Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 371: Those who fight are the elites
Just as the D Column and the Second Independent Detachment were resting and preparing for battle, a plane landed at Anyi Airport.

"Commander Hu has arrived!"

Hu Shoushan led a large group of Kuomintang officers into the Anyi headquarters.

He walked with such a powerful and energetic air.

After everyone was seated in the command center, Dong Shengjie stood up.

He was in charge of commanding the previous campaign in southern Shanxi.

"Commander Hu, this is the current situation."

"Our army marched north with unstoppable momentum; the main force of the G army fled at the mere sight of them."

"Although our army suffered a small loss some time ago, overall, the strength of the G army is still far inferior to that of our army."

"With slight adjustments to tactics and enhanced cooperation among units, we can still achieve our operational objective of annihilating the main force of the G Army!"

Regardless of the previous battle reports, the battle lines don't lie.

The Central Army has made a substantial advance.

So, to sum up Dong Shengjie's words, it all boils down to one word: win!

After listening to Dong Shengjie's report, Hu Shoushan remained silent.

Hu Shoushan only slowly got up after Dong Shengjie sat down again.

"I have repeatedly and earnestly reminded you all before, but you still let your guard down!"

Hu Shoushan's words were anything but polite.

Although he was directing operations remotely from Xi'an, the annihilation of the 31st Division and the occupation of counties such as Xintian and Yong'an were a slap in the face for him.

The Chairman called him; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to Shanxi.

“You must understand that we are the ones who wield knives, and knives move in the dark; the G army is the ones who wield swords, and swords move lightly.”

"These are completely different approaches!"

"You've abandoned your own swordsmanship in order to try and break theirs. Isn't that using your weaknesses to attack their strengths?"

Since the Central Army entered Shanxi, they have been busy for dozens of days, but they have not only failed to scratch the surface of the G Army, but the G Army's territory has actually expanded.

If this continues, how will he explain himself to the principal?
"I have brought new combat plans with me to Anyi this time."

As Hu Shoushan spoke, he walked to the map hanging on the wall.

The operations staff officer quickly pulled back the curtain and handed a command stick to Hu Shoushan.

"Our army will then adopt a new pincer movement, advancing northward in two columns, while the Jin-Sui Army will cooperate by advancing southward to launch a pincer attack."

"The objective of this battle is to open up the Tongpu Railway and force the main force of the G Army to engage in a decisive battle with us!"

Hu Shoushan's visit this time was not only to personally supervise the battle, but also to bring four more divisions, bringing the total strength of the Central Army to over 4.

Among them was his most prized possession, the Central Army's First Division, known as the "Number One Division in the World."

This is the old unit that Hu Shoushan relied on to build his career.

The First Division was originally the Whampoa Military Academy Training Regiment, and Chiang Kai-shek's second son once served as the deputy commander of the First Division.

Since its formation, the First Division has been known as Chiang Kai-shek's "Imperial Guard," belonging to the most elite of the elite.

The current division commander, Huang Zhencheng, is a top student who graduated from a German artillery school and holds the rank of lieutenant general.

Even the three regimental commanders under his command were all major generals, which was unique in the entire Guo army.

Moreover, the First Division was the first unit under Hu Shoushan to be fully equipped with American weapons.

Although the number of troops was only 12,000, their firepower was stronger than that of an entire army.

With the First Division in place, Hu Shoushan stood firm.

Moreover, the Jin-Sui Army also had five divisions, with a total strength of more than 20,000 men.

"According to previous battle reports, the G army has occupied Xintian."

Hu Shoushan tapped the command stick on the map.

"But I'm certain that Chen Duan wouldn't dare to lead his troops to rest and recuperate along the Tongpu Railway," Hu Shoushan said with great confidence.

Along the railway, the Kuomintang army could move quickly, and the Kuomintang army, if they had any brains, would not be able to stay.

"Commander Hu, I heard that you and Chen* of the G Party were irreconcilable enemies back in Whampoa."

"Could you introduce this person to us so we can learn about the enemy?" Huang Zhencheng, the commander of the First Division, stood up and asked.

Hu Shoushan waved his hand, gesturing for Huang Zhencheng to sit down, and then said:

"We were both classmates in the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, but we belonged to different academic societies."

“We often argue until we’re red in the face, and sometimes we even get into a physical fight.”

"However, this is all due to differing political views. Actually, he is a very straightforward person, and we have a good personal relationship."

Of course, Hu Shoushan did not say the phrase "a hard fist hurts a lot when it hits".

"But he later left Whampoa, and I knew then that we would definitely become rivals."

"Based on my understanding of him, defeating him is not a problem," Hu Shoushan said confidently.

"This time I'm definitely going to get him into the principal's hands and teach him a lesson!"

"You, a Whampoa Military Academy graduate who studied in Germany, must not disappoint me!" Hu Shoushan said to Huang Zhencheng.

"Please rest assured, Commander Hu, I will definitely capture Chen* alive for you," Huang Zhencheng said, standing up at attention.

“Good! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!” Hu Shoushan said with a smile.

"Now I give the order." Hu Shoushan's smile faded, and he stood up.

The other officers immediately stood at attention.

"Dong Shengjie is the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Advance, and his troops are divided into two routes, advancing northward!"

"I will personally oversee the upcoming battles in Anyi!"

"I hope you will not disappoint me or the principal."

"yes!".
Having learned from past mistakes, Dong Shengjie remained cautious, and the main force continued to advance in unison.

