Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

After enduring temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius and lack of oxygen, all the troops finally arrived at the front line. Except for the logistics units, all the soldiers immediately began training.

High-altitude warfare is completely different from fighting on flat ground.

In addition to overcoming the effects of severe cold and lack of oxygen on their bodies, the soldiers also had to recalibrate their firing parameters.

The low air pressure on the plateau causes shells to fly farther, often resulting in accurate aiming but missed hits.

In addition, severe cold and lack of oxygen can cause a variety of problems, such as guns not firing, machine guns not firing continuously, grenades not exploding, flamethrowers not igniting, and radio signals not working.

Soldiers must get used to these things before the war breaks out, because once the fighting starts, these things can be deadly.

The soldiers' undisguised training on the front lines was clearly visible to the Indian troops just across the mountain.

However, India completely failed to grasp China's intentions.

Even though Indian soldiers knew that China had increased its troop presence, they still showed no concern.

Not only did they not retreat, the sentry didn't even report it to his superiors.

It wasn't until Indian Army 114th Brigade Commander Reiner came to inspect the front lines that a sentry seized the opportunity to curry favor and reported the incident as crucial intelligence.

"Sir, the Chinese army has a very strange firing point on the other side; it's a large bunker without gun barrels."

"The bunker has no firing ports?"

Rainer was genuinely puzzled by the sentry's report.

After examining the object through the binoculars for a while, Rainer suddenly burst into laughter.

"You're mistaken. This isn't a firing point; it's clearly a command post!"

"Command post? The enemy has placed their command post right under our noses?"

The Indian officers nearby were very surprised and also raised their binoculars.

Seeing that no one understood, Rainer said smugly, "Look at those endless streams of people."

"They were all carrying things and seemed to be in a hurry. They had to wait for a notification from inside before entering in one by one."

"What else could this be but a high command post?"

Upon hearing Rainer's explanation, everyone suddenly understood and began to flatter him.

With a wave of his hand, Rainer ordered, "Go, bring over a mortar platoon and take out this command post of the central army!"

"I want them to know that if they encounter my 114th Brigade in the future, they'd better retreat 10 kilometers!"

Rainer had no concern whatsoever about the potential armed conflict that the shelling might trigger.

At that time, everyone in the Indian army believed that China was weak, while India was the world's third strongest military power.

Even if a fight breaks out, what is there to worry about?
Soon, several 81mm mortar shells landed, raising a cloud of dust on the position.

Although these shells did not hit directly, Rainer became increasingly disdainful.

The shockwave from the explosion alone destroyed the Chinese command post, which made Rainer shake his head.

"The Chinese were weak, and so were the fortifications."

"The command post collapsed before the shells were even fired. If the shells had hit it squarely, wouldn't it have been reduced to ashes?"

"It's boring, so incredibly boring!"

"Let's go and inspect other places."

Rainer waved his hand and left the hilltop, with the others immediately following.

As for the Chinese side's reaction after the shelling, they completely forgot about it and nobody cared.

"Damn it, are the Indian troops out of their minds?! Why did they bomb our toilets?!"

Seeing the collapsed toilet and the excrement that had flown out and spilled all over the ground, the 9th Company Commander turned pale with anger.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, otherwise he would have been furious on the spot.

"Company commander, all our other fortifications are built in concealed places, so the Indian army shouldn't be able to see them. They might think this is some important place."

Upon realizing this possibility, the 9th Company Commander was utterly speechless.

"I'm speechless. Don't they use their brains? What army would build a fortification all by itself?"

Even if this toilet were made of concrete, let alone earth and wood, a lone bunker wouldn't be of any use.

"I heard that Indians don't have toilets and they always relieve themselves wherever they want. Maybe they've never seen a toilet before."

"Sigh," the 9th Company Commander shook his head helplessly, "Report it."

"Find a secluded spot and build another toilet, so that we don't have to deal with the explosion while taking a dump."

Although many main forces have already reached the front lines, the decision on when to fire the first shot rests with the Central Committee.

Before this, no one should act rashly.

The 9th Company cannot retaliate now; they can only report the situation while cursing.

As time went on, the main forces that had been urgently deployed to Tibet gradually completed all preparations.

A counterattack against India is imminent.

As the main force and the elite unit of the campaign, the 21st Division undertook the first wave of attacks against the Indian vanguard.

"Mom, 21st Division Headquarters," Li Chishui convened a combat meeting.

Ren Wuliu, the chief of staff of the 21st Division, pointed to the map and reported to everyone: "According to intelligence, India has assembled a corps headquarters, a division headquarters, and three brigade headquarters in the eastern sector, totaling 15 infantry battalions, plus division and corps subordinate units, totaling about 22,000 people."

