Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 552 We are all one family
The speed at which the main forces of Qingning and Ma retreated greatly exceeded Ye Si's expectations.

After the Battle of Fumei, the eastern defense zone of Qingning and Erma was opened.

Normally, they should at least build a defensive line along Longshan and the Yellow River to stop the rapid advance of the G army.

However, the main force of Qingning Erma was completely separated from the front line of their territory, leaving them with no strategic buffer zone at all.

At this moment, what Ye Si was most worried about was that the main forces of Qingning and Ma would continue to retreat, or even retreat directly into XJ.

That would greatly increase the difficulty of future operations for the First Field Army.

The distance from Ningxia to XJ is a full 2,400 kilometers.

The Qinghai and Ningxia forces were mainly composed of cavalry. Once they entered Xinjiang, the First Field Army would have no chance of catching up with them on foot, and their supplies would also be insufficient.

On the way of the full-scale retreat, the Qingning and Ma armies could rob the surrounding people for supplies or slaughter horses for food, but the G army could only rely on logistics for transportation.

Just when the field headquarters and the central government were extremely tense, someone took the initiative to resolve the problem.

On Frog Island, Chang Ruiyuan looked towards the mainland, his feelings somewhat indescribable.

"To fight the G army, it is not possible to rely solely on local troops and miscellaneous troops."

"The situation in the Northwest was originally very promising, but Hu Shoushan ruined it, resulting in the loss of 80,000 men overnight."

"Ambitious but incompetent, this man is ambitious but incompetent," Chang Ruiyuan sighed.

If he had someone else available, he would have replaced Hu Shoushan long ago.

"Father, the situation in the Northwest is extremely critical. What do you think we should do now?"

After thinking for a moment, Chang Ruiyuan said, "Although the G army has won one victory after another, our army in the Northwest still has the strength to fight."

"Let Yan Xishan convene a joint defense meeting in Guangzhou to coordinate the joint operations between the two Mas."

"But these two are very good at acting, hopefully it will have an effect."

Yan Xishan has already taken over as Premier of the Executive Yuan, and considering his past, Yan Xishan is the most suitable candidate Chang Ruiyuan could think of.

Upon receiving the telegram, Yan Xishan did not delay and immediately contacted Hu Shoushan, Ma Zixiang, and Ma Sanyuan.

A few days later, a Northwest Joint Defense Military Conference was held in Guangzhou.

"The situation in the Northwest is perilous. It's not that the G army can't find us or what we can do to them, but that we have no choice but to fight a decisive battle with the G army."

"From today onwards, all grudges and grievances must be put to rest. We must prioritize the interests of the Party and the country, unite sincerely, fight against the K army together, and create a new situation in the Northwest."

Upon hearing Yan Xishan's words, Ma Sanyuan nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Commander Yan's words are all reasonable."

"Now is the time when we must unite as one to bind the G army and bring them to their doom."

"The armies of Qinghai and Ningxia have always been brothers connected by blood."

"From the anti-Qing movement to the pacification of the Qing Dynasty, from the Gansu Army to the imperial guards, all the way to the Northern Expedition, the joint resistance against Sun Yat-sen, and the War of Resistance against Japan, we are all one family."

"The affairs of the Northwest should be decided by us Northwesterners."

Hu Shoushan, who was standing to the side, glanced at him, feeling somewhat unhappy.

Is this a sarcastic remark made because I've lost all my elite troops?
On the other side, Ma Zixiang, not to be outdone after hearing Ma Sanyuan's words, immediately displayed her acting skills honed over the years.

"To be honest, my grandfather and my father's uncle were cousins. My father's daughter married my cousin. Now my father has arranged for his granddaughter to marry my younger brother's son. It can be said that it is a marriage between four generations."

"So from now on, I will listen to my dad in everything. I will do whatever my dad says."

"No, no, no," Ma Sanyuan waved his hands repeatedly.

“I am old and frail, while Zixiang is young and vigorous, and at the prime of her life. I am willing to serve as her advisor and assist her from the side.”

As he spoke, overcome with emotion, Ma Sanyuan shed tears.

Hu Shoushan, standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch anymore; who didn't know who?

However, since they were in the Executive Yuan, Hu Shou-shan could only watch Ma San-yuan put on an act.

Ma Zixiang watched Ma Sanyuan wipe away his tears and couldn't help but admire him, thinking to herself, "Old foxes are indeed shrewd."

Without hesitation, Ma Zixiang also took out a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe away her tears.

Regardless of whether you have it or not, it's inappropriate not to wipe it at this time.

Seeing this, Yan Xishan clapped his hands repeatedly: "You two have a deep friendship. As long as you unite sincerely, you will surely be invincible."

