Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 424 I'm going to appeal to the central government!

After dealing with the prisoners, the Second Branch only rested for half a day before the Field Headquarters issued its orders.

What is the 75th Division doing?

Looking at the route map of the 75th Division, everyone in the command post was somewhat puzzled.

The 75th Reorganized Division did indeed march rapidly, but they did not go through Dongkou; instead, they marched rapidly to Chaoge.

Then they took a train along the Pinghan Railway to Shangdu, and finally continued to take a train along the Longhai Railway to provide support.

At first glance, this route seems fine, and we proceeded quickly along the border of Henan and Shandong provinces.

But it's different when it's placed on a map; it perfectly avoids the battlefield.

Having been feinted, Noji had no choice but to readjust his strategy.

The C and D columns continued southward to cover the flanks of the second detachment and the D column.

The second force headed north, preparing to encircle the 68th Division.

Meanwhile, the D column had already made contact with the 68th Division in the Fengzhen area.

However, when the two forces marched rapidly and cut diagonally to Baijiaji, west of Fengzhen, the situation changed again.

"Commander, D Column telegram: The 68th Division has broken out to the south, crossed the Fu River, and then turned west. They are now retreating towards Taoqiu."

"The D Column Cavalry Regiment is pursuing in parallel!"

"Damn it, sometimes you really can't use common sense to predict the Guo Jun's actions!" Chen Chengxing was speechless.

No normal person would run away without even fighting, especially not by taking a roundabout route.

Chen Chengxing immediately ordered, "Pass on my order: Team 2, lightly equipped, advance rapidly westward in pursuit! The rest of you follow up."

"yes!".
The next morning, Team 2 caught up with the enemy at Anguji. The D Cavalry Regiment also moved diagonally northwest from Sanyilou, preparing to cooperate with Team 2 to encircle the enemy.

However, by the time the cavalry regiment arrived at Dongwangzhuang and blocked the enemy, Liu Zitao had already used the speed advantage of the trucks to lead the division's direct troops back to Taoqiu.

Of course, due to a shortage of trucks, only the core departments and artillery battalions of the 68th Division escaped.
As for the main force of the 68th Division, it was blocked by the cavalry regiment at Dongwangzhuang.

"They're just a thousand or so G troops, not worth mentioning!"

At this time, Sun Jianhui, the brigade commander of the 143rd Brigade, was not too worried.

Their location is only 8 kilometers away from Taoqiu, so the division commander will definitely try to find someone to rescue them.

"Pass on my order: the 428th and 241st Regiments will launch a full-scale attack, the 427th Regiment will be the general reserve, and the brigade's artillery will provide fire support!"

"Break through the G army's defenses immediately!"

"yes!".
Upon receiving the order, the Guo army units did not hesitate and immediately launched a fierce attack.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
All the artillery that the Nationalist army could muster was bombarded with the positions of the D cavalry regiment.

The infantry offensive was also very fierce, with the two regiments launching several charges in succession.

However, Sun Jianhui was becoming increasingly uncertain.

While they were fighting fiercely on their side, there was no movement at all on Taoqiu's side.

There wasn't even any artillery support.

His telegram to the division headquarters was just a series of "uh-huhs" and "yeahs," with no substantive content.

Just as Sun Jianhui was having a headache looking at the stubbornly resisting G army, the chief of staff of the 143rd Brigade ran over.

"Commander, we've received a reconnaissance report. G Army reinforcements have arrived and are now 2 kilometers away!"

"Damn it, has the division commander abandoned us?" Sun Jianhui's face was extremely ugly.

If they had been able to attack from both sides earlier, the main force would have broken through by now.

But now the G army's reinforcements have arrived, while our own reinforcements are nowhere to be found.

If it were other troops, it would be understandable if they didn't provide support, but why don't they provide support to their own troops?

“Commander, compared to the brothers, the commander’s life is probably more precious.”

Liu Zitao, the commander of the 68th Division, was the younger brother of Liu Ziliang, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Pacification Zone.

Even if they lose those three regiments, they can easily recruit more men to form three more regiments.

