Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 179 The Japs Have No Commitment
After receiving Yoshio Shinozuka's telegram, the commander of the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade, Yukio Nara, had no choice but to abandon his original plan and readjust it.

The main combat force of the 3rd Independent Mixed Brigade is 5 infantry battalions and 1 mountain artillery battalion, so the area it is responsible for sweeping this time is not small.

According to Nara Yukio's plan, the 3rd Mixed Brigade was to advance southward in five routes, with its own artillery, direct troops and an infantry battalion moving south along the highway, ready to support and cooperate with the sweep of the mountains on both sides at any time. Chief of Staff Tomoki Ishimura was responsible for coordinating the advancement of the three infantry battalions in the Zhongyun Mountains.

But now that the headquarters has received the order, we can only transfer troops to Wuyi County to carry out a flank sweep from the side.

"Colonel Ishimura, take the 1st Infantry Battalion, the 1st Artillery Company, and some communications, baggage and other direct-affiliated units by train to Wuyi County and be responsible for the westward mopping-up operation." Nara Yukio ordered.

"Huh!" Tomoki Ishimura had no objection to the adjustment of the plan.

In his opinion, it doesn't matter where the sweep starts, this way the Eighth Route Army on the flank can also be included in the sweep range.

Two days later, Tomoki Ishimura arrived in Wuyi County with the 1st Battalion, the 1st Artillery Company and some puppet army reinforcements.

The number of Japanese troops in Wuyi County increased directly to nearly 1500, in addition to which there were thousands of puppet troops.

The sudden arrival of so many Japanese devils and puppet troops was definitely not to celebrate the birthday, so as soon as the Japanese devils' reinforcements arrived, the intelligence personnel in Wuyi County immediately spread the news.

Inside the New Second Regiment, Luo Ping looked at the movements of the Japanese on the map and said with some concern: "Old Chen, the Japanese are coming aggressively. Should we take shelter from them for a while?"

This time, it was not just the group of devils from Wuyi County that were involved in the raid. The majority of the devils came from Fu'an to the south.

Although the 3rd Mixed Brigade coming out of Fu'an had divided its troops into several routes and was simultaneously sweeping the Zhongyun Mountains and the Yalu Mountains.

However, to the north of the Yalu Mountains were the 217th Regiment of the Central Army and the 321st Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. The Japanese did not set their important targets on them, so they only dispatched one infantry battalion.

The real target of the Japanese is the Zhongyun Mountains. The main forces are here. Even the heavy weapons troops in the middle are advancing close to the Zhongyun Mountains. From time to time, they will turn into the guerrilla zone to burn, kill and loot.

"It's just a mixed brigade. With the strength of the New Second Regiment, we are not afraid of them." Chen Chengxing said.

Judging from the telegrams sent from the headquarters, although the Japs made a big move this time, the number of Japanese troops actually dispatched was only about 40,000 to 50,000, and their expansion was so large.

The troops used in northwest Shanxi were only part of the 26th Division and the 3rd Mixed Brigade, plus the puppet troops, which totaled about people. The pressure was much less than when he had just returned from central Hebei.

"Old Chen, don't take it lightly. Although the main force of the New Second Regiment is almost the same as the mopping-up force of the Third Mixed Brigade, I'm afraid they are still no match." Luo Ping had no confidence at all.

If it was just a battle between battalion-level troops, Luo Ping would not be worried at all. Although the New Second Regiment did not have enough ammunition, a battalion could still fight against a brigade.

The 5rd Mixed Brigade consists of only five infantry battalions, one of which is still in the Yalu Mountains. The two sides are now evenly matched.

However, the Japanese still have a mountain artillery battalion, which is equipped with 12 Type mountain cannons. This is the real decisive force. The New Second Regiment currently has no means to fight against this mountain artillery battalion.

"A head-on battle is definitely not an option. The New Second Regiment cannot afford the losses. Now we have to see if there are any opportunities for an ambush. As long as we can attack the enemy on one or two fronts, our situation will be saved." Chen Chengxing said, pointing to the map.

