Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 396 Interweaving
The Guo army at Zhuozi Mountain did not receive the reinforcements sent by Fu Yi.

Even the planes only circled around early in the morning and then disappeared without a trace.

By 8:00 a.m., all units of the G Army had entered Table Mountain from all directions.

Some of the quicker-reacting KMT soldiers might even be able to capture a prisoner.

Those who dare to resist will soon be attacked by mortars and infantry guns of various calibers.

The battle ended at 10 o'clock.

The 10th and 17th Divisions were completely annihilated. Zhu Dachun, the commander of the 17th Division, was killed in battle, and his chief of staff, Chai Qihong, surrendered.

In the general command conference room, General Liu convened a meeting.

"This battle was well fought! We annihilated the enemy forces defending Jining and Zhuozishan. Our objective has been basically achieved!" General Liu said with a smile.

Previously, the Guo army retreated too quickly, and we failed to catch them.

Although they failed to capture Sun Wanjiu this time, they wiped out two main divisions of the Provisional 3rd Army and a reorganized brigade of the Central Army.

With so many troops, Fu Yi is already severely weakened.

"Now, the troops of the 12th War Zone of the Guo Army are basically clustered together in Suicheng and Jiuyuan."

"Between these two points, only some security regiments and cavalry brigades are responsible for patrolling."

"The Central Committee has sent a telegram stating that the next battle should still aim to annihilate the enemy's manpower."

"The superior's instruction was to concentrate the main force, penetrate to the west, launch an attack from the enemy's rear, and fight from west to east."

General Manager Liu pointed to the map and relayed the leader's instructions to everyone.

By infiltrating behind enemy lines, we can cut off Fu Yi's retreat, and then we'll be trapped like a turtle in a jar.

After explaining the situation, General Manager Liu, who had sat back down at the table, asked, "What are your thoughts on the upcoming battle?"

"I will resolutely obey the commander's instructions and I am willing to lead the Second Detachment westward!" Chen Chengxing spoke first.

No one was surprised by Chen Chengxing's words, after all, Chen Chengxing had been a staunch supporter of the leader since the time of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University.

"And you?" Mr. Liu asked, looking at the others.

"We obey orders." The sergeants all nodded.

Although the Second Detachment was a division, they dared not say that their own column was more capable than the Second Detachment.

The westward-bound troops were penetrating behind enemy lines, fighting alone, so the better they were.

"Alright! In that case, the Second Detachment will be responsible for cutting off the communication between Suicheng and Jiuyuan, and then attacking Jiuyuan."

"The rest of the troops, take over Suicheng!" General Liu ordered.

"Yes!"

General Liu currently commands troops from both the Jin-Sui Military Region and the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region.

Ultimately, General Liu planned to use the Ping-Sui Railway as the boundary, with the Jin-Sui Military Region to the south and the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region to the north, with the two forces coordinating to encircle Suicheng.

After the encirclement was completed, the Second Detachment continued westward along the railway, clearing out the Kuomintang troops along the way.

It would be best if we could capture Jiuyuan. Even if we couldn't capture Jiuyuan, as long as we cut off Fu Yi's retreat, it would be considered a success.

Three days later, on the night of the same day, troops from the Jin-Sui Military Region and the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region advanced from the north and south to the vicinity of Suicheng and occupied all the surrounding villages.

The Guo army in Suicheng slept for a while, and when they woke up, they found themselves completely surrounded.

"Sir! Something's happened! The G Army is here!"

The officer in charge of defending the city immediately called the command post.

"I understand! Don't worry!"

Ever since Sun Wanjiu retreated westward, Fu Yi had anticipated that this day would come.

Although the G army arrived rather quickly, he did not lose his composure despite being surrounded.

A dozen minutes later, on the city gate tower, Fu Yi held up binoculars and carefully observed the movements of the G army.

"The G Army has quite the appetite; does it intend to devour my Twelfth War Zone?"

Previously, the G army's encirclements were always three sides wide with one side missing, but this time it was a four-sided encirclement with no opening at all.

"Sir, the G Army seems to lack the teeth to take down Suicheng," Deng Yu said with some disdain.

Suicheng is divided into old and new cities, with strong fortifications, and even the barbed wire fences outside are electrified.

In addition to the 35th Army and a howitzer regiment, there were also two cavalry divisions and three security regiments in the city, with a total of more than 50,000 people.

Their numbers are no less than those of the G army outside. No matter how capable the G army is, they will never achieve anything.

