Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 403 Pay Me Back for My Horse!
Looking at the G army sweeping across the battlefield like a whirlwind, Fu Yi's face was so dark it could drip water.

Although the infantry combat capabilities of the 4th and 5th Cavalry Divisions are weaker than those of the 35th Army, they shouldn't be so easily defeated.
"Sir, the brothers can't hold on any longer. The G Army's firepower is too strong." Liu Wanfang, commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, called.

The 4th and 5th Cavalry Divisions are now in a dilemma.

If they could create distance, the G army's heavy weapons outnumbered theirs by several times; their heavy mortars alone would be enough to keep them pinned down.

The kill area of ​​a 120mm mortar is comparable to that of a 150mm howitzer.

But if they closed the distance and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, the G army could defeat them as easily as killing chicks.

"The artillery will support you. As soon as the G army breaks off contact, the troops will immediately withdraw to the second line of defense!" Fu Yi said immediately.

The second detachment was too powerful, so Fu Yi had no choice but to trade space for time.

The several hilltops he seized in advance still have a chance to be withdrawn.

The 35th Army is on a forced march. If I can hold out for half a day, the 35th Army will arrive.

The G army will surely be defeated!
The enemy's sudden, full-speed mortar fire caught the soldiers of the Second Detachment completely off guard.

Although the dense artillery fire disrupted the offensive rhythm, the soldiers who were already entangled with the Nationalist army were completely unaffected.

After all, Fu Yi wouldn't dare to throw artillery shells at his own soldiers.

Although the number of soldiers from the Second Detachment entangled with Guo Jun was less than five hundred, it still made Guo Jun feel like he had a bone stuck in his throat.

Left with no other choice, Liu Wanfang decisively abandoned the cavalry regiment that was entangled with the G army.

After leaving these men to the G army to hold them back, the rest of the troops frantically retreated to the second-line positions.

When Guo Jun, who had been abandoned, turned around, he saw that his former good brothers had already run far away.

After turning around, these people immediately knelt on the ground.

They all knew they had been abandoned.

However, to hold off the G army, you don't necessarily have to fight; kneeling on the ground can also hold off the G army.

Putting everything else aside, just tying the rope takes more time than eating a knife.
"Commander, the cavalry regiment reports that the 35th Army has advanced to Ningbei, and is still fifteen kilometers away from here."

Inside the temporary command post, Xu Wu walked over with a telegram sent by Sun Desheng.

"The 35th Army is pretty fast, they got to Ningbei so quickly."

They can run 20 kilometers in less than three hours; the 35th Army is really going all out.

"Has the 209th Regiment made its detour and reached its position?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"We just spoke, and they've already reached the rocky creek along the riverbank. They should be able to reach the enemy's flank in about ten minutes."

"We can't wait any longer!" Chen Chengxing said, standing up.

"Order all regiments to continue the attack. Notify the 209th Regiment that upon arrival, they should not wait and should immediately launch the attack."

"yes!".
Regiment Commander Luo Cheng handed the headset to the communications officer beside him and turned to give the order:
"Speed ​​up! The final assault is about to begin!"

Despite the enemy occupying advantageous terrain, Luo Cheng did not believe they could withstand the attack of thirty-six heavy mortars.

In other words, even if they are slower, the other regiments can still reach the top of the hill.

But if the 209th Regiment runs too slowly, they won't get any credit.

Upon hearing that the general offensive was about to begin, the soldiers of the 209th Regiment all held their breath.

Nobody wants to fall behind.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
Fu Yi was furious at the Second Detachment's relentless bombardment.

Isn't this bullying?
"What did the Chairman say? When will the plane arrive?" Fu Yi asked the person next to him.

When the shelling occurred earlier, Fu Yi sent a telegram to the Pingdu General Headquarters.

But the plane never came.

"Sir, there may be no planes left," Liu Wanfang said helplessly.

"Commander Sun replied that all the aircraft in the 11th War Zone are on combat missions and cannot be withdrawn for the time being."

"He told us to hang in there, and that they would schedule us for tomorrow."

"Bullshit! Tomorrow? What are we going to do tomorrow?!" Fu Yi was almost furious.

"These bastards! They don't even lift a finger when our allies are in trouble!"

Fu Yi didn't believe a word Sun Fanglu said about having a mission.

There are definitely planes on standby at the airport.

It's just that bastard Sun Fanglu deliberately targeted me because Guangning was assigned to the 12th War Zone.

"Where is the Chairman? Didn't I tell you to send the telegram directly to the Pingdu General Headquarters?"

"The Chairman has already returned to Nanjing by plane," Liu Wanfang said.

Chiang Kai-shek's purpose in coming to Pingdu was to capture Guangning.

However, Guangning has now been assigned to the 12th War Zone, and according to the battle reports, Fu Yi is about to enter the city.

Chiang Kai-shek was naturally unwilling to stay any longer. Did he really want to go to Guangning to personally congratulate Fu Yi?

"Alas! They came when they shouldn't have, and they left when they shouldn't have."

Liu Wanfang, standing to the side, kept his head down, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Seeing the G army already advancing, Fu Yi stopped speaking and raised his binoculars to look at the front line.

"Damn it, are all the G Army soldiers courting death?"

Fu Yi has always believed that he has a good ability to train troops.

However, he was still somewhat surprised to see that the G army had not retreated even half a step since the start of the attack.

As soon as the bugle sounds, the opposing G army will immediately begin their charge.

As long as we charge forward, we will not give up until we achieve our goal.

Previously, the 4th and 5th Cavalry Divisions occupied a total of seven or eight hilltops or high ground.

But now, it has been compressed down to just the core of a single mountain.

All the other high ground positions were captured by the G army.

