Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 145 Friendly Forces, We Are Friendly Forces! (6K)

Now that we have decided to take the initiative, the first task is to choose the combat position.

A position that is favorable to the New Second Regiment can achieve twice the result with half the effort in combat.

After a while, Chen Chengxing pointed at the map and said, "Look here."

"Nanwang, Huangzhuang, and Jiajiaying are arranged in a triangular shape, with a maximum distance of 1.5 kilometers between each other. The three villages can support each other."

"And most importantly, Pinghe flows from west to east, passing Nanwang and Jiajiaying, and then changes direction to the southeast. This way, the Japanese will not be able to surround us from all sides, and the pressure we need to bear will be greatly reduced."

Although Pinghe River is not very deep or wide, it is wide enough for the New Second Regiment to use the river to build a defense line. As long as the Japanese are smart, they will not choose to launch an attack on this side of the river.

As a result, if the Japanese wanted to deploy their troops, they only had two directions left: west and south.

After hearing what Chen Chengxing said, everyone immediately looked in the direction of his finger.

"The V-shaped defense is indeed good. When the time comes, we only need to place the mortars in the middle to support all positions." Xu Wu said.

Although the Japanese had a lot of artillery, they had no mortars. Therefore, as long as the mortars of the New Second Regiment built a good position, they would not have to worry too much about the direct attack of these artillery.

With the support of three mortar companies, they were more confident in defending against the Japanese attack.

"There is another benefit of placing our troops here," said Chen Chengxing.

"Is there any benefit?" Everyone was confused.

The terrain advantages are limited. For defense, the New Second Regiment can only rely on the houses in the village. They can't see any other benefits.

"Look here, Zhangzhuang." Chen Chengxing pointed to the map and said confidently, "The Japanese are also human. If they want to sleep comfortably, they must sleep in the village. And this Zhangzhuang is the most suitable place for the Japanese artillery position and headquarters."

If the Japanese launched an attack from the west and south, Nanwang and Huangzhuang would be the primary attack locations, and Zhangzhuang was about 3 kilometers away from these two villages, which was exactly the optimal attack range for the Japanese Type 41 mountain cannon.

"As far as I know, Nanzhangxi Village, southwest of Zhangzhuang, is one of the earliest villages to dig tunnels. The tunnels here should have been completed. We can hide our troops here, use the large force as bait, and then wait for an opportunity to raid Zhangzhuang and decapitate the Japanese!" Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

Normally, a small force would lure the enemy while the main force would be responsible for the main attack. However, Chen Chengxing wanted to do the opposite and use the entire New Second Regiment as bait while a small force would be responsible for the main attack.

If we can take down the Japanese headquarters, they will definitely retreat.

After listening to Chen Chengxing's analysis, everyone was overjoyed. There were many villages in this area, but there was only one village like Zhangzhuang that was suitable for launching an attack. If they were responsible for the attack, they would also choose to set up a command post and artillery positions in Zhangzhuang.

Seeing that no one had any objection, Chen Chengxing began to issue combat orders.

"The first and second battalions set up positions in Nanwang and Huangzhuang respectively. The fourth battalion is responsible for the defense of Jiajiazhuang. The artillery company is still drawn out to form a temporary artillery battalion."

"The guard company and the reconnaissance platoon should hide in the tunnel of Nanzhangxi Village in advance and wait for orders. They must not move out without orders." Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!"

Two days later, the Japanese invaders arrived in Nanyang area.

Because the actions of the New Second Regiment were very secretive and the local government had been operating in this area for a long time, the Japanese did not know the latest movements of the New Second Regiment.

They could only continue to move forward according to the location where they had originally discovered the New Second Regiment.

As usual, the puppet army was responsible for reconnaissance in the front, while the Japanese followed 2 kilometers behind.

The temporary headquarters of the new second regiment.

"Captain, the Japanese are coming. They are now advancing towards us from the southeast along the Ping River."

"The puppet troops are in the front, and the Japs are following behind," the scout reported.

"I understand." Chen Chengxing looked at the map without raising his head.

"Old Chen, judging from the direction, the puppet army should enter Huangzhuang first, and then head to Nanwang after passing through Huangzhuang. Should we ambush the Japanese?" Luo Ping asked.

"Let's let the puppet troops into Huangzhuang first and see how the situation develops. It would be best if we don't have a conflict with the puppet troops. Then we can ambush the Japanese." Chen Chengxing said after thinking for a while.

