Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 121 Authentic?

"Damn it! How could there be such a huge number of casualties suddenly?!" Katsuki Seiji said in disbelief as he looked at the battle report in his hand.

In just less than a week, the sweep of county strongholds in the Zhongyun Mountains had resulted in casualties of more than 300 locust soldiers and more than 600 locust associates, which added up to thousands of people.

"Sir, according to reports from various places, tunnels suddenly appeared in the villages in the originally flat areas of the Zhongyun Mountains that were not conducive to hiding. The mopping-up troops suffered heavy casualties because they were not familiar with the tunnels." Naosaburo Okabe reported.

During previous sweeps, the locust army generally targeted villages around mountainous areas that had no deep mountains to rely on, and it was difficult for these villages to hide from the sweeping forces.

They generally don't go to villages located deep in the mountains. After all, mountainous areas are places that the locust army cannot control.

But now tunnels have appeared in places that were originally conducive to the mopping-up operation, which has made it difficult for the mopping-up troops to maneuver.

Once in the tunnel, not to mention machine guns, even rifles can no longer be used, and bayonets or pistols are more likely to be used.

But let the locust army give up all its advantages and fight with the Eighth Route Army with cold weapons? That's like trying to fight porcelain and earthenware jars.

Moreover, according to reports from the remaining locust soldiers, some parts of those tunnels are extremely narrow and can only be passed through by crawling. At this time, as long as there are people guarding the other end of the tunnel, anyone passing through will be asking for death.

It would be a good thing if you were stabbed to death from the front, but some people are smart enough to choose to go in backwards, which would be even more tragic, as the hemorrhoids would be cured on the spot.

"Tunnel? Tunnels are not new. They have existed for hundreds of years. They are nothing more than water attack, fire attack or blocking the exit. Do we still need to teach you this?" Katsuki Seiji said angrily.

"Well, we tried everything, but it seemed to have no effect. Some troops even used poison gas, but still no Eighth Route Army came out, and they were still attacked at night." Okabe Naosaburo explained.

Faced with the underground warfare, Naosaburo Okabe really couldn't think of a better solution.

"You, the General Staff, must think carefully about this matter and make sure to find a solution," ordered Katsuki Seiji.

Although the tunnels are very unfavorable for mopping-up operations, they can only be used for passive defense and have no effect on large-scale combat operations. The most they can do is not live in the village.

Of course, if the locust army chooses to burn all the houses and destroy all the farmland, this place will definitely become a no-man's land after a period of time.

But this is unacceptable to the locust army. They occupied the land for profit, not to farm.

Without farmers and farmland, the locust army will not be able to survive here. They will have to rely on collecting food locally to get enough food.

Although Okabe Naosaburo was helpless, he could only stand at attention: "Ha!"

However, Okabe Naosaburo had no way of guaranteeing whether he could come up with a solution, so it seemed that he would have to bow and apologize when the time came.

Unlike the Japanese with sad faces, the boss showed great importance after seeing the battle report of the New Second Regiment.

Although in this battle report, the results of the New 772nd Regiment were lower than those of the nd Regiment or even the New st Regiment, the general keenly discovered the power of this tactic.

It can create an underground Great Wall out of thin air in places that were originally undefensible!
"Deputy Chief of General Staff, take a look at this." The boss took out the battle report and handed it over.

After reading it, the deputy chief of staff immediately realized what the general meant: "Tunnel warfare? The general is talking about Jizhong?"

"That's right." The general nodded. "According to the report of the Jizhong Military Region, since the end of the Battle of Wuhan, the Japanese army has greatly increased its troops in Jizhong, and the number of raids has also increased. Because there are no strategic locations to defend, and the Jizhong Plain is conducive to the deployment of the Japanese army's mechanized forces, many troops have suffered heavy losses. I think this tunnel warfare may improve the situation in Jizhong."

"Then I will forward this battle report to the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region." said the Deputy Chief of General Staff.

The Ji-Central Military Region is in a difficult situation now and has been unable to break through the situation. If tunnel warfare is to play a positive role, we must seize the time.

The boss was about to nod in agreement, but suddenly changed his mind.

"Don't worry, I'll go to the New Second Regiment." said the boss.

"You're going to the New Second Regiment?" the Deputy Chief of General Staff asked in surprise.

"I still won't feel at ease unless I conduct an on-site inspection," said the boss.

I have never seen what tunnel warfare is like, and I cannot get a clear picture of its true appearance based on just a few words. It will be troublesome if I misunderstand it. The Ji-Central Military Region is already in a difficult situation, and we can't make it worse.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements." said the Deputy Chief of General Staff.
"No need to make any arrangements. I'll go directly to the 386th Brigade and let Brigade Commander Chen take me there." The boss waved his hand.

After all, you are going to the first-tier city, so the lower-key, the better.

The new second regiment headquarters.

"Captain, commander, look what I brought you?" Wei Dayong ran in excitedly from outside.

"Look!" Wei Dayong held up something in his hand: "Dried rabbit!"

"Where are you from?" Chen Chengxing asked curiously.

