Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 125: Old thief! How dare you bully me like this!
Early the next morning, Nobutsu Sakata issued the latest combat order.

"Send out two squads to conduct reconnaissance along the left and right sides of the Eighth Route Army's frontline positions. The second battalion will take over the frontline positions, while the first battalion will retreat to rest."

"Hai!"

At the headquarters of the New Second Regiment, Chen Chengxing received reports from two observation posts on the front line.

"Captain, according to the report from the frontline observation post, the Japanese sent a small team to conduct repeated reconnaissance on the front line, apparently to find a new route of attack.

The scouts we sent out also reported that the Japanese troops that failed in yesterday's attack have withdrawn and been replaced by new troops. "The operations staff reported.

After hearing the report from the combat staff, Chen Chengxing immediately became alert.

"Send a message to the frontline positions and ask them to react flexibly. The Japanese may change the direction of attack at any time." Chen Chengxing ordered.

The Japs are just conducting reconnaissance now, and we cannot determine their purpose yet.

The only thing we can do now is to increase our vigilance.

However, the Erlang Mountain position has several levels and a reverse slope. Chen Chengxing is not worried even if the Japanese take over the front-line positions.

At that time, the artillery positions deployed on the reverse slope will be able to kill the Japanese with the greatest effect.

However, what surprised Chen Chengxing was that the Japanese did not make any major moves throughout the next day. They only launched several attacks on the front positions with the assistance of artillery.

As for these attacks, no matter how Chen Chengxing looked at them, they seemed like they were just perfunctory attacks, and they could not be compared with the desperate assault by the Japanese yesterday.

By evening, the front lines were quiet again.

In the Sakata Brigade headquarters in Daqing Village, Sakata Nobutsu looked at the report from the reconnaissance unit and pointed to the map and said, "Look here, Paomaling."

After hearing what Nobutsu Sakata said, everyone immediately turned their attention to Paomaling.

Paomaling is located on the east side of the frontline position, with a large cliff behind it. According to reconnaissance, the Eighth Route Army has built complete fortifications on it.

Everyone looked at the map, then at each other, indicating that they did not understand what the captain meant.

"There is a deep ditch between Paomaling and Taohuazhai. If we can take Paomaling, we can go straight into the hinterland of Erlang Mountain through this deep ditch. At that time, we can form a pincer attack on the Eighth Route Army's front-line positions, and the enemy will surely be defeated!" Sakata Nobutsu said confidently.

"Captain, how are we going to take Paomaling?" asked Chief of Staff Harada Juichiro.

Everyone understood and could see what Nobutsu Sakata said, but if we couldn't take Paomaling, all that would be in vain.

From the perspective of terrain, Paomaling is a relatively steep hill in the Eighth Route Army's frontline position. If we attack head-on, it would be better to fight to the death with the Eighth Route Army in front of us.

"That's easy. We can select elite troops from the entire regiment to form a reinforcement team. We can sneak under the cliff of Paomaling at night. Tomorrow, the artillery battalion will concentrate all its firepower to destroy the fortifications on Paomaling. The reinforcement team can also take the opportunity to climb up the cliff."

"As long as we can climb up the cliff, we can attack the Eighth Route Army from the front and back, and then we will be able to occupy this position." Sakata Nobutsu said confidently.

"Souga."

"As expected of you, the wing commander."

"Do it right away." Sakata Nobutsu ignored everyone's flattery.

These people are still too green, and their flattery is a bit stiff.

"Hai!"

After careful selection, Harada Jichiro selected more than 70 people to form a reinforced team, and even specially equipped them with infantry guns and heavy machine guns. If they could climb up the cliff, they could find a way to pull the infantry guns and heavy machine guns up. If they really couldn't pull them up, it didn't matter. These 70 people alone were enough to complete a two-pronged attack.

As soon as day broke, the Japanese suddenly concentrated all their artillery fire to attack Paomaling fiercely, and there was no sign of stopping from the beginning.

Chen Chengxing frowned as he looked at the flames from the exploding shells on Paomaling.

"Has the front-line reported the movements of the Japanese?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"Report to the regiment commander, the report from the front line is that the Japanese are marching towards Paomaling, but the number of them is not large, it looks like only three or four hundred people." The combat staff officer on the side reported.

