Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 432 Turning South
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The 1st Battalion of the 212th Regiment, which was besieging the enemy, was suddenly subjected to artillery fire, resulting in considerable casualties.

"Retreat! Retreat!" the battalion commander shouted immediately.

Now that the battalion is mixed up with the enemy, it cannot lie down on the spot and must first disengage from the enemy.

Xu Zhiqiang, who was behind, saw the Guo army's position suddenly being shelled and cursed out loud.

"Damn it! Are the Kuomintang soldiers all animals? They're firing shells at their own men?"

"Commander, have you ordered the First Battalion to withdraw?"

"Send the signal immediately to have them withdraw from their positions! Artillery company, prepare to provide support," Xu Zhiqiang ordered.

After the shelling, the Kuomintang army will definitely counterattack. At that time, the First Battalion will not have the advantage. Only by retreating and regrouping can they launch a better attack.

Two minutes later, the 69th Division's shelling ended.

The 212th Regiment's infantry guns and mortars immediately launched cover fire on the rear positions of the Guo army in order to support the 1st Battalion in retreating with the wounded.

Because of Dai Zhiqi's reckless fighting style, the morale of the front-line troops of the Kuomintang army has declined drastically.

However, this successfully allowed Dai Zhiqi to stall until dawn.

Although the 212th Regiment and the B Column each captured several positions, they did not enter the village before dawn.

After daybreak, Dai Zhiqi, having exhausted all other options, sent another telegram to the 11th Reorganized Division requesting assistance.

Hopefully, Hu Ziqi can give him a hand out of consideration for the Party and the country.

“That Dai Zhiqi is utterly useless.” Hu Ziqi slammed the telegram onto the table.

"Yesterday we had already drawn the G army's main attention, but the 69th Division failed to regroup. In fact, by nightfall, it was completely divided up by the G army!"

"Commander, even if Dai Zhiqi isn't exactly an incompetent fool, he's absolutely unfit to be the commander of a reorganized division."

"He only secured the position of commander of the 69th Division through sheer loyalty," Xiao Rui said from the side.

"It would be a bit much to ask him to take the crucial step to victory in a critical moment."

"Sigh!" Hu Ziqi shook his head helplessly.

Chairman Chang has never changed his stance on appointing people based on personal connections.

"Pass on my order: the 11th and 18th Brigades will attack Cai Lin from the left and right flanks, with the 118th Brigade as the general reserve."

Just three days ago, Dai Zhiqi mocked Hu Ziqi for being a coward and refused to carry out Hu Ziqi's orders.

However, as a fellow graduate of the Civil Engineering Department, Hu Ziqi still personally commanded the reorganized 11th Division to launch another operation.

He wasn't saving Dai Zhiqi himself, but rather trying to salvage the unfavorable battlefield situation.

The 11th Division's deployment this time, Hu Ziqi's direction of rescue was still the west.

Hu Ziqi knew very well that if the position in the Santai Mountain area was not in the hands of the 11th Division...

If he rashly sends troops to Renhewei, it would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

"The howitzer battalion is to suppress the G army's positions with firepower. Don't be stingy with the shells, fire as many as you can!" Hu Ziqi ordered.

Hu Ziqi knew very well that today should be the last day.

If the entire 60th Brigade cannot be rescued during the day, the G Army will wipe out the 69th Division at night.

"Captain, the 11th Reorganized Division has launched another attack on Cai Lin," Xu Wu reported.

"I understand." Chen Chengxing nodded and instructed:

"Xu Wu, send an order to the mountain artillery regiment to transfer two American-made mountain artillery battalions there."

"Have Team 3 deliver all the shells they captured yesterday to the artillery positions. Qin Sheng can decide what to do with these shells himself."

With the assistance of two artillery battalions, plus the original three heavy mortar battalions, they were able to hold off the entire 11th Division's attack for a day.

After the 69th Division is destroyed, the 11th Division will retreat on its own.

"yes!".
On this day, although the 11th Reorganized Division once again deployed two reorganized brigades, the intensity of the attack was significantly less than the previous day.

The soldiers of the 11th Division were still somewhat shaken by what had happened yesterday.

Therefore, they only dared to use seven-tenths of their strength, and the remaining three-tenths were prepared for another retreat at any time.

In this situation, the outcome is predictable.

The 11th Reorganized Division launched several offensives and even captured the forward positions of the 3rd Company.

However, when faced with artillery fire and counter-offensives organized by Qin Sheng, the Guo troops who captured the front lines would often retreat after a brief resistance.

