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

Chapter 120 The Japanese: A division of the Eighth Route Army is attacking the county town!

After the order was given, a platoon of soldiers from the First Regiment began to lead the Japanese troops in circles with infantry guns that had been disassembled into parts, buying time for the soldiers of the Third Battalion to set up an ambush position.

When the Japanese soldiers in charge of the pursuit saw through their binoculars that the soldiers of the First Regiment were carrying away infantry gun parts, they immediately urged their troops to speed up the pursuit.

This time, he was able to get the mission of leading the team to pursue the Eighth Route Army and recapture the infantry gun, all thanks to the money he bribed the Japanese battalion commander.

He could be promoted to company commander if he could eliminate this band of Eighth Route Army soldiers and reclaim the lost infantry guns.

More than 300 Japanese and puppet troops were chasing behind, while the soldiers of the First Regiment ran ahead, leading the Japanese in circles.

"Slow down, we're about to leave the Japanese behind." The platoon leader in charge kept looking back at the Japanese soldiers, worried that they were running too slowly and he would lose them.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers slowed down, waiting for the Japanese to close the distance again.

The Japanese squad leader was delighted to see that the Eighth Route Army's speed had decreased, and urged his troops to continue the pursuit.

"Madam, the brothers are really too tired to run anymore. Can we rest for a while?"

When the puppet army company commander saw the Japanese squad leader urging him to speed up, he immediately complained.

Unlike the Japanese soldiers, they didn't eat well, had strong physiques, plenty of energy, or train frequently.

The nature of puppet troops is such that they would reduce training whenever possible. Wouldn't it be better to use their time and energy to drink and have fun?

Even without money, you can still sleep in the camp.

They were already lax in their training before they surrendered to the Japanese, so how could they become diligent after surrendering to the Japanese?
This is obviously impossible.

Seeing the puppet army company commander's attitude, the Japanese squad leader was furious and slapped him across the face.

"idiot!"

The puppet army company commander, who had been slapped, was filled with rage, but dared not show it in front of the Japanese squad leader.

"Continue the pursuit."

The Japanese squad leader urged.

However, the puppet troops were running out of energy, and even when the Japanese threatened them with guns and urged them to run, they couldn't pick up their pace.

The Japanese squad leader looked at these hopeless puppet troops and felt helpless.

Looking at the Eighth Route Army soldiers still fleeing in the distance, he felt extremely anxious.

The Eighth Route Army's small units were highly mobile and fast.

If we don't catch up with them quickly, we won't be able to find them after dark.

So the Japanese squad leader immediately made a decision: ignore the puppet troops and lead two squads of Japanese soldiers in pursuit.

Otherwise, if the Eighth Route Army escapes with their infantry and artillery, the money he spent on bribes will be wasted.

Without the drag of the puppet troops, the Japanese troops were able to pursue much faster.

The platoon of soldiers who were luring the enemy drew closer and closer, entering the ambush position in Nanzhuangzi Village.

"These local Eighth Route Army soldiers are really fast; it took us three hours to catch up with them."

The Japanese squad leader looked at the Eighth Route Army soldiers who had already fled into the village, and whose only road out of the village was blocked, and sighed.

Little did he know that it wasn't that the Eighth Route Army soldiers who were luring the enemy could escape, but rather that the platoon that was luring the enemy had already been secretly replaced when the Japanese soldiers couldn't see them.

The soldiers of the First Regiment aren't superhumans. Running at high speed while carrying infantry gun parts would be unbearable even for an iron man.

"However, no matter how fast a fox runs, it will only be destroyed when it encounters Imperial soldiers."

The Japanese squad leader was very confident. This group of local Eighth Route Army soldiers numbered only thirty-odd, while he had one hundred and ten elite men.

With a score of 110 to 30, the advantage lies with him.

"Charge into the village, wipe out the Eighth Route Army guerrillas, and recapture the infantry cannon!"

The Japanese squad leader confidently issued the order.

