Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Due to Vietnam's continued provocations and its persistent refusal to withdraw its troops from Cambodia and Laos despite warnings, the Central Committee decided to launch a rotation of troops in the Laoshan and Zheyinshan areas.

Until the harassment from Vietnam ends, the economic and heavy industrial development of Vietnam is crippled, and its attempt to dominate Southeast Asia is thwarted.

The terrain of the two mountain areas is very advantageous to the central army.

The north side is very flat and open, with roads leading in all directions, which can efficiently transport supplies and deploy heavy equipment.

On the south side, the terrain is extremely harsh, making resupply very difficult, and heavy weapons are hard to use due to the limitations of the mountains and forests.

Most importantly, the Chinese military has multiple military regions that can take turns deploying troops to enhance combat effectiveness.

Vietnam, however, had to mobilize the entire nation's resources to maintain its operations, while the Soviet Union also had to pay a hefty bill for it.

For China, fighting Vietnam was tantamount to fighting the Soviet Union.

In 1984, following orders from the Central Committee, Wei Dayong led the 2nd Army to the Laoshan area.

The main peak of Laoshan is 1422 meters high. To the north, it overlooks a vast area of ​​more than 20 kilometers within China. To the east, it guards the Chuantou Pass. To the west, it echoes Luofalin Mountain. To the south, it also controls the vast territory of Vietnam.

It can be said that whoever controls Laoshan controls the initiative over an area of ​​tens of kilometers.

The entire mountain range is ridged like a fish spine, making it extremely difficult for either side to deploy their forces in an attack.

Therefore, before the formal attack, Wei Dayong first sent special forces to conduct reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, and at the same time applied to use satellites to take detailed pictures of the Laoshan area.

Ultimately, 418 targets were marked on the map.

Wei Dayong decided to fire two shots first to whet the appetite of the Vietnamese army.

"The higher-ups said that the shells will expire if we don't use them soon, so let's help the later stages use them up this time."

"Only by eliminating outdated ammunition can we promote the development of the domestic military industry and enable the military to replenish more advanced equipment and ammunition."

Finally, Wei Dayong slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Pass on my order: bombard them to death!"

If it's an infantry attack, the Laoshan area can only accommodate one battalion at most, which can be replaced by artillery; you can deploy as many as you have.

Six artillery regiments began a continuous bombardment that lasted for more than twenty days, firing countless shells of various calibers.

All of the Vietnamese army's positions were bombarded repeatedly by artillery fire, with the furthest shells even reaching more than 20 kilometers away from the Vietnamese border.

Moreover, the Second Army did not only bombard the area with artillery; a large number of anti-personnel mines were also launched into the rear of the Vietnamese army by rocket artillery shells.

The Vietnamese army's mountainous terrain and roads were riddled with landmines.

The Vietnamese army's basic supplies were severely affected.

Le Vi Mi, deputy commander of the Second Military Region of Vietnam, who rushed to the front line, breathed a sigh of relief after reading the reports from various departments.

During the 20-day bombing, the Vietnamese army suffered more than 900 casualties, 10 ammunition depots were destroyed, and countless minefields, firing points, observation posts, and barracks were destroyed.

However, the Vietnamese army was not seriously injured.

The Vietnamese army was well aware of the intensity of the central army's firepower.

Therefore, the Vietnamese army built a large number of tunnels behind the ridgeline, and the side facing the central army was full of hidden soldiers' caves. There were also a large number of artillery positions scattered on the mountain behind.

Whenever the Chinese army fired artillery, the Vietnamese soldiers would hide in the tunnels on the reverse slope. When the Chinese army launched an attack, they would come out to fight back.

If the position is lost and the ridge is occupied by the central army, the Vietnamese army will take advantage of the central army's inability to build fortifications and launch a fierce artillery attack.

If the daytime artillery bombardment failed to take the city, they continued their surprise attack at night, while troops in the hidden bunkers coordinated to encircle the enemy from the rear, and the artillery blocked the central army's support routes.

This tactic has been tested in actual combat.

During the Korean War, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army used this reverse slope tunnel tactic to defeat the US military.

According to the Vietnamese army's pre-war plan, they could repeatedly engage in a back-and-forth struggle to eliminate the Chinese army's manpower and achieve the goal of sustained attrition.

The Chinese special forces had already ascertained the Vietnamese army's deployment.

At 5:4 a.m. on April 28, the artillery units once again began to bombard the Vietnamese army's front-line positions.

During the artillery preparation time, the engineers began to covertly clear mines.
The Vietnamese soldiers hiding in the reverse slope tunnels kept grimacing as they listened to the rumbling sounds outside.

"Let the central army waste their ammunition as much as they want. I don't believe they can break through Laoshan."

Because of the shelling over the previous 20 days, the Vietnamese army had upgraded their observation posts, deepened their fortifications, and even installed periscopes, allowing them to observe from their burrows.

Five hours later, the Second Army's artillery fire ceased.

At this point, the 5th Company, the spearhead of the 211th Regiment, had advanced to within 300 meters of the Vietnamese army's mountain ridgeline. If the artillery continued to fire, they might hit their own men.

Upon hearing the artillery fire cease, the Vietnamese soldiers rushed out of the tunnels.

However, an unexpected event occurred when the Vietnamese troops entered the ridge position.

211团趁炮击的这5个小时，将4门35毫米高射炮靠人力拖上了山，就架在距离越军阵地400米的位置。

The anti-aircraft guns were positioned horizontally, firing quickly and accurately, their high-explosive shells mowing down the Vietnamese troops like grass.

The Vietnamese troops who went to the front lines to defend were wiped out in droves.

