Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

At this moment, Xu Qingfeng and Kong Jie also arrived.

"Immediately construct artillery positions and prepare to bombard the Japanese!" Xu Qingfeng gave the order immediately, instructing the artillerymen to begin constructing their positions.

Fighting a positional war against the Japanese is difficult without artillery, especially against a top-tier Japanese division. We need to use every available firepower.

As for Kong Jie, he led his men up the mountain from the back and into the trenches. Of course, Xu Qingfeng also sent special forces soldiers to follow.

After giving the order, Xu Qingfeng quickly joined up with Li Yunlong.

"Damn it, you've finally arrived. Those little devils just tried desperately to break through, but luckily I was prepared, otherwise they would have really gotten away," Li Yunlong said to Xu Qingfeng.

"Thank you for your hard work, Commander." Xu Qingfeng replied. He had expected the Japanese to choose to break out, but he did not think they could actually do so.

After all, the firepower of the new 1st Regiment was indeed quite fierce. As long as the key positions were held, it would be virtually impossible for the Japanese to break out.

"These are minor issues. I'm not bragging, but even if you guys didn't come, I could hold them off for half a day." Li Yunlong couldn't help but start boasting.

"Looks like I've delayed the commander from showing his prowess. How about I take my men and leave now, and wait for you to make your mark?" Xu Qingfeng said half-jokingly.

"Hey, hey, no, no, you can't leave." Li Yunlong quickly grabbed Xu Qingfeng, afraid that the other party would really leave.

"Old Li, you can't live without bragging, can you?" Zhao Gang, standing to the side, was both amused and exasperated.

"Let's talk about the current situation," Xu Qingfeng said, appropriately changing the subject.

"Now that the Japanese are unable to break out, they've started to fortify their positions. It'll be quite troublesome to wipe them out in a short time," Li Yunlong said.

If the Japanese hadn't fortified their positions, they might have been able to inflict considerable casualties on them. But once the Japanese fortified their positions, they couldn't perform as effectively. It became difficult to kill even one Japanese soldier, since their soldiers weren't as skilled as special forces and couldn't achieve long-range kills.

"Yes, it is a little troublesome, but half a day should be enough." Xu Qingfeng nodded and said. Although the Japanese had some skills, they were still far inferior to them.

With the addition of Xu Qingfeng and Kong Jie, the pressure on the New 1st Regiment and the 358th Regiment was reduced in a short period of time, while the Japanese also felt the pressure again.

However, the pressure they felt this time was less than before. The reason they felt so much pressure before was because they hadn't built up a defensive position, which is why the attack by this Northeast Army resulted in heavy casualties.

"Brigade Commander, the enemy's offensive has intensified. That Northeast Army unit must have joined the battle," the Japanese regimental commander said.

"I've already figured it out," the Japanese brigade commander replied. They had suffered considerable casualties in that one move, and there was no need to guess; it was definitely the work of that Northeast Army unit.

"Fortunately, we fortified our position, otherwise it would have been difficult to hold out." The Japanese regimental commander was still a little scared. If they hadn't fortified their position, the casualties would probably have been several times higher.

"This Northeast Army is too strong," Nakajima Ichiro exclaimed. It was the first time he had encountered such a powerful force, and it truly frightened him.

Fortunately, the enemy wasn't too numerous. If they had grown to tens of thousands, they could have easily driven them out of Shanxi. In that case, all the resources here wouldn't have been able to be mined and transported back to China, resulting in enormous losses.

"It's alright, we can hold out for half a day. The enemy won't fight for too long," said the Japanese regimental commander. The enemy wouldn't fight for too long, otherwise it would be very difficult for them to retreat.

"Don't be too happy yet. Pass down the order to have the soldiers continue to reinforce the position and dig anti-artillery bunkers. The enemy's artillery is very powerful!" Nakajima Ichiro instructed.

The enemy's artillery fire was very accurate. If we didn't dig proper shelters to protect the soldiers, they would have a hard time withstanding the enemy's bombardment.

"Yes, sir!" The Japanese regimental commander nodded, then picked up the walkie-talkie and began contacting the various regimental commanders to relay orders.

Xu Qingfeng also received news from the artillery that the artillery positions had been completed.

"Fire!" Xu Qingfeng immediately gave the order. He wanted to inflict greater casualties on the Japanese troops before their positions were fully completed. Only in this way could casualties be reduced in subsequent battles.

