Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 104: With the turret in hand, the world is mine

"Commander! Commander! It's bad, the Eighth Route Army is attacking." Jia Junfei, chief of staff of the Security Army, crawled to the headquarters.

"Eighth Route Army? How many people?" Qin Youde was very surprised to hear that there were Eighth Route Army.

How come the Eighth Route Army set its sights on Shenkou Town as soon as the Japanese left?

"It's a huge group of people, at least 3 or people!" Jia Junfei tripled the military force right away.

Qin Youde was not too panicked by Jia Junfei's words.

"Tell the brothers not to be afraid. We have long been prepared for the Eighth Route Army to use their numerical advantage to attack us."

"The artillery tower outside the city was built with cement specially approved by the Locust Army. Don't say the Eighth Route Army doesn't have artillery, it is..."

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two cannon shots interrupted Qin Youde's words.

"Hurry! Go and see what's going on!" Qin Youde was shocked when he heard the cannon fire.

The safety of Shenkou Town depends entirely on this artillery tower. If the artillery tower is destroyed, Shenkou Town will have absolutely no room to hold on.

By the time Qin Youde and Jia Junfei hurriedly climbed up the city gate tower, the infantry artillery of the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment had stopped firing.

After carefully looking at the turret through a telescope and finding that there was nothing wrong with it except that it had some scratches, Qin Youde immediately started showing off.

"So what if the Eighth Route Army has cannons? Do these ragtag Eighth Route Army know how much material I used to build this turret? They think they can defeat me with just two cannons? That's just wishful thinking.

If you want to take down the artillery tower, first bring two cannons with a caliber of more than 100 mm. " Qin Youde looked at the Eighth Route Army outside with a somewhat disdainful expression.

The purpose of the Japanese stationing him in Shenkou Town was to control this most important highway that crossed the Yalu Mountains and ensure the connection between Xiaoxian and the eastern region.

A batch of cement was specially approved for this purpose, and the Japanese also sent people to guide their construction of this artillery tower.

There is an outer moat 10 meters outside the artillery tower, which is 5 meters wide and 4 meters deep. Water is specially drawn in and the water depth is usually about half a meter.

Outside the outer moat, there is a 2-meter-high and 1.5-meter-thick stockade. Outside the stockade, there is a -meter-high electric fence with a bell hanging on it.

There is a communication trench connecting Shenkou Town to the artillery tower, and the communication trench is specially covered with a grenade protection device.

There were lights on the turret and lighting equipment around it. At night, the lights were on brightly, so it would be impossible for the Eighth Route Army to launch a night attack.

The power plant in Shenkou Town was built because of this artillery tower.

After confirming that the Eighth Route Army's artillery could not hit the artillery tower, Qin Youde felt relieved.

As long as the artillery tower is in our hands, Shenkou Town will be safe.

"Bring me a loudspeaker." Qin Youde said to the soldier next to him.

"Yes!"

Two minutes later, Qin Youde put down the binoculars, raised the iron horn and shouted: "Eighth Route Army outside, listen up! We have no grudges in the past and no hatred today! You can't take down the artillery tower! If you are willing to retreat like this! I can treat you with courtesy!"

"Ah? Commander, the Eighth Route Army attacked us and we still treated them with courtesy?" Jia Junfei on the side asked in surprise.

"What have these country bumpkins seen? Just give them some flour. We don't lack it." Qin Youde said casually.

"And once the fighting starts, how much ammunition will we waste? This is all hard-earned money," said Qin Youde.

Ever since Qin Youde became the commander of the security forces, that small business has been started.

Using the raw materials provided by the Japanese, countless rifles and bullets were produced and sold.

Within a radius of dozens of kilometers, all the landlords, tyrants, bandits and bullies have come to him to buy things.

What can we gain by fighting the Eighth Route Army? The Eighth Route Army is extremely poor, and I am afraid they will not be able to capture even a single big thing.

As for the Japanese reward, it was at most a few hundred dollars, which was completely disproportionate to their own losses.

