Chapter 24 Chapter twenty-four.decisive day

In the clear autumn wind, Yanshi, which has been covered in dust for a long time, stands tall. On the light gray-brown field, there was a chilling smell of the first arrival, which was even more desolate compared with the extraordinary silence on the entire line of fire. This corner of the land seemed to have died. But the land, which seems dead, is still alive. The deep moats dug by sweating day and night are its veins, and the breaths of countless dead soldiers merge into its huge breath; in this corner of the land, the suffering of the land and the suffering of the people have been intimately linked, and the people The waiting of the land is the waiting of the land, and the wishes of the people are also the wishes of the land.It sticks to silence like the people on its back, and silence itself is a kind of display, a kind of standing up, a kind of resistance. No one dares to ignore the power contained in silence, the will formed by silence, and the will burst out of silence. Let the sparks go!

Due to the painstaking efforts of Fang Sheng, Iron Fan Tang Liubaa, Xiao Xieer, Wan Shizhen and others, this kind of deep and winding trench has been densely covered in the defense area of ​​Yanshi like a spider's web; The mountains, plains, and winding paths are all densely covered with deer villages. Stabs, tripping ropes, pits, fire and thunder arrays, all kinds of obstacles are scattered among the layers of deer villages, forming a deadly obstacle when the opponent's horses and infantry attack. , here, the land that has always been accustomed to being trampled has become a fighting body, every step is a trap, every step is death .

Here, every burning eye, every angry heart, waits; in the deep, windy moat, in the cold, damp moat, behind the black fort hole, hangs Between the gaps in the barbed wire fence of the aging wild vines, some lurking faces are always watching, and some eyes are lingering all the time. The moment they've been waiting for seems to have arrived. To the west of Yanshi, the sound of gunfire in the Dadukou area was the prelude to the war. Those who defended Yanshi knew that the militiamen who had come to help had already attacked Fanjiapu and were preparing to join Yanshi. The battle at Fanjiapu was fierce, and the two sides were repeatedly pulling the big saw.The militiamen were scattered in the depressions with sparse bushes and full of ditches. Under the heavy gunfire of the Jiangfang Army, they attacked Fanjiapu in Hedui with their backs. No retreat.

That kind of strict order may not be effective, and the reason why they refuse to retreat is only they themselves understand that if they withdraw from the Fanjia Heights that they took so hard to capture, open the big ferry, and let the tide flooding from the swamp flow into the salt market , The whole county will be turned into a dead place!If they wanted to live, they had to hold on to this commanding height and separate Yanshi from the civilian army, so that there was a gap in front of them. If the Jiangfang army couldn't break through Yanshi, they still had the opportunity to venture north through this gap.

Therefore, they bloody defended the highland on the north bank of the Salt River that could block the Dadukou. In terms of numbers, the number of civilian troops is far greater than that of the Beiyang garrison, but the firepower of the civilian army is not as good as that of the Beiyang garrison. , In an attempt to encircle and wipe out the enemy, the Beiyang Jiangfang Army fought with all their strength in order to protect themselves, resulting in the most intense and bloody battle in several months. Guarding at Fanjiapu is a battalion of Liu Tuan of the Jiang Fang Army after refurbishment. They took advantage of the dangerous terrain of Fanjiapu to set up a formation, overlooking the wilderness in the west. On the Yanhe River behind Fanjiapu, they used giant iron chains to Lock the ferry, and connect giant logs on both sides of the ferry to form a stable pontoon bridge, which echoes the regiment headquarters on the south bank.

Fanjiapu stands high on the top of the mound, with sandy trenches standing on both sides, and next to the concave road leading to the ferry port. Thinking about the situation around him, he thought that if the militiamen wanted to attack Fanjiapu, they had to follow the slope of the front, so he used most of the quick guns and machine guns to lock the protruding part; They worked day and night, dug up all the trees on both sides of this approach road, built wooden sections horizontally to form defenses, and built trenches behind these defenses, forming an extremely strong outer edge position, which made the Fan family The shop actually became a fortress.

The civilian army with high morale is the most capable of fighting indiscriminately, but most of them lack the experience of attacking fortifications. They grow strong in the swampy land, and they rarely have the opportunity to attack cities and villages, cut off borders and capture flags. The only thing that can be relied on when making a family shop is the courage to shed blood and die. The militiamen who attacked Fanjiapu used one brigade as the vanguard to take charge of the frontal main attack; Coupled with primitive weapons, the number of attackers exceeded the plan by several times.However, due to the unfavorable position in the terrain, as soon as the attack started, the leader of the main attacking brigade was blocked on the concave field by the opponent's blazing gunfire. They searched for ditches and grave bags to temporarily cover their bodies. Although they were stalemate and did not retreat, they were still unable to move forward.

There was no progress on the front, so progress on the two wings was also difficult. Fanjiapu's terrain was difficult, and in the absence of offensive weapons, it could be said to be easy to defend and difficult to attack. Enemy fire, crossing the concave road, and the sand trenches on both sides of Fan Deng, so on the first day, the two sides just held each other and fought with each other. From early morning to dusk, the frontal casualties of the civilian army were quite heavy, and the commander of the civilian army, Old Man Peng himself, rushed to the line of fire at this time.The brigade captain who was in charge of the main attack reported to him the situation of the day's attack, describing how little shelter there was on the ground, how strong the enemy's fortifications were, how fierce the enemy fire was, and how heavy the casualties of his brothers were. Before he could finish, Peng The old man interrupted him.

What you said is all true, I know.He said: Have you ever thought that we had no guns or weapons back then, our legs were faster than the Beiyang cavalry, and the iron-covered shoulder poles were also better than their Maris quick guns!The People's Army has just come out of Dahuze, and this is the first tough battle. Thousands of eyes are on us, and the flat nose is also evaluating the People's Army with this fire!If the little Fanjiapu can't be pulled out, the banner of the militia will be in vain! Taking advantage of the sunset at dusk, he put his hand on his eyebrows and looked east carefully; the golden glow of the setting sun was falling on the river mound guarded by the Jiang Defense Army, so that their scattered positions could be seen very clearly. The fired bullets raised patches of sand smoke on the ground, which was so dense that it was rare. If those brothers who were crouching in the gully raised their heads, nine times out of ten they would be killed or killed by bullets.He couldn't reprimand his subordinates with words like ineffectiveness in combat. He wanted to capture Fan's shop, but it was not the time to show off his blood and courage.

I will attack it all night!He said. At nightfall, his determination turned into action, and the attack was really carried out thoroughly, so that the Beiyang defenders of Fanjiapu, who thought they were impregnable, had a full taste of this primitive attack. In this vicious battle against Fan's shop at night, the old man Peng adopted his own original tactics based on psychological intimidation, and used his own strength as his own capital for lineup warfare.He knew very well that the river defense battalion in front of him was well-armed, and he was determined to defend the prominent stronghold on the north bank of the Yanhe River. If he followed the usual tactics and attacked from the front, no matter whether it was day or night, it would be unavoidable. In the case of huge casualties, only by using a huge momentum to deter and shake the opponent, and then, taking advantage of the panic and panic of the opponent, to launch a surprise attack, can the enemy be defeated and achieve results without unnecessary damage.

