1890 King of Southeast Asia

On the front line of Birejik, Li Yunfei sat carefree in the headquarters of the 509th Regiment, playing with a Turkish scimitar inlaid with dozens of gems.

This scimitar is a ceremonial weapon commonly used by Turkish nobles. At the same time, it was also the main weapon used by the Turks to conquer West Asia and Europe in history. It is not cheap at present, even if it is a knife with no history.

After all, even if it is a new knife, as long as it is a genuine knife of the nobles, the workmanship of the blade and the red and blue sapphires inlaid on the handle and scabbard are worth a lot of money, at least hundreds or thousands of dollars.

"This knife was seized by the 6th and 1st Regiment from a division commander. I heard that he was the heir of a marquis. The 6th and 1st Regiment surrendered as soon as they went up."

"But the commander of the 2nd Division was furious. He said that the 2nd Division was the main attacker and did all the dirty work. Our 14th Division got a great bargain and took down the enemy division headquarters."

"Look at this ruby. Tsk! It's as big as my thumb nail, but the color is not pure enough. Otherwise, I'm afraid this ruby ​​alone would be worth tens of thousands of yuan."

The more Li Yunfei boasted, the more angry Guo Liang, who was sitting opposite him, was.

Some time ago, the 6th and 1st Regiment was supposed to replace the 5th and 9th Regiment to defend the front line, but it was about to be transferred. The 22nd Division was going to launch a wave of assaults and asked the 14th Division to help cover the rear.

The only intact army in the 14th Division was the 6th and 1st Regiment, which was the reserve of the 14th Division.

Hearing the plan of the 2nd Division, Li Yunfei was willing to do it. Defense can never be just defense, unless it is completely surrounded.

Only by attacking from time to time can we put pressure on the enemy in front of us, so that they dare not disperse their forces too much and make some small moves.

And the 2nd Division dispatched two regiments to attack the enemy in the north, and the 14th Division dispatched another regiment, and the total number of people added up was equivalent to one Ottoman division.

In terms of firepower, the firepower of the three regiments has exceeded the firepower of the two Ottoman divisions, and it is still the firepower of the division crossing the river lightly, and the logistics are even more incomparable.

The 6th Regiment of the 14th Division set out from the east side of the 6th Regiment's position. After a mess, it rushed towards the Ottoman crossing on the Euphrates River. The two regiments of the 2nd Division relied on mobility and superior firepower to continuously intersperse and divide back and forth.

In this way, the two Ottoman divisions only lasted for two days, and finally collapsed and began to retreat. However, at this time, the crossing had been occupied by the 6th Regiment.

Among the first group of people who retreated were two Ottoman division commanders, who hoped to recapture the crossing and then retreat to the west bank.

Just as they were struggling to attack the crossing, a battalion of the 6th and 1st Regiment had already ambushed the north of the crossing and went around to the rear to attack from both sides. The startled Ottomans were defeated in one blow.

One of the two division commanders was shot into a sieve by a shotgun, and the other knelt on the spot and raised his hands to surrender, faster than the French.

The division commanders surrendered.

Because of the shortage of manpower, there were not enough people to hold back the fleeing soldiers in this battle, so the number of prisoners was not large, just over 10,000, of which more than 2,000 were wounded, and more than 1,000 were killed.

The Chinese army participating in the attack did not suffer many casualties. The total casualties of the three regiments were more than 1,000, of which more than 600 were slightly injured and could return to the battlefield within half a month. If they continued to fight on the spot, the impact would not be great.

For example, if you are sprained, fall, hit your head, or get scratched by a stray bullet, these injuries have an impact, but not a big one. If you don't go to the hospital to treat it yourself, you will have to stay for a few days or even half a month.

If you don't go to the hospital to treat it yourself, you will recover in a few days or half a month if you are lucky. If you are unlucky, the wound will get worse and infected, or you will fall seriously but you don't feel it on the spot, and you don't go to the hospital afterwards, then it will be troublesome.

The attacking troops are happy. After the offensive battle, they are resting in a warm and comfortable house.

And what about the 5+9th Regiment? It hasn't rested for a month.

"Division Commander, please stop touching these things. These things are big items. They are registered and recorded. They will be put into the warehouse and counted when the time comes. Don't let that stone knock them off."

Guo Liang looked at Li Yunfei who was playing with a knife with a bad temper.

He was angry.

If the 6+1st Regiment replaced the 5+9th Regiment, then they would get the offensive mission, and they wouldn't have to stay in this damp and dark trench for a month.

This is not a war! Isn't this playing whack-a-mole?

"Guo Zi, I know you are angry~"

"But didn't we agree? I give you supplies, you stay here and defend, you also agreed!"

"I didn't lack you for supplies. On the contrary, the situation has been tight recently, and I will squeeze out the supplies from the transport every time to supplement your regiment."

Li Yunfei came today to deal with this matter.

He is the superior, and his orders must be carried out by the 5th plus 9th Regiment. Unless there is a very outrageous mistake, the 5th plus 9th Regiment can report to the army headquarters or the army headquarters.

