Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 462 Cross this bridge, and you either win or die!
As night fell, the 74th Division's attack came to a halt.

Inside the division headquarters, just as Zhang Zhonglin and the staff were reviewing the day's operations, Li Yunliang suddenly came over with a telegram and reported:

"Commander, we have received a telegram that the G Army has been spotted in the direction of Dawang, south of Luozhen."

Upon hearing the report, Zhang Zhonglin looked up at Li Yunliang in disbelief.

"What did you say? The G army has been discovered in the Dawa area?"

“Yes, this is a telegram.” Li Yunliang handed over the telegram.

After glancing at the contents, Zhang Zhonglin affirmed:
"With 400,000 troops advancing in a concentrated manner, it's simply impossible for the main force of the G Army to appear in the rear!"

"This should be a feint by the G army, intended to hinder our army's attack on Gaozhuang."

In the areas of Fei County and Ping County, there are local military regions of the G Army.

The G army that suddenly appeared in Dawa should be the guerrilla force of this local military region.

"Commander, we must be on guard. Judging from the movements, the G army is very likely to attack Luozhen," Wei Zhenwen warned.

Zhang Zhonglin waved his hand: "Whether it's the main force of the G Army or guerrillas, nothing is more important than attacking Gaozhuang right now."

"But you're right, we still have to be careful."

Zhang Zhonglin picked up the phone next to him, thought for a moment, and then called Gu Mosan directly.

"Commander-in-Chief! I am Zhang Zhonglin."

"Zhong Lin, how's it going at the front?"

"Please rest assured, Commander, our army is making good progress," Zhang Zhonglin said. "However, I have received intelligence that a G army unit has appeared in the rear."

"I want the commander to help coordinate and have Li Yaozong send a brigade to support Luozhen to ensure the success of the 74th Division's attack."

“No problem, I’ll call Commander Tang right away.” Gu Mosan agreed without hesitation.

Gu Mosan knew very well that the 74th Division was the cornerstone of his promotion and wealth, and he could not afford any mishaps.

"Sir, I have one more request."

"But it doesn't matter."

"After the reinforcements from the 83rd Division arrive, I hope that the regimental commander of my 74th Division who is left behind will take unified command."

Zhang Zhonglin knew all too well what the people of the 83rd Division were like.

If we were to entrust the defense of Luozhen to them, they might not be able to hold it for as long as our own regiment could.

“Okay, I will explain to Commander Tang.” Gu Mosan nodded.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mosan didn't waste any time and immediately called Tang Keqin of the First Army Corps.

Tang Keqin was a little stunned after hearing Gu Mosan's order.

"Commander, the 83rd Division used to be a brigade, and the 74th Division was stationed in Luozhen by a regiment."

"Let a brigade commander take orders from a regimental commander? This..."

In the Guo army, seniority is always important, so a brigade commander can't give an order to listen to a regimental commander.

"Commander Tang, I know, I know everything."

"However, these are extraordinary times, and extraordinary actions are being taken. I hope you can understand."

Upon hearing Gu Mosan's words, Tang Keqin thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and stamped his foot, preparing to obey the order.

Gu Mosan then made an even more outrageous request.

"Commander Tang, tell Division Commander Li that the 83rd Division reinforcements cannot enter Luozhen, but must build positions on the outskirts of Luozhen."

Gu Mosan's order really put Tang Keqin in a difficult position.

Li Yaozong and Zhang Zhonglin have always been at odds, making it difficult for Li Yaozong to reinforce Zhang Zhonglin.

Now, not only is his brigade commander ordered to obey the command of the 74th Division's regimental commander, but he is also to be sent as cannon fodder.

Tang Keqin didn't even know how to make this call to Li Yaozong.

After hanging up the call with Gu Mosan, Tang Keqin was so frustrated he felt like he was going to tear his hair out.

After hesitating for a moment, Tang Keqin gritted his teeth and said, "This concerns the entire battle situation. We can't worry about anything else. Immediately send the order to the 83rd Division!"

Luozhen was the lifeline of the 74th Division, and the reorganized 74th Division was his unit. He understood the principle that they shared both glory and loss.

For the sake of the First Army Corps and his own position, Li Yaozong had no choice but to suffer.

Li Yaozong was furious when he saw the telegram from the Corps Headquarters.

"Absurd! Absolutely ridiculous!"

"Why should my 83rd Division, which is reinforcing a brigade, take orders from a mere regimental commander of the 74th Division?!"

"Oh! You still want us to defend the outskirts of Luozhen?"

