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

Chapter 169 Xu Desheng Wants to Establish a Cavalry Division
Inside Datong City, Duan Peng led a dozen disguised special operations soldiers to lie in ambush.

Since Zhou Weiguo was transferred from his front-line combat post by Chen Ming to become the deputy chief of staff of the independent detachment.

The commander of the special operations brigade changed from Zhou Weiguo to Duan Peng, the former commander of the first company of the special operations brigade.

Duan Peng was forced to flee after killing two Japanese soldiers, and later the Independent Detachment began to attack Ping'an County.

After capturing the county town, Duan Peng joined the Independent Detachment and became a soldier in He Jianxin's unit.

Because of his excellent skills, bravery in combat, and numerous meritorious deeds, he was selected for the special operations brigade and became a special operations soldier that the entire brigade envied.

After joining the special operations brigade, Duan Peng was amazed by the soldiers there, realizing that there are always people more capable than you.

After that, he devoted himself to learning from Zhou Weiguo and gradually rose to become the first company commander of the special operations brigade.

Now he has been directly promoted to captain of the special operations brigade.

Duan Peng is a very good cadre. He is intelligent, skilled, and a commander. In the original series, he was the captain of a special forces team called "Liangshan".

Now, with Zhou Weiguo's guidance, they are more cautious and meticulous in their actions, and their abilities are even more outstanding.

Duan Peng led his team to infiltrate Datong this time to gather intelligence and investigate the Japanese army's defenses.

We can avoid fighting in Datong, but we must gather intelligence first; we cannot fight an unprepared battle.

Inside Datong City, the people were filled with fear as the Japanese army was arresting laborers on a large scale to build defensive fortifications.

With a gun pointed at their heads, refusing to go would be considered disobeying the Locust Army and attempting to secretly collude with the Eighth Route Army, resulting in immediate execution.

For a time, the people inside and outside the city were filled with resentment, cursing the ancestors of the Japanese devils, puppet troops, and traitors in their hearts.

They are now secretly hoping that their country's army will rush in and wipe out these damned beasts.

Meanwhile, the puppet troops transferred from the North China Expeditionary Army became even more unscrupulous in the city.

They were transferred here to assist the troops stationed in Mongolia in their defense. They will be transferred away after the war is over, so they should take advantage of the time to enjoy themselves. After all, they won't have to clean up the mess in Datong after they are transferred away.

"Bang bang bang!"

Inside the restaurant where Duan Peng was temporarily staying, several puppet soldiers were banging on the door.

"Open the door, open the door quickly!"

The puppet soldiers were kicking the door from the outside, shouting.

As soon as they arrived in Datong, all these shops closed down. What's going on? Are they looking down on them?

Duan Peng was pondering his next move when he suddenly encountered such scumbags bullying him by the puppet troops, which ignited his anger.

He was the commander of the Special Operations Brigade of the Independent Detachment, a figure who made the Japanese tremble. How could he allow a few puppet soldiers to be so arrogant?

"Captain Duan, calm down. The overall situation is more important. These puppet soldiers will leave if they don't respond after knocking for a while. The mission is more important," the restaurant owner advised, trying to calm Duan Peng down.

This restaurant was opened by our Party's underground party in Datong City to cover their identity and also served as a secret liaison station.

Under the persuasion of his underground party comrades, Duan Peng suppressed his anger, after all, the mission was the most important thing at the moment.

Killing the puppet troops outside would certainly vent our anger, but it would expose the restaurant and implicate our underground party comrades.

However, seeing that no one responded, the puppet troops refused to give up.

The large shops in the city were all connected to the puppet troops to some extent, and the lower-level puppet soldiers couldn't afford to offend them, so this ordinary restaurant became their target.

The puppet troops immediately started ramming the door, and broke it open in no time.

"Hey, isn't someone here? I've been calling for so long and no one's opened the door. Are you trying to collude with the Eighth Route Army and oppose the Locust Army?"

When the puppet soldiers entered, they saw that the restaurant owner was still Duan Peng and his group, and they asked arrogantly.

"No, no, sir, how could I dare to oppose the Locust Army? It's just that things are in chaos right now, and I dare not open the gate."

The restaurant owner quickly stepped forward and secretly slipped a wad of money into the hand of the leading puppet army leader.

The puppet army leader weighed it in his mind for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

"You're sensible. I don't think you guys are colluding with the Eighth Route Army. Let's let it go this time."

"However, the Locust Army needs people to build fortifications, and I think these few people are quite good."

The puppet army leader stepped forward and punched Duan Peng and the others in the body.

"Good, sturdy enough, perfect for digging trenches."

When the restaurant owner saw that the puppet troops had focused their attention on Duan Peng and his group, he knew something was wrong.

"Sir, these are my guests. Could you please make an exception for them?" The restaurant owner stuffed another wad of money into his hand.

The puppet army leader held the money, feeling quite satisfied.

