Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 521 The Young Master Oversees the Battle
They learned that neither the North nor South was making any progress in supporting Huang Peiwu's army, and that the G army's attacks had not stopped.

Chang Ruiyuan in Jinling was in a state of great anxiety.

That evening, Chang Ruiyuan was in the living room, staring at a map and racking his brains for a way to defeat the enemy, when he suddenly heard a loud knocking on the door.

Chang Ruiyuan, his train of thought interrupted, turned to the door and shouted angrily, "I'm sleeping!"

“Father, it’s me, Kenho.”

Upon hearing that it was his second son, Chang Ruiyuan suppressed his anger, put on his bathrobe, and called him in.

Chang Jianhao and his wife walked in.

"Jingyi's here too." Chang Ruiyuan smiled. "Sorry, I didn't change my clothes."

"Have a seat," Chang Ruiyuan said, pointing to the sofa not far away.

Seeing Chang Jianhao sitting down in a serious manner, Chang Ruiyuan also walked over.

“Kengo, this is at home, not at your Munich Military Academy. You don’t need to strictly adhere to military etiquette.”

"No, Father is not only my father, but also my supreme commander."

Chang Jianhao attended the Munich Military Academy and served in the German army, participating in the Blitzkrieg against Poland.

He only returned to China after relations between China and Germany soured.

Therefore, Chang Jianhao was deeply influenced by the German military style.

Seeing that Chang Jianhao was still sitting upright, Chang Ruiyuan didn't say anything more, but instead asked, "How are you feeling?"

"very good!"

At this moment, Shi Jingyi suddenly spoke up:

“Father, Jianhao has kidney problems. I want him to go to the hospital for a diagnosis while we’re back in Nanjing.”

Shi Jingyi's sudden interruption made Chang Jianhao feel embarrassed.

Even if you say my head is gone, just focus on my kidneys!

"Impossible! I'm perfectly healthy. I've finished reporting to my father and will return tomorrow!"

According to Chang Ruiyuan's previous arrangements, he was to lead the 2nd Tank Regiment to Zhucheng to participate in the battle.

Upon hearing that Chang Jianhao was going to give a report, Chang Ruiyuan didn't care much about the kidney issue and gestured, "What do you want to say? Say it now."

Chang Jianhao's expression turned serious, and he straightened his back: "In Jianhao's view, the repeated defeats on the Central Plains front are all due to the poor command at the front!"

"The president has repeatedly reprimanded Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang's two army corps for rescuing Huang Peiwu, but they have taken one step forward and two steps back, shrinking back in fear!"

"Liu Jingfu was stationed in Zhucheng, but he was helpless against them!"

"This General Liu, known as the 'Lucky General,' is nothing but a synonym for mediocrity and incompetence!"

Chang Ruiyuan became furious as Chang Jianhao grew increasingly agitated.

Are you slapping Liu Jingfu in the face? You're clearly slapping my butt!

Chang Ruiyuan slammed his hand on the table, interrupting Chang Jianhao.

"Colonel Chang Jianhao!"

Chang Jianhao instinctively stood up at attention.

"You can't just talk about a highly decorated army general like that!"

"Yes!"

Chang Ruiyuan felt somewhat helpless looking at Chang Jianhao, who still looked unconvinced.

They were still young and didn't know what the world of martial arts was like.

“Jianhao, the current situation is unfavorable. I can no longer just blame them; I need to reach out to them.”

The main force of the Guo army has been exhausted, and the high-ranking generals have either died or been captured.

He needs someone to help him maintain order.

Otherwise, he would have fallen even before the G army arrived.

Once Li Delin of the Guangxi clique seizes power, the fate of those miscellaneous troops will be the same as their own.

At that time, not only he himself, but also the four families surrounding him will probably suffer a great loss.

Chang Ruiyuan knew very well how they made their fortune.

"In the struggle for supremacy in the Central Plains, we must continue to maneuver no matter what."

