On the afternoon of February 22, 1916, four reconnaissance planes flew in formation across the sky. It was obviously going to snow; the clouds were very low, and the reconnaissance planes dared not fly too high. The Northeast Air Force of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had paid a painful price for wing, fuselage, and even propeller icing caused by entering the clouds.

The comrades performing the mission now were the elites of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army Air Force. Just seeing the general situation on the ground from the air made their expressions solemn. The Air Force pilots all came from the Army and were no strangers to land warfare. Just looking at the distribution of those black dots on the ground and their orderly direction of movement, the comrades of the reconnaissance unit understood that these Japanese troops in black uniforms were by no means a disorderly mob. The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army rarely encountered enemies who truly dared to fight, and the Japanese army was undoubtedly different from previous opponents. Moreover, the momentum of the Japanese army moving in the snow also looked very unusual.

After a simple observation, the Air Force began to land at the temporary airfield. It wasn't that the Air Force comrades were afraid of death, but the Air Force in the Northeast Military Region simply could not afford any meaningless losses at the moment. The number of aircraft the Air Force had brought into the Northeast was extremely limited. constrained by fuel, parts, and maintenance, plus aircraft crashes caused by the severe cold weather in the Northeast, the four-plane formation cruise reconnaissance flight was already the maximum scale of daily cruise reconnaissance that the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army could maintain in the Northeast.

On the map at the 18th Army headquarters, the situation of both the enemy and friendly forces was marked very clearly. The Japanese army launched attacks from the northwest and southeast directions against the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's 18th Army, which was sandwiched in the middle. The map marked a broader war situation. After capturing Shenyang, the 14th Army left two divisions as a reserve, while the other two divisions prepared to move south. The 15th Army set out eastward from the Panjin area, and the 16th Army took over the vast defense zone of the 15th Army and assumed the arduous logistics work.

If the Japanese 19th Division retreating from Shenyang and the reinforcement troops coming from Korea formed a pincer attack on the 18th Army on the battlefield, the four armies of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army entering the Northeast would constitute an encirclement of the Japanese army.

Mu Husan, the commander of the 18th Army who had just been promoted to commander of the Fourth Field Army Group, said: "Let's confirm the campaign issue one last time. Our army's campaign goal is to annihilate the enemy's effective strength. Since the Japanese army is willing to commit a large amount of troops to fight us, then we will completely annihilate the Japanese army here!"

The battlefield set by the 18th Army was on a plain south of Benxihu (Benxi City). The Japanese retreat route followed the railway. Whether it was the Japanese troops moving south or the Japanese reinforcements moving north, this was an area they could not bypass. The reconnaissance cavalry of the Japanese north and south routes had appeared near the defense line set up by the 18th Army many times, and their frequency of activity had significantly increased in the past day or so. The 18th Army judged that the Japanese army also prepared to fight here.

Liu Guange, the Chief of Staff of the Army Group, said to the regimental-level cadres of the whole army participating in the pre-war meeting: "If we can hold the Japanese army for two days, the northern route Japanese army will fall into our pincer attack from front and rear. Therefore, the Japanese army is very likely to adopt a detour method. Of course, the fastest and most effective way for the Japanese army is to annihilate us." The Chief of Staff never cared about saying unlucky words, and he didn't even consider the issue of taboos at all, "So all units must strictly guard their positions. The position stands as long as the man stands! We must never let the Japanese army break through our positions."

All regimental-level cadres of the army attended the last meeting before the war. Everyone had done their best in the preparations they should do. This meeting was not so much a military deployment as it was a final confirmation of combat requirements to everyone.

The Chief of Staff continued to introduce the situation, "As long as we persist for two days, at most two days, the Japanese army's situation will become extremely terrible. If we persist for three days, the 15th Army may cut off the Japanese army's rear route, and the battle results at that time will be more than just one Japanese 19th Division."

A division commander said: "Our single army has to face the pincer attack of about three enemy divisions. Is this information correct?"

"Yes, our current troop strength is less than 20,000. The Japanese reinforcement troops moving north, as well as the troops behind, are about more than one division. If we fight for two days and two nights, and the enemy mobilizes all their forces, we will face the 50,000 troops of three Japanese divisions. However, looking at it now, it is unlikely that the Japanese army will have more troops; they do not have enough time to mobilize."

The defending side naturally has various advantages. After Mu Husan saw the possibility of the Japanese retreat, he overruled all dissenting opinions and mobilized the 18th Army to move, cutting off the enemy's retreat route less than two days in advance. With tools and experience, the construction of the ice and snow defense system was quite fast, and the troops finally didn't have to fight lying on the snow. So facing the enemy's attack, no commander was too worried. Even if the action was hasty, at least the comrades could sleep in the relatively simple ice and snow camp.

