Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 359 Monsters are finally spawning in the wilderness.
After sending a telegram to Chongqing, Yan Xishan convened an emergency meeting in Anyi.

“Yunliang, the 19th Army is your old subordinate. I think you should fly to Chongqing and take charge of this battle.”

Yan Xishan first looked at Ma Yunliang, the commander-in-chief of the 13th Army Group.

The 19th Army was the unit where Ma Yunliang made his fortune, so it was most suitable for him to command it.

"Sir, it's not that I'm unwilling to go, but as you know, the airport in Chongqing has been taken over by the G army."

"It's alright if I get captured by the G army, but it would be troublesome if the plane also falls into their hands."

Without even thinking, Ma Yunliang refused outright.

Are you kidding me? Do you think the Battle of Chongqing was so easy to win?
With the surrounding counties occupied by the Communist army, Chongqing has now become a den of dragons and tigers.

Getting in is easy, but getting out is probably hard.

Yan Xishan thought about it and felt that it made sense. If Ma Yunliang couldn't be parachuted into Chongqing, there would be no point in him going.

He then turned his gaze to the commander-in-chief of the Seventh Army.

"Chengjie, how about you take charge as the commander-in-chief?"

The main force providing support this time will be the 7th Army Group.

"Sir, it's not that I'm unwilling to go, but as you know, I'm currently negotiating the surrender with the Japanese, and I really can't leave."

Zhao Chengjie shook his head like a rattle drum.

Who doesn't know what's going on in Chongqing? Anyone who goes there is a complete idiot.

Yan Xishan thought about it and realized that Zhao Chengjie's work was indeed quite important, and he couldn't leave for the time being.

As early as after the Taiyuan conflict, Yoshio Shinotsuka and his Japanese soldiers were handed over to Yan Xishan.

Now, apart from the technical troops who need to be 'isolated and investigated' for certain reasons, there are no Japanese soldiers left in Taiyuan City.

The Japanese troops handed over to Yan Xishan, apart from the Fourth Division, were all Class C or Class D divisions, which were relatively weak in combat.

However, it is still much stronger than the Jin-Sui Army.

Therefore, after meeting Yoshio Shinotsuka, Yan Xishan wanted to make the Japanese army work for him.

Of course, the 4th Division was not included.

Zhao Chengjie was in charge of this very matter.

With no better candidate in mind, Yan Xishan turned his attention to the deputy commander of the 7th Army Group standing next to him.

"Yu Lin, since Commander-in-Chief Zhao is unable to take over as commander-in-chief, then you shall take over."

Peng Yulin cursed inwardly upon hearing Yan Xishan's words.

This job is obviously not a good one, otherwise why would they keep making excuses?

However, as the deputy commander, Peng Yulin had no excuse and could only stand up and say:

"Please rest assured, sir!"

"Very good! Very energetic!" Yan Xishan nodded.

"This time, in addition to the 23rd Army and the 83rd Army, you should also bring the 6th and 8th Divisions of the Provincial Defense Army."

"I'll assign you an extra artillery regiment."

"Thank you, sir!" Peng Yulin said, standing at attention.

Eight divisions plus one artillery regiment, that's more than 30,000 men.

Given G Army's past firepower, they have an absolute advantage.

"Yu Lin, I await news of your great victory," Yan Xishan said solemnly.

In order to maximize their firepower advantage, Peng Yulin's reinforcements carried a large amount of ammunition.

In addition, Shi Anguo said that Chongqing had run out of ammunition and food, so they specially carried a lot for Chongqing's troops.

The amount of dry food that should have been carried was drastically reduced.

However, Peng Yulin wasn't too worried. They were fighting on their own territory, and there was plenty of food on the way.

We can just collect the food as needed.

However, the reality was that the Jin-Sui Army suffered a major setback.

After they gathered in Pingyang and traveled for several days, they found that everywhere they went was deserted.

They had nothing—no people, no supplies, no food, no water.

In addition, it rained every day, making the roads muddy and impassable. The troops could only walk a maximum of ten kilometers a day before they had to give up.

Artillery operations, in particular, were exceptionally difficult.

Sometimes, even artillery shells had to be carried by soldiers.

However, Yan Xishan has no time to worry about Peng Yulin's predicament.

Whenever the Chongqing garrison sent a telegram to Yan Xishan requesting reinforcements, Yan Xishan would immediately send a telegram to Peng Yulin urging him to hurry up.

For Yan Xishan, once Chongqing falls, the wedge he had painstakingly planted in Taiyuan will be removed.

His desire to retake Taiyuan took him a step further.

Right now, Yan Xishan only hopes that Peng Yulin can arrive in Chongqing as soon as possible to relieve Shi Anguo, who is trapped in the isolated city.

Only in this way can he proceed with his next move.

"Political Commissar, it seems that a quick victory is not possible now."

General Liu, wearing a raincoat and barefoot, walked into the command post from outside.

He had just visited the front lines and the battle was extremely intense.

Even the strongest fighting force, the Second Independent Detachment, was struggling to maintain its offensive.

Because of the heavy rain, the Second Independent Detachment's firepower advantage could not be fully utilized, and the ammunition transport capacity could not keep up with the consumption.

"Let's take it slow then." The political commissar poured a cup of hot water for General Liu.

Time is not of the essence, and the troops do not need to risk a direct assault.

With the support of the local people, there was no need to worry about the troops' logistics, and all the wounded were properly taken care of.

