Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 137 The New Second Group is Poor

As soon as Chen Chengxing arrived outside Qingshuihe Village, he heard someone calling him.

"Haha. Old Chen!"

"Hey, Old Ding!" Chen Chengxing asked in surprise, "Is this your jurisdiction?"

"That's right, you, Old Chen, are now in our territory.

Don't worry, I will definitely do my best to be a good host. After you report to Brigade Commander Chen, come to my place for a drink. Lao Li and Lao Kong are both here." Ding Wei said with a smile.

"No problem, but I won't drink it unless it's good wine," said Chen Chengxing.

"Don't worry, this is Hengshui Laobai Gan, a famous liquor from Hebei. I wouldn't be willing to give it to ordinary people." Ding Wei said confidently.

"Okay, wait for me, I'll be back soon." Chen Chengxing said.

The new Second Regiment has just arrived and must report to the brigade commander first.

"report!"

"come in."

Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping walked into the brigade headquarters together.

"Chen Chengxing, you are so busy on the road that you can't stop." The brigade commander said with a smile.

"Well, the Japanese are blocking the way of the New Second Regiment. I can't just stand by and watch, right?" Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

"You, you, but you fought very well." The brigade commander nodded.

In the past few days, after he led his troops into the Ji Zhong Plain, he took the opportunity to fight two battles, but they were both small battles, and the spoils of these two battles combined were not as much as those captured in this battle by the New Second Regiment.

After hearing what the brigade commander said, Chen Chengxing was about to say something modest when he heard the brigade commander change the subject and say, "I also want to congratulate you on your fortune."

After hearing what the brigade commander said, Chen Chengxing's face froze. Oh no! They're coming for my cannon!
"Brigade Commander! We in the New Second Regiment are suffering!" Chen Chengxing started to cry poor as soon as he opened his mouth.

Luo Ping pinched his thigh hard, fearing that he would laugh out loud in the next second.

"The New Second Regiment is not like the 771st and 772nd Regiments. Their equipment was all allocated by their superiors, and their soldiers were all picked from the best. What about our New Second Regiment? There are not many veteran Red Army soldiers, and we have to recruit soldiers on our own. We even have to steal equipment from the Japanese."

"Dededede!" Before Chen Chengxing could finish his words, the brigade commander interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Don't cry poor here. I saw it when you entered the village. There were all military uniforms and guns carried in unison, not to mention heavy machine guns and mortars. I'm afraid the entire brigade doesn't have as many mortars as you do? The New Second Regiment is poor? Then what about the other troops?" said the brigade commander.

The headquarters arsenal has no train axles, and without materials it cannot produce mortars.

The 386mm mortars of the 82th Brigade were all allocated in small quantities by Chiang Kai-shek or captured from the puppet army.

Although every regiment has one, only the 772nd Regiment has more, with 6 guns, while the New 2st Regiment has only 1 guns. The Independent Regiment also has only 1 mortar and 10 infantry gun, totaling only guns. Even if the artillery battalion directly under the brigade headquarters is included, the mortars are only equal to those of the New nd Regiment.

Seeing that the brigade commander had seen the equipment of the New Second Regiment, Chen Chengxing's expression immediately changed back.

"Brigade Commander, we agreed on this at the beginning, you can't go back on your word." Chen Chengxing said, "But since I have the most sense of the overall situation, I can hand over the captured Type 41 mountain gun to the brigade headquarters, but I have a condition."

Chen Chengxing knew very well that he would not be able to keep what the brigade commander had set his eyes on, so instead of struggling, he might as well take the opportunity to gain some benefits.

"You know how to pick the time. Go ahead and tell me." The brigade commander said unhappily. It's just a mountain cannon, but it's about to emit sparks.

"Please give me a platoon of artillery and 10 light machine guns, but I don't want the Type rifle," Chen Chengxing said without hesitation.

"What? How dare you say that!" The brigade commander's eyes widened: "You want to exchange so many things for just one mountain cannon?"

"Brigade Commander, the New Second Regiment is suffering."

"Stop talking nonsense!" the brigade commander interrupted immediately.

"Ten men, five Czech-style guns, that's it!" the brigade commander said firmly.

Although the brigade's direct artillery battalion is called a battalion, it actually has less than 200 people, and there are quite a few new recruits among them, who are far from being called artillerymen.

If a platoon of professional artillery were allocated to the New Second Regiment at once, one-third of the artillery battalion would collapse.

"Okay." Seeing that the brigade commander's face was not very good, Chen Chengxing did not dare to say much, but it was good to have 10 artillerymen. As for the Czech light machine gun, it was an unexpected surprise.

After deciding on the mountain artillery, the brigade commander's expression immediately improved.

"You fought well this time. The general praised you and said that you fought a model ambush battle. He wanted to commend the New Second Regiment and asked all the regiments to learn from you," said the brigade commander.

"Really? That's great." Luo Ping said excitedly. This was a great honor.

"In addition, Chongqing and the Second War Zone also sent you commendation telegrams. Please take a look." The brigade commander said, pointing to two pieces of paper on the table.

Chen Chengxing picked it up and took a look. Since it was a telegram, it was relatively short.

