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

Chapter 140 Japanese Soldiers: I don't believe three regiments can annihilate me!
After the Japanese army transferred another regiment from another direction to reinforce Ping'an, our intelligence personnel reported the situation to headquarters immediately.

It's important to understand that in this battle that was being prepared for, the Independent Detachment was just one of the main players on one of the battlefields.

All operations are led by headquarters.

Like a fuse, it is responsible for igniting the barrel of explosives.

Troops in other areas also launched attacks on key Japanese facilities at the same time, and now fighting is taking place all over Shanxi Province.

It's fair to say that not only the entire northwestern Shanxi province, but the entire Shanxi province has been thrown into chaos!
Unlike Li Yunlong's attack on Ping'an County, where troops were passively engaged in battle, this was an orderly and planned offensive and defensive operation.

The Japanese army dispatched another regiment to reinforce Ping'an County, which meant that the defense of the Datong-Taiyuan section of the Tongpu Railway was left with a shortage of troops.

After discussion, headquarters immediately decided to launch a sabotage operation against the Tongpu Railway while the Japanese forces were weakened!

Since the Japanese want to send a large number of troops to reinforce Ping'an County, we can just raid their home.

You do your thing, I'll do mine.

If you want to support Ping'an County, then we'll turn around and attack your home!
Ding Weibu.

Before the battle, Ding Wei commanded three regimental-level units to build blocking positions along both sides of the highway, and they held off the Japanese without suffering much loss.

Because the Japanese reinforcements came from the highway, there were many cars, so Ding Zhaqiao destroyed all the roads and bridges along the route.

It would be impossible to repair a temporary road and bridge in less than three days.

The Japanese had no choice but to abandon the trucks and bring in mules and horses from Shuiquan again to transport heavy weapons and supplies.

Heavy weapons and supplies will definitely be brought. A large number of aircraft have been transferred to the Pacific theater, and a major battle will take place in the Changsha area.

The Japanese simply didn't have any extra planes available; at most, they could send a few reconnaissance aircraft.

After all, compared to other battlefields, dealing with the Eighth Route Army really didn't require that many bombers.

The Eighth Route Army had no heavy artillery and mainly relied on guerrilla warfare, making their whereabouts unpredictable.

Wasting precious fuel and bombs on the Eighth Route Army might not even yield significant results; it would be better to invest them in the main battlefield or other battlefields.

Now, the Japanese troops in Shanxi Province are mainly using artillery as their main support firepower and heavy firepower.

Therefore, artillery must be brought; it's unacceptable not to.

Without artillery, the Japanese would really not have much of an advantage in combat.

In terms of light weapons, we were actually no less capable than the Japanese on the mainland battlefield; what we lacked was only heavy firepower and air power.

Transporting artillery and equipment cannot be done by manpower alone; it must rely on transportation vehicles, even mules and horses.

The Japanese were also short of fuel, and these oxen and horses that could generate power continuously as long as they were fed were perfect for their current situation.

After the Japanese troops were deployed, they continued to advance along the road.

Ding Wei was very cunning; he buried a large number of low-powered booby traps along the road.

These booby traps are very easy to make, the materials are readily available, and there's no need for an armory. Once the materials are distributed to the people, they can manufacture them in large quantities.

However, the booby traps made in this way are not very powerful; at most, they might blow off limbs, but they would hardly endanger lives.

This is exactly what Ding Wei wanted.

His mission was to block the Japanese reinforcements and prevent them from reaching Ping'an County.

Severing the leg of one Japanese soldier can render two Japanese soldiers incapable of fighting and slow down their march.

At the same time, a large number of wounded soldiers would seriously affect the morale of the Japanese troops.

Seeing a comrade-in-arms you've spent every day with die might not have a huge impact, since death is all too common in this era.

But if this comrade keeps wailing, seeing the other's miserable state, and thinking that he might also become disabled for the rest of his life like the other, anyone would be psychologically affected.

Throughout the day, Ding Wei led his troops in a series of repelling attacks on the Japanese invaders.

Although only more than 200 Japanese soldiers were killed, more than 700 Japanese soldiers were wounded!

The Japanese army, consisting of a regiment and a battalion, had a significant amount of its fighting capacity tied up by wounded soldiers.

Inside the temporary command post of the New First Regiment, Ding Wei watched the Japanese soldiers leisurely clearing away the booby traps, a smile appearing on his face.

