Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 478 What is your major?
Before reaching an agreement with the central government, **we had been following the instructions of the central government.

At the end of February, the Field Army Command, along with the A, E, and K columns, secretly crossed the Yellow River and arrived at Diqiu for rest and reorganization.

While resting, each column also conducted targeted training.

As the second-in-command of heavy equipment, he was not included in this plan.

Therefore, Chen Chengxing followed Commander Chen in mobile operations on the western side of the Pinghan Railway.

In March, the situation suddenly changed. Nishino achieved a great victory at Yichuan, annihilating Liu Linshu's troops.

Hu Shoushan was forced to urgently transfer Pei Tongye's army group located in Heluo to the west for reinforcement. In the 400-kilometer stretch from Tongguan to Heluo, only the 206th Youth Army Division remained to defend Heluo.

This immediately gave Commander Chen an opportunity to fight.

To coordinate with the operations of the Western Field Army and to cover the main force of the Central Field Army for rest and reorganization, the main force immediately began to move north.

"Commander-in-Chief, all units have moved to their designated positions as planned," Chu Yunfei reported.

According to orders, this attack on Heluo was mainly the responsibility of the Second General Staff and the D Column.

The First Column of the Nakano Command is responsible for advancing westward to Mianchi and blocking any enemy reinforcements that may come from the west and south.

The C, L, and N columns of the East China Field Army advanced eastward to Heishiguan, Yancheng, and other places, controlling the Songshan Pass and preparing to block the enemy in Shangdu and Liancheng.

“Okay, tell them to get ready and wait for orders,” Chen Chengxing said.

The command headquarters has not yet issued the final order to attack.

As for the reason, Chen Chengxing was also very clear about it.

The Youth Army was a product of Chang Ruiyuan's "100,000 Youths, 100,000 Soldiers" movement.

Of the 12,000 people in the 206th Division, more than 80% were intellectuals, and 30% were college students.

This is a valuable asset for China today.

However, Xiao Jin, the commander of the 206th Division, did not accept the goodwill of the G Army in the slightest.

"You bunch of bumpkins think you can make me surrender? Dream on!" Xiao Jin tore Commander Chen's handwritten letter to shreds.

Xiao Jin pointed at the operations staff officer who came to deliver the message and ordered, "Men, take him out and kill him!"

No one in the 206th Division headquarters was surprised by Xiao Jin's order.

Xiao Jin was a staunch confidant of Young Master Chang and a fanatical anti-Government figure.

Faced with impending death, the operations staff officer sent by Commander Chen was not afraid, but his eyes were still filled with sorrow.

That's a full ten thousand student soldiers!

Although these people have long been subjected to anti-G propaganda, it would be of great benefit to the G army if they could recognize the facts.

After the operations staff officer was dragged away, Xiao Jin looked at everyone in the division headquarters:

"The Chairman sent a telegram, ordering us to hold the Heluo region. Hu Ziqi's Corps and Sun Yunliang's Corps have already set off to provide support."

Hearing that the two mobile regiments had already set off, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The distance from Liancheng to Heluo is 150 kilometers, while the distance from Shangdu to Heluo is only 100 kilometers.

Even if the reinforcements arrive slowly, they can hold out for about three or four days.

At this moment, Chen Chengxing also received a call from the headquarters.

"What a pity." After hanging up the phone, Chen Chengxing shook his head helplessly.

"Pass on my order: 21 detachments to force a crossing of the Yi River!"

"yes!".
"Boom!" "Boom!"
In order to cover the crossing of the 21st detachment, in addition to the field artillery regiment, the howitzer battalion also began to exert its strength.

The bunkers built by the 206th Division on the opposite bank of the river were successively destroyed.

Once the visible fortifications were removed one by one, the assault team immediately launched an attack from both the bridge and the river.

The soldiers of the 206th Division began firing desperately.

