Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 557 The Most Important Thing is Escaping the President's Command (Combined Chapter) (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Faced with the Second General Headquarters' attack, the Guo Army's positions were continuously lost, but the 17th and 30th Armies managed to hold out until evening.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Lu Chongyi and Zhou Wentao did not hesitate at all. After firing all the shells at the western position, the remaining 20,000 men launched a mass charge.

"The Guo army is trying to break through!"

"Damn it, this is outrageous!"

Qin Sheng was furious when he saw that Guo Jun had set his sights on breaking out on his side.

Could it be that we've been taken for a fool?

Qin Sheng shouted, "Artillery positions, don't hold back, give them a good beating!"

"Da da da"

"Boom!" "Boom!"
The dense barrage of bullets and artillery shells routed the 17th and 30th Armies who were trying to break through.

However, in order to maintain the tightness of the encirclement, the 24th Detachment only had one battalion of troops on the front of the Guo army.

Despite the fact that the soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on the Guo army, tens of thousands of soldiers still managed to escape the encirclement, despite being outnumbered by dozens to one.

"Have the 243rd Regiment gather the prisoners and clean up the battlefield. The 241st and 242nd Regiments, lightly armed, give chase! We absolutely cannot let these bastards get away!"

"yes!".
The soldiers of the 24th Detachment quickly pursued the Guo army that had broken through the encirclement, and the other detachments also sent out their own pursuers.

Along the way, the Guo army that lagged behind was constantly caught up, surrounded, and captured by the soldiers.

However, after a night of pursuit, the pursuing troops lost track of the remaining deserters due to heavy rain.

The soldiers ultimately had no choice but to retreat.

At the headquarters, Chen Chengxing received the battle report.

"Commander, the pursuit is over, and the troops are withdrawing."

"In this battle, 11,000 enemy soldiers were killed, 16,000 were captured, and 2,000 or 3,000 escaped."

"Should we send out reconnaissance troops to search for the remaining enemy forces?" Chu Yunfei asked.

Chen Chengxing shook his head: "Let those who ran away run away. We don't have that much time to play hide-and-seek with them."

"Moreover, I know they wouldn't dare to linger nearby and harass our army's logistics."

"Leave a regiment to guard the prisoners and wait for the local troops in southern Shaanxi to come and take them over."

"The main force continued south."

"Yes!"

In a valley somewhere.

"Commander, the G Army has withdrawn!"

"Great!" Lu Chongyi plopped down on the muddy ground. "Let the brothers rest for a bit."

The more than two thousand KMT soldiers who ran out immediately collapsed to the ground, completely ignoring the mud and water.

After gathering the high-ranking officers of the 30th Army, Lu Chongyi began to speak:
"Gentlemen, the situation is extremely urgent."

"The 17th Army no longer exists, and the 30th Army has been almost completely destroyed."

"And most importantly, our connection with the 7th Army Corps has been cut off."

Upon hearing Lu Chongyi's words, the people around him immediately started chattering.

"With the battle raging to this point, how can we possibly meet with Director Hu or the CEO?"

"So what? There are too many people who have lost battles, and the president can't bear the responsibility."

"What's the point of us going to find the 7th Army now? We'd just be waiting to die."

"Alright, alright, stop talking nonsense."

"Commander, what do you suggest? If you say we'll go through fire and water, we'll go through fire and water."

“Yes, Commander, you decide.” The others also expressed their support for Lu Chongyi’s decision.

"Okay." Lu Chongyi nodded.

"The most urgent tasks are to break free from the encirclement of the G army and to break free from the command of the Ministry of National Defense."

"To put it bluntly, it means breaking away from Director Hu and the president's command."

"Only in this way can there be a glimmer of hope."

In order to save the lives of his many brothers, Lu Chongyi decided to avoid micro-management.

"Gentlemen, I, Lu, will take full responsibility for all the crimes. Even if the truth comes out in the end, you will all be accomplices."

Lu Chongyi provided everyone with another layer of protection.

"There's a saying in Sichuan: 'If you lose your stick, the dog will bite you.' The remaining two thousand-plus guns are our most important asset, and we absolutely cannot lose them."

After reaching a consensus with everyone, Lu Chongyi spread out the map on the muddy ground.

"My idea is to head west, then turn south, avoiding cities and taking back roads all the way, and head straight to Tengchong, Yunnan."

“We just waited there for foreign aid to come and for the situation to change.”

