Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 452 Making the Team Disappear
On the west bank of the canal, several small teams of more than ten people were advancing in the dark.

This was a special operations team that Chen Chengxing had dispatched in advance to scout the situation on the other side of the river.

After deciding on the plan to cross the Yellow River to the west, the Second General's pace slowed down.

However, the further west Chen Chengxing went, the more uncomfortable he felt.

To find out the situation, he sent Wei Dayong ahead of time to lead a team to investigate.

A small squad that was on the move suddenly stopped and quickly went into hiding.

A moment later, Wei Dayong moved from the middle of the line to the very front.

"Captain, look, there are lights ahead," the lead assault soldier whispered.

"Lights?" Wei Dayong's nerves immediately tensed up. "If I remember correctly, that location should be a wasteland, right?"

“I just checked the map; it’s a hilly area.” The assault soldier nodded.
"The captain was right, there's something going on on the other side of the river," Wei Dayong said seriously.

"Everyone, prepare for battle," Wei Dayong whispered, turning his head.

Upon receiving the order, the troops, who had been secretly gathered, immediately dispersed without a sound.

Wei Dayong, meanwhile, led his assault team and stealthily advanced forward.

Only after getting close enough to see the situation clearly with binoculars did Wei Dayong stop.

After observing for a while, Wei Dayong's expression became increasingly serious.

"Something's wrong. Retreat! Report to headquarters immediately!"

Inside the temporary command post, Chen Chengxing received a report from the operations staff.

"Commander, special forces report: Guo army ambushes have been discovered in the mountainous area across the river. It is estimated to be the enemy's 25th Reorganized Division."

Upon hearing the staff officer's report, Luo Ping's expression immediately changed.

"The Kuomintang army reacted quickly enough. The 74th Reorganized Division surrounded us from the rear, and the 25th Division set up an ambush on the opposite bank of the river. They wanted to force us to fight a battle with our backs to the river."

The westward crossing of the canal was already the perfect plan for the Second General, but the Kuomintang army was able to respond so quickly.

"A desperate battle? If we don't break through, we're probably doomed," Chen Chengxing said.

Even with only the reorganized 25th, 74th and 83rd Divisions, the Kuomintang army had a strength of more than 70,000 men.

Moreover, the main force of Guo Jun was still in the Langya area.

Once surrounded at Longmen Ferry, Guo's army could quickly provide support at any time.

"Charge out? Where to? We're surrounded by enemies on all sides, and there's a canal in between. We have no way out."

"The current situation is much more dangerous than the Japanese army's large-scale mopping-up operations back then."

Luo Ping couldn't think of any other way for the troops to break through.

Looking at the map, Chu Yunfei suggested, "Why don't we take advantage of the night and force our way north?"

"The 83rd Division in the north only has two fully-fledged brigades, and its combat strength is relatively weak. It is the only direction that can be broken through quickly."

Upon hearing Chu Yunfei's suggestion, Chen Chengxing shook his head.

"We are outnumbered by the enemy. If we try to break through, it will be a fight to the death. We must not take this route unless absolutely necessary."

As he spoke, Chen Chengxing took out a cigarette and lit it.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Chengxing does not smoke; he only lights one cigarette unconsciously when he is in a dilemma.

Everyone in the command post knew about his habit, so they immediately fell silent.

Chen Chengxing looked at the map on the table and started circling around it.

He didn't come to his senses until the cigarette butt burned his hand. After throwing away the cigarette butt, he casually tapped his finger on the map.

"We hid our troops and disappeared right under the noses of the KMT army."

"Hide them? Old Chen, you're not Sun Wukong, what makes you think you can hide so many people?"

Luo Ping looked incredulous. These weren't four people who could just hide in any shack.

"I am indeed not Sun Wukong, but there is a place that can be transformed into the Water Curtain Cave."

"Majiachong!" Chen Chengxing affirmed, pointing to the spot he had just indicated.

Majiachong was a small village they had passed through earlier, with only a dozen or so households.

“Majia Chong is located at a major transportation route, but it is also surrounded by mountains and is very secluded, making it a perfect place to hide the Second General.”

Its location on a major transportation route means that the troops' trucks and artillery can move quickly.

Being surrounded by mountains on all sides also means that the interior cannot be seen from the outside.

"However, to complete this plan, we must race against Guo Jun. We need to arrive at Majiachong before Zhang Zhonglin."

"Otherwise, we would run head-on into the 74th Reorganized Division."

Chen Chengxing glanced at his watch; there was still time.

However, even if Zhang Zhonglin discovers it, the worst outcome would be a head-on confrontation.

"Isn't this a bit risky?"

Luo Ping and Chu Yunfei exchanged a glance; they both felt like they were dancing on eggs.

Without the skill of a dance king, one kick would probably crush an egg.

"Whether it's risky or not, we'll decide when we get there!" Chen Chengxing made the decision without further ado.

"Pass on my order: the rear guard is to become the vanguard and proceed to Majiachong at top speed, with artillery and supplies leading the charge!"

The artillery pieces of each artillery battalion are now all truck-mobile.

However, they make the most noise and need to be extinguished and concealed in Majiachong as quickly as possible.

"yes!".
After changing direction, the troops began a rapid march at top speed.

