Chapter 33 Flesh Mill

Liu Xiang originally planned to launch a general attack on Wanyuan and Tongjiang on June 22, but because the city entrance was captured by the Red Army, Tang Shizun immediately ordered the Fifth and Sixth Routes to attack across the board on June 15 in advance to prevent the Red Army's progress. On June 15, the front line of the city was covered with clouds and guns fired.The enemy's independent detachment Wang Jie's troops attacked Fenshuiya and Jianganping from the front with one regiment, and attacked the Red Army's position from Huangbaiwan with two battalions. At noon, they occupied Fenshuiya, Jianganping, Dajianshan and Ganshu. beam.It took only half a day to capture four positions of the Red Army. Wang Jie was overjoyed. Two or three days later, he continued to lead his troops to attack Zengziping. The platoon leader suffered more than ten casualties, and the soldiers suffered three or four hundred casualties. The Red Army counterattacked and regained all the lost positions.

On the same day, Wanyuan went to the front line.In the air, enemy planes circled and dropped bombs; on the ground, Liu Guangyu, the commander of the fifth brigade of the enemy, commanded the first, fourth, and fifth brigades, and the Liu and Zhou brigades of Wang Zhulong's department.On the first day, the enemy's 1st and 5th brigades occupied the Yaozizhai, Maluya, Hongzishan, Laoyazhai, Magushi, Ershan and Xianglushan positions on the Qinghuaxi defense line. On the night of the 16th, the night was as dark as ink. After a day of fighting, the enemy army was exhausted and fell asleep on the spot.In the early hours of the morning, there was a sudden burst of gunfire, and the sound of grenade explosions was like thunder. The Red Army held a big knife in their hands, and there was a lot of killing. The sleeping enemies were hacked like chopping melons and vegetables.The fourth enemy brigade fought fiercely with the Red Army on the first day. The Red Army disengaged from the enemy after a short resistance and retreated to the line of Qiujialiang and Sunziliang. , Niubeiliang line, the next day, the Red Army retreated to Xuanzu Hall according to the defensive plan.

For more than ten days, the enemy and us saw each other, the enemy advanced and we retreated, the enemy stationed and we attacked, and the enemy and us rushed back and forth.By July 1, the Red Army withdrew from the two counties of Tongjiang and Chengkou, retreated towards Maoyu Town, Nikoukou, and Xiongxikou, and made every effort to block the enemy's attack on the line from Wanyuan to Tongjiang.After more than ten days of bloody battle, the Sichuan army's offensive became weaker and weaker. Tang Shizun had no choice but to let the troops rest for a while, and planned to launch a second attack on Wanyuan again. The front line was temporarily quiet.

Taking advantage of this gap between the battles, the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army and the top leaders of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Base presided over a military meeting in Wanyuan City.Attending the meeting were Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, political commissar Li Xiannian of the 30th Red Army, deputy commander Cheng Shicai, commander of the Fourth Red Army Wang Hongkun, political commissar Zhou Chunquan, deputy commander Liu Shimo, director of the Political Department and political commissar of the 12th Division Xu Changxun, Xu Shiyou, deputy commander of the Ninth Red Army and commander of the 25th Division, Chen Haisong, political commissar of the 25th Division, Xiong Guobing, chairman of the Sichuan-Shanxi Province Soviet, and dozens of cadres from a small number of battalions and regiments of the Red Army on the eastern front.

The timing of this meeting is critical.Since Liu Xiang launched the "six-way siege" at the end of October 1933, the Red Army has adopted the strategy of "tightening the position and luring the enemy to go deep", fighting the enemy step by step, and retreating step by step. Most of the entire base area has been abandoned. Pressing every step of the way.Facing the grim situation, some cadres and soldiers felt distressed when they saw the base areas they had finally established were abandoned one by one, and they had doubts about why they should tighten their positions.Regarding everyone's concerns, Zhang Guotao, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao and other main leaders of the Northwest Military Commission gave a thorough explanation of the situation.Xu Xiangqian explained the tightening of positions and creating conditions for counter-offensives from a military point of view: We analyzed the main reasons for the failure of the two counter-offensives.One is that the enemy has a large number of troops, and the offensive has not yet reached the point of "declining again, exhausting three times", and the time for our army to counterattack is too early.The second is that our defensive front line is long, the concentration of troops is not enough, the front has opened a hole, and the follow-up force is obviously insufficient, so we cannot break through the enemy's barriers and develop further in depth.In order to create favorable conditions for a counter-offensive, we must go through a stage of exhausting the enemy.The eastern front is the key offensive area of ​​the enemy's main fifth route. We must make up our minds to carry out decisive battle defense here, turn the forward position into a cemetery for burying the enemy, create a favorable situation for counterattack, and crush Liu Xiang's elite division. The warlords are bound to "fall down the trees and scatter the monkeys", and our army's counterattack is a matter of course.In terms of terrain conditions, comparing the east and west fronts, the counterattack on the eastern front is more advantageous.Because the mountains on the west line mostly run north-south, it is beneficial for the enemy to fight steadily; the terrain on the east line is low in the south and high in the north, and our army is condescending.We require all troops to continue to carry forward the indomitable spirit of defeating the many with the few and defeating the many with the few, bite the bullet and stand up, prepare strength, and turn to counter-offensive at the right time.

At the meeting, Chen Changhao made a report entitled "The Separation of the Enemy and Our Powers and Our Future of Victory", focusing on explaining "tighten the position and lure the enemy to go deep" from a political and strategic perspective: When we start fighting Liu Xiang At that time, our front line was too long... In order to destroy the enemy, we had to concentrate our forces, concentrate our forces, and tighten our positions, this is one of them.The main force of the enemy is very powerful at the beginning of the attack. If you want to defeat it, you must first use the method of exhausting the enemy to control the enemy, inflicting great damage on the enemy, killing his youthful spirit, aging his troops, and weakening his vitality. Destroy it in one fell swoop, this is the second.The mountains and rocks in Sichuan are dangerous, which is good for defense and not good for attack... The purpose of tightening the position is to concentrate the troops and disperse the enemy's forces. Of course, the tightening of the position is politically affected, because part of the red area suffered losses, and part of the masses suffered losses from the Kuomintang. The massacre of warlords and the shrinking of the Soviet area... However, the main problem is to destroy the enemy. Without destroying the enemy, we cannot talk about consolidating the red area... If we tighten our positions in order to destroy the enemy, after the enemy is eliminated, not only the lost Soviet area can be restored, but also new ones can be greatly developed. Soviet areas, and even fight for the entire Soviet area of ​​Sichuan.Last year, in order to eliminate Tian Songyao, we had to tighten our positions... After destroying Tian Songyao, we regained the original red area in three days. In order to continue to develop, we developed to the Jialing River in seven days. This is the proof.

