Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories

Chapter 106 Kong Jie: Chen Ming is a good leader
When Yamamoto Ichiki saw Kong Jie raise his broadsword, he immediately couldn't hold on any longer.

Terrified, he kicked his legs on the ground, trying to back away, and screamed in terror:

“You can’t kill me. I am an Imperial Colonel, the heir of the Yamamoto family. I am useful. You can use me to trade for supplies with General Yoshio Shinotsuka.”

"Guns, ammunition, food, medicine—I can trade for a lot of supplies, but you can't kill me!"

Yamamoto Ichiki wanted to prove his worth and save his life.

He said he wasn't afraid of death, but deep down he didn't want to die.

Unlike other Japanese soldiers and officers brainwashed by the Bushido spirit, Yamamoto Ichiki was the heir to a large family and had a bright future.

He had a high opinion of himself and believed that since he had not yet fulfilled his ambitions, it was impossible for him to face death calmly.

Even if one is to die, one should die grandly and gloriously.

He could face death calmly if he died after a battle that wiped out the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

But now, after a surprise attack on the Independent Detachment's command post and the complete annihilation of the entire army, they haven't even managed to eliminate a single Eighth Route Army soldier.

Dying under such circumstances was something that the ever-proud Yamamoto Ichiki simply could not accept.

He wanted Kong Jie to know his worth, to use himself as a bargaining chip with Yoshio Shinotsuka, and to return and take revenge after he survived.

However, it was too late for Yamamoto Ichiki to say this at this point.

His earlier, infamous, taunting and mocking remarks about the Independent Regiment's soldiers had already crossed Kong Jie's line.

Insulting Kong Jie is acceptable, but if the soldiers of the Independent Regiment are insulted, Kong Jie will risk punishment to vindicate them!
"Yamamoto! I'll fuck your holy man!"

Kong Jie shouted loudly and raised his ghost-head broadsword high.

Yamamoto Ichiki subconsciously raised his head, but before his eyes could focus on Kong Jie's face, Kong Jie's blade had already flown out diagonally.

With a "whoosh," Yamamoto's head, along with a small tree about the size of a bowl behind him, was cleanly chopped off.

It flew more than ten feet away with a "whoosh," and blood gushed high like a fountain.

This scene startled the company commander standing next to Kong Jie: Good heavens, how can the regimental commander's swordsmanship be so skillful? Just how many enemy heads has that ghost-head broadsword chopped off?

Yamamoto Ichiki's head fell to the ground, his eyes still blinking as he stared at his bleeding corpse.

He doesn't understand!

Why did Kong Jie kill him so decisively? He was an Imperial Colonel and the heir to the Yamamoto family.

If you trade him with General Yoshio Shinotsuka, you can get a large amount of supplies in return, including food, medicine, weapons, and ammunition.

For the impoverished Eighth Route Army soldiers, weren't so many supplies more important than their own lives?

Until he lost consciousness, Yamamoto Ichiki couldn't understand why Kong Jie would abandon so many supplies and instead kill him.

Seeing Yamamoto Ichiki, the last member of the Yamamoto Special Attack Team, die at his hands, Kong Jie breathed a sigh of relief.

"Clean up the battlefield," Kong Jie ordered the company commander beside him.

Afterwards, Kong Jie led his men back to the command post.

He knew he had gotten himself into serious trouble this time. Everyone knew the Eighth Route Army's policy: even prisoners of war were not allowed to be killed.

Moreover, the other party was a Japanese colonel, whose importance was incomparable to that of an ordinary Japanese soldier.

The value of prisoners is far greater than that of killing them outright.

But this time, in a fit of anger, he chopped off the other person's head.

Kong Jie was prepared to be punished and demoted, but he didn't care.

As long as he avenged the soldiers of the Independent Regiment, he would feel it was worth it even if he was demoted to a soldier.

After returning to the command post, Kong Jie tidied his appearance and then entered Chen Ming's command room.

Chen Ming was in the command room, looking at several documents by the light.

Chen Ming did not participate in the encirclement and annihilation of Yamamoto's special attack team.

Now he is a senior commander, and all he needs to do is issue orders and fulfill his duties as the leader of the independent detachment and the fourth division.

These small combat missions can be handed over to the commanders and soldiers below.

After Kong Jie came in, Chen Ming looked up at him and put down the documents in his hand.

"Old Kong is back! Come on, sit down. What are you standing for?"

Kong Jie stood tall and saluted: "Reporting to the commander, Kong Jie, the commander of the Second Battalion, has killed prisoners of war on the battlefield. Please criticize and punish him."

Looking at Kong Jie, Chen Ming sighed inwardly, thinking that Kong Jie was indeed an honest man.

It's just killing a Japanese soldier, why are you taking such a small thing so seriously?

However, it was precisely because of Kong Jie's principled character that Chen Ming liked Kong Jie and recruited him to the Independent Detachment.

Chen Ming did not criticize Kong Jie, but instead asked, "You said you killed prisoners of war, then let me ask you, did those Japanese soldiers lay down all their weapons and surrender with their hands raised?"

Kong Jie shook his head.

Even if Yamamoto Ichiki were completely powerless to resist, he would never utter the word "surrender" due to his proud personality.

Surrender and being captured on the battlefield are two different things. If he is captured and refuses to surrender, there is still room for maneuver after being exchanged back.