Despite carrying heavy loads, the Second Commander covered the 20-kilometer distance in less than two hours. "Commander, everyone has entered Majiachong; no one has fallen behind," Chu Yunfei reported.

“Very good.” Chen Chengxing nodded.

However, this is only the first step; the most important thing is whether we can keep it from Zhang Zhonglin.

"Pass on my order: the guard battalion is to seal off Majiachong and not allow anyone to move around in the village."

"The troops are not allowed to light fires to cook, speak, open their eyes, maintain radio silence, and cut off all contact with the outside world, including the field headquarters!"

"yes!".
Upon receiving the order, tens of thousands of people remained silent, lying motionless on the ground.

To take care of the new recruits, each company and platoon leader assigned a veteran soldier to each of them for one-on-one assistance.

Just minutes after the Second General Headquarters and its various units had completed their preparations, Chen Chengxing suddenly heard several car horns coming from afar.

Everyone's expressions instantly turned serious, and Chen Chengxing quickly rushed up the hillside to look out.

In the distance, a densely packed army could be seen marching along the highway.

"Tanks, armored vehicles, heavy artillery—this is Zhang Zhonglin's army. They arrived incredibly fast!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
Just as Chen Chengxing was observing carefully, several mortar shells suddenly landed in Majiachong.

Due to space constraints, the density of troops lying on the ground was somewhat high.

These few shells caused more than ten casualties, but not a sound was made inside Majiachong.

Some of the new recruits on the ground were trembling uncontrollably, their bodies instinctively wanting them to find a safe place to hide.

The veteran next to him immediately whispered reassurance: "Don't panic, the shells have no target, this is a test firing!"

Just by listening to the sound, veterans can tell that it is a 60mm small-caliber mortar.

This wasn't very dangerous for them, who were lying on the ground.

With the veteran's reassurance, the new recruits gradually suppressed their physical instincts and began to calm down.

On the highway, Zhang Zhonglin's car stopped.

"Commander, I just had my men probe the area with artillery fire, but we didn't detect any movement nearby," Li Yunliang reported.

"This means that Chen Chengxing did not leave any blocking troops behind."

Looking at Majiachong, which remained relatively quiet despite the shelling, Zhang Zhonglin felt something was amiss.

But then Zhang Zhonglin thought about it again and felt it was normal.

The war of resistance against Japan had only just ended, and the people should have gotten used to it by now.

Even if they were hit by artillery fire, they couldn't scatter and escape, because that would only lead to their quicker death.

"Pass on my order: the troops must speed up! We must reach Longmen Ferry and capture Chen Chengxing alive!"

Zhang Zhonglin didn't look at Ma Jiachong again, turned around, got into the armored vehicle, and sped towards Longmen Ferry.

However, upon arriving at Longmen Ferry, something completely baffling happened to Zhang Zhonglin.

There was no one at Longmen Ferry.

"Gone? How is that possible?"

Upon hearing the staff officer's report, Zhang Zhonglin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"He's really gone. Chen Chengxing has run away." Wei Zhenwen said in disbelief.

They had clearly laid a tight net, but the G army just flew away.

Just as Zhang Zhonglin was racking his brains, Huang Huanran and Li Yaozong also rushed over.

The three greeted each other with a salute upon meeting, and then began to shift the blame onto one another.

Just as the three were practicing Tai Chi, Ji Lihui, the chief of staff of the 83rd Division, ran over and whispered a few words in Li Yaozong's ear.

Upon hearing Ji Lihui's report, Li Yaozong was greatly surprised.

"What?! The troops have been attacked by the G army?!"

Upon learning that Chen Chengxing's troops were to be surrounded at Longmendu, Li Yaozong rushed towards the location.

However, he did not forget his mission and left troops at key points to form an encirclement.

Li Yaozong's idea was that if the G army scattered and fled, the encirclement he had set up could be sealed off.

Unexpectedly, the encirclement did work, but it didn't trap the routed soldiers; instead, it trapped Chen Chengxing's main force.

The remaining company of soldiers abandoned their position and fled without even a fight.

Upon hearing Li Yaozong's exclamation, Zhang Zhonglin immediately realized what was happening.

"Majiachong! The G Army was previously at Majiachong!"

"What a pity! What a pity!" Zhang Zhonglin said with a look of frustration.

If scouts had been sent out earlier, Chen Chengxing could have been captured.

"Commander Zhang, should we head to Majiachong immediately to pursue and kill the G Army?" Huang Huanran suggested from the side.

"We have no idea where the G army is. We can only find them by sending out planes after dawn." Zhang Zhonglin shook his head.

However, Zhang Zhonglin knew that even if they found Chen Chengxing's trail after daybreak, they probably wouldn't be able to catch up.

“Send a telegram to Commander Tang,” Zhang Zhonglin said.

"Yes!" Wei Zhenwen immediately drafted the telegram.

Although Tang Keqin was somewhat disappointed that he failed to capture the fleeing G army, it did not stop him from asking Chang Ruiyuan for credit.

Therefore, a telegram requesting a rapid tally of the battle results was sent to Zhang Zhonglin, Huang Huanran, and Li Yaozong.

(End of this chapter)