Chapter 63: Loss of the Position

Zheng Zelin was not surprised in the slightest by Hong Xianhe’s defection to Chu Lei’s camp. In fact, the moment Hong Xianhe led his forces in flight to Qianlin City, Zheng Zelin had already anticipated his intentions.

The swift dispatch of three army corps to annihilate him was merely a convenient move to push Hong Xianhe out of the Zheng faction's territory.

Having dealt with the matter concerning Hong Xianhe, Zheng Zelin turned his attention to planning the impending military operations in Huangzhou and Bozhou. As for Suodehai and Han Gun, both men now fully understood that Luzhou City and the entirety of the Zheng faction's domains were firmly under Zheng Zelin's control.

Meanwhile, on the western side of Bozhou City:

Having endured several days of grueling combat against the combined forces of Ma and Sha, the 339th Division had suffered catastrophic casualties. Originally numbering over two thousand men, the division was now reduced to fewer than five hundred, with the rest either killed in action or severely wounded.

"Divisional Commander, our losses are devastating. If we hold out any longer, the entire division will be wiped out," urged Zeng Guojiang, chief of staff of the 339th Division, as he attempted to persuade Commander Li Juchuan. The casualties over the past few days had been utterly tragic; in just a few short days, over three-quarters of their combat strength had been lost. At this rate, they would likely not survive another day.

Li Juchuan was at a loss for what to do. How could he not understand the logic in Zeng Guojiang’s words? Even the remaining soldiers were mostly wounded, and continuing to hold the line was an exercise in futility.

"Guojiang, retreat is out of the question. We have yet to receive any order from the army corps headquarters commanding us to fall back. Send the intelligence detachment to the city's army corps headquarters to report our situation. Also, notify the 165th and 101st Divisions; let us hold out for one more day and await word from headquarters," Li Juchuan said.

As he spoke, he felt all the strength drain from his body. Uttering those words was easy, but carrying them out was extraordinarily difficult.

Zeng Guojiang let out a heavy sigh. "Very well. Since you have made your decision, I, Zeng Guojiang, and all the officers and men of the 339th Division will stand and die with our positions!"

Under Li Juchuan's arrangements, Ma Yuan and Hou Lili were chosen to deliver the intelligence report. Because Bozhou City was vast, transmitting messages from the frontline to the rear required a considerable amount of time.

Zeng Guojiang looked at Ma Yuan. "You're that young fellow originally from the 119th Division, aren't you? You were temporarily transferred to our 339th Division, weren't you?"

Although Ma Yuan had not been with the 339th Division for very long, Zeng Guojiang, as chief of staff, still retained a distinct impression of him.

Ma Yuan nodded. "Chief of Staff, I was once with the 119th Division, but now I am merely the deputy intelligence staff officer for the 339th Division."

"Good, very good," Zeng Guojiang said, a glimmer of approval flashing in his eyes. "Fine lad, it is our good fortune that someone like you has joined the 339th Division."

"You must now deliver the latest situation regarding our 339th Division here to Army Commander Qian Jiushan in the city, so that he may make a decision." Zeng Guojiang stuffed the intelligence report into Ma Yuan's hands. The document contained a detailed description of the current conditions along the western defense line, carefully written by Zeng Guojiang himself.

Feeling the immense weight of the responsibility, Ma Yuan saluted the chief of staff, promised to accomplish the mission, and departed with Hou Lili toward the interior of the city.

Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the city—the eastern gate of Bozhou City—the defense was commanded by Yang Xuan of the 13th Army, Eleventh Corps.

The attacks on the eastern gate were comparable in intensity to those on the western gate, meaning the casualties suffered by Yang Xuan's 13th Army were roughly on par with those of Qian Jiushan's 5th Army.

Just as Ma Yuan and his companion were heading toward the army headquarters, the 13th Army under Yang Xuan could no longer hold the eastern gate of Bozhou City. The 13th Brigade of the combined Ma-Sha forces, tasked with assaulting this gate, broke through and poured into Bozhou City.

Almost at the exact moment Ma Yuan delivered the report from the western gate to Qian Jiushan's headquarters, news that the eastern defense line had been breached reached Zheng Li's command post.

Upon receiving the news, Qian Jiushan rushed immediately to the general command headquarters.

As soon as he stepped inside, Qian Jiushan sensed that the atmosphere was severely amiss, and he promptly turned to inquire of Sun Liyuan, the corps chief of staff.

"The eastern gate has been breached, and 13th Army Commander Yang Xuan has been killed in action," Sun Liyuan said, his expression grim.

"Damn it! If the 18th Corps hadn't been recalled to Luzhou City, this eastern gate would never have been breached by those aholes! I need troops! I need troops!" Zheng Li roared at the top of his lungs, his voice cracked and desperate.

Earlier, Zheng Zeliang had dispatched the 15th and 18th Corps to garrison Bozhou City. Later, for reasons unknown, the 18th Corps was withdrawn and replaced by two army corps under Liang Yi's Eleventh Corps, plunging Bozhou City into a state of severe troop shortage.

Although they had since received reinforcements from Qian Jiushan's 5th Army, it was still far from enough. According to Zheng Li's initial calculations, they needed at least another army corps—consisting of over twenty thousand men—to successfully defend Bozhou City.

Yet now, it seemed everything was too late. The breach of the eastern gate marked the beginning of the collapse of Bozhou City's entire defense system.

Still, Zheng Li refused to give up. He suddenly raised his head and snapped, "Pass down my orders: have Gu Hairun's 63rd Army fall back, and summon my bodyguard regiment to follow me to the eastern gate to retake the position!"

"Army Corps Commander, you mustn't! You are the commander of the entire force; how can you walk into mortal danger?" Sun Liyuan grabbed Zheng Li, who was on the verge of a breakdown.

Zheng Li glared at him. "Then what do you propose we do? Am I just supposed to hand Bozhou City over to the enemy for nothing? Our 15th Corps has held this place for months. If we give up now, wouldn't all the soldiers who shed their blood and died here have died in vain?"

Sun Liyuan knew the feeling all too well. It wasn't just Zheng Li; how could Sun Liyuan not have deep bonds with those soldiers? Day after day, as casualties mounted during the defense of Bozhou City, his own heart had been burning with anxiety.

Hearing Zheng Li's words, Sun Liyuan fell silent because he knew the truth in what was said.

"However, Corps Commander, if anything should happen to you, Bozhou City will truly be finished," Sun Liyuan reasoned, despite understanding the emotional weight behind the decision.

As the commander-in-chief of the army group, Zheng Li played an irreplaceable and vital role in directing the entire force.

"Enough, that settles it. Everything here is entrusted entirely to you. I am taking men to retake the position at the eastern gate. As for the western and southern gates, order them to defend to the absolute death. If anyone loses their position again, I'll have their heads!" Zheng Li commanded with stern finality, brooking no room for argument.