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

Chapter 132 I don't care about casualty figures, I just want Tianzhu Mountain!

"Commander Li, this is the supplies for five hundred enemy soldiers in one town. Do you think I, Old Zhang, can't count?" Commander Zhang said with a dark face.

At this point, he stopped using a more affectionate title like "Old Li" and started calling Li Yunlong, the regimental commander.

Let's not even talk about the fact that they rushed to attack without any credibility. After all, we were all fighting the Japanese, and we couldn't just wait for the Fourth Regiment to come and fight instead of fighting the enemy.

Commander Zhang accepted the situation, arguing that it was his fault for leading his troops in a slow charge, unlike the Independent Regiment which fought as fiercely.

But Li Yunlong tried to fool him with these meager supplies, and Commander Zhang couldn't stand it.

The military is poor and lacks supplies.

Even though the distribution plan had been agreed upon, Li Yunlong insisted on seizing everything, including supplies. Anyone would be angry in that situation.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, these Japanese devils and their puppet troops are so poor, they're even poorer than us."

"How about this, your Fourth Regiment will get a bigger share this time, and I'll take a smaller share. How does that sound?"

Li Yunlong said with a forced smile.

"Humph."

Commander Zhang snorted coldly, knowing he couldn't do anything about Li Yunlong.

That's the situation now; he can't exactly lead his men into the Independent Regiment to search for supplies.

If they really did that, regardless of whether the Independent Regiment was wrong or not, if the matter went to higher authorities, the regiment would also be punished.

Commander Zhang really had no way to deal with Li Yunlong, that scoundrel.

Unlike Li Yunlong, who was a rogue, he was like a scholar encountering a soldier—unable to reason with him.

The issue of resource allocation was hastily resolved, and Commander Zhang still took 30% of the weapons and 70% of the supplies according to the agreed ratio.

He didn't want a single extra penny; he felt disgusted taking it.

After the two regiments began to construct positions at the designated locations according to Chen Ming's orders, the battalion commander of the 4th Regiment finally spoke.

"Commander, that Commander Li is clearly fooling us. Are we just going to let this go?"

"It won't end like this. I'll report this to my superiors later. I refuse to believe that Li Yunlong can act with impunity."

"However, don't tell the soldiers below yet. It would hurt the relationship between the two regiments. We still have combat missions to complete. We can discuss this after the battle," Commander Zhang said.

His loyalty to the Party and his principles led him to choose to sacrifice his own interests for the greater good at this time.

If the two regiments were to have a conflict at this time, it would affect the subsequent blocking of the Japanese.

Wouldn't that just cause pain to loved ones and joy to enemies?

"Yes." The battalion commander nodded.

Their regimental commander was a principled and disciplined commander, and the soldiers he trained were naturally the same.

Although he was indignant about Li Yunlong's shameless behavior, with a major battle imminent, he figured they could deal with it after the war was over.

"I'd heard that Li Yunlong had risen and fallen several times, with as many merits as mistakes. I didn't believe it before, but seeing him today, it's true. He's a real scoundrel," Commander Zhang thought to himself.

The two regiments began to build positions, with the Independent Regiment south of Shuangqu Town and the Fourth Regiment north of Shuangqu Town.

The two regiments formed a pincer movement to block the Japanese reinforcements.

This side of Erdaohuzi.

Ding Wei led the new First Regiment and two guerrilla brigades from the Fourth Division to begin constructing a defensive line.

Both guerrilla brigades were regimental-level units. Although they numbered only over 800, their equipment was excellent, even better than that of many current main force regiments.

However, the three regimental-level units—the New First Regiment, the Second Guerrilla Brigade, and the Fourth Guerrilla Detachment—were all under the unified command of Ding Wei.

Ding Wei was the commander of the main force regiment, while the guerrilla brigade was a local armed force under the military sub-district. In terms of rank, Ding Wei was a bit higher.

The three regimental-level units had a heavy blocking mission this time. There was a highway (Jingxin Highway) between Ping'an County and Shuiquan, which allowed the Japanese mechanized units to move more quickly.

Ding Wei has rich combat experience, is a wise general, and has unique strategic vision. Chen Ming felt relatively at ease entrusting the two guerrilla battalions to Ding Wei's command.

If it were Li Yunlong, Chen Ming would transfer another commander over, but he wouldn't let him command his troops.

Li Yunlong's fighting style, while sometimes yielding great results, also resulted in heavy casualties.

When Li Yunlong broke through the Sakata Regiment's position head-on, he clearly broke out towards Yujialing. With the cover of two regiments, the casualties would have been much smaller.

However, Li Yunlong chose to break through head-on. Although he achieved considerable success, the casualties of his troops were also extremely high; it would not be an exaggeration to say that they were crippled.

