Chapter 45: The War Begins

Following the formulation of the operational deployment orders, various units received their respective directives, and tens of thousands of troops sprang into action in an instant.

Ma Yuan’s intelligence department was immediately mobilized, and Ma Yuan himself was successfully assigned to the 119th Division of the 7th Corps, which was one of the divisions tasked with creating a diversion on the flank.

Operating on the front lines was the 357th Division of the 7th Corps, while the other flanking diversionary force was the 117th Division of the 7th Corps. Generally speaking, the entire 7th Corps was engaged with the joint forces of Asha and Masha on the main front.

Subsequently, the 29th Corps and the 5th Corps were to execute a pincer movement, gradually isolating the rear elements of the Masha-Asha coalition forces. The entire tactical situation resembled a closing net, as the Zheng faction troops intended to wipe out the coalition forces in one fell swoop.

However, even as the three corps of the Zheng faction were making intensive preparations, a military conference was simultaneously underway within the opposing coalition camp.

The force attacking the city of Huangzhou was the 18th Brigade of the coalition, commanded by a Saharan named Floco. Floco enjoyed a certain international reputation and had commanded numerous victorious battles.

Furthermore, the coalition command had assigned the Masha-Asha forces to attack Huangzhou for two reasons: first, to seize the vital supply depot of the Zheng faction, thereby weakening the combat strength of the Zheng frontline forces; and second, to open up a corridor from Huangzhou toward the northwest, enabling the coalition's northern combat units to establish close contact with the southern theater forces and expand the scope of the campaign.

At this moment, Floco stood before the battlefield sandbox model, a pipe clenched between his teeth, his brow deeply furrowed.

Although Floco prided himself on his formidable military acumen, he dared not underestimate the defenders of Huangzhou. The coalition headquarters had demanded that Floco capture Huangzhou within seven days, while simultaneously stepping up the offensive around Bozhou to force the main body of the Zheng faction to shift its theater of operations.

Before arriving at Huangzhou, Floco was already aware that three Zheng corps, totaling over twenty thousand men, had arrived in the city and completed their deployments.

In fact, Floco was already privy to the deployment plans of Song Pu and the others. After studying the sandbox for a long time, Floco spoke up, "Serpen, what do you think if we let them punch into empty air, and instead take a bite out of one of their divisions?"

Floco's pipe pointed toward a specific direction on the sandbox—the northwest of Huangzhou, which was precisely their ultimate objective.

The man addressed as Serpen was the chief of staff of the coalition, having orchestrated many brilliant victories across numerous campaigns.

"Brigade Commander, if we merely punch through this breach, we will find ourselves caught between enemies on our front and rear. Should their main force turn their guns around and launch a counterattack, we will be in grave danger."

Floco frowned, took a puff from his pipe, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"Brigade Commander, I support your strategy, but I believe we should prepare for both contingencies. A single division of theirs numbers around two thousand men. We can divide our force of over twenty thousand into two parts: one part will be responsible for annihilating this division, while the other will set up an ambush right here. When they receive the news and counterattack, we will deal them a fatal blow."

One must admit that Serpen was indeed a highly strategic military tactician. The position he pointed to was the crucial linchpin.

Should the encircling Zheng forces receive word, they would undoubtedly rush to reinforce at the first possible moment, and this route was the inevitable path to reach the destination most swiftly.

Floco’s brow relaxed as he took a long drag from his pipe and repeatedly muttered, "Good, good, good, good."

Thus, under the cover of night, the 18th Brigade of the Masha-Asha coalition left behind a small detachment to maintain appearances, while the main force advanced along a narrow trail toward the northwest of Huangzhou. The Zheng troops remained entirely oblivious to these movements, and the three corps continued pressing forward according to their established strategy.

Ma Yuan’s unit, the 119th Division, was positioned to the southwest of Huangzhou, providing flank support for the 357th Division by drawing enemy fire and luring them into the grand encirclement, thereby enabling the 5th and 29th Corps to seal the trap and completely annihilate the coalition forces.

Ma Yuan had arrived at the front lines in the capacity of an operational staff officer assigned to the 7th Corps headquarters, primarily responsible for front-line intelligence gathering and information sharing.

