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

Chapter 141 The Final Offensive! Li Yunlong with a Dog-like Face
The Japanese soldiers were very vigilant at night and also very strategic.

This one-third rule is a method for dealing with small-scale night raids.

One-third of the troops were used for defense to resist the attack of the harassing forces and ensure the safety of the troops at night.

The remaining two-thirds of the troops can rest during this time to conserve their energy and maintain their combat effectiveness.

After two hours, replace one-third of the troops with others to take turns defending.

This way, sufficient combat effectiveness can be maintained at night to protect the safety of the camp, without affecting the sleep of other soldiers and ensuring combat effectiveness for the next day.

Before nightfall, the Japanese soldiers demolished and destroyed all the trees and houses near Shuangqu Town, leaving the attacking troops with nowhere to take cover.

This would increase the casualties of the night raiding forces.

In addition, the Japanese deliberately set up a fake command post as bait to lure the attacking troops and take the opportunity to eliminate the raiding force.

However, the target of the Second Battalion soldiers responsible for harassment was not the Japanese command post, but to find out the Japanese firepower deployment by attacking from different directions at night.

Their reinforced first battalion was tasked with wiping out this whole bunch of Japanese soldiers.

Even if it were a real Japanese command post, the soldiers of the Second Battalion wouldn't care.

After wiping out all the Japanese soldiers, wouldn't the command post be killing two birds with one stone?

eight pm.

The soldiers of the Second Battalion have launched more than ten attacks in succession and have basically figured out the Japanese army's firepower configuration.

The price paid was the sacrifice of over a hundred soldiers, while more than fifty Japanese soldiers were killed.

Judging from the casualty ratio, the Second Battalion suffered a huge loss.

Not only did the number of soldiers killed exceed the number of Japanese soldiers eliminated, but a large amount of ammunition was also consumed, and no ammunition was captured for replenishment.

However, the Second Battalion's sacrifice was worthwhile.

Having paid such a high price, we have basically figured out the Japanese army's firepower configuration.

Once these things are clear, when the general offensive is launched, artillery can be used to destroy the enemy's firing positions as soon as possible, reducing casualties for the main force.

Command.

Chen Ming has moved the command post to a location five kilometers north of Shuangqu Town to facilitate subsequent command.

"Report: We have basically ascertained the enemy's firepower configuration. Please provide instructions."

"Alright, I have only one instruction: wipe out these little devils! Don't hold back with the three artillery battalions, just blast them to smithereens!" Chen Ming shouted.

"Yes!"

Nine o'clock at night.

After a probing attack lasting three hours, the two battalions of the reinforced 1st Battalion and the reinforced 2nd Battalion have successfully formed an encirclement around Shuangqu Town.

The Japanese devils are already trapped!

Strengthen the headquarters of the First Brigade.

He Jianxin looked at the map on the table and clenched his fist.

"Command orders: General Offensive!"

"Get all the flying thunder cannons moving forward and blast these sons of bitches to death!"

"After destroying the Japanese fortifications and firing positions, the three artillery battalions bombarded the center of the town. After the artillery fire ended, the first and third battalions joined together and advanced from the west, aiming to strike straight into the heart of the Japanese."

"The Second and Fourth Battalions attacked from the east, together with the First and Third Battalions, and were attacked by the Japanese defenses."

"The Fifth Battalion, along with two reinforced battalions of the Second Battalion, will advance from the north and crush this bunch of Japanese devils."

"This attack, there's no distinction between a main attack and a feint attack, it's all a damn main attack!"

"I have only one request: fight with the spirit and morale of our Independent Detachment, and make Northwest Shanxi a no-go zone for the Japanese devils!"

He Jianxin gave the order.

As for the area south of Shuangqu Town, He Jianxin doesn't need to manage that; the command center will make the arrangements.

After He Jianxin gave the order, the soldiers began to advance rapidly.

The sharpshooter battalion was mixed in with the troops, suppressing the Japanese firing points and assisting the main force in advancing through the unprotected outer perimeter of Shuangqu Town.

Fortunately, it was dark now, and with the previous constant harassment, most of the Japanese sentry posts had been destroyed.

The Japanese sentries had been compressed to a place not far from the outskirts of Shuangqu Town.

The Japanese soldiers treated the soldiers' attack as a harassment, just like before, and continued to respond with firepower to drive them away.

Anyway, they are in town now, where there are old bunkers left over from the past.

Even if the Eighth Route Army's mortars fired, it would be difficult to cause any damage to the soldiers inside the bunkers.

With the machine gun emplacements providing cover, no Eighth Route Army unit could get within 100 meters of the position if they used explosive charges.

Without cover, no amount of infantry can take down a machine gun position with fortifications.

This is a heavy machine gun, a deadly weapon on the battlefield, far superior to the firepower of rifles.

The Japanese launched a counterattack as usual, but as the fighting progressed, they realized something was wrong.

"Why are there enemies everywhere?"

The Japanese officer in charge of commanding the border troops asked in confusion.

Previously, the Eighth Route Army's attacks were sporadic, occurring in the east and west, and on a small scale, with only about forty people involved each time.

