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

Chapter 250: Increasingly Recognizing the Value of the Rocket Launcher

"Damn it, those damned Jin-Sui Army!"

After receiving Yoshio Shinozuka's telegram, the commander of the Kumamoto Division was furious and cursed loudly.

Originally, the large-scale sweep of the Eighth Route Army was going very smoothly.

Even though the Eighth Route Army's resistance was fierce, they definitely couldn't hold out for long.

At this critical juncture, a large number of Jin-Sui troops unexpectedly emerged.

They charged towards the back of the Yoshino team.

If they manage to rescue the Eighth Route Army soldiers who are surrounded by the Yoshino Regiment, then we'll have something to worry about again.

Major General Kawashima, commander of the 29th Brigade, gritted his teeth and said, "Let me go and take care of this batch of Jin-Sui troops. In the past, half a division of the 5th Division could sweep them away. Now I want to see if they are much tougher than before."

"It's infuriating! If we had just held on a little longer, the Eighth Route Army definitely wouldn't have been able to hold out," the division commander Kumamoto cursed. "Once your brigade leaves, the pressure on the Eighth Route Army will be reduced, and they'll be locked in a tug-of-war with us again, giving their arsenals more time to produce."

"Commander Kumamoto, I won't let the Jin-Sui Army waste too much time," Major General Kawashima assured him. "After I join forces with the reinforcements from Taiyuan to drive the Jin-Sui Army back, I will return as quickly as possible."

"Kawashima-kun, then I'll leave it to you." Commander Kumamoto nodded.

Major General Kawashima led the 29th Brigade to quickly break away from the large-scale mopping-up operation, without taking any of the puppet troops with him.

……

386th Brigade Headquarters

The deputy brigade commander said to the brigade commander with delight, "Brigade commander, Li Yunlong is really something. A large number of troops from the Jin-Sui Army have come out and are now moving towards the rear of the Yoshino Regiment."

The brigade commander laughed: "With the Jin-Sui Army joining the battle, the time is ripe for Li Yunlong to wreak havoc in Jin Province."

"Yes, with the Jin-Sui Army helping to hold back the Japanese, Li Yunlong..." The deputy brigade commander didn't finish his sentence.

A staff officer hurried over, saluted, and reported: "Brigade Commander, the Japanese troops that were sweeping us have transferred a brigade, which has relieved some of the pressure on the front lines."

The brigade commander remained calm: "As expected, that little devil Yoshio Shinotsuka will definitely not allow the Jin-Sui Army to get close to the Yoshino Regiment. Shinotsuka may even draw troops from the rear of Taiyuan again, and the two forces will attack the Jin-Sui Army from both sides."

The deputy brigade commander added from the side: "If the brigade that the Japanese transferred away is severely damaged, it won't be able to come back to help the Kumamoto Division. In that case, as long as the Japanese don't come up with any new tricks, we can keep the mopping-up operation going indefinitely. As long as the new rockets are manufactured and have a chance to attack the Kumamoto Division's logistics and supplies, this counter-mopping-up operation can basically be over."

"It's not that easy to cripple this Japanese brigade that's been transferred away. Let's see how that bastard Li Yunlong tries to cause trouble." The brigade commander's tone was still very serious.

Even with the Jin-Sui Army joining the battle, the Japanese forces were still considerable.

The 29th Brigade had several thousand Japanese soldiers, and the Yoshino Regiment had a combined total of ten thousand.

If Yoshio Shinotsuka were to draw troops from Taiyuan, the Japanese army would have a total strength of 20,000 to 30,000 men.

Although the Jin-Sui Army had a considerable number of troops, the Japanese were not to be underestimated.

More importantly, if the weather stops and the sandstorms stop, and the Japanese planes come out, their indiscriminate bombing will be no joke.

In short, Li Yunlong is still dancing on the edge of a knife; a slight misstep could result in the annihilation of his entire army.

“Li Yunlong never suffers a loss in battle. He has one or two divisions, and he dares to attack Taiyuan.” The deputy brigade commander said with a mix of seriousness and sarcasm, “Now that we have a batch of Jin-Sui troops, I believe that in the end, it will definitely be the Japanese who suffer.”

"Let's hope so." The brigade commander picked up on the topic and said, "Since the Japanese have transferred another brigade, let's take advantage of the time to take turns resting."

The Japanese sweeping forces were all brought in, and the Eighth Route Army units were basically engaged in high-intensity guerrilla warfare with little rest.

Now that there's one less brigade of Japanese soldiers, they can take turns catching their breath.

"Ah."

……

The Jin-Sui Army was not slow in its actions, and its progress was very rapid.

However, Yoshio Shinozuka reacted quickly, and the Taiyuan side swiftly mobilized another seven or eight thousand Japanese troops, including a tank regiment.

The 29th Brigade was quickly transferred from the Kumamoto Division.

When the large force of the Jin-Sui Army was still more than ten kilometers away from the Yoshino Regiment, they were blocked by seven or eight thousand Japanese soldiers from Taiyuan.

At the same time, Major General Kawashima arrived with the 29th Brigade.

The two combined to launch a pincer attack on the Jin-Sui Army from both the front and rear.

"Commander, the Japanese firepower is too intense, the brothers can't break through." Qian Bojun, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 358th Regiment of the Jin-Sui Army, said to Chu Yunfei angrily, "The brothers have suffered heavy casualties."

"We have to charge, even if we can't." Chu Yunfei's tone was very serious. As the vanguard, the 358th Regiment would face immense pressure from the 29th Brigade right behind them if they couldn't break through.

