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

Chapter 112 Heavenly Furnace Battle Technique! (A massive chapter of 6,000 words!)
While the First Battalion was penetrating between the Japanese First Battalion and the main force of the regiment to build positions, the soldiers of the Third Battalion of the First Battalion of the Independent Fourth Military Sub-district were launching an attack on the high ground on both flanks of the Japanese battalion.

The Japanese troops stationed on the high ground were not many, only about a hundred men.

Even so, the soldiers of the Third Battalion fought a very difficult battle.

The Japanese were indeed very skilled at constructing fortifications. Their defenses were comprehensive, and even temporary fortifications were not weak in any way.

In addition, the defending high ground was guarded by elite troops from the Japanese Class A Division. In order to reduce casualties, the soldiers of the Third Battalion split into several small units to attack from the flanks of the high ground, in coordination with the main force's frontal attack.

The small units are divided into three combat groups, with the three groups spaced 20 to 30 meters apart, serving the functions of attack, cover, and support.

This is the three-thirds system that later generations became familiar with.

On the high ground, the assault team cleared the way with light machine guns, while the combat teams approached the Japanese flanks in three-person groups.

The rear squad used grenade launchers to support the squads in front, eliminating the Japanese firing positions.

As the soldiers launched their attack, the Japanese troops' operational space was further compressed.

Despite the fact that the number of Eighth Route Army troops attacking was not large, they felt as if they were surrounded by enemies under this strange tactic.

After the Japanese troops' flanks were breached, the Japanese troops on the high ground could no longer withstand the attack from the frontal forces and suffered heavy losses.

They were forced to withdraw from their positions.

After three hours of attack, the two flanks of the high ground fell into the hands of the Independent Fourth Division.

When the Japanese battalion commander learned that the Eighth Route Army had captured the high ground on both flanks, he could hardly believe it.

"Baka! Are all the people on the position idiots? More than a hundred people can't even withstand the attack of more than two hundred Eighth Route Army soldiers."

The Japanese battalion commander cursed angrily.

He really didn't expect that a hundred elite soldiers, relying on the huge advantage of the high ground and the position, could actually have their position captured by a force of more than two hundred Eighth Route Army soldiers.

This is simply illogical.

However, the high ground has been lost, and now the question is how to retake it.

Losing the high ground would allow the Eighth Route Army to gain full visibility of their entire battalion, which would greatly benefit the Eighth Route Army commanders in making temporary tactical adjustments and gaining the initiative.

Secondly, the high ground is very advantageous for observing the deployment and weaknesses of their battalion.

Most importantly, from a high vantage point, weapons, especially heavy weapons, can be used to their fullest potential.

With a commanding height, the Eighth Route Army could use artillery to launch pinpoint attacks on their battalion.

Having lost their commanding heights, the initiative on the battlefield shifted from them to the Eighth Route Army.

Therefore, in order to continue the offensive smoothly, the Japanese battalion commander was forced to withdraw some troops from the front lines and attack the high ground on both flanks in an attempt to recapture it.

However, by then it was too late for the Japanese to organize a counterattack.

Chen Ming used feigned defeat to lure the enemy deeper into his territory, using the command post as bait to draw the Japanese troops in.

As the Japanese army penetrated deeper into enemy territory, guerrilla warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and night battles were used to gradually erode the Japanese army's manpower and weaken its offensive capabilities.

At the same time, a large force was assembled to protect the "command post," forcing the Japanese to place their main force in the direction of the frontal attack, thereby weakening the defenses on both flanks.

By utilizing the terrain to divide the battlefield, the mechanized advantage of the elite Japanese Class A divisions was greatly reduced.

Finally, elite troops were dispatched to attack the Japanese army's weak flanks as quickly as possible. After capturing the high ground, the terrain was used to cut off the Japanese army's retreat.

With this, Chen Ming's strategic objective was achieved.

This tactic is known by a familiar name: the Heavenly Furnace Tactic.

In simple terms, it means luring the enemy deep into our territory, then ambushing them layer by layer, and finally annihilating them.

"Order the troops on the high ground to attack the Japanese battalion headquarters from both flanks, destroy the Japanese command system, and cut off the Japanese retreat."

"Artillery battalion, open fire immediately on the Japanese positions and artillery positions, and destroy the Japanese artillery positions."

"All the remaining troops, concentrate your firepower and give those sons of bitches a good beating."

