Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 194 Gun? What gun? (asking for monthly ticket)
Just when the Second and Third Battalions of the New Second Regiment were confronting the First Battalion of the 358th Regiment.

The Temporary 25st Division had already arrived at the blocking position of the 28th Regiment under the escort of the 358th and th Brigades.

Seeing the ambush ahead, the Temporary 1st Division did not hesitate at all. After sending out troops for a feint attack, it immediately decided to attack the troops on the right wing.

Guarding the right wing was the Third Battalion of the 358th Regiment, with the headquarters of the 358th Regiment behind it.

The 358st Temporary Division sent a regiment to attack the right wing of the th Regiment, and set up mountain artillery and began firing.

"Commander, the 1st Temporary Division is coming towards our regiment headquarters! You must retreat and move quickly!" Fang Ligong said anxiously.

The 94st Temporary Division hid too deeply and actually had Type 358 mountain cannons, but the artillery battalion of the th Regiment was not here now.

If the Third Battalion cannot withstand the attack of the First Temporary Division, the headquarters of the 358th Regiment will be directly hit.

If Chu Yunfei was captured by the Temporary First Division, he would definitely not have a good ending, even if he was sent by Commander Yan to supervise Chu Yunfei.

"Yes, everyone listen to the chief of staff, retreat! Retreat immediately! Order the third battalion to immediately cover the regiment headquarters and withdraw to a safe place!" Chu Yunfei was no longer in the same state as when he fought against the Japanese before, and instantly turned into a standard Kuomintang officer.

Fang Ligong was stunned for a moment. He meant to let Chu Yunfei take the non-combat personnel away from the position, but how did it become the entire army retreating? And why should he, the chief of staff, be listened to in such matters?

The 358st Temporary Division on the other side was stunned when they saw the movements of the 358th Regiment. Why did they run away before they even started the battle? Wasn't the th Regiment the sharp knife in the hands of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army? Was this what the elite looked like?

But now is not the time to be entangled. Seeing the 358th Regiment running away to clear the road, the Temporary st Division did not hesitate and quickly broke forward.

On the top of the mountain, Chu Yunfei looked at the Temporary 1st Division that broke through without saying a word.

At this time, Fang Ligong came up from below and said, "Commander, the regiment headquarters is safe. Should we launch a pursuit?"

The main forces of the 358th Regiment are still in the front. If all the troops of the 358th Regiment cooperate to attack the st Temporary Division from both sides, they can still defeat it.

The 358st Temporary Division has fewer troops than the 358th Regiment, not to mention that the 12th Regiment has an artillery battalion waiting in front. The st Temporary Division definitely cannot withstand the attack of mountain cannons.

"Go and chase them, but be careful. The Shanxi New Army learned guerrilla warfare from the Eighth Route Army and is very good at ambushes. Tell the brothers to pay attention to reconnaissance." Chu Yunfei ordered.

The 358th Regiment received the task of attacking the st Temporary Division from both sides. They could secretly disobey the order, but they had to follow it.

"yes!".
The soldiers of the third and fourth battalions who received the order were not stupid. This was not a national hatred or family feud. Even if they fought with the First Temporary Division to the death, they would probably not get any good reputation, and they might be criticized by the folks of Shanxi when they went out in the future.

Therefore, the soldiers began to slack off, and they wanted to turn over every inch of the land where the Temporary 1st Division had passed to check it.

When they came to a mountain pass, they stopped and asked the scouts to take a closer look.

Later, even the vanguard troops of the 25th and 28th Brigades joined the reconnaissance and pursuit teams.

However, after the increase in personnel, the pursuit speed of the troops has slowed down significantly. Before each reconnaissance, everyone has to discuss for a while before deciding which side will send troops for reconnaissance.

Outside Qingfang Town, a scout ran back.

"Captain Zheng, Captain Sun, the 358st Temporary Division is almost here, and the troops of the th Regiment have already begun to deploy."

"I understand." Zheng Hua nodded, and then was about to call Chen Chengxing in Zhuangshan.

