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

Chapter 189 Overwhelming Firepower! I've never fought a battle this well-funded!

11:55 PM on May 5th.

All troops have moved into their designated attack positions, the explosives have been placed, and the soldiers, guns in hand, are ready to attack.

There were still sporadic gunshots around Datong.

In the preceding period, although the main force of the Independent Detachment had "left" the area around Datong, the "guerrillas" were still hesitant.

These guerrilla units were not true guerrilla units, but rather composed of elite marksmen from an independent detachment, sharpshooters, and skilled artillerymen.

They specifically used sniper and artillery tactics at night on a small scale to kill Japanese soldiers and puppet troops.

This tactic was designed to lull the Japanese soldiers and their puppet troops into a false sense of security, making them afraid to come out at night.

Therefore, when the main force of the independent detachment was moved right under the noses of the Japanese and puppet troops, the Japanese and puppet troops did not notice at all.

They only heard sporadic gunfire outside, knowing that those annoying guerrillas, like mosquitoes, had come again.

It was just another night, nothing special.

However, they never expected that the main force of the independent detachment had already arrived not far from them, and the artillery of four artillery battalions was aimed at them.

Finally, at exactly midnight.

Chen Ming issued the order for a general offensive!
A red signal flare soared into the sky, standing out conspicuously in the pitch-black night.

In a trench on the northern outskirts of Datong, Wu Youdao saw a signal flare rise, knowing that the order to demolish had arrived.

"Everyone, get into cover immediately to avoid falling rocks and bricks," Wu Youdao said.

After speaking, Wu Youdao's eyes shone brightly, his gaze resolute.

"All our fallen comrades, watch closely, we have avenged you!"

Wu Youdao pressed the detonation switch.

"boom!"

A deafening explosion occurred as 3,000 kilograms of explosives detonated beneath the city wall of Datong.

Large sections of the city wall were blown open, creating two huge gaps, each more than ten meters long.

at the same time.

Artillery Commander-in-Chief Zhang Yousheng simultaneously issued the order to fire!

"Open fire from all artillery! Heavy artillery company, bombard the outer fortifications of Datong for fifteen minutes, then immediately withdraw!"

Indeed, after careful consideration, Chen Ming decided to bring the 150mm heavy artillery with him this time.

The influence and deterrent power of heavy artillery are too great; it can boost the morale of our own side and demoralize the Japanese and puppet troops.

The Battle of Datong was of extraordinary significance, and every chance of victory had to be fought for.

However, in order to protect the safety of the heavy artillery.

The attack was scheduled for nighttime to minimize the impact on the Japanese air force and protect the heavy artillery.

At the same time, the shelling will only last for fifteen minutes to destroy the Japanese outer fortifications, cover the infantry charge, and then be immediately withdrawn by tractor-trailers.

Even if the Japanese artillery discovered that the Independent Detachment was using heavy artillery, it would be difficult to locate the Independent Detachment's heavy artillery positions in time.

A 15-minute bombardment, at the rate of fire of a 150mm howitzer, would allow each gun to fire ten shells, totaling 3.6 tons of shells.

Chen Ming planned to use 3.6 tons of heavy artillery shells to secure a winning start for the Datong Campaign.

After Zhang Yousheng gave the order, the artillery positions of the Independent Detachment immediately opened fire!

All the artillery fire simultaneously rained down on the Japanese and puppet troops' camp outside Datong City.

The flames from the explosions spread out and engulfed the positions of the Japanese and puppet troops.

Incendiary bombs, high-explosive bombs, and heavy grenades exploded simultaneously, turning the Japanese and puppet troops in Datong into a pot of steel porridge!
Twelve o'clock in the morning.

At the time of the shelling, most of the Japanese and puppet troops were still asleep, with only a small number of them on guard duty.

After the main force of the Independent Detachment left, the Japanese and puppet troops finally relaxed their tense nerves.

Inside the camp, there were even many puppet soldiers gathered together drinking and playing cards.

Faced with the sudden shelling, these Japanese and puppet troops didn't even have a chance to react before they were left on this land forever.

Their relaxed nerves don't need to tense up again, allowing them to relax completely!
The intense artillery fire covered the Japanese city's fortifications, causing immense damage.

In particular, the shells from the 150mm howitzers basically wiped out the Japanese and puppet troops wherever they landed.

Even the Japanese and puppet troops who slept inside the fortifications could hardly escape their fate of death.

Incendiary bombs are specifically designed for attacking fortifications, creating vast seas of fire and consuming large amounts of oxygen.

Many Japanese and puppet troops who hid in the fortifications escaped the bombardment of heavy artillery, but died from the high temperature smoke and lack of oxygen caused by incendiary bombs.

"That's how we fight. Back then, those Japanese devils set fire to our soldiers. Now it's time for them to taste the bitterness of fire."

Looking at the Japanese fortifications engulfed in flames, Wu Youdao felt an immense sense of joy, and tears of excitement streamed down his face.

"It's spectacular! It's truly spectacular. This must be the largest number of artillery pieces our detachment has ever deployed in history."

A company commander looked at the explosion in the distance and said excitedly.

