Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 551 The Plan for the Battle of Anding
After retreating to the Anding area, the Ma Clique army found itself in a somewhat awkward situation.

If a battle were to break out, neither Ma Zixiang nor Ma Sanyuan believed they had the strength to defend An Ding, given that the opposing G army numbered over 300,000.

But if we don't fight and abandon the stable areas, we won't be able to hold onto Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia.

Just as Ma Zixiang was in a dilemma, Chang Ruiyuan sent He Zhonghan to Jincheng and convened a meeting of officers and above at the Northwest Military and Political Headquarters.

At the meeting, He Zhonghan confidently declared, "Gentlemen, the United States and the Soviet Union have reached a point of irreconcilable conflict in Europe, and World War III is about to break out!"

"The most important task at present is to unite and persevere! Delaying time is the way out; gaining time is victory!"

Upon hearing He Zhonghan's words, everyone present immediately perked up.

In their eyes, the United States is invincible, and as long as a world war breaks out, the Party-state can rely on the United States to send troops to achieve victory.

After He Zhonghan sat down, Ma Zixiang said, "You all heard what Commander He said. I've made up my mind. I'll have a showdown with the G Army in Anding!"

Soon, a brand-new plan for the An Ding campaign was drawn up.

According to Ma Zixiang's plan, Ma Sanyuan's 128th Army and 11th Army, a total of 6 divisions, 1 cavalry regiment and 2 artillery battalions, will conduct a frontal confrontation centered on Anding.

Ma Jixiang then led the 82nd Army, the 129th Army, and the 91st Army to move to the Liupanshan area west of Anding to provide support, waiting for an opportunity to launch a flanking attack south of Anding.

As for Hu Shoushan, he launched an attack from the Qinling Mountains in a timely manner.

At this point, the supreme commanders of both sides wanted to fight a decisive battle in the Anding area, and it seemed that this great battle was inevitable.

However, Ma Zixiang's plan was perfectly executed, and Ma Sanyuan was furious.

"Damn it! He's leaving us on the front lines fighting the G army while he's hiding his main force in the Liupan Mountains?"

"Daydreaming!"

According to Ma Zixiang's plan, if Ma Sanyuan's Ningma withstood the attack of the G army and the two armies were locked in a stalemate, Ma Jixiang could lead the Longdong Corps to break out and attack the flank of the G army.

Conversely, if Ma Sanyuan's Ningxia Corps fails to withstand G's attack, then the Longdong Corps can easily withdraw from Liupanshan and retreat to the vicinity of Jincheng.

In this way, if they fight, the Longdong Corps will reap the benefits; if they don't fight, the Longdong Corps will suffer no losses.

The Ningxia Production and Construction Corps, no matter what, will have to face off against the G Army head-on.

This was a huge loss for Ma Sanyuan.

Ma Sanyuan isn't stupid; he naturally wouldn't use Ma Zixiang as a tool to gain credit.

"Someone, immediately send a telegram to Zhongliang!"

"Preserve our strength and retreat to Ningxia!"

For Ma Sanyuan, being used as a tool by Ma Zixiang was even more unbearable than being directly wiped out by the G army.

Upon receiving the telegram, Li Zhongliang, the commander-in-chief of the Ningma front, immediately ordered the main force to retreat to Ningxia. He only left a small number of cavalrymen in the Sanguankou area as a guard.

Li Zhongliang's withdrawal left Ma Zixiang stunned.

After the Ningxia Corps left, his troops became the first obstacle in front of the G Army.

"That bastard Ma Sanyuan! He only cares about his own interests and doesn't care about the safety of the Party and the country!"

"In the Anding area, we clearly held an excellent geographical advantage, yet he retreated without a fight!"

"I will impeach him!"

Despite his scolding, Ma Zixiang had no choice but to call Ma Jixiang in the face of Ma Sanyuan's lack of cooperation.

"Ji Xiang, without the Ningxia Corps, staying in Anding for too long will surely lead to annihilation. You must immediately lead the main force to retreat."

“Father, if we leave Anding, we can only be passively attacked. Only by standing firm in Anding can we wait for the times to change.”

Ma Jixiang was different from Ma Zixiang. He was a young and vigorous man who did not want to retreat at this time, but wanted to fight a battle in Anding first.

Hearing that Ma Jixiang was getting worked up, Ma Zixiang immediately gave him a thorough dressing-down.

How can you lie to others and then believe it yourself?
Having been given a severe scolding, Ma Jixiang had no choice but to do as Ma Zixiang said.

Two days later, Ma Zixiang left two cavalry brigades to garrison the Maguan and Luzhen areas, while the main force retreated to the Chengji area to observe the situation.

As for Hu Shoushan, there was no sign of any movement whatsoever; they didn't even distribute ammunition or prepare food.

As for Hu Shoushan, when he was beaten up in the Fumei area, the two Mas didn't come out to help. Now they want to drag him down with them? No way.

When the vanguard of the Second General Corps arrived in the Anding area, they discovered that there were no enemy troops there at all.

