Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 409 Reaching the Pinnacle of Life
"Where have the various units advanced to?"

Inside the Lan Yi Bandit Suppression Headquarters, Liu Jingfu sat imposingly in a chair.

"Commander, according to intelligence from various units, the New 5th Army on the Eastern Route has arrived at Shanfu, the 11th Division has also arrived at Shanfu and Qintai respectively, and the 88th Division has set off again from Qintai to Dongmin."

"The 3rd and 47th Divisions of the Western Route Army have arrived at Guzhen, and the 47th Army has also arrived at Dongming."

"However, the 3rd Division reported that they were blocked by the G Army."

"Hehe. The more frantic the G army is, the more effective our plan is."

Liu Jingfu felt he was about to reach the pinnacle of his life.

"Order all units to launch the general offensive according to plan, but be extremely careful and absolutely do not fall into the G army's trap!"

"As for the 3rd Division, tell them to give the G Army a good beating, and then advance along the original route!"

"Yes!"

"Commander, Commander Liu has sent a telegram instructing us to intensify our offensive."

Shi Zhiheng, the chief of staff of the 3rd Division, brought over a telegram.

"Where are the rest of the troops?" Zhao Jietian asked casually after receiving the telegram.

"The other divisions marched in strict accordance with the battle plan, only we were delayed here for a few days."

The 3rd Division was transferred from southern Shaanxi and was unfamiliar with the terrain and transportation there.

Therefore, after being blocked, they did not intensify their offensive in order to avoid being ambushed.

Hearing that the other units were advancing according to the battle plan, Zhao Jietian breathed a sigh of relief.

"It now appears that the G army has no intention of ambushing our troops."

"This group of G soldiers is probably just trying to hold us off and buy time for the main force to retreat."

"If that's the case, then I can't let them achieve their goal!"

"Pass on my order! Launch a full-scale counterattack!"

"Yes!"

"Commander, we have received a telegram. The 3rd Division has begun to intensify its offensive, while the 41st and 47th Divisions are basically just going through the motions."

"Great! The plan is halfway to success!" Luo Ping exclaimed excitedly.

If the 41st and 47th Divisions don't put in the effort, the 3rd Division alone will be unable to support itself.

"What's the situation with Team 2? Are they ready for the handover operation?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"Preparations have already been made in the Baimaoji area."

"Then let Team 1 retreat to the rear tonight to prepare for the general offensive, and Team 2 will take over the battlefield!"

"yes!".
After repelling the G army, Zhao Jietian breathed a sigh of relief. The 3rd Division was a core unit, and if it couldn't advance for a long time, wouldn't it make the other units laugh at them?

"Order the 20th Brigade to continue the pursuit; we absolutely cannot let the G army escape!"

Because the main forces of the 47th and 3rd Divisions are now behind us, the 20th Brigade is very aggressive and is closing in very quickly.

When the Guo army caught up with them, the 204th and 206th Regiments immediately engaged them in a fierce battle.

"What the hell are you doing? If you drive the Guo army away, see how I deal with you!"

Seeing the two regiments fighting more and more fiercely ahead, Sun Xun called the front line and started cursing.

Only after hearing Sun Xun swear did the two regimental commanders realize what was happening.

"Oh no! We got so caught up in the excitement that we forgot to lure the enemy in deep!"

"Quickly! Order all battalions to retreat in an orderly manner!"

Lu Yonghuai, the brigade commander of the 20th Brigade, who was covered in bumps from being beaten, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the G Army begin to retreat.

Fortunately, the soldiers of the 20th Brigade were resilient, otherwise the G army would have really managed to steal their chickens.

"The G army has escaped! Pursue them! Pursue them!" Lu Yonghuai shouted.

Along the way, the 20th Brigade kept chasing the G Army, and every now and then they were able to catch up and fight them.

Although the 3rd Division suffered considerable casualties, Zhao Jietian was filled with the joy of victory as the G Army continued to retreat.

"Chief of Staff, the initial operational plan was to take southwestern Shandong within two weeks."

