Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 523 Changes of Hands Repeatedly (Bonus Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)
Inside the headquarters, Chen Chengxing pointed to the map and said:

“Jianduiji is an open plain with no shelter, except for a high mound at the northern end called Jiandui.”

"The Dawangzhuang village next to Jiandui is an extremely important part of Huang Peiwu's entire defense system."

"Once we take Dawangzhuang, the next step is to either attack Jiandui, a high point, or directly attack Huang Peiwu's army headquarters located in Jiandui."

"So our first target is Dawangzhuang!"

"Give me the order!"

"Howitzer battalion, give them a good beating on Dawangzhuang!"

"21 units, get ready. Once the shelling is over, immediately launch a full-scale assault on Dawangzhuang!"

"yes!".
Because of its important location, the 352nd Regiment of the 118th Division of the 18th Army was left to guard Dawangzhuang.

The 352nd Regiment was the flagship of the 118th Division. It was an over-staffed regiment, with nearly four thousand men including conscripted soldiers.

Twenty minutes later, the artillery preparation ended, and Xu Wu dispatched three battalions in three columns to launch an attack on Dawangzhuang.

The 352nd Regiment resisted fiercely, with 21 heavy mortars and mountain guns continuously bombarding them.

After a hard-fought night, they were finally driven out of Dawangzhuang.

The fall of Dawangzhuang took Huang Peiwu and Hu Ziqi by surprise.

“The G army that attacked Dawangzhuang has definitely changed!” Huang Peiwu said solemnly.

The G army's attack on Dawangzhuang has been ongoing for quite some time.

However, previous reports from the 352nd Regiment indicated that there were no major problems, but now the position has suddenly been lost.

Aside from the change in the attacking side, Huang Peiwu couldn't think of any other reason.

Moreover, according to the report, the G army's firepower has also changed significantly.

"Regardless of whether the G army has changed its mind or not, we must take back Dawangzhuang!" Hu Ziqi said resolutely.

The location of Dawangzhuang is too important; the 12th Army Corps cannot afford to lose this position.

"Move the general reserve force!"

"Transfer it now?"

"Transfer it now!"

"Okay!" Huang Peiwu nodded:

"Pass on my orders! The 33rd Regiment must immediately retake Dawangzhuang! The tank battalion is to send an additional company of tanks to the 33rd Regiment! The howitzer regiment is to establish contact with the 33rd Regiment and provide fire support at any time!"

The 33rd Regiment was the most elite unit in the 18th Army and the entire 12th Army Corps, with equipment comparable to that of the US military.

The soldiers carried either Garand semi-automatic rifles or M3 submachine guns, and each squad also had two BARs.

Huang Peiwu had been holding back for a while, intending to make a decisive move when breaking through the enemy lines.

Now that breaking out is hopeless, Huang Peiwu decides to invest in the most crucial Dawangzhuang.

Because of the importance of Dawangzhuang, the defense was carried out by 21 of the most elite battalions, namely the First, Second, and Third Battalions.

The two sides' most elite troops clashed in Dawangzhuang.

Using the tanks as cover, the 33rd Regiment launched a direct assault.

From the very beginning of the battle, Li Chishui, who was in charge of commanding the front-line positions at Dawangzhuang, sensed that something was wrong.

"Order the Second and Third Battalions to prepare!"

"The Guo army is getting serious." Li Chishui looked serious as he watched the Guo army unleash its fierce firepower.

In that short hour, the opposing Guo army launched three attacks.

Moreover, the enemy was exceptionally fierce; they dared to charge when there were large groups of soldiers, and they dared to charge even when there was only one person left; they charged when they had artillery, and they charged even when they didn't.

The enemy was not only a very accurate shot and had a lot of firepower, but they were also very good at bayonet fighting.

Li Chishui judged that the Second Division, consisting of veterans from before the Battle of Diecui Mountain, could easily overpower them.

After three hours of fierce fighting, both sides suffered significant casualties.

Seeing the enemy's dozen or so tanks constantly moving around providing support outside the range of rocket launchers, Li Chishui was furious.

"Damn it, this is outrageous!"

At such a distance, rocket launchers can't reach, and anti-tank guns can't keep up with the tank's movement speed.

This has led to the other party becoming somewhat unscrupulous.

The machine gun positions on the front lines were constantly under direct fire from tanks, rendering their firepower ineffective.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Chishui decided to give up the front line and let the enemy into Dawangzhuang.

This eliminates the enemy's artillery advantage, while allowing our own rocket launchers to fully utilize their advantages.

"Order the 1st Battalion to gradually retreat, with mortar positions providing fire support to disrupt the Guo army's offensive!"

With Li Chishui's voluntary surrender, the 33rd Regiment quickly broke through the outermost position.

The two sides engaged in fierce fighting within Dawangzhuang.

At this point, as the two sides began close-quarters combat, the 12th Army Corps' howitzer regiment lost its target and had to cease firing.

After tentatively entering the village to provide support a few times, the tanks abandoned four wrecked vehicles and retreated.

The two sides began to truly fight based on their own abilities.

Every house in Dawangzhuang became the focus of contention between the two sides.

Each house would change hands several times, or even a dozen times.

However, neither side showed any intention of retreating. In just one day, the southern position of Dawangzhuang Village changed hands five times.

Each change of hands meant the complete annihilation of the defending troops on the position.

Later on, both sides basically stopped using rifles; the main methods of fighting were artillery shells and bayonets.

Often, after a round of intense artillery fire, a melee ensues.

