Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 430 Understanding as Transcendence
"Captain, Team 1 reports: The 3rd Reserve Brigade has launched a full-scale attack under the cover of aircraft and artillery. The 203rd Regiment has suffered heavy casualties!"

The 3rd Reserve Brigade was not a ragtag unit; they launched several fierce assaults on Fengshan, and even organized two or three suicide squads.

However, this also resulted in a large number of casualties among the elite troops of the 3rd Reserve Brigade.

"Tell Zheng Hua not to tell me these things. There are no reinforcements!" Chen Chengxing said directly.

"However, the artillery regiment will try to provide him with some support. Fengshan must be defended for me!" Chen Chengxing added.

Chen Chengxing already had a new idea. Right now, they were short of troops and couldn't spare a single person to reinforce Fengshan.

At this moment, Chen Chengxing felt that the forces of the second branch were still somewhat insufficient, and they were in a bit of a predicament in such a major battle.

He decided to revise the reorganization report to his superiors after the battle was over.

"Yes!" Seeing Chen Chengxing's serious expression, the operations staff officer did not dare to say anything more and immediately made a phone call to the Fengshan position.

Just as the staff officer was calling Team 1, the East China Forward Command also called.

"I am Chen Chengxing!"

"Captain Chen, the enemy is launching a series of fierce attacks. Can the Fengshan position still be held? If not, we can retreat immediately!"

In addition to counterattacking the two detachments, the Guo army also launched counterattacks in other directions.

The casualties in various units in East China are quite high, and the forward command is somewhat worried about the Second Detachment, which is currently under siege.

"Retreat? How can we retreat in broad daylight?!"

The Second Branch now has six regiments deep behind enemy lines, making it vulnerable to attack from all sides.

If a force of nearly 20,000 men were to retreat during the day, it would be playing with the lives of its soldiers.

"Four enemy brigades are launching a fierce attack on our position and have also blocked Erzhi's retreat route with artillery fire!"
Retreating at this point would not only thwart our strategic objectives, but also cause our troops to suffer enormous losses!
Tell the commander that I have a plan: have the 8th Division, B Column, and J Column cooperate with my unit to continue pressing forward and encroach on the 69th Division's territory!

After Chen Chengxing finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for a reply from the forward command post.

Chen Chengxing now understands why Li Yunlong launched a frontal assault at Cangyunling.

Sometimes, you can't just withdraw whenever you want.

At this time, Chen Chengxing also had the same idea.

"How is it?" Luo Ping asked.

"The second force absolutely cannot be withdrawn now!" Chen Chengxing stated firmly.

Retreating during the day would result in too many casualties, while retreating at night would eliminate the need for such a move.

"The most important place right now is Yewei, which is caught in the crossfire between the 3rd Reserve Brigade and the 60th Brigade," Chen Chengxing said, pointing to the map.

"Although the 206th Regiment has not requested any assistance, they are under considerable pressure."

"In that case, send an order to Team 4 to transfer a battalion from the 212th Regiment to reinforce Yewei."

"The cavalry regiment will take over the defense line from the 201st Regiment and continue to block the southwest passage of Xiaodian."

"The 201st Regiment shall immediately attack the 11th Division from the southeast flank, and the 209th Regiment shall move southwest from Sanhe Village to coordinate a pincer attack!"

"All troops in Cailin, Shenzhuang, and Shangzhao, launch a simultaneous counterattack!"

Xu Wu and Luo Ping were stunned when they heard Chen Chengxing's order.

"Attack?! Aren't we on defense right now?" Xu Wu asked, puzzled.

During the day, the KMT army had air support, which prevented the KMT army from fully utilizing its artillery firepower.

Therefore, the Guo army always attacks during the day, and the G army attacks at night.

"At this point, what's the use of just defending! Go and pass on the order!" Chen Chengxing commanded.

"yes!".
After Chen Chengxing issued the order, the soldiers on the front line immediately became excited.

The soldiers didn't care about the battlefield situation; all they knew was that the Second Army had never been one to simply take a beating without fighting back.

"Quickly! Form offensive lines by company! If there are not enough men, automatically merge them!"

"The counterattack will begin in twelve minutes!"

The troops on the front lines quickly converged, preparing to launch a counter-offensive.

The 11th Division, which was in a lull in its offensive, was unaware of the situation on the opposite side.

"Commander, the 3rd Reserve Brigade reports that the G Army on Fengshan is still putting up a fierce resistance. They are preparing to launch another strong attack and request that our 11th Division provide fire support again."

"Contact the artillery positions. In ten minutes, launch another attack on the Fengshan position. The aircraft will also conduct one last sortie," Hu Ziqi ordered.

It will be dark in a little over an hour; this is the final moment.

This hour or so was a matter of life and death for the 69th Division, and Hu Ziqi was already preparing to send the entire army on the offensive.

Apart from leaving one battalion at Caojiaji to fight desperately against the westward-advancing G army, the rest of the 118th Brigade rushed to the Shangzhao battlefield.

Looking at his watch, Hu Ziqi realized it was time and immediately picked up the phone next to him.

"I am Hu Ziqi, and I give the order."

Before Hu Ziqi could finish speaking, deafening cannon fire suddenly rang out.

Hu Ziqi immediately put down the phone and went to the observation post of the command center.

"What's going on? Why did the G army suddenly start shelling?" Hu Ziqi asked immediately.

However, no one could answer that question.

"Immediately send orders to the front-line troops, instructing them to prepare for a possible counter-offensive by the G army!"

Hu Ziqi didn't care whether the people next to him answered or not, and quickly issued a defensive order.

He was now 100% certain that the opposing G army was that fraudulent Second Detachment.

