Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 144: Enemies don’t meet

At the headquarters, after receiving the telegram from the 386th Brigade, the deputy chief of staff said excitedly: "Boss, the 386th Brigade has opened up the situation!"

The deputy commander took the telegram and took a look at it.

"Good! Great! We have wiped out the Yoshida Battalion in one battle. This will surely inspire the anti-Japanese enthusiasm of the people in central Hebei!" said the boss.

Although the Eighth Route Army had established a military region in Hebei Province before, the people were very afraid of the Japanese invaders and were not very enthusiastic about joining the army.

In fact, this is normal. After all, the people don’t know whether the Eighth Route Army can gain a foothold in Hebei Province. If it retreats as quickly as the Guo Army, the local people will be in trouble.

If you want to let the people know the difference between the Eighth Route Army and the Guo Army, you can't just say it; you have to make it known through one victory after another.

"Boss, this should be the Eighth Route Army's first plain annihilation battle, right?" said the Deputy Chief of General Staff.

"That's right. It was a quick-decision guerrilla annihilation war on the plains. This experience played an important role in promoting the anti-Japanese guerrilla war on the North China Plain."

"Send a telegram to Brigade Commander Chen and ask him to write a more detailed combat report, which will then be forwarded to other troops for study." The boss instructed.

"Okay!" The deputy chief of staff nodded. "But after we wiped out a battalion of the Japanese, they will definitely not give up. I'm afraid they will start a mop-up operation soon."

The devils have a strong desire for revenge and will certainly retaliate once they are attacked.

"We must conduct a mopping-up operation. According to intelligence, part of the Fifth Division has already entered central Hebei. This will definitely pose a great threat to the 386th Brigade."

"Well, tell Brigade Chen to be prepared and ready to jump to the periphery and wait for an opportunity at any time." said the boss.

This was also the Eighth Route Army's usual tactic for dealing with the Japanese invaders' large-scale raids.

You sweep, I break through; you retreat, I return.

The main strategy is 'When the enemy advances, I retreat; when the enemy retreats, I advance'.

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"The Eighth Route Army marched into North China and won the first battle! The Japanese Yoshida Battalion was completely wiped out!"

"Extra number! Extra number!"

"The Eighth Route Army is heading to North China!"

Early in the morning, the cries of newsboys could be heard in major cities across China.

After hearing the newsboy's shouts, people who were rushing to work slowed down their pace.

"Give me a newspaper!"

"I want one too!"

Passersby bought it one after another.

"Aren't the Eighth Route Army soldiers all peasants? They don't even have a few guns, so how dare they enter North China?"

"Who knows? However, the Central Plains has always been a battleground for military strategists. Whoever controls the Central Plains will eventually conquer the world. It is a good thing to have the Eighth Route Army disrupting the situation for the Japanese."

"I just don't know if the Eighth Route Army can hold out. Back then, the Guo army had a million troops in North China, but they were beaten all the way to Xuzhou in just a few days. Although they won a victory in Taierzhuang, it did not help the overall situation."

China's elites are basically concentrated in a few large cities, and they are very familiar with the situation.

After all, men, from ancient times to the present, have been even more interested in current affairs than Xuebai.

Not everyone is a pervert, but everyone can give advice.

Although only one Japanese battalion was wiped out in this battle, it greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese people.

Although the Fruit Party has been winning in the newspapers, its battle line has been retreating. Anyone with a discerning eye can see the reason.

However, the Eighth Route Army's battle report this time was unusual. It took the initiative to push the front line to the Hebei Plain, which was in sharp contrast to the Guomindang's front line that was constantly retreating.

If the Eighth Route Army could stabilize Hebei Province, it would have a great impact on the overall situation of the War of Resistance.

"I hope the Eighth Route Army can hold out."

China at this time was shrouded in pessimism, and the people were too eager to see the dawn of victory.

Even if it is just a very faint glimmer of hope, it will greatly improve the confidence of the masses.

In the presidential residence, Chiang Kai-shek placed the telegram on the table at any time and said unhappily: "This Chen Brigade, didn't they just fight a small battle? And they are asking me for credit?"

"Darling, Chen Lu has always been like this. There's no need to be angry about it." Merlin said.

"I'm not angry about this." Chiang Kai-shek said: "If he was willing to come to Chongqing, he could choose any of the five army group commanders, but he ended up being a small brigade commander!"

"Forget it. Everyone has their own aspirations. There's no need to force it. But how do we reply to this telegram?" Merlin said.

"Damn it! I want to commend a small Japanese army battalion? What does he think of me, the President of the Republic of China?!" Chiang Kai-shek said angrily, "Take the telegram away!"

"Yes!" The adjutant on the side hurried forward.

Looking at the adjutant's departing back, Chiang Kai-shek suddenly said, "Wait!"

"Forget it, let's just give him a commendation and allocate 10,000 dollars from the funds allocated to the Second War Zone to him." Chiang Kai-shek said helplessly.

Chen Lu had many classmates and friends in the Guo Party’s army. Others could choose not to give rewards, but he could not.

Besides, it’s the money of the Second War Zone anyway, so it doesn’t matter who it is given to.

