Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 167: Leading the troops outside, all the credit is claimed by oneself (The last day, please vote for me, comrades)
In the early morning, the Japanese mountain artillery suddenly launched an artillery attack on the Tujialing position again.

The New Second Regiment was on high alert, ready to deal a heavy blow to the Japanese.

However, after the bombardment began, Mizuhara Kosuke left 5 people and all the artillery and baggage in Tanzhuang, and then left Tanzhuang with 1300 elite main forces, led by Li Zhengfu, and quietly turned to Yanzixia, aiming directly at Hongni Bay.

After successfully entering Laolong Mountain, Mizuhara Kosuke finally relaxed and said to Li Zhengfu with a smile: "I know that Mr. Li is loyal to the Locust Army. The Eighth Route Army is ruthless. I have ordered the troops to take Mr. Li's family to Tanzhuang for protection. Mr. Li, don't worry."

"Hi! Thank you for your concern, Taijun!"

Li Zhengfu understood what Mizuhara Kosuke meant. If he led the right path, his family would be protected. If he led the wrong path, his family would probably be chopped into minced meat.

The Japs' sneak attack was beyond everyone's expectations.

It was not until the Japanese passed through Yanzi Gorge and reached Changyu that the guerrillas scattered in various passes discovered them.

"Oh no! Why did the devil suddenly appear here!"

"Xiaowu, go to Tujialing and report to the regiment commander immediately. Sanwazi, return to Hongniwan immediately and have the organs and the masses move eastward into the mountains immediately!"

"The rest of you! Follow me!" the captain of the 2nd Squadron of the st Guerrilla Team immediately ordered.

After the guerrilla fighters occupied the advantageous terrain, they immediately opened fire to block the enemy. They had to buy time for the transfer to Hongni Bay.

Mizuhara Kosuke looked at the sniper position with only a light machine gun and said with some disdain: "You are trying to stop a chariot with your bare hands. You are overestimating your own abilities!"

"First Battalion, send out your forces to quickly break through the enemy's position!"

The 103rd Regiment now needs more time. The faster it goes, the greater the results will be.

"Hai!"

The Japs marched lightly and carried no artillery, but they did bring two heavy machine gun squadrons, giving them an absolute firepower advantage.

"Kill the chicken for me!" the Japanese captain drew out his command knife and shouted.

"Da da da"

Faced with the fire suppression of several heavy machine guns, the guerrilla fighters were unable to resist head-on.

Without the suppression of artillery, heavy machine guns are the masters of the battlefield. Compared with heavy machine guns, light machine guns are not even their younger brothers.

The guerrilla fighters had no choice but to use favorable terrain to block the enemy layer by layer, slowing down the enemy's speed while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

Once the gunshots are heard here, the soldiers from all directions will definitely move here quickly, and the guerrillas do not need to kill many Japanese soldiers, as long as they can slow down their speed.

In the Tujialing regiment headquarters, everyone was a little surprised when they heard the report from the guerrilla fighters. They didn't expect that the Japanese would cross Laolong Mountain with light equipment.

Even Chen Chengxing was unsure of what the Japanese were thinking. Chen Chengxing expected the Japanese to launch a surprise attack, but he did not expect that the Japanese would raid not the New Second Regiment, but Hongni Bay.

This is totally illogical because it is no different from seeking one's own death.

The main force of the New Second Regiment was not a guerrilla force that couldn't even get enough guns. The Japanese were advancing alone and lightly equipped. As long as the New Second Regiment completed the encirclement, the Japanese would be unable to escape.

In fact, Mizuhara Kosuke suffered from a complete lack of experience. When he launched a surprise attack on the rear of the Guo army, he even had an exchange of fire with a division-level unit of the Guo army. At that time, he only had a battalion under his command and was able to fight back and forth with a division of the Guo army.

Mizuhara Kosuke felt that no regimental unit of the Eighth Route Army or the Guo Army could independently accomplish the task of encircling and annihilating 1300 elite troops, so he had the courage to advance alone.

Looking at the Japs' route on the map, Chen Chengxing couldn't help but smile and said, "Since the Japs are looking for death, let's grant their wish."