"Did you think that's all the tricks I, Ding Wei, have?"

"Order the artillery to fire two shots at the Japanese engineers, specifically targeting them!" Ding Wei ordered.

The New First Regiment had two mortars, which were its remaining assets after breaking through the encirclement.

However, what made Ding Wei jealous was that the two guerrilla battalions responsible for cooperating with the New First Regiment were able to pull out three guns.

Three regimental-level units can assemble eight mortars!

Ding Wei felt a pang of envy that two guerrilla battalions could actually muster the firepower of an artillery company.

Kong Jie's reinforced 2nd Regiment had an artillery battalion with six Type 92 infantry guns, which was understandable, since it was the main force of the independent detachment and it was normal for it to have better weapons and equipment.

Despite being just a militia guerrilla brigade, because it belonged to the Fourth Military Sub-district led by Chen Ming, it actually pulled out more artillery than an entire main regiment of his.

The independent detachment is really rich; Chen Ming is quite skilled at equipping his troops!
After the artillerymen adjusted the firing parameters, all eight mortars opened fire simultaneously.

"boom!"

The shell traced a graceful arc through the sky before landing steadily among the Japanese engineering corps.

"Bang bang!"

The shells exploded, and the Japanese engineers rushed to the scene. Some were killed instantly by the shrapnel, while the rest of the Japanese soldiers who were hit by the shrapnel began to wail in pain.

"Baka! Fight back! Fight back!"

The captain of the Japanese vanguard shouted angrily, urging the Japanese mortar units to return fire.

However, by the time they had adjusted the firing parameters, the artillerymen who had just fired had already moved to a different position with their mortars.

Mortars play a very important role in guerrilla warfare.

It has a long range, great power, and is lightweight.

They fire one shot and leave, leaving the enemy with no way to retaliate.

After all, this can be considered a sniper rifle with a range of over two kilometers. The effective range of the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun is only eight hundred meters, so it can't hit it at all.

The Japanese soldiers were thoroughly annoyed by the artillery fire under Ding Wei's command.

They were forced to disperse into several infantry squads to drive away the guerrilla fighters around the main force's marching route.

But Ding Wei now has the strength of three regiments. If the Japanese dare to split their forces, Ding Wei dares to wipe out these Japanese squads.

The Japanese had no way to counter Ding Wei's tactics.

Their mission was to reinforce Ping'an County. They simply didn't have time to deal with the blocking forces along the way, and could only drive them away. The nature of the missions was different, so the situation was naturally different as well.

In a normal mopping-up operation, the Japanese would not be afraid of Ding Wei. They would deploy their troops directly, gradually compressing Ding Wei's space of operation and forming a sweeping operation that would be enough to cause Ding Wei great losses.

Ding Wei also knew that the Japanese were aiming to reinforce, so he would selectively ignore small-scale harassment and prioritize protecting the main target.

Only then did they dare to launch attacks against the Japanese without restraint, delaying the speed of Japanese reinforcements.

The Japanese military's "Operational Regulations" stipulate:
"Ensuring the security of strategic nodes takes priority over small rescue teams" → Reinforcements must be sent to protect strongholds;

"If attacked during the march, speed up the passage" → rarely split up troops to pursue guerrillas, and the risk of ambush is low.

Our army has also developed many tactics as a result, the most famous of which is the tactic of drawing out enemy reinforcements and the tactic of chipping away at their defenses.

During the campaign, the enemy's manpower was annihilated, and small victories were accumulated and eventually led to a great victory.

While Ding Wei continued his resistance, Chen Ming's side was not idle either.

After several hours of marching, the main force of the reinforced 1st Regiment finally reached the outskirts of Shuangqu Town, forming a huge encirclement of the Japanese.

At this point, the Japanese soldiers were still thinking about waiting for reinforcements to arrive, so they chose to stay put and wait.

Little did they know that it was precisely because of their mechanical, dogmatic, and arrogant thinking that they were about to fall into a dead end!

"Report, the First Battalion is in position."

"Report! The Second and Third Battalions have arrived at their designated attack positions!"

"Report, the Fourth Battalion is in position."

"Report, the artillery battalion has set up its artillery positions."

After receiving reports from the battalion commanders under his command, He Jianxin reported the situation to Chen Ming at the headquarters.

Chen Ming also observed the battlefield situation through the secondary map.

