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

Chapter 281 Regret for Not Heeding Fujita Ichiji's Advice

Brigade Commander Kawashima and Kitano Chuji led their troops to the vicinity of Zhao Village.

A Japanese scout ran up to report: "Reporting to the brigade commander, we have discovered something strange at Zhao Village ahead."

"What strange question?" asked Brigade Commander Kawashima.

"The road over at Zhao Village was originally damaged, but somehow the Eighth Route Army repaired it again," the Japanese scout replied.

Upon hearing this, the brigade commander of Kawashima was immediately dumbfounded: "Baka! What is the Eighth Route Army doing?"

You guys already destroyed the road beforehand, and now you've repaired it again. What are you trying to do?
You can't possibly be hoping we'll deliver the supplies to the Kumamoto Division Commander as soon as possible so that the civilians can be released quickly, and your fellow countrymen can suffer less.

Kitano Chuuji asked, "Have you scouted the areas behind Zhao Village?"

"We've scouted the area and found no trace of the Eighth Route Army," the Japanese scout replied. "We've also looked closely and found no traps or anything like that."

"That's a bit strange. What's the Eighth Route Army up to?" Kitano Chuuji and Brigade Commander Kawashima exchanged glances, finally fixing their gazes on Fujita Ichiji's face: "Fujita-kun, what's your opinion on this?"

“There’s an old Chinese saying: ‘If something is not normal, there must be something fishy going on.’ The Eighth Route Army first destroyed the road and then repaired it. There must be a conspiracy behind it,” Fujita Ichiji said directly. “I suggest we go around Zhao Village.”

Major General Kawashima glanced down at the map and said, "Wouldn't taking a detour waste time? Commander Kumamoto's division is already fighting with more than a dozen of his own divisions. We need to hurry."

Fujita Ichiji said, "The Eighth Route Army is best at using tricks. The more unseen something is, the more dangerous it often is. If the troops are stuck here, that would be the most terrible thing."

"What do you think?" Major General Kawashima turned to look at Kitano Chuuni.

Kitano Chuuni thought for two seconds and said, "In the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is a trick called the Empty City Stratagem. Zhuge Liang clearly had few soldiers left and could not defend the city, so he simply opened the city gates and let the old, weak and disabled soldiers sweep the ground while he played the zither on the city wall, which eventually scared away Sima Yi's army."

Major General Kawashima looked at Kitano Chuuni: "You mean, the Eighth Route Army is deliberately creating a diversion?"

"Even the scouts didn't notice the problem, I guess it's..." Kitano Chuuji didn't finish his sentence.

Fujita Ichiji interrupted, looking at Major General Kawashima: "I've said it before, the less obvious the problem is, the more dangerous it is. I still suggest we take a detour."

Kitano Chuuji said, "Leaving aside the time lost by taking a detour, what if a similar situation arises later after we take a detour...?"

"Alright, that's enough." Major General Kawashima interrupted the two, making up his mind: "We won't take a detour; we'll go through Zhao Village."

Fujita Ichiji wisely kept quiet and didn't try to persuade him further.

The troops then began their march along the newly repaired road in Zhao Village.

Of course, the Japanese weren't stupid either; they were on high alert along the way to prevent sneak attacks.

However, despite being on high alert throughout the march, nothing happened.

Fujita Ichiji muttered to himself, "This doesn't seem right. The Eighth Route Army wouldn't help us catch up on the schedule."

The sun slowly slanted westward, and the sky gradually darkened.

The group happened to arrive at a gourd valley area.

What is Gourd Valley? It is shaped like a gourd. Once a team enters, the entrances at the front and back are sealed off, and the team inside is trapped like a turtle in a jar.

In short, this Calabash Valley is a natural ambush site!
Any commander with even a shred of sense would not easily allow the troops to enter.

Looking at Calabash Valley, Major General Kawashima's expression was also very vigilant: "Send men to quickly scout the area around Calabash Valley and inside to see if there are any Eighth Route Army ambushes."

"Yes, sir." The Japanese scouts quickly went to investigate.

Kitano Chuuji said to Major General Kawashima, "General, it's getting dark. Are you planning to camp here?"

"Yes." Major General Kawashima nodded.

Even if the Kumamoto Division Commander's forces are engaged in battle with more than a dozen of his own divisions, Major General Kawashima still needs to expedite the delivery of these supplies.

But the team still needs to rest when it's time to rest.

To maintain the team's combat effectiveness, both eating and sleeping are essential.

“The Eighth Route Army must have a conspiracy, but it can’t be so simplistic as to let us foolishly walk into Calabash Valley,” Kitano Chunji questioned.

