Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 398 As long as I run fast enough, it's others who will die.
At the forward position of the Second Detachment, Chen Chengxing had been observing the situation of Ma's army for half a day.

After putting down his binoculars, Chen Chengxing turned to Xu Wu and asked, "Xu Wu, where is Team 3?"

"The latest telegram says they have arrived at Lihugacha, which is 30 kilometers away from Ulasi. They will definitely arrive tonight."

"Good, very good." Chen Chengxing nodded in satisfaction.

"Tell Qin Sheng to establish a blockade line immediately upon arrival at the destination."

"If even one member of the Ma Clique escapes, he'll lose his position as squad leader!"

"Don't worry, Captain Qin knows what's important," Xu Wu said.

He and Qin Sheng had followed Chen Chengxing since the Long March, so he naturally knew when to glare at him.

"Yes, tell the comrades that in this battle, there will be no surrender, no uprising, and no prisoners!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

Chen Chengxing's only regret now is that Ma Sanyuan didn't come.

"Should we ask our superiors for instructions?" Xu Wu hesitated.

Refusing to accept prisoners is no small matter; it could lead to court-martial.

"What are you afraid of? If the higher-ups investigate, they'll chop off my head!" Chen Chengxing said expressionlessly.

There are some things that can be done but not said. What will the superiors do if this matter is reported to them?
If you don't report it to your superiors, they won't know, and nothing will happen.

From top to bottom, the G Party hates the Ma Clique to the core.

"Go and relay the order!"

"Yes!"

Xu Wu didn't dare say anything more and hurriedly went to convey Chen Chengxing's orders.

At 10 p.m., Chen Chengxing received a telegram from Qin Sheng.

They have reached their designated position and occupied the town of Ulasi.

However, Chen Chengxing did not immediately order an attack.

Visibility is poor at night, and enemy troops may sneak into the mountains.

It wasn't until dawn that Chen Chengxing got up and gave the order.

"Sun Desheng!"

"Have!"

"After the battle begins, you will lead the cavalry regiment westward along the southern foothills of the Ula Mountains to prevent the enemy from sneaking into the mountains."

"Yes!"

"The 203rd, 204th, and 206th Regiments will be under the unified command of Sun Xun."

"Advance from three directions, break through the enemy's lines, and then squeeze the enemy's operational space to the west."

"Then, in coordination with the 23rd detachment, we will push the enemy to the north bank of the Yellow River and then annihilate them completely!"

"Remember! Leave no officer or non-commissioned officer alive in the Ma Clique army!"

"yes!".
"Boom!" "Boom!"
Upon receiving the order, the mortars of each detachment and the Type 41 mountain guns of the mountain artillery battalion opened fire at full capacity.

A large number of shells flew toward the Ma Clique army's positions.

Kang Zhihao looked at the front-line position that had suddenly been covered by artillery fire and could hardly believe his eyes.

"How can the G army have such strong firepower?!"

When the 11th Army attacked earlier, the G Army was on the defensive and didn't use so much artillery!

Before Kang Zhihao could react, the regiments of the Second Detachment launched a fierce attack on the Ma Clique army's positions under the cover of artillery fire.

"The G army has launched a general offensive! Order the artillery regiment to open fire immediately!" Kang Zhihao shouted.

"Yes!"

The staff officer next to him immediately made a phone call to the artillery regiment's position in the rear.

However, to Kang Zhihao's astonishment, the Second Detachment did not flinch in the face of continuous fire from more than thirty artillery pieces.

On the contrary, as the artillery fire of the Second Detachment extended backward, the infantry also advanced rapidly forward.

The Ma Clique soldiers on the front lines were simply unable to withstand the powerful offensive of the Second Detachment.

Once a machine gun emplacement is exposed, artillery shells will inevitably come at it within a minute.

Sometimes, when the distance is close, the rocket launcher accompanying the charge can teach the other side a lesson.

