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

Chapter 149 Recruiting Ding Wei! Bullet Production Line!

Ding Wei was somewhat puzzled as to why Chen Ming had called him aside.

Hearing Chen Ming's question, he became even more puzzled and said:
"The soldiers of the Independent Detachment are highly capable, well-equipped, and disciplined; they are an iron-blooded and formidable force."

This assessment reflects Ding Wei's true feelings and is entirely devoid of flattery.

Commanding two guerrilla brigades in the Fourth Military Sub-district this time had already broadened Ding Wei's horizons.

Once he gave the order, no matter how difficult the task, both guerrilla brigades carried it out without hesitation or any compromise.

Their weaponry and combat capabilities are no less than those of Ding Wei's New First Regiment.

It should be noted that this was only the local armed forces of the Fourth Division, far inferior to the main force of the Independent Detachment.

If local armed forces can perform so well, how much more so should the independent detachment, which is the main force?

The independent detachment's victory this time was achieved by literally throwing away the lives of the Japanese soldiers.

Ding Wei personally participated in this battle, and the Independent Detachment wiped out nearly five battalions of Japanese troops in one go, which truly showed Ding Wei the strength of the Independent Detachment.

Upon hearing Ding Wei's assessment of the Independent Detachment, Chen Ming chuckled and asked:
"Since you think the Independent Detachment is great, are you interested in working for me?"

Chen Ming extended an olive branch to Ding Wei, asking for Ding Wei's opinion.

"Well... I'd like to ask the brigade commander for instructions first."

Although Ding Wei was interested and wanted to go to the independent detachment, he couldn't agree to it directly.

We must ask the brigade commander for permission first. Otherwise, if we agree to it in front of Chen Ming without asking the brigade commander, where would that put the brigade commander's face?

Ding Wei was no fool; his political awareness was higher than that of Li Yunlong and Kong Jie.

"I spoke with the brigade commander, and only after he agreed did I come to ask for your opinion," Chen Ming said with a smile.

Hearing Chen Ming say this, Ding Wei put aside his concerns and said firmly:
"I, Ding Wei, will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements!"

Chen Ming smiled and said, "After the post-war statistics are completed, the brigade commander and I will report to our superiors and transfer your organizational affiliation."

After saying that, Chen Ming took out a piece of paper. "This is the arrangement for the reorganization of the new First Regiment. If you have any complaints, just say so, and I will make the necessary arrangements."

Ding Wei was taken aback upon hearing this, and then took the paper with writing on it.

The notice stated: "By decision of the brigade headquarters, the new 1st Regiment will be transferred from the brigade headquarters to the 4th Military Sub-district." (That is, from the Taiyue Military Region to a lower-level military sub-district.)
The newly established regiment was transformed into the reinforced independent 1st Battalion, supplemented with two infantry battalions and one artillery battalion, and was responsible for the defense of the Ping'an County area.

When Ding Wei saw the information on the paper, he immediately gasped.

Goodness, he was only transferred to the Fourth Division; Old Ding is still nominally under the brigade commander's command.

The 1st Independent Battalion received such a significant reinforcement, directly supplemented with two infantry battalions and one artillery battalion.

The First Independent Battalion was transformed into an reinforced battalion with five infantry battalions and one artillery battalion, just like the Fourth Military Sub-district's Kong Jie and He Jianxin units!
Back when Ding Wei, Li Yunlong, and Kong Jie were drinking together, Kong Jie would get incredibly proud of himself whenever he talked about the weapons and equipment of his reinforced Second Battalion.

It would be a lie for Ding Wei to say he wasn't envious; he never imagined he, Ding Wei, would possess so many weapons and equipment.

Moreover, the soldiers of the Independent Detachment were truly skilled in military matters. He Jianxin's reinforced First Battalion first wiped out a Japanese battalion stationed in Ping'an County, and then turned around and eliminated two more Japanese battalions in the Luyang direction.

They then rushed back and blocked two Japanese regiments, an infantry battalion, and heavy artillery attacks, annihilating nearly two battalions of Japanese soldiers and destroying their heavy artillery.

Ding Wei was incredibly envious of such outstanding soldiers!

This time, Chen Ming directly supplemented him with two infantry battalions and one artillery battalion, making Ding Wei happier than if he had married ten wives!
"Thank you, Captain. I, Ding Wei, will never let you down, Captain, nor will I betray the trust of the organization!"

