Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 195 Known as the Elite (asking for monthly tickets)

After the friction with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army subsided, the New Second Regiment continued the training that had not been completed before.

However, this time Chen Chengxing did not transfer the guerrillas to Dayun Mountain. Instead, the Political Department sent officers to be stationed in each brigade to organize study.

That day, Chen Chengxing was looking at the newly built artillery tower stronghold of the Japanese on the map, and was planning to arrange people to cooperate with the guerrillas and the county brigade to make a little money.

A combat staff officer rushed in: "Captain, Political Commissar, the commander has an urgent message!"

When Chen Chengxing heard it was an urgent call, he quickly picked it up. At the same time, the system started beeping.

[Side quest released: Fight back with a shot. ]

[Mission objective: bombard the Japanese brigade headquarters in Cangyunling.]

[Task Reward: A copy of random intelligence.]

"What's going on?" Luo Ping asked hurriedly when he saw Chen Chengxing holding the telegram without saying anything.

"The division headquarters was attacked by the Japanese while it was transferring. The New 1st Regiment and two regiments of the 1st Death Column have already engaged in a battle with the Japanese in Cangyun Ridge!" Chen Chengxing said as he handed the telegram to Luo Ping.

The 129th Division's sphere of influence is not limited to these mountain ranges in northwestern Shanxi, but also includes a large area in northern Shanxi and Suiyuan.

Due to the establishment of the Northwest Shanxi Military Region, the division headquarters decided to move north to northern Shanxi. However, they were discovered by the Japanese on the way. In addition, the division headquarters and field hospital moved slowly, and they were eventually surrounded by the Japanese.

Because there was a radio and the distance was not very far, the brigade commander naturally ordered the New Second Regiment to provide support as soon as possible.

"Immediately order the 1st Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Battalion, and the 1st Platoon of the Mountain Artillery Company to assemble urgently!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!" The combat staff ran out immediately.

"Old Chen, why don't you bring more? Take the entire mountain artillery company and the infantry artillery company. The telegram said that the Japanese have an entire regiment." Luo Ping said.

"No need. The infantry artillery company doesn't have much ammunition left. Besides, this is a field battle. There are no bunkers. Mortars are enough."

Chen Chengxing was very clear about Cang Yunling's opponent. It was the elite Sakata Regiment and an old rival of the New Second Regiment. This was probably why the mission was called "fight fire with fire".

In the previous battle of Erlang Mountain, due to the threat of Italian artillery, Sakata Nobutsu did not move his headquarters forward at all, so Chen Chengxing naturally had no chance to see him off.

However, in Cangyun Ridge, Sakata Nobutsu's command center moved to the front line. As long as he could find it, the mountain artillery he brought with him could send him back to his hometown.

"Lao Luo, I leave the family to you. The ideological education of each guerrilla team still requires people." Chen Chengxing said.

Chen Chengxing had no plan to go to Yujialing area to provide support as planned by the brigade commander, so he could not bring Luo Ping with him this time, otherwise Luo Ping would not agree to change his position.

"Don't worry." Luo Ping only thought that this was a support mission and never expected that Chen Chengxing had changed his goal before he even set off.

Ten minutes later, Chen Chengxing led the assembled troops out of Dayun Mountain and entered the guerrilla zone.

Although some puppet soldiers saw the movements of the New Second Regiment along the way, no one dared to step forward to test them. Even the roadblocks along the way were consciously moved away to prevent them from affecting the march of the Eighth Master.

The main reason they set up roadblocks was to extort money, not to catch the Eighth Route Army. Even if they wanted to catch the Eighth Route Army, they couldn't catch the main force, as that would be courting death.

While Chen Chengxing led his team on a forced march, Li Yunlong's New 1st Regiment seized the main peak of Cangyunling. The Japanese then launched several attacks. The two sides even engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.

At this time, Nobutsu Sakata had moved his headquarters forward to a place less than 2.5 kilometers away from the front-line position.

"Report to the regiment commander, the brigade commander called!" The chief of staff of the 3rd Regiment, Pu Youyong, walked into the temporary command center.

"Read!"

"According to reliable intelligence, the enemy you are facing is the headquarters of the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army. The North China Front Army Command orders your regiment to occupy the main peak of Cangyunling before noon and continue to pursue the enemy. Make sure to wipe them out completely and not let a single one escape!" Pu Youyong read.

"I see."

For the Japs, this was an unprecedented godsend opportunity. In the past, they had launched mopping-up operations with tens of thousands of people, but had never captured any headquarters of the Eighth Route Army, let alone a division headquarters, let alone a brigade headquarters.

As a result, this time the blind cat caught a dead mouse and unexpectedly caught the tail of the 129th Division headquarters. Therefore, both the Japanese North China Front Army and the First Army were very excited.

In addition to sending Nobutsu Sakata to launch a fierce attack, Yoshio Shinozuka has also ordered the defenders in the surrounding strongholds to provide emergency support here, hoping to form a large encirclement on the periphery.

Moreover, the Japanese troops in nearby Ping'an, Anqiu, Fu'an and Shuiquan had also been dispatched, preparing to wipe out the headquarters of the 129th Division in one fell swoop.

