Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 376 What?! All the cannons are for me?
After the 13th Brigade voluntarily relinquished its position, the 167th and 27th Divisions continued to advance along the road, preparing to support the 1st Division at Guanzili.

However, to avoid being ambushed, the two divisions did not advance quickly.

They didn't reach Guanzili until after 8 a.m.

By this time, the smoke from the battle in Guanzi had dissipated, and the G army had long since withdrawn.

Looking at the corpses and ruins scattered all over the ground, the two brothers suddenly realized something.

"Withdraw! Withdraw! Withdraw!" the commander of the 167th Division urgently ordered.

The Guo army didn't even bother to collect the bodies; they all ran back in a panic.

"What a pity, what a pity!" On a distant hilltop, Chen Chengxing put down his binoculars.

The encirclement had already been formed, but Chen Chengxing did not order an attack.

Currently, daytime conditions are still somewhat unfavorable for our military operations.

A direct attack could backfire and result in losses.

Therefore, Chen Chengxing chose to watch them run away.

"Commander, the 167th and 27th Divisions have retreated to Xiaoyi." Chen Chengxing called the command post.

"I understand. Dong Shengjie's troops have also halted their advance and are showing signs of retreating back to Pingyang," Chen Sijin said.

"The Jin-Sui Army did not head south, but north, and is now steadily advancing towards Chongqing."

"In that case, you take the Second Independent Detachment north immediately, and we will meet in Yong'an."

"The next step is to target the Jin-Sui Army," Chen Sijin ordered.

"Yes!"

The Central Army and the Jin-Sui Army have always been pursuing their own agendas.

Taking advantage of the fierce fighting between the Central Army and the G Army, Yan Xishan once again went back to his roots.

Since Taiyuan was occupied by the Communist army, he has never had a good night's sleep.

When Taiyuan was in Japanese hands, he still had hope of taking it back.

Once it fell into the hands of the G Party, things became much more complicated.

Yan Xishan had his intelligence agents in Taiyuan, so he knew what Taiyuan was like now.

Yan Xishan had a premonition that this was probably his last hope.

For the sake of Taiyuan, he reluctantly handed over several important towns in southern Shanxi to the central army, and this is the result?
"Xingru, Hu Shoushan's Central Army isn't any better, yet he claims to be the best in the world!"

"The first Central Army infantry division to be annihilated by the G Party?" Yan Xishan said with exasperation.

If your Central Army doesn't stand up, how can I take back Taiyuan?

So, after your Central Army and the G Army fought a battle, they both made a profit, while I, Yan Xishan, suffered a loss?

"Sir, the Central Army has now withdrawn, and it seems they have no intention of launching an attack in the short term."

"We don't have much time left," Yang Xingru said with a serious expression.

The distance from Xiaoyi to Taiyuan is a total of 250 kilometers.

If the Central Army decides to cease hostilities, the main force of the G Army can return in six or seven days at most.

If we wait for the main force of the G army to return, the Jin-Sui army might be completely annihilated.

"Xingru, what are your thoughts?" Yan Xishan asked.

“Commander Yan, we now have only two paths,” Yang Xingru explained.

"First, send the entire army forward to take Taiyuan; second, abandon Taiyuan and retreat to southwestern Shanxi."

“No, none of these are appropriate.” Yan Xishan shook his head repeatedly.

The Jin-Sui Army was now walking on thin ice.

If the entire army is committed, and their retreat is cut off, they risk annihilation.

But if we retreat to southwestern Shanxi, it would be a slow suicide; the Communist army would attack sooner or later.

Yang Xingru was not surprised by Yan Xishan's refusal.

He knew his superior's temperament very well.

Perhaps the Jin-Sui Army's combat capabilities were simply limited, leaving them with no other options.

Just as Yan Xishan was hesitating, a new intelligence report sent by his staff officer made his expression change drastically.

Seeing that Yan Xishan's hands were trembling as he held the documents, Yang Xingru quickly asked with concern:

"Commander Yan, what's wrong?"

"Xingru, the main force of the G army has begun to move north and has already reached Yong'an. Moreover, some people have seen the main force of the G army in the Hexi County area."

Yan Xishan handed the document to Yang Xingru.

After glancing at it, Yang Xingru said hurriedly:

"Sir, a decision must be made immediately regarding whether to fight or retreat!"

It will take several more days for the G army to arrive at the battlefield.

These next few days are the last chance for the Jin-Sui Army.

Yan Xishan paced back and forth in his office, knowing that every second he wasted was a second less of his time.

However, he hesitated to make a decision.

Reason told him that retreat was the only option.

But Taiyuan was there, enticing him and making it impossible for him to follow his reason.

Yan Xishan felt as if he was being torn apart.

Yang Xingru watched Yan Xishan pacing back and forth, and was about to speak when she suddenly saw Yan Xishan's legs buckle and he fall to the ground.

"Commander Yan!"

"Someone come quick! Someone come quick!" Yang Xingru shouted anxiously.

Upon hearing the shouts, more than a dozen people rushed in from outside.

"Commander Yan has fainted! Call a doctor immediately!"

"Quickly, carry Commander Yan to the bed!"
Upon seeing Yan Xishan lying on the ground, everyone immediately began to frantically fuss over him.

Forget about moving around or not, just keep busy.

If anyone dares to say that they shouldn't act rashly for the sake of Commander Yan, they'll probably be eliminated as soon as possible.

Half an hour later, thanks to the doctor's efforts, Yan Xishan opened his eyes again.

"Xingru." Yan Xishan had no strength left at this moment.

"Sir," Yang Xingru hurriedly approached. "Let the troops retreat to the various county towns, strengthen the city defenses, and wait for an opportunity," Yan Xishan said in a low voice.