Before the attack, the momentum of the militiamen was astonishing. They felled wood for salary and transported it to the front line in bullock carts. After sunset and the beginning of night, they lit piles of wildfires on all sides of the wilderness, surrounding Fan There are at least thousands of raging wildfires in the east, north, and west directions of Jiapuduitou, from the front of the battle to the distance several miles away. The militiamen on the line of fire, plus the people behind the line of fire, Where there is fire, there are large groups of figures moving around. Dozens of ox horns, with their curved horn pipes facing the night sky, hummed, the sound blew in the wind, wailed on the fire, spread in the night, covered the ground, covered the sky, listened to In the ears of those Beiyang defense forces, there were simply howls of countless innocent souls demanding their lives, which really made the world gloomy and the situation changed. But they can see the flames soaring, they are not illusory ghosts, but a group of people living in the world who have been oppressed and bullied for a long time. Now they have stood up like this and formed a hundred-mile alliance. Behind the entire line of fire, countless people were active all night. They used ox carts, handcarts, rooster carts, walking mules, and donkeys to deliver grain, grass, and war meals to the militiamen on the line of fire.Hot pancakes and hot porridge, large bags of steamed buns and sauerkraut, pot stickers and meat, it can be said that they were sent out as much as they could. Refugees from all over the country, regardless of men or women, volunteered to send supplies and transport the wounded to the militia. The attack began amidst the sound of horns! That's not a real attack, it's just a pre-battle drill.Between this pile of fire and that pile of fire, there are indistinctly many groups of people jumping up and fighting repeatedly, savage and terrifying, and the heart-pounding shouts are connected from far and near, converging into a thousand-layered giant wave, shocking Hit the wilderness of night. The light of the wildfire, the boiling shouts of killing, and the sound of the choking horns made the Beiyang garrison who resisted bravely and stubbornly feel dizzy. Coupled with the mystery and terror contained in the darkness of the night itself, it was already It is enough to make people have the hallucination that the trees are all soldiers, not to mention the sudden appearance of this unprecedented huge scene in the dark night, which makes people tremble with fear and hesitation. Their ammunition was limited, and they were temporarily ordered not to fire their guns indiscriminately. In this way, amidst the shouts of killing from all sides, there was only silence left on the high pile of Fan's shop. In the silence like death, fear and hesitation seemed to fall into the water. Like the ink blot of the ink, it keeps expanding its halo mark Obediently, how many people are here in midwinter? ! At least there are tens of thousands of people? In the middle of a ditch, behind the huge logs and piles of soil, several fearful black shadows trembled. The lanterns that were usually lit at the bottom of the ditch were completely extinguished. A trace of faint, beating red phantoms, like demons, occasionally flash past people's eyebrows. Tens of thousands of people are afraid that they don't have such momentum?One sighed and said: Judging by the situation, we must be in danger! Keep it up, it's a dead end.One spoke on the other side: Even if it hits one person with a single shot, the guns we have are not as many as the militiamen's heads. Let's do our best to let that fat-brained guy with a flat nose escape for his life?What kind of algorithm is this account? ! The silence is like a rope that locks a person's throat tightly.There is something heavy in everyone's heart!The days have gradually changed. In the old days, people who worked in Beiyang could follow Commander Sun Chuanfang, and their waists were naturally taller than others. The army of the direct line of the family has always been treated as a follow-up soldier, not to mention these cartilage worms who are old people, even the troops of other departments, when there is any dispute, they have to give up three points, but now those are like It's blowing like the wind!At the beginning, I never dreamed that the militia army with only a few broken guns in these lakes and swamps would grow to such a degree in a blink of an eye?Looking around, the commander-in-chief's million-strong army has vanished into thin air. In the entire Huai River, there is only this remnant soldier trapped in heavy siege. Who can predict what will happen tomorrow? !Even if he could break through the barriers of Yanshi as he wished, and lose Shandong, who can predict how long Zhang Zongchang will be able to occupy Shandong? The shouts of killing were repeatedly rising outside the formation. It was no longer a shout, but a tide of anger, roaring from the vast masses of the people and from all directions. There was a loud rumbling and rumbling sound, one wave was higher than the other, one spray followed by another, hitting people's hearts irresistibly. Suddenly, the sound of horns stopped, the shouts of killing stopped, and