"Captain, the other side doesn't seem to have any heavy weapons. At most, they have a few mortars and heavy machine guns. I think a battalion will be enough to destroy them!" Pu Youyong said, looking at the battlefield not far away.

Sakata Nobutsu did not respond to Urayasu's proposal. This unit was different from the Eighth Route Army they had encountered before. If it were not for the lack of firepower, Sakata Nobutsu would even have thought it was the new Second Regiment of Dayun Mountain.

"Which unit of the Eighth Route Army is on the main peak of Cangyun Ridge?" asked Nobutsu Sakata.

"It's the 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army."

"I'm asking which regiment of the 129th Division!" Sakata Nobutsu said unhappily. There are so many troops in the 129th Division, what's the difference between this and not saying anything?
"It's not clear yet. We haven't captured any prisoners so far." Pu Youyong said helplessly.

"Damn it! We've been fighting for so long and we don't even know who the enemy is!" Sakata Nobutsu was very dissatisfied.

"Ura Youjun! This group of Eighth Route Army is definitely not an ordinary group of Eighth Route Army. You see, their circular position is very unique. The trenches, foxholes, light and heavy machine guns are arranged in a very methodical way. They make full use of the convenience of the terrain, which can achieve the greatest defense effect in the shortest time.

Moreover, this group of Eighth Route Army hastily switched from mobile warfare to positional warfare, but they laid minefields on the front line in a short period of time. The failure of the Fifth Squadron’s attack just now was mainly caused by the minefields.”

Sakata Nobutsu analyzed the situation and felt that this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers should not be underestimated.

The Eighth Route Army on the hills on both sides of Cangyun Ridge are completely not on the same level as the Eighth Route Army on the main peak. The Eighth Route Army on the main peak is definitely the main force, but their specific numbers are unknown.

Nobutsu Sakata decided to go all out and quickly break through the blocking position in front of him.

"Draw two infantry companies from the first and third battalions to reinforce the second battalion and prepare for a breakthrough in the center! The artillery company prepares for a fire strike!" ordered Nobutsu Sakata.

He didn't know before that behind these Eighth Route Army was the headquarters of the 129th Division. Sakata Nobutsu wanted to inflict as many casualties as possible, so he didn't mind wasting time with the Eighth Route Army on Cangyun Ridge.

But now that he knew the details, Sakata Nobutsu no longer looked down on these Eighth Route Army soldiers. No matter how elite they were, they were no match for the commander of the 129th Division.

In any country, it is very difficult to be promoted from the colonel level to major general, and this is also the biggest challenge faced by Nobutsu Sakata.

If he could capture the Eighth Route Army division commander alive this time, such a merit would be enough for him to be promoted to the rank of general.

At this time on Cangyun Ridge, the New 1st Regiment was repairing the defensive fortifications while the Japanese were withdrawing and re-preparing.

Looking at the Japanese soldiers at the foot of the mountain, Li Yunlong turned his head and shouted, "Zhang Dabiao, Zhang Dabiao!" "Captain." Zhang Dabiao on the other side hurried over.

"Zhang Dabiao, have the division headquarters and the field hospital been relocated?"

"Report to the commander, I just received news that everyone has evacuated." Zhang Dabiao reported.

"Okay, now we can finally let go and fight the Japanese." Li Yunlong breathed a sigh of relief.

This sudden encounter with the Japanese was completely unexpected. If Brigade Chen had not taken the initiative to send several regiments to escort along the way, the division headquarters might have been wiped out this time.

"Go and capture someone alive and ask which unit the Japanese on the opposite side belong to?" Li Yunlong gestured.

"It's the Sakata Regiment of the 4th Brigade of the Japanese Army." Zhang Dabiao had already figured out the Japanese soldiers' numbers through the documents on them.

"Sakata Corps? Why does it sound so familiar to me?"

"In the previous Erlangshan Battle, the New Second Regiment fought against the Bantian Brigade, and suffered heavy casualties. In the Yunling Anti-mopping-up Campaign, the Independent Regiment also fought an encounter battle with the Bantian Brigade, and the regiment commander Kong Jie was injured, and the political commissar Li Wenying died."

"You said that the Sakata Regiment is the mortal enemy of our military region." Zhang Dabiao said.

"Damn it, I was just thinking about how to vent my anger on the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment, but that bastard Sakata actually came." Li Yunlong said while looking at the Japanese soldiers at the foot of the mountain.

The old troops of the 386th Brigade that entered Shanxi together included, in addition to the numbered regiment, three core regiments: the New st Regiment, the New nd Regiment, and the Independent Regiment.

Both the New Second Regiment and the Independent Regiment have fought against the Sakata Unit, but neither of them gained any advantage. If the New First Regiment can gain some advantage from the Sakata Unit, they will be more confident when they meet Chen Chengxing and Kong Jie again in the future.

"Captain, they are known as the elite of the Japanese." Zhang Dabiao looked at Li Yunlong who looked confident and said hesitantly.

