Chapter III: The Fall of Shanxi
With my officer ratio and espionage beefed up, I can focus on research now. Supply techs, education and militia doctrines and weapons are being researched.
On 3rd February, the main attack force struck yet again, this time against Fenyang, another province bordering Taiyuan.
On 9th, specialist training is enacted and I start reinforcing my divisions. Despite being China, yes
Taiyuan is attacked on 12th. Despite attacking across the river and being a hilly province, having almost three times larger numbers outweighs these setbacks.
Some minor skirmishes take place in the Xianyang fortified area. KMT together with Ma forces are trying to outflank Xianyang and cut it off to destroy our three militia divisions. Swift counterattack takes place and the area is quiet again.
While our militia pushes to Dengkou to establish a defensive line behind the Yellow river, the battle of Taiyuan ends in a lopsided victory for our forces.
Taiyuan itself is secured on 21st, more than doubling on-map manpower generation.
With Taiyuan secured, an order was given to refocus and push towards Hohhot, as that would likely be the last refuge of the Shanxi’s government. Shuoxian was therefore attacked.
Despite holding positions behind the river, our militia divisions were too disorganized to hold any further. Even then, Nationalists suffered twice the casualties while using regular infantry!
One by one, Shanxi’s provinces were liberated. The battle of Togtoh started on 6th March.
After our divisions arrived there, an attack was launched on Tumd Youqi. However, the attack was called off due to extremely stiff resistance.
On 16th March, an attack was launched on to outflank the aforementioned province. This time, defenders didn’t have the numbers nor terrain to help them out.
Two days later, the attack ended in a decisive victory.
However on arrival, our divisions were ambushed by a superior force. But instead of retreating, they held their footing, while their comrades launched diversionary attack to make the enemy stop the assault which ultimately succeeded.
Diversionary attack on Horinger yet progressed so well, there was little reason to call it off.
Since half of the original strike force assigned against them was now busy defending, divisions in Tums Zuoqi stroke at Hohhot on 25th. Defenders were shocked so much, that three of their five divisions hardly entered the combat before retreating.
Both battles ended in a success a few days later.
On 30th March, Chen Yi’s mountaineer division has arrived into the city and a very feeble counterattack was launched to relieve forces in the now created pocket.
Shanxi gave up the fight the next day. Despite creating a huge pocket, Shanxi’s troops laid down their arms and KMT’s divisions were seen escaping through the deserts and mountains to Ma Clique. When they reformed in Nanjing, only a fraction of them survived this long march (aka what happens with expeditionary troops who have no land connection to their capital).