thousands of wildfires were extinguished!There was no sound outside the formation, leaving only a vicious darkness.The Beiyang defenders in a panic immediately realized that this abnormal silence was full of murderous intentions, and realized that the attack of the militia was about to begin!This abnormal silence is more terrifying than the sound of killing. Surprisingly, this abnormal silence continued for a long time, and no one could guess what the militiamen were planning to do in the dark? Panic, doubt, anxiety and waiting make people's hearts tense, tight.Then they heard the drums they heard the drums!That heavy, that slow, that weird drumming. Boom!Lelele boom! Boom!Lelele boom! Boom!Lelele boom boom boom boom! All over the world, only one drum can be heard, beating heavily. The sound seems to come from the center of the earth, but the echo echoes in the high-altitude clouds.At the beginning, everyone could tell that there was only one drum, but gradually it became two drums, then three drums, and then four drums!The louder the drum, the closer the louder the sound.Even if they can survive a hundred battles, they can't bear the monotonous drumming like chasing souls! Not allowing those Beiyang defenders to change their minds, the slow drumbeat suddenly rose sharply, like a sudden rainstorm, and it was hard to tell the difference. In the hesitation and shock of the defenders, the attack followed, and the sound of killing came suddenly, and in a blink of an eye, the defenders with guns had just fired their guns, and the attackers had already rolled into the defenders' formation and started hand-to-hand combat. . In this round of rapid attack, the battle was so brutal that the Jiang Fang Army had never encountered it before. Every civilian army that rolled into the battle seemed to be no longer a human being, but a hungry tiger roaring strangely in the deep mountains. The power was greatly reduced, and the sound of the drums turned one point of terror into one point of terror. The first batch of militiamen who rushed into the formation all brandished single swords. There was a howl. Kill it, brothers!Kill those with hard hats! I don't know who is yelling so violently.This yelling didn't matter, causing the defenders to throw away their hats desperately, but just after they threw away the deadly hard hats, someone was chattering over there again. Kill it, brothers!Kill those brass buttons! It was so dark that no one could see who the other was. The two sides huddled together in the ditch, groping for each other. Jiang Fangjun wore uniforms, and the brass buttons were the most obvious mark. Rick slashed and slashed, and the defenders on the outer positions were stabbed seven out of ten. The militiamen kicked the heads that had been cut off by a single knife from time to time, rolling like a ball.The rest of the defenders were frightened, how could they dare to fight? !One by one scrambled to climb back, but the defenders in the rear were frightened and frightened. They didn't recognize their relatives. Hearing the voice, they thought it was the militiamen rushing in. They closed their eyes and fired randomly, hitting the defenders who fled back There is no way to go to heaven, and no way to go to earth. When the two sides figured it out, they stopped their guns and rushed forward, but they were replaced by the militiamen who looked like gods. This kind of tragic hand-to-hand combat is really shocking and weeping ghosts and gods; the commander of the militia, the old man Peng, personally led the team, swiping his single sword vigorously, fighting for the first place, killing those Jiangfang troops who were terrified, and the militia had just rushed through Two deep trenches, the defenders at the top of the pile wavered, unable to figure out the way of retreat in the dark, some ventured into the Yanhe River, and before four o'clock, the militiamen had already wiped out the remaining enemies in Fanjiapu . After dawn, the Jiang Defense Army received reinforcements and turned around to cross the river to attack again. The firepower was so fierce that the Fanjiapu left a honeycomb-like bullet hole everywhere on the sandy trench on the other side of the river. With many wooden poles, the severed heads of the Jiangfang army were suspended; the Jiangfang army used shelling to set the wooden house of Fanjiapu on fire, and the civilian army responded with an eye for an eye, blowing up the pontoon bridge on the Salt River with a whole jar of gunpowder, cutting off the Jiangfang army. north hit road As for the fierce gun battle between the two sides, it has been going on all day. The battle at Fanjiapu was only the prelude to a full-scale war. While the bloody battle was taking place here, gunshots rang out from Yanshi too. The second attack was only carried out according to orders, and both eyes were on the bonus reward, so when there was a little strong resistance, everyone was not in the mood to fight; In addition to the mustache brigade, there are also four mixed regiments reorganized from defeated soldiers, and an artillery team, with a total of about 16,700 soldiers. Using these forces to point to Yanshi is really mighty , The momentum is overwhelming. Snub Nose told his troops about the situation of the Beiyang