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

Chapter 170: I'll award you a first-class merit.

After formulating the battle plan, Xu Desheng sent out small groups of twenty or thirty men in rotation over the next few days to loiter around the garrison of the 10th Cavalry Division.

First, they concealed the movements of the main force and used small units to hunt down the enemy's reconnaissance cavalry, preventing the 10th Cavalry Division from easily coming out and blinding the enemy.

Secondly, it involved training. After the cavalry battalion was expanded into a cavalry detachment, many new recruits appeared in the unit.

Although these new recruits had all received training, they simply didn't have horses to serve as cavalry.

However, training and actual combat are two different things. Without actual combat experience, no matter how much training you do, you cannot be considered a highly effective fighting force.

When these 20 or 30 cavalrymen were moving around the 10th Cavalry Division, the 10th Cavalry Division initially thought that a large force of the Eighth Route Army had arrived, and they huddled in their camp, not daring to move.

Two days later, still no trace of the Eighth Route Army was found, and the 10th Cavalry Division became bolder.

"With such a small force, they dare to loiter near our base? Do they really think my 10th Cavalry Division is made of dough?"

The commander of the 10th Cavalry Division, seeing his troops cowering inside their barracks, too intimidated by a small force of twenty or thirty Eighth Route Army soldiers, finally came to his senses and spoke angrily.

"Send two cavalry companies to wipe out this small group of Eighth Route Army cavalry and let them know we are not to be trifled with," the commander of the 10th Cavalry Division ordered.

"Commander, the Eighth Route Army is particularly vengeful. If we kill their people, won't they send a large force to retaliate against us?" a regimental commander asked.

"What are we afraid of? We are all cavalry. If we want to run, the Eighth Route Army can't stop us. The grassland is our home. If the Eighth Route Army comes, they might get lost and perish on this grassland before they even find us."

"Besides, the main force of the Eighth Route Army is currently engaged in a standoff with the Locust Army in Datong, and they don't have time to bring their main force to fight us."

"If they dare to do that, the locust army in Datong can outflank them from the rear, making it impossible for them to return," the commander of the 10th Cavalry Division said confidently.

Even if he felt some fear of the Eighth Route Army in front of his subordinates, he couldn't show it, as that would damage his prestige.

Hearing his division commander say this, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry regiment nodded knowingly.

Although he didn't understand what his teacher was analyzing, he was sure there was a deeper meaning behind his teacher's words.

Otherwise, why would he be the division commander while I'm just a regimental commander?
So, the commander of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry regiment led his two companies out to hunt down the cavalry sent by Xu Desheng.

These two companies already constitute two-thirds of his forces.

Yes, the pseudo-Mongolian cavalry division was called a division, but it was actually equivalent to a regiment, with a structure of division-regiment-company.

A cavalry division has only three regiments, each regiment consisting of three companies, with a total strength of about five hundred men.

The commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry regiment led more than 300 men in a grand procession toward the soldiers of the second platoon of the third company of the third battalion of the cavalry detachment.

"Brothers, charge! Crush those overconfident cavalrymen!" the commander of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry regiment shouted.

He was full of confidence. With over three hundred men against thirty, a ten-to-one numerical advantage, he thought he'd eat his horse's hooves if he couldn't win.

"Ow!"

The cavalrymen of the puppet Mongol cavalry regiment were also in high spirits. This battle was a breeze for them, and they fought without any pressure.

Even if the enemy is elite, they can overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

The pseudo-Mongol cavalry lived up to their name, their charge was completely disorganized, like a mob of thugs in a brawl, just a chaotic mess.

"These are supposed to be cavalry? What a waste of so many good horses. These horses should be used by our cavalry detachment."

Second platoon leader Ma Xiaolong said disdainfully.

"Set up our secret weapon and prepare a big gift for these pseudo-Mongol cavalry."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers of the second platoon began to fiddle with things, managing to take out two grenade launchers and even clip on three Czech-made light machine guns.

The grenade launchers were equipped by the cavalry detachment and provided guerrilla fire support within a few hundred meters, while the light machine guns were borrowed from the detachment.

Cavalry platoons were not originally equipped with light machine gun squads; only company-level cavalry units were equipped with light machine guns as company-level support firepower.

However, since this is for training purposes, Xu Desheng will not send his precious cavalry to their deaths.

If it really comes down to cavalry charges, after a few rounds, not many of these new recruits will be left.

"Get ready, let go!"

"Boom!"

“Bang!”

The grenades from the grenade launcher exploded among the Mongol cavalry, knocking over several horses.

The formation of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry suddenly fell into disarray.

