Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 410 It was just a slightly dirty hem of clothing.
"Fire! Fire!"
Faced with the G army's fierce attack, the 3rd Division set up light and heavy machine guns directly on the rooftops and around the walls, resulting in exceptionally intense firepower.

Moreover, due to the tricky angles, the two 82mm mortars that accompanied the army had difficulty destroying the KMT's firing positions.

The 203rd Regiment went through a lot of effort before finally managing to seize a few houses at the entrance of the village.

However, due to the blockade by firepower, the subsequent reinforcements' attack was quite difficult.

Faced with this situation, Jiang Ming, the commander of the 203rd Regiment, didn't waste any words and immediately picked up the walkie-talkie.

Zhao Jietian, perched atop the temple, was completely bewildered as he watched the G army launching a fierce attack from all directions.

"What the hell is going on? Which unit is attacking me?"

G Army was clearly in retreat, so how could so many people suddenly appear? And with such strong firepower?

Before Zhao Jietian could figure it out, Shi Zhiheng rushed over.

"Commander, something's not right. There are nearly 20,000 troops outside attacking, and their firepower is very strong, including large-caliber heavy artillery!"

"And the G army has already entered the village!"

When Zheng Hua learned that the 203rd Regiment's attack had been thwarted, he had already ordered the heavy mortar battalion to provide support.

The heavy mortar battalion used its range and trajectory advantage to directly strike the southern positions of the Guo army from the north of Laoye Temple.

A 120mm shell is far superior to an 82mm mortar shell.

A single shot, even without hitting the target, can destroy the KMT's firing positions from several meters away.

"Enter the village? It hasn't even been half an hour! How did we get into the village?!" Zhao Jietian shouted angrily.

The opposing G army has 20,000 men, and he currently has 15,000 to 16,000 men, plus tanks and artillery.

Surely we can't be defeated by the G army?

"I don't know either. This group of G soldiers doesn't seem to be the same people as before."

"Their attacks are extremely fierce; once they launch an attack, they will not retreat, no matter how heavy the casualties."

"Don't tell me that!" Zhao Jietian waved his hand, interrupting Shi Zhiheng.

"Tell the 16th Regiment that without my order, no one is to retreat! Even if it means death, die on the front lines!"

"Yes!" The staff officer next to him immediately started ringing the phone.

"Chief of Staff, immediately send a telegram to Commander Liu requesting urgent reinforcements!"

At this point, Zhao Jietian was unaware of the seriousness of the problem. He was thinking about cooperating with other friendly forces to wipe out this G army.

"Yes!"

Unlike Zhao Jietian, Liu Jingfu immediately realized something was wrong after receiving the telegram.

Previously, the G army had been suffering repeated defeats, so why would they suddenly launch a counterattack, and on such a large scale?

"What did I say? Huh?! What did I say?!" Liu Jingfu slammed his fist on the table, making a loud banging sound.

He didn't believe Zhao Jietian at all, saying that the 3rd Division was only slightly dirty at the corner of its clothes.

"I knew the G army was powerful! This Zhao Jietian fell for their trap!"

He was furious with Zhao Jietian. If the 3rd Division hadn't been so isolated and deep in enemy territory, this would never have happened!
Although Liu Jingfu was furious, he knew that the 41st and 47th Divisions could be wiped out, but the 3rd Division absolutely could not be destroyed.

"Pass on my order! The 47th Division shall immediately head north to relieve the 3rd Division, and the remaining troops shall also quickly converge towards Yanghu!"

"Get the planes ready. As soon as they are ready for takeoff, take off immediately to support the 3rd Division!"

"yes!".
After receiving Liu Jingfu's telegram, the 47th Division, though cursing under their breath, still changed direction and began advancing towards Yanghu.

They were already undervalued, and if they dared to openly disobey orders, everyone from top to bottom would suffer the consequences.

However, although the 47th Division began its advance, it was blocked by the second 4th Detachment and was unable to advance any further.

Even as time went on, the firepower density of the 47th Division began to decrease, perhaps due to a shortage of ammunition.

However, just when everything was going according to plan, an unexpected incident occurred in the direction of Yanghu.

Suddenly, reinforcements from the Nationalist army appeared behind the 203rd Regiment and immediately launched an attack.

"How did the enemy get here? Have you figured out which unit it is?" Chen Chengxing frowned.

Based on previous reconnaissance, there should only be the 30th Division as the enemy force in this area.

Xu Wu immediately called the 203rd Regiment and then reported:

"The 203rd Regiment reports that they have found the markings of the 3rd Division on the enemy's clothing."

"Should we call the headquarters and ask?" Xu Wu asked.

"What's the use of asking at a time like this!"

Chen Chengxing immediately guessed that the C and G columns were too slow and failed to contain the enemy.

Therefore, the enemy had the energy to attend to the battlefield at Laoye Temple.

"Have the 203rd Regiment hold off the enemy's pincer attack, and the rest of the regiments intensify their offensive and penetrate into the heart of Laoye Temple!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

His original plan was to surround them from all sides and then slowly devour them.

However, the situation has suddenly changed, and it is necessary to divide the area immediately to reduce the resistance of the 3rd Division.

If the 203rd Regiment were attacked from both sides by three brigades of the 3rd Division, even the most capable fighter would not be able to withstand it.

At that time, not only will the 203rd Regiment suffer heavy casualties, but the entire 3rd Division might also take the opportunity to escape.