"The rabbits raised by the breeding team in the back mountain have multiplied a lot, so they killed a batch of them and made them into dried rabbits in order to preserve them for a long time. I passed by there today, and they asked me to bring some to you to try." Wei Dayong said with a smile.

"You were passing by? The breeding team is in the back mountain. Would you pass by there? I'm afraid you didn't go there specifically to ask for it?" Chen Chengxing said unhappily.

"Hehe. I'm just preparing to try it for them." Wei Dayong said embarrassedly.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense and bring it up." Chen Chengxing sat cross-legged on the kang and motioned Wei Dayong to chop it.

"Hey!" Wei Dayong quickly washed his hands and started tearing the dried rabbit. "You sit down too." Chen Chengxing gestured.

Chen Chengxing picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. He asked curiously, "It tastes good. This is standard Sichuan style. Who made it?"

“I heard that the breeding team specifically consulted the political commissar.” Wei Dayong said.

"Haha. I didn't expect our political commissar has this skill." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

But on second thought, it makes sense. No rabbit can leave Sichuan alive. This is the consensus of people all over the country.

"Captain, can I pour you some wine?" Wei Dayong asked. This dried rabbit is a perfect dish to go with wine.

"Forget it. The Japanese are making frequent moves now. Who knows when the battle will break out? Let's talk about it later." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

Although he likes to eat meat, he doesn't like drinking like Li Yunlong. He just drinks occasionally.

"Oh" Wei Dayong was a little disappointed when he heard that there was no wine, but when he thought about having meat to eat, he hurriedly started to eat.

"Can you eat slowly? It's just a rabbit, and you ate one leg in three bites! Dried rabbit needs to be savored carefully. You're just like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit." Chen Chengxing looked at Wei Dayong's eating style with disgust.

Wei Dayong had no intention of replying and just kept eating.

As a guard, he usually eats the same food as the regiment commander, but the regiment commander usually eats steamed corn bread and cabbage, and Wei Dayong has been craving for it for a long time.

While eating, Chen Chengxing suddenly heard the sound of leather shoes outside.

Chen Chengxing was a little puzzled. He was the only one in the entire New Second Regiment who would usually wear the Japanese combat boots. Although many people were also given a pair, not many people wore them.

Then Chen Chengxing heard the voice of the combat staff from outside: "Boss, Brigade Commander, our regiment commander is in this room."

Boss? And the brigade commander?! How come these two great men are here!

"You're still eating. Didn't you hear that the brigade commander and the general are coming? Collect them quickly!" Chen Chengxing slapped Wei Dayong on the head.

Wei Dayong finally reacted and quickly pulled a piece of cloth from the side to cover the table.

As they were talking, the brigade commander and the general manager walked in from outside.

"Hey, boss, brigade commander, what brings you here? Please take a seat. Please take a seat." Chen Chengxing said as he led the two men to the main room.

However, the brigade commander did not move, but sniffed his nose: "What's that smell?"

As he spoke, he walked to the table, lifted the cloth and took a look.

"You kid, you want to cook for me? I don't even have meat on normal days!" said the brigade commander unhappily.

"Well, isn't this the first time that the breeding team is trying to do it themselves? They sent it to me for my suggestions." Chen Chengxing said awkwardly.

"Okay, monk, go to the breeding team and get two dried rabbits. Let the brigade commander and the boss take them away later." Chen Chengxing said hurriedly.

"Hmm?" The brigade commander narrowed his eyes.

"2! 2 for each person!" Chen Chengxing felt his heart bleeding.

The breeding team only produced a few of them in total, and half of them were gone in one go.

"Yeah." The brigade commander then put down the cloth in his hand and covered the table again.

The affairs of the breeding team of the New Second Regiment were reported, and various bases also followed suit.

The boss on the side watched Chen Lu controlling Chen Chengxing and said with a smile: "Then I will get some benefit today, hahaha."

"Even if you didn't come, I would have to deliver it to you. Now that you've come, it saves the messenger from having to make a trip." Chen Chengxing tried to save face.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense. I don't know you." The brigade commander waved his hand and said, "The reason why the general and I came here this time is because of the tunnel warfare you organized. Tell the general about it."

"That's right. I think your tunnel warfare is very suitable for the Ji Zhong Plain. In the past month, the Ji Zhong Military Region has experienced two large-scale mopping-up operations and countless small-scale mopping-up operations. Their work is very difficult. I will see if your tunnel warfare is suitable and promote it to Ji Zhong." The boss said seriously.

Chen Chengxing was naturally very sure whether tunnel warfare was suitable for Ji Zhong. After all, the drawings and plans he proposed to the engineering company were what he learned during his field trip.

"Boss, Brigade Commander, why don't I take you to a field investigation?" Chen Chengxing suggested.

Tunnel warfare is quite complicated. It is hard to imagine for people who have never seen it just by talking about it.

"That's best." The boss nodded.

Even if Chen Chengxing didn't say it, the boss would ask to see it in person. This is the purpose of his visit. If he only needed to describe it verbally, there would be no need for him to come.

Chen Chengxing took the brigade commander and the general and went out on horseback to Jingzhuang.

(End of this chapter)