"Now it seems we overestimated this military genius."

A war god? Hmph! Nothing special!
Zhao Jietian stood on the high ground with his hands behind his back, looking incredibly arrogant.

"Hehe. Commander, the G army just launched a surprise attack when our army was unprepared."

"In addition, the 68th and 55th Divisions were both ragtag units, so it was normal for them to suffer some losses unexpectedly."

“However, as long as my elite troops arrive, the G army will surely flee at the first sign of trouble,” Shi Zhiheng said.

Although the 3rd Division was not an American-equipped division, it could be considered a semi-American-equipped division.

Of course, the main weapons of the 3rd Division were Japanese or Chinese weapons, but the military caps they wore were American soft caps.

Moreover, the entire division also has hundreds of M1 carbines and M3 submachine guns. What else could this be but American equipment?
Anyone who has American equipment can be considered a US-equipped unit!
“I think so too!” Zhao Jietian nodded.

"Send a telegram to Commander Liu, saying that our army has captured another place and inflicted heavy casualties on the G army. The G army is now in complete disarray! Our army is pursuing them in victory!"

"Yes!"

"Completely routed?" Liu Jingfu held the telegram, somewhat incredulous.

Just a few days ago, G Jun was grabbing him by the collar and whipping him mercilessly, but now he can't do it anymore?
Is he just too bad, or is the world changing too fast?
Or was it due to harassment behind enemy lines that the G army suffered from insufficient supplies?
"Send a telegram to the 3rd Division and ask Zhao Jietian if he needs air support," Liu Jingfu decided to test the waters.

If the 3rd Division was giving false intelligence, Zhao Jietian would definitely be hoping for air support.

Two minutes later, the communications officer entered with a telegram and a somewhat strange expression.

"Commander-in-Chief, Division Commander Zhao doesn't need planes. He said the G army is no match for him."

"However, this telegram was sent in plain text."

As he spoke, the staff officer placed the telegram on Liu Jingfu's desk.

When Liu Jingfu picked it up, he was shocked by how arrogant Zhao Jietian was.

[We don't need planes anymore. With my current equipment, even if we don't drive the G army down the Yellow River, we can drive them back to the Taihang Mountains.]

"Plaintext? Why not encrypt it!" Liu Jingfu exclaimed in surprise. "The communications section has already inquired. Commander Zhao's opinion is that the G Army is about to be wiped out, so using plaintext is fine."

"Damn it!" Liu Jingfu slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Tell Zhao Jietian immediately that all communications from now on must be encrypted!"

"Yes!"

"I understand." Zhao Jietian waved his hand.

This Commander Liu, aside from having the highest luck stat, is just so-so.

As someone with connections in higher places, Zhao Jietian didn't care much.

Without wasting words, Shi Zhiheng put away the telegram and continued:

"Commander, according to reports from the front lines, although the G Army is putting up a strong resistance, it is also suffering repeated defeats."

"Wherever our army goes, it easily occupies the territory. Now we are just chasing after the G army."

"Yes, we must hold on tight! Whether we can get promoted or not depends on the G Army," Zhao Jietian instructed.

"Don't worry about that. The brothers all know that the G Army is a thorn in Chiang Kai-shek's side."

For the next two days, the 3rd Division continued to have smooth sailing.

Now Liu Jingfu was completely relieved; it seemed that the G army had been utterly defeated.

Liu Jingfu decided to seize this great opportunity and quickly wipe out the G army.

"Pass on my order! The 3rd Division is to adjust its operational objective and will no longer attack Taoqiu, but instead attack Caozhou!"

In Liu Jingfu's view, one 47th Division would be enough to attack Taoqiu.

This order immediately disrupted Chen Chengbo's plans.

The gap between the 3rd Division and the 47th Division gradually widened to more than 20 kilometers.

Zhao Jietian also led the entire 3rd Division into the Yanghu area.

"Commander, all units have completed their encirclement. The higher command has ordered that the Second Detachment be responsible for the main attack, and the general offensive will be launched tonight."

