Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

When Cheng the Blind attacked, the Japanese commander inside immediately went to the communications room to call for reinforcements.

He informed the transit station, which was not far from here, about the attack and requested backup, asking them to come quickly.

After requesting assistance, the Japanese called Qinghe County and asked the regimental commander to answer the call.

"What happened?! No, why are there gunshots over there?!" The voice of the Japanese regimental commander came through the phone.

"Commander, Qingyuan Bridge is under attack by the enemy. Their firepower is very strong. I have already called the transit station for reinforcements, but I cannot guarantee that I can hold out until they arrive," the Japanese lieutenant hurriedly explained the situation.

The enemy attacking them had heavy firepower and a numerical advantage. In addition, it was a surprise attack, so they suffered heavy casualties from the start. It was difficult for him to hold out until the reinforcements from the transit station arrived.

"Damn it! We have to hold on, this bridge can't be blown up by the enemy again!" the Japanese regimental commander cursed. The bridge had already been bombed twice by the enemy, and they had repaired it twice.

Each repair took a considerable amount of time, forcing the mines there to shut down because they couldn't transport the materials out, which resulted in huge losses for them.

"Yes! I'll try my best to hold out until reinforcements arrive," the Japanese lieutenant replied.

"Go and command the battle. Don't say anything more," the Japanese regimental commander said, hanging up the phone.

Subsequently, the Japanese lieutenant also hurriedly left the communications room to direct the battle.

Boom boom boom......

Shells would occasionally fall on the Japanese positions, causing huge explosions that killed or wounded the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese lieutenant came behind the bunker and met up with a Japanese second lieutenant.

"How is the situation now?!" the Japanese lieutenant asked.

"Lieutenant, the enemy attacking us has heavy firepower, and their marksmanship is excellent at close range! We've suffered heavy casualties," the Japanese lieutenant hurriedly reported.

"Damn it! Why did the enemy suddenly attack us?!" The Japanese lieutenant couldn't help but curse upon hearing this, sensing immense pressure.

"That's unclear, but the enemy attacking us is most likely the New 1st Regiment," the Japanese lieutenant said.

In his view, only the New First Regiment possessed such strong firepower and accurate close-range marksmanship.

"Oh no! Do you think they've set up an ambush at the transit station halfway there?!" The Japanese lieutenant's expression changed. The enemy might be trying to besiege the point and catch reinforcements, causing them even greater losses.

“That’s very possible.” The Japanese lieutenant nodded, because the New First Regiment had done the same thing when they attacked Qingyuan Bridge before, and they had every reason to suspect that the enemy was replicating the same tactics.

"You continue commanding, I'll go tell the transit station not to come over!" The Japanese lieutenant quickly crouched down and left.

"Lieutenant!" The Japanese second lieutenant watched the departing figure of the Japanese lieutenant, opened his mouth, and for a moment did not know what to say.

The transit station is more than half an hour away from here. I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out before reinforcements arrive.

.........

In Qinghe County, at the Japanese army camp.

"Commander, what happened?! Is something wrong at Qingyuan Bridge?!" the Japanese major asked in surprise.

Upon hearing this, the Japanese regimental commander's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn the New First Regiment! Attacking the pillboxes and checkpoints wasn't enough, they even wanted to blow up the bridge!"

"What?! It's almost dawn, and they chose to attack at this time?!" The Japanese major was shocked. To be honest, he couldn't understand why the enemy would choose to attack Qingyuan Bridge at this time instead of launching an attack at the same time.

"This only shows that the enemy who attacked Qingyuan Bridge did so after they captured the blockhouse, and therefore the timing of the attacks was not the same, with a significant time difference between the two attacks," the Japanese regimental commander responded.

That's the most likely possibility.

"The regimental commander is right. If they rush over there, they probably won't just attack Qingyuan Bridge, but also the reinforcements at the transit station," the Japanese major said hastily.

If the New First Regiment had only attacked Qingyuan Bridge after such a long march, it would have been far from enough to expand the gains of the battle.

"You're right. They probably already had men lying in ambush before the attack," said the Japanese regimental commander.

"They love to besiege enemy strongholds and attack reinforcements! If we weren't outnumbered, we would make them suffer the consequences!" The Japanese major gritted his teeth in anger.