The terrain of Nanzhuangzi Village is very special. It is like a wall, with the village surrounded by mountains. The only way to enter the village is through the gate of this wall.

Kong Jie chose this ambush location because it was a suitable place for such an operation.

As long as the exit is blocked, the Japanese devils will have no chance of escaping, even if they had wings.

When the Japanese soldiers arrived at the village entrance, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, who was in charge of the ambush, immediately detonated the landmines he had laid.

"Boom!"

The landmines exploded, sending the Japanese soldiers who had gathered at the village entrance preparing to enter the village flying, their cries of agony filling the air.

"Baka! There's an ambush! Retreat!"

The Japanese squad leader shouted loudly.

Because of his overconfidence, the troops were positioned close together, and this wave of landmine explosions caused heavy casualties.

The bomb killed more than 20 Japanese soldiers and wounded more than 50 others. More than half of the 100-plus troops were killed or wounded.

"beat!"

After the landmines exploded, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion immediately ordered his troops to open fire. Heavy machine guns blocked the Japanese soldiers' escape route from the village, and the Japanese soldiers fell in droves.

The remaining Japanese soldiers tried to hide in the village and put up a stubborn resistance by relying on the village's terrain, but they were caught off guard by two platoons of soldiers who were lying in ambush in the village.

Under the combined attack of superior troop strength and firepower, these more than one hundred Japanese soldiers were wiped out in less than twenty minutes.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion suffered only eleven casualties and twenty wounded.

After the Japanese were wiped out, the remaining puppet troops were not spared by the soldiers of the Third Battalion.

Upon hearing the explosion, the puppet troops, realizing that the Japanese had been ambushed, wanted to flee back to the county town.

However, their retreat was blocked by a company of soldiers.

Knowing he had committed numerous atrocities, the puppet army company commander wanted to incite his troops to fight back, so he organized an attack.

However, they were killed on the spot by the powerful firepower of the heavy machine gun, and the remaining puppet troops all surrendered.

When the soldiers of the Third Battalion reported the battle report to Kong Jie, Kong Jie was taken aback.

"How come the Japanese were wiped out so quickly? Were they so easily defeated?"

More than a hundred Japanese soldiers, facing a battalion of troops, couldn't even hold out for twenty minutes. The Japanese they fought in the Jin-Cha-Ji and Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu regions were much weaker.

The Japanese were wiped out so quickly that they didn't even have time to spread the news of the ambush to the county town. Kong Jie's plan to besiege the stronghold and attack reinforcements failed.

But the war has already progressed to this point, so there's not much point in dwelling on these things anymore.

He couldn't possibly blame the soldiers of the Third Battalion for being too good at fighting and the Japanese soldiers in Shenchi County for being too weak.

Therefore, Kong Jie immediately ordered the soldiers of the Third Battalion to clean up the battlefield and return to the designated attack point to wait for the time of the general offensive.

Nine p.m.

The Japanese battalion commander in Shenchi County was somewhat uneasy.

The Japanese soldiers who went out to pursue the enemy have been gone for five hours and have not returned yet.

He began to feel a little worried.

It wasn't that I was worried about the troops going out and encountering any accidents, but rather that so much time had passed and I was concerned about whether the pursuing troops could catch up with that group of Eighth Route Army soldiers carrying infantry guns.

After dark, the chances of the Eighth Route Army escaping increase significantly, making the pursuit extremely difficult.

The chances of a force of over 300 men finding a small group of Eighth Route Army soldiers in the mountains at night are extremely slim.

"I wonder if Yamashita-kun will be able to retrieve the infantry guns," the Japanese battalion commander murmured to himself, gazing at the bright moon.

Just then, a soldier suddenly ran in from outside the door.

"Sir, our sentries have spotted an unknown number of enemies outside the city."

After hearing the soldier's words, the Japanese battalion commander said nonchalantly:
"Don't panic, it's just a small detachment of the Eighth Route Army. Just drive them away."

"It seems that Yamashita-kun did not catch up with that group of Eighth Route Army soldiers. He must have set up camp in the mountains and waited for dawn before returning. Otherwise, the Eighth Route Army soldiers would not have come again."

