Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 469 Grand Marshal

At this time, Hill 385 was completely devoid of reinforcements, not even a single soldier from the 83rd Division.

Yes, there were only G troops surrounding the mountains and plains.

"Commander! Commander!" Wei Zhenwen grabbed the walkie-talkie from the side of his entourage.

"There are no reinforcements from Li Yaozong at Hill 385! We've been tricked!"

"The G army has already surrounded us; the guard battalion is likely in grave danger!"

"Commander, for the sake of the Party and the country, I will lead my brothers to fight the G army to the last man. You should quickly find a way to break through!"

"There's no hope for reinforcements!"

Upon hearing Wei Zhenwen's report, Zhang Zhonglin's lips trembled.

He never expected that even at this point, Li Yaozong would still lie to him.

If it weren't for Li Yaozong's deception, he could have concentrated all his forces to attack Hill 540 and then join forces with Huang Huanran's 25th Division.

Regardless of the chances of success, it's at least an opportunity.

But now, because of Li Yaozong's lie, he not only lost his most elite troops, but also missed the best opportunity to break out.

"These scoundrels! They betrayed me, they betrayed the 74th Division! They destroyed the first main force of my Kuomintang army!"

"A sinner! A sinner for all time!"

"Why? Why?!"

“My 74th Division gave up everything, but they kicked us when we were down and refused to help us.”

"We didn't lose to the G army, we lost to our own people!"

"We lost to those Huangpu comrades who talked about unity and solidarity but secretly refused to help those in distress!"

At this moment, the 74th Division's command post was filled with the despair of defeat, and the invincible aura of the past was long gone.

Now they are starting to regret it; if they had known this would happen, they should have died on the battlefield fighting against the Japanese.

That would still qualify someone as a national hero, someone whose name would be remembered in history and whose fame would last for generations.

But now that he's dead, he might be remembered with infamy for eternity.

Li Yunliang said in despair, "Commander, with these people around, the fate of our 74th Division now is the fate of the entire country in the future."

"Within the G army, everyone is of one mind and one heart, but what about us? We are divided, deceitful, and full of treachery!"

"Commander, I have a family, and you have a beloved wife. We can't let them suffer for the rest of their lives!"

"Commander, let me give you a piece of advice: it's better to be like Li Xianzhou than Dai Zhiqi!"

Although Li Yunliang spoke from the bottom of his heart, it was a joke in the eyes of the stubborn Zhang Zhonglin.

“Deputy Chief of Staff Li, the word ‘surrender’ does not exist in my dictionary!”

"Even if I fail, I will die a martyr's death on this Diecui Mountain!"

Seeing Zhang Zhonglin's stubbornness, Li Yunliang stopped trying to persuade him.

However, stubbornness could not change the course of the battle. The guard battalion led by Wei Zhenwen on Hill 385 was wiped out in less than half an hour.

And Diecui Mountain also ushered in the final showdown.

The 24th Detachment advanced rapidly, and the 74th Division lost its positions one after another. The Red Flag was getting closer and closer to Zhang Zhonglin's command post.

The shells once hit the entrance to the 74th Division headquarters.

"Commander! The G Army is attacking! The brothers can't hold on!"

"We have to hold on, even if we can't! Come see me after we've wiped them all out!"

"Yes! Come see the commander after you've finished lighting!"

However, the 74th Division was already in complete disarray and had no chance against the G Army troops surging in from all sides.

Everyone in the command center was waiting for Zhang Zhonglin to make a decision, but he had already run out of ideas.

"I, Zhang Zhonglin, have been utterly loyal to the Party and the country, even unto death. I never imagined I would end up like this."

The 74th Division fought to the bitter end on Diecui Mountain, but not a single one of the 400,000 troops on the periphery came to their rescue.

At this moment, he was truly doubting whether the party and the country he had been so loyal to could really defeat the G party and unify the country.
However, this was no longer his concern. Zhang Zhonglin looked at the crowd surrounding him and said:
"Gentlemen, disaster is imminent. I am now seeking your opinions as a colleague."

"As a general of the Party and the State personally cultivated by the principal, I had no choice but to make this decision at this time."