There was really no point in fighting against the puppet troops. There were only a thousand of them, so it didn't matter even if they were allowed into the hinterland. One company each from the first and fourth battalions could wipe them out.

The reason why Chen Chengxing had this idea was entirely due to the battle of Xiaoxinzhuang.

After arriving in Jizhong, Chen Chengxing discovered that this place was indeed a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Even the puppet army was evolving faster than in Shanxi.

While the puppet troops in Shanxi were only able to slack off, the puppet troops in Hebei had already learned to shoot into the air, work without putting in any effort, and even surrender smoothly.

Chen Chengxing also heard that local armed forces sometimes did business with the puppet army, and that many bullets in the Ji Zhong troops were purchased from the puppet army.

"Let's try it first." Luo Ping nodded.

Whether Chen Chengxing's plan could succeed depended entirely on the cooperation of the puppet army. If the puppet army fired the first shot, it would be impossible to ambush the Japanese.

At this time, Wu Xiongfei led his troops and marched towards Huangzhuang in a swagger.

"Damn, when will this end? I'm so tired." Wu Xiongfei cursed as he walked.

The Japanese had trucks to rotate and rest, but they could only walk on their own two feet.

Of course, the Locust Army also had horses, and they were big Japanese horses, but they had already entered the territory of the Eighth Route Army. Riding on a horse would mean seeking death, and Wu Xiongfei did not want to die.

"Commander, Huangzhuang is ahead. Do you want to take a rest in the village?" said Zhou Cheng, the commander of the 91st Regiment.

According to the Japanese instructions, a search must be conducted after entering the village, and whether the search is fast or slow depends entirely on how you say it.

"Okay, let's work harder, brothers. When we get to Huangzhuang, we can take a rest under the pretext of searching." Wu Xiongfei nodded.

After hearing Wu Xiongfei's order, the puppet soldiers perked up and prepared to rush to Huangzhuang as soon as possible and have a good rest.

Wu Xiongfei led the puppet army and rushed straight into Huangzhuang without even conducting any reconnaissance.

Seeing that Huangzhuang was just like the previous villages with no one in sight, Wu Xiongfei thought that the villagers here had also fled.

"Damn, where are the Eighth Route Army? It's not a good idea to keep looking for them like this." Wu Xiongfei said unhappily.

"You want to find the Eighth Route Army?"

"Nonsense? If we're not looking for the Eighth Route Army, why are we out here?" Wu Xiongfei thought it was the person next to him who was talking.

"Commander, that's not right. The sound didn't come from our brothers." Zhou Cheng's expression was as if he had seen a ghost.

"Who? Who is talking?" Wu Xiongfei also reacted and realized that the voice was not close to him.

"Aren't you looking for us?" A man walked out from the corner. It was Zheng Hua.

"Eight Road!"

The moment they saw Zheng Hua, the puppet soldiers' eyes widened and they immediately drew their guns in panic.

"I advise you to look around."

Zheng Hua was not worried at all. He had been standing in the corner. There were not many people who could attack him directly. If these people pointed their guns at him, he could just retreat immediately.

After hearing Zheng Hua's words, everyone immediately looked around, and saw that more than 20 light machine guns suddenly appeared on the surrounding courtyard walls, with the muzzles pointing at them.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Wu Xiongfei shouted immediately.

There were only 20 light machine guns in public, and no one knew how many more were hidden in secret. Wu Xiongfei had never heard of the Eighth Route Army operating with only light machine guns.

And as far as I know, the New Second Regiment we are looking for this time has several thousand people, and this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers is probably the New Second Regiment.

"Are you the leader?" Zheng Hua looked at Wu Xiongfei.

"That's right, that's right, the commander of the 9th Army of the North China Security Army, Wu Xiongfei." Wu Xiongfei said with a smile.

"Then come with me, our leader wants to see you." Zheng Hua said.

"This..." Wu Xiongfei's heart was beating fast, would he be tricked into killing him?
After all, he knew a little about how the Eighth Route Army dealt with traitors.

"What? You don't want to?" Zheng Hua said with a cold face.

"Yes, yes. Why wouldn't I want to?" Wu Xiongfei said with a smile.

Now the situation is stronger than him, and he has no choice but to agree.