After the Japanese battalion commander dismissed his soldiers, he began to admire the moon again.

He simply did not believe that the unidentified troops outside the city were there to attack the county town.

There's a massive mopping-up operation going on right now; the main force of the Eighth Route Army is too busy trying to escape to possibly muster a large force.

Of course, he wasn't afraid even if he attacked a county town.

Lacking offensive weapons, the Eighth Route Army was confident that even with a large number of troops, the Japanese battalion commander could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Under the orders of the Japanese battalion commander, the Japanese troops in Shenchi County did not launch an attack on the soldiers of the First Regiment who were moving outside Shenchi County. They only fired wildly with their guns and then stopped.

To the Japanese soldiers inside the county town, these local Eighth Route Army guerrillas from outside the city were just there to harass them and dared not fight against the Imperial soldiers.

As soon as the Japanese troops left the county town, these local Eighth Route Army soldiers would scatter like birds and beasts.

It's nighttime now, and we can't catch up anyway, so going out would just be a waste of energy.

Provisional Command Post of the First Regiment

Kong Jie watched the troop movements, and found it strange that the Japanese soldiers in the county town didn't react much.

After discovering that there were enemies outside the city, the Japanese did not strengthen the defenses of the county town and maintained the existing vigilance.

This is so different from the Japanese soldiers they encountered in Wutai and Mengxian.

Since the Japanese had not strengthened their defenses, Kong Jie naturally would not let this good opportunity pass him by.

He immediately ordered his troops to advance towards the county town, while the artillery adjusted their firing parameters and awaited orders to attack.

At five o'clock in the morning, the first light of dawn was breaking.

The darkness was slowly dispelled, and the area around Shenchi County was illuminated.

The Japanese soldier who was changing shifts in the county town yawned as he took over the post. He glanced subconsciously outside the town and was immediately startled.

He saw countless figures surging not far outside the city, and he could even see many soldiers in gray uniforms aiming their guns at him.

The Japanese sentry was somewhat incredulous. He rubbed his eyes and looked over again.

That's right!

The Eighth Route Army is about to attack the county town!

"Snapped!"

A sharp gunshot shattered the tranquility of Shenchi County!

These are the gunshots of Japanese sentries on alert.

Meanwhile, the artillery units were ready, and Kong Jie gave the order.

Sixteen mortars positioned south of Shenchi County opened fire simultaneously, targeting the county seat.

"Boom!"

The mortar exploded inside the Japanese army camp.

With the help of underground party comrades in the city, the First Regiment has obtained information on the Japanese troops' deployment in Shenchi County.

As soon as the artillery opened fire, it aimed at the Japanese army camp.

The huge explosion woke up the Japanese battalion commander who was still fast asleep!

Where to fire?

Just then, a Japanese soldier rushed in.

"Reporting, sir, a large force of Eighth Route Army is attacking the county town from outside. This force has at least twenty artillery pieces, and the defending troops have suffered heavy losses!"

"Baka! What nonsense are you spouting? Where would the Eighth Route Army have so many cannons?" the Japanese battalion commander cursed angrily, clearly not believing it.

At this moment, the artillery units, having completed a round of fire at the Japanese camp, began to adjust their cannons and bombard the Japanese soldiers on the city wall to cover the infantry's charge!

"Boom!"

This time, the Japanese battalion commander heard it clearly.

There were indeed more than twenty cannons; the Eighth Route Army had actually mobilized its main force to attack the county town.

The Japanese battalion commander didn't even have time to put on his pants before he ran into the military police headquarters and ordered the communications soldier to send a telegram to the 26th Division headquarters.

"Send a telegram immediately! Shenchi County is under attack by the main force of the Eighth Route Army, which is at the division level. The Eighth Route Army has more than twenty artillery pieces. Shenchi County is in grave danger. Requesting tactical guidance! Requesting tactical guidance!"

P.S.: I'm not asking for votes today.

(End of this chapter)