He had experienced the fighting style of this second unit when he was in Fengzhen; they dared to charge into battle no matter what the situation.

Although the staff officer next to him didn't understand how the G army could counterattack under these circumstances, he still immediately relayed the order.

However, before the Nationalist troops at the front could readjust their formation, the two units had already launched wave-like attacks.

The KMT troops, suddenly subjected to a fierce attack, were completely caught off guard. They simply couldn't believe that after a day of fighting, the KMT army could launch such a powerful counterattack.

The frontline troops, which were attacked, were forced to retreat due to insufficient preparation.

This retreat turned out to be a major disaster.

Other frontline troops, who were still preparing to engage the enemy, couldn't hold back any longer when they saw a gap appear in their defensive positions and the G army was advancing straight in.

The troops that had not been attacked at first also began to retreat, and this retreat gradually turned into a complete collapse.

"Don't panic! Don't panic! Form a defensive line on the spot! Launch a counterattack on the spot! Counterattack!"

Yang Buyuan, the brigade commander of the 11th Brigade, who was at the forefront, stood outside the command post and kept shouting.

However, he alone could not salvage the overall situation.

Despite their superior equipment, the KMT army could only be considered a modern army.

When under the command of lower-ranking officers, the Guo army was still able to exert its fighting power for various reasons.

However, once officers lose control, the initiative of rank-and-file soldiers is essentially nonexistent.

Most of the soldiers in the Kuomintang army were illiterate, so they had no room for advancement and naturally wouldn't fight hard for a chance to climb the ranks.

Even elite units like the 11th Division are no exception.

In particular, the 11th Brigade had suffered heavy losses before, and although the soldiers who were added were well-trained, they could not be considered elite at this time.

Seeing the chaotic situation on the battlefield, Yang Buyuan had no choice but to order the brigade headquarters to retreat.

"Abandon all unnecessary supplies, retreat, and regroup in the rear!"

Yang Buyuan had already grasped the situation. Although the various units were in chaos, they still had the ability to escape, and the G army had not caused much casualties.

Since there were no G troops behind them, the 11th Division should not suffer heavy losses.

As the entire 11th Division retreated, the 3rd Company successively recaptured several positions.

By this time, the soldiers were already bloodthirsty, chasing after the Guo army all the way to the outskirts of Jiangtou Village before stopping.

While the various units were chasing and killing the 11th Division, Chen Chengxing also ordered the cavalry regiment, the 203rd Regiment, and the directly subordinate units of the branch to launch a general offensive against Xiaodian.

Because the 11th Division had already suffered a crushing defeat, the 3rd Reserve Brigade, trapped in Xiaodian, was terrified.

After a round of artillery fire, the infantry stormed the first line of defense in just fifteen minutes.

"Brothers of the G Army! Don't waste your bullets! We surrender! We surrender!"

As the G army was closing in, soldiers on multiple positions of the 3rd Reserve Brigade raised their guns above their heads in unison.

"Disarm them and keep them in the trenches!"

The soldiers of the elite detachment didn't have time to stop and capture them.

"Brothers in the G Army, rest assured, we guarantee our cooperation!"

"Quick! Quick! Hand all the guns and ammunition to the G Army brothers!"

The soldiers of the elite detachment took it and exclaimed, "Pure American weaponry! This is good stuff!"

Once the soldiers got their hands on the submachine guns and rifles, they were able to figure out how to use them, since they had captured them before and these things were all pretty much the same.

However, things became more complicated when faced with an American-made M1919 heavy machine gun.

The M1919 heavy machine gun is currently the best heavy machine gun on the battlefield. It can be used to advance alongside infantry, which makes soldiers reluctant to put it down.

But if you don't know how to use it, carrying it is just a waste of energy.

Just as the soldiers were hesitating, several KMT soldiers nearby suddenly spoke up.

"Brothers in the G Army, this gun is very simple. Look, like this... like this..."

As he spoke, the machine gunners of the Guo army even taught him step by step.

However, the operation of heavy machine guns is far more complex than that of rifles and light machine guns, and the soldiers simply cannot learn it in a short period of time.

"What do you mean you don't know how? Here, I'll help you!" a KMT machine gunner said, patting his chest.

"You're helping us?" The company commander of the Second Sharp Knife Company looked at the man with some surprise.

The G Army had a large number of liberated soldiers, but few of them turned their guns on the battlefield.

"Don't worry, sir, I mean it sincerely," explained Dou Erniu, a machine gunner in the Guo army.

“I received a letter from home saying that our family has been allocated land, and I even got a share. If I don’t do something in return, would I even be human?”

"What's your name?"

"Reporting, sir! Dou Erniu!"

"Good! Dou Erniu! I hereby grant you special permission to join the elite detachment! You will serve as a machine gunner!"

As he spoke, the company commander of the elite guerrilla unit took off the military cap from Dou Erniu's head and put his own cap on him.

"The situation is urgent right now, so we'll give you a new hat first. After this battle is over, we'll issue you a new uniform!"

"Also, don't call me 'sir' anymore. In the G Army, everyone is equal; we are all comrades!"

"Comrades! Keep up with me!"

"Kill!"
Dou Erniu carried the machine gun, had a soldier carry the tripod, and shouted as he followed.

A barrage of bullets flew from Dou Erniu's hand toward the position of the 3rd Reserve Brigade, which was still putting up a stubborn resistance.

"Okay! Well done!"

"Dou Erniu, you hit the bullseye!"

"How come we didn't notice this when we were attacking earlier?"

"How can that be the same? Working for the KMT, no matter how well you do, it's useless!" Dou Erniu laughed.

"Alright! You better fight well! I promise you won't suffer any losses!"

"Comrades! Kill!"
(End of this chapter)