"Isn't this using my 83rd Division brothers as shields and cannon fodder?!"

"That bastard Zhang Zhonglin, is the 74th Division his own son?!" Li Yaozong directly blamed Zhang Zhonglin.

"Commander, this is, after all, a direct order from Commander-in-Chief Gu. We can't openly disobey it," said Chief of Staff Ji Lihui.

“Disobeying military orders? I can’t bear that charge,” Li Yaozong said.

Faced with Gu Mosan's death order, the 83rd Division had to obey.

"Send orders to the 19th Brigade to immediately reinforce Luozhen."

Just as Ji Lihui was about to leave, Li Yaozong called him back.

"You need to tell Brigade Commander Yang to take it easy. If he wipes out my entire force, I won't let him off the hook!"

"yes!".
Just as Li Yaozong was sending reinforcements to rush towards Luozhen, Xu Wu also led 21 infantry units to advance towards Luozhen.

Along the way, local comrades took turns leading the way.

The 21st team advanced rapidly along the route already determined by the local comrades.

However, when they arrived at Xiaonan River, an unexpected situation arose.

The original wooden bridge over the river was broken, and Ma Guifang was resting on a door plank by the river with the women comrades from Mazhuang.

Seeing this, Li, the county government official who was walking at the front, was so anxious he almost jumped up.

Upon finding Ma Guifang, Officer Li exclaimed anxiously, "Director Ma! What's going on here! Wasn't the bridge supposed to be repaired?!"

"Officer Li, don't be in such a hurry. We've been training for half a day now. Have the troops arrived?" Ma Guifang stood up with a smile.

"The vanguard has arrived, and the main force will arrive in no more than three minutes! What are we going to do?!"

"Now that the comrades have arrived, sisters, let's begin!" Ma Guifang turned and called out.

Without further ado, the women from Mazhuang got up and, in groups of four, each carrying one of the four corners of the door handle, went down the broken bridge into the river one after another.

The company commander of the vanguard company hurriedly grabbed Ma Guifang: "Comrade, what are you doing? Quickly get everyone up here, we can build the bridge ourselves!"

"Oh dear, what's wrong with you, comrade? What's wrong with this?" Ma Guifang shook her arm.

"You men fight on the front lines all for a better life for everyone. You've risked your lives, can't we even build a bridge?"

"Hurry up and let the comrades cross the bridge. We've won the battle, and we'll have everything we need."

"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore, it's time for my group."

After Ma Guifang finished speaking, she quickly took two steps and, together with the other three, lifted the door and pushed it down into the river.
When Xu Wu arrived, by the dim moonlight, he saw that a bridge connecting the north and south had appeared over the Xiaonan River.

And the area under this bridge is full of women.

On a May night, the river was still icy cold. They stood in the cold water and used their bodies to carry door planks to build a bridge.

"Company Commander Liu! What's going on?!" Xu Wu shouted.

Before the company commander of the vanguard company could even run over, someone shouted from the river:

"Comrade, don't waste time! We're all farmers, we're very strong! Let's get on the bridge quickly!"

"If we delay the war, everything will be for nothing!"

Upon hearing the call, Xu Wu understood everything, and tears welled up in his eyes.

However, time was of the essence, and he had no time to think. Xu Wu gritted his teeth and shouted the order:

"Pass on my order! Two teams become one! Be fast! Step lightly! Make sure you step in the middle!"

"Cross the river!"

Xu Wu touched his eyes and was the first to step onto this special bridge, running towards the other side.

After crossing the human bridge, the 21 groups of people continued their journey without stopping, moving towards Luozhen at top speed.

After the vanguard arrived at the outer perimeter of Luozhen, they launched an attack on the outer perimeter without hesitation.

But after the fight, they realized something was wrong.

After Xu Wu led the main force to the designated position, the advance troops immediately reported:

"Commander, something's wrong! There's more than one regiment in Luozhen! Judging from the situation, the enemy has at least ten thousand men!"

Should we wait for the main force to arrive?

The 21 units that have arrived now have a total of less than 7,000 men, and they are all infantry. Their only direct-fire weapon is a portable 57mm recoilless rifle.

This type of artillery can target tanks or firing positions, but Luozhen has city walls.

Even if the city wall isn't high, it's not something a 57mm cannon could destroy.

"Wait for the main force? Absolutely not!" Xu Wu refused without even thinking.

The main force, carrying heavy firepower, is not very fast, and once exposed, the 74th Division will inevitably retreat frantically, which could lead to the defeat of the entire battle.