Although the horses had undergone artillery fire training, the pseudo-Mongol cavalry had not undergone bombing training!

The Eighth Route Army on the other side is so uncivilized; even their cavalry platoon is equipped with grenade launchers, and they blow them up before charging.

"Don't panic, we're not far from the Eighth Route Army cavalry, we'll be there soon."

"The commander of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry regiment shouted."

Due to their high mobility, cavalrymen have difficulty firing multiple grenades within the range of grenade launchers.

Once you get close to this Eighth Route Army unit, their grenade launchers will no longer be a threat.

With our numerical advantage, we can overwhelm these Eighth Route Army soldiers.

The puppet corps commander's judgment was correct. Given the speed of the cavalry and the range of the grenade launchers, the second platoon of grenade launchers only managed to fire three volleys of grenades, killing eighteen puppet Mongol cavalrymen.

Seeing that the Eighth Route Army's grenade launchers had stopped firing, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry regiment confidently shouted:

"Brothers, charge! Take down these Eighth Route Army soldiers!"

However, when they were only fifty or sixty meters away from the second platoon of soldiers, they realized something was wrong.

"Commander, why don't these Eighth Route Army soldiers run away when they see so many of us?" a company commander asked.

"How would I know? They're probably scared out of their wits. Never mind that, let's just wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"Yes."

On the second platoon's position, the platoon leader saw the puppet Mongol cavalry approaching and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Fire!"

Upon receiving the order, the three Czech light machine guns in the second platoon immediately came into view and began to spew fire.

"Da da da, da da da, da da."

When the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry regiment saw the Eighth Route Army suddenly pull out three light machine guns, alarm bells rang in his mind!
"No, there's an ambush, retreat quickly!"

However, once the cavalry has gained momentum, it is not so easy to stop them.

The cavalry in front stopped, but the cavalry behind, unaware of what was happening, continued to charge forward.

In an instant, the pseudo-Mongol cavalry was thrown into chaos.

The cavalry in front were being mowed down by light machine guns, while those in the middle were being swept up by those behind them. Many cavalrymen fell off their horses and were trampled into a pile of soft, mushy flesh.

The commander of the puppet Mongol cavalry regiment, being in the middle of the column, was accidentally knocked off his horse by cavalrymen behind him and shouted loudly:
"Stop rushing! Help me, ah!"

A horse hoof stomped directly on the mouth of the commander of the pseudo-Mongol cavalry regiment, dislocating his jaw and leaving him only able to whimper.

Immediately afterwards, another hoof stomped directly on his chest.

The commander of the puppet Mongol cavalry regiment had bulging eyes and a wide-open mouth, but he couldn't make a sound due to the pain, only letting out a "heh heh" sound.

As the horses' hooves continued to pound down, this arrogant commander of the puppet Mongol cavalry, whose horsemanship he was so proud of, ultimately died under the horses' hooves.

The three Czech-made light machine guns were formidable in firepower; this machine gun was unlike the Japanese Type 96 light machine gun.

Its power, range, and reload speed far surpassed the Japanese Type 96 machine gun.

With the added firepower of machine guns, these cavalrymen who used to lord it over others have now become moving targets.

"Sanpao, you damn well better watch out, don't kill my horse."

Second platoon leader Ma Xiaolong shouted loudly.

These were all good horses, but after being shot, they could only be sent to the rear to serve as food.

But if they were captured alive, their cavalry detachment could be expanded again.

Their detachment commander, Xu Desheng, had promised Chen Ming that after hunting down the pseudo-Mongol cavalry on the grasslands, he would raise a cavalry regiment when he returned to report.

If all the horses are killed, the cavalry regiment will naturally be gone.

"Platoon leader, I'll be more careful next time."

"What the hell? There'll be a next time? Forget about that. Immediately mount up and chase after these routed cavalrymen. Get our horses back!" Ma Xiaolong ordered.

After being attacked by grenade launchers and machine gun positions, this puppet Mongol cavalry suffered more than sixty casualties.

A 20% casualty rate had already caused this cavalry unit to collapse.

Especially after the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry regiment disappeared, leaving no command system, no one knew where he had become.

The cavalry scattered and fled, wishing their horses had more legs so they could escape back to their camp faster.

The enemy formation is in disarray; it's time to start reaping the rewards.

As mentioned before, once a unit loses its organizational structure, its combat effectiveness will be zero, no matter how many people it has.

Given the current situation, Ma Xiaolong was 90% confident that he could lead his platoon of soldiers to charge against the puppet Mongolian cavalry, which outnumbered them eight to one.