As the order was given, the artillerymen began to lower their cannons.

Bang bang bang…

A series of muffled thuds rang out as shells were fired from the cannons and flew toward the Japanese positions.

Boom boom boom......

Huge explosions rang out one after another, the Japanese positions were covered by artillery fire, and many Japanese soldiers were killed or wounded in the shelling, their screams echoing.

This scene greatly boosted the morale of the soldiers. Seeing the Japanese being bombed made them feel incredibly happy. They wanted to kill those sons of bitches.

Da da da………

Bang bang bang…

Intense gunfire erupted intermittently as both sides engaged in fierce combat. Every second, men fell—Japanese soldiers, Eighth Route Army soldiers, or members of the 358th Regiment…

The battle was fierce, but the Japanese casualties were significantly greater than those of Li Yunlong and his men.

Because the Japanese machine gunners were being closely watched by the special forces soldiers, if a Japanese machine gunner dared to fire for more than half a minute, he would definitely be killed.

Therefore, the Japanese machine gunners dared not launch a sustained attack. Instead, they would fire a dozen or so shots and then immediately move to a different location. Some didn't even dare to show their heads; they only dared to pull the trigger. Whether they could hit the enemy or not was unimportant; as long as the gun was fired, that was enough.

"Brigade Commander, our casualties are getting heavier and heavier!" The Japanese regimental commander ran up to Nakajima Ichiro and said.

"Yes, I know." Nakajima Ichiro nodded. On their side, they were almost being suppressed, and the machine guns could not provide effective firepower suppression.

"If we can hold out until morning, our soldiers will be able to unleash their true fighting power," said Nakajima Ichiro.

They are not good at night fighting, but once daytime arrives, their combat power is far superior to that at night. So, what they need to do now is wait for dawn.

At that time, they will be able to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy as well.

"Brigade Commander, is it possible that the Northeast Army unit is even stronger during the day?!" the Japanese regimental commander said, somewhat worried about this.

Frankly, he felt that the Northeast Army was still at its peak fighting strength, and once daylight arrived, the outcome would be predictable. "So what? They are formidable, but we are no less so!" Nakajima Ichiro retorted. He didn't believe the enemy's fighting strength during the day could be several times greater; perhaps their daytime fighting strength was about the same as their nighttime strength.

Upon hearing this, the Japanese regimental commander could only hope that the enemy would not be so strong during the day.

.........

On the other side, Cheng Xiazi, the commander of the 772nd Regiment, was also preparing to lead his men to attack the Japanese regiment that had entered the mountains.

Based on observations of the Japanese forces during the day, it was clear they were planning to retreat. How could we let them succeed? They burned so many villages in the mountains; now they think they can just leave? No way!

"Commander, the Japanese patrols haven't let their guard down. Their patrol area is still within a three-mile radius. It's unlikely they'll be able to attack the Japanese camp," the battalion commander reported.

He thought that the Japanese would lower their guard after retreating, but now it seems that he was overthinking it; the Japanese did not lower their guard at all.

"As expected, but it's not a big problem. Have the artillerymen adjust their guns and get ready to fire a couple of shots at the Japanese!" Cheng the Blind said. Since they couldn't directly raid the camp, they might as well give up.

The same applies to bombardment. His goal is to prevent the Japanese from getting proper rest these two days, wear them down, and then, once the fighting starts, they will be fighting a exhausted Japanese army, making it easier to annihilate them while minimizing casualties.

"The artillery is ready and waiting for orders," the battalion commander replied.

"By the way, have you found the Japanese commander's tent?!" Blind Cheng asked. If they could take out the Japanese commander in advance, their subsequent operations would be much easier.

"No, the Japanese are very vigilant. Their tents are all similar, and there aren't any particularly large tents. They're probably afraid of being bombarded," said the battalion commander. He did want to find one and blow it up, but it was indeed a bit of a hassle.

"I see. Then guess where the Japanese commander's camp is located." Blind Cheng was still somewhat unwilling to give up. He always felt that the commander of the Japanese unit that was pursuing them might be a brigade commander.

That's a major general. If they can kill the Japanese major general, it will be a great achievement, and they won't have to share the credit with the 77th Regiment.

"I have a feeling the Japanese commander's tent is definitely in the woods. How about we fire a few shells into the woods?!" the battalion commander said after thinking for a moment.

