Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 328 I feel something's wrong
"Sir, look, the Eighth Route Army is caught off guard!"

On Shiziling, the members of the Japanese special forces were very excited to see the perfectly normal Hongniwan.

If they can capture the command post of the new Second Brigade, the special operations team will have made a name for itself.

However, unlike the many excited team members, Takeshita Shun's face showed no smile at this moment.

Something didn't feel right about him.

The commander of the new Second Brigade is known for his cunning, so how could he not react at all?
Putting everything else aside, since fighting has already broken out in Lijia Village, the command post of the New Second Brigade should at least take action.

However, Takeshita Shun did not show any sign of tension.

"Sir, should we launch a surprise attack immediately?"

The Japanese special forces members couldn't wait any longer.

"No, I've decided to change my goal!"

Takeshita Shun felt somewhat uneasy, so he decided to adjust his plans.

"Continue north, target Nanye Village," Takeshita Shun indicated on the map.

According to intelligence, there is an ironworks of the New Second Brigade here.

An attack here would surely mobilize the troops in Hongniwan.

At that time, I can decide on my next move based on the actions of the new Second Brigade.

"Hai!"

Although no one knew Takeshita Shun's thoughts, obedience to orders was already ingrained in their bones.

Upon hearing everyone's reply, Takeshita Shun immediately gave the order:

"From now on, we will be entering a densely populated area, and everyone must speak Chinese!"

"clear!".
“Very good.” Takeshita Shun nodded.

"You are all elites of the empire, but I would like to remind you that we are currently in the heart of the Dayun Mountains and will not receive any support in the short term."

"What we are facing is the Second New Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, which far outnumbers us and is extremely powerful in combat."

"So I hope everyone will take your opponents seriously and try to make as few mistakes as possible."

"Because every mistake you make will affect the success or failure of this mission, and even the lives of each and every one of you."

"Do you all understand?" Takeshita Shun asked, looking at everyone.

That is to say, all the main regiments of the new Second Brigade are on the outskirts; otherwise, Takeshita Shun would not have dared to parachute in.

"understand!"

Although the Japanese special forces soldiers were arrogant, they were also aware of the fighting strength of the New Second Brigade.

Therefore, no one dared to take it lightly.

"Very good, target Nanye Village, let's go!" Takeshita Shun ordered.

Relying on his Eighth Route Army uniform and his fluent Chinese, Takeshita Shun led his team to approach Nanye Village.

However, when they were still more than 500 meters from the village, Takeshita Shun was stopped.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

A militiaman emerged from a nearby haystack.

"Hello, comrade, I am Zhu Jun, the platoon leader of the 3rd Platoon of the 8th Company of the 213th Regiment, and I am on patrol duty."

Takeshita Shun looked at the militiamen in front of him and smiled.

"Oh, so you're from the 213th Regiment." The militiaman put away his rifle.

“Come on, I’ll take you to our captain,” the militiaman called out.

They used to frequently encounter patrolling troops.

After walking a few steps inside, a militiaman pointed to the side and explained:
"This is our Captain Ma."

"Captain Ma, these are comrades from the 8th Company of the 213th Regiment. They are on patrol duty."

However, Takeshita Shun's seemingly convincing excuse was immediately seen through by the experienced Captain Ma.

The New Second Brigade has a cavalry battalion, which is responsible for patrolling the base area.

Can you outrun four legs with two legs?

Moreover, the number of people in front of him matched the intelligence he had received.

However, Captain Ma is not sure now, since the people in this team are all saying normal things.

Although he has a Northeastern accent, that's not surprising.

After all, many of the Eighth Route Army members were former members of the Northeast Army.

Therefore, Captain Ma decided to test the waters.

"So you're from the 8th Company! As expected of the main force, you're truly impressive!"

"But isn't your base in Houcaozhuang? Why are you here on a mission?"

"Oh, the Japanese launched another mopping-up operation. The 213th Regiment moved, and we were transferred from Houcaozhuang to the base area."

Takeshita Shun hadn't expected that the militia captain knew about the 8th Company, so he could only continue the conversation.

The special forces team is still some distance from Nanye Village. It would be best if they could infiltrate the village before launching the attack.

"I see." Captain Ma nodded.

However, he was certain in his heart that this group was the Japanese squad his superiors had mentioned.

"Since the 8th Company is patrolling now, I'll take you in so you won't be unfamiliar with the area," Captain Ma said warmly.

"Thank you very much then," Takeshita Shun said with a smile.

However, the smile on Captain Ma's face vanished the moment he turned around.

At the same time, he also used his body to cover his right hand and made a gesture.

Upon seeing the captain's gesture, the surrounding soldiers immediately became alert.

Takeshita Shun followed Captain Ma for a short distance before sensing that something was amiss.

"Captain Ma, is this the road into the village?" Takeshita Shun asked.

He felt that the route Captain Ma was taking was different from the one he had seen on the map.

“Oh, this side is closer,” Captain Ma explained.

"I see."

As soon as Takeshita Shun finished speaking with a grin, he suddenly lunged to the side.

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese soldiers behind them scattered and lay down. At the same time, they fired a few shots at Captain Ma.

"Da da da".
"The Japanese have been spotted! Fire!"

The deputy captain, ignoring the fallen captain, immediately took over command and ordered the troops to begin the attack.