The current situation of the New Second Regiment is the result of two years of diligent development. If it fails here, the difficult period in the next two years will be very troublesome, and by then even the base of Dayun Mountain may be lost.

The mopping-up operation of the 3rd Mixed Brigade was divided into three main routes and many small routes. If the troops from Wuyi County were added, it would become four main routes, which gave them the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

After all, the essence of guerrilla warfare is to concentrate superior forces to wipe out small groups of the Japanese.

"Do you have any ideas?" Luo Ping suddenly became excited. If there was a chance to revitalize the situation, that would definitely be the best.

"Look, Lao Luo, the Japanese are generally advancing from north to south along the western foothills of the Zhongyun Mountains. Their goal must be to squeeze the New Second Regiment's space for activities, and then concentrate their forces to attack Dayun Mountain." Chen Chengxing analyzed, pointing to the map.

Except for Dayun Mountain in the southernmost part, the rest of the Zhongyun Mountains are basically high in the east and low in the west. The population on the western foothills is relatively large, so it is also an important activity area for the New Second Regiment Guerrillas.

If the Japanese could complete their strategic plan, all the troops of the New Second Regiment would be squeezed into Dayun Mountain. Once the New Second Regiment was trapped, even if the Japanese did not fight, as long as they completed the blockade, more than half of the New Second Regiment would starve to death.

High-yield potatoes have not yet reached their peak production period. If we want to use the land in Dayun Mountain to feed the New Second Regiment, it will take at least until the second half of next year.

"According to the Japanese's plan, we had no better solution except to break out, but Li Chishui's trick gave us a chance to make the most of it," said Chen Chengxing.

According to the Japanese's layout, the several armies were only 10 kilometers apart from each other and could support each other at any time, so the New Second Regiment really had no way to attack them.

However, as one of the troops was transferred to Wuyi County, this group of Japanese invaders suddenly became an isolated force.

"I'm afraid the Japanese won't take action for a long time." Luo Ping said.

If the Japanese in Wuyi County kept their composure and waited until the main force had advanced to the area before entering the mountains for a sweep, the New Second Regiment would have lost its chance, and if it wanted to break out at that time, its casualties would inevitably increase greatly.

"Haha. The Japanese have already sent reinforcements to Wuyi County. The possibility of them waiting is very low." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

There was no one among the Japanese from top to bottom who could keep calm. If they really could, the Japanese front-line officers would not have rashly launched the Lugou Bridge Incident.

Although the whole country had formed a united front because of the Xi'an Incident, as long as the Japanese held Shanhaiguan, the Kuomintang could not threaten the security of the Northeast, and it was even unclear whether Chiang Kai-shek would launch an attack.

Without external pressure, Chiang Kai-shek would definitely do something strange. By then, he wouldn't even know whether there were any Eighth Route Army troops. Add to that the encroachment of the four major families, and he might end up in chaos.

After all, during the Battle of Shanghai, the supplies donated by the people on the first day would appear on the black market the next day, so it was really unknown whether the Central Army could really develop.

Moreover, Sino-German trade had already stopped in early 38, and the United States did not provide any aid at that time. The Communist Party was a comprador party that could shut down steel mills during wartime, so development was probably a fantasy. As long as it dragged on for a few years, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the Japanese would attack Nomonhan again, and there was a great possibility that they would occupy Outer Mongolia.

With Outer Mongolia, the Far East Railway can be cut off. Once the Soviet army in the Far East is without supplies, it will either starve to death or freeze to death. At that time, the Japanese and the Germans will attack from both sides, and it will not be easy for the Soviet Union to withstand it. The only choice for the United States is to directly join the European battlefield. After all, the United States cannot accept a unified Europe.

Once the Americans are done for, that will be the chance for the Japanese to truly invade Asia.

As a result, the Japanese rushed to launch the war of aggression against China, which dragged themselves into the quagmire of war; they were also in a hurry to fight the Battle of Nomonhan, confronting the Soviet Union alone, and ended up getting their heads broken.

By the time Germany needed his cooperation, the Japanese had been exhausted and could no longer threaten the security of the Soviet Far East. The Soviet Union withdrew 60 troops from the Far East to stop the German attack.