They knew perfectly well that this was a strategy of besieging a point to lure reinforcements, but they were powerless to deal with the enemy because they couldn't determine whether the Northeast Army was involved.

Once all the troops are mobilized to surround them, if that Northeast Army is present, they will be the ones in trouble.

The Japanese regimental commander didn't reply. Instead, he picked up the phone and called the transit station, telling them not to send reinforcements.

"Regimental Commander, a company of soldiers set off five minutes ago," came the voice of a Japanese communications soldier from the transit station over the phone.

"What?! Quickly send someone to call them back!" The Japanese regimental commander urged immediately, not wanting any more casualties.

It was clear that Qingyuan Bridge could not be held; two squads couldn't stop so many heavily armed enemies. But the soldiers at the transit station couldn't afford to get hurt.

"Yes, sir!" the Japanese communications officer replied.

The Japanese regimental commander hung up the phone and suddenly felt a little dizzy. His blood pressure had obviously spiked due to the series of events. It was only because he was in good health that he was able to handle it. If it were another regimental commander, he would probably have been so angry that he would have vomited blood.

In one night, more than a thousand soldiers were killed, and even the bridges transporting mineral resources were blown up by the enemy. If it were a major incident, few commanders could withstand it.

"Commander, don't worry, taking care of yourself is the most important thing," the Japanese major quickly reassured him.

Nobody wanted this to happen. The only one to blame is the enemy, who was too cunning and disgusting. Who would have thought that after attacking the pillboxes and checkpoints, the enemy would also blow up the bridge?

"There's no use in panicking now that things have come to this." The Japanese regimental commander took a deep breath to calm himself down as much as possible.

Ring ring ring………

Just then, the phone on the table rang, and the Japanese regimental commander quickly answered it.

"Moshi moshi, who is it?! Brigade Commander! Please give instructions, Brigade Commander." When the Japanese regimental commander recognized the brigade commander's voice, he quickly bent down.

"The Zhengtai Railway has been extensively damaged. To prevent train rollovers, immediately notify the mines to stop transporting ore!" The Japanese brigade commander slowly explained the situation. Their mine's railway was also part of the Zhengtai Railway, and now that it had been attacked, they had no choice but to stop transporting ore from the mines.

"What?! The Zhengtai Railway has been attacked on a large scale?! How could this be?!" The Japanese regimental commander was shocked. The Zhengtai Railway was their most important transportation line, and he never expected that the enemy would dare to destroy it on such a large scale.

The key question is, how many people did the enemy actually deploy to accomplish this? Considering this, it seems acceptable that his fortress was attacked; he even thought he was being targeted!

"It's true, which is why the higher-ups ordered all the mines to stop transporting goods. This operation by the Eighth Route Army was a large-scale attack."
"In short, the damage to the railway is far more serious than you think," the Japanese brigade commander said in a heavy tone.

He never expected the Eighth Route Army to be so bold as to send so many people to sabotage the railway.

"Have all the Eighth Route Army soldiers who sabotaged the railway been caught?!" the Japanese regimental commander asked tentatively.

"Caught my ass! If the patrol hadn't been attacked and hadn't been delayed for half a day, the Eighth Route Army would probably have caused even more destruction!" the Japanese brigade commander replied irritably.

When he learned the truth, he was also filled with disbelief, but it was the truth.

"Strange, why would the Eighth Route Army suddenly launch such a large-scale attack?! We haven't even made a move against them yet!" The Japanese regimental commander couldn't help but wonder.

In his view, the Eighth Route Army usually preferred to fire and move on, and rarely carried out large-scale operations. Only the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment had a relatively large presence.

After all, these two regiments, together with that Northeast Army, had killed many of their soldiers, so how could the other regiments dare to do the same?

"What's there to say? The enemy was forced into a corner, so they took the initiative to attack. It's a pity. If they had waited a few days, we could have gained the upper hand." The Japanese brigade commander sighed.

To be honest, not only did he not expect it, but even the division commander did not expect the Eighth Route Army to take the initiative to attack them!

"Then when will we resume transportation?!" the Japanese regimental commander asked.

"It's unclear whether it will take several months or even half a year. In any case, just wait quietly for further instructions," the Japanese brigade commander replied. He didn't know exactly how much damage had been done to the Zhengtai Railway either, as the information from above was somewhat vague.

