Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 351 Nobody knows artillery better than us

The fighting south of Taiyuan has continued unabated since the beginning.

In the middle of the night, Yan Xishan got off the train in Chongqing and established a front-line command post.

He then ordered the train to continue forward, taking the accompanying infantry regiment directly to the front lines.

Upon arriving at the front lines, the Jin-Sui Army immediately disembarked and joined the battle.

However, apart from rescuing dozens of people, nothing else was achieved.

The soldiers of the New Second Regiment used the Japanese fortifications to make it difficult for the Jin-Sui Army to advance.

At daybreak, Zhou Weiguo took a telegram and went to the regimental headquarters.

"Commander, the Jin-Sui Army has reinforced its troops."

"Friendly forces in southern Shanxi discovered that a large number of Jin-Sui troops were advancing northward recklessly."

"The number must be at least twenty or thirty thousand."

"Does Chief Chen have any orders?" Chen Chengxing asked.

He wasn't afraid of the 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers of the Jin-Sui Army at all.

Xu Wu has basically completed the takeover mission, and the 1st Infantry Battalion (211th Regiment) has also reached Xinkou, sealing off the northern gate of Taiyuan.

The defense of Luye and Wuyi counties was transferred by each regiment to the local county brigade and local government.

Four independent regiments are marching rapidly along the railway towards Taiyuan.

They are all lightly armed troops, and they will definitely arrive the day after tomorrow.

As for the Luyang Independent Regiment and the Supplementary Regiment, they will arrive tomorrow.

“Aside from sending intelligence intermittently, the military region hasn’t done anything else,” Zhou Weiguo explained.

"Okay, I understand." Chen Chengxing nodded.

"Let the frontline troops fight slowly, don't rush, wait for the rest of the troops to arrive before making any moves."

Although there are nearly 6,000 people in the new Second Regiment in Taiyuan, there are still many things to be wary of.

Leaving aside the defenses of Taiyuan, there were more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers, puppet troops, and traitors alone.

Guarding them would require a significant amount of manpower, not to mention the warehouses and factories scattered throughout the area.

Chen Chengxing didn't even have time to arrest all the traitors in Taiyuan.

It was simply an order to place Taiyuan under military control, prohibiting everyone from leaving the city.

Currently, only an infantry battalion is fighting the Jin-Sui Army on the front lines.

However, even though there was only one battalion on the front line, and this battalion was divided into multiple locations.

The infantry regiment brought by Yan Xishan did not advance an inch.

Inside the command post in Chongqing, after learning that the offensive at the front was not going well, Yan Xishan slammed his fist on the table with a deafening roar.

"Judging by the firepower, there are only about a hundred men on the opposite side!"

"An entire regiment fought for two hours and achieved absolutely nothing?!"

"What is Lu Chen good for?!"

"Call Lu Chen! If he can't break through the Eighth Route Army's first line of defense within an hour, I'll remove him from his position as regimental commander!"

"Yes!" The staff officer next to him hurriedly ran to make a phone call.

The rest of the people in the command post were also on edge, fearing that they might attract unnecessary attention.

Because of what happened in Taiyuan, Yan Xishan was extremely agitated.

"Xingru, where are the 34th and 33rd Armies now?" Yan Xishan asked with a gloomy expression.

If one regiment can't take Taiyuan, then add more people!
He didn't believe that two armies couldn't take it down.

"According to the latest telegram, the 33rd Army has discovered a train in Zhaocheng."

"The 347th Regiment has already traveled north by vehicle and is expected to arrive in Chongqing in six hours."

"The rest of the troops also abandoned their heavy equipment and are marching rapidly toward Taiyuan."

Upon hearing Yang Xingru's words, Yan Xishan immediately perked up.

"Six hours? Great!"

"Two regiments should be able to break through the Eighth Route Army's first line of defense!" Yan Xishan said excitedly.

"Sir, it might not be that easy. The enemy's artillery poses a great threat."

Yang Xingru didn't have much hope.

According to the unit's report, although the number of Eighth Route Army troops on the opposite side was small, the fortifications built by the Japanese army were very solid.