However, if he surrendered and was captured, even if he were exchanged back, he would be ordered to commit seppuku in order to maintain the dignity of the Yamamoto family.

Therefore, Yamamoto Ichiki never considered surrendering voluntarily. He stubbornly insisted on using his identity to force Kong Jie to capture him, intending to die rather than surrender so he could be exchanged for Shinotsuka Yoshio. "Was he knocked unconscious on the battlefield and completely incapacitated?"

Chen Ming continued to ask.

Kong Jie thought for a moment, then shook his head.

At that time, Yamamoto Ichiki was not completely incapacitated and still had grenades hanging from his body.

If you're not careful, those Japanese soldiers can bite off the pin of a grenade and detonate themselves.

Upon seeing Kong Jie's reply, Chen Ming smiled and said:

"That settles it. He didn't surrender, nor was he completely incapacitated. What kind of prisoner is he?"

"If they weren't captured, then they're still the enemy. If they weren't prisoners, then killing a Japanese soldier on the battlefield is a normal thing."

Kong Jie had not been with the Independent Detachment for long and was not a veteran, so his understanding of battlefield prisoners was not yet in sync with that of the soldiers in the Independent Detachment.

Chen Ming always killed Japanese soldiers without taking them prisoner, and the other soldiers followed suit, never taking prisoners.

On the battlefield, Japanese soldiers who wanted to surrender could only be captured if they strictly met the conditions of laying down all their weapons and completely losing their threat.

Even if the strict conditions for capturing prisoners are met, don't forget that since its development, the Independent Detachment has usually been supported by militia forces in its operations.

Once the Japanese soldiers were completely unable to resist, a militiaman, or even one who wasn't registered, would jump out and shoot them down in a few bursts.

What should we do in this situation?

Which of the militia members in Shanxi Province didn't have a blood feud with the Japanese? If someone killed a Japanese soldier to avenge their death, should they be executed?
After all, ordinary militiamen could say they were illiterate, didn't understand policies, and only wanted to kill Japanese soldiers.

Unless it's a militia captain or someone with a position who kills prisoners, they usually won't be held accountable.

Even without the militia, there are still ordinary people.

Which of our people hasn't suffered greatly at the hands of the Japanese devils? When they're being escorted into the village, they'll say these are Japanese devils.

The angry civilians were able to tear the Japanese prisoners to pieces.

The soldiers guarding the civilians couldn't very well shoot them, so they just gave them a few words of criticism and that was it.

After listening to Chen Ming's words, Kong Jie stared at Chen Ming intently.

He knew that his leader was protecting him, and his gratitude towards Chen Ming grew even stronger.

No wonder the commanders and soldiers of the Independent Detachment give Chen Ming a thumbs up whenever he is mentioned, showing their heartfelt respect and love.

Besides Chen Ming's exceptional command skills, which enabled him to lead them to victory and kill the Japanese, it was also because Chen Ming cared deeply for and cherished his soldiers!
He holds his soldiers in his heart, and his soldiers will hold him in high esteem.

Who wouldn't respect and admire such a leader who possesses command skills, political acumen, and personal charisma?

"I"

"Alright, this matter has been settled. Now you go and arrange the post-war work. I still have a few documents to process," Chen Ming said, waving his hand.

Chen Ming was the military commander of the Independent Detachment and the Fourth Military Sub-district, and this matter ended with Chen Ming.

Now that Chen Ming has already defined the nature of the matter, there's no way that Yamamoto, that little devil, could ever be a prisoner.

Kong Jie was not killing prisoners of war.

"Yes."

Kong Jie hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Half an hour later, Kong Jie returned and reported the results of the operation.

"Reporting to the detachment commander, in this operation our unit annihilated 156 members of Yamamoto's special attack team, with none escaping. Our unit suffered three minor injuries and one serious injury. We captured 137 submachine guns, 32 pistols, eight grenade launchers, one radio, and a quantity of ammunition."

Kong Jie straightened up and reported.

The last time the Independent Regiment encountered Yamamoto's Special Attack Team, under Kong Jie's command, they suffered a humiliating defeat with a score of 85:0, earning the Independent Regiment the nickname "Doughy Dough".

This time, Kong Jie proved himself again with an impressive record.

In this annihilation of Yamamoto's special attack force, not a single soldier was killed. This is the best answer Kong Jie could give to those fallen soldiers.

After listening to the report, Chen Ming nodded and gave Kong Jie some encouragement and praise.

Chen Ming mobilized the most elite forces of the command headquarters to Kong Jie, and also gained complete knowledge of the whereabouts and situation of Yamamoto's special attack team.

With heavy machine guns, mortars, and special forces conducting long-range guerrilla warfare, such a formidable lineup is bound to produce impressive results.

Without Chen Ming even saying anything, Kong Jie had to go home and nurse her child.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle; this is not just an empty saying.

After Kong Jie left, Chen Ming began to think.

The Yamamoto Special Attack Team's sneak attack served as a wake-up call for Chen Ming.

The special operations brigade's reliance on precise marksmanship to carry out special operations is somewhat limited compared to the professional special operations of the Yamamoto Special Attack Corps.

Chen Ming did know a little about special operations, but he was now a commander, and the soldiers under his command, along with the civilians, were all on his shoulders.

Making him a commando leader like Li Yunlong is just ridiculous.

Therefore, in order to improve the combat capabilities of the special operations brigade, Chen Ming plans to recruit a talent.

(End of this chapter)