Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 554 Oh no, too soon to celebrate (6K chapters combined)

While the main force of the First Field Army was resting and reconnoitering the enemy's situation, the 1st Army Corps, which was responsible for the outflanking maneuver, defeated the newly formed Qingma Cavalry Army in Linxia.

Upon learning this news, Ma Zixiang was terrified.

The advance of the First Army Corps has seriously threatened the flank security and retreat route of Jincheng.

Most importantly, if the G army continues its advance, its stronghold of Xining will be lost.

Although Linxia is 400 li away from Xining, the road is unobstructed.

After the newly formed cavalry corps was defeated, there were no troops blocking the way for the G army.

Without hesitation, Ma Zixiang immediately dispatched the 8th and 14th Cavalry Brigades, which were originally on patrol duty along the river, to return to their base under his own command.

After rushing back to Xining, Ma Zixiang became increasingly anxious and agitated.

After thinking for a long time, he could only place his hopes on Ma Sanyuan in Xingqing, who was the only possible and the only person who could support him.

Ma Zixiang dispatched Ma Ji, the secretary-general of the governor's office, to Xingqing with his personal letter and a large number of gifts to request assistance.

Ma Sanyuan did not avoid Ma Ji's request to see him.

After reading Ma Zixiang's handwritten letter, Ma Sanyuan readily agreed to the request for help.

"I am well aware that the current situation is extremely urgent. Only through cooperation can we stop the G army's offensive. Supporting Jincheng is now a matter of utmost importance."

"Go back to Gao Zixiang and Jixiang and tell them not to worry, I will send reinforcements immediately!"

"Commander Ma is a man of great principle! He is truly a blessing to the Party and the nation!"

However, Ma Ji's happiness only lasted for a day.

The next day, seeing that Ma Sanyuan had not yet made any further contact, Ma Ji requested an audience with Ma Sanyuan again.

At this point, Ma Sanyuan still readily agreed, but he didn't take any concrete action.

Left with no other option, Ma Ji telegraphed Ma Zixiang about his request to see Ma Sanyuan.

While the two Mas were bickering, the First Field Army had already figured out Jin Cheng Ma Jixiang's deployment.

"Ma Jixiang has placed all his bets on the position south of Jincheng, while he has focused his main force on Nanshan."

"Besides Nanshan, there is only one infantry division each in Qilihe and Donggang Town, and their combat strength is very weak."

"And Qilihe is very close to the Yellow River Iron Bridge."

"In this battle, capturing Nanshan is the key to taking Jincheng; crossing Qilihe and taking the Yellow River Iron Bridge is the key to whether the enemy can be completely annihilated."

"Qilihe is right on our side," Chen Chengxing said, pointing to the map.

"If we can take Majiashan, we can reach Qilihe by highway and then block the Yellow River Iron Bridge."

"The field commander has high hopes for our Second Division and has asked us to take Majiashan before nightfall."

"Do comrades have confidence?"

"Yes!!" Everyone stood up.

Xu Wu's voice was the loudest among them, after all, his 21st team was tasked with the main attack this time.

“Very good.” Chen Chengxing nodded.

"I think with Second Master's strength, there's no need to wait until dark, so I'd like to make a request to everyone."

"12 hours, 12 hours later, the vanguard of the Second General Team will appear on the Yellow River Iron Bridge."

"You must know that the Second General is not fighting alone. The heroic souls of the Western Route Army are with us. So when fighting, do not hold back."

"The attack cannot stop until the enemy surrenders."

The next morning, before the sky was fully light, three colored signal flares suddenly rose into the air.

The final offensive has officially begun.

As was customary, Chen Chengxing organized the artillery pieces and the various artillery regiments into two artillery groups, and painstakingly transported them all up the mountain.

In this way, the artillery group can directly target and strike the defensive fortifications on the Majiashan position.

Upon seeing the signal flare, Wang Chengzhu immediately gave the order to fire.

Half an hour of continuous artillery bombardment almost completely flattened the fortifications on the front lines of Majiashan.

Even the permanent reinforced concrete fortifications were targeted by the howitzer regiment, and the visible fortifications were destroyed one after another.

"The artillery fire has begun to spread!"

Ren Wuliu, the commander of the 211th Regiment, shouted into the phone, "First Battalion! Charge!"

"Attack! Attack!"

