Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 316 I didn't expect there would be such a fool.

Time goes back.

In order to achieve his goal as soon as possible, Chen Chengxing prepared to launch a battle against the Zhang family.

"brigadier!"

Xu Wu led Sun Xun, Qin Sheng, and Li Chishui into the temporary brigade headquarters.

"The 212th and 213th Regiments are in position and ready to launch an attack at any time."

The Zhang family only had one puppet army group, with the 212th Regiment, the 213th Regiment, and the Independent Regiment, which was enough to overpower this stronghold.

Even if the Japanese had reinforcements, these three regiments would have enough manpower to hold them off.

"Have you made contact with Fan Chun, the commander of the puppet army?" Chen Chengxing asked.

Although the New Second Brigade had made thorough preparations, it still tried to avoid a frontal attack if possible.

Putting aside everything else, the dense cluster of bunkers surrounding the stronghold alone would inflict enormous casualties on the New Second Brigade.

Moreover, although the puppet troops in the city were weak in combat, they were still armed, so it was better to outmaneuver them than to launch a direct assault.

“We’ve made contact, and he said he’ll cooperate with our operation,” Xu Wu said.

This year has really worn Fan Chun out.

He also realized that the Japanese were like grasshoppers in autumn, they wouldn't last long.

To secure his future, Fan Chun had already made several contacts with the Duyi Regiment.

They also used various pretexts to send troops to "attack" the militia that Li Chishui had deployed on the periphery.

The puppet troops were always defeated and routed, then fled back to their stronghold in disarray.

“Alright, let him send a battalion of puppet troops out of the city to seize grain,” Chen Chengxing said.

The Japanese wouldn't bother preparing food for the strongholds that the puppet troops were stationed in.

The puppet troops had to find their own solutions.

Many puppet troops died trying to get food.

Although the First Regiment didn't react quickly enough due to the suddenness of the operation, the militia guerrillas were still more than capable of giving them a hard time.

Now is the perfect time for Fan Chun to use this excuse to send people out.

"I'll go right now." Xu Wu turned around and went to find someone to contact Fan Chun.

After Xu Wu left, Chen Chengxing looked at the remaining people.

"The Independent Regiment is responsible for establishing a defensive line in the Sanlimiao area to guard against possible enemy forces from the Ping'an direction."

"The 3rd Battalion of the 212th Regiment is responsible for destroying the road from Jiaozhen to Zhangjiahui, and at the same time, it will take the opportunity to attack the puppet army's blockhouses in places such as Lilang Village, Xiaoxinzhuang, and Shahe to prevent the puppet army from reinforcing."

Although Chen Chengxing felt that the possibility of reinforcements from puppet troops or even the Japanese was slim, it was better to be prepared.

Moreover, this is a good opportunity to remove all the thorns in Zhongyun Mountain.

"The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 212th Regiment and the 213th Regiment are responsible for taking Zhangjiahui and eliminating the puppet troops inside."

"Yes!" Everyone stood at attention.

The next morning, the area around Zhangjiahui was calm, with no sign of tension whatsoever.

"Hurry up! We need to get back as soon as possible, the Eighth Route Army could come at any time!"

Li Si, the battalion commander of the puppet army, led a battalion of puppet soldiers and hurriedly headed north.

According to their plan, they were to rush to Shizhong Village, loot the goods, and then quickly return to their stronghold.

The puppet troops were focused on their journey and none of them wanted to linger outside.

On the territory of the Eighth Route Army, only thick city walls could give them a sense of security.

After they had traveled seven or eight miles and were panting heavily, they suddenly heard several gunshots.

"Slap!" "Slap!"
"Don't move!"

"Surrender and you will not be killed!"
The puppet soldiers looked around and were immediately horrified to find that they were surrounded by a dense swarm of Eighth Route Army soldiers.

Judging from the numbers, there must be at least two thousand people.

"We're doomed, this is the main force of the Eighth Route Army!" the puppet army soldier said tremblingly.

They had been with Zhangjiahui for a long time and were naturally familiar with the situation of the new Second Brigade.

If there are more than a thousand people, it might be a local group, but if there are two or three thousand people, it is definitely a main force group.

Who knows how many machine guns and artillery pieces are pointed at his head right now?

Why is this so!
They were just a small puppet army camp.

"Stop talking nonsense and just surrender obediently," someone muttered from the side.

If you're too slow, you might get shot.

Li Si was very cooperative.

"Brothers! Surrender! Surrender! The Eighth Route Army will not harm us."

Li Si shouted and was the first to put down his pistol.

Qin Sheng waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately stepped forward to subdue the puppet troops.

After the 213th Regiment had taken control, Li Si took the initiative to find Qin Sheng.

“Eighth Route Army commander, we’re on the same side, we’re on the same side. Our regimental commander told me to fully cooperate with you.”

Li Si revealed a fawning smile.

None of the puppet soldiers who have survived to this day are fools.

They all knew the strength of the New Second Brigade and that once the New Second Brigade launched an attack, the Eighth Mixed Brigade would inevitably be annihilated.

In order to save their lives, any puppet troops who have a chance will naturally cling to this straw.

Li Si believed that the more than 400 people who came with him would immediately kneel down in front of the Eighth Route Army if given the chance.

It's all about survival, there's nothing shameful about that.

"If you're willing to cooperate, that would be wonderful." Qin Sheng nodded in satisfaction.

Qin Sheng had originally prepared a vest with explosives for him, but now it seems unnecessary; it's better to be willing than to be coerced.

"First Battalion! Change into your uniforms immediately!" Qin Sheng turned and ordered.

