Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 458 You called him, but he just wouldn't come.
"Commander, the situation is not good," the chief of staff of the First Army Corps said, looking at the map.

Gu Mosan just sent a telegram to the First Army Corps.

It was said that the aircraft reconnaissance detected that the main force of the G Army had outflanked Langya from the rear of Yancheng, and looked like it was going to attack the First Army Corps.

Gu Mosan hoped that the First Army Corps could quickly ascertain the situation, adjust its deployment, and seize the opportunity to annihilate the enemy.

"The main force of the G army is advancing in front of us and outflanking us from behind. It has obviously formed a pincer movement against our First Army Corps from the north and south. They are after us."

Tang Keqin suddenly realized what was happening.

"The G army has set a trap for us, but I, Tang Keqin, am no fool."

"Pass on my order: all troops are to immediately withdraw from Langya and consolidate their positions along the entire front!"

"All units must maintain close coordination and must not give the G army any opportunity to take advantage!"

"yes!".
Tang Keqin's contraction directly thwarted Ye Si's pre-planned strategy.

"The enemy has become somewhat difficult to deal with, so the strategies and tactics have been adjusted, and the mentality of the various commanders has also changed."

"At the beginning of the war, they were single-mindedly focused on eliminating the G army. After suffering several losses, they began to consider their own gains and losses with trepidation."

Seeing the enemy's movements, the commander was somewhat helpless. Tang Keqin had retreated across the board, and the East China Field Army had no chance at all.

"This Chang Ruiyuan wants to have a strategic showdown with us in Shandong as soon as possible."

"However, the commanders under Guo's army, in order to protect themselves, were thinking of avoiding a decisive battle with us."

"This contradiction is irreconcilable."

"We must seize this contradiction and make a big deal out of it."

"It seems we have a chance to fight the enemy in the Yimeng Mountains."

With the plan failing, the commander could only order each column to withdraw again, preparing to find an opportunity to annihilate the enemy in motion.

At this critical moment, Chang Ruiyuan, who had returned to Xikou to pay respects to his ancestors, also learned that the G Army intended to attack the First Army Corps, but Tang Keqin saw through the plan and urgently ordered the entire front to retreat and stand by.

"Damn it! On standby! On standby! How long will this last?"

"This is an old tactic of the G Army!"

"Send a telegram to Commander Gu, telling him that the National Assembly cannot wait, the Commander-in-Chief cannot wait, and to immediately order the three army corps to advance into the heart of Yimeng!"

"Yingmu, Pingyang, Mengyin, advance across the entire front! Force the G army to engage us in a swift decisive battle!"

"I want to see the latest battle reports on the complete defeat of the Shandong G Army!"

"yes!".
Upon seeing the telegram sent by Chairman Chang, Gu Mosan was speechless.

"Haste makes waste!"

"Always meddling at crucial moments!"

The chief of staff, looking at the telegram, asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Do as he says, do as he says!" Although Gu Mosan was helpless, he could not disobey orders.

"Order all three corps to advance along the entire front."

"Yes!"

Seeing the chief of staff preparing to turn and relay the order, Gu Mosan suddenly spoke again:

"Hey, remind them to strictly adhere to the tactical formation. Anyone who advances alone will be court-martialed!"

As long as the formation remains intact, the G army will not find an opportunity.

Under Gu Mosan's orders, the three major army groups quickly advanced towards the Yimeng Mountains, with hundreds of thousands of troops advancing side by side, a truly impressive sight.

However, the commanders of each unit had their own ideas.

Sitting in the swaying armored vehicle, Zhang Zhonglin said with some disdain:

"This Commander Gu's order to retreat was decisive, but his order to attack remained unissued."

"If the Chairman hadn't lost his temper, we'd probably still be soaking in the Langya Bathhouse right now."

"Hopefully, the Second and Third Corps can advance in sync with us and launch a major offensive."

“Commander, I always feel that a rapid advance is more satisfying than a simultaneous, coordinated attack,” Li Yunliang said.

"There are advantages to going it alone; some people like it. You don't have to worry about your personal safety; you won't gain the most credit, nor will you lose your capital."

"It's a pity that our heavily armed troops, equipped with American weaponry, can't unleash their full power in these mountainous areas," Zhang Zhonglin sighed.

Unlike the radical faction who were eager to make a name for themselves, most of the generals in the Guo army did not seek merit, but rather to avoid mistakes.

Looking at the undulating hills outside, Yang Quan, commander of the 72nd Division, said with slight worry:

"We're about to enter the mountains. Will the G army ambush us?"

The 72nd Division was located on the far flank of an army of hundreds of thousands, and was one of the most dangerous units on the entire front.

"Don't worry, Commander. Our three army groups will advance. Small groups of the G Army will not dare to touch us," said the chief of staff beside him.

"Yes, order the troops to advance in unison, not a single step forward, not a single step backward!" Yang Quan instructed again.

"Yes!"

As the Guo army began its advance again, Huaye Yesi convened another operational meeting.

“The enemy is strong and we are weak. If we stay put, it will definitely be dangerous. In response to the enemy’s actions, I think we can encircle the enemy and attack their reinforcements.”

Upon arriving at the map, the commander pointed to the upper left and said, "Fonggo is the left flank of the enemy's arc, and from a strategic perspective, it is relatively isolated."

“The enemy’s 72nd Reorganized Division was not Wang Youping’s main force. Its equipment and combat effectiveness were relatively weak, and it was located on the Jinpu Railway.”

