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

Chapter 188 The Battle of Datong Begins! (A long chapter of 10,000 words!)
Inside Shimen City.

Gangcun received news that the two county towns had been captured by the Eighth Route Army.

"That's right, such a rapid offensive must be the main force of the Independent Detachment."

Okamura said firmly.

From receiving news of the attack on the county town to its complete capture, the longest time was only five hours (the complete loss of communication after the town fell was considered as if it had been conquered).

This kind of fierce offensive, which involves attacking county towns in hours, undoubtedly belongs to the Independent Detachment.

Only an independent detachment could possess such formidable artillery and elite artillerymen, capable of suppressing the defenders with artillery fire.

"Has the Independent Detachment deployed heavy artillery?" Okamura pressed.

"Sir, we haven't detected any heavy artillery from the Independent Detachment yet, only mountain artillery fire," the communications soldier reported.

"Order the 29th Flight Squadron to temporarily refrain from operations near Shimen, and let the Eighth Route Army lower their guard so they can use heavy artillery."

"Once the Eighth Route Army deploys its heavy artillery, all aircraft will be deployed to search for the general locations where the Eighth Route Army's heavy artillery might appear and destroy them," Okamura ordered.

The reason the Independent Detachment treated him with such caution was largely due to the four heavy artillery pieces that the Independent Detachment had captured.

Four 150mm howitzers plus ten tons of shells—that's a strategic weapon capable of influencing the situation on the local battlefield.

Any commander would treat this with caution.

If the heavy artillery of the Independent Detachment could be destroyed, the Japanese wouldn't have to worry about the Independent Detachment daring to attack major cities.

Huolu County.

Here, a regiment of Japanese soldiers and a brigade of puppet troops stood ready for battle.

The scouts have discovered a large number of Eighth Route Army troops operating more than ten kilometers outside Huolu.

Given the current battlefield situation, it's only a matter of time before the Eighth Route Army attacks Huolu.

The difference lies in when you play.

However, the brigade commander's unit was tasked with drawing away the main force of the Japanese army and covering the main force of the Independent Detachment in their attack on Datong.

At the same time, it puts pressure on the Japanese mopping-up troops, preventing them from committing all their forces to the mopping-up operation.

Hunted deer?
Knowing it was a trap set by the Japanese, how could the brigade commander possibly fall for it?

The brigade commander ordered his troops to make it look like they were going to attack Huolu, but they didn't actually attack. Instead, while the Japanese troops were gathering, they eliminated a large number of strongholds around Huolu and Shimen.

"Those little devils are just waiting for us to run headfirst into their turtle shell. How could I possibly fight them?"

"Take this opportunity to wipe out all the Japanese strongholds. The Japanese will not be able to rebuild them in the short term, and the guerrilla fighters will have much more room to maneuver."

"When the Japanese find out, they'll probably be furious," the brigade commander said with a laugh.

"Haha, I've carried quite a few bricks these past few days. Once we get these bricks back, we can build our own fortifications," Li Yunlong said with a laugh.

Li Yunlong was truly ruthless; after the Japanese withdrew from their strongholds, he ordered all of them to be dismantled.

The barbed wire can be taken away and remelted to forge weapons, while the bricks can be transported back to repair houses and fortifications.

Li Yunlong even dug out all the electrical wires that the Japanese had buried underground, meter by meter, intending to take them back for reuse.

They never lose out; whenever they go out, they have to take something back with them.

"Well, Li Yunlong, what have you been up to these past few days? Turns out you've been doing manual labor, carrying bricks," Kong Jie said with a laugh.

"Alas, we are not as wealthy as you, Mr. Kong. We use the same Japanese weapons. If our weapons are damaged, we can just get them from the warehouse. We also have an arsenal to supply our ammunition directly."

"Old Li is penniless, so even bricks from the Japanese pillboxes are treasures to us."

"You, Kong Dacai, just can't stand it anymore. When are you going to help out this poor wretch?"

Li Yunlong said in a strange voice.

"You big-headed Li, are you deliberately making fun of me?" Kong Jie said.

What Li Yunlong said was indeed the truth.

The independent detachment has won so many battles, and naturally it has received a lot of resources.

