Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 420 Why are there G Army soldiers everywhere?
"The political commissar and I just returned from the field headquarters."

After the meeting, Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping immediately convened a combat meeting for the second team.

"Our superiors have ordered us to go out on another mission and open up a new battlefield in the northwest of Pengcheng."

"As long as we inflict heavy losses on the Guo army here, the main force of the Guo army will surely abandon its northward advance and return to rescue Pengcheng."

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, everyone's gaze immediately turned towards Lincheng.

They had been fighting here repeatedly, and had dealt a heavy blow to the entire 11th Division. Now it seems they have to go back.

“Dongmin.” Chen Chengxing pointed to the map.

"According to intelligence, only the 21st Brigade of the 88th Division is here. As for the other two brigades of the 88th Division, they are still south of Qintai."

“The surrounding counties of Dongmin are all occupied by local troops of the Guo Army,” Chen Chengxing said.

"What does Guo Jun mean by this? The main force is assembled in Yincheng and Diqiu, with such a long supply line, but he only deploys one brigade?"

Chu Yunfei was very puzzled. Wasn't this just giving away local troops for free?

"Hehe. You guys don't understand Chairman Chang's way of thinking," Chen Chengxing laughed.

"Old Chu, let me ask you this: if you were playing on your home turf, would you have your main force densely packed in the rear?"

"That's unnecessary," Chu Yunfei said.

Playing at home, a slightly longer or weaker logistical support line doesn't have a significant impact.

“That settles it,” Chen Chengxing said. “Chiang Kai-shek is treating southwestern Shandong and northern Henan as his home turf.”

"What he thinks is what he thinks? Is this his home turf? This is our home turf!"

Chiang Kai-shek's April 12th Incident was not only an anti-CCP movement, but also a large-scale purge within the Kuomintang.

The number of KMT members plummeted from 1.2 million to 200,000, and the grassroots level in townships could no longer keep track of them.

"We're going to wake him up today!" Chen Chengxing slapped the map.

A few days later, the commander issued the order to begin operations.

The key to this battle was the surprise attack, and the Guo army knew that the main force of the G army was in the Diqiu area.

How to move stealthily under the enemy's nose became the most important thing in this battle.

Under the command of the field headquarters, the C column, several independent brigades, and local militia carried out large-scale movements back and forth in the Diqiu and Wulu areas.

Using all available forces, they constantly harassed the enemy, aiming to make the Guo army believe that they were the main force in the field.

On the other hand, since the Yellow River has already flooded down, to ensure the army's logistical supply lines, Dongchang must be captured.

The task of raiding Dongchang was assigned by the Field Army to the G Column.

At the same time, the D column and the second detachment also began to advance northwest of Pengcheng in a forced march.

Two days later, the D column arrived at Lincheng, while the second column continued to advance towards Wucheng.

On the way, Chen Chengxing suddenly received intelligence from the reconnaissance unit.

On the roadside, Xu Wu reported, "Captain, the enemy forces in Dongmin have suddenly begun to withdraw their troops, which most likely means they have already discovered us."

"This reorganized 21st Brigade has a pretty keen sense of smell," Chen Chengxing said.

"Xu Wu, relay my order: Teams 1 and 2, change your marching direction and do not go to Wucheng. Take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold and attack Dongmin first!"

"yes!".
While the D column was fiercely attacking the outposts of the garrison outside Lincheng, two advance units arrived at Dongmin.

"Commander, the advance troops report that the enemy's 61st Regiment has retreated to Dongmin, and the 63rd Regiment is stationed at Xiaojiaying on the west bank of the Laihe River."

Xiaojiaying was less than ten kilometers from Dongmin, and it was nighttime, so the 63rd Regiment chose to set up camp and wait until the next day to withdraw back into the city.

"Quick reaction time." Chen Chengxing said, looking at the map, "Let's take out one of their regiments first."

Upon receiving the order to attack, the 201st and 203rd Regiments immediately launched a multi-pronged attack, beginning to encircle and annihilate Xiaojiaying.

Upon suddenly hearing the sound of gunfire, Zeng Zhiyong, the commander of the 63rd Regiment, immediately jumped out of bed.

"What's going on? Where are they firing?"

"Commander, something's wrong! The G Army has appeared on the outskirts!"

"G Army? Main force or local troops? How many people are there?" Zeng Zhiyong asked.

"The exact number is still unclear, but according to reports from frontline troops, the enemy's firepower is very strong, and it should undoubtedly be the main force of the G army."

"Damn it! What are those troops in northern Henan doing? Are they all blind?"

"The main force of the G army escaped right under their noses, and they're still babbling on!"

"Pass on my order: all battalions, strengthen your defenses. No matter what, we must hold out until dawn!" Zeng Zhiyong commanded.

This area is in their heartland, and the G army absolutely cannot afford to waste time here for an extended period.

"yes!".
After receiving Zeng Zhiyong's order, all units of the 63rd Regiment were prepared to defend to the death, except for one battalion.

"Strengthen defenses? Are you saying the G Army is easy to mess with?" Bao Liangcai, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment, hung up the phone.

"Battalion Commander, what do you mean?" The deputy battalion commander standing beside him immediately perked up.

This Third Battalion was not an original unit of the 63rd Regiment, but a local unit reorganized from Zhang Lanfeng's Henan Security Corps.

Besides them, many other senior generals of the Guo army were also reorganized from the Henan Security Corps.

Zhang Lanfeng's Henan Security Corps has now been downsized into the Provisional 4th Column of the Shangdu Pacification Headquarters.