Army on the Huai River more than once. If Yanshi could not be conquered and the Northern Expeditionary Army came from behind, then this remnant soldier would have to suffer from the enemy in the county town. Taste, fall into the fate of annihilation.The only way is to kick the salt market away and flee northward!He repeatedly instilled his thoughts: with so many of us, our guns are thicker than the waist of Yanshi. If we don't break through it now, it will be too late when the Northern Expeditionary Army chases us across the river!Under such repeated indoctrination, they set off to the front line of fire at night with the determination to go north and flee for their lives. The battlefield in front of Yanshi is extremely desolate; in the past few months, there have been fierce battles at the crossings of the Yellow River and Yangqiao, as well as in the narrow valleys in front of Xiaoyanzhuang. However, the traces left by the war could not be concealed, and these traces of desolation were temporarily covered by darkness, so that the soldiers who marched to the line of fire could not see anything. They could all clearly hear the sound of gunshots in the northwest corner. The battle at Fanjiapu had been going on for a day and a night before they attacked Yanshi, and none of them could figure out the reason for the gunshots?Can't figure out when the attack on Yanshi started?The night is a pot of chaotic magic liquid, which soaks them one by one. Although everyone is always aware of the number of people on their side in a chaotic state, they can't find too much activity when they look around. The silhouettes of people, and even the voices of venom, cursing, and discussion, are rarely heard, as if other people have been ruthlessly swallowed by ghosts and spirits! On the battlefield, the psychology of soldiers and warriors is indeed like this, especially Jiang Fangjun, who is used to bullying others, is even more sensitive.They loved the day, and the sight of great processions, horses, and crowds, to bolster themselves with that, and now they saw nothing but darkness.When they set out near the old Yellow River pile, they split into several groups and scattered. During the dull and lengthy time waiting for the attack, they all just held cold guns and gathered in a pile in threes and fives, hooking up. Sitting silently with head bowed, everyone felt unusual fear and loneliness deep in their hearts. No matter how loud the flat-nosed conch blows, in fact, during several attacks, the soldiers and warriors have already measured the strength of Yanshi, and that strength is resilient. How strong.In the Jiang Defense Army, there are many brave soldiers who once attacked Yanshi. Every time they think about the situation at that time, they will shudder. People's hearts will always be a deep and indelible imprint. The wilderness in the autumn night is cold, and the sharp and cold westerly wind blows in bursts, piercing through their thin military uniforms, touching their skin; As the nose said, do you dream of breaking through the salt market and retreating northward to survive?Not only is it far away, but it is already tasteless!As long as they can not be intercepted and killed by the people, they will be lucky enough to escape back to their hometown. Even if they can survive like that, what else will they have in their hometown?The fields and houses collapsed, and the family members don't know what happened? !Regret, it's too late to regret, and it's not voluntary at all to be a soldier to eat food and work for Sun Chuanfang, either captured or locked up, I only regret that I was confused in the past, procrastinating the years, and not being able to get away earlier Difference. Gunshots in the northwest corner sounded like fried beans. Liu Tuan didn't know who to fight with?How can gunfire be so close? Militia in the swamp.One guessed: once the mustache brigade withdrew, didn't they come over like a tide? !You see, this time we can break through Yanshi, thousands of miles in the north, and it is also dominated by militias. We are determined to take a good step, ah, let us retreat into Shandong easily? !Don't have that kind of foreign dream! We were born to be fucking locusts!A guy sitting next to Tian Kaner complained about himself, and the ending trembled like a cry: a greedy mouth, an underfed belly, eating wherever he flew, and in the end, he died in a fiery pit. Don't talk about those things, old man, what's the point of talking about those heart-warming things now? Let's talk about tomorrow, and the other said: Where will we fight tomorrow? ! Over there is the fatal Yangqiaokou, where the horse team stumbled last time.One said: In Yanshi, the single-knife team is the most powerful. All of them are bare-armed, swinging the single-knife team wrapped in red cloth. Not so fierce. Walking in the depths of the night, many thin and dewy clothes turned into brittle and thin ice, but the bleak autumn night still temporarily sheltered them with kindness, allowing their fragile and trembling lives to vomit to each other in the quiet night. Tell each other, feel sorry for each other.One after another, under the faint starlight, in the dark smoke, there are only some tiny black dots like ants, deep thoughts, long-term memories, and some