"We can only wait until the weather gets better," said Mr. Liu, holding his cup.

On the muddy ground, the soldiers moved much more slowly than usual.

Bullets that could have been dodged before, can no longer be dodged.

"I believe in the soldiers. Once the weather clears up, we can take it down in one fell swoop," the political commissar said.

To support the troops in their attack on Chongqing, even the children's corps was mobilized. The soldiers were also all highly motivated.

If we don't win, I'm afraid I won't have the face to face my fellow villagers.

Just as the two were discussing, a combat staff officer ran in through the rain.

"Commissar Sijin, we have received important intelligence."

Mr. Liu took it, glanced at it, and laughed.

"This is just like a pillow coming when you're sleepy."

"We've tried several sieges and ambushes before, but the reinforcements never came."

"This time we didn't succeed, but Yan Xishan came to us on his own initiative."

"Intelligence personnel in Anyi reported that Peng Yulin, deputy commander of the 7th Army Group, has set off from Anyi with 7,000 men to support Yu."

"We've arrived in Shuncheng now," said General Liu, handing the intelligence report to the political commissar beside him.

When Peng Yulin set off from Anyi, he had only an infantry division and an artillery regiment with him.

The rest of the troops gathered in Pingyang on their own, so the intelligence personnel in Anyi were unaware of the full situation.

"They've finally arrived!" The political commissar was also very excited as he looked at the intelligence report.

We've been planning this field battle for a month, but we haven't encountered a single Jin-Sui army unit.

"Pass on my order: except for the A Column, B Column, and the Military Region Headquarters, all other troops shall immediately march south!" General Liu said, standing up.

Upon receiving the order, the troops responsible for intercepting reinforcements immediately ceased their attack on the city and instead began a rapid march south.

The main force braved the rain and drove all night, arriving at their destination ahead of schedule.

Normally, the Jin-Sui Army marched in large numbers, carrying artillery, so taking the road was the most suitable option.

The outskirts of Beiguang Town, 20 kilometers north of Shuncheng, are ideal for launching a large-scale ambush.

However, the troops waited until noon, but the reinforcements that should have arrived were nowhere to be seen.

"Won't the Jin-Sui Army cower like cowards again?" Xu Wu held up his binoculars, staring intently into the distance.

The strategy of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements seems to be ineffective against the Jin-Sui Army.

"It's unlikely," Chen Chengxing shook his head.

Although it is unknown why the Jin-Sui Army only sent seven thousand men.

But having traveled such a long distance, it's unlikely they'll suddenly turn back.

“However, the reinforcements are not arriving soon enough, which is a problem,” Chen Chengxing said, looking at the map.

"Wait a minute." Chen Chengxing suddenly realized.

"From Shuncheng to Chongqing, this road is not the only road!"

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, Xu Wu walked a few steps to the map.

"Are you saying the Jin-Sui Army will follow this old path? That's unlikely, isn't it?"

There is indeed more than one road from Shuncheng to Chongqing.

The road they are currently lying in ambush on was a major road built during the Japanese occupation.

Ten kilometers to the east, there is another mountain road that winds its way through the mountains.

But that road was built many years ago, when transportation was underdeveloped, as a shortcut people took along the mountain road.

That road is shorter, but it's clearly not as easy to travel as this main road.

"Unlikely? I think it's very likely!" Chen Chengxing said confidently.

"Although this road is difficult to travel, it is more than ten kilometers shorter."

"Should we send scouts to investigate?" Xu Wu asked immediately.

If they ambush here, but the Jin-Sui Army arrives in Chongqing via the old road from the east, then Chongqing will be impossible to capture.

"It's too late." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

"Send a telegram to the Commander-in-Chief explaining the situation. Instruct the troops to prepare for a forced march."

"Yes!"

On the winding mountain road, tens of thousands of people formed a line several kilometers long.

From a distance, it looks like a string of ants moving forward.

"Sir, this road is too difficult to travel."

The commander of the 23rd Army struggled to pull his boots out of the mud pit.

Trucks could not pass through this road, so all the officers contributed their horses to ensure the artillery regiment's transportation.

High-ranking officers who used to travel by horseback or carriage were now in a very sorry state.

Even tall military boots were not very effective on this muddy mountain road.

"We were delayed in Shuncheng, and Commander Yan kept calling to urge us on."

"Taking a shortcut is the only option," Peng Yulin said breathlessly.

Taking a shortcut was just an excuse for Peng Yulin; what he really wanted was to avoid being ambushed.

There are quite a few G troops in the Chongqing area. Once they set up ambushes along the roads, there will be no way to avoid them.

He did indeed lead a team to provide support, but if they were too far from Chongqing, he didn't believe the 19th Army would come out of the city to coordinate a pincer attack.

Therefore, Peng Yulin deliberately changed the marching route.

Taking a shortcut allows troops to traverse this dangerous route at the fastest speed.

Moreover, there is another advantage to taking this mountain path.

If ambushed, the troops can immediately use the nearby mountains to launch a counterattack, preventing the G army from directly charging into their lines.

"Sir."

"Stop talking and save your energy for getting somewhere," Peng Yulin interrupted.

"The main force must reach Dongguan Town today!"

Less than ten kilometers north of Dongguan Town is Xixiao County.

Then we can cooperate with the 19th Army in Chongqing.

With 50,000 against 50,000, the advantage lies with me.

(End of this chapter)