The meeting determined the operational policy of sticking to Wanyuan and preparing for a counterattack, and made corresponding deployments: make full use of the favorable position on the front line of Wanyuan, implement a defensive defense with a small number of troops, continue to consume heavily the enemy's fifth route, and concentrate the main force of the Red Army on the front line. On the second line, step up political mobilization and military training, and make every effort to prepare for the counteroffensive. On the eastern front, Xu Shiyou commanded the 25th Division of the Ninth Red Army to take on the main defensive task, defending the Damian Mountain south of Wanyuan, and resisting the main force of the enemy's attack; Zhang Caiqian commanded most of the 12th Division of the Fourth Red Army to defend Wanyuan. The Xuanzu Hall in the southwest of Yuan, cooperated with the Red 25th Division to fight; the Red 33rd Army and the Red 12th Division's two battalions defended the Hua'e Mountain east of Wanyuan, mainly resisting the bandit Wang Sanchun who attacked from the direction of the city entrance The 35th Regiment of the 12th Red Division guarded the enemy in southern Shaanxi in the Gunlongpo area north of Wanyuan; the 88th and 89th Divisions of the 30th Red Army and the 31st Red Army were prepared The teams were deployed in the Kongjia Mountain to the east of Wanyuan and the Nantianmen area to the southwest of Wanyuan.

The Red Army on the Western Front restrained the enemy's No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 Routes along the Xiaotong River and cooperated with the Red Army on the Eastern Front. Facing the grim situation, the Political Department of the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army issued a call to the whole army to "prepare for a decisive counter-offensive at an urgent moment", pointing out: "Now is our urgent moment, and it is the decisive moment to eliminate Liu Xiang." According to the defense plan determined at the meeting, the Red Army built a semi-circular, multi-pronged line about 400 li long in the area of ​​Zengziping, Damian Mountain, Kongjia Mountain, Nantianmen, Yinglong Mountain and Yunwu Mountain, which are dangerously situated and densely forested. Layers of solid defensive positions.

In early July, Liu Xiang obtained information: the Red Army was attacking Ziyang and Zhenba in Shaanxi, and it seemed to be expanding to Ankang.Commander Xu Xiangqian commanded the Eastern Front troops from Wanyuan, and Chen Changhao, director of the Political Department, commanded the Western Front troops north of Tongjiang. Liu Xiang believes that the Red Army's march into Shaanxi at this time shows that the "six-way siege" has achieved great results, and the Red Army has no choice but to march to Shaanxi.At this moment, the Sichuan army has more than ten brigades on the Wanyuan side, the four brigades of Fan Shaozeng's division and Chen Lanting's troops on the left Tongjiang side have all moved to the right, and Wang Sanchun and Wang Sanyou's troops have occupied the city entrance on July 7. It is impossible for the Red Army to develop to the east of Sichuan.So Tang Shizun was ordered to advance troops immediately, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Red Army's division of troops, and captured Wanyuan in one fell swoop. Even if the Red Army could not be wiped out in Tongjiang and the area north of Wanyuan, it would have to be forced out of Sichuan and retreated into southern Shaanxi.

On July 11, two planes appeared one after another over the positions of the enemy's east and west lines. After circling for a while, the planes dropped a communication post. "Liu Shenxian" predicted that July 11 was the so-called "auspicious day of the zodiac". As the chairman of the military committee in front, he issued a general attack order, wrapped it in yellow satin, and sent it to the various general headquarters by plane. Tang Shizun divided the troops attacking Wanyuan into three groups: The first route is the enemy's 1st Division and Wang Sanchun, Chen Guoshu and other troops to attack Zengziping and Hua'e Mountain, and detour to the east of Wanyuan;

The second route was Liu Bangjun's 23rd Army, Liao Yuchen and Wang Zhulong's two divisions, which attacked Damian Mountain and detoured to the west of Wanyuan; In the third route, the second and third divisions of the 21st Army attacked from Xuanzu Temple and Kongjiashan in the south of Wanyuan. In order to seize Wanyuan, Liu Xiang promulgated regulations on rewards and punishments, offering 30,000 silver dollars as a reward for conquering Wanyuan; it was stipulated that commanders must go to the front line to supervise the battle in person, and those who were afraid of failing would be executed on the spot.Tang Shizun, commander-in-chief of the Fifth Route, did not dare to neglect, and went to the front line to supervise the battle. Because it takes time for logistical supplies and troop assembly, even though Liu Xiang issued strict orders, the frontline departments of the Sichuan Army still failed to launch an attack on the 11th. On July 16, under the order of Tang Shizun, more than 100,000 people in the three-way column, under the cover of aircraft and artillery, rushed towards Wanyuan like a pack of wolves.From Damian Mountain, Huae Mountain to Xuanzu Hall and Kongjia Mountain, the east, south and west sides of Wanyuan were shrouded in the flames of war, and the decisive battle of Wanyuan officially started. To defend Wanyuan, the key is to guard Damian Mountain and Xuanzu Hall.These two mountains are located in the southeast and southwest of Wanyuan. They are like two gates, which are the barriers to the south of Wanyuan. If the two mountains are taken down, Wanyuan will have no danger to defend, and the gate will be open. Damian Mountain is located in the southeast of Wanyuan City, more than 40 miles away from Wanyuan City.What is amazing is that there is a Tianchi