Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 570 You're Faster, I'm Faster
"Sir, reports from the outer positions indicate that enemy troops have appeared in various locations around Ningchuan."

"None of the reconnaissance units sent out from the various positions have returned with reports."

Looking at the situation map, Park Tae-joon's face turned ashen: "We're probably in trouble."

Park Tae-joon never expected that the Central Army would target him.

Even more unexpectedly, the outer perimeter of Ningchuan fell so quickly.

"Send a telegram to General Walker immediately for assistance."

"yes!".
After receiving the telegram requesting reinforcements from the 7th Division of the South, although Willoughby insisted that it was a guerrilla harassment by the Central Army, Walker had already sensed that something was wrong.

The simultaneous attack on the 7th and 8th Divisions of the South suggests that it was unlikely to be a small-scale harassment.

"Send an order to the 25th Division, instructing the 24th Regiment to immediately move to Licheng for garrison duty."

At this time, on the US military map, the 6th South Division was defending behind the 7th and 8th South Divisions.

According to Walker's thinking, even if the central army broke through the defenses of the 7th and 8th Southern Divisions, the 6th Southern Division would be able to hold them off for a certain period of time.

This period of time was sufficient for the US 24th Regiment in Licheng to reach the front-line battlefield.

In this way, the 8th Army Group can deal with the situation with ease.

While the 24th Regiment was rushing to Licheng, Chen Chengxing had already ordered a general offensive.

Due to the threat from American aircraft, the artillery regiment of the artillery detachment set up its guns, but did not unleash its full firepower.

Instead, they only fired for a short time.

Before the arrival of the US military aircraft, the artillery positions had already been camouflaged again.

However, the fact that howitzers cannot fire does not mean that infantry guns and mortars cannot fire.

The 120mm mortars assigned to each regiment demonstrated extremely strong firepower.

After being reinforced at the regiment level, the response speed of heavy mortars has been significantly improved.

The Southern soldiers were bombed and cried out in despair.

In less than an hour, the Ningchuan defense line was riddled with holes.

The 7th Division of the South, which was reporting a "great victory" to the Eighth Army's headquarters yesterday, is now completely disoriented.

They have no idea what's going on.

All they knew was that they had to run away as soon as possible.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!" Park Tae-joon did not hesitate for a moment.

The 7th Division of the South, which was prepared in advance, immediately retreated rapidly to the south.

However, just 5 kilometers outside Ningchuan, the advance troops of the 7th Division of the South sent back information.

"Sir, something happened!"

"When the vanguard battalion was crossing the Sanwu Bridge, it was suddenly attacked by the central army. The enemy's firepower was very strong!"

"The vanguard battalion suffered heavy casualties, and the Sanwu Bridge was also blown up!"

"What?" Park Tae-joon's eyes widened instantly.

He couldn't care about the casualties of the Vanguard Battalion, but the bombing of Sanwu Bridge would have very serious consequences.

Without crossing the Sanwu Bridge, the 7th Division of the South could not smoothly turn south.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

Inside the division headquarters, the officers of the 7th Division of the South, upon learning the news, were in complete chaos.

But before everyone could figure it out, another piece of information that brought them despair arrived.

"Sir! Our central army has appeared on both our east and west flanks! Each flank has a division's worth of troops!"

"Damn it! Damn it!" Park Tae-joon's head was about to explode as he looked at the map.

Now they are being pursued from the north, blocked from the east and west, and unable to escape from the south. The 7th Division of the South is in dire straits.

However, Park Tae-joon did not completely give up hope at this point; he still had one last plan.

"Order all units to abandon trucks and heavy weapons. We are heading into the mountains!"

Off-road driving in mountainous areas is one of the Southern Army's specialties.

In the past, when fighting against the North Korean army, the South 7th Division had broken through the encirclement many times with this method, and Park Tae-joon wanted to replicate it this time.

However, Chen Chengxing had already witnessed the speed of the Southern Army's retreat, so he had already given the order.

Upon seeing the Southern Army break out lightly armed, the various units of the Second General Headquarters decisively abandoned their heavy weapons and gave chase.

The reason the South 2nd Regiment escaped last time was because the South Army was lightly armed, while the 2nd Regiment was fully armed.

This time everyone was traveling light, and the situation immediately changed.