Zheng Hua took Wu Xiongfei around a few corners and arrived at a yard.

"Captain, the people are here." Zheng Hua reported.

Chen Chengxing was also a little surprised when he saw Zheng Hua bringing in the puppet troops. He didn't expect it to be so smooth. This was unthinkable in Shanxi.

"Are you Captain Chen of the New Second Regiment? We are friendly forces, friendly forces!" Wu Xiongfei said.

"Friendly forces? Who calls you friendly forces?!" Zheng Hua said unhappily.

When did the Eighth Route Army become friendly forces with the traitors?

"Captain Chen, to be honest, I am in Cao's camp but my heart is with Han. I have always been loyal to the Party and the country, and I have already established contact with Chongqing. I am an insider of the Party and the country. I also have a letter of appointment issued to me by the Chongqing government." Wu Xiongfei explained.

"And every time the 9th Army went out to raid, it was just a show. They would leave dozens of guns behind when they left. When they went to the countryside to rob food from the Japanese, they would also deliberately leave a few carts of food behind."

Wu Xiongfei listed his achievements in recent years one by one, trying his best to prove that he was saving the country in a roundabout way.

"So, they really are friendly forces?" Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

"Of course it's true." Wu Xiongfei said, patting his chest.

"Okay, if you say they are friendly forces, I won't refute you, but I want you to do one thing." Chen Chengxing frowned and said, "I want you to trick the Japanese into Huangzhuang!"

If the puppet army could really trick the Japanese into coming to Huangzhuang, then a wave of firepower attack would be able to kill hundreds of them, which would be a great advantage in the subsequent battle.

"No problem!" Wu Xiongfei was not vague at all. As long as he was fine, it would be fine. As for the Japanese, he could only hope for the best.

Chen Chengxing gestured to Zheng Hua and asked him to take Wu Xiongfei to do it.

After Zheng Hua left, Chen Chengxing immediately said to Wei Dayong: "Go to the artillery position and tell them to adjust their direction and aim at Huangzhuang. When the battle breaks out, immediately provide fire coverage!"

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Japanese marched in densely packed formations and had no time to disperse after being attacked suddenly. If a wave of firepower came at this time, the casualties would definitely be huge.

"Yes!"

After Wu Xiongfei returned to the team, he immediately ordered the flag bearer: "Send an order to the Japanese behind, saying that Huangzhuang is safe!"

After seeing the flag signal from the Locust Army, the 42nd Regiment, which had stopped marching in the rear, set off again and headed towards this side. Zheng Hua heaved a sigh of relief when he saw through the telescope that the Japs were marching towards this side without any abnormality.

"You can go now." Zheng Hua said.

The team leader has just given the signal, so don't meddle in other people's business.

Since the puppet army is so cooperative, it doesn't hurt to spare them this time. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. The most important thing now is the 42nd Regiment.

"Okay, let's leave Huangzhuang now." Wu Xiongfei nodded repeatedly. A fight was about to break out here, and he didn't want to stay here any longer.

"Captain Zhou, leave 30 guns and 1000 bullets behind and let's go," Wu Xiongfei ordered.

Zhou Cheng was not surprised by Wu Xiongfei's order, as this had happened many times.

After leaving his weapons behind, Wu Xiongfei immediately led his troops through Huangzhuang quickly.

The 5th Company followed them secretly to prevent any accidents.

Although the puppet army had conducted reconnaissance, the Japanese were still divided into the front team and the rear team.

One infantry battalion advanced 500 meters, and the rest of the Japanese followed behind.

Although it’s a pity for Chen Chengxing, he can’t be picky now.

Seeing the Japanese soldiers getting closer and closer, Chen Chengxing raised his pistol.

"Bang!" Chen Chengxing fired a shot into the air.

After receiving the signal, the second battalion opened fire at full force.

"Da da da", "Da da da", "Da da da".
"Thump, thump, thump." "Thump, thump, thump."
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!".
A large number of bullets and artillery shells covered the Japanese.

At the same time, the artillery positions that received the artillery reconnaissance signal also began to open fire at full power, and dozens of artillery shells completely covered the position of the Japanese.

Facing 82mm mortar shells, even if the Japanese soldiers lay on the ground, they would suffer heavy casualties.

After all, the density of the Japanese was very high at that time, and the shock wave killing radius of an 82mm mortar was several meters, and shrapnel could fly more than 20 meters.

