Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 472 The Chairman's mind is too damn biased.

After Zhongye finished fighting Wan'an, Taoqiu, and Beihao, he saw that Wang Youping's eastern army had not reacted at all.

The commander immediately decided to divide and encircle the enemy, and annihilate them one by one.

Chen Chengxing also received the telegram and led the Second Division westward at a rapid pace.

The 70th Division, which was stationed in Luying Town, immediately discovered that a large force was approaching them.

Looking at the map, Chen Dingxin, commander of the 70th Division, exclaimed, "This is bad! The G Army is trying to divide and encircle us!"

"Quickly, send a telegram to the Corps Headquarters immediately!"

At this time, Wang Youping also learned that the G army was approaching this area.

"Order the 70th Division to immediately move towards Dushan Town and be placed under the command of Tang Guliang, the commander of the 32nd Division."

"After the two divisions joined forces, they immediately retreated south to rendezvous with the 66th Division at Baihu Mountain."

Regardless of G Army's intentions, Wang Youping planned to get the troops closer together first.

However, the long snake formation that Wang Youping had set up earlier was inherently easy to break through one by one.

Moreover, Guo Jun's reaction was noticeably slow; by the time he realized what was happening, the various units of the G Army were already almost in position.

Nakano B cut in between Dushan Town and Baihu Mountain, severing the road in between.

Upon receiving Wang Youping's telegram, Tang Guliang became anxious:

"What's the headquarters thinking? Sending us south at this time? Isn't that like lambs to the slaughter?"

"Commander, the headquarters is far away, and they have no idea about the situation at the front," said Chief of Staff Qiu Songde.

"The G army is now pressing in from the north. If we retreat now, we will only be blocked by several G army groups and then completely annihilated."

"I think so too." Tang Guliang nodded.

Those who are familiar with their own situation know that the 32nd and 70th Divisions are both ragtag units, lacking not only heavy weapons but also a full complement of soldiers.

Although both divisions consist of two brigades and four regiments, their combined strength is only 13,000 men, totaling only 27,000 to 28,000.

Go out and fight the G army in the field; you won't even know how you died.

"Commander, why don't you discuss this with Commander Chen?"

Tang Guliang thought for a moment and realized that only the two of them could save themselves, so he immediately nodded: "Alright, call the 70th Division headquarters."

"Hello? This is Tang Guliang, commander of the 32nd Division. I'm looking for your Commander Chen!"

"Commander Chen, have you received the orders from the Corps Headquarters?"

"Received. My unit is assembling, but I heard that the highway further south has been blocked by the G army?"

"Yes, the southward retreat route has been blocked. I'd like to ask what your thoughts are?"

"We can't worry about the next step now; we need to get closer together as soon as possible," Chen Dingxin said.

"Yes, we're on the same page. It would be better if our two divisions moved closer together immediately. You should speed up now."

"Commander Tang, I'm afraid you'll have to come closer to me. I've already been targeted by the G Army."

"What? How could it be so fast? Which unit of the G Army is it?" Tang Guliang exclaimed in surprise.

"Judging from the unit number, it is very likely Chen Chengxing's unit."

"Chen Chengxing?!" Upon hearing this name, Tang Guliang became even more anxious:

"Didn't the previous intelligence say that Chen Chengxing was in the vicinity of the Jinpu Railway?!"

"Is it just Chen Chengxing who came, or are all three columns of the East China Field Army from Fenggao here?!"

Hearing Tang Guliang nearly jump up on the other end of the phone, Chen Dingxin quickly explained:
"Commander Tang, don't worry. According to our reconnaissance, only Chen Chengxing has crossed the canal. The other two columns are still in the Fenggao area."

Hearing that only Chen Chengxing had come, Tang Guliang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Commander Chen, now that you've already engaged the G Army, don't make any rash moves. I'll immediately head north to join you!"

"Alright! Commander Tang, we must be quick."

Just as the G army was encircling Wang Youping's eastern route army, Chang Ruiyuan's phone call reached Pengcheng.

"Mo San, what's wrong with you guys? Wan'an, Beihao, Taoqiu, three cities lost in eight days."

Upon hearing Chang Ruiyuan's words, Gu Mosan didn't say anything polite at all, but immediately reported the G Army's movements to him.

