Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 201: The Japs Can Survive in the Earth ( more chapters, please give me a monthly ticket)

Chen Chengxing was standing on a hill at this time, holding a telescope and watching the every move of the Japanese and puppet troops.

"The Japanese have fallen into a trap. Order the troops to encircle them!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!" The signalman ran out immediately.

There are hillsides everywhere around Zhangjiaping, and Qin Sheng had already set up an ambush with the 13th and 15th companies.

As for the heavy weapons of the Fourth Battalion, they have been reinforced to each company due to the division of troops. Therefore, Qin Sheng only has 4 heavy machine guns and 3 82mm mortars at this time.

Of course, each company also has its own three 3mm mortars.

Facing the Japanese and puppet troops who did not carry heavy weapons, these equipments were enough to crush them.

After the puppet army took the lead in rushing into Zhangjiaping, they immediately began searching house by house.

Ono Hiroji stood expressionlessly on a small stone platform outside the village. He had a hunch that the people of Zhangjiaping might have already fled into the mountains.

This kind of situation has occurred frequently during previous raids.

Just when Ono Hiroji was thinking about which village to raid next, gunshots suddenly rang out.

"Bang!" "Bang!".
Then a Japanese sentry came running over with his short legs: "Captain, the Eighth Route Army is approaching this way!"

"Eighth Route Army? Hey, I'm looking for them!" Ono Hiroji said excitedly.

"Captain! They are not the local Eighth Route Army, they are the old Eighth Route Army. There must be at least four or five hundred of them!"

The sentry's words froze Ono Hiroji's smile.

The Old Eighth Route Army refers to the regular army of the Eighth Route Army. The only regular army of the Eighth Route Army in this area is the New Second Regiment.

"Everyone retreat to the village immediately! Send out a signalman to request support!" Ono Hiroji said urgently.

If he had 200 locust soldiers with him, he would dare to fight a field battle with the main force of the New Second Regiment of more than 60 people, but he only had locust soldiers now, and the other locust soldiers were nothing but garbage.

Rather than expecting them to hold up, it is better to hope that locusts will suddenly jump out and wipe out all the Eighth Route Army.

Seeing the Japanese retreating into the village, Chen Chengxing didn't care at all. The New Second Regiment had fought many village attack and defense battles, and the soldiers all knew how to fight.

"Kill the chicken for me!" Ono Hiroji shouted as he saw the Eighth Route Army approaching.

"Thump, thump, thump" "Bang!" "Bang!".
As soon as the Japs opened fire, the attacking soldiers fell to the ground, and then the heavy machine guns and mortars in the rear opened fire.

"Boom!" "Boom!".
The Japanese, who had no heavy weapons, could not fight against the heavy machine guns and so many mortars with just two grenade launchers.

Especially since the fourth battalion launched attacks from all four sides at the same time, although there was a primary and secondary distinction, Ono Hiroshi was forced to divide his forces. There were only a dozen devils and thirty or forty puppet troops on one side.

It is wishful thinking to expect such a small number of people to stop the attack of the Fourth Battalion.

In just over ten minutes, the soldiers advanced to the edge of the village.

Ono Hiroji had no choice but to withdraw his troops and prepare to hold out and wait for reinforcements.

However, this contraction resulted in him completely panicking.

When retreating, the Japanese soldiers subconsciously followed the usual practice and ran away, ordering the puppet army to cover them from behind.

But the puppet army was not stupid. They knew how many Eighth Route Army soldiers were outside, and they also knew that if they continued to resist, it would be difficult to retrieve the complete bodies.

Seeing the Japs retreating in a hurry, the remaining puppet soldiers looked at each other, then threw their guns to the ground at the same time, and lay down with their hands on their heads.

The puppet troops in the four directions of southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest even behaved in a relatively orderly manner.

Ono Hiroji, who was waiting in the center of the village, was frightened when he saw that only more than thirty soldiers ran back.

No matter how useless these Locust Army soldiers are, they can at least block bullets and attract the attention of the Eighth Route Army. Without these cannon fodder, the Locust Army will have to pay with their lives.

Chen Chengxing outside the village also received the surrender report of the puppet army.

"Take off their belts and control them first." Chen Chengxing ordered.

Some of these puppet troops were originally in the Caojiaji stronghold, while others were transferred here later. A decision could only be made after they were screened.

The puppet troops originally in Caojiaji must be dealt with severely, but those transferred from Luyang who have not done anything bad can be treated leniently at the discretion of the court.

Under the current situation, the Eighth Route Army cannot adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.