For example, the bullets produced by the bullet production line of the Fourth Military Sub-district's arsenal were mainly supplied to the Independent Detachment.

With an annual production of nearly three million bullets, each soldier was allocated an average of one hundred bullets.

Don't be fooled by the fact that only a hundred rounds can be allocated to each unit per year; it may seem like a small amount.

In reality, these bullets are far more than enough.

In every operation, the independent detachment adhered to the same principle: it could not suffer losses.

After each battle, we had to salvage something.

In addition, the soldiers of the Independent Detachment have the added bonus of Chen Ming's training badge group, so the quality of the soldiers is very high and the shooting accuracy is also very high.

Due to their own lack of resources, the Japanese soldiers trained hard in shooting to conserve resources and eliminate more enemies with the fewest bullets.

The Eighth Route Army was even more lacking in resources than the Japanese, and therefore valued bullets even more.

"Every bullet eliminates an enemy." This lyric perfectly reflects this situation.
Therefore, the independent detachment did not consume many bullets in each operation, and could meet more than 70% of its own consumption through captured bullets.

In battles to capture county towns or in annihilation campaigns, one can even have several times more bullets than usual.

It is precisely for this reason that Chen Ming dared to deploy all-Japanese weapons on a large scale and was able to sustain the consumption.

For other units, the only way to obtain bullets for Japanese weapons was to steal them from the Japanese soldiers, making resupply extremely difficult.

"Alright, you two, if you want to bicker, wait until after the meeting," the brigade commander interrupted them.

"The Japanese have probably noticed something's wrong and are starting to realize that something is amiss. We'll need to make some new adjustments."

Okamura did indeed notice something was wrong.

In the past few days, the Eighth Route Army has made a show of preparing to attack on the outskirts of Huolu, but instead of attacking, it has been dismantling a large number of the abandoned strongholds.

This behavior was somewhat incomprehensible to Okamura.

When did the independent detachment become the demolition detachment?
"No, we can't keep fighting like this. If we continue like this, the Independent Detachment will destroy the iron wall that I've built with so much manpower and resources!" Gangcun was getting frantic.

The Eighth Route Army's behavior was disgusting.

It's like two swordsmen agreeing to a duel, with one side already in position to prepare for the other's attack.

But at this moment, the attackers did not draw their swords. Instead, they secretly took all the luggage, money, clothes and other items that the swordsman had brought.

Under the guise of a challenge, they secretly did these disgusting things, which really disgusted Okamura.

"Have the outer mopping-up forces completed the encirclement?" Okamura asked.

"Reporting to the commander, the encirclement has been initially completed. Except for a small group of Eighth Route Army soldiers who escaped from the encirclement, the rest of the Eighth Route Army has been blocked," the Japanese staff officer replied.

Although our army received the news a week in advance, the area encircled by the Japanese was too large, and there was simply not enough time for all the troops to move out.

Moreover, they would have to face a blockade formed by Japanese pillboxes and blockhouses along the way, and a forced breakout would only backfire.

The Jizhong base area was very large, with enough space to maneuver against the Japanese invaders.

Dealing with the Japanese in familiar territory is much safer than rashly venturing into unfamiliar areas.

"Alright, order all units to speed up the encirclement, compress the Eighth Route Army's operational space in the central Hebei region, and force the Independent Detachment to engage in a decisive battle with us." Gangcun issued the order.

Since the Independent Detachment wasn't taking the initiative to attack, he forced them to fight him.

We can't let the independent detachment disgust us like this anymore.

"Hai!"

Within the base area of ​​the Independent Detachment.

Jia Gong approached Chen Ming once again.

"Reporting to the commander, the optimization work on the 107mm rocket has been completed. Please give instructions."

"Have all those problems been resolved?" Chen Ming asked with delight.

With a smile on his face, Engineer Jia said, "Yes, the rocket's structure has been optimized, and it has now achieved the advancement of being detachable."

"The length of the rocket has also been optimized, so that one soldier can carry the rocket while another carries the launch tube and fires it directly."

"At the same time, there has been progress in the use of the extreme conditions mentioned by the leader. It is now possible to launch directly without a launch tube, although the accuracy will be greatly reduced."

