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

Chapter 142 Brigade Commander, Congratulations on getting rich, you don't even carry people on your back anymore?
There was a reason why Li Yunlong changed his expression like this.

As the soldiers of the Independent Detachment continued their attack, the Japanese forces of the two battalions were reduced to less than three hundred men.

Moreover, it's only a little past 1 a.m., and there are still at least six hours until dawn.

After such a long time, the remaining Japanese soldiers knew they couldn't hold out until dawn.

Moreover, during the previous shelling, the radios of two battalions of Japanese soldiers were destroyed.

Without a radio and surrounded by the Eighth Route Army, they couldn't even send someone out to ask for help.

Continuing to hold out will only result in total annihilation.

Meanwhile, the Japanese had already probed the south side of Shuangqu Town over the past few hours and found that the Eighth Route Army's offensive force on that side was very weak.

The Japanese soldiers saw a glimmer of hope in breaking out of the encirclement.

Therefore, the Japanese decided to break out before the Eighth Route Army strengthened its defenses on the south side of Shuangqu Town.

No one wants to die; when there is hope of living, everyone will choose to live.

Chen Ming had anticipated that the Japanese would choose to break out.

"Order the Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment to catch up with this group of Japanese soldiers after they break through the encirclement and wipe them out."

This was an order issued by Chen Ming, assigning the Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment, which had been engaged in blocking operations, to pursue and finish off the remaining enemy forces.

This is also why Li Yunlong changed his expression so drastically.

"I thought our Independent Regiment had worked for nothing this time, but I didn't expect that we would actually get something in return. Commander Chen is a kind man."

Li Yunlong, who had been cursing and finding fault with everything, now sighed.

The task Chen Ming gave to their two regiments was an excellent one.

They pursued the Japanese soldiers who were trying to break through at night. The Japanese soldiers lost their cover and were trying to escape, so their fighting ability was greatly reduced.

火力密度比正常情况下降60%-75%以上，协同能力下降50%-70%，心理韧性下降30%-40%，机动性下降40%-60%，单兵作战技巧下降40%-50%。

With such a significant drop in combat effectiveness, the troops responsible for pursuing the enemy will not only suffer a much lower casualty rate, but will also be able to capture a large amount of supplies.

This is practically free credit.

Where would Li Yunlong harbor any resentment now?
Chen Ming essentially fed them all the credit.

After receiving the order, the two regimental commanders of the Fourth Regiment and the First Regiment met together to discuss how to cooperate.

However, Commander Zhang did not give Li Yunlong a friendly look.

Although Li Yunlong had previously mobilized troops without authorization, resulting in significant battle achievements, it is also a fact that he mobilized troops privately.

Most importantly, the two regiments were positioned in a pincer movement to block the attack, and they were not far apart. Li Yunlong, you should have at least notified the Fourth Regiment before you went.

They left with their troops, and only sent someone to inform me after they had left, putting me in a very passive position.

This directly disrupted their own plans, forcing them to send out all the reserves.

If the Japanese made progress on the front lines while Li Yunlong was leading his troops, they wouldn't even be able to send out their reserves.

This feeling of being passive is very unpleasant; apart from people with certain peculiar preferences, no one likes being passive.

"Isn't this Li Yunlong? Weren't you suspended from your post? Our Fourth Regiment and the Independent Regiment are fighting together, what are you doing here?"

Commander Zhang said irritably.

"Hey, Lao Zhang, it was Lao Li's fault before. I apologize to you. But we're in an emergency, aren't we?"

"At that time, our independent regiment had already begun to retreat, but then we discovered the Japanese logistics unit. How could I miss this opportunity?"

"But it's too late to say anything now. How about this, your 4th Regiment will lead the main attack in this pursuit of the Japanese devils?"

Li Yunlong said shamelessly.

"Hmph, who are you, Li Yunlong? I've seen you before, you've really opened my eyes," Commander Zhang said with a cold snort.

"No way, this time it's for sure, this time it's for sure," Li Yunlong said.

This time, Li Yunlong was planning to lead the Independent Regiment to provide support for the Fourth Regiment.

