Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 480 Change, Change, and Change Again

As ordered, Chen Chengxing, in coordination with the East China Field Army's C and L columns, advanced from the north of Wancheng towards the northeast.

When passing through Liancheng, they only briefly mentioned it, and within a day they had completely annihilated the enemy's Independent 2nd Brigade.

The next day, the main force continued to advance towards Huaiyang, preparing to lure out a group of enemies as planned.

Qiu Feng, who was in the Guide area, was overjoyed upon learning of this situation.

After he entered the southwestern Shandong region, he couldn't find a single G army soldier and had long been getting impatient.

"Pass on my order: the troops are to immediately head south towards Huaiyang, find this group of G soldiers, and annihilate them!"

"Didn't the principal want to take prisoners? I'd like to see if 100,000 is enough."

On the plains, as soon as the G Army's tracks are discovered, the Fifth Army can catch up with them. No matter how fast two legs can run, they can't outrun mechanized troops.

Moreover, there are Hu Ziqi's troops to the south. As long as the two corps cooperate, none of the G troops in the Huaiyang area will be able to escape.

Upon learning that Qiu Feng was heading south as planned, Hua Yeye immediately led his main force across the Yellow River and into the Caozhou region.

At the same time, Nakano not only attracted the attention of Zhang Yishan and Hu Ziqi, but also took the opportunity to ambush and annihilate one of Zhang Yishan's brigades.

On the eastern battlefield, the Shandong Corps and the Northern Jiangsu Corps also launched their respective offensives against the Fenggao and Pengcheng areas.

(Pre-war arrangements; as for the garrison troops in various places, they were utterly incompetent and did not participate in the battle, so they will not be noted separately.)
Upon discovering that the main force of the East China Field Army had crossed the Yellow River to the south, and that Qiu Feng's army had also moved south, Liu Ziliang of Caozhou became fearful.

Huaye originally didn't take Liu Ziliang's two ragtag divisions seriously; as long as they didn't cause trouble, no one would bother with them.

However, Liu Ziliang didn't think so, after all, the G Army was known for bullying the weak.

Even if you were to tell him outright that the East China Field Army's target this time was the Fifth Army, he would never believe it.

While Liu Ziliang was urgently ordering all units to withdraw their forces, a telegram was sent to Pengcheng.

"Why would SY head south at this time!" Gu Mosan was shocked as he looked at the telegram.

"Commander-in-Chief, the G army has suddenly crossed the river, and our forces in the Central Plains are somewhat insufficient. If SY sets its sights on the Fourth Pacification Zone, Liu Ziliang may not be a match for them," the chief of staff analyzed.

The 55th and 68th Divisions under Liu Ziliang's command were simply not enough to feed the G Army.

"Liu Ziliang? You underestimate SY's appetite." Gu Mosan shook his head.

"Look here, and look here again."

Gu Mo pointed to the arrow indicating the location of Liancheng on the map, then to the location of Huaye that had already crossed the river, and finally to Qiu Feng's army that had already crossed the Longhai Railway.

"You mean, the G Army wants to wipe out Qiu Feng's army?!" The chief of staff looked shocked.

If we broaden our perspective, although the gaps between the G forces are enormous, they have indeed begun to show signs of a pincer movement.

"No mistake." Gu Mosan nodded: "Send an order to Qiu Feng to immediately lead the 5th Army back to Guide to assemble."

"In addition, three more divisions will be transferred from northern Jiangsu to support southwestern Shandong."

"Now that the main force of the G army has crossed the river, they can forget about leaving. I really can't find an opportunity for a decisive battle!"

"yes!".
Qiu Feng looked at the telegram from the Army Headquarters and was overjoyed.

"SY is here?"

"Okay! Okay!"

"Pass on my order: we're not going to play games with the G army in Huaiyang anymore. The troops are to head north at top speed!"

The principal's order to him was to capture SY alive; a mere Chen Chengxing and two East China Field Army corpsmen were nothing to him.

"Damn it, this Qiu Feng is really slippery." Chen Chengxing said helplessly when he learned that Qiu Feng had turned around and headed north.

If they could continue circling around Huaiyang for a few more days until the main force of the East China Field Army crossed the Longhai Railway, then the Fifth Army would be trapped like a turtle in a jar.

However, Qiu Feng has now turned north, so the plan has to be readjusted.

"Order the troops to immediately halt their advance, set up radios on the spot, and contact the corps headquarters."

"yes!".
Hanano Noji reacted extremely quickly, and the telegram was sent very soon.

"Commander-in-Chief, Chief of Staff Chen has ordered us to immediately turn north and pursue the 5th Army at a rapid march speed. The C Column and L Column will follow behind us."

After glancing at the telegram, Chen Chengxing nodded: "If we can't attack the Fifth Army from Huaiyang, we can attack it from southwestern Shandong."

"Send a telegram immediately, ordering all units to change from rear guard to front guard, march day and night, keep a close watch on Qiu Feng, and have a race against his mechanized forces!"

"yes!".
However, since they are currently in the Central Plains, Chen Chengxing can only utilize the speed boost from his infantry combat proficiency, and with only a 5% bonus, the effect is not significant.

Despite their best efforts, the Second General Corps still couldn't catch up with the Fifth Army's mechanized march.

When the main force of the East China Field Army moved south to the Taoqiu area, the vanguard of both sides had already met and exchanged fire.

Upon learning that Qiu Feng had reached a stalemate with Huaye in the Wucheng and Taoqiu areas, Gu Mosan was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Gu Mosan walked quickly to the map.

"Commander, the Fifth Army has reached a stalemate with the G Army. The G Army can't escape now," said the chief of staff beside him.

“This is a golden opportunity,” Gu Mosan nodded.

