Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 279 Don’t die!
"Which village is ahead?"

Riding on a horse, Pinglu Yongfu pointed at the village not far away and asked the soldiers fighting nearby.

"Sir, it's Shezhuang."

"I think this village seems to be empty, there is no one living there."

"Have they completed the cleanup? Have all the civilians escaped?"

Pinglu Yongfu looked very proud at this moment.

The two people next to him were important personnel who came from the base camp. Their purpose was to go to Shanxi to investigate the energy situation.

Now that they have completed their inspection, they want to visit the battlefield in Shanxi to see the style of the imperial warriors.

This place happened to be the jurisdiction of the 4th Brigade, so Yoshio Shinozuka gave this task to Isamu Hiraru.

To this end, Pinglu Yongfu took his guards and left the Dayunshan area where they were sweeping, preparing to take them to Baizhuang for a checkup.

And Shezhuang is the only way to Baizhuang.

"Sir, according to the coordinates set earlier, this should be the defense zone of the 2st Battalion of the 1nd Regiment of the Locust Association Army."

"They may have completed their mission and moved on."

The combat staff also had no idea what the situation was in Shezhuang.

Last night, there were only sporadic gunshots here, which did not attract the attention of the surrounding mopping-up troops and strongholds.

No one expected that the puppet army would be defeated so quickly, and not a single one escaped.

"Yeah, I think so too." Pinglu Yongfu said confidently.

They are now in the "security zone" outside the blockade area.

Pinglu Yongfu thought he was still safe.

He didn't believe that after the brutal raid, the scattered Eighth Route Army would still dare to resist.

And even if they resisted, they could not threaten their elite force of several hundred people.

"Kubo-kun, Yoshida-kun, let's keep going. Shirasu is only 3 kilometers ahead."

"Please come in, Mr. Pinglu." Kubo and Yoshida nodded.

They just wanted to wander around the battlefield so they could have something to brag about when they returned.

After all, the wives in the country now have great respect for the brave warriors fighting on the front lines.

Their husbands are fighting for the country, and they have to take good care of their wives for them.

Of course, Pinglu Yongfu did not dare to really let these two people go to the front line.

The reason why he wanted to go to Baizhuang was because Baizhuang had just encircled and suppressed a guerrilla unit of the Eighth Route Army two days ago.

This is a good opportunity to brag about the army's combat effectiveness.

Now most of Italy's steel output is taken away by the navy, and the army can no longer bear it.

These two people have certain advisory power over the base's steel output.

As long as these two people are willing, even if they just say a few good words, the army may be able to gain a certain degree of support.

Never mind how big this possibility is; there’s nothing to lose by trying.

Just as Pinglu Yongfu was accompanying the two people, pointing, talking and laughing, a gunshot was suddenly heard.

Before Pinglu Yongfu's brain could react, his body had subconsciously fallen off the horse.

However, the two officers who came from Italy were bureaucrats and had no ability to respond to challenges.

Before they could figure out what was going on, a large number of bullets were already flying towards them.

"Kubo-kun! Yoshida-kun!"

Pinglu Yongfu was now protected by the guards.

But seeing the two men falling off their horses with blood gushing out of them, Pinglu Yongfu felt more sad than if his own father had died.

Now, let alone tilting steel resources towards the army, if they are not further reduced, the brave men of Pinglu will be very lucky.

"Bakayaloo! Revenge for Kubo-kun and Yoshida-kun!"

"Kill the chicken!" Pinglu Yongfu shouted.

"Thump, thump, thump." "Thump, thump, thump."
Upon hearing Pinglu Yongfu's order, the more than 300 elite guards who followed him immediately launched an attack.

On the battlefield, Chen Chengxing was a little surprised when he saw the sudden surge of Japanese infantry.

"Damn, the Japanese are so cunning, they actually took advantage of their short stature to hide in the ditch while marching!"

Chen Chengxing now realized that the Japanese cavalry were exposed because they were riding on horses.

However, the infantry could not see it at all because of the height.

"Open fire!" Chen Chengxing shouted.

"Order the artillery platoon to join the fire attack! Suppress the Japs!"

"Da da da" "Da da da".
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!".
Faced with the dense firepower of the Eighth Route Army, the Japanese guards did not retreat at all and launched several attacks in succession.

However, although the Japanese guards were very elite, they were using brand new equipment.

However, facing the guard company armed with semi-automatic rifles, the Japanese still did not gain any advantage.

After suffering more than one hundred casualties, Pinglu Yongfu had to stop the attack and instead use firepower to tightly blockade Shezhuang.

If he continues to fight, all his troops will be wiped out.

At that time, the Eighth Route Army could defeat the Locust Army with a charge and then break out.

"Have you notified the troops sweeping nearby and surrounding strongholds?"

"Where are they?" Pinglu Yongfu asked the staff officer next to him.

"Brigade Commander, all the messengers have been dispatched, and the troops are coming here for emergency support."

"Yoshi. Let them surround Shezhuang from all sides!" Pinglu Yongfu nodded.

Judging from the firepower, this should be an Eighth Route Army force of two to three thousand people.

With so many people, they must be the main force of the Eighth Route Army.

Unexpectedly, I went on a special sweep and didn't find the main force, but ended up running into them here.

How can we give up such a godsend opportunity?
"Captain, the observation post reports that the Japanese reinforcements are arriving one after another."

"Now a preliminary encirclement has been formed on the periphery." Lu Ze reported.

"I understand." Chen Chengxing nodded.

If we want to break through, this is our last chance.

However, if they broke out in broad daylight and fought the devils in the wild, they would lose the village as a support, which was not a good thing for the guard company. Moreover, the main force had not gone far yet, so breaking out at this time would be disadvantageous to the main force.