Although Li Yunlong was punished for arbitrarily mobilizing troops, the Independent Regiment's contributions were not diminished at all; it was Li Yunlong, the regimental commander, who suffered the consequences.

During the mission of blocking the enemy's supply lines, the Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment successfully completed their blocking mission. The Independent Regiment also crucially destroyed the Japanese army's logistics system.

This achievement is enough, and I also reaped the benefits while fighting the Japanese logistics troops.

Now Li Yunlong plans to give the lion's share of the credit for chasing the Japanese to the Fourth Regiment, while their Independent Regiment will just get a share.

We can't let the Fourth Regiment suffer and endure hardship in the blocking battle, only to have all the credit go to the Independent Regiment, can we?
If word gets out, won't Li Yunlong's reputation be ruined?

After Deputy Regiment Commander Xing and Regiment Commander Zhang finished discussing the next steps of their cooperation, Li Yunlong and Deputy Regiment Commander Xing returned to the Independent Regiment.

"Deputy Regiment Commander Xing!"

"To!"

"Order the troops to slow down when pursuing the Japanese. Our regiment can just pick up the weapons and equipment the Japanese have dropped," Li Yunlong ordered.

"Yes."

Although Li Yunlong has been suspended from his post, the current commander of the Independent Regiment is Deputy Regiment Commander Xing.

But even if Li Yunlong were only temporarily suspended from his post, or even if he were demoted to a stable boy, he could still command the troops.

At 2 a.m., the remaining Japanese troops began to break out south of Shuangqu Town.

The breakout went surprisingly smoothly. When they broke out to the south, they encountered almost no significant resistance, as if the Eighth Route Army had not deployed many troops there.

"If we had known that the Eighth Route Army's forces in the south were so weak, we should have led our troops to break out sooner," the Japanese chief of staff, who hadn't been killed in the bombing, said regretfully.

After the commanders of two Japanese battalions were killed in the bombing, the Japanese chief of staff took over command.

He now deeply regrets that if he had organized a retreat to the south of Shuangqu Town shortly after the intense shelling, the troops would not have been reduced to less than 300 men; at least 800 men could have been preserved.

This sentiment of the Japanese chief of staff reflects, from another perspective, that the Japanese morale has collapsed.

Normally, Japanese soldiers considered it an honor to "die for the enemy."

But now that they had a chance to break out, the Japanese soldiers' will to survive clashed with their "suicide pact," and their fighting spirit shifted from "suicide pact" to self-preservation.

This means that the Japanese soldiers' morale has collapsed and they have lost their former fighting spirit.

Even if this unit manages to break out successfully and is later reorganized and restored to its original structure, its combat effectiveness will be rendered useless.

Because their mindset has changed, they have achieved the process of going from zero to one.

Once you do it the first time, you'll do it a second time, a third time, and countless times.

This Japanese unit was fundamentally different from other Japanese soldiers who were fearless and would rather die than surrender.

It can be said that the Independent Detachment not only won the battle, but also won the psychological war.

"Continue the advance. Before the Eighth Route Army catches up, quickly advance to Luyang and await further orders," the Japanese chief of staff urged.

The Japanese abandoned most of their supplies and opted for a breakout using lightly armed bandits.

Shuangqu Town is not far from Luyang, and the Japanese soldiers were able to hold out until they reached Luyang with only a small amount of supplies.

Carrying supplies would slow down the breakout and be of no use to the troops.

Anyway, if we successfully break through, the lost supplies can be replenished; if we fail to break through, the supplies are useless and will be lost anyway.

After the Japanese troops withdrew from Shuangqu Town and made a light breakout to the south for about three kilometers, they crashed into the Fourth Regiment and the Independent Regiment, which had already received orders to deploy their troops there.

At the start of the battle, Chen Ming's operational orders to the Independent Detachment only specified three directions.

As for the south, the Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment were transferred there.

With such strong firepower from the independent detachment, coupled with a force several times larger than the Japanese, the Japanese simply couldn't hold out until dawn.

Chen Ming knew that if the Japanese army held their ground, they would be completely annihilated, and if only a small number of Eighth Route Army troops attacked from the south, they would most likely choose to break out.

By forcing the Japanese soldiers out of their fixed bunkers, casualties would be much lower in the fighting.