Originally, Chen Chengxing was still racking his brains over how to encircle and annihilate this group of Japanese devils, but it turned out that they put the rope around their own necks.

"Half an hour later, the guerrillas opened up their defenses and let the devils enter the base."

"After the devils occupy Hongni Bay, we will surround and annihilate them!"

Hongni Bay had already made preparations for the retreat, and with just one order, the evacuation could be completed in a maximum of one hour.

The forced march from Changyu to Hongniwan takes more than half an hour, so the guerrillas only need to hold out for half an hour.

At 9 o'clock in the morning, the guerrillas withdrew from their positions, clearing the way for the Japanese to advance.

Looking at the First Battalion that had successfully occupied the position, Mizuhara Kosuke nodded with satisfaction: "Yoshi. Order them to keep moving forward, and fast!"

"Hai!"

Mizuhara Kosuke had no intention of playing hide-and-seek with these local guerrillas in the mountains. His target was Hongni Bay.

After passing through Changyu and crossing Laolong Mountain, Mizuhara Kosuke led his troops on a rapid march towards Hongni Bay.

Half an hour later, they successfully occupied the empty Hongni Bay.

Although there was no one in Hongni Bay at this time, Kosuke Mizuhara was still very excited.

"Telegraph soldier, send a telegram to Taiyuan immediately and tell them that our 103rd Regiment has used a brilliant strategy to capture Hongniwan, the capital of the Eighth Route Army in the Zhongyun Mountains at a very low cost."

When leading an army outside, you take all the credit for yourself.

Although the Eighth Route Army was not found in Hongniwan, you can tell whether Hongniwan was occupied and whether Hongniwan was the base of the New Second Regiment.

Moreover, even if the superiors knew about this, they would not say much. The Locust Army needs such results to deter the people in the security areas and quasi-security areas.

Kiyohiro Ozawa rode his horse beside Kosuke Mizuhara and said excitedly: "The commander is really amazing. He can achieve a breakthrough with just a little trick. Now the Eighth Route Army may still be eating dirt in Tujialing." Hearing the flattery, Kosuke Mizuhara confidently began to instruct Kiyohiro Ozawa: "Mr. Ozawa, this is the charm of tactical command.

It is written in the Infantry Drill Manual that if a frontal breakthrough is not possible, then a flanking attack should be made. However, although both flanking attacks are made, the results are very different depending on the target of the attack.

"Of course, not everyone is a genius, but as long as you learn more and watch more, sooner or later you will be able to use the drill manual to perfection."

"Hai! I will definitely learn a lot from the commander of the wing. It will be my honor to serve in the 103rd wing!"

Kiyohiro Ozawa did not realize that something was wrong, nor did he know that he had already stepped into the gate of hell with Kosuke Mizuhara. Instead, he watched Kosuke Mizuhara bragging about himself with admiration.

Upon learning that the Japanese had already advanced deep into Hongni Bay alone, Chen Chengxing immediately ordered all nearby troops to take action and surround Hongni Bay.

However, Chen Chengxing did not use the main force of the New Second Regiment in Tujialing.

Once the Japanese find themselves surrounded and at risk of being wiped out, they will inevitably send a telegram for help.

The First Army Command in Taiyuan would not give up its 1300 elite troops so easily.

Chen Chengxing estimated that Ping'an County would definitely send reinforcements, and the Japanese still had some troops and heavy weapons left in Tanzhuang, so there would definitely be a battle to be fought at that time.

Moreover, Chen Chengxing judged that if the Japanese broke through, they would most likely take the main road. Therefore, Chen Chengxing divided the four infantry battalions into two and set up positions in the east and west of Tujialing respectively.

Kosuke Mizuhara's happiness, having completed the occupation of Hongni Bay, did not last long.

In the afternoon, sporadic cold gunfire began to appear around Hongni Bay, and the frequency was increasing.

"Captain, the frequency of the Eighth Route Army's sneak attacks is getting higher and higher. Our army has suffered more than ten casualties. Should we send out troops to encircle and suppress them?" Kiyohiro Ozawa asked.

