Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 492 This is the people's order to their army
On the outskirts of Jinan, Chen Chengxing convened his last pre-battle meeting.

"The specific operational plans have already been issued, so I won't waste any more words."

"I called you here because I received a letter while I was on my way to Jinan."

"A letter from the villagers to the G army."

"The letter was very simple; it just demanded that we take revenge."

"Time is short, so I won't read it all aloud. I'll just read you a section."

Chen Chengxing remained expressionless at this moment.

He had read the letter over and over again, and each time it fueled his anger.

"The use of guillotines and live burials have become common methods used by the Kuomintang bandits."

"Some were first cut off their ears and tongues, and then buried alive."

"Some women had their hair pulled out and were then beheaded."

"In Dongzhifangzhuang, the Guo bandits set up twelve guillotines at the street corner and arrested people from each household to be beheaded."

"In Xingjiabu Village, twelve people were beheaded at once, each beheaded into three pieces."

"Of the fifteen members of the three families of the poor peasant brothers Han Zailin, fourteen were beheaded. The remaining elderly mother begged desperately to be allowed to have a descendant, but to no avail. Seeing all her grandsons beheaded, she was so grief-stricken that she hanged herself."

Chen Chengxing couldn't continue reading; he was so gripping the letter that it almost tore.

The people of Shandong have sacrificed far too much to support the CCP; they have suffered so much.

At this moment, the people sitting below were already grinding their teeth.

Luo Ping stood up and continued, "The people demand that we avenge them!"

"This is the people's order to their army!"

"To ensure victory in this battle, I command all attacking troops to advance only and never retreat. With me, there is no enemy!"

"To maximize the effectiveness of our weapons and inflict heavy casualties on the enemy."

"Fight until victory is achieved, and no one is allowed to retreat alive!"

"Did everyone hear me clearly?!" Luo Ping asked loudly.

"Understood!" the crowd shouted at the top of their lungs.

At this moment, Chen Chengxing calmed down a bit: "My order is very simple, just one word: kill!"

The crowd stood up and shouted in unison, "Kill!!"

The main forces in the eastern defense zone of Quancheng were the 73rd Reorganized Division, the 19th Brigade of the 83rd Reorganized Division, and the 6th Security Brigade.

The 6th Security Brigade was led by the local Bohai Column, while the 2nd General Team launched a frontal attack on the Yanchishan and Maolinshan positions defended by the 15th Brigade of the 73rd Division.

By this time, the soldiers of the Second General Corps already knew about the letter that the people of Shandong had written to them.

The soldiers were all burning with rage, wanting nothing more than to show the Guo bandits what it meant to be killed instantly.

At midnight, as the field headquarters issued the order for a general offensive, the artillerymen, shirtless, frantically carried shells, which rained down on the 15th Brigade's positions.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The two hilltop positions were completely covered by artillery fire.

Inside the underground command post on Maolin Mountain, Wang Jingyan, the brigade commander of the 15th Brigade of the 73rd Division, looked extremely grim as he gazed at the intense artillery fire outside.

This requires at least two or three artillery regiments to engage.

In particular, the heavy artillery used in the attack was fatal to the fortifications they had built.

Although he also had a mountain artillery battalion under his command, he dared not utter a sound under the barrage of firepower from the G army.

Half an hour later, the sound of cannon fire gradually subsided.

"Hurry! Hurry! The G army is coming! Prepare for battle!" the Nationalist officers at the front shouted repeatedly.

However, just as the Guo soldiers raised their heads to prepare to raise their guns, they heard another shriek from the sky.

"Guard against artillery fire!"
"Boom!" "Boom!"
This time, it was the heavy mortars that opened fire.

After the ground fortifications were cleared, it was the heavy mortars' turn to clear the trenches.

Due to the low hit rate, most of the shells will still fall to the ground and continue to turn the soil.

However, if even one shell lands in the trench, the hundred-meter-long Kuomintang army line will be swept away by shrapnel.

After another half hour of bombardment, the 21st and 23rd detachments launched their respective assaults on Yanchi Mountain and Maolin Mountain.

"Comrades! Kill the bandits! Avenge our fellow villagers!"

"Follow me and kill them!"
"Revenge! Kill!!"
The 73rd Division was arguably the most capable unit under Wang Yaowen's command.

Perhaps due to the relentless and desperate attacks of the various battalions, the three lines of defense at the foot of the mountain were breached in less than ten minutes.

"Damn it! How could the G army's offensive be so fierce!" Wang Jingyan put down his binoculars and wiped his eyes.

He preferred to believe he had just imagined it rather than believe reality.

After confirming several times that he hadn't misread it, Wang Jingyan immediately said anxiously:

"The supervisory team, move up! Anyone who dares to retreat without my order will be executed without mercy!"

If the decline at the front cannot be stopped, the collapsing troops may sweep across the entire Maolinshan position.

"Yes!"

The supervisory team couldn't do anything about the G army, but they had the enemy's retreating soldiers completely under their control.

Seven or eight heavy machine guns were set up there, and with a volley of bullets, the retreating soldiers were forced to turn back.

Inside the Siling Division of Quancheng, the central sand table was already covered with flags, each small red flag representing an attack position.

Looking at the sand table, Wang Yaowen asked, "Chief of Staff, what's the situation on the western front?"

The battle has just begun, and he remains confident. "Siling, Changqing in the southwest and Qihe in the northwest are in dire need of reinforcements. The G army is fighting fiercely."

What about the eastern front?

"The fighting has also begun at Yanchishan and Maolinshan on the eastern front. According to Brigade Commander Zhou's report, the G army has used a large number of artillery pieces, and our fortifications on the front have suffered heavy losses."

