Fang Zida was shocked by Zhang Xun's proposal. He looked at the clattering mahjong tiles dumbfounded. He was about to refuse, but then he swallowed it back and neither said yes nor no.

He just mumbled the polite words about going back to discuss the matter. Zhang Xun was not angry at all, he said with a smile that was fine.

"It's just such a thing, haha, what do you think?" When he returned to the division headquarters, he told Zhao Hengti, Wang Xiaozhen and Huang Kaiyuan who were waiting for the news. Fang Zida couldn't help but laugh.

Who would have thought that Wang Xiaozhen was stunned for a moment when he was sitting there, and then nodded, agreeing with the Eighth Division to accept the terms of this civil and military bet and have a bet with Zhang Xun.

"Deputy Commander Fang, our 8th Division and the Braided Army have been fighting fiercely for several days. Although the positions are still there, the casualties among the brothers on the front line are not small! Since there is a better solution, why risk the lives of the brothers? Who is not?

Born to parents? This life is as big as heaven! I think this article is good. It neither hurts friendship nor uses weapons. It can solve the problem by laughing, talking and playing cards. It’s the best of both worlds, why not do it? "

Huang Kaiyuan also had this idea in mind, and he was about to echo Wang Xiaozhen's words, but when he saw Fang Zida's long face, he immediately changed his words: "Yong Gong, is this not appropriate?

You and I are both revolutionary soldiers, and we decide the outcome by gambling. Isn’t this a bit..."

"What's there? Brother Baochang, this is not like what you said! Gambling between the two armies has been around since ancient times, what's so strange about it? Besides, if we can solve the current predicament effortlessly, why not give it a try?" Wang Xiaozhen

Said disapprovingly.

"But what if we lose the bet?" Huang Kaiyuan asked.

"Is it possible that if we continue to fight like this, our Eighth Division will definitely win? Besides, even if we win this battle, I'm afraid there won't be many left in our Eighth Division. Beiyang has always been eyeing Jiangsu and our Eighth Division. Once the Eighth Division's strength

Big damage, the consequences can be imagined!”

"You...you have no revolutionary spirit!" Huang Kaiyuan accused him fiercely, with a very determined revolutionary look. Except for himself, who knew that he was speaking for Fang Zida, others thought that Huang Kaiyuan's consciousness had improved.

"That's enough! What's the point of making noise!" Zhao Hengti, the division commander, heard them arguing about this and shouted displeased.

"Yes! We still have to listen to the teacher and deputy teacher Fang about this matter. Teacher, please tell me what to do?" Huang Kaiyuan rolled his eyes and asked Zhao Hengti to also talk about it.

"This..." Zhao Hengti seemed not to want to say it, but whether it was Wang Xiaozhen, Huang Kaiyuan or Fang Zida, they all turned their attention to him. After all, he was the nominal commander of the Eighth Division. His opinion was whether to agree to Zhang Xun's suggestion.

very important.

"This matter is a bit difficult to handle!" Zhao Hengti sighed first, then shook his head and said: "Brother Baochang just said it well, our 8th Division is made up of revolutionary soldiers, and the 8th Division is a powerful force of KMT, guarding Jiangsu.

It is our duty to protect Nanjing. There are successive battles now. Although the casualties are not small, the officers and soldiers of our 8th Division are still high-spirited and can effectively resist the enemy. But then again, there are no casualties in this battle. There have been casualties in the past few days.

I see all the brothers in my eyes one by one. Thinking of the brotherhood between compatriots in daily life, as a teacher, I really feel uncomfortable! Sometimes I also think that if there is a better way to push back the enemy, it will be the same.

A good thing….”

Zhao Hengti went around in circles for a long time, talking about a lot of nonsense, whether it was the east or the west. Several people present secretly cursed this guy as an old fox, which meant that he didn't say anything and didn't have any ideas.

In the end, all eyes were on Fang Zida, and Fang Zida still had to come up with this idea. Fang Zida couldn't laugh or cry in his heart. After going around in circles, it was himself who finally came to the decision. In this case, he was not polite and decided to reject Zhang Xun's "good intention" in one fell swoop.

That night, Fang Zida sent a letter to Zhang Xun, saying that he refused the bet and that the Eighth Division would fight Zhang Xun to the end. Zhang Xun was stunned at first after receiving the letter, and then he was so angry that he smashed the cup. He gritted his teeth and cursed Fang Zida.

He was so shameless that he actually wanted to compete with him on the battlefield. He simply didn't care about his handsome man.

On the second day, Zhang Xun's braided army used all their abilities to change the tepid attack of the previous two days. They concentrated artillery fire and elite troops to bombard the 8th Division's position first, and then launched an overwhelming offensive that was extremely fast and violent. Just one

In the morning, casualties in the positions of the temporary 33rd Regiment increased sharply. By noon, the crazy braided troops broke through three positions one after another. Both sides killed each other in front of the formation, and blood flowed into rivers.

"Deputy Commander Fang, Commander Li on the front line is asking for help urgently!" the staff officer reported urgently. Fang Zida quickly asked about the situation on the front line. After fighting for so many days, Li Shimao had never taken the initiative to ask for help. It seemed that he couldn't stand it anymore.

Fang Zida immediately ordered Zhang Huafu's 30th Regiment to assist the temporary 33rd Regiment to retreat, and Li Jun's 29th Regiment to assist in breaking up the rear, shrinking the position and withdrawing to the second line of defense. At the same time, the artillery regiment was prepared to counterattack. After a few hours, it was almost crippled.

The temporary 33rd regiment finally withdrew, and the front line position fell into the hands of Zhang Xun's braided army. Zhang Xun's army, which had suffered a loss, did not take advantage of the victory to pursue it like last time. Instead, after occupying the position steadily, its rear gradually moved forward.

