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

Chapter 161 Steaming Buns with the Regiment Flag?
The Independent Detachment gained a particularly large amount from this battle.

They wiped out a Japanese regiment, and together with the garrison troops in various county towns, strongholds, and mines, their total strength was close to five battalions.

The number of puppet troops was even greater. In North China, the number of puppet troops had increased dramatically from over 100,000 to over 300,000, which was more than the number of Japanese troops.

In this battle, approximately 5,000 puppet troops were captured, and about 3,000 puppet troops who stubbornly resisted were eliminated.

They seized approximately 7,000 rifles, over 300 light and heavy machine guns, over 200 grenade launchers, and 500,000 rounds of ammunition.

In terms of artillery, they captured the equipment of one and a half artillery battalions of the Independent Detachment, and their ammunition supply was still sufficient.

Unfortunately, the Japanese 110th Regiment destroyed all four mountain guns in the end, and they did not capture any.

Otherwise, with the two mountain guns originally in the Independent Detachment, a scaled-down mountain artillery battalion could have been formed.

Chen Ming didn't waste the destroyed weapons; he packed them all up and sent them to the arsenal, where they could be repaired and used again.

In terms of supplies, not to mention other non-staple foods such as canned goods, sugar, and tobacco and alcohol, more than 800 tons of grain alone were seized.

Mineral resources such as coal and steel are too numerous to count.

This is only the preliminary data; some supplies that were not counted or reported in time have not been included.

With so many supplies, the Independent Detachment quickly became incredibly wealthy!
Furthermore, regarding the recovered territories, there were seven liberated county towns alone: ​​Hunyuan, Yingxian, Guangling, Lingqiu, Huairen, Fanshi, and Daixian.

Two-thirds of the land in the entire Yanbei region was cleared.

In Hunyuan, Guangling, and Lingqiu, the battles were annihilation campaigns. In Yingxian and Daixian, the Japanese were forced to withdraw from the county towns after some of their puppet troops were eliminated.

As for the remaining Fanshi and Huai'ren areas, the Japanese withdrew because they wanted to consolidate their forces, avoid the sharp edge of the Independent Detachment, and reduce unnecessary losses.

In addition to the county seat, the Independent Detachment also controlled three coal mines and one iron mine in the Huai'ren area, rescuing more than 3,000 miners.

The Japanese devils were truly despicable; they used the lives of our compatriots to obtain resources from the mineral deposits in the occupied territories.

Many miners were starving and had to endure arduous labor, resulting in a high rate of injury and death.

Especially after 41, the Japanese implemented unprotected mining, which led to a sharp increase in the death rate of miners.

A single mine needs to recruit hundreds of people every year, which means that a single mine will lose hundreds of miners every year.

It can be said that every resource plundered by the Japanese invaders was soaked in the blood of the Chinese people.

“Take these miners back and settle them properly. Treat the injured and the sick, and let them go home after they recover.”

"If any of them want to fight the Japanese with us, we can recruit them into the recruit camp and let them avenge themselves."

Inside the Independent Detachment Command Post, Chen Ming began his remarks at the meeting.

We certainly can't ignore the miners who have been harmed by the Japanese. Given the current situation, if we just let them go, a significant number of them will not survive.

The Independent Detachment was part of the Eighth Route Army, and the Eighth Route Army certainly couldn't ignore these suffering civilians.

With his own abilities, Chen Ming wanted to help more of his compatriots survive.

Moreover, these miners themselves are also excellent sources of soldiers. After a period of recuperation and physical recovery, and after training, they are all top-notch soldiers.

At the same time, due to the nature of their work, miners can form special units.

For example, forming a special forces unit focused on demolition, tunnel warfare, and underground warfare.

Coupled with the long-term oppression of the miners by the Japanese and the threat of a persistently high mortality rate, their desire for revenge was intense.

Survivors harbor deep hatred for the Japanese invaders, have a lower rate of retreat in the face of battle, and are able to play a role in more difficult battlefields.

"Understood, I've already started making arrangements."

"The extra weapons, besides meeting our own needs, should be distributed partly to local armed forces and militia, and the rest should be handed over to the military region for unified allocation," Chen Ming continued.

"In addition, we must do a good job in the propaganda work for this battle, so that the people of the whole country can see that the Japanese are already on the decline and the dawn of victory is not far away," Chen Ming continued.

The number of puppet troops increased dramatically, partly because the Japanese began to continuously recruit anti-Japanese forces and enhance their ability to wage counterinsurgency.

Another part is that the long-term war of resistance made many anti-Japanese forces unable to endure the long period of hardship and lose hope, so they chose to surrender to the Japanese.

42 was the most difficult year of the War of Resistance against Japan. The four major crises of international blockade, famine, large-scale mopping-up operations, and economic collapse overlapped, making it the darkest moment.

Chen Ming fought this battle to show the Chinese people the weakness of the Japanese.

Do not give up before the long night ends; continue to hold firm to your beliefs and actively fight the war.

If we can get through this year, the day of victory in the counterattack will not be far away.

After the meeting, Chen Ming, as usual, began inspecting the troops, visiting the wounded, and arranging defense work in the new territory.