"Yes!"

In central Hebei, after the victory in the Xiaoxinzhuang battle, the enthusiasm of the local people to join the army was further encouraged.

On the day the battle ended, nearly 400 young people volunteered to join the army.

Inside the brigade headquarters, the brigade commander looked at everyone and said, "We have achieved a great victory by completely annihilating the Yoshida Battalion this time. The superiors have commended the participating troops."

"But we have stirred up a hornet's nest this time. The Japanese will definitely focus on central Hebei next. And according to intelligence, the 42nd Regiment of the Japanese Fifth Division with more than 2000 people and more than Locust Army troops are advancing rapidly in this direction."

After hearing the brigade commander's words, everyone's originally relaxed expressions immediately became serious.

"There's no need to worry too much. I think the Japanese will stop advancing after learning that Yoshida's battalion was wiped out," said the brigade commander.

The rapid advance of this group of Japanese troops must have been intended to rescue Yoshida's Battalion. Now that Yoshida's Battalion is gone, the possibility of the Japanese troops advancing alone is not very high, especially after knowing that there are more than 42 Eighth Route Army troops in this area, there is basically no possibility for the nd Regiment to continue advancing.

"But there will definitely be a mop-up, so I decided that each regiment should disperse immediately to assist the local armed forces in their vigorous development," said the brigade commander.

The 386th Brigade cannot stay in Jizhong for a long time. If Jizhong wants to achieve great development, it can only rely on local armed forces.

What each regiment needs to do is to guide the local armed forces onto the right track and support their development and growth.

No one had any objection to the brigade commander's arrangement.

They had anticipated this. Normally, they should have dispersed long ago, but Yoshida's team suddenly showed up and interrupted their plans.

Because the 28th Regiment was a Hebei-Central Force, they did not need to move, but were responsible for cooperating with the local government to organize the reconstruction work in the Xiaoxinzhuang area.

The 772nd Regiment, the New st Regiment, the New nd Regiment and the Independent Regiment were to be dispersed to the four directions of southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest of Hebei Province.

Because the New Second Regiment was stronger, it needed to go south to Anyang County. Further south from Anyang County was Cangshi Road, which was the main traffic artery of the Japanese.

There are many Japanese strongholds and artillery towers in this area, and the firepower advantage of the New Second Regiment is needed to break the situation.

After Chen Chengxing led the New Second Regiment to Anyang, he did not act rashly.

Instead, while cooperating with the local government to dig tunnels and develop armed forces, they also conducted reconnaissance on forces in the area.

The local armed forces are not strong enough to confront the Japanese head-on in the early stage, so it is just right to let them bully the puppet army, the traitors and other soft persimmons.

What the New Second Regiment had to do was to maintain the situation as much as possible, stop the devils from supporting the traitors, and ensure the normal development of local armed forces.

After learning that Yoshida's Battalion had been completely wiped out, the 42nd Regiment of the th Division stopped advancing and settled in Jiao County, waiting for the remaining troops to complete the encirclement of Ji Zhong before launching a large-scale mopping-up operation.

According to intelligence, there were 1.5 people in the Wuheng County area alone, and there were tens of thousands of Eighth Route Army troops in the central Hebei area.

If the 42nd Regiment had advanced deep into the enemy's territory alone, even if it could have defeated the Eighth Route Army, it would not have been able to wipe out so many troops.

If the Eighth Route Army were really dispersed, it would not be a good thing for the subsequent mopping-up operations.

Just as the Eighth Route Army and the Japanese were making their own preparations, a piece of news made the commander of the 42nd Regiment, Jusanro Yamaguchi, unable to sit still.

"Tell me again? Which army appeared in the Anyang County area?" Yamaguchi Jusanro stood up and said.

"Taijun, it's the new Second Regiment of the 386th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army." Wu Xiongfei reported.

When pursuing the New 9nd Regiment, the Japanese Changshan garrison retreated to Changshan, but the 42th Army of the North China Security Army was arranged to assist the nd Regiment in the mopping-up operation.

Of course, each group of the North China Security Army has only two regiments, and the battalions, companies, platoons, and squads under the regiment are all organized into threes. Together with the various departments of the group headquarters, there are only about 2 people in total.

"New Second Regiment! Hey! New Second Regiment!" Yamaguchi Jusanro's expression was both excited and a little angry.

When fighting at Xinkou, it was this New 2nd Regiment that cut off the supply of the 5th Division at Yanmen, causing the 5th Division's offensive to be hindered.

Although Xinkou was eventually captured successfully, the credit goes to the troops that attacked Niangzi Pass.

After all, if it weren’t for the flank attack from Niangzi Pass, it would be hard to say whether Xinkou could be captured.

Therefore, everyone in the Fifth Division wished they could tear the New Second Regiment into pieces.

Now that the New Second Regiment appeared near him, how could Yamaguchi Jusanro miss this opportunity?

"Otsuka-kun, gather the troops immediately, I want to kill this new second regiment!" Yamaguchi Jusanro ordered the chief of staff Otsuka Tomotomo next to him.

"Hai!"