Even though Chang Ruiyuan was saying this to Chang Jianhao, he was also saying it to himself.

"As the chief of staff of the armored corps, is all you think about is reporting to me how the front-line troops are not doing well in battle?"

"Father! Jianhao understands!"

Chang Ruiyuan patted Chang Jianhao on the shoulder and said nothing more.

He only hoped that Chang Jianhao's arrival at the front lines would change the course of the battle.

If Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang can break through the G army's defenses, the situation in the Central Plains can be reversed immediately.

On the southern front at Zhucheng, the highest-ranking military commander in history, Chang Ruiyuan's son, Chang Jianhao, arrived.

"Oh no! Another war is about to break out!"

Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang both let out a wail in unison.

"Brother Li, what are your plans?" Liu Ziliang asked.

"Plans? We'd better adjust our offensive strategy as soon as possible!"

"Ugh"

The two were quite helpless, but there was nothing they could do about it now.

Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang, who originally planned to be passive observers throughout the game, quickly adjusted their offensive strategy.

Chang Jianhao's arrival was almost the same as Chang Ruiyuan's personal visit. Who would dare to blatantly slack off at this time?

However, what they didn't expect was that their misfortune was yet to come.

Upon arriving at the front lines, Chang Jianhao immediately located the two men.

"Armored Corps Chief of Staff Chang Jianhao!" Chang Jianhao snapped to attention with a standard military salute.

"Chief of Staff Chang, please sit down, please sit down," Liu Ziliang said with a smile.

Chang Jianhao is a colonel, but the two of them can't really treat him like one.

"Chief of Staff Chang, now that you're here, please assist the two of us at the command post. You can review all the reports below."

"Li Siling, Liu Siling, I've brought the 2nd Tank Regiment with me this time, a total of seventy-two Sherman tanks." "I plan to personally lead them to the front lines to assist the various units in combat!"

Since Chang Jianhao was already there, he had no intention of sitting in the back and watching.

If he had stayed at the command post, there would have been no need for him to come.

When Li Yishou heard that Chang Jianhao was going to personally lead the tanks to the front lines, his face turned green.

Right now, his troops are at the forefront. If Chang Jianhao goes to the front line, he will definitely be in his troops.

If everything goes smoothly, that's fine, but if something goes wrong, not to mention whether you die or not, even if you lose a finger, you'll lose your head.

"Second Young Master, a person of noble birth should not sit under a dangerous roof."

"If you go to the front lines, it might attract the attention of the G army, which could actually hinder the operation!"

“Li Siling, I am the chief of staff of the armored forces. No one understands tank blitzkrieg better than me.”

"With the combat strength of the 2nd Tank Regiment, it is absolutely possible to quickly break through the G Army's defenses."

"If the soldiers of the 6th Army Corps coordinate well, they will outflank and block the G Army's blocking forces, thus changing the course of the war in the Central Plains!"

"Impossible, impossible!" Li Yishou shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Second Young Master, none of the soldiers in the 6th Army Corps have ever been involved in combined arms operations. In the past, there have even been several incidents of people being crushed to death."

"Your blitzkrieg with your tank regiment might succeed, but if the infantry can't keep up in time, the tank regiment will be surrounded by the G army."

"Once the tank regiment is surrounded by the G army, the danger will be great."

It was common knowledge that the G Army possessed rocket launchers, and Chang Jianhao was naturally well aware of this.

Upon hearing that the infantry couldn't keep up, Chang Jianhao realized that both Li Yishou's and Liu Ziliang's corps were ragtag troops.

They had never even seen a few trucks before, let alone tanks.

They probably had never even heard of such a sophisticated tactic as combined arms warfare.

“In that case, I’ll go to the forward command post and be in charge of coordinating the tank regiment’s attack.” Chang Jianhao took a step back.

Looking at Chang Jianhao's serious face, Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang exchanged glances, feeling like their heads were about to explode.

