Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 475 Galloping South
After confirming that they would advance directly out of the Dabie Mountains, the Central Plains Army split into three routes and began to march south.

At the same time, the various columns of the East China Field Army's westward advance began to move continuously in southwestern Shandong, intending to contain the enemy and cover the southward advance of the Central Plains Field Army.

After Nakano successfully crossed the Longhai Railway, he immediately accelerated his southward march.

After a grueling 20-day march, they finally crossed the Huai River and arrived in the Dabie Mountains in three separate routes.

While the Central Plains Field Army was advancing towards the Dabie Mountains, the D and I columns of the Central Plains Field Army also split into two routes, crossing the Yellow River at Guanyang and Maojin ferry crossings and advancing towards western Henan.

Upon discovering that the G army was advancing south, Chang Ruiyuan immediately ordered all troops to pursue them rapidly to the south.

Inside the Pengcheng Army Headquarters, an operations staff officer, holding a telegram, asked, "Commander-in-Chief, what is the Chairman's opinion?"

“The Chairman isn’t on the front lines, he doesn’t know,” Gu Mosan shook his head.

"The Air Force has discovered that a large number of PLA troops are gathering on the banks of the Yellow River and are crossing the Yellow River to the north."

"These troops heading south are probably just making a feint, deliberately trying to attract our attention."

"Send a telegram to the General Headquarters explaining the situation, saying that we are preparing to accelerate our interception and squeeze the operational space of the G Army in southwestern Shandong, in order to force the G Army to fight a decisive battle with us."

"yes!".
Previously, when the Central Plains Field Army split into three routes on the southern front, the commander of the Central Plains Field Army specifically ordered the F Column and the troops of the Hebei-Shandong-Henan Military Region to build a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River and make preparations for a large-scale river crossing.

The feints along the Yellow River and the constant movements of various units of the East China Field Army successfully tricked Gu Mo into falling into their trap.

When the Central Plains Army appeared on the Longhai Railway on the 8th, Gu Mosan finally realized that he had been feinted.

Gu Mosan urgently ordered his troops to head south in pursuit.

However, at this moment, Chang Ruiyuan's telegram arrived again.

"Chief, a telegram from the Chairman."

"The Chairman judged that the southward advance of the G Army was a feint, and its ultimate goal was to cross the Yellow River and flee north. The General Headquarters has ordered all troops to turn north and reach the banks of the Yellow River before the G Army."

At this moment, Gu Mosan and Chang Ruiyuan disagreed again. However, since he had already made the wrong judgment once before, this time Chang Ruiyuan bypassed General Lu and directly commanded the divisions, leaving Gu Mosan speechless.

"Sigh, let's just follow orders," Gu Mosan said helplessly.

Guo Jun's northward advance was exactly what the East China Field Army wanted. Both sides continued to move around in southwestern Shandong, each looking for an opportunity to annihilate the other.

Just after the Central Plains Army successfully crossed the Longhai Railway and crossed the Shahe River to the south, a telegram was sent to Nanjing in great urgency.

"Chairman, something seems wrong. The main force of the Nakano team has suddenly crossed the sand river!"

"What's going on?! Weren't the G Army units on the southern front all miscellaneous units before? How did they suddenly become the main force?"

Previously, when Nakano was marching south, he communicated with the local people using the local military unit designation, which changed every day.

It wasn't until after crossing the Shahe River that a public mobilization was launched.

At this moment, Chang Ruiyuan also realized that the G army was not fleeing south or making a feint, but was deliberately rushing to a certain place in Hubei.

Chang Ruiyuan knew without a doubt that this place must be the Dabie Mountains.

This place used to be the stronghold of the G army.

"Damn it! He can't even catch up with such a tired army. This Gu Mosan is so indecisive!"

Chang Ruiyuan immediately shifted the blame onto Gu Mosan.

"In my name, I issue an order to the Pengcheng Army Headquarters to send the 58th Division eastward from Luohe to the south of the Ru River to await the enemy."

"We must block the G army at the Ru River and never allow them to escape south into the Dabie Mountains region."

"The 65th Division was also organized to travel by train to Changtaiguan to guard against the G Army's westward advance across the Pinghan Railway."

"Luo Wen, Zhang Jiezhan, and Wang Youping's troops, immediately head south to pursue the G Army!"

"We must engage the G Army in a decisive battle south of the Shahe River, north of the Ruhe River, and east of the Pinghan Railway!"