"It's not just our detachment, it's the first time for the entire army. You have no idea how much pain Minister Li in the logistics department looked when the artillery unit applied for shells."

A battalion commander spoke up.

"How many shells did you apply for? How could they make even the wealthy Minister Li feel the pinch?" the company commander asked curiously.

The battalion commander held up both hands, making a five, and boasted:

"A full fifty tons of shells, do you know what that means? A full fifty tons!"

"What? A whole fifty tons? How much is fifty tons?" the company commander exclaimed in shock.

He didn't know what fifty tons of artillery shells meant, but he knew what fifty tons of grain meant.

Fifty tons of grain is enough to feed an entire company of soldiers for more than a year.

"You're not very knowledgeable about this. Fifty tons of artillery shells, a total of more than eight thousand shells, that's almost half of our unit's reserves," the battalion commander said with a smile.

"How many?" The company commander's eyes widened.

In his daily combat, he usually only comes into contact with a few dozen shells, and occasionally a hundred, after all, he is only a company-level unit.

But this time, his battalion commander told him that their troops had deployed more than 8,000 shells at once.

What does this mean? He could fight the Japanese his whole life and still not capture that many shells, and he threw them all out in one siege?
"I told you you were ignorant! This is just the shells we applied for. If we add the shells that our artillery units already have, the total number of shells will exceed 12,000!"

The battalion commander said proudly.

To be honest, he was quite shocked when he first heard the data, as his performance was not much better than that of his company commander.

When did our Eighth Route Army become capable of using overwhelming firepower? Is this still the Eighth Route Army?
However, after the initial shock came immense confidence.

With such a rich fighting capacity, even if the Japanese soldiers in Datong are tough as nails, they will be crushed by their independent detachment.

"Good heavens, my good heavens!" The company commander clicked his tongue repeatedly, still in shock.

"Battalion Commander, you know so much, you're amazing!" the company commander said admiringly.

"Of course, otherwise how could I be your battalion commander?" The battalion commander smiled contentedly.

"How about it? Is our detachment going to win the battle for Datong this time?" the battalion commander said smugly.

"Absolutely! With so many shells, even if it's the Japanese Tianhuang's guards inside Datong, we can still take it down."

"Battalion Commander, is this a secret? Can I tell the soldiers in my company?" After the initial shock, the company commander asked.

"No, the battalion commander told me this and asked me to tell you," the battalion commander said.

Chen Ming shared the artillery shell data of the independent detachment in this battle with the soldiers below, which also boosted morale.

Worried that the soldiers wouldn't understand the concept of a ton, Chen Ming converted the shells into fires.

With over 10,000 shells fired, there was more than enough for each of the Japanese and puppet troops in Datong City to have one shell.

Such a rich battle can greatly boost morale and strengthen the soldiers' determination to win!

"Alright, I'll go tell the soldiers in the Second Company." The company commander said excitedly.

"go Go."

After leaving, the company commander straightened his hat, put his hands behind his back, and strode back to his company with an air of indifference.

The result was self-evident: the company commander felt immense satisfaction amidst the collective shock and gasps of over a hundred soldiers in the company.

This scene unfolded in every company of the Independent Detachment's attacking force.

Knowing the firepower their detachment had deployed, the soldiers, determined to win, surged towards the Japanese positions under artillery fire and the breach in the city wall behind them, under the cover of artillery fire.

After fifteen minutes of shelling, the vanguard of the Independent Detachment was the first to enter the Japanese position.

Thousands of shells were fired into the fortifications north of Datong in a short period of time, including heavy artillery shells and incendiary shells, and the resulting damage was considerable.

This was also Chen Ming's plan: to concentrate all superior artillery and use it intensively to defeat the Japanese in a short period of time.

Fifty tons of artillery shells might not seem like much in a conventional attack on Datong.

However, if it were launched within fifteen minutes at the Japanese positions north of Datong before the breach was blasted open, it would be enough to cause devastating damage.

The soldiers of the Independent Detachment who were the first to set foot on the Japanese positions did not encounter much resistance from the Japanese.

They didn't even see many living people.

The entire position was riddled with shells, and the enemy troops were caught off guard.

If it still doesn't achieve this effect, then all those shells have been wasted.

The soldiers quickly captured the positions outside the breach in the city wall and built defenses on the spot.

The following troops immediately passed through the defensive positions set up by the vanguard and poured directly into Datong City through the gap.

This unit was the absolute elite force of He Jianxin and Ding Wei, numbering around six hundred men.

The personnel mainly consisted of machine gun teams, sharpshooter teams, grenade launcher teams, and sabot demolition teams.

The machine gun team was responsible for suppressing enemy fire, the sharpshooter team was responsible for precision sniping, the grenade launcher team was responsible for taking out enemy firing positions, and the sapper demolition team was responsible for demolishing enemy fortifications.

Upon entering Datong, the Japanese troops immediately launched a counterattack from their hastily assembled defensive positions within the city.

The fifteen-minute shelling gave the Japanese some reaction time, but it was very limited, making it difficult for them to organize a strong counterattack.