"Hey! Brigade Commander, there's something I wanted to tell you too. The New First Regiment just attacked Qingyuan Bridge, and it's highly likely that Qingyuan Bridge can't be held!" After the Japanese regimental commander finished speaking, there was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

"Hiss... Sigh... There's nothing we can do about it. It's better to let it be than to send reinforcements and increase casualties." The Japanese brigade commander let out a cold breath and then sighed.

Tonight's events have been enough, all of them challenging his understanding. No matter what happens, he will no longer be shocked.

"That's what I think too, so I'll send a telegram to the mine later and tell them to stop transporting goods," the Japanese regimental commander continued.

"Yes, do your best to dispose of the soldiers' remains properly, and then prepare for an offensive attack on the garrisons of the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment!" the Japanese brigade commander said.

He was also burning with anger. Now, regardless of whether the Northeast Army was there or not, he was going to take action against the New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment!
"Yes, sir!" The Japanese regimental commander nodded.

"This time I will personally take command," the Japanese brigade commander added.

"Brigade Commander, isn't this too dangerous? What if that Northeast Army is waiting for us?!" The Japanese regimental commander hurriedly advised.

"Baka! Do you think I'm afraid of them? At worst, I'll just die!" the Japanese brigade commander cursed angrily.

"Brigade Commander, that's not what I meant. I just think that we should handle these dangerous missions. You are the Empire's elite. If anything goes wrong, it will be a loss for the Empire." The Japanese regimental commander was startled and hurriedly explained.

"It's alright. The empire has plenty of elite troops; it won't miss one more. Besides, this deployment is for the empire's benefit! You don't need to say anything more."
"Dongchuan-kun, if I survive this time, I'll drink and make merry with you again!" the Japanese brigade commander said slowly, already prepared to be killed by the enemy.

“It is my honor,” Higashikawa Ichiro quickly replied.

"That's all for now." The Japanese brigade commander hung up the phone.

"Commander, is the brigade commander coming in person?!" the Japanese major asked.

"Yes." Higashikawa Ichiro nodded.

"I never expected the enemy would launch such a large-scale attack on the Zhengtai Railway," the Japanese major remarked. This was the first time they had ever shown such strength!
"Yes, I wonder how many people they mobilized to shut down the mine. They're going to suffer a huge loss now," Higashikawa Ichiro replied.

The fact that the higher authorities issued a special order indicates that the Zhengtai Railway has been severely damaged, and the repair time is estimated to be several months or even half a year. Just hearing this, one can tell that the railway has been seriously damaged, which is why it takes so long to repair.

.........

At the relay station, the Japanese communications soldier, upon receiving orders, immediately went to the commander's office to report the situation.

"Captain, the regimental commander just called and told us not to go to support Qingyuan Bridge. The enemy may be lying in ambush on the way!" the Japanese communications soldier said hurriedly.

"What?! Go and give the order immediately to have someone chase after them and stop them!" The Japanese captain jumped up.

He was just thinking about preventing anything from happening at Qingyuan Bridge, but now he just wants his men to stop running so fast, lest they be ambushed.

He had always felt something was amiss. Why would the enemy suddenly attack Qingyuan Bridge? Now it seemed the enemy had included him in their calculations.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese communications soldier immediately turned and left.

"You absolutely mustn't get into any trouble!" The Japanese captain paced back and forth, fearing that the reinforcements might be ambushed and wiped out.

…………

Ding ding ding………

Puff puff………

In the clash of cold weapons, there was a metallic clanging sound, and figures fell from time to time, either Japanese soldiers or soldiers of the 772nd Regiment.

Although the Japanese soldiers were very skilled at bayonet fighting, the soldiers were no less skilled, especially since they had a numerical advantage and knew how to coordinate. In just a few minutes, they had wiped out the Japanese soldiers.

Corpses lay scattered on the ground, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

"Quickly, the first company cleans up the battlefield, the second company goes to stand guard, and the third company goes to place explosives on the bridge!" Blind Cheng, his face smeared with blood, gave orders methodically.

The soldiers sprang into action, using their bayonets to poke the fallen Japanese soldiers to see if any were feigning death. Compared to firing their guns, the 772nd Regiment preferred to use bayonets to make their judgments, as it was always good to save some bullets.

(End of this chapter)