Ding Wei said firmly.

"Alright, I've given you the weapons, equipment, and soldiers. Next time, I want to see your First Independent Battalion, led by Ding Wei, become an elite force that obeys the Party's command, is capable of winning battles, and has an excellent work style! Do you have confidence?"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

After resolving Ding Wei's matter, Chen Ming continued to organize the treatment of the wounded soldiers.

This battle was hard-fought. The Independent Detachment suffered a total of 1826 casualties, 3500 wounded, and killed 4320 Japanese soldiers.

Large numbers of wounded soldiers flooded into the field hospitals, filling them and their logistical resources to capacity.

"Bring out all the medicines and spare no effort to rescue the wounded soldiers. We must do everything possible to save their lives!"

Chen Ming also took out the medical kit for senior cadres that was assigned to him, to treat the seriously wounded.

With so many soldiers protecting him, he felt he didn't need the emergency medical kit provided to him and decided to focus on saving more seriously wounded soldiers first.

He Jianxin immersed himself in the field hospital; this tough man's eyes were bloodshot.

This operation exposed major problems for the independent detachment: inadequate medical conditions, a shortage of medicines, and many soldiers were unable to receive effective treatment, resulting in casualties in combat.

If the independent detachment is in such a predicament, the situation for other units is even more difficult.

Chen Ming felt terrible, but as the commander of a unit, he had to get out of this mood.

War is always accompanied by death and sacrifice.

Each generation has its own mission.

Faced with cruel invaders, the only option is to make continuous sacrifices, sacrificing one's own generation, in order to seek a peaceful life for future generations.

A few days later, Commander Yang of the Jin-Sui Army arrived at the Independent Detachment.

This time, he came with a political mission.

Because the Jin-Sui Army also achieved some successes in this battle.

If the Japanese were to go to rescue the Japanese troops in Lan County, they would inevitably have to pass through the defense zone of the 358th Regiment or pass through the west side of Ping'an County.

The Japanese were so frightened by the Independent Detachment that they dared not let two battalions pass through the area where the Independent Detachment was operating, and instead chose to cross the defense zone of the 358th Regiment.

What kind of personality does Chu Yunfei have?

If the Japanese soldiers obediently pass through the edge of the defense zone, he can pretend he didn't see them, according to his superior's orders.

But the Japanese soldiers brazenly passed through the middle of the 358th Regiment's defense zone, robbing civilians and massacring villages along the way.

If Chu Yunfei could tolerate this situation, he wouldn't be Chu Yunfei.

Chu Yunfei immediately disregarded his superior's order not to attack and launched a fierce attack on the Japanese troops.

In the end, after killing more than 300 Japanese soldiers and intercepting more than 800 puppet troops, the Japanese were finally allowed to escape.

Commander Yang came here for two reasons: first, to inspect the battle results, and second, to promote the Jin-Sui Army.

"Colonel Chen, I've heard so much about you!"

Commander Yang arrived in Ping'an County with a group of Jin-Sui Army officers. Upon seeing Chen Ming, he immediately extended his hand to shake hands warmly.

"Hello, sir!"

Since the Eighth Route Army was subordinate to the Second War Zone, Commander Yang was naturally their nominal superior, and Chen Ming did not neglect him.

After giving a military salute, I shook hands with Commander Yang.

Commander Yang addressed Chen Ming as Colonel Chen.

Although the Independent Detachment is no longer part of the original Third Division and Sixth Brigade, its combat record is undeniable.

Even if the independent detachment is not officially recognized, its organizational structure is still real.

"I've heard that Colonel Chen's troops fought bravely in this operation, annihilating a large number of Japanese soldiers. Could you give me a detailed account of the process?"

Chen Ming readily agreed to Commander Yang's request.

After all, he is nominally the superior, so he still has to do the work that needs to be done.

So Chen Ming began to explain the process of the battle to Commander Yang.

Of course, it was just a general introduction, such as when and where the number of Japanese soldiers was annihilated.

Chen Ming did not disclose the specific details.

Commander Yang didn't seem to mind Chen Ming's explanation at all, and some of the officers in his corps were even taking pictures.

