Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 503 Good stuff!
While the Pengcheng General Headquarters was discussing reinforcement plans, the East China Field Army Headquarters had already deployed its forces according to the central government's instructions and the tactic of "attacking the springs and intercepting reinforcements."

Although this tactic was not used during the Battle of Quancheng, it was a move that embodied the principle of "a heavy sword has no edge, and great skill appears effortless."

It seems like an ordinary move, but it has always been able to maintain a firm grip on the initiative on the battlefield.

If the Guo army doesn't come to the rescue, then they will continue to nibble away at the besieged troops.

If the Guo army comes to the rescue, the direction of the rescue force's march can be predicted, and the G army can make preparations in advance to engage the enemy with the greatest advantage.

As per the Field Army Command's orders, the N and F columns were designated as the first blocking force, responsible for blocking reinforcements from Pengcheng.

After the Second General Corps annihilated the 44th Division, it would either join the effort to block reinforcements or participate in the siege of Nianwei, depending on the movements of the Guo army.

The B, M, and F columns of the Central Plains Army, together with the C and Liangguang columns, form a joint force to attack reinforcements from the flanks.

After annihilating the 63rd Army at Yaowan, the A Column served as the general reserve force.

The E, L, K, F, and J columns, along with the T column and the Lunan column, served as the main force for encirclement and annihilation, responsible for destroying the Seventh Army Corps.

Hundreds of thousands of troops lined up in battle formation and began to cut off the head and tail of the Seventh Army Corps.

The "head" of the Seventh Army Corps was the 44th Division, which was surrounded by Chen Chengxing.

The 44th Division was arguably the unluckiest unit in the 7th Army Corps.

They were originally a rebuilt force, and their equipment and combat effectiveness had been greatly reduced.

When the 7th Army Corps crossed the river, they were at the back, responsible for covering the main force's crossing.

However, after covering the main force, it was finally the 44th Division's turn to cross the river. The 25th Army, on high alert, blew up the bridge in advance, leaving half of the 132nd Regiment of the 44th Division on the east bank of the canal.

Liu Hesheng was furious about this. After crossing the bridge, he led his troops at breakneck speed to the front of the entire Seventh Army Corps, intending to be the first to return to Pengcheng.

As a result, because they ran the fastest, they ran right into the Second Armored Battalion.

Before Liu Hesheng could react, he was surrounded by the Second General's main force.

At the beginning, Liu Hesheng was actively organizing defenses and calling for reinforcements, intending to launch a counterattack from the center.

As a result, even after shouting himself hoarse on the walkie-talkie, Huang Huanran showed no intention of sending out a single soldier.

Without any interference from others, the Second General Headquarters launched a simultaneous attack from all four sides, and the 44th Division's positions were lost faster and faster.

"Fuck you! You beast!" Liu Hesheng shouted into the walkie-talkie.

"I've been fighting the G army so hard, and no one's coming to my rescue!"

Hearing the approaching gunfire outside, Liu Hesheng, filled with extreme resentment, shouted at everyone in the division headquarters:
"Brothers! Run for your lives! This is where I'll die!"

After saying that, Liu Hesheng pulled out his pistol and pulled the trigger on his own head.

"boom!"

Liu Hesheng collapsed to the ground.

Before he died, he was still cursing Huang Huanran and Chang Ruiyuan in his heart.

With the division commander dead, the remaining KMT soldiers naturally surrendered without resistance.

As for the tail of the Seventh Army Corps, it was the 63rd Army that was trapped in Yaowan.

Despite the 63rd Army commander's boastful words, when the fighting actually started, they couldn't even hold out for a day, and even the commander himself was shot dead in the river.

Just as the Second Column and the A Column launched their respective attacks, the main force of the East China Field Army also launched a fierce attack on Huang Huanran at Nianwei.

Upon learning that the G army's attack had begun, Qiu Feng and Li Bingwen's two corps quickly set off from Pengcheng the next day.