On the Majiashan position, seeing the approaching G army, the firing positions that were originally hidden underground opened fire.

Faced with these newly emerging firing positions, the 211th Regiment's recoilless rifles and infantry guns immediately opened fire to provide support at the fastest speed.

The extended artillery fire also blocked the enemy's 100th Division from supporting the front-line positions.

With multiple support, the 211th Regiment quickly broke through the enemy's front-line position, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle on the position.

The Qingma (Blue Horse) unit truly lived up to its reputation as one of the most formidable forces in the Kuomintang army.

Faced with the fierce attack of the 211th Regiment, the 100th Division quickly recovered and stabilized its position.

"Tell the 100th Division to take back the position no matter what!" Ma Jixiang said urgently.

The front-line position was the most well-prepared position he had ever set up. If it were breached so quickly, there would be no way to continue the fight.

After receiving orders from Ma Jixiang, Ma Wentao, commander of the 100th Division, immediately formed a suicide squad.

"Brothers! The gates of heaven have opened! Kill the Han people and go to heaven!"

"Kill!"

"Comrades! Give them a good beating!"

The light and heavy machine guns that had already been set up on the position were firing continuously at the advancing Qingma suicide squad.

Moreover, upon the call from the front-line troops, the mountain artillery regiment belonging to the 21st Detachment also provided continuous artillery support.

The suicide squad of over three hundred men was pinned down in the ravine and unable to move before they could even get within a hundred meters of the position.

Faced with an immobile target, the mortars of the 211th Regiment did not waste any opportunity, and shells kept flying into the ravine.

Looking at the suicide squad that had been swept away, Ma Jixiang's face was extremely gloomy.

"Holy crap! How can Chen Chengxing's unit have such fierce firepower?"

“Officer, firepower isn’t the key,” Lu Dingwen said, shaking his head.

"Although the remaining units of the G Army have fewer artillery pieces, the difference is not actually that great."

"The reason why Chen Chengxing's troops appear to have strong firepower is entirely due to their rapid artillery response."

"Other G troops would fire artillery before charging, but Chen Chengxing's troops would have their infantry appear in front of the position as soon as the shells landed."

"In the face of a counterattack, they did the same; when the infantry opened fire, the artillery shells would fall simultaneously."

"Most importantly, the enemy is not only equipped with infantry guns and 82mm mortars, but also mountain guns and even howitzers can support the front-line operations."

"We were essentially hit by a double blow at the same time."

Hearing Lu Dingwen's explanation, Ma Jixiang's face turned even uglier.

"Damn, the G army's artillery is so accurate. They've only been equipping themselves with artillery on a large scale for a year or two."

Infantry-artillery coordination sounds simple, but rhythm and accuracy of artillery fire are crucial.

Without long-term training, coordination cannot be achieved.

Ma Jixiang had never seen any unit that could perform infantry-artillery coordination so well.

In his mind, only the American army could do that.

"Dingwen, send reinforcements immediately! The better the G army performs, the more crucial it is to prevent this breach from being left!"

"I'll go and gather reinforcements right away."

Soon, the 82nd Army's directly subordinate engineer battalion and the cavalry regiment of the 357th Division in Qitaihe completed their preparations and rushed to the front line.

However, they were discovered as soon as they crossed the second line of defense, and then the howitzer regiment launched a fierce and relentless attack.

Li Shaobai, the adjutant's office director of the 82nd Army, lunged into a nearby ditch and shouted, "Take cover! Take cover now!"

"Signal soldier! Signal soldier!"

After receiving the walkie-talkie from the communications soldier, Li Shaobai immediately shouted a report:
"Officer, our support routes have been blocked by G army artillery fire! We cannot support the front lines until the artillery fire stops!"

"Shaobai, I've already seen it."

"You immediately lead your team to reinforce the southeast! The G army has begun its flanking maneuver!"

As the position was secured, the 212th Regiment of the 21st Detachment also joined the battle and is now maneuvering around the rear of the Qingma Army's forward positions.

"Roger that! I'll immediately reinforce the southeast position!"

Throwing down the microphone, Li Shaobai drew his pistol: "Brothers! The southeast position is in imminent danger! Everyone, follow me to reinforce!"

However, Li Shaobai was killed by a bayonet thrust by a soldier of the 212th Regiment just minutes after arriving at the southeast position, and the southeast position was captured by the 212th Regiment.