"yes!".
With the withdrawal of these hundreds of thousands of troops, the original plan for the Guo army's main offensive was silently shattered.

However, facing the continuous reinforcements and encirclement by the Guo army, Zhongye's pressure has increased.

Meanwhile, Guo Jun, who was circling around southwestern Shandong, was extremely tired, but had already become somewhat arrogant.

The general consensus among the troops was that the main force of the Central Plains Army had left, and the G Army in southwestern Shandong was no longer fit for battle.

Therefore, Guo Jun changed his previous cautious and simultaneous approach and began to boldly implement a strategy of advancing along different routes.

Sometimes, an entire regiment would dare to pursue them.

Inside the headquarters, Chen Chengxing was carefully studying the map on the wall.

Due to the relocation over several days, the enemy-friendly situation in southwestern Shandong had changed drastically.

The 68th Reorganized Division remained stationed in Donghun, Caozhou and other places on the south bank of the Yellow River, while the 5th Army and the 84th Reorganized Division, which came south from Yimeng Mountain, were located in the Wucheng area, and the 57th Reorganized Division was located in the Beihao area.

On the G Army's side, Chen Chengxing's Second Division was located in the center of the enemy's forces around Taoqiu, while the East China Field Army's westward advance corps was positioned on the left and right flanks and rear of the Guo Army.

At this time, facing encirclement and suppression by hundreds of thousands of troops, Nakano urgently needed to break the deadlock in southwestern Shandong and draw the enemy northward.

Just then, Chu Yunfei walked over: "Commander-in-Chief, urgent telegram from the Field Headquarters."

"The commander ordered us to immediately move north from Taoqiu and to conduct defensive maneuvers in the area north of Lincheng."

"Heading north? It seems the field headquarters is finally arriving. They want us to cover the troops crossing the river." Chen Chengxing nodded.

Qiu Feng's 5th Army, 84th Division, and 57th Division have been chasing after the Second General Headquarters, and the two sides have already engaged in several small-scale skirmishes.

Although the main purpose of this northward march was to cover the crossing of the river, it would inevitably also mobilize the Guo army to march north.

This would create conditions for the East China Field Army to annihilate the enemy.

The Second Boss, who had been taking a roundabout route, suddenly changed course and sped northward, and Qiu Feng immediately received the news.

"Hehe. It seems that after my continuous attacks, Chen Chengxing's troops are preparing to flee north." Qiu Feng laughed.

"Commander, Chen Chengxing is a cunning and treacherous man. Could he be plotting something?"

"Impossible." Qiu Feng shook his head.

"Besides, even if Chen Chengxing has some kind of conspiracy, it can't change the disparity in troop strength."

"Order the 5th Army and the 84th Division to pursue and outflank Wan'an along Fengzhen and Lincheng, and the 57th Division to advance towards Wan'an along Shazhen and Balian. At the same time, send a telegram to Liu Ziliang, asking him to cooperate with us to narrow the encirclement to the north."

"I'm going to eat Chen Chengxing up on the banks of the Yellow River!"

"yes!".
As Guo Jun followed Chen Chengxing northward, the distance between the 57th Division and the Fifth Army and the 84th Division began to widen.

Having already crossed the Yellow River, the Field Army hadn't really thought about who to target, but now that the 57th Division had emerged, the Field Army immediately seized this hard-won opportunity.

The Second Division, which was originally in a defensive posture, immediately split into two groups and attacked Shazhen from the northeast and northwest.

At the same time, the L-line advances from south to north, preparing to cooperate with the Second General to encircle Shazhen.

The E and N columns took over the positions from the Second General Headquarters and established blocking positions against the Fifth Army and the 84th Division.

The F column of the Central Plains also established a defensive line northeast of Caozhou, preparing to block Liu Ziliang's troops.

The once relatively peaceful southwestern Shandong underwent a dramatic transformation in an instant.

After being attacked, the vanguard of the 57th Division immediately chose to retreat to Shazhen to rejoin the main force.

"Commander, the vanguard was suddenly attacked by the G Army and has now retreated back to Shazhen."

"Don't panic," said Duan Yunong, commander of the 57th Division, with ease.

“We have been pursuing the G army for so long, so small-scale harassment is not surprising.”

Upon arriving in Shazhen, the 57th Division immediately constructed fortifications, and the surrounding villages of Mazhuang, Jinliangsi, Xujiazhuang, and Dongjialou were also defended by a regiment of troops. Such a comprehensive defense was not something a small force could overcome.