"If World War III breaks out, we can still make a comeback and fight the G army to the death."

The chief of staff hesitated for a moment: "What if a war doesn't break out?"

Lu Chongyi paused for a moment before finally speaking, "There are three other ways out."

"First, become an outlaw; second, shave your head and become a monk; third, wander overseas and end your life there."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing these words.

They knew very well that they were likely to turn from regular soldiers into bandits or monks.

Lu Chongyi also noticed everyone's hesitation.

"Gentlemen, those who are willing to walk this path will share life and death, and go through thick and thin together."

"Those who don't want to leave, please find your own way. Let's part amicably and not hold any grudges."

When going to Tengchong, Lu Chongyi needed ordinary soldiers, not these high-ranking officials.

As long as the soldiers are under control, the officers don't matter.

"We will obey the commander's decision," the chief of staff affirmed.

"Yes, we obey the commander's decision."

Regardless of what people really thought, at this moment everyone was just obeying the decision.

"Okay." Lu Chongyi nodded.

"Chief of staff, from this moment on, cut off all contact with the outside world."

"Yes!"

Lu Chongyi looked at everyone and said, "Please go and get ready."

Everyone got up and prepared to leave.

"Gentlemen," Lu Chongyi said, looking at the disheveled group, and then called them back, instructing them, "Please go back and prepare several pairs of straw sandals."

"In the future, we will have no carriages to ride, no horses to ride, and we may not even have a decent road to walk on."

"Officer, the 17th and 30th Armies have lost contact."

Looking at the endless mountain range to the north, Li Zuobin said expressionlessly, "I'm afraid they weren't lost contact, but rather annihilated."

When the 17th and 30th Armies reported that they were surrounded by the G Army and requested support, Li Zuobin had already anticipated this outcome.

"Now is not the time to manage the 17th and 30th Armies." Li Zuobin composed himself.

"We're about to reach Chengyang County. Once we pass Chengyang, it should be a bit safer."

"How many ships have you collected?" Li Zuobin asked.

Chengyang County is located on the west bank of the Jialing River, surrounded by mountains on all sides, making it a strategically important location.

Li Zuobin planned to deploy defenses on the east bank of the Jialing River, using this natural barrier to block attacks.

"All the surrounding ships have been looted, but not many."

"Use as much as you have," Li Zuobin said. "Cross the river immediately. The G Army will definitely catch up after they wipe out the 17th and 30th Armies."

"Yes!"

Li Zuobin's judgment was correct. Apart from the 23rd Detachment continuing to be responsible for the detour, the rest of the main force of the Second General Headquarters was advancing rapidly towards Chengyang.

After traveling for an hour, Luo Ping looked up at the sky and said, "Old Chen, look, the rain has stopped."

Chen Chengxing looked up and saw that the sun had already come out: "Finally, God has shown mercy. I hope this rain will stop."

"Old Chen, how about we take a break?"

"Alright." Chen Chengxing nodded: "After only a few days of riding in a car, my butt is already a bit delicate. I'm even finding it hard to get used to riding a horse."

"Haha, I think you're just lazy," Luo Ping laughed.

The soldiers in the service platoon quickly found a flat spot, laid out a tarpaulin, and placed the map on it.

Chu Yunfei pointed to the map and said, "I just received a report from the advance troops that the enemy's 7th Army Corps has retreated to Chengyang and is deploying defenses on the east bank of the Jialing River."

Chen Chengxing gestured on the map.

"Li Zuobin is attempting to rely on the natural barrier of the Jialing River to hold his ground and prevent our army from advancing eastward."

"Look here, Bailong Mountain."

"I judge that if the 7th Army Corps continues to retreat, it will most likely hold its ground at Bailong Mountain."

Bailong Mountain is exceptionally steep, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Most importantly, once they get past this mountainous area, the Second General will face no further obstacles in entering Hanzhong.

"Bailong Mountain will inevitably be the focus of the next battle, and we cannot give it up easily."

"Old Chu, send an order to the 23rd Detachment to send a regiment to establish a position at Bailong Mountain first."

The Bailong Mountain area is vast, and it is impossible for a single regiment to occupy all the positions. However, Chen Chengxing only needs his own troops here, which is enough to make the Guo army feel like they have a bone stuck in their throat.

"Tell them that this time we are fighting alone deep behind enemy lines, and we must choose a suitable place to defend."

"Yes!"

Standing on the banks of the Jialing River in Chengyang, looking at the chaotic scene, Li Zuobin felt a headache coming on.

