Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

On the other side, the Shannan Independent Reinforced Battalion advanced dozens of kilometers as planned, arriving at a mountainous area 5 kilometers from its destination.

After a brief rest, when the time came for the general offensive, the Independent Battalion continued forward, preparing to cross the mountains, strike directly at their destination, and cut off the retreat route of the Indian 5th Brigade.

However, just as they were about to reach their target, the soldiers suddenly saw several Indian army cars speeding past on the road at the foot of the mountain.

The other party had already floored the accelerator, and even though the car was swaying a bit, it showed no sign of slowing down.

Seeing this, Zhang Changzheng, the battalion commander of the independent battalion, slapped his thigh in frustration.

"Oh no! Oh no! The Indian army command has escaped!"

"Third Company Commander! Third Company Commander!"

"To!"

"You and your team, the 3rd Company, don't worry about anything else, just accelerate and advance!"

"We must get to the highway as quickly as possible and establish positions to block the Indian army's retreat."

Although there are still the 11th Division's positions to be taken, the first phase of the operation plan is to eliminate the Indian 5th Brigade.

This is the Independent Battalion's mission; can the Independent Battalion simply allow the Indian army to retreat south?

The 3rd Company immediately took the lead and accelerated its advance, with the rest of the main force following behind at high speed.

However, the area is full of cliffs and precipices, and even though the Independent Battalion has gone around in circles, there are still many places where they need to build human ladders to get through.

As for mortars and heavy machine guns, they could only be transported slowly by hand.

During this period, even if the soldiers saw Indian troops passing by, they could not fire to avoid alerting the enemy.

The independent battalion could only watch helplessly as the Indian troops slipped away from the road at the foot of the mountain.

Twenty minutes later, the independent battalion finally made it down the mountain after overcoming numerous difficulties.

The 3rd Company, which was the first to come down the mountain, quickly seized advantageous terrain and established a position. The 2nd Company, which followed closely behind, established a position on the other side of the road.

The two companies' positions formed a crossfire, creating a defensive line of fire.

The 1st Company established a cover position at the foot of the mountain, responsible for covering the flanks and rear of the 2nd and 3rd Companies.

However, before each company could complete its position construction, a scout came to report.

"Battalion Commander, another few dozen trucks are coming along the road."

Zhang Changzheng immediately shouted, "Everyone, take your positions and prepare for battle!"

When the long line of trucks came into view, Zhang Changzheng waved his hand, and the heavy machine gun fire team that had been prepared opened fire.

The bullets fired from the six 12.7mm heavy machine guns were like six sickles, instantly blowing up the three trucks carrying the Indian army.

None of the Indian soldiers on the truck survived; the truck bed was filled with pieces of corpses and flowing blood.

The 12.7mm bullet is so powerful that if it hits, the body will immediately be torn into pieces.

As for the train cars, they offered absolutely no protection against bullets.

However, while the truck couldn't stop the bullets, the exploding and burning car completely blocked the road.

The Indian troops following behind shouted and jumped off their vehicles and rushed to the roadside.

However, the Indian trucks at the rear of the convoy were unaware of what had happened and continued to drive in this direction.

By the time the Indian troops figured out what was going on, more than a thousand people had already piled up.

The headquarters of the Indian 5th Brigade had already fled, and these Indian troops had no unified direct leadership.

Ultimately, Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel Aksh stepped forward.

"Majors, the central command has established a solid position and blocked the highway."

"If we want to retreat, we must work together to open up a passage from the front; otherwise, no one will have a good ending."

"I'm thinking of having a few of us set up a frontline command to unify the command of all troops. Do you have any other opinions or good ideas?"

The other three Indian army battalion commanders gathered there pondered for a moment, then shook their heads in agreement with Aksh's opinion.

“We agree to set up a forward command post, and we need to do it quickly, because we may not have much time.”

They are still dozens of kilometers away from Bomdila, and it is impossible for them to return by mountain road. As time goes by, more and more Chinese troops will come after them.

"Alright, I've decided that each battalion will send one company to form a commando team of over 400 men, which will immediately launch an assault on the enemy under the cover of mortar units!"

Faced with the threat of death, the Indian army acted swiftly.

More than 400 men charged toward the 3rd Company's position in a dense assault.

Seeing the Indian army's actions, the soldiers on the position almost burst out laughing.

Without even needing to engage the infantry, the firepower of just a few heavy machine guns easily brought the Indian army to a standstill.