Although the New 2nd Regiment was able to fight back and forth with the Sakata Regiment, that was because they relied on the fortifications built in advance on Erlang Mountain. In addition, there were a large number of mortars, and the New 2nd Regiment alone suffered more than a thousand casualties.

Although the Shinichi Regiment also has about 3,000 people, they are definitely no match for the Sakata Corps if they really go head-to-head.

"What the hell are you talking about elite troops? Isn't the New 1st Regiment elite troops? We're fighting the elite troops!"

If Li Yunlong really wanted to let the New 1st Regiment fight the Sakata Corps one-on-one, he wouldn't dare to say this.

However, there are three hills in Cangyun Ridge. In addition to attacking these three hills, the Sakata Regiment has to divide its troops to block the surrounding passes. At this time, there should be only one battalion of troops in front of the New 3st Regiment, and the rest are at most some logistical troops.

Facing more than a thousand Japanese devils, Li Yunlong still had the confidence to fight them.

"Pass on my order, everyone put on bayonets and prepare for attack!" Li Yunlong ordered.

"Ah? Attack? Commander, it's the Japanese attacking now." Zhang Dabiao was even more confused.

"Didn't you hear my order clearly? At this point, we can only attack!" Li Yunlong said unhappily.

"Yes! Everyone put on bayonets and prepare for attack!" Zhang Dabiao immediately conveyed Li Yunlong's order.

Just as the New 1st Regiment was getting ready, Chen Chengxing had already led the New 2nd Regiment on a forced march and arrived at Mayao Village near Cangyun Ridge.

"The guard company is responsible for vigilance, and the rest of the troops rest on the spot! The reconnaissance platoon will go forward to investigate the specific movements of the Japanese!" Chen Chengxing dismounted and gave the order.

The reconnaissance platoon had horses, so they did not consume much physical energy during the forced march.

"Yes!"

After the combat staff found a place to spread out the map, Xu Wu and others discovered something was wrong.

"Captain, have we taken the wrong path? Yujialing is 15 miles to the north!" Xu Wu said anxiously. The order received by the New Second Regiment was to support the retreat of the New First Regiment, and Yujialing was the most suitable place.

Taking the wrong route during a march is no small matter. If the opportunity to fight is missed, the superiors will investigate and the regiment commander will probably be scolded.

"I can't be wrong. Li Yunlong will definitely not break out from the direction of Yujialing." Chen Chengxing looked at the map without raising his head.

"No? But according to the communication with the military region, didn't the division headquarters already evacuate and the commander also sent a messenger to order the New 1st Regiment to retreat to Yujialing?" Xu Wu asked in confusion.

Along the way, the radio station of the New Second Regiment maintained constant contact with the brigade headquarters and had a certain understanding of the battlefield situation.

"Li Yunlong has disobeyed orders on the battlefield more than once or twice. I'm sure he won't just withdraw like this," said Chen Chengxing.

"Not retreating? Then what does he want to do?"

"Break through from the front!" Chen Chengxing affirmed.

"Front-line? Breakout?" Xu Wu thought he had misheard.

"Send a telegram to the commander and tell him that our unit has arrived at the flank of the Sakata Regiment as planned, and is ready to attack the Sakata Regiment and can support the New 1st Regiment's breakout at any time," said Chen Chengxing.

"Yes!" The telegraph soldier immediately drafted a telegram.

If he didn't know the plot, Chen Chengxing wouldn't dare to be so decisive even with level 7 insight. After all, it was really unbelievable.

However, the order received by the New Second Regiment was to support the New First Regiment in breaking out, and it was not specified that they had to be at Yujialing.

After all, the New Second Regiment was participating in the battle from a long distance, and Brigade Chen didn't know when they would arrive, so it was impossible to give them a dead target in advance. This gave Chen Chengxing an opportunity to operate.

After receiving Chen Chengxing's telegram, Chen Can immediately reported it to Chen Brigade.

"The New Second Regiment called and said that they have arrived at the flank of the Sakata Regiment as planned and can launch an attack at any time."

"We're here so soon?" Chen Lu asked in surprise.

This is a distance of 40 kilometers, and the New Second Regiment completed it in just over 3 hours, which was completely beyond Brigade Chen's expectations.

Originally, according to Brigade Lieutenant Colonel Chen's estimate, the New Second Regiment should take four to five hours to arrive, which would be just in time to cover the retreat of the Yujialing blocking troops. However, it would be good for them to arrive early now so that they can directly support the retreat of the New First Regiment.

"Tell Chen Chengxing not to rush into the attack. The New Second Regiment should act according to the situation and launch a surprise attack when the New First Regiment moves. As soon as the New First Regiment breaks contact with the Japanese, retreat immediately!" Brigade Chen ordered.

Now no one had anticipated Li Yunlong's plan, so the covering forces were all on the north side of Cangyun Ridge, with only the New Second Regiment located on the Japanese's flank.

Moreover, Brigade Leader Chen did not expect that the "according to the plan" in Chen Chengxing's telegram was according to his own plan. He thought that they had arrived near Yujialing according to the retreat plan.

(End of this chapter)