The city of Lincheng, which was attacked by the D column, was defended by two regiments of the Provisional 4th Column and a security team.

“Let them fight, we’ll go find the brigade commander and have them band together!” Bao Liangcai said earnestly.

Xiaojiaying is a place with neither fortifications nor good terrain.

If a strong enemy attacks, it's impossible to hold this position; the withdrawal of the 3rd Battalion would at least preserve some of its strength. If the enemy isn't strong, then even if the 3rd Battalion withdraws, the 63rd Regiment can hold the position.

All things considered, the retreat of the three battalions was entirely beneficial and without any drawbacks.

As for whether he would face repercussions later, Bao Liangcai said he didn't care at all.

Was his rise from a local force to a main force due to genuine ability?

Those were all bought with real money.

Under Bao Liangcai's leadership, the 3rd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment went straight to the bank of the Laihe River, then turned around and sped eastward towards Min.

During this time, even when deafening artillery fire came from Xiaojiaying behind them, they pretended not to hear it.

However, the speed at which he runs is getting faster and faster.

"A battalion escaped? The outer perimeter wasn't sealed off?" Chen Chengxing asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The enemy was moving along the riverbank. Although the 9th Company of the 204th Regiment gave chase, they showed no intention of fighting back. They left their equipment scattered all over the ground and ran away."

Xu Wu was very frustrated with Guo Jun's performance.

If they were to retaliate even for just five minutes, another company would be able to stop them.

But these guys managed to run by lightening their load.

In terms of marching speed, the Second Army has never been inferior to anyone.

However, the speed of the guys from the 3rd Battalion of the 63rd Regiment did surprise Xu Wu.

"If only the cavalry regiment were here," Xu Wu said with some regret.

The cavalry regiments of the Second Detachment are currently following the field headquarters' cavalry units, posing as the main force to carry out raids in the Wulu area.

"Let them run away. Since they've gone to Dongmin to band together, let's save ourselves some trouble and attack Dongmin directly!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

Under Chen Chengxing's orders, Team 3 launched a general offensive against Dongmin from the west and south, and Team 4 from the east and north.

Teams 1 and 2 were on alert in the opposite direction, waiting for reinforcements.

However, the 3rd and 4th teams, which were responsible for the general offensive, did not exert their full strength, and the two artillery regiments did not participate in the attack.

Chen Chengxing's objective in this battle was not to capture Dongmin, but to besiege the city and attack its reinforcements.

The small 21st Brigade was not enough to mobilize the main force of the Guo army in Diqiu to come back to reinforce.

However, even though teams 3 and 4 did not go all out, and even heavy mortars were not deployed.

However, the 21st Brigade of the Guo Army still felt that it was a bit too much to handle.

In order to save their lives, they kept asking their superiors for help.

"Dongchang, Lincheng, and Dongmin are all requesting assistance!"

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Inside the Pengcheng Pacification Headquarters, Xue Xiaosong's anger was palpable.

He knew that Dongchang had been attacked two days ago.

But why did the main force of the G army appear in Lincheng and Dongmin areas?
Yesterday, the main force of the G army was still harassing the areas of Diqiu and Wulu, but now it has appeared in Lincheng.
Could it be that the G army can shrink the distance to an inch? That they can run two or three hundred miles with a single step?

Several high-ranking KMT officials standing nearby exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what was going on.

The telegram did indeed say that the main force of the G army was in Diqiu, and an attack report was forwarded this morning.

Seeing the silent crowd, Xue Xiaosong became even angrier.

"Immediately order Zhang Lanfeng to send reinforcements! Dongmin cannot be lost no matter what!" Xue Xiaosong commanded.

Whether it's Dongchang or Lincheng, the garrison is a local force, so Xue Xiaosong can ignore it.

But the 21st Brigade of Dongmin was different; it was Chiang Kai-shek's direct subordinate.

Even though Xue Xiaosong knew that the G army might be besieging the point to ambush reinforcements, he couldn't refuse to help.

However, even though he wanted to save them, Xue Xiaosong did not immediately mobilize the 88th Division.

Xue Xiaosong and Fang Zishan, the commander of the 88th Division, had conflicts during the War of Resistance against Japan.

The 88th Division was assigned to the Pengcheng Pacification Headquarters, and the two were destined to meet again.

When launching a full-scale offensive against Shandong and Jiangsu, Xue Xiaosong committed all the troops of the Pengcheng Pacification Headquarters to the battle, leaving only the 88th Division in the rear to undertake defense tasks.

Moreover, this 21st Brigade was deliberately drawn from the 88th Division and reinforced the 11th Division by Xue Xiaosong.

Now that the 21st Brigade is under siege, Xue Xiaosong still doesn't want Fang Zishan to be mobilized, even though the 21st Brigade is a unit of the 88th Division.

However, Xue Xiaosong clearly overestimated Zhang Lanfeng.

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Lanfeng could not be said to be indifferent, but his speed was slower than that of a tortoise.

Zhang Lanfeng had not set off even two days later, when Lincheng was captured by the D column.

Upon learning that Lincheng had been captured, the garrison of Jiaxiang, located east of Lincheng, fled without uttering a word.

The garrison in Dongchang held out for a week, during which time they repeatedly requested reinforcements from Wang Yaowen in Quancheng.

Although Wang Yaowen made some moves, he did not rush to provide reinforcements.

However, the G column used this commotion to evacuate Dongchang.

The Dongchang garrison, believing that the G army had gone to attack Wang Yaowen's troops, chose to flee under cover of night.

As a result, they plunged headlong into a trap.

(End of this chapter)