sporadic illusions of walking, stuffed in their hearts. heart.But each of their souls was restrained by an inexplicable evil force, like countless dust particles being blown by an irresistible gust of wind.And this last nightmare has been suspected by them for a long time! Many fragmentary whispers could not shake the slow atmosphere around them, and those voices seemed to be countless extremely weak fluorescent lights, flying around and groping for something in the night plain, always hoping to find something. Penetrate that kind of nightmarish nightmare and fly into the long-lost distant dream. Time passed, and everyone was frozen in the silence before the full-scale war. Although they talked about something at random, the ice in their hearts did not melt, and the cold still oppressed their breathing; Drum: the warm lingering sound that calms the world.A vicious nocturnal bird, flapping its wings rapidly, flew up from a cluster of poplar leaves that were broken and fell across the roadside, and landed in some hazy and protruding mounds in the distance. A tracer bullet hissed and made a hoarse chirping sound. It rose straight to the zenith, then turned around suddenly, swayed down and died.The night seemed particularly long, as if it could flow endlessly. However, the sky finally slowly turned bright. The autumn dawn shrouded in gray-blue smog was blurry and dim at the beginning, and the dim and trembling shimmer reflected from the light blue water-like sky, vaguely delineating the outlines of some objects, and those outlines gradually became clear Through the translucent floating smoke, it showed a frozen gray tone; some soldiers crouched on the high piles on the south bank of the old Yellow River, they could see the broken road leading directly to Yangqiaokou in Yanshi, the obstacle The full bridge deck and the huge iron frame of the bridge body meander on the waves like a network, and the high piles on the north bank walk across in front of you, like a gray-green colorful python, and the densely inserted deer village is its belly line. There are rough scales in the middle, and there are new piles of soil everywhere on the top of the pile. You can guess the deep trench dug by the guards, but it seems that there is no one, as if there is no one, and there is a dead smell. The morning light was getting brighter.The turbulent clouds spread their wings to the top of the zenith, blending the light blue in the morning with bright orange red. In the dark night, the wilderness that was once conceived by the soldiers as incomparably empty is almost full of tired and wilted people. These crowded and chaotic teams made the wilderness in front of Yanshi seem narrow. These crowds converged into a gray tide, flowing slowly. Some gathered in the shelter behind the mound, and some Creeping in ditches or depressions, some took out construction spades, slightly modified the natural terrain, and used natural features to cover themselves, and some horse teams kicked on the road like a skinned dead snake. On both sides of the road, there used to be a lot of trees, most of which were hastily cut down. Some broken trees with branches and leaves lay in the middle of the road. The bushes were trampled by the horses and ravaged by the team, and they were all in ruins. Some branches were split, and there were curled leaves around them. The team is scattered, it doesn't look like an attack, but a bustling migration. Thousands of peasants are caught in the middle of the team, leading mules and donkeys full of sundries, pushing They sat in handcarts with women and children, carrying the furniture, utensils and boxes brought by the defeated officers, and some temporarily bundled damask quilts, with the quilts facing outwards, stacked high on the car, and the colors were brightly colored. Dazzling, compared with the wilderness in front of you, it is not harmonious at all.Somewhere behind the line of fire, the train team shouted and cursed for the road, some covered mule carts were jammed between the necks of the road, and a few burdens with marching stoves were placed on the side of the road. Regardless of whether the official's wife looked at her or not, she squatted in the deserted field not far from the road and came out of Ye Gong. And the continuous team with a long distance of several miles is driving towards the north. Looking from a distance, it really looks like refugees fleeing the wilderness. That's when the attack started. This attack was ferocious and vicious. There was no established deployment, no obvious plan, and no clear command from anyone. From the very beginning, it was a full-scale shooting and pressing forward. The situation was like It was a famous actor from the Haijing Theater, and everyone gathered around the ticket booth to squeeze tickets in a mess. The bugle was whistling, and the gunfire was so dense that it didn't look like a gunshot, but a gust of gust of wind, shaking the entire field.In the consciousness of the Jiangfang Army, they thought that the Yanshi City could be brought down in an instant with this kind of steel fire, so every soldier with a gun could only shoot as hard as he could; shortly after the gunshot, the artillery team also started The cannon was fired, and some strange columns of smoke