Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

During this time, the Japanese pursuit slowed down considerably, which made Blind Cheng realize that the Japanese had already exhausted a lot of their strength.

The soldiers of the 772nd Regiment, however, still had their stamina intact!

"Commander, the Japanese are slowing down their pursuit. It looks like they're giving up," the battalion commander said as he approached Blind Cheng.

Judging from the current situation, the Japanese should be preparing to retreat.

"Hmm, it seems they're running low on water. Once we're sure they're going to retreat, we'll attack them and wear them down as much as possible." Blind Cheng nodded and then outlined the next steps.

The more the Japanese soldiers were exhausted, the greater their chances of defeating them would be. Therefore, once the Japanese retreated, they began to attack and harass them.

We must torment the Japanese soldiers both physically and mentally, until they are exhausted. Then, we can seize the opportunity to annihilate them in one fell swoop!

"Commander, just to be on the safe side, why don't we have the 771st Regiment come and help? It's practically impossible for them to wipe out the Japanese."

"Why don't we come and help us? If we can take out an entire Japanese regiment, that would be a great victory," Political Commissar He suggested.

He felt that relying solely on the 772nd Regiment to wipe out an entire Japanese regiment was a bit too much of a stretch, but if the 771st Regiment were added, the chances of success would be much higher.

"The problem is, if the 771st Regiment comes, their Japanese troops might come too. We'll probably be in more trouble then," the battalion commander suggested.

Once the two Japanese regiments unite, their fighting strength will be far greater than that of the two regiments they are currently fighting together. In that case, it won't be them annihilating the Japanese, but rather the Japanese annihilating them!

"Don't worry, I already thought of that. The Japanese won't know that the 771st Regiment chose to come and help, as long as they don't expose their whereabouts."
"By the time the Japanese requested reinforcements, our two regiments had already joined forces and taken action. We were able to take out the other regiment before it even arrived!" Political Commissar He said slowly.

Once they finish off this regiment, the Japanese reinforcements will choose to retreat, because if they don't retreat, they won't be able to get out of the mountains.

"That's true, the political commissar's considerations are very thorough." The battalion commander nodded in agreement.

“Do as you say. Immediately send a telegram to the 77th Regiment and tell them to come and join us. It will take the Japanese four or five days to get out of the mountains. We have enough time to prepare!” Blind Cheng also expressed his opinion.

Although he really wanted the 772nd Regiment to eliminate this Japanese regiment, the risks they would face were still very high, and they might not even be able to annihilate the Japanese, but instead, something bad might happen.

Therefore, having the 77th Regiment come to help was the right choice, and it also provided a guarantee.

"Yes! Then I'll send a telegram to the commander first, outlining our next plan, and see what he says," Political Commissar He said. Their battle plan needed to be known to the commander first.

If the leader deems it unfeasible, then the plan will have to be abandoned.

“Okay,” Blind Cheng replied.

Political Commissar He quickly sent a telegram.

"Commander, it seems quite difficult for us to take down this regiment on our own," the battalion commander said at this moment.

"Yes, the risk is quite high. Although we can wear down the Japanese soldiers' morale and physical strength, reducing their combat capabilities..."
But our soldiers are still quite inferior to the Japanese. No matter how much the Japanese reduce their fighting strength, they won't be weaker than us; at most, they'll be at the same level." Blind Cheng also admitted this.

Even if they could annihilate this Japanese regiment, it would come at a great cost. It would be better to call on the 771st Regiment to share the burden and reduce casualties on both sides.

"If it were Li Yunlong's new First Regiment, they probably wouldn't need anyone else's help," the battalion commander couldn't help but mention Li Yunlong.

"Although I hate to admit it, the New First Regiment is indeed quite strong. If they were here, they wouldn't have a chance of losing even if they fought this Japanese regiment head-on," Blind Cheng said with some helplessness.

The 772nd Regiment used to be a main force regiment, with established ranks and military pay, while the New 1st Regiment was far weaker. But now the New 1st Regiment is so strong that they have to look up to it.

"Yes." The battalion commander nodded.

.........

