Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 401 What are you doing going back and forth like that? Going to a restaurant?
"The opportunity came!"

Taking a break from his busy schedule to enjoy a hot pot meal, Fu Yi was overjoyed to see the latest intelligence he had obtained.

The main force of the G Army has been divided into two parts: one part is fighting in Guangning against the 11th War Zone, and the other part is fighting in Yunzhong against Yan Xishan.

He was not afraid of either of these two forces individually.

Seeing Fu Yi's overjoyed expression, Deng Yu asked with some surprise, "Sir, do you plan to retake Suicheng?"

In his opinion, this did not seem like a good idea.

Let's not even talk about whether we can take Suicheng; even if we could, it would just be an isolated city.

The G army could turn back and besiege Suicheng again at any time, and then there might not be another chance to break out.

If you really want to capture a city, it's better to take Jiuyuan than Suicheng.

Although Jiuyuan's location and resources are not as good as Suicheng's, at least it can be connected with Shanba.

“Suicheng? What’s Suicheng! I plan to launch a surprise attack on Guangning!” Fu Yi gestured to the staff officer next to him to bring over a map.

"Guangning? Guangning is a full 300 kilometers away from us!" Deng Yu was stunned.

"Furthermore, the Chairman is currently commanding the Guangning Campaign from Pingdu; we have not received orders to proceed."

Guangning's geographical location is extremely important; it is the northern gateway to Pingdu. Otherwise, Chiang Kai-shek would not have personally taken command.

“Now is not the time to think about these things,” Fu Yi said.

He certainly knew that Guangning was important, and he also knew that Chiang Kai-shek would never easily hand Guangning over to him.

However, he urgently needs a wealthy piece of land.

“Our Chairman of the Standing Committee has always been one to favor relatives and friends and to talk about relationships.”

“In his eyes, we are all outsiders. Not only will we not get any benefits, but we will also inevitably be suspected and ostracized.”

"If I were alone, it wouldn't matter. I could support myself by farming back in my hometown."

"But I now bear the hopes of 50,000 people on my shoulders, and I must take the initiative to fight for something."

"If you don't fight for it, you'll end up like mutton, destined to be placed on the chopping board sooner or later."

Fu Yi used his chopsticks to pick up a few slices of mutton and dip them in the pot.

The 35th Army, the 4th Cavalry Division, and the 5th Cavalry Division under Fu Yi's command are his elite troops, and their combat effectiveness is guaranteed.

That's why Fu Yi dared to take such a risk.

Looking at the mutton bubbling in the pot, Deng Yu felt that Fu Yi's words made a lot of sense.

Compared to his ability to appoint cronies and eliminate dissidents, Chairman Chang's strategic tactics are still quite lacking.

"So what are your plans?" Deng Yu asked.

"I plan to launch another feint attack on the G army!" Fu Yi gestured with his chopsticks on the map held up by the staff officer next to him.

“After passing through Wulanhua and bypassing Yinshan, we will advance south from Baiyinchagan to attack Jining.”

"Once we have drawn the attention of the G army, we will leave a small force to continue to confuse them, while the rest of the troops will march three hundred li eastward, straight to Ningbei!"

Fu Yi pointed his chopsticks at the location of Ningbei County.

In Cloud City, the Second Detachment had already returned.

Just as the Second Detachment was resting and preparing for the attack on the city, Chen Chengxing suddenly received a call from the General Headquarters.

Upon arriving at the headquarters, Chen Chengxing saw two leaders discussing a map as soon as he entered.

"Commander-in-Chief, Political Commissar!"

"Chen Chengxing, come here." Without saying a word, General Manager Liu beckoned Chen Chengxing to the map.

Upon reaching the map, Chen Chengxing immediately spotted an attack arrow pointing north of Jining.

"Is this Fu Yi's unit?" Chen Chengxing asked, somewhat puzzled.

In the Jin-Sui area, there is only this one Guo army.

But why would Fu Yi be so foolish as to charge straight at Ji Ning?
Could it be that Fu Yi has lost his mind and wants to fulfill his filial duty to Chiang Kai-shek and Yan Xishan?
"According to the reconnaissance, the 50,000 troops that Fu Yi brought from Suicheng have all arrived in Baiyinchagan."

"The vanguard has even reached outside Jining City and has already engaged in several small-scale firefights with our army."

"I plan to leave the A, B, and C columns to continue encircling Yunzhong, while the Second Detachment will head north to deal with Fu Yi."

"What are your thoughts?" Mr. Liu asked.

Now that the flames of war have been ignited across the country, the G army cannot afford to play along with Fu Yi's games of retreating when the enemy retreats and advancing when the enemy advances.

He must pacify northern Shanxi as soon as possible.

As his trump card, the second team must contribute.

"I will resolutely obey Siling's instructions!" Chen Chengxing stood at attention and said.

Although Fu Yi had more than 50,000 troops under his command, and they were all the main forces of the Twelfth War Zone.

But Chen Chengxing was confident that the 25,000 men of the Second Detachment would be no less powerful than Fu Yi’s 50,000 men.

As long as they can arrive before Fu Yi captures Jining, even if Fu Yi has 100,000 men, he will not be able to take Jining from him.

If given the chance, the second team might be able to take a bite out of him.

"Very good, the mission of the Second Detachment has been changed. Head north immediately to assist in the defense of Jining!" Commander Liu ordered.

"Yes!"

"That Fu Yi is really annoying, why is he here again?" Luo Ping said helplessly when he learned that the mission had been changed.

This month, the Second Detachment has been either on the road or preparing to be on the road.

The distance I've covered in just this month is almost as much as the distance I covered in the previous few years in Dayun Mountain.