However, although the soldiers of the 206th Division were highly educated and had fervent ideologies, their psychological resilience and combat effectiveness were far inferior to those of the Central Army's elite troops.

After all, they had never actually fought a death battle on the front lines.

Moreover, the 206th Division only deployed one battalion on the opposite bank of the river, which was far too few men to withstand the attack of the 21st Division.

Before evening, the 21st Detachment had successfully crossed the river and occupied Longmen Town, while the D Column and the C Column of the East China Field Army had also crossed the Luo River.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Chen Chengxing glanced at his watch: "Why haven't the enemy troops on the perimeter been eliminated yet?"

By this time, the army had completed the encirclement of Heluo, but the outer positions still echoed with the sounds of gunfire.

It must be said that although the 206th Division was not particularly strong in combat, it had a very strong will.

"The remaining enemy forces are mainly hiding in nooks and crannies to launch surprise attacks, and the 21st unit is speeding up the clearing."

Chen Chengxing thought for a moment and decided not to wait any longer: "Forget about them, order the artillery positions to provide fire support, and the assault team to breach and advance!"

"yes!".
Just as the Second Brigade launched its attack on Heluo South Pass, the other three sides also launched their general offensive almost simultaneously.

Under the cover of machine gun and artillery fire, the assault team used explosives to destroy fifteen fortification obstacles and approached the south gate of Heluo.

Xiao Jin was so anxious when he learned that the battlefield situation was changing so quickly that he was jumping up and down in panic at the division headquarters.

"Where are the reinforcements?!"

“Sun Yunliang’s army has already passed Xingyang.”

"Too slow, too slow!"

In a whole day, they only covered 25 kilometers, which can only be considered a normal march, not the speed of a forced march for support.

According to Xiao Jin's estimate, Sun Yunliang should have advanced forty kilometers and arrived at Sishui by now.

"Send a telegram to the eldest son immediately and ask him to help coordinate."

"yes!".
Sun Yunliang, who set off from Shangdu, and Hu Ziqi, who set off from Liancheng, soon received a telegram from Chang Ruiyuan.

"Hehe. Our young master is getting anxious," Sun Yunliang laughed.

Shangdu is more than 40 kilometers closer to Liancheng, so Sun Yunliang is the main person they are urging this time.

"Sir, this youth army is the Crown Prince's political capital. How can he sit idly by and do nothing?"

"Hmph, let the Crown Prince's army run into a brick wall then," Sun Yunliang said disdainfully.

Despite the fact that the entire 206th Division was equipped with M1 carbines or M3 submachine guns, walkie-talkies were even issued to the company level.

However, in the eyes of the Central Army's field troops, they, and even the entire Youth Army, were nothing more than political figureheads.

"Tell the brothers to proceed strictly according to the plan and not to advance rashly."

The G Army's tactic of besieging a point and attacking reinforcements is well-known, and Sun Yunliang doesn't want to risk his life for a pretty face.

"Yes!"

Sun Yunliang and Hu Ziqi were dawdling there, but the Second General Manager's progress was incredibly fast.

In the latter half of the night, the assault team broke through the south gate and stormed into the city.

Despite the continuous counterattacks launched by the 616th Regiment responsible for defending the south gate, they were helpless against the assault team that immediately called in artillery fire, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

After defeating the enemy's 616th Regiment, the Second General Corps immediately entered the city and quickly advanced towards the other three gates.

By daybreak the next day, all four gates of Heluo had been captured, and the Second Division and the D Division began their joint assault.

Inside the 206th Division headquarters, Deputy Division Commander Zhao Yunfei couldn't help but say, "Commander, the situation is very unfavorable for us now. If we continue to hold out, we risk total annihilation."

"I know that." Xiao Jin nodded with a gloomy expression.

At this moment, Xiao Jin had been jolted awake by the G Army's overwhelming attack, and his mind was no longer filled with the previous fervor.

"However, the eldest son sent a telegram ordering us to defend Heluo to the death."