The 386th Brigade, in the brigade headquarters meeting room.

The leader and political commissar were studying a map of the Zhengtai Railway.

"Li Jin and his men have already been mobilized, and it's estimated that they'll be taking action against the Japanese within the next couple of days," the political commissar said.

Before Li Jin set off, he had already sent them a telegram informing them of the plan!

"Well, now it all depends on him. Whether he can really draw away the main force of the Japanese army depends on this battle!" The commander was actually a little nervous.

They laid so much groundwork for Li Jin so that his plan could be successfully executed, making their large-scale battle go more smoothly and allowing them to expand their gains even further.

"I believe Li Jin's side won't let us down. In comparison, I wonder if the 772nd Regiment has a chance to take down the Japanese?!" The political commissar frowned as he finished speaking.

He wasn't particularly worried about Li Jin; he was more concerned about the situation of the 772nd Regiment. Although the 772nd Regiment was being pursued by the Japanese, there hadn't been any major casualties.

"If they're not stupid, they'll realize that having the 771st Regiment come to help, with two regiments working together to deal with a tired Japanese regiment, is still achievable," the commander said slowly.

In fact, he had already thought of this. The reason he didn't tell Blind Cheng was simply to test whether Blind Cheng could think of this. Since the Japanese had already entered the mountains, they couldn't be allowed to leave just like that.

Although the 772nd Regiment had significantly stronger firepower, the soldiers' combat effectiveness was still far inferior to that of the Japanese. If the New 1st Regiment were to deal with this Japanese regiment, they could wipe it out by attacking it head-on.

"Commander, at a time like this, you still have the mind to test them? Aren't you worried that they really didn't think of this and let the Japanese escape?!" the political commissar said with a smile.

"If they still can't figure it out in the next couple of days, I'll naturally tell them the next plan. But if that happens, Xiao Cheng will be considered unqualified by me."
"He won't be going to Yan'an to study." The leader shook his head. If Blind Cheng couldn't even think of these things, it only meant that Blind Cheng was indeed not suitable for respect and training.

He needs to discover more talent. If he can find someone similar to Li Jin, he'll make a huge profit.

“Indeed, if someone lacks foresight, there’s no need to focus on training them. How far they can go depends entirely on themselves.” The political commissar understood his leader’s thoughts.
No matter how much you think highly of someone, that person still needs to demonstrate their abilities. Otherwise, it's inappropriate for someone to hold a high position if they lack competence.

You know, an incompetent general can ruin an entire army, so training senior commanders requires careful selection and rigorous testing. "Speaking of which, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie should be able to go to Yan'an to study now, right?!" the political commissar mentioned.

"They are indeed qualified. In the past, they would have been far from qualified, but after working with Li Jin many times, they have learned a lot."

"If we're just talking about ability, Li Yunlong is already at a top-tier level. Once things stabilize, it's time to send them to Yan'an." the commander said slowly.
Although Li Yunlong was capable before, he was still lacking. But the current Li Yunlong is much better than before.

Li Yunlong should be on the list of those going to Yan'an for study.

"Actually, I think if Li Yunlong went there, he probably wouldn't need to learn much about warfare, since he's the closest to Li Jin." The political commissar smiled as he finished speaking.

Li Jin went to Yan'an to become a teacher and taught many students. Li Yunlong often fought alongside Li Jin and knew the details of these battles best.

"That's alright. Anyway, going to Yan'an isn't just about learning how to fight." The commander replied. If going to Yan'an was just about learning how to fight, then there wouldn't be such a strict selection process for sending personnel.

Going to Yan'an was about learning many things, with the aim of cultivating well-rounded senior officers; simply knowing how to fight was not enough.

"That's true." The political commissar nodded.

Just then, a telegraph operator rushed in.

"Commander, Political Commissar, a telegram has arrived from the 772nd Regiment." The telegraph operator handed the telegram to the commander for inspection.

The commander quickly finished reading the telegram. A smile appeared on his lips, as if he had seen something that would make him happy!

"Commander, what did the telegram say?! Could it be a suggestion to have the 771st Regiment join forces with them to fight the Japanese?!" The political commissar couldn't help but guess.