Lake on the top of the mountain called Xiakou Lake. The lake is 100,000 square meters wide, and the lake is clear and spotless.Damian Mountain belongs to the karst landform, and the mountain is densely covered with karst caves. It is said that this is the blessed place of Taoism. Da Mian Mountain is an important barrier to the southeast of Wanyuan City, and it is also a key part of Wanyuan's defense line. If it is captured here, the enemy can go straight to Wanyuan City, and the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area will cease to exist.Xu Xiangqian said: "Da Mian Mountain is the city gate of Wanyuan. Once the city gate collapses, the huts will become ruins." After careful consideration, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao handed over the task of defending Da Mian Mountain to Xu Shiyou and Chen Haisong. Fifteen divisions. Xu Shiyou, a native of Xinxian County, Henan Province, studied in private schools for several years when he was young, but dropped out of school due to his poor family and worked as a handyman for a local martial arts master.His mother was oppressed by bullies. Xu Shiyou was furious and longed for revenge, but he was unable to do what he wanted, so he became a monk in Shaolin Temple angrily and took the name of Decheng.After practicing martial arts for three years, after practicing kung fu, he returned to the village and beat the bully severely, and then joined the first regiment of the first division of the Wuhan National Revolutionary Army as a soldier. In September 1926, when Xu Shiyou was the company commander of the regiment, he joined the Communist Youth League. In August 1927, he became a member of the Communist Party of China. He returned to his hometown that month to join the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and participated in the famous jute uprising.Xu Shiyou fought against the Kuomintang troops, the Japanese army, the puppet army, the US army, and the Vietnamese army all his life.On the stage of war, the command ability of "General Shaolin" is praised by the world. Xu Shiyou is known for his ferocity in battles, and he is known as the "General of Blood and Courage".Xu Shiyou once wrote: "The Wanyuan defensive battle is the largest, longest and extremely cruel and fierce defense battle I have ever experienced in my life." In order to emphasize the importance of defending Da Mian Mountain, Xu Xiangqian and Chen Changhao specifically talked to Xu Shiyou and Chen Haisong.Seeing the dignified expressions of the two chiefs of the front army, Xu Shiyou understood that the burden on his shoulders this time was no small matter.Since participating in the revolution in Hubei, Henan and Anhui, Xu Shiyou can't remember how many tough and vicious battles he fought. Every time he fought, he fought through the hail of bullets and mountains of corpses and blood. He never knew what fear was.This time, the two heads of the headquarters are so cautious, which shows how heavy their responsibilities are.Xu Shiyou is the kind of person who takes weight lightly. He said: Please rest assured, the commander-in-chief and the general political commissar. The Damianshan position is the enemy's cemetery. With the 25th Division and me, Monk Xu, the Damianshan position will exist. Xu Shiyou has full confidence in his troops. He once recalled: Liu Xiang used 90 regiments in front of the 30th Huali of Damian Mountain, including Liu Xiang's direct line.This is the most well-equipped unit of the Sichuan Army. It not only has heavy machine guns and mortars, but also light machine guns and mountain cannons, which were new weapons at the time, and even often sends out planes to assist in the battle.The Sichuan army is good at climbing mountains and can charge repeatedly; the warlords rely more on their own large numbers of soldiers, and they do not hesitate to use crowd tactics. Once they charge, they will have one regiment. If one regiment does not come, there will be two regiments. ... All over the mountains and plains, they screamed in unison: "Catch alive! Catch alive!" Our Red Ninth Army is also the main force, with sufficient soldiers and quite good equipment.Command all radios, and can ask for instructions and reports from the general headquarters at any time; divisions, regiments, battalions, and outpost companies all have telephones; the light machine guns in the company are the latest American weapons seized during the four counter-campaigns. The army's British-made "Type 61" light machine gun is fine.The 25th Division has three regiments, 73rd, 74th, and 75th, with a total of more than 10,000 people.Although the enemy’s army is dozens of times larger than mine, we are the Red Army, and most of our commanders and fighters are peasants who have acquired the land. We have always fought with the principle of "never hand over your guns when you are alive, and never throw your corpse away when you die". Every comrade has a big sword and is as brave as a tiger; Most of the cadres are experienced in hundreds of battles, and they can calmly face the most dangerous situations and regard death as home.The army is also physically strong. Recruits must not only be politically qualified, but must be poor and hired farmers, and they must be able to climb two or three miles of mountain roads without panting.Therefore, it is very easy for troops to run a hundred miles a day.The Sichuan warlord troops were known to be able to climb mountains, but they couldn't climb us. Xu Shiyou led his troops to Damian Mountain to take over the defense from the 88th Division of the 30th Red Army.Climb to Damian Mountain and have a look: Tianchizi Mountain, Baisha River, Baimiaozi, Hotel Ping, Xuanzu Hall, and Tiejiangya on the southeast and west sides are bursting with gunshots, and the enemy is attacking our Fourth Red Army and Thirty Red Army. The position is attacked. The commanding height of Damian Mountain is called Laoyingzhai, which is the highest peak of