The Southern Army ran until they were urinating blood, only to find that the distance between them and their pursuers had not increased, but was actually getting closer.

By 2 p.m., the 7th Division of the South had been surrounded on a hilltop.

After confirming that only a few enemy troops had escaped, everyone calmed down and maintained the encirclement while waiting for the artillery to arrive.

However, while the various units of the Second General Staff were not in a hurry, Park Tae-joon on the hilltop was jumping up and down in anxiety.

"We're doomed, we're really doomed this time!"

Park Tae-joon never imagined that the South Korean army's most effective skill would be used to kill them.

He knew very well that the other side wasn't being kind by not attacking now, but rather waiting for artillery fire.

Once the artillery arrives, the 7th Division of the South will be truly trapped with nowhere to go.

"Sir, a call from above. The air force will arrive soon. General Walker has ordered us to prepare to attack and open a way out."

As soon as they realized that escape was impossible, the 7th Division of the South sent a telegram to Walker requesting assistance.

When the chief of staff said that the air force would arrive soon, Park Tae-joon's face lit up with a hint of joy, but it quickly fell flat again.

After a night of fighting and a morning of fleeing, the 7th Division of the South now has less than 6,000 soldiers available for combat.

Moreover, after losing all its heavy firepower, the difficulty of opening a path to survival among tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers is unimaginable.

If the 7th Division of the South had that kind of strength, it wouldn't have abandoned the city and fled.

"Did General Walker mention reinforcements? When will they arrive?"

The chief of staff shook his head helplessly: "General MacArthur still insists that this was a small-scale attack, and the main force's established objectives have not changed."

"General Walker meant that we either break out or hold out for reinforcements, and transport planes would airdrop supplies to us."

"Xiba!"

Park Tae-joon really couldn't hold back anymore.

Were the volunteer soldiers surrounding them just air? And this was only a small-scale attack?
Park Tae-joon never imagined that this was actually the result of the South Korean army's long-term practice of making false reports about military intelligence.

MacArthur didn't believe a word of the Confederate report.

According to Willoughby's intelligence, there are only 10,000 to 20,000 Chinese troops in North Korea at present.

If all these people came to besiege the 7th and 8th Southern Divisions, MacArthur would welcome it with open arms.

This will make the Eighth Army's advance smoother. Once the troops reach the Yalu River and completely seal off the Sino-North Korean border, they can turn back and wipe out the enemy at any time.

During this period, MacArthur would not even blink an eye at the cost of three or five Confederate divisions.

Just as Park Tae-joon was feeling uneasy, the artillery regiments of the various detachments of the Second General Staff Department had arrived one after another.

"Commander-in-Chief, the detachment commanders are asking if we should launch an attack?"

With US aircraft constantly circling overhead, it's manageable while the various squadrons are concealed, but once an attack begins, the US aircraft will inevitably swoop down.

Especially with artillery, once it fires, there will definitely be losses.

"Set up the gun positions first," Chen Chengxing ordered. "This time, we won't fire a salvo; keep the guns spaced apart."

Faced with the U.S. military's air superiority, the Second General Staff had no other good options besides trying to maintain a distance to avoid excessive losses at once.

Of course, if the attack is delayed until night, the impact of US aircraft will be greatly reduced.

But now the Second Chief doesn't have that much time to waste.

Now that the general offensive has begun, both sides must race against time.

Whoever seizes the initiative first will have the advantage.

Moreover, the Second General Staff's enemies were not only the Southern 7th Division.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, with Chen Chengxing's order, hundreds of mountain guns and heavy mortars bombarded the hilltops of the 7th Division of the South.

American aircraft immediately began to disperse and search for artillery positions.
However, because the artillery positions were sufficiently dispersed and well concealed, the US aircraft ultimately only destroyed four mountain guns and one mortar.

By the time the American pilots sensed something was wrong and returned to the 7th Division's position, the 2nd General Staff's assault team had already stormed into the 7th Division's forward positions.

Faced with the already chaotic mountain terrain, the American pilots dared not straf the enemy easily, let alone drop bombs indiscriminately.

As darkness fell, the US military aircraft had no choice but to withdraw.

The Second General Staff also seized the opportunity to capture the 7th Division in the south.

More than 4,000 men of the 7th Division of the South were captured, and all the American advisors were also captured alive.