"What kind of tricks is the Ma Clique up to? Are they trying to emulate our guerrilla warfare?"

Not a single enemy soldier could be seen. Luoping looked exactly like the Second New Regiment fighting guerrilla warfare in Dayun Mountain.

"Guerrilla warfare? Lao Luo, you overestimate the Ma Clique army." Chen Chengxing said disdainfully, "Many of their troops are conscripted men. If they dare to disperse, they'll be wiped out in no time."

"I think they've all gone home."

"Old Chu, send a telegram to the field headquarters."

"The situation has changed, and the original plan for the decisive battle has to be revised."

"Yes!"

Upon receiving Chen Chengxing's telegram, the field headquarters immediately studied and adjusted its deployment.

The Second General Corps, together with the Second Army Corps, advanced from Longxian County through Maguan Town and Luzhen Town towards Zhangjiachuan, preparing to attack Longxi.

The tasks of the other corps were also adjusted.

Noji set his sights on Kinjo.

After receiving orders from the commander, the second commander abandoned the plan to attack Yasusada from both sides and instead continued to advance along the highway.

Along the way, they still did not encounter any enemy troops.

It wasn't until the reconnaissance troops reached the Maguan area that Chen Chengxing finally received a report of enemy discovery.

"Commander, the 21st Detachment reports that they have spotted enemy cavalry at Maguan."

"Maguan?" Chen Chengxing looked at the map and said with certainty, "It seems that Ma Zixiang has not retreated all of his troops back to Jincheng."

Maguan is a strategic point for entering eastern Gansu from southern Shaanxi. It is surrounded by towering mountains, with only one mountain road passing through it.

Once you pass through the checkpoint, you can go directly to Tianshui.

"Let Xu Wu capture someone and ask him what the enemy's current situation is, so we won't be completely clueless."

A few days ago, Wei Dayong had already led the special operations team to carry out other missions, and the task of capturing prisoners could only be left to the reconnaissance companies of each detachment.

"Commander Xu has figured it out. The enemy's 14th Cavalry Brigade is stationed at Maguan, followed by the 8th Cavalry Brigade, and then the 100th and 190th Divisions."

"Two cavalry brigades and two infantry divisions."

"Old Chen, if we can take them out here, it will save us a lot of trouble when attacking Jincheng."

"Whether we can besiege the enemy's stronghold and strike at their reinforcements depends on whether Qingma can cooperate," Chen Chengxing sighed.

Chen Chengxing wasn't worried at all about whether the frontal battle would go smoothly; his only concern was that the Ma Clique army would turn tail and run away.

In this mountainous region, four wheels are sometimes no match for four legs.

As for the two-legged infantry, that goes without saying; the mule-like nature doesn't mean the soldiers all turned into mules.

"Give it a try, we have to try eventually, right?"

“Then let’s give it a try.” Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Order the 21st Detachment to launch a frontal attack on Maguan Town, and the 23rd and 24th Detachments to wait for the rest of the Qingma Army to come to their aid and then attack the reinforcements. The 22nd Detachment will serve as the general reserve."

"yes!".
On the other side, Ma Chengxian, the commander of the 14th Cavalry Brigade, looked at the G Army outside, thought for a long time, and decided to fight it out here.

"Commander, judging from their equipment, the G Army on the other side should be Chen Chengxing's troops. They are not to be trifled with."

"Should we withdraw from Maguan? The terrain here is narrow and not conducive to cavalry maneuverability."

Facing the Second Division, they had absolutely no confidence in gaining the upper hand. For the 14th Cavalry Brigade, only in open terrain could they possibly use speed to harass the enemy.

"Retreat without a fight? How am I supposed to explain this to Ma Siling?"

"Once we cede Maguan, Tianshui will be even harder to defend."

"Let's fight the G army here first, and then retreat if it doesn't work."

Ma Chengxian was confident that the G army would not be able to catch up with them.

Of course, what Ma Chengxian said wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was that he wanted a promotion.

After becoming the military and political leader of the Northwest, Ma Zixiang already had a plan to expand the army.

The cavalry unit was to be expanded into an army, and Ma Chengxian wanted to make some contributions in Maguan Town and then take the opportunity to sit on the throne of the army commander.

The others were quite troubled by Ma Chengxian's insistence, but they were powerless to change it.

The Second Division's attack began the next morning.

As a result, the artillery positions destroyed the 14th Cavalry Brigade's command post with just one volley.
If Ma Chengxian and others hadn't been observing the battle from the forward command post, they would have been buried alive.

Since a cavalry brigade only has about two thousand men, Xu Wu did not waste any shells. Five minutes later, the shelling stopped, and the vanguard launched an attack.

Cavalry units are difficult to deal with when they use their high mobility to launch surprise attacks or harass on the plains, but they are less effective in positional warfare.

After being subjected to intense fire, the soldiers of the 14th Cavalry Brigade showed no intention of holding their ground when faced with the advancing soldiers of the Second General Corps.

After firing a few symbolic shots, the Ma Clique soldiers mounted their horses and fled westward.

Before noon, the 21st detachment had broken through three lines of defense in succession.