"It's 40 minutes earlier than I expected." Chen Ming smiled.

In four hours and twenty minutes, the soldiers of the reinforced first regiment had run twenty-five kilometers, and even the artillery battalion that was transporting artillery had reached its designated position.

Keep in mind that this is not a plain area, so achieving this result is already quite remarkable.

Because the soldiers of the Independent Detachment had good food, relying on what they captured from the Japanese and what they produced themselves, their diet was guaranteed and their health improved.

With the added benefits of regular training and badges, they were able to complete the marching mission in such a short time.

"Good. Let the soldiers rest and recover their strength. In an hour, we'll wipe out that bunch of Japanese devils in Shuangqu Town!"

Chen Ming gave instructions.

The soldiers were exhausted after a day of fighting and more than four hours of forced march, and it was not the right time to attack.

An hour later, it was 5:20 PM.

It was already dark by then, which was the perfect time to launch an attack on the Japanese troops' position.

Our army is adept at night fighting, and the independent detachment is even more skilled at it.

At night, with the enemy in the light and us in the dark, the Japanese soldiers would not easily leave their camp without knowing the enemy's situation.

However, the soldiers of the reinforced First Regiment could use all sorts of skills to deal with the Japanese.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers at the front immediately began to rest, eating dry rations and making the most of the time to recover their strength.

Smokeless stoves have now been invented, but the soldiers of the reinforced first regiment did not choose to use them.

Supplying thousands of soldiers without being detected by the Japanese was extremely difficult.

In order to avoid being discovered by the Japanese soldiers, the soldiers chose to make do with cold water and hard bread for the time being, and then eat something hot after they had wiped out the Japanese soldiers!
Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

The Japanese soldiers also became vigilant, reinforcing their defenses and sending out sentries to prevent nighttime attacks.

The Japanese had already captured Shuangqu Town and were using it as their overnight camp, hoping to spend the night safely by utilizing the town's fortifications.

Because of the protection of houses and fortifications, the Japanese soldiers in the town were not as vigilant as they were in the wild.

After nightfall.

Under the cover of night, the surrounding troops began to steadily approach Shuangqu Town, closing the encirclement.

Meanwhile, in order to cover the encirclement of the main force, the soldiers of the Second Battalion of the First Regiment also launched an attack on Shuangqu Town to draw the attention of the Japanese.

"Bang bang!"

Two mortars exploded on the Japanese fortifications, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Japanese soldiers were awakened by the huge explosion and immediately sprang into action, organizing a counterattack.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion did not go all out; they only sent out a company of soldiers with two mortars to confuse the Japanese.

This led the Japanese soldiers to believe that the troops that had previously blocked their path were harassing them.

In the town, the Japanese battalion commander was awakened by the sudden explosion.

"Don't worry about them. One-third of the men will continue to stand guard, and the rest can continue sleeping. They're just a bunch of guerrillas," said the Japanese captain.

Today they fought against the Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment all day and have figured out the enemy's troop deployment and firepower.

If it weren't for a unit raiding their logistics unit, causing them to run out of weapons and ammunition, they would have been in trouble.

The Japanese battalion commander believed that they would be able to break through the enemy's position before nightfall.

This is just harassment by this force, trying to prevent them from getting a good night's sleep and affecting the battle the next day.

How could such a petty trick possibly fool him?

One-third of the troops, or about five hundred men, is enough for defense.

Five hundred Japanese soldiers, relying on fortifications for defense, could easily hold off three thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers.

Furthermore, even if the situation changes, the remaining troops can be immediately deployed to strengthen the defenses.

"Continue to rest. I don't believe that two regiments of the Eighth Route Army can break through the defense line of five hundred Imperial soldiers. Even if another regiment comes, it's impossible."

"The Japanese battalion commander said confidently."

Under the orders of the Japanese battalion commander, apart from the Japanese soldiers responsible for defense, the rest of the Japanese soldiers did not take the attack seriously and began to go to sleep one after another.

After a day of fighting, the Japanese soldiers were exhausted and fell asleep almost as soon as they touched the ground.

Even with the incessant sounds of gunfire outside, he remained undisturbed.

When a person is extremely tired, they may fall asleep even while standing.

P.S.: Too much to do, so here's a filler chapter. Consider today a day off. I'll make it up after the 12th. I'm not going to be human after the holiday; I'll make it up to you double!
(End of this chapter)