At this time, there was nothing more to say. Everyone knew that a bloody battle was inevitable. The meeting time was not long, and the commanders and political commissars of each unit hurried back to make the final position preparations.

Liu Guange looked at Mu Husan who was staring at the map in the empty headquarters. Because the preparations were hasty, although the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army occupied various advantages, the position was still not strong enough, and the depth of the position was less than 5 kilometers. Japanese artillery with a slightly larger caliber could penetrate the entire position with one shot. Moreover, Mu Husan, such a young army commander, had received the order to become the commander of the Fourth Field Army only a day or so ago. Liu Guange really had no confidence in coordinating other units. He couldn't help but ask: "Commander, can the other troops make it?"

"Our Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's strategic thought is to annihilate the enemy's effective strength, so we must believe that the comrades can understand and execute the current deployment!" Mu Husan replied without looking back.

Liu Guange could not respond to this. At this time, any adjustment of deployment was an impossible task. Turning around and walking out of the tent, Liu Guange prepared to check the logistics deployment one last time. He had fought wars for so many years, and this was the first time the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was in a state of being completely surrounded by the enemy. Although it was less than five o'clock in the afternoon, it looked as dark as night outside. Just after looking around at the barracks that looked like big steamed buns, Liu Guange felt cold in several places on his face. He looked up and felt that it was snowing.

The division commander of the 19th Division frowned and looked at the map. The biggest enemy of long-distance marching in the Northeast in winter is actually the weather. He thought that no one would be stupid enough to set up positions in the ice and snow in this dead of winter, but the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army opposite clearly did not belong to the category of normal guys. If the 20th Division hadn't been completely annihilated by the 18th Army opposite, the commander of the 19th Division would very much like to think that the commander of the 18th Army was a fool, and the Chinese soldiers of the 18th Army were slave-like soldiers.

The 19th Division originally intended to suddenly abandon Fengtian, withdraw all the way to Andong, and then march south from Andong. First determine the situation of the Liaodong Peninsula, and then attack the Panjin area in the spring. So the Japanese army let the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army capture Fengtian without any reaction. However, this approach might have fulfilled the old Chinese saying "cleverness may overreach itself". The Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army clearly did not act according to the Japanese army's ideas. Looking at the current situation, the Chinese army was determined to annihilate the 19th Division. And the 19th Division's abandonment of the Fengtian action instead put them in a difficult situation with interception in front and pursuers behind.

Thinking of this, the 19th Division commander asked: "We can't see the enemy on the position, what is going on?"

The commander of the reconnaissance unit answered somewhat tremblingly: "They are wearing very strange clothes, which are hard to see clearly in the snow. Although we can see enemies moving, it is difficult to determine the enemy's number and deployment."

Hearing such "irresponsible" words, the 19th Division commander waved his hand, "Go down!"

The Chief of Staff couldn't help but ask: "Division Commander, should we launch a night attack?" The Japanese army's black military uniforms actually had some advantages in night combat.

The division commander considered for a moment before answering: "Rest first. The troops have marched a long distance and their physical consumption is great."

"But the troops coming to meet us want us to attack first. In this case, we might as well attack frontally in one go. This way they can also determine the direction of support." The Chief of Staff still insisted on his own point of view.

"I said, the troops need rest!" The division commander said somewhat angrily. It wasn't that he didn't know the benefits of a night attack. Launching a night attack on such a snowy night would be easier to succeed in the early stages. But the enemy opposite was not the Northeast Army, nor the Qing Army. An attack on a snowy night could only lead to a chaotic battle, and the Japanese army might lose command earlier than the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. At least for now, this was not the best choice.

"Then we can't let the enemy just stay there like this, right?" The 19th Division Chief of Staff still had his own ideas.

"What the troops need now is rest!" The 19th Division commander became somewhat angry. Logically speaking, he should be the one advocating for war, while the Chief of Staff should emphasize the preparation work of the troops. But the division commander considered the fatigue brought by the Japanese army's long march, while the Chief of Staff had no such awareness, which was really a very abnormal thing.

The Chief of Staff finally couldn't help but lower his voice and said: "Because of the hasty march, our army lacks tents..."

"Baka!" The division commander finally understood why the Chief of Staff said this. It turned out that this incompetent guy actually hadn't prepared the logistics supplies. Glaring at the Chief of Staff, the division commander finally endured it. He knew very well that the Japanese army did not consider the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's reaction to be so agile. In the original plan, by this time, the 19th Division should have boarded the train coming from the direction of Andong, and then returned comfortably to the Andong stronghold. But the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had torn many gaps in the railway, and the possibility of taking the train had completely ceased to exist.