Many of these newly liberated areas are located in flat terrain, so it would be inappropriate to deploy them according to the defense system of the Independent Detachment in northwestern Shanxi.

The Japanese army's armored forces and heavy artillery were still very strong in the plains, and ordinary defensive fortifications were difficult to be effective.

Chen Ming learned from the experience of the central Hebei region and used tunnels, pits, and landmines to build a defense system.

So what if they lacked the terrain advantage of mountainous areas? On flat land, with the wisdom of the Chinese people, they could still find ways to deal with the Japanese invaders by adapting to local conditions.

Cavalry battalion.

Chen Ming arrived at the cavalry battalion of the Independent Detachment to inspect its situation.

This time, the independent detachment captured a lot of horses, which led to the rapid development of the cavalry battalion, with its number of men increasing by 50%.

Fortunately, the cavalry and artillery units in the independent detachment have always been characterized by a large number of personnel but limited equipment. Once equipped, they can immediately form a combat force.

The cavalry battalion did not suffer a decline in combat effectiveness despite the surge in personnel.

Chen Ming looked at the 900-strong cavalry battalion of the Independent Detachment with a smile on his face.

As the independent detachment expanded northward, leaving the mountainous region of northwestern Shanxi and reaching a relatively flat area, the unit's mobility became even more important.

Unlike the Japanese, the Eighth Route Army did not have cars, so the cavalry was of great importance.

This independent detachment, with over nine hundred men, is equivalent to a reinforced cavalry regiment and will play an even more important role in future battles against the troops stationed in Mongolia.

When used properly, a highly mobile cavalry unit can influence the battlefield situation ten times larger than its own, making it a rapid, operational-level strike force.

After inspecting the cavalry battalion, Chen Ming had dinner at the cavalry battalion's location.

The Eighth Route Army emphasized equality between officers and soldiers, and Chen Ming did not have such high dietary needs. His long-standing eating habits meant that apart from adding more chili peppers to each meal, his diet was not much different from that of ordinary soldiers.

However, now that the troops have won a battle and captured a large amount of supplies, some of which will be used as rewards to improve the troops' living conditions.

This meal did indeed include some meat.

After finishing his meal, Chen Ming saw the cavalry battalion's cook washing a piece of cloth.

Chen Ming immediately sensed something was wrong. This was the Japanese military flag, and not just any ordinary one; it even had tassels.

"Wait a minute, young comrade, where did this piece of cloth come from?" Chen Ming asked the eighteen-year-old cook in the mess hall.

When the cook heard someone asking him a question, he looked up and saw that it was Chen Ming. He immediately stopped what he was doing, stood up, and saluted.

"Hello, Chief!"

"Well, young comrade, where did you get this military flag?" Chen Ming asked, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"Reporting to the commander, I don't know. My squad leader brought this cloth back. He said it's thick and good for steaming buns," the cook replied.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming squatted down, picked up the wet flag from the basin, examined it carefully, and still couldn't make up his mind.

Chen Ming had also never seen a regimental flag. In battles against the Japanese, the regimental flags of the Japanese were rarely seen on the battlefield.

Because they were destroyed after the war, very little information about them survives.

"Call your squad leader over, I need to ask him about the situation," Chen Ming said. "Yes, sir." Upon receiving the order, the young cook immediately ran to fetch his squad leader.

His squad leader was puzzled and very nervous when he heard that the commander wanted to see him.

"Did I make a mistake by taking the Japanese flag from the spoils of war to make steamed buns?" The cook squad leader was uneasy, worried that he had done something wrong.

He used to be a cook in the county town, but because his rival was jealous of him, he used puppet troops to frame him for being a communist sympathizer. As a result, he was forced to flee the county town and join the Eighth Route Army as a cook.

Because of his delicious cooking skills and ability to improve the soldiers' meals with limited resources, he was promoted to head of the cooking squad.

This time, because the troops were moving, the cloth used for steaming buns was lost, so he selected a thick piece of cloth from the spoils of war to use for steaming buns.

Because Xu Desheng used this regimental flag to wipe the blood off his saber, it was stained with blood. In addition, the cook squad leader did not participate in the battle directly and did not notice the difference between this flag and the other Japanese flags.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, the head cook approached Chen Ming.

"Reporting to the commander, Liu Shuisheng, the squad leader of the third mess hall of the cavalry battalion, is reporting to you." Liu Shuisheng stood straight and saluted.

"Don't be nervous, I just asked you to come here to ask some questions," Chen Ming said softly.

"Yes."

"Tell me, where did this military flag come from?" Chen Ming asked Liu Shuisheng, holding up the military flag in his hand.

"Reporting to the commander, I took this from the brigade's spoils of war, intending to use it to make steamed buns."

Upon hearing that it was indeed about the Japanese military flag, Liu Shuisheng immediately replied.

After listening, Chen Ming nodded and then asked, "When you took this flag, did you know which battle it was captured from?"

"I don't know." Liu Shuisheng shook his head.

"Alright, it's fine now. Go find another cloth to steam the buns. I'm taking this flag with me," Chen Ming said.