However, during their northward advance, the Central Army did not encounter a single soldier of the D Column.

On the contrary, the local armed forces along the way were having a great time laying landmines, digging up roads, and firing sniper shots. They were treating the Central Army like the Japanese devils.

Upon learning this, Hu Shoushan became even more confident.

"It seems Chen* still has some self-awareness; knowing he's no match, he's hidden himself away," Hu Shoushan said with a smile, looking at the map.

The Central Army has recaptured Xintian County and is now advancing towards Pingyang.

Once we reach Pingyang, we should be able to find the main force of the G army.

Hu Shoushan did not believe that the CCP would hand over Taiyuan so easily.

"Send a telegram to Commander Dong, instructing him to garrison Pingyang and pursue the enemy while they are ahead; seek an opportunity for a decisive battle and ensure victory!"

Just when Hu Shoushan felt victory was assured, D Zong was in a meeting.

As Hu Shoushan's old classmate, Chen Sijin was very clear about his thoughts.

Therefore, I decided to turn the tables and teach this old classmate a lesson.

Moreover, the Central Committee has already sent a telegram, requesting that an opportunity be found to annihilate an enemy division.

After obtaining the radios from the 2nd Independent Division and the communications group from the 31st Division, the communications section of the D Column has been monitoring the enemy situation of the Central Army in real time.

With the 31st Division radio station chief present, the communications section had already obtained the wavelength bands of Hu Shoushan's headquarters and its subordinate units.

Even though the Central Army changed the code, the D Column quickly deciphered it.

Every move of the Central Army was under Chen Sijin's watchful eye.

"In the recent battle, we wiped out tens of thousands of troops from the Central Army's 31st Division and the Jin-Sui Army."

"I reckon Hu Shoushan and Yan Xishan must be furious, and they're itching to launch a pincer attack from the north and south."

"To the north is Yan Xishan's 34th Army, which is heading south from Pingchang."

"In the south, nine divisions of the Central Army, divided into three echelons, have all pressed forward."

"The enemy's momentum is very strong," Chen Sijin said.

"Do you know who this mid-lane vanguard is?"

"Who?" Li Yunlong became interested when he heard Chen Sijin's serious tone.

"Huang Zhencheng!"

Chen Sijin told everyone about Huang Zhencheng and the First Division.

"Hu Shoushan has brought his top division to the front lines; he wants to devour us in one fell swoop."

"Judging from the current situation, the Central Army is very likely to split its forces into two groups and attack Xiaoyi County from both sides."

Xiaoyi and Qingcheng counties are located east of Pingyang, serving as the gateway to Pingyang, and face Taiyue Mountain directly.

If the Central Army wants to ensure the safety of Pingyang, it must take these two places.

“We only have six brigades now, with a total strength of less than 50,000 men, and we have to deal with an army of 130,000 men armed to the teeth.”

"We can only concentrate our superior forces and attack one of his routes."

"I'd like to hear your opinions on how to play this game."

After Chen Sijin finished explaining the situation, he looked at everyone.

The harassment that had previously given the Central Army so much trouble was Chen Sijin's doing.

However, these methods can only buy some time and cannot truly eliminate the Central Army.

To truly crush the enemy's offensive, we need to fight a real, hard-fought battle.

“I think we should fight in ways he never expected,” Chen Chengxing said.

"Tell me," Chen Sijin gestured.

"Logically speaking, we should attack the 27th Division on the Qingxiao Highway."

"But last time, we wiped out his 31st Division on the right flank. This time, the Central Army on the right flank will definitely be more careful."

"In contrast, the 1st Division in Pingyang, relying on their full set of American equipment, thought we wouldn't dare to touch them."

"You mean attack his First Division? That's the most elite unit of the Central Army," Chen Sijin said with a smile.

"We're targeting the elite! I wouldn't even look at those lowly bastards," Chen Chengxing said.

What does a full set of American-made equipment mean?
The value of annihilating this division is greater than that of annihilating another army.

"That's a bit risky. I think it's better to pick the softest persimmons," Cheng Zhiqiang said.

The Central Army has 100,000 troops, while our army has less than 50,000.

With a vast disparity in troop strength and equipment, attacking the weaker force is beneficial to the development of our army.

"What's the point of always picking on the weak? If you're going to smash someone, smash a hard walnut!" Li Yunlong said.

"If we can take down his number one division in one fell swoop, we can definitely crush the enemy's morale!"

Li Yunlong was envious of so many American weapons.

After a moment's thought, Chen Sijin made up his mind.

"This time we'll play by our own rules and attack their First Division, cracking the hardest walnut!"

Fighting a weaker force would not significantly change the overall situation in southern Shanxi.

Moreover, during the attack, the enemy's main force will also come to reinforce, which will put too much pressure on the blocking forces.

Once the defensive line is breached, our main force will be surrounded.

Conversely, if we can eliminate the enemy's elite troops, we can not only greatly weaken the enemy's combat effectiveness, but also severely damage local morale and boost our own.

This is a win-win situation.

If you are the best in the world, then what am I?

Side Quest Released: The Best in the World.

Mission Objective: Annihilate the Central Army's First Division

[Mission Reward: Trait: Number One in the World.]

[Number One in the World: For each victory in a battle of the same or higher level, troop morale increases by 1% and combat strength increases by 1%, up to a maximum of 10%.]

(End of this chapter)