But now, just from the reports received by the Japanese officers, they know that the Eighth Route Army attacked at least eight positions simultaneously.

The number of people is around four hundred!

"Sir, the Eighth Route Army has dispatched several hundred men to launch a simultaneous attack on our unit. Should we report this to the battalion commander?"

"A Japanese staff officer asked the question."

The Japanese officer didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "What's the situation now?"

"The position is very secure. The Eighth Route Army does not have heavy firepower, so there is no immediate danger."

"That's what the Japanese staff officer replied."

The Japanese officer thought for a moment and said, "Don't wake the battalion commander yet. This is probably because the Eighth Route Army has realized that the previous small-scale harassment has not been effective and wants to launch a large-scale attack in an attempt to exhaust our troops."

"However, all units should continue to strengthen vigilance and not give the Eighth Route Army any opportunity to take advantage."

"Hai!"

The Japanese did not reinforce their defensive forces, which gave the soldiers of the Independent Detachment an opportunity.

The Japanese troops now number less than 500, enough to defend the town's key positions and roads.

The soldiers who brought flying thunder cannons didn't need to attack the Japanese positions directly; they only needed to advance to within about 200 meters of the positions.

Two hundred meters was enough for the explosive charges fired by the flying thunder cannon to reach the Japanese positions.

After half an hour of fighting, with some soldiers drawing the Japanese soldiers' attention as cover, the soldiers carrying the flying thunder cannons finally set them up.

"Report, the flying thunder cannon position is in place."

"Alright, pass on my order: All-out attack!"

He Jianxin gave the order.

"boom!"

A green signal flare was launched into the sky, standing out conspicuously in the pitch-black night.

All the soldiers saw the signal flare that signaled the general offensive.

"ignition!"

Upon seeing the signal flare, the operators of the flying mine guns at each position issued the ignition order almost simultaneously!

"Boom!"

One after another, explosive charges with trails of flame glide through space, like beautiful shooting stars.

"これなに?" (What is this?)

"Ryuusei Takashi?"

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the Japanese soldiers, a bomb landed on their position.

The Japanese soldiers looked closely and saw a large bundle of explosives with a burning fuse. Judging by its size, it weighed at least fifteen kilograms!
Moreover, the fuse is almost completely burned out and is about to explode!
"Baka! Run!"

Amidst the collective fear of the eight Japanese soldiers, the explosive charge detonated.

"Oh!"

A huge fireball rose out of thin air, followed by a large number of fireballs erupting from other directions.

The sight of so many explosive charges exploding simultaneously was so spectacular that even Chen Ming and the brigade commander, who were five kilometers away, witnessed it.

The soldiers operating the flying thunder cannons that launched the explosive charges all felt the scorching heat from the explosion.

As for the Japanese soldiers inside the explosion site, they were now scattered in different places.

A peculiar smell of roasted meat permeated the battlefield.

"Baga! What's going on?"

Even the most exhausted Japanese soldiers in the town center were awakened by the loud explosion.

However, before an answer could be received, the second round of explosions had already occurred.

"Bang bang bang!"

Under the command of the flag bearer, the operators of the flying thunder cannons fired explosive charges toward the Japanese positions.

Due to the loud noise from the explosion, the soldiers operating the flying thunder cannons have been temporarily deafened and can no longer hear, so they can only receive instructions by relying on flag signals.

The second wave of shelling completely razed the outer positions and fortifications of Shuangqu Town to the ground, turning the entire outer defensive facility into ruins.

After the two rounds of flying thunder cannons were finished, the soldiers operating them ignored the overheated cannons and ran desperately to the rear.

Because a larger-scale shelling was about to begin, they only had one minute to retreat.

The mortar shells used by the independent detachment were partly produced by themselves, resulting in inconsistent quality and limited accuracy.

To prevent stray shells from injuring the soldiers operating the flying thunder cannons on the front lines, the shelling was scheduled for one minute after the last explosion of the flying thunder cannons.

"Five, four, three, two, one. Fire!"

After counting down sixty seconds, the three artillery positions opened fire simultaneously!

The three artillery positions, which combined the strongest firepower of the independent detachment, swept towards the Japanese garrison in a short period of time.

Although there were no heavy artillery pieces among them, and most of them were infantry guns and mortars, the effect was very impressive.

Many of the Japanese soldiers in the town had just woken up from the huge explosion of the flying thunder cannon and had not yet fully understood the situation.

He hurriedly grabbed his gun and ran out of the house, only to be met with a massive artillery barrage.

"Boom!"

Shells rained down on the town, bursting into bursts of fire.

Regular artillery is far more effective at killing people than flying thunder cannons.

The flying thunder cannon relies mainly on its huge explosive charge to kill people in the form of shock waves, which decay very quickly in the air.

An 82mm mortar shell typically carries only about 400 grams of explosive, but thanks to its shrapnel, it poses a much greater threat to personnel than a flying thunder mortar shell.

Of course, the explosive charge of the flying thunder cannon can also contain some shrapnel, gravel, or other such items to increase the lethality to personnel.