But in the final analysis, people are not machines. The people of the 5th plus 9th Regiment have been in the trenches for so long, and it is still winter. The Ottomans still launch an attack from time to time. The soldiers of the 5th plus 9th Regiment must be prepared for defense and fighting at all times, and they will always be tired.

Moreover, this is still the main attack direction of the Ottomans. A large number of shells fall every day. Unlike the previous northern and southern defense lines, the Ottomans will only fire a few shots at the firepower points before the attack.

As the battle went on, the Ottomans made great progress. Now they have learned a simplified version of the barrage attack.

Before the battle began, the Ottomans carried out artillery preparations, which took varying lengths of time, but they were certain to occur.

When the bombardment was over, the landing troops had been sent ashore, and even the boats had begun to return. When the bombardment was over, the 5th and 9th Regiment began to counterattack, and they had already reached the river bank.

However, the Ottomans' individual combat firepower was too weak, and the squad tactics were relatively old. The continuous fighting and huge casualties made the soldiers' morale not very good, and they failed to break through.

After the 5th and 9th Regiment got used to this combat intensity, the casualties were much smaller than the previous combat mode.

However, this situation will soon end.

"I applied for a commendation from the military department, and the military department has reported it to the group army headquarters. Commander Zheng has agreed to award the 5th and 9th Regiment a collective honor medal, red shoulder straps, and a salary increase."

"The new shoulder straps have been sent from the country, and the material commendations are on the way."

Li Yunfei said with a smile.

It is not without benefit that the 5th and 9th Regiment has been at the forefront. The Battle of Birejik was a time-delaying battle from the beginning, with two main combat objectives.

First, attract the main force of the Ottomans. Now two armies have come, which is 2/7 of the Ottoman Empire's mobile force, and the task has been successfully completed.

Second, attract the Ottomans to attack in this direction, so as to buy time for the repair and assembly of logistics transportation routes and the attack on southern cities such as Damascus, which has been achieved so far.

Except for Damascus, which is still in the process of cutting sausages because of its large urban area and complex terrain, the rest of the medium and large cities south of Birejik are controlled by the Huaxia Empire.

Various local garrisons composed of militias, reserves and Huaxia Empire Arabs have taken over the defense of most non-important cities, and the troops in the Arab theater have been liberated.

The construction of the airport has also entered the final stage. Airships transport back and forth every day, and aircraft, fuel, 0 pieces, weapons and ammunition and crew members are transported to Birejik bit by bit.

It can be said that the preparations for the first phase have been completed and the strategic goal has been achieved, and a considerable part of the credit belongs to the 509th Regiment.

"Really? Those comrades who died in battle..." Guo Liang looked at Li Yunfei in surprise.

"Of course it's true. I haven't lived long enough and won't joke about it."

"Soldiers who died or were wounded will of course enjoy the same treatment. Honors and salaries will be based on the standards after the commendation." Li Yunfei nodded with some pride.

Guo Liang suddenly became less angry and even a little excited.

The Medal of Honor represents not only honor, but also a threshold, the threshold for promotion to the Guards.

The shoulder strap is marked red, which is the symbol of the Guards. Of course, the Guards have many symbols, and the shoulder strap is just one.

This also means that the 509th Regiment has taken a solid step towards the 509th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Guards Army.

The difference between the Guards and ordinary troops is not only in clothing, but also in equipment, training, logistics, salary, future development, etc.

The words "Guards" are hung on it, indicating that this unit is the absolute main force.

"Division Commander, since it's like this, why do we need to replace the 6th and 1st Regiment? Our 5th and 9th Regiment is fine here." Guo Liang's face changed immediately and he said with a smile.

"Really? No need to replace the 6th and 1st Regiment?" Li Yunfei asked with a smile.

"It's more real than gold. Our 5th and 9th Regiment is nailed here. The enemy can't come over, even if he is an army group! We have the confidence." Guo Liang was a little proud.

"That's fine!" Li Yunfei nodded heavily, and then stood up.

"Unfortunately, I was thinking of letting the 5th and 9th Regiment go to the rear for a short rest and replenishment. When the main attack comes a few days later, let the 5th and 9th Regiment be the vanguard of the whole army. I have reported to the army commander."

"Since you don't want to... No, I have to go back quickly to see if the telegram has been sent." Li Yunfei pretended to leave.

Guo Liang's eyes glared and hurriedly grabbed Li Yunfei.

"Division Commander, Division Commander, wait a minute, wait a minute."

"Our division, will take the lead? What about the 3rd Division? What about the 5th Division? And our division has been fighting for so long, the army headquarters is assured?" Guo Liang held Li Yunfei's hands with both hands and did not let go.

Behind Birezhik, next to the temporary railway construction roadbed, transport vehicles continued day and night, and a large number of troops were gathering along the railway.

The number of aircraft increased, and weapons and ammunition piled up more and more. When the material reserves were completed and the intelligence reconnaissance was completed, it was time for the army to complete the assembly.

Also, it was time to launch a general attack...

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