Meanwhile, in the Zhangzhuang direction, the offensive of the Second Detachment and the Eighth Division became increasingly fierce as time went on.

But the eagerly awaiting 60th Reorganized Brigade didn't even see a single member of the 11th Reorganized Division.

"Isn't the 11th Reorganized Division supposed to be an elite force? Why hasn't it broken through yet?!"

Guo Jianhui couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the command post.

He walked out a smooth circle on the soil.

"Commander, it's already afternoon, and I'm afraid the chances aren't very good." Deputy Brigade Commander Zheng Zhipeng's face was rather grim.

The 60th Reorganized Brigade was surrounded in Zhangzhuang and unable to move. They placed all their hopes for survival on the 11th Reorganized Division.

But at this point, even a fool would understand that probably no one could rescue them.

"Damn it, we can't wait any longer, we have to break through!" Guo Jianhui said through gritted teeth.

The G army's offensive is getting fiercer and fiercer; it's likely that they will enter Zhangzhuang before nightfall.

At that point, we'll be completely helpless, with no one to turn to for help.

Following Guo Jianhui's order, the 60th Reorganized Brigade immediately began preparations for a breakout.

After destroying the heavy weapons that could not be taken with them, the 60th Reorganized Brigade chose to split into multiple groups and break out in different directions.

However, Guo Jun's choice was exactly what Chen Chengxing had expected. They had only been out of the village for a short time when they were stopped by the various regiments.

Including Guo Jianhui, a large number of officers from the 60th Brigade were taken prisoner.

Dai Zhiqi saw the entire 60th Brigade's ordeal clearly from his vantage point.

After putting down the binoculars, Dai Zhiqi sighed.

"The 60th Brigade has been completely wiped out; we're probably next."

"If we can't break through now, we may never have another chance."

Many of the G Army's troops were still tied up in Zhangzhuang, making this the 69th Division's last chance.

Once the G army finishes dealing with the Zhangzhuang matter, they will definitely surround it.

"Commander, breaking through now won't be easy." Yan Ming said in despair.

Breaking out in broad daylight would give the 69th Division air cover, but it would also mean losing the concealment of the night.

The G army could spot the breakout troops from a great distance; even two or three people were incredibly conspicuous.

“How could I not know that? But I’m afraid we won’t be able to hold out until nightfall,” Dai Zhiqi said.

Why did the 60th Reorganized Brigade risk a daytime breakout? It was precisely because they couldn't hold out until nightfall.

Even if the main force of the G army arrived at Renhewei, Dai Zhiqi did not believe that the 267th Regiment could hold out.

Upon hearing Dai Zhiqi's words, Yan Ming shut his mouth.

Yan Ming was well aware of the current situation and knew that the 69th Division had no other choice.

"Pass on my order: everyone get ready immediately! The 3rd Battalion will lead the way, and the rest of you will follow closely behind!" "Even if you die, die on the way to the charge!" Dai Zhiqi ordered.

"yes!".
At 4 p.m., Dai Zhiqi led the division headquarters and the 267th Regiment to break through the encirclement.

With a burst of artillery fire, the vanguard of more than 600 men launched a fierce attack on the positions of the 212th Regiment to the south.

However, this battalion was wiped out as soon as it showed up by the 120mm heavy mortar battalion called in by the 212th Regiment.

The remaining Guo soldiers following behind, seeing the scene of corpses strewn about, immediately shrank back in fear.

Even though Dai Zhiqi issued orders repeatedly and even executed two company commanders, it was all to no avail.

The soldiers in Renhewei were all determined not to go out.

Let whoever wants to clear the way go; it's best not to call on me if you want to break through.

If someone comes to rescue me, I'll go with them; if no one comes to rescue me, being a prisoner is better than being beaten to a pulp.

The ordeal dragged on until nightfall, and not a single person from the 69th Division managed to break out of the village.

The two teams launched their final assault at 10 p.m.

Under Chen Chengxing's unified command, a large number of shells landed on Renhewei.

Faced with the dense artillery barrage, Renhewei's terrain, which was only a few meters high, was no match for the advance of the second force.

In less than half an hour, two companies of soldiers had already stormed into Renhewei.

With the assault by these two companies, two regiments soon followed and charged in.

As more and more soldiers rushed into Renhewei, the 69th Division began to collapse rapidly.

Seeing that the overall situation was settled, Chen Chengxing immediately transferred three regiments from the battlefield to join the operation to annihilate the 41st Brigade.

