115: Chapter 25 Northwest Campaign

I. Northwest in Crisis

The smoke of war in the south had not yet dispersed when the fires of conflict ignited in the Northwest.

Ma Bufang, a warlord entrenched in the five provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, supported by foreign powers (mainly Britain and Russia), gathered an Army of 150,000. Known as the "Northwest Iron Cavalry," they pushed southeast, attempting to seize the Guanzhong Plain while Li Ling's main forces were in the south.

"Sir, Ma Bufang's troops have captured Tianshui and are advancing toward Baoji," the Chief of Staff said, pointing at the map. "If Baoji falls, the gate to the Guanzhong Plain will be wide open."

Li Ling stood before the map, his brows furrowed.

The situation in the Northwest was far more complex than in the south. Ma Bufang's troops were primarily cavalry, possessing high mobility and adaptability to the harsh environment of the Northwest. Moreover, with the backing of Britain and Russia, they were well-equipped and well-fed, far superior to the ragtag armies of the south.

"I have heard of this man, Ma Bufang," Li Ling said. "He has operated in the Northwest for over twenty years and has deep roots. His cavalry, known as the 'Northwest Iron Cavalry,' has formidable combat effectiveness. We cannot defeat him with the lightning strikes we used in the south; we must wear him down slowly."

"Sir, should we bring in more troops?" the Chief of Staff asked.

"No," Li Ling shook his head. "Quality is more important than quantity. The First Army Group is already in the Northwest; sending one more Army will be enough. The key is to use the right tactics."

He pointed to several key locations on the map.

"Although Ma Bufang's cavalry is highly mobile, they have a weakness—their logistics rely primarily on animal power, which is slow and susceptible to weather conditions. If we can cut off their supply lines, it won't matter how fast they run."

"Use the Air Force?" the Chief of Staff asked.

"No," Li Ling shook his head. "The Air Force can bomb them, but they cannot completely sever the lines. We must use cavalry against cavalry, countering speed with speed."

He turned to look at the assembled generals.

"I want to form a rapid cavalry unit equipped with automatic rifles, Hand grenades, and light Mortars to specifically counter Ma Bufang's cavalry. At the same time, the Air Force will be responsible for reconnaissance and bombing their supply lines. The main Army forces will advance steadily, gradually compressing their area of operations."

II. Cavalry Duel

Li Ling's rapid cavalry unit was formed quickly.

Five thousand cavalrymen, all riding Mongolian horses, each equipped with an automatic rifle, four Hand grenades, and a saber at their waist. Each company was also equipped with two light Mortars, which could be carried by horses, ensuring extreme mobility.

The cavalry division commander was Wu Peifu, a former officer of the Beiyang Army who had later defected to Li Ling. He was in his early forties, an expert horseman with incredible marksmanship and unique insights into cavalry tactics.

"Sir, rest assured," Wu Peifu said, patting his chest. "No matter how formidable Ma Bufang's cavalry is, they are no match for us. Our rifles have a long range and high rate of fire; his old-fashioned carbines will be neutralized before they can even get close."

"Do not underestimate the enemy," Li Ling cautioned. "Ma Bufang has been fighting in the Northwest for over twenty years and has rich experience. Although his cavalry is not as well-equipped as ours, his tactics are flexible, and he is familiar with the terrain. You must fight with your brain, not with brute force."

"Yes!"

Wu Peifu took his orders and left, leading the five thousand cavalrymen day and night toward the Northwest.

Five days later, they encountered Ma Bufang's vanguard in Gansu.

Ma Bufang's vanguard consisted of about 10,000 men, all cavalry equipped with carbines and sabers, possessing extreme mobility. They had intended to wipe out Wu Peifu's cavalry before Li Ling's main force arrived, and then march east.

But they underestimated Wu Peifu's combat effectiveness.

"Spread out! Spread out!" Wu Peifu waved his saber at the front line. "Do not engage them head-on; use suppressive fire!"

The five thousand cavalrymen fanned out into a skirmish line, utilizing the mobility of their horses to maneuver on the periphery. As they moved, they fired their automatic rifles, the dense hail of bullets causing Ma Bufang's cavalry to fall in droves.

Ma Bufang's cavalry attempted to charge, but their carbines only had a range of a few hundred meters. Before they could even reach effective range, they suffered heavy casualties.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Seeing the situation was dire, Ma Bufang's vanguard commander ordered a retreat.

But Wu Peifu did not give his opponent any chance to catch their breath.