As the Japanese retreated, the soldiers of the Fourth Battalion quickly broke into the village.

The houses and walls in the countryside are relatively short, so the soldiers didn't even walk on the road, but simply climbed over the walls and climbed into the houses.

"Quick, quick, work as a class and create some distance!"

"Throw more grenades to clear the way!"

"Find a yard to set up the mortar position, and squad one will assist the artillery observation team to occupy the commanding heights!" Li Chishui gave a series of orders after breaking into the village from the north side.

Because of its indirect trajectory, mortars can support infantry attacks at any time in village battles and street fights. However, since buildings block the field of vision, an observation team is required to provide information in real time.

After the New Second Regiment broke into the village, they did not rush to attack. Instead, they first scouted the houses outside to make sure they would not be robbed, and then began to fight for each house.

The method of fighting was also very simple. As long as there were Japanese soldiers holding their ground in the yard, they would immediately send flag signals to the artillery observation group in the rear. After a few shells fell into the yard, the infantry would move forward to seize the courtyard wall.

When facing the Japanese soldiers hiding in the house, they just used grenades to attack them.

"Boom!" "Boom!".
With the continuous explosions, the area occupied by the Japanese became smaller and smaller.

As Ono Hiroji watched the Eighth Route Army approaching him, he knew that he was in great danger today.

"Gentlemen, the Great Core Soul is here to fight!"

"It's dark, get on board!" Ono Hiroji drew out his command knife and shouted.

"Onboard!".
The remaining dozen or so Japanese soldiers looked fanatical and were ready to enter the sacred toilet.

"Taoci, here you go!"

Ono Hiroji pointed his knife and the Japanese immediately rushed out with guns.

Seeing the devils rushing out frantically, Qin Sheng hurriedly shouted: "Don't kill Ono Hiroji!"

Upon hearing the battalion commander's order, the machine gunner next to him tilted its muzzle and fired a long sweep that knocked down half of the Japanese infantrymen nearby.

The remaining few Japanese soldiers were surrounded by the soldiers, with their swords facing each other.

The soldiers did not take the initiative to attack, and the Japanese did not dare to act rashly.

After a while, Chen Chengxing came over.

"Is this Ono Hiroji?" Chen Chengxing asked the Japanese soldier holding a knife in the middle.

"It's him. He was the one who did the Majia Village incident." Qin Sheng said affirmatively.

"Sir!" Hong Shu, the translator who was following the devils, shouted, "Captain Ono has something to say."

"The Japanese are causing a lot of trouble. It would be better if they just surrender." Wei Dayong said disdainfully.

"If you have something to say, then don't say it!" said Chen Chengxing.

"Captain Ono is a Japanese kendo master. He wants to have a one-on-one kendo match with you. Regardless of the outcome, he is willing to surrender afterwards!"

What Ono Hiroji was thinking about at this time was a one-for-one trade, and as for surrendering, that was just a casual remark.

"Captain, I'm afraid the Japanese have no good intentions." Wei Dayong whispered on the side.

"It's okay. I also fought my way through the Long March. I've seen all kinds of battles," Chen Chengxing said casually.

Chen Chengxing took two steps forward and hooked his finger, motioning Ono Hiroji to come forward.

Seeing Chen Chengxing just standing there without pulling out the knife from his waist, Ono Hiroji thought that Chen Chengxing looked down on him.

However, Ono Hiroji was not angry, but secretly happy. He was an eighth-degree master in kendo, and this was the limit of what he could achieve in the exam.

Moreover, I just heard the Eighth Route Army calling this person "Captain". This must be Chen Chengxing, the commander of the New Second Regiment!

If I can kill him, even if I die immediately, I will still make a huge profit!

Ono Hiroji calmed himself down, took two steps forward, waved the command knife in his hand a few times, then put it back into the scabbard, ready to use the most unexpected Iaido to kill Chen Chengxing instantly. After all, the eight routes around him were all eyeing him covetously, and he only had one chance to strike.

Looking at Ono Hiroji bending down, Chen Chengxing immediately knew what he was going to do.

"What a coincidence! I also want to use Iai." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

Ono Hiroji didn't understand what Chen Chengxing was saying, but he took advantage of the distraction when Chen Chengxing was talking and rushed forward instantly, staring at Chen Chengxing, ready to adjust his posture at any time to kill the opponent instantly.

But the next moment, Chen Chengxing's action made Ono Hiroji's eyes widen!
Chen Chengxing pulled out the Mazda 9 pistol from his waist at an extremely fast speed, and as soon as he moved his hands, gunshots rang out.

