Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 213 You're done for if I don't participate
Looking at the 13th Regiment of the puppet army not far away, Sun Desheng ordered: "The machine gun platoon and the artillery platoon will each build their own positions, form crossfire, and prepare to cover the main force's charge."

If the cavalry company was facing the Japanese now, Sun Desheng would definitely order everyone to dismount and fight, but now the people standing in front of the cavalry company were puppet troops.

These puppet armies didn't even have decent heavy weapons, and hadn't built any fortifications.

Therefore, as long as heavy machine guns and mortars are used to suppress the enemy, the cavalry troops can cross the 2-meter distance in a blink of an eye and kill into the group of puppet troops.

The machine gun platoon and the artillery platoon set up their positions right in front of the puppet army without any intention of concealing anything, and the light machine gun squads of each cavalry platoon also dismounted, ready to launch a joint fire attack.

Looking at the row of light and heavy machine guns and mortar positions, Hong Shusen couldn't help swallowing.

This is too scary. Is the firepower of the Eighth Route Army so strong now?
Not to mention heavy weapons, even the light machine guns, the cavalry battalion on the opposite side has more than their own infantry regiment.

Who are the Tubalu after all?
"Tell the brothers not to be afraid. The Eighth Route Army's cavalry are big targets. You can shoot them on their horses later!" Hong Shusen instructed Ding Chengcheng beside him.

"yes.".
When the puppet soldiers heard Hong Shusen's order, they almost cursed out loud on the spot.

If the 13th Regiment takes the initiative on the battlefield, everyone will attack aggressively without you, Captain Hong, saying anything. After all, everyone wants the credit.

But now the Eighth Route Army has the initiative on the battlefield. Can the 13th Regiment be a match for the Eighth Route Army Cavalry Battalion?
Not to mention that the enemy is on horseback, even if they dismount and fight on foot, the 13th Regiment would probably not be a match for them.

And who doesn't know that Japanese horses are precious? If we fight against them now, will you, Captain Hong, cover for your brothers after they are defeated?
I'm afraid that the ones who get shot will be your brothers, right?
Hong Shusen didn't know what his soldiers were thinking. He simply thought that he could rely on his soldiers to stop the Eighth Route Army first, and then take the opportunity to negotiate terms. Even if he surrendered at that time, the treatment would be much better.

After Sun Desheng and others made all the preparations for machine guns and mortars, he and the deputy company commander Ma Zhiyuan divided into two groups, each leading three platoons, preparing to split into two groups and form a pincer attack.

After Sun Desheng and Ma Zhiyuan were ready, a flare shot into the sky.

"Da Da Da" "Boom!" "Boom!".
The machine guns and mortars on the hill immediately launched fierce attacks on the puppet troops.

Seeing the puppet army gradually falling into chaos under the firepower attack, Sun Desheng drew his saber, squeezed the horse's belly hard, and shouted:
"Cavalry Company! Attack!"

"kill!".
The entire cavalry company divided into two groups and rushed towards the 13th Regiment.

Although there were only more than 200 horses actually participating in the charge, in the eyes of the puppet troops of the 13th Regiment, they were pressing towards them with an overwhelming momentum.

The 13th Regiment was already in chaos due to the heavy machine guns and mortars. Now seeing such a strong sense of oppression, they dared not even shoot into the air, let alone shoot at horses, for fear that the Eighth Route Army would hear the gunshots and run over to trample them to death.

"Shoot! Shoot!" Hong Shusen kept shouting while hiding behind a rock.

But no one in the entire 13th Regiment paid any attention to him. Even his adjutant Ding Cheng shrank back and pretended not to hear anything.

The puppet soldiers were afraid of blocking the path of the Eighth Route Cavalry, so everyone involuntarily made way for them to pass.

Sun Desheng and Ma Zhiyuan led the cavalry company to charge forward as if they were in an empty space.

When he saw that the Eighth Route Army had already rushed into the position and was about to strangle the 13th Regiment, Hong Shusen, who had been shouting, suddenly changed his tone: "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! We surrender!"

While shouting, he was waving a white cloth that he had pulled out from somewhere.

"Brothers! The Eighth Route Army treats prisoners well, put down your guns!"

"Surrender!"

Hearing Hong Shusen's rude behavior, the surrounding soldiers became angry.

Damn it, you just asked us to fight back, and now you are the first to surrender? Just wait until the Eighth Route Army identifies you, and you will be finished if I don't participate!

"Xu~~"

After Sun Desheng stopped his horse, he did not relax his vigilance. Instead, he waved his hand to let two platoons of soldiers dismount and control the battlefield. The remaining four platoons of cavalry and the machine gun and artillery platoons were ready to attack at any time.

The puppet soldiers of the 13th Regiment were very cooperative. They took the initiative to put their hands behind their backs and let the Eighth Route Army tie their hands with belts.