Moreover, the Eighth Route Army had a considerable amount of artillery support.

As soon as a large force is deployed for a strong attack, large-caliber mortar shells will immediately fall.

During the first assault, the Eighth Route Army suffered over two hundred casualties in just one round of firepower.

Even after they changed their attack direction, they were still subjected to heavy mortar fire.

This forced Lu Chen to keep his units spaced out in platoons to reduce casualties.

However, this also led to a reduction in the density of offensive firepower.

"The Eighth Route Army has artillery, and so do we!"

"Where is the 23rd Artillery Regiment now?" Yan Xishan asked.

Yang Xingru glanced at her watch, thought for a moment, and said:

"It is expected to arrive in Linyao in another 5 hours, by which time the train sent to pick us up should also be there."

"Good! With the artillery regiment's support, I don't believe the Eighth Route Army can hold out!"

In order to ensure that the artillery regiments could reach the battlefield as planned, the Jin-Sui Army had already forcibly requisitioned a large number of mules and horses along the way.

If a horse dies from exhaustion, simply replace it with another horse and continue the journey.

After arranging his work in Taiyuan, Chen Chengxing arrived at the newly formed independent artillery battalion.

"Zhu Zi, how's it going? Have you figured it out yet?" Chen Chengxing asked.

"Commander." Wang Chengzhu, who was studying the cannon in front of him, quickly stood up.

"It's a bit complicated. The gun table is in Japanese, and the comrades can't understand it."

"We're currently learning from the Japanese artillery with the help of a translator."

"Yes, hurry up, we'll need your help when necessary," Chen Chengxing said.

"yes!".
"But Commander, these are heavy artillery pieces. Are we really going to just assign them to the New Second Regiment like this?"

"I'm afraid Chen Sijin won't agree," Wang Chengzhu said in a low voice.

Although he was happy to have so many cannons, Wang Chengzhu did not think that the New Second Regiment would be able to keep these cannons.

To ensure firepower in the Pacific theater, the 150mm and 105mm heavy artillery of the 4th Division and the 1st Army had been withdrawn.

However, the 4th Division still had 36 Type 90 75mm field guns.

The Type 90 75mm field gun is a cannon with a range of up to 14 kilometers.

On the battlefield, it can be used as an anti-artillery piece.

Aside from its heavy weight, the Type 90 field gun boasts top-tier performance within the 75mm caliber.

However, the 4th Division is equipped with dedicated tracked tractors, which can keep up with the main force as long as the roads are suitable.

If we manage to acquire American trucks in the future, we can also utilize truck mobility.

"Don't worry about that now, just take it first," Chen Chengxing waved his hand. He knew, of course, that he couldn't protect so many heavy artillery pieces.

But Chen Chengxing knew very well that if he wanted to open a window, he had to talk about demolishing the house first.

You've already formed your own artillery battalion, Chen Sijin, you can't just take it all away, can you?
If we can leave some for the new second regiment, then we've succeeded.

I watched as the soldiers of the artillery battalion gathered in front of a cannon, studying diligently.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Chengxing found Kuroda Yuki, the commander of the 4th Division's field artillery regiment.

"Captain Kuroda."

"Chen-san!" Kuroda Yuki stood up at attention.

"Captain Kuroda, you're too kind," Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

"I came to you to ask if I could hire your artillerymen?"

Getting familiar with a cannon is not so simple; it requires a lot of training.

It is impossible for Wang Chengzhu and his men to form a fighting force in a short period of time.

It would be a disaster if the shells hit our own people.

"Chen Sang, our army's war is over."

"According to regulations, we are all prisoners of war now and cannot make any other moves."

Kuroda Yuki didn't want to cause trouble.

Now, as long as they behave themselves, they can return to their homeland.

"If even one technician agrees, I'll give you two silver dollars!"

"I'll double the pay of the technical soldiers!"

In order to achieve his goal, Chen Chengxing spared no expense.

Fortunately, the number of people actually needed is not large.

A cannon requires a dozen to several dozen people to serve it, but only three to five people actually operate the cannon.

Even with the addition of tractor drivers and mechanics, it would take considerable effort to get these thirty-six cannons moving.