The whole set of movements takes less than half a second.

"boom!"

"Bang! Bang!"

Ono Hiroji fell to the ground.

After being shot once in the thigh and twice in the shoulder, Ono Hiroji could no longer get up by his own strength.

Putting the gun back into the holster, Chen Chengxing said with a smile: "American Iai, please teach me!"

"Baka! You don't deserve to be called a warrior!" Ono Hiroji lay on the ground and turned his head with difficulty to look at Chen Chengxing, while still cursing angrily.

"I don't understand what you are saying. Just take it as you admit defeat." Chen Chengxing's Japanese is level 0, and apart from this 'baka', he couldn't understand the rest of the words.

"Kill all the remaining Japanese devils." With a wave of his hand, Chen Chengxing decided the fate of the other Japanese devils.

Upon hearing this, Wei Dayong, who was standing next to him, quickly pulled out the Mauser pistol from his waist. He hadn't killed a single Japanese soldier yet, and if he was too slow, not even a hair would be left.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!".
"Captain, I've learned it too. It's useless to call me that." Wei Dayong said confidently as he looked at the corpses of the Japanese soldiers on the ground.

It's just shooting, who can't do it? Chen Chengxing ignored Wei Dayong who was showing off, and pointed at Ono Hiroshi on the ground and said to Li Chishui: "I heard that your specialty is 'falling upside down'? This little devil is in your hands, you must make him feel the enthusiasm of the Eighth Route Army, understand?"

"Don't worry, Captain." Li Chishui patted his chest and said. He had watched so many plays and learned many ways of entertaining. Now he finally had the opportunity to put them into practice.

"Hurry up and clean up the battlefield, check the damage to the houses, and repair them for the villagers in two days. Take over the Caojiaji stronghold at night!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

"Yes!"

After nightfall, Chen Chengxing led his troops and quietly approached the Caojiaji stronghold.

The signalman sent by Ono Hiroji for help was shot dead by the district squad's militia after leaving Zhangjiaping. Therefore, the Japanese and puppet troops left behind in the Caojiaji stronghold had no idea that the Japanese army had been completely annihilated.

However, Chen Chengxing was not in a hurry to attack. It was not the right time yet. The time to take action would be late at night.

When Chen Chengxing was holding a pre-war meeting, Li Chishui suddenly said, "Captain, after I entertained the devils, they actually ran away!"

"Escaped? How did he run away?" Chen Chengxing looked at Li Chishuai's expression and it didn't look like the Japanese had run away.

"Captain, you don't know. He suddenly disappeared in front of everyone. Some people say that the Japanese can burrow into the ground! Just like Tuxingsun!" Li Chishui said with a wink.

"I understand. Let's do this for now." Chen Chengxing said casually. It seemed that the Japanese did burrow underground, but he didn't know whether Ono Hiroji had learned the essence and whether he could breathe in the soil.

Chen Chengxing did not take this little episode to heart, but instead focused all his attention on Caojiaji.

After Li Chishui sat down, Chen Chengxing looked at everyone and said, "The enemy troops in the Caojiaji stronghold are only about fifty or sixty people. The outer defense should be mainly composed of puppet troops. We need to defeat the puppet troops as soon as possible and then attack the artillery tower."

The Japanese infantry guns and heavy machine guns would definitely be placed on the artillery tower, because only in this way could they strike down enemies on all sides from a high position. This also means that the puppet army was responsible for the outer defense.

As long as the troops can enter the stronghold, the mortars can be lowered to bombard the Japanese artillery tower.

"Captain, when there is hope, the puppet army will rarely surrender directly, especially when there are Japanese devils in the stronghold." Qin Sheng said with some headache.

Although the puppet troops are very cowardly, they will not surrender voluntarily as long as the probability of holding on is high. After all, they will be punished to a certain extent afterwards. Even if their lives are not taken away, they cannot bear to have some money deducted.

"I know that." Chen Chengxing nodded, then pointed to the sketch of the base drawn by the scout and said:

"The big artillery tower in the enemy's stronghold is in the northeast corner, and the defense here is the strongest."

"My idea is to deploy the main force in the west, but without heavy weapons, and under the command of the fourth battalion commander; put one and a half infantry platoons in the south, but reinforce the mortars and heavy machine guns to the south, under my command."

"Once the attention of the Japanese and puppet troops is all drawn to the west, I will try to launch a strong attack and take down the south wall directly!"

"As long as we can enter the stronghold, the puppet army will have no choice but to retreat to the artillery tower or surrender. Moreover, with the house as a cover, we can push the mortar to the vicinity of the artillery tower in the dark, and the rest will be left to the mortar."