Only after all the puppet soldiers had their hands tied and were lying on the ground did Sun Desheng relax his vigilance slightly.

"Get off your horses! Clean up the battlefield!" Sun Desheng ordered.

Japanese horses are good in everything, with strong explosive power and fast short-distance charge speed, but their endurance is a little lacking, so it is better to let them rest after the charge.

As soon as Sun Desheng arrived at the battlefield, he heard someone shouting, "Sir! Sir! I have something to report!"

Sun Desheng turned his head and saw a puppet army officer crawling on the ground.

"Bring it here." Sun Desheng gestured.

When the puppet soldier was brought before the two soldiers, Sun Desheng asked directly, "What's your name? What do you want to report?"

"Sir, my name is Ding Cheng. I'm the adjutant of the 13th Regiment. I want to report and be rewarded!" Ding Cheng said after standing up straight.

Hong Shusen, who was originally lying on the ground, became anxious when he heard this. Ding Cheng was his adjutant, and he also knew what Ding Cheng knew.

Now the only person who can report and gain merit is probably myself.
"Ding Cheng! Don't forget..."

Before Hong Shusen could finish his words, Sun Desheng had already pulled out his revolver and pointed it at him.

Looking at the black muzzle of the gun, Hong Shusen didn't dare to say another word, but his expression was very anxious.

"Commander, it's him, Hong Shusen. Just now we all wanted to surrender, but he used the Japanese to pressure us and forced us to shoot at horses!" Ding Cheng directly put all the blame on Hong Shusen.

"What?!" Sun Desheng got angry when he heard it.

He had been a cavalryman for so many years and had the deepest feelings for horses. When he heard that someone wanted to hit his horse, he got angrier than if someone wanted to hit him.

"Ding Cheng! You're talking nonsense! When were you going to surrender voluntarily? Did I force you? Didn't we all not fire a shot in the end?" Hong Shusen said anxiously.

Clearly not a single shot was fired, and now I have to take the blame? Am I the leader just to take the blame?
"I farted? Ask the brothers if I was right!" Ding Cheng looked around and shouted, "Tell me, am I lying?"

None of the captured puppet soldiers were stupid, and they all started to pass the buck:
"Adjutant Ding is right. It was the commander who forced us to do that!"

"That's right! We were all about to surrender!"
When Hong Shusen heard that his men were backstabbing him, his face turned red with anxiety. They were trying to kill him.

"I"

"boom!"

This time, Sun Desheng did not give him a chance to speak and pulled the trigger directly.

Looking at Hong Shusen who was shot in the head, Ma Zhiyuan said anxiously: "Captain! You..."

According to the military regulations of the Eighth Route Army, killing prisoners is a taboo.

"What are you afraid of? Everyone has his own share of responsibility! If my superiors investigate, they will just shoot me!" "But if anyone deliberately targets my horse, I will kill him!" Sun Desheng said firmly.

"Oh my god!" Ma Zhiyuan was helpless.

"Let's talk to the team leader first." Ma Zhiyuan said.

"Okay." Sun Desheng agreed decisively.

He is stubborn but not stupid at all. Everyone in the group knows who the leader is.

"Let's go back after cleaning up the battlefield." said Sun Desheng.

"What about these guys?" Ma Zhiyuan asked, pointing at the prisoners on the ground.

"Just leave a few people to guard it." Sun Desheng said casually.

Lying on the ground with hands behind the back, it seems not that easy. A squad of soldiers is enough to control the scene.

After the soldiers collected all the guns and ammunition of the puppet army, Sun Desheng led the cavalry company quickly back to the Lijiazhang battlefield.

For safety reasons, Sun Desheng did not leave behind only one squad of soldiers, but instead left behind the 2nd Cavalry Platoon to guard the 13th Regiment of the Puppet Army.

"Commander, the 13th Regiment of the puppet army has been taken control." Sun Desheng reported.

"What is the current situation of the puppet army?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"They've all been tied up, and the 2nd platoon is guarding them now."

"No need to watch over them. Without weapons, the puppet troops have no influence on us. Let the 2nd Cavalry Platoon withdraw." Chen Chengxing said without even raising his head.

No matter what the situation is in the battle of Lijiazhang, the Third Battalion will definitely have to march quickly, and by then it will have no time to deal with the 13th Regiment of the Puppet Army.

"Yes!" Sun Desheng hesitated for a moment and did not leave.

"Just tell me if you have something to say." Chen Cheng looked up at Sun Desheng. In his impression, Sun Desheng was not a shy person.

"Commander, after the 13th Regiment of the puppet army surrendered, I killed their commander." Sun Desheng hesitated for a moment, but still spoke directly.

Ma Zhiyuan was speechless after hearing what Sun Desheng said so bluntly. You have to give the commander a way out.

