Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Nehru angrily slammed the letter in his hand onto the table.

"What do you mean?! What do you mean by 'following the traditional customary line, each side retreats 20 kilometers'?!"

"20 kilometers! How can they even say that!"

"Can this still be called a demilitarized zone?!"

Excluding the borders with Nepal and Bhutan, the main borders between India and China are located in two places.

One is the border between Kashmir and Aksai Chin, and the other is the border between the northeastern state of Assam and South Tibet.

Kashmir is a mountainous region; although the terrain is relatively flat, it is still a high-altitude area.

But things are completely different in Assam. If they retreat 20 kilometers along the traditional line of practice, the Indian army would have to set up defenses south of the Jamuna River.

This can't even be called a wide-open door; it's more like the walls have completely disappeared.

It's uncertain whether the six northeastern states will still exist in India by then.

After cursing for a while, Nehruya gritted his teeth and said, "I want to deploy the elite troops, launch a nationwide mobilization, and fight them to the death!"

"What do you think?" Nehru asked, looking at the crowd.

“I fully support it!” Menon said first.

"I have read all the telegrams from the Indian 7th Brigade. The enemy only gained an advantage by launching a surprise attack. As long as we concentrate our forces, we will surely give the Chinese army a head-on blow."

Army Chief of Staff Sanhuja looked at the confident Menon and said somewhat helplessly, "Shouldn't we reconsider? What if we launch a nationwide mobilization and fail?"

"Chief of Staff!" Kaul, the commander of the Fourth Army, who had rushed back to New Delhi, interrupted Sanhuja.

"I also believe that the Prime Minister and the ministers are right!"

"Moreover, the current situation is not something we can choose. The other side's proposal to withdraw troops is a complete scam. If we withdraw troops, our country's doors will be wide open from now on."

"You need to understand that as the most democratic and developed country in Asia, we will inevitably have a siphon effect on the surrounding countries. What if they flood in with illegal immigrants?"

"I strongly agree with the Prime Minister's opinion that we must restore our respective territories to what they were before the war, and then we can talk about a ceasefire."

Kaul himself was a close confidant of Nehru and Menon, and an active implementer of the Forward Policy.

If a ceasefire is implemented, he, as the frontline commander, will likely be the first to be purged.

Sanhuja did not object to the question Kaul raised.

It is an established fact that India is the most developed country in Asia.

If the McMahon Line cannot be restored, a large influx of illegal immigrants is inevitable.

"But we have already been defeated before. If we are defeated again, it may lead to instability among the states."

India is a federal country, and it was forcibly united by Britain, so the central government does not have strong control over the states.

This was also the reason Nehru launched the war earlier; he wanted to use the momentum of victory to reform the internal situation.

The Indian army has already suffered a major blow, which is very dangerous. If they continue fighting, everything will be fine if they win, but no one can be sure what will happen if they lose.

"We absolutely cannot lose again!" Caul exclaimed confidently.

"Our previous defeat was entirely due to the enemy's failure to attack according to our planned route and methods."

"Now that we have experience, the enemy is unlikely to succeed in a surprise attack again."

"Moreover, even though the enemy used a sneak attack as a despicable tactic, we still annihilated four enemy regiments while only losing one brigade ourselves, and most of the 4th Division was withdrawn."

"Even with a casualty ratio of nearly 1:2, we still hold an absolute advantage."

Although the victory that Caul claimed was fabricated and had no supporting evidence, Caul believed it without question.

Regardless of how many regiments of the Chinese army engaged the 7th Brigade, the Indian army eliminated four of them.

If the quantity is incorrect, then China owes them.

After Kaul's analysis, Sanhuja changed his mind.

The proposal for a decisive battle was passed unanimously.

Before the meeting adjourned, Nehru added, "We need time to mobilize and urgently reinforce our troops at the border, so we cannot directly break ties with China for the time being."

"I will communicate with the other party to buy time. Please be careful when you make your speeches."

"No problem." Everyone nodded in agreement.

For the sake of victory, they were willing to endure humiliation and hardship.

“There’s one more thing,” Nehru said. “Our previous defeats were also largely due to our equipment.”

"Menon, you must immediately request military assistance from the United States."

Menon nodded. "I'll arrange a meeting with the U.S. ambassador to India immediately."

The United States has always enjoyed profiting from wars, and now that money is being handed to it, it will naturally not let it pass by.

To bolster India's confidence, the United States not only directly used heavy transport aircraft to airlift weapons and equipment to India, but also published numerous articles in all media outlets, resolutely supporting India to fight to the last man.