The Qingma Army was indeed quite formidable, showing no fear in close combat, and daring to charge forward shirtless with just a saber in hand.

However, when it comes to close combat with the Second Master, they have absolutely no advantage.

"Hey?"

"Captain?"

"They've charged up! They've already charged up!"

"Yes! They're engaged in bayonet fighting with the enemy!"

"The second echelon has also gone up, and the enemy only has one last core position left on Majia Mountain."

"understand!"

"I will get the reserves ready!"

After hanging up the phone, Xu Wu ordered, "Have the 213th Regiment get ready. The 22nd Detachment's attack on Dog Head Mountain is also going smoothly. They will try to contain us from the flank."

"However, the commander judged that Ma Jixiang would send all the reinforcements to Majiashan, so that our reserve team could be prepared."

Chen Chengxing's judgment was absolutely correct.

It was learned that the G army had broken through two lines of defense and was now attacking the third line.

Ma Jixiang urgently dispatched reinforcements while simultaneously calling Majiashan.

"Reinforcements have set off. Use rolling mines to buy as much time as possible!"

"Once reinforcements arrive, launch a counterattack immediately and drive the G army off Majiashan!"

If the G army stays on Majia Mountain, even a hundred defensive positions won't be enough to hold it.

Upon receiving Ma Jixiang's order, Ma Wentao, who was already hesitant about using it, immediately ordered the secret weapon to be brought out. Subsequently, a large number of burning gasoline drums, tires, and other round objects rolled down the hillside.

The Qingma Army poured gasoline all over these items, and any soldiers who touched them would inevitably have them stick to their bodies and burn.

The Ma Clique general on the mountaintop watched countless fireballs roll down and laughed triumphantly: "Hahahaha! Burn them! Burn them to death!"

Seeing that the fireballs were very dense and were greatly affecting the troops' attack rhythm, Xu Wu decisively adjusted the number of attackers, making the soldiers more spaced out from each other.

At first, the Qingma Army looked at the G Army, who were suppressed by the fireballs and unable to make any progress, with great excitement.

However, as time went on, the Ma family army on the position not only showed no signs of laughter, but instead all looked mournful.

Army G increased its attack frequency but reduced its troop density, which resulted in an increased frequency of fireball attacks but a decrease in effectiveness.

They didn't have many gasoline cans and tires left either; after just three waves of attacks, the gasoline cans and tires on the position were completely used up.

Upon discovering that the Qingma Army's fireballs had disappeared, the 21st Squadron increased its attack intensity once again.

Despite Ma Jixiang deploying all the troops Jin Cheng could muster to Majiashan in the face of repeated attacks, the balance of victory continued to tip rapidly.

At 1 p.m., Ma Jixiang called Ma Jiashan again.

What's the current situation at the Majiashan position?

"Lord Siren, the battle is fierce, with both sides constantly charging at each other. From the current perspective, the two sides are still evenly matched."

Hearing that both sides had held on, Ma Jixiang breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Ma Wentao's next words made Ma Jixiang's heart sink to the bottom.

"Lord Siren, I estimate we can hold out for at most two more hours."

"I understand." After replying weakly, Ma Jixiang leaned back on the sofa.

At this point, the defense of Jincheng was beyond saving.

He never imagined that the situation would change so quickly.

Last time, it was the G army that was quickly defeated, but now it's our turn to be quickly defeated.

Knowing that the situation was hopeless, Ma Jixiang decisively convened an emergency meeting of officers at the division level and above.

The meeting's agenda was simple: to devise a withdrawal plan and evacuate the Jincheng battlefield before the G army achieved a full-scale breakthrough.

At the start of the meeting, Ma Jixiang didn't say a single unnecessary word, not even the usual boastful remarks.

"The Majiashan position is now showing signs of exhaustion. Although the Yingpanshan and Jiangjunshan positions have not yet been breached, their condition is equally worrying."

“Once the Majiashan position is breached, the G army will surely advance unimpeded. I have already exchanged intelligence with my father, and he has ordered us to withdraw from Jincheng city immediately.”

"I now order that the withdrawal from the Yellow River Iron Bridge be commanded by General Ma Buluan, commander of the 129th Army."

"Following the order of the 248th Division, 190th Division, New 1st Division, and 357th Division, we will retreat in sequence at two-hour intervals, starting from 2 o'clock, to avoid congestion when crossing the bridge."