But strangely, the call was not connected.

Zheng Hua was about to send a messenger to the regiment headquarters, but Sun Xun stopped him: "Don't send a messenger yet."

"The situation is so tense now, how can we do it if the communication is not smooth?" Zheng Hua said anxiously.

"The call can't be connected, but the commander has not said anything. I'm afraid he did it on purpose. Don't send a communicator for now. Just let the soldiers in the telephone squad inspect the line. The commander will contact us if there is any problem." Sun Xun explained.

There are some things that the team leader is not suitable to know, because once he knows them, there is no turning back.

"Is this reliable?" Zheng Hua asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry, Captain. Don't I understand you? As long as we don't suffer any loss, everything will be fine." Sun Xun said confidently.

"So what should we do now?" Zheng Hua asked.

"The commander has already said that we won't fire the first shot. We'll be fine as long as we don't shoot. Let's send one company up to test the water first. If the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army doesn't dare to shoot, we'll beat them. If they dare to shoot, we'll beat them to death." Sun Xun said affirmatively.

Zheng Hua thought about it, felt that there was no problem, and nodded in agreement.

Then the 5th Company turned on the safety of their guns and walked out of the position, while giving warm and friendly greetings to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army as they walked.

Seeing the Eighth Route Army coming towards this position while cursing, and those being cursed were mainly his own family members, Qian Bojun's face turned blue with anger. Why didn't he know before that the Eighth Route Army had such vicious tongues?

"Company 1, Company 2, turn on the safety and beat these bastards!" Qian Bojun said angrily.

The regiment commander had ordered that the first shot could not be fired, but the regiment commander could not allow the Eighth Route Army to run in front of his position either. Otherwise, if the Eighth Route Army had any bad intentions, he would be in trouble.

The best way now is to go outside and beat them away, which will also give me some relief.

"Brothers! Go!"

"Comrades, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has arrived. Fight!"

"beat!"

Both sides immediately rushed up and fought each other.

But as time went by, Qian Bojun felt something was wrong. He had clearly sent out more people, but how come they were beaten so badly so quickly?

Qian Bojun had no idea that the New Second Regiment had fought so many battles with the Japanese, and hand-to-hand combat had occurred many times, and the soldiers had long developed the habit of cooperating with each other.

Even though Qian Bojun sent out more than 5 people, he did not gain any advantage against the less than people of the th Company and was quickly defeated.

After the first and second companies of the 358th Regiment ran back in a panic, Qian Bojun discovered something wrong again.

"Where are your guns?" Qian Bojun asked anxiously.

When they went out to fight, they all had weapons in their hands. How come only the men are back now, but all the guns are lost?
Hearing the battalion commander's question, the soldiers of the 358th Regiment looked at each other in bewilderment. They had all been beaten so badly that they were running away in panic. Who would still care about the guns?

"You guys..." Qian Bojun was almost mad to death.

"Everyone! Put down your weapons and charge! Take back all the guns!" Qian Bojun shouted.

He had no time to care about the 1st Temporary Division. The more than 300 guns were the most important thing now. If he lost the guns, the regiment commander would probably eat him.

Seeing the Jinsui Army rushing out of the position in large numbers, Sun Xun immediately shouted: "All light and heavy machine guns and mortars stay in the position, and the rest of you, follow me!"

"Beat the damn Jinsui Army!"

Many of the old Eighth Route Army soldiers had fought against the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, so they were naturally excited about the opportunity to take revenge.

When the Temporary 1st Division arrived at Qingfang Town, they saw a scene that left them confused.

The Shanxi Suiyuan Army and the Eighth Route Army had already fought into a big group. Although the Shanxi Suiyuan Army was constantly using their faces and bodies to block the fists and feet of the Eighth Route Army, in the eyes of the First Temporary Division, they were just fighting with the Eighth Route Army.

"Let's retreat into the territory of the New Second Regiment first!" The commander of the Temporary First Division understood that the Eighth Route Army was creating opportunities for them, so he did not hesitate and immediately led the Temporary First Division past this group of people.