"It's best not to let our guard down."

Although Fu Yi also felt that the G army would not be able to take down Suicheng, he never underestimated any opponent.

"Tell the brothers to be on high alert and prevent the G army from making any underhanded moves."

"Let's see what G Army's plans are first, and then we'll formulate a specific battle plan."

It's not in Fu Yi's nature to passively take a beating; given the opportunity, he will choose to take the initiative.

Thanks to the well-constructed fortifications and Fu Yi's command, the attacking forces fought for several days without making much progress.

In response to the G army's offensive, Fu Yi adopted a strategy of offense as a form of defense.

The Guo army assembled its elite troops and continuously attacked the G army's encirclement.

Meanwhile, scattered security forces of the Kuomintang army in the surrounding towns were also constantly harassing the rear of the Kuomintang army.

Just as General Liu mobilized all the artillery and prepared 5,000 shells, intending to concentrate his attack on a city defense, the Second Detachment had already advanced to the vicinity of Jiuyuan.

"Commander, the reconnaissance company is back."

Zhou Weiguo led Wei Dayong into the temporary command post.

The reconnaissance company was expanded from the special operations team, growing from one squad to six squads.

With the addition of fire support and logistical personnel, the number has reached over a hundred.

Because there is no special operations brigade in the military, it is organized as a reconnaissance company.

"Detachment leader!"

"Monk, tell me quickly, what's the situation in Jiuyuan now?" Chen Chengxing gestured for him not to be so polite.

Jiuyuan is an important town in the northwest, with city walls ten meters high and strong defenses. It is necessary to conduct thorough reconnaissance before attacking.

"Jiuyuan is now under wartime control. The scouts have tried several times but have been unable to get in."

“We talked to the local people and they all said there were five or six thousand troops.”

"Wait a minute," Chen Chengxing interrupted Wei Dayong.

"Five or six thousand people?"

"The Vanguard Team 1 wiped out more than 2,000 defenders in the Sarachi and Gongjiban area."

"If Jiuyuan only has five or six thousand people, why would they leave so many garrison troops outside?"

Chen Chengxing sensed something was wrong.

Although the garrison we wiped out was a motley crew, not even third-rate, they were still troops.

Is Guo Jun really that generous?
"It's said to be five or six thousand men, but the exact number is unknown," Wei Dayong said. Wei Dayong was somewhat helpless regarding the Guo army's tight defenses.

Jiuyuan didn't even set up any defenses outside the city; everyone stayed inside. They didn't even manage to capture a single person.

Wei Dayong had originally wanted to see if he could climb over the city wall.

Before they even reached the wall, someone stepped on a landmine.

Luckily, it was a Songfa landmine, and I reacted quickly without lifting my foot, otherwise the landmine would have exploded.

They'll inevitably be mowed down by machine guns.

"It seems that the city defense commanders of Jiuyuan are smarter than those of Zhuozishan, not giving us a chance to bleed them dry," Chen Chengxing said with a sigh of regret.

The troops inside Jiuyuan City all retreated into their tortoise shells, while the garrison around Sarachi was previously a puppet army.

Whether they served the Japanese or were reorganized by the Kuomintang army, these people never left Sarachi.

He knew nothing about Jiuyuan's situation.

After Wei Dayong explained the situation he had discovered, Chen Chengxing decided to take action first.

"Order Vanguard Team 1 to launch an attack on Jiuyuan."

"Team 2 continued to clear out the strongholds of the Guo army and moved westward to block the retreat route of the enemy forces in Jiuyuan."

"Team 3 serves as the general reserve team."

Upon receiving the order, Team 1 launched an attack on Jiuyuan that very night.

However, after playing for a day and a night, Zheng Hua became somewhat withdrawn.

"Damn it, didn't they say Jiuyuan only had five or six thousand people? How come I can't get in?"

"How accurate is the information provided by the monks?"

Judging from the battlefield situation, the defending troops in Jiuyuan City were far from being elite, and were even worse than the First Division that had fought them.

However, despite repeated attacks, Team 1 never managed to scale the city walls.

After thinking for a long time, Zheng Hua decided to stop hesitating and immediately call for reinforcements.

"Hey, squad leader!"

"Something's not right in Jiuyuan. The enemy definitely has more than five or six thousand men! Could you send me some artillery?"

Zheng Hua was a little embarrassed.

"I understand. Team 1, halt your attack and scout the situation. I will send Team 3 with the artillery battalion over."

