Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 514 Urgent Recruitment to the Capital
Wang Bin had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Guo army pausing their attack, but what he saw next made his face turn deathly pale.

"Sun Yunliang really has the nerve to hold back, only bringing out the tanks now!"

Five tanks emerged from the KMT positions, providing cover for a KMT unit as it advanced toward the flank of Lijiazhai.

Sun Yunliang unleashed his last trump card, which was also his last remaining mobile force.

Guo Jun was preparing to outflank Li Jiazhai from the flank and encircle the immobilized P-puppet from behind.

At this point, P Zong had exhausted his last bit of strength, and Wang Bin didn't even have a single person left to mobilize.

The soldiers could only silently grip their weapons and watch helplessly as the tanks and the Nationalist army continued to advance.

Once this force gets around to the back of the village, and is attacked from both sides, the entire P column will likely be wiped out here.

Just as everyone gritted their teeth and prepared to fight to the death, the advancing Guo army was suddenly subjected to fierce firepower.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
"Da da da"

"G army reinforcements have arrived!" Some sharp-eyed KMT soldiers had already spotted the G army troops charging forward in the distance.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The Guo army, suddenly attacked, immediately turned around and ran back.

Although they had tanks to support them, their forces numbered only a little over a thousand, making it impossible for them to engage in open field battles with a large number of G troops.

Moreover, while mortar shells and machine gun bullets cannot cause fatal damage to tanks, they are very effective against infantrymen operating in tank formations.

Seeing the retreating Guo army and the approaching friendly forces, Wang Bin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately leaned against the trench.

If it weren't for the quick reflexes of the guard next to him, he might have ended up sitting on the ground.

At this moment, the chief of staff walked over: "Sir, it's the 21st Detachment of the Second General Staff."

Wang Bin took a few breaths, stood up, and patted the dirt off his clothes: "Let's go greet them."

Upon seeing Xu Wu, Wang Bin immediately grabbed his hand: "You came just in time, just in time!"

Wang Bin almost cried as he spoke.

After this battle, P has completely lost its fighting capacity and it will be impossible for it to recover without several months of rest and replenishment.

"Wang Siling, the Field Command has ordered us to take over the position. The P column can retreat and rest."

With wartime underway, the two of them wouldn't have much time for idle chatter.

The 21 units have already moved into their positions.

Chen Chengxing sensed something was wrong as early as when Qiu Feng suddenly withdrew the 74th Army.

Under Chen Chengxing's orders, the 21st Detachment followed the 74th Army wherever it went.

Halfway there, the 21st brigade received an urgent order from the field headquarters, and they changed direction and marched rapidly towards Lijiazhai.

Xu Wu led ten infantry battalions and rushed towards this place at top speed, just in time to catch up with the last moment before the position was lost.

The recent barrage of firepower consisted only of small-caliber mortars; anti-tank guns and mountain guns hadn't even caught up yet.

"The position is now in your hands." Wang Bin didn't stand on ceremony and quickly led P column out of the position.

P is truly unable to fight anymore; they don't even have enough people to carry the wounded.

After taking over the position, Xu Wu did not waste time waiting for the two infantry battalions and three artillery battalions behind him. Instead, he quickly assembled the artillery companies of each battalion to form two mortar groups, one in the east and one in the west.

"fire!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
A large number of 82mm mortar shells flew toward the Khoshut army's position.

After a few minutes of rapid firing, the mortar barrel began to heat up.

"Stop shooting!"

"First Battalion, Second Battalion, Third Battalion, attack immediately!"

"Kill!"
The counterattack by 21 units caught Sun Yunliang off guard.

Sun Yunliang's troops, who were already exhausted, were forced to retreat repeatedly.

The front lines that Sun Yunliang had previously occupied were also regained.

By the time Sun Yunliang had reorganized his troops and was preparing for another desperate attack, 21 more heavy weapons units had arrived.

Sun Yunliang attacked desperately for a day, but not only did he make no progress, he was also dealt a heavy blow by the heavy mortar battalion that suddenly opened fire.

"It's over! It's over!" Seeing that he couldn't break the deadlock no matter what, Sun Yunliang was completely drained of energy and sat in his chair, sighing repeatedly.