"Under normal circumstances, I would definitely make an exception, but this is an order from the Locust Army, and I have no choice."

"Boss, don't waste your time. I'm definitely taking the person with me today, otherwise I can't bear the consequences if the Locust Army blames me."

It's impossible to expect the puppet troops to do things for money.

They knocked on the door for so long that the puppet army leader lost face under his command. He had to get his revenge and show other shops what happens when they try to fool them.

Seeing that the puppet soldiers were still pestering him, Duan Peng thought of his mission and gave the shop owner a wink, signaling him to ignore it.

"Sir, do you provide food for the locust army when they dig trenches?" Duan Peng asked.

"Yes, as long as you do a good job, you'll be well-fed," the puppet army leader said.

"Alright, we'll go with you, sir."

"You know the truth."

As a result, Duan Peng and several special operations soldiers were forced by the puppet army to work as laborers building pillboxes.

Duan Peng and several special operations soldiers also took the opportunity to work for the Japanese while simultaneously gathering intelligence on the Japanese deployment.

However, the Japanese are currently keeping a tight watch on us, and since our weapons are hidden inside the hotel, we have no means of sending messages for the time being.

Of course, given the capabilities of the special operations team soldiers, escaping wouldn't be a big problem.

Cavalry detachment.

Xu Desheng has been living a very comfortable life lately.

Chen Ming did not assign them specific tasks, allowing them to work freely.

Therefore, Xu Desheng set his sights on the pseudo-Mongol cavalry.

Unlike the Japanese cavalry, the puppet Mongol cavalry, although skilled in horsemanship and horseback shooting, were still equipped with Japanese carbines.

However, in terms of combat effectiveness, organization, tactics, and fighting resilience, they were far inferior to the Japanese cavalry.

They were less like cavalry and more like a band of armed bandits.

They're fine when things are going well, but when they encounter tough battles, they can easily collapse and flee for their lives.

It can only be said that the word "pseudo" in "pseudo-Mongol cavalry" is very apt, directly demonstrating their combat effectiveness.

In several battles with the puppet Mongol cavalry, the cavalry detachment annihilated more than 500 puppet Mongol cavalrymen.

More than 700 military horses, as well as countless packhorses, cattle, and sheep, were captured. Even Chen Ming, who was far away in the Jin-Sui base area, had a much better diet.

Even in the tumultuous year of 42, the soldiers in the base area were able to enjoy mutton dumplings.

Northern sheep differ from those in the south; they have a milder gamey smell, and some breeds have almost none.

Of course, even if there was a muttony smell, the soldiers wouldn't mind.

In those days, it was difficult to even get enough to eat. Being able to eat mutton dumplings was already a blessing, so who would be picky about anything else?

If you don't want to eat, the soldiers in your class, who are as fierce as wolves, won't be polite to you. If you don't want to eat, then we'll try to arrange it and you can change it later.

As for when that will be, no one knows.

Xu Desheng did not spare the horses and cavalry of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry who died in battle.

The horses that were killed on their side were comrades-in-arms, like family to the cavalry, and deserved to be properly buried.

But the enemy didn't have so many scruples; they directly divided the battlefield, packed it up, and brought it back—it was all meat!

To preserve the horse meat, the cavalry detachment's logistics team brought salt with them, curing it directly on the battlefield and bringing it back.

As for how to handle the follow-up, that's up to Chen Ming and the logistics department to decide.

Since there was mutton to eat, Xu Desheng looked down on horse meat and didn't like eating it; he always felt uncomfortable with it.

"Xu Desheng played well and deserves praise," Chen Ming said happily.

Because of the cattle, sheep, and cured horse meat handed over by Xu Desheng's cavalry detachment, the soldiers and civilians in the impoverished base area had the opportunity to eat meat.

Although each person could only receive a small amount, it was enough to replenish the soldiers' nutrition in the tumultuous year of 42.

“There are other brother units at headquarters that are also suffering. Let’s hand over some of the beef, mutton and horse meat to headquarters and let them distribute it,” Chen Ming suggested at the Fourth Division meeting.

“I support this proposal. We can’t be eating meat while our brother units and headquarters are eating chaff and wild vegetables.” Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze was the first to support Chen Ming’s proposal.

“I also support it. I went to the brigade headquarters a few days ago and saw that the soldiers in the brigade headquarters only get one pound of food a day. It’s really too hard,” Chief of Staff Wang Dafei said.

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the daily ration standard for our soldiers was 1.8 jin (750 grams). However, in 1942, a year of great disaster, due to the scarcity of supplies, only 1 jin of grain could be allocated.

In some extremely difficult units, many soldiers could only fill their stomachs with wild vegetables and tree bark.

Having wild vegetables and tree bark to eat was considered good; in the worst-hit areas of other provinces, even grass roots were dug up, and countless people starved to death.