"The 100th Division will hold the positions of Majiashan and Goutoushan until the entire army has withdrawn, and then withdraw last."

"The combat troops retreated and assembled in the direction of Xining, and the Commander-in-Chief's Office and its subordinate agencies all retreated to Hexi."

For this retreat, Ma Jixiang went all out, leaving the most elite 100th Division for last.

Just as Ma Jixiang was holding a meeting to plan the retreat, the 21st Detachment, with the support of the 22nd Detachment, launched another attack on the core position of Majiashan.

The positions of the 100th Division of the Qingma Army were successively captured.

Faced with the ever-approaching G army, the Qingma army chose to launch a frenzied counterattack.

Ma Wentao organized a suicide squad and launched several assaults in succession.

However, facing the advancing Second General Army, each charge by the Qingma Army yielded nothing but a large number of corpses.

Moreover, every time the Second General repelled a charge by the Qingma Army, it would launch a counter-charge, pushing the front line forward one step.

By three o'clock, the Qingma Army had completely lost its ability to fight back and began to collapse across the board.

Even with Ma Wentao waving a pistol and personally overseeing the battle on the last line, it was to no avail.

At this point, no one was following his orders anymore.

"It's over! Jincheng is finished!"

Looking at the completely collapsed front line, Ma Wentao slumped helplessly on the ground.

"Commander, the G Army is approaching! We'd better run!"

The chief of staff and adjutant beside him helped Ma Wentao up and caught up with the retreating troops.

At this time, going with the flow is the safest option.

The loss of Majiashan dealt a fatal blow to the Qingma Army's defense line, and the Yellow River Iron Bridge was now exposed to the Second General's attack.

Although Ma Jixiang had devised a retreat plan, by this time, no one was willing to hold their ground anymore.

The Qingma Army on the Nanshan position began to flee like madmen toward the Yellow River Iron Bridge.

The retreat of the Kuomintang army has always been extremely chaotic, especially when it retreats from major cities, which is a disaster.

Even Du Guangting couldn't control the situation during his retreat, so the Qingma Army was no exception.

No matter what kind of retreat plan Ma Jixiang devised or what retreat order he stipulated, in the eyes of officers at all levels, it was all just a piece of paper.

In their eyes, the only thing they could understand and see in this long order was the word "retreat".

Therefore, by the time Ma Jixiang arrived at the Yellow River Iron Bridge, the place had already become a complete mess.

People, horses, and vehicles were all mixed together on the bridge, and the shouts, gunshots, and horn blares were incredibly noisy.

According to the plan, this should have been the time for the 248th Division to cross the river, but Ma Jixiang saw the unit numbers of all his subordinate units.

Ma Jixiang climbed onto the roof of the car, grabbed a tin megaphone, and shouted, "Don't panic! Don't panic! Cross the river in an orderly manner!"

However, it is now clear that no one can control the situation, and the command system has long been completely in disarray.

"Guard! Guard!"

"Maintain order! Let the people in front hurry up!"

Ma Jixiang abandoned hope of readjusting the order and instead wanted to speed things up.

However, just as Ma Jixiang was desperately trying to speed up and lead the troops to retreat, Zhou Weiguo had already led the armored battalion at full speed toward the Yellow River Iron Bridge.

The mountain guns, which had already been transferred to Majiashan, began firing continuously at the Yellow River Iron Bridge.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The Qingma Army, which was bombarded, was thrown into complete chaos.

Some turned back, some braved the gunfire to squeeze onto the bridge, and some even jumped into the river, trying to swim across.

Zhou Weiguo also soon discovered the chaotic Qingma Army.

"Command post! Command post! This is Zhou Weiguo!"

"The Qingma Army has completely abandoned Jincheng and is retreating to the north bank of the Yellow River!"

"I'll repeat myself! The Qingma Army is retreating entirely to the north bank of the Yellow River!"

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Chen Chengxing stepped forward and took the walkie-talkie: "This is Chen Chengxing."

"You immediately lead the armored battalion to attack from west to east along the Yellow River, seize the Yellow River Iron Bridge, and block the retreat route of the Qingma Army!"

"yes!".
After hanging up the phone, Chen Chengxing immediately ordered, "Report the situation to the Field Headquarters! The Second General Headquarters' main force will launch a full-scale attack to encircle the Qingma Army."