"Yes."

After Chen Ming left, Liu Shuisheng relaxed only after realizing there was nothing wrong.

He even thought he had made a mistake by steaming buns with the Japanese army's flag.

After Chen Ming left with the regimental flag, he went to the logistics department that managed this non-weapon equipment.

After finding out that the flag was brought back by Xu Desheng, the cavalry battalion commander, they immediately found Xu Desheng.

Where did you get this flag?

"Commander, you mean this? Our cavalry battalion was clearing out fleeing Japanese soldiers and puppet troops on the periphery while the main force was encircling and annihilating the Japanese regiment."

“At that time, a Japanese squad broke through the encirclement and escaped. Captain He told me about this, so I led the troops to wipe out the Japanese squad.”

“This flag was captured at the time,” Xu Desheng recalled.

"Tell me the specific details of what happened back then," Chen Ming said.

"Yes." Upon hearing Chen Ming's order, Xu Desheng became serious.

"At that time, I received a message from Captain He of the First Battalion, saying that a small Japanese squad had suddenly broken away from the main Japanese force before our encirclement was fully formed."

"This Japanese squad was very strong. They even ran into a platoon of a battalion and severely damaged it. Then Battalion Commander He asked us to wipe out this Japanese squad."

“I led a company of soldiers to chase after them, and we wiped out the entire Japanese force. I remember I used this flag to wipe my saber and then used it as a cushion to bring it back.”

Xu Desheng reported the situation in detail.

After listening, Chen Ming felt confident.

Under normal circumstances, Japanese troops would not desert without authorization. This is consistent with Xu Desheng's words and the performance of that Japanese squad at the time.

Chen Ming was more than 80% certain that the flag was the Japanese regimental flag.

The Japanese army protected their regimental flag differently than other units. If they found the situation was not going to improve, the flag-guarding company would leave with the regimental flag.

If they cannot escape, they will destroy the regimental flag.

Furthermore, the soldiers protecting the regimental flag were all elite soldiers, which contrasted sharply with the poor performance of the 110th Regiment with the combat effectiveness of that small Japanese unit.

All signs indicate that this flag is extraordinary.

"Squad leader, is there something wrong with this flag?" Xu Desheng asked suspiciously.

"This flag is very likely the regimental flag of the Japanese army, and that Japanese squad should be the Japanese unit protecting the regimental flag."

"If it really is the regimental flag, you've done a great service!" Chen Ming said with a smile.

"What? The Japanese regimental flag!" Xu Desheng's eyes widened.

He had never seen the Japanese regimental flag, but he knew what capturing it meant.

If it really is the Japanese regimental flag, then Xu Desheng is going to make a name for himself and achieve great merit this time!

"I was wondering why the Japanese were acting so strangely back then. Not only were they strong in combat, but even the Japanese soldiers with their legs blown off were crawling toward this regimental flag and even tried to blow it up with grenades."

"At the time, I thought the Japanese soldiers wanted to use grenades to kill me and others."

Xu Desheng suddenly realized.

"By the way, Captain, where did you see this flag?"

"I happened to see the soldiers from the third mess hall washing this flag, preparing to use it to steam buns. I noticed something was wrong and asked them about it, which is why I'm here to talk to you now," Chen Ming said with a smile.

"What is that? Steamed buns?"

Xu Desheng was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected that the discovery of the regimental flag was actually due to Chen Ming accidentally seeing the cooks preparing to use the flag to steam buns.

He couldn't help but think that the food at the brigade headquarters was usually made by the third mess hall. If Chen Ming had arrived a day later, the steamed buns he ate would have been steamed with this brigade flag.

"Alright, this flag is very important now. I need to take it back and check it first. We'll make arrangements after we confirm that it is indeed the regimental flag."

Chen Ming patted Xu Desheng on the shoulder with a bright smile on his face.

"Yes."

Xu Desheng was extremely excited, never expecting such an unexpected gain.

Judging from Chen Ming's reaction, it's highly likely that this flag is the flag of a Japanese regiment.

That would mean that in this battle, Xu Desheng's contribution would surpass that of Zhou Weiguo, who risked his life to fly back to the base, and would be second only to the two main battalions that annihilated the Japanese regiment.

This is also why Chen Ming didn't know Xu Desheng's thoughts. If he had known, he would definitely have told Xu Desheng.

"It's smaller, the layout is smaller."

The merit of capturing a regimental flag far exceeds the merit of destroying a regiment.

Its achievements are worthy of being recorded in history, transcending the military level and rising to the level of national dignity and international symbolism.

Of course, for a frontline commander like Xu Desheng, wiping out an entire Japanese regiment might be more pragmatic.

If given the choice between capturing a Japanese regimental flag and eliminating a Japanese regiment, they would choose to eliminate the Japanese regiment.

Upon returning to the detachment command post, Chen Ming immediately contacted headquarters via secret radio and reported the matter.

The boss took Chen Ming's report very seriously and immediately ordered Chen Ming to take the flag to headquarters.

P.S.: It's so hot, and the air conditioner is broken, so I can't get into the zone.

(End of this chapter)