Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 386 Support? Request for Rescue! (Bonus Votes)
Seeing the 15th Cavalry Regiment suddenly turn and break through, and successfully do so, Ye Cheng was filled with rage.

However, the fact that the airport was unharmed relieved Ye Cheng.

After all, the 1st Cavalry Division's mission was to defend the airfield.

If Liu Fulong were to blow up the plane, he would be executed by Commander Yan.

"Pass on my orders! The 13th Regiment will continue to defend the airfield, while the 14th Regiment and the 2nd Cavalry Division will pursue the rebels!"

Ye Cheng had no intention of letting Liu Fulong off so easily.

After mounting their horses, the 15th Regiment successfully reached Xiejia Village in less than 10 minutes.

Along the way, no one tried to stop them.

Even the patrolling soldiers who received the orders only fired their guns from a great distance.

They're not stupid; with so few people, rushing in would be suicide.

As for the 14th Cavalry Regiment that was chasing after them, they didn't put in any effort at all.

The 2nd Cavalry Division, needless to say, would be even less likely to put in the effort.

Meanwhile, Ma Dezhi, the commander of the 40th Division who was at the front line, started cursing as soon as he learned that the rebels had occupied Xiejiacun.

"Damn it! What is Ye Cheng doing? He can't even hold down a single regiment?"

Chief of Staff Tian Hanwen, who was standing nearby, immediately said:

"Commander, Xiejiacun is crucial to our retreat. We absolutely cannot allow the 15th Cavalry Regiment to occupy it!"

At this time, the G army was launching a fierce attack on the front line. If the news of the capture of Xiejia Village spread, the soldiers on the position would definitely collapse.

He had witnessed this kind of thing many times during the War of Resistance against Japan.

"Order the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 401st Regiment to attack Xiejiacun, and transfer one cannon from the division's artillery battalion to reinforce the 401st Regiment."

"We must retake Xiejia Village within one hour!"

Ma Dezhi couldn't accept that there was a nail in his back, especially since that nail was potentially fatal.

Because of Ma Dezhi's strict orders, as soon as the 401st Regiment arrived at its position, Regiment Commander Song Qi immediately ordered the mountain guns to approach and fire.

It's nighttime now, and if we're too far away, the accuracy of the artillery fire can't be guaranteed.

The reinforced Shanxi-made mountain gun was moved to a position less than 300 meters from Xiejia Village.

Then they started shooting at the houses on the outermost edge of Xiejia Village.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
Even brick houses offer no protection against 75mm shells.

Every time artillery fires, a house will inevitably collapse.

"The 40th Division is utterly shameless!" Liu Fulong was speechless after being hit by this mountain gun.

The Jin-Sui Army cavalry was a lightly armed force; a regiment of them only had six light machine guns, the rest were rifles.

They were struggling to withstand the heavy machine guns of the 401st Regiment, let alone the mountain guns.

"Wenjie, when will the G Army be able to send reinforcements?" Liu Fulong asked Liu Wenjie, who was standing to the side.

"If we don't come soon, the brothers might not be able to hold on."

Liu Wenjie, who was observing from the rooftop in the center of the village, turned around after hearing Liu Fulong's words.

"According to the plan, the troops should now be preparing for a breakthrough in the central area."

"Tell everyone to get ready. As soon as the 40th Division retreats, we'll launch a surprise attack on its flank!"

Since Liu Wenjie was going to venture into the lion's den, he naturally couldn't just make one contingency plan.

Before setting off, all possible scenarios had been considered, and now all that was needed was to execute the plan as scheduled.

"Okay." Liu Fulong nodded.

While Liu Fulong and Liu Wenjie were struggling to hold on, Ma Dezhi was also being beaten down and could no longer hold on.

After the battle broke out in Xiejiacun, the G army, which was attacking, suddenly intensified its offensive.

The 40th Division's only reserve force was moved to the rear.

Chief of Staff Tian Hanwen ran back, covered in gunpowder: "Commander! Commander! The front lines are about to break down!"

He had already led the division's direct forces to the front, but half of them were wiped out in just half an hour.

"Damn it! Ye Cheng is a piece of trash!" Ma Dezhi cursed again.

If it weren't for the defection of the 15th Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division, he would not only have reserves to fill the gap, but also cavalry to support the front lines at any time.

However, with the defection of the 15th Regiment, not only was the 1st Cavalry Division unable to support them, but their own reserves were also transferred to support the 1st Cavalry Division instead.

It would have been better if they didn't exist.

However, things did not unfold according to Ma Dezhi's will.

After hurling a few curses, Ma Dezhi finally had no choice but to issue the order to retreat.

"Order the troops to retreat in shifts and reorganize the defense on the second line of defense!"

"Yes!"

Inside Xiejia Village, seeing the enemy's firepower weaken, Liu Wenjie and Liu Fulong immediately realized that their opportunity had arrived.

"Brothers! The 40th Division has been defeated! The time has come to beat the drowning dog!"