Move and wait until the artillery is in place before continuing to attack the second line of defense.

This day was the most intense day of fighting since the war began. Zhang Xun's troops continued to attack after occupying the first line of defense. The 29th and 30th regiments guarding the second line of defense also suffered many casualties. The battle lasted from early morning to evening.

It was not until after dark that Zhang Xun's braided army continued to attack several times before retreating.

When the casualty report below came up, Fang Zida's hand holding the report was trembling slightly. Today's casualties were greater than those of the previous days combined, especially the temporary 33rd Regiment on the front line.

They were almost gone. Even the 29th and 30th Regiments had casualties as high as more than one battalion.

The Eighth Division simply couldn't bear such heavy casualties. If it fought two more battles, I'm afraid the entire Eighth Division would be in vain. At this time, Fang Zida even regretted rejecting Zhang Xun's offer to fight in lieu of a bet.

I suggest that maybe if the bet is a sure thing, so many people won't die.

"Deputy Commander Fang, our Eighth Division has suffered so many casualties, and Zhang Xun on the opposite side will definitely not be any better." Seeing Fang Zida's face turning pale, Huang Kaiyuan comforted him from the side.

Fang Zida perked up. Huang Kaiyuan was right. If the Eighth Division suffered such heavy casualties, could it be that Zhang Xun's braided army suffered less casualties? Although Zhang Xun's troops had extremely strong combat effectiveness and better weapons and equipment than the Eighth Division, after all,

The Eighth Division is defending and Zhang Xun is attacking. Even if they trade one for one, Zhang Xun may not be able to bear it. After calming down, Fang Zida understood that this battle must continue like this. Zhang Xun, Beiyang, and Yuan Shikai must be allowed to fight.

Let Sun Wen's revolutionary party and even the people across the country know the strength of the Eighth Division. Only by truly defeating Zhang Xun on the battlefield and cutting off the hand reaching out to Jiangsu will Song Jiaoren and KMT's position in the central government be stable.

The determined Fang Zida made emergency arrangements overnight. He even transferred part of the He Sui 32nd Regiment, which had never been used, to the second line of defense to prepare for another big battle tomorrow.

As expected, when the sun rose again, Zhang Xun's troops, who had been impatient for a long time, attacked the 8th Division's positions again. Just like the previous day, the two sides fought in darkness on this difficult day, and the positions were

After changing his hands several times, the injured and dead soldiers were carried back one by one. Fang Zida was heartbroken when he saw the shocking cruelty.

"Report! Captain Zhang of the 30th Regiment is seriously injured, and the frontline position is showing signs of collapse!"

"What! Zhang Huafu is seriously injured? Hurry up! Let He Sui lead the 32nd regiment to support me! Tell He Sui to hold on to his position. If he loses his position, I will kill him!" The staff report surprised Fang Zida. After several days of fighting,

Several battalion and company-level officers of the Eighth Division suffered casualties, but Zhang Huafu was the first regiment-level officer to suffer casualties. It can be imagined how fierce the front line was. Helpless, Fang Zida hurriedly mobilized the remaining troops of the 32nd Regiment.

He also gave He Sui a death order. If this line of defense was also lost, the only bargaining chips in the hands of the Eighth Division would be the troops directly under the division headquarters and the cavalry regiment. If that happens, Nanjing and the Eighth Division would be in danger.

After receiving the order, He Sui hurried over with the 32nd Regiment, fought back with all his strength, and finally stabilized and defended the position. At this point, almost all the troops of the 8th Division were engaged in the battle, and they could barely withstand Zhang Xun.

Crazy attack.

The long day finally passed, and the second line of defense was desolate. Bodies lying in pools of blood could be seen everywhere, and even the soil was dyed black and red.

That night, the news that Zhang Huafu died of serious injuries reached the division headquarters, which made Fang Zida's anxious mood even heavier. This was the first regiment commander of the Eighth Division to die in battle since the war began. No one knew whether the next one would be his turn.

Counting his remaining troops, Fang Zida understood that he had very few troops that could be put into battle. He even doubted that when the sun rises tomorrow, whether the Eighth Division would be able to block Zhang Xun and block those wolves like today.

The tiger-like braided army.

"Should we bring back the 31st regiment?" Wang Xiaozhen's smoking hand was trembling, and he couldn't help but make a suggestion.

"Impossible!" Fang Zida rejected the proposal without thinking. The importance of the 31st Regiment in Shanghai is no less than that of Nanjing. Moreover, even if the 31st Regiment is transferred from Shanghai to the north now, it will be too late in time.

"Tomorrow, what will we do tomorrow?" Huang Kaiyuan asked nervously. Everyone looked at each other, with helplessness and a hint of panic in their eyes.

"Fight! We must keep fighting. Even if the Eighth Division is exhausted, we must keep fighting!" Fang Zida's eyes were red, like a gambler who lost to the end. He knew in his heart that he must persist no matter what at this time. Once he gives up, he must persist.

, don’t say that the Eighth Division is finished, even he himself is finished.

"Pass my order! Let the cavalry regiment be temporarily converted into infantry. All officers, staff officers, military police, orderlies, and logistics personnel in the division are all ready to form an assault team. I will personally lead the team to prepare for the battle tomorrow!"

Fang Zida was desperate and wanted to fight Zhang Xun. Zhao Hengti opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he sighed and said nothing.

Time passed day by day, and finally another day came. Fang Zida, who had not slept a wink all night, was fully clothed, holding a rifle in his hand, anxiously and nervously waiting for the new battle to come. But who would have thought that just as the Eighth Division was going up and down

When they were preparing to prepare for the final battle, there was no movement on the opponent's position. It was so quiet.
Chapter completed!