"Chairman, yesterday, the G Army launched a simultaneous attack on Luying Town, Dushan Town, and Baihu Mountain. My 32nd and 70th Divisions have been surrounded, and the road to Baihu Mountain has been cut off."

Upon hearing this news, Chang Ruiyuan, who had initially been somewhat indifferent, immediately sat up straight.

He originally thought he had only lost three cities, but he didn't expect that Wang Youping's right wing army was also doomed.

"The G Army has quite an appetite," Chang Ruiyuan said.

"Mo San, order Wang Youping to do everything in his power to rescue Baihu Mountain."

"But."

"Don't hesitate!" Chang Ruiyuan interrupted Gu Mosan.

“Chairman, what I mean is that Wang Youping currently only has less than two brigades of troops at his disposal.”

Although Fangyu currently has a reorganized division and a brigade of the 66th Division, two of the three brigades of the 58th Division are newly formed brigades.

These two newly formed brigades only had designations, and each brigade had a total of less than three thousand men. Moreover, they were all reorganized from local security regiments, and their combat effectiveness was almost non-existent.

Of the four brigades, only the 199th Brigade of the 66th Division and the 183rd Brigade of the 58th Division were actually able to be deployed.

Moreover, the 199th Brigade suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Northern Henan and has not yet been fully replenished.

"Damn it, this idiot, the more you give him, the more he'll throw away!"

"Principal, do you think it's possible?"

Chang Ruiyuan interrupted Gu Mosan again.

"I know what you're going to say, but I'm telling you, not a single soldier from Shandong can be moved!"

"Mo San, as the commander-in-chief, you must not be half-hearted. The Shandong offensive must not be allowed to fail at the last moment."

"You need to consider the big picture. The priority right now is to take down the Shandong G Army."

"At that time, the G army in southwestern Shandong will be left isolated and helpless."

"headmaster."

"Okay, that's it."

Gu Mo San was completely helpless against Chang Rui Yuan's attitude.

Now, not only is no one coming to rescue the 32nd Division and the reorganized 70th Division, but Chang Ruiyuan has also sent them a telegram.

The 32nd and 70th Divisions were ordered to break through the encirclement and relieve the siege of Baihu Mountain.

At this time, the 32nd Division and the reorganized 70th Division had completed their rendezvous, with the two reorganized divisions, totaling 28,000 men, crammed together. "The Chairman's mind is just too damn biased!" Tang Guliang was furious as he looked at the telegram.

He knew that their two divisions were ragtag units, but did they really have to go this far?
The 32nd and 70th Divisions were already surrounded, and not only were they not rescued, but they were also ordered to break through the encirclement to rescue the 66th Division.

Their two divisions, that is, the number of people combined, are equal to that of the 66th Division.

As for the rest, whether it's machine guns or artillery, none of them can compare to the 66th Division.

"Brother Tang, let's not worry about these things for now. We'll talk about breaking through later. The G army has already surrounded us!"

Upon hearing Chen Dingxin's shout from the rooftop, Tang Guliang disregarded Chang Ruiyuan's orders, threw down the telegram, and quickly climbed up the ladder to the roof.

"Commander-in-Chief, all units report that they have arrived at their designated positions."

"However, the enemy's 32nd Division has already joined forces with the 70th Division."

"It's alright." Chen Chengxing waved his hand: "Whether you're herding one sheep or two, it's all the same."

"In Luying Town, the more enemies there are, the more effective our artillery will be."

"Should we order the troops to launch an attack?" Chu Yunfei asked.

"Let's begin." Chen Chengxing nodded: "Have the artillery battalions of the 21st and 22nd detachments beat them to a pulp and drive them all out of Luying Town!"

Although the 32nd and 70th Divisions were relatively weak in combat, they were still two fully-equipped divisions.

If the enemy chooses to fight to the death, the Second Division will certainly suffer heavy casualties.

To the southeast of Luying Town lies a large depression, spanning several dozen miles in circumference.

Chen Chengxing has already ordered the 23rd and 24th detachments to set up an ambush there.

The tactic of surrounding three sides while leaving one open has always worked against the Guo army.