After putting down the telegram, Chen Chengxing looked at the brigade commander.

"Why are you looking at me?" the brigade commander asked in surprise.

"Is that all? Chairman Chang and Commander Yan, who are such high-ranking officials, only received a verbal commendation?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"What do you think? It's good enough that your name, Chen Chengxing, is known to others. What else do you want?" The brigade commander said unhappily, "Can I embezzle the award from the New Second Regiment?"

"That won't happen, but that's too stingy. At least give us two light machine guns." Chen Chengxing said regretfully.

"Come on, it's okay, just go away." The brigade commander waved his hand.

"Oh"

Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping left the brigade together.

"TND, what are you thinking about all day?" the brigade commander laughed.

After leaving the brigade headquarters, Chen Chengxing went straight to Ding Wei, and Luo Ping was responsible for the mountain artillery.

The two had already agreed that the artillery would be assigned to the infantry artillery company first, and the light machine guns would be assigned to the fourth battalion.

Ding Wei saw Chen Chengxing as soon as he entered the door.

"Please sit down. We're waiting for you." Ding Wei greeted.

"Just two plates of peanuts?" Chen Chengxing said after sitting down and looking at the two plates of boiled peanuts on the seat.

"How could that be possible? Old Chen, you are here to visit, so how could I just serve two plates of peanuts? I stewed half a chicken in the kitchen and it will be served soon. Besides that, there are two vegetarian dishes." Ding Wei said with a smile.

As for why it was only half, it was because the other half had already been stewed when Li Yunlong, Kong Jie and Cheng Zhiqiang arrived.

This half was seized by Ding Wei when he knew that Chen Chengxing was coming, so he signaled the guard to go to the kitchen and seize it. It was not easy for Ding Wei to get a chicken.

"That's good enough." Chen Chengxing nodded with satisfaction when he heard that there was chicken to eat.

"Monk, take out the cans and ask the kitchen staff to heat them up as a new dish." Chen Chengxing turned his head and said.

"Old Li, Old Kong, look at you, you are cultured people after all. You know to bring gifts when you visit someone. Unlike you two, you just come and drink when you hear about drinking." Ding Wei joked.

"Old Ding, Old Kong and I come here to drink your wine to give you face. As for others? Haha, even if Sugiyama Yuan asks me to go, I won't pay any attention to him." Li Yunlong said.

"Then thank you." Ding Wei said with a smile.

"What's there to thank or not? But after all, the New Second Regiment is still the most powerful. I saw them all, the heavy machine guns, the mortars. Hey! Don't mention it, they made me drool." Li Yunlong said.

Li Yunlong had fought for so many years, but he had never seen such a large army before. They were no worse than the Japanese. Chen Chengxing didn't even respond when he heard what Li Yunlong said.

Isn't it just a matter of trying to get something for nothing? Chen Chengxing said don't even think about it. The New Second Regiment is not enough now, and the nine guerrilla battalions are all crying out for food.

Seeing that Chen Chengxing didn't respond, Li Yunlong had no choice. He couldn't just ask for it right away, otherwise he would not be able to see him.

"Old Chen, do you have many shells for your infantry gun? How about I exchange some with you?" Kong Jie suddenly said.

The infantry artillery of the independent regiment really made a great contribution. With it, they could hit the artillery tower with every hit.

There are just a few shells left, with the independent regiment only having three. Kong Jie has long wanted to exchange some.

"How do you want to change it?" Chen Chengxing asked, while glancing at Li Yunlong.

Look, this is a real person. If you want it, then give something in exchange.

For the sake of his old comrades, Chen Chengxing could not afford to suffer a little loss, since it was all for the Eighth Route Army.

"How about I exchange two boxes of bullets for your box of shells?" Kong Jie said.

The Japanese's Class B ammunition boxes contained 750 rounds of bullets, while the infantry artillery shells contained 5 rounds per box.

Kong Jie had done this after calculation. It usually takes 2-3 artillery shells to fire at a gun tower at close range, and there are usually about 10 Japanese and puppet soldiers in the gun tower.

You know, even the smallest turret has machine guns.

As long as we can take down the turret within 3 shells, the bullets alone will pay for themselves, and those rifles and machine guns will be complete gains.

"I don't have too many shells, so I'll give you three boxes. You just need to give me five boxes of bullets," said Chen Chengxing.

"Okay, I knew that you, Old Chen, are a man of loyalty and loyalty!" Kong Jie said excitedly.

With these 15 shells, he dared to attack a larger stronghold.

There must be at least hundreds of people in the stronghold, and heavy machine guns are a must.

If we find a stronghold with only puppet troops, we can make huge money.

Seeing Kong Jie get 15 shells, Li Yunlong was extremely envious. At this moment, he remembered his infantry gun that was taken away by the brigade commander.

However, Li Yunlong has not yet decided whether to exchange some things with Chen Chengxing. After all, the New 1st Regiment is not very wealthy, and he wants to see what he can gain in Hebei first.

"Okay, the food is here, let's eat and talk at the same time." Ding Wei spoke immediately after seeing Kong Jie finished talking.

The guards outside also brought up a few dishes.

