Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 423 The marching speed of the Provisional 4th Column is extremely fast (Bonus chapter, please vote for monthly tickets)

"Still want to advance? Is Xue Xiaosong trying to kill my 88th Division?!"

Upon receiving the telegram, Fang Zishan's face turned bright red.

If we go any further, we'll be surrounded by the G army and certain death!
"Commander, this must be Xue Xiaosong's conspiracy!" Zhou Yun said.

Of course, he had other guesses in his mind, but he dared not say them, nor could he say them.

Regardless of whether Xue Xiaosong arranged this or not, he's destined to take the blame.

"Using public office to settle personal scores! With this person around, how can we not be defeated?!" Fang Zishan gritted his teeth.

Since being placed under Xue Xiaosong's command, the 88th Division has become like an unwanted stepchild.

There were absolutely no benefits, but one loss after another.

"Commander, we can't just advance like this, or we might be walking into a trap," Zhou Yun said with a headache.

The outskirts of Fangyu County have been taken over by the G Army.

They sent people out in disguise to scout, but they could only wander around the main roads.

If you try to go to the village, you will be directly controlled by the militia.

Even threatening ordinary citizens to go out and investigate didn't uncover anything.

At this point, the 88th Division was completely blind to the truth.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Zishan gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "Order, execute! Advance, no!"

"The 62nd Brigade's directly subordinate units and the 184th Regiment remained in Fangyu County; the 275th Regiment and the division's directly subordinate units moved eastward to Wangjiapai."

"Each unit will make outward offensive actions, but in reality, they will strengthen their defenses."

Don't worry about which way the 88th Division moved; it's moved anyway. As for whether the G Army will come, I don't know.

“Yes!” Zhou Yun immediately understood Fang Zishan’s idea.

Wangjiapai is located 4 kilometers northeast of Fangyu County, surrounded by rivers, which is advantageous for defense.

The two forces formed a pincer movement, and their artillery could also support each other.

"Commander and Political Commissar, reports from all units have arrived."

"The headquarters of the enemy's 140th Brigade and the 280th Regiment have been completely annihilated, and most of the 62nd Brigade has also been wiped out."

"More than 2,000 enemy soldiers were killed and more than 5,000 were captured in this battle."

"We captured a great many supplies, including 12 Type 41 mountain guns."

"The remaining enemy troops have all retreated to Fangyu, and Team 4 is monitoring the enemy from the outside."

"However, according to the report from Team 4, the enemy seems to be making some unusual moves again."

"I understand. Have Team 4 keep a close eye on the enemy's movements." Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Immediately send a telegram to the field headquarters to report the situation to the commander."

Last night, the commander called to inquire about the battlefield situation, and there must have been some new developments.

After the telegram was sent to Noji, Noji replied very quickly.

[Immediately march westward to coordinate with the D Column in ambushing the enemy's western reinforcements.]

"Advance westward? What about Fang Yu's enemy forces?" Luo Ping asked, somewhat puzzled.

Although the Kuomintang army on the southern front suffered heavy casualties, it still had a considerable number of troops.

"I think the 88th Division is terrified and unlikely to provide further support," Chen Chengxing said.

Team 4 has already reported the movements of the 88th Division.

The other party did indeed leave, but headed east, and moved at a speed comparable to a tortoise.

In one hour, I walked less than 500 meters.

If this were the G army, they could dig trenches all the way forward.

"Leave four teams to continue monitoring the enemy and the enemy forces. Teams two and three, head west immediately!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"yes!".
At this time, in addition to Chen Chengxing leading his team westward, the C column, which was originally operating in the Diqiu area, and the G column, which had captured Dongchang, were also rushing south.

Their mission was to block the 75th Reorganized Division in the Dongkou area and prevent it from crossing the Yellow River and joining the battle.

"Commander, all regiments have arrived at their designated positions, set up camp, and are currently constructing their defensive lines," reported Chen Qingfeng, Chief of Staff of the Provisional 4th Column.

Shangwenji is 25 kilometers from Taoqiu. This was a journey that took 5 days along the temporary 4th vertical road.

"Yes, have each regiment build fortifications and strengthen defenses." Zhang Lanfeng nodded.

The 4th Provisional Column's command post was in Shangwenji, while its three subordinate regiments were deployed to defend the surrounding villages.

To ensure that each unit had sufficient time to build fortifications, Zhang Lanfeng would order a halt to the advance at noon.

Zhang Lanfeng's plan was to proceed cautiously, waiting until the outcome of the battle in Dongmin before arriving at the battlefield.

He never expected that the two arrows would jump onto his face.

"According to the intelligence from the field headquarters, the 75th Reorganized Division is on a forced march. We don't have much time, so I've decided to launch a general offensive at 3 p.m.." Chen Chengxing glanced at his watch.

According to orders from higher command, the three regiments of the Provisional 4th Column were to be under the command of the 2nd Detachment, and the three regiments of the 68th Division were to be under the command of the D Column.

"I have no objection." Luo Ping nodded.

"Okay, that's settled."

"The 204th Regiment will maneuver around to the west of Shangwenji to set up a defensive line and block the enemy's retreat route. The other three regiments will encircle and annihilate Shangwenji!"

"yes!".
At 3 p.m., the final assault officially began.

