The order of the evacuation of the 52nd Army was that the Second Division was in front and the 25th Division was postponed. The distance between the two divisions was about one day.

The sudden retreat of the 52nd Army will of course attract the attention of the Japanese army. The 2nd Division had just set off on the 13th and was discovered by Japanese planes that the vanguard of the Second Division had just left from its garrison to Pi County, and was attacked by a small group of Japanese troops who were rushing into northern Jiangsu. The Second Division fought fiercely with the Japanese army for half a day. After repelling the enemy, they did not entangle with the Japanese army, but continued to advance towards Xuzhou.

The Japanese army on the ground were defeated, and the Japanese army arrived later. Soon after the troops set out again, they were bombed by Japanese planes. Fortunately, the 52nd Army had already done air defense training, and the team was not in chaos, and it was timely avoiding bombing, so the troops were very casualties. In order to reduce casualties, the 52nd Army troops were forced to march at night.

Because the Japanese army had no night flights, the 52nd Army marched at night without any interference from the Japanese planes. However, the night marching is very different from the daytime marching, so the marching speed has slowed down. The 52nd Army walked for two days to arrive from Pi County to Xuzhou for more than 150 miles.

At this time, the Longhai Road transportation was extremely busy, and the 52nd Army could not retreat by train, so the troops had to walk west along the Longhai Road.

In the early morning of May 15, the 25th Division, which was hiding in the morning and walking at night, arrived at Lizhuang Station east of Dangshan, and the 25th Division immediately stopped to camp. At this moment, the reconnaissance forces of the 25th Division discovered that the enemy invaded from the southern section of Jinpu Road was speeding towards Lizhuang Station.

This Japanese army consists of cavalry and carries several armored vehicles. The new commander of the 73rd Brigade, Qin Yizhi, judged that the Japanese army in the unit was a reconnaissance force. Without waiting for the orders of his superiors, he immediately made a decision to command light and heavy machine guns to attack the enemy's cavalry and use Suluotong small cannons to attack the enemy's chariots.

The sudden and fierce firepower of the 25th Division brought the enemy a blow. They thought they had encountered a large army ambush, and the Japanese army left behind more than a dozen bodies and a broken chariot and fled back.

Contacting the Japanese vanguard showed that the main force of the Japanese army was approaching. The 25th Division immediately adjusted the marching time. After a short rest, the large army began to march during the day.

At around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the 25th Division arrived near Yangji west of Dangshan, and a large stone bridge blocked the 25th Division's retreat to the west. It was not because the bridge was damaged, but because the west end of the bridge had been occupied by the Japanese army.

At the early morning, the encounter between the 25th Division and the Japanese army showed strong firepower, which made the Japanese commanders heading north realize that this unit was the main force of the National Army. The bridge to Yangji was the only way for the 25th Division. Therefore, the Japanese army used the fast maneuvering ability of the cavalry to seize the bridge first, and also transported eight heavy machine guns to be arranged at the west end of the bridge.

As soon as the vanguard of the 25th Division stepped onto the bridge, it was blocked by the firepower of the Japanese heavy machine guns. The troops organized several charges and were repelled.

It will be too late in two hours. If the Japanese army forces follow up and strengthen the fortifications, the entire 25th Division will be trapped here.

Just as the troops were organizing personnel to launch the next attack, Guan Linzheng's military headquarters also marched here. Guan Linzheng personally went to the front line. He observed through the telescope that the main firepower in Qiaoxi was eight heavy machine guns, and a small number of cavalry units.

The Japanese army stopped a whole division with just a little force. Guan Linzheng was furious and ordered the sixteen horses he obtained from Dingyuan Camp to immediately transfer and select brave and witty soldiers to ride.

After he was ready, Guan Linzheng took the lead and suddenly led the cavalry to rush towards the Japanese machine gun position. Amid the sound of horse hooves like drums, the light machine guns in the hands of the warriors riding on the horse suddenly opened fire and bullets shot towards the Japanese army like raindrops.

The Japanese army in Qiaoxi was probably the first time they encountered such a fearless national army. They began to panic. The Mongolian horses rushed forward very quickly, and sixteen warriors quickly approached the Japanese position. The Japanese machine gun shooters in Qiaoxi were so scared that they did not fire a single shot. They dropped the eight heavy machine guns and fled with the cavalry.

After Guan Linzheng rushed across this bridge, he immediately ordered the 25th Division troops to speed up the rush through this level, and then quickly advanced towards Guide. Guan Linzheng's move immediately spread throughout the national/Democratic Party and military circles. Guan Linzheng's troops had long been called "Guan Tie Fist". He was personally known as "Guan Meng" because of this legendary battle.

The Japanese machine gunners were killed, but they did not go far. Guan Linzheng was afraid that the Japanese army would have subsequent troops to arrive, so he ordered the 73rd Brigade to send troops to occupy the important land. If the main force of the Japanese army really attacked the bridge, these troops must cover the main force of the 25th Division to retreat. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 145th Regiment were arranged as cover troops for the entire division.

The 25th Division is the main force of the Central Army. The troops have many vehicles, mules and horses, and military supplies. In addition, the military headquarters acts with the army, so the speed of the team will not be fast even if they want to be fast. Even if the entire division passes through this bridge, in order to prevent the Japanese army from following and pursuing, these remaining troops must also block the Japanese army. Therefore, the task given by the division to Li Qinglin and others is to hold the Japanese army until at least 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.

The position of the Fifth Company was arranged on a small earthblock. After receiving the order, the Fifth Company immediately drove here to start building fortifications. Zhang Ergou cursed while repairing fortifications: "I was ranked in front in war, and I was arranged to retreat behind the hall. These bastards are really unethical."

No matter how much you scold, the fortifications must be built properly. Otherwise, if the Japanese army really comes, it will be a waste of life without good fortifications. All the five most important things are understood.

The fortifications of the fifth company were repaired overnight. In the evening, the battalion commander came to patrol. Seeing that the fifth company was progressing very quickly, he threw a cigarette to Li Qinglin and praised: "Commander Li, your fifth company is really good. You can fight and defend. You are indeed the main force of our second battalion."

Li Qinglin smiled faintly and said, "These are all veterans. They all know what to do on the battlefield. In order to save their lives, everyone is working hard."

Not far behind him, the troops of the 25th Division were still passing through the not-wide stone bridge. It seemed that they could probably pass all tonight.

Li Qinglin pointed to the team behind him and asked, "Battery Commander, our main force will go far in a day. Can we catch up? If we are really broken up or we are separated from the large team, we are likely to be sheltered in front of deserters."

The battalion commander said confidently: "No, I have the orders of the regiment headquarters in my hand. At that time, as long as I take out the orders, it will be fine."

Li Qinglin said: "Sir, look at our 5th Company and the 6th Company. A few days ago, the remaining soldiers of the 75th Brigade supplied the 6th Company, but the number of our two companies was less than a hundred. It seems that the division's main force can pass through this bridge tonight, and it depends on us. If the Japanese really fight over it, how long can we bear it? To put it bluntly, if all three of our companies will be destroyed by this time tomorrow, the remaining brothers will be able to stand out. If they are shot by the supervising team in front of deserters on the way to return to De, would we be too unfair? Sir, I ask you to do something on behalf of my brothers, that is, the battalion will issue an order to each platoon. At that time, it will prove that we are blocking troops and not deserters, and that we have the right to act on camera after completing the mission. The brothers will be grateful."

The battalion commander thought for a while and said, "You are right. You can send someone to the battalion headquarters to get the order later."

After the battalion commander finished speaking, he threw down the cigarette butt and left.
Chapter completed!