The Independent Detachment was in a relatively good situation. Through fighting the Japanese, they captured food and supplies, and by cultivating wasteland to grow their own food, they were able to ensure their supplies.

Other brother units that are not developing well can only rely on headquarters for intervention and replenishment.

The situation in the rear is not optimistic either; everyone is tightening their belts to ensure the well-being of the soldiers on the front lines.

It can be said that during this difficult period, our Party and our army tightened their belts to support the soldiers on the front lines in their fight against the Japanese invaders.

After the core leadership team unanimously approved the plan, a batch of supplies was transported to headquarters for macro-level distribution.

The headquarters highly praised the independent detachment's actions, noting its ability to develop, fight, support other units, and demonstrate a strong sense of the big picture.

After receiving commendation, Xu Desheng fought even harder. Yesterday, he even contacted Ding Wei's Independent First Battalion, preparing to launch a major attack on the Japanese.

"Old Ding, our two units will be fighting side by side again this time." Xu Desheng smiled happily after meeting with Ding Wei.

Ding Wei stroked his chin, looked at the intelligence Xu Desheng had given him, and said with a smile:

"Yes, this time we are facing the 10th Cavalry Division of the puppet Mongol army, with more than 1,300 soldiers. It's a big piece of meat."

“That’s right, this cavalry division isn’t very strong. It’s a waste to have so many good horses. We should be the ones using them,” Xu Desheng said.

The puppet Mongolian cavalry consisted of two armies and nine divisions, and was under the control of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

However, although it is called a division, its troop strength is far less than that of an infantry unit.

A division has a staff of only 1,500, and most of them are not yet at full strength.

The entire puppet Mongol cavalry consisted of two armies, totaling only a little over 15,000 men.

The 10th Cavalry Division of the puppet Mongolian regime that Xu Desheng targeted this time had only 1300 men and was so weak in combat that it was reduced to a local garrison division.

In order to take down the cavalry division in one fell swoop, Xu Desheng contacted Ding Wei.

Ding Wei is the kind of person who won't act without a profit motive. With such a large piece of lucrative meat in front of him, how could he not take it?

The reason Li Yunlong was given a cavalry battalion was because Ding Wei had taken Li Yunlong's Independent First Brigade.

Although the First Independent Brigade only had a little over a thousand men, it was not as large as the 28th Regiment with more than three thousand men that Ding Wei had initially assembled.

However, the fighting strength of the Independent First Battalion was definitely stronger than that of the 28th Regiment, which was led by Ding Wei.

Although Li Yunlong had many minor flaws and was prone to making mistakes, he was very skilled at leading troops and acquiring equipment.

Having taken so much from the First Independent Brigade, Ding Wei gave the cavalry battalion to Li Yunlong to facilitate his future work.

Of course, another reason is that the Wanjia Town Cavalry Battalion is too far from the Independent First Brigade, making it difficult to capture them, and even if they were captured, they wouldn't be able to retain them.

It would be better to give him to Li Yunlong as a favor, and Li Yunlong would remember Ding Wei's kindness.

Now that a cavalry division was in front of Ding Wei, he had a new idea in mind.

It's not unreasonable for Ding Wei to help set up a cavalry battalion for this cavalry division; he can't work for free.

After Xu Desheng and Ding Wei discussed how to distribute the spoils of war, they began to formulate a battle plan.

This cavalry division only has a little over 1,300 men, and its combat effectiveness is not good. It wouldn't be difficult to take it down.

The difficulty lies in preventing the other party from escaping.

On this grassland, the enemy was familiar with the terrain, and being cavalry, they were highly mobile.

The Mongol cavalry were not good at fighting, but they were masters of escaping.

If the other party is determined to escape, Xu Desheng and Ding Wei really can't stop them.

"We can take advantage of the night when these puppet troops are sleeping to set up positions around the area, so that we can stop these cavalry when the battle starts."

"At that time, it will be dark and these puppet troops will not know where our troops are. They will most likely run in the direction they think is safe."

"Then we'll set up ambush zones in these locations, wipe out this puppet Mongolian cavalry division in one fell swoop, and bring our horses back," Ding Wei said.

“Great minds think alike, that’s what I think too,” Xu Desheng said with a smile, patting his riding whip.

The cavalry detachment was roughly equal in number to the enemy, making it difficult to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

With the participation of the Independent First Battalion, once a machine gun position is set up, no matter how many cavalry you have, you will have to give up.

The reason for bringing in Ding Wei's infantry regiment this time was to take advantage of the infantry's strengths and the numerical superiority of the Independent First Battalion, to lay a trap and capture the entire cavalry division.

"It's settled then. In the next few days, we'll use small units to operate around the area, lulling this puppet Mongolian cavalry division into a false sense of security and masking the main force's movements."

"Once we're ready, we'll launch a general offensive and annihilate this cavalry division in one fell swoop," Ding Wei said.

P.S.: This is the first chapter. I'll continue writing the second chapter tonight. Please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)