Although the rearguard suffered heavy casualties, in some ways this was a good thing.

Because the Japanese attacked from both sides, they effectively dispersed their forces.

If they concentrate all their forces at the front and do everything they can to block the way, it will be much more difficult to break through then.

Qian Bojun said with difficulty: "Commander, the main problem is that the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles are blocking our way. We lack anti-tank weapons, so we really can't get through."

"Gather more people, grab the explosives and get up there!" Chu Yunfei said, looking ready to go all out.

"Yes, Commander." Qian Bojun had no choice but to bite the bullet and carry out Chu Yunfei's orders.

They selected many skilled men, who, armed with explosives, launched a suicide charge against the Japanese tank regiment.

They were mostly killed by machine gun fire from tanks and infantry; none of them even managed to get within 20 meters of the Japanese tanks.

"If we had anti-tank weapons, we wouldn't be so humiliated today!" Chu Yunfei said angrily, jumping up and down as he watched the scene through his binoculars.

Captain Sun Ming, Chu Yunfei's guard company commander, said, "The Eighth Route Army's shoulder-mounted artillery is specifically designed to deal with the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles. It's just a pity they won't sell it to us."

"If we have the chance in the future, we will definitely buy them again." Chu Yunfei is now increasingly aware of the value of the cannons on the shoulders of the Eighth Route Army.

It's no wonder that even though Mr. Yan Kai knew he was very likely to be used by Li Yunlong, he still chose to go.

The reason is simple: in addition to wanting to crack the Eighth Route Army's Hell Cannon shells, Mr. Yan Kai also wants to obtain the key technology of the Eighth Route Army's shoulder cannon.

"Commander, an urgent order from above!" At this moment, someone ran up to Chu Yunfei and said, "The higher-ups said you must get there before midnight, otherwise..."

"Or what?" Chu Yunfei interrupted, glaring at him.

"You will no longer receive the previous rewards for your merits," the man said.

"Go, relay my order: bring all the artillery pieces from the artillery battalion over here and get them close enough to attack the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles!" Chu Yunfei's eyes were starting to turn red.

Previously, Chu Yunfei had led the 358th Regiment to achieve many military exploits, which even earned him a commendation from the bald-headed man in the mountain city.

However, the reward for this merit has not yet reached Chu Yunfei's hands.

If these battle merits are not obtained, the 358th Regiment's ammunition and supplies will not be replenished, and its combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

At that time, the size of the enhanced guild will quickly decrease to that of the regular guild.

"Commander, the artillery battalion is our foundation. If we launch a close-range attack, the Japanese artillery is no pushover. If they bomb our artillery battalion, we..." Someone's words of advice were cut short.

Chu Yunfei roared, "The situation is urgent, we can't worry about anything else, hurry up and bring the artillery battalion over. If the artillery battalion doesn't suppress the Japanese armored tanks, we won't be able to break through."

"Yes, Commander!" the messenger shouted and ran off to relay the order.

Chu Yunfei held his binoculars, watching the Japanese tank regiment, his heart pounding: Even if it means the artillery battalion is wiped out, I will charge through.

I saved Li Yunlong's life, so I'll make sure that bastard sells me some rocket launchers later, otherwise this isn't over!

……

Yoshino United
"Commander, a telegram has been sent from Major General Kawashima."

The communications soldier handed the newly arrived telegram to Captain Yoshino.

The regimental commander, Yoshino, took a look and smiled: "Yoshi, Brigade Commander Kawashima and reinforcements from Taiyuan have trapped the Jin-Sui Army."

A Japanese officer next to the regimental commander Yoshino laughed and said, "Although the Jin-Sui Army has a considerable number of troops, they are ultimately just all show and no substance. If they can't get through, we don't need to worry about our backs."

Regimental Commander Yoshino scoffed: "Back then, half a division of the 5th Division scared off more than thirty divisions of the Jin-Sui Army, who surrendered the vast province of Shanxi without a second thought. They even handed over Taiyuan City and the Taiyuan Arsenal. Such a spineless army. Commander Shinotsuka is being a bit too conservative. Taiyuan doesn't even need to send reinforcements. Brigade Commander Kawashima with the 29th Brigade would have been enough to stop them."

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army that we've surrounded has launched several more attacks, each one weaker than the last. I estimate they're running low on ammunition and their fighting strength is waning. Should we send some troops to reinforce Brigade Commander Kawashima and his men?" the Japanese officer said. "Although the Jin-Sui Army has been blocked, they haven't collapsed or shown any signs of retreat. They're still desperately trying to get through. Let's just take this opportunity to crush them once and for all."

"No!" Captain Yoshino waved his hand. "Even a lion uses all its strength to hunt a rabbit. Although the Eighth Route Army's firepower in our encirclement has weakened, it is still very strong. If they break out, it will still be troublesome. Anyway, Brigade Commander Kawashima and the reinforcements from Taiyuan can hold back the Jin-Sui Army. As long as the Jin-Sui Army can't get through, we don't need to rush."

The Japanese officer said, "What I mean is that I want to help Brigade Commander Kawashima and his men defeat the Jin-Sui Army as soon as possible, so that Brigade Commander Kawashima can lead his troops back to Division Commander Kumamoto's side."

"No rush, the Jin-Sui Army certainly won't last long, a little more time won't make a difference." Captain Yoshino waved his hand.

"That's true."

(End of this chapter)