Damian Mountain. There is a small platform on the top of the mountain, and there is a small temple on the platform. Standing here overlooking all directions, you can see everything at a glance. Hard to hit here.Xu Shiyou was very satisfied with the terrain here, and he told the combat staff to set up the headquarters in the small temple.At the pre-war mobilization meeting, Xu Shiyou conveyed the instructions of the head of the front army that the enemy's attack will be very fierce, and this defensive operation will be extremely difficult.The 88th Division has already built roads and fortifications on the mountain. On this basis, the regiments and battalions must continue to rush to repair and reinforce the fortifications, dig deep trenches, set up a large number of obstacles such as deer villages in front of the positions, build wooden cities, and dig trenches. Pay special attention to the depth of the positions. It is necessary to build a few more fortifications and make full preparations for fighting bad and big battles. With an order, the southern slope of Damian Mountain became a large construction site. Thousands of soldiers from all regiments and battalions of the 25th Division sweated profusely, building positions day and night.The soldiers built several or even a dozen trenches from bottom to top according to the mountain situation, and then cut down the big trees on the spot to build a "wooden city" that was as high as a person and three to four meters thick.Insert bamboo sticks or weave bamboo fences on the road that the enemy must pass through to charge, and combine them with deer villages to form multiple defensive facilities. The people in the vicinity knew that the Red Army was going to fight a big battle here. Under the leadership of the local Soviet cadres, they came to the mountain one after another to help the troops dig traffic trenches, cut down trees, build wooden cities, dig trenches, and build command posts. After a few days of busy work, the two The 15th Division built seven wooden cities in Damian Mountain, one level at a time. Each wooden city is combined with the terrain, which is convenient for concealment and firepower. It is condescending, easy to defend and difficult to attack. , full of bamboo sticks.This kind of bamboo stick is a mottled bamboo stick fried in tung oil. It is as hard as steel, and each bamboo stick is like a dagger, extremely sharp.In some dangerous and steep sections, a large number of rolling logs and rocks have been piled up, waiting for them.From Muwangping to Laoyingzhai and Yangjialiang, the trenches and traffic trenches of various fortifications extend in all directions.The traffic trench is five feet wide, one foot high, and more than ten miles long. Soldiers built rows of big trees on top of the traffic trench, and then covered the tree rows with thick soil and turf. People could fight and hide in the traffic trench. No fortifications and traffic trenches can be seen from the outside.The entire Damian Mountain became a fortress. The weather in July is scorching hot, the sun is like a big brazier, scorching the ground hot, and everyone is sweating profusely.Xu Shiyou's military uniform was neat, with a four- to five-inch-wide belt always tied around his waist, two battered guns inserted on both sides, the big knife that had killed countless enemies on his back, and leggings tied meticulously on his feet.It is Xu Shiyou's creed that only a well-organized and well-disciplined army can bring out combat-ready soldiers. This is the case with the commander. None of the soldiers of the 25th Division is disheveled. Xu Shiyou was born from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, and he can best appreciate the protective effect of fortifications on soldiers.He carefully inspected each fortification, and those that did not meet the standards had to be rebuilt.He told the soldiers a short story repeatedly: Song Jiang in the movie hit Zhujiazhuang three times, why did he fight three times?It was because the Zhujiazhuang fortifications were well repaired that Song Jiang suffered a loss.Liu Xiang's attack was using aircraft and cannons, much more powerful than Song Jiang's attacks. Our fortifications must be able to withstand the bombs and artillery shells of the aircraft, and Liu Xiang's three, five, and ten dozen attacks.As long as he can't beat us, we must beat him to pieces! Considering that the enemy's attack lasted for a long time, the attack was strong, and the firepower was large during the attack. In terms of troop deployment, Xu Shiyou left one battalion each from the 73rd, 74th, and 75th regiments as the first echelon to stick to the key points. Most of the rest of the troops were concealed separately in the defensive depth as mobile units. Forming an angle with Damian Mountain is Xuanzu Hall.Xuanzu Hall was originally named Zhongnan Mountain, because there is a small temple on the top of the mountain called Xuanzu Hall, so the mountain is also called Xuanzu Hall.Xuanzu Hall is located fifty or sixty miles southwest of Wanyuan. The main peak is 1,680 meters above sea level. The terrain slopes from north to south. , shaped like chicken feet.Looking from a distance, the Xuanzu Temple has many peaks and luxuriant forests. Around the main peak of the Xuanzu Temple, there are cliffs everywhere, which are easy to defend but difficult to attack.To the north of Xuanzu Hall, there is a small flat called Niu Maoping, about 1,200 meters above sea level. The 36th Regiment and 1st Battalion of the 34th Regiment led by Zhang Caiqian, commander of the 12th Division of the Fourth Red Army, guarded the Xuanzu Hall. Zhang Caiqian, a native of Macheng, Hubei, joined the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in April 1930 and joined the Communist Party of China in July 1931.Participated in the anti-"encirclement and suppression" operations in the Hubei, Henan and Anhui revolutionary base areas and the Western Expedition into