Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 350 I Don't Know How to Read

The Japanese headquarters in Taiyuan.

When Chen Chengxing arrived, many Japanese officers from the First Army were already standing outside under the supervision of the soldiers.

Upon seeing the group of people riding over, Yoshio Shinotsuka immediately recognized the leader among them.

There was no other reason than this person's attire was the most eye-catching.

"You are the commander?"

"I want to know, to whom is my unit surrendering?" Yoshio Shinotsuka asked.

"You are surrendering your weapons to the Second New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army. I am the regimental commander, Chen Chengxing," Chen Chengxing said solemnly.

"A new second regiment? How is that possible?" Yoshio Shinotsuka was a little confused.

Saito Regiment has already wiped out 15,000 men, so how come the New 2nd Regiment still has so many troops left?
How many people were there in the Eighth Route Army?

However, Yoshio Shinotsuka quickly realized that now was not the time for idle chatter.

Yoshio Shinotsuka stepped forward and offered his command sword with both hands.

"Our unit is willing to surrender its weapons to the Second New Regiment of the Eighth Route Army!"

The situation is beyond our control; now is not the time to be stubborn.

It would be even more shameful to be locked up.

“You made the right choice.” Chen Chengxing casually took the command sword.

If Yoshio Shinotsuka leads the resistance, Chen Chengxing will immediately kill these officers.

Of all the Japanese soldiers in Shanxi, Yoshio Shinotsuka had the most blood on his hands.

However, since he is now so obedient, Chen Chengxing has no choice but to leave him on the bench.

I only hope that the Kuomintang will consider the First Army's surrender to the Eighth Route Army and sentence them all to death.

"Sun Xun".

"To!"

"Have them go to the barracks and keep them under unified supervision, awaiting further instructions," Chen Chengxing ordered.

"yes!".
After the Japanese soldiers had all left, Chen Chengxing gave the order again:
"The rest of the troops, immediately move into the defensive fortifications built by the Japanese and prepare for battle!"

"A battle?" The people around didn't understand.

The Japanese have already surrendered and they have taken control of Taiyuan, so why is there still fighting?

“Taiyuan is Yan Xishan’s lifeline; he won’t give it up. There will definitely be battles ahead,” Chen Chengxing said.

The Japanese surrender was very sudden; no one has had time to react yet.

I just seized the initiative.

After hearing Chen Chengxing's explanation, everyone thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.

Now that the Japanese have surrendered, the contradictions between the two sides have become apparent.

While the new Second Regiment was busy making arrangements, the various officers of the puppet army who had been gathered together were restless in the room.

They all received their appointment letters from the Second World War zone.

They were just waiting for Commander Yan to regain control of Shanxi so they could continue being officials.

But now the Eighth Route Army has entered the city.

They didn't receive the Eighth Route Army's letter of appointment, so this is a complete misunderstanding.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die! The Eighth Route Army won't let us off the hook."

"What do you want? To rebel?"

Why did the Eighth Route Army separate its officers and soldiers for supervision?

"Even if you wanted to rebel, you wouldn't be able to find anyone to help you."

"We can't just stand by and watch, can we? If the Eighth Route Army gains control of the situation, we'll be even more doomed."

"Sigh, the Eighth Route Army is moving too fast. I guess someone must be leading the way."

"The only thing we can do now is wait for the right opportunity."

"If Commander Yan can lead all the Eighth Route Army soldiers away, we will still have a chance."

"If Commander Yan himself is not up to the task, then let's pretend we never received the letter of appointment."

"Ugh"

The room was filled with groans; they knew their good days were over.

Meanwhile, Yan Xishan, whom everyone was eagerly anticipating, was now happily traveling by train to Taiyuan.

However, he is 250 kilometers away from Taiyuan, so he probably won't arrive until late at night.

"Xingru, what's the situation with the various units below?" Yan Xishan asked with a smile.

"The 321st Regiment and the 217th Regiment have jointly taken over Fu'an."

"After they have taken control of Fu'an, they will take a train to Taiyuan."