"Lu Ze, tell the comrades to use the fortifications in Shezhuang to severely strike at the enemy's manpower, and then break out at night."

"Yes!"

On the other hand, when the various support forces completed the encirclement, Pinglu Yongfu immediately issued an order for a general attack.

"Taoci, here you go!"

Pinglu Yongfu's main attack direction was still in the northeast, and the rest of the areas were assists.

"Scattered formation!" shouted the Japanese squadron leader.

"Hayaku! Hayaku!"

"Thump, thump, thump." "Thump, thump, thump."
"Boom!" "Boom!".
As soon as the battle started, the Japanese offensive firepower was very fierce.

However, facing the guard company with the advantage of firing rate, the Japanese's unstoppable offensive was of no use.

After only two hours of fighting, the guard company repelled eight Japanese charges, and the bodies of the Japanese soldiers lay all over the ground.

"Bagayalu! Which unit of the Eighth Route Army is this?!"

Pinglu Yongfu looked at the troops being repelled one after another with a bit of disbelief, the density of the enemy's firepower was really too great.

Normally, such a high density of firepower would require either a large number of automatic weapons or densely packed personnel.

But judging from the movements on the battlefield, the Eighth Route Army did not have many automatic weapons.

There is only one possibility, the Eighth Route Army chose to stand in a dense formation.

This is too crazy. How did the Eighth Route Army manage to keep filling the line despite casualties from artillery fire?
Are the Eighth Route Army really not afraid of death?

"Somebody come!"

"Order the troops to adjust their attack position and target the junction of the two Eighth Route Army units!" Pinglu Yongfu ordered.

These successive charges were not without results. At least we discovered the junction of the Eighth Route Army.

Normally, no matter how small a combat unit is, its firepower is strongest in the frontal area.

The connection between them belongs to the flank, and the firepower density will be slightly lower.

Pinglu Yongfu now needs an opportunity, an opportunity to break into Shezhuang.

As long as the troops can break through, even a small part of them, they can encircle the Eighth Route Army's frontline positions.

Pinglu Yongfu didn't believe that the Eighth Route Army could maintain its advantage in the village while ensuring the front-line firepower.

At 12 noon, the Japanese launched an attack on the junction of the first and second rows.

"Don't be anxious! Follow my orders!" The platoon leader shouted when he saw the Japanese coming up.

Because they were outnumbered and had no supplies.

Chen Chengxing specifically pointed out that the troops must follow the principle of "three no-strikes".

That is, don't shoot if the Japanese are within 50 meters, don't use grenades if they are not in groups, and don't use machine guns unless the Japanese launch a group charge.

This can save ammunition to the maximum extent and also give full play to the firepower advantage of semi-automatic rifles.

Seeing the Japanese getting closer and closer, the platoon leader shouted "Fight!"

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!".
Although there were less than 20 people in this place, they were able to pin down an entire squadron of Japanese soldiers and make them unable to move.

Two semi-automatic rifles can suppress a Japanese machine gun team.

The Type 2 light machine gun's reloading speed and firepower delivery capability within a certain period of time are still not as good as two semi-automatic rifles.

"Order Fujimoto Squadron and Kawada Squadron to join the battle!"

Pinglu Yongfu gave the order as he looked at the offensive that was blocked again.

He still hasn't figured out how the Eighth Route Army ensured such a high density of firepower.

"Ha!"
Seeing that the density of the Japanese soldiers was increasing, the platoon leader immediately ordered:
"Throw a grenade!"

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!".
Half an hour later, the three squadrons, suffering heavy casualties, had to retreat.

The Eighth Route Army formed a multi-layered firepower network, and they couldn't break in at all.

Moreover, the Eighth Route Army's marksmanship and coordination ability are terrifying.

As soon as the attack is launched, the Eighth Route Army's bullets will fly over immediately.

And often, as soon as one bullet is fired, the next one will follow immediately until it hits the target.

As soon as they show their heads, they will be knocked down quickly.

This is completely different from the situation they faced before.

In the past, this situation would only occur when they faced targeted suppression from machine gun fire.

Ping Lu Yongfu looked at several squadrons that had suffered heavy casualties and simply ordered them to retreat and regroup.

Then let the reinforcements that have just arrived continue the attack.

Faced with the Japanese's desperate and continuous attacks, the soldiers of the guard company could only keep killing them with the idea of giving them a ride.

By two o'clock in the afternoon, the total casualties of the Japanese reinforcements had exceeded six hundred.

However, the casualties of the guard company itself were very small, with a total of no more than 40 people.

Following Chen Chengxing's instructions, the soldiers dug foxholes along the inside of the wall, covered them with door panels and covered them with soil.

When the Japanese bombarded, the soldiers hid in the trenches.

With the protection of door panels and covering soil, the soldiers will not be affected unless the shells hit the bunker directly.

And because of the obstruction of the outer wall, it is not easy to hit the bunker even with indirect fire such as mortars.

When the Japanese shelling ends, the soldiers will come out of the bunkers and use the houses as cover to fight.

The soldiers dug three layers of bullet holes on the more sturdy houses in the village.

The upper level was on the roof, and the soldiers fought by standing on ladders; the lower level was as close to the wall as possible, and the soldiers fought by lying on the ground.

The hole of the rifle is big inside and small outside. From the outside, the hole of the rifle is about the size of a goose egg. The Japanese could not see it clearly from a distance.

The gun hole in the middle at shoulder height is very conspicuous.

During the battle, the Japanese firepower was basically directed at the gun hole in the middle.

But in fact it was a fake bullet hole, and the soldiers were not fighting in this place at all.

During combat, as long as the machine guns are moved properly, the Japanese will not be able to find anyone to fire even if they want to.

(End of this chapter)