Chen Ming issued the order for a general offensive.

In the past two days, all the orders Chen Ming has given have been aimed at luring the Japanese into the decisive battleground.

As a result, Chen Ming "abandoned" a large amount of supplies and sacrificed many soldiers.

Meanwhile, the most formidable artillery battalion of the Independent Fourth Division did not fire a single shot, with only a few grenade launchers and light machine guns providing support fire.

The goal was to mislead the Japanese into thinking that the Independent Fourth Division was not that strong.

Now that the strategic objective has been achieved, there's no need to hide these things anymore. It's time to unleash all our strength and let the Japanese know that the Fourth Division is not a place they can come and go as they please.

"Yes."

After receiving the general offensive order from Chen Ming, the morale of the officers and soldiers was high, and they began to mobilize their troops to launch the attack.

Japanese battalion headquarters.

When the soldiers on the two hills charged straight toward the Japanese battalion headquarters, the Japanese immediately noticed.

"Sir, a large number of Eighth Route Army troops have appeared on the hills on both flanks and are attacking us. An unspecified number of Eighth Route Army troops have also appeared in the rear and are launching an attack on us," the Japanese staff officer said urgently.

His expression lacked its usual composure and calm, and instead showed a hint of panic.

"Nani?"

The Japanese battalion commander was somewhat skeptical, so he quickly took out a map to check the current situation.

When he drew the Eighth Route Army's attack direction and troop deployment on the map, his face turned pale.

Judging from the map, if the Eighth Route Army on the two flanks were to attack the battalion headquarters, even if the battalion headquarters could hold out, it would be disastrous.

The Eighth Route Army could also sever the connection between the battalion headquarters and the troops attacking the Eighth Route Army's "command post".

It should be noted that the Japanese were a resource-poor country. Radios were only provided to battalions, and the companies below them did not have them. They usually relied on battlefield telephones and manpower for communication.

Once the Eighth Route Army cuts off the communication with the troops at the front, wouldn't it be easy for them to concentrate their forces and take down a brigade headquarters that is no longer protected by the main force?
"Immediately order the troops attacking at the front to return to the battalion headquarters. We cannot let the Eighth Route Army achieve its objective."

"At the same time, the artillery was ordered to fire on the Eighth Route Army troops on both flanks to slow down their advance."

The Japanese battalion commander immediately made the most correct decision at that moment.

When surrounded, troops must not be separated; they must be grouped together to exert their fighting power.

Once communication between units is severed, it's equivalent to losing organizational structure, and combat effectiveness is essentially reduced to zero.

The Japanese staff received the order and was preparing to transmit it by telephone to the troops attacking the position of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Battalion.

Fierce artillery fire erupted on the battlefield.

The independent fourth district artillery battalion had already adjusted the artillery firing data and launched a fierce bombardment.

In an instant, the Japanese positions and artillery positions turned into a sea of ​​fire, turning a pot of steel into a porridge.

After two rounds of shelling, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties, and their artillery positions were destroyed.

The Japanese command post was also shelled.

However, the Japanese First Battalion was not as arrogant as the Sakata Regiment, and its battalion headquarters had well-constructed fortifications.

Without heavy artillery, it would be difficult to pose a threat to the Japanese battalion headquarters with only mortars and infantry guns.

However, the Japanese telephone lines were blown up, making it impossible to transmit orders to the front-line troops by telephone.

As soon as the shelling ended, the soldiers of the Independent Fourth Division on the two flanks rushed to the front of the Japanese battalion headquarters.

The company commander of the third battalion charged ahead, carrying a Czech-made light machine gun and unleashing a barrage of fire on the Japanese battalion's security forces.

The firepower of the Czech light machine gun was far superior to that of the Japanese Type 96 light machine gun.

Under intense fire, the Japanese soldiers guarding the battalion headquarters fell one by one, and were forced to shrink their defensive line and gather around the battalion headquarters.

"Quickly, grenade launchers, fire at the Japanese battalion headquarters and wipe out those damn Japanese machine gun positions!" the company commander shouted.

The grenade launcher soldier immediately adjusted the grenade launcher, took a quick aim, and fired a few grenades, destroying the Japanese heavy machine gun position.

The 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion continued its attack on the Japanese battalion headquarters.

However, even after losing their heavy machine gun positions, the Japanese continued to put up a stubborn resistance.