As dawn broke, of the tens of thousands of troops in the 69th Division, only the brigade commander of the 41st Brigade escaped by jumping into the river with two or three hundred men; the rest were all annihilated.

"Captain, the battlefield has been cleaned up, but we haven't found Dai Zhiqi," Xu Wu reported.

"Not found? Renhewei is completely surrounded; Dai Zhiqi can't possibly have escaped!"

"Go, bring his adjutant here," Chen Chengxing ordered.

"yes!".
A few minutes later, looking at the disheveled Guo Jun in front of him, Chen Chengxing asked, "Are you Pang Bailin, Dai Zhiqi's adjutant?"

"Yes."

Pang Bailin was a very pragmatic man. Since he had already become a prisoner, he decided to behave himself and perhaps regain his freedom in the future.

If we were killed for resisting stubbornly, that would be a huge loss.

"I'm asking you, where did Dai Zhiqi go?"

"Don't worry, our G army treats prisoners of war well. I guarantee Dai Zhiqi's safety."

Although Dai Zhiqi was a staunch anti-Gong element, he still contributed during the War of Resistance against Japan.

So once we find him, all we should do is give him an admission letter from Gongdelin.

"I really don't know," Pang Bailin shook his head.

"After your G Army entered Renhewei, everyone was busy running for their own lives and no one cared about anyone else."

Pang Bailin was stunned as soon as he finished speaking.

He stared intently at the shoes on the clerk's feet as he took notes.

"You're wearing Dai Zhiqi's shoes, so why are they on your feet?"

Upon hearing Pang Bailin's words, everyone's eyes turned to the clerk.

"When I was fighting with the commando team at night, it was pitch black and I got my shoes wet."

"After entering the village, I just grabbed a pair of shoes from the corpse. I didn't even know they were Dai Zhiqi's shoes."

"Where did you change it?" Chen Chengxing asked.

“A house in the northeast corner,” the clerk quickly said.

“Let’s go take a look,” Chen Chengqi said, getting up.

A few minutes later, everyone pushed open the door and entered the courtyard.

"This is our division commander." Looking at the corpse lying on the ground, Pang Bailin felt somewhat disappointed.

Although Dai Zhiqi no longer had his gun and his military uniform had been stripped off, it was still clear that he had committed suicide by shooting himself.

“Since he’s already dead, let it be,” Chen Chengxing said.

"Xu Wu, find a coffin and bury him. Notify his family and give them permission to exhume his body."

"yes!".
Once Chen Chengxing confirmed that Dai Zhiqi was dead, he put him out of his mind.

After annihilating the reorganized 69th Division, there were still many things to deal with.

The 11th Reorganized Division, in particular, is currently working urgently to build a bridge in Jiangtouzhuang.

According to the campaign objectives, the next step is to eliminate the 11th Reorganized Division.

However, just as Chen Chengxing was leading his second team to Jiangtouzhuang to join the battle, he received a new mission.

就在各部队分割包围69师的时候，整编74师和整编28师192旅共3万多人，兵分三路朝安东攻了过来。

Although the K and L columns put up a series of resistance attacks, the 74th Division's firepower was extremely strong.

At this time, the K and L columns were constantly retreating, and the blocking positions were being lost one after another.

The troops of the K and L columns have retreated to the north bank of the abandoned Yellow River and into Andong City.

Noji knew very well that Andon wouldn't last more than a few days.

Moreover, without rescue, the K and L columns would likely be completely annihilated.

Therefore, Noji decisively changed the battle plan.

The 5th, 6th and 8th Divisions of East China remained in the Xinshui area to monitor the reorganized 11th Division.

The Second Branch, B Column, and J Column immediately headed south.

Due to repeated battles, all units were exhausted.

Therefore, Ye Si did not demand anything about the reorganized 74th Division, as long as the K and L columns could be rescued.

Upon receiving the order, the three units immediately turned south.

As time went by, the three troops that were marching south at breakneck speed, which had initially moved in tandem, gradually changed.

The formation gradually changed to two columns running in front, with the B and J columns chasing behind.

"Holy crap! How is this possible?!"

"Are these guys even human?"

"How come they were so much faster than us, even though they were carrying so many heavy weapons?"

The soldiers of the B and J columns knew that the Second Column had many mules and trucks, but they also had many heavy weapons.

If you divide it up, the transport capacity of the second branch isn't much stronger than theirs.

Moreover, in terms of load, the B and J columns are significantly lighter, since many infantrymen in the two columns have to help carry artillery shells.

But why can the second branch run so fast?
Both B and J columns have tried to compete, but they simply can't catch up.

(End of this chapter)