Seeing this, Yamaguchi Jusanlang in the rear was shocked and immediately ordered: "Use firepower to cover the retreat of the first battalion!"

The firepower of the Eighth Route Army is so fierce that if they wait any longer, the First Battalion will probably lose its combat effectiveness.

At this time, Wu Xiongfei, who had already passed Huangzhuang, also heard the sound of gunfire coming from the other side.

"Fortunately, we didn't act rashly just now, otherwise if such strong firepower hit us, wouldn't our entire army be wiped out?" Wu Xiongfei said with lingering fear.

"Commander, what should we do now?" Zhou Cheng asked.

"Let's fire blanks while running south and leave here first," Wu Xiongfei ordered.

The Japanese suffered a severe blow, and it would be unreasonable for me to be safe and sound.

But as soon as the gunshots are heard on our side, won’t the Eighth Route Army also be there?

At that time, the most I could do is to oversight.

A regiment commander can forcibly shoot his company commander and platoon leader because he suspects there is a traitor, but he cannot shoot his own commander or regiment commander.

The Ninth Army was under the jurisdiction of the North China Security Army and was not in the same system as the Japanese Army. If Yamaguchi Jusanro insisted on shooting himself, he would probably not be able to continue his job as the regiment commander.

Even if the Japanese just want to maintain appearances, they will transfer him away.

It is not easy to become a colonel and a regiment commander among the Japanese. If Yamaguchi Jusanro had any brains, he would not sacrifice his future just to vent his anger.

With the support of firepower, the Japanese troops who were ambushed retreated quickly, but suffered more than 300 casualties.

Just when Yamaguchi Jusanro ordered his troops to prepare for a counterattack, Wu Xiongfei also led his team back.

"Taijun! Taijun!" Wu Xiongfei covered his shoulder with all his strength. There was a cut on his shoulder caused by a bullet.

This was done by Wu Xiongfei himself in order to get away with it and avoid going to the front line.

Wu Xiongfei had already done research on which part of the body could be hit without being fatal and easy to recover from, and he had been waiting for this day.

"Baga! Where did the Eighth Route Army from Huangzhuang come from?! What are you doing?!" Yamaguchi Jusanro said angrily.

"Taijun, this can't be our fault. The tunnel! The Eighth Route Army was hiding in the tunnel and we didn't find it at all. Moreover, we were also ambushed to the west of Huangzhuang!" Wu Xiongfei explained.

Wu Xiongfei had heard about the Eighth Route Army digging tunnels in the Ji-Zhong area a long time ago, so it was not surprising to talk about it now.

"Baka! You've grossly neglected your duty!" Yamaguchi Jusanro said angrily.

Although Yamaguchi Jusanro wanted to shoot Wu Xiongfei to death, he couldn't do it.

Wu Xiongfei's military rank is major general, and I am only a colonel. Although I have the final say in fighting, if Wu Xiongfei really refuses to cooperate, I can only report it to my superiors for handling.

"I'm sorry, Madam!" Wu Xiongfei didn't learn anything else, but he did learn that the Japanese should stand at attention when being scolded.

After scolding for a few more minutes, looking at the extremely obedient Wu Xiongfei, Yamaguchi Jusanlang waved his hand helplessly and said, "Go to the medical team to bandage the wound and prepare to launch an attack!"

"Hi!" Wu Xiongfei left, covering his wound.

Looking at Wu Xiongfei's back, Yamaguchi Jusanlang ordered Otsuka Tomotomo: "Go and investigate with the soldiers of the Locust Association."

Yamaguchi Jusanro didn't trust Wu Xiongfei at all.

"Hai!"

However, Otsuka Tomotomo's investigation did not find anything, and everyone said that they were attacked by the Eighth Route Army in the tunnel.

Ordinary soldiers had no choice but to lie. They had already given the Eighth Route Army benefits many times. If this were to be exposed, no one would benefit. They might even die. After all, they had seen the massacres committed by the devils.

They are traitors, but they cannot stand the fact that even the elderly, the weak, women and children are not spared.

Although the Japanese were ready for battle, they did not launch an attack from the east because they could not deploy all their forces here due to Pinghe.

After reconnaissance, Yamaguchi Jusanro felt that he still had to advance to Zhangzhuang and deploy troops from the southwest.

