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

Chapter 118: Annihilating over 10,000 enemy troops, preparing to liberate the county town!
After Kong Jie finished his report, Chen Ming offered him a few words of encouragement.

Kong Jie truly lived up to his reputation as a master of defensive warfare. Facing so many Japanese and puppet troops, he managed to hold them off layer by layer, keeping the casualty rate of his troops below 20%, and still achieved such a remarkable victory.

Next, it was Li Yousheng's turn to report from the Third Regiment.

"Report: Our Third Regiment was responsible for harassing the Japanese strongholds and diverting their troops. Of the 2,200 soldiers in the Third Regiment, 678 were killed and 1,003 were wounded."

"More than 500 Japanese soldiers and more than 1,300 puppet troops were eliminated."

Li Yousheng began his report, but he seemed rather downcast.

Compared to Kong Jie, Li Yousheng's growth period was relatively short, and his military skills and command level were not as good as those of the veteran Kong Jie.

Meanwhile, the Third Regiment was tasked with a heavy mission: to tie down a large number of Japanese troops in a relatively flat area with numerous Japanese pillboxes and strongholds.

This is like dancing on the edge of a knife; to achieve this result is already quite remarkable.

"That's right. The Third Regiment's mission this time was very dangerous. It's already very good that they were able to eliminate so many enemies and reduce the casualty rate to such a low level," Chen Ming said encouragingly.

Chen Ming is not someone who judges the command level of a unit commander simply by looking at the battle casualty ratio.

In warfare, one cannot simply look at the casualty ratio.

Factors such as the difficulty of the mission, the balance of power between the enemy and ourselves, and the battlefield terrain must all be taken into account.

For example, comparing the two different forms of battles, one is a tough battle and the other is a battle with the wind at your back, the casualty ratio of the two types of battles is very different.

Does that mean we can simply conclude that troops fighting in an offensive battle are less effective than those fighting in a pursuit battle, based on the casualty ratio?
Li Yousheng was able to annihilate a large number of Japanese and puppet troops while holding off an enemy force several times larger than his own, and he also kept the casualty rate of his troops to 30%.

This is already an exceptionally good commander.

Next, it was He Jianxin's turn to report from the Second Independent Regiment.

Although Chen Ming already knew about the casualties of the Independent Second Regiment, he still wanted He Jianxin to report on it in the conference room.

"Report: In this operation, of the 3,100 soldiers of the Independent 2nd Regiment, 1,400 were killed and 1,300 were wounded."

"With the cooperation of the detachment's directly subordinate units, more than 2,500 Japanese soldiers from the 237th Regiment were eliminated, and a large amount of supplies were captured."

He Jianxin's tone was somewhat somber when he gave his report.

This time, the Second Independent Regiment, together with the detachment's directly subordinate units, reduced the Japanese regiment of 3,800 men to just over 1,300.

It dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese 237th Regiment.

However, the casualties among the troops were still too great.

The number of casualties reached more than 2,700, of which more than 1,400 were killed, including more than 500 who died in the battle to annihilate the 1st Battalion of the 237th Regiment.

More than 500 men were killed when the First Battalion blocked the main force of the 237th Regiment.

Including other scattered casualties, the casualty rate exceeded 80%, and the attrition rate reached 43%.

It's no exaggeration to say that they were seriously injured in one battle.

In the short term, the Independent 2nd Regiment was no longer able to launch an offensive.

However, despite the heavy casualties, the results were also very significant.

More than 2,500 enemies were directly annihilated. The casualty ratio was close to 1:2, and this was against the core regiment of an elite Class A division.

This victory is worthy of high praise and publicity, no matter where it is placed.

However, both the headquarters and division radio stations are currently in a silent state, so Chen Ming cannot send battle reports by telegram for the time being.

Inside the meeting room, all the commanders were deeply moved and filled with admiration after hearing about the fierce battle fought primarily by the Independent 2nd Regiment.

The Second Independent Regiment truly lives up to its reputation as the old unit that Chen Ming built up; its combat effectiveness is formidable.

They were able to achieve such impressive results even against an elite Japanese regiment.

Based on the battle record achieved by the Independent 2nd Regiment, it was comparable to an entire Nationalist army corps (an army corps had fewer than 20,000 men due to war losses).

Although they were also very saddened by the loss of so many soldiers, they felt it was all worthwhile if they could eliminate more Japanese soldiers, even if they themselves had to sacrifice themselves.

Fighting the Japanese invaders, how could there be no deaths?

The brothers who were stirring the ladle together yesterday may very well be sacrificing themselves on the battlefield fighting the Japanese tomorrow.

Therefore, the camaraderie among soldiers in our army during this era is extremely genuine.

After He Jianxin finished his report, Chen Ming asked other units to report on casualties.

After the final statistics were compiled, Chen Ming obtained a final figure.

In this operation, the Independent Detachment annihilated more than 4500 Japanese soldiers and more than 6000 puppet troops.

However, the main force of the troops also suffered heavy casualties, with a reduction rate of 30%.

The local armed forces in the Fourth Division, numbering nearly 5,000, including five guerrilla brigades, county brigades, district squads, and armed work teams, suffered over 1,500 casualties, with a casualty rate exceeding 30%.

This figure is because the Independent Detachment defeated the Japanese 237th Regiment, forcing the enemy to refrain from conducting sweeping operations at the battalion or company level.

Otherwise, the militia would suffer even greater casualties.

After the report was completed, Chen Ming stood up and delivered a speech:

"Comrades! Although we suffered heavy casualties in this battle, it was a brilliant victory!"