Xiao Jin had actually anticipated this telegram.

The political significance of Heluo is too great; Young Master Chang certainly wouldn't agree to give it up easily.

Upon hearing that Young Master Chang had already sent a telegram, Zhao Yunfei fell silent.

The 206th Division began to shift to urban warfare, while preparing to defend several key positions to the death. Although Chen Chengxing regretted the 206th Division's defense, he showed no mercy whatsoever.

The various units began to purposefully squeeze the living space of the 206th Division soldiers, gradually compressing them together.

"Commander, most of the positions in Heluo have now been captured. The enemy only has the core bunker complex in the middle, the power plant in the west of the city, and Jiulongtai in the northeast of the city left."

"Order the howitzer battalion to concentrate firepower on the enemy's central bunker complex, first take down the 206th Division's command post, and then clear out the power plant and Kowloon Terrace."

Whether it's the power plant or Kowloon Terrace, it's best to avoid damaging them if possible.

At 5 p.m., the heavy artillery, having completed its preparations, bombarded the core fortified cluster of the 206th Division.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the infantry also launched a fierce attack simultaneously.

By 7 o'clock, the core bunker complex of the 206th Division had been reduced to just the last one, known as the 'Youth Fortress'.

Looking at the bunker that had taken two 105mm shells but still stood firmly in place, Li Chishui on the front line had a headache.

"Damn it, this bunker definitely has several underground levels, and the walls must be at least two meters thick."

21 teams have made multiple attempts, but even with demolition experts getting close enough to blow up the bunker, they have failed.

"Sweet Potato, have your battalion cease attacking!" Li Chishui ordered.

"Stop the attack?"

"Yes, I already have a plan." Li Chishui nodded.

Since the hard one is not enough, then use the soft one.

Li Chishui immediately called the headquarters.

"Hello? This is headquarters."

"Okay, okay, I'll report to the captain immediately."

"Commander, Deputy Detachment Leader Li requests the deployment of flamethrower soldiers."

All the flamethrowers that Chen Chengxing had previously seized from Guo Jun were transferred to the flamethrower company of the chemical defense battalion directly under the headquarters.

"Transfer a class to him."

Each class has three flamethrowers, which is enough for Li Chishui.

Once the flamethrower soldiers arrived, Li Chishui immediately ordered his troops to unleash full firepower to cover their advance.

Then, streams of fire continued to shoot out.

No matter how sturdy the bunkers were built by the 206th Division, they could not stop the flames from penetrating.

And once the fuel sprayed by the flamethrower gets on you, you're in for a world of hurt.

Numerous screams immediately erupted from the firing port.

Taking advantage of the enemy's preoccupation with their own problems, the assault team quickly advanced to the hidden entrance to the bunker.

With a loud explosion, the soldiers filed in.

After repeatedly trying to contact the division headquarters but failing, the power plant and the 617th and 618th Regiments of Kowloon Terrace could no longer sit still.

In the darkness, the fire dragon, which was dozens of meters long, could be seen by anyone who wasn't blind.

"Commander, what should we do? It seems the division headquarters has been taken over." Inside the power plant, the chief of staff of the 617th Regiment asked.

Flamethrowers are extremely lethal to tunnels and bunkers, especially underground fortifications like the "Youth Fortress," where even if the flames don't kill, the indestructible will suffocate.

"Keep calling, don't stop!" ordered Zhang Rongxian, commander of the 616th Regiment.

"In addition, we also called out to see if we could get in touch with the 47th Army."

"If the 47th Army can quickly provide support, then we will still have a chance."

"Yes!"

The radio operator next to him immediately picked up the microphone and made a call in plain text.

To Zhang Rongxian's delight, they quickly made contact with the 47th Army.

But the 47th Army's reply immediately followed, causing Zhang Rongxian's mood to plummet.

Urged by the General Headquarters, the 47th Army advanced to Heishiguan overnight, but after only conducting a probing attack, it took the initiative to withdraw to Gongxian.