The cavalry platoon mounted their horses and began to pursue the fleeing Mongol cavalry.

The puppet Mongol cavalry were equipped with Mongolian horses, which are small but hardy, tolerant of rough feed, easy to raise, and able to adapt to harsh environments.

The cavalry detachment's horses were Japanese Dongyang horses, which were tall and fast.

With their faster horses, the cavalry platoon caught up with the Mongol cavalry in no time.

This is why Ma Xiaolong positioned the pseudo-Mongol cavalry closer to engage them. This not only increased the machine gun's accuracy but also allowed him to catch up more quickly after the pseudo-Mongol cavalry fled.

The wind howled, the horses neighed, the warriors roared, and their sabers slashed down at the enemy's heads.

This was a complete one-sided massacre!

The pursuing Mongol cavalrymen wished they could bury themselves in the ground to escape the pursuit of the cavalry detachment soldiers.

After the battle ended, Ma Xiaolong wiped the blood off his face and gasped for breath.

Tired, so tired.

Ma Xiaolong's saber was chipped and dulled from the blows, which shows just how many enemies he eliminated during this pursuit.

"Quickly, take stock of the spoils."

"Yes."

The cavalrymen dragged their tired bodies, but their faces were beaming with joy.

"Reporting to the platoon leader, we have eliminated more than 160 enemies and captured 120 horses."

A squad leader proudly reported.

"so much?"

Upon hearing this number, Ma Xiaolong was startled.

He knew the results of this battle were significant, but he didn't expect them to be this great.

A force of over three hundred pseudo-Mongol cavalrymen was wiped out by them, with nearly half of them being destroyed.

Keep in mind that they were just a cavalry platoon of thirty men, yet they managed to wipe out several times the number of enemy troops from Yu Jifang.

No one would believe this if I told them, right?

"That's right. More than 60 people were killed by machine guns and grenade launchers (including those trampled to death). We killed another 100 people in our pursuit, so that's more than 160 people."

The squad leader spoke again.

"And what about us? What's the casualty situation in our platoon?" Ma Xiaolong immediately asked.

"Our platoon lost twelve men and was wounded eight. Now only ten of us are still capable of fighting," the squad leader said.

Although his own side suffered two-thirds casualties, this did not diminish the squad leader's joy in the slightest.

The sacrifice of comrades was certainly disheartening, but the tenfold number of enemy casualties made the remaining soldiers of the second platoon extremely excited.

In this era, there is no day when people don't die.

Having chosen to join the army to fight the Japanese invaders, the soldiers were prepared to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield at any time.

The remaining soldiers could only take up the baton from their fallen comrades and continue to fight the Japanese invaders to protect their homeland.

"Immediately treat the wounded and contact our company commander to have him send someone to collect the spoils of war," Ma Xiaolong said.

"Yes."

Upon receiving the news, the company commander of the third battalion immediately led his men to the scene.

When he heard about the second row's impressive performance, he couldn't believe it either.

It's important to know that this platoon, excluding Ma Xiaolong and three squad leaders, consisted mostly of recruits from an expanded platoon.

It's unbelievable that such a platoon could achieve such a remarkable result.

"Xiao Long, well done! You've really made me proud this time," the third company commander said happily, then changed the subject.

"However, I must criticize you for leading new recruits to charge an enemy force ten times their size."

"When we get back, I'll report to the commander and have you awarded a first-class merit."

The third company commander spoke up.

Ma Xiaolong led his new recruits to charge against an enemy force ten times their size, which was an adventurous mistake.

If one is not careful, the entire army could be wiped out, and this platoon of new recruits could perish on the grassland.

However, on the other hand, Ma Xiaolong was able to keenly judge the battle opportunity, seize the chance to eliminate a large number of enemies, and achieve significant results, demonstrating both courage and resourcefulness.

So while encouraging Ma Xiaolong, the company commander also criticized him.

As for punishment, let's award him a first-class merit.

Who stipulated that a first-class merit cannot be used as a form of punishment?

After that, the company commander began packing up the spoils of war and taking them away.

The clothes on the bodies of the Mongol cavalrymen were stripped off and taken away, since many soldiers from other units still needed winter clothing. The rest were buried.

All the dead enemy warhorses were dismembered and taken away, and the weapons and ammunition were also taken. Fortunately, so many Mongolian horses were captured, which could be used as pack horses temporarily.

Inside the garrison of the 10th Cavalry Division.

The commander of the puppet Mongol cavalry division looked at the more than sixty men who had run back covered in dust and dirt, and his face turned frighteningly dark.

Where is your commander?

"They were killed by the Eighth Route Army," said a surviving cavalry company commander.