"We are currently working on how to launch the rocket without a battery, using direct ignition."

Hearing Jia's answer, Chen Ming was very happy. This was a big step forward from his vision of the 107mm rocket.

"What is the current accuracy like? Has the range changed?" Chen Ming asked.

Accuracy and range are the most important parameters of a weapon. As long as these two parameters are up to standard, other parameters can be less critical.

"Reporting to the commander, the accuracy of the rockets has now been controlled within 20 meters. It would be very difficult to achieve higher accuracy with the current technology."

"As for the range, thanks to improvements in the structure and stabilization system, the range has now been reduced to six kilometers."

"However, as long as we master rocket engine technology, we can increase the range."

“My classmate in the United States replied to me in January this year. He has already embarked on his journey back to China. At that time, it will no longer be difficult for us to overcome the rocket engine technology.”

"That's what Jia replied."

When Chen Ming heard what Jia Gong said, he was initially surprised by the reduced range and improved accuracy, but his reaction was not particularly strong.

After all, this was all expected. Since Engineer Jia took the initiative to report to me, it must mean that the rocket technology has improved.

However, Jia Gong's claim that he had a classmate in the United States who was an expert in rocket engines surprised and delighted Chen Ming.

"You have classmates who are good at this? Wait, didn't you study in Germany? How come you have classmates from the United States?" Chen Ming asked.

"Reporting to the commander, my classmate has been living in Germany since he was fifteen, but after the war broke out, he went to the United States with his parents."

“Originally, he didn’t want to return to China because there was a war going on there. However, I wrote to his father and explained that the country needed them.”

"His father was persuaded by me, and he convinced my classmate that the whole family should return to China to contribute to the country," Jia said.

Jia's words cleared up Chen Ming's doubts.

So that's how it is. It seems that Engineer Jia truly lives up to his reputation as a highly educated individual; his mind is indeed sharp.

If you can't persuade his classmate, then try the classmate's father's approach.

Chinese people have a deep-rooted attachment to their homeland, and the desire to return to their roots is deeply ingrained in their hearts. This is why many elderly people are unwilling to leave their hometowns.

Coupled with his sense of national and familial responsibility, Jia Gong actually managed to get through to his classmate's father.

"By the way, sir, my classmate's father also brought back some technical talents like him," Engineer Jia added.

"That's great! This is really good news. I'll report this to headquarters and ask them to make proper arrangements for receiving these returning talents," Chen Ming said excitedly.

Before the Pacific War, these talents would have had difficulty returning home due to the U.S. ban on their return.

However, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States lifted the ban on returning home, allowing these talents to return to the country.

While experts in nuclear physics/radar and basic materials are still often prevented from returning to China, it is no longer difficult for military engineers to do so.

After all, the two countries are now considered friendly nations, and it would be difficult to save face if there were to impose comprehensive restrictions.

Some non-core talents can be released without consequence, since given the current state of China's industry, these military-related talents are unlikely to pose a threat to the United States.

But the technologies that the United States doesn't value are precious treasures to us today.

Chen Ming is also confident that with his badge set, he will be able to surpass the United States sooner or later.

Level 5 Research Badge: Increases research speed by 100% (benefiting from base stats).

Level 5 Artillery Badge: Increases the research speed of artillery weapons by 100%.

This is the biggest source of Chen Ming's confidence in proposing the development of the 107mm rocket. The combined research speed of the two Level 5 badges is not as simple as one plus one.

It's important to understand that advancements in technology often rely on flashes of inspiration or unexpected events.

Even without the influx of external technology, Chen Ming can gradually surpass Western countries by cultivating his own talent, given time.

However, the influx of external technology and talent can accelerate this process.

Just like the engine technology for the 107mm rocket developed by the Independent Detachment, they obtained an unexploded Katyusha rocket from the north.

It took a full twenty cases of liquor to get a dud.

Using this dud, the Independent Detachment successfully replicated its own engine.

However, Jia is not a technical expert in this area, which is why the research and development process has been bumpy.
Therefore, Chen Ming was very happy.