"Damn, it's so great to have connections up there."

Although Sun Jianhui felt somewhat helpless, this was the reality of Guo Jun's situation.

If you have connections, you'll rise to prominence, and even if you make mistakes, it won't matter; if you don't have connections, you'll be constantly bombarded with trouble.

"Order the troops to cease attack. We are going to Dongtaiji to hold our position!"

For Sun Jianhui, the only option now is to stall and wait for things to change.

"yes!".
Just as the three regiments of the 68th Division were working hard to repair the fortifications, the Second Detachment and the D Column also arrived at Dongtaiji one after another.

As more and more G troops appeared outside, Sun Jianhui's expression grew increasingly grim.

"How come there are so many G troops? Weren't they said there were only 70,000 or 80,000 in the Dongmin area? Have they all come here?"

"What about the 88th Division on the southern front? What about the Provisional 4th Column? What the hell are they doing?!"

Sun Jianhui originally thought that his side would at most be surrounded by 10,000 to 20,000 G troops.

Although the G army has strong field combat capabilities, it is not afraid of an enemy force twice its size when it comes to holding out in a trench.

But if the enemy is five times stronger, he definitely can't outmaneuver him in a camping spot in the wild.

"Commander, now is not the time to think about those things. We need to find a way to break through immediately," the chief of staff said urgently.

At this time, the G army had just arrived. If we did not act while they were still establishing themselves, we would have no chance later.

"Break through! Break through immediately!" Sun Jianhui gritted his teeth and said.

"Order the troops to prepare to abandon all baggage and destroy all heavy weapons."

"yes!".
After making all preparations, the Guo army concentrated all its heavy weapons and launched an attack on the G army's position due west.

However, by this time, the 206th Regiment had already taken over the mission from the D Column Cavalry Regiment, and Sun Jianhui led his troops headlong into an impenetrable wall. Sun Jianhui, battered and bruised, could hardly believe his eyes.

"What the hell is going on? Even if the other side has changed their personnel, they only have three thousand men."

Although the 68th Division was not an elite unit, its equipment was also somewhat inferior.

But they had survived through piles of dead bodies, how could three regiments not be able to take the position of one regiment?
"Men, organize a suicide squad! We must break through the G army's position!" Sun Jianhui shouted.

"yes!".
Officers at all levels of the 143rd Brigade of the Guo Army actively signed up for the suicide squad, fully aware of their current situation.

If the defenses cannot be breached in a short time, the 143rd Brigade will lose its ability to resist.

A dozen minutes later, the suicide squad, stepping on the still-warm mud blasted by artillery shells, launched another attack.

"Trying to pull this suicide squad act with the Second Detachment? You're courting death!" Tian Cheng, the commander of the 204th Regiment of the Second Detachment, said disdainfully.

"Give them a good beating! Get the 3rd Company on the front line ready for a counter-charge!"

Although the Second Division sounds like a local military unit, its strength is not to be underestimated.

Trying to act tough in front of the two branches is suicide!
"It's over, it's over!" Through the binoculars, Sun Jianhui could clearly see the state of the suicide squad that had been on whom so much hope was placed.

Now they've really become daredevils, rushing in to their deaths.

Whether it's shooting or bayonet fighting, they are no match for the opposing G army.

These were the backbone of the 143rd Brigade, yet they couldn't even defeat ordinary infantrymen of the G Army.

Undeterred, Sun Jianhui organized his troops to launch several more attacks, but the 204th Regiment's position was impregnable.

When the Second Detachment and the main force of the D Column arrived, the Kuomintang army, which had suffered heavy losses, immediately went berserk like headless flies.

Several hours later, the battle ended. Most of the 143rd Brigade was annihilated, with only a small group of remnants escaping.

However, with the coordinated pursuit of infantry and cavalry regiments, the fleeing enemy only struggled for an extra hour.

"The biggest problem with the fall of Dongmin lies with the 88th Division!"

At the Pengcheng Pacification Headquarters, Xue Xiaosong attributed the fall of Dongmin to Fangzishan.