rose from the back of Yanshi, turning into gray smoke, white clouds, some curling pigeon feathers; some rolling green cotton balls. But after the Yanshi city was attacked, it was still as silent as ever, without a single sound.There was no screaming, no running in panic, not even returning the gun. Fang Sheng expected that the opponent would have such a start, but he had already planned in his heart that before the attacking soldiers forded the old Yellow River, they were not allowed to shoot on the front line. Now, he is personally leading a capable gun team, lying in the huge fort on the side of Yangqiaokou, waiting patiently.He knew that Yanshi was the first to bear the brunt of the storm and had to bear a heavy burden. Will the Northland be poisoned by the defeated soldiers again?It depends on the extent of the struggle in Yanshi.He also knew that Yanshi would eventually be crushed by the defeated Beiyang army, but the crossing old Yellow River blocked them, although they could choose a place to build a pontoon bridge and carry out forced crossing, and this was a good opportunity to wipe out the enemy. Judging from the swarming situation of the Jiangfang army in the open field in front of the battle, it can be judged that they have given up their long-standing nest in the county seat and rushed out, followed by Zhang Erhua's shoes who went to the county seat alone to plot to stab the nose, but there has been no news, maybe The assassination has already been missed, if Snub is dead, maybe there will not be the situation like today Zhang Erhuaxie, Wang Dagui and other brothers who are in danger. I am deeply concerned about the life and death of the brothers all the time, and this is not mourning and nostalgia. At this moment, the artillery fire of the Jiang Fang Army is digging up this unyielding land. The opponent's attempt was obvious. They wanted to use the force of their guns to suppress them, cross the Old Yellow River, and capture Gaodui on the north bank of the river in one fell swoop.Warm-hearted Fang Sheng is a man who knows how to fight. He has already seen this point, so he worked day and night. He built several deep trenches in the shelter behind the high pile, and gathered all the spare guns there. , ready to encircle and attack after the Beiyang Army has selected a crossing point, and wipe out the enemy at the water's edge. In case the Jiangfang soldiers had too many guns and piled them up high, he was ready to divide them into two teams. One team retreated east to Xiaoyan Village to strangle the hills and narrow valleys there, and the other team retreated west to the east of Fanjiapu. In response to the militiamen's response, the city streets of Yanshi were released, but the Yangqiao of Yanhe River was blown up. In the fire, he died with the enemy. As for the Yangqiao over the Old Yellow River, it was blown up by the Jiang Fang Army who was so embarrassed and turned into a dangerous bridge. This time, the Jiang Fang Army who is attacking from the front may follow the method used by their cavalry last time to dream of sweeping the bridge. The numerous obstacles laid out used this bridge as a springboard to attack, but they would not know that many barrels of black powder had been buried in the iron frame of the entire bridge body, and the fuses drawn from these powder barrels, Just lead into the mouth of this giant castle, as long as it is ignited to trigger it, the bridge deck will be blown up. Even though the deployment was thorough, the dead soldiers in Yanshi were still shocked when the Jiangfang Army fired all the guns. From the small crossing in the east to the large crossing in the west, a horseshoe-shaped semi-arc of guards was drawn, and the whole was covered under dense bullet nets. The fire streams of countless bullets were intertwined, screaming and jumping, Cleave the accumulated soil on the top of the trench, and at the same time raise dust like small yellow clouds. They are migratory locusts that eat all living things. The dense shooting holes, trying to suck the blood, some stray bullets jumped from the top of the bunker, reflected to the mid-air, making a dizzy, dizzy and dull sound that must slip and slip. These burning brass points, the red round monks (a kind of bullet, made of lead, with a round top, commonly known as the round monk.), the death cry and the ground-shaking gale are noisy enough Some of them are like beating clothes with a feather broom, making a muffled blunt sound, some are like wooden fish beating in the depths of a monastery late at night, empty, short and continuous, some soar into the sky, blindly whistling to the end, Some voices are like cracks at the beginning, but they become hoarse, with a strange and sharp cadence like a human voice, especially the ending sound that is on the verge of silence, as if squeezed out of a severed throat. The rest of the air is the same, bulu bulu, it makes people feel sick to hear it. The sound of the guns roared like a waterfall, cascading down the line of fire more than ten miles wide, and the sound of the guns occasionally overwhelmed the sound of the guns, releasing a rough thunder like the roar of a bull.Most of those shells landed on the outer edge of Yanshi’s city street, on the gentle slope full of shrubs. After