He fought against the G army's second-line force of five or six thousand men for two or three days.

Now, with over 10,000 G-force main force troops, it's impossible for him to break through the frontal defenses.

"Officer, as far as I know, the Second Army Corps in the east has also failed to break through the G Army's blockade."

"The Ministry of National Defense's north-south expansion plan is likely to fail." Chief of Staff Qi Liangcai's face was also very grim.

Their sudden attack failed to break through the G army's position, and once the G army reacted, it became even less likely for them to succeed.

Now the northern front is firmly blocked by the East China Army, and the main force of Huang Peiwu's army in the south has also been surrounded by the Central Plains Army.

As for Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang, who were left behind, they also faced three columns of the G Army.

Most importantly, of the five armies in Li and Liu's army group, only two were on the front line in Guzhen, while the rest of the troops were still stationary dozens of kilometers behind.

If you want them to put in the effort to break through the G army's defenses, you might as well hope a meteorite falls from the sky and crushes the G army.

"Alas, now we can only wait and see what choices the gentlemen of Jinling make," Sun Yunliang sighed.

Plans can't keep up with changes, but Sun Yunliang really didn't have any hope for Nanjing's ability to adapt.

Just as the Central Plains Field Army adopted the tactics of the East China Field Army to encircle and annihilate Huang Huanran, it dug extensive trenches on the plains to prepare for a long-term offensive.

Du Guangting, who had received Chang Ruiyuan's telegram, had already landed at Jinling Airport.

As soon as he got off the plane, Du Guangting saw Gu Mosan waiting for him.

"General Manager."

"Guangting, you've worked hard."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Gu Mosan led Du Guangting into the car.

On the way, Du Guangting asked, "Chief, what urgent matter brings you to Beijing?"

Gu Mosan did not answer directly, but asked, "Guangting, the plan to advance from the north and south is making no progress, and Huang Peiwu is being surrounded more and more tightly. Do you have any ideas?"

After thinking for a moment, Du Guangting said, "The two sides have now reached a decisive battle line along the Jinpu Railway."

"If we still want to rescue Huang Peiwu, we must mobilize all the forces that the Guo Army can muster and fight a decisive battle with the G Army in the Central Plains."

"As long as we win this decisive battle, the Party and the country will still have a chance."

Du Guangting knew in his heart that after the defeat in the decisive battle in Northeast China, the Kuomintang would no longer be able to control the entire country.

But if the Kuomintang wins the decisive battle in the Central Plains, it will still have a chance to turn things around. Currently, the United States and the Soviet Union are locked in a power struggle in Europe and cannot attend to the situation in Asia.

However, if the Kuomintang can stall for a year or two, and the attention of both countries shifts to Asia, the Kuomintang can, under the influence of both countries, divide the country with the Communist Party of China.

Du Guangting was well aware that the Western powers had never wanted to see this continent effectively unified.

This can be seen from the warlord conflicts in the early years of the Republic of China.

Even now, the United States is supporting the Guangxi clique while simultaneously supporting the Central Army.

What are they fighting for? Boundless love?

When Gu Mosan heard Du Guangting say that he would mobilize all the forces of the Guo Army to fight a decisive battle against the G Army, his face immediately showed reluctance.

"The old man also has difficulties. He has tried everything, but he can't even mobilize a single army."

"Now that the old man intends to abandon Pengcheng, do you think we can withdraw safely?" Gu Mosan asked helplessly.

Chang Ruiyuan had indeed tried every possible method.

The troops in North China and Northwest China are already finding it very difficult to deal with the G army in front of them, let alone the fact that the distant water cannot quench the immediate thirst.

At this point, Chang Ruiyuan's only hope was to mobilize Bai Jiansheng's troops in Hankou.

However, Bai Jiansheng's attitude was very clear: he did not intend to send a single division.

In Bai Jiansheng's words: What does Chang Ruiyuan's fighting have to do with me? If you win, won't the world still be yours? During the Northern Expedition, didn't I win many battles? And what was the result?

In the end, Chang Ruiyuan had no choice but to call Bai Jiansheng himself, and the two ended up arguing on the phone for half an hour.