Nehru was overjoyed by the United States' strong support.

"What a pleasant surprise! What a pleasant surprise! With the United States as our backer, we are in an invincible position."

"Even if we conquer the entire plateau, we can still get the support of the international community!"

Nehru had seen the weapons sent by the United States, and they were worlds apart from the British-made weapons they produced themselves.

At this point, the Indian army felt confident that it was invincible again, and all its elite troops were assembled in the Tawang direction.

Along the line from Xishankou to Bomdila alone, the Indian Army has deployed three infantry brigades and one artillery brigade, totaling more than 3 men.

These 12,000 men can be considered the vast majority of the Indian army's elite troops.

Nehru's plan was to push across the Himalayas in World War I.

Seeing that India's explanations were ineffective, the central government was at a loss.

You refuse to take the main road, but choose to descend into the abyss where there's no way out.

Then I can only make you kneel down first, and then try to persuade you gently.

After the meeting in Cuona, Li Chishui returned to the front line, weary from his journey.

Upon entering the camp, before the jeep had even come to a complete stop, Li Chishui jumped out.

As Li Chishui walked toward the command post, he said, "Notify all regimental officers that there will be a meeting in the conference room in half an hour!"

Standing in front of a huge hanging map in the conference room, Li Chishui said, "According to intelligence, the enemy is massively reinforcing its troops at the front line. The higher command has decided to take action before the enemy completes its preparations."

Pointing to the map, Li Chishui said, "This is Xishankou, and this is Bomdila. After the enemy retreated, they formed a long, straight line along the Koma River highway."

"The key defensive position is Xishankou, which is also the first place we need to contest."

"The enemy has about 12,000 men in this area, of which 3,300 are the most elite and an artillery brigade is deployed in the area from Xishankou to Shenge."

The West Pass is located in the Himalayas, a mountainous region with rugged terrain and difficult roads. There is only one poorly maintained road connecting the West Pass to Bomdila, leaving the Indian army with no choice but to form a long, single-file formation.

Xishankou is the highest point on this route, with an altitude of 4000 meters.

Once you pass the West Pass, the altitude drops sharply, with a difference of over 2000 meters from the mountaintop to the valley floor.

If the Xishankou Pass is in the hands of the Indian army, they can defend it from a high vantage point, and reinforcements can continuously arrive along the road.

Once the Chinese army captures Xishankou, it can advance down the road, making it virtually impossible for the Indian army to stop it.

After explaining the Indian army's deployment, Li Chishui briefly outlined the strategic plan formulated by his superiors.

"According to instructions from higher authorities, in order to achieve encirclement and annihilation, this campaign was divided into four routes."

"The first route is under the responsibility of the 11th Division. Their mission is to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, make long-range outflanking maneuvers, and encircle the enemy."

"The second route was led by the independent reinforced battalion of the Shannan District. They followed the route of the 11th Division, bypassed Jianjiu, and headed south, cutting off the enemy's formation in half."

"The third route is the responsibility of three regiments of the 419th Division. They are close to the border, preventing the enemy from escaping into Bhutan while encircling the enemy from the west."

"The last route is us. We will enter the battlefield from the northeast and northwest in a pincer movement and then attack Xishankou."

After introducing the enemy's situation and the mission assigned by his superiors, Li Chishui sat down again.

"Divide the troops into four groups and attack from the center. If done well, the enemy can be easily annihilated. But if the coordination is not good, the enemy will definitely flee in panic."

"According to the plan, all the troops will depart two days apart. The earliest is the 11th Division, which departs on the 10th, and the latest is us."

"On the 17th, all troops completed their operational deployment, and on the 18th, the general offensive was launched simultaneously."

In the previous battle, because it was the first time they had clashed with the Indian army, the Indian army's combat effectiveness was truly impressive, catching the troops off guard.

Apart from the 21st Division managing to contain a portion of the Indian 7th Brigade, the rest of the troops surrounded small groups of enemy soldiers. They failed to capture any of the main Indian forces, and the enemy troops fled incredibly fast.

To prevent this from happening again, the higher command decided to use the time difference to achieve the goal of all troops launching an attack simultaneously.

If the Chinese army cannot annihilate a large number of Indian troops, it will be unable to sustain a war of attrition once it becomes a war of attrition.

After all, the further south the Indian army goes, the easier it is to resupply, while the Chinese army has to cross the Himalayas for supplies, which is extremely disadvantageous.