He dared not say that their regimental commander was trampled to death by his own men's horses, so he could only blame the Eighth Route Army for the commander's death.

"Hmph, how did you fight this battle? Out of more than three hundred people, only sixty-three came back. Even sticking a knife in a pig's nose would be better than you!"

"Commander, the enemy was too cunning. They mobilized more than three thousand men to besiege us. Our brothers fought a bloody battle to break through the encirclement!" The fake cavalry company commander tried to find a reason.

"Do you think I'm a pig? More than three thousand people? Why don't you say more than thirty thousand? In the place where you were fighting, you could only hide three hundred people at most."

"You actually told me that more than three thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers were lying in ambush with you? Are there really more than three thousand people who could make you trash run back?"

The commander of the 10th Cavalry Division was furious.

They couldn't even come up with a better reason. They actually said that more than 3,000 people besieged them. If the Eighth Route Army really had 3,000 people, would they care about a force of 300?
If there are indeed more than 3,000 people, the Eighth Route Army's target should be the garrison of his puppet 10th Cavalry Division.

This time, the commander of the 10th Cavalry Division of the puppet Mongolian regime was right.

A dozen kilometers from their encampment, there were indeed two infantry battalions of Ding Wei and an entire cavalry detachment of Xu Desheng planning the encampment for the remaining thousand or so puppet Mongolian cavalry.

"Men, take this piece of trash who concealed and lied about military intelligence out and shoot him!" the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division ordered.

Now that one of his cavalry regiments has suffered a defeat and morale is low, he must quickly stabilize the troops.

"Spare me, Commander! I was wrong, please forgive me this time."

When the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry company heard that he was going to be executed, he turned pale with fright and kept begging for mercy.

"What are you all standing there for? Throw him out! Shoot him!"

Under the orders of the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division, several soldiers endured the stench and dragged their company commander, who was so frightened that his limbs went limp, out of the room.

"boom!"

With a gunshot, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry company was executed by military law.

After executing one of the exemplary officers, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division questioned another officer about the specifics.

When questioned by his division commander, the officer, fearing execution like the company commander, had no choice but to honestly recount the events of that time in detail.

"Snapped!"

The sound of porcelain shattering rang out.

"What did you say? There was no ambush, just a cavalry unit of thirty men, and they routed your force of over three hundred men, leaving only sixty-odd men?" The commander of the puppet Mongol cavalry division couldn't believe it.

Knowing his troops were weak, he sent out 300 men to eliminate a small Eighth Route Army cavalry unit.

Thinking that with so many troops, they couldn't possibly be unable to win.

Unexpectedly, they achieved such a dismal record when the war broke out.

"Commander, it's not that the brothers are afraid to fight, it's just that the Eighth Route Army is too treacherous. A unit of thirty men actually ambushed three machine guns."

"Our brothers lost more than sixty men in one charge; we simply couldn't break through."

The officer immediately explained.

Upon hearing his subordinate officer's explanation, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division understood.

When cavalry encounters a machine gun position, they are sitting ducks.

His own troops weren't the kind of fearless elite soldiers; otherwise, they wouldn't have been reduced to a garrison division. It's normal that they were routed by the machine gun positions ambushed by the Eighth Route Army.

However, what he couldn't accept was that even if they had encountered an ambush, so many people should have died, and the Eighth Route Army hadn't even wiped out many of them.

Even three hundred pigs could inflict heavy losses on a small Eighth Route Army unit.

His own men are worse than pigs!

What is he then, a wild boar leader?
After this battle, the commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division became more disciplined. No matter how much the Eighth Route Army provoked him or how many troops they sent, he would no longer send anyone out to fight.

If we stay put in our garrison and rely on the fortifications there, we won't have to worry about the small groups of Eighth Route Army cavalry.

As long as he doesn't move, the Eighth Route Army won't be so arrogant as to use cavalry to attack the fortifications, right?
The commander of the puppet Mongolian cavalry division was prepared to cower like a tortoise.

His actions played right into the hands of Ding Wei and Xu Desheng.

A cavalry unit of 1,200 men, plus two infantry battalions from Ding Wei's reinforced Independent First Battalion, were methodically setting up their positions, preparing to launch a night raid on the puppet Mongolian 10th Cavalry Division.

The air was thick with the smell of impending battle, but the commander of the 10th Cavalry Division of the puppet Mongol army was unaware of his impending doom and was still happily sleeping with his beautiful wife in his garrison.

P.S.: Were there any lovely readers who advised me to go to bed early and not to update excessively today? Hehe

(End of this chapter)