in2ebook Chapter 203: Late-night refugees, high-pressure breakthrough
Chapter 203: Late-night refugees, high-pressure breakthrough
“What…what’s going on?!”
Looking at the scene in front of him, Zhang Ye didn't react for a moment and asked with a dazed look.
"They are fleeing with their families and luggage."
"Maybe... maybe he came from the Central Plains."
Lu Shan didn't quite understand the reason, so he turned and ran to the rear of the car, took the searchlight from the guard, looked around, and started shooting.
As the light slowly moved, Zhang Ye opened his eyes wide to see the scene below, and an indescribable sadness welled up in his heart.
In the darkness, people were lying densely on the ground, with terrified expressions on their faces. They didn't even dare to raise their heads, for fear of making any noise and being killed.
Among this huge fleeing group, there were also a large number of young children.
These poor little guys didn’t even have a piece of clothing to cover their bodies. They were naked and had to struggle to move forward among the crowd.
Their small bodies were covered in mud and dust, their faces black and gray, just like a group of little mud monkeys. Their originally clear and bright eyes now looked empty and lifeless, staring blankly in the direction where the glaring spotlight was shining.
Not only these innocent children suffered such hardships, but also the elderly and frail people, who were trembling with their worn-out crutches or sticks. Every step they took seemed extremely difficult, and their staggering steps were heartbreaking.
Because their bodies were too weak, these old people had lost the ability to lie down and hide, and could only kneel alone on the hard ground, kowtowing and bowing towards the direction of the vehicle.
Although he couldn't hear what they were muttering from a distance, Zhang Ye could roughly tell from the expressions of fear and panic on their faces that these helpless old people were probably begging the "official" in the car to have mercy, to never shoot, and to give them a way to live!
This scene was like a sharp thorn, piercing Zhang Ye's heart again. It made him feel distressed and he couldn't help but clench his fists to suppress the anger that was about to erupt.
"Send a telegram to Fang Yu and ask him to properly resettle these fleeing civilians. We started the Central Plains Campaign, so the Independence Army should foot the bill."
"Also, notify the Huishan Defense Line to open the passage. As long as no lethal weapons are carried, do not block the daily passage of the people."
"Yes, Marshal!"
Lu Shan nodded hurriedly, and when he was about to turn around, he heard Zhang Ye's order again.
"Stop the car, distribute our daily necessities to them, and find some clothes for the children. How can we travel with nothing but our bottoms and no shoes?"
After explaining all this, Zhang Ye ran straight to the carriage office without looking back.
He didn't dare and was too ashamed to face these ordinary people.
Although these things were the pains that had to be faced with the changing times, when they really happened, he still couldn't face those helpless and desperate faces.
The Central Plains Campaign must be fought, and this is a fact that no one can change.
All he can do now is to take good care of these people who have fled here so that they don't end up on the streets and starve, that's all!
……
Shangdu battlefield, Second Corps Command.
Chang Rui looked at the clock on the wall, his tired and haggard face covered with messy stubble, and asked in a hoarse voice.
"It's already 2:30 in the morning. What's the situation on the Muye battlefield? Ask Zhang Beifa if he can advance deep into the enemy lines. If not, get out of here and stop wasting time!"
"In another three hours, the Marshal will arrive at the headquarters. I don't want to see them standing still!"
"It should be almost done!"
The deputy chief of staff took the news that had come earlier and responded uncertainly.
"Half an hour ago, Zhang Beifa sent word that they had successfully broken through the enemy's first line of defense. The troops had successfully advanced twenty kilometers, and there was a high probability that they could break through the enemy's second line of defense before dawn!"
"too slow!"
Hearing this, Chang Rui frowned and cursed, pointing at the map.
"The Zhili Province area has been completely blocked by the First Corps. Feng's forces have no support and no way to retreat. Despite such a huge advantage, they have only advanced 20 kilometers. This is not the First Corps' fighting style."
"He Wei won't be so slow in fighting. The Fourth Army is being raised by his stepmother. If he wants to eat meat at this rate, he won't even think about eating warm shit. Tell him that he must overthrow the second line of defense before dawn!"
"Commander-in-Chief, the enemy's strength is greatly disparate. After all, they have over 50,000 men. The battle line is too long. The defensive positions alone are seven or eight kilometers long."
The deputy chief of staff knew that he was anxious, but he still patiently explained.
"The soldiers of the Fourth Army practically stepped on bomb craters to charge forward, continuously breaking through defenses and successfully breaking through the enemy's blockade. This is already very impressive. If they pushed too hard, I'm afraid there would be large-scale casualties."
"Will they give you time to prepare?"
Chang Rui's bloodshot eyes were filled with anxiety as he pointed at the map and spoke bluntly.
"The main force of the Jiangyou Nationalist Army has already set out and will reach Yudu South in two days at most. A number of support troops are also on the way, heading straight for the Central Plains battlefield."
"If the Fourth Army fails to complete its breakthrough mission by tomorrow night, defeating the Feng faction and rushing to the south to provide support, the pressure on Yudu South will increase exponentially, and the command center in Shangdu will also face constant harassment from the enemy. Who will guarantee the Marshal's safety then?"
Things have developed to this point, and no one has room for bargaining. Chang Rui waved his hand, not allowing others to question, and gave the order in a deep voice.
"In short, I don't care what method Zhang Beifa uses, even if he has to put a gun on a soldier's shoulder, he must take down this position. If the opportunity to fight is delayed because of him, and the Marshal's safety is affected, this shame will be forever etched on the First Corps!"
"Yes, I'll go generate electricity for him right now!"
The deputy chief of staff looked serious and turned to run towards the radio not far away.
The battle has reached this point, and the competition is about who is more ruthless, who has a stronger will, and who has more lasting logistical support.
Although Chang Rui's order sounded very harsh, it was relatively speaking extremely lenient. After all, the Fourth Army was a brother unit transferred from the First Corps to help, so he didn't want to push them too hard to avoid causing too many casualties. That was why he stretched the time to the extreme and gave nearly forty-eight hours.
If it were someone from the Second Corps, they would have called the front-line command and scolded the other party.