Seeing the Indian soldiers retreating back in just a few minutes, Aksh rushed out of the command post, waving his pistol repeatedly.

"You bastards, don't retreat! Forward! Everyone, keep moving forward!"

If the Indian army wants to force a retreat, the only road in front of them is available. If they cannot break through the Chinese army's blockade, they will be in danger.

The Dalit soldiers didn't care about being captured, but for the Kshatriya high command, being captured was extremely shameful.

But no matter how much Aksh threatened them, the Indian soldiers did not take any action.

Even though the soldiers stopped retreating because of the gun barrels, they remained timid and motionless.

As for charging forward, they couldn't make any progress at all.

Even if Aksh organized new troops to attack the 2nd and 3rd Companies from both the left and right flanks simultaneously, the situation remained the same.

Indian soldiers simply dared not charge into the hail of bullets.

As darkness fell, Aksh and several Indian officers grew increasingly anxious.

"Damn it, we can't let this stalemate continue."

"The central army's objective is to hold us back; their main force could arrive at any moment."

"Once we are surrounded, it will be difficult to break out."

"But we can't get through now. The enemy has strong firepower and a lot of men."

"If we can't break through head-on, then we'll flank them from the side!" Aksh stood up and affirmed.

"I have studied the tactics of the central army, and they are most adept at using flanking maneuvers."

"There is an old Chinese saying, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,' so we also use roundabout and indirect methods to deal with them."

The battalion commanders standing nearby perked up. "Lieutenant Colonel, please explain in detail."

"It's very simple. We will continue our frontal attack to draw the attention of the central army; on the other hand, we will send elite troops to flank and attack the central army's rear."

Aksh clapped his hands, "A pincer attack from both sides will surely throw the enemy into chaos."

"Even if we can't take their positions, we can force them to adjust their firepower, creating an opportunity for the main force to pass through."

The Indian army had already pushed the exploded truck to the side of the road, and they now have more than 20 trucks at their disposal, which is enough to enable all personnel to move by truck.

Given any opportunity, even a mere 10-minute gap, the Indian army could leave this area.

"What a plan!"

Several Indian officers nearby were amazed and gave him a thumbs up.

Soon, an elite force of two hundred men was organized.

However, this elite force was discovered by the Independent Battalion's reconnaissance team as soon as they crossed the mountain ridge.

Looking at the Indian troops' movements reported by the scouts, Zhang Changzheng couldn't help but shake his head.

"A flanking attack? Don't they scout the battlefield? My 1st Company has been waiting there for ages, isn't this just walking into the line of fire?" After grumbling for a bit, Zhang Changzheng said to the staff officer next to him, "Tell the 1st Company, you can't rush things. Tell them to play along and let the Indian troops in."

"The main force of the 1st Company moved to the flank of the Indian army's route, giving the enemy a chance to strike while the enemy was lurking behind."

"yes!".
The Indian army was completely unaware that it had fallen into a trap.

Just as they were full of joy and preparing to launch an attack from their marching position, bullets, shells, and grenades from the 1st Company rained down on them.

In just a moment, the Indian army's flanking force was routed, leaving corpses strewn across the battlefield.

Just over ten minutes later, the gunfire stopped, and there wasn't a single Indian soldier left standing.

This failed breakout attempt left the Indian army command post in a somber mood.

Akshi got up and sat down, then got up and sat down again.

Finally, having come up with no other solution, Aksh gritted his teeth and said, "We can't just let this go!"

"Gather all the Sikh and Kurkha soldiers and engage them in hand-to-hand combat!"

"With the Chinese army relying so heavily on firepower, their close-quarters combat capabilities are definitely weak."

"Under the cover of night, if we can break into the enemy lines, we will surely be able to utterly defeat them!"

Hearing Aksh's words, the other Indian officers regained their confidence.

“That’s right! As long as we can break into the enemy lines, my Sikhlian will definitely defeat them.”

"My Kurkharen is the same!"

"Sikren's melee combat skills are the best on Earth."

"Kurkhalen is the same!"

"Alright!" Aksh clenched his fist, stopping the others from speaking.

"Immediately assemble the Sikh and Kurkha companies, with the rest of the troops providing full cover. Let us fight our way out!"

This was almost the Indian army's last chance. In order to escape, the Indian army brought out all its best troops.

If the Sikh and Kurkha units manage to break into the central army's positions, the rest of the troops will quickly follow up and expand their gains.

Although it was late and visibility was poor, the stealthy Indian troops were still spotted from a hundred meters away.