"It's definitely not like that." Major General Kawashima shook his head. "The Eighth Route Army's plan wouldn't be that simple. I'm not stupid, I wouldn't let my troops into Calabash Valley. If the Eighth Route Army blocks the way from both sides, my troops would be trapped like turtles in a jar."

Before long, the scouts returned one after another, reporting to Major General Kawashima that there were no signs of Eighth Route Army activity or ambush positions inside or outside Hulu Valley.

Major General Kawashima then ordered, "The troops will camp outside Calabash Valley and let the Chinese civilians into the valley."

In Major General Kawashima's view, this Calabash Valley was simply a natural breeding ground.

We put the Chinese people into the valley, and we kept watch over the entrance from both sides, so we weren't afraid they would sneak away at night.

"What about our supplies? Should we put them all into the gourd opening?" Kitano Chuuji asked.

"Of course we need it," Major General Kawashima nodded and said, "but we must guard it well and prevent the Chinese people from causing trouble at night."

"Yes."

The Japanese army drove the civilians into the valley, placed supplies there, and placed them under strict guard.

The cooks quickly began preparing food, and the Japanese soldiers and traitors, exhausted from a day's work, all received their share of the food, while the people in the valley went hungry.

Fujita Ichiji inspected the valley but found nothing amiss. He returned to Major General Kawashima and asked, "General, aren't we going to give these Chinese civilians something to eat? They're starving. How will we transport supplies and food to them tomorrow?"

Major General Kawashima said in a serious tone: "Food and supplies are so precious, how can we feed these Chinese? Anyway, there are many Chinese on this land. We can have the puppet troops go and capture them again in the middle of the night. It will be daylight before we are late, so it won't delay our journey."

Fujita Ichiji didn't say anything more, but still reminded him: "General, the Eighth Route Army is best at night raids. I estimate they will definitely launch a surprise attack tonight, so you still have to be careful."

"As long as I don't foolishly stay in Calabash Valley, the Eighth Route Army's sneak attack is nothing to fear," Major General Kawashima said calmly.

"That's what I'm saying, but for some reason, I just don't feel quite right about it," Fujita Ichiji thought to himself, but he didn't say it aloud.

After eating, Fujita Ichiji went to sleep and rest, as he was exhausted after traveling all day.

……

"Reporting to Brigade Commander Chen, just as you predicted, the Japanese army has set foot on the road we repaired." A guerrilla captain came over to report to the brigade commander. "Moreover, they reached Hulu Valley just as it got dark, and now they are indeed stationed outside Hulu Valley."

The purpose of repairing the road in Zhao Village was to speed up the Japanese advance so that they could reach Hulu Valley just as it got dark.

"Hmm." The brigade commander nodded and said, "Let's proceed according to plan at midnight. Everyone go to sleep and rest now."

"Commander Chen, shouldn't we do some reconnaissance beforehand to see if the Japanese have put civilians and supplies into Hulu Valley?" a guerrilla captain asked.

"No need, that's a natural warehouse I left for the Japanese. They'll put civilians and supplies into Hulu Valley." The brigade commander waved his hand. "Remember, don't act rashly now, or we'll alert the enemy, and that will be troublesome."

"Yes, Brigade Commander." ...

It was past midnight.

The guerrillas and the troops brought by the brigade commander immediately proceeded according to plan.

That is, they divided into several groups and launched a night attack on Major General Kawashima's position.

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

The artillery fire illuminated the darkness, and Major General Kawashima's troops were subjected to intense shelling.

Major General Kawashima was startled awake from his dream. Seeing the scene, he did not panic, but calmly ordered: "It's alright, the Eighth Route Army can't break in. Just stop them according to the plan."

Then, Major General Kawashima drifted off to sleep with peace of mind.

As Major General Kawashima had predicted, the Eighth Route Army's artillery fire was fierce.

But they couldn't break through the defenses at all.

The flares were fired into the sky, illuminating the night as if it were daytime.

If the Eighth Route Army tried to attack, it would be as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head, and they would be quickly pushed back by the Japanese troops.

As Fujita Ichiji looked at the scene, he scratched his head and muttered to himself: "The Eighth Route Army obviously can't break in, so why are they still fighting? Is this some kind of cover?"

But what are they covering up?
Or perhaps the Eighth Route Army doesn't want us to get a good night's sleep. If we don't sleep well and don't get enough rest, our energy will be depleted, and our fighting capacity will decline. Will the Eighth Route Army then find another opportunity to attack us?

But that doesn't seem right either, if that's the case.

Why didn't the Eighth Route Army launch a night attack as soon as it got dark? Why did they wait until midnight?

The battle raged until three or four in the morning when intense gunfire and grenade explosions echoed through Calabash Valley.