"Pass on my order: all troops, advance! The first attack is the final assault! Even if it's a tough fight, we must take down Luozhen!" Xu Wu commanded. To strengthen command, Xu Wu moved the command post directly to the front line.

Looking at the soldiers who were preparing, Xu Wu shouted:

"Comrades! We came here by stepping on the shoulders of our elder sister-in-law!"

"Once we cross the bridge, victory is our only outcome; otherwise, this place will be our final resting place!"

"Do you really intend to back down by stepping on my sister-in-law's shoulders?!"

"No! I don't want to!"
"Good! Comrades! Today is the day to kill the enemy and serve our country!"

"Forward, forward, forward!"

"kill!".
"Beep beep beep beep beep." With Xu Wu's shout, the bugle sounded.

"Kill!"
Seeing the G army launching a fierce attack, the 19th Brigade, which had already set up positions on the outskirts of Luozhen, did not panic.

By the time he arrived at Luozhen, the G Army had figured it out: there were only six or seven thousand men in total, and they didn't have any heavy weapons; they were definitely a local guerrilla force.

The 19th Brigade, however, was a direct descendant of the Central Army and was equipped with American weapons.

With 7,000 against 7,000, the advantage lies with the 19th Brigade.

However, things did not develop as the 19th Brigade had expected.

The battle had barely begun when, within ten minutes, the 19th Brigade's front line was breached.

"Brigadier! Brigadier! This G army force is definitely not a local armed force, it must be the main force of the G army!"

"They were like madmen! My entire battalion was wiped out in less than ten minutes!"

Tian Cheng, the commander of the 57th Regiment who was at the forefront, was almost scared to death.

Through the binoculars, he saw with his own eyes that the stomachs of some G soldiers had been blown open, but the enemy had strangled their own soldiers with their intestines.

It's not that he hasn't fought against the G army before, but the G army in the past didn't fight like this!
"Commander Tian, ​​you must hold the line for me! I'll call the 74th Division right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Yang Yin immediately called the 173rd Regiment of the 74th Division in Luozhen.

"Commander Sun, the G Army's offensive is extremely fierce. Please immediately dispatch an armored battalion to support me!"

"Brigade Commander Yang, I am aware of the current situation. You only need to hold the position! I will handle the situation appropriately according to the circumstances!"

Sun Qingfeng, the commander of the 173rd Regiment, had no intention of providing any support whatsoever.

The purpose of sending the 19th Brigade was to act as a shield.

If the 173rd Regiment were to provide support for them, then who would be taking bullets for whom?

Yang Yin was momentarily stunned when the call was abruptly disconnected.

After realizing what was happening, Yang Yin cursed into the phone: "Damn it! Do you really think I'm some kind of stepmother?!"

"Damn it! You, a mere regimental commander, think you can climb all over me?!"

The fact that a brigade commander was under the command of a regimental commander was already enough to infuriate Yang Yin.

Now that the battle has begun, your 74th Division hasn't fired a single shot, hiding in Luozhen and enjoying themselves while the 19th Brigade is out there risking their lives.

The G army that is attacking now is not a local force, it is the main force!

Judging from the current offensive of the G army, if they continue to hold out, the 19th Brigade will be completely wiped out.

"Chief of Staff, issue the order: utilize the existing fortifications and retreat the troops step by step!"

"Let's retreat to Luozhen!"

Since the 74th Division won't come out, the 19th Brigade will go over there themselves.

"yes!".
Upon receiving Yang Yin's order, the frontline officers of the 19th Brigade breathed a sigh of relief and led their troops to retreat quickly.

The soldiers below were terrified of the G army; if the fighting continued, they were very likely to collapse.

However, to Yang Yin's surprise, although their retreat went smoothly, they were unable to enter the town after arriving at Luozhen.

"Open the door! Open the door now!"

"Are you blind?! I'm from the 19th Brigade! Open the door now, we need to go in and rest!"

Sun Qingfeng had already learned of the situation and rushed over.

From the city wall, looking down at the vanguard of the 19th Brigade, Sun Qingfeng shouted:
"Damn it! What are you cowards doing back here?! Get back to your positions and fight! Otherwise, you'll all be executed on the spot as deserters!"

Upon hearing Sun Qingfeng call them cowards, the advance battalion commander of the 19th Brigade became anxious.

"You bastard surnamed Sun! I'm fighting for you guys!"

"You haven't even sent a single soldier out, and now the brothers of the 19th Brigade have become cowards?!"

"Will you open the door or not?! If you don't, we're going to break in!"