The fighting continues until one side is completely wiped out, but at that point, the other side's shells will come flying in.

The 118th Division of the Kuomintang Army and the 21st Detachment of the Second General Corps sent reinforcements to support the troops on multiple occasions.

The three battalions of the 21st Detachment at the front line had already been rotated to the rear.

When they withdrew from the battle, Battalion Commander Ren Wuliu cried until his eyes were almost bleeding.

His battalion had more than 600 men before the battle, but less than 80 were able to retreat standing up. The 3rd Company, a veteran company, had even more survivors.

The fighting continued until the afternoon of the following day, when the 33rd Regiment of the Guo Army finally ceased its attack.

It wasn't that they were afraid, but rather that from the regimental commander to the grooms, not a single person in the 33rd Regiment could stand up anymore.

Even the 118th Division that was supporting them has been almost wiped out.

Upon learning that Guo Jun had finally backed down and withdrawn from the battle, Chen Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief; he was truly heartbroken.

The 21st Detachment has always been the unit with the most veterans in northwestern Shanxi, but after this battle, it will probably drop from the most to the least.

"The 23rd Detachment took over the position from the 21st Detachment, and the 21st Detachment withdrew for rest and reorganization and moved into the reserve."

"After the 23rd Detachment is ready, it will launch an attack on Xiaowangzhuang."

Although Chen Chengxing felt sorry for himself, this was not the time to sigh and complain. The important thing was to continue the attack.

The Guo army troops stationed at Xiaowangzhuang were the 23rd Division of the 85th Army.

When he learned that the G Army had begun to move toward Xiaowangzhuang and showed signs of attacking, Jiang Licheng, the commander of the 23rd Division, almost wet himself.

After the uprising of the 110th Division of the 85th Army, Huang Peiwu never dared to trust the troops of the 85th Army again.

Huang Peiwu transferred the commander of the 85th Army to the Corps Headquarters, and all messages between the 23rd Division and the Army Headquarters had to be relayed by the 18th Army.

But once a battle breaks out, how could the 18th Army possibly have time to spare for the 23rd Division?

The severe disruption in the communication of the message had very serious consequences.

Because the 23rd Division could not keep up with changes in air communication signals, they were bombed by planes every few days.

After witnessing the bloody battle at Dawangzhuang, Jiang Licheng was even more afraid that his Xiaowangzhuang would be attacked.

"Commander, according to reconnaissance, the enemy is Chen Chengxing's troops." The chief of staff beside him said tremblingly, "If we don't have five times the number of troops, we probably won't be a match for them."

Elite units like the 33rd Regiment and the 118th Division were reduced to such a state.

If it were the 23rd Division, they would probably be completely wiped out by a single enemy detachment.

"What did the Corps headquarters say? When will the reinforcements arrive?"

Jiang Licheng had requested reinforcements as early as when the G army showed signs of attacking Xiaowangzhuang.

"The Corps headquarters has not responded." The chief of staff shook his head: "I think the 18th Army may not have reported our request yet."

Upon hearing that the Corps headquarters had not responded, Jiang Licheng immediately recalled the bitter treatment he had received in the Huangpeiwu Corps.

Jiang Licheng felt that even if the 18th Army reported it, the Corps Headquarters would most likely not send a single soldier.

"Now that there's no hope of reinforcements, we can only rely on ourselves." Jiang Licheng sighed, "I can't just let my brothers die meaninglessly like this."

"Commander, what do you mean?"

"Hmph, instead of risking our lives for this army that doesn't trust us, why not just learn from the 110th Division?"

“I think Huang Peiwu will be captured by the G army sooner or later. If we surrender sooner, we can save our brothers a way to survive.”

"Commander, you truly care about your subordinates! The brothers will definitely be grateful to you!" The chief of staff was almost moved to tears.

What a great commander! Seeing the situation was dire, he was able to lead his men to find a way to survive.

"You immediately summon officers of battalion level and above and prepare to hold a meeting."

Although Jiang Licheng was prepared to surrender, the officers at all levels below him were still unaware of the situation, and he needed to reach a consensus.

Whether they can continue to live a good life after arriving at the G army depends on the soldiers below them.

"yes!".
Inside the field headquarters, several leaders gathered together, holding the telegram sent by Chen Chengxing.

With the capture of Dawangzhuang and Xiaowangzhuang, and the surrender of the 23rd Division as a whole, the situation on the battlefield has become increasingly favorable for the Central Plains Field Army.

"Chen Chengxing reports that the enemy's 23rd Division has surrendered voluntarily, and the Second General Staff has now advanced to the outskirts of Jianduiji."

"The final assault has begun!" *He smiled, looking at the map.

With the Second General infiltrating the Guo army, Hu Ziqi has completely tightened his defenses to prevent being infiltrated and blocked.

At this moment, the density of the Guo army in the spiked pile was frighteningly high.

He said, "I have already checked all the departments, and a total of more than three hundred flying thunder cannons have been prepared."

"Add to that a howitzer regiment from the East China Field Army's T column and Chen Chengxing's various artillery pieces, and Huang Peiwu will be in for a rough time."

"Since everyone agrees, let's begin!" *** stood up:

"General attack order: Starting at 4:30 PM tomorrow, launch a full-scale general attack across the entire front!"

"Once the general offensive is launched, all troops must continue to attack and may not stop or request a delay for any reason."

"If any commander wavers in the face of battle or misses a crucial opportunity, all commanders must strictly enforce discipline and show no leniency!"

(End of this chapter)