Similarly, under the cover of night, the Zheng 5th and 29th Corps advanced from the eastern and western directions toward the rear of the coalition forces. Meanwhile, all officers and men of the 357th Division on the front lines dug trenches tirelessly, knowing full well that if this battle erupted, they would occupy the most ferocious sector of the battlefield, and very few of them would likely walk away alive.

At the same time, Ma Yuan’s 119th Division and the 117th Division, which was also tasked with drawing flanking fire, were busy making full preparations for combat.

The commander of the 119th Division was named Huang Bo. As it happened, he was also a graduate of Huali Military Academy, though several years junior to Ma Yuan.

The commander of the 117th Division was named Shi Jing, who had originally worked as a bookkeeper in a town grain shop before joining the military by a stroke of fortune. Leveraging his slight advantage in education, he had worked his way up through years of struggle to become a divisional commander.

The commander of the 357th Division was named Kong Qing. Like Hong Xianhe, commander of the 12th Army Group, he hailed from a rugged, grassroots background, but he was fiercely loyal, righteous, and possessed exceptional daring.

Within the entire 7th Corps, the 357th Division was regarded as an iron division, having survived several brutal engagements and earning a formidable reputation across the entire Zheng military establishment.

Consequently, entrusting them with this frontal confrontation was a testament to the high level of trust placed in Kong Qing.

As both sides were finalizing their deployments, the battlefield far away in Bozhou was already ablaze with light. The 15th Army Group had thrown virtually all its forces onto the front lines, with Army Group Commander Zheng Li personally traveling to Bozhou to direct operations, every soldier sworn to recapture the city to the death.

Before long, the night passed.

As the roosters crowed in the early hours of dawn, the soldiers of the 357th Division stood at strict readiness within their trenches, their eyes fixed intently ahead, awaiting the assault of the coalition forces.

Yet, after waiting for about an hour, Kong Qing, serving as the divisional commander, immediately sensed something amiss. Although full daylight had broken, there was not the slightest sign of the coalition forces; they could only hear the sporadic, distant crackle of gunfire—utterly unlike the movement of a massive army.

Unable to sit still any longer, Kong Qing immediately placed a telephone call to the 119th Division. However, Ma Yuan’s 119th Division reported no sight of the enemy either. When Kong Qing tried calling the 117th Division, he discovered the line was completely dead.

At the headquarters of the 357th Division, Commander Kong Qing let out a long sigh, "Wang He, something might be wrong here."

Wang He, the chief of staff of the 357th Division, stared intently at the map. "Commander, judging by this situation, trouble has likely struck the 117th Division in the northwest sector. Still, we cannot be entirely certain yet; after all, a division of ours numbers six to seven thousand men, and they aren't so easily wiped out."

"I suggest, Commander, that you contact Army Commander Song and have him coordinate with the 5th and 29th Corps to see if they have spotted any traces of the coalition forces in their sectors. Furthermore, let us dispatch scouts to investigate their positions and find out what is actually going on."

Kong Qing readily agreed with Wang He’s recommendation, immediately summoning his orderly to issue the orders while simultaneously reporting the situation to the temporary supreme command post located inside Huangzhou.

Just as all units across the battlefield were consumed with doubt, grim news arrived from the temporary supreme command in Huangzhou: the Masha-Asha coalition forces were nowhere within the encirclement; instead, they had shifted toward the northwest of Huangzhou and launched a ferocious assault on the 117th Division's positions around two o'clock in the morning.

Though the 117th Division had reacted instantly, they were still caught off guard, continuously losing ground as they fought and retreated. By approximately six o'clock in the morning, they had lost their positions and were currently reorganizing about five hundred meters outside Huangzhou, establishing a defensive perimeter for the city.

Simultaneously, the temporary supreme command ordered the 357th and 119th Divisions—the closest units to Huangzhou—to immediately fall back and defend the city, while directing the 5th and 29th Corps to rapidly maneuver toward the northwest of Huangzhou to safeguard it.

Hearing this news, Kong Qing was utterly shocked, the immediate realization dawning upon him that they had severely underestimated the opposing Masha-Asha coalition forces.