"In three days and three nights, we crushed the Japanese army's large-scale mopping-up operation in the mountains and defeated the 237th Regiment, the core regiment of the elite Class A division of the Japanese army." "We annihilated more than 10,000 enemy soldiers, captured a large amount of supplies, dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army, and buried more than 10,000 enemies forever on this land."

"The Second Independent Regiment fought bravely in the mountains and defeated the elite Japanese regiment."

"The 800 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment held off an elite Japanese regiment, facing repeated attacks from Japanese planes, artillery, and tanks. When only 230 soldiers remained in the battalion, they still held their ground."

"The soldiers of the First Regiment tenaciously resisted the enemy's main force in the mountains, making an indelible contribution to annihilating the main force of the Japanese army."

"The Third Regiment eliminated a large number of strongholds along the Japanese railway and highway lines, tying down a large number of enemy troops and clearing obstacles for the troops' withdrawal."

"In this battle, we demonstrated the might of the Chinese soldiers and let the Japanese devils know that we Chinese are invincible and cannot be killed or defeated."

"I believe that one day we will be able to drive the Japanese devils out of our homeland, and our descendants will no longer have to carry guns and fight desperately on the battlefield like we did."

"They can also live a life where they have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and no worries."

Chen Ming's words affirmed the soldiers' achievements and demonstrated the Eighth Route Army's determination to fight the war of resistance.

Inspired by him, all the commanders stood up and clapped enthusiastically.

This applause was both an affirmation of Chen Ming's speech and a tribute to the heroes who sacrificed their lives fighting the enemy.

The applause lasted for a long time, and only after it had almost stopped did Chen Ming raise his hand to stop it.

"Although we survived the Japanese army's large-scale mopping-up operation and moved to northwestern Shanxi, the Japanese army's large-scale mopping-up operation was not over yet, and other brother units were still fighting hard."

"Next, I decided to gather the troops that are still able to fight and give the Japanese a big surprise, to tell those little devils, I'm here, come and get me if you dare."

"Draw the Japanese soldiers' attention to this area and relieve the pressure on other brother units."

"Do you have the confidence to give the Japanese devils another good beating?"

Chen Ming asked loudly.

"Have!"

"Have!"

"We have confidence! When it comes to fighting the Japanese, our Independent Detachment has never backed down!"

The commanders of the independent detachment shouted loudly.

"Alright, since we're going to fight, let's fight a big one, and launch simultaneous attacks on Shenchi County and Kelan County!"

"The Japanese troops in northwestern Shanxi were few in number and weak in combat. In Kelan County, an important grain-producing area, there were two hundred Japanese soldiers and three hundred puppet troops stationed there."

"Shenchi County, as a key railway point for the Japanese, was rich in coal mines and was one of the important coal supply points for the Japanese Taiyuan Iron and Steel Plant. At the same time, it also cut off the land connection between the Jin-Sui Border Region and the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region."

"There are 270 Japanese soldiers and 400 puppet troops stationed in the city."

"Are you confident that you can take these two cities and liberate the county seat?"

Chen Ming shouted loudly.

"Have confidence!"

The crowd answered in unison.

Shenchi County is an important grain-producing area in northwestern Shanxi, while Kelan County is a key city connecting the Shanxi-Suiyuan Border Region and the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region.

As long as we capture these two cities, we can inflict a heavy blow on the Japanese.

With Shenchi County and Kelan County as its neighbors, Wuzhai County is sandwiched in the middle, making it practically a sure thing.

If the Independent Detachment could capture Kelan County and Wuzhai County, two important grain-producing areas, it would be able to obtain 30% of the total grain output in northwestern Shanxi.

This can greatly alleviate the food shortage problem in the Jin-Sui Military Region.

At the same time, it can break the iron triangle blockade built by the Japanese army in Wuzhai, Kelan and Baode, and open up the flow of materials in the base area.

It has extremely significant strategic importance.

Chen Ming wanted to take advantage of the fact that the Japanese were focused on southern and eastern Shanxi, and seize these two key Japanese counties with lightning speed.

At that time, we can force the Japanese to transfer troops from other places to northwestern Shanxi.

Relying on the geographical advantages of northwestern Shanxi, Chen Ming was able to attack the Japanese army's supply lines and was confident of inflicting heavy blows on the Japanese army in the mountains.

Seeing the high morale of the crowd, Chen Ming then gave the order.

"Now, I'm giving you three days. In these three days, settle the wounded, build up the defenses of the base, and move your mobile forces to Shenchi and the surrounding areas of Kelan County."

"Send out small units to harass the strongholds around the two counties, draw the Japanese out, and gradually eliminate their manpower to reduce the pressure on the troops to liberate the county towns."

"Comrade Kong Jie's First Regiment is responsible for the attack on Shenchi County."

"The Third Regiment, along with the Fourth Battalion, will be responsible for the attack on Kelan County."

"The Second Independent Regiment, along with several guerrilla detachments, was responsible for blocking Japanese reinforcements and buying time for the troops to liberate the county town."

"At the same time, the cavalry battalion directly under the detachment will conduct guerrilla warfare and guard the area north of Shenchi. The artillery battalion directly under the detachment will reinforce the First Regiment and the Third Regiment to liberate the county town."

"The detachment's directly subordinate special operations brigade, part of which were engaged in guerrilla warfare to kill Japanese soldiers, and part of which infiltrated the county town to cooperate in the operation."

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(End of this chapter)