With more technical talent, we can improve our technical level sooner, develop more powerful weapons, reduce the number of soldiers who die on the front lines, and eliminate more Japanese invaders.

After asking about technical talent, Chen Ming then asked the question that concerned him most.

What is the current production volume of rockets?

The 107mm rocket is very powerful, but if its production volume is low, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

"Reporting to the commander, we currently have a limited number of machine tools, and can only produce three rockets per day," Engineer Jia said.

His tone was somewhat dejected. Although powerful weapons had been developed, production capacity was limited, making it difficult to provide much assistance to the soldiers on the front lines.

"It's alright, things will be fine once we take Datong. Datong has so many treasures, and we'll need plenty of machine tools too," Chen Ming said.

He decided to attack Datong, rather than cities like Suiyuan or Chahar, because of the factories in Datong.

Datong, this important town, has so many wonderful things.

During the tenure of Governor Yan, Shanxi Province's industry developed rapidly from scratch.

It has a complete range of industries including energy, chemical, steel, military, textile, sugar, and power plants.

Datong is an energy base, and the Japanese have further strengthened Datong's industrial development, aiming to transform it into an energy logistics base.

However, all these good things have now benefited the Japanese, who have taken them over.

This also benefits Chen Ming. If he captures Datong, he can take over these industrial facilities, and the development of the Independent Detachment will take off.

After Jia Gong left, Chen Ming summoned the guerrilla leader of the Railway Guerrilla Team.

"How is the railway repair going from Shanyin County to Huairen?" Chen Ming asked.

"Reporting to the commander, the railway has been basically repaired," the guerrilla captain replied.

When he first received the task of organizing manpower to repair this section of the Tongpu Railway, he was completely baffled.

They've always been sabotaging the Japanese railways, so why are they repairing them now?
He was just about to lead his men to blow up a section of the Japanese railway when the order came.

The railway guerrilla leader had no choice but to order the operation to be terminated.

Although they didn't understand why their superiors had ordered them to use guerrilla tactics specifically to bomb the railway in order to repair it.

However, since the higher-ups gave such an order, they must have their reasons.

Commands that you understand should be executed, and commands that you don't understand should be understood during execution.

"Very good, this time your Railway Guerrilla Team deserves credit," Chen Ming said happily.

The guerrilla leader was very pleased to hear Chen Ming say that.

I never expected that I could earn merit without taking any risks, just by sweating and putting in some effort, and it was even praised by Commander Chen Ming himself.

He's already looking forward to the next opportunity to earn merit.

After the Railway Guerrilla captain left, Chen Ming looked at Datong on the map.

Moving all of Datong would require more than just human and animal power.

The industrial equipment in Datong simply cannot be moved without sufficient transportation capacity.

Now that Chen Ming has made Datong his own, he certainly can't waste its resources by blowing up those industrial facilities.

The railway was crucial for bringing back all the good stuff.

Fortunately, there was a section of railway controlled by the Independent Detachment within its base area, which could support this transport.

However, in order to prevent the Japanese from reusing the railway after a counterattack, this section of the railway was almost completely destroyed, and the rails were all removed.

However, the roadbed was relatively well preserved under Chen Ming's orders, and it wouldn't be too difficult to repair it.

Even when "Ding Zha Qiao" attacked several counties, he didn't touch the bridges on this railway line.

Chen Ming did not order the stolen railway tracks to be melted down and used to make weapons; instead, he waited for an opportunity.
The time has come to attack Datong. It's time to repair the railway, reopen the train service, and bring back our "assets" from Datong.

Datong.

Wu Youdao and his team continued digging the tunnel, and were almost finished with the final touches.

They dug this last stretch of the road with great difficulty and faced many challenges.

"Sir, I've discovered another tunnel!" A puppet soldier excitedly ran up to the Japanese squad leader and reported.

"Where is it? Take me there quickly!" the Japanese squad leader said excitedly.

"Recently, the number of enemies in the city has been increasing. The headquarters can't figure out how the enemy could appear out of nowhere in Datong City."

"I never expected them to secretly enter Datong by digging tunnels, intending to sabotage production within the city," the Japanese squad leader muttered.

Led by the puppet troops, the Japanese squad leader led a group of men to the tunnel discovered by the puppet troops.