They're really not easy to fool!

Soon, the Huaye K column, responsible for blocking the enemy, felt the power of the young master's command.

Li Yishou and Liu Ziliang's combined forces of 100,000 men were all advanced to the front lines.

With Chang Jianhao personally directing the tank regiment to clear the way, the lightly armed K column simply couldn't withstand the onslaught.

Left with no other choice, the K column abandoned several positions in succession, regrouped its previously scattered troops, and focused on defending key positions.

Upon learning that the K column was under increased pressure, Nakano reacted immediately by withdrawing his B column from the attack on Huang Peiwu to urgently support the southern blocking position.

As reinforcements arrived, the blocking forces also began to set up blocking positions against the tank units.

Soon, Chang Jianhao's tanks began to be destroyed one after another.

The blocking forces finally regained their footing.

Seeing that progress was not going well, Chang Jianhao repeatedly ordered the Guo army to launch a desperate attack.

Under his strict orders, there were sometimes more than twenty attacks in a single day.

This high-intensity, relentless attack, day and night, was difficult for the G army's blocking forces, but even more so for the KMT troops on the front lines.

After all, the G army was on the defensive, while the KMT army was on the offensive.

In just three days, the Guo army had suffered over 10,000 casualties.

Everyone on the front lines of the Guo Army grew increasingly disgusted with this spoiled brat who sold off his family's land without a care in the world.

This aversion quickly reached its peak.

Chang Jianhao received a call from the commander of the tank regiment.

"I am Chang Jianhao!"

"Chief of Staff, during the attack just now, one of the tanks from the Third Battalion fell into the anti-tank trench, and both the tank and its crew were captured by the G Army!"

"What? How could you be so careless!"

"You immediately lead the tank regiment to retreat and await further orders! I will find a way to provide reinforcements!"

After hanging up the phone, Chang Jianhao immediately contacted Li Hanqian, the commander of the 54th Army.

"The 3rd Tank Battalion was ambushed by the G Army while advancing towards Mopan Village, and now one of its tanks is stuck inside."

"You immediately order the troops to recapture the tanks!"

The tank is stuck in the anti-tank ditch, and the G army won't be able to move it in a short time.

If the 54th Army moves quickly, they can capture the position and then dig out the tanks.

"Second Young Master, it's just a tank. If we attack rashly now, the casualties will likely be significant!"

Li Hanqian had no desire to seize the tank; in his view, it was simply a losing proposition.

"No! We don't have many Sherman tanks. We can't give up easily. We must take them back!"

Seeing Chang Jianhao's serious expression as he gave the order, Li Hanqian felt helpless and could only order the 36th Division to launch an attack.

After losing more than a thousand people, they finally managed to salvage the wreckage of a destroyed tank.

Looking at the battle report of the 36th Division, Li Hanqian was so angry he almost vomited blood.

"Report this to Jinling! I must report this to Jinling!!"

An enraged Li Hanqian sent the telegram directly to the General Headquarters.

Of course, he couldn't directly tell the actual situation.

In the telegram, Li Hanqian stated that the swampy area was not suitable for tank warfare and requested Nanjing to transfer Chang Jianhao and the tank troops away.

Although Li Hanqian did not say it explicitly, Chang Ruiyuan knew exactly what was going on.

Seeing that his son had already incurred public wrath, Chang Ruiyuan dared not suppress it, so he immediately issued a transfer order to bring Chang Jianhao back.

With the departure of Young Master Chang, both sides on the southern front breathed a long sigh of relief.

Soon the positions previously occupied by the Guo army were returned to the G army, and the 2nd Column of the Central Plains Field Army was also transferred back.

Guo Jun returned to his former good life.

Bullets clattered, and battle reports were written in rapid succession.

It's not that we don't try, it's just that the G army in front of us is too powerful.

We can't get through!
(End of this chapter)