"The first cavalry force has already emerged from the mountains from the direction of Jiaokou and is advancing towards Taiyuan."

"The other armies are also accepting the surrender of the Japanese army as planned," Yang Xingru reported.

The Jin-Sui Army set out from southwestern Shanxi with two main objectives: Taiyuan and Anyi.

Taiyuan is of paramount importance.

“Very good!” Yan Xishan nodded.

After fighting for so many years, I can finally be my own local emperor again.

Once Taiyuan is reclaimed, it will be able to influence the Tongpu Railway and Zhengtai Railway, which is equivalent to taking back Shanxi.

Shanxi is mostly mountainous, and there are only so many real plains.

If we can control these two railways, we will have more than 60% of Shanxi's resources under our control.

As for the Eighth Route Army in other mountainous areas, we can only cooperate with Chairman Chang to make further plans.

Just when Yan Xishan was full of hope and wanted to regain his position as the King of Shanxi.

The Jin-Sui Army's cavalry battalion, which had been lying in wait behind enemy lines, encountered trouble while waiting for an opportunity.

"Get out of my way! Can't you see what I'm wearing?"

"Look, what is this?"

Liang Ping'an, the battalion commander of the Jin-Sui Army cavalry at the head of the unit, tugged at the badge on his chest.

"What rubbish? I can't read!" The sentry at the New Second Regiment looked on with disdain.

This infuriated Liang Ping'an.

How dare you, a mere soldier, speak to me like that, when I am the battalion commander of the Jin-Sui Army cavalry?

However, his mission was to get to Taiyuan and take over the defense of Taiyuan, so he didn't have time to chat with the Eighth Route Army here.

"Get out of the way immediately! We have important military duties to attend to. If we are delayed, can you take responsibility?" Liang Ping'an said angrily.

"I'm sorry, I received orders from my superiors that no one is allowed to go over there!"

"Who are you referring to as your superior? I'm acting on orders from the Second War Zone Command!"

"A superior is a superior. How would a lowly soldier like me know?"

"Then I command you to get out of the way right now!"

"I'm sorry, I can't move aside without orders from my superiors."

"Who is your superior? Have the person who gave the order come out?" "Sorry, I don't know."

"What's your name? Which part of your body are you from?"

"I'm sorry, this is confidential."

The sentry kept apologizing, but his expression was incredibly arrogant.

"You son of a bitch!"

Liang Ping'an was furious, pointing at the Eighth Route Army soldiers in front of him, ready to start cursing.

What are you thinking about?

"Someone's charging! Prepare for battle!" The sentry immediately raised his gun.

"Damn it! The troops are retreating!" Liang Ping'an said helplessly.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers are all hiding in bunkers, and we are too close to them.

If a battle breaks out, a large portion of the cavalry battalion will fall instantly.

Regardless of whether we fight next, retreating is necessary.

"Pah, what a piece of junk!" the sentry scoffed.

"What did you say? There's a roadblock set up by the Eighth Route Army south of Taiyuan?!"

Yan Xishan on the train suddenly stood up, his face filled with rage.

He made arrangements at the beginning of the year, so how come the biggest prize has been won by the Eighth Route Army?
"Sir, something's not right. How come there are Eighth Route Army soldiers in Taiyuan?"

"Could it be that the Eighth Route Army has seized Taiyuan ahead of schedule?" Yang Xingru said.

Yang Xingru couldn't think of any other reason besides this.

But if this is true, then the Eighth Route Army acted far too quickly.

It's not even completely dark yet.

From the moment Italy announced its surrender until now, it has been less than seven hours.

"Xingru, send a telegram to the cavalry battalion, ordering them to launch an immediate attack."

"We must break through the Eighth Route Army's defenses and enter Taiyuan in the shortest possible time!"

"Also, send a telegram to the 34th and 33rd Armies, instructing them to provide support to the Taiyuan front as quickly as possible!"

Knowing that the Eighth Route Army might seize Taiyuan, Yan Xishan no longer cared about accepting the surrender of Japanese troops from other places.

For him, Taiyuan is the most important place.

"Sir, the situation is unclear. Would it be dangerous to launch a rash attack?"