Fujita Ichiji finally realized what was happening.

The Eighth Route Army's night raid was definitely to cover up the operation in Hulu Valley.

But I've already checked Calabash Valley, and there's clearly nothing there.

When Fujita Ichiji quickly arrived at Calabash Valley, Major General Kawashima and Kitano Chuuji had also arrived.

At Hulu Valley, they witnessed a scene they would never forget.

That means the Chinese people and most of the supplies in Hulu Valley are gone, and many places in Hulu Valley have exposed cave entrances.

No need to look, that's the tunnel.

This tunnel wasn't just dug; it was dug a long time ago.

The entrance to the cave was disguised, and the disguise was probably done last year.

The grass was so thick that it's no wonder no one noticed anything amiss.

Kitano Chuuji was utterly shocked: "Did the Eighth Route Army foresee today's operation last year, so they dug the tunnels in advance? That's just too absurd."

Fujita Ichiji, who had served in the military police and had seen similar files, said, "When the troops went to suppress them, they often cornered the guerrillas, only for them to miraculously disappear. The suppression teams carefully examined the site and eventually discovered escape tunnels that the Eighth Route Army guerrillas had dug in advance. The tunnels in this Hulu Valley were dug by the Eighth Route Army in advance, probably for this purpose, as a backup escape route. They originally intended them for their own retreat, but today they've used them to rescue civilians and steal our supplies."

"Damn it! The cave's been blown up, we can't get in. But there are so many of these Chinese civilians, they can't leave anytime soon. Fight our way out, search! We must find this exit, find and kill all those damned Chinese, and get our supplies back!" Major General Kawashima roared, ordering his troops to break out quickly.

Major General Kawashima's troops demonstrated rapid and impressive combat effectiveness, which was truly remarkable.

The Eighth Route Army troops outside suffered heavy casualties from the powerful firepower of the Japanese soldiers and were eventually forced to retreat.

Ultimately, Major General Kawashima found the tunnel's exit.

However, the exit of this tunnel was a strategic pass that could not be breached by even a single man, and no matter how General Kawashima's troops attacked, they could not get through.

Finally, before dawn, the Eighth Route Army troops withdrew on their own initiative.

Kawashima lunged forward, but found nothing.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Major General Kawashima angrily brandished his command sword, slashing the air like a madman.

Now, he has finally woken up from his dream.

Fujita Ichiji was right.

The less obvious the problem is, the more serious it often is.

I regret not listening to Fujita Ichiji's advice and not going around Zhao Village.

Now, not only have we lost the supplies meant for Commander Kumamoto, but the small amount of supplies left isn't even enough for us to eat.

"General, we don't have much food left. Let's retreat quickly to the nearby county town," Fujita Ichiji suggested.

"Let's go." Major General Kawashima did not hesitate and immediately ordered a retreat towards the nearby county town.

Of course, the communications soldier was also instructed to immediately send a message to the commander that the supplies had been lost.

……

"I'm sorry, folks, it was our Eighth Route Army that failed to rescue you in time."

With red eyes, the brigade commander apologized to the civilians in front of him. Most of the civilians still had whip marks on their bodies, having been brutally beaten by the Japanese devils and traitors.

A small number of ordinary people have closed their eyes forever.

"Comrade, don't say such things. It's already a miracle that you were able to rescue us." The people didn't blame them at all. On the contrary, many of them made up their minds on the spot to join the army to fight the Japanese.

"Fellow villagers, if you want to join the army to fight the Japanese, the Eighth Route Army welcomes you. But right now, the Eighth Route Army is still chasing down the Japanese, so we can't let them get away with it." The brigade commander looked at these lovely people and said in a very serious tone, "You all go back first. After I deal with these Japanese, I'll arrange your military service."

"Alright, alright then, we won't delay your fight against the Japanese. You must make sure to kill these Japanese devils and traitors. These dogs shouldn't be let off so easily." The common people were all reasonable, and when they mentioned the Japanese devils and traitors, they all gritted their teeth.

"Alright." The brigade commander nodded, pointed to the supplies captured from the Japanese, and said, "Take all these supplies back and distribute them."

"No, these belong to the team, how can we take them?" The people didn't take a single one; they didn't want any of them.

In the end, the brigade commander sent some soldiers to escort them back and forced the supplies into their hands.

"Comrades, the villagers have been rescued! These Japanese devils and traitors think they can escape so easily? They're running out of food now, and the initiative is on our side." The brigade commander's expression quickly turned cold. "We'll do everything we can to keep them on their way, until they're completely out of food!"

"Go!" The guerrilla captains followed their brigade commander's lead and quickly turned around.

(End of this chapter)