"Counterattack! Give us a fierce counterattack!"

Liu Fulong set his sights on the 401st Regiment, wanting to keep them pinned down.

As for the cavalry on the other side, Liu Fulong ignored them completely; if the cavalry wanted to run, they simply couldn't catch up.

The 401st Regiment, which had initially held the advantage, could no longer hold back when the main force began to retreat.

If I fall to the very back, I'll just become cannon fodder.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"
The soldiers of the 401st Regiment shouted and were the first to flee.

The 40th Division, which had initially maintained some semblance of order, immediately collapsed.

Nobody wants to be last.

After daybreak, the G army switched to a defensive posture.

Liu Wenjie also brought Liu Fulong to the forward command post.

At this moment, Chief of Staff Liu Wenjie was still slightly frustrated.

Although they occupied the front-line positions and inflicted considerable casualties on the 40th Division of the Jin-Sui Army.

However, the primary objective was not achieved.

"Xiao Liu, there's no need to be discouraged," Chief of Staff Zhang comforted him.

"Although we didn't capture the airport, we did push the overall front of the Jin-Sui Army back."

"Once we confirm the airport's coordinates, we'll have other ways to deal with it."

Upon hearing the airport coordinates, Liu Fulong suddenly spoke up: "Airport? I know where it is."

Yunzhong Airport was originally built by the Japanese, but it was bombed.

The subsequent reconstruction was the work of the 1st Cavalry Division.

"You knew?" Liu Wenjie turned around abruptly. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

If we knew the coordinates, why bother with a raid? We could just take them out directly.

"You didn't ask. I thought your goal was to steal the plane." Liu Fulong scratched his head.

In Liu Fulong's eyes, the most valuable things at an airport are the airplanes and the fuel.

"My goal is to destroy the airport!" Liu Weijie said irritably.

"Stop talking nonsense and just mark it down."

Liu Wenjie took a map, spread it on the table, and gestured to Liu Fulong.

Liu Fulong took the pencil and began to draw on the map.

"The airport is in this area, and the oil depot is roughly around here," Liu Fulong said as he drew.

After finishing the drawing, Liu Fulong emphasized, "This is just a general location; I can't guarantee the exact coordinates."

Liu Fulong determined the approximate location based on the surrounding landmarks; he couldn't guarantee the exact location down to the meter.

Chief of Staff Zhang picked up the map, his face beaming with joy: "That's enough!"

"Someone! Take this to the Director!"

It's not easy for troops to storm an airfield, but once they know the coordinates, simply destroying it is not difficult.

Upon receiving the map from the forward command post, General Manager Liu immediately understood their intentions.

Therefore, General Liu handed it over to the operations staff officer next to him.

"Send it to the artillery regiment."

"Tell Commander Wang to provide covering fire!" "Yes, sir!"
The Japanese army's various 75mm mountain and field guns only differed in propellant, but their projectiles were interchangeable.

Therefore, Mr. Liu doesn't care about the cost of the shells at all.

Even though the Type 90 field gun has the longest shell casings, and Taiyuan doesn't have the stamping equipment for that, it can be directly reassembled later.

Upon receiving the order, Wang Chengzhu immediately instructed the artillery staff to calculate the data.
Ten minutes later.

"Set the parameters!"

"Two rapid-fire shots!"

"put!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
"Decrease the meter by three!"

"put!"

"."

According to data calculated by the artillery staff.

Wang Chengzhu commanded the field artillery regiment to directly cover the area where the airfield was located with fire.

As for the specific location of the plane and the runway, Wang Chengzhu said it didn't matter.

Just fry them all once.

The sudden burst of fire from the field artillery regiment stunned Yan Xishan in Cloud City.

Yan Xishan wasn't heartbroken about the plane, after all, it wasn't his.

With the airport destroyed, the frontline troops will lose air support, and the positions outside the city will probably be harder to defend.

Seeing Yan Xishan looking somewhat dazed, Yang Xingru immediately reminded him, "Sir, we need to make plans soon!"

The plane was the only way out for the high command of the Jin-Sui Army, and they absolutely could not afford to lose it.

"Xingru, arrange for people to carry out demolition and leveling along the north-south and east-west main roads of Yunzhong City."

"Demolish all buildings that could potentially obstruct aircraft landings!"

"Also, send a telegram to the Nanjing government requesting immediate support!"

The pressure from the G army was too great, and Yan Xishan had no choice but to ask Chiang Kai-shek for help again.

Faced with Yan Xishan's request for help, Chiang Kai-shek had no good solution.

Hu Shoushan, the governor of southern Shanxi, fought for a week, but suffered heavy losses.

Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek could only order Fu Yi to speed up.

"Requesting help? All they know is requesting help!" Fu Yi slammed the telegram on the table.

He's known Yan Xishan for a long time, and the fact that he's still asking for help means it's not a life-threatening situation yet.

