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

Chapter 181 Chen Ming: Nobody can congratulate me on getting rich!
The Japanese soldiers at the city gate launched an even fiercer counterattack.

Because they knew that due to the terrain, the Eighth Route Army could not enter the gap on a large scale, but there was still a chance to drive the enemy out.

But once the city gates are breached, there is absolutely no chance of turning the tide.

However, some things cannot be achieved simply because you want them.

The soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade fought very bravely, and after capturing the breach, more soldiers of the 1st Battalion entered the city.

The balance of power on the battlefield has been reversed.

The Japanese could not possibly place all their forces in the northwest; they also needed to leave troops to defend other directions.

Otherwise, even if the northwest can be held, other directions will be captured, and the situation will still be irreversible.

"Comrades, charge!"

With their strong individual skills and teamwork, the soldiers of the First Battalion continued to advance the front line.

After capturing a bunker, immediately set up a machine gun position to provide suppressive fire for the charging soldiers.

The charging soldiers, armed with light machine guns and grenades and grenade launchers, relentlessly eliminated the Japanese soldiers.

When one soldier falls, more soldiers will take his place.

The soldiers pressed forward relentlessly, constantly expanding the area of ​​attack, and the two sides fiercely fought for one position after another.

Often, a high vantage point can become a small battlefield meat grinder.

Street fighting is the most difficult battle, but the soldiers of the First Battalion are not afraid of taking on tough challenges. They have strong teeth, and even if the Japanese defenses are as strong as steel, they will be crushed by the soldiers' iron teeth.

The Independent Mixed 3rd Brigade was severely damaged by the Independent Detachment once, and the new recruits are no longer the elite troops they were back then.

Many of them were new recruits who had only been on the battlefield for a few months.

The soldiers of the main force of the independent detachment are all veterans who have fought their way through countless battles.

The quality of the troops has surpassed that of the enemy, their weapons are no less superior, and their morale is exceptionally high.

Under these circumstances, the Japanese defenses melted away as quickly as snow exposed to sunlight.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the defending Japanese captain launched a desperate charge.

"His Majesty the Locust is on board!"

The remaining Japanese soldiers began to rush out of their bunkers and charged towards the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the Independent Detachment.

However, under the attack of machine gun positions, such a charge was nothing short of indiscriminate suicide, burying the last resistance force of the Japanese.

After a round of attacks, the Japanese soldiers defending the city gate were completely wiped out.

The soldiers of the First Battalion blew open the city gate to allow the main force outside the city to enter.

"Battalion Commander, are those Japanese devils out of their minds? They're actually charging right into my machine gun barrel!" the machine gunner asked the battalion commander, panting.

He had a great time fighting the Japanese soldiers during their charge.

In one charge, at least thirty Japanese soldiers died under his gun. When the battle was over and they returned, he and his machine gun squad would be commended again.

It's at least a commendation issued in the entire district!

"Who knows? Those Japanese devils must be out of their minds, they're always rushing to their deaths in droves," the battalion commander said with a laugh.

Having captured the city gate, their battalion truly stole the show in front of their brother units!

Although the tunnel demolition team got the credit, their battalion's capture of the breach to allow the main force to enter the city was also a great achievement.

They certainly deserve credit.

With the main force entering the county town, the Japanese army's momentum was lost, and the fall of Guoxian County became an inevitable fact.

Inside the Japanese garrison headquarters.

The Japanese lieutenant colonel had smashed everything he could in the command post.

"Still can't get through by phone? What about the telegram? Send a message to the heavy artillery company and tell them to open fire on the Eighth Route Army immediately!" The Japanese lieutenant colonel roared like an angry hunting dog.

"Sir, after the Eighth Route Army attacked the county town, the heavy artillery company lost contact. There has been no news from either the telephone or the telegram," the Japanese communications soldier reported.

"How could that be? That's the base of a heavy artillery squadron. It's in a well-hidden location and has a lot of fortifications."

"Even if attacked, the outer fortifications can block the Eighth Route Army, allowing heavy artillery to bombard the attacking Eighth Route Army troops."

"Even if the Eighth Route Army is very powerful, they can't take it down in such a short time. Contact the heavy artillery company again."

The Japanese lieutenant colonel simply didn't believe it.

In terms of defense, the heavy artillery squadron's camp could even be said to be stronger than the defenses of their own Guoxian County.

Not only is its location concealed, but it is also easy to defend and difficult to attack.

They also built a large number of hidden fortifications, and to conceal them, they executed all the laborers who were captured to build the fortifications.

In addition, heavy artillery could be used to bombard the attacking Chinese troops and suppress the artillery of the Eighth Route Army.

No matter how many artillery pieces the independent detachment possesses, it will be difficult for them to take down a heavy artillery company in a short period of time.

Even if the independent detachment breaks through the outer defenses and gets close to the heavy artillery squadron's camp, it will be out of the heavy artillery's firing range.