Chen Chengxing delivered on his word, eliminating the 7th Division of the South in a single day. "Commander-in-Chief, the prisoners are being interrogated and will be placed under separate custody."

"Let the security department handle it," Chen Chengxing ordered. "They will escort the prisoners back to the headquarters along with the wounded."

The Chinese People's Volunteer Army had long had a mature system for its prisoner-of-war policy, with highly sophisticated methods for binding and transporting prisoners.

Chen Chengxing didn't need to worry about the specifics; he set his sights on the next target.

"The 7th Division of the South has already been taken down; we don't need to worry about the 8th Division of the South."

"Next, as long as we eliminate the 6th Southern Division, we can strike directly behind the American forces."

Chen Chengxing marked an X on the map.

After the annihilation of the 7th and 8th Divisions of the South, the UN forces were left with only the 6th Division of the South as a reserve on the right flank.

Once the 6th Division of the South is eliminated, there will be no more obstacles in front of the Second General Staff.

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, at 10 p.m., Chen Chengxing led his troops straight to the 6th Division of the South.

To Chen Chengxing's dismay, the Second Division had traveled all night and arrived at dawn, but there wasn't a single person in sight on the 6th Division's position in the south.

As early as midnight yesterday, when they learned that the 7th Division of the South had been completely annihilated in less than a day, and that the 8th Division of the South was also in imminent danger, everyone from the commander to the soldiers of the 6th Division of the South was terrified.

The commander of the 6th Division of the South convened an operational meeting. Before he could even speak, everyone unanimously made a decision to follow ancestral traditions.

The 6th Division of the South set off without notifying anyone.

Moreover, in just one night, they went from the front line directly to the southwest rear of the 24th Regiment of Licheng.

At this point, the entire right flank of the UN forces collapsed completely, leaving a gaping hole tens of kilometers wide in the defensive line.

In these two days, it wasn't just Chen Chengxing and Li Yunlong who achieved results.

Throughout the western front, the all-out offensive launched by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army dealt a heavy blow to the enemy.

Inside the headquarters of the UN Eighth Army, Walker, though unaware of the movements of the 6th Division of the South, had already sensed something unusual.

Even after his first encounter with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Walker remained concerned that the Volunteer Army entering Korea would pose a significant threat to the UN forces.

At this moment, looking at the series of battle markers on the map, Walker's expression turned somewhat grave.

"Gentlemen, something is wrong."

"According to the battle report, the vanguard units of all divisions were attacked by the central army."

"I think the central army might be launching a general offensive this time."

"Sir." The head of the intelligence department stood up. "According to intelligence, the Chinese army has not entered Korea in large numbers."

The chief of staff chimed in, "We just received a telegram from General MacArthur. The officer believes that this is a bluff by the Chinese army, aimed at forcing our troops to retreat and buying more time for the Sino-Korean allied forces."

"The commander ordered us to speed up our advance, squeeze the central army's operational space, and ultimately annihilate them completely."

"Fuck!" Walker slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Don't bring up that damn attack plan again!"

"The 7th and 8th Divisions on the right flank have collapsed, exposing our flank. If we continue to advance, our troops could be in danger at any moment!"

"Order the front-line troops to begin the retreat immediately! The 2nd Division of the Jiangdong Army shall immediately switch to defense and cover the retreat of the main force!"

"Turkish Brigade, reinforce Jiechuan immediately! 1st Cavalry Division, reinforce towards Shunchuan!"

"We must rebuild the flank defenses no matter what!"

"But without General MacArthur's permission."

"Relay my orders immediately!" Walker shouted.

Walker could already feel the chilling killing intent, and he didn't care whether MacArthur agreed or not.

"Yes, sir!"
Walker's reaction was remarkably swift; it would have been impossible for him to instantly come up with a plan to switch from offense to defense without prior preparation.

However, Walker reacted quickly, but Shiji reacted even faster.

Upon learning of the UN forces' movements, the commander immediately identified the existing problems.

Although the various units had gained a comprehensive advantage, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army had not yet completed the encirclement of the UN forces.

Moreover, there was a huge gap in mobility between the two armies. Once the UN forces resolutely withdrew, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could not catch up even if they ran out of sight.

"The general offensive has only just begun, and the Americans are already retreating, which shows that the commanders' fighting will is not strong."

"According to reports from the Eastern Front, they have already encircled the American forces."