Chen Chengxing did the opposite. The large force launched a feint attack while the small force launched the main attack.

Although the mortar can fire horizontally at a close range, the Japanese stronghold only covers an area of 10 acres, which is a little more than 80 meters by 80 meters in length. After entering the stronghold, with no obstruction, the mortar can fire as it pleases.

"Captain, why don't I attack from the south?" Qin Sheng said.

The troops in the south are outnumbered and have to attack by force. Qin Sheng is worried that something might happen to Chen Chengxing. Let alone a serious or minor injury, even if he just sprains his ankle, the political commissar will probably not forgive him.

"The greater the threat to the Japanese from the west, the safer our side will be. You might as well think about how to force the puppet army to transfer its forces while reducing casualties," said Chen Chengxing.

"This is it!" Seeing Chen Chengxing staring at him, Qin Sheng didn't dare to say anything more. He could only think about how to fight later.

He was a platoon leader of the guard platoon and was Chen Chengxing's confidant. Naturally, he knew the commander's temper. He was really afraid that the commander would jump up and beat him.

"Do you all understand?" Chen Chengxing asked after seeing Qin Sheng lower his head and scanning the area.

"understand!"

The battalion commander didn't dare to speak, so how could the company and platoon leaders dare to say another word?

At 12 o'clock in the evening, Qin Sheng took the lead in launching an offensive in the west, and it was a big one from the beginning, with 60mm mortars continuously bombarding the Japanese strongholds.

"Boom!" "Boom!".
"Bang!" "Bang!".
As the sound of gunfire rang out, the Japanese and puppet troops in the Caojiaji stronghold jumped up directly. The heavy machine gunner on duty in the artillery tower almost immediately turned the muzzle of the gun and fired continuously outside.

"Everyone in the army! Get on the wall and fight back!" the remaining Japanese sergeant shouted at the puppet army.

"Hi, hi!"

The puppet soldiers nodded and bowed while running towards the designated position. When the gunfire sounded, the Japanese were no longer the usual Japanese. They really killed people.

The Japanese and puppet troops used artillery towers and city walls to continuously shoot outward, but as time went on, the pressure on the Japanese became greater and greater.

In order to put enough pressure on the Caojiaji stronghold, Qin Sheng did not ignore the casualties and launched a forced attack, but he continued to attack with machine guns and mortars.

The Japanese sergeant said that he had never encountered such a wealthy Eighth Route Army. The Eighth Route Army he had encountered before all relied on their numerical advantage to win victory, but now it was just the opposite. The firepower was so strong that they didn't even look like the Eighth Route Army.

In desperation, the Japanese sergeant could only order the two heavy machine guns and infantry guns in the artillery tower to fire to the west, leaving seven or eight Locust Army soldiers on each of the other walls for guard, and the rest of the Locust Army soldiers were also transferred to the west.

While the Japanese were busy shifting their guns, Li Chishui had already led his men to quietly cut the barbed wire and build a wooden bridge over the outer ditch.

Although the warning objects on the barbed wire made a noise when they were being cut, the rumbling of artillery fire to the west meant that the puppet soldiers in the stronghold could not hear the clanking of the warning objects at all.

Everything was ready. Chen Chengxing waited for a while until the two tongues of fire in the artillery tower were all shot towards the west and the infantry guns on the top of the artillery tower also began to bombard the west. Only then did Chen Chengxing give the order to attack.

Li Chishui and his men carried explosives and rushed towards the south gate of the Caojiaji stronghold. This movement made the puppet troops on the south wall discover something was wrong.

"There are Eighth Route Army!"

"Shoot! Shoot quickly!"

"Bang!" "Bang!".
The puppet army's shooting was like stirring up a hornet's nest, and four tongues of fire instantly appeared in the darkness to the south.

There were only a few puppet soldiers on the wall. Facing four heavy machine guns, they dared not even raise their heads, let alone resist, and could only shoot indiscriminately.

At this time, the Japanese sergeant on the artillery tower also discovered something was wrong.

"Heavy machine gun! Adjust direction, there are enemies in the south!" the Japanese sergeant shouted.

However, Li Chishui and his men charged first and then started firing heavy machine guns. Moreover, everyone charged at the fastest speed throughout the whole process and ignored the puppet troops on the wall. Therefore, before the Japanese heavy machine guns could be adjusted into place, the explosive packs had already hit the south gate of the Caojiaji stronghold.

"boom!"

