Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 290 I'm Not Interested in Field Artillery
Chen Chengxing led his troops along the road cleared by the First Battalion and entered the Liangshan area.

After entering Liangshan, the Second New Regiment changed its previous arrogance and began to march covertly.

It wasn't until the evening of the following day that the new Second Regiment finally arrived at Puziling in Xifen County, which was the designated handover location.

This mission is a secret mission, so we definitely can't march along the main highway, as that would attract the attention of the Japanese.

At this point, the dirt roads between villages became the only option for the Eighth Route Army.

At 4 a.m., the reconnaissance troops spotted the artillery regiment that was approaching in a large force, along with the 74th and 78th Regiments that were escorting them.

"Commander Zhang, Commander Li, thank you for your hard work."

Chen Chengxing met with the two leaders of the escort team.

"Commander Chen, our mission is complete. Now it's up to your Second New Regiment."

"But you only have one group, is that alright? Do you need any help?"

They all knew about Liangshan; the situation there was the most dangerous of the three roads.

However, only one regiment was assigned to this area, which made them quite uneasy.

"Rest assured, both of you, the Second New Regiment is more than capable of completing this mission," Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

Although the New Second Regiment is only one regiment, its total strength is no less than that of the 74th and 78th Regiments combined.

As for combat strength, there's no need to elaborate.

"That's good."

"Commander Chen, if there's nothing else, we'll withdraw first."

“No problem, I won’t see you off,” Chen Chengxing said.

After watching the two leave, Chen Chengxing immediately called out:
"Communications squad!"

"To!"

"You should notify the main leaders of the Xifen County Brigade, the Artillery Regiment, and other related units respectively."

"Please ask them to gather in Wadi Village tomorrow for a coordination meeting."

This matter is of great importance, and Chen Chengxing must explain the situation before setting off.

"yes!".
"Commander Wu, Political Commissar Qiu."

After arranging accommodations, Chen Chengxing, carrying two Italian cannons, met with the regimental commander and political commissar.

"Commander Chen, seeing is believing, I've heard so much about you before," Commander Wu said.

Putting aside other things, the artillery regiment acquired a considerable number of cannons from the newly formed Second Regiment through layers of congratulations.

This time, they obtained two field guns from the New Second Regiment.

"These are the two cannons, right? Not bad, not bad at all!" Commander Wu said excitedly.

These were two extremely well-equipped cannons. Opening the door of the ammunition car, he even saw the equipment for adjusting the fuses.

"These were captured from the Japanese devils. They were originally full of shells, but we've used quite a few over the years."

"That's all we have left," Chen Chengxing said.

"It's already very good, very good."

Currently, each artillery piece in the regiment can only fire an average of about thirty shells, but these two can each fire a hundred.

There is nothing dissatisfying about this.

"But Commander Chen, why don't you keep these two excellent cannons for yourself?" Political Commissar Qiu asked curiously.

In the past, it wasn't easy for artillery regiments to obtain artillery pieces from other units.

Although the artillery regiment also sent people to exchange, in Political Commissar Qiu's eyes, these two cannons were clearly more valuable.

After all, people can be trained, but artillery can never be produced.

"It's nothing," Chen Chengxing waved his hand.

"Field guns are too heavy, I have no interest in them."

After hearing Chen Chengxing's words, Regiment Commander Wu and Political Commissar Qiu exchanged glances, speechless.

Are there people who complain that cannons are too heavy?
This is a field gun, you know what a field gun is?

Seeing that Chen Chengxing was not interested, Commander Wu immediately said to proceed with the handover.

He planned to go back and properly appease the two field guns; they had been wasting their time with the New Second Regiment.

With both parties satisfied, the transaction was completed smoothly.

The artillery soldiers that Chen Chengxing had acquired were temporarily handed over to Xu Wu for management, with the plan to merge and reorganize them after returning to Hongniwan.

After a short rest, at 10 a.m., the heads of various units arrived at Wadi Village one after another.

This small mountain village has become lively.

At the coordination meeting, Chen Chengxing explained in detail to the participants the Japanese blockade situation for the next stage of the journey.

At the same time, the marching sequence, marching discipline, and communication methods for this mission were explained in detail to all units.

No one wasted any words when it came to Chen Chengxing's arrangements, and they all expressed their full cooperation with the Second New Regiment's actions.

They all knew the danger of this mission, so there was no way they would act recklessly.

That's playing with the lives of thousands of people.

When the meeting came to a successful conclusion, Chen Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone's cooperation is the best thing.

As dusk fell, the previously scattered troops began to regroup.

"Sun Xun, Qin Sheng."

"To!"

"You two will lead the team now and set off, guarding the area on the left and right along the established route."

"At the same time, reconnaissance of enemy activity and terrain along the marching route was conducted."

"If a Japanese stronghold that may pose a threat to the artillery regiment is discovered, troops should be dispatched in advance to ambush it on its inevitable route."

"Local governments and militia can be asked to keep watch along the way," Chen Chengxing ordered.

The artillery regiment had a lot of heavy weapons, and although they marched by mules and horses, their speed was still not fast.

The distance from Puziling to the designated rest stop was more than 30 kilometers, and the artillery regiment absolutely could not stop along the way.

"yes!".
The Third and Fourth Battalions set off first, while the reconnaissance detachments that went further forward were led by Ma Zhiyuan and his cavalry reconnaissance platoon.

They had already set off well in advance.