This time, Guo Jun adopted a determined attitude.

All the capable Guo troops from Pengcheng were dispatched, and Du Guangting personally commanded them.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Du Guangting also transferred the 74th Army from Pengcheng to reinforce Qiu Feng, serving as the general reserve force for this operation.

After Guo Jun set off, Chen Chengxing immediately received a telegram from the field headquarters.

The Second General Corps then marched 15 kilometers to join the blocking line.

The eastern part of Pengcheng has only a few hilly areas; the rest is a plain with virtually no natural defenses.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Chen Chengxing immediately convened a meeting with the commanders of each unit.

"We have been fighting the Kuomintang for more than 20 years, and now this is the final battle."

"Seeing that Huang Huanran's army was surrounded, Chang Ruiyuan ordered Qiu and Li's army in Pengcheng to fight to the death to come to the rescue."

"According to the instructions of the Central Committee, in addition to us and the N and F columns, the C column, the Guangdong and Guangxi columns, as well as the B, M, and F columns of the Central Plains Field Army will also join the battlefield."

"I know that some people think that the Second Division has high combat effectiveness and should be used for attacking strongholds, not for fighting reinforcements."

"But let me tell you! It will take two fists to eliminate Huang Huanran this time!"

"One fist is at Nianwei, and the other is right here. We can't afford to lose either one! The fist that fights the reinforcements is crucial to the overall situation!"

Hearing Chen Chengxing's words, everyone was both excited and nervous.

Although the task of intercepting reinforcements is usually undertaken by second-line troops, only units like those of Qiu Feng and Li Bingwen, who are equipped with full or partial American weaponry, can handle such main force units!

Luo Ping added, "When you go back, you must do thorough and meticulous ideological work with the commanders and soldiers."

"We must truly enhance our understanding of the significance of this battle and overcome any possible incorrect thoughts or emotions."

"yes!".
"After returning, we must repair the fortifications as quickly as possible and prepare to combine positional defense with mobile defense to block the enemy and ensure that the main force of the East China Field Army annihilates Huang Huanran."

"yes!".
Chen Chengxing knew very well that this battle was definitely not simple.

The Kuomintang army mobilized six corps, totaling nearly 200,000 men, with one or two hundred heavy artillery pieces of 105mm or larger, as well as hundreds of aircraft and dozens of tanks.

Therefore, Chen Chengxing concentrated his main forces on several strong and core positions for key defense, preparing to launch a multi-layered attack.

In addition to the 21 units reserved as core reserves, the more than 3,000 captured soldiers of the KMT's 44th Division are undergoing intensive ideological education. If the situation becomes urgent, they will also be deployed to the front lines.

Chen Chengxing even prepared their weapons, which were the ones they had previously captured.

Chen Chengxing's judgment was correct; the Nationalist army, which held an absolute advantage, launched a fierce attack from the outset.

The front-line positions were subjected to a barrage of artillery fire from the Kuomintang army.

The troops on the front lines were quickly wiped out, and then the second-line troops would immediately launch a counter-offensive.

For a time, every position on the front line changed hands repeatedly.

The fiercest battle took place between Qiu Feng and Chen Chengxing.

In order to break through the G army's defenses as quickly as possible, Qiu Feng mobilized all the heavy weapons he could muster.

Qiu Feng personally adjusted the configuration of heavy weapons, arranged artillery groups and armored formations, and coordinated air-to-air artillery cooperation with the air force commander via radio.

As the most elite 89th Division, it was naturally going to be at the forefront this time.

The commander of the 89th Division ordered the formation of a suicide squad and gave each member thirty silver dollars.

With a generous reward, brave men will surely emerge. Soon, a suicide squad of nearly a thousand men took up their attack positions.

Many of them were hot-headed young officers who didn't care much about money; some officers threw silver dollars at the second-tier soldiers like they were showering flowers on a fairy.