Yang Xingru hesitated, but didn't know how to persuade her.

"No matter how fast the Eighth Route Army moves, it's impossible for them to have many troops in Taiyuan."

"As long as we can retake Taiyuan in a short time, we can create a fait accompli."

"Pass on the order!" Yan Xishan commanded.

"Yes!"

"Brothers, the telegram has arrived!"

"Our superiors have ordered us to immediately attack the Eighth Route Army's positions!"

"Everyone prepare for battle!" Liang Ping'an shouted, holding up a telegram.

At the outpost of the Second New Regiment not far away, the soldiers saw the Jin-Sui Army's movements and deduced their intentions.

"Quickly! The Jin-Sui Army is about to launch an attack! Move into position!"
"Boom!" "Boom!"
The moment the two sides exchanged fire, everyone in Taiyuan City heard it immediately.

"Commander, a report from the front lines: the Jin-Sui Army's cavalry has launched an attack!"

"This is no small matter; it could easily escalate into a major disaster!" Luo Ping said solemnly.

"A mere cavalry battalion dares to provoke my New Second Regiment."

Chen Chengxing had already received reports that a certain unit wanted to enter Shanxi.

"Order the 3rd Battalion to send a company to outflank the Jin-Sui Army from the rear and wipe out this cavalry battalion!"

"I was just about to need a horse, and here it is."

If the Jin-Sui Army doesn't take the initiative to attack, Chen Chengxing really won't be able to provoke trouble.

But since it's been delivered right to his door, Chen Chengxing isn't worried about having too little meat.

"Old Chen, shouldn't we ask our superiors for instructions? This isn't like fighting the Japanese," Luo Ping suggested.

“We can do it simultaneously, and sending telegrams won’t delay our attack on the Jin-Sui Army,” Chen Chengxing affirmed.

After capturing Taiyuan, Chen Chengxing sent a telegram to the military region.

The military region's reply at the time was to guarantee the safety of Taiyuan and the Japanese prisoners of war.

I'm doing my job right now to ensure the safety of Taiyuan.

"Give the order: follow the plan and fire freely!" Chen Chengxing commanded.

"yes!".
The telegram sent by the New Second Regiment to the military region went unanswered, as if it had sunk without a trace.

After the Jin-Sui Army cavalry in the south of the city launched a continuous attack for half an hour, Liang Ping'an realized something was wrong.

The Eighth Route Army's firepower on the other side neither increased nor decreased; it was as if there were still the same number of people.

But his own troops had suffered a quarter casualties.

But Liang Ping'an didn't believe that they hadn't killed a single Eighth Route Army soldier.

Just as Liang Ping'an was hesitating whether to intensify the offensive, gunshots suddenly rang out from behind.

"What's going on? Eighth platoon! Go check the rear immediately!"

"Yes!"

However, before the eighth row could even assemble and set off, several people from the ninth row, who had been watching the horses from the back, ran over.

"It's bad, Battalion Commander! Several hundred Eighth Route Army soldiers are coming from behind!"

"The enemy approached us in the dark and started attacking right away. Our brothers couldn't hold out at all," the ninth platoon leader said with a mournful face.

In fact, the ninth platoon leader had no idea how many people were on the other side.

The Eighth Route Army on the other side was simply too strong in battle.

They couldn't even take down the first infantry squad.

But obviously we can't say that now.

Upon hearing the report, Liang Ping'an slapped his thigh.

"Oh no! We've fallen for their trap!"

The Eighth Route Army in the position was definitely trying to lure them away, buying time for the Eighth Route Army to make a flanking maneuver.

Now that the Eighth Route Army has outflanked them, they are bound to be surrounded and annihilated.

Even if you wanted to run away now, you probably couldn't.

After all, ever since the Red Army came into being, no one could outrun them.

"Order the troops to cease their attack, establish defensive positions, and await reinforcements!" Liang Ping'an decisively commanded.

Now that the higher-ups know about the changes in Taiyuan, my mission is considered complete.

The rest depends on how quickly Commander Yan arrives.

(End of this chapter)