Duan Yunong's relaxed demeanor relieved everyone.

However, when the Second Column and the L Column surrounded them from three sides, the 57th Division realized something was wrong.

"How can there be so many G troops?" Duan Yunong looked at the intelligence gathered by the reconnaissance team, and sweat immediately poured down his face.

Although his 57th Division has three brigades, only one of them is a fully-fledged brigade, while the other two are reserve brigades.

His forces were severely understaffed, with the entire division having only 15,000 men.

Moreover, the soldiers in the reserve brigade were either converted from security regiments or were newly conscripted men, making their combat effectiveness extremely weak.

"Send a telegram to our superiors immediately and request backup!" Duan Yunong urged.

Although Qiu Feng's troops had maneuvered to the east of Wan'an, they were only twenty kilometers away from Shazhen.

The 89th Division of the Fifth Army is a mechanized unit; if they wanted to, they could get there in one or two hours.

Just as Duan Yunong was pacing anxiously, the Second Boss had already made preparations.

"Zhu Zi, this is the first battle since the field artillery regiment returned to its original unit. You'd better give it your all."

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief, I guarantee to destroy the Guo army's positions with the fewest possible shells," Wang Chengzhu said, patting his chest.

Field guns, due to their high caliber, are far more accurate than mountain guns.

"Mm." Chen Chengxing nodded.

"You four detachments, once the artillery preparations are complete, just seize the opportunity to launch your attack."

If it weren't for the presence of the Fifth Army, Chen Chengxing would have crushed the 57th Division, a ragtag unit, long ago.

"yes!".
A few minutes later, the prepared field artillery regiment began to open fire fiercely.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
Under the precise strikes of the field artillery, the hastily constructed fortifications of the 57th Division were all blown into the air.

"It's over, it's over." Duan Yunong's face turned ashen as he watched the fierce artillery barrage.

His division only had twelve Type 41 mountain guns, but the enemy had several times that number, and their range was far superior.

Faced with artillery fire, the mountain artillery battalion of the 57th Division dared not utter a sound, and at most they would only engage in guerrilla warfare when the G Army infantry attacked.

"Have the reinforcements been dispatched? Where are they?" Duan Yunong turned to the chief of staff beside him and asked urgently.

"Commander, Commander Liu said that the 68th Division has dispatched a brigade, but they encountered the G Army northeast of Caozhou and the two sides are engaged in fierce fighting. Meanwhile, the 5th Army is also encountering strong resistance from the G Army in Wan'an."

"Liu Ziliang only sent one brigade? What good is a brigade coming here!" Duan Yunong was very dissatisfied with Liu Ziliang's perfunctory attitude.

However, he was unaware that after the brigade sent by Liu Ziliang encountered the G Army, the reinforcements immediately withdrew to Caozhou as soon as the two sides clashed.

The intense fighting mentioned in the telegram was merely verbal.

After pacing around the division headquarters twice, Duan Yunong gritted his teeth and ordered, "Send a message to the 117th Brigade, instructing them to attack in the northeast direction and see if they can open a passage!"

The 117th Brigade was the only fully-organized brigade of the 57th Division. Although its strength was not at full strength, the soldiers were all veterans of the Northwest Army and had relatively strong combat capabilities.

However, to Duan Yunong's surprise, the 117th Brigade remained motionless after receiving the order.

"If Duan Yunong is so capable, let him charge himself! He wants me to risk my life? Dream on!" Zhu Shunkun, the brigade commander of the 117th Brigade, completely ignored the division headquarters' orders.

Duan Yunong was a graduate of the third class of the Whampoa Military Academy and was an airborne officer in the Central Army. He had deep conflicts with the Northwest Army.

Moreover, Duan Yunong had been embezzling the 117th Brigade's pay and supplies, so when he tried to get the 117th Brigade to fight for them, the soldiers simply ignored him.

Duan Yunong was helpless against the 117th Brigade's refusal to cooperate; even if he wanted to replace them at the last minute, he had no one to choose from.

Just as Duan Yunong was getting anxious and frustrated, Wang Chengzhu glanced at his watch: "It's been half an hour. Order a ceasefire."

As the field artillery regiment ceased firing, the forward infantry guns and mortars began to provide cover for the infantry as they advanced.