"Once the battle for Fenggao begins, the 75th and 85th Reorganized Divisions located behind it will definitely provide support." "The 64th Reorganized Division of Ou Yuchen's Corps in Sixian County may also provide support to Fenggao from nearby."

"As long as we break through one of his routes, the enemy's arc-shaped encirclement line will have a flaw."

"Time is of the essence, so there's no need for further discussion. Now, I announce the battle plan!"

"The attack group, consisting of B column, N column, and the Second General Team, will attack Fenggao."

"Among them, the B Column and the Second General Team were responsible for blocking the enemy reinforcements south of Fenggao and on both sides of the Jinpu Railway; the N Column was responsible for clearing out the enemy outside Fenggao and then besieging the city to wait for reinforcements."

"The five columns—C, E, K, J, and L—will form an anti-reinforcement group and advance to the east side of the Langya-Mengyin highway to await orders and block the enemy's reinforcements from the north."

"Column F is the general reserve force."

"To maintain secrecy, when issuing combat missions, do not use telephones or telegrams. Instead, have designated personnel deliver the orders verbally to each unit!"

"The artillery fire used to attack Fenggao must be launched suddenly!"

The commander still set his sights on Tang Keqin's First Army Corps.

As long as the Second and Third Army Corps move north to support Fenggao, the First Army Corps at the southernmost point will be effectively isolated.

Fenggao is an ancient city located at the foot of Mount Tai. The city walls are eight meters high and the moat is six meters wide.

The existing fortifications were all built by the Japanese during the War of Resistance against Japan, and bunker complexes were built on the protrusions of the city walls and gates.

The outer areas of Ligaoshan and Laoye Temple have independent outposts, with bunkers, fortifications, and trenches built, allowing for cross-fire support.

The bunkers in Fenggao and the surrounding strongholds were built to be extremely well concealed, making them difficult to destroy with artillery fire and hard to spot at close range, even at night.

The 72nd Division stationed in Fenggao was a Sichuan Army unit, consisting of three brigades with a total of 28,000 men.

It was equipped with a full set of Japanese equipment and also carried some American-supplied weapons.

However, their combat effectiveness is still significantly inferior to that of the Central Army's elite forces.

Upon receiving the order, the B Column, N Column, and Second General Headquarters immediately began their covert march toward Fenggao.

Two days later, at dusk, more than 80,000 people quietly arrived at the designated location.

N-rank immediately launched an attack on the outer strongholds of Fenggao.

In just one night of fighting, the Nth Column captured four outlying strongholds and approached Fenggao West Gate.

"Commander! The G Army's offensive is fierce, and we are already surrounded!" Tang Siyuan, Chief of Staff of the 72nd Division, reported.

"Don't panic." Yang Quan remained calm.

"Retreat all troops outside Xiguan into the city, leaving only two high points outside the city: Ligaoshan and Laoye Temple."

"With our current forces, we can hold Fenggao. Even if the G army attacks with three times the strength, they will not be able to take us down in a short time."

"Moreover, all friendly forces nearby are within 20 kilometers. As long as we hold off the main force of the G army here, once reinforcements arrive, they will surely annihilate the entire G army!"

"Yes!"

Seeing Yang Quan's confidence, Tang Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered all units to retreat back into the city.

Yang Quan also picked up the phone and called Wang Youping.

He needs to call for backup to annihilate the entire G army.

"Commander Wang, the G Army is heading towards Fenggao!"

"Commander Yang, don't be nervous. This could be a feint by the G Army. I need to observe it further."

"Commander! There's no mistake! It really is coming for my 72nd Division! It's definitely not a feint or a diversionary attack!"

The 75th and 85th Divisions are closest to Fenggao. Please send reinforcements immediately! Send reinforcements immediately!

"Commander Yang, you and the 72nd Division must hold the line. Don't panic." Wang Youping hung up the phone after saying that.

Yang Quan breathed a sigh of relief; the 75th and 85th Divisions would only need one day to reach the battlefield.

However, to his surprise, even two days later, the 75th and 85th Divisions, which were only 20 kilometers away, still did not send any reinforcements.

Even the Fifth Army, which came from the south, stopped moving after crossing the Wen River and arriving at Dawenkou.

The only consolation for Yang Quan was that the G army, which was involved in the attack, numbered only 20,000 and was unlikely to capture Fenggao, which had 28,000 men.

"Commander, the enemy may be determined not to send reinforcements," Chu Yunfei reported.

"Neither electronic reconnaissance nor special forces reconnaissance detected any indication that the Guo army was reinforcing Fenggao."

"You really can't fight a war on your own." Chen Chengxing was somewhat speechless: "When you need him to come as reinforcements, he just won't come."

Luo Ping was somewhat helpless regarding Guo Jun's actions.

"This Gu Mosan is truly heartless. He watched the 72nd Division being attacked without sending a single soldier."

"Forget it, we can't get reinforcements, so we can't leave empty-handed." Chen Chengxing said, "Old Chu, send a telegram to the field headquarters requesting permission to march north and attack Fenggao."

The Nth column lacked sufficient troops, making it difficult for them alone to capture a fortified city defended by 28,000 men.

"I'll go right away." Chu Yunfei nodded.

Ye Si did not refuse Chen Chengxing's request.

Ye Si had already realized that the Guo army had abandoned the 72nd Division, so he decided to immediately eliminate Yang Quan.

After all, it wouldn't be good to send three columns to Fenggao, only to fight haphazardly and then retreat.

At this point, every bite is a treat.

P.S.: There will be another chapter at noon.

(End of this chapter)