around his forehead, held the command knife, and roared as he sang the Japanese military song. Seeing this, the generals around him sang along loudly. Soon, the Japanese military song sounded on the battlefield, and the passionate tune immediately made the Japanese soldiers excited. Inspired by this, the Japanese soldiers all rushed to be the first to break through and advance desperately.