It's not that Xue Xiaosong didn't want to find someone else, it's just that Fang Zishan was the best choice.

The remaining Zhang Lanfeng and Liu Zitao not only lost all their troops, but also had relatives.

"Immediately send a telegram to the Chief of the General Staff: Fang Zishan of the 88th Division is incompetent in command and corrupt. I hereby request that Fang Zishan and the Division Chief of Staff Zhou Yun be dismissed from their posts."

"yes!".
Upon learning that Xue Xiaosong intended to dismiss him, Fang Zishan trembled with anger.

"Damn it! If it weren't for my cautious approach, the 88th Division would probably have followed in the footsteps of the 68th Division and the Provisional 4th Column long ago!"

"Now you're trying to find fault with me?!"

"G Army has concentrated a large force in Dongmin, and Xue Xiaosong has sent two brigades to reinforce it. This is clearly a sign of ill intent!"

"I'm going to complain to the Ministry of National Defense! I'm going to complain to the Chairman!"

Faced with the mutual accusations between Xue Xiaosong and Fang Zishan, Chen Chengbo had no choice but to pass the buck to Chang Ruiyuan.

But Chang Ruiyuan had no time to pay attention to the two of them at that moment.

"Uncle Cheng, let's talk about this later." Chang Ruiyuan waved his hand: "The most important thing right now is the G Army issue."

After capturing Dongmin, the G army continued its operations in the area, successively seizing several county towns and cutting off the Longhai Railway line once again.

Moreover, the 75th Division, which was sent to provide flanking support, was also dealt a heavy blow by the G army.

Shangdu and Pengcheng were once again cut in two by the G army.

"Chairman, in addition to the G Army in southwestern Shandong, there is also the G Army in eastern China around Pengcheng. If these two forces attack Pengcheng from both sides, Pengcheng may be in danger."

Chen Chengbo put the matter of Xue Xiaosong and Fang Zishan aside.

“I was worried about that too, so I immediately ordered the 5th Army to return to reinforce.” Chang Ruiyuan nodded.

“Chairman, relying solely on the 5th Army might be too much for them,” Chen Chengbo said. “I think it would be better to take a two-pronged approach.”

"How do we use a two-pronged approach?" Chang Ruiyuan asked with great interest after sitting down.

"Now it's obvious that the G army wants to get together and support each other."

“In that case, let’s break them up and then defeat them one by one,” Chen Chengbo said.

"I think it would be better to reinforce the First War Zone and have Commander Hu intensify the offensive against Taiyuan. In this way, the G Army in southwestern Shandong will have to withdraw."

Taiyuan is now completely the rear area of ​​the Kuomintang army. If it is occupied by the Kuomintang army, the losses of the Kuomintang army will be incalculable.

"Taiyuan isn't so easy to conquer," Chang Ruiyuan sighed.

During this period, Hu Shoushan would send planes to bomb Taiyuan every few days, but the infantry never managed to advance into the Jinzhong area.

There are many reasons for this, but the most important one is that if we want to attack Taiyuan, we can only do so by advancing from south to north.

However, the Tongpu Road is surrounded by mountains, and these areas were under the control of the Kuomintang army.

Previously, whenever Hu Shoushan went forward, the G army would suddenly appear in the mountains to launch a surprise attack on the rear.

And they'd leave right after the fight, making it impossible to find them for revenge.

"It would be best if we could take Taiyuan. If we can't, at least we can force the G army to retreat."

"After the G army in southwestern Shandong leaves, we can free up our resources to launch a simultaneous attack on southern Shandong via the Longhai, Jinpu, and Jiaoji railways."

Chen Chengbo's idea was to first defeat the Communist Army in Shandong and Jiangsu, and then turn to attack the Communist Army's Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu Military Region.

After that, whether it was clearing out the remaining enemy forces inside the pass or sending troops outside the pass, it was all up to Guo's army.

After listening to Chen Chengbo's words, Chang Ruiyuan thought for a moment and said, "Take the staff and draft an operational plan. I'll take a look at it first."

Chang Ruiyuan had already agreed to the plan, but he needed to provide a more detailed plan.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)