Nan'an County Fights

In the Staff Office of the Fuzhou Guardian Governor's Office, Li Houji was listening to the report from the front line. Even though Tong'an fell, all the troops of the two brigades were left in the hands of the Guangdong army, he could still calm down. The battle between Tong'an was so hot that he never expected that the Guangdong army's combat efficiency was so fast that he could only blame his subordinates for not being able to do so.

Fortunately, the Fujian First Division was finally ready and just drove to Quanzhou to prepare defense two days ago.

The First Division was the direct troops he brought from the third town of Beiyang in the past. He has been meticulously operating over the years and has already undergone great expansion and development. If the Guangdong Army had not come in full force, he would have been reluctant to use his efforts. Unfortunately, there were too many local troops, and if they did not take action at critical moments, there would be no chance.

The Quanpu defense line was his response and defense by carefully observing the offensive route of the Guangdong Army. Obviously, the Guangdong Army did not care about the territory of northern Fujian, and was determined to quickly capture Fuzhou and control the dominant position of the Fujian battlefield. Therefore, the Guangdong Army would only choose the shortest coastal route along the way to seek a quick battle.

Since the enemy is pursuing efficiency, his way of dealing with it is to prevent the enemy from getting what he wants. All defenses are based on delays as the main idea, and transform all available terrain into position defense lines. Drag inch by foot, and drag by one soldier by one, until the Guangdong army cannot capture it for a long time and is irritable. At that time, reinforcements from Jiangsu and Zhejiang will arrive, and a battle will be enough to save all the counter-trends.

The First Brigade and Second Brigade of the Fujian Army were troops that Li Houji had finally prepared. Although it was not as hard-earned as the First Division, it was hard-won more than 7,000 troops. But even so, he could still make up his mind to give up and simply used these two brigades to feed the Guangdong army first, leaving the time he had acquired for the Quanpu defense line to make sufficient preparations.

After listening to the report, Li Houji slowly stood up and said to himself: "Tong'an will be lost, and Quanzhou will start a war soon. I really didn't expect that the three regiments, coupled with this harsh typhoon, could not stop the Guangdong army! It's respectable and awesome, and even more terrifying!"

He had thought that Tong'an would last until early September, especially in the sudden typhoon, and he would be more confident in his predictions. But he didn't know if it was a miscalculation. The Guangdong Army's offensive ability was too strong.

Although the situation of the war was not good for him, he did not have any excessive emotional fluctuations. Now he is over forty years and has been observing military orders conscientiously over the years, but he has already seen through the warlord civil war deep in his heart. Yao was very happy when he followed Li Zhongtang to travel to the great powers and seeking a way to enrich the country and strengthen the army. Now Li Zhongtang is no longer there, and the Qing Empire is no longer there. He still has no achievements in the unpredictable turmoil of the Republic of China, and has to sigh.

At this time, an attendant came from outside the hall and reported: "General, Commander Du of the Navy has arrived."

Lee Houji nodded slowly and ordered: "Please come in."

The attendant retreated, and soon Du Xigui, wearing a straight-up Rear Admiral's gown, strode in.

Lee Houji turned around and took two steps, with a calm face and said seriously: "Commander Du, today we are here to report the ship's failure. Can't we set sail?"

Although it was a sarcastic sentence, there was no other meaning in his tone except dullness, as if Lee Houji had already become numb.

The Fuzhou Navy received an order in early August to prepare for the war, and there was no movement until the fall of Xiamen. The Fujian Navy was really unwilling to fight head-on with the Guangdong Navy, not to mention that the defeat of Xiamen Island left the warships in Fuzhou with no place to settle down, so they could only drag it back and forth. A while ago, there was another typhoon in the Quanxia Sea, and even if they were willing to launch an attack, they would be helpless.

Du Xigui sighed slightly, his face a little embarrassed, but he soon returned to calm and said, "General Li, this time I came to inform that the typhoon in the Quanxia Sea has moved south, and the sea storm has eased a lot. The Fuzhou fleet is waiting for orders to go to the front line at any time."