In just over ten minutes, the soldiers at the forefront had stormed the front lines.

"Damn it! Get the 45th Division up there right now, we have to push the G Army down!" Kang Zhihao said urgently.

With the front-line positions breached, the G army could continue its advance at any time.

At that time, the 46th Division on the front line will be divided and surrounded.

Upon receiving the order, the Ma Clique 45th Division, which was on the second line, immediately charged to the front line with bayonets at the ready.

However, the situation on the battlefield showed no signs of improvement.

The Ma Clique army was not only inferior to the Second Detachment in firepower, but it was also outmatched by the Second Detachment in bayonet fighting.

Before Kang Zhihao could react, the 45th and 46th Divisions began to collapse and retreat.

"Comrades! Follow me and kill them!"
Faced with the retreating Ma Clique army, each regiment began to pursue them according to their established missions.

The soldiers ignored the Ma Clique troops they encountered along the way who shouted surrender.

He went up and slashed with a "plop."

Now is not the time to capture prisoners. Who knows what might happen if a prisoner gets his foot tied?

After this happened several times, no one surrendered anymore, and they started to fight with the people next to them by kicking each other.

If you run fast enough, it's others who will die.

The Second Detachment began to herd the Ma Clique army westward like sheep.

Under pressure from the Second Detachment, the Ma Clique army retreated very quickly.

In just one day, they retreated more than 40 kilometers and arrived at the Gongzimiao area.

Kang Zhihao resumed command only after the second detachment ceased its attack and maintained a semi-circular encirclement.

However, he had lost his previous high spirits.

"Useless! Useless! All of you are useless!"
Inside the temporary command post, a disheveled Kang Zhihao cursed loudly at the three division commanders below him.

Even now, Kang Zhihao's heart is still pounding.

This is why the G army's pursuit speed was relatively slow; otherwise, who knows how many would have been wiped out.

After cursing for more than ten minutes, Kang Zhihao finally took a breath and turned to ask, "Have you made contact with the 10th Cavalry Army?" "We have made contact. They have already withdrawn to Ulasi Town."

"However, they encountered resistance from the G army here, and they should be launching an attack now."

"Damn it, is the G Army trying to wipe out the 11th Army and the 10th Cavalry Army in one fell swoop?!" Kang Zhihao said through gritted teeth.

With obstacles in front and pursuers behind, it seemed like a certain death trap.

"Where is the artillery regiment? Where is it now?"

"Uh, the artillery regiment has been found, but there are only men, no cannons," the operations staff officer whispered.

Kang Zhihao's face was flushed, and he was breathing heavily through his nose.

"Trash! They're all trash!"

"Men! Go and kill the artillery regiment commander! Kill him!"

Kang Zhihao's saliva sprayed two meters away.

"Yes, sir!" The staff officer hurriedly ran out.

At this time, it's best to stay outside.

After catching his breath, Kang Zhihao gave the order again:

"The troops will rest for three hours, then immediately retreat westward, arriving at Ulasi Town before dawn to join forces with the 10th Cavalry Corps to break through the G Army's blockade!"

Since there are no more cannons, we can only fill the gap with our lives.

He has to return to Ningxia no matter what!

At this moment, dozens of cannons were neatly arranged on the artillery positions of the 11th Army.

"The Ma Clique army is quite generous, isn't it? They just threw over a dozen mountain guns and over a dozen large-caliber mortars here?"

Chen Chengxing did not expect that when the Ma family army retreated, they did not even try to take the cannons with them.

"Commander, calling the Ma Clique's troops second-rate is already giving them too much credit."

"If it's a head-on confrontation, our entire regiment could sweep them away."

"They just didn't really make a move before, otherwise they probably would have run away long ago."

Xu Wu chuckled as he looked at the cannons.

The Ma Clique army was really generous; they acquired dozens of artillery pieces so easily.

