Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 506 The advantage is mine
After some discussion, Qiu Feng and Du Guangting decided to withdraw the 32nd and 96th Divisions of the 70th Army from the main battlefield and urgently reinforce the 74th Army.

At the same time, Du Guangting also notified the Pengcheng Air Force to quickly dispatch a large number of aircraft to bomb and strafe the Danji G Army to support the operation.

On the other side, Chen Chengxing also received Xu Wu's report.

"The Guo army is plotting against us; they both want to outflank us from a distance."

"Commander-in-Chief, should we immediately allocate troops to support Unit 21?" Chu Yunfei asked.

The sudden encounter in a single episode means that the focus of both sides has shifted abruptly.

If the Guo army breaks through in a single episode, our side will be put on the defensive.

"The offensive by the Nationalist troops at the front has not slowed down, and the Second Division cannot spare any troops right now." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

Although Qiu Feng transferred two divisions from the 70th Army, he had withdrawn from the front lines where he was fighting against the Nth Column.

The Second Army Corps' attacks on the front lines of the Second General Headquarters have not diminished.

“If we don’t support the 21 teams, the pressure on them will be too great,” Chu Yunfei said seriously.

Chu Yunfei didn't even need to think; the Guo army would definitely rush to support Danji.

“I know that. Now we can only look at the Southern Front Corps.” Chen Chengxing looked at the position of the B Column on the map.

Judging from the timeline, the three columns should not be very far apart.

"Send a telegram to Wesling, requesting immediate support for this episode!"

"yes!".
A few hours later, nearly 100,000 men from the B, M, and F columns of the Nakano division were engaged in battle.

The original situation of the Guo army attacking and the G army defending immediately changed.

G Army launched repeated attacks on Danjiguo Army.

The battle, involving nearly 200,000 troops, was fierce and brutal in a small, single episode, and the fighting reached a stalemate at one point.

At this time in Nanjing, the Ministry of National Defense also convened a military conference on the decisive battle in the Central Plains, with many participants.

Chang Ruiyuan glanced at the latest battle report from the front lines that Gu Mosan had given him before sitting down.

At the meeting, the first to speak was Barr, the head of the U.S. military advisory group, who immediately launched into a barrage of criticism.

"Mr. President, gentlemen, frankly, I do not find the Department of Defense's deployment for the Battle of Pengzhou encouraging."

"A major battle is not a general campaign for a secondary objective, nor is it a probing action, but a decisive struggle in which all efforts must be made to achieve a decisive victory."

"But to what extent do the Ministry of National Defense's deployments reflect this spirit of proactive offense?"

"Nevertheless, a plan was still made, but this plan was repeatedly and arbitrarily changed!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Ruiyuan couldn't hold back any longer and took off his translation headset, throwing it onto the table.

Damn it! Who is this talking about?
Seeing Chang Ruiyuan's unfriendly expression, He Jingzhi stood up: "General Bartholomew, gentlemen, please allow me to make an explanation."

"Currently, the G army has managed to occupy my Suxian County by chance, but the overall situation has not changed."

"The Ministry of National Defense's original principles of operating within its own lines and its spirit of aggressive offense remain completely unaffected."

"Our main force is currently working to relieve the siege of Huang's army group at Pengcheng. At the same time, the three army groups on the southern front are also advancing northward at full speed in order to recapture Suxian."

"Our army will continue to focus on Pengcheng and compete with the enemy for supremacy. Our determination has never changed."

After He Jingzhi returned to his seat from in front of the map, Chang Ruiyuan stood up and walked to the map.

Everyone present immediately straightened up, ready to listen to the instructions.

“In Pengcheng, there have been more than fifty large-scale wars throughout history, the rights and wrongs of which are too complicated to discuss.”

"But historians have all noted that it was on this ancient battlefield that the rise and fall of countless dynasties were determined, hence the ancient saying of vying for the Central Plains."

Pengcheng, located at the junction of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces, has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times due to its control of the north-south passage in the Central Plains.

"Back then, the late Premier ordered the revolutionary army to converge in Pengcheng in three routes and march north."

"The day after the recapture of Pengcheng, the Qing emperor, seeing that the situation was hopeless, abdicated."

"In April of the sixteenth year of the Republic of China, it was in the suburbs of Pengcheng that I had the honor of personally leading hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers to attack the Beiyang warlords Sun and Zhang, and won a great victory!"

"I don't understand why everyone is talking about Xiang Yu being trapped at Gaixia, as if this ancient battlefield in the Central Plains is destined to be a terrible fate for us."

"Twenty years ago, I embarked on my journey from Pengcheng and began the second Northern Expedition, which brought China under the unified rule of the people."

"Wherever our party and army go, the people welcome us wholeheartedly. We have truly taken full advantage of the opportune moment. The vibrant and flourishing scene is still vivid in my mind."

"In just twenty years, this place has become our final resting place?"

Despite his repeated defeats, Chang Ruiyuan believed that as long as he could hold onto the Central Plains, he still had a chance to make a comeback.

This is also why he deployed all his main forces north of the Yangtze River.

For Chang Ruiyuan, anywhere else could be lost, but the Central Plains could not be lost.

"No matter how you look at it, the troop strength in this battle is 800,000 against 600,000, so the advantage is on our side!"

Just after Chang Ruiyuan finalized the strategy for the decisive battle in the Central Plains, Xibaipo also set out a plan to fight the Guo army in the Central Plains.

When the decisive battle meeting was held in Nanjing and Xibaipo, the fighting on the front lines was still fierce.

Just as the two sides were fiercely exchanging fire in one episode, the East China Field Army troops besieging Nianwei suspended their attack in order to adjust their deployment.