"Half a battalion wants to take over Paomaling?" Chen Chengxing didn't think the Japanese were fools.

Although the Japanese artillery bombardment was fierce, at most it could flatten the fortifications on the small hill of Paomaling. It would not cause too many casualties to the soldiers who had already hidden in the anti-artillery caves.

As long as the Japanese artillery bombardment stops, the 8th Company responsible for defending Paomaling can immediately counterattack.

It would be a daydream for a force of only three or four hundred people to break through the Paomaling defense line in a short period of time.

If we fail to take Paomaling in one fell swoop, as both sides continue to send people in, it will eventually turn into a meat grinder battle.

This is absolutely intolerable for the Japanese. If heavy casualties occur over a small battle like Paomaling, Sakata Nobutsu will have to leave immediately.

If the Japs are not stupid, they must have other plans.

"Have other lines of defense detected any unusual movements by the Japanese?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"Report to the head of the group, no news has been received."

"Pay close attention to the movements of the Japanese." After saying this, Chen Chengxing raised his telescope and began to carefully observe the situation in Paomaling.

After watching for a while, Chen Chengxing suddenly asked, "Are there any defenses set up on the cliff behind Paomaling?"

"According to the drawings left by the security company, there are no bunkers on the cliff, but there are two bunkers built on the hillside behind to control the cliff. These two bunkers can form cross fire." The operations staff reported.

The cliff behind Paomaling is extremely steep, and large troops have no chance of passing through it. Even if they forcibly build bunkers on the cliff, they will roll down the cliff as soon as the Japanese artillery fires.

If a small number of Japanese troops come up from the cliff, two bunkers will be enough to blockade them from the side.

Chen Chengxing immediately understood the Japs' plan: "Bunker? Under such strong artillery fire, the bunker would have been flattened long ago. The Japs will definitely launch a sneak attack from the cliff!"

"Ah? Commander, what should we do? Should we send reinforcements immediately?" The combat staff officer walked to the phone, and as soon as Chen Chengxing spoke, he would make the call immediately.

"The Japanese artillery fire is so fierce now, how can we provide support?" Chen Chengxing shook his head.

If we send out reinforcements at this time, only one in ten will be able to reach the Paomaling position.

"Guard Company, follow me to the forward command post." Chen Chengxing took the weapon belt from Wei Dayong, tied it on, led the guard company out of the regiment headquarters, and quickly rushed to the forward command post along the communication trench.

In this place, Chen Chengxing can respond at any time.

Not long after Chen Chengxing arrived at the forward command post, the Japanese artillery fire stopped.

Less than two minutes after the artillery fire stopped, gunfire rang out from Paomaling. The soldiers of the 2th Company had just come out of the anti-artillery cave and were about to repair the fortifications when they heard gunfire suddenly coming from the rear.

Looking back, I found that a group of Japanese soldiers had climbed up the cliff using climbing hooks.

The Japanese suddenly appeared in the rear, and the 8th Company's original advantage of being in a dominant position immediately disappeared.

Feng Jie, the deputy platoon leader of the 1st platoon who was responsible for defending the cliff, immediately led two squads of troops to the front.

However, the Japanese soldiers responsible for the sneak attack this time were the elite selected from the entire regiment. Although their shooting skills were not 100% accurate, every shot was accurate.

If the soldiers were exposed for a few seconds, bullets would soon follow them.

In just 2 minutes, more than half of the 2 people in the two classes were killed, and almost everyone else was injured.

Two light machine guns were also destroyed by the Japanese grenade launchers.

Fortunately, Feng Jie made a quick decision, rushed to the front line with the grenade he brought, and threw it down the cliff, interrupting the Japanese's subsequent reinforcements. This allowed the 8th Company to arrive and a standoff broke out between the two sides.

However, at this time, the situation was already very unfavorable for the 8th Company.

As the confrontation continued, more and more Japanese soldiers climbed up the cliff, and even the infantry guns and heavy machine guns were dismantled and dragged up.

Although they did not carry much ammunition due to the weight, it was still enough to pose a great threat to the 8th Company.

At the same time, the Japanese on the front also launched an attack, tying up most of the 8th Company's forces in the front position.

"Captain, let me take the comrades." Lu Ze, the captain of the guard company, said anxiously.