Chang Ruiyuan tried every means possible, but he could only get Bai Jiansheng to reluctantly send the 20th Army slowly to the Central Plains battlefield.

The troops that could only travel two miles in a day were the only reinforcements Chang Ruiyuan could muster.

There was nothing Bai Jiansheng could do; he was simply too afraid of being tricked by Chang Ruiyuan.

Over the years, apart from the Central Army, no other unit has ever fared well on the battlefield.

If there are no major losses, that's fine; at most, it's just a minor skirmish. But if the entire army is wiped out, forget about replenishment; they might even cancel your unit designation.

Du Guangting was genuinely surprised to hear Gu Mosan say that he wanted to give up Pengcheng.

"What?! The life and death of an army can be so casually decided?"

Seeing Du Guangting's shocked expression, Gu Mosan explained:
"Huang Peiwu is trapped and difficult to rescue. It would be disadvantageous for Pengcheng to remain in this stalemate. We have no choice but to take the initiative to retreat and plan to fight again later."

Du Guangting still couldn't accept it: "Abandoning a fortified city and leaving me helpless is tantamount to courting death."

Gu Mosan was helpless in the face of Du Guangting's dissatisfaction. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

Du Guangting and Gu Mosan fell silent, while Chang Ruiyuan, who was waiting, was furious.

"Damn it! This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

The conversation between Gu Mosan and Du Guangting had already been reported to Chang Ruiyuan by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

"Tell him to wait!"

Even though Du Guangting had already arrived at the Ministry of National Defense and time was of the essence, Chang Ruiyuan still chose to leave Du Guangting there to wait.

It wasn't until evening that Chang Ruiyuan arrived at the Ministry of National Defense as if nothing had happened and summoned Du Guangting.

"headmaster!"

"Guangting, when did you arrive?"

"I arrived at noon." Although Du Guangting was full of complaints, he dared not express them at this moment.

"Sit down, sit down." Chang Ruiyuan's face was full of kindness and friendliness.

"Guangting, isn't today your 44th birthday?"

"I invited you here especially to celebrate your birthday. We have to fight the war, but we also have to celebrate your birthday."

"And your mother, she's eight years older than me. The day after tomorrow is her seventieth birthday, am I remembering correctly?"

"Principal, do you remember my mother's birthday?"

When he was told it was his birthday before, Du Guangting wasn't particularly moved, but when it came to his mother's birthday, he was indeed quite touched.

"Guangting, you are my beloved general. How could I forget your mother's birthday?"

"After your birthday, go to Shanghai to plan your mother's birthday celebration."

"We must make this a grand and lively event to make her happy."

"Principal, the situation in Pengcheng is critical, I cannot go to Shanghai."

"Alright, please have your wife handle it." Chang Ruiyuan nodded.

He was just saying that casually; if Du Guangting actually goes, he'll smooth things over.

Chang Ruiyuan turned to his eldest son and instructed him, "Jianfeng, you represent me and your mother to wish the old man a happy birthday."

"Yes."

Prepare a birthday gift of 100,000 silver dollars.

"Yes."

After Chang Ruiyuan delivered a series of punches, Du Guangting was almost moved to tears.

At this point, what's the point of courting death? Even if it's a dead end, I have to lead the troops out!

Du Guangting immediately stood up: "Principal, I will definitely evacuate Pengcheng safely!"

"However, I have something to say, and I hope the principal will consider it."

"Speak."

“Principal, withdrawing from Pengcheng isn’t a big problem, but we must make a firm decision.”

"If we want to abandon Pengcheng, we cannot linger in battle; if we want to linger in battle, we cannot abandon Pengcheng."

“Alright, you will be in charge of this retreat!” Chang Ruiyuan agreed without hesitation.

What he wanted was to withdraw those 300,000 elite troops.

As long as the troops can return, he still has cards to play; if the troops can't return, he can't even suppress Li Delin.

"You and Mo San will discuss the specific plan. Madam's plane is about to take off, and I need to see her off."

With the fighting so fierce in the Central Plains, Chang Ruiyuan urgently needed military aid from the United States; weapons, funds, and a team of military advisors were all things he desperately needed.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)