Commanders like Li Yunlong are only capable of being regimental commanders; given his current level of expertise, he's simply not qualified to command three regimental-level units.

Ding Wei was different. When Kong Jie was fighting a blocking battle, he fought for a long time without knowing why.

Ding Wei quickly found the key point: Li Yunlong was attacking Ping'an County.

When fighting the enemy's blockade, Ding Wei performed much better than Kong Jie. His tiered, in-depth defense prevented the Japanese from reinforcing Ping'an County without much effort.

Kong Jie, on the other hand, fought a blocking battle at all costs, resulting in heavy casualties for his troops.

Chen Ming felt relatively at ease handing the troops over to Ding Wei, allowing him to command more troops in the most difficult direction of this blocking operation.

This is also a test. If Ding Wei performs well this time, Chen Ming plans to recruit Ding Wei's new regiment and bring him to the independent detachment.

Ding Wei is a shrewd man who won't act without a profit motive.

Now, we're handing over two guerrilla battalions to Ding Wei to command, so he can see the strength of the Fourth Division.

If Chen Ming has equipped the guerrilla brigade with such good weapons, how could Chen Ming possibly mistreat Ding Wei when he becomes the main force of the independent detachment?
As for the brigade commander, Chen Ming could only think to himself: Sorry, brigade commander, you've congratulated me on getting rich so many times, so I'll just ask you for a new regiment. Anyway, you're a big brigade commander with a large family and business, so it's not too much to ask, is it?

On the position, Ding Wei and the two guerrilla battalion commanders began discussing the layout of the blocking position.

"Commander Ding, you are the commander of the main force regiment and have rich experience. This time, our two battalions will cooperate well in this blocking attack," said Captain Wang of the Second Guerrilla Team.

“Yes, Commander Ding is an old revolutionary. We are a local armed force. We will definitely cooperate with any orders he gives us,” Captain Li of the Fourth Guerrilla Team echoed.

"Hey, we're all fighting the Japanese, so there's no such thing as a main force or a local armed force. Besides, the weapons and equipment of your two battalions are no worse than those of my New First Regiment," Ding Wei said with a smile.

"I, Ding Wei, have overestimated myself by assigning me to command this time. If there is anything wrong, Captain Zhang and Captain Li, please point it out directly."

Captain Zhang and Captain Li felt very pleased to hear Ding Wei say that.

For Ding Wei, the commander of the main force regiment, to praise their development and say that they are almost catching up with the main force, is a recognition of their abilities.

At the same time, Ding Wei, as the commander of the main force regiment, also respected them very much and gave them full respect.

"Commander Ding, I'd like to make a statement here: no matter how long the battle lasts, my Second Guerrilla Team will fight to the bitter end," Captain Wang declared, patting his chest.

"Our guerrilla team, number four, is also ready to fight to the end," Captain Zhang retorted.

"Alright, in that case, I'll start arranging the ambush now," Ding Wei said.

"Captain Zhang, your troops are positioned on the high ground south of Erdaohuzi, and Captain Wang's troops are positioned on the high ground to the northwest. My New First Regiment is deployed along the valley, forming a tiered, deep-penetration ambush."

"The Japanese will only be able to break through our positions if they can breach the positions of our New First Regiment."

"But at that time, your two guerrilla battalions can launch fierce attacks on the flanks of the Japanese from both sides, and the Japanese will definitely not be able to withstand it."

"At that time, even if a regiment of Japanese soldiers comes, they won't be able to break through the positions of our three units."

Ding Wei began setting up the defensive positions.

Upon hearing this, the two guerrilla brigade commanders thought about it and felt there was no problem; the arrangement was quite reasonable.

"No problem, we will obey orders without question."

Next, Ding Wei sent people to lay a large number of landmines on the highway between Ping'an County and Shuiquan, destroying all the roads and bridges.

Ding Wei has a nickname, "Ding the Bridge Blower," because he's an expert at blowing up bridges.

After the bridge was destroyed, the Japanese mechanized troops and tanks could not move quickly and had to repair the bridge or build a temporary bridge first.

In this way, we can delay the Japanese for a long time at a very low cost, buying time for the liberation of the county town in the rear.

As for how the civilians and troops in the base area will get through after the bridge is destroyed, that's not something we need to consider now.

Compared to the Japanese, the Eighth Route Army had almost no vehicles or armored vehicles that needed to cross bridges.

Large transport convoys relied on manpower and livestock, and their light weight allowed them to traverse rugged terrain.

Even if there are difficult places to pass, a simple bridge made of planks and iron chains can be built to cross them, without the need for a relatively sturdy bridge like that required for cars.