Two hundred Japanese soldiers would be about right.

The rest of the logistical support can be handled by the soldiers of the new Second Regiment, which is also a good opportunity for them to learn.

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, Kuroda Yuki's tone immediately changed.

"But then again, since we are prisoners, we must act according to your orders!"

"Also, the soldiers of the Locust Army don't need to be paid double; just pay them the normal amount."

“We should split the saved military pay in half,” Kuroda Yuki suggested.

"I don't care about military pay, you can have it all. All I want is for the artillery to be as easy to use as my own arm."

Chen Chengxing cared about the artillery, not the money at all.

Kuroda Yuki's nostrils flared when he heard that he would take it all.

"Please rest assured! I will personally lead the team and take charge!"

"Nobody knows artillery better than us!"

Kuroda Yuki's hands swayed like he was playing an accordion.

Who would have thought that even after surrendering, they could still get so much money?

If you had known this would happen, you should have surrendered sooner. What were you persisting for?

A dozen minutes later, Kuroda Yuki stood in front of several hundred specially selected people.

"Gentlemen! The reason I've called you here is simple: the Eighth Route Army wants you to join their artillery in the war!"

Upon hearing Kuroda Yuki's words, the soldiers below immediately erupted in chaos.

What a joke! When the Heavenly Locusts were paying their soldiers, they didn't even fight for them.

Now the Eighth Route Army can get them to risk their lives just by talking to them?
"Shut up! Listen to me!" Kuroda Yuki shouted.

"We are prisoners of war! Prisoners should think like prisoners!"

"If you refuse to obey, the Eighth Route Army may use military law against you!"

The people below erupted again.

I've never heard of such a thing before.

"Let me finish! Let me finish!"

Kuroda Yukiko dared not wait any longer; if the people below rioted, he would be the first to be affected.

"After my reasoned argument, the Eighth Route Army is willing to hire you as advisors with your original military pay!"

"The Eighth Route Army will assign each of you an apprentice; you only need to teach them step by step!"

"Of course, you'll have to help before you have a church."

Upon hearing Kuroda Yuki's shout, the Japanese soldiers below began to think carefully.

"It doesn't seem like a bad thing. We can make some more money before returning to our home country."

"Oda-kun, why don't you join? I'm thinking of joining."

"We are consultants; we only need to offer guidance."

"The situation in our local area is not good right now. If we have more money, life will be a little easier in the future."

Seeing the Japanese soldiers below discussing amongst themselves, Chen Chengxing, though unable to understand their words, could tell from their expressions that they were interested.

Chen Chengxing stepped forward, ready to add fuel to the fire.

"Gentlemen! I am Chen Chengxing, the commander of the new Second Regiment. Please listen to me!"

Zhou Weiguo, who was standing next to him, immediately began to translate.

"According to the instructions from higher authorities, the repatriation of Japanese troops will be a long process, and I estimate that you will not be able to return to the mainland in a short period of time."

"Because the Second New Regiment and the Fourth Division were friendly trading partners."

"At the request of the Mori Division, I have decided to hire the technical troops of the 4th Division as technical advisors to the new 2nd Regiment."

"The timeframe is tentatively set at three months!"

"If you can teach your apprentices ahead of time, I will not only pay you three months' worth of military pay, but also give you an extra bonus!"

"For every month of advance payment, an extra month's salary will be paid as a bonus!"

Upon hearing Chen Chengxing's words, the Japanese soldiers below immediately perked up.

Being an advisor means that the soldiers don't have to do those things.

All they need is instruction.

Moreover, the apprentices assigned to them are definitely not new recruits; most of them are experienced veterans.

If the teaching goes smoothly, it might take a month to teach him.

Earning five months' worth of money in one month!
"I attended!"

"I'll participate!"
Seeing the eager Japanese soldiers signing up, Chen Chengxing smiled broadly.

Kuroda Yukiya didn't care; these extra rewards were already related to him anyway.

All he earns is a fixed monthly military salary; once he's taught it, he's no longer of any use to the soldier.

With this reward, at most the soldiers will be more attentive.

(End of this chapter)