"Its main force, the 7th Brigade, has advanced to the Shazhang area, crossing the traditional customary line by more than 100 kilometers."

"This 7th Brigade is the main target of the 21st Division in the first phase."

"The Indian 7th Brigade consists of five infantry battalions and one heavy machine gun battalion, as well as some joint logistics support units, with a total strength of more than 5,500 people."

"The Indian 7th Brigade is an elite unit of the Indian Army. It participated in World War II and fought many battles with the Japanese in Burma."

"Moreover, because they have been stationed in the southern Tibet region for a long time, they are very familiar with the local terrain and climate, are used to mountain warfare, and are adapted to the cold and low oxygen conditions."

"The Indian 7th Brigade is now organized into battalions, lined up from Saichang Lake to Shachang. Its brigade headquarters are mostly located here, with another battalion as a reserve. The tactical command of the Indian 4th Division is located in Jimitang."

After Ren Wuliu finished explaining the situation, Li Chishui, the commander of the 21st Division, stood up: "According to intelligence, the 5th Battalion of the Jet Regiment of the Indian 7th Brigade is stationed in the Saizhang Lake area."

"This Jet Brigade participated in both Opium Wars, burned down the Old Summer Palace, and suppressed the Taiping Rebellion. They were also involved in the British invasion in 1904. Their hands are stained with the blood of Chinese people."

"The central leadership has given orders."

Everyone immediately stood at attention.

Looking at the people who had stood up straight, Li Chishui said, "This army will not accept surrender; they must be annihilated!"

The Jet Regiment was a regimental-level unit formed by the British during their colonial period in India.

The British selected a large number of physically strong young men from India, trained them under British instructors, and equipped them with the most advanced guns and artillery of the time.

The Indian Army's organizational structure after independence retained the British Army's system, with brigades directly subordinate to battalions. In India, regiments are generally divided by religion or ethnicity; for example, the Sikh Regiment is entirely composed of Sikhs.

Each regiment will have a variable number of battalions, which will be assigned to different brigade headquarters depending on the needs of the battle.

Therefore, on the battlefield, the brigade level is responsible for actual command.

Therefore, the Jeter Brigade was naturally split up and placed under the command of each brigade.

The Indian army's organizational structure appears to demonstrate a very strong sense of cohesion.

However, racial discrimination is very serious within the Indian army, and backstabbing between battalions occurs frequently.

This is also why the Jet Regiment battalions have always served as the vanguard after being dispersed to various brigades.

The other battalions consisted of soldiers from the same ethnic group, but the Jet Regiment had all sorts of people, so the other battalions naturally made them their primary targets for bullying.

After reading out the superior's order regarding the Jeter United Team, Li Chishui gestured for everyone to sit down.

Pointing to the map, Li Chishui said, "The altitude of this mountainous area is all above 5000 meters, with some areas between 800 and 3000 meters high, and the slopes are between 60 and 80 degrees. The mountains are mostly cliffs and steep walls."

"At these key passes, the Indian army has built quite solid defensive fortifications, making them virtually impregnable."

"However, the enemy's short-legged T-formation is not difficult to deal with."

"Simply deploy our three regiments laterally, and the Indian army's formation will immediately break down."

The Indian army occupied the pass and its main force was lined up along the valley. If the various units of the 21st Division wanted to expand laterally, they would have to cross mountains and valleys.

However, for Li Chishui, who had participated in the Long March and climbed snow-capped mountains, a few mountains were nothing.

After explaining the enemy's situation, Li Chishui said, "I have the following deployment for the upcoming battle."

"The 211th Regiment will begin its attack from the west, first annihilating the 5th Battalion of the Jet Regiment, and then advancing eastward."

"The 212th Regiment will send a battalion to outflank Zhanduo along the border, while the rest of the troops will cooperate with the 211th Regiment to advance from the front."

"After crossing Longshan, the 213th Regiment launched a surprise attack to control Sanchakou, cutting off the enemy's retreat. The main force first annihilated the enemy on the right flank, and then cooperated with the whole army to encircle and annihilate the enemy's 7th Brigade."

"The anti-aircraft artillery battalion is deployed near Mama. Any aircraft that enters its firing range will be shot down without warning or request for permission."

Due to the terrain, the Indian army's formation was very simple, and Li Chishui's response was also very simple.

Flanking maneuver, centripetal attack, and trapping the enemy.

At the front line of Saizhang Lake, Li Ruyi, the commander of the 211th Regiment, was lying in the grass observing the enemy situation ahead.