This is already the result of his personal command. If the lower-level soldiers and divisions had been in command, who knows what would have happened.

"Ma Junzhang, it's been two days. How many men from the 38th Army have gone there?"

Around 13,000.

"What about those waiting to cross?"

"Eight or nine thousand, but all the heavy equipment has already been sent over."

The 38th Army was originally the core force of the 19th Route Army in Northwest China, but its commander, Ma Zhenxi, had long been dependent on Hu Shoushan.

Therefore, although the 38th Army only had two divisions, they were basically fully equipped and manned.

His combat effectiveness ranks among the top in Hu Shoushan's troops, and he is the absolute leader of the Seventh Army Corps.

However, when Li Zuobin heard that there were still eight or nine thousand people waiting to be ferryed, his face immediately contorted with pain.

"The speed is too slow. What if the G army attacks at this time?"

Ma Zhenxi shook his head helplessly: "Sigh, it's a do-or-die situation."

“All the civilian boats nearby have been requisitioned by the Pacification Headquarters’ logistics and military and political cadres. Without boats, even if I shoot the engineering battalion commander, I still can’t build a pontoon bridge.”

"The G army won't care about any of that."

"boom!!!"

Before Li Zuobin could finish speaking, a huge explosion suddenly occurred.

The troops, which had initially maintained some order, suddenly erupted into a huge commotion.

Li Zuobin looked in the direction from which the explosion came, his expression changing drastically: "The G Army is here just like that?!"

He judged that this was most likely the G army testing artillery.

Ma Zhenxi, standing to the side, sensed something was amiss: "It can't be this fast, can it?"

"Let me ask." With that, Ma Zhenxi picked up the walkie-talkie from the command vehicle. "This is Ma Zhenxi! What was the situation with that explosion? Which unit was there? Report immediately!"

Someone immediately reported Ma Zhenxi's question.

"What? You bastard!"

Ma Zhenxi turned to Li Zuobin and said, "Officer, a platoon leader was warming himself by a fire when he accidentally burned down a firecracker shop."

Li Zuobin was almost driven mad with anger.

This sudden incident could cause countless stampede injuries and fatalities.

"The platoon leader responsible for the accident should be executed on the spot!"

"Officer Li Siling orders that the platoon leader responsible for the incident be executed on the spot!"

"What? Ran away?"

"Damn it! Why aren't you controlling it?!"

After hearing Ma Zhenxi's words, Li Zuobin was about to say something, but then he looked at the houses next to him and suddenly realized what was going on.

"Commander Ma, order the nearby troops to put out the fire immediately!"

The houses in Hejian are arranged one after another, and they are all bamboo and wood structures soaked in tung oil.

A northwest wind has picked up, and if the fire isn't extinguished immediately, the entire town of Chengyang could burn down.

After receiving orders, a regimental commander near the river street shouted at the soldiers beside him, "Don't panic! Damn it! Put out the fire first!"

"Quickly put out the fire!"

However, he clearly overestimated his influence. The nearby soldiers were only concerned with grabbing their belongings and running towards the river, and no one cared about the fire.

Later on, even Li Zuobin's personal orders were ineffective.

Most people were just watching the spectacle, except for a nearby company commander who led dozens of men to put out the fire.

But by then, the northwest wind had engulfed all the stilted houses along the river street in flames.

Dozens of people simply couldn't control the situation.

Upon learning that no one was taking care of the fire in the county town, Li Zuobin could only order: "Ma Junzhang, order the 38th Army's supply regiment to do everything in its power to put out the fire."

"If the fire cannot be controlled, demolish part of the houses in the center of the street to prevent the fire from spreading further."

The troops have not yet fully crossed the river. If the fire spreads, it will have a significant impact on the 7th Army Corps.

"yes!".
Seeing the more than a thousand people turn and run towards Chengyang County, Li Zuobin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ma Junzhang, it's time for us to cross the river."

Now that the 7th Army Corps' heavy weapons and main combat troops have crossed the river, the remaining soldiers will be able to cross much faster.

As soon as the group arrived at the dock, a combat staff officer ran over.

"Lord Siren, we have just received an urgent telegram from the Pacification Headquarters."

Li Zuobin reached out and took it, then read: "The president flew from Hubei to Chongqing."

"The president is here?" Ma Zhenxi's face showed a hint of excitement.

"Lord Siren, there may be a new turning point in the war in the southwest."