According to the plan, the First Battalion was responsible for changing clothes to trick the city gates open, and then receiving the main force to enter Zhangjiahui.

Once they could successfully capture the city gate, the rest would be much easier. The soldiers of the First Battalion changed into the uniforms of the puppet army, then filled sacks with explosives and weapons, and stuffed them with straw.

Once they were ready, the group set off back without stopping.

"You bastard, are you blind?! Open the door for me right now!"

Li Si led the soldiers of the first battalion through the outermost trenches and bunkers, and then stood at the north gate of the stronghold, shouting curses.

"Battalion Commander Li? Wait, I'll open the gate for you right away!" The puppet soldier on guard duty on the city wall immediately ran down to open the gate.

However, when the puppet soldiers opened the door, they sensed something was wrong.

Why don't they recognize these people?
"Battalion Commander Li, what are those things you're carrying on your backs? And why do these brothers seem a bit unfamiliar to me?"

The puppet soldiers left the gate a crack, only their heads sticking out.

"You son of a bitch." Li Si felt a little guilty and was about to use an angry outburst to smooth things over.

Then, Cao Lin, the battalion commander standing nearby, grabbed a puppet soldier by the neck.

"Uh"

The puppet soldiers immediately became like chickens with their necks grabbed, unable to utter a sound.

Moreover, because he only opened the door a crack, his shoulder was pressed against the door, so even if he wanted to open it, he couldn't struggle to do so.

Without saying a word, Cao Lin drew his bayonet and pierced the back of the puppet soldier's head through his mouth.

"The first and second companies will proceed according to plan, while the third company will eliminate the outposts outside and provide support for the main force to enter the city."

Cao Lin pushed the bodies of the puppet soldiers aside, opened the gate, and gave the order.

Due to resource constraints, the outer fortifications of the Zhang family were all built facing outwards, offering little defensive capability inwards.

With the fighting strength of a single company, taking down these strongholds would be a piece of cake.

As Li Si led his battalion inside, he looked at the puppet soldiers lying dead with their eyes wide open and shook his head.

"Why bother?"

At this point, to still be thinking about risking one's life for the Japanese is just plain stupid.

Li Si never expected that there would be such a fool at this critical juncture.

After Cao Lin led the First and Second Companies into Zhangjiahui, the progress was even smoother than he had imagined.

The puppet troops offered only slight resistance, but as soon as light machine guns and mortars were set up, they would immediately surrender.

It looked like they were just going through the motions for an inspection.

The biggest problem facing Cao Lin, however, was that he had too many prisoners.

If he were to divide his forces to guard the area at this point, he would be unable to advance.

But if they are not kept in check, these puppet troops will inevitably cause trouble.

Even if they don't rebel, Cao Lin can't stand them running away with their belongings.

The Zhang family's supplies all belong to the Second New Brigade. If they are stolen, Cao Lin will definitely be in deep trouble.

Fortunately, just as Cao Lin was having a terrible headache, Qin Sheng led the 213th Regiment in.

Two hours later, the puppet troops in the entire stronghold were basically wiped out.

In the end, only the headquarters of the 8th Mixed Brigade remained.

Tan Dake, the brigade commander of the 8th Mixed Brigade, led his directly subordinate troops and some escaped puppet troops to hold the large bunker.

"Brothers, do not be afraid!"

"I've already sent a telegram to the Japanese; they'll be there in two or three hours."

"The Eighth Route Army's artillery can't destroy this big bunker. We still have 600 men left, and we can definitely hold out until the Japanese arrive!"

Tan Dake reassured the somewhat frightened puppet troops.

When the Japanese were there, they knew that the Eighth Route Army had heavy mortars, so they definitely had to take countermeasures.

The Japanese soldiers had laid a layer of sand more than half a meter thick on the top of the pillbox, so the ceiling could not be penetrated by mortars alone.

Even heavy mortars won't work.

The walls of the large bunker, however, are made of concrete.

The outer perimeter was reinforced with brick walls, making it difficult for the Eighth Route Army to penetrate the two layers of defense using only mountain guns.

Qin Sheng directed test firings of heavy mortars and infantry guns.

After finding the attack fruitless, they immediately suspended it and reported the incident to Chen Chengxing.

"A small bunker can hold off the New Second Brigade? That's ridiculous."

Chen Chengxing expressed disdain for Tan Dake's self-hypnosis.

The New Second Brigade has more than just this much; it can counter any move made by the puppet troops.

"Since infantry guns are useless, let the Japanese devils experience the power of heavy artillery."

"Xu Wu, call Zhu Zi and get the artillery from Jingcun over here," Xu Wu ordered.

"yes!".
While waiting for the artillery to arrive, Chen Chengxing was not idle.

He casually wrote a note and had a puppet army prisoner hand it to Tan Dake.

The large bunker contained a lot of things, including stored ammunition and a radio.

Chen Chengxing was terrified that a single shot would cause him to explode.

The losses could be substantial.

Therefore, as long as Tan Dake is willing to surrender, Chen Chengxing is still willing to give him a chance.

"Bullshit!" Tan Dake tore the letter to shreds.

"Brothers, don't be fooled by the Eighth Route Army! If they could take down the pillbox, they would have done it already. Why would they need to go through all this trouble to persuade us to surrender?"

"If we hold on, the Japanese will arrive soon."

"Then, we'll have tons of gold!"

Upon hearing this, the puppet troops, driven by self-interest, regrouped and prepared to stall for time.

Anyway, it's not the final moment yet. We can surrender when we really can't hold on any longer.

(End of this chapter)