After the Third and Fourth Battalions departed, the command post, the cavalry company, the First Battalion, and the escorted headquarters artillery regiment, among other units, set off. The Second Battalion departed last, responsible for the rearguard.

Under the cover of night, the entire column quietly began its march.

Along the way, all the marching troops proceeded in complete silence, in accordance with marching discipline.

There was no light or sound, and even the mules and horses carrying the cannons had their mouths sealed.

The entire team silently marched forward until around 11 p.m., when the troops began to approach Sanma Town.

Sanma Town was an important transportation hub for the Japanese army and a crucial transportation line for their control of the Liangshan area. It was usually heavily guarded.

Just as the troops were preparing to cross the road, the scout suddenly returned to report.

"Commander, there's a Japanese armored vehicle coming from the north!"

"Those little devils are really dedicated; they don't even rest late at night," Chen Chengxing said.

"Order all units to hide on the spot. Have the First Battalion assist the Artillery Regiment in managing the horses. Under no circumstances should they be exposed!"

It was late at night, and as long as the soldiers lay on the ground and took cover, they wouldn't be discovered by the Japanese.

Chen Chengxing's only worry was the mules and horses; if even one horse stood up and ran around wildly, things could get unexpected.

"Da da da" "Da da da".
Just as the troops had taken cover, the Japanese armored vehicles drove up.

Moreover, it was very unpredictable, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes it would stop.

The searchlights on the vehicle swept across both sides of the road, and the machine gun in the firing port occasionally fired a few bullets in response to the light.

Just when everyone thought the period was over, an accident happened.

A bullet fired by the Japanese soldier hit a pebble, which traveled several meters away and struck a packhorse.

No one expected this to happen.

Suddenly startled, the packhorse rolled over and got up.

Seeing this, the soldiers nearby quickly pulled on the reins to calm him down.

But at this moment, you can't make a sound. Simply stroking it won't solve the problem. The horse is still struggling, and it seems to be struggling harder.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Xu Wu, who was nearby, immediately crawled over quickly in a prone position.

He then pounced on the horse and forcefully pressed down on its neck.

This packhorse is not a large Japanese horse, but a Mongolian horse, which is relatively small.

Xu Wu himself was a member of the commando team and was very strong. After he pressed down on the horse's neck, the horse's head could not be lifted up immediately.

However, the packhorse's limbs began to kick wildly.

Seeing this, the soldiers nearby also wanted to come over and help control the situation.

However, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Xu Wu did not hesitate for a moment.

He casually drew a bayonet from the waist of the soldier next to him and plunged it into the horse's heart.

With its heart pierced, the horse naturally lost its ability to resist immediately.

The limbs that were once strong could no longer move.

Seeing that the crisis was resolved, Xu Wu breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the artillery soldiers leading the horses were stunned.

If the current situation allowed, he would have jumped up long ago.

This is the artillery regiment's horse!
After waiting a few more minutes, seeing the Japanese armored vehicles disappear into the distance, the soldiers of the artillery regiment could no longer hold back.

"What are you doing?! Why did you kill it! You could have controlled it!" the warrior roared in a low voice.

"Who can guarantee they can control it? If the artillery regiment gets into danger because of a horse, no one can bear that responsibility," Xu Wu said somewhat nonchalantly.

The Second New Regiment has always prioritized people and tasks.

Let alone just one horse, Xu Wu believed that if necessary, the regimental commander could wipe out all the horses in the entire cavalry company.

"These are the artillery regiment's horses! No one has the right to dispose of them!"

"Alright, alright, it's just a horse, I'll give you another one."

"And it's an Eastern horse, isn't that good enough?" Xu Wu said.

The artillery company of the first battalion also used horses to transport mortars and infantry guns.

Because they fought their way out of Dayun Mountain, several packhorses that were originally used to carry shells for the Type 92 infantry gun were now free.

Giving one to the artillery regiment wouldn't be a problem.

Upon hearing Xu Wu's words, the soldiers of the artillery regiment's eyes turned red.

Was he here to ask for a horse?
He was usually in charge of the horse that was stabbed to death, and he had feelings for it.

You're just going to give me any random horse and call it a day?
He didn't even care for Japanese horses.

At this moment, Commander Wu of the artillery regiment learned of the unexpected situation and came over.

"Xiao Li, what's going on?" Commander Wu asked.

"Commander, he killed our horses."

The soldiers of the artillery regiment did not embellish the story, but told the regimental commander the whole story.

“Xiao Li, I know you have feelings for Ma, but this matter cannot be blamed on Battalion Commander Xu.”

"The Second New Regiment is responsible for escort missions, and their primary responsibility is to protect our safety."

"And dealing with potential hazards in a timely manner is what they should do."

"That's the end of it," Commander Wu concluded.

"Xiao Li, transfer the supplies from the horse to other horses. The troops need to continue their journey."

"Yes!"

Despite feeling wronged by Commander Wu's orders, Xiao Li still obeyed them.

"Battalion Commander Xu, I'm sorry," Regiment Commander Wu said.

"Commander Wu, you're too kind." Xu Wu wasn't surprised at all by Xiao Li's reaction.

If he had killed a cavalry company's horse just now, Sun Desheng might have drawn his sword by now.

Now that the matter has been resolved, they naturally need to catch up with the main group.

As planned, the entire force was transformed from a single column into four columns and quickly crossed the highway.

Then, the troops quickly returned to their original formation and continued to move between the pillboxes and strongholds.

(End of this chapter)