"We'll have to see about that later," Li Zuobin said. "Let's get on the boat first."

Li Zuobin really didn't dare to say much about Chang Ruiyuan's command abilities.

With Li Zuobin gone, the remaining soldiers of the 7th Army Corps focused all their attention on crossing the river, fearing that they would be left behind.

Seeing that no one was taking care of them, the soldiers of the supply regiment who were fighting the fire deserted and ran to the riverbank to cross the river.

As for the fire, let whoever wants to save it save it.

The out-of-control fire burned for a full twelve hours, reducing thousands of bamboo and wood stilted houses and shops to ashes.

The sounds of heartbreaking cries echoed throughout Chengyang County.

On the other side of the Jialing River, Li Zuobin could even hear the cries.

"With Chengyang burned to this state, the people will hate us and curse us."

Ma Zhenxi, standing to the side, seemed unconcerned: "Officer, war is inherently cruel. It's not like we deliberately set the fire. They're just unlucky."

Li Zuobin shook his head and didn't say anything more.

The troops have now basically crossed the river, and the defensive lines have been set up. It's just a matter of when the G army will arrive.

Dozens of miles away, the 231st Regiment also arrived at the Jialing River.

“Bailong Mountain is on the other side.” Yu Yong, the commander of the 231st Regiment, put down his binoculars.

"The commander-in-chief assigned us the task of seizing Bailong Mountain. If we cannot cross the Jialing River and the enemy sets up defenses on Bailong Mountain, the cost to us will be enormous."

The battalion commander standing nearby said, "And what about the engineering company? They're the ones who clear roads through mountains and build bridges over rivers."

As the company commander of the engineering corps of the vanguard, he was overwhelmed by the turbulent river.

"That's true, but without boats, how can we build a bridge?"

"Commander, how about we find a few people who can swim and have them swim over there?" a operations staff officer suggested.

"Come on," Yu Yong waved his hand. "How many people in our whole group can swim? They're all like weights, do you think they can swim across?"

"Commander, there's bamboo on the mountain. How about we cut some bamboo and make a few bamboo rafts?"

"Time is too tight, there's simply not enough time."

"I have a suggestion," the political instructor of the 9th Company said.

“Our company has two cooking pots, and our battalion has five mess units, so there are a total of ten cooking pots.”

"Our entire regiment has no fewer than forty marching pots."

"If eight pots are considered a group, then forty marching pots can form five groups."

Before anyone around could react, the engineering company commander slapped his thigh excitedly and exclaimed, "Genius! Genius!"

Seeing that Yu Yong still didn't understand, the engineering company commander immediately explained.

"Commander Yu, what Instructor Wang means is that eight cooking pots should be grouped together, and if they are fixed together with wood, they can form a boat."

"Five of these boats can carry five shifts at a time."

"We'll then pull the cable to the other side of the river, which will speed up the crossing."

"It shouldn't be a problem to get through a thousand or so people in half a day."

"Are you confident?" Yu Yong asked excitedly.

"I'm absolutely confident!"

"Alright! Get ready immediately!" Yu Yong ordered. "The logistics personnel should also go up the mountain to cut bamboo. Let's do it both ways!"

"yes!".
On the other hand, after arriving in Chongqing, Chang Ruiyuan immediately dispatched Chang Jianfeng to Guangyuan.

Hu Shoushan's command post is located here.

Inside the meeting room, Chang Jianfeng took out a handwritten letter from Chang Ruiyuan.

"Director Hu, this is a letter from the president in his own handwriting."

After handing the letter to Hu Shoushan, Chang Jianfeng took out a stack of letters from his bag.

"This is a letter from the president to all military commanders."

The attendants immediately took the items and distributed them one by one.

The letters were all very similar, beginning with "My dear brother," followed by an explanation that although he had retired, he must fight alongside everyone in the life-or-death struggle for the Party and the country.
"Director Hu, the President said that all officers and soldiers of the Pacification Headquarters must be determined to fight the enemy without hesitation and to consolidate the southern Shaanxi front, giving the G Army a head-on blow!"

Looking at Chang Ruiyuan's handwritten letter, Hu Shoushan felt a headache coming on.

His Fifth Army Corps had already retreated to Guangyuan. If he went back, he felt it would be like lambs to the slaughter.

Moreover, he harbored considerable resentment towards He Zhoushao for abandoning Guizhou without a fight.

"I heard that the G army has already occupied Guiyang? Is that true?" Hu Shoushan asked knowingly.