“Those who are willing to commit suicide can follow me, Zhang Zhonglin; those who do not wish to follow in my footsteps should break out on their own and find their own way. I, Zhang, will not pursue the matter.”

Seeing Zhang Zhonglin's determination to die for his country, everyone expressed their vow to follow him to the death.

Zhang Zhonglin felt gratified as one officer after another expressed their willingness to die for him.

Finally, his gaze fell on someone who had remained silent for a long time.

Li Yunliang initially hesitated and remained silent, but seeing Zhang Zhonglin's increasingly stern expression, he finally couldn't hold back and said:
“I, Li Yunliang, am willing to follow my master and commit suicide.”

Li Yunliang knew very well that if he himself lost face at this moment, Zhang Zhonglin would probably have to save face for him.

"Good! You are all my brothers, Zhang Zhonglin's brothers, the pillars of the Party and the country!"

"Take advantage of this last bit of time to write a will to your family."

After finishing his sentence, Zhang Zhonglin ignored everyone and began writing a letter on his own.

In addition to writing a will for his wife, he also had to write a final telegram to the principal in Nanjing.

Even if I'm about to die, I won't let that bastard Li Yaozong get away with it.

However, Zhang Zhonglin did not notice that Li Yunliang took the opportunity to quietly slip away and hide.

After writing the letter, Zhang Zhonglin ordered the telegraph operator to send the telegram to Chang Ruiyuan, and then handed the suicide notes of the group to the guards.

If he could break through, he would be responsible for handing it over to his superiors, and even if he was captured, the G army would not keep his will.

"Gentlemen, the final moment has arrived. Keep your promises."

"I entrust Director Liu Lixin to be our final executor in our martyrdom!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Lixin stood at attention and said, "Everyone, line up!"

However, after everyone lined up, Liu Lixin immediately noticed that one person was missing.

Upon taking inventory, they discovered that Deputy Chief of Staff Li Yunliang had run away.

Zhang Zhonglin angrily cursed, "That scoundrel! Bastard!"

It was Li Yunliang who suggested that the 74th Division go to Diecui Mountain, and he repeatedly stated that they should put themselves in a do-or-die situation.

When they really put him in a deadly situation, he ran away on his own.

Because of this delay, one of the 24 leading platoons reached the cave entrance.

The soldiers didn't know what was inside; they only heard a sound, and instinctively threw three grenades inside.

Then, before the first few submachine gunners even went inside, they had already fired a whole magazine of bullets.

After the soldiers entered the cave in battle formation, the platoon leader slapped his thigh. "Damn it! Damn it! This is the 74th Division's command post!"

"Quickly check if there are any alive!"

"The commander-in-chief repeatedly emphasized that Zhang Zhonglin should be captured alive, so why did you kill him!"

Just as the Second Corps rushed up Diecui Mountain to carry out the final mopping-up operation, Chang Ruiyuan also received Zhang Zhonglin's farewell telegram.

"Chairman, Zhang Zhonglin is calling," Chen Chengbo reported.

"What do you mean? What happened to him?"

"He and more than a dozen generals jointly sent a telegram saying that their situation was extremely critical, and that the reinforcements from neighboring units were ineffective and were merely bystanders."

"Their only way out now is to commit suicide to show their loyalty to the party and the state."

"Send planes immediately, all the planes that can take off!" Chang Ruiyuan said urgently.

It's already dawn, and once the planes arrive at the battlefield, we can launch an attack using the morning light.

"Chairman, the 74th Division has lost contact."

"Huh?!" Chang Ruiyuan swayed.

This news struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him unable to stand.

The image of Zhang Zhonglin sacrificing himself for his country had already appeared in his mind.

At this time, Chen Chengxing also received a report from the 24th Brigade that the headquarters of the 74th Division had been destroyed.

"Great! The 74th Division has been completely annihilated!" Luo Ping exclaimed excitedly.

This is the Kuomintang's top ace; taking him down would be more effective than taking down three or five other reorganized divisions.

"I feel like something's not right." Chen Chengxing touched his chin.

If the 74th Reorganized Division had been annihilated, the system should have responded, but it hasn't made a sound at all.

