Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 507 Great Victory
"Commander-in-Chief, we have received orders from the Field Headquarters." Chu Yunfei handed a telegram to Chen Chengxing.

"The field commander ordered us to retreat to the second-line blocking position."

"I understand. Let's proceed according to plan." Chen Chengxing nodded.

The decision to retreat had been made long ago.

Chen Chengxing had already made preparations, and the engineering regiment had already built positions in the Xiaowangzhuang, Yongxingzhuang, and Daxuzhuang areas.

Following Chen Chengxing's orders, the Second Division began to retreat step by step as planned, making it appear as if the Kuomintang army had broken through their positions layer by layer.

But at this moment, as Du Guangting looked at the reports of victory sent by various departments, his mood grew heavier and heavier.

Now he only has two paths before him: either continue to press forward with his troops, or abandon Huang Huanran.

However, with over 100,000 troops in a single episode, if he dared to launch a large-scale attack, Qiu and Li's corps would likely be surrounded by the G army.

After thinking for a long time, Du Guangting still dared not let his troops advance directly.

Du Guangting gave orders to Qiu Feng and Li Bingwen to adjust their formation and adopt a cone-shaped tactic.

The main force withdrew from the front line, with a large force ensuring the safety of the rear.

Only a small number of troops were sent to the front line to participate in the attack, and the further away from Pengcheng, the fewer troops were involved in the attack.

The entire unit formed a cone shape.

The all-out offensive of Qiu and Li's corps could not break through the blocking line, and the spike tactic was even more impossible.

Therefore, from the moment the G army began its voluntary withdrawal, the Qiu and Li corps' offensive had already become a complete exhibition match.

The Guo army's attack was not to rescue Huang Huanran, but to put on a show for Nanjing.

Two days later, facing Du Guangting's spear-like tactics, the attacking troops of Shanji were unable to break through the Guo army's lines and had no choice but to retreat and seek another opportunity to fight.

On the front lines, Qiu Feng looked at the G Army's positions, which remained steadfast despite being bombarded by planes and artillery, and felt somewhat helpless.

Chief of Staff Li Hanping, who was standing nearby, said, "Commander, it seems that the offensive is not making much progress."

Previously, the Fifth Army's all-out attack, though slow, was still able to advance. Now, the spike tactic shows no sign of progress at all.

"Hmph! Chief Liu is a coward! All he knows is to play it safe!"

"If we had followed Deputy Commander Du's idea, we would have already contained the six columns in the Central Plains! Why would we be dawdling here!"

If we can hold off the Central Plains G Army, not only will Suxian County not be lost, but we can also gain the initiative on the Central Plains battlefield.

"Did you get through to the 74th Army?" Qiu Feng asked.

Their cone-shaped tactics mean they currently lack offensive capabilities; to defeat the G army, they must outflank it from behind.

"Not yet." Li Hanping shook his head.

Although the G army on the front was retreating step by step, their offensive was still very fierce, and their artillery fire was much stronger than it had been two days ago.

"Damn it! Tell the communications chief that if we can't get through to him in ten minutes, I'm going to smash his sandbox!"

The radio communication opportunities were being monitored by the G army, and the interference was also very severe. Furthermore, the telegraph could not achieve complex inter-unit coordination and command.

The only way for Qiu Feng to know the situation of each episode in real time and give specific instructions is by phone.

Upon learning that Qiu Feng was already furious, the communications director of the Second Army Corps dared not say anything more and sent out all the communications soldiers in the communications department.

He also strictly ordered that the telephone line must be connected.

The KMT soldiers in the communications department braved the constant barrage of artillery shells as they traversed the battlefield, trying to find the severed telephone lines.

The communications troops suffered heavy casualties under the continuous artillery fire.

In the end, only one communications soldier, dragging his wounded body, found the blown-off spot and completed the reconnection task.

"Sir! Communication with the 74th Army has been established! The 74th Army has an important enemy intelligence report!"

Qiu Feng grabbed the phone: "This is Qiu Feng!"

"Reporting to Officer Qiu! The G Army has completely retreated!"

"Are you absolutely sure?!" Qiu Feng was overjoyed.

"It has been confirmed that all G troops from several directions have withdrawn from the battle!"

"Alright!" Qiu Feng immediately ordered, "Listen up, use armored vehicles as cover and pursue them!"

"Attention! Don't extend your reach too far. Quickly retract it after a certain distance and disengage from the battle."

"yes!".
After pursuing them for several miles, the 74th Army did not encounter the retreating G Army, nor did they continue the pursuit.

If they venture too far into enemy territory alone, they will be wiped out by the G army without a doubt.

Upon confirming the retreat of the G army, Qiu Feng immediately sent a telegram to Nanjing to report the victory.

"Great news, Chairman! Qiu Siling called to say that they have defeated the enemy forces blocking their way and annihilated over 200,000 G troops!"

Upon hearing that they had defeated the G army on the front lines and eliminated more than 200,000 men, Chang Ruiyuan was overjoyed.

"Excellent! Qiu Feng truly deserves to be called a pillar of the Party and the nation!"

Chang Ruiyuan was so excited he couldn't sit still and paced back and forth in the room.

"I want to award Qiu Feng the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun! And I also want to reward him with 200,000!"

"Oh, and the Pengcheng Guo Army troops will also receive a reward of one million!" Chang Ruiyuan chose to lavishly spend money.

Seeing the extremely excited Chang Ruiyuan, Gu Mosan asked, "Chairman, what about the list of battle merits that Qiu Siling submitted?"

