Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 466 Heaven knows and earth knows that you know and that I know
The East China Field Army's general offensive has begun at the Diecui Mountain position.

The first to launch the attack were the howitzers of the T column, who fired all the shells they brought onto the top of Diecui Mountain.

A violent explosion covered the entire summit of Diecui Mountain.

Immediately afterwards, all units of the East China Field Army launched a general offensive from all directions.

The battle on Diecui Mountain reached an unprecedented level of intensity.

The soldiers launched an uphill attack from the steep rock face, with no cover available.

In order to unleash their strongest offensive power, the Second Division's attack force adopted a wave attack method, charging forward wave after wave.

The 74th Division not only organized dense firepower to intercept them, but also launched several large-scale counter-offensives.

The two sides fought fiercely on the steep rocky slope, with repeated struggles taking place along every rocky ridge.

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere on the rocks, and the crevices between the rocks were quickly filled with the corpses of soldiers from both sides.

The battlefield was filled with hoarse shouts of battle and painful groans.

The intense battle between the two sides lasted for two hours.

By 3 p.m., all the small hills surrounding the summit of Diecui Mountain had been removed.

"The battle has now reached its most critical moment," Chen Chengxing said, looking at the map of Diecui Mountain.

"The 74th Division's strength has been reduced to its limit. Now, one shot can wipe out an entire unit."

"Commander-in-Chief, should we send Team 24 up?" Chu Yunfei asked.

Chen Chengxing led three detachments in this general offensive on Diecui Mountain, but only two detachments participated in the front-line attack, while the remaining 24 detachments were kept in reserve.

Watching the battle ahead, Qin Sheng was extremely anxious; he had been pacing around the command post several times.

Upon hearing Chu Yunfei's suggestion, Chen Chengxing thought about it and ultimately declined.

"The reserve team remains stationary." Chen Chengxing always felt that Zhang Zhonglin wouldn't give up so easily.

"Also, give Sun Xun an order to gather firepower, attack the eagle's nest first, and cut off Zhang Zhonglin's water supply!"

There is a mountain spring here in Diaowo, which is the only water source on Diecui Mountain.

Moreover, this cave is the highest point in Diecui Mountain, with a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

With it under control, the heavy machine gun can directly strike the positions of the 74th Division.

Upon receiving the order, Sun Xun quickly adjusted the direction of the attack, sending the 1st Battalion, which had the strongest combat capability, to that direction.

In addition to the standard firearms, the 23rd Battalion was also equipped with three Type 92 infantry guns, and Sun Xun planned to use artillery to pave the way.

Zhang Zhonglin was well aware of the importance of the eagle's nest, so he deployed heavy firepower there to block it.

Light and heavy machine guns, mortars, recoilless rifles, and even flamethrowers—they're all here.

Faced with the powerful firepower of the 74th Division, the 1st Battalion's progress was not smooth.

Seeing this, Sun Xun didn't waste any words and immediately made a phone call to the artillery battalion behind the camp.

The eagle's nest was then directly covered by artillery fire.

The artillery battalion's bombardment lasted for a full five minutes, and the entire embankment was swept by the explosions of the shells several times.

The original small pond has been greatly enlarged by the bomb craters.

The moment the shelling ended, the First Battalion launched a fierce assault.

Even though the surviving soldiers of the 74th Division fought desperately, they were wiped out in less than half an hour.

At that time, Zhang Zhonglin repeatedly sent troops to try to recapture Diaowo, but they were repeatedly defeated.

After Sun Xun pulled up the heavy mortar, the 74th Division completely lost any chance of recapturing Diaowo.

At Tianma Mountain, facing the strong attack of the 25th Division, the 1st Division was on the verge of collapse.

Zhao Lecheng only had two main regiments and two newly promoted regiments, the 3rd and 4th Regiments.

However, the defensive line he had to defend stretched for sixty miles, and the attacking KMT forces included not only the 25th Reorganized Division but also the 65th Reorganized Division.

Zhao Lecheng has already mobilized all the division's support staff to the front lines, and even the cooks have all been assigned to the front lines.

However, these men were only a drop in the ocean compared to the 25th Division's mass assault.

At this point, the only thing Zhao Lecheng could rely on was the artillery support promised by the Second Commander.

At this crucial moment, the rocket artillery company, which was already prepared, received orders from the reconnaissance platoon.

The enemy has entered the preset strike range of the rocket artillery.

With a command given, rockets hurtled towards Tianma Mountain.

The soldiers who were attacking Diecui Mountain were surprised to see the firelight flying overhead. How could there be a meteor in broad daylight?

Meanwhile, Huang Huanran, standing at the foot of Tianma Mountain, looked at the two regiments that had already fought halfway up the mountain and felt that the battle was likely won.

"Chief of staff, get ready. After the 40th Brigade takes the Tianma Mountain position, the 108th and 148th Brigades must advance as quickly as possible to continue the attack."

"As long as we can establish contact with the 74th Division, the Chairman will surely reward us handsomely."

The 25th Division consists of three reorganized brigades. In order to recapture the previous positions, the 148th Brigade and the 108th Brigade have already suffered considerable casualties.

However, once the 40th Brigade broke through the Tianma Mountain position, there were not many obstacles left. With the remaining strength of the two brigades, they were able to complete the final attack.

"Please rest assured, Commander, the brothers are ready and can set off at any time."

Before Huang Huanran could speak, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the distant sky.

Immediately afterwards, the two attacking regiments were engulfed by an explosion.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Huang Huanran's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Such dense artillery fire must be equivalent to a salvo from at least a heavy artillery brigade.