"It's still fifty kilometers from Heishiguan to Heluo. By the time they arrive, we'll probably all be dead," the chief of staff said with a mournful face.

Fifty kilometers—even without the G Army's obstruction, the 47th Army would not have been able to arrive in time.

As for Hu Ziqi's troops, they are even further away. They haven't even reached Songyang yet, and even without any obstacles, it will take them several more days to reach Heluo.

"Damn it! The fall of Heluo and the collapse of the 206th Division are not military defeats, but a loss of morale!"

It's been two days since we discovered that the G army had surrounded us, and the reinforcements are still so slow to arrive.

Is this still a rapid deployment unit? Even old ladies can walk faster than them!

"Since we are powerless to change the course of the war, our brothers cannot die in vain."

"Chief of staff, relay my order: Lay down your weapons and surrender!"

"Yes!"

As soon as Zhang Rongxian issued the order to surrender, the atmosphere at the 617th Regiment headquarters immediately relaxed.

If you can live, no one wants to die.

Especially considering they have studied diligently for many years and are the pride of heaven, it is truly not worth it for them to have their lives taken away by a piece of metal weighing only a few grams.

Chen Chengxing naturally welcomed the 617th Regiment's voluntary surrender.

"Get the medical team on the scene immediately. Whether they are soldiers from the G Army or soldiers from the 206th Division, do everything you can to treat them."

"If we don't have enough medical supplies, we'll call the headquarters and ask Commander Chen to allocate some for us."

"Don't worry, Captain, I understand." Chu Yunfei nodded.

Of course, when relaying Chen Chengxing's orders, Chu Yunfei also specifically instructed that before treating the prisoners, they should try to find out what majors the prisoners studied.

If they are in science or engineering, they will definitely be in the first line of treatment, just like the wounded at the Second General Hospital.

If you're studying history, then you'll have to wait a little longer.

If you're involved in literature, then I'm sorry, please be at the very end of the list.

Two days later, under the strict urging of the General Headquarters, Hu Ziqi finally advanced north from Chongyang to the Heishiguan area to join forces with the 47th Army, and then the army began to launch an attack on Heishiguan.

Seeing that the siege of Dabie Mountain had been lifted, the main force of the G army did not linger in the big city of Heluo and took the initiative to withdraw south.

Guo Jun once again recaptured Heluo.

However, at this time, the battlefield situation on the Pinghan Railway and the eastern section of the Longhai Railway was very tense, and the 47th Army could only return to defend Shangdu.

Hu Ziqi also led his troops to relocate to Runan, on the one hand to ensure the defense of the southern part of the Pinghan Railway, and on the other hand to deal with the Zhongye in the Dabie Mountains.

In the end, only a fully-equipped brigade remained stationed in Heluo.

However, the day after Hu Ziqi arrived in Runan, the Second General and the D Column surrounded Heluo again.

The entire brigade left behind by Hu Ziqi was also wiped out.

However, this time the Guo army clearly learned its lesson and did not send reinforcements again.

If they really had to send brigades in one after another like that, even if Chiang Kai-shek had a large family and business empire, he couldn't handle it.

From then on, the railway connection between Guo Jun's army and Shangdu was severed, and western Henan and Taiyue became one.

At the same time, armies from the Northwest, North China, and Northeast launched successive attacks, and the Guo army was forced to retreat in defeat.

Chang Ruiyuan wanted to provide support, but the hundreds of thousands of Kuomintang troops in the Central Plains were holding back the Kuomintang mobile corps and preventing it from moving.

In May, Chen Chengxing followed Commander Chen in launching the Wanxi Campaign and captured several county towns in succession.

Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief had already arrived in Diqiu with the leaders of the East China Field Army and convened an enlarged meeting of the Front Committee to determine the latest operational objectives.

Upon receiving the telegram, Chen Chengxing began his journey towards Liancheng.

(End of this chapter)