Therefore, it is necessary to use the tactic of attacking from both sides to eliminate the Indian army's counterattack force in one fell swoop.

According to the plan, as long as each unit avoids going astray, coordinates well, and ensures the consistency of the encirclement in terms of time and space, the encirclement can be completed, and the main force of the Indian army can be annihilated in one fell swoop.

On the afternoon of the 15th, the vanguard company of the 33rd Regiment of the 11th Division, which had been traveling for six days over mountains and valleys, arrived at the Kara Pass.

Just as everyone was focused on their journey, someone from the reconnaissance squad ran back.

"Company commander, enemy troops have been spotted ahead, about a platoon, and they are building positions at the mountain pass."

Xu Zhihong's expression changed. "Damn, the Indian army reacted really quickly."

"Notify the troops to deploy immediately and launch an attack!"

The mission of the spearhead unit is to clear obstacles from the main force's advance.

The Indian troops, who were engrossed in their work, were all taken aback when the Chinese troops suddenly appeared.

The Indian platoon leader's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible! How could there be Chinese troops here?!"

Karakoram is located in the Indian Army's rear area, and they have not received any news of fighting breaking out anywhere. How could the enemy suddenly appear here?

However, this was clearly not the time for deep thought. The Indian platoon leader turned around and shouted, "Retreat! Now, you and your whole family!"

The Indian platoon leader turned around and realized that the soldiers behind him had discarded all their equipment except for their personal weapons and were fleeing in disarray, lightly armed.

The Indian platoon leader cursed as he quickly removed his equipment and caught up with the fleeing troops.

Seeing that the enemy had let the sheep roam freely, the soldiers of the elite detachment immediately abandoned their pursuit.

They don't have time to catch sheep here.

The elite daggers swiftly charged straight towards Bo Xinshan.

Five hours later, the elite detachment reached the Posin Pass and then drove off a company of the Assam battalion stationed there in just six minutes.

Meanwhile, another company of the Assam battalion stationed behind the Posin Pass immediately grabbed their artillery and weapons and ran away without looking back the moment they heard the gunfire.

The elite detachment's journey was completely unimpeded.

It wasn't until they reached Dengban at the foot of the mountain that the Sharp Knife Company encountered any real resistance.

The main force of the Indian Army's Assam Battalion is almost entirely concentrated here.

Dengban was the last obstacle for the 11th Division.

The moment the two sides clashed, their firepower was instantly maximized, and gunfire erupted everywhere.

Upon learning that the elite detachment had encountered resistance in Dengban, the commander of the 11th Division decisively issued an order.

"Organize the 6th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 33rd Regiment to bypass Dengban and launch a surprise attack on the Lahong Bridge behind it, cutting off the enemy's support and retreat routes."

"The 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 33rd Regiment launched a full-scale attack on Dengban and annihilated the Indian troops defending the area."

"Don't worry about the ammunition, speed is key! Once we break through the Koma River, it's victory!"

The 11th Division's mission was to infiltrate behind enemy lines and cut off the enemy's escape route. Once they crossed the Dengban and Lahong bridges, the 11th Division would be able to complete its mission.

The Indian army is well aware of how crucial their position is.

The Assam battalion utilized its superior position to form a ring of firepower for defense.

With no risk of being hit in the rear, the Indian troops fired wildly.

Hearing the fierce gunfire and the occasional shouts of Indian soldiers, the soldiers hiding behind their bunkers curled their lip in disdain.

"You stupid idiot, do you think you're invincible?"

"Just wait, you'll soon see what it means for times to have changed."

Twenty years ago, facing such a strategically important and well-defended circular position, it would probably have taken thousands of lives to capture it.

But now, without even touching the surface, one can turn the other to ashes.

As they were talking, the heavy mortar company, which had been urgently set up an artillery position, had already set up its guns.

"boom!"

As a test shot landed, the mortar battery, having completed calibration, began rapid fire, engulfing the Indian army's circular positions in a barrage of artillery fire.

The continuous explosions made the Indian troops jump around like ants on a hot pan, while smiles shifted to the faces of the Chinese soldiers.

The shelling lasted for 10 minutes. When the bugle sounded, the soldiers leaped up and, taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, easily stormed into the enemy's position.

From the moment the Indian troops opened fire to their surrender, the entire battle lasted less than 30 minutes.

Not long after the battle of Dengban ended, gunfire also came from the direction the 6th Company of the 33rd Regiment had flanked. (End of this chapter)