Moreover, he was already a Lieutenant General Commander and there was no room for promotion.

Moreover, even if he was really transferred to the North China Security Army Headquarters to serve as an officer, he would not go.

Nowadays, without a gun, you dare not even fart loudly.

Chen Chengxing and others outside the city almost fainted after hearing the report from the front-line investigators.

Since when did a traitor dare to speak so brazenly?
"Damn it! I have to stomp this bastard to pieces with my own hands!" Li Yunlong said angrily.

"Lao Kong, our regiments take turns attacking day and night. I don't believe that a small artillery tower can stop the Eighth Route Army!" Li Yunlong said.

"Okay, let's take turns attacking!" Kong Jie nodded heavily.

Now the distribution of materials is no longer a big deal. The most important thing is to catch this kid Qin Youde and kill him.

In the following period, the three regiments took turns attacking the artillery tower.

While the various troops were attacking, Chen Chengxing had been observing the situation in Shenkou Town with a telescope on the top of the mountain.

This turret is very important to both the enemy and us. Whoever holds the turret will have the initiative on the battlefield.

According to Chen Chengxing's judgment, standing on the top of the artillery tower, he should be able to overlook everything in Shenkou Town, and with a heavy machine gun mounted on it, he could hit whatever he pointed at.

This also means that they cannot force their way into Shenkou Town from other places.

Because even if they entered Shenkou Town, the Eighth Route Army would be within the firepower range of the artillery tower.

Chen Chengxing thought for a moment and said, "Monk, go call Qin Sheng over."

"Eh."

A few minutes later, the commander of the special forces company, Qin Sheng, ran over in a hurry.

"Captain, you are looking for me."

"I have a task for you." Chen Chengxing said.

"You say."

"Ask around to see if there are any tomb robbers." Chen Chengxing whispered.

"Ah? Captain, no matter how poor we are, we can't learn from Sun Dianying." Qin Sheng persuaded.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who the hell wants to rob a tomb?! This is my image?" Chen Chengxing said unhappily.

"Look at this artillery tower in Shenkou Town. If we want to attack it by force, we don't know how many lives will be lost. I want to find someone to dig a tunnel and then use the tunnel for blasting." Chen Chengxing explained.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers had no problem digging trenches, but asking them to dig tunnels was a bit difficult for them.

After all, everyone has their own expertise, and tomb robbers are the most professional at digging tunnels.

Only then did Qin Sheng understand what Chen Chengxing meant.

"Yes!" Qin Sheng turned around and trotted away. If he walked too slowly, he might get scolded.

Qin Sheng hurriedly left Shenkou Town with a squad of guards and did not return until noon the next day.

"Captain, we found it, we found it." Qin Sheng said excitedly after finding Chen Chengxing.

"I found a village 20 miles to the south. The people in this village used to specialize in this business, but later the person in charge of stargazing and positioning died unexpectedly, and they couldn't find the grave, so they stopped doing it.

Now they heard that we were going to attack Shenkou Town, and they are willing to help." Qin Sheng said.

These traitors in Shenkou Town often went to the countryside to rob things when they were security guards. Qin Youde knew what kind of business this village was doing, so he often went to their village.

Even though they later quit, Qin Youde still went there often, so these people had long wished Qin Youde dead. Now that they had a chance to take revenge on Qin Youde, they would come even if they had to bring their own food.

"Okay, take me to meet them." Chen Chengxing stood up and said.

Whether the New Second Regiment can successfully capture this artillery tower depends on the people Qin Sheng has found.

"Yes!" Qin Sheng hurriedly led the way.

When Chen Chengxing saw the villagers who came with Qin Sheng, the old man who led them said, "This sir."

When Chen Chengxing heard the old man's address, he immediately said, "Hey, Uncle Yang, we don't have any superiors in the Eighth Route Army. You can just call me comrade, or just address me by my position."