Upon receiving the order, the 21st and 22nd detachments, which had been prepared in advance, launched a fierce attack on Luying Town from the west, south, and north.

but,

Luying Town was just a small town with limited space, and it was no match for artillery fire, let alone 120mm heavy mortars.

Now that so many troops have gathered at once, a single artillery barrage can result in heavy casualties.

Although Wang Youping's telegram arrived again at this time, ordering them to hold their ground and await reinforcements.

However, faced with the fierce artillery bombardment, the 32nd and 70th Divisions were already in chaos before the battle even began.

"Damn it, Wang Youping has already run away, and Song Rongguang is trapped in Baihu Mountain. Where are the reinforcements?!"

Tang Guliang paced back and forth in the temporary command post, desperate to relieve himself.

"Brother Tang, we can forget about reinforcements. We can only save ourselves now," Chen Dingxin said.

"Brother Chen, which way do you think we should break through?" Tang Guliang asked.

It's no longer a question of whether to break through or not, but rather which way to break through.

If they hold out any longer, not to mention whether the G army can break in, the artillery bombardment alone will cost them tens of thousands of casualties.

"Brother Tang, listen, the gunfire from the east is noticeably weaker. I think that should be the weak point in the G army's attack."

“In that case, let’s send troops to launch a counter-offensive!” Tang Guliang said confidently.

Inside the temporary command post of the Second General Headquarters, Chen Chengxing glanced at his watch.

"Old Luo, the cannon fire has been going on for over twenty minutes, it should be about over soon."

Just then, Chu Yunfei strode over.

"Report received: the enemy in Luying Town has begun their breakout."

"Alright! Tell Sun Xun and Qin Sheng not to be rash, otherwise it will be difficult to handle if the enemy retreats."

"Also, have Xu Wu and Zheng Hua increase their firepower and stab him again from the west. They should all escape by then."

"yes!".
To the east of Luying Town was a large open area. When the vanguard of the Guo army launched a counter-offensive, the Second General Corps did not fiercely intercept them. They merely made a show of blocking the way before clearing the passage.

This situation greatly pleased Tang Guliang and Chen Dingxin.

The two reorganized divisions began to retreat with full force and confidence.

Looking at the report from the front lines, Luo Ping said excitedly, "It's almost done. Should we tell Sun Xun and Qin Sheng that we can start securing the position?"

"No need, they have their own methods. We don't need to worry about them. We can just wait for news."

Chen Chengxing pulled Luo Ping down to sit.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, a telegram arrived from the front.

"Commander-in-Chief, Political Commissar, our armored battalion has been mobilized!"

On the battlefield of Dawadi, Sun Desheng and Zhou Weiguo each led an armored company into the fray.

Although the soldiers are not yet able to perform tank drifting maneuvers, they still overwhelmingly defeated the 32nd and 70th Divisions.

With the support of armored trucks and infantry, the armored combined arms battalion moved across the battlefield as if it were nothing.

"Hahahaha. This is the kind of thing a real man should drive!"

"Fire! Fire now!"

"There are enemy firing positions over there. Smash them!"

Sun Desheng was laughing so hard his little tongue was sticking out.

Even if you gave him a cavalry division, he wouldn't take it.

Tang Guliang's eyes bulged as he watched the armored troops rampaging across the battlefield.

"Damn it! Where did the G army get these armored vehicles?!"

“I reckon these vehicles are probably from the 74th Division; the numbers match up.” Chen Dingxin said, looking utterly devastated.

At this point, he realized that the gap on the east side was probably intentionally left by the G army.

They should now be inside the G army's pocket.

However, even though they have realized it now, they have no way to deal with it.

The G army's armored forces have already cut the main force into pieces; now the soldiers can't find their generals, and the generals can't find their soldiers.

They wanted to organize a counterattack, but they couldn't.

"Brother Tang, I'm afraid our only option now is to break out separately."

"Brother Chen, take care!"

Without uttering a single wasted word, Tang Guliang turned and led the guard battalion in a certain direction, plunging headlong into the area.

Whether they can break through or not depends on whether fate will smile upon them.

P.S.: I recommend a book to everyone, *Bright Sword: Starting from a Small District Squad*, a truly excellent read.
(End of this chapter)