Pingan County.

When the First Reinforced Battalion began its attack on the strongholds, pillboxes, and defensive positions outside Ping'an County.

The Japanese soldiers in the county town found out immediately and made a phone call to inquire.

Upon learning that the attacking force was large and had very strong firepower, Hirata Ichiro in the county town immediately concluded that this was not an ordinary raid on a stronghold.

"The Eighth Route Army is very likely to attack the county town. Immediately send a telegram to the headquarters. My Ping'an County town is under attack by a large number of Eighth Route Army troops. Request the headquarters to send troops to support us."

Hirata Ichiro ordered the communications officer to send a signal.

It's nighttime now, so reconnaissance planes can't be deployed. We can only infer the size of the Eighth Route Army's attacking force based on reports from various strongholds.

The exact number is unclear; we can only find out how many Eighth Route Army soldiers are active in the vicinity after dawn when reconnaissance planes can be deployed.

All Hirata Ichiro can do now is to request assistance from the Taiyuan Command as a precaution.

As for sending reinforcements to the attacked strongholds and pillboxes, now is not the time. The enemy situation is unclear; we have no idea how many enemies there are or where they are located.

Furthermore, with too many strongholds under attack, the county's troops would be scattered and unable to provide effective reinforcements.

If they were to leave the fortified county town and be ambushed by the Eighth Route Army, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Hirata Ichiro chose the safest approach, ordering the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops inside the attacked stronghold to hold their positions until dawn when they could ascertain the situation before sending reinforcements.

at the same time.

Outposts on the outskirts of Lan County are also under attack.

Chen Ming's objective this time was to liberate these two county towns, first attacking Ping'an and then Lan County.

Lan County also needs to be attacked. In order to weaken the defenses of the Lan County garrison, it is natural to eliminate all the small outposts on the outskirts of Lan County.

As for fortified strongholds such as Xiji, it is not the time to attack them yet.

After taking Ping'an County and liberating the troops stationed there, we can then turn our attention to dealing with the Xiji stronghold.

Command.

Chen Ming observed the battlefield situation through the Second Reinforced Battalion.

As the strongholds around Ping'an County were successively eliminated, the Japanese lost control of the area surrounding the county.

The only remaining stronghold is the Tianzhu Mountain highlands southeast of Ping'an County.

This is a position similar to Yuhuatai in Nanjing, and it is very important for the defense of Ping'an County.

Once we capture the Tianzhu Mountain highlands, we can have a commanding view overlooking the entire Ping'an County and gain the upper hand on the battlefield.

The artillery units, relying on the Tianzhu Mountain position, could cover any area within Ping'an County with artillery fire.

This was the most important battle in the liberation of Ping'an County.

The focus of the battle is now on the Tianzhushan position.

"Tell He Jianxin that I don't care what methods he uses, he must take Tianzhushan before dawn," Chen Ming ordered directly.

There are no shortcuts to attacking such heavily fortified enemy positions; the only way is through a head-on clash of strength.

The position on Tianzhu Mountain was garrisoned by more than 150 Japanese soldiers and more than 300 puppet troops.

A combination of bunkers and fortified positions was used for defense.

Thanks to their strong fortifications and the terrain, the Japanese soldiers have repelled three attacks organized by the First Battalion.

The soldiers charged wave after wave, but they couldn't take down the Japanese's Tianzhushan position.

Because of the position in front of the bunker and the high ground, the Flying Thunder Cannon, which the Independent Detachment was specifically designed to attack bunkers, was useless.

We must advance to a certain distance and capture the outer perimeter of the Japanese pillbox before we can threaten it.

However, when attacking the outer positions, the heavy machine guns inside the Japanese bunkers would indiscriminately fire at the charging soldiers.

No matter how many infantrymen charged, they could not break through the heavy machine guns inside the fortifications.

Mortars and infantry guns have limited destructive power against such sturdy bunkers and are unlikely to pose a threat to the Japanese soldiers inside.

At the temporary command post at the foot of Tianzhu Mountain, He Jianxin received Chen Ming's order and understood the urgency of the mission.

"Second Battalion Commander, where the hell are your mountain guns? Bring them up here for me!"

He Jianxin hardened his heart and ordered the second battalion commander to bring their only two mountain guns to the battlefield.

This is a mountain gun that the Independent Detachment purchased at a high price. The ammunition is very limited, and it can be said that every shot fired is one less shot available.

The two cannons now have less than thirty shells combined.

He Jianxin originally intended to save the shells for use when attacking the county town, but now that the attack on the Tianzhushan position was stalled, he had no choice but to start using the precious shells.

If we can't even take Tianzhu Mountain, then attacking the county seat is out of the question.