Chen Chengxing did not say anything, but carefully observed the Japanese's intentions. Given the current situation, the 8th Company could hold out for more than half an hour without any problems.

Chen Chengxing thought about the map around Paomaling and concluded that the Japanese wanted to go straight into the hinterland of Erlang Mountain.

"Communicator, immediately send a message to the 8th Company, telling them to seize the opportunity to abandon their positions and retreat to the second line," Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!" The communicator ran out immediately.

"Lu Ze, take the guard company to support the 8th Company, and then set up an ambush position at the mountain pass between Paomaling and Taohuazhai." Chen Chengxing ordered.

Since the Japs want to launch a surprise attack, it's a good opportunity to lure them into a trap and then catch them in the trap.

There are a large number of mines laid on the road between Paomaling and Taohuazhai.

Once the Japanese rush into the minefield, they can be easily annihilated when they are squeezed in the ditch and cannot move forward or backward.

"Yes!" Lu Ze left the front-line command post, waved his hand, and led the guard company to quickly support Paomaling.

After receiving support from the Guard Company, the 8th Company fought and retreated, abandoning part of its positions. The Japanese took the opportunity to advance 200 meters.

"Yoshi, the Eighth Route Army can't hold on any longer." Konoe Nobuhiro, the Japanese squadron leader who led the assault on the cliff, said excitedly.

The Japanese squadron leader ignored the troops still climbing up behind him and didn't even have time to consolidate his position. He immediately ordered: "Continue the attack!"

At the same time, the Japanese troops attacking from the front also began to use infantry artillery to bombard the remaining positions of the 8th Company.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the 8th Company Commander Shi Yi decisively chose to break contact with the Japanese and then quickly retreated to the second-line position.

After taking the Paomaling position, the two groups of Japanese invaders merged into one.

"Mr. Konoe, you should take the credit for capturing the Paomaling position this time," said Deputy Captain Kenji Toriyama.

"We all work for Tianhuang, how dare we talk about our achievements?" Konoe Nobuhiro suddenly acted differently at this moment.

It was as if the person who had rushed forward desperately just now was not him.

"Hehehe." Toriyama Kenji just smiled and said nothing. If you were really not given a commendation, I'm afraid you would make trouble to the squadron commander.

"Mr. Konoe, you have worked hard to climb the cliff at your own risk. From now on, you will defend Paomaling and wait for the support of the regiment commander. I will personally lead the large force to pursue the enemy." said Kenji Toriyama.

After hearing what Kenji Toriyama said, Nobuhiro Konoe's smiling face changed instantly.

Nobuhiro Konoe is about to explode with anger.

You old thief! How dare you bully me like this!
However, the highest commander on the position now is Kenji Toriyama, and Konoe Nobuhiro cannot disobey Kenji Toriyama's orders.

"Yes!" Konoe Nobuhiro gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Yoshi, defending the Paomaling position is the most important task of the regiment right now. Guards must pay attention to it."

After Toriyama Kenji finished speaking, he immediately led his troops down to the deep ditch and prepared to enter the hinterland.

"Hayaku! Hayaku!"

Kenji Toriyama kept urging us along the way.

Speed is of the essence in war. As long as he can lead his team to quickly break into the hinterland, whether he attacks the arsenal forward or completes a pincer attack on the Eighth Route Army from behind, he will have accomplished a great feat.

With this achievement, promotion to captain should not be a problem.

However, what Kenji Toriyama didn't know was that the guard company had been waiting at the mountain pass for a long time.

The Japanese troops' advance was not smooth, and someone would step on a mine every few meters.

In desperation, Kenji Toriyama could only order the troops to line up in a long snake formation, with engineers scanning in the front.

If you find a mine, put up a small flag and then choose to take a detour.

He couldn't accept the consequences of laying mines in this ditch for a day.

If we really have to wait until other troops arrive, we will have nothing to do.

Of course, there are not only iron mines in the deep trench, but also stone mines and other traps. If someone really steps on these traps, they can only blame themselves for their bad luck.

After giving first aid to these wounded, Kenji Toriyama would simply leave them there and wait, while the rest of the personnel would continue to move forward.

If an engineer is injured, then replace him. Anyway, no one can stop him from making progress.

When the Japanese approached the mountain pass, the guard company, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately opened fire at full force under Lu Ze's command.

(End of this chapter)