When Chu Yunfei and the regiment headquarters slowly arrived at Qingfang Town, what they saw were the First and Second Battalions with bruised noses and eyes.

"What's going on?" Chu Yunfei asked in shock.

There should be deaths in a war, but why are there so many bruised eyes and noses now, but few casualties?
"Commander, because we couldn't fire the first shot, we had a physical conflict with the New Second Regiment. We didn't win," Qian Bojun muttered.

"The New Second Regiment? They only have about 2 people, right? But your two battalions together have almost 3 people, and you haven't fought yet?" Chu Yunfei was almost choked to death by Qian Bojun's words.

"It's all the fault of the New Second Regiment for not abiding by martial ethics and actually launching a surprise attack on us. But don't worry, the New Second Regiment will not have an easy time either. They have all suffered serious injuries." Qian Bojun tried to save his reputation.

He didn't dare to tell the truth at all. Could it be that the three thousand men on his side had exhausted the New Second Regiment?
"It's okay as long as I didn't suffer a big loss." Chu Yunfei finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a fight, as long as both sides won and lost.

"Uh, there's one more thing." Qian Bojun said in a low voice.

"If you have something to say, just say it!"

"Companies 1 and 2 also lost more than 300 guns."

"What?!" Chu Yunfei's voice rose octaves.

The First and Second Companies are both reinforced companies, and these more than 300 guns are probably all the rifles these two companies have.

"What's going on? Explain it to me clearly!" Chu Yunfei said sternly.

"That's what happened"

By the time Qian Bojun told Chu Yunfei what had happened, he was almost pissed to death.

"Someone come! Take Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui out and give them 20 military sticks!" Chu Yunfei said angrily.

This guy is such a waste, it's a disgrace to him as the leader of the 358th Regiment!
Now Chu Yunfei is eager to recruit soldiers and compete with the New Second Regiment.

"Commander! Commander, please forgive me this time! Commander!"

Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui were both scared to death. Although 20 beatings with a military stick would not kill them, they would not be able to get out of bed for half a month after being beaten.

Chu Yunfei simply ignored their pleas for mercy.

After Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui were dragged out, the sound of slapping and the wailing of the two men were heard soon after.

"Chief of Staff Fang, these weapons must not be allowed to be taken away by the New Second Regiment. I want you to go and get these guns back." Chu Yunfei said.

"Don't worry, Commander, I'll go tomorrow." Fang Ligong nodded. This kind of thing definitely couldn't be asked of the Commander, so the Chief of Staff was the most suitable person to step forward at this time.

"Okay, I can rest assured that you will do the work."

When Chu Yunfei was about to leave, Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui had already finished beating each other with military sticks. The two men lay on the bench groaning weakly.

"Let the medical soldier take a look at him, give him some medicine, and then carry him back! He's such a waste!" Then Chu Yunfei left.

He did not see the resentment in Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui's eyes.

The next day, Fang Ligong met Chen Chengxing and Luo Ping in Hongni Bay.

"Captain Chen, Political Commissar Luo!" Fang Ligong wanted to ask a favor, so he was very polite when he entered the door.

"Chief of Staff Fang, please take a seat!"

After Chen Chengxing poured a glass of water for Fang Ligong, he asked, "I wonder what brings Chief of Staff Fang here today?"

"Captain Chen, you are a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush with you. Yesterday, outside Qingfang Town, our troops had a little friction, and both sides actually came to blows."

"But don't worry, our Captain Chu has severely punished the battalion commander who took the lead." Fang Ligong said.

"Is this true? Why didn't they tell me when they came back?" Chen Chengxing looked surprised.

"Don't worry, Chief of Staff Fang. I will help our friendly forces vent their anger right away." Chen Chengxing said, patting his chest.

"Monk!"

"Hey." Wei Dayong walked in from outside.

"Go and pass the message! Put the second and third battalion commanders in solitary confinement! They will come out when the friendly forces are angry enough!"