However, doing so would result in poor range stability and would only be suitable for use against infantry in open areas.

But if it's all in open area, why not use mortars which have a longer range and are safer, instead of taking huge risks by using flying mine cannons in open area?
The limited range of the flying thunder cannon necessitates advancing the positions where it is deployed to a point close enough to the enemy. However, in open areas, such an advance will inevitably result in a large number of casualties.

The rewards were unequal, so when attacking cities and capturing strongholds, the Independent Detachment's Flying Thunder Cannons mainly used pure explosive packs.

Only during ambushes would they be equipped with some explosive charges containing shrapnel.

After five rounds of bombardment, the artillery barrels of the artillery battalion were overheated and could no longer fire.

Chen Ming also observed through the map that the red dots representing Japanese soldiers in the town were disappearing in large numbers.

"As expected, on the battlefield, artillery is the main weapon for killing infantry. The title of artillery as the king of war is well-deserved," Chen Ming exclaimed.

If it weren't for the limited number of shells and the fact that the artillery was overheating from continuous firing and had to wait for it to cool down before it could continue firing.

Chen Mingzhen really wanted to use artillery to blow up all the Japanese soldiers in the town.

Now it's time for the infantry of the independent detachment to take the stage.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the Japanese had no way to deal with the infantry of the Independent Detachment that was close to the town.

After the artillery bombardment ended, the infantry launched a direct assault on the Japanese positions.

"Da da di—da da di—du ——————!"

The bugle call rang out especially loudly in the night.

"Comrades, charge!"

The bugle call to charge, accompanied by the shouts of comrades, signaled the soldiers to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese positions.

Attacking from three directions simultaneously, the thousands of troops methodically and relentlessly attacked the remaining nine hundred or so Japanese soldiers.

Having lost all their outer positions, the Japanese could only rely on the houses in the town that had not yet been destroyed in their attempts to continue resisting.

However, this was just a town in the mountains, not a county seat or a big city, and there simply weren't enough sturdy houses for the Japanese soldiers to use.

Under the attack of superior forces, the Japanese troops suffered repeated defeats.

The Japanese battalion commander, before he could react to the earlier shelling, was hit in the chest by a piece of shrapnel.

Another Japanese battalion commander was shot in the head by a soldier from the sharpshooter battalion while directing his troops in a counterattack.

Without a command system, the Japanese could only passively retaliate and were unable to organize an effective counterattack.

One o'clock.

After four hours of fighting, the Japanese soldiers had been forced to the south of the town, and their numbers had dwindled to less than three hundred.

This was also because the town's layout was complex, and most of the independent detachment's forces could not be deployed.

If this had happened elsewhere, the Japanese would have been wiped out long ago, given the intense artillery fire and troop attacks.

However, the Japanese soldiers' fighting capabilities are indeed noteworthy.

An ordinary army would normally collapse long ago if it encountered a night attack of this magnitude and scale.

Even with casualties exceeding 80%, the Japanese soldiers were still organizing resistance.

It can be said that, brainwashed by the Bushido spirit, the Japanese never lacked the courage to die.

In the town, the soldiers were still fighting the Japanese soldiers, preparing to wipe them all out before dawn.

While the soldiers were fighting fiercely, Li Yunlong kept complaining.

"Why should we get away with this? We fought a day-long ambush and finally managed to destroy the Japanese logistics unit. Why is it that when it's time to eat the meat, our Independent Regiment has nothing to do with it?"

"How come the independent detachment gets all the good things, while we have to do all the hard work and suffering?"

"Besides, all I did was lead the troops away from the position, but there was a reason for that. Our mission was to fight a blocking attack, so what difference does it make how we fight?"

"Why should Chen Ming suspend my job?"

Li Yunlong felt wronged. He had clearly completed the blocking mission brilliantly, only in a different way.

Upon returning with his troops, he received immediate orders from the battlefield, stating that he was suspended from his post and that Deputy Regiment Commander Xing would temporarily assume his duties.

It's one thing to be suspended from duty, but this isn't the first time Li Yunlong has been suspended from duty; he's even been dismissed and made a groom more than once.

The main reason for their complaints was that their Independent Regiment and Fourth Regiment had suffered heavy casualties and consumed a large amount of ammunition in the blocking battle.

Now that the Independent Detachment has arrived, they've launched a full-scale offensive against the Japanese, leaving the Independent Regiment with nothing to do.

Is this reasonable?

So Li Yunlong started complaining directly to the regiment.

He didn't dare go to the command post to complain to Chen Ming, after all, he had failed to ask for instructions when he had the opportunity, disobeyed orders on the battlefield, and moved troops without authorization.

This is a fact; no matter how much Li Yunlong argues, he is still making a mistake.

Moreover, with the brigade commander watching from the command post, Li Yunlong didn't have the courage to complain to the brigade commander after making a mistake.

But soon, after an order was issued to the Independent Regiment, Li Yunlong's expression immediately changed, and his dark face was filled with a smile.

"Yes, I promise to complete the mission!"

(End of this chapter)