"Commander Hu, why don't you say a few words?" Yan Xishan turned his gaze to Hu Shoushan, who had remained silent.

Hu Shoushan had no intention of commenting on the two Mas' acting skills, but since Yan Xishan had already spoken, he couldn't remain silent.

"I'll just say one thing: when it comes to critical moments, I'll send my planes to fight, and leave the air force support to me."

"Good, good, good." Yan Xishan looked at the harmonious meeting room and was very satisfied.

"Now let's examine the central issue." Yan Xishan stood up and walked to the map.
After discussing for a long time, Hu Shoushan, Ma Zixiang, and Ma Sanyuan finally reached a plan for the decisive battle at Jincheng.

By relying on the natural barrier of the Yellow River and the strong defenses of Jincheng, Ma Zixiang aimed to attract and deplete the main force of the G army.

Ma Sanyuan, who was assembled in Zhongwei and Zhongning, and Hu Shoushan, who was assembled in Longnan and Huixian, attacked the flanks and rear of the G army, cutting off the G army's rear route.

Finally, the three-pronged attack thwarted the First Field Army of the G Army in the area surrounding Jincheng.

After discussing the battle plan, Ma Zixiang took the opportunity to invite Ma Sanyuan to go to Jincheng together to jointly command the decisive battle of Jincheng.

Ma Sanyuan had previously said he was willing to serve as an advisor, so he readily agreed this time.

However, upon returning to the hotel, Ma Sanyuan immediately changed his mind.

"Hiran, pack your bags immediately, we're going to the airport."

Ma Sanyuan's second son, Ma Pingshan, was taken aback upon hearing this: "Go to the airport? Didn't we agree to fly to Jincheng with Commander Ma tomorrow?"

“Oh dear, you don’t understand.” Ma Sanyuan waved his hand: “We’re going back to Ningxia. We can’t go to Jincheng.”

"Going to Jincheng is easy, but leaving Jincheng is difficult. If things go wrong, I might be taken hostage by Ma Zixiang and forced to send troops."

"Besides, if the G army were to invade Jincheng, wouldn't I be doomed? It would be better to go back to our hometown, Xingqing." Ma Sanyuan always believed that Jincheng was within Ma Zixiang's sphere of influence and had little to do with him.

Therefore, he didn't care about Jincheng's gains or losses, and only wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Whether or not troops will be deployed in the end depends on how well Ma Zixiang performs.

Soon after finishing his preparations, Ma Sanyuan used the excuse of returning to Ningxia to deploy troops to fly back to Xingqing overnight.

When Ma Zixiang found out, she was almost furious: "That old bastard, he really doesn't keep his word!"

However, no matter how angry Ma Zixiang was, she couldn't go to Ningxia to capture Ma Sanyuan, so she could only fly back to Jincheng alone, feeling sullen.
On the other side, after learning that Ma Sanyuan had run back to Xingqing, Hu Shoushan said to Yan Xishan, "I knew at the meeting that these two horses were putting on an act; they can't be tied to the same trough at all."

"Sigh, it seems this joint military defense meeting was a waste of time; the Northwest is now our domain."

Yan Xishan shook his head helplessly.

He did his best to keep the situation in the Northwest in check, but who knew that once he let go, it would fall apart.

After learning the details, Chang Ruiyuan from Frog Island didn't say much.

He didn't have much hope of holding onto the Northwest; he just wanted Ma and Ma to wear down the G army.

"Send a telegram to Hu Shoushan, instructing him to transfer all troops from southern Gansu and southern Shaanxi to northern Sichuan, and to focus all efforts on ensuring the safety of the Sichuan region."

"Yes!"

After learning that Ma Zixiang and Ma Sanyuan had completely retreated to Jincheng and Xingqing areas, Ye Si stopped, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they stop, there's a chance to beat them up.

With a command given, the various armies of the First Field Army began a rapid advance towards Jincheng.

Just as the various units of the First Field Army were advancing according to plan, Ma Zixiang convened a combat meeting in Jincheng.

At the start of the meeting, Ma Jixiang raised an objection: "Father, when has our Ma family army ever been so cowardly?"

"Moreover, our soldiers are used to fighting on horseback and are not good at defending cities at all."

"It would be better to use the favorable terrain east of Jincheng to maneuver against the G army, and perhaps there would still be a chance to find an opportunity to win."

At this time, Ma Jixiang still wanted to fight a decisive battle with the G army in Dingxi.

Hearing Ma Jixiang's words, Ma Zixiang was almost furious.