Tomotomo Otsuka also wanted to swallow up the New Second Regiment, so naturally he would not have any objection to Yamaguchi Jusanro's orders.

"Madam, if we send out troops now, will it alert the enemy?" Wu Xiongfei said.

According to the headquarters' order, they should wait for a few more days and then tighten the encirclement with the main force to try to inflict heavy damage on the Eighth Route Army in Hebei Province.

If the 42nd Regiment suddenly moved westward, it would immediately alert the Eighth Route Army. At the same time, it would also be equivalent to giving up a passage. If the Eighth Route Army broke out from the Jiao County area, there would not be too many troops to stop them.

"Commander Wu! Follow your orders!" Yamaguchi Jusanro looked at Wu Xiongfei and said word by word.

"Hi!" Wu Xiongfei stood at attention subconsciously.

As Yamaguchi Jusanro's order was issued, the 42nd Regiment and the puppet army began to assemble and prepare to set off.

However, Yamaguchi Jusanro also thought of the orders from his superiors, so he left a puppet army corps in Jiao County, which should be able to block the breakout troops of the Eighth Route Army by cooperating with the garrison squadron of Jiao County.

The Japanese 42nd Regiment suddenly launched an attack, and the New nd Regiment immediately received the news.

"Captain, there are so many Japanese soldiers here, I'm afraid they have bad intentions." Xu Wu said while looking at the map.

Judging from the enemy's marching route, their target is most likely the New Second Regiment.

"What does the devil mean by this? Why did they suddenly send a large army straight to Anyang?" Luo Ping asked in confusion, "Did you receive any intelligence from other devils?"

"The latest intelligence is that the Japanese are mobilizing, but it has not been completed yet," said Chen Chengxing.

The Japanese raid on central Hebei was a foregone conclusion, so all troops of the 386th Brigade focused their attention on the Japanese movements in the surrounding areas.

It is obvious that other troops are not ready yet, so why did this group of Japanese suddenly rush out? And it looks like they have a grudge against us. They didn't go anywhere else and headed straight towards the position of the New Second Regiment.

"Which unit are these devils from?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"It should be the 42nd Regiment of the 2th Division. The commander is Jusanro Yamaguchi. There are probably more than 9 people. Accompanying them is a part of the th Army of the North China Security Army, which has more than people." Xu Wu said.

Now the New Second Regiment does not have a chief of staff, and Chen Chengxing does not want to take charge of everything, so when taking collective actions, Chen Chengxing will add more responsibilities to Xu Wu.

"More than 2 devils, that's half a regiment." Luo Ping said seriously.

Even though the New 2nd Regiment had fought back and forth with the Sakata Regiment at Erlang Mountain, it doesn't mean that the New 2nd Regiment can really compete with a regiment of Japanese devils.

This is a field battle on the plains, which is different from mountain attack and defense. Moreover, the New Second Regiment ran out of ammunition in the first battle and has not recovered until now.

"According to the intelligence from our spies, the Japanese have dozens of trucks, 4 heavy artillery pieces, 6 rapid-fire artillery pieces and 4 infantry artillery pieces," Xu Wu added.

Because the Japs had trucks, all of these artillery pieces were hung directly on the vehicles and could be seen by anyone. The other heavy weapons were not visible because they were installed in the vehicles.

"Dozens of trucks? It seems that there must be at least two infantry battalions." Chen Chengxing said.

According to the Japanese organization, a battalion consists of about 1 people, but after deducting the transport team, there are usually only 800 people.

Since the Japs have a large number of trucks, there is naturally no need for the infantry battalion to transport supplies themselves.

By this calculation, two infantry battalions plus two artillery squadrons, plus communications, health, and transportation, total about 2 people.

As for the more than 1 puppet troops who were accompanying them, Chen Chengxing didn't even look at them. Although their numbers were not small, their combat effectiveness was rubbish. Half a battalion could be enough to chase them away in panic.

"Should we avoid their attack for the time being? And then harass them with guerrilla warfare?" Luo Ping suggested.

"On the plains, the Japanese use trucks to maneuver too quickly, so it is difficult for guerrilla warfare to achieve great results. Instead, they will be defeated one by one because of the division of forces." Chen Chengxing shook his head.

"I'm afraid we have to fight this battle. Since the Japanese are coming straight towards us, they will definitely not let us go. Instead of passively engaging the enemy, we might as well take the initiative!" Chen Chengxing made up his mind.

The Japs' speed was obviously faster than that of the New Second Regiment, so they couldn't avoid this battle even if they wanted to.

As Chen Chengxing made up his mind, the system sounded the task release.

[Side quest released: Enemies never meet. 】

[The 42nd Regiment of the th Division hated the New nd Regiment because of the ambush at Yanmen Pass. After learning the location of the New nd Regiment, they decided to annihilate the New nd Regiment in revenge.]

[Mission objective: Destroy/repel the 42nd Regiment of the th Division]

[Task Reward: A copy of random intelligence (depending on how it is completed).]

After seeing the system's task, Chen Chengxing finally understood what was going on.

I didn't expect the Japs to be so vengeful. They were already holding a grudge after ambushing him twice, and they launched an attack regardless of the consequences.

(End of this chapter)