Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 237 Core Forces
But the complexity of the war was far beyond what Grandpa Fu had imagined. The Liberation Army was no pushover; they had already calculated the forces that Fu Zuoyi might bring.

The leaders of the relief army knew that the enemy was moving very fast, so they also quickened their pace and quickly laid a large net along the Pingzhang line, preparing to annihilate the enemy in one fell swoop.

The strategy of the Liberation Army was quite clear: as long as they could encircle and annihilate the enemy's main force on the Pingzhang line within December, even if it was just a part of them, it would be enough to be considered a major strategic victory.

Furthermore, it was anticipated that if the situation turned unfavorable, Fu Zuoyi's troops might choose to retreat. The Liberation Army was prepared for this scenario, with both interception measures and pursuit plans to ensure that the enemy could not escape and would have no chance of escape.

Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army really dug a huge pit for itself, and then tumbled right into it.

This group had been utterly decimated in the Laishui Campaign, especially the newly formed 32nd Army, which was riddled with bullets. Even the army commander, Lu Yinglin, couldn't withstand the pressure and ultimately committed suicide. When the new army commander, Guo Jingyun, took over, this guy blamed his predecessor's misfortune entirely on his incompetence, while boasting wildly as if his 35th Army was still the best in the world.

Such self-satisfaction is suicidal on the battlefield. Although the 35th Army was originally Fu Zuoyi's ace unit, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, it had three iron fists: the 101st Lion, the New 31st Lion, and the New 32nd Lion, all of which were top-notch elite troops.

However, as time went on, Fu Zuoyi's forces grew larger and larger. Although the 101st Lion of the 35th Army was still there, the new 31st Lion and the new 32nd Lion were assigned to other armies, forming the new three-horse carriage of Fu Zuoyi's forces: the 35th Army, the 101st Army, and the 105th Army. These three armies were the real foundation of Fu Zuoyi's forces.

At the start of the war, Zhangjiakou was guarded by the 105th Army, while the 35th and 104th Armies were responsible for reinforcements.

Guo Jingyun was still arrogant, thinking that his 35th Army's main force could easily handle the situation. Little did he know that the strategists of the Liberation Army had already locked onto his "elite" force.

The Jiefang Army's strategic deployment was shrewd and thorough. They not only anticipated the possible moves of Fu Zuoyi's troops, but also formulated countermeasures.

When Fu Zuoyi's troops plunged headlong into the trap set by the Liberation Army, they were like turtles in a jar, with no way to retreat. The Liberation Army's plan was clear: to confine Fu Zuoyi's forces in the Beijing-Tianjin area, weaken them step by step, until they were completely eliminated.

However, the general plan was well laid out, but the Fourth Field Army was a bit impatient and directly took Miyun.

When this news reached Fu Zuoyi's ears, he was shocked to learn that the force emerging from Miyun was the Fourth Field Army. Fu Zuoyi turned pale with fright and immediately ordered the 35th Army to withdraw to Beiping.

Unfortunately, Guo Jingyun, the commander of our 35th Army, was so slow to grasp the strategic situation that he completely failed to notice Fu Zuoyi's desperate anxiety.

As a result, he led his troops in a chaotic manner, and finally they were completely surrounded by the Second Army Corps of the Fourth Field Army in Xinbao'an.

At that time, the 35th Army originally had three Lion trucks. One Lion remained in Beiping, while Guo Jingyun took two Lions himself and also took over one Lion from the 104th Army, totaling over 400 trucks, intending to make a big splash. However, Guo Jingyun had a terrible relationship with An Chunshan, the commander of the 104th Army, and the two were constantly at odds. While in Zhangjiakou, he also took goods from the arsenal and some miscellaneous items from merchants, including a field artillery battalion and a security regiment. As a result, there weren't enough trucks, and the Lion from the 104th Army had to remain in Zhangjiakou.

This manipulation was indeed a bit outrageous, but when Fu Zuoyi heard the news that the 35th Army was surrounded, he was so anxious that he was like an ant on a hot pan and couldn't care less about the situation on Guo Jingyun's side.

He immediately ordered Zhang Jiakou's 105th Army to go east to relieve the 35th Army, while the main force of the 104th Army from Huailai came to support from the west.

As a result, Zhang Jiakou's 105th Army sent two main force units to relieve the siege, but they failed to break through the encirclement. The 104th Army also sent two units to the rescue, but they too failed to break through the encirclement. The 105th Army returned empty-handed, while the 104th Army was overtaken by the Fourth Field Army and wiped out within a day or two.

When all hope of reinforcements was lost, the 35th Army, even if it had wings, could not escape the encirclement and could only stare wide-eyed as it was wiped out.

For Fu Zuoyi, this was like a storm hitting him on the head. In a panic, he hastily ordered Zhang Jiakou's 105th Army to try to break out, but the army soon fell apart, and Fu's army on the Pingzhang line was almost wiped out.

During the Pingjin Campaign, the fighting along the Pingzhang Railway was clearly a key element in containing Fu Zuoyi's group. Encircling and annihilating the 35th Army along this line became the strategic focus.

The 35th Army was frequently mentioned in the highest-level strategic telegrams of the Liberation Army, which was unusual throughout the entire Liberation War.

At the same time, as Fu Zuoyi's direct subordinates and core troops, the 35th Army received an extreme level of attention, even going so far as to use more than 400 trucks, which were extremely valuable at the time, to complete the army's motorization. Such a level of attention is truly unbelievable.

However, in terms of troop strength alone, the 35th Army was not large. In the Xinbao'an Campaign, only about 16,000 of the 35th Army's main force were annihilated.

For Fu Zuoyi, who commanded an army of 600,000, this number shouldn't have made him so nervous.

However, the Liberation Army knew that the 35th Army was Fu Zuoyi's old guard and core force, as well as the main force of his military power.

This was not only because of its combat effectiveness, but also because of its position in Fu Zuoyi's mind; it was practically the symbol and core of Fu Zuoyi's military power. This is why, despite having only 16,000 men, the survival of the 35th Army was so crucial to Fu Zuoyi.

In those days, the military structure of the Chinese army resembled a vast net, with each node representing a so-called core force. These forces were not only the trusted confidants of the major warlords but also symbols of their prestige.

They possess the best equipment, the highest priority in supplies, and often serve as a conduit for officers from various systems. They are highly trained and have strong combat capabilities.

Taking Fu Zuoyi's 35th Army as an example, the performance of this unit in the Xinbao'an Campaign was particularly important. When the 35th Army was surrounded, the soldiers of the surrounding units felt a deep sense of fear.

After all, if even such an elite force couldn't break through, what would become of their own? This kind of psychological blow is difficult to recover from through simple military action.

In fact, once such core units suffer heavy losses, it's not just a loss of military strength, but more importantly, the psychological shock it inflicts on the entire military system. Decreased morale and lost confidence can lead to the collapse of the entire military system. And this impact is far more profound than simply the loss of manpower.

Therefore, when the performance of the 35th Army in the Xinbaoan Campaign became a turning point, it was not just a defeat in a local battle, but a symbol of the possible collapse of the entire national army system.

This is why Fu Zuoyi and his subordinates placed high hopes on this army, and why their defeat caused such a great stir in the national army.

(End of this chapter)