When Qin Sheng brought Chen Chengxing here, he had already briefly explained the situation. They were from Yangjia Village and all had the surname Yang.

"This is our Captain Chen." Qin Sheng said on the side.

"Oh, okay, Captain Chen." Old Yang changed his tone.

Although they had heard of the Eighth Route Army before, they had not had much contact with it. To be on the safe side, Old Yang decided to call them by their titles.

"Captain Chen, I'd like to ask, after you catch Qin Youde, how will you deal with him?" Old Yang said cautiously.

If the Eighth Route Army caught them but didn't kill them, they would be in trouble. Qin Youde would then take revenge on Yangjia Village and kill them.

"Don't worry, Uncle Yang, Qin Youde will definitely die!" Chen Chengxing said affirmatively.

Regardless of what Qin Youde had done before, just because of this time of resistance, he had to eat peanuts.

"That's good, that's good." Old Yang nodded repeatedly.

"Qin Sheng, keep the information of our fellow villagers strictly confidential and don't leak it out." Chen Chengxing turned his head and ordered.

Chen Chengxing was well aware of these people's concerns.

It is impossible to shoot all the more than 2 puppet soldiers in Shenkou Town. There must be people who need to be released among them. If these people knew that it was the people of Yangjia Village who helped the Eighth Route Army dig tunnels to capture Shenkou Town, they only need to point the finger at the Japanese, and Yangjia Village will inevitably be destroyed.

"Yes!"

"Uncle Yang, can you come with me to see how to dig a tunnel?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"Okay." Old Yang nodded. He was the best at digging tunnels in Yangjia Village, otherwise he would not have come all the way here.

Arriving at a hilltop, Chen Chengxing pointed to a nearby artillery tower and said, "How long will it take to dig under that artillery tower?"

Old Yang looked at the artillery tower, then at the frontline where the battle was going on, and after gesturing with his fingers, he said, "If we start digging from the frontline, it's about 46 steps to the bottom of the artillery tower. With the current soil quality and excavation level, we can dig one step in an hour and a half. If we work day and night, it will take about three days."

"Can it be faster? I can send more people." Chen Chengxing said.

What Old Yang said about one step is two steps, which means one step with each foot, which is about 1.5 meters, and 46 steps is about 70 meters.

At 1 meter per hour, it would take 70 hours, which is too slow.

"It's not a matter of how many people we have." Old Yang shook his head.

Digging tunnels underground is different from digging trenches on the ground. They cannot be started at the same time and can only be carried out step by step.

A tunnel can usually only accommodate one person working inside. If there are more people, the tunnel will have to be widened, which will increase the workload and slow down the process.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. If you need any help from me, just let me know and I'll do it!" said Chen Chengxing.

"We have brought all the tools. We just need Captain Chen to find me a flashlight and a few kerosene lamps. It would be even better if we could have a phone." Old Yang said.

When digging a tunnel, it is very important to know the direction, which requires the use of hidden node rods to indicate the direction.

The underground pole is made of bamboo. A small hole is dug at one end of the pole and a small light bulb is placed on it. The battery is tied to the lower end. A skylight is opened every 10 meters of digging to expose the light bulb to the ground. The light bulb is blocked from the enemy, but we can see it clearly.

Hidden node rods are used on the ground as forward signs, a compass is used underground to grasp the direction, and telephones are used to communicate with each other, so that deviations in the excavation direction can be corrected in time.

"No problem." Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Qin Sheng, you lead the guard platoon to protect the villagers. There must be no mistakes!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!"

After all preparations were completed, Old Yang immediately ordered the work to begin.

The excavation of the tunnel was not smooth sailing.

After cutting through the tunnel entrance, they dug down one and a half meters and found that it was quicksand. They had to install wooden supports while digging.

When we advanced to 11 meters, water suddenly entered the tunnel. It turned out that a small pond above had been dug through, so the leak in the tunnel was immediately blocked and water was drained.

When we dug to 18 meters, the lights in the tunnel slowly went out and people felt suffocated because of lack of oxygen.