On the other side, after hanging up the phone, Zhou Weiguo picked up the walkie-talkie from the command vehicle.

"Everyone! Battle formation! Attack! Advance!"
After deploying into battle formation, the armored battalion soon encountered the outer forces of the Qingma Army.

The machine guns on the armored vehicles and tanks immediately opened fire at full capacity.

A dense hail of bullets rained down on the Qingma Army, who were still trying to figure out what was going on.

The Qingma Army soldiers, who had been swept away in large numbers, immediately realized that these were not the Guo Army's war chariots.

"It's the G Army! The G Army is here!"

"Retreat! Retreat now!"
Seeing the Qingma Army scatter and flee for their lives, Zhou Weiguo curled his lip in disdain:
"Don't waste ammunition on these men. Let the infantry handle them. We'll keep pushing forward!"

"Tanks, prepare to fire at any threatening targets."

Since American ammunition cannot be produced domestically, Zhou Weiguo considered tank propellant precious and could not afford to waste it.

In order to supply ammunition to the armored battalions, the 37mm anti-tank guns of each regiment were basically just for show, with very few shells being fired.

Each brigade's directly subordinate anti-tank gun company only had a few scattered 57mm anti-tank guns to maintain its strength.

As the armored battalion charged toward the Yellow River Iron Bridge like a hot knife through butter, Ma Jixiang soon learned that the G Army had arrived and was advancing in this direction.

Lu Dingwen put down the walkie-talkie and reported with a look of fear:
"Officer, although the G army only has a few hundred men, they have deployed tanks and armored vehicles. Their firepower is more intense than that of a regiment. The brothers definitely can't stop them."

“Once the Yellow River Iron Bridge is blocked by the G Army, and the main force of the G Army surrounds us, we won’t be able to escape.”

At this moment, Ma Jixiang was no longer as arrogant as before, and even his mind was no longer working properly.

Upon hearing Lu Dingwen's report, Ma Jixiang subconsciously muttered, "We can't stay here, we can't stay here."
"Dingwen, let's cross the river from somewhere else first, and then we'll talk!"

Ma Jixiang knew very well what the Ma family army had done to the G army, and if he fell into the hands of the G army, he would definitely suffer a terrible death.

Lu Dingwen had long since given up on the idea of ​​safely evacuating with the main force; he, too, did not want to die.

Therefore, upon hearing Ma Jixiang's words, Lu Dingwen decisively helped him change into a soldier's uniform.

After retreating eastward along the Yellow River for several miles, the group quietly crossed the river in a small boat, and then fled in a sorry state over mountains and ridges towards Xining.

By evening, tens of thousands of Qingma troops were completely surrounded on the banks of the Yellow River, and by the early morning of the next day, the Qingma army had been annihilated.

In just 24 hours, the First Field Army killed more than 15,000 people and captured more than 20,000.

In addition, several thousand Qingma soldiers drowned in the Yellow River.

At noon, Chen Chengxing accompanied the leader onto the Yellow River Iron Bridge. The two stood on the bridge without exchanging a single word.
A few days later, upon learning that the G army had divided its forces and was advancing towards Xining, Ma Zixiang, along with Ma Jixiang who had just escaped and his immediate family members, chose to flee immediately.

At Xining Airport, several transport planes, which had been prepared in advance, were parked on the runway.

There were also more than thirty orderly soldiers working hard to carry supplies upstairs.

Although there are only about a hundred boxes piled up here, and each box is not very big, the orderly soldiers have a great deal of trouble transporting them.

Upon seeing Ma Zixiang and her group, the civil aviation official immediately rushed over.

"Director Ma, all nine planes are fully fueled and ready to take off at any time. These pilots were recruited from the military and are among the company's best technical personnel."

These planes were leased from civil aviation companies by Ma Zixiang at a high price, and they are parked here just for this moment.

"Okay, once we've packed our luggage, we'll take off immediately. We're heading to Chongqing."

After saying that, Ma Zixiang and the others hurriedly boarded the first plane, while his confidants boarded the following planes.

However, many of the service soldiers did not leave after unloading the supplies, but instead scurried onto the plane together.

The people Ma Zixiang brought were only focused on running away and had no time to care about anything else.

Soon, with the roar of engines, several planes took off, circled once, and flew straight eastward.
(End of this chapter)