"Ask where the 35th Army is and how long until they arrive?" Fu Yi turned and ordered.

With no planes available, the 35th Army was his only leverage. The communications soldier nearby immediately used a walkie-talkie to contact the 35th Army.

A few minutes later, the message came back.

"Sir, the 35th Army has been harassed by the G Army's cavalry and has only advanced less than five kilometers. It is estimated that it will take another hour before they can launch an attack!"

"One hour! In one hour, the G army will be at the command post!"

Fu Yi knew very well that this offensive was not due to the arrival of troops.

Instead, the howitzer regiment that was moving with the 35th Army could launch artillery fire.

Although the 105mm howitzer was very powerful, without the participation of infantry, it would have been impossible to wipe out the Second Detachment with just these thirty-six cannons.

"Damn it, one wrong move and the whole game is lost!"

The operation was originally perfect, but it was ruined by the sudden appearance of the Second Detachment.

"Break through! We must break through!" Fu Yi said through gritted teeth.

"Send orders to the 4th and 5th Cavalry Divisions, instructing them to prepare, concentrate all firepower, and launch an attack on the western encirclement. The troops should break out from here!"

The 35th Army was harassed by the G Army's cavalry and could not maintain a high-speed advance.

The remaining dozen or so kilometers will probably take two or three hours to walk.

However, judging from the speed of the G army's attack, Fu Yi did not think he could hold out for another two or three hours.

While we still have the strength to fight back, breaking through is the best option.

Upon receiving Fu Yi's order, Liu Wanfang and E Yousan immediately adjusted their formation and made all necessary preparations.

Half an hour later, the artillery position used up all its shells as quickly as possible.

Then the KMT soldiers at the front line whipped those ownerless warhorses.

The warhorse, startled, immediately began to gallop wildly.

Fu Yi, on the other hand, led the remaining troops, following behind some of the disorganized horses, and headed straight west.

"Damn! What a fine horse!"

Chen Chengxing's eyes turned red as he watched the dust billowing up from the galloping of five or six thousand warhorses.

"Fire! Fire! Give Fu Yi's cavalry a good beating!"

Although Chen Chengxing was very distressed, he still gave the order to fire.

Although the west was not the main direction of attack for the Second Detachment, there were still dozens of light and heavy machine guns there.

"Da da da".
Dozens of bullets swept across the battlefield, and a large number of warhorses and cavalrymen fell.
It was half an hour later when Chen Chengxing arrived at the front line.

"Commander, the enemy has been basically annihilated, with only less than 800 cavalrymen managing to break through."

At this moment, Chen Chengxing was standing on the hilltop, looking at the horse carcasses lying all over the ground in front of him, and his heart ached.

"What a fine horse! What a waste!" Chen Chengxing lamented.

Although cavalry has declined, it is still the only type of military force in China that can move quickly.

Even the Kuomintang's top fighters were equipped with a large number of horses for transportation.

"Commander, the cavalry regiment is currently engaged in combat with the 35th Army."

"What should we do next? Take the initiative or retreat to a defensive posture?" Xu Wu asked.

"Defense? Defense my ass!"

"Pass on my orders! Cease cleaning up the battlefield! Release all prisoners, abandon all supplies, and assemble the entire army immediately!"

Since Fu Yi caused the deaths of so many of my horses, he should compensate me with his 35th Army!
Chen Chengxing left the branch's logistics staff behind, on the one hand contacting the local government to help gather the scattered warhorses, and on the other hand cleaning up the battlefield.

We can't afford to waste these thousands of dead horses.

Subsequently, the main force began a rapid march north.

At this time, Fu Yi had already led the surviving cavalry to the 35th Army.

"Sir! Are you alright?" Lu Ruifeng stepped forward, grabbed Fu Yi's reins, and helped him down.

"I'm fine." Fu Yi shook his head, then immediately ordered, "The troops turn around immediately, we're heading to Ningbei!"

"Send a telegram to Pingdu, explaining the situation and preparing to coordinate operations with the 11th War Zone."

With two teams blocking their way, it's no longer possible to easily defeat Guangning.

Fortunately, the order to transfer Guangning to the 12th War Zone has already been issued.

If we can cooperate to take down Guangning, we can also use Guangning to restore our strength.

However, it is likely that it will be subject to the checks and balances of the Central Army in the future, and it seems that it has become a foregone conclusion to move closer to the Guangxi clique.

Upon receiving the telegram, Sun Fanglu immediately forwarded it to Chiang Kai-shek.

Chiang Kai-shek was still on the plane at that time.

"Damn it! Was Fu Yi lying to me before?"

"How come he immediately said that the main force of the G Army had appeared as soon as we informed the US that Guangning belonged to the Twelfth War Zone?"

"Moreover, the vanguard cavalry was utterly defeated. Are these thousands of cavalrymen made of clay or something?"

Upon hearing Chiang Kai-shek's words, the expressions of the people on the plane varied.

"Chairman, if Fu Yi is held back by the main force of the G Army, I'm afraid we won't be able to take Guangning in a short time."

"Our chance has come again!" Chen Chengbo said.

“But what about the United States?” Chiang Kai-shek felt a headache coming on when the United States was mentioned.

The confrontation between the two countries has already occurred in Germany, so why are they still showing restraint in China?

Send me any good weapons you have.

When the aid money is split 30/70, how could you commissioners possibly lose money?

"Chairman, the situation in the US is easy to handle. We just need to let Fu Yi serve as the nominal supreme commander of Guangning. As for the actual situation, who will bother to investigate?" Guo Gui said.

"Well, putting everything else aside, let's take Guangning first!" Chiang Kai-shek nodded.

"Tell the captain to turn around, land in Zhuolu to refuel, and then return to Pingdu!"

(End of this chapter)