“I feel there’s something fishy going on here. Given the level of command during the War of Resistance, Fu Yi wouldn’t have done something like this,” Chen Chengxing said.

After returning from headquarters, Chen Chengxing dispatched the cavalry regiment. One purpose was to send Sun Desheng to Jining to strengthen the city's defenses, and the other was to scout the movements of Fu Yi's troops.

Regardless, Chen Chengxing did not believe that Fu Yi would attack Jining.

This is probably just a smokescreen on his part.

After all the troops had assembled urgently, Chen Chengxing immediately ordered them to set off northward.

On the city wall of Cloud City, Yan Xishan looked at the G army marching north in a mighty force, somewhat bewildered.

"Xingru, what is the G army doing?"

Come to besiege the city when there's nothing to do, leave when there's trouble. Don't I, Yan Xishan, have any dignity?
"I suspect something happened to Ji Ning," Yang Xingru analyzed.
“Fu Yi’s troops broke out of Suicheng, but have been entrenched north of Yinshan and have not returned to Shanba.”

"Now it seems highly likely that they have reached the northern part of Jining."

“Fu Yi? Impossible, absolutely impossible.” Yan Xishan shook his head without even thinking.

“He would never risk his life for Cloud City,” Yan Xishan said with absolute certainty.

Yan Xishan and Fu Yi have known each other for so many years that Yan Xishan could smell how many plates of mutton Fu Yi had eaten at hot pot restaurant just by farting.

Yang Xingru thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it: "Sir, don't worry about what Fu Yi is doing, as long as it's beneficial to us."

Although the Cloud City airfield was destroyed by artillery fire and later occupied by the G army, Cloud City has always received airdropped supplies.

The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it is for them.

"Yes, that makes sense." Yan Xishan nodded.

"Xingru, have the troops strengthen their vigilance to prevent the G army from causing any trouble."

"Especially in tunnels, we must strengthen surveillance."

"Yes!"

Two days later, the second detachment arrived at Tuguiwula Town, which was more than 20 kilometers away from Jining.

At the temporary encampment, Chen Chengxing frowned as he looked at the latest intelligence.

"No, no, what is Fu Yi doing? He's neither fighting nor retreating."

"Playing at peeing here?"

According to Chen Chengxing's thinking, if Fu Yi wanted to take Jining, he should have launched a large-scale attack when the troops were weak.

However, according to the intelligence gathered by Sun Desheng...

While several thousand troops were indeed launching attacks in the Jining area, Fu Yi's main force remained in Baiyinchagan.

They looked like they were observing something.

"Is Fu Yi trying to preserve his strength, or is he planning to ambush our army?" Luo Ping asked.

"It's unlikely. It's not easy to ambush a force of tens of thousands of people. Besides, he's an isolated force without any outside support. Even if the ambush is successful, he can't do anything to us."

The G Army are the masters of ambushes; for Fu Yi to try this trick on Chen Chengxing is like showing off his axe skills in front of Guan Yu.

"Wait, ambush!" Chen Chengxing realized and quickly pulled out Sun Desheng's telegram again.

After glancing at it again, Chen Chengxing ordered, "Immediately send a telegram to the cavalry regiment and ask Sun Desheng if any of the soldiers have seen Fu Yi's main force with their own eyes."

"yes!".
Two minutes later, Xu Wu came over with Sun Desheng's telegram.

"Brigade Commander, Regiment Commander Sun reports: Baiyinchagan is heavily blockaded. They haven't seen all the enemy troops, but they can see different units appearing in turn."

"Hehe. Fu Yi played his cards well, using a feint to his advantage while secretly advancing his own forces."

"Xu Wu, order the troops to stop resting. We'll probably have to march through the night."

"Marching overnight? Is Jining in danger?" Luo Ping was taken aback.

"Ji Ning? Fu Yi's ambitions aren't that small; he's definitely going to launch a sneak attack on Guangning!"

"Guangning? That's even more strange. Isn't Fu Yi at odds with Chiang Kai-shek? Why would he go to help him?"

"I don't know, but Fu Yi definitely went to Guangning!" Chen Chengxing said definitively.

Apart from Guangning, no other place fits the current situation.

Regardless of what Chiang Kai-shek said to Fu Yi, Fu Yi's army was definitely heading towards Guangning.

After the second detachment assembled, it immediately moved diagonally towards Shangyi County, west of Jining.

Given the current location of the Second Detachment, the shortest route to Guangning is to go along the northern foothills of the Yanshan Mountains and diagonally into northern Ning.

Alternatively, one would have to return to Yunzhong and then travel along the Ping-Sui Railway to Guangning, but that route would be a full 100 kilometers longer.

While the Second Detachment was traveling day and night, Fu Yi had already led two cavalry divisions to Ningbei County.

The Ningbei garrison immediately reported the situation to their superiors.

At this time, the troops of the Jin-Cha-Ji Army were engaged in fierce fighting with the Central Army commanded by Chiang Kai-shek in Huailai.

"Boss, the Guo army has suddenly appeared in Ningbei and has launched an attack on Ningbei."

Judging from their uniforms, they should be Fu Yi's men. Currently, it consists of two cavalry divisions, and the main force behind them is not far away! A operations staff officer ran over with a telegram to report this.

Upon hearing the report, General Nie immediately reached out and took the telegram.

"As expected of the central government, they made their judgment even before Fu Yi appeared!"

Mr. Nie was somewhat relieved, but his expression was also a bit serious.

Upon receiving the telegram from the Central Committee, he had already dispatched troops to support Ningbei.

However, Sun Fanglu put a lot of pressure on him, so in the end he could only squeeze out a regiment of troops.

It's questionable whether a single regiment could hold off two cavalry divisions, let alone the main force behind them.

(End of this chapter)