Taking advantage of the night, they quietly dug a hole to the sky, which solved the ventilation problem.

We continued digging forward and came across a brick tomb not far away. We removed the bricks and found a large coffin inside. We couldn't drag it, so we had to make a detour and continue digging forward.

The project, which was originally planned to take three days, actually took seven full days to reach the designated blasting location.

After completing the preparations, Chen Chengxing asked Wei Dayong to invite Li Yunlong and Kong Jie.

"Old Chen, why did you call us here? We're busy." Li Yunlong looked displeased.

Although there was no sign of the Japanese reinforcements arriving, their several regiments did not choose to attack forcefully in order to reduce casualties.

However, after failing to capture Shenkou Town for a week, Li Yunlong was still very agitated. He was even planning to go back to recruit soldiers and expand the New 1st Regiment.

Especially in the past few days, the puppet troops in Shenkou Town have been shouting and mocking the Eighth Route Army on the city wall every day. Li Yunlong could hardly bear it and ordered a strong attack.

"Yes, I'm busy." Kong Jie also agreed.

"Lao Li, Lao Kong, I know you are eager to take over Shenkou Town, but don't be in a hurry." Chen Chengxing motioned for the two to sit down and talk.

"You are not in a hurry. You are used to the delicious food and spicy drinks behind enemy lines. It doesn't matter even if you can't take Shenkou Town. But what about us? We are just waiting for the supplies from Shenkou Town to be delivered." Kong Jie said unhappily.

It's rare that the brigade commander said that we don't have to hand over any supplies. Whether the independent regiment can have enough food depends entirely on this battle.

"I called you here just for Shenkou Town. Can't you wait for me to finish speaking?" Chen Chengxing smiled and poured two glasses of water for them.

"Do you have a solution?" Kong Jie suddenly became excited after hearing Chen Chengxing's words.

"Of course. What do you think I have been doing these days?" Chen Chengxing said.

"Tell me quickly, I know you are up to something." Li Yunlong on the side also became interested.

Li Yunlong has not yet evolved into the future civil engineering holy body and is not familiar with the tunnels, but he has long noticed that there is a problem with the New Second Regiment. This is one of the reasons why the New First Regiment has not been working hard to attack the artillery tower in the past few days.

"I have had people dig a tunnel directly to the bottom of the turret, and the powder room has also been dug. Once the explosives are in place, we can send the puppet soldiers inside on a one-way plane."

Chen Chengxing did not hide anything and directly told Li Yunlong and Kong Jie the situation.

"I called you here because I want you to provide some explosives," said Chen Chengxing.

It is impossible for the New Second Regiment to carry too much explosives. Chen Chengxing has already counted that the New Second Regiment still has 500 kilograms of nitroglycerin high explosive and 300 kilograms of black powder left.

This amount of gunpowder is probably not enough to blow down the turret, and they only have one chance to blow it up.

If it fails this time, who knows how long it will take to dig a tunnel again, so Chen Chengxing must make sure it is foolproof.

"How much do you need?" Li Yunlong said.

"I have 500 kilograms of high explosives and 300 kilograms of black powder. Now I need at least 1200 kilograms of black powder. It would be even better if I had high explosives," said Chen Chengxing.

"We don't have high explosives, but I'll offer 600 kilograms of black powder," Li Yunlong said.

Although the headquarters arsenal can now produce high explosives, it will definitely be supplied to the numbered regiments first. The New 300st Regiment did not get much. The only kilograms that Li Yunlong has now were collected by him after he had deducted them from Zhang Wanhe several times.

"Then the other 600 kilograms of black powder will be provided by the Independent Regiment." Kong Jie said.

The independent regiment was even worse off than the new first regiment. They only had 100 kilograms of high explosives, and Kong Jie was not as shameless as Li Yunlong, who would go to the logistics department to ask for it whenever he had nothing to do.

"Okay, then let's discuss the troop deployment." Chen Chengxing said.

(End of this chapter)