Upon hearing the battalion commander's order, the soldiers of the 19th Brigade nearby raised their weapons.

However, everyone was just going through the motions; whether the guns were loaded or not was another matter, and the rifles weren't even bolted.

However, the fact that the 19th Brigade did not pull the bolt does not mean that the 74th Division did not pull the bolt.

In particular, Sun Qingfeng had already pulled out a pistol and was gesturing wildly.

At this critical moment, Yang Yin led the main force to retreat to the doorway.

"Commander Sun, we have lost our position. If you insist on not letting us in, then we will retreat from the side."

You'll have to bear the consequences yourself!

As expected of a brigade commander, he managed to put Sun Qingfeng in a difficult position with just a few words.

Regardless of Sun Qingfeng's choice or whether he chooses to remain in office, he will have to bear the responsibility himself.

After hesitating for a moment, Sun Qingfeng finally decided to send the 19th Brigade into the city.

For him, the most important thing now is to hold onto Luozhen.

However, what Sun Qingfeng didn't expect was that the attack from 21 units would be so fierce.

After occupying the outer positions, the 21st team did not stop for a moment and immediately organized an assault team to cover the demolition team in blowing up the town gate.

The 19th Brigade had already been terrified, and now, facing the frenzied attack of the 21st Brigade, they dared not go forward to fight to the death.

Therefore, although they retreated into Luozhen, their actual combat effectiveness was minimal.

The armored vehicles were indeed very powerful. The walls of Keluo Town not only blocked the attack of the 21st Regiment, but also blocked the firepower of the armored vehicles.

Sun Qingfeng never came up with the idea of ​​mounting a tank on a wall.

Faced with the relentless attacks, Sun Qingfeng finally understood why the 19th Brigade had withdrawn so quickly.

It's really not their fault; even the 173rd Regiment was struggling to cope with such a fierce attack.

However, even with the 173rd Regiment's desperate counterattack, they only held out for less than half an hour before the city gate was blown up.

As the 21st battalion advanced into Luozhen, the morale of the 19th Brigade plummeted into negative territory.

"Brothers! Luozhen can't be held anymore! Follow me and break out!" Yang Yin ordered.

He could tell from their fighting style and equipment characteristics that this was Chen Chengxing's troops.

Although I don't know why so few people came this time, they're not people I can afford to mess with.

Yang Yin now faces only two paths: surrender or break out of the encirclement.

Of course, he could also choose the third option, which is death.

However, neither death nor surrender was what Yang Yin wanted.

At this point, breaking out is the only option.

Facing the formidable 21 teams, the 19th Brigade's breakthrough was destined to be anything but smooth.

By the time Chen Chengxing led his troops to Luozhen, the fighting had already ceased.

"Commander, the enemy forces in Luozhen have been completely annihilated. The regimental commander has been captured alive. Only a little over a thousand men from the 19th Brigade escaped, and the brigade commander was also killed."

"We captured a large amount of ammunition and military supplies, 21 armored vehicles, and hundreds of trucks and jeeps!"

Xu Wu reported with unusual excitement that he didn't even bother mentioning those rifles and machine guns.

Besides being Zhang Zhonglin's escape route, Luozhen was also his supply station, where he finally replenished his supplies.

"Alright, Team 21, take a break and rest. Next, you'll be responsible for defending Luozhen," Chen Chengxing ordered.

Branches 22 and 23 have already advanced towards Tianma Mountain and Wanquan Mountain on the left and right flanks.

Once the A and L columns are connected, the attack on the 74th Division will officially enter the second phase.

"yes!".
Xu Wu led two artillery battalions and his direct subordinate units back to their original units.

Chen Chengxing immediately arranged for the logistics department to sort out the captured ammunition.

In order to travel light, they had disassembled and transported the mountain guns, so they didn't carry many shells.

With this capture, at least the American 75mm mountain guns can now be used to bombard the area.

However, if we were to ask who was the most excited about the seized supplies in Luozhen, it would definitely be Zhou Weiguo.

Upon receiving the telegram sent by Chen Chengxing, Zhou Weiguo nearly collapsed on the spot.

His armored combined arms battalion was finally no longer just for show.

Although most of them were still 'armored' infantrymen on foot, at least they were people with real armor.

Even without the M8 wheeled armored vehicle and M3A1 armored reconnaissance vehicle.

As for the fuel consumed by the armored vehicles, Zhou Weiguo said he didn't care.

The problem is with the brigade commander; what does it have to do with a mere battalion commander like me?
(End of this chapter)