“Sir, when I got up to pee last night, I heard some noise, so I went closer to listen and sure enough, I heard the Eighth Route Army guerrillas digging a tunnel.”

"I came to report to the Japanese commander as soon as I received the intelligence," the puppet soldier said smugly.

The Japanese squad leader looked at the puppet soldiers, took out two silver dollars from his pocket, and handed them to the puppet soldiers.

"You did a good job. If you keep up the good work, you'll get even more rewards." "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir." The puppet soldier happily accepted the reward.

They were so proactive only because of the rewards the Japanese gave them. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better to just rest? Why did they have to go around looking for tunnels dug by the "guerrillas"?

The Japanese squad leader arrived at the location indicated by the puppet troops and ordered his men to start digging.

"found it!"

Sure enough, they soon discovered a tunnel that could only accommodate one person at a time.

The Japanese squad leader looked at the tunnel and a smile appeared on his face.

"Go and bring the water pump over, fill it with water, and drown the Chinese guerrillas inside," the Japanese squad leader ordered.

"Hai!"

The Japanese soldiers immediately brought over a water pump and began pumping sewage into the tunnel, which was mixed with kerosene.

Once they had drunk enough, the Japanese threw down a fire starter, and a large fire immediately broke out inside the tunnel.

"Ah ah ah."

Screams, heart-wrenching and agonizing, echoed from beneath the tunnel, but quickly faded and disappeared.

The Japanese squad leader laughed wildly as he listened to the screams coming from inside the tunnel.

During this period, they discovered that "guerrillas" were secretly infiltrating Datong by digging tunnels to create chaos.

They began using this method to fight against these "guerrillas".

To this day, they have discovered 32 tunnels and successfully eliminated the "guerrillas" inside them.

Meanwhile, in another hidden tunnel more than 300 meters away from this tunnel.

"Reporting to Staff Officer Wu, another tunnel of ours has been discovered by the Japanese. The soldiers in that tunnel were digging a fake tunnel when they were discovered by the Japanese. They were unable to evacuate in time and were burned alive by the Japanese with oil."

A tunnel assault team leader reported to Wu Youdao.

Wu Youdao served as the technical advisor for the tunnel blasting in Datong, and his position was attached to the Independent Detachment's Direct Engineering Battalion as a staff officer.

Listening to the assault team leader's report, Wu Youdao gritted his teeth in anger and said, word by word:

"Those damned Japanese devils and those damned puppet troops, we will never let them go after we take Datong."

"Let's find a chance to bring back the remains of our fallen soldiers. They are heroes, and we should bring them home."

"Yes."

The other soldiers in the tunnel demolition team were also furious, as this was not the first time such a situation had occurred.

During this period of digging, the Japanese repeatedly discovered the tunnels they had dug and retaliated with inhumane methods.

They used a variety of methods, such as pouring oil-water mixtures into the tunnels and igniting them, throwing poison gas bombs into them, and throwing grenades into them.

The number of soldiers who have died has soared to 103!

Fortunately, Wu Youdao was an expert in this field and had developed some countermeasures.

For example, tunnels were used to connect abandoned wells and water gates were set up to thwart the Japanese army's flooding offensive.

Create a one-meter-thick layer of soil to form an airtight buffer layer, and dig a two-square-meter adsorption chamber next to the main road, filling it with a mixture of lime and charcoal to adsorb toxic gases.

Place rat warning signs in secondary tunnels, and evacuate immediately if the rats become agitated.

They also dug a large number of fake tunnels to lure the Japanese soldiers and hide the real tunnels.

The soldier who just sacrificed his life was discovered by the Japanese while digging a fake tunnel. He didn't have time to retreat to the real tunnel and was blocked by the Japanese.

He ultimately perished in the Japanese fire attack.

To date, only 30% of the tunnels excavated by the Independent Detachment's tunnel blasting team have been discovered and destroyed by the Japanese.

The remaining 70% successfully evaded the Japanese search.

Of course, this is related to the covert tactics of the independent detachment.

During this period, the soldiers who had previously infiltrated Datong began to launch sporadic attacks on the Japanese troops inside the city.