Seeing that they had been exposed, the Indian Sikh and Kurkha companies at the forefront leaped up and charged forward, shouting.

Zhang Changzheng immediately saw through the Indian army's intentions.

"Are they planning a melee?"

"We've finally found the right mentor!"

The instructor standing nearby chuckled, "What? Want to teach the other side a lesson?"

Zhang Changzheng sneered, "Education? They don't even deserve it."

"Mighty combat is indeed our forte, but back then we were so poor we had to sell our pants. Now our firepower is terrifying. If we still rely on bayonet fighting, wouldn't it be a waste to equip ourselves with all this firepower?"

"Tell the mortar positions and heavy machine gun teams to open fire!"

"If the Indian army can really break through our firepower, then we'll teach them how to fight in close combat!"

"So, sneaking around under the cover of night is called hand-to-hand combat?"

"joke!"

As two flares rose, the barrage fired by the Independent Battalion cut through the grass, and even Indian soldiers lying on the ground with their buttocks sticking out would be hit.

If you can't even stand up, don't even think about hand-to-hand combat.

Unable to get close to the position, the Indian troops could do nothing but flee, leaving behind a trail of corpses.

This defeat completely shattered the Indian army's confidence.

The Indian troops, who had originally been gathered together, began to find their own way out. Some went south into the mountains, while others chose to stay put and wait to surrender.

Upon seeing this, the Independent Battalion immediately switched from blocking to pursuing, and began capturing people all over the mountains and fields.

For the independent battalion, catching sheep across the mountains and fields was much more difficult than fighting on the front lines.

While the Independent Battalion was engaged in fierce fighting, the 11th Division's positions south of Derang Dzong were waiting and waiting, but they didn't see a single person.

Not only did the fleeing Indian troops not retreat from the north, but none of the expected support from the south arrived either.

The 33rd Regiment waited for a long time, and the reconnaissance troops had already gone out several kilometers.

However, they only found a few scattered Indian army signalmen; there was no sign of the main force at all.

Inside the regimental headquarters, Xie Zhibang, the commander of the 33rd Regiment, put down his binoculars and said with some helplessness, "It seems there will be no reinforcements today."

Before the battle, the plan considered all possible scenarios, except for the Indian army's refusal to come to the rescue.

Xie Zhibang even doubted whether the besieged troops were actually Indians, since the Japanese had never been so dismissive of the puppet troops.

After thinking for a long time, Xie Zhibang said, "Daughter, we can't do it this way. We have to take the initiative."

The 33rd Regiment couldn't possibly have traveled for seven days, crossing mountains and valleys, only to end up here watching a play.

Zhang Feng, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Old Xie, our mission is to intercept reinforcements. We can't leave our positions without orders."

“Of course I know that,” Xie Zhibang said. “What I mean is, to report to the higher-ups and explain the situation.”

"However, it's up to you, the chief political commissar, to figure out how to draft this report."

If you were to directly suggest leading a team to take the initiative, there's no doubt your superiors would refuse.

Before the battle, the tasks of each unit were already clear, and the absence of reinforcements actually saved trouble.

If the 33rd Regiment wants to launch an attack, it has to find a way to appease its superiors.

Zhang Feng stroked his chin. "If you want your superiors to approve taking the initiative, you need to give them a good excuse."

"Let me think... I've got it!"

"Old Xie, how about this? We'll say that the 33rd Regiment's location isn't very good."

“Our position is located at the foot of the mountain. If enemy reinforcements arrive, they will attack from a higher position, putting our troops at a disadvantage.”

"In order to improve the defensive posture, we hope that the 33rd Regiment's position can be moved up a bit."

"Good, very good." Xie Zhibang gave a thumbs up.

Go uphill, where should we go? That's where we'll find some space to move around.

Xie Zhibang immediately picked up the phone.

Upon hearing the chief of staff report the 33rd Regiment's request, the commander of the 11th Division was delighted.

"I knew this idea came from Zhang Feng the moment I heard it; Xie Zhibang doesn't have that kind of brain."

“Still going? If he doesn’t go to Bomdila, I, as the division commander, will do his job.”

"Commander, should we agree?" the chief of staff asked.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Even if the 33rd Regiment doesn't submit this application, I will still make adjustments after a short period of time."

"Tell Xie Zhibang that the 33rd Regiment can adjust its position, but a battalion needs to be assigned to search the mountains."

"The Shannan Independent Battalion fought a battle and is capturing prisoners all over the mountains. There must be a lot of Indian troops who have fled to this mountainous area."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)