The Independent Regiment and the Fourth Regiment were transferred there for two reasons: first, to block the Japanese troops who wanted to break out; and second, to give the two regiments some credit.

The Fourth Regiment and the Independent Regiment were responsible for blocking the enemy and cooperating with the Independent Detachment to attack the county town. They fought very hard and suffered heavy losses.

Giving this heavily weakened Japanese force to them now is also a form of compensation.

After all, we can't let the other units do all the hard and tiring work, and let the independent detachment take all the credit, right?
It's not a good practice to hoard food. Even if the regimental commanders who lead the ambush are highly conscious, the soldiers under them sometimes just can't understand it.

In any case, Chen Ming was the commander-in-chief of this battle, and no matter which unit wiped out the Japanese, Chen Ming would have a share of the credit.

The soldiers of the independent detachment also deserve credit.

Since the fighting began last night, the Independent Detachment has eliminated more than two thousand Japanese soldiers.

It's just less than three hundred Japanese soldiers. Consider it payment for the brother unit's help in holding them off.

After the Japanese troops broke through the encirclement, the soldiers of the reinforced First Battalion began to pursue them as usual, forcing the Japanese to break their formation and reducing the difficulty for their comrades.

Under pressure from the soldiers, the Japanese soldiers had no choice but to speed up their retreat, and their formation gradually broke apart.

When they ran for their lives until they could no longer see the Eighth Route Army pursuing them even by the moonlight, the Japanese chief of staff turned back and glared at them hatefully.

"Damn it, you Chinese, I will definitely come back."

After saying that, he turned around and led the Japanese soldiers to continue their escape.

At this point, the Japanese chief of staff had even fewer troops around him.

Some were Japanese soldiers who got lost after their formation was disrupted, and some were Japanese soldiers who lost their morale and deserted their units.

Some extreme soldiers, unable to accept the order to break out, chose suicidal attacks to end their lives.

Just as the Japanese soldiers were fleeing for their lives toward Luyang, a Japanese officer suddenly saw, by the moonlight, many dark figures moving in the distance.

"what is that?"

This immediately caught the attention of the Japanese soldiers, and some officers shouted in panic, "It's the Eighth Route Army! Prepare for battle!"

They were originally sent out as reinforcements, but now there are no more reinforcements.

The Japanese troops that could be mobilized had already been deployed to the road from Shuiquan to Ping'an County, so it was impossible for them to send any more troops here.

The only thing appearing in front now can be the Eighth Route Army troops.

However, it was too late when the Japanese officer spotted the figure.

Under the cover of darkness, the soldiers of the 4th Regiment launched a direct assault on the Japanese. Meanwhile, the Independent Regiment, under Li Yunlong's command, attacked the Japanese from the flank, providing support for the 4th Regiment.

The Japanese soldiers running in the lead were the first to suffer, tripping over a small pit dug by the soldiers of the Fourth Regiment and falling flat on their faces.

When the Japanese soldier looked up, he was horrified to see the large, meaningful blade of sword shining in the moonlight.

"No, no, I surrender, I don't want to die!"

The Japanese soldiers begged for mercy in terror, but the cold light did not pause at all, and slashed straight down towards the heads of the Japanese soldiers.

"Pfft!"

A cold glint flashed, and blood splattered several meters away.

The soldier kicked away the Japanese soldier's blood-spurting corpse, muttering:

"What are you babbling about?"

The soldier ignored the Japanese soldier; unable to understand the language barrier, he had no idea what the Japanese soldier was saying.

Even if he found out, he wouldn't show any mercy.

After a day of fighting, with so many comrades he had spent every day with sacrificing their lives, all he wanted now was to kill more Japanese soldiers.

"Pfft!"

The soldier swung his knife again, beheading another Japanese soldier.

The Japanese troops lost their effective defensive formation and suffered severe damage to their morale, resulting in a significant decline in their combat effectiveness.

Faced with the charge of the 4th Regiment and the Independent Regiment, they were completely unable to resist, and even the bayonet fighting skills that the Japanese had always been proud of could not be used.

This demonstrates the combat effectiveness of an army after its organizational structure has been broken up.