"Wrong? What's wrong? Didn't the 24th Division report that they found the bodies of Zhang Zhonglin and the brigade commanders inside the 74th Division headquarters?"

Luo Ping was puzzled. Something was wrong. The 74th Division's organizational structure was complete.

"The number of people is wrong." Chen Chengxing couldn't directly say it was the system, so he could only say it indirectly:
"According to previous intelligence, the 74th Division should have 32,000 men, but according to reports from various branches and communication with the Field Headquarters, including the towns, it now only has about 25,000 men."

"Where did the other seven thousand people go? Did they just vanish into thin air?"

"Old Chu, order the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th squads to immediately search and annihilate the valley!"

"If there are any remnants of the 74th Division, try to capture them alive!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

These men from the 74th Reorganized Division were the most elite troops in the Guo Army within the Great Wall. If possible, Chen Chengxing did not want to miss a single one of them.

The Second General Manager needs such talent.

"yes!".
Besides Chen Chengxing, the field commander also noticed the abnormality.

The E and F columns are also simultaneously searching for and eliminating Diecui Mountain.

Finally, in the morning mist, the 22nd squad discovered the remaining enemy in the valley between Diecui Mountain and Diaowo.

Zheng Hua immediately called for reinforcements 23 and 24 to launch a coordinated attack.

Faced with the Second General's attack, the weakened enemy, who had already lost their spirit, was powerless to resist.

Seeing the prisoner walk past, Sun Xun's eyes lit up: "Halt! Major general's uniform? Who are you?"

"Li Yunliang, Deputy Chief of Staff of the 74th Division."

"Goodness, you almost got away!" Sun Xun laughed. "Someone! Take him to the Field Commandery!"

Meanwhile, Tian Cheng was still calling out from the old wolf den.

Although communication with the 74th Division was interrupted, Tian Cheng did not stop for a moment, and even switched to making calls in plain text.

He wasn't calling out to Zhang Zhonglin, but rather to the other troops.

As long as Tian Cheng is still alive, the 83rd Division will continue to provide strong support.

Tian Cheng shouted with utmost seriousness, not even noticing that Wei Dayong was standing right above them.

"74th Division! 74th Division!"

"Stop shouting! The 74th Division is finished! Who are you people?!" Wei Dayong shouted.

When Tian Cheng looked up, he saw a large number of gun barrels pointed at him.

Tian Cheng raised his hands high: "Tian Cheng, commander of the 57th Regiment of the 83rd Division."

Looking at the situation before him, Wei Dayong knew exactly what they were up to.

Wei Dayong laughed and said, "You women really have some tricks up your sleeves."

Take them all away!

Looking at Zhang Zhonglin, who was being carried in front of him, this was the first time Chen Chengxing had ever seen him.

"As a soldier, he has already died on the battlefield, and we cannot insult him any further."

"Old Chu, make him a coffin using American artillery shell boxes," Chen Chengxing said.

Zhang Zhonglin's 74th Division was fully equipped with American weapons, so giving him an American ammunition box would be a good match.

"Oh, right, there's a leather jacket in the command post. Bring it over and cover him with it."

“I said I would put it on him one day, and I can’t go back on my word.”

"yes!".
After glancing at Zhang Zhonglin one last time, Chen Chengxing waved his hand, signaling for them to be carried away.

After everyone left, Chen Chengxing finally had time to sit down and check the system.

[Battle over. Campaign assessment: A resounding victory!]

[Honor Points have reached 1000000.]

[Commander's rank has been upgraded to Grand Marshal.]

[Currently available Grand Marshal traits: 1]

[Acquired Skill: War Master LV0]

[PS: War Master level cannot exceed War Intuition]

[Side Quest: Now I should be the best in the world, right? Completed!]

[Skill Points Gained: 3]

Upon seeing that he had acquired a new skill, Chen Chengxing immediately opened the introduction.

Just from the description, Chen Chengxing knew that this was a strategic command enhancement.

The three skill points I just acquired were immediately invested in the new skill.

As for the unique trait of the Grand Marshal, Chen Chengxing thought for a long time before making a decision.

(End of this chapter)