After all, they were elite troops from a Class A division. Thanks to the fortifications of the battalion headquarters, the soldiers of the 1st Company couldn't break through.

Seeing his soldiers fall one by one, the company commander realized that if they continued the assault and wiped out the Japanese battalion headquarters, there wouldn't be many soldiers left in the company.

So he immediately ordered, "Leave one platoon to hold back the Japanese battalion headquarters, and the rest of you follow me to stab the Japanese front-line troops in the back."

The Japanese army's communications have been cut off. As long as we block the Japanese battalion headquarters from the main force, the Japanese battalion headquarters is effectively dead.

It's just a difference between eating it a little earlier or a little later.

With the order from the company commander, the soldiers of the 1st Company of the 2nd Battalion quickly infiltrated into the enemy's territory and successfully met up with the 2nd Company and the fire support company on the other side of the hill.

The two companies, plus the fire support company, totaling about 400 soldiers, began their attack on the rear of the Japanese front-line troops using a three-three system tactic.

Meanwhile, the Second Battalion, which was defending the "command post" and fighting the Japanese, also launched an attack on the main force of the Japanese troops.

The remaining troops also revealed their true colors at this moment, concentrating their firepower to fiercely attack the main force of the Japanese.

After two days of harassment and attacks, the Japanese main force, which had previously attacked the Second Battalion's position and had just been bombarded, was now reduced to only a little over 500 men.

Faced with the siege of more than two thousand soldiers mobilized by Chen Ming, they were forced to retreat in defeat.

The soldiers charged directly into the Japanese positions and engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese soldiers.

It’s messy, it’s too messy!
The entire battlefield was in complete chaos; fighting was taking place everywhere in these mountains.

The Japanese company commander at the front line attempted to organize a counterattack.

However, the firepower and numbers of the two sides were no longer on the same level, and the counterattack that the Japanese company commander had just organized was quickly broken up.

They encountered not ordinary Eighth Route Army soldiers, but a well-trained, well-equipped, and large independent Fourth Military Sub-district.

The density and sustainability of their firepower were unmatched by any other Eighth Route Army.

Through the experience of so many battles, the soldiers of the Independent Fourth Division have grown into an elite force capable of winning battles and daring to fight.

The Japanese soldiers' pride in their training and organization was like a windowpane to the Independent Fourth Division, which was at the pinnacle of light infantry; it was easily breached.

The bewildered Japanese soldiers, in despair, realized they couldn't defeat this local Eighth Route Army. At this point, if they could organize their remaining forces, perhaps a portion could still manage to break through the encirclement.

However, the Eighth Route Army had already stormed into their positions and stuck with them, scattering all the units and making it impossible for them to organize themselves.

At the same time, they could not find where the Eighth Route Army's offensive was weak.

Having lost the commanding view provided by the high ground, the Japanese soldiers felt surrounded by the Eighth Route Army, with enemies everywhere and the main force of the Eighth Route Army in every direction.

Under the crossfire of machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and hand grenades, the remaining Japanese troops were wiped out one by one.

The soldiers coordinated perfectly. The charging troops relied on their firepower to fight fiercely, while the troops following behind finished off the scattered Japanese soldiers.

Even fallen Japanese soldiers were not spared by the soldiers; some were shot in the head, while others were stabbed in the heart with bayonets.

"Hurry, hurry, keep up! Don't conserve ammunition, use whatever you have, and keep firing at the Japanese!"

The battalion commander of the second battalion shouted loudly.

After four hours of intense fighting, the density of gunfire on the battlefield had decreased significantly.

The remaining Japanese soldiers huddled together, huddled in their surrounded positions.

Their ammunition was running low, and under the command of a Japanese company commander who was still alive, they desperately tried to organize a final hand-to-hand battle with the Eighth Route Army.

He Jianxin, the captain of the First Battalion, ignored them completely. He set up a heavy machine gun, and bullets flew everywhere. The remaining thirty-odd Japanese soldiers also fell under the firepower of the heavy machine gun.

The Japanese battalion headquarters was also attacked. Since ordinary soldiers were difficult to defeat, Chen Ming ordered the sharpshooters of the special operations brigade to take it down.

The sharpshooters were extremely accurate; any Japanese soldier who showed his head would be shot dead.

Hiding in a huddle and firing randomly won't work. Although this might avoid being sniped by sharpshooters, it won't stop the assault team's soldiers.