Lee Houji was not happy or angry and said, "Commander Du, you finally made up your mind."

Du Xigui pursed his lips, not knowing what to say, so he had to say nothing.

Li Houji sighed, took two steps slowly with his hands in his arms, and said with emotion: "Commander Du, I, Mr. Li, have been urging you with orders, but in my conscience, have I never forced you, otherwise my navy will delay you for a month? Alas, I know that it is not easy for your navy. At least five of the ten naval officers in Guangdong were former classmates, so it is not easy to do this."

Du Xigui was a little surprised. He didn't expect Li Houji to suddenly say this. He looked heavy and sighed: "It turns out that General Li understands it. It's really sad. Our naval men cannot defend their country. If they avenge their previous shame, they will still kill each other. This kind of thing is really difficult. I believe General Li knows the matter in Xiamen. Although the Guangdong Navy entered Zhangzhou Bay, it was also unsuccessful because everyone had the same bloodline."

Li Houji smiled bitterly, and after a while, he said, "Commander Du, I don't understand this principle. I, Li, are also Chinese. But it is difficult to violate military orders. We must give an explanation in our hearts. No matter how confused the president is, he is still the president, and no matter how Wu Shaoting from Guangdong pays attention to justice, he is still a warlord. If you can do justice on your lips, you can do it at will, then when will China be unified? When will it be prosperous and strong? Commander Du, we cannot stand in the wrong position!"

Du Xigui nodded deeply in agreement, raised his chest and said solemnly: "As long as General Li has an order, the Navy can set off at any time."

One day later, the Quanzhou Battle officially began.

The remnants of the escaped 1st and 2nd Brigade of the Fujian Army were incorporated into the reserve team of the 9th Regiment of the Fujian Army. Together with the 1st Division of the Fujian Army, set up a defense line along the ***, focusing on position defense near the inland, and deliberately opening up the coastal counties of Shishi, Fengze and Licheng. The main battlefield was chosen in Luojiang County, and the main forces of the Fujian Army's First Division were all gathered here.

Li Houji planned to block the Guangdong Army on the front battlefield with the elite Fujian army, and use the Ninth Regiment and Quanzhou local army to form an airtight defense line on the flank positions, forcing the Guangdong Army to only travel to Shishi, Fengze and Licheng. Once the Guangdong Army is exposed to the coastal areas, the battleships of the Fuzhou fleet will hit the head-on and will clench them all the way.

The key to this battle is how long can the Guangdong army be blocked on the front battlefield of Luojiang County? The longer it is blocked, the heavier the losses of the Guangdong army.

Li Houji was very confident in this battle. After all, the intervention of the Fuzhou fleet provided considerable firepower assistance. Whether it was flanking bombardment or support from the front battlefield of Luojiang County, he could take the initiative.

The vanguard of the Guangdong Army was a battalion of the Eighth Regiment. It had received a message from the intelligence department earlier and knew that the Fuzhou fleet had arrived in the Quanzhou waters, so it did not rashly attack the ***, but launched a strong attack on Nan'an inland.

Deep ditches and walls have been built here in Nan'an. The entire army of the Ninth Regiment of the Fujian Army held its position, and there was fire support from the First Division artillery Battalion behind it. The Guangdong army launched an attack from five in the morning and fought until noon before barely occupying a small town in the western suburbs.

The regiment commander Xu Haiying was very depressed. The Guangdong army was in a state of unstoppable combat a few days ago. The enemy was like tofu in his eyes. Unexpectedly, he encountered a hard nail today.

In the temporary command post of the regiment headquarters, Xu Haiying anxiously waited for the frontline report. There was a loud sound of gunfire in the east intercity. He didn't know if he had broken through the city gate. He paced back and forth in the command post, and his face became more gloomy every time he was a little bit darker. This time, the task he took the lead was to volunteer. If he couldn't achieve good results, his face would be completely finished.

A few minutes later, the front line sent a correspondent soldier back to the command post. When the person came in, he was covered in blood, which showed that the front line was not relaxed.
Chapter completed!