There are many trees in the woods, which would reduce the power of the shells. The Japanese commander must have set up his tent in the woods.

"There are quite a few camps in the woods, which one should we attack?!" Blind Cheng retorted. They didn't have enough shells to cover the entire forest.

“This…” The battalion commander hesitated, unsure which one to attack.

"Forget it, let's just shoot a few randomly. Maybe we'll hit something by accident," said Blind Cheng. He was too lazy to think about it anymore. It would be best if he could kill the Japanese commander, but if he didn't, it wouldn't be a big loss. As long as he could disturb the Japanese soldiers' rest, that would be fine.

Blind Cheng took out his walkie-talkie, contacted the political commissar, and gave the order to fire.

.........

In the Japanese camp, the Japanese brigade commander was suddenly awakened by a noise.

"Brigade Commander, something's happened," the Japanese regimental commander said with a serious expression.

"What is it?!" the Japanese brigade commander asked, yawning.

"The division commander just sent a telegram saying that our pursuing force is not the New 1st Regiment!" the Japanese regimental commander replied.

"What?! Not the New 1st Regiment?! Are you kidding me? If it's not the New 1st Regiment, how could they have such fierce firepower to attack the pillbox?!" The Japanese brigade commander suddenly came to his senses and said in shock.

He always felt that they were chasing the New First Regiment because the enemy's firepower was so strong that no other regiment besides the New First Regiment had such firepower.

However, his subordinates suddenly told him that the troops they had been chasing for several days were not the New First Regiment.

"Brigade Commander, it's true! The Division Commander said that the real New 1st Regiment is currently attacking the 33rd Brigade of the 6th Division! Not just the New 1st Regiment, but also the Independent Regiment and that Northeast Army unit," the Japanese regimental commander hurriedly said.

"The 33rd Brigade was attacked by them?! I'm a little confused. Wasn't the plan to lure that Northeast Army to attack the 6th Division's command post?! How come the 33rd Brigade is the one that's suffering instead?!" The Japanese brigade commander was a little confused for a moment, feeling that something was wrong.

"Brigade Commander, it seems the division commander's plan went wrong. The enemy not only failed to attack the command post, but also attacked the support troops," the Japanese regimental commander said.

"Why is this happening?!" The Japanese brigade commander frowned, feeling that the trouble seemed to be getting serious.

"I don't know, but in short, the 33rd Brigade was attacked by them, and they probably can't escape," the Japanese regimental commander said.

With such formidable enemy firepower, do you think the 33rd Brigade has any chance of escaping?! He felt it was unlikely; they probably wouldn't be able to escape.

"Not necessarily. The 33rd Brigade is, after all, a Class A division. They should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive. It's just a matter of how many will survive," the Japanese brigade commander said.

"That's true. The fighting power of a brigade is much stronger than that of a regiment." The Japanese regimental commander nodded.

"However, since we're not chasing the New 1st Regiment, which regiment are we chasing?! Judging from their advance troops that attacked us, their combat strength doesn't seem to be weak either." The Japanese brigade commander brought the topic back.

The main reason he believed that the troops attacking them were not weak in combat was because they thought the New First Regiment was being pursued.

But now that it's confirmed it's not the new First Regiment, who exactly is the enemy?! He couldn't figure it out.

Could it be that other units of the Eighth Route Army are also this strong in combat?! If so, this is a huge problem!

"It's either the 772nd Regiment or the 771st Regiment. Both of these regiments belong to the 386th Brigade, as do the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment."
Therefore, these two regiments received a considerable amount of supplies from Li Yunlong and Kong Jie, and used them to train their soldiers.

"That's what greatly boosted their combat effectiveness and also fooled us," the Japanese regimental commander said after thinking for a moment.

Since they were from the same brigade, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie had to hand over the supplies they captured to their superiors, and the 771st and 772nd Regiments would naturally get a share as well.

With supplies in hand, it's only natural to improve combat effectiveness.

"But only these few regiments are strong. Other units can't compare. The brigade commander doesn't need to worry too much. How could the Eighth Route Army possibly make the entire army that strong?! They simply don't have that many supplies." The Japanese regimental commander continued, guessing what the brigade commander was worried about.

"Hmm, you're right. If that's the case, their threat isn't so great." The Japanese brigade commander breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. (End of Chapter)