Once a unit loses its organizational structure, even if it still has a large number of soldiers, its combat effectiveness will be considered zero until it is reorganized.

Unable to withstand the onslaught of the Fourth Regiment's soldiers head-on, the Japanese troops began to scatter in all directions, only to run into the Independent Regiment attacking their flanks.

Zhang Dabiao ripped off his hat, threw it to the ground, spat on his hands, and then brandished a large machete, hacking and slashing through the Japanese soldiers like a war god.

The soldiers of the other independent regiments were no less formidable than Zhang Dabiao; their swordsmanship was equally fierce and sharp.

Under Li Yunlong's leadership, the Independent Regiment followed the principle that those who were capable would get the spoils, while those who were incapable wouldn't even get to eat hot shit.

In order to get meat and not be looked down upon by the other soldiers, and with limited weapons and ammunition, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment trained like madmen.

Although the weapons used for training are all made of wood and won't kill you, they really hurt when they hit you, leaving you with bruises all over your body.

In order to suffer less pain during training, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment have been constantly improving their close combat skills.

The fatigue and pain endured in peacetime proved effective in actual combat.

The Japanese soldiers, who had scattered in all directions, were quickly driven back by the Independent Regiment soldiers and regrouped.

At this point, only about fifty Japanese soldiers remained.

The Japanese chief of staff was surrounded in the middle, his face full of despair.

Knowing he had no chance of survival, he shouted, "Warriors of the Empire, the time has come to serve His Majesty the Heavenly Locust!"

"Long live His Majesty Tian Locust!"

Led by their chief of staff, the remaining Japanese soldiers roared and began their attack toward the Fourth Regiment.

They knew that fighting the Independent Regiment in bayonet combat would be too disadvantageous, and they simply couldn't win. So they chose to pick on the weaker enemy, hoping to take away more soldiers from the Fourth Regiment.

"Comrades, the Japanese devils are treating us like pushovers. What do you suggest we do?"

Commander Zhang, carrying a large knife, shouted loudly.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"Alright, today we'll show those little devils what the Fourth Regiment is all about! All hands on deck, attack!"

Commander Zhang shouted loudly and led his troops to launch an attack on the remaining Japanese soldiers.

Under normal circumstances, Commander Zhang would not lead the charge like this.

He was a regimental commander, responsible for coordinating and directing the entire regiment's operations. How could he be a commando captain like Li Yunlong?

If someone is killed, who will take command of the troops?

Of course, Commander Zhang was not afraid of death. If the troops were wiped out and he, as the commander, was needed to carry explosives to blow up the Japanese bunkers, he wouldn't even flinch.

At this moment, the Japanese only had fifty-odd men left. In the final stage, Commander Zhang made an exception and led his soldiers in a charge, bringing this great battle to a close.

Commander Zhang's safety was guaranteed; he led the charge and was protected by bodyguards.

The guards couldn't really let the regimental commander fight the Japanese with bayonets; the Japanese soldiers' worthless lives were nothing compared to their own regimental commander's.

Under the protection of his guards, Commander Zhang led the charge, which boosted the morale of his soldiers and ensured his own safety.

Five minutes later, under the command of Regiment Commander Zhang, the last Japanese soldier fell.

Except for a few Japanese soldiers who managed to escape under cover of darkness, the two battalions of Japanese soldiers were completely annihilated.

As for the Japanese deserters who ran away, the soldiers didn't really care about them.

If they've all deserted, even if they manage to escape, it's no different from being dead.

After the battle was completely over, Commander Zhang reported the situation.

Inside the command post, Chen Ming, the brigade commander, and the others laughed with joy upon learning that all the Japanese soldiers had been wiped out.

Although everyone knew the Japanese were doomed after the Independent Detachment successfully surrounded them in Shuangqu Town.

With the strength and firepower of the independent column, they were able to capture even Ping'an County, which was heavily guarded.

Taking Shuangqu Town, a town with less fortification than Ping'an City, and with a concentration of superior forces, firepower, and night fighting, there was virtually no chance of failure.

It's only a matter of time before the Japanese devils are wiped out.

However, upon hearing that the Japanese devils had been completely annihilated, everyone was overjoyed.