"Xu Wu, have the artillery select six good ones from those Type 6 mountain guns, and send the rest to the field headquarters on the return trip," Chen Chengxing instructed.

Although the Second Detachment has a considerable number of troops, it cannot be equipped with too many artillery pieces; it only needs to have enough for its own use.

Currently, the 2nd Detachment Mountain Artillery Regiment also lacks the Type 94 artillery battalion's artillery, but with this capture, the quantity will be sufficient.

"I'll personally lead the team to choose," Xu Wu nodded.

After briefly explaining the situation, Chen Chengxing and the division headquarters continued their advance.

In the jeep, a phone call came in from the front lines.

Chen Chengxing took the headset from the walkie-talkie.

"I am Chen Chengxing. What's going on?"

"Commander, the Ma Clique army has begun to retreat westward again! They're moving very fast; it seems they intend to reach Ulasi overnight!" Sun Xun reported.

"Don't rush, all departments should maintain a linear progression!" Chen Chengxing immediately emphasized.

"Team 3 will hold off Ma's army. Your task is to limit Ma's army's room to maneuver!"

"understand?"

The Ma Clique's operational area is still too large, stretching 30 kilometers from east to west, and it's not yet the final moment.

"Yes! Maintain a linear advance to prevent the enemy from escaping through any gaps."

After daybreak, Kang Zhihao finally led the 11th Army to Ulasi.

"Commander Xu, what's the situation?"

"This isn't good." Xu Yongqiang's expression was not good.

"The G army on the other side should have seven or eight thousand men, and it looks like a brigade."

"The 10th Cavalry Corps launched several attacks last night, but without any success."

Although the 10th Cavalry Corps was a lightly armed force, Xu Yongqiang was somewhat embarrassed to admit that they hadn't even reached within a hundred meters of the G Army's front-line positions.

"The next frontline assault will be handed over to the 11th Army. Once the infantry breaks through the gap, the cavalry will quickly rush into the enemy lines and tear the breach open."

The situation is urgent, and Kang Zhihao doesn't have time to argue with Xu Yongqiang about whose casualties are greater.

If they cannot break through the G Army's defenses in a short time, neither the 11th Army nor the 10th Cavalry Army will escape.

“No problem, as long as there’s an opportunity, the 10th Cavalry Corps will advance in waves!” Xu Yongqiang said earnestly.

"Alright! I'll launch the attack in one hour!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
Because of the loss of the artillery regiment, the Ma Clique army's firepower projection was noticeably weaker.

Looking at the flames of the explosion on the battlefield, Zheng Hua was somewhat disdainful.

An 82mm mortar cannot have a significant impact on field fortifications.

Although the 3rd team did not bring a heavy mortar battalion in order to save time.

However, the infantry artillery of the 207th and 209th Regiments was enough to give the enemy a hard time.

After several minutes of shelling, the Ma Clique soldiers launched an attack under pressure from their officers.

However, no matter how hard Kang Zhihao urged them, even though the supervisory team killed dozens of people in succession, the 11th Army still failed to capture the position.

As wave after wave of soldiers went up and came down, Kang Zhihao realized that his chances of survival were becoming increasingly slim.

Just as Kang Zhihao was pacing anxiously, the sudden sound of gunfire from behind made his expression change drastically.

Kang Zhihao picked up the phone and called the 47th Division, the rearguard.

"Hello? Is this the 47th Division? What's the situation?"

"Commander, the main force of the G Army is catching up, and their artillery fire is very heavy! Our troops are putting up a fierce resistance!"

Although the Second Detachment's attack caused the 47th Division of the Ma Clique army to suffer greatly, the troops were also retreating one after another.

But whenever you ask, the answer is always the same: they're fighting very hard.

"Good, very good. You must hold off the G army's attack and ensure the main force's successful retreat. You will be the ones who make the greatest contribution! Commander Ma will reward you handsomely!"

P.S.: I created a group; it's in the description.

(End of this chapter)