After the assault team approached the Japanese battalion headquarters, they immediately started firing grenades.

Several grenades were thrown into the Japanese fortifications, and after a few explosions, the remaining Japanese soldiers were wiped out.

The commander of the Japanese First Battalion and other officers and staff also died in the grenade explosion.

At this point, all 1,100 men of the 1st Battalion of the 237th Regiment of the Japanese Army, except for a few who managed to escape from the encirclement, were wiped out.

By this time, it was already evening.

After a day of fighting, Chen Ming mobilized nearly 3,000 troops to attack a Japanese battalion, which finally ended with the complete annihilation of the Japanese battalion.

"They were the elite of the Japanese Class A divisions, with almost three times the manpower. It took them a whole day to take them down. If it were a mixed brigade, the soldiers might have even made it to lunch."

Looking at the corpses of the Japanese soldiers on the battlefield, Chen Ming sighed.

The fighting strength of the Japanese Class A divisions was indeed not comparable to that of the third-rate Japanese brigades that could be easily defeated.

Both their combat strength and fighting will are extremely tenacious.

After their position was breached and they lost contact with the battalion headquarters, they were still able to organize several counterattacks and fight against the First Battalion soldiers, who outnumbered them several times over, for several hours.

They were finally wiped out when they ran out of ammunition and supplies.

If the enemy hadn't been isolated and cut off from supplies, they might have been able to break through the encirclement.

This battle also resulted in heavy casualties.

Even with the advantage on the battlefield, the Independent Fourth Division still lost more than 500 soldiers and was wounded more than 900.

The elite of the Japanese Class A divisions were indeed formidable in combat.

This is the price of fighting a decisive battle against the elite Japanese Class A divisions.

"But we have no choice but to fight this battle," Chen Ming said firmly.

This battle was of great significance in the fight against the Japanese sweep.

This not only provided complete cover for the civilians and protected the people within the base area, but also preserved the base area's war potential.

At the same time, it also posed a great deterrent to the Japanese.

If even the elite battalions of a Class A division could be annihilated by the Independent Fourth Military Sub-district with three times the manpower, what about the other less elite Japanese soldiers and puppet troops?

Faced with the Fourth Military Sub-district, the Japanese no longer dared to use battalion-level forces for sweeping operations, nor did they dare to disperse their forces too far apart.

Otherwise, if the Fourth Military Sub-district seizes the opportunity and concentrates its forces to annihilate these scattered battalions, the Japanese cannot afford the cost.

The Japanese had few troops in Shanxi Province. If a battalion was wiped out today and another battalion was wiped out tomorrow, the Japanese simply could not withstand such heavy casualties.

Therefore, the Japanese only dared to carry out their sweeps against the Fourth Military Sub-district with units at the regimental level or above.

Avoid being caught off guard by the independent four-part partition.

But is such a sweep still meaningful?

A large force conducting a sweep can only cover a limited area.

Just like a fishing net, the smaller the mesh, the bigger the fish it can catch.

The fundamental factor determining the size of the fishing net mesh was the smallest unit of troops that the Japanese could independently carry out mopping-up operations.

If the Japanese could carry out mopping-up operations with companies as independent units, then a regiment could cover a very large area. To break out, they could only disperse their forces at the platoon and squad level and slip out of the net.

Historically, why was the Eighth Route Army forced to break up into smaller units and disperse during the Great Sweep 42 years later?
It was only because of natural disasters and man-made calamities, the Japanese blockade, and the rapid expansion of the Eighth Route Army's forces that it failed to form a combat force.

This led to the Japanese army daring to conduct mopping-up operations as an independent unit, even with just a company or a platoon, while the Eighth Route Army was helpless against them.

If we fight, we can't annihilate the enemy in a short time; the Japanese will quickly close the encirclement.

If we don't fight, we can only break into smaller units and disperse to break out during the gaps in the Japanese sweep.

But if the Japanese only dare to carry out sweeps with battalion-level or even regimental-level forces, then the mesh size of the fishing net will be too large.

The Japanese sweeps were almost impossible to be effective; battalion-level and even regimental-level troops could slip away through the gaps.

The large-scale cleanup operation became a mere formality, a waste of manpower and resources.

Therefore, Chen Ming had no choice but to fight this battle to annihilate the elite battalion of the Japanese Class A division.