Inside the temporary command post, Ma Chengxian frantically pleaded for help over the walkie-talkie: "Brother Ma Ying! Brother Ma Ying! I'm in dire straits! I need immediate support! Immediate support!"

"Don't worry, Brother Chengxian! I've already set off. Just hold on for five more minutes, I'll be there soon!"

"Thank you! Thank you, Brother Ma Ying!"

After hanging up the call, Ma Ying casually tossed the microphone back to the radio operator.

“Tell the brothers to be patient! Let’s wait a little longer.”

Ma Ying had already led the 8th Cavalry Brigade to the outskirts of the battlefield, but he simply held back.

If Ma Chengxian can hold out, he will send troops to support the 14th Cavalry Brigade after it has lost most of its troops, and use this opportunity to show off his achievements to Ma Jixiang.

If Ma Chengxian can't hold out, he guarantees he'll retreat immediately without hesitation.

On the other side, Ma Chengxian, who had just hung up the phone, was still eagerly awaiting support from the 8th Cavalry Brigade.

However, after waiting for a full half hour, the front lines were breached once again, but reinforcements still hadn't arrived.

"Damn it, Ma Ying! Five minutes after five minutes! It's been half an hour now, he should have arrived by now, even on horseback!"

"Commander, the G Army's offensive is too fierce. The 8th Cavalry Brigade probably won't come. Shall we retreat?"

If we retreat now, at least half of the 14th Cavalry Brigade will be able to escape.

"No! We absolutely cannot retreat! I will personally go to the front line to command!" Ma Chengxian said firmly.

He's now in a precarious position; if he retreats now, he'll have to take all the blame for the defeat.

"Brothers! Do not be afraid!"

"Those who die fighting the Han people will go to heaven!"

"Brothers! Fight them hard!"

Seeing that the enemy troops were not retreating as quickly as they had on the previous lines, Xu Wu smiled and said:
"It seems this is the last line of defense; the enemy is fighting to the death."

"Artillery regiment, provide fire support."

Xu Wu's favorite thing was the Ma family army's stubborn resistance; otherwise, according to policy, it would be really difficult to do anything to them.

"5 rapid shots!"

"put!"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The 14th Cavalry Brigade's position was immediately covered by a barrage of explosions.

Ma Chengxian was also unlucky, taking a hit from a 75mm shell at close range.

Only his two legs were still intact.

A few minutes later, after confirming that Ma Chengxian could not gather enough men, the frontline soldiers immediately reported to the brigade headquarters.

Upon learning of Ma Chengxian's death, Chief of Staff Ma Shangwu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"The brigadier general is dead; I shall now take command!"

"I hereby order! The entire army shall retreat immediately!"

"Commander, the remnants of the 14th Cavalry Brigade and the 8th Cavalry Brigade of the Qinghai Cavalry Army have all escaped, and the flanking forces have not caught up with them."

"I see."

This is what makes Chen Chengxing's fight against the Ma family army so troublesome.

The cavalry retreated too quickly; even if the flanking force advanced without stopping, it was unable to get ahead of the retreating cavalry.

"Order the troops to rest for one night and continue their advance tomorrow."

After the Battle of Shimonoseki, Ma Jixiang's main force continued to retreat to Dingxi.

He planned to fight the G army here.

However, Ma Zixiang's orders were quickly relayed, and Ma Jixiang could only retreat to Jincheng with a sense of humiliation.

The Second Army continued westward after passing through Luzhen and Zhangjiachuan, liberating Qingshui, Tianshui, Qin'an, Gangu, Wushan and other places along the way.

Upon reaching Dingxi, Chen Chengxing ordered a halt to the advance.

While waiting for the field headquarters' new plan, Chen Chengxing sent out reconnaissance troops to investigate the enemy's situation.

Chen Chengxing did not place the temporary command post of the Second General Headquarters in Dingxi, but in a small village in Dingjiashan, which was further ahead.

Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping originally wanted to visit this village, but the first house they visited surprised everyone.

Inside a dilapidated cave dwelling, a family of five, including a teenage girl, were all naked.

They only had one pair of pants to wear when going out, and whoever went out wore it.

If outsiders come, they can only huddle together under the covers.

At this moment, the whole family huddled together in bed.

"Let's go, there's no need to look anymore."

Chen Chengxing walked out of the cave with a sullen face and went straight back to the temporary command post.

He never imagined that, after so many years, the lives of the people in the Kuomintang-controlled areas would still be so miserable.

There's no need to visit each household; tattered clothes, scars that can't be concealed, skeletons by the roadside, and the glimmer of light reappearing in numb, desperate eyes—these are the best explanations.

"It will be alright, it will be alright soon."

Standing on the earthen slope of the command post, Chen Chengxing looked towards Jincheng.

Most of the soldiers in the Second General Corps and even the entire G Army came from poor peasant families.

Seeing the miserable lives of the people, the soldiers felt deeply for them.

After giving away everything they could, the morale of the first field army soared even higher.

Everyone was eager to storm Jincheng and rescue the people from their suffering.

(End of this chapter)