There were also three tanks and three armored vehicles in the camp, enough to drive out any Eighth Route Army troops that entered.

How could a camp with such strong defenses lose contact in such a short time?

The Japanese lieutenant colonel's thoughts were quite normal.

In fact, the battle to attack the outer defensive positions of the Japanese heavy artillery company was extremely difficult.

Heavy artillery is a strategic weapon, and the fortifications built by the Japanese to protect it were indeed sturdy, and could be called permanent fortifications.

In addition, a large number of concealed firing points form crossfire, and many firing points are built in the middle of cliffs and connected by tunnels dug inside the mountain.

The indirect fire artillery couldn't reach it, and the direct fire artillery couldn't break through it either. The soldiers couldn't even use explosive charges to blow it up.

The Japanese soldiers also used the artillery inside the cliff bunkers to bombard the attacking soldiers indiscriminately.

This was an exceptionally tough battle, but the soldiers had no choice but to fight it.

Apart from the necessary troops left on the outer perimeter, the Japanese were launching a reckless counterattack on the heavy artillery camp, hoping to recapture the camp and the heavy artillery!

The Japanese valued their heavy artillery far more than the lives of their soldiers, and were even more afraid of the artillery being captured by the Eighth Route Army.

Because Zhou Weiguo's 30-man special operations squadron faced immense pressure.

If they hadn't launched a surprise attack from within, eliminating over a hundred Japanese soldiers and capturing their tanks and armored vehicles for defense...

Otherwise, the Japanese might actually retake the camp, and then we'd have no choice but to blow up these heavy artillery pieces.

Fortunately, the firing ports of the bunkers built by the Japanese were not pointed towards the heavy artillery camp, otherwise Zhou Weiguo would have had an even more difficult time fighting.

Given the easily defensible terrain of the heavy artillery camp, coupled with the strong defensive capabilities of the outer perimeter, the enemy would have no chance of attacking the heavy artillery camp unless they broke through the outer defenses.

The Japanese soldiers never expected that their formidable defenses would be breached from within by the Eighth Route Army.

The battle continued, and seeing that it was difficult to break through the outer defenses of the Japanese, Kong Jie transferred the sharpshooter battalion to join the attack.

The situation reversed after the addition of elite marksmen from the sharpshooter squad.

Even if the Japanese built their firing positions on the cliff, they couldn't withstand the bullets of the sharpshooter squad. Anyone who peeked out would be shot in the head; if they didn't, the attacking soldiers would break through the defenses and flank the Japanese counter-attacking heavy artillery camp, reinforcing the special operations squad.

The Japanese soldiers inside the mountain tunnels watched as their men were sniped one by one, exclaiming that it was impossible.

"Impossible, how could the Eighth Route Army have so many top-notch marksmen?"

If Chen Ming knew what the Japanese squad leader was thinking, he might laugh and say, "If it's not closed, it's open?"

The Japanese army's strong defenses quickly crumbled due to insufficient troops.

The Japanese were facing a two-front war: they had to launch a counterattack to recapture the heavy artillery at the heavy artillery camp and also block the attack of the independent detachment.

The troops were already few in number, and Zhou Weiguo had already killed more than a hundred Japanese soldiers.

As their forces were rapidly depleted, the Japanese defenses collapsed fifteen minutes later.

Even the strongest fortifications and the most powerful weapons still need people to use them.

Without people, even a thousand heavy cannons would be useless to the Japanese.

The Japanese troops who launched a counterattack against the heavy artillery camp were also blocked by the Japanese tank driven by Zhou Weiguo. They were then attacked from behind by the soldiers of the Independent Detachment who broke through the defense line, and were completely wiped out.

Only a few Japanese pillboxes that were in the blind spots of the sharpshooter squad remained.

There are only about a dozen people left, so they won't be able to keep going for long.

The overall situation has been decided.

"We've captured three more tanks and three more armored vehicles, so our armored company is now fully equipped."

Zhou Weiguo looked at the tanks and armored vehicles in the Japanese heavy artillery camp with a bright smile on his face.

Of course, what pleased him most was the four captured Japanese heavy artillery pieces and the large number of shells he had stockpiled, totaling 324 rounds.

This made them a fortune overnight!
This strategic weapon is powerful enough to alter the balance of power in a region and have a ripple effect on surrounding areas.

"Yes, such a great achievement. When we go back to celebrate, Chief Chen will toast us."

Xu Hu, the second company commander of the special operations brigade, echoed, naturally referring to Chen Ming.

Having captured four 150mm howitzers from the Japanese, their special operations brigade will once again become famous and a legendary unit.

This honor is unique and unprecedented!
After the outer troops captured all the Japanese pillboxes, they joined forces with Zhou Weiguo.

The force attacking the outer positions consisted of one battalion from Kong Jie's unit, one battalion from He Jianxin's unit, one battalion from Ding Wei's unit, plus other special forces, totaling three battalions and approximately 3,500 troops.