"Yes, you guessed right. That's exactly what they said in their telegram. This blind man Cheng is quite capable." The commander nodded in agreement and praised Cheng the blind man a few more times.

"Looking at it this way, we'll have to add another person to the list of those going to Yan'an," the political commissar laughed.

"Send this telegram to the 772nd Regiment." The commander took out a pen and paper, wrote down the words "feasible" in the telegram, and handed it to the telegraph operator.

"Yes!" The telegraph operator took the telegraph and immediately turned and left.

"Political Commissar, take a look at this telegram. It details their subsequent battle plan." The commander handed the telegram to the political commissar.

"Cheng the Blind's plan is indeed quite good. We'll start attacking the Japanese as soon as they retreat, exhausting their strength with minimal losses. By the time the 771st Regiment arrives, the Japanese they'll be dealing with will be a weary force. Very good." The political commissar praised after reading the telegram.

By using surprise attacks and harassment, the Japanese soldiers were prevented from conserving their energy, which naturally led to a significant decrease in their combat effectiveness.

"Commander, should we also annihilate all those puppet troops who are following the Japanese?!" the political commissar suddenly asked.

Those puppet troops were still Chinese after all; it would be unreasonable to annihilate them all.

"Hmph! The fact that they dared to come into the mountains means they were already prepared to fight us. The key point is, they won't show any mercy to our people."

Those puppet troops really wanted to kill our soldiers when they faced them. Since they chose to collude with the Japanese and pointed their guns at us, there's no need to keep them alive!" the commander said with a cold snort.

In the past, he might have said that if the puppet troops surrendered, he could spare their lives, but not now. There are battles in various places, and there is not much time to educate the puppet troops.

Moreover, after the 772nd and 771st Regiments dealt with this Japanese regiment, they naturally had other tasks to complete.

"That's fine too." The political commissar nodded.

.........

On the other side, after receiving the telegram, Political Commissar He immediately found Blind Cheng and showed it to him.

"The commander has approved our plan," Political Commissar He said.

"Yes, as expected." Blind Cheng nodded. Their plan didn't have any major problems, and the commander had no reason to disagree. Moreover, annihilating a Japanese regiment was a good thing.

"To be honest, I find it a bit strange. With the commander's abilities, he should have been able to foresee all of this. Why did he only have us draw the Japanese away and not tell us about the subsequent plans?!" Political Commissar He was puzzled. He didn't believe that the commander wouldn't have thought of these things.

“Yes, why?” Blind Cheng frowned as well. Their mission was to make the Japanese believe that the New First Regiment was here, and at the same time lure the Japanese into the mountains. However, the commander did not tell them how to deal with the Japanese who entered the mountains, as if he had not thought of it.

But would the leader really not have thought of these things?! Blind Cheng naturally didn't believe it.

"Perhaps this is a test for you!" Political Commissar He suddenly thought of something and said.

"A test?! Is the commander trying to test my abilities?!" Blind Cheng realized.

"It must be, Commander. The higher-ups probably want to see if you're qualified to go to Yan'an for training, so they're testing you specifically!" Political Commissar He said.

"So, if I hadn't thought of that, I would have lost the opportunity to study in Yan'an?!" Blind Cheng felt a wave of fear. Being able to study in Yan'an was something many officers hoped for, and he was no exception.

“I think it is. If you don’t send a telegram to the leader, once the leader sends you a telegram to tell you the next plan, you will completely lose the opportunity to go to Yan’an for study,” Political Commissar He said.

All of this is a test from the commander. If their regimental commander fails to think of these things, the commander will exclude him.

"That was close! If I hadn't been thinking of competing with Li Yunlong, I would never have considered annihilating all the Japanese soldiers who entered the village!" said Blind Cheng.

"Then you'd better thank Li Yunlong, otherwise you'll miss this opportunity." Political Commissar He laughed upon hearing this.

"Tch, I'm not going to thank him," Blind Cheng replied.

"Then I'll send a telegram to the 771st Regiment first," Political Commissar He said, turning and leaving. (End of Chapter)