"Yes!"

When Fang Ligong heard what Chen Chengxing said, he quickly stopped him: "Wait, Captain Chen, that's not what I meant!"

This confinement is right in your own territory, who knows whether it is real or fake, and you are not here for this matter at all.

"Captain Chen, I am not here to call you to task, but during the friction, your troops stole more than 300 guns from us.

With so many guns, if the superiors track us down, I'm afraid we won't have a good ending. " Fang Ligong had an expression on his face that said, "I'm doing this for your own good."

"Is this true?!" Chen Chengxing stood up in surprise.

"Chief of Staff Fang, don't worry, I will investigate right away. As long as what you said is true, I guarantee that these guns will be returned intact!" Chen Chengxing promised.

"Then when will it end?" Fang Ligong asked.

"Now the main forces of the Second and Third Battalions are operating with the First Temporary Division and will be back in two days. If they really took it, I will ask them to return it to your army!" said Chen Chengxing.

Fang Ligong was speechless. He was put in solitary confinement just now, and now he is not here anymore. Can you still believe what you said?

However, even though Fang Ligong knew that Chen Chengxing was dragging his feet, he had no other choice. He couldn't just lose face with him, so he could only leave for the time being.

After Fang Ligong left, Luo Ping could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

The reason why he didn't speak just now was that he was afraid that he would laugh out loud as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Old Chen, Old Chen, how can you tell lies with your eyes open?" Luo Ping said with a smile.

Zheng Hua had already sent those guns to the regiment headquarters, and they are now kept in the logistics warehouse.

"There are more than 300 rifles here. If I can get them by telling a few lies, I will tell them every day." Chen Chengxing said indifferently.

Anyway, Yan Laoxi has a lot of guns, and they are useless in their hands. It is better to give them to the New Second Regiment. The weapons of the guerrillas have not been fully equipped yet.

A few days later, Fang Ligong, who had been waiting for a long time but couldn't get what he wanted, came again.

"Oh! Chief of Staff Fang, I have figured out the matter. It is indeed true. But you also know that we have a rule in the Eighth Route Army that captured guns must be returned to the public. Those guns have now been sealed by the order of our brigade commander, and no one can touch them."

"These are the guns of our 358th Regiment, not captured trophies! How could you seal them up?" Fang Ligong was about to jump up.

"Chief of Staff Fang, don't worry. I'm preparing to go to the brigade headquarters now to negotiate in person. Don't worry, I will definitely solve this matter for you!" Chen Chengxing patted his chest and promised again.

A few days later, Fang Ligong came to Hongni Bay again.

"Oh, Chief of Staff Fang, I'm really sorry."

"What's wrong again?" Fang Ligong was already feeling helpless at this point.

"Not only did I fail to negotiate successfully at the brigade headquarters, but even my gun was confiscated," Chen Chengxing said helplessly.

"The gun is no longer in the New Second Regiment?!" Fang Ligong didn't expect that he would lose his gun after coming here and there.

"Don't mention it. Our brigade commander said that he doesn't recognize the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army or the Central Army. He only recognizes that this is the spoils captured by the New Second Regiment. He also said that he would only believe it if the Second War Zone Headquarters personally negotiated with him.

Chief of Staff Fang, you also know that our brigade commander has always been unreasonable.

How about this? You ask your Captain Chu to send a telegram to Commander Yan, asking Commander Yan to negotiate with our brigade commander in person.

Your commander Chu is a favorite of Commander Yan, isn't this a small matter? As long as Commander Yan shows up, our brigade commander will definitely give him face!" Chen Chengxing gave Fang Ligong advice with a sincere look on his face.

I know? I know nothing! Fang Ligong was so angry at Chen Chengxing that he almost died.

"I will report to our team leader." Fang Ligong stood up and said in a low voice. He was afraid that if he said one more word, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood.

After Chu Yunfei knew the result, he leaned back in his chair and didn't want to talk.