Knowing that the Japanese devils would be annihilated is one thing, but actually annihilating them is another.

"Well done! These two battles fought by the Independent Detachment are truly breathtaking!" The brigade commander smiled happily and patted Chen Ming on the shoulder.

Previously, we only learned about the Independent Detachment's victories through battle reports. Now, we are actually watching the Independent Detachment fight in person. The two experiences are completely different.

"Yes, Comrade Chen Ming's command ability and the fighting power of the soldiers of the Independent Detachment are really strong. They wiped out three Japanese battalions and liberated a county town in just two days."

“Even a Japanese battalion in Lan County is now like a turtle in a jar, ready to be eaten whenever they want.”

The others were equally generous with their praise, sincerely admiring Chen Ming's command abilities and marveling at the formidable combat power of the Independent Detachment.

The combat effectiveness of a unit depends not only on its weapons and equipment, but also on the capabilities of its commander.

However, the independent detachment was developed from a small district squad of a dozen people, and its weapons and equipment were already considered part of Chen Ming's command capabilities.

The Independent Detachment was able to have such good weapons and equipment, wasn't it because Chen Ming commanded his troops to win battle after battle and captured them from the Japanese?
The Japanese weren't exactly benevolent; they wouldn't give weapons and equipment to the Independent Detachment.

Listening to the praise from the brigade commander and officers from other brother units, Chen Ming humbly said:

"It was all thanks to the effective guidance of headquarters and the bravery of our soldiers that our independent detachment was able to win this battle. It was all thanks to the wise leadership of headquarters and the fearless fighting of our soldiers against the Japanese."

"This victory belongs to all of us, not to any one person."

"Haha, not bad. Arrogance should not be allowed to grow, desires should not be indulged, pleasure should not be excessive, and ambition should not be insatiable." The brigade commander laughed happily.

The brigade commander was pleased that Chen Mingneng maintained a humble attitude.

As a commander of a unit, one must always maintain a humble attitude and never be arrogant or complacent.

The lion fights the rabbit with all his strength.

As a commander, one must despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically.

An arrogant and complacent army cannot become an invincible and powerful force.

After everyone finished praising each other, the brigade commander then talked about the post-war handling work.

They eliminated so many Japanese soldiers, liberated a county town, and seized a huge amount of supplies.

The brigade commander was envious of all the weapons, equipment, and supplies.

Unfortunately, after the counter-offensive, the Eighth Route Army suffered heavy losses, with a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and supplies lost.

All military units are currently very poor.

The brigade commander thought that if he could acquire some of the spoils, it would greatly alleviate the current shortage of weapons and ammunition in the troops.

Of the supplies seized by the independent detachment, a portion will definitely have to be handed over.

However, the Fourth Military Sub-district was under the jurisdiction of the Taiyue Military Region, and the Independent Detachment was under the jurisdiction of the 129th Division.

If Chen Ming were to hand over the supplies, there would be a specific method for distributing the spoils.

The brigade commander thought that while he was with Chen Ming, he could take some supplies from the division headquarters so that he could get a larger share.

"You've wiped out so many Japanese devils and liberated a county town. Chen Ming, congratulations on your fortune!" The brigade commander said with a squinty eye and a smile.

Chen Ming was taken aback upon hearing this.

No? The brigade commander doesn't even hide his good fortune anymore?

In front of so many officers from other brother units, he directly congratulated himself on getting rich.

If this gets out, isn't the brigade commander afraid of damaging his reputation?

However, since the brigade commander had spoken, Chen Ming couldn't refuse him, after all, he was his former leader.

Moreover, the brigade commander's area had always been a key target for the Japanese in their sweeps, resulting in heavy losses for the troops.

“Alright, Brigade Commander, stop talking. It’s not me who’s getting rich, it’s our Taiyue Military Region that’s getting rich,” Chen Ming said.

In short, the distribution of the captured supplies was basically finalized.

If this battle is classified as a battle of the Fourth Military Sub-district, the brigade commander will definitely be able to take more of the captured supplies.

"Haha, you're too kind. I can't accept this. We're practically family." The brigade commander laughed heartily.

PS: Now that things are done, updates will resume and I'll catch up on the missed chapters.

(End of this chapter)