The G army is now eager for the Ma family army to abandon the city and fight a decisive battle in the field. If the battle is fought in Dingxi, it will play right into the G army's hands.

"Dingxi has no natural defenses, and it has neither fortifications nor grain reserves."

“If the G army doesn’t come, fine, but once they do, their strength will be several times that of ours. If we are surrounded in Dingxi, without food and reinforcements, what will we fight with?”

“Father, we can take our cavalry out to the open field and fight mobile warfare against the G army.”

"What the hell!" Ma Zixiang snapped.

"Our cavalry has already suffered heavy losses. How can we fight a mobile war? Can you outmaneuver the G army?"

"At that time, you will be surrounded by several times the number of troops, and you won't be able to escape even if you want to!"

"Over the years, how many KMT troops have dared to say they would definitely win a field battle against the KMT army?"

"Jincheng has a rugged terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Furthermore, there are strong fortifications built on the southern mountain. With our superior fortifications and firepower, we are confident of victory."

The Yellow River flows through the north of Jincheng, which is surrounded by mountains. Moreover, Jincheng has always been the location of the Northwest Military and Political Office, and the Guo army has continuously built permanent fortifications here.

The main position and the surrounding positions were all fortified with reinforced concrete bunkers. Outside the Nanshan position, there were also cliffs dug out by manpower, with firing points set up in the cliffs.

The Nanshan Mountain, stretching for dozens of miles, is practically a giant bunker.

After suppressing Ma Jixiang, the biggest troublemaker, Ma Zixiang said, "Gentlemen, what suggestions do you have? Please speak frankly."

Lu Dingwen, chief of staff of the 82nd Army, stood up: "Director Ma, we can deploy a small number of troops to various strategic strongholds on the outskirts of Jincheng and use blocking and counter-attack warfare to wear down the G Army's manpower."

"The main force was deployed on the north bank of the Yellow River. After the G army suffered heavy casualties and captured the outer strongholds, we abandoned Jincheng, which had been completely depleted of food and supplies."

"After the G army enters Jincheng, the problem of feeding 200,000 citizens and hundreds of thousands of troops will put them in a difficult situation."

"Moreover, the Yellow River is an insurmountable natural barrier. With heavy troops deployed, there are neither boats nor bridges, making it extremely difficult for the G army to cross the river."

"Our main force, however, received a steady stream of food and ammunition supplies from the Hexi Corridor and the vast areas of Qinghai."

"If President Chang and the G Army cannot divide the country along the Yangtze River, it is not impossible for the Qingma and the G Army to divide the country along the Yellow River."

Lu Dingwen knew very well that the Qingma army could not completely stop the G army's attack with its strength; what he had just said was an ideal situation.

However, if arranged in this way, the Qingma can attack, defend, or retreat as needed, giving them a considerable range of options in how to maneuver against the G army.

Lu Dingwen knew the flaws in his plan, and Ma Zixiang, having fought for many years, could naturally see them as well.

Putting everything else aside, the G army has crossed the Yangtze River, so how could they not cross the Yellow River? That's unrealistic.

Ma Zixiang waved her hand, gesturing for Lu Dingwen to sit down.

"Retreating to the north bank of the Yellow River is tantamount to handing over Jincheng to others, and the G army's advance will be aimed directly at Xining."

"Qinghai is our stronghold, and we cannot afford to lose it under any circumstances."

After rejecting Lu Dingwen's plan, the others made their own suggestions, but they were even more unreliable.

In the end, Ma Zixiang decided to stay and defend Jincheng.

以陇东兵团的主力82军、129军及2个骑兵旅、1个榴弹炮营，共约5万人据守金城。

Among them, three divisions of the 82nd Army were assigned to guard the gateways to Jincheng: Majiashan, Yingpanshan, and Shenjialing, while the newly added 14th Cavalry Brigade served as a river patrol force.

The 181st Division of the 129th Army defended Donggang Town, the 357th Division defended Qilihe, and the 8th Cavalry Brigade also served as a river patrol unit.

In addition, the newly formed cavalry corps under Han Yushan was stationed in Linxia and controlled the Lintao and Taosha areas to ensure the security of the right flank of Jincheng and guard the gateway to Qinghai.

As for Jincheng's left wing, Ma Zixiang, who no longer had any troops, could only rely on the Central Army and Ma Sanyuan's troops.

The 91st and 120th Armies of the Longnan Corps and the 81st Army of Ma Ziyin's troops were stationed in the Jingyuan, Jingtai and Dalachi areas northeast of Jincheng to ensure the security of Jincheng's left flank and to wait for an opportunity to launch a flanking attack on the G Army that was attacking Jincheng.

(End of this chapter)