After this battle, the Japanese army's subsequent large-scale mopping-up operations were no longer a threat to the Fourth Military Sub-district.

After the Japanese troops dared not disperse and sweep through, Chen Ming only needed to send out another battalion-sized infiltration team to penetrate the Japanese encirclement, and he could lead his troops through this sweep.

"Report: The battlefield has been cleared and the wounded have been taken care of."

While Chen Ming was observing the battlefield, Chief of Staff Wang Dafei approached and reported.

"How is the relocation of the villagers going?" Chen Ming asked.

"They've all been moved out."

"Alright, tell the soldiers to eat quickly and recover their strength, then they can support the First Battalion in their blocking attack tonight," Chen Ming said afterward.

"Yes."

When the main force of the Independent Fourth Military Sub-district was encircling and annihilating the First Battalion of the 237th Regiment of the Japanese Army, the 800 soldiers of the First Battalion fought an exceptionally fierce battle to block the main force of the Japanese regiment.

When the Japanese First Battalion realized that its situation was not good, it immediately sent a telegram to the regimental headquarters in the rear requesting tactical guidance.

When Colonel Okabe learned that his First Battalion had been surrounded by the Eighth Route Army and that the hill had been captured by them, he realized the gravity of the situation.

He immediately ordered his troops to spare no effort to rescue the surrounded First Battalion.

However, when faced with a position built by only 800 soldiers in the first battalion, the Japanese army assembled more than 2,500 men.

Despite repeated attacks by planes, artillery, and tanks, they were unable to break through the First Battalion's position and were held up for a whole day.

The soldiers of the First Battalion were holding the hilltop, the soil of which had been churned up by artillery shells and aerial bombs several times, yet the soldiers continued their tenacious resistance.

Because they knew that as long as they held off the Japanese attack, the main force behind them could annihilate a large Japanese battalion that had penetrated deep into enemy territory.

The civilians in the military sub-district were then able to escape the Japanese encirclement.

The core regiment of the Japanese Class A division was indeed formidable, and its continuous offensive lasted for a whole day.

If they were facing the Nationalist army, even just a division, their position would have been breached.

However, the Japanese were facing fearless revolutionary fighters, heroes who would never retreat even if they fought to the last man.

These soldiers dared to carry explosive charges and perish together with the Japanese tanks.

Faced with such tenacious soldiers, the Japanese had no way to fight back.

"Sir, the First Squadron has lost contact. The air force reported that there are no signs of fighting on the First Squadron's position. They must have been completely annihilated by the Eighth Route Army."

"The Japanese regimental chief of staff said helplessly."

"Damn it! That damned Independent Fourth Division!" Colonel Okabe, a Japanese soldier, roared in a fit of impotent rage in the regimental command post.

This was the first time he had ever felt so helpless in the face of the Chinese army.

In the past, his troops were able to chase and fight enemies several times their size on the battlefield.

In the previous Jinan Campaign, they even chased down an entire Central Army corps, achieving numerous victories.

This time, however, he ran into a wall when facing the Eighth Route Army, whose equipment and numbers were inferior to those of the Central Army. The Eighth Route Army even seized the opportunity to wipe out a large battalion.

Adding to the sporadic casualties of the past two days, his 237th Regiment of 3800 men has less than 2,000 men left who are ready to fight.

"Order the troops to launch a full-scale attack and wipe out the Eighth Route Army on this position."

Colonel Okabe could only direct his attack at the First Battalion's position.

Now that things have come to this, there is no need to support the First Battalion, which is surrounded, because the enemy has already been wiped out by the Eighth Route Army.

Now all he can do is wipe out the battalion that has been holding them off for a day.

Otherwise, if he were held up by 800 Eighth Route Army soldiers for a whole day and they managed to escape, he would become a disgrace to the empire.

The honor of the Class A division must not be ruined in his hands!

Under Colonel Okabe's orders, the soldiers of the Japanese 237th Regiment all knew that this was a battle concerning honor and shame.

Even though they were exhausted, under the influence of the Bushido spirit, they launched a fierce attack on the soldiers of the First Battalion.

After a day of fighting, the soldiers of the First Battalion suffered heavy casualties and were exhausted. Facing the Japanese attack, the position was teetering on the brink of collapse and it looked like the Japanese were about to break through.

The situation is extremely critical!
(End of this chapter)