Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 104 Watch me squeeze the shit out of him
"It's true."

The intelligence officer nodded and said, "We also heard the sounds of heavy artillery, like the sounds of the Hell Cannon."

What's going on with the Hell Cannon?
Upon hearing this, both Li Yunlong and Zhang Dabiao were immediately dumbfounded.

Right now, it seems like only me and Lao Ding have combat units equipped with Hellfire Cannons.

It can't be that after Lao Ding took the mining equipment back, he went to attack the Third Regiment with the Hell Cannon.

This is impossible.

Old Ding probably doesn't have any Hell Cannon shells, so what is he going to use to attack the Third Regiment?

Furthermore, the brigade commander wouldn't let him fight.

In other words, the force that attacked the Third Regiment with the Hell Cannon was someone else.

Remembering something, Zhang Dabiao said to Li Yunlong, "Regimental Commander, it's probably because another unit on our side got some stuff and went to the arsenal to exchange for the Hell Cannon."

"That doesn't make sense either. Besides me, who else would dare to openly and blatantly invade the Third Regiment's territory?" Li Yunlong boasted.

Zhang Dabiao didn't expose him, and nodded in agreement: "Yes, even if our troops are equipped with the Hell Cannon, their personnel quality and combat effectiveness are still no match for the Japanese Third Regiment. They are known as elite, and that's no exaggeration."

Although Zhang Dabiao followed Li Yunlong to defeat the Third Regiment on Cangyun Ridge.

But Zhang Dabiao was still surrounded by the Third Regiment again. The Japanese soldiers' reaction speed was just that fast, and their quality was just that high.

If Li Yunlong hadn't turned back to rescue Zhang Dabiao, grass would have grown on Zhang Dabiao's grave by now.

"Forget it, let's skim the profits from the 22nd Regiment first, and then see who's got the guts to steal our business. Damn it, daring to steal our food, we'll see how we squeeze the shit out of him!"

"Yes, Captain."

And so, Li Yunlong led his troops and charged straight into the territory of the 22nd Regiment.

……

358th Regiment of Jin-Sui Army

"Commander, the higher-ups have agreed and are preparing to send another artillery battalion to support us."

Fang Ligong, the chief of staff of the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army, walked over happily and reported the good news to Chu Yunfei.

These three Japanese regiments were like a sword hanging over the head of the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army. Once they were removed, our 358th Regiment wouldn't have to be so on edge.

They could even take advantage of the situation to enter the territory of the 22nd Regiment and reap some profits.

"Great! I'll have two artillery battalions then, enough to fight the Japanese devils!" Chu Yunfei said, rubbing his hands together, his confidence soaring.

"Commander, I think we should prepare for the worst," Fang Ligong said. "What if Li Yunlong of the Eighth Route Army changes his mind?"

If Li Yunlong breaks his promise and doesn't cooperate with us in attacking the Japanese, things will be bad.

"No way," Chu Yunfei interrupted, shaking his head. "The Japanese have equipment for making bullets in their supplies. That's the perfect excuse for Li Yunlong to make a move. With me helping him tie down the main Japanese force, he has a chance to strike from behind. If he misses such a good opportunity, he'll hardly have another one."

“That makes sense,” Fang Ligong nodded and said, “The Eighth Route Army can’t even make bullets. This batch of equipment that can make bullets is the trigger for them. It’s just that the higher-ups aren’t too happy about it.”

"The higher-ups don't want this batch of equipment to fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, do they?" Chu Yunfei said incisively.

“Yes, the Eighth Route Army is only a theoretical ally after all, and it will be eliminated sooner or later. If the equipment that can make bullets falls into their hands, won't that add pressure to our future?” Fang Ligong pointed out.

“Now that we are all pointing our guns outward, the Eighth Route Army’s guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines has tied down a large number of Japanese soldiers. Now that they can manufacture bullets, they will definitely be able to tie down even more Japanese soldiers, which is also very beneficial to us. The higher-ups must understand this.” Chu Yunfei looked at Fang Ligong. “Even if, hypothetically, this batch of equipment really falls into the hands of the Eighth Route Army, it would be an unacceptable humiliation for the Japanese. They would relentlessly pursue the Eighth Route Army and pay less attention to us, which would reduce the pressure on us.”

"That's what I told my superiors too." Fang Ligong nodded, then continued, "Making bullets isn't that simple. Even if we have the equipment, we still need to mine and smelt. The Eighth Route Army doesn't have copper. With equipment but no power, we can't make bullets."

“Brother Ligong, I don’t see it that way.” Chu Yunfei shook his head. “If the Eighth Route Army can make heavy artillery with such rudimentary conditions, I have a feeling they can actually make bullets.”

"Commander, should we hold back a plan..." Fang Ligong didn't finish his sentence.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. If we really get into a fight with Li Yunlong, we'll only end up losing everything, and all the credit we've already gained will be gone," Chu Yunfei interrupted Fang Ligong.

"It seems that we have no choice but to..." Fang Ligong didn't finish his sentence.

Someone ran up quickly to report: "Reporting to the regimental commander and chief of staff, we have just received news that the area under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Third Regiment has been attacked."

Is someone attacking the Third Regiment's territory?
Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong were both stunned upon hearing this. The Third Regiment was not to be trifled with.

Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment suffered 300 casualties in less than an hour of fighting with the Third Regiment and hastily withdrew to avoid being annihilated.

Even though Li Yunlong killed the original commander of the Third Regiment, Sakata Nobutetsu, the Third Regiment's combat quality was still very strong.

Now, who has the guts to provoke the Third Regiment?

Fang Ligong couldn't help but look at Chu Yunfei with suspicion: "Commander, do you think it could be Li Yunlong?"

"Probably not." Chu Yunfei shook his head and said, "Li Yunlong and I agreed that he would lure over three Japanese regiments. Why would he go out of his way to provoke the Third Regiment? That doesn't fit our agreement."

"Commander, besides Li Yunlong, I'm afraid no one else on the Eighth Route Army has the guts to do this," Fang Ligong said skeptically. "Besides, Li Yunlong provoking the Third Regiment won't affect our agreement. Anyway, it doesn't seem wrong for him to show himself to attract the Japanese and launch a spectacular attack on the Third Regiment."

“How is this inappropriate? That’s the Third Regiment!” Chu Yunfei angrily cursed. “We’re already under enough pressure from three Japanese regiments. If Li Yunlong brings in the Third Regiment, we’ll be unable to do this job at all.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Ligong nodded angrily: "Yes, if Li Yunlong brings the Third Regiment, we'll be facing four Japanese regiments. We simply can't hold them off. We must immediately report this emergency to our superiors and cancel the operation..."

"No rush," Chu Yunfei waved his hand, interrupting Fang Ligong, and said, "Let's find out who's attacking the Third Regiment first. I don't believe Li Yunlong is that stupid!"

Li Yunlong surely understood that if more Japanese soldiers were brought over, our side wouldn't be able to hold out, and he wouldn't be able to intercept the Japanese supply lines.

Chu Yunfei looked at the newcomer and asked, "What kind of uniforms did the team that attacked the Third Regiment wear? How many soldiers did they have? What weapons did they use?"

"A small number were dressed in gray military uniforms, while the majority were dressed in civilian clothes. The force numbered over two thousand, and their weapons were a mixed bag, including light and heavy machine guns, mortars, infantry guns, and even heavy artillery," the man replied.

"Commander, isn't that the Eighth Route Army!" Fang Ligong immediately affirmed to Chu Yunfei, "Is there any need to say more? It must be Li Yunlong."

“No, this isn’t Li Yunlong.” Chu Yunfei shook his head and said, “I just came back from parting ways with Li Yunlong’s side. I know his equipment very well. He doesn’t have any infantry guns. Moreover, he only has a little over a thousand troops, half of whom are his own prisoners of war. They are still wearing their own prisoner-of-war uniforms. Judging from this, it must be other Eighth Route Army units attacking the Third Regiment.”

Immediately afterwards, Chu Yunfei exclaimed, "The Eighth Route Army is truly full of capable people. They even dared to lead their troops to attack the Third Regiment. They are truly role models for us."

Our 358th Regiment has 5,000 men. After that encounter with the Third Regiment, we would avoid the Third Regiment from then on.

Let alone seeking revenge.

Chu Yunfei truly admired that someone from the Eighth Route Army dared to go directly to the Third Regiment to cause trouble, because the other party had done something he dared not do.

Fang Ligong, however, made a sarcastic remark: "Commander, you're underestimating the fighting strength of the Third Regiment. Although they suffered losses on Cangyun Ridge, they are still elite Japanese troops. I think this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers will definitely be dealt with severely by the Third Regiment."

“Since they dared to openly and blatantly attack the Third Regiment, they certainly didn’t make the decision rashly,” Chu Yunfei shook his head.

boom!
At that moment, Chu Yunfei and Fang Ligong both heard the sound of heavy artillery explosions coming from the 22nd Regiment next door.

Jingle Bell!
The telephone on the table immediately rang urgently, and Chu Yunfei quickly grabbed the receiver: "This is Chu Yunfei."

"Commander, a very strange force has invaded the 22nd Regiment's territory," came the report from the forward observation post over the phone.

A strange team is attacking the 22nd Regiment?

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei was immediately stunned.

The area under the jurisdiction of the 22nd Regiment was like a piece of fat meat right in front of them.

Originally, he planned to cooperate with Li Yunlong to drive away the three Japanese regiments and then take advantage of the situation to profit from the area under the jurisdiction of the 22nd Regiment.

Has someone already beaten them to it?

"What's so strange about this team?" Chu Yunfei asked in a displeased tone.

The enemy has heavy artillery, and the team composition is strange; he probably guessed who it was.

"Half of them were wearing the uniforms of the elite troops, but were carrying standard Japanese weapons, while the other half were wearing the gray uniforms of the Eighth Route Army, making it seem as if the Eighth Route Army and the elite troops were working together," the forward observation post reported.

"Brother Yunlong, what you did was not fair." Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei immediately confirmed the answer: the person who attacked the 22nd Regiment was none other than Li Yunlong.

"Commander, something doesn't seem right," Fang Ligong questioned. "If Li Yunlong of the Eighth Route Army made an appointment with you, how come there's another Eighth Route Army unit attacking the Third Regiment?"

"Brother Ligong, you stay at the regimental headquarters. I'll go find Li Yunlong right away and get some answers." Chu Yunfei led his guard platoon and hurriedly left the regimental headquarters.

(End of this chapter)