Just as Chen Chengxing issued the order, Zhao Jietian also ordered the 3rd Brigade to block the G Army attacking from the north.

Then he personally commanded the 20th and 21st Brigades to begin besieging the 203rd Regiment.

In order to eliminate the 203rd Regiment, Zhao Jietian risked everything.

In addition to the continuous firing from the mountain artillery battalions of each brigade, even the tanks and armored vehicles that Liu Jingfu had given him were all dispatched at once.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The firing positions on the 203rd Regiment's positions were successively eliminated.

"Rapid-fire guns! Bring the rapid-fire guns up!" Jiang Ming shouted. Each detachment of the Second Branch had two or three American-made M3 37mm rapid-fire guns, which would be issued to each regiment in wartime.

The tanks of the 3rd Division did not charge into battle this time, but instead served as fire support platforms for the infantry.

The rocket launcher operator tried several times but couldn't close the distance, so he had to bring up the rapid-fire cannon to fire.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The sounds of artillery fire from both sides were almost continuous, without any pause.

As time went on, Zhao Jietian became increasingly anxious.

The 3rd Brigade had already reported to him that the G Army's offensive was very fierce, and the outer positions of Laoye Temple were being lost continuously.

The armored forces attacking the G army to the south also lost two armored vehicles.

Although the G army's anti-tank gun was destroyed, the tanks did not continue to risk an attack but chose to retreat.

The damaged armored vehicle was also towed back, and repairs are currently being attempted.

In order to gain the initiative on the battlefield, Zhao Jietian had no choice but to force all units to continuously attack the 203rd Regiment's positions.

If we wait until the 3rd Brigade is defeated, the 3rd Division will be caught in a pincer movement.

Right now, it's simply a race to see who can go faster.

The two sides fought fiercely all night, and by dawn, the battlefield had quieted down a bit.

The Guo army's planes have arrived on the battlefield, and the second force has begun to slow its attack.

"Commander,"

"Commander, the enemy situation is unclear. Should we move towards the 47th Division?" Shi Zhiheng asked.

"With the cover of aircraft, we can definitely wipe out the G army to the north and then break through smoothly!"

That night, the entire 3rd Division was basically in a passive and defensive situation.

The G army to the south had only three thousand men, while the 21st Brigade, the division's direct troops, and some reinforcements from the 20th Brigade added up to a total of twelve thousand men.

Despite having four times the manpower, they still couldn't capture a single position from the G army.

Instead, the G army occupied several of their mansions. Where can we even seek justice?

“That’s natural.” Zhao Jietian nodded.

He had also received Liu Jingfu's telegram of retreat.

Moreover, he knew very well why the 47th Division hadn't even gone two miles in one night.

Since the 47th Division isn't coming, sending the entire 3rd Division will be just as effective.

As long as they can rendezvous with the 47th Division, the entire 3rd Division will be safe.

Even in the event of another crisis, the 47th Division can be deployed to take the lead, and then the 3rd Division can take the opportunity to retreat.

Once the plan was finalized, Zhao Jietian immediately sent the telegram to Liu Jingfu.

Subsequently, under the cover of aircraft, tanks, and artillery, the 3rd Division began its breakout to the southeast.

Just when the 203rd Regiment was being relentlessly bombarded and unable to raise its head, at this critical moment...

The 201st Regiment advanced diagonally from the east, cutting off the 3rd Division's breakout route.

Inside the temporary command post, Chen Chengxing received a telegram from the general command.

"Old Chen, what are your thoughts on the orders from the General Headquarters?" Luo Ping put down the telegram in his hand and asked.

"The enemy's tens of thousands of troops are about to surround us, and we don't have much time left."

"If we cannot complete the battle tonight, our army will have no choice but to retreat, and all our efforts will be in vain."

“I know that,” Chen Chengxing said.

"I have already ordered three teams to come as reinforcements, and we will launch a general offensive tonight."

The 3rd Division is now locked down, and there is no possibility of retreating to the southwest.

Team 3 staying there is just a waste of time.

During this day, the G army was busy completing the blockade.

The 3rd Division, supported by aircraft, charged left and right, trying to break free from the rope that the G Army had already strangled.

"Commander, the G army's defenses are too strong. Without external assistance, our army may find it difficult to break free in a short time."

Shi Zhiheng looked rather grim. The 3rd Division had tried to break through in multiple directions, but had not succeeded.

"How's the fortification work going?" Zhao Jietian asked, putting down his binoculars.

As early as the morning, after being blocked back to Laoye Temple, Zhao Jietian ordered the engineers to immediately repair the fortifications.

Although the various brigades launched successive attacks from multiple directions, the engineers continued to dig the ground.

"The field fortifications are basically complete, but the earthworks may not be able to withstand the G army's heavy artillery," Shi Zhiheng said.

"Something is better than nothing."

Zhao Jietian knew, of course, that the earthworks could not withstand the bombardment of heavy mortars, but at least they could reduce casualties.

“Tell the brothers that reinforcements are coming soon. If we can hold out until tonight, we will be safe.”

"Yes!"

As the chief of staff in charge of communications and intelligence, Shi Zhiheng knew very well that the reinforcements would arrive tomorrow as planned.

But this is just according to plan.

The reality was that even with air support, the 47th Division was unable to make any progress.

Time passed little by little as both sides prepared.

(End of this chapter)