each shell burst, a strange-shaped column of smoke surged up, like umbrellas with fluffy smoke, spinning and shaking. Buzzing, it suddenly spread out, and the silver-red fire feathers mixed with the wreath formed by the smoke, splashing out some cloud balls with many tentacles, which were shaken by the wind and expanded into some silky and feathery clouds. The clusters of smoke, milky white, gray-green, thick black or orange-yellow, calmly drift down in the wind, enveloping the tips of the bushes.It was shaking, and some black magic trees were being planted with dazzling flashes. The thick shadow of smoke that was about to devour people floated over, covering the heads of the dead soldiers hiding in the deep moat, forming a burst of expanding and rising clouds. Lavender clouds of gunpowder, and then the sound. Amidst the smell of sulfur and saltpeter and the smell of burning objects everywhere, the sound burst out, and the sound hit the invisible transparent atmosphere. The fluctuating atmosphere seemed to be a collapsed wall, hitting people's ear door all the way, as if Like a fierce lion's roar, an angry tiger's roar, a rough cow's cry, boom, boom, boom, boom, seems to penetrate people's ears into the bottom of people's hearts. The dead soldiers lay silently in the deep trenches, their mortal will trying to control the panic reaction of their bodies, they were a little dazed, but they didn't feel any danger or shock, because the hurricane caused by these steels could never conquer the land of silence Almost everyone of the dead guarding Yanshi has a long bloody memory behind them. In the memory, there are more tragedies than the artillery fire that is inflicted on them today, and today's artillery fire makes them remember The images in are reproduced one by one.This is the true face of the Beiyang army occupying the north for many years: billowing black smoke, a huge evil dragon with teeth and claws. Now, this wicked dragon is churning up the waves, making a dying struggle, using its claws and teeth, showing all its ferocity. The heavy fog made even the fresh morning dark and melancholy. The ground in every corner was trembling, and the furious clattering of gold and iron was eating away at the ruined ground, and the whirlwind was endless. The air was heavy, and the smoke and smog made people dizzy and stuffy. A large group of brave soldiers from the Jiangfang Army clamored to attack the southern end of Yangqiaokou; on both sides of the broken road full of holes, there were all figures crawling and leaping at times. They rushed over, Mr. Fang.一張臉從射口邊側轉來，朝窩心腿方勝叫說：他們正圖清除橋那邊的頭一道鹿砦！ 不用理會他！方勝說：讓他們衝上橋面再說，兩面關照下去，無須開槍。 在煙氣蒸騰的地堡的另一扇射口邊，窩心腿方勝蹲伏著，他穿著沾有泥汙的灰緞夾衫，衫襬斜對角掖起，攔腰勒著黑絲的絛帶，肩上斜背著彈袋，手裏端著馬槍，腰上還插著兩支匣槍和一把攮子，全身都迸著殺氣。他說話時，那條通向洋橋下火藥桶中的引線，正牽在他的面前。他知道無須浪擲槍彈，祗要對方移除障礙，湧上橋面，他們即將被炸成碎塊。 那些兵勇們可沒想到這些，他們拔除重重的鹿砦時沒見鹽市那邊響槍，膽子便大了起來。 他們以為鹽市的保衛團，業已被這一頓炮火轟擊得逃遁無蹤了，要不然，隔河的兩座磚堡和高堆兩側，絕不會迄無一絲動靜。他們像一群爭扛著食物的螞蟻，從掩蔽的凹處翻上來，湧集在橋面上，剪斷鐵網，把拒馬推落到河心去，灰色的潮水緊跟著湧流過來，那些脆弱顫動、遲滯得近乎麻木的兵勇們，發出一種原始的本能的殺喊聲，盲目的朝前湧彙，把半截洋橋全都塞滿了。 這當口，窩心腿方勝燃著了引線。 一陣惡魔般的狂吼陡然的爆發出來，聲浪隨著河波朝四方擴散，空洞巨大的回音有如平地迸發的沉雷；大地在這種巨音的搖撼中驚震著，扇形的黑雲像山一樣的湧起，泥沙、碎木、橋柱、翻滾的人體，都隨著這一片黑雲騰起，一些觸目驚心的紅色火柱筆直的上升，也就在這一剎之間，整座橋樑自行掀起，復又塌陷下去，閃電連接閃電，河兩岸的土地都被這一串閃光燦爛的覆蓋著，一剎之後，黑雲便被抖散成障人眼目的灰白的薄霧這一陣轟轟隆隆的猛力搖撼把數以百計的攻撲者撕成碎片，紛紛落進河中，也使他們利用這座危橋的夢想粉碎了。 但在鹽河下游，一大隊江防軍卻渡過河來，開始攻撲小渡口南的土崗和險峽的谷道了。在上游的兩處河彎處，他們也正在進行搶渡，仰攻高堆的中段那正是從前鐵扇子湯六刮退敵的老地方。 被煙塵和戰火隔著的太陽，也似乎失卻了光彩，了無生氣的照射在各處火線上，有一種微風，彷彿不斷的把罩住人頭頂的那一層稀薄迷離的煙霧推起，變成一些淡淡的無定局的流蕩的煙峰，直朝高空騰揚。 江防軍第一次搶渡，是在傍午的光景，他們利用從民間徵得的牛車，將車上載滿沙包，把它們從高坡上疾推到河心去，然後再用長木搭架簡陋的浮橋，有一些善泅泳的兵勇們紛紛趟水涉渡，有些抱著木板木塊漂渡，一剎時，幾里長的一段河面上，到處都是人潮，從這端到那端，捲起了山巒崩圮、人號獸吼的狂飆。 他們搶渡的正面上，仍然是由那尊氣勢虎虎的戰神鐵扇子湯六刮率隊據守著，湯六刮經過左一場右一場的血戰，變得更為憤怒，更為粗蠻了，他知道如今這一場火，才是雙方生死相搏的時刻，江防軍以及敗軍的人數十倍於鹽市上守衛的民團，以民團有限的人力和火力，實難阻得住這群狼奔豕突的殘軍。 咱們能打多少算多少。總得拚夠老本！ 他這樣的吼叫著。 既先存死拚到底的心，所以他就採用了以硬打硬的方式，把多尊紅衣子母炮布在上面的各座地堡裏，炮口壓低，直衝著河面，更在多層鹿角間，密布上土雷、陷阱，使攻撲者嘗嘗步步死亡的滋味。 攻撲的兵勇們一涉水登岸，就填進了死亡的陷阱，子母炮的轟擊，在近距離中所產生的威勢是夠驚人的，火和鐵砂的蓮蓬和令人塞息的熱霧，在單調的癲狂中迎頭潑過來，使人肉顫的哀嚎聲在迴蕩中復被另一陣土雷暴吼切斷，殘碎的肢體和砂石齊飛，在煙塵之上打著盤旋 桃紅色的火樹是一些地獄的幻景，火光裏勾描出的奇異景象也是一些混亂的幻圖，一些進退維谷的生物在死亡的巨齒中掙扎著，一排鹿砦被雷火拔起，翻滾著拋進河心，有一些起火燃燒起來，紅毒毒的火齒咬住一群亂蹦亂跳的兵勇，他們掙扎在鹿砦展布的斜坡上，正像某些圖景裏掙扎在刀山上的鬼靈。 一個被雷火拋起的殘屍盤旋著，落在鹿砦上的尖牙上，屍身整個被鹿砦洞穿，另一個被子母炮的鐵砂擊中，渾身都是火焰，順著斜坡朝著下滾，嗷嗷的慘號高過槍炮的聲音。大群的屍首橫七豎八的躺在那兒，而銳嘯的槍彈仍不時切割著他們，改變他們死時的姿式，被轟成黑炭的，被壓成肉餅的，被劈成兩片，被炸成腑臟飛迸的碎塊的，或者天靈蓋被掀掉後腦漿塗染胸背的全成為初度攻撲的祭品。 鐵扇子湯六刮仍然豁光了上衣，精赤著胳膊，在子母炮發射後餘煙未盡，餘熱猶存的地堡中，掄著清掃炮膛的木棒，在替子母炮清膛。 裝藥快些兒裝！他喊說：龜孫們又爬過來了放排槍阻住他們！ 攻撲就有這麼慘烈法兒，前面一批，十有八九橫屍陣前了，少數倖存的傢伙還沒來得及後撤，河南岸又有千百人像被趕鴨子下河似的趕了過來，在屍堆中向前爬過去，沒等子母炮裝藥裝妥，一部份攻撲的兵勇便已經撲到了堆頂。 雙方就在滾滾煙塵中膠著上了。 槍彈的尖嘯聲在這一角空間沉寂下來，震天的殺喊又復在堆脊上、深壕中、地堡口各處騰揚了。在雙方機械的白刃搏殺中，鐵扇子湯六刮像一陣旋風似的滾殺出來，他掄著一把刀身略闊的單刀，風車樣的疾揮著，砍殺那些撲來的兵勇，刀砍腳踢，所向披靡。 那些穿過一度死亡衝上堆脊的北洋軍，在一絲殘存的清醒意識裏，全以為一衝上堆脊便可以佔住這條高堆，誰知堆脊上搏殺得更為激烈，民團是以逸待勞，白刃相搏時，身手遠較北洋兵勇們矯健，士氣也比對方高昂，有許多都經過湯六刮親自指點，砍劈得可圈可點，由於衝上高堆的人數不多，很快就被民團圍吞掉了，跟著又上來了一批，正好遇上湯六刮這麼一位凶神。 在那些兵勇們的眼中，湯六刮真是個活煞神，七尺來高的個頭兒，碗粗的巨臂，胸毛黑毿毿的，渾身肉球滾凸著，六個人，六把刺刀一齊伸向他，吃他掄刀一蕩就蕩得人仰馬翻，緊跟著刀花一抖，兩個立時被他一刀砍翻，另一個被他一腳踢得飛有六七尺高，不等那人落地，他一掄刀，那人就在半空被他活劈成兩個半邊。 不怕死的就拿命來！他闊闊的怪吼著：我湯六刮全領著！ 他在煙塵激盪中屹立在高堆上，威風凜凜的殺氣滿身，他的渾身濺迸著鮮血、硝灰和沙土，他的腳下全是攻撲者殘破的屍首。 由於他這樣的捨命奮搏，使一度瀕危的高堆，暫時穩定了下來。但在東面的小渡口附近，由於江防軍順利渡河，大量的湧集，卻使小蠍兒率領的馬隊，陷入更艱難的苦戰。 小蠍兒所率的這撥人，全都是跟隨朱四判官踩黑道的人物，他們習慣在黑夜裏行動，突然竄擊，突然消匿，但他們從沒有白晝臨陣，死守溝壕的經驗，他們跟隨四判官多年，卻沒見過北洋軍攻撲這般浩大的陣勢；他們有勇氣，有膽力，有智機，但卻缺乏彼此間的協同，在固守陣地時，這種弱點就暴露出來，小蠍兒無法調撥他們，號令他們，所以一開始就打上了濫仗。 