Sichuan. In the spring of 1933, he served as the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 73rd Division of the Red Fourth Front Army and the commander of the 279th Regiment. Deputy commander and acting division commander of the 12th Division of the Fourth Red Army. Zhang Caiqian had fought for a long time. He set up his headquarters in the small temple on the top of the Xuanzu Hall, and organized troops to build more than a dozen fortifications in layers at the foot of the mountain, on the middle of the mountain, and on the top of the mountain according to the mountain situation.The front is the "Wooden City". In the outer part of the "Wooden City", where the enemy must pass through, bamboo sticks that have been deep-fried and hard as steel nails are buried, and the surface is camouflaged with thatch and floating soil. Behind the "Wooden City" are three or four trenches, and the trenches are connected by traffic trenches.The last trench was the main position. Trees were placed on top of the trench, and the trees were covered with thick soil to make a ditch, which was both shell-proof and rain-proof.The troops defending the position live in the ditch.Zhang Caiqian only placed a small amount of blocking troops in the forward position, and concentrated the main force in Niumaoping as a vital force in the counterattack. On the morning of July 16th, the sun had just risen. At the foot of Damian Mountain, the sound of rumbling artillery was like thunder. On the Damian Mountain position, smoke and dust billowed, bullets rained, and the enemy's attack began. Tang Shizun's eight brigades with tens of thousands of people, under the cover of aircraft and artillery, launched a fierce attack on the Red Army positions such as Damian Mountain and Xuanzu Temple.Charging the enemy army is as crowded as watching a big show, and the wave-like charge can reach five or six times in one morning. The Red Army responded to the battle calmly. When the enemy rushed to the front of the position, all kinds of firearms fired together, and the rolling logs and stones rolled down. It was smashed again, and due to the repeated bombardment of the enemy, the position was beaten like a cultivated field that had just been plowed, and it was a deep footprint when one stepped on it.In some areas, the soil was scarce and the rocks were hard, and it was too late to repair the fortifications. The soldiers used local materials, dragged the enemy's corpses, and built them head-to-head and foot-to-toe;When you run out of bullets, go to the pile of enemy corpses to look for them, and if the gun is broken, go to the pile of enemy corpses to pick them up. Seeing each charge, thousands of soldiers surged up like a tide, and after a blow from the Red Army, they collapsed like a dike. Every time they collapsed, the front of the Red Army's position was full of corpses and wounded soldiers.Liu Xiang was very anxious about the loss of troops and no progress. He ordered: those who capture Wanyuan will be rewarded with 30,000 silver yuan, those who abandon their positions without authorization will be subject to military law, and those who do not come to the front line to command the division or brigade will be executed. As soon as this order was issued, the enemy's brigade and regiment commanders supervised the battle bare-chested, and the battalion and company commanders formed a death squad of officers to charge.Airplanes bombed, artillery bombarded, and hundreds of soldiers charged in groups rushed up.Although all kinds of firearms of the Red Army swept towards the enemy like a storm, and groups of enemies fell down one after another, the enemy troops behind them still surged up, and some even jumped into the trenches to fight hand-to-hand with the Red Army soldiers.The fierce fighting between the two armies changed the color of the world.Xu Shiyou recalled; Liu Xiang was like a gambler who was about to lose everything, putting his soldiers all in one basket.I looked out from the command post, and there were enemies everywhere on the hillsides and in the ravines, like countless wolves, rushing towards our position.We were approaching the front of the position, and our various firearms fired together. The fierce firepower swept towards the enemy like a storm, and groups of enemies fell down one after another.However, the enemies behind still surged up, and some even rushed into the trenches of our army.With the determination to survive and die with the position, our soldiers bravely jumped out of the fortifications and fought with the enemy.The broadsword was shining white in the sun, and the place where the two armies met was full of red flowers. The enemy couldn't hold back, and retreated one after another, but after a while, more troops came over.That's it, you rush over, I kill over, and it goes on and on.The three companies of the Seventy-fifth Regiment standing on the Qingshan position, under the direct command of the regiment leader Han Dongshan, resisted the repeated attacks of the enemy's two brigades... In front of their position, the corpses left by the enemy were like splitting firewood , pile after pile all over the vicinity of Luzhai. The battle lasted for half a month, Tang Shizun launched dozens of attacks, and the Damianshan position was like a hell on earth. Zhang Caiqian, who fought side by side with Xu Shiyou at the Xuanzu Hall, recalled: While attacking Damian Mountain with the main force, the enemy attacked our Xuanzudian position from Qinghuaxi with a brigade of troops... First, they fired destructively at our position with intensive artillery fire for about 20 minutes. Immediately afterwards, with the strength of the whole battalion and the whole regiment, they rushed towards our position in fractions.These "two-pike soldiers" had just finished their addiction to opium, so they were full of energy, energy, and attacking fiercely.Facing the attack of the enemy's superior forces, the first battalion, the