Moreover, according to his estimation, there must be Eighth Route Army troops in Nanwang. After all, according to intelligence, the New Second Regiment has more than 3,000 people.

If he deployed his troops in Zhangzhuang, he could completely block the Eighth Route Army and prevent them from escaping.

Yamaguchi Jusanro knew very well the reason why the Eighth Route Army chose this place, which was to use Pinghe as a line of defense so that they could concentrate all their forces on one side for defense.

However, Yamaguchi Jusanro was not worried. He was confident that he could defeat the Eighth Route Army's defense line head-on. Even if they used a trick to launch a sneak attack on him once, it would not affect the overall situation.

As long as he could defeat the New Second Regiment's defense line head-on, Pinghe would no longer be the Eighth Route Army's defense line, but a blockade line to block them. He only needed to deploy a small force on the other side of the river to prevent the other side from escaping across the river.

"report!"

"Commander, Political Commissar, the Japanese have arrived at Zhangzhuang and are setting up offensive positions," the scout reported.

After hearing the scout's report, Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping looked at each other.

"Haha. The Japanese have taken the bait." Luo Ping said with a smile.

He now admires Chen Chengxing's command ability. He can not only command the New Second Regiment, but also command the devils to act according to his ideas.

"The Japanese from the Fifth Division are in such a hurry to find us, isn't it just to avenge the ambush at Yanmen Pass? If we give them this opportunity, how can they not take the bait?" Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

This is a great opportunity to completely wipe out the New Second Regiment. Chen Chengxing doesn't think the Japanese will give up.

The Japs' eagerness for revenge was written all over their faces, and it was easy to tell.

"Have the 1st and 2nd Battalions prepare for battle as best as possible, and send a message to the 4th Battalion, asking them to be on high alert to prevent the Japanese from sneaking across the Ping River at night and attacking the rear wing of the New 2nd Regiment." Chen Chengxing ordered.

As long as we are on guard, the Japanese will have to fight on the front line. In this way, the 4th Battalion can serve as a reserve force and replenish troops on the front line at any time.

"Yes!"

In Zhangzhuang, the temporary command post of the Japanese 42nd Regiment has been set up.

Yamaguchi Jusanro held a telescope and observed the position of the New Second Regiment.

"What's the current situation at the artillery position?" asked Jusanro Yamaguchi.

虽然42联队有2个炮兵中队，但是有一个是反坦克炮中队，装备的是6门94式37毫米速射炮。

虽说94式37毫米速射炮最大射程能打到5700米，但是37毫米的炮弹威力不大，想要精准杀伤就必须要推进到1千米以内。

Therefore, in combat, it needs to be mobile at any time, just like the Type 92 infantry gun.

The only one that really needs an artillery position is the Type 41 mountain gun.

"It has been almost constructed and we are now making final preparations," said Tomotomo Otsuka.

The mountain artillery squadron only has four mountain cannons, so the position does not need to be built very large.

"Yoshi." Yamaguchi Jusanro nodded.

"Order the Ninth Army of the Locust Association to attack and test the firepower points of the Eighth Route Army. Rapid-fire artillery and infantry artillery move forward and be ready to fire at any time." Yamaguchi Jusanro ordered.

Now that the New 42nd Regiment has been blocked, the nd Regiment does not need to rush and can just fight slowly.

Even if the combat effectiveness of the Locust Association Army was weak, the Eighth Route Army had to open fire and attack, so that the rapid-fire artillery and infantry artillery following behind could carry out targeted strikes at any time.

Moreover, the mountain artillery in the rear can also fire to destroy the Eighth Route Army's fortifications according to the situation.

"Hai!"

After hearing the order given by Yamaguchi Jusanro, Wu Xiongfei had no choice even if he was unwilling. It was their mission to assist the Japanese in fighting.

"Captain Zhou, send a battalion of troops, split it into two and launch a feint attack on Nanwang and Huangzhuang, and cooperate with the Locust Army to scout the Eighth Route Army's firepower points." Zhou Xiongfei ordered.

Anyway, he is already injured and can no longer go to the front line. As for whether his soldiers can survive, it depends on how hard they train on a daily basis. If they have good life-saving training, they will survive.

"Yes!"

Zhou Cheng randomly assigned two companies of troops to move towards Nanwang and Huangzhuang respectively.

(End of this chapter)