These photographers were particularly enthusiastic about taking pictures of the Japanese soldiers' corpses.

Along the way, Commander Yang used every word of praise he could muster, exaggerating Chen Ming's achievements to the skies.

Chen Ming knew what kind of trick the other party was plotting; they just wanted to take photos and get credit for it.

Chen Ming did not stop the other person from taking pictures. Only after the other person had used up the film and was satisfied did he speak with a smile.

"Commander Yang, have you finished taking the photos? I have some Japanese soldiers' identification tags and rank insignia captured in this operation, as well as a batch of Japanese military swords. I wonder if you would be interested, sir?"

Chen Ming's words directly implied to Commander Yang that he knew the other party's purpose and was willing to cooperate by providing some physical evidence. Commander Yang, you should at least show some appreciation, right?

Commander Yang understood the meaning behind Chen Ming's words and looked at the more than thirty soldiers who had gathered around him.

He thought to himself that Chen Ming was not easy to fool; all his praise hadn't fooled him.

Looking at the current situation, if I don't sacrifice something, my group will be fine, but the film in the camera will definitely be lost.

"Rest assured, the Second War Zone will not be stingy with rewards for the Independent Detachment's contributions this time. Once the results are tallied, I will report them and award the Independent Detachment a commendation," Commander Yang said.

However, Chen Ming did not move, nor did the soldiers around him.

If we don't implement the reward now, where will we find you, Commander Yang, to ask for it later?

Chen Ming doesn't want an airdropped check.

Seeing Chen Ming's shrewdness, Commander Yang chuckled dryly and continued:

"However, given the situation I am seeing now, in order to encourage your unit for its contributions in this operation, it has been decided to award the Independent Detachment 20 silver dollars as a reward."

Seeing that Commander Yang had finally given some tangible reward, Chen Ming spoke up:
"Thank you for the reward, sir. But you have no idea how tough it is for our troops."

Commander Yang looked at Chen Ming and frowned: "If you have any difficulties, just say so. We are all troops from the Second War Zone. I will help you if I can."

"Sir, could you allocate some medical supplies to support us?"

Hearing Chen Ming's words, Commander Yang frowned. The Jin-Sui Army was also short of medical supplies.

However, in order to achieve this victory, Commander Yang said:
"How much do you need?"

Chen Ming gave a number.

After hearing the number, Commander Yang pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement. Although the quantity of supplies was considerable, it was still possible to squeeze some out with a little effort.

"Thank you, sir." Chen Ming smiled happily.

After leaving behind the prepared silver dollars, Commander Yang wrote a note for the medical supplies and then left with his men.

Da Yang had already made preparations; he knew that coming to the Independent Detachment this time would definitely require him to make some sacrifices.

However, that's just the nature of businessmen; they'll save money wherever they can. If they can fool Chen Ming, then they can keep the silver dollars for themselves, right?

Medical supplies needed to be allocated, so Commander Yang left a written agreement.

Chen Ming wasn't worried about the other party reneging on the deal. He didn't give them the Japanese soldiers' identification tags, rank insignia, and swords immediately; he would give them to them after the supplies were handed over.

If the other side only has photos and can't produce any physical evidence, while the Independent Detachment produces a large amount of physical evidence, then it will be laughable.

After the negotiations concluded, Chen Ming immediately reported the results.

The headquarters supports Chen Ming's decision.

In any case, the Eighth Route Army has already reaped the benefits this time: annihilating the Japanese, liberating the county town, and seizing a large amount of medical supplies.

It's worth it to exchange some of the credit for medical supplies that could save the soldiers' lives.

after the war.

Inside the Japanese army's Taiyuan headquarters, Iwamatsu fell silent.

The Japanese suffered heavy losses in this battle, with a large number of Japanese soldiers killed and a large amount of supplies wasted, while their transportation lines were not yet severely damaged.

Iwamatsu was thinking about how to get rid of the blame. After what had happened recently, his level of trust with Okamura had dropped to negative.

It's only a matter of time before he's transferred from the First Army.

The Japanese issued a battle report, claiming that they had suffered 312 dead and 980 wounded in the battle, and had eliminated more than 3000 Chinese troops, which was a victory.

This is obviously impossible.