Looking at the positions of the 5th Battalion of the Jet Regiment of the 7th Brigade of India, Li Ruyi muttered, "Damn, this terrain is really a headache. If we attack head-on, it will be suicide."

As he spoke, Li Ruyi asked the operations staff officer beside him to open the map he carried with him.

But this is a 1:20 map, so you can't see anything at all.

Normal military maps are generally 1:5 scale. Some key points need to be scaled to 1:1 or even 1:5 scale to make tactical arrangements.

For Li Ruyi, a map at a scale of 1:20 is no different from looking at a mosaic.

Li Ruyi lay there for over an hour, his body frozen stiff, but he still couldn't find a clue.

We only know that the enemy has set up bunkers here, but we don't yet have a complete grasp of how many bunkers there are or where they are located.

If we were to start fighting directly, it would be like stepping into a bush with our faces exposed.

Staring at the towering mountain peaks before him, Li Ruyi's gaze gradually moved upwards, and then his eyes lit up.

"That's it! Hill 05, that's the key to whether we can hold this mountain area."

"If the Indian army can use it, so can we. As long as we take this high ground, we can wedge it in like a steel nail and tear open the Indian army's defenses!"

Chief of Staff Ding Guodong, who was standing nearby, said, "It's not easy to carry."

"The slopes around the high ground must be at least 60 degrees. We don't know how many enemies are on it, nor do we know their firepower. To attack uphill like this is too dangerous."

Li Ruyi affirmed, "That's still better than the 211th Regiment going on a dangerous mission."

"2nd Battalion Commander!"

"To!"

"Take an infantry company and a regimental reconnaissance platoon and take this position for me."

"If there are enemies, take advantage of the night to launch a strong attack and kill them; if there are no enemies, hide well in the mountains and don't get discovered."

"But you must be careful, there are orders from above not to reveal the main force's intentions, so this time your attack will not have fire support."

"Don't worry, Battalion Commander! We guarantee we'll take this position!" the 2nd Battalion Commander said firmly.

Although Li Ruyi mentioned two scenarios, everyone knows that no normal army would give up a crucial high ground.

That evening, the 2nd Battalion Commander led his team to set off.

They sneaked to the foot of Hill 05 under cover of night, and then carefully climbed upwards.

On such a steep slope, one slip could send you tumbling straight to the bottom.

After a great deal of effort, the soldiers finally climbed the 3000-meter-high mountain by noon on the second day.

Upon reaching the summit, the soldiers quickly spread out along the cliff edge, preparing to launch a strong attack on the enemy's position.

However, to everyone's surprise, the soldiers' tense and coordinated stealth tactics resulted in them not seeing a single enemy.

"Damn it, why aren't the Indian troops occupying the high ground?" The 2nd Battalion Commander scratched his hat. "If I had known this would happen, I would have brought less ammunition and more pickaxes."

There were no enemies, so there was no need to attack, but digging fortifications became a problem.

At a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius, the mountaintops were covered with thick snow, and the ground was frozen solid, requiring shovels to dig it out bit by bit.

However, since things had come to this point, there was no point in saying more; the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion could only bury themselves in their work.

Meanwhile, the reconnaissance platoon quietly infiltrated behind enemy lines to investigate the Indian army's deployment.

Inside the 211th Regiment headquarters, Li Ruyi was puzzled as he looked at the enemy's deployment.

"Why is the Indian army not taking the high ground, but instead using troops to guard the hillside? What does that mean?"

The reconnaissance platoon has already ascertained the general situation of the enemy. The Indian army is not abandoning all the high ground. They have a force on Hill 07 behind Hill 05, but they have completely given up the other high ground.

The entire force of the Jet Battalion was basically focused on Ziqu Yagong and Nongwan Yagong.

(The translation of "轧公" is "hillside".)
Ding Guodong chuckled from the side, "Commander, if you ask why the Indian army doesn't defend the high ground, I'm afraid no one will know, but this is actually beneficial to us."

"You're right. Who cares what he's thinking? As long as we can benefit!"

"Based on the enemy's deployment, I decided that the Second Battalion would launch a feint attack from the front to distract the enemy, while the First Battalion would pass through Hill 05, dive down the mountain ridge, and strike the enemy's flank and rear to cut off their escape route; the Third Battalion would also pass through Hill 05 to attack Nongwan Yagong. After the two battalions joined forces, they would turn around and annihilate the enemy."

"The higher-ups have given orders: leave no one in the Jeter United team alive!"

Although the Indian army did not occupy all the high ground, it was still a tough battle for the 211th Regiment.

Just as the 211th Regiment was making intensive preparations, bad news arrived. (End of Chapter)