first and the second company of our thirty-fourth regiment hid in the fortifications, while closely observing the piles of enemies climbing up in groups, while organizing sharpshooters to continuously kill and injure the enemies with cold guns.When the enemy climbed to 30 to 40 meters away from our forward position, they condescended and launched a fierce fire attack on the enemy. Rifles and machine guns fired at the same time, and horsetail grenades were thrown at the enemy group one after another.Immediately, the enemies who were beaten to death and wounded fell down one after another like a landslide.Seeing that the situation is not good, the rest scrambled to flee backwards.After the enemy's first attack was repulsed, they then organized a second and third attack. As a result, there were still heavy casualties, but our army's position remained unchanged.At three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the "Two Gunners" got addicted to cigarettes, yawned constantly, and had no energy to attack.At this time, with a telescope, it can be seen that countless umbrellas have been opened on the enemy's positions. Many enemy officers and soldiers lie under the umbrellas, light cigarette lamps, put out their smoking guns, and start to "puff clouds and fog".The commander of the first battalion seized this powerful fighter and sent small teams to attack the enemy suddenly from several directions.The enemy panicked, became a mess, lost command, and scrambled for their lives... On this day, the attack of one enemy brigade was repelled by two companies of the 34th Regiment of our army. There were also interesting talks about targeting the enemy's smoking guns in the Da Mian Shan position. On July 16, after a day of bloody battle, the sky was getting late and the battlefield gradually quieted down.The soldiers of the 25th Division seized the time to rush to repair the fortifications.Xu Shiyou and Chen Haisong went to inspect the positions of the 75th regiment, and suddenly found that the attacking Sichuan army was uncharacteristically, did not retreat, but stopped in front of the Red Army's position.After careful observation, in the enemy's formation, clusters of bright lights flickered on and off. It turned out that this was the onset of cigarette addiction by the soldiers of the Sichuan Army, who were lying in front of the Red Army's position and smoking opium.Xu Shiyou smiled: "This provides us with a good opportunity to practice shooting at night." He took the rifle from the soldier beside him, aimed at the smoking gun not far away and fired three shots in a row, and then there was a scream, and the light went out immediately.The Red Army soldiers in the position all learned from the division commander, and used the shining smoke lanterns as targets to carry out shooting competitions. Seeing the enemy pounce on our army's position endlessly like a wolf, our soldiers are always hit by the enemy's shells. Although the soldiers fight back bravely, it is always uncomfortable to be beaten all the time. Zhang Caiqian I want to give the enemy a little color in another way.The 36th regiment reported that the troops captured several prisoners during a counterattack.Zhang Caiqian's mind turned: "Bring here." When several prisoners were brought, Zhang Caiqian saw it, oh my god, this is not a human, it is clearly a ghost!Except for the difference in height, the three captives were all carved out of the same mold: thin body, sunken eyes, fleshless cheeks, unshaven beards, and long unkempt hair, making it almost impossible to distinguish between men and women. The clothes are almost rags, the slender arms are like hemp stalks, and the legs are as thick as the arms. It seems that a gust of wind can blow them down.As soon as the three guys saw Zhang Caiqian, they immediately fell to their knees and said that the Red Army officer would spare him.Zhang Caiqian asked them to stand up, and asked the guards to give them some food to ease their emotions. Then he asked them where they were from and how long they had been in the army, and slowly asked about the specific situation of the enemy.These guys answer every question.Zhang Caiqian soon learned that the enemy in front of him had multiple brigades, one of which lived in Luojiaya not far away.Luojiaya used to be the garrison of the 36th regiment, and our army is very familiar with the terrain there.Zhang Caiqian immediately called the head of the thirty-sixth regiment and asked him to find a way to sneak attack this group of enemies. That night, the traffic team of the thirty-sixth regiment sent three soldiers to sneak into Luojiaya in the dark.Luojiaya is a mountain village, and the village is full of enemies.After the three soldiers entered the village, they each fired a few shots into the enemy pile.All of a sudden, it became lively, and the awakened enemies screamed like a nightmare, "The Red Army is coming." Some enemy troops shot randomly without aiming, and as a result, you hit me, I hit you, and fought with each other.Seeing the enemy in a mess, the three soldiers quietly returned to their positions happily. Seeing the failures again and again, Tang Shizun was very annoyed. He reprimanded the commanders and brigade commanders on the front line and set a time limit for them to take down the positions of Damian Mountain and Xuanzu Palace within a limited time.The commanders of these divisions and brigades also expressed their firmness one by one.But the result is always the same: failure. On July 22, Tang Shizun ordered the launch of the second general offensive.But nothing was found except for dropping thousands of corpses again.This way of fighting, Liao Yuchen, Wang Zhulong, Wang Sanchun, Chen Guoshu and other brigade commanders under Tang Shizun's troops complained to him one after another. If the fight continues like this, the troops will be gone.Wang Zhulong even challenged him openly: "Commander, my soldiers are lying in front of the