Ping'an County and Shuangqu Town alone had three brigades of Japanese soldiers, how could they have suffered such a small loss?
The Japanese are playing with statistics, counting soldiers whose bodies cannot be found as missing, instead of including them in the death toll.

The Jin-Sui Army also released a battle report, claiming that it had suffered 1580 dead, 3320 wounded, and annihilated more than 3100 Japanese soldiers, making it a great victory!

In any case, the Eighth Route Army belonged to the Second World War Zone, and the Jin-Sui Army did indeed participate in the war this time.

With battlefield photos and physical evidence as the best proof, just tell me if these are Japanese corpses, Japanese identification tags, rank insignia and swords.

The mountain city specially commended Chu Yunfei's 358th Regiment for this, claiming that with the assistance of the Eighth Route Army, the 358th Regiment achieved a great victory, dealing a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Japanese army.

This commendation order can only be described as very skillful. It not only openly acknowledged the contributions of the Second World War Zone, but also subtly won over Chu Yunfei and his 358th Regiment.

Commander Yan was so angry that he started cursing.

Despite paying such a high price, Shancheng actually benefited by winning over one of his top generals.

Chu Yunfei was from Wutai, his fellow townsman, but he was also a student of the Whampoa Military Academy.

With Shancheng secretly trying to win him over, he was genuinely worried that Chu Yunfei would be swayed.

The Eighth Route Army also disclosed its battle results, with two county towns as evidence, which is quite credible.

Headquarters trusted the results disclosed by the independent detachment, after all, the brigade commander and the observing officers were present throughout the entire process.

After the battle, apart from the Independent Detachment incorporating a new regiment and Chen Ming gaining the title of deputy director, nothing else changed.

The battle of Ping'an County has come to an end.

Many significant events occurred during this period.

The Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the United States declared war on Japan, officially joining World War II.

The Third Battle of Changsha was a great victory, annihilating more than 5.7 Japanese troops. It was the first major victory after the War of Resistance against Japan entered the stalemate stage!
This victory greatly boosted the confidence of the Chinese people in resisting Japan.

The independent detachment entered a period of rest and recuperation, during which it did not launch many large-scale operations.

To prevent the Independent Detachment from continuing to threaten the Tongpu Railway in northwestern Shanxi, Iwasatsu transferred two heavy artillery companies directly to Guoxian County.

These two heavy artillery squadrons consisted of one equipped with four 105mm howitzers and the other with four 150mm howitzers.

Two heavy artillery squadrons directly threatened the area within a radius of more than ten kilometers, forcing He Jianxin's troops, who were operating in this area, to retreat more than ten kilometers and only use small units to fight in the surrounding area to prevent the Japanese heavy artillery from threatening the troops.

This is the true value of heavy artillery; just having it there is enough to pose a threat that even Chen Ming has to take seriously.

With eight heavy artillery pieces at their backs, the Japanese suddenly became more assertive and began to frequently operate around Guoxian County.

The same applies to the puppet troops.

Before they had heavy artillery, they were afraid of being attacked by the Independent Detachment.

Now that the Japanese have mobilized eight heavy artillery pieces, if they are still afraid of the Independent Detachment, then their heavy artillery has been mobilized in vain.
However, the arrogance of the puppet troops did not last long. Seeing how arrogant they were, Chen Ming directly ordered the sharpshooter brigade to send out small groups to snipe the active puppet troops.

After losing more than two hundred lives, the puppet troops became docile again.

"The Locust Army's heavy artillery was brought here for nothing."

Compared to the puppet troops, the Japanese army suffered few losses.

Seeing that the Japanese had deployed heavy artillery to Guoxian, a railway city, and that two battalions of Japanese soldiers were defending it, Chen Ming had already set his sights on destroying or capturing these heavy artillery pieces.

If the heavy artillery is kept stationed in Guoxian, the Independent Detachment's operations will be restricted, and it will constantly face threats from Guoxian, which cannot be ignored.

In order to lower the Japanese soldiers' guard, the Independent Detachment mainly operated in northern and eastern Shanxi during this period, deliberately avoiding Guoxian County.

The intention was to make the Japanese think that the Independent Detachment was afraid of their heavy artillery and chose to retreat, thus gradually lowering the Japanese's guard.

When the time is right, Chen Ming plans to give the Japanese in Guoxian a big blow!
Fighting the puppet troops instead of the Japanese soldiers was also a strategy to lull the Japanese into a false sense of security.