"Captain, this is what happened." Ma Zhiyuan quickly explained the situation and tried his best to put the blame on Hong Shusen.

"Although the circumstances are excusable, our superiors have clear regulations on this matter and punishment must be imposed," said Chen Chengxing.

I can't just let this matter go no matter what. Otherwise, my superiors will find out and the political officer will get involved, and I won't have the final say on what the punishment will be.

Now that it is dealt with in advance, it can be regarded as a final conclusion. After all, one mistake cannot be punished twice.

"Captain, tell me, no matter what the punishment is, I have no complaints!" Sun Desheng said seriously.

"This military achievement will be cancelled, and your position as company commander will also be cancelled, and you will be put in solitary confinement for a month." Chen Chengxing said after thinking for a while.

Being put in solitary confinement for a month is already considered a very severe punishment, and after registering it in this way, it can be justified to the superiors.

"But now the war is urgent, so the confinement will be put on hold for now. You will serve as the acting company commander and make amends for your crime."

"I'm telling you this, if you do it again, I won't forgive you."

Treating prisoners well was an important part of the Red Party's political mobilization and united front strategy during the War of Resistance. Once the killing of prisoners on the battlefield was publicized, it would immediately become an excuse for the Japanese and the Guo Party to attack the Eighth Route Army.

"Captain, I promise not to do it again!" Upon hearing that he could make up for his crime with merit, Sun Desheng, who had been a little depressed, immediately smiled.

Seeing Sun Desheng grinning, Chen Chengxing asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"I thought I would at least get my punishment this time, but I didn't expect that I would be rewarded with meritorious service." Sun Desheng said embarrassedly.

Sun Desheng was well aware of how serious the killing of prisoners was on the battlefield, so the regiment commander raised him high and then put him down gently.

Although he was stripped of his position as company commander, he was still the acting company commander. As long as he made some small contribution, he would be reinstated immediately.

A month of confinement sounds severe, but it is okay to just keep it in mind for now. As long as you don't commit the offense again, it is equivalent to nothing.

As for military merits, Sun Desheng cared even less about them. With the financial resources of the New Second Regiment, it was already very tight to maintain these hundreds of horses, and it was impossible to expand the cavalry force. At best, he could only be a cavalry company commander, and there was no chance of promotion.

"Are you as happy as if you had eaten bee poop?" Chen Chengxing said unhappily.

"Hehe." Sun Desheng scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "Captain, I'll leave first if I have nothing else to do."

"Take the time to rest. We may need the cavalry company again. If the cavalry company can't hold on, we'll need them."

Before Chen Chengxing could finish, Sun Desheng said firmly: "Just tear my head off and kick it like a ball!"

"Okay, okay." Chen Chengxing waved his hand, signaling Sun Desheng to leave by himself.

As expected of Li Yunlong's soldiers, they all say the same thing.

Seeing that all the Eighth Route Army soldiers around them and on the hilltop had evacuated, the puppet soldiers were somewhat confused. What did this mean?
Seeing everyone's eyes looking at him, Ding Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, no matter what conspiracy the Eighth Route Army has, we will be fine as long as we don't move."

"Don't think that the company commander just beat the regiment commander to death. He will definitely not get anything good out of it. The discipline of the Eighth Route Army is very strict!" Ding Cheng emphasized.

Everyone thought about what Ding Cheng said and it was true. If they could not stand the discipline of the Eighth Route Army, many of them would probably join the Eighth Route Army.

After all, the Eighth Route Army had a really good reputation. It was not like after they became traitors that their parents didn’t dare to look up when walking in the village.

"Brothers, there is one more thing I need to remind you of." Ding Cheng looked at everyone and said, "The Eighth Route Army will definitely let us go in the future. If the Japanese ask about it, everyone knows what to say, right?"

Someone nearby immediately said, "The regiment commander was killed because he fought against the Japanese and the Eighth Route Army. It has nothing to do with you, Adjutant Ding. We are counting on you to help us make a fortune in the future."

"That's right, Captain Hong died for the Locust Army."

"Yes, yes, for the locust army, for the locust army, Adjutant Ding. Bah, look at my mouth, Commander, from now on, our 13th Regiment will rely on you."
Ding Cheng gave the first person who spoke a look of praise, indicating that he would benefit from you in the future.

Then Ding Cheng ate a big cake with one mouthful of bread: "Haha, no problem, no problem, I promise that you brothers will never suffer any loss if you follow me. When I go back, I will first ask my superiors to get the military pay owed to you. In the future, we will share the wealth. As long as I have something to eat, my brothers will have something to eat."

And now that Hong Shusen is dead, all I have to do is wait for him to be rescued and then send a small gift to him. Then the position of the regiment leader will be secured. As for the future, we can talk about it later.

(End of this chapter)