Chang Jianfeng had no way to hide this matter, so he could only nod and say, "He Zhoushao, the clerk of the 19th Army Corps, retreated without a fight, which is truly despicable."

However, the conversation ended there. After all, He Zhoushao was He Jingzhi's nephew, so it was impossible to punish him.

"In this way, the G army will inevitably invade southern Sichuan and attack Luzhou." Hu Shoushan's face was somewhat grim.

"Given the tense situation in southern Shaanxi and eastern Sichuan, how does the President intend to respond?"

Chang Jianfeng explained, "The president plans to deploy the 5th and 18th Army Corps to defend Chongqing. 1,200 troop transport vehicles have already set off."

"As for Hanzhong, only the 7th and 8th Corps of the Pacification Headquarters can hold out during this period."

Chang Ruiyuan had already noticed the Second Field Army's large-scale flanking maneuver and realized that eastern Sichuan was the main direction of the G Army's attack.

Hu Shoushan was speechless. He was already in a difficult position when he was about to launch a head-on attack on the G army, and now he was in trouble because his main force was gone.

"If the 5th and 18th Corps are brought to Chongqing, I won't have many troops left."

"In the 7th Army Corps, only the 38th Army is still relatively intact; as for the 8th Army Corps, it can probably only muster the strength of four or five divisions."

"The rest of the troops are merely nominal."

Even including logistics, it's questionable whether these two corps can still muster 6 men.

If his elite 5th Army Corps and the general reserve 18th Army Corps were to be withdrawn at this time, he really couldn't guarantee that he could hold off the G Army.

However, Chang Jianfeng clearly didn't want to listen to Hu Shoushan's complaints.

"When I arrived, the president personally instructed Director Hu to strictly order his troops to advance without retreat and to fight for survival."

"I need to return to Chongqing to report tomorrow morning. I hope you can tell me about Director Hu's plans."

Hearing Chang Jianfeng's words, Hu Shoushan felt a chill in his heart.

If given a command, the troops would fight to the death; the G army was wiped out as early as 46.

However, he had no choice but to get up and ask Chang Jianfeng to come to the map.

"The G army on both the east and west routes is advancing towards Hanzhong in a pincer movement, and further advance is no longer possible."

"The 7th and 8th Corps can only fight back step by step by taking advantage of the terrain, hoping to drag it out until the President resolves the war in eastern Sichuan."

Without troops at your disposal, let alone launching an attack, even a prolonged defense is a pipe dream.

Although Chang Jianfeng didn't understand warfare, he knew about the situation of the Hanzhong troops, so he didn't say much.

Whether this plan works or not is not up to him; ultimately, it depends on whether his father agrees.

The next day, after seeing Chang Jianfeng off, Hu Shoushan immediately took a car to the front line.

"Officer Li, what's the situation with your unit now? Can you still hold off the G army's attack?"

Li Zuobin said with a wry smile, "Including the wounded, the Seventh Army Corps has a total strength of less than 30,000 men, and is currently deploying along the Jialing River."

"To be honest, I really can't guarantee whether we can hold the Jialing River."

Hu Shoushan did not directly state his plans, but instead asked, "What about the G Army? What is the current situation of the G Army?"

Li Zuobin pointed to the opposite bank of the Jialing River and said, "The vanguard of the G Army has arrived in Chengyang. They launched a river crossing operation, but we drove them back and they haven't made any new moves."

In the direction Li Zuobin pointed, Chen Chengxing and his group also entered Chengyang County.

Looking at Chengyang, now a ruin, and the wailing of the people in the streets, everyone's faces were grim.

"Notify the logistics department to ensure that relief efforts are carried out effectively."

"Yes!"

Luo Ping, who was standing nearby, immediately arranged for people from the political department to participate in the rescue efforts.

Looking at the ruins, Luo Ping said, "After ten years of civil war, eight years of resistance against Japan, and three years of the Liberation War, this is the first time I've ever seen an entire county town burned so badly."

"Is Li Zuobin on the list of war criminals?"

“If we don’t put him on the list of war criminals, how many war criminals will China have left?” Chen Chengxing said, looking at the radio operator beside him.

"Order the 24th Detachment to launch a frontal attack to draw the enemy's attention, while the 21st and 22nd Detachments will attempt to cross the river from the east and west flanks."

"Pass the order down: Li Zuobin must be brought to justice! Otherwise, how can we face the people of Sichuan?"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)