At this time, the deployment of the G army had been completed as planned, and the Eastern Route Army was tied down by several independent brigades in the Shanfu and Dongmin areas.

The 47th Division was blocked by the 4th Team of the 2nd Detachment to the west of Beihao, and the 41st Division was also tied up by the moving D Column.

As for the rest of the troops, they all watched from the vicinity of Yanghu as the 3rd Division jumped into the pit.

That evening, the headquarters of the 3rd Division and the 21st Brigade remained in Laoye Temple, the 3rd Brigade was in Dahuang Town, and the two regiments of the 20th Brigade were in Yanghu Village and Jiajia Village respectively.

At midnight, the order for the general offensive was issued.

The C column was responsible for attacking the 59th Regiment of the Guo Army in Yanghu, while the G column attacked Jiajiacun to contain the 58th Regiment.

The second team, the third squad, moved diagonally behind the Laoye Temple and lay in ambush to prevent the entire 3rd Division from escaping, while the fourth squad was responsible for continuing to hold off the 47th Division.

The rest of the troops headed straight for Dahuang Town.

As soon as the gunfire erupted from the various units, the 3rd Division immediately responded.

Inside Dahuang Town, the chief of staff of the 3rd Brigade was banging on the door.

"Commander, this is bad! We've spotted the G army outside! Looks like they're planning to attack the city!"

"G Army? What's your hurry?" Tan Naida, the brigade commander of the 3rd Brigade, slowly opened the door and walked out.

In the past few days, they have clashed with the G army multiple times, and each time they have defeated them decisively.

Tan Naida did not think that the G army could gain any advantage by taking the initiative to attack.

"Commander, this G army is different from before; this time their numbers are quite large!"

"Many? How many? I have eight Japanese mountain guns, they'll be blown to bits! These are original Japanese products!" Tan Naida said confidently.

In every previous battle, the G army would scatter as soon as the artillery battalion was deployed.

The power of a 75mm cannon cannot be offset by numbers.

"The total number of people discovered so far is already over ten thousand, and the total number could easily be twenty thousand!"

"Twenty thousand? Twenty thousand!" Tan Naida was still somewhat surprised to hear that there were so many people.

His entire 3rd Brigade had only 7,000 men, while the opposing G Army had three times that number.

After thinking for a moment, Tan Naida decisively gave the order:
"Dahuang Town is not a place to stay for long. Order the troops to retreat immediately! We're heading to the temple fair and the division headquarters!"

Regardless of the G army's objectives, as long as I rendezvous with the division headquarters, I'm not afraid of another 20,000 troops.

"yes!".
When the 3rd Brigade was retreating, it sent a telegram to the division headquarters requesting that troops be sent to meet them.

Upon receiving the telegram, Zhao Jietian didn't waste any words and immediately dispatched four tanks and a reinforced battalion to provide support.

"The Guo army is really cowardly; they've already retreated." Chen Chengxing said with a hint of helplessness after learning about the situation.

It's very dark now, and the rocket launcher has to get close enough to hit the tank.

However, the tanks were surrounded by infantry for cover, which made success less likely.

"Commander, should the troops continue to advance?" Xu Wu asked.

“Of course, since the Guo army has gathered together, let’s wipe them out in one fell swoop!” Chen Chengxing said confidently.

"Continue the offensive, and have the 203rd Regiment infiltrate behind enemy lines to launch a pincer attack on Laoye Temple from the southeast!"

According to the previous plan, the main force was to fight the enemy in Dahuang Town, while the 59th Regiment of the Kuomintang Army could maintain the blockade by taking a side trip.

However, once the main force chooses to leave, troops must be left behind to maintain the blockade.

"Infiltration? Leader, Team 3 is just south of Laoye Temple, why not let them move forward to coordinate the operation?" Xu Wu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The mission of Team 3 is to block the retreat of the 3rd Division. We can't move now. We can call them after we have the 3rd Division locked down."

If the 3rd team moves forward, a gap will appear in the blockade line, and the entire 3rd Division might escape.

"Go and relay the order," Chen Chengxing said.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)