The puppet troops were not considered human by the Japanese. The Japanese would even register the death of a dog, but not the puppet troops.

The status of puppet soldiers is even lower than that of dogs; if they die, they die, and at worst, we can just recruit another batch.

During his rest and recuperation period in the military, Chen Ming received another piece of good news.

Liu Fugui, the bandit who helped the Independent Detachment purchase heavy artillery last year, sent back news that the machine tool's whereabouts had been found.

When Chen Ming heard the news, he was initially stunned and didn't remember who Liu Fugui was.

After careful recollection, he remembered that after purchasing weapons last year, Chen Ming had given Liu Fugui the task of trying to buy machine tools.

After nearly a year, Chen Ming had almost forgotten about the incident, but unexpectedly, Liu Fugui brought back good news.

It wasn't that Chen Ming had a bad memory; it was simply that managing a military sub-district and tens of thousands of troops required a tremendous amount of energy.

In addition, Chen Ming was so focused on the development of the troops and the battle against the Japanese that he forgot about the matter.

"Bring him to see me."

Chen Ming spoke up.

Not long after, Liu Fugui was brought in.

After a year apart, the other person has become much fairer and gained a lot of weight. It's clear that they've had a good year.

"Is there any news about the machine tool?" Chen Ming asked.

"Reporting to the commander, I used my old connections to get in touch with a battalion commander in the Japanese 4th Division. He recently contacted me saying he has a small bullet production line to sell," Liu Fugui said, trying to take credit.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming immediately perked up.

The Eighth Route Army and even its independent detachments now use reloaded bullets for bullet production and are unable to produce entirely new bullets on their own.

The news Liu Fugui brought back this time was actually a complete small bullet production line, not just scattered machines.

This is extremely important!
A small, semi-automatic bullet production line, based on the Nationalist Army's production capacity, could produce 2000 to 20000 bullets per day.

Chen Ming didn't expect to reach the highest level. Even if the daily output was only 5,000 rounds, he could still produce 150,000 bullets a month!
"We absolutely have to buy back the bullet production line," Chen Ming thought to himself.

"Well done. If we can really buy the production line back, your reward will be substantial," Chen Ming said.

"Sir, although the Japanese have agreed to sell the bullet production line, the price will be very high," Liu Fugui said hesitantly.

"How much money do the Japanese want?"

"The price is very high. The Japanese 4th Division said that they need a lot of money to make arrangements for this transaction and they also have to take risks. The Japanese are asking for 300,000 silver dollars!"

(In 1941, the Chongqing No. 21 Factory spent 150,000 silver dollars to purchase a new production line, with a monthly ammunition supply of 300,000 rounds.)

"However, the Japanese also promised to provide technical services, such as mold making and the synthesis process of mercury fulminate," Liu Fugui said.

Upon hearing the price, Chen Ming gasped.

Three hundred thousand silver dollars, that's as valuable as my own head! Those Japanese devils are really daring to ask for it!
However, it's a buyer's market now. The Japanese are taking advantage of the Eighth Route Army's urgent need for bullet production lines, which is why they dare to make exorbitant demands.

The price was simply too high. Even though he had received 20 silver dollars from the Jin-Sui Army some time ago, Chen Ming was really heartbroken to spend so much.

Such a large transaction must be reported to headquarters for a decision.

"You should contact them first and ask them to come and talk," Chen Ming said to Liu Fugui.

While reporting to headquarters, Chen Ming also planned to see if he could negotiate a lower price and spend less money.

"Yes."

After Liu Fugui left, Chen Ming immediately reported the matter to headquarters.

Upon learning of this, headquarters took the matter very seriously and issued instructions.

"We'll buy it, even if it means selling everything we own, but we need to make sure the production line can be transported to the site smoothly and put into production."

There was no other way; the Eighth Route Army was desperately short of weapons and ammunition.

Sometimes, a soldier's life might be sacrificed for a few bullets.

If we could produce bullets independently, we could alleviate the army's shortage of ammunition, directly or indirectly saving the lives of countless soldiers and eliminating the enemy.

After receiving instructions, Chen Ming began negotiating the purchase of the production line.

The man from the Osaka Division was a Japanese major.

(End of this chapter)