"Pursue!" He waved his saber. "Wipe them all out!"

The five thousand cavalrymen pounced like a pack of wolves, using automatic rifles and Hand grenades to chase down the routed enemy. Of Ma Bufang's 10,000 cavalry, over 3,000 were killed, over 5,000 were captured, and fewer than 2,000 fled back to Lanzhou in disarray.

III. Cutting the Supply Lines

News of the vanguard's defeat reached Lanzhou, and Ma Bufang was furious.

"What? 10,000 men defeated by 5,000?" He slammed the table. "Who is this Wu Peifu? How can he be so capable?"

"General, Wu Peifu's troops are too well-equipped," the reporting officer knelt on the ground. "Their rifles can fire continuously, and their range is twice that of our carbines. Plus, they have small artillery pieces; we can't charge at all."

Ma Bufang gritted his teeth: "Pass the order, have the whole Army retreat and hold Lanzhou. At the same time, send someone to Russia and have them send another batch of weapons."

"General, the Russians say they can provide weapons, but we must exchange them for wool and gold."

"Exchange!" Ma Bufang did not hesitate. "As long as I can defeat Li Ling, I will pay any price!"

But he did not know that Li Ling's target was not his Army, but his supply lines.

Ma Bufang's logistics relied primarily on two routes: a land route from Russia through Xinjiang to Lanzhou, and a railway line from Tianjin to Xi'an. The land route was long and distant with limited capacity; the railway was fast but passed through territory controlled by Li Ling and could be cut at any time.

Li Ling's orders were simple: the Air Force would bomb the railways, and the Special Forces would sabotage the roads.

Twelve aircraft took off from a temporary airfield in Xi'an, bombing westward along the railway line. Rails were blown apart, bridges destroyed, and train stations reduced to ruins. Most of the weapons and ammunition Ma Bufang shipped from Tianjin were destroyed on the way.

Meanwhile, the Special Forces infiltrated Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and other places, attacking Ma Bufang's supply convoys. They used explosives to destroy roads, strafed convoys with machine guns, and blocked mountain passes with landmines.

In just half a month, Ma Bufang's logistics supply lines were completely severed. The front-line troops were short of food and ammunition, and morale plummeted.

IV. The Siege of Lanzhou

Ma Bufang was trapped in Lanzhou, caught in a dilemma.

If he fought outside the city, he could not defeat Li Ling's cavalry and Army. If he held the city waiting for reinforcements, his supply lines were already cut, and his food and ammunition would only last for a month.

"General, Li Ling's troops have surrounded Lanzhou," the adjutant ran in. "There are at least 50,000 men outside the city, along with a large amount of artillery and aircraft."

Ma Bufang stood on the city wall, looking at the dark mass of enemy positions outside, his face pale.

He knew he had no way out. Although the walls of Lanzhou were sturdy, the defenders' morale was low, and they were short on food and ammunition; they could not hold out for long.

"Send a telegram to the British," he gritted his teeth. "Tell them to send troops to help."

"General, the British said this is the internal affair of the Qingxia Kingdom, and it is not convenient for them to intervene."

"What about the Russians?"

"The Russians also said they only provide weapons, not troops."

Ma Bufang slammed a fist against the city wall, his knuckles bleeding.

"Liars, all of them!" He roared. "They spoke so flowery when taking money, but when it came to life or death, they all shrank back!"

"General, shall we... surrender?" the adjutant asked cautiously.

"Surrender?" Ma Bufang sneered. "If I surrender, will Li Ling spare me? I have slaughtered cities, killed prisoners, and robbed the people. Can Li Ling just pretend these things never happened?"

The adjutant lowered his head, not daring to speak further.

On the fifteenth day of the siege, the food in the city ran out.

On the twentieth day of the siege, the defenders began killing horses for food.

On the twenty-fifth day of the siege, the defenders began to mutiny.

"We won't fight anymore! Open the city and surrender!"

"Ma Bufang has ruined us!"

"Open the city gates! Open the city gates!"

Soldiers poured into the streets, rushing toward the city gates.

Ma Bufang stood in the main hall of the "Prince's Mansion," listening to the noise outside, his face ashen.

"Bring me my sword," he said to the guard beside him.

The guard retrieved a saber inlaid with jewels and handed it over with both hands.

Ma Bufang took the sword, drew it from its sheath, and looked at the sharp blade, remaining silent for a long time.