"With the Fifth Army there, the G Army's mobile warfare could not be waged, and with the Yellow River at their backs, they had nowhere to retreat."

"Once the encirclement is complete, we will surely annihilate SY in one fell swoop!" "Immediately send a telegram to the 25th, 72nd, and 83rd Divisions, instructing them to travel day and night to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible to cooperate with Qiu Feng's army group and the Fourth Pacification Zone in encircling the main force of the G army!"

"yes!".
Inside the East China Field Army headquarters, looking at the map where the Nationalist army had already adopted a posture for a decisive battle, the commander asked, "Where is the southern front army group?"

"Chen Chengxing's troops on the southern front are the fastest. They have already marched 100 kilometers and reached the Yongqiu and Xiangyi area. The C and L columns are a dozen kilometers behind the Second General Headquarters."

He measured the map with his hand and said, "The Fifth Army's mechanization speed is too fast. Chen Chengxing will need another day and a half to join the battlefield. The C Column and L Column will need at least two days."

"There's not enough time."

At this time, the Guo army had ample troops and a compact formation, making it difficult for them to create a situation where the 5th Army was isolated and deep in enemy territory.

Moreover, the 5th Army, as one of the five elite forces of the Kuomintang army, is an extremely difficult opponent to eliminate.

With insufficient and scattered troop strength, it is extremely difficult to create a good opportunity for annihilation.

Fortunately, he had always kept a backup plan when deploying his troops, so he decided to change his deployment again.

"Send another message to the southern corps, ordering them to halt their advance and remain in place."

Upon hearing the order, the deputy chief of staff said, "We've been telling them to arrive within a certain timeframe, but now they're just standing by. Shouldn't we explain this in the telegram?"

"Yes, inform them of the enemy situation here and ask for their opinions on the development of the battle. Tell them to reply as soon as possible."

"yes!".
Upon receiving the telegram, the members of the Southern Front Corps were indeed somewhat bewildered.

Even Chu Yunfei couldn't understand what this plan was.

"What's going on? We're about to engage the 5th Army, everyone's all fired up, why are we being told to stay put?"

Chen Chengxing looked at the map and laughed, "Old Chu, although the Corps Command is still a bit confused, I'm starting to understand."

Luo Ping, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Old Chen, stop keeping me in suspense."

“Look here, Bianliang,” Chen Chengxing said, pointing to the map. “What would happen if we stabbed them in the back here?”

"Bianliang? This is a major move; the Kuomintang will probably go crazy," Chu Yunfei exclaimed.

Bianliang is the capital of Henan Province. It is not only a strategic location in the Central Plains region, but also an important node on the Longhai Railway.

"It's not big, how could it mobilize the Guo army?" Chen Chengxing laughed.

"Bianliang only has three brigades, two of which are security brigades. With the strength of the Southern Front Corps, we can quickly take this piece of meat."

"Once Bianliang is liberated, it will put great political pressure on Chang Ruiyuan. There is no doubt that Old Chang will order the immediate recapture of Bianliang."

"At that time, a large number of Guo troops will be forced to advance towards Bianliang. Once the Guo troops' lines are disrupted, we will be able to seize the initiative in the battle."

Luo Ping nodded: "Yes, no matter which route the enemy reinforcements come from, we can find opportunities to annihilate them in motion."

"Old Chu, go and make preparations. Bianliang is a heavily fortified city. The better prepared we are, the more at ease we will be."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After several days of stalemate with Qiu Feng in the Wucheng area, looking at the situation map, the commander said:

"The conditions are ripe, and our contingency plan can be implemented."

"Deputy Chief of Staff, please make a note of this."

"Order the Southern Front Corps to immediately complete the encirclement of Bianliang and swiftly capture it."

"After advancing to the Bianliang area, the L column will move westward to seize Zhongmu Station and block Sun Yunliang's army group, which may be reinforcing Bianliang from Shangdu."

"Order the Nth Column to build a defensive line in the Liancheng area to block the route of the Hu Zi Qi Brigade heading north to provide support."

"The independent brigades of Hebei, Shandong and Henan, and Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu simultaneously launched attacks on the east and west Longhai Railways of Bianliang."

"The First Army Group of the East China Field Army will move to the flank and rear of the Fifth Army and the 75th Division, and take turns to block them. Then, depending on the situation, we will decide on the next target to annihilate the enemy."

"Yes!"

"Once the battle for Bianliang begins, Chang Ruiyuan will definitely mobilize troops to reinforce it frantically, and tell the Southern Army Corps that Bianliang must be taken within a week."

"Anyone who neglects their duty will be court-martialed!"

"Yes!"

"I'd like to add one more point: the T-shaped longitudinal line has also been reinforced in the direction of Bianliang."

"In addition, when sending a telegram to the Southern Front Corps, we also reported to the Central Committee and the three leaders of LCD."

"The statement is urgent and requests that there be no rush. All departments have been instructed to carry it out. Please reply here immediately if there are any further instructions."

"yes!".
Looking at the map, the commander was not at ease; the troops under his command were not yet large enough to be completely foolproof.

If the Nth column in the south cannot stop Hu Ziqi, the battle situation will change rapidly.

However, to his relief, half an hour later, Nakano Noji sent a telegram.

Commander Nakano not only agreed to the plan to attack Bianliang first, but also urgently mobilized five columns to prepare to do everything possible to block Hu Ziqi's army and Zhang Yishan's army.

At the same time, the First Column of the Central Plains also quickly advanced northward, preparing to coordinate an attack on Zhongmu Station.

"Great! With three powerful figures behind us, what can't we accomplish?"

"Pass on my order: the troops shall advance tonight!"
(End of this chapter)