This greatly encouraged the KMT troops who had just finished their meeting, and newspapers began to proclaim it extensively.

"A great victory at Nianxu!" "After several days of holding out at Nianxu, the G Army's attack has been thwarted!"

"Huang Huanran is a true hero!"
Even Liu Jingfu, who was on the front lines in Pengcheng, believed that the current situation was very favorable.

"The G Army was cut in two by Huang Huanran's army. One part was unable to cross the canal on the east bank, and the other part was unable to retreat on the west bank. They were bombed and strafed by aircraft, suffering heavy casualties. Victory is in sight!"

An excited Chang Ruiyuan even sent a plane to airdrop a badge to Huang Huanran.

Of all the Guo army members, only Huang Huanran was confused about what had happened.

"Why did the G army suddenly stop attacking?" Huang Huanran looked at the badge that had just been airdropped into his hand, his face full of doubt.

Chief of Staff Wei Xiang said, "In the past few days, the G army's attacks have been unsuccessful, and they have suffered heavy casualties. They probably want to take a break."

"We might need to rest, but I estimate the next attack will be even more intense," Huang Huanran said.

Huang Huanran did not believe that the G army had been defeated; the temporary ceasefire was likely just a prelude to a more intense attack.

Nianxu refers to an area consisting of more than a dozen villages. To prevent flooding, the people in each village built their houses on earthen platforms about 1 meter high.

Moreover, each village has a surrounding wall, and outside the wall are many moats dug by the villagers or natural ditches.

Outside the village, the terrain is mostly flat plains, and the attackers cannot find any natural cover.

This is an area that is extremely easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Moreover, during the period when Li Bingwen's army was stationed here, they also built a large number of bunkers and field fortifications in various villages.

After Huang Huanran arrived, he quickly repaired a large number of temporary fortifications.

The natural terrain and the fortifications previously constructed by Li Bingwen greatly increased the difficulty of the East China Field Army's attack.

The villages occupied by the Guo army were relatively close to each other, allowing them to support each other and form crossfire.

Outside the village was a plain, and the attacking soldiers of the East China Field Army could only charge on the open ground, braving the enemy's powerful fire from all sides.

Huang Huanran's conjecture was correct.

The reason why the East China Field Army suspended its attack was because its previous offensive had been thwarted.

The East China Field Army was not initially prepared for a decisive battle, as the initial plan was to eliminate Huang Huanran during a campaign.

As a result, Huang Huanran suddenly stopped at Nianwei and immediately switched to defense.

The troops marched rapidly to the battlefield and, in order to catch the Guo army off guard, launched an offensive without rest.

However, at this time, a large number of heavy weapons and artillery had not yet been transported to the front line, and the soldiers could only rely on light weapons, grenades and explosives to organize assaults.

Over the course of several days, although they inflicted considerable casualties on Huang Huanran's army, annihilated most of the 100th Army, and captured several villages, their own casualties were also very high, and overall progress was slow.

In addition, there were also major problems with logistics.

With 400,000 troops advancing rapidly into the Huaibei region, logistical support could not keep up.

Therefore, in the first few days, the troops received almost no replenishment of artillery shells and food.

Especially regarding artillery shells, the two basic loads of ammunition prepared by the East China Field Army were used up in just two days.

Because subsequent supplies were delayed, the East China Field Army had to be extremely cautious when using artillery shells.

This greatly worsened the operational conditions for the assault, as there was insufficient artillery fire to suppress the enemy during the charge, allowing the defenders to fire indiscriminately.

This also applies to the blocking lines.

In the early stages, the Second Artillery Regiment fought back and forth with Qiu Feng, and repeatedly supported the front-line troops in their counter-offensives.

However, in the later stages, each unit organized its own artillery counterattacks, and the artillery regiments only opened fire to provide support when necessary.

Seeing that the attack was not going well, Huaye Yesi hurriedly moved the command post to Manshan, which was less than five kilometers away from Nianwei.

However, before they could even settle in, they received another telegram from the Central Committee.

The central command was worried that the command post was too far forward, so they ordered them to retreat another five kilometers.

The Central Committee knew that this was a critical moment, so it immediately sent telegrams to the East China Bureau and the Central Plains Bureau.

"This battle is an unprecedented large-scale battle on our southern front, and it may last for about two months. The number of wounded may exceed 100,000, and the need for ammunition and civilian laborers is enormous. Please, East China Bureau and Central Plains Bureau, organize support efforts with all your might."

This was an extremely important telegram. The Central Committee provided timely support, which calmed the discouragement caused by the unfavorable offensive and greatly boosted the morale of the East China Field Army.

After the command post stabilized, the field headquarters immediately ordered all units to temporarily cease their offensive and convened the column commanders who were besieging Huang Huanran to discuss countermeasures.

After a night of meetings, Noji made new arrangements.

All troops immediately switched from field attacks to close-quarters operations, which involved digging trenches.

As long as the communication trenches are dug 30 to 50 meters in front of the enemy's position, the attacking troops can leap directly out of the trenches and charge.

This minimizes the time that attacking forces spend exposed in open, unprotected areas.

The sounds of gunfire around the mill suddenly ceased, replaced by the sounds of people digging with all their might.

Each column worked day and night, and the trenches continued to extend forward.

The Guo army could hear the voices of the East China Field Army soldiers, but they were completely helpless and could only watch the trench approach inch by inch.

Moreover, just as each column was digging, the T column also arrived at the battlefield, and the artillery regiment and tank regiment were all ready.

Once the trenches are dug, they will launch a fierce attack to annihilate Huang Huanran's army.

(End of this chapter)