In order to speed up the attack, in addition to the mortars of each brigade, the artillery regiments of the two detachments also began to strike.

A barrage of bombing completely routed the Provisional 4th Column. "Impossible! How could the G Army be here?!" Zhang Lanfeng exclaimed in horror.

Those who are in the same boat know their own situation. Don't be fooled by his tens of thousands of troops; if it really came down to a fight with the G army, he probably couldn't even defeat a single regiment.

"Commander! Something terrible has happened! The G Army's offensive is too fierce, and the regiments can't hold on any longer!" Chen Qingfeng ran in to report.
"We have now lost more than a regiment of soldiers!"

"What? So fast?!" Zhang Lanfeng was even more terrified.

It hasn't even been twenty minutes since the start of the battle.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" Zhang Lanfeng shouted.

"I'll order the troops to break through to the west right now!" Chen Qingfeng said, reaching for the walkie-talkie.

"No!" Zhang Lanfeng immediately ordered, "We can't go west! We're going south, to Wucheng!"

Retreating westward, they were a full 25 kilometers from Taoqiu, while heading south to Wucheng was only 15 kilometers away.

Don't underestimate the difference of ten kilometers; for the Temporary 4th Column, it's a matter of life and death.

"Yes!" Chen Qingfeng immediately gave the order in code.

Upon receiving the order, the 4th Provisional Column troops didn't waste any words, abandoned everything they could, and rushed towards Wucheng.

If you run too slowly at this point, you'll only be able to shield your faster teammates from bullets.

Despite the fact that the 4th Provisional Column's combat strength is weak, they are indeed quite adept at escaping.

The 206th Regiment originally intended to outflank the enemy, but failed to do so.

By 5 o'clock, the 4th Provisional Column had reached Wangzhuang, on the outskirts of Wucheng.

"Commander, something bad has happened! The 109th Regiment of Wucheng has already withdrawn, and now there are only a little over a thousand returning troops left!"

"Damn it! The 109th Regiment ruined me!" Zhang Lanfeng cursed angrily.

Wucheng is under the jurisdiction of the 109th Regiment. According to the plan, they should be in Wucheng now.

This is also a major reason why Zhang Lanfeng chose to break through to Wucheng.

As a result, the 109th Regiment has now simply run away.

As for the remaining returning militia, their fighting strength was not even as good as the Provisional 4th Column.

"Continue the retreat south!" Zhang Lanfeng ordered.

Now the 4th Column has no other choice but to break through to the south.

However, in that brief moment of hesitation, the 206th Regiment had already reached the flank of the Provisional 4th Column and immediately launched an attack.

A series of 82mm shells landed on the 4th Provisional Column.

The already somewhat chaotic 4th Column became a complete mess, making it impossible to issue orders.

"Commander, our troops are being held up by the G army, what should we do?" Chen Qingfeng asked anxiously.

"Do whatever you want! Guard platoon! Follow me!"

At this moment, Zhang Lanfeng didn't care about the troops anymore; all he cared about was getting himself out of there.

Even if there were no soldiers, Chairman Chang would still have to give Zhang Lanfeng a position.

Zhang Lanfeng's confidence stemmed entirely from his wife.

Zhang Lanfeng's wife is named Zhang Zhilan, and Zhang Zhilan's cousin is named Zhang Zizhong.

This is also the main reason why Zhang Lanfeng could jump from Feng Jishan to Chiang Kai-shek, from Chiang Kai-shek back to Feng Jishan, from Feng Jishan to a traitor, from a traitor back to Chiang Kai-shek, and finally still manage to become a lieutenant general.

Even though Zhang Zizhong had died for his country, he was still able to protect Zhang Lanfeng's wealth and status.

After separating from the main force, Zhang Lanfeng's speed increased even further.

In just one night, he covered more than 30 miles and arrived at Qingguji.

Then he was pinned down by the militia.

Because of Zhang Lanfeng's escape, the Second Detachment easily annihilated the Provisional 4th Column.

Moreover, they also took advantage of the situation and captured Wucheng.

Just as Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping were checking off names on the list of prisoners returning home, Xu Wu walked in.

"Commander, we have received a report from the local troops that they have captured Zhang Lanfeng in Qingguji."

"That kid runs really fast," Luo Ping laughed.

"Has the commander issued any new orders?"

"Not yet. The C Column and G Column have arrived at Dongkou, but the 75th Division has not yet arrived."

"Not there yet? Didn't they say the 75th Division was on a forced march? Judging by the distance, they should have arrived by now." Luo Ping was puzzled.

"I suspect there's going to be some kind of trouble again." Chen Chengxing put down his pen and handed the list to Luo Ping.

"Forget about the 75th Division for now, take a look at this list and see if it's okay."

Luo Ping took it and glanced at it: "It's a bit strict, but let's leave it at that."

As he spoke, Luo Ping signed the list and handed it to the political director standing next to him.

"Report this to the field headquarters. Anyone who ticks the box should be executed."

During this period, the returning group, in coordination with Guo Jun, committed countless evil deeds.

On this list of a thousand people, Chen Chengxing checked off more than seven hundred.

"yes!".
[Dear battalion commanders, please vote for me with your monthly tickets!]

If we can get 500 today, we'll add more tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)