Red Army's position. If we want to charge again, we have to call them all up." Tang Shizun gritted his teeth with hatred, he made up his mind and threw all the reserve team into battle. Tang Shizun believed that since the second phase of the offensive started on July 22, although little progress had been made, it was close to the main position of the Red Army in front of Wanyuan. If all the ministries worked together to carry out a joint attack at this time, it would not be difficult to achieve a breakthrough in the center and seize Wanyuan. For this purpose, he ordered a general meeting to be held on July 25th.The so-called general attack, in the words of Tang Shizun, means to concentrate all forces, planes, cannons, and machine guns go up together, and everything that can move and vent its anger on the battlefield should be attacked by Lao Tzu.Tang Shizun shook his fists at the generals under his command: "We now have nearly eighty regiments, how many are there in the Red Army? Eighty regiments still can't take down these hills? Even tofu scum will break the belly of the Red Army." On the morning of July 25, the weather was sultry and sweaty when standing still. Many soldiers of the Sichuan Army were almost all shirtless in order to save trouble.Tang Shizun came to the Dangjiapo position not far from the attack point to supervise the battle. Tang Shizun really went all out this time. Due to transportation difficulties, there were not many shells and food ahead. This time he ordered all the shells to be moved out, hoping to solve the problem at once.He was gambling, betting on the lives of soldiers on the battlefield and his own future. Before the attack began, dozens of flat-firing infantry artillery, mountain artillery and nearly a hundred mortars suppressed and fired on the Red Army positions. The half-hour shelling caused thick smoke billowing on the Red Army positions such as Damian Mountain, Xuanzu Temple, and Kongjia Mountain. , the flames exploded, the sound of shell explosions became one piece, and the air was filled with a strong and pungent smell of gunpowder smoke. The shelling had not yet ended, and five enemy planes circled and dropped a string of bombs on the Red Army's position. The small boat, the shock wave of the bomb explosion was like a 12-degree gale, sweeping everything on the ground. The enemy's 1st, 4th, 5th, and 9th brigades of the Fifth Route and Liu Yuying's Brigade of the Sixth Route Wang Zhulong's Division moved in unison from Nanchiping, Yuanjiashan, Laoyingzhai, Muwangping, Xianglushan, Guazishan, and Tuiya to the enemy. The Red Army positions at Damian Mountain, Kongjia Mountain, Xuanzu Hall, and Dashanpo launched a strong attack.The Sichuan army all over the mountains and plains was like ants turning over their nests. Under the cover of fierce artillery fire, under the threat of gunpoint from the supervisory team, they kept crawling towards the Red Army's position. Tang Shizun put five brigades into the positions of Damianshan, Zengziping, and Kongjiashan, and put two brigades into the positions of Xuanzudian, and adopted the method of wave-like group charge. Each time a battalion charged, all the battalions were defeated. Instead of reorganizing, let the second battalion go up, the second retreats and let the third battalion go up, and if the third one fails, go up the fourth battalion.Seeing the rising crowd and the Red Army's position, Tang Shizun smiled grimly and said, "No matter how powerful your Red Army is, if I use the crowd tactics, I will drown you." In front of the enemy's position, the commander of the supervising team shouted sharply: "Brothers, Commander Liu has an order, rush up, the officer will be promoted to one level, kill a communist bandit, and reward Dayang 100, and those who retreat will be killed. Go, catch alive of." Before he finished speaking, hundreds of enemy soldiers around him responded together: "Come on, catch—live—, catch—live—!" Flock to the Red Army positions. This trick really worked. Under the guns of the supervisory team, the enemy's battalion-level groups charged non-stop, and the machine guns on the Red Army's position were fired like the wind. Like straws, they were knocked down row by row, but the ones in front fell down, and the ones behind came up again, and the bullets fired were not as many as the number of enemy soldiers.The barrels of the machine guns of the Red Army turned red, the bullets jammed, and the firepower was slightly weak. The enemy swarmed and rushed into the trenches of our army. The two sides fought hand-to-hand, and several Red Army positions were broken through. The enemy's 4th and 9th brigades desperately broke through the Nanchiping and Yuanjiashan positions at the front of the Red 25th Division's Mianshan, and approached the main position of Damianshan.The death squads and reserve teams of all battalions and regiments of the Red Army have all engaged in desperate battles with the enemy for the front positions.The Red Army used dense grenades and light and heavy machine guns to weave a powerful fire net to inflict a lot of damage on the enemy, but the enemy still kept rushing upwards.Locust-like enemies climbed to Laoyingzhai, Zaoziyuan, Hujiashan, Xiejiayuan and other places in the middle of Xianglu Mountain, and were about to attack the top of Damian Mountain. .It's not raining, it's a furious sky pouring water down.The violent wind and rain terrified the enemy officers and soldiers who were fighting desperately.主峰阵地本来就坡陡坎高，山头上早已被敌军的炮火打得一片尘土，大雨一来，地面顿时一片湿滑，正在艰难地向上爬的敌人一个个跌跌滑滑，摔成一团，加之饥渴难耐，体力衰竭，敌人的攻势明显减弱。 老鹰寨指挥所里的许世友见状立即令二十五师预备队以泰山压顶之势，从正面和两翼发起反冲击。暴雨中，成千的红军似山洪暴发，借助暴风骤雨之势，居高临下，直冲下来，从师长许世友到每一名战士都舞着纯钢大刀扑进敌群，寒光闪闪的大刀上下翻飞，刹那间，无数敌军成了无头鬼，无数人身体鲜血如注，“抓活的”的狂叫变成遍地伤兵的鬼哭狼嚎。看到身边的同伴要么成了无头鬼，要么缺胳膊断腿，漫山遍野都是惨叫和哀号，那些没有被红军钢刀砍倒的敌军吓得肝胆俱裂，在暴雨中一跌三滑，不要命地向后跑。红军乘势追击，冲入敌群。正在前方党家坡高地指挥督战的唐式遵见红军的反击如潮，自己的溃兵也如潮，溃兵返回来将后面的冲击部队裹挟下来，形成更大的溃兵潮。为了拦阻红军的反冲击，丧心病狂的唐式遵急令炮兵对红军进行拦阻射击，炮弹在敌我两军接合处爆炸，敌我双方死伤一片。红军停止追击，敌军才得以退回攻击阵地。 