“Once the fighting begins on the eastern front, I fear the UN forces will retreat in large numbers.”

"We didn't manage to cordon off the area properly the first time, so we absolutely can't herd the ducks like that again!"

The key to this battle is who can run the fastest.

If the Chinese People's Volunteer Army could seize key passages before the UN forces fled, it could achieve its strategic objective of inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.

Conversely, the second battle would be like the first, where although a victory was achieved, it would have no impact on the overall situation.

"Give me the order!"

"Have Chen Chengxing and Li Yunlong immediately abandon the battlefield at hand. The Second Division and the C Army shall immediately advance towards Jiechuan!"

"Then Army C attacked towards Junshunli, and after succeeding, continued to maneuver towards Sukchon."

"If it is discovered that the enemy is trying to escape south, the Second Division will immediately turn towards Shaxili."

"Tell Chen Chengxing that he must occupy Shaxili no matter what, and block the enemy's escape route!"

"yes!".
After receiving the order from the headquarters, Chen Chengxing made a phone call to Army C.

"Old Li, how's it going on your end? Do you need me to send troops to help you?"

Hearing Chen Chengxing's words, Li Yunlong was speechless. The order for C Army's support was not given by him.

"Come on, Lao Chen, I've finished my work and am just about to move forward according to the orders of the headquarters."

"Alright then." Chen Chengxing felt a little disappointed; he hadn't expected Li Yunlong to act so quickly.

“But we’re old comrades-in-arms, so if you have any problems, just tell me, and I’ll definitely support you.” Chen Chengxing thumped his chest loudly.

"Haha, thank you, Lao Chen." Li Yunlong wasn't about to admit defeat.

"But this is also what I'm saying to you: if you need help, I, your old comrade-in-arms, will risk my life to help you."

"No need for that, Lao Li, didn't you see the telegram sent by the ringmaster?"

"What did the ringmaster say? Shouldn't he be addressed by his job title when he's working?" Chen Chengxing asked knowingly.

The Fourth Army Corps consisted of the A Army, B Army, C Army, and the Second Independent Brigade, but the clerk was not in Korea at this time.

Or rather, the Fourth Army Corps didn't even have a Siling Department.

Command of all troops was uniformly handled by the Volunteer Army Headquarters.

However, just as the second battle began, the clerk sent a telegram.

Outside of the main command, the higher command appointed someone as a substitute acting commander.

"Yes, yes, yes, Chen Zhiyi, you're the best!"

Li Yunlong was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape.

The Second General Staff's support for the C Army is called support, but the C Army's support for the Second General Staff is an order? It's taken for granted? Where the hell can I reason with this?

After a few lighthearted banter, Chen Chengxing's expression turned serious: "Alright, enough with the chit-chat, let's get down to business."

"There are two key points to this order from the Volunteer Army."

"Firstly, we must quickly advance towards Jiechuan; secondly, we must penetrate behind enemy lines into Shaxi."

“I know that,” Li Yunlong analyzed. “Given the current situation, we can’t wait until the enemy flees south before we can make our infiltration.”

"My suggestion is that you should send troops to advance into Shaxi right now."

Once Jiechuan is captured, the flank of the UN forces will be completely exposed to the attack range of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

Unless the enemy is a fool, they will inevitably retreat frantically.

In that case, setting off early is the best option.

"Great job, Lao Li, your horizons have broadened." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

"But you don't need to worry about that. Two days ago, I already sent a detachment to secretly infiltrate Shaxi."

"I estimate that they should already be waiting in the mountains near Shaxili."

"They've already arrived?" Li Yunlong was somewhat surprised, after all, the order from the Volunteer Army Headquarters had just been issued.

If Chen Chengxing had sent troops earlier, it would mean that he had seen through the UN forces' choice, which is equivalent to predicting the Chinese Communist Party's response strategy.

"Would I lie to you?" Chen Chengxing said seriously, "After the Second General arrives at Shigatse, he will immediately launch an attack on Jiechuan."

"C Army, speed up and advance directly towards Junshunchuan!"

"I see."

After hanging up the phone, Li Yunlong immediately ordered, "Army C, assemble immediately!"

If Chen Chengxing's troops have already reached Shaxi, then he must speed up.

Otherwise, Army C wouldn't be able to sit down for dinner.

(End of this chapter)