"Check it over, and once it's confirmed to be correct, reward those who have made contributions immediately!" Chang Ruiyuan affirmed.

Now is the time when soldiers need to risk their lives, and credit must be awarded promptly, the sooner the better.

"Mo San, organize a consolation team to go to Pengcheng with the medal-awarding team. We must give the soldiers at the front a good boost!" He had been waiting for this great victory for far too long.

"yes!".
In order to maximize the morale of the party and the country, the Ministry of National Defense simply announced that Huang Huanran had joined forces with Qiu Feng.

Liu Jingfu was overjoyed and danced with glee. He ordered every household in Pengcheng to set off firecrackers to celebrate, and at the same time reported the victory to the other provincial governments of the Khoshut Party.

For a time, the entire Kuomintang was immersed in a sea of ​​joy.

After Qiu Feng received the Order of the Blue Sky and White Sun, he went to the front lines in a showy manner.

"Director Ma, what was the name of that soldier who connected the phone line earlier?"

“Ding Xiaoer,” Li Hanping immediately added from the side.

"Ah, yes, yes, Ding Xiao'er!"

"Inform him that the Chairman has sent someone over to award him a medal tomorrow."

"Find him a new outfit, make sure he looks presentable, we'll be taking pictures later."

Upon hearing Qiu Feng's words, the communications director opened his mouth but remained silent.

"What's going on? Are you deaf?!" Qiu Feng said, displeased.

The communications director gritted his teeth and said, "Officer Qiu, Ding Xiao'er is dead."

"Dead? The battle was over, how did he die?!"

When he reported his military achievements, Ding Xiao'er was still alive and kicking. He hadn't been fighting, so how could he have died?

"Yesterday I assigned him a task, but he refused to carry it out, so I ordered him to be buried alive."

The reason Ding Xiaoer was buried alive was simply because he talked back, and the communications director, envious of his achievements, found an excuse to order Ding Xiaoer to be buried alive.

"You son of a bitch! Ding Xiaoer was a hero! You just buried him alive like that?!" Qiu Feng roared.

Qiu Feng was well aware of the internal situation of the Guo Army, but you should consider the timing before burying them alive.

"Since you buried him alive, then you figure out a way to save him!"

"No matter what, Ding Xiaoer must be present at the medal award ceremony tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

After Qiu Feng left, the officer next to him said with a headache, "Chief, Ding Xiao'er is as dead as can be. We can't just dig him out and carry him to the scene, can we?"

"Hmph! Commander Qiu only said that Ding Xiaoer should be present, he didn't say which Ding Xiaoer!"

"Just find someone trustworthy to impersonate Ding Xiaoer and award the medal."

The communications director knew very well that the KMT only needed one role model, and it didn't matter whether that person was Ding Xiao Er or Ding Xiao San.

As long as you shoulder this responsibility, there won't be any problems.

At worst, we can report the person who awarded the medal as having died in battle.

Just as the Kuomintang news agency was broadcasting news of the great victory on a loop every day, the Central Committee also received a telegram from the East China Field Army.

In recent days, apart from launching fierce attacks with small detachments, the main force of Qiu and Li's army groups has not dared to advance rashly, and there is no longer any obstacle to annihilating Huang Huanran's army group.

The central government understood that if the frontline staff said there were no problems, then the problems were probably minor.

However, the Central Committee did not celebrate this small victory, but instead began to consider the next operational plan.

The capture of Suxian by the Central Plains Field Army not only signifies the formal completion of the encirclement of the Pengcheng Guo Army, but also marks the first time that the Central Plains Field Army and the East China Field Army have entered the same battlefield.

The cooperation between the two field armies is crucial to taking the next step well.

Moreover, given the limited resources in the liberated areas, ensuring the logistics of both field armies simultaneously was a huge challenge.

According to the Central Committee's estimates, the Central Plains and East China armies would be fighting in the current area for three to five months, and the number of people to be fed, including prisoners of war, would reach about 800,000.

Although it had been previously designated that the battle would be under the unified command of LCD, in the face of such an unprecedented decisive battle, it was imperative to make long-term plans.

The Central Plains battlefield needs a more powerful command structure.

On November 16, the Central Committee made a decision, and the General Front Committee of the Huaihai Campaign was established.

At Nianwei, Huang Huanran looked at the leaflets being dropped from the transport plane and was somewhat speechless.

The 7th Army Corps has suffered heavy casualties and needs reinforcements, not just messages.

"Lord Siren." Chief of Staff Wei Xiang also climbed onto the roof.

"These are newspapers dropped from the plane."

"Let me see." Huang Huanran reached out and took it.

"Hmph! This madman Qiu, what false report of a great victory at Xudong, annihilating 200,000 enemy troops?"

"But they're right here, so close to us, and they just won't come any closer!"

Nianwei is only 50 kilometers away from Pengcheng. If Qiu Feng advances 25 kilometers, his artillery can hit the G army.

Now that we have achieved a great victory and annihilated the G army, why don't you come over here?

Wei Xiang was helpless in the face of Huang Huanran's complaints; the main reinforcement force simply wouldn't budge, and there was nothing anyone could do.

"Officer, a telegram from Pengcheng: the 12th Army Corps is crossing the Wo River and accelerating its advance towards Suxian County."

"Sigh," Huang Huanran sighed, "It seems that we can only rely on Huang Peiwu, that bookworm, now."

At this time, Huang Peiwu was leading the Twelfth Army Corps rapidly towards Suxian County.

(End of this chapter)