However, faced with Chiang Kai-shek's urging, Fu Yi could not refuse and could only call the 35th Army.

"Ruifeng, what's the situation at the front?"

If you take the highway, it's 80 kilometers from Suicheng to Zhuozishan, and 50 kilometers from Zhuozishan to Jining.

Lu Ruifeng has been leading the 35th Army, the 4th Cavalry Division, and the 6th Cavalry Division for almost ten days.

They had already reported before that they had taken Table Mountain.

However, the report on Jining has not yet been approved.

"Sir, the G army is not easy to deal with."

Fu Yi could hear the helplessness in Lu Ruifeng's voice over the phone.

"Upon arriving in Jining, the troops immediately launched an attack."

"Although it inflicted considerable casualties on the G army, the G army's resistance was extremely tenacious."

"It will probably take another three to five days to take down Ji Ning."

Lu Ruifeng made it sound nice, but the reality was far from that.

Fu Yi was a man of both wisdom and courage, considered one of the most capable individuals in the entire Nationalist government.

Although Lu Ruifeng only said the good things, he could hear the subtext.

"Don't just say the G army suffered heavy casualties, how many exactly! And what are your own casualty figures!"

"The Communist army suffered approximately 1,000 casualties, while our unit suffered over 5,000 casualties."

Lu Ruifeng's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

When he attacked Zhuozishan, he thought the G army was nothing special.

But when they arrived in Jining, the G army changed completely.

As far as he knew, Jining only had one brigade of the G Army, and even with the second-line troops included, the total strength was only five thousand men.

"Ruifeng, you can't act recklessly. You need to think of a strategy!" Fu Yi instructed.

Although he now has 100,000 men under his command, the casualties of 5,000 main force members still pain Fu Yi.

The main force and the security regiment are not the same thing.

After exchanging words for a while, Fu Yi hung up the phone and, after thinking for a moment, sent a telegram to Nanjing.

"Niang Xipi!"

"Does Fu Yi even know what he's saying?!"

Upon seeing the telegram sent by Fu Yi, Chiang Kai-shek was furious.

The equipment of a howitzer regiment, the equipment of a full division.

How could I possibly give that to him!

"Chairman, Fu Yi is probably just waiting for you to refuse," Chen Chengbo analyzed from the side.

"At this time, there are a large number of G troops in the Yunzhong and Jining areas, and Fu Yi's troops have probably suffered considerable casualties."

"Warlord mentality! Only concerned with immediate interests!" Chiang Kai-shek tossed down the telegram dismissively.

"Chengbo, we can't give the weapons to Fu Yi, but we still need him to attack the G army. What are your thoughts?"

Chen Chengbo paused for a moment, then spoke again: "If we don't offer any benefits, Fu Yi might not be satisfied."

Fu Yi isn't a member of the Central Army; he can't work for free.

Seeing Chiang Kai-shek's furrowed brows, Guo Gui spoke up at the opportune moment: "Chairman, Chief of the General Staff, I have an idea."

"Oh, what are your thoughts? Tell me."

Chiang Kai-shek highly recognized Guo Gui's abilities.

"We'll provide the weapons, but we'll also provide the people," Guo Gui said with a smile.

Chiang Kai-shek immediately understood what Guo Gui meant.

"You know what, it's a good idea."

We can send an artillery regiment and a unit directly to provide support, and then bring them back after the battle is over.

In this way, Fu Yi's excuse was blocked, and the weapon was still his own.

"Okay, call Fu Yi back."

"Just tell him I'll send an independent artillery regiment and a full brigade to assist him in the operation!"

"Damn it, he doesn't do anything serious, but he's better at using tricks than anyone else!"

Fu Yi had been dealing with Chiang Kai-shek for many years. He could tell what Chiang Kai-shek had for lunch just by looking at him.

However, Chiang Kai-shek's move hit him right in the mouth.

The original excuse has now become Chiang Kai-shek's excuse, and a perfect one at that.

By directly transferring troops, combat effectiveness can be enhanced immediately, saving the Twelfth Theater Command from further training.

Listen to this chairman, how considerate he is of his subordinates!
Two days later, the independent artillery regiment and the reorganized 67th Brigade, which were airlifted by Chiang Kai-shek, arrived in Suicheng.

"Thirty-six 105mm howitzers, plus a fully equipped brigade of American weapons, what a generous investment!"

Deng Yu, deputy commander of the 12th War Zone, was somewhat impressed by Chiang Kai-shek's grand gesture.

China has never before airlifted such a large number of troops and heavy equipment.

"Hmph! Let them rest for a bit, they'll set off with the Provisional 3rd Army tomorrow!"

Fu Yi got angry just looking at the Central Army.

However, things have come to this point, and taking down Jining and advancing into Yunzhong is the most important thing.

We can't have a lot of casualties and end up gaining nothing.

With Fu Yi sending reinforcements again, the number of Guo troops in the Jining direction has reached 6.

(End of this chapter)