渡過老黃河轉朝西湧的江防軍，有小鬍子旅一個旅，加上敗軍混編的一個團，他們以小鹽莊前的圓頂丘陵為目標，以半疏散的態勢分路撲進，槍炮的火力密聚在丘頂上，使那一帶的丘陵上空，蕩起陣陣黃雲，小蠍兒手下的人，分成為馬、步兩隊；步隊扼守著那一帶迤邐的丘陵地帶，一直到小鹽莊為止，馬隊多聚在最北面的那條狹谷裏，他們難以忍受那種激烈的長時期的槍炮火力的制壓，難以忍受固守一地等待敵軍來襲的躁悶，所以沒等到江防軍逼近丘陵，他們的馬隊就從凹道中馳出，斜刺裏插進對方的側腹，去作一場自殺式的衝鋒。 按照常理來說，少數馬隊在綿延數里的敵群中所作的側面衝擊，尤其是白晝衝擊，效果是微弱的，而損失將會是慘重的；在白晝的戰場上，無法欺敵，更少能造成神秘、恐怖的色彩，去搖撼敵方的心理，馬群出動，反而暴露了本身的實力。 正因為常理如此，所以當小蠍兒手下的馬隊掃入敵陣時，眾多的兵勇都對民團的潑辣和大膽感到意外的震驚，他們慌忙錯亂的伏身閃避，舉槍亂射，但潑風般的馬蹄已經踩過去了，那些磕馬飛竄的死士們搖著馬刀，逕朝人群蝟集的地方闖過去，愈是這樣不要命的蠻衝，江防軍愈是張皇失措，他們開槍亂射，殺傷的不是旋風般的馬隊，卻都是自己人。這樣一來，馬隊首次衝擊，造成了一部份猛銳突襲的效果，但當它們退入另一條谷道時，損失了將近三十個弟兄。 匿伏在丘陵中的小蠍兒看得很清楚，在一片闊野上面，江防軍像大陣的蟻群，朝前蠕動著，到處都是人影，到處都是車輛捲起的塵霧，連綿到遠天的林叢中去，窩心腿方勝曾一再叮囑他，與這樣眾多的敵軍對陣，切忌心浮氣躁，唯有沉著固守，因為這一回江防軍傾巢出動，志在奪路北遁，一切攻撲舉措，絕非是一時的。馬隊和步隊，是自己手上捏著的兩張僅有的牌，必得謹慎使用，應付日夜反覆的攻撲方守得住鹽市上的要地小鹽莊，假如馬隊仍像這樣貪求陣前力拚，恐怕熬不到天黑，這些弟兄就會死傷殆盡了。 但在眼前半原始的血戰中，他實在沒有制衡全局的力量，馬隊又從谷道中劃一道斜弧，吶喊著奔殺過去，這一回，敵軍已經警覺了，機關炮激起點點沙煙，在奔馳的馬群前後揚起，中彈的馬匹在奔騰中忽然顛躓，失蹄般的摔倒下去，摔馬的弟兄還不及滾身站起，便被密密的彈雨射中，陳屍陣前了。這一次奔襲並沒能深入敵軍，那些馬隊因當面的敵火太猛，便撥轉馬頭，在敵軍陣前朝北橫掠過去，敵方的機關炮移動著槍口掃射，把他們當成了活靶。 馬隊的兩番衝擊，並不能阻遏江防軍的大舉攻撲，日頭一打斜，激烈的攻撲戰便已在各條谷道口附近展開了。由於馬隊在北面所使的壓力，使敵軍的攻撲重心略向南移，他們的主力放開了那一帶丘陵，正指在珍爺所率隊防守的地方。 無論從哪方面看來，這都是鹽市在防禦部署上最弱的一環，珍爺防守的這一段地方，在小鹽莊之南，護住小鹽莊的丘陵順勢斜走，到這兒已變成一片平陽，唯一的險要就是一道彎曲的大溝泓以及兩座亂塚堆，珍爺所率的幾百人槍，就依著這些亂塚堆佈防，鎖住這條溝泓，這段地方並不太寬，正面不過半里的樣子，但它卻是鹽市防務的軟腹，最經不住打擊的軟腹。 而小鬍子旅攻撲的矛頭，恰巧指向了這塊地方。 當小蠍兒的步隊憑險力抗時，珍爺的防線已被洶湧而來的灰色人潮壓碎，孤立成兩塊頑石似的半馬蹄形的據點；這兩個築於亂塚間的據點，好像挺立在一道激流中的兩塊峭石，激起一些泡沫怒騰的水花，卻不能擋住敵軍的突入。 靠北邊的一座亂塚堆，由大狗熊率領著一部份人槍扼守著，不論他是如何的驍勇善戰，防線一經敵軍突破，他就無能為力了。事實上，那條寬闊的溝泓也無法阻住敵方，他們在狹處併長木為跳板，很容易的湧過泓西來，使用少數人槍包圍了兩座亂塚，其餘的便紛紛湧向鹽市的市街，天黑後不久，市街便陷落了。 市街的陷落對於江防軍來說並無顯著的好處，因為鹽市外圍的各道防線，各處據點，都仍在民團的掌握之中，珍爺防線上的這個狹小的缺口，幾個時辰之內流進去約有一團人，這些人一突破防線，就不再有絲毫戀戰之心，並不回頭夾擊，一窩蜂的爭著湧向市街去，希望大肆捲劫一番，然後逃命，這樣，反而削弱了火線上的攻撲力量。 那些雜亂的突入鹽市的兵勇們一撲進市街，才發現那裏是一座空城，並沒有幻想中的財寶金銀，也沒有酒食美女，卻有一些要命的狙擊手，匿在瓦面上放冷槍，而在各鹽棧、各碼頭、橋船口、大王廟各地，仍有民軍死死扼守著，他們這才發覺，所謂突破，不過是一頭鑽進另一個死窟窿罷了。 兩軍作戰，不在乎各方的人數多寡，突入市街的江防軍人數雖多，但在奔突中失去了建制，加上地形不熟悉，天色又黑了下來，一進市街，且聽滿耳槍聲，也不知誰在打誰？ !也不辨方向？ !祗是東奔西跑，盲目放槍而已，這一來，他們就越打越迷糊，甚至窩裏人打窩裏人，哪還談得上發揮戰力？ ! 這時刻，戴老爺子得以從容炸毀北面的洋橋。 在黑夜裏，亂兵湧突的市街也起了大火，燭天的火光引起了更大的混亂。從小渡口到大渡口，這一塊土地被反覆的蹂躪著，尖嘯的子彈將它毀裂，擁起，掏空，琉磺烈火將它燒黑，灰化，弄得面目全非，光弧在沉黑中流舞，像無定風中的飛螢，殺喊聲滿塞在這裏那裏的大氣中，互相糾結，互相激盪。 每一個民團扼守的據點，都被蠶蝕著。 夥計們，鹽市業已被踹開來啦！ 早點兒進去發財罷。頭水清，二水渾，三水四水黑醬油越到後尾越撈不著油水 能留條命就夠了，還想什麼糊塗心思？ ! 殺喲，殺啊！ 而這些嘈嚷，都逐次的分別被彈嘯敉平了，鐵與火才是這塊地上的君主，它們征服了某些貪婪的冀求和欲望在每一個一剎之間。 無論是哪道壕溝，哪座地堡中，民團的處境都夠艱難的，慘烈的實際景象雖被黑夜裹住，不在人們的眼瞳裏，但那些景象卻在人們的心裏陳顯著；以窩心腿方勝那樣穩沉縝密，而情況的發展，也遠遠超出了他的料想，守衛的民團，人槍實力和對方相比顯然萬分薄弱，當敵軍潮湧而來之際，除了以槍火卻敵外，別無它法可行，儘管每支槍的槍管都打得透紅，每個地堡前伏屍累累，而人潮還是湧過去了。 所有民團的防線，在黑夜來臨後都被洶湧的人潮切斷，變成一些孤嶼，彼此之間失卻連繫，也無法再行連繫，這一來，使方勝原有的打算都成為泡影。 既到了這步田地，祗有盡力而為罷！ 洋橋口兩側的那兩座巨堡，正是江防軍攻撲的重心，他們一意要吞噬掉那兩隻把門的獅獸，好朝鹽市的市區暢湧；他們圍攻那兩座巨大的磚堡，像一窩蝟聚在柳斗上的蜜蜂，從射口朝外望，黑幢幢全是人影，被槍彈洞穿的人體堆布在河灘上、溝壕裏、鹿砦上、鐵網邊，大都難分是死的還是活的了，有一些竟從堡頂上翻越過去，更有一些死屍疊在一起封住了射口，得用槍托把他們搗開。 巨堡裏邊也夠慘的，窩心腿方勝扼守的那座堡子，堡門已被攻撲者的屍體封住，汩汩的鮮血從門縫間朝裏流溢，入夜後堡裏沒有燈火，一片漆黑，全靠槍枝發射時青綠色的幻光和從射口間流進來的時明時暗的火光，依稀照出週遭的慘景；差不多有一半以上的弟兄非死即傷，死屍都被拖到堡壁一隅去疊著，傷者忍著呻吟，自行撕下衫子裹創，有的已經兩度中彈，仍然守住射口朝外放槍，有的帶了致命的重傷，靜躺在血泊中等著嚥氣。 射口外的不斷攻撲，使每個活著的弟兄無暇他顧，戰鬥就在血泊中，在半麻木的狀態中進行，硝煙的氣味，霉濕的氣味，腥甜的血味在堡中沉澱著，生命在刀口上掙扎，無盡的病苦的禪續，在折磨著死士們瀝血的靈魂 一陣劇烈的攻撲過後，幾個重傷的弟兄們叫喚著。 方爺保重，咱們不行了！ 補我一槍罷，方爺一個微弱的、斷續的，顯然是一面吐話一面咯血的聲音，在他身邊不遠處響著，還沒等他回答，那聲音便寂然了。He is dead. 窩心腿方勝朝槍膛裏裝填著子彈。 挺著，兄弟們，我還活著呢！ 當洋橋口兩側還在方勝的堅守中的時刻，鐵扇子湯六刮卻陣亡了。他過份的勇猛殺敵，一時忘卻了自己的血肉組成的身體，他陣亡時渾身遍是傷痕湯六刮雖然浴血死去，但那條血染的高堆仍在進行著白刃爭奪，雙方都是一些血人，一簇一簇，一團一團的使用槍托和刺刀互撲，殺喊聲徹夜不停，到後來，人聲都變成瘋狂的獸吼。 在珍爺扼守的那座荒塚陣地上，遭遇最為淒慘，小鬍子旅的大部份都從他防守的正面突進，珍爺所率的兩百來桿槍，一開始就大受損傷，入夜後，江防軍的馬隊跟著捲襲，那陣地上的民團整個覆沒了，野蠻的江防軍為了洩憤，使馬刀亂砍那些橫倒陣內的人屍。 但在另一座荒塚陣地上，大狗熊仍在死守著，雖然他左右祗落下廿八桿槍，但他卻越戰越有精神。 慢慢放，甭慌張，他跟他左右的弟兄說：一槍一個，瞄準了放。甭學娃兒沒眼，見血就喊！咱們弟兄，個個都死得夠本了！你們沒見溝泓裏全壘著死屍？ !咱們死了，該在閻王殿上坐，雜種們死了還得下地獄眼兒，怕啥？ ! 咱們人槍太少，阻不住他們。一個弟兄說：市裏的大街起火了，方爺跟湯爺他們不知怎樣了？ 管不得那麼多，大狗熊說：北面的洋橋已被戴老爺子炸掉了，他們衝進市區去，正合上那句老話飛蛾投火罷了。何況沙窩子那邊，早有民軍布陣，他們過得了頭關過不得二關，衝殺到末尾，還不是死路一條？ ! 正由於珍爺扼守的那座荒塚陣地的覆沒，使後續的江防軍可以循著那個缺口湧進，才使得大狗熊領著的廿八桿槍能守住他們的地堡，因為那些北洋兵勇之所以拚命攻撲，祗是企圖奪路，一旦有了進路，他們哪還顧得開火，在這種情形下，大狗熊他們落得打偏火用他們的槍，像瞄兔似的打一個算一個，打一雙算一雙。 每一波江防軍湧過那個缺口時，都有些兵勇被側面射來的槍火擺平。 在所有鹽市的各處防地上，損失得最輕微的仍是小蠍兒據守的小鹽莊，和小渡口一側的丘陵，那一帶地形複雜，地勢高亢險峻，敵軍白晝幾番攻撲不下，都把重心南移，一旦在珍爺的陣地上造成缺口後，小渡口那一帶的壓力頓然消失，各條谷道，也都在完固的封鎖之中。 混戰仍在持續著，又經過一個更次，江防軍的本身卻在混亂中起了變化。 先湧進鹽市的上千兵勇，沒搶得一絲財物，也沒能北渡鹽河，在黑暗裏和市街上守衛的民團發生槍戰，頗有損傷，大街的大火是民團有計劃施放的，大火一起，逼使那些湧進鹽市的兵勇不得不倉皇退出市區，那時天色已經落黑，混亂中敵我難分，後湧進來的江防軍，誤把當面退出市街的江防軍當成鹽市的援軍，昏天黑地的互戰起來，最後從高堆上湧來的兵勇不知哪個方向是敵？哪個方向是友？竟也隔著荷花汪開火兩面都打。 還沒有湧進鹽市的兵勇以為鹽市來了生力軍的也有，以為鹽市已經陷落的也有，他們放棄了朝向大火的攻撲，繞還朝西，和大渡口的劉團匯合去了。 但在縣城的江防軍師部裏面，所得的報告卻是：我軍整日猛攻，業已攻佔鹽市，現正肅清殘敵中依照參謀長的意思，是等到天亮之後，待火線上的戰況澄清時，師部再行北移，但塌鼻子師長不以為然，他主張趁夜行動，早一點北遁。 我早知道，憑鹽市那股人，是成不了氣候的。他自鳴得意的說。 江防軍傾巢出動攻撲鹽市那夜，張二花鞋在連陞客棧裏就整夜未曾闔眼，掐指計算起來，自己獨赴縣城謀刺塌鼻子師長，已經有不少時日了。對於謀刺這宗事情，自己是日夜籌思，耿耿在懷，不能算不用心機，但凡平素塌鼻子常到的地方，自己都想盡方法混跡其間，冀求能夠得手，但總是一撲一個空，連對方的影子也沒見著。 塌鼻子這隻狡狐，竟然活著發動全軍，對鹽市這座孤城施行猛撲了，如今自己祗有最後一線機會使他授首了！如何把握這一線機會，實在是太重要太棘手的難題，他背著手，徹夜在室中踱步苦思著。 臥室外面，徹夜不眠的人更多，吵吵嚷嚷的整夜不停，那些過氣的官兒們為了打點逃命，差了跟班的馬弁和護勇出去亂抓伕。抓了好些手車、牲口、擔子，擠滿了一院子，上上下下，螞蟻搬家似的搬運箱籠，準備在江防軍撲開鹽市時，跟隨塌鼻子一道兒北遁。 毛病出在家私太多，民伕太少上。張團長的馬弁跟李團長的護兵就潑婦罵街似的爭吵起來，兩個團長揉著眼，趿著鞋，彼此都死要面子，互相客氣，而兩位團長太太卻針尖對麥芒，一個話裏帶刺，一個反唇相譏，竟自演起鐵公雞來，就在樓梯上大打出手，天津腔對上揚州調，不知是在哭？還是在唱唱？ ! 偏生這臺鬧劇，就在張二花鞋的房間外面上演著。 就是你這騷貨要逃命？我的命就不是命咯？ !你有五掛車，三匹騾子，還不知足，連我們的一付筐籮一頭小驢也要爭，你不是要驢，你是愛上了驢屌！ 你這張屄嘴會罵人，老娘就撕豁了你的！ 小賣屄的，你打人？你竟打人？一個尖聲尖氣的喊著，兩下裏就撕扭起來了。女人打架，不外是撕扭擰捏抓咬哭罵，弄得木製的樓梯乒乒砰砰像擂鼓助威似的響個不歇。 雙方的太太一幹了架，兩邊的馬弁不好拉，祗好由兩個作先生的過氣團長自己處理。兩個團長被阻在樓梯口，想拉架也上不去，又不敢責難自己家的母大蟲，祗好互相哀懇著對方的太太消消氣，手下留情。而兩個太太原指望做先生的幫打的，誰知自己的先生白背著武裝帶兒，竟都是軟骨蟲，祗懂得向對方哀求。 愈打火氣愈大，一個罵說：你這沒脊梁蓋兒的，還有臉站在那兒看架嗎？騷屄她撕掉我的褲子，你還在求她？ !另一個也罵說：你這個天殺的賊，你這種德性竟能當上北洋的團長？ !無怪你那些蝦兵蟹將望見北伐軍的影子就拔腿跑光，你連一個老婆都護不得呀？ ! 張兄，張兄，您開門出來勸勸罷，其中一位做先生的說：火線上正在開戰，她們竟有心腸為爭民伕運東西打架？命能不能逃得出，還在未定之天，何況那些身外之物。 張二花鞋正在滿腔鬱憤之中，哪還受得這些蠢物的吵嚷。開門出來後，就見兩個太太打在一團，一個上身衣裳全被撕成碎布條兒掛在肩上，兜肚兒也叫扯脫了，