"Then go to Benxihu first and borrow some quilts from the Chinese." The division commander said almost through gritted teeth, "The troops really can't fight now!"

"Hai!" The Chief of Staff lowered his head and said. This was also the best method under the compelled circumstances.

Before the Chief of Staff could take action, the 19th Division commander said: "Let the Miyazaki Brigade rest first, and distribute the warm clothing of other troops to them as much as possible."

"Hai!" The Chief of Staff could only answer this way.

Gao Yucheng was now an ordinary soldier in the 18th Army of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. Four months ago, he was a small squad leader in the Northeast Army. After being captured in Panjin, Gao Yucheng saw with his own eyes the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army executing Japanese people on a large scale, and he immediately chose to join the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. In these years, the best way to survive was to follow the strong.

However, after joining the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, Gao Yucheng gradually began to suspect whether his choice was correct. The biggest benefit of being a soldier was the ability to loot reasonably, but in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, anyone who dared to loot the common people faced inevitable death. It wasn't that there were no former Northeast Army officers and soldiers who defected to the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, but those guys who thought the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army's "Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention" were just simple propaganda had now all been shot at public trial rallies in front of the common people they had looted.

The only thing that surprised Gao Yucheng was that officers in the Northeast Army only used orders to send soldiers to charge. Even a small squad leader could order his ten soldiers to charge forward. In the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, when fighting, soldiers only needed to follow commanders at all levels to charge forward. So as a soldier, Gao Yucheng did not encounter greater danger than others, and survived safely like this.

However, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was not the army Gao Yucheng truly hoped for. After becoming a commander, not only were there no distinctive privileges, but the risks and hardships were actually greater. Trying to use flattery and other methods was obviously useless. Gao Yucheng used the set of tricks he learned in the Northeast Army in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, which not only had no effect but also met with severe criticism. In the Soldier Committee's election for squad leader, Gao Yucheng didn't even make the shortlist.

But if he didn't stay in the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army, Gao Yucheng had nowhere else to go. He came out to join the army precisely because he didn't like farming. Moreover, putting aside various inconveniences, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army was still quite good. No one was beaten or scolded, and there was no deduction of military pay. As for the various equipment of the troops, it was indeed to maximize the guarantee that everyone could fight better. Gao Yucheng felt that this was still a very good choice.

In the early morning of February 23, Gao Yucheng was woken up from the tent by a comrade. Under combat readiness, at least one-third of the troops were on standby at the front line. The snow that had been held back for a long time had been falling flutteringly all night. The ground, which had originally become very slippery due to constant trampling, became suitable for running again. First, according to regulations, everyone rubbed their faces and ears with snow until their bodies began to heat up in the low temperature, and then they hurried to eat. After eating, the troops warmly took over from the comrades on night duty who had been freezing for several hours.

After entering the position, everyone looked carefully at the situation outside the position. The snowy day was very dim during the day, but it was much brighter at night. The sky still had that reddish gloominess, but on the vast white snow, it was easy to see clearly. Gao Yucheng wrapped his overcoat tight and put away his hat and everything. He prepared to shrink behind the snow wall serving as a defense wall and sleep a little longer.

Just at this moment, the whistling of artillery shells suddenly came from the air. "Watch out for shelling!" The commanders did not relax at all, and their shouts rang out on the defensive position.

The Japanese army did not take advantage of the snowy night to launch a sneak attack, but instead launched an attack on the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army before dawn.

Regardless of what advantages the organization and tactics adopted by the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army had, up to now, the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army could never compare with the Japanese army, or even the Beiyang Army, in the number of large-caliber artillery. The 19th Division moving south was very clear about the situation they faced. They unceremoniously first poured artillery fire on the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army.

All soldiers were wearing thick military uniforms. Gao Yucheng shrank tightly behind the ice and snow wall. He not only turned up his overcoat collar but also wrapped his neck tightly with a scarf. The steel helmet was also firmly buckled on his head which wore a wool hood. Shells exploded violently within the defensive position. Gao Yucheng felt the scattered ice slag knocking out various sounds on the steel helmet like hail. And the cotton overcoat also felt the impact of various small fragments.

The Japanese army opposite seemed to want to fire all their shells in one breath. The sound of artillery rang out without stopping for nearly twenty minutes. The position of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army looked like a mess.

As soon as the artillery sound stopped, a sharp whistle sound came from the first line of defense. The short whistle sound represented only one meaning: the enemy was approaching! And very close!

Taking advantage of the cover of the snowy night and the shelling, the Japanese army had unknowingly approached the position of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army. Gao Yucheng in the second line of defense suddenly felt his heart tighten as if grabbed by something. The sound of rifles and machine guns rang out fiercely with the silence of the artillery sound.