During the attack, they also used puppet troops to spread the word that they were Datong guerrillas.

This led the Japanese to mistakenly believe that these people were just guerrillas and lower their guard.

They were led to think about why attacks, which hadn't happened before, had suddenly increased recently, and how these "guerrilla fighters" had entered Datong.

This was done to conceal the true purpose of the tunnels.

Now, it's May 4th, and the tunnel is nearing completion.

"Faster, faster."

Inside the first main tunnel, Wu Youdao looked at the soil in front of him and said excitedly.

He could already feel the sudden tremors on the other end, which meant that the tunnel was about to be opened!
Suddenly, the shovel began to dig open, and a few minutes later, the shovel head on the other side suddenly broke through and entered Wu Youdao's face.

Wu Youdao and the soldiers behind him who had been transporting supplies suddenly covered their mouths in excitement, their faces flushed!

"We've finally broken through!"

"Great!"

"Quickly, report this news to the commander!" Wu Youdao excitedly ordered.

"Yes."

Huai Ren.

Chen Ming's command post has been moved here to direct the Datong Campaign.

"The tunnel demolition team has sent word that they have completed the excavation of the tunnel and can begin filling it with explosives."

Chief of Staff Wang Dafei said excitedly.

After more than a month of work, soldiers skilled in tunnel warfare were mobilized from various regions and finally the tunnels were dug to the outskirts of Datong, making it possible to blow up Datong.

"Great! Hurry up and transport the explosives, complete the placement, and we must blow up the Datong city wall before May 6th."

"The main forces of Ding Wei's troops and He Jianxin's troops have secretly moved to the vicinity of Datong to prepare for the general offensive."

"Four artillery battalions were transferred to the north of Datong to stand by, ready to enter their designated locations at any time to provide artillery support."

"All cooperating units, guerrillas, and local armed forces should immediately sabotage the Japanese railways and highways after the battle begins, so as to prevent the Japanese mechanized forces from quickly reinforcing the enemy."

"Kong Jie's two battalions will remain as the general reserve."

"In addition, let Duan Peng lead some special operations soldiers and sharpshooter soldiers to infiltrate Datong and create chaos when the army attacks the city."

"Look for an opportunity, if possible, to attack the Japanese command post and seize their armory."

Chen Ming issued the order.

"Yes."

Chen Ming ordered Zhou Weiguo to take a portion of the special operations brigade to headquarters to protect the headquarters during the counter-sweep operation.

The Japanese have deployed a special forces unit for this large-scale mopping-up operation, which will disguise itself as our army.

Zhou Weiguo knew the Japanese better than Duan Peng, and he also knew more about special operations, so it was most suitable for him to lead the team.

Duan Peng, having been captured by the puppet army and forced to participate in the construction of fortifications, was more familiar with the situation in Datong, making him the most suitable person to be in charge of the battle in Datong.

After the order was issued, all units immediately sprang into action, secretly marching by night and hiding during the day.

The most important aspect of this attack on Datong was its element of surprise.

Datong City was already heavily guarded, with a regiment plus two puppet army brigades, totaling more than 10,000 troops defending it.

Fighting is not easy to begin with, and if we need to divide our forces to block the enemy, the time it will take to capture Datong will be extended.

If we lose the initiative and the Japanese discover our plans, they will be able to send reinforcements from Wucheng, Baodi, Jining, Taiyuan and other places.

This battle for Datong ended in failure.

Ten kilometers away from Datong, He Jianxin and Ding Wei met up.

The Battle of Datong was exceptionally difficult, requiring the combined efforts of both main forces to have any chance of capturing it.

"Old Ding, it hasn't been easy. After so many years of fighting the War of Resistance, this is the first time we've had the chance to attack a major city," He Jianxin said with emotion.

"Yes, if we win this battle, the eyes of the entire nation will be on us, which will be of extraordinary significance," Ding Wei said.

“Hehe, I was thinking, if we take Datong this time, will my bounty exceed Kong Jie’s 100,000 silver dollars?” He Jianxin suddenly said.

"Why are you still thinking about that bounty? It's not like those dollars are going into our pockets, so what's there to be so happy about?"