Under He Jianxin's orders, the second battalion commander brought up two Shanxi-made Type 13 75mm mountain guns.

At the same time, six high-explosive shells were carefully carried up.

The shells for the mountain guns were very precious; each shell required an application to Chen Ming and had to be used in critical battles.

Its range far exceeds that of infantry guns and mortars, with a maximum range of 6300 meters, enabling it to launch artillery bombardments against key Japanese positions from a distance.

Once the shells are used up, these two mountain guns will become nothing but scrap metal.

After the mountain guns were set up, under the distressed gaze of the Second Battalion Commander, He Jianxin shouted three times to fire!
"fire!"

"fire!"

"fire!"

With the explosion of six shells, the heavy machine gun inside the Japanese bunker fell silent.

With the battalion commander on the verge of tears, He Jianxin immediately ordered his troops to seize the time and launch an attack on the enemy's Tianzhushan position.

Without the intense firepower of the heavy machine guns inside the fortified bunkers, the soldiers, under the cover of mortar bombardment of the Japanese positions outside the bunkers, finally stormed into the Japanese positions on Tianzhu Mountain.

After charging into the position, the soldiers immediately engaged the Japanese soldiers in fierce combat, providing cover for the soldiers behind them to continue their attack.

As the number of Eighth Route Army soldiers on the position increased, the Japanese soldiers on the position immediately began to move into the bunkers, attempting to continue their stubborn resistance by relying on the fortifications.

The mountain guns were too small in caliber; even six shots couldn't destroy the Japanese bunker.

After capturing the outer positions, the soldiers pressed on with renewed vigor, braving the enemy's fire and carrying explosive charges toward the enemy's bunker.

After the sacrifice of seven brave soldiers, one soldier finally climbed down to the bunker with a satchel charge.

He was hit in a vital spot by a grenade casing, so nothing could be seen on the surface.

He knew he couldn't get out. This coward, who had been punished for being afraid to fight, was now a man who wouldn't utter a sound even if he was hit by a grenade.

"Company Commander, I, Fan Hechuan, haven't let you down, have I?"

The soldier shouted loudly and detonated the explosive charge.

"Boom!"

With a loud explosion, the Japanese bunker collapsed.

Fan Hechuan's company commander, with red eyes and clenched teeth, uttered each word slowly and deliberately.

"No, my good brother, let's be brothers again in the next life!"

"Everyone, attack!"

The company commander shouted loudly.

The remaining soldiers, their eyes red, charged toward the Japanese pillbox.

The position was captured, but at a very high cost.

The bunker was built on high ground, and the soldiers had a hard time climbing the mountain, let alone taking it while under enemy fire.

In this situation, there is no room for trickery; only combat strength and resilience can be tested against the enemy.

Clearly, our Eighth Route Army soldiers were never afraid of sacrifice or death, and the Japanese devils ultimately lost.

"Report: The Tianzhushan position has been captured."

Inside the command post, the communications soldier reported the battlefield situation to Chen Ming.

"Yes, order the troops to launch a general offensive against Ping'an County at dawn!"

"Yes!"

After the First Battalion captured the Tianzhushan position, Hirata Ichiro in Ping'an County no longer needed to hesitate about whether to provide support.

After the Tianzhushan position was attacked, Hirata Ichiro knew that Tianzhushan was very important and must not be lost.

However, since it was nighttime, he was worried that if he sent out reinforcements, the Eighth Route Army would attack him at night and take the opportunity to attack the county town.

In addition, news from the Tianzhushan position indicated that the defenses were solid and there was no immediate risk of the position falling.

Therefore, Hirata Ichiro did not send reinforcements, intending to wait until dawn to make a decision.

But just now, news suddenly came back from the Tianzhushan position that the position was in grave danger and about to fall.

Hirata Ichiro hesitated and immediately had a group of officers discuss whether or not to send reinforcements.

Not long after the discussion, the Tianzhushan position completely lost contact.

Hirata Ichiro knew that Tianzhu Mountain had been lost.

"Immediately send a telegram to the Taiyuan Command: Our unit has been besieged by a large force of the Eighth Route Army. The Tianzhushan position has been lost. The Eighth Route Army's target is the county town. Request the Command to urge reinforcements to come to our aid as soon as possible."

This time, Hirata Ichiro's telegram was much more urgent; the situation had become extremely serious.

Since the Eighth Route Army was able to capture the Tianzhushan position, it meant that they also had the ability to capture Ping'an County.

Without the Tianzhushan position, Ping'an County is in grave danger.

P.S.: The review process has been a bit strict lately, and this is currently being revised. Details can be found in the individual chapters following Chapter 123.

(End of this chapter)