Although such cold guns did not have much effect on the main force of the 103rd Regiment, they would still make the soldiers exhausted.

"These are just some of the remnants of the Eighth Route Army. There is no need to worry. However, we cannot ignore them. How about this? Let the Second Battalion organize small teams of three to five people to clean up the area."

Mizuhara Kosuke decided to use cold guns to counter cold guns. As long as there were soldiers of the Locust Army on the periphery, the Eighth Route Army would not be able to harass Hongni Bay.

Mizuhara Kosuke's plan was very successful. As hundreds of combat teams were dispersed, the guerrillas were forced to fight the Japanese in a more peripheral area.

But at night, the situation changed. Parts of the troops from the other guerrilla brigades arrived to support, and a total of four to five thousand troops gathered outside Hongni Bay.

Under the pressure of a large number of guerrillas, the Japanese fighting on the periphery had to retreat.

Looking at the still motionless Hongni Bay, Chen Chengxing called the messenger: "Send a message to each guerrilla team, tell them to secretly move away from Hongni Bay, then light torches, send reinforcements in a big way, and then repeat the process."

"Yes!"

Luo on the side said with a smile: "You are going to teach the little devils a lesson."

"Haha. The Japanese thought they were invincible after reading two books on military strategies. Today, let us teach them what the strategy of confusing the enemy with a new attack is!" Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

With such blatant reinforcements, the Japanese would certainly not be able to grasp the situation and would be frightened enough.

More than ten minutes later, several fire dragons consisting of torches began to appear around Hongni Bay, and they continued to gather towards Hongni Bay.

Looking at the endless stream of troops, Kiyohiro Ozawa hurriedly found Kosuke Mizuhara to report.

"Captain, a large number of Eighth Route Army reinforcements have appeared outside, and their numbers are increasing!"

Kosuke Mizuhara, who was sleeping soundly and dreaming of getting a promotion and a raise in salary, was suddenly awakened.

Mizuhara Kosuke opened the door and said, "Eighth Route Army? Where did the Eighth Route Army come from?"

"Captain, you'll know it at a glance." Kiyohiro Ozawa pointed to the rooftop nearby.

Mizuhara Kosuke hurriedly climbed onto the roof and looked at the fire dragons gathering towards Hongni Bay. He asked anxiously, "When did it start? How many Eighth Route Army soldiers are there around now?"

"Reinforcements arrived soon after nightfall, and according to the Second Battalion's report, the small teams on the periphery were squeezed by a large number of Eighth Route Army troops and had all retreated back to the vicinity of their positions. According to the small team's report, at least four to five thousand troops participated in the attack."

"If we add the Eighth Route Army that has arrived for follow-up support, I estimate that there are at least 10,000 people outside now," said Kiyohiro Ozawa.

Looking at the densely packed fire dragons gathering towards Hongni Bay, Mizuhara Kosuke said in fear: "Baga, where do all these Eighth Route Army come from?"

If there were only four or five thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers, Mizuhara Kosuke would not be worried at all. Even if there were more than ten thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers, the 1300 elite troops in Hongni Bay would not be unable to defeat them.

But now the Eighth Route Army outside is constantly receiving reinforcements. If the rate continues, there will probably be 20,000 to 30,000 people by daybreak.

"There are more and more Eighth Route Army troops outside the city, and Hongni Bay has no strategic location to defend. If we continue to persist, we will inevitably be surrounded. We must break out." Mizuhara Kosuke said firmly.

If you don't leave now, you will be made into dumplings.

"Captain, it will be disadvantageous for us to act at night," Kiyohiro Ozawa hastily reminded.

At night, vision is obstructed, and the Eighth Route Army can take advantage of the darkness to get closer. Once hand-to-hand combat begins, the Eighth Route Army's numerical advantage will be maximized, which is greatly disadvantageous to the 103rd Regiment.

"I know. Order the troops to strengthen their vigilance! Set fire to all the houses outside to prevent a night attack by the Eighth Route Army, and break out immediately after daybreak!" Mizuhara Kosuke ordered.

"Hai!"

(End of this chapter)