"Brothers, take this after the battle and buy some alcohol! We've already risked our lives, what the hell do we need money for?!"

After receiving reports from various departments that preparations were complete, Qiu Feng picked up the walkie-talkie.

"East and West Artillery Groups! Concentrate your firepower and attack their forward positions!"

"How many minutes?"

"Give me a base number first!"

Qiu Feng had figured out who was on the other side. If it were a regular G army, each cannon would only need to fire ten or eight shots to take them down.

But if it's your old nemesis, then no amount of beating is too much.

The front lines of the Second General Staff were immediately covered by artillery fire.

The continuous firing had turned the Fifth Army's cannons red-hot, but Qiu Feng showed no sign of stopping, instead constantly ordering the artillery to increase their firepower.

Seeing such intense artillery fire, Chen Chengxing's mouth watered.

"Damn it, Qiu Feng has quite the entourage. He gets protected by planes and tanks just by moving around."

“The caliber of the howitzers is getting bigger and bigger. Before, on the battlefield in eastern Henan, they were all 105mm.”

"But now, I think at least a whole artillery regiment would be needed for a 150mm howitzer."

"Hehe... Old Chen, back then you were so eager to use the Japanese infantry guns and mountain guns, but now? You wouldn't even want them if they were given to you."

"The American equipment that Guo Jun has will eventually be ours too," Luo Ping laughed. "Isn't that exactly what Chang Ruiyuan does?"

Although Qiu Feng's artillery fire was fierce, Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping were not very worried.

Knowing they were facing the Fifth Army, many of their troops retreated to the second line before the artillery barrage even began.

The troops remaining at the front also left the conspicuous bunkers and hid in the trenches to avoid artillery fire.

Therefore, although the front-line positions may appear to have been torn to pieces, the casualties were not significant.

Qiu Feng glanced at his watch; the artillery preparations had been underway for over an hour, and Chen Chengxing's forward positions had been plowed up several times.

"Chief of staff, relay my order: cease shelling in three minutes, and the suicide squad rush up and collect the corn!"

Hearing that the enemy's artillery fire had subsided, Chen Chengxing turned around and shouted, "Chief of Staff!"

"To!"

"The enemy has used up their three tricks; now it's our turn."

"Order the artillery regiment to give those bastards a good beating!"

"Smoke bomb company, prepare immediately and deploy smoke grenades according to plan!"

"yes!".
In addition to the reconnaissance company and flamethrower company, the Second General Staff's directly subordinate chemical defense battalion also has a smoke-generating company, equipped with nine 107mm chemical mortars, but they only fire smoke grenades.

Dozens of tanks from the Fifth Army charged forward.

Leading the charge were more than a dozen Sherman tanks, but the 37mm anti-tank guns at the front were barely effective against them.

Only a few scattered 57mm anti-tank guns could penetrate the frontal armor of the Sherman tank.

However, each brigade only received one or two 57mm anti-tank guns, and they didn't have many armor-piercing shells.

Therefore, as soon as the tanks approached, the smoke-generating company immediately launched smoke grenades according to the pre-marked coordinates.

Upon losing sight of the enemy, the KMT tank commander immediately shouted into the radio, "Retreat! Retreat! Beware of the KMT demolition experts approaching!"

Sherman tanks can block most of the direct fire from the G army, but if the G army chooses to approach and blow up the tanks when visibility is poor, they have no way to stop them.

When the KMT commando unit following behind the tank stopped moving, their commander immediately shouted:
"Brothers! Only about two hundred meters left!"

"The G army ahead has already been torn to shreds by the artillery regiment!"

"Everyone, follow me! Let's go harvest the corn!"

"Kill!"
"Comrades! The enemy is coming! Give them a good beating!"

"Da da da!"
Gunfire erupted on the previously silent position.

Despite the intense firepower, the Guo army's suicide squad showed no fear and continued to charge forward.

(End of this chapter)