"Tell Li Ling," he finally spoke. "I am willing to surrender. But please ask him to treat my soldiers well; they were all forced into this."

V. The Northwest Submits

When the news of Ma Bufang's surrender reached Jiangning Prefecture, Li Ling was writing in his diary in the study.

"Sir, the Northwest is pacified!" the Chief of Staff ran in excitedly. "Ma Bufang has opened the gates to surrender, and his 150,000-strong Army has all laid down their arms. The five provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, and Xinjiang are officially under our control!"

Li Ling took the telegram and read it, his face showing little emotion.

"What about casualties?" he asked.

"Our side: over 300 officers and soldiers killed, over 500 wounded. The enemy: over 5,000 killed in action, over 10,000 wounded, and over 100,000 captured."

Li Ling was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Pass the order to properly settle the prisoners. Those who are willing to stay will be incorporated into the garrison troops; those who are not will be given travel expenses and sent home. As for Ma Bufang... give him an idle post and put him up."

"Sir, Ma Bufang has committed too many crimes; are we just going to let him go like this?"

"What is the use of killing him?" Li Ling shook his head. "Keeping him around can pacify the hearts of the people in the Northwest. If we kill him, his old subordinates might rebel. We don't lack this bit of military merit; what we lack is stability in the Northwest."

Although the Chief of Staff was unwilling, he nodded.

"Yes."

After the Chief of Staff left, Li Ling leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"System," he whispered in his heart.

"I'm here," the system's voice appeared unusually promptly. "The Northwest is pacified. Any thoughts?"

"Thoughts?" Li Ling thought for a moment. "My thought is that fighting is too tiring."

"Host, you used to be a war maniac."

"That was before," Li Ling shook his head. "Now I am tired. Not physically, but mentally. Seeing those soldiers fall, seeing those people displaced, it hurts my heart."

The system was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Host, you have changed."

"How have I changed?"

"You have become more like a human," the system said. "When you first transmigrated, you didn't care about anything, you only wanted to climb higher. Now, there are more things you care about, and more people you care about. This is a good thing."

Li Ling smiled: "Perhaps."

"By the way," the system continued, "The host has completed the minor achievement of 'Pacifying the Northwest' and gained one lottery chance. Do you want to draw now?"

"Draw it," Li Ling said.

"Drawing... Congratulations to the host, you have obtained a set of 'Desert Combat Equipment.' Includes desert camouflage uniforms, goggles, water bladders, sunscreen, etc., which can significantly improve the survival and combat capabilities of troops in desert environments."

"Sunscreen?" Li Ling was speechless. "System, are you kidding me?"

"Host, the ultraviolet radiation in desert areas is extremely strong, and sunscreen is a necessity," the system said earnestly. "This is not a joke; this is science."

"Fine, fine, fine, science," Li Ling said, between laughter and tears. "Send the equipment to the Northwest immediately and let the soldiers use it."

"Understood."

Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed a golden red, like a burning flag.

Li Ling stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the distant sea. The surface of the sea was sparkling, a few fishing boats were returning home, and the chanting of the fishermen could be heard faintly.

The Northwest was pacified, the south was subdued, and the north was defeated. Next, only the Northeast remained.

But Li Ling knew that the hardest bone was yet to come.

Zhang Zuolin would not surrender as easily as Ma Bufang.

"System," he whispered in his heart.

"Hmm?" The system's voice carried a trace of guilt. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think Zhang Zuolin will surrender like Ma Bufang once the city is surrounded?"

The system was silent for a few seconds, then said: "No. Zhang Zuolin is an ambitious warlord; such a person will not easily admit defeat. He will fight to the end."

"Therefore, we cannot rush the attack on the Northeast," Li Ling nodded. "We must take our time, digest the south and the Northwest first, and then plot against the Northeast."

"The host is wise," the system said, in a rare compliment.

"Why are you so articulate today?" Li Ling asked. "Did you learn something from the singing and dancing system again?"

"Host, please do not make assumptions," the system's tone carried a trace of embarrassment. "I am just thinking about how to optimize our strategic layout."

"Forget it, you must have been flirting with the mother system," Li Ling laughed. "However, since you've learned new things, use them well. Once we take the Northeast, I will treat you and that singing and dancing system to a meal."

"Host, the system does not need to eat."

"Then you can watch us eat."

"...Host, you win."

Outside the window, night fell, and the stars began to twinkle in the sky.

Li Ling took a deep breath, turned, and walked back to the table to continue studying the map of the Northeast.