"Come, I toast you. Thank you for coming to Ji Zhong to help our brothers." Ding Wei poured the wine and picked up the bowl.

The Ji-Central Military Region has a large number of troops, but most of them are new recruits, and their combat effectiveness cannot be compared with that of the various regiments of the 386th Brigade.

This is also the reason why the headquarters sent the 386th Brigade here, to lead them in fighting a few battles and improve their combat effectiveness.

With the military strength of the Ji-Central Military Region, as long as their combat effectiveness is improved, they will be able to gain a foothold here.

"Old Ding, you are being too formal. We are all Eighth Route Army, there is no difference between them." Chen Chengxing said while holding the bowl.

"Yes, there is no difference between them." Li Yunlong and Kong Jie echoed.

While Ding Wei was refilling the glass, Chen Chengxing said, "Old Ding, when I came here just now, I took a look around and saw that there were quite a few people in the 28th Regiment."

The seven or eight villages surrounding Qingshuihe Village are all occupied by troops from the 386th Brigade and the Third Division.

The 28th Regiment was stationed in a separate village.

"All the people in total probably number more than 3,000 people," Ding Wei said casually.

"Jizhong is such a great place." Chen Chengxing exclaimed.

The dense population of the Jizhong Plain made it easy to recruit soldiers and expand the army, and its developed economy was conducive to raising food and maintaining the army.

It is no wonder that the headquarters attaches so much importance to the Ji Zhong Plain and continuously sends troops to provide support.

When the Ji-Central Military Region was just established last year, the 120th Division sent troops to provide support, and the division commander led the team personally.

Now the 386th Brigade has been sent to help open up the situation, which is enough to show the importance of Ji Zhong.

"But, Lao Ding, I have two things to say to you. Please don't think my words are harsh," said Chen Chengxing.

"Just you say it. Among the four of us, you have the highest cultural level and a long-term vision." Ding Wei said.

"As the Japanese turn their attention to the rear, the battles behind enemy lines will become more brutal, and the importance of the North China Plain to the Japanese is second only to the three northeastern provinces.

I concluded that the Japs would inevitably start all kinds of crazy raids, and at this time, "numerous but not refined" would be very deadly.

Especially in the Jizhong Plain, there is no strategic location to defend, the Japanese mechanized troops can be deployed at will and advance quickly, and it is absolutely impossible to stop them with light infantry alone. "Chen Chengxing said.

The advantage of light infantry is mountain guerrilla warfare, and they have no chance of winning against mechanized troops on the plains.

No matter which country it is, as long as guerrilla warfare is carried out, it must be carried out in mountainous areas. There is no chance at all in the plains.

This is also the reason why Germany's blitzkrieg swept across Europe. On the plains, mechanized troops were invincible.

"We still have your underground warfare. All the villages are now starting construction. We can then retreat into the ground," said Ding Wei.

"The Japanese tanks, cannons and planes cannot drive into the tunnels. Pistols and short spears are more advantageous in the tunnels. After the tunnel network is completed, the Japanese can do nothing to the people in the tunnels. But in the final analysis, the tunnel is also a defensive fortification. Without external support or a large amount of material reserves, it is impossible to survive in it for a long time." Chen Chengxing said.

During the Vietnam War, the Americans had no patience for the tunnel warfare, but that was because they had the support of the University of Tokyo.

The supply of snow-white rice was open, and the East Vietnam University required that American ground forces not cross the 17th parallel, which gave the North Vietnamese guerrillas the opportunity to confront the Americans.

If the Americans don't dare to cross the 17th parallel, they will never win the war. After all, only infantry occupation is the real occupation. No matter how hard the air force bombs, it cannot occupy any land.

"Well, what you said makes sense." Ding Wei nodded.

Ding Wei had a strong strategic vision. He was able to judge that the Japanese would launch a large-scale sweep of North China, and a long-term sweep.

Just like what happened outside the Great Wall, until there is no resistance left.

Tunnel warfare is more suitable for small-scale guerrilla warfare. Not to mention regimental-level troops, even battalion-level units cannot carry out the operations. A village can only have one or two platoons at most.

If the Japanese find a way to crack this kind of organization, the entire army will be wiped out.

"It seems that we need to streamline the bureaucracy and strengthen vertical management," said Ding Wei.

The tunnel is suitable for a small regiment, with the regiment headquarters directly commanding at most five or six companies, so that it can be flexible and maneuverable.

After all, there was no possibility of a large-scale battle with the Japanese in the Hebei Plain.

"Hey, hey, hey, let's not talk about this today, let's drink!" Li Yunlong said from the side.

These are not things they can decide. As a group leader, they just need to manage their own group well.

"Okay, let's not talk about this and drink." Ding Wei raised his wine bowl.

However, Ding Wei took this matter to heart. Before the superiors made a final decision, the 28th Regiment could delegate part of the power to the battalion headquarters, allowing the battalion headquarters to take on the task of front-line command, while the regiment headquarters would be responsible for overall management.

After the new Second Regiment arrived in central Hebei, Chen Chengxing immediately dispersed the engineering companies and asked them to guide the villagers in each village to dig tunnels.

(End of this chapter)