The Vietnamese army was completely dumbfounded.

They were completely helpless against the anti-aircraft guns of the 211th Regiment.

Only artillery can counter artillery, but the Vietnamese army knew very well that once the hilltop positions were covered by the central army's artillery fire, there would be no artillery left. Therefore, the Vietnamese army had no artillery on the positions at all.

Not to mention artillery, the Vietnamese army wasn't even prepared with 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

There were recoilless rifles in the tunnel, but the 5th Company of the 211th Regiment had already advanced to 300 meters and started their assault. They couldn't possibly pull them out in such a short time. The 5th Company advanced until they were 50 meters from the hilltop, and the anti-aircraft guns were still firing continuously.

The Vietnamese army was caught in a dilemma.

Holding the position means taking artillery fire; retreating means losing the position.

Moreover, given the close proximity of the two sides, the Vietnamese artillery dared not fire upon the central forces.

After only a few minutes, the Vietnamese army could no longer hold out and chose to retreat.

The Vietnamese troops had just retreated to the reverse slope tunnels when they immediately called for artillery fire.

This time, however, the 5th Company didn't even go up the hill. After the Vietnamese army fled, the central army also withdrew.

This completely bewildered the Vietnamese army.

What do you mean? Should we return to the front lines now?
Go back, the anti-aircraft guns are still there; don't go back, this position will eventually become the central army's territory.

Ultimately, the Vietnamese army chose to return to their positions, as no one could bear the stigma of surrendering their territory outright.

As a result, the anti-aircraft guns opened fire again.
After several attempts, the Vietnamese army could no longer withstand the casualties and withdrew.

However, when the Vietnamese army readjusted its deployment and brought its troops up again, they were in an awkward situation.

The Chinese troops had already taken cover inside the Vietnamese fortifications, and the Vietnamese 120mm mortars could not penetrate them.

Moreover, whenever the Vietnamese army launched an attack, whether it was a large-scale assault or a small-scale probing attack by a few soldiers, the Second Army would immediately provide fire support.

During the Korean War, Van Fleet fired 36 rounds in 9 days, averaging 4 rounds per day.

The Second Army, during its attack on Laoshan, fired 10 shells of all kinds of artillery, large and small, within 24 hours.

The Vietnamese army was completely taken aback by the bombing; they never dreamed that such intensity of firepower existed in the world.

The counter-offensive ended before it even began, and the Vietnamese army's forces were almost completely wiped out.

The remaining positions at Laoshan were almost easily breached.

The Vietnamese army was unwilling to accept defeat after losing the Laoshan position.

Le Duan flew into a rage at the Ministry of National Defense, vowing to fight the Chinese army to the death.

越军312师、316师、356师被派到前线，同时还给老山前线额外加强了198、821两个特工团，总兵力达到了三万多人。

This time, the Vietnamese army decided to launch a surprise attack with overwhelming force and firepower to retake Laoshan.

The project was codenamed MB84, Operation Guangbei.

According to the plan, the final offensive will take place on July 12.

However, as early as mid-June, the Chinese military's technical reconnaissance unit had already deciphered the Vietnamese army's secret telegrams.

The special forces also captured several prisoners, from whom they learned that the Vietnamese army was frequently being mobilized.

Wei Dayong summoned Chen Yuanchao and asked, "Yuanchao, now it's your 211th Regiment's turn to defend Laoshan. What are your thoughts?"

Looking at the map, Chen Yuanchao said, "Laoshan is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is wishful thinking for the Vietnamese army to take Laoshan. However, simple offense and defense will not cause too much damage."

"I think that since the Vietnamese army wants to ambush us in front of the lines, we should play to their advantage and use artillery fire to cover them directly."

The Second Army has plenty of artillery shells, and if they expire and are not fired, they have to go through a lot of trouble to destroy them. Now it's perfect to fire them at the Vietnamese army.

"How many shells are you planning to use?" Wei Dayong asked.

Chen Yuanchao chuckled twice: "I don't need much. Just transfer the artillery division to me, and I'll ask our division commander for an artillery regiment. The firepower of four artillery regiments will be enough to give the Vietnamese army a hard time."

"You brat, a mere regimental commander, leading four artillery regiments?"

“We’re rich now, aren’t we?” Chen Yuanchao said with a smile.

“My dad and his men always say, ‘When you’re poor, use tactical infiltration; when you’re rich, use firepower coverage.’ That’s exactly what I’m going to do now.”

"Besides, I'm just helping you burn some bullets. Give me five basic loads of shells for each of your cannons, and I'll fire them all at the Vietnamese army."

Four artillery regiments, twelve artillery battalions, and artillery of various calibers, totaling approximately 3400 tons of shells.

"You little rascal, you're really not being polite."

Wei Dayong thought for a moment and said, "I'll add two more regiments for you. The 5th and 6th Rocket Artillery Regiments have both been connected to the artillery command system and will be under your command."

"However, you only have 3 days. After 3 days, you will be replaced by the 212th Regiment."

"Only 3 days?" Chen Yuanchao felt it wasn't enough.

"If you don't want to, go to your father. He's the one who made the decision."

Do you know how many regiments are waiting to be rotated?

"Let me tell you, of the nine regiments in the Second Army, only six will get a turn."

"You should be grateful if you get three days."

"If you think it's not enough, I can just send the 213th Regiment."

“Not a little less, not a single bit less.” Chen Yuanchao waved his hands repeatedly.

The Vietnamese army's first wave of attack was definitely the strongest. If they retreated at this point, they would be banging their heads against a wall.

(End of this chapter)