Immediately realizing what was happening, Huang Huanran shouted, "Quick! Order the 40th Brigade to retreat immediately!"

The impact of a heavy artillery brigade was something the 25th Division couldn't withstand. Even if the entire 25th Division were deployed, it wouldn't last more than a few rounds of attacks. Watching the 40th Brigade retreat rapidly, Huang Huanran breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems that the G army didn't have many shells and didn't conduct another saturation firing."

"Commander, what do we do now? With such heavy artillery fire, I'm afraid we won't be able to take Tianma Mountain," said the chief of staff beside him.

Although it's unclear where the G army got so many large-caliber artillery pieces from, since they've appeared, their threat must be considered.

"Ugh! Damn it!" Huang Huanran slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Send a telegram to Commander Tang: Our army has been attacked by the G Army's heavy artillery brigade, suffering heavy losses and may be unable to break through the Tianma Mountain position."

Although the casualties of the 40th Brigade have not yet been reported, Huang Huanran can tell from the retreating formation that he suffered at least two thousand casualties in this attack.

If two more waves come, the 40th Brigade might have to be disbanded.

"I'll go right away." The chief of staff breathed a sigh of relief.

He was terrified of Huang Huanran's reckless attack and support.

The three brigades of the 25th Division were respectively reorganized from the Northeast Army, the Anhui Army, and the Sichuan Army.

If the troops are all wiped out, there might be no one to replenish them.

In contrast to Huang Huanran's somber mood, Li Yaozong's mood was quite different.

After receiving news that the 25th Division had suffered more than half of its casualties, Tang Keqin immediately called the 83rd Division.

The 74th Reorganized Division was already badly damaged. Tang Keqin realized that his previous judgment that the G Army wanted to besiege the point and attack reinforcements was wrong.

"Commander Tang, rest assured, this is a critical moment for the 74th Division, and I will not stand by and watch it perish."

"They've done a great service, so we want to get some credit too, right?"

"His 74th Division is the mainstay, and my 83rd Division is also a pillar."

“That’s right, that’s right. I’m only five kilometers away now. I can reach Diecui Mountain in a single somersault.”

"Okay, okay! I'll report back immediately!"

Li Yaozong's words sounded nice, but things were quite different after he hung up the phone.

"Go and bring Tian Cheng here."

"yes!".
A few minutes later, Tian Cheng, the commander of the 57th Regiment of the 19th Brigade, ran over.

"Commander! You wanted to see me."

"Yes, Zhang Zhonglin is complaining now, and Commander Tang is urging us to move closer to Diecui Mountain."

“You just suffered a defeat in Luozhen, so I’m going to give you a chance to make a difference.”

"You lead the team to provide full support to Diecui Mountain and establish contact with the 74th Division."

"Who? Me?" Tian Cheng pointed to himself in disbelief.

"Commander, there are five main columns of the G Army around Diecui Mountain. They are very strong and have heavy firepower."

"Judging from the situation, the G Army is determined to fight the 74th Division to the death."

Li Yaozong nodded: "That's right, so we need to send reinforcements immediately."

"Commander, the 19th Brigade only managed to break through from Luozhen with less than 1,500 men."

"Although we supplemented them with engineers and supply troops, the total number was only about three thousand."

"My 57th Regiment only has a little over a thousand people. If we go there now, wouldn't that be like moths to a flame?"

“What you said makes sense. In that case, I’ll leave the 19th Brigade to you,” Li Yaozong said.

"Leave the 19th Brigade to me?" Upon hearing Li Yaozong's words, Tian Cheng was both excited and a little scared.

During the previous breakout, none of the senior officers of the 19th Brigade managed to escape; he was the only one who managed to break out by changing into the clothes of a common soldier.

Promoting him to brigade commander would be a great thing.

But if the price is to send reinforcements to Diecui Mountain, then it's hard to say whether it's good or bad.

"Tian Cheng, don't worry, I won't let you go to your death," Li Yaozong explained.

"I'm telling you, take a company of soldiers, carry two radios, and infiltrate to the Old Wolf Den not far from Diecui Mountain to hide."

"Then, under the designation of the 19th Brigade of the 83rd Division, it maintained close contact with the 74th Division."

"If Zhang Zhonglin asks which unit you are from, just say the 19th Brigade of the 83rd Division."

"If he shouts to come closer to me, just say you're making great strides forward."

"He told Li Yaozong not to try anything funny, and that Commander Li had ordered my brigade to advance at the risk of their lives."

“Zhang Zhonglin has a bad temper. Just bear with whatever he says.”

He hadn't had time to report the heavy losses suffered by the entire 19th Brigade, so now was a good opportunity to use it again.

As for the 63rd Brigade, it already represents the 83rd Division's core strength, so it cannot be easily touched.

Upon hearing Li Yaozong's words, Tian Cheng immediately understood everything.

If this scolding is the price I pay for being promoted to brigade commander, then let it come even more fiercely.

"I understand. Thank you for your personal instructions, Commander. I, Tian Cheng, guarantee to complete the mission successfully!"

Li Yaozong warned, "Tian Cheng, let me tell you this first: this matter is a secret between you, me, heaven, and earth. If it gets out, we will both be court-martialed."

Tian Cheng nodded, his face serious, and said, "Don't worry, Commander!"

Tian Cheng knew very well that if Li Yaozong were to be taken to the military court, he didn't know what would happen to him, but he would definitely be shot.

Watching Tian Cheng leave, Li Yaozong nodded in satisfaction.

Even if Tian Cheng's entire army is wiped out, it will have little impact on the 83rd Division.

(End of this chapter)