His foundation is the gun; he can't afford to take any risks now.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it right away," Yang Xingru said.

"Go." Yan Xishan waved his hand and closed his eyes again.

When Yan Xishan made his decision, Chen Chengxing, hundreds of miles away, heard the system notification.

[Battle ended. Campaign rating: Victory!]

[Gained 32500 Honor Points.]

[Current Honor Points: 371789/1000000]

(PS: I won't include this kind of data that doesn't have an impact anymore; I'll add it during the upgrade.)
Soon, news of the Jin-Sui Army's withdrawal reached Chen Sijin.

"Yan Xishan is quite cautious; he's already retreating," Chen Sijin said with a smile.

"Yan Xishan currently has only 50,000 men under his command, and I estimate that less than half of them are truly capable fighters."

“If he hesitates for two days, he’ll probably be surrounded by us,” Chen Chengxing said.

Two regiments of the 22nd detachment have already moved north from the north of the river, preparing to outflank the Jin-Sui Army from the rear.

Yan Xishan's decisive retreat allowed him to prolong his life for a while.

However, it will only last for a while. Once the war breaks out in full force, we can easily wipe them out.

The fortified cities of Shanxi, south of Taiyuan, namely Pingyang and Anyi, are relatively tall.

The counties currently occupied by the Jin-Sui Army are not very well defended.

Moreover, Yan Xishan did not have Taiyuan under his control, so he could not produce cement stably.

Even if we wanted to strengthen the city's defenses, we couldn't do much more.

"Commander, if you ask me, we should take this opportunity to wipe out the Jin-Sui Army," Li Yunlong said.

The Central Army dares not make any rash moves now that the First Division has been completely annihilated, which is a golden opportunity.

“It’s not the right time yet,” Chen Sijin shook his head.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Yan Xishan and the Central Army are both quite cowardly.

However, this does not mean that the Central Army was a coward when attacking the Jin-Sui Army.

If we launch an attack on Yan Xishan's territory, the Central Army will definitely take immediate action.

"Cheng Zhiqiang."

"To!"

“Shuncheng, Hexi, and Yong'an are distributed in a triangular shape.”

“I have decided to leave your 14th Brigade behind to be on the front line against the Central Army,” Chen Sijin said.

Of the three brigades in the D column, Li Yunlong had the strongest offensive capability, so leaving him behind would be a waste.

The 15th Brigade's combat effectiveness is still somewhat weak, so leaving the 14th Brigade behind is just right.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Si!" Cheng Zhiqiang said, standing at attention.

"Okay, you can all get ready." Chen Sijin waved his hand, indicating that the meeting was adjourned.

"Chen Chengxing, stay here for a moment."

After the others left, Chen Sijin spoke:

"Regarding the spoils of war from the First Division, the higher command has decided to replenish our two armies. What are your thoughts?"

“Half for each family is fine,” Chen Chengxing said casually.

In this battle, the Second Independent Detachment contributed slightly more, but Chen Chengxing did not expect to take more than his share.

"Chen Chengxing, these artillery pieces need to be used in a concentrated manner to achieve the greatest effect," Chen Sijin said.

"Ah, I understand. You want to give me all the cannons? That would be too much."

Chen Chengxing understood Chen Sijin's thoughts perfectly well, but he could not agree to them.

"Are you kidding me? You're giving me everything?!" Chen Sijin almost jumped up.

"What do you need so many cannons for a detachment like yours?!"

“Commander, that’s not many. I heard that an American infantry division has dozens of 105mm howitzers alone,” Chen Chengxing said.

"They have two thousand trucks, do you?" Chen Sijin said irritably.

Chen Chengxing did indeed manage to acquire over three hundred trucks from Taiyuan and the Japanese.

However, most of them have been delivered to various factories for short-distance transportation, and the Second Detachment probably doesn't even have fifty vehicles in total now.

Seeing Chen Chengxing's ambiguous smile, Chen Sijin realized what was going on.

"Stop talking nonsense, how about I take those two 155mm howitzers?" Chen Sijin said directly.

“Commander Si, you are my former superior, so I shouldn’t refuse, but it’s a bit difficult.” Chen Chengxing stroked his chin.

"Just say what you have to say," Chen Sijin said.

Who doesn’t know who yet?

"Heavy artillery can be assigned to the D Column, but 75mm howitzers must be assigned to the Second Independent Detachment," Chen Chengxing said directly.

"Impossible, the D column is also short of artillery!"

“I can make the decision to allocate more rifles to you,” Chen Sijin said after thinking for a moment.

"My goodness, what use are those guns to me? Does the Second Independent Detachment lack guns right now?" Chen Chengxing was speechless.

Although the M1903 Springfield rifles equipped by the 1st Division were very good, they used 7.62mm ammunition.

These bullets are not produced domestically at all. Once the gun is used up, it's no different from a fire poker.

If you want to use it, you can only enlarge the hole to 7.92 millimeters.

However, that would require modifying the bolt action, which would definitely reduce performance, making it a poor trade-off.

Chen Chengxing thought for a moment and then proposed again:

"How about this: the howitzers will go to the Second Independent Detachment, the 107mm mortars and 155mm heavy artillery will go to the D Column, and the rest will be divided equally."

After listening to Chen Chengxing's suggestion, Chen Sijin fell into deep thought.

He had an artillery regiment under his command, which was enough for his needs.

If allocated in this way, the two heavy artillery pieces can be placed directly under the column, while the 107mm mortars can be distributed to each brigade.

"Okay, it's settled then!" Chen Sijin nodded.

(End of this chapter)