Moreover, the Japanese did not make a fortune from the war in China, and were eventually forced to fight in Southeast Asia. Then the Americans taught the Japanese what a fucking embargo was.

Then came the attack on Pearl Harbor, and then the Americans grabbed our necks, cornered us, and slapped us in the face.

Sometimes, strategic determination is also very important.

Since it was determined that the Japanese in Wuyi County would take action, Chen Chengxing did not hesitate and immediately issued an order to assemble. The main force of the New Second Regiment began to assemble in the area of ​​Bazishan.

As for the various guerrilla teams, except for Guerrilla Teams 4 and 8, the rest still have to carry out counter-mopping-up operations in their respective areas.

After all, in addition to the Japanese's large mopping-up forces, small forces were also dispatched from various counties and strongholds.

In particular, the fifth, seventh and ninth guerrilla teams need to use the mountain passes to slow down the sweeping speed of the Third Mixed Brigade and buy more time for the main force to eliminate the Wuyi County troops.

A few days later, the Japanese invaders from Wuyi County really set out.

"Captain, according to intelligence, the Japanese in Wuyi County have already dispatched their troops in two groups," Xu Wu reported.

At this time, the operations staff had already begun marking the Japanese route on the map.

"Divide the troops into two groups? How many people are there?" Chen Chengxing didn't expect the Japanese to be so bold. They dared to divide the troops into two groups with only two or three thousand people. This was a bit of contempt for the New Second Regiment.

"Each group was a mixed group of about 600 devils and 400 to 500 puppet troops."

"One route goes through Heishikou and Guoziling, and is now sweeping towards Mafang; the other route goes through Dingjunling, and is now sweeping towards Lijiazhen." Xu Wu gestured on the map at the intelligence sent by the scout.

"Lao Luo, our chance has come." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

The Japanese troops in Wuyi County were divided into two groups. Although this prevented the New Second Regiment from achieving victory in one battle, it also reduced a lot of pressure on the New Second Regiment, allowing the battle to end quickly.

Chen Chengxing's target was the Japanese in the direction of Mafang. The route of this group of Japanese was full of high mountains and steep cliffs, which was very conducive to the New Second Regiment to launch an ambush. Moreover, with the mountains blocking the way, it was difficult for the other group of Japanese to provide support.

After determining the enemy to be ambushed, the next step is to determine the ambush location.

Chen Chengxing led the New Second Regiment to move eastward and carefully surveyed the terrain again along the way.

"Lao Luo, I think this Swallowtail Cliff is the burial place prepared by God for the devils."

Chen Chengxing looked at the road from Heishikou to Yanweiya and felt that the mountains here were not green and there was no water. It was not a good place for feng shui at first glance, and it was just suitable for burying the Japanese.

This section of road was originally a dry riverbed, with the widest part less than 250 meters and the narrowest part less than 100 meters. The mountains on both sides were very steep. As long as we ambushed heavy troops on the mountains on both sides, and when the Japanese arrived, we would block the exit with firepower and cut off their retreat, and we could completely wipe out this group of Japanese.

"I think it's good too. It's a natural pocket formation." Luo Ping nodded.

After the two agreed, Chen Chengxing directly issued specific combat deployment.

"The first battalion assembled in Xinzhuang and occupied the high ground north of Yanwei Cliff."

"The second and third battalions assembled in Kawai Village."

"Guerrilla Team 4 will occupy Xiaomiao Village, block the enemy's exit, and maintain connection with the First Battalion's position."

"Guerrilla Team 8 will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance in the direction of Heishikou. Once the Japanese appear, they will be the first to attack them, and then fight and retreat, resisting step by step, and lead the Japanese into the encirclement."

"Do you understand everything?" Chen Chengxing asked after he finished drawing on the map and put down his pencil.

Chen Chengxing of the Fourth Battalion did not mention it, and just wanted to stay in Xiaolijiafen with the regiment headquarters as a reserve team.

Even though the plan looks good now, there may be accidents at any time once the fighting starts. If we don't have the mobile force, we will be caught off guard.

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison.

"Very good, then let's get ready." Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)