The objective was not only to capture the Japanese heavy artillery positions, but also to clear the roads and cover the transport of heavy artillery.

The commanders of the three battalions were the chiefs of staff of Kong Jie's unit.

"Deputy Chief of Staff, what's the situation? Are the Japanese heavy artillery intact?" Kong Jie's chief of staff, Xu Shan, asked Zhou Weiguo.

"They've all been captured. All four are still there, and we've also captured a large number of artillery shells and tanks and armored vehicles."

"The Japanese even gave us six tracked tractors to make transportation easier for us," Zhou Weiguo said proudly.

"Great! We'll move the artillery immediately to prevent the Japanese from having to send planes to bomb it," Xu Shan said happily.

With tracked tractors, important movements become simple.

Heavy artillery is a huge machine, often weighing several tons.

The four heavy artillery pieces captured this time were Japanese Type 96 150mm howitzers, each weighing over four tons.

The total weight of the first row is 4140 kg, the total weight of the second row is 4930 kg, the total length of the first row is 6780 mm, and the total length of the second row is 9330 mm.

Each shell weighs 31.3 kilograms, making it a true strategic weapon.

Without a towing vehicle, getting it back would be a huge challenge.

Fortunately, the Japanese heavy artillery squadron was equipped with a tractor unit, which was captured intact by Zhou Weiguo's team.

The problem isn't with towing artillery; the real concern is that the Japanese will send planes to bomb the heavy artillery after they learn it has been captured.

However, Zhou Weiguo immediately destroyed the command and communication system of the Japanese heavy artillery camp. The Japanese were unaware of the situation at the heavy artillery camp, so they should still have time.

The relocation of heavy artillery is in full swing.

Heavy artillery, shells, tanks, armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition, including fuel from the Japanese camp, were all taken away.

With over three thousand soldiers, and with heavy artillery towed by tractors, even if each soldier carried a small portion, they could still move all the supplies.

However, these soldiers' mission was not to transport supplies, but to protect the teams transporting supplies.

Transporting supplies is something that can't be done with the main force, and they also need to be responsible for combat and responding to emergencies at any time.

The transportation team, organized by Chen Ming, consisted of about 1,800 people and was drawn from the production and construction detachment.

The comrades in the transport team worked very hard. The shells they carried were not just shells, but precious treasures that could take the lives of Japanese soldiers.

A single heavy artillery shell can destroy a large area; taking away one heavy artillery shell means taking away several or even dozens of Japanese soldiers.

Chen Ming also received the intelligence in the command post and shouted with joy, abandoning his usual calm demeanor.

"Great! I've finally gotten my hands on the heavy artillery I've been longing for. Airplanes, tanks, heavy artillery—I've got all three of my favorite heavy weapons."

"Order the troops along the route to provide cover at all costs and make sure all the heavy artillery is brought back for me," Chen Ming happily issued the order.

Inside the command post, Chief of Staff Wang Dafei was delighted to learn that the heavy artillery had been acquired and instructed a messenger to relay the order.

“With weapons in our hands, we stand tall. Now the Japanese devils won’t be able to sleep well,” Wang Dafei said.

"They still want to sleep? With heavy artillery, the Japanese devils in Taiyuan will have to behave themselves, or they'll suffer a lot," Chen Ming said with high spirits.

The Japanese Type 96 150mm howitzer's maximum range of 11900 meters is no joke. As soon as it is deployed, all the Japanese troops around the base of the Independent Detachment have to behave themselves.

Otherwise, if a shell hits you, you'll end up with pieces all over your body.

Unfortunately, the number of shells was limited, with only 324 shells available. Once they were all used up, there were none left.

Such an important weapon, how to fire each shell is not up to the artillerymen, and even Chen Ming's opinion may not be enough; it has to be the commander-in-chief's decision.

Of course, if the heavy artillery could be left in the independent detachment, then Chen Ming's word would be law.

"We need to find a way to keep these four heavy artillery pieces in our unit, even just one would be fine."

After his initial joy, Chen Ming began to look somewhat worried.

There's nothing I can do; I've been "Congratulations on getting rich" too many times.

Brigade Commander, congratulations on your fortune! Division Commander, congratulations on your fortune! General, congratulations on your fortune!

Sometimes even his subordinates would congratulate him on his fortune.

Last time, they seized more than 1,500 horses, and that kid Ding Wei even dared to congratulate Chen Ming on his fortune.

They managed to acquire two hundred horses and formed a cavalry battalion to facilitate operations in the grasslands.

Of course, the price was that Ding Wei was beaten up by Chen Ming while smiling.

Chen Ming pondered how he could leave behind some of the heavy artillery.

P.S.: Done! 10,000 words a day! Dear readers, please shower me with votes for the sake of me still writing at 5 a.m.!
(End of this chapter)