More than a dozen grenades immediately flew towards the Japanese soldiers.

"Boom!" "Boom!"
On the other hand, although Chen Chengxing decided to use Hongniwan as bait, it did not mean that he would continue to keep the brigade headquarters in Hongniwan.

He had already led his brigade to retreat to Xishan long ago.

Only the guard company remains in Hongniwan now.

Chen Chengxing, who was observing the situation from the hilltop, suddenly heard an explosion coming from afar.

Although the explosion wasn't very loud, the people in the brigade headquarters, being professional soldiers, immediately recognized it.

“It’s Nanye Village!” Luo Ping said solemnly.

"These Japanese devils are really cautious. Instead of launching a direct surprise attack on Hongni Bay, they're planning to launch another attack," Chu Yunfei said.

"Sun Desheng, take the cavalry battalion and immediately reinforce Nanye Village! Surround these Japanese devils!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

As early as when Chen Chengxing decided to use Hongniwan as bait, he had already considered that the Japanese might cause unforeseen complications.

Therefore, one or two squadrons of militia guerrillas were stationed in several villages near Hongniwan.

"Yes!"

At this point, the Japanese special forces team held an absolute advantage.

However, the nearby militia had already heard the sounds of battle.

Therefore, they began to flock to this side.

"Damn it, the Eighth Route Army was prepared!" Takeshita Shun said with a gloomy face.

No matter how vulnerable the enemy in front of them may be, the special forces team has already been exposed.

Once the special forces are exposed, it means they will be surrounded from all sides.

"Immediately send a telegram to the Luye Brigade to inquire about their location and whether they can provide support here within an hour!" Takeshita Shun ordered.

"Hai!"

The telegraph operator quickly began sending messages.

The lack of a reply from the Luye Joint Team greatly disappointed Takeshita Shun.

They've been fighting for half a day, and the Lu Ye team still hasn't managed to take down Ma Yaoshan.

Given this situation, let alone an hour, it's questionable whether they can even escape unscathed.

"Reply that my unit is preparing to use the mountainous area to withdraw from Dayun Mountain, and that Luye Brigade should also retreat to Anqiu when the opportunity arises," Takeshita Shun ordered.

Since the Luye Brigade could no longer provide support, the special forces team went directly into the mountains to break away from the Eighth Route Army's control.

While the telegraph operators were busy sending messages, Takeshita Shun had already ordered the first and second detachments to attack the Eighth Route Army from the left and right.

Faced with a dense barrage of fire from submachine guns, light machine guns, and sniper rifles, the guerrilla fighters were no match for them.

After losing two men, the Japanese special forces quickly broke through the encirclement.

After breaking through the encirclement, Takeshita Shun did not linger at all and quickly led his team northward.

Moreover, Takeshita Shun did not simply leave when he departed.

He ordered the three grenade launchers he carried to fire more than twenty special grenades at the smoking area in Nanye Village.

By the time Sun Desheng arrived, the Japanese soldiers had already disappeared into the mountains.

"Damn it, how did these Japanese devils learn the Eighth Route Army's signature tricks?"

Sun Desheng was furious as he watched the Japanese soldiers disappear from sight.

He was a cavalryman. Although he could fight without his warhorse, he would lose his speed advantage.

Without the help of warhorses, the cavalry battalion, carrying machine guns and mortars, could only watch the Japanese soldiers suffer.

Sun Desheng, a veteran of the Eighth Route Army, knew this all too well.

After all, that's how guerrilla warfare is fought.

Just as Sun Desheng was hesitating, a messenger rode up on horseback.

"Battalion Commander Sun, the brigade commander has ordered that if the Japanese attempt to break out to the north, the cavalry battalion will set up a defensive line at Xila Mountain!"

"Xila Mountain? I know!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Desheng knew that the brigade commander thought the Japanese would move towards Ping'an.

Xila Mountain is the most suitable road to Ping'an County.

Given the Japanese troops' current equipment, they could certainly choose to go deep into the mountains and forests.

But that would cause them to stay in their base for too long.

The longer it goes on, the more unexpected things will happen.

Just as Chen Chengxing had predicted, Takeshita Shun immediately changed his marching direction after escaping the guerrillas' pursuit.

They changed their course from heading north to heading northwest.

Although Sun Desheng had to take a longer route due to the detour.

However, they had horses for mobility, and the Japanese soldiers needed to traverse mountains and valleys in the region.

Sun Desheng arrived at Xila Mountain half an hour earlier than Takeshita Shun.

"Immediately construct an ambush position," Sun Desheng ordered after dismounting.

He had heavy machine guns and mortars; if the Japanese dared to engage in a direct confrontation, he would make sure they couldn't lift their heads.

However, Sun Desheng was full of hope and prepared for the ambush.

Even during the rapid retreat in the mountains, Takeshita Shun followed standard tactics.

Sun Desheng had absolutely no chance and in the end only managed to sneak up and wound a Japanese soldier who was scouting ahead.

"Why would the Eighth Route Army set up a position here?!"

Takeshita Shun frowned as he looked at the situation ahead.

His plan was clearly a spur-of-the-moment idea, but the Eighth Route Army seemed to have precognitive abilities.

She would always appear in front of him.

(End of this chapter)