With an explosion, the South Gate instantly turned into pieces.

Before Li Chishui and his men could rush in, the puppet soldiers on the wall had already run back like crazy, shouting as they ran: "The city has been breached! The Eighth Route Army is rushing in!"

Upon hearing that the Eighth Route Army had entered the stronghold, the puppet soldiers on the other walls had no intention of continuing to hold on and immediately retreated to the artillery tower. The only ones who could protect them now were the Japanese.

With the retreat of the puppet troops, the New Second Regiment no longer faced any obstacles.

"Don't panic! Each of you occupy the firing holes and prepare for a counterattack!" The Japanese sergeant shouted loudly as he looked at the puppet army which was in some confusion.

Although the Japanese sergeant wanted to beat these locust soldiers to death, he still had to use them now.

Although the outer perimeter of the stronghold was lost, there were no buildings within 20 meters of the artillery tower. With the firepower in the artillery tower, as long as it could be maintained, it would be difficult for the Eighth Route Army to break through the 20 meters.

However, what surprised the Japanese sergeant was that after entering the stronghold, the Eighth Route Army had no intention of attacking the artillery tower.

However, because the searchlight had been broken, the Japanese sergeant could not see clearly what the Eighth Route Army was doing outside. He thought that the Eighth Route Army wanted to steal the supplies outside and then retreat.

This made the Japanese sergeant breathe a sigh of relief. The ammunition in the stronghold was all in the artillery tower, and outside were all food supplies. Even if they were robbed by the Eighth Route Army, they could ask the surrounding maintenance associations to send a new batch later, which would have almost no impact on them.

Just when the Japanese sergeant relaxed a little, Chen Chengxing had already leveled the barrels of the three 3mm mortars in his hands and fixed the base plates.

"Fire!" Chen Chengxing didn't even try to persuade them to surrender, but directly gave the order to fire.

"Boom!" "Boom!".
When a mortar shell hits a turret, it cannot directly collapse it, but it will create a hole in it.

The hole was trumpet-shaped, and the actual hole in the inner wall was no bigger than a human head, but the broken bricks caused heavy casualties among the Japanese and puppet troops inside.

Moreover, the mortars were hidden in the house, very close to the artillery tower. The Japanese infantry artillery on the roof could not find the target to counterattack, and throwing grenades could not hurt the mortars at all. For a while, they were in a completely passive position.

The three mortars fired fifty or sixty shells in succession until the base began to become unstable, and then they stopped firing.

At this time, there was no good place on the side of the turret facing the mortar, and it was covered with holes of all sizes.

After the cannon fire stopped, Chen Chengxing ordered Qin Sheng next to him, "Send someone forward to test it out."

"Yes!"

Qin Sheng waved his hand to the side, and a row of soldiers began to move forward.

As the soldiers appeared in the unobstructed area outside the artillery tower, the Japanese inside the artillery tower began to fight back.

However, there were only a few Japanese soldiers on the roof of this three-story artillery tower, shooting with their pistols.

Faced with these small pistols, the soldiers rushed to the bottom of the artillery tower in a scattered attack, then blew open the small door of the artillery tower and rushed in.

After a burst of gunfire and explosions, the Japanese artillery tower fell silent again.

After a while, a soldier ran out and reported: "Captain, the enemy has been completely wiped out!"

"I understand." Chen Chengxing nodded.

After thinking for a while, Chen Chengxing said, "Qin Sheng, you can keep all the spoils this time."

"Thank you, Captain!" Qin Sheng looked excited.

Not to mention anything else, just this infantry gun is enough to make Qin Sheng laugh out loud.

Attacking a gun tower with infantry artillery and attacking a gun tower with mortars directly are two different concepts. With this infantry artillery, he can attack the gun towers in the guerrilla zone of the 4th Battalion however he wants, and even if the nearby strongholds want to provide support, it will be too late.

"Next, most of the troops of the 4th Battalion and the th Guerrilla Team should move as close to the east as possible. A major battle is bound to take place in the Yaotou Village area." Chen Chengxing said seriously.

The New Second Regiment and the Japanese will definitely engage in a fierce battle over the Wu'an Highway.

All the strongholds in the Anqiu direction only have one battalion of Japanese soldiers, so it will not be the main battle direction.

There is a mixed brigade in the Wuyi County area, and there are also many Japanese troops in Taigu and Xinkou. Therefore, once the fighting breaks out in the direction of Yaotou Village, it will definitely be a big battle.

"Yes!" Qin Sheng suppressed his smile. He also knew that the Japanese were repairing the road.

(End of this chapter)