Chen Chengxing did not hesitate at all.

Team 3, as the reserve team, was originally planned to cooperate with Team 1 in attacking Jiuyuan, or to cooperate with Team 2 in continuing to advance westward.

The primary objective was to attack Jiuyuan.

The next morning, Team 3 arrived at Jiuyuan with twelve Type 41 mountain guns.

"The detachment commander is really generous; twelve cannons, deployed without hesitation!" Zheng Hua said with delight as he watched the artillery battalion building its position.

Last year, before the Japanese surrendered, the entire Eighth Route Army only had a few mountain guns.

Now, in just one battlefield, twelve cannons have been deployed, and the shells are readily available.

"Old Zheng, what are the casualties of Team 1? Should we withdraw them and replace them with Team 3?" Qin Sheng walked over and asked with a smile.

"Hehe. Old Qin, keep your voice down when you're doing your calculations, I heard you." Zheng Hua glanced at Qin Sheng.

“Team 3 has come from a long way and must be tired. You should take the comrades to rest first.”

"I'll play during the day, and then switch to three different teams tonight."

Upon hearing Zheng Hua tell Team 3 to go rest, Qin Sheng immediately interrupted him before he could continue speaking.

"Rest? How dare you even say that!"

With twelve mountain guns, plus twenty-four heavy mortars.

If we can't break into Jiuyuan, how can we still claim to be from the Second Detachment when we leave?
If we retreat now, wouldn't we be handing over the credit to someone else?
"We must have one spot on the main attacking team!"

Seeing that Qin Sheng was getting anxious, Zheng Hua thought for a moment and decided to give up one regiment.

After all, the three teams came to support us, so it's really inappropriate to leave them on the sidelines.

After much negotiation, the two finally reached an agreement.

At noon, Teams 1 and 3 concentrated all their firepower and began a fierce attack on a section of the city wall.

The 201st and 207th Regiments took the lead in the attack and, with artillery support, began a fierce assault.

"Fire! Fire now!" shouted the defenders on the city wall.

The KMT troops on the city wall fought very tenaciously, braving the artillery fire and continuing to sweep the enemy lines.

However, the heavy machine guns on the city wall were constantly being removed in the face of direct fire from the mountain guns.

The reinforcements that were coming from behind were cut off by heavy mortar fire.

The heavily damaged defenders were no match for the combined attack of the 201st and 204th Regiments.

Half an hour later, the assault team climbed the city wall.

"Concentrate all submachine guns! Take out the defenders on the city wall!"

"Open the gates! Let the main force enter the city!"

"Damn it, how are the G army so fierce! They've already breached the city?!"

On the roof of the headquarters, Sun Wanjiu looked at the increasing number of G troops on the city wall, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

He originally thought he would be safe once he reached Jiuyuan, but who knew that the G army would directly infiltrate here.

If you guys are so good at fighting, go and attack Suicheng! That's where the headquarters of the Twelfth War Zone is located.

"Commander, with the city gates breached, street fighting will likely be difficult," said Wang Zanchen, who was standing nearby.

In addition to the 11th Division of the 67th Army, Jiuyuan also had the Yimeng Security Division, the Special Operations Unit, and four training regiments, with a total strength of over 4 men.

However, apart from the 11th Division, the rest of the troops were only good at defensive battles; they couldn't withstand brutal urban warfare.

"We have to fight, even if it's tough!" Sun Wanjiu said firmly.

They have no way out; they can't possibly retreat back to Shanba, can they?

"Zanchen, go and gather all the cannons in Jiuyuan City and concentrate your fire on the districts occupied by the G army."

"Then the 11th Division and the Iraqi Security Division attacked the G Army from both sides, driving them out of the city!"

"yes!".
After Wang Zanchen left, Sun Wanjiu thought for a moment and then ordered someone to send a telegram to Suicheng, requesting air support.

Upon receiving Sun Wanjiu's telegram requesting assistance, Fu Yi was angry, but he also knew that now was not the time for retribution.

Jiuyuan is crucial to the connection between Suicheng and the Shaanxi base camp, and it cannot be lost.

However, Sun Wanjiu and Fu Yi clearly underestimated the second team.

The four infantry regiments that had already entered the city continued to expand their occupied territory despite constant artillery bombardment and strafing by aircraft.

By nightfall, more than half of Jiuyuan had fallen into the hands of the Second Detachment.

(End of this chapter)