He was too busy trying to cover up the matter, so how could he possibly report it to the higher authorities? Wouldn't the 358th Regiment become a laughing stock of the entire Shanxi-Suiyuan Army?
"Brother Ligong, let's put it aside for now. We can talk about it later when there is a chance," Chu Yunfei said helplessly.

"Okay." Fang Ligong didn't want to waste any more time on this matter.

"Commander, I'll report more casualties so that we can replenish the weapons," said Fang Ligong.

"It's up to you." Chu Yunfei nodded.

Although the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army lost Taiyuan, its military production capacity was no longer as good as before.

But before the fall of Taiyuan, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army also moved out more than a thousand small precision machine tools, more than 1 motors, two locomotives and more than a thousand tons of semi-finished products, which accounted for almost 50/ of the Taiyuan Arsenal.

Later, more than 30 tons of rails were dismantled on the Longhai Railway and Tongpu Railway.

Although the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army no longer has the ability to produce heavy weapons, the Chenggu Branch and the Guangyuan Branch can manufacture rifles and light machine guns, and can easily produce 2500 rifles, 100 light machine guns and hundreds of pistols per month.

More than 300 rifles were nothing to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. What the Army really lacked were manpower and heavy weapons.

However, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not gain much benefit from this attack on the Shanxi New Army. It only took away about 6 people in batches from the th Column, and the rest of the troops only took away some small units sporadically, totaling less than people. The other people all broke through to the base of the Eighth Route Army.

Among the new army, except for the confidants of the diehard old officers, no one followed them.

However, the price that the Jinsui Army paid to wipe out the Shanxi New Army was far more than 6 people. Moreover, after losing the Shanxi New Army, the Jinsui Army's influence in Shanxi has been declining sharply, and it could only retreat to a few areas in southwestern Shanxi.

This was the result of the negotiations between the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and Yan'an.

In order to prevent the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army from directly surrendering to the enemy, the Eighth Route Army chose to withdraw from the southwestern part of Shanxi. The two sides used Liangcheng as the boundary and did not interfere with each other.

However, Yan Xishan's misbehavior gave the Japanese an opportunity to implement their cage policy, and a large number of strongholds and artillery towers were newly built in just half a month.

Kenan Slope.

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army has completely withdrawn from southwestern Shanxi, and the troops brought out by the New Army have also been put under surveillance." Yang Xingru reported.

"Yeah." Yan Xishan nodded weakly.

This time, they lost more than they gained. The new army's combat effectiveness and reaction speed were too fast, and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not gain any benefit at all.

Yang Xingru saw that Yan Xishan was in a bad mood, but he could only say: "Sir, Lei Zhen led a brigade from the Fourth Column and is still waiting for your reply."

In order to make this unit willing to join the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, Yan Xishan promised high positions and generous salaries, as well as benefits for every soldier. Not to mention military ranks, he also promised to provide them with meat and wine regularly.

"Where is the person?" Yan Xishan opened his eyes suddenly.

"We have now arrived in Xiang County and are under the surveillance of the 77th Army."

"Since we have already gained control, what conditions are there to discuss? If you are willing to accept the reorganization honestly, we will handle it according to the standards of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. If you are not willing, we will replace you with someone who is willing!" Yan Xishan waved his hand.

If you are still alone, you have to follow the agreed conditions, but now that you are on the chopping board, you have to be prepared to be slaughtered.

"Yes!"

Because of Yan Xishan's disruption, the situation in the entire Shanxi Province has changed greatly.

In order to cope with the changing situation, Yan'an decided to establish the Northwest Shanxi Military Sub-district after careful consideration. As for the commander of the military sub-district, it would naturally be Chen Lu.

The original troops were also re-divided, and the non-numbered regiments such as the New 386st Regiment, the New nd Regiment, and the Independent Regiment were separated from the th Brigade and directly commanded by the military region.

The new army that separated from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was also reorganized with the guerrillas and self-defense forces in various counties. Depending on their locations, they were under the leadership of the 129th Division, the 120th Division, and the headquarters.

(End of this chapter)