Seeing the fierce attack, Deputy Commander Mu Zhongyan felt a little panicked: "It's only been half an hour, and both the eastern and western fronts are in dire need of help."

"Calm down!" Wang Yaowen said solemnly.

"Changqing County is heavily guarded and will not be easy to take."

"I visited the Maolinshan position during the day. The fortifications have been completed, and holding it for ten to fifteen days should not be a problem."

Changqing County was an important position in the western defense system, while Maolin Mountain was an important position in the eastern defense system.

Semi-permanent fortifications were built on the summit of Maolin Mountain, and there were three flank bunkers on the mountainside, as well as supporting fortifications on the four surrounding high grounds.

In Wang Yaowen's view, Maolin Mountain is as solid as a rock.

Just then, a operations staff officer ran over: "Officer, we've received a telegram!"

"Changqing City is in chaos and its survival is uncertain; the garrison on the north bank of the Yellow River has abandoned the city and retreated south to the south bank of the Yellow River."

"What?! It's only been half an hour since we started firing..." Mu Zhongyan couldn't believe his ears: "Impossible, impossible, this is impossible."

"It seems the G army's main attack direction is to the west," Wang Yaowen judged.

"Qihe River is no longer important. Call Wu Shaozhou and tell him to defend Changqing County at all costs to delay the G Army's attack."

"We must hold the airport. If necessary, I will provide him with reinforcements."

"yes!".
Mu Zhongyan had just hung up the phone, and less than half an hour later, Changqing had fallen.

"Why so fast?!"

"Immediately deploy the 19th Brigade of the 83rd Division to the western suburban airport to strengthen defenses!"

Wang Yaowen's reserve forces consisted of Liu Bin's seven companies and the 19th Brigade.

As for the remaining troops, they consisted only of the Quancheng Garrison Brigade and various local militias and security regiments.

The fall of Changqing means that the G army can advance unimpeded into the area around the airport.

Therefore, Wang Yaowen had no choice but to commit his remaining mobile forces to the western front.

However, just ten minutes later, the Eastern Front also called.

"Lord Siren, the situation at Maolin Mountain is dire!" Cao Zhenze, commander of the 73rd Division, immediately reported the bad news.

"The G army has already advanced to the mountainside, and the four high grounds surrounding Maolin Mountain have also been occupied by the G army!"

"Commander Cao, you must hold on!" Wang Yaowen said immediately.
"It has now been determined that the G Army's main offensive direction is the western front. As long as you can withstand the G Army's initial attack, their subsequent efforts will inevitably be exhausted!"

Most of the G army's artillery shells were captured, and only Japanese 75mm shells could be produced in small batches. In such a large-scale battle, their artillery shells were definitely insufficient.

"Officer, the 15th Brigade is under immense pressure. Could the 19th Brigade be transferred to assist in their defense?" Cao Zhenze pleaded.
"They can be withdrawn once the situation stabilizes."

Cao Zhenze didn't know if this main attack direction was accurate, but he had a premonition that Maolin Mountain really couldn't hold out without reinforcements.

If Maolin Mountain is breached, it means the eastern front will be cut off, and he will have no choice but to abandon the position and retreat.

“I’ve already been transferred to the west of the city for the 19th Brigade, and the situation there is even more difficult.” Wang Yaowen refused without even thinking.

On the eastern front, there was only one main force, the Second General Corps, but on the western front, they faced three main columns plus two local columns.

On the western front, it was often one column that fought against one regiment of the National Revolutionary Army.

If troops aren't sent soon, the G army will be able to reach the commercial district.

Cao Zhenze was very disappointed to hear that the 19th Brigade couldn't come, but given the current situation, there was nothing he could do.

Without reinforcements, Cao Zhenze could only call the 15th Brigade and tell them to hold their ground.

However, facing the Second Division, whose fighting strength and morale had reached their peak, it was not something the Kuomintang army could simply hold out against.

The demolition team members are all incredibly brave.

Because of their low height, bunkers can effectively prevent long-range artillery fire, but they cannot withstand repeated explosions for long.

Before dawn, Yanchishan had already been captured, and only the top fortifications of Maolinshan remained to hold out.

Inside the underground command post, Wang Jingyan shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"Commander! Commander! The G Army has advanced! Send reinforcements immediately! Send reinforcements immediately!"

The fortifications at Maolin Mountain were quite well-constructed. In Wang Jingyan's words, he had never seen such complete fortifications when he fought the Japanese.

However, faced with the fierce attack of the G army, the fortifications that had been given high hopes crumbled like tofu.

"Brigade Commander Wang! You must hold on a little longer! After dawn, the planes will be able to provide support to your unit!" Cao Zhenze shouted.

Cao Zhenze had absolutely no way to help Wang Jingyan with her request for assistance.

He really couldn't send out a single soldier.

That night, the entire G army went berserk, launching wave after wave of fierce attacks without the slightest pause.

Besides Yanchishan and Maolinshan being attacked, the rest of the battlefields on the eastern front were also within the attack range of the G army.

Upon hearing Cao Zhenze tell him to hold on, Wang Jingyan was so desperate to relieve himself that he jumped up and down in the command post.

The G army's shells have already reached the door of his command post. Is it possible to just hold out like that?
After hanging up the phone, Wang Jingyan pulled out his pistol: "Brothers! We must hold on!"

"It will be dawn soon. By then, reinforcements will surely arrive!"

"Everyone, pick up your weapons and get to the front lines! Even if we die, we'll die together!"

(End of this chapter)