回看刚才激烈战斗的阵地，堑壕里，阵地前，陡坡边，各种姿态的敌军尸体横陈，惨不忍睹，数千具的尸体鲜血横流，在暴雨的冲刷下，血水横溢，大面山阵地被染得一片赤红。 7月26日上午，玄祖殿阵地。三十六团二营四连的一百多战士抗击着敌军整营、整团的轮番冲击。玄祖殿阵地居高临下，易守难攻，三十六团的战士们近战歼敌，打退了敌人多次进攻。战至午后，全连只剩下不到一半人，战士们退守到第二线阵地前的一个山垭口。在垭口前的陡坡上，战士们用绳子拦住许多大石块。当敌军逼近垭口时，他们砍断绳子，顿时，数百块大大小小的乱石如同山崩，临空而下，迎面而来的数百名敌人几乎全部被打倒，顿时哀号声一片，白的脑浆、红的鲜血四处溅洒。 关键时刻，许世友、张才千的排兵布阵艺术起到了作用。战前，考虑到敌人进攻火力的凶猛，为了保证有效反击，他们都将大部分有生力量放在二线休息。现在敌人加大了进攻力度，他们也加强了防守的力度，都拿出了隐藏在后面的预备队，并且及时将在一线坚守的部队换到后面休息。敌人冲破了一线阵地，已经是疲惫至极，还没容他们停下来喘口气，二线的红军预备队端着机枪，举着大刀又冲进敌阵，此时敌军已经到了“再而衰，三而竭”的地步，再也经受不起这番打击，潮水般地溃退下去。红军再次夺回第一道堑壕。张才千回忆： 是日，天刚放亮，敌人配置在清花溪一带的山炮、迫击炮开始不停地向我玄祖殿阵地进行轰击……在机枪掩护下，号叫着向我们的阵地上爬。在木城外游动的我三十六团一个排，首先与敌接触。他们利用有利地形，节节抗击。当敌人越过我木城后，被敌炮火打燃了的木城，燃起了熊熊烈火……该排乘机反攻……二连顺着交通壕，迅速地进入了各自的战斗岗位……等敌人接近时，各种火力一齐展开，顿时打得敌人鬼哭狼嚎……指战员们从凌晨一直战斗到中午，粒饭未进，滴水未喝，打退了敌人五、六次冲锋，守住了阵地。下午一点多，敌人约一个团的兵力，又向我阵地扑来……仰攻至三星拜月山半腰时，突然，天下起了倾盆大雨，但敌人不退，在督战队的逼迫下……继续向我们的阵地上爬。我在山顶小庙前用望远镜观察，看得清清楚楚。我决心抓住这个有利的时机，便用预备队反击……按我的命令，号长立即吹号，通知三十六团三营马上出击。随着嘹亮的号声，三营……犹如猛虎下山岗，分两路从东、南两条山梁直插敌群……不到半个钟点，敌人的一个团，被我歼灭了大半…… 前方吃紧，总指挥徐向前心急如焚，他来到大面山前线视察，对许世友说：“大面山是全线的重点阵地，一定要守住。你们右翼的三十军，左翼的四军，都打得很顽强。敌人还会发动更猛烈的进攻，你们的任务是极其艰巨的。” 许世友坚定不移地回答：“横竖是有我无敌，有敌无我，有我们二十五师在，敌人就休想过大面山！” 白天，烈日、硝烟、战火，把阵地烤得像蒸笼似的。夜晚，是蚊虫、小咬的天下，成群成群的围绕着堑壕、工事飞舞，咬得人们满脸满身的疙瘩，痛痒难忍。暴雨天，泥水灌满堑壕，指战员泡在齐腰深的水里，坚守阵地。烂脚病，像瘟疫一样地蔓延，许多人的腿脚溃烂红肿，行动艰难，又缺乏药物治疗。照样坚持战斗，不下火线。敌人的尸体横七竖八，密密层层地堆在阵地前沿，来不及处理，两三天就发霉发臭，熏得人恶心呕吐。粮食供应不上，指战员靠挖洋芋野菜充饥…… 这一次会攻，川军共使用七个旅，兵力超过二十个团，唐式遵亲自来督战，迭次使用密集部队进行波浪式多层冲锋，而红军则以逸待劳，掌握战机，先是层层顽强抗击，继而猛烈反击，反击毙伤敌军一万人左右，成果甚为显赫。这是川军对红军作战以来失败最惨重的一次，也是在一个地区伤亡最多的一次。 这段日子，最伤脑筋的要算唐式遵了。从7月16日他下令发起第一次攻击到现在，整整过了半个月，唐式遵天天都在极度的煎熬中度日。刚开始，他对攻克大面山拿下万源信心满满。与红军交手以来，每次攻击几天后，红军就会主动撤退，但这次红军的抵抗却极为坚决，根本看不出任何撤退的迹象。不撤退也罢，唐式遵对自己的实力还是很有信心的，五比一。他也知道红军的素质比自己的那些烟鬼强，但五比一的比例，我就是豆腐渣也要撑破你的肚皮，更何况自己还有飞机大炮。每次看到飞机在红军阵地上反复轰炸和炮击腾起的熊熊大火和漫天烟尘，唐式遵的心里总觉得很痛快，在这样的钢铁弹雨面前，人能存在吗？但他无论如何也难以相信，每次一阵狂轰滥炸后，自己的士兵呐喊着“抓活的”潮水般地向山头上涌去，眼看就要到达山顶的时候，却被从地里冒出的红军给打下来。这样的场面一天要上演七八次，每次都是如此，有时候他甚至怀疑自己的眼睛，这些红军到底藏在哪里？他们怎么能在如此猛烈的炮火中活下来。看到自己士兵的狼狈样，他又非常痛恨，这帮家伙平日里看起来还有个人样，怎么在红军面前真的成了豆腐渣呢？他曾数次在电话里逼着手下的师长团长把领头溃退的那几个连排长当众处决。尽管杀了一些下级军官，但众多的敌军士兵还是被惨烈的战斗吓破了胆。每次冲锋，一个个都畏畏缩缩，谁也不愿朝前多走一步。更让他难受的是，刘湘几乎一天一个电话，有时甚至一天几个电话，问的都是一句话：“什么时候拿下万源？” 问得多了，唐式遵都怕接这个电话，每次电话铃声响起，他总觉得这刺耳的电话是在催索他的命，有时候任凭电话铃响半天，就是不伸手去接。 其实着急的岂止是他？屡战屡败，连攻不克，蒋介石对刘湘极为不满，频频发电催促他迅速消灭川北“赤匪”，迅速结束战争，蒋介石的连电催促也让刘湘焦灼万分。 其间，有一个插曲曾让唐式遵和刘湘兴奋万分。 8月初，就在唐式遵正处于进不可能、退又不敢的两难窘境中时，敌崔二旦部于万源附近乘红军防守间隙冲入万源县城。消息一出，唐式遵全身的细胞都兴奋起来，他立刻致电刘湘大肆渲染：五、六路军与红军血战三昼夜，确实“克服”万源，红军退离万源二十里，狼狈不堪，已令先头部队跟踪追击。 刘湘得报，也兴奋得立即给蒋介石报捷，敌人的报纸也纷纷报道“攻克万源”的捷报。殊不料，崔二旦部的消息纯属扯淡，他的小部队冲入万源县城不到一天，旋即为红军逐出。刘湘望眼欲穿的攻占万源，随后便没了下文。唐式遵也为这“乌龙”捷报大失面子。 屡屡失败，唐式遵如同热锅上的蚂蚁，坐卧不宁。经过与南充的“神仙”军师商量，决定于8月2日再发动一次猛攻，希望毕其功于一役。 发动猛攻需要粮食弹药等军需物资，唐式遵第五、第六两路近十几万士兵在前线搏杀，十几万人每天起码要吃二十多万斤粮食，每天要消耗几千万发子弹和数不清的炮弹、手榴弹，这些后勤物资全部靠后方运输。战争已经持续了十个多月，随着红军步步紧缩，战线深入苏区境内数百里，后勤运输线越拉越长，从后方到前线近则四五百里，远则近千里，一路上全是大山险川，交通状况极为恶劣。数量庞大的军需物资运输全靠数万民夫的双肩，全靠那盘曲在万山丛中的羊肠小道。民夫队伍近十万，这十万人也要吃喝，所运粮食一多半要被他们吃掉。沿途红军小分队、游击队不断袭击，造成大量民夫逃亡。因为大量战斗减员，到达前方的民夫有时还被敌军强征入伍。后勤运输已使刘湘的军事机器不堪重负，如同没有润滑的绞盘，咯吱咯吱作响。就在唐式遵在前线为军需物资急得跳脚，就在数万民夫挥汗如雨，肩挑背扛，艰难地在万山丛中手脚并用地攀爬时，一场连日大雨使其运输线瘫痪了。 或许是前线的搏杀过于惨烈，血腥之气直冲云霄，惹得天怒人怨，自7月底起，天降大雨，而且一下就是数日不停。千山万壑的雨水全部汇集到山谷间的河川里，大小河流河水暴涨，几乎所有的道路全部中断，唐式遵的运输线因此全部瘫痪。唐式遵如同凶神，强令部队和民夫在暴雨中架桥。但在狂暴的大自然面前，人类如同蚁蝼。正如1934年7月31日《新蜀报》所述：“滦流奔湍，势如奔马，官兵夫役，多坠河死者，且三日滂沱，昼夜不止，运输困难，前线粮食，颇感不济。” 直至8月4日，雨势稍缓，才有部分后勤物资运到。弹药粮食一到，唐式遵如同吸了鸦片，又来了精神。看看敌人的报刊记者在现场的报道： 四日： ——五路军定于本日（三日）开始总攻，分左右两翼及正面。范、陈、 杨及六路廖、汪各部任左翼向黄中堡、大地坪、魏家坪等处猛进。彭、刘、饶及王、陈各部任右翼由大山坟及高铺、玄祖庙、孔家山等处前进。许绍宗师七、八、九旅由白沙河、狗坝、茶垭子、董家坝、清范湾等处准备强渡，向万城猛进。准定一、二日内即将万城攻克云。 五日： ——三日电：五路军李旅于昨夜选派敢死队由张家滩偷渡，潜入匪境后方，直达天华山山顶森林内隐匿，复另派队向天华山袭击，我军进至山腹，内外夹击，我军几连山巅。匪由玉皇庙左右来援，腰击我军，天华山之匪亦倾巢拒战，一时弹如雨下，战至拂晓，匪亦麇集，我乃从容退过对岸。 七日： ——五路军定于五日开始向万源进攻，唐许誓于日内将万源城攻下。 ... 十二日： ——五、六路歌（五）日总攻，廖师陈旅杨勤安团已占领袁家山，七日晚已进至大面山腹，并将老鹰寨匪部完全包围。 一路邓部卢旅已占贯子山，正向松坪攻。黄石子旅已占小峰垩，正向蓑衣梁进攻，黄锡煊旅已占四皮湾一带。 三路军副总指挥罗表示自愿攻取鹰龙山，请总部拨四万元奖金，如攻不下，请在该部应领饷中扣除四万元。 8月6日，刘湘下令，第五路大军倾其全力第四次猛攻万源。这一次刘湘严罚重赏，宣称：攻占万源奖洋一万元，攻占花萼山、孔家山各奖洋四千元，攻占大面山、大竹溪、梨树溪、灯盏窝各奖洋二千元，攻占玄祖殿、老鹰寨、香炉山、黄中堡各奖洋一千元。刘湘还规定：擅自放弃阵地者军法从事；师长、旅长凡其所属两旅、两团上阵而自己不亲临前线指挥者处死。 刘湘的命令如同一道催命符，唐式遵自己到前线亲自督战，他的卫队全部端起机枪督战，他的命令更凶：从师长起一直到营、连，均下管一级，凡作战不力者，立即阵前处决，师长畏缩不前的，由他执行战场纪律。 唐式遵也得到情报，红军目前存粮已尽，前沿阵地的战士们日食面糊仅二餐仍不能保证，只能靠山果、野菜和半生不熟的土豆充饥。对手在饿着肚子打仗，此时拿下万源是合适的机会了。 唐式遵再次调整部署，以第一师和王三春、陈国枢部进攻甑子坪、花萼山，迂回万源东侧；以第六路的廖雨辰、汪铸龙两部进攻南天门，迂回万源西侧；以第二、三师等部向万源正面的大面山、孔家山等地进攻。第二、三两师在大面山阵地投入精兵十几个团，营以下的军官全部组成敢死队，全军所有的炮兵集中使用。唐式遵这次使出吃奶的劲，誓言：“要在日内将万源攻下！” 8月6日拂晓，震天动地的炮声再次在大面山震响，成百门各种口径的迫击炮、山炮轰鸣着将炮弹倾泻到大面山阵地上，炮弹爆炸，烟火弥漫，空气热得似乎要燃烧，数架敌机排着队向阵地俯冲轰炸，敢死队打着赤膊，端着机枪，不要命地向前冲，整团、整营的兵力紧随其后轮番攻击。整个大面山开始战抖，烈焰张天。 8月7日，大面山，二十五师第七十五团青山阵地。团长韩东山只放了三个连在前沿，其余的部队作为预备队放在后面。大雨过后，太阳如同火球烘烤着地面，水汽蒸腾，湿热难耐。阵地上战士们泡在堑壕的臭水里，憋得气都喘不过来，但阵地上喷出的弹雨仍旧猛烈，虽然一日三餐不能果腹，但战士们冲杀的气势丝毫不减。敌人两个旅轮番进攻，眼见得敌人突击队涌上阵地，有的敌军士兵冲入堑壕，七十五团的战士们冲出来与敌搏斗。唐式遵丧心病狂，仍旧命令炮火不停，大面山阵地上，敌我双方同时被敌炮火覆盖。危险时刻，韩东山立即将预备队派出，经过一天奋力厮杀，敌人遗尸累累，两个旅的进攻仍告失败。 大面山，七十三团前沿阵地。敌四个旅的兵力以团为单位，轮番猛攻。七十三团团长刘理运在前沿阵地仅放了二个连，在敌人猛烈的炮火下，前沿阵地的鹿砦、“木城”都被打着了，阵地上空，烈火浓烟，遮天蔽日。大火分散了红军战士的抵抗，敌廖雨辰部乘势连续突破了红军两道战壕，一部分敌军已经攻到七十三团主阵地，这里距许世友的师指挥所老鹰寨仅两百多米。 此时指挥战斗已经不需要望远镜了，许世友对刘理运说：“敌人不怕死，我们红军更不怕死，把你的敢死营拉出来，把这股敌人给我吃下去！” 刘理运一声大喝，七十三团敢死营如同苍鹰扑兔，冲进敌群用大刀刺刀与敌人展开拼杀，这股敌人还未解决，敌许绍宗师的彭焕章第一旅和赵鹤第七旅从红七十三团和红七十五团接合部突入二十五师阵地，敌人的先头部队已经冲到了许世友指挥所的山脚下。千钧一发之际，许世友命令作为预备队的红七十四团团长潘幼卿：“马上出击，坚决把突进来的敌人消灭掉。七十三、七十五团用火力支援你们！” 许绍宗师的这股敌军有数千之众，从山脚仰攻到山顶，一路上几经厮杀，一个个早已精疲力竭，腿脚酸软，突然遭到七十四团以泰山压顶之势的攻击。七十四团是二十五师的预备队，蓄精养锐，敌人是疲惫之师，虽鲁缟不能穿，在七十四团突然而猛烈的火力打击下，敌人再也支撑不住，四处溃散。许世友大喝一声，一把抽出插在背上的大刀，与陈海松一起率领师直属分队杀向敌人。 红军乘胜追杀敌人七八里，将敌人赶至大面山下的白沙河边。仅这次进攻，唐式遵的几个旅加起来损失了近一万人。 长时间的正面防御作战，敌我双方都异常疲倦。川军的战法简单愚蠢，硬打硬攻，结果是尸横遍野，血流成河。红军战士除了正面坚守外，还采用正规战与游击战相结合的方法，以多种手段，袭扰、打击、疲惫敌人，削弱敌人的战斗力。 三十一军二七一团防守在西线小通江河北岸，对岸是邓锡侯部。邓锡侯为了保存实力，不愿意配合刘湘进攻，他的部队在小通江河南岸坚守不出。二七一团团长王友均看到敌人不动，决定采用你不动我动的办法，在了解清楚敌人的部署情况后，在一个月黑风高的夜晚，王友均亲率三十余人的手枪队，从平溪坝以北夜渡小通江河，穿过邓锡侯部沿岸的防线，摸到敌人后方牛角嵌。这里驻着邓锡侯部一个团，因为长时间没有战斗，敌军情绪消极，防卫懈怠。王友均突然袭击敌军团部，战士们手执大刀，冲进敌团部，王友均直扑敌团长卧室，听到枪声，敌团长慌慌张张从卧室里跑出来，被王友均迎面一刀，砍倒在地。团部里都是些非战斗人员，一看到团长被砍死，一个个都跪地缴枪。王友均命令他们脱下军衣，将这些俘虏捆成一串，每个人身上挂一个拉了弦的手榴弹，自己和手枪队的战士们穿上敌军衣，化装成敌军，带着俘虏和战利品安全渡河返回阵地。 有一个连队更想出绝招，战士们先是在当地找来成群的水牛，在牛背上安装一个木架，木架上挂满鞭炮，然后在夜幕掩护下将牛群赶过大河，来到敌人前沿阵地后，将鞭炮点燃，被噼噼啪啪的鞭炮声惊吓的牛群在敌阵地前横冲直撞，搅得敌人昼夜不宁。以后又将缴获的敌军电筒绑在狗的身上，晚上悄悄地将这些狗带到敌军阵地前，然后突然打开手电筒，受到惊吓的狗群冲入敌阵，敌人阵地上顿时道道电光乱晃，阵地上的敌军看到乱晃的手电光，惊慌失措，向着电光开枪，被枪声惊吓的狗群在敌人阵地到处乱窜。这些小动作搞得敌军草木皆兵，夜夜不得安宁。闹腾几次后，敌军放松了警惕