"Besides, what's the point of competing for a bounty? It won't make you gain any more weight," Ding Wei said with a smile.

"Hey! Don't think I don't know, you old Ding are definitely thinking about how to make your bounty higher than Kong Jie's."

“I could tell from your eyes when Kong Jie was bragging about having the second-highest bounty in our unit,” He Jianxin said.

Ding Wei's bounty was only 50,000 yuan, mainly because compared to other main commanders of the Independent Detachment, his influence on the Japanese was not that great.

Fifty thousand silver dollars, that's half of Kong Jie's money.

Ding Wei thought to himself, "Doesn't that mean that in the eyes of the Japanese, one Kong Jie is worth two Ding Weis?"
Chen Ming's bounty was 500,000 silver dollars, ten times that of Ding Wei, but Ding Wei didn't seem to care.

The higher the bounty offered by one's leader, the more the Japanese hated that leader, and the more the Japanese were hurt and frightened.

The Japanese soldiers were so eager to eliminate him that they offered a hefty reward for his head.

This meant he had a capable leader, and Ding Wei was overjoyed. What was there to be jealous of?
But being outshone by Kong Jie made Ding Wei resentful.

Why is it that Kong Erlengzi is "worth two Dings"?

Remembering Kong Jie's smug look, Ding Wei secretly resolved to perform well in the attack on Datong and earn a bounty higher than Kong Jie's.

Sometimes, that's just how competitive men are.

"Hmph, then let's see who has the best skills. You better watch out, or you might end up with me pinning you down and unable to lift your head," Ding Wei said with a smile to He Jianxin.

"It won't be that easy for you to surpass me. I'll show you what true elites are!" He Jianxin said confidently.

He Jianxin, who was personally trained by Chen Ming in the independent detachment, naturally had his own ambitions!

Now, in the second echelon of the independent detachment, he is the only cadre who was trained by Chen Ming.

Inheriting the old foundation of the Second Independent Regiment, and bearing the trust of Chen Ming.

He Jianxin was determined to keep moving forward and not let down the glory of their Independent Second Regiment!

Of course, Wang Dafei doesn't count anymore; he's now the chief of staff of an independent detachment and stands in the first echelon.

As for Wang Gui, he is still a battalion commander because of his disobedience on the battlefield.

Although the detachments outside the three main detachments of the independent detachment are also developing, the speed of development is still quite different from that of the three main detachments.

It's all about timing and fate; sometimes, if you're one step ahead, you can't catch up in any other step.

"Old He, I have an idea. I want to combine the assault firepower of our two units and temporarily form an assault team with about 500 people."

"When the battle begins, this unit will act as the spearhead, piercing straight into the heart of the Japanese army from the point of explosion."

"This time, the ratio of enemy to our forces in the attack on Datong is one to two, unlike the battle of Guoxian back then."

"Our troop strength is limited. We must defeat the Japanese from the very beginning to increase our chances of taking Datong."

Ding Wei began to speak.

“I agree with this idea. I noticed this problem when Kong Jie was commanding the attack on Guoxian.”

"If there had been a spearhead unit at that time, it could have suppressed the Japanese troops at the breach in the city wall of Guoxian with overwhelming firepower."

"The time to take Guoxian will definitely be shortened, and casualties will be reduced significantly," He Jianxin nodded and said.

“Alright, then I’ll send three hundred men. These three hundred men are the elite of my men, selected from the entire brigade of seven thousand.”

"I've always been training them to be elite units, like our detachment's special operations brigade and sharpshooter brigade," Ding Wei said with a smile.

“No way, why should you send three hundred people while I have to send two hundred?” He Jianxin immediately shook his head.

“I have a commando team under my command, with 300 soldiers. They are the elite of the elite, and many of them have met the selection criteria for the two elite units in our detachment.”

"I've been hiding it all along, otherwise the leader would have taken it away by now."

“I think I’ll contribute three hundred men, and you can contribute two hundred,” He Jianxin said.

"Alright, let's stop arguing. Let's each send 300 men, and then compare the number of enemies killed afterward," Ding Wei said with a smile.

It's such a small thing, why are you arguing about it?