Faced with the powerful attack, Duan Yunong's defensive line in the surrounding villages was swept away like autumn leaves in the wind.

After capturing the outer positions of the 57th Division, the various assault units paused briefly before bringing up their heavy mortars.

The town of Shazhen was surrounded by an earthen wall, but this wall could stop infantry artillery but not heavy mortars.

After several rounds of saturation fire, the three-meter-high earthen wall was riddled with holes.

Half an hour later, teams 21 and 22 had already rushed into the northwest corner, followed by teams 23 and 24 from the northeast corner.

Subsequently, the Second General Staff began a full-scale retreat, launching a strong offensive against the 57th Division while also launching a political offensive.

Faced with the rapidly deteriorating situation, Duan Yunong didn't waste any words. He changed into a soldier's uniform, then took his guard company and fled.

However, as soon as Duan Yunong ran out of Shazhen, he buried himself in L Zong's arms.

This made the L-line soldiers extremely happy.

They originally thought they could only watch the show, but they never expected that a big fish would jump directly into the pot.

The swift annihilation of the 57th Division in Shazhen directly shocked the Ministry of National Defense in Nanjing.

Seeing that the main force of the East China Field Army had already moved south and occupied Beihao, Chang Ruiyuan did not hesitate at all. He immediately ordered the 11th Reorganized Division of the Central Plains Field Army, which was pursuing the enemy, to advance north. At the same time, he also transferred four reorganized divisions from the Dabie Mountains and other battlefields in Shandong to provide reinforcements.

Because the 11th Reorganized Division had come from afar and was marching north alone, the field headquarters prepared to send troops to encircle and annihilate the 11th Reorganized Division.

However, Hu Ziqi was very clever. Instead of following Chang Ruiyuan's orders to head north quickly, he stopped at Shuangmiaoji, south of Beihao, and began to build defensive fortifications.

The two sides then engaged in a fierce firefight at Shuangmiaoji.

After several hours of fierce fighting, the field command realized that it was impossible to win in a short time, and that enemy units were rapidly converging on the 11th Division. Therefore, it immediately decided to abandon the plan to annihilate the entire 11th Division.

"Commander-in-Chief, the Field Command orders that the Second Commander immediately withdraw from the battlefield, head east to meet up with the Field Command, and cross the Longhai Railway via Xiayi."

"What a pity, the entire 11th Division has slipped through our fingers so many times." Chen Chengxing sighed with regret as he looked at the Guo Army's still-solid positions.

Within Shandong, the East China Field Army (ECFA) encountered the 11th Division more than once, but Hu Ziqi stubbornly did not give the ECFA the opportunity to encircle and annihilate it.

“Old Chen, there will always be a chance. We’ll settle the score with him then,” Luo Ping said.

As long as the two sides continue to clash in the Central Plains, they will inevitably meet sooner or later.

"This is the only way." Chen Chengxing reluctantly put down the binoculars.

"Order that all units withdraw from the battlefield in turn, and we will go to meet up with the field headquarters."

"yes!".
Seeing that the G army was retreating in large steps and Hu Ziqi showed no intention of launching an attack, Chen Chengxing had no choice but to give up his last hope and cooperate with the field headquarters to cross the Longhai Railway.

Meanwhile, the Nth Column of the East China Field Army and the Fth and Mth Columns of the Central Plains Field Army remained in southwestern Shandong to contain the Fifth Army, the 11th Division, and the 84th Division of the Kuomintang Army.

After crossing the Longhai Railway, the East China Field Army immediately deployed its troops in columns.

Each column traversed the area south of the Longhai Railway and north of the Huai River.

At this point, the three armies that had jumped to the outer lines of battle had formed a favorable triangular formation, supporting and coordinating with each other, directly threatening the KMT's rear.

The three armies advanced one after another into the outer lines, making Chang Ruiyuan so anxious that he couldn't even eat.

Especially in the Dabie Mountains region, which is only 400 kilometers away from Nanjing, Chang Ruiyuan immediately and frantically redeployed his troops.

More than 90 brigades, totaling nearly one million troops, were mobilized to defend the Central Plains region.

The number of troops mobilized for the encirclement and suppression of the Dabie Mountains alone reached as many as 33 brigades.

With the large-scale withdrawal of the Kuomintang army, the main battlefield between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party completely shifted away from the liberated areas and towards the Central Plains region controlled by the Kuomintang army.

(End of this chapter)