Chapter 173 5. Break through the natural danger of the Yellow River in half an hour

The Yellow River ferry selected by Chen Xie Group is the Mengjin and Tongguan areas.This is an old ferry in the history of the Yellow River, where people come and go.Since the North Shore became a liberated area since the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang blocked the ferry, and it has not been able to sail normally for a long time, and there is a shortage of ships.The terrain here is steep, coupled with continuous days of heavy rain, the river has soared and the current is turbulent. Chen Geng was very anxious when he learned about it. If he delays time by the river, it will be difficult to keep his actions secret.Once the enemy on the south bank finds out, it will be very unfavorable for our army to cross the river if it strengthens its defense.He sent the chief of column intelligence to the Yellow River to monitor the water situation and ask about the situation upstream.When he learned that there was no rain in northern Shaanxi and that the water level at the Yellow River ferry would drop soon, Chen Geng ordered the troops to seize the time and prepare to cross.

Regarding crossing the river, Chen Geng recalled: The area where we crossed the river was around Sanmenxia.The enemy on the opposite bank has built solid river fortifications and has strengthened their vigilance.They not only burned down the ferry boats, but also forced the soldiers to stand guard day and night in the river fortifications, and forced the residents on the south bank of the Yellow River to form a river defense team and a water listening team. ".But these measures of the enemy cannot stop the people's army determined to fight outside. Crossing the river is carried out in two groups, left and right. On the night of August 22 and at dawn on the 23rd, the right group was in the east of Maojindu, and the left group was between Yuanqu and Jiyuan, and successively launched river crossing operations.

The commanders and fighters of the Left Group wisely took advantage of the dark night and heavy rain, the river surged, the waves were loud, and the opposite bank could not be seen or heard clearly, and they boarded the boat and set off.When the ferry was approaching the other side, the artillery bombardment was launched, skillfully combining smuggling and forced crossing, and boarded the other side. Under the condition that there were few ferries, the soldiers of the You Group made dozens of large oilcloth bags, which were used as warships. They rowed in and shot at the same time, rushed through the enemy's fire blockade, and defeated the enemy's defenders.Some militiamen who are proficient in water also organized gourd teams, with gourds tied under their shoulders, floating on the water, shooting at the enemy with guns in their hands, and covering the ferry.

Due to the in-depth mobilization and high morale, it took only half an hour for the two groups to break through the natural danger of the Yellow River in this river crossing battle.