It's just a commando team of five or six hundred people. Why don't we just send two elite soldiers together?

"Row."

May 5th.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

The entire independent detachment was ready, waiting for Chen Ming to issue the order for the general offensive when the time came.

The Battle of Datong will then begin, and all the soldiers of the Independent Detachment will throw themselves into this significant battle, adding another bright spot to their wall of honor.

The tense atmosphere in Datong seemed to have affected Gangcun in Shimen.

These past few days, the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong.

The brigade commander led his troops to keep maneuvering around Shimen and the Japanese, but he did not launch a general offensive.

This strange behavior baffled Okamura, who worried that the "Independent Detachment" was up to something.

Therefore, Gangcun dispatched a large number of reconnaissance troops to search for the location of the "Independent Detachment" in order to prevent the enemy from deceiving everyone and secretly moving to another place to launch a surprise attack.

However, the result was that the main force of the "Independent Detachment" remained outside Shimen.

Kong Jie, as one of the representatives of the independent detachment, has made several public appearances.

The brigade commander's command post was also operating at high power to confuse the Japanese.

"This is so strange, really so strange. They're neither attacking nor retreating. What exactly is the commander of the Independent Detachment planning?"

"The mopping-up troops have almost completed the encirclement. If we don't fight soon, the Eighth Route Army troops in the central Hebei region will be completely surrounded by our army."

"By then, even if the independent detachment wanted to fight, it would be pointless."

Okamura stared at the map, deep in thought.

He couldn't understand why Chen Ming, the commander of the independent detachment, would act so unusually.

The reason why the Independent Detachment moved to the Shimen area was to support the Eighth Route Army in the central Hebei region.
After the results came, apart from capturing two county towns, they did nothing else.

They were locked in a standoff with the Japanese 27th Division at Shimen.

Although he didn't understand the Independent Detachment's intentions, Okamura dared not relax his vigilance in the slightest.

Now it all comes down to which side can hold out longer; the side that can hold out longer will gain the advantage.

"I know there's a practice in China of 'enduring the eagle' to death. Now let's see if I can outlast this eagle of the Independent Detachment first, or if I'll give up first."

"Okamura murmured."

Unlike the group of Japanese officers at the Japanese headquarters in Shimen who were pulling their hair, the atmosphere in the brigade commander's command post was very relaxed.

"Chen Ming's main force will launch a general offensive tonight. Once the battle begins over there, our mission will be accomplished," the brigade commander said happily.

Based on his understanding of Chen Ming, if he found that the time was not right to attack Datong, he would call a halt in time, even if he had paid a huge price in the early stages.

As an excellent commander, not incorporating sunk costs into decision-making is a fundamental quality.

Since Chen Ming has already sent a telegram announcing the impending general offensive, it means that the time is ripe to attack Datong.

Chen Ming was very confident that he could capture Datong and give the Japanese a big surprise!

At that time, the Japanese's meticulously prepared large-scale mopping-up operation will be stillborn.

The Eighth Route Army will not only avoid heavy casualties, but will also achieve a great victory from this mopping-up operation.

How could the brigade commander not be happy?

After all, the ones attacking Datong were his old subordinates, and he was only participating in the Datong campaign as a feint attack.

"Great! My butt is practically burning from sitting so much these past few days. I'm so bored. As soon as the Battle of Datong begins, the Japanese will spare no effort to reinforce Datong."

"Then we can find an opportunity to give those sons of bitches a good beating."

Li Yunlong spoke first.

The other commanders also smiled.

There were only a dozen or so people present. The timing of the Independent Detachment's attack on Datong was top secret, and there could be no mistakes.

Only the headquarters leaders and a few officers and soldiers in the brigade commander's unit knew about this news.

In the Datong area, Chen Ming personally inspected the area, using his own maps to find hidden Japanese spies and traitors to ensure that nothing went wrong.

Finally, at midnight on May 6th.

With a deafening tremor, three thousand pounds of explosives detonated beneath the city wall of Datong!

The Battle of Datong has begun!

P.S.: Didn't go fishing today, didn't catch any fish, will try lobsters instead! Another 10,000 words a day, please vote!

(End of this chapter)