After all, the Japanese never expected that the defensive positions on the outskirts of Datong would be breached so easily, and that the Eighth Route Army would even advance directly into the city of Datong.

"Grenade launcher, blow up the Japanese machine gun position ahead."

"The captain of a squadron of the assault team shouted loudly."

Not long after he finished speaking, a grenade landed precisely on the Japanese machine gun position.

The Japanese's makeshift machine gun positions immediately went out.

"Well done!"

"Of course, I've won two first-class merits with my grenade launcher. As for second and third-class merits, I can't even remember how many. I was also the army's grenade launcher model soldier."

The soldier who had just destroyed the Japanese machine gun position with a grenade launcher said proudly.

"Okay, after the game, are you interested in joining our First Brigade?"

"You bastard Li Erhu, trying to poach my employees at a time like this!" another of Ding Wei's subordinates said discontentedly.

"Hehe, we'll talk about that later. Let's eliminate the Japanese devils in front of us first."

After the Japanese blocking positions lost machine gun fire, they were immediately suppressed by the superior firepower of the assault team.

With the help of the sharpshooter team's precise sniping, they were quickly wiped out.

"Quickly, keep charging! No matter how many Japanese soldiers there are, follow me and wipe them out! Target: Datong Machine Tool Factory!"

The commando team's mission was to storm Datong, break into the city, and simultaneously seize control of important factories within Datong.

These factories were very important to the Independent Detachment; it could be said that the attack on Datong was for the factories within the city.

The assault team continued their charge, and no matter how many Japanese soldiers blocked their way, nothing could stop their advance.

One by one, their comrades fell beside them, but the assault team soldiers fought with ever greater courage.

"Grandpa Eighth Route Army, we surrender, please don't kill us."

After the assault team wiped out a Japanese unit, the remaining puppet troops immediately surrendered.

The puppet troops were already frightened by the previous artillery barrage from the independent detachment; they had never seen such intense artillery fire before.

The main force that came must be from the independent detachment; only they could possibly have such powerful firepower.

The puppet troops knew they were no match for the Independent Detachment, and the Independent Detachment also had a good reputation among the puppet troops.

As long as you surrender and haven't done anything heinous before, you can basically save your life.

"Get out of my way. I don't have time to capture you. Don't block my way. Go to the side of the road and squat down with your hands behind your backs."

The assault team leader looked at the surrendered puppet troops and shouted loudly.

Their mission was important and time was of the essence, so they didn't have time to deal with these surrendered puppet troops.

Just like the German blitzkrieg, the mission of the assault team was to go straight to the heart of the Japanese army, regardless of the consequences.

As for the surrendered puppet troops, they can go wherever they want as long as they don't block the way.

This scene happened countless times on the assault team's advance route. Each time, after the assault team crushed the enemy, the puppet troops surrendered promptly.

Instead, they were ordered to get out of the way and squat down with their hands on their heads by the roadside.

The soldiers who followed the main force witnessed a miraculous scene.

On some roads, large numbers of puppet troops were found obediently squatting by the roadside.

Upon seeing the soldiers of the Independent Detachment, he immediately shouted excitedly that he was a prisoner of war, that he had been captured by an Eighth Route Army unit, and that he was waiting for them to take him in.

The reason why the puppet troops were so obedient and did not run away after the assault team left was because they were afraid that they would not be able to save their lives if they ran away.

First, the Eighth Route Army had already entered Datong and even penetrated its core, indicating that the Japanese were doomed and Datong would most likely fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army.

If they ran away at this time, and were subsequently reported by other puppet troops, they feared they would be betrayed by the Eighth Route Army and executed.

Secondly, if they encountered the Japanese soldiers on their way, they would be forced to fight the Eighth Route Army.

The combat effectiveness of the assault team had terrified the puppet troops. Even if all of them were combined, they wouldn't be enough to defeat the Eighth Route Army in a single charge.

Thirdly, more people mean greater safety, and more people mean more value as prisoners.

If a single person or a few people were to escape and encounter the Eighth Route Army, the puppet troops worried that the Eighth Route Army would think that it was not worth the time to capture one or a few people and would kill them directly to continue the attack.

After all, it's better to kill them outright than to capture a few people. This way, it won't affect our combat effectiveness, allowing us to continue the attack and earn more merit.

This is related to the experience of the puppet troops. In the past, after they were defeated by the Japanese, those who were separated from the group were basically killed. Only when they surrendered as a whole unit would the Japanese accept them.

It was precisely because of these three reasons that the puppet troops would obediently squat by the roadside in groups, waiting to be captured.

"Hurry up, hurry up! The Datong Machine Tool Factory is just ahead. After we take it down, Chief Chen will personally commend us!"

The assault squadron leader shouted excitedly.

This assault squadron has been reduced from its initial two hundred men to just over eighty.

They didn't remember how many Japanese soldiers they had killed along the way; they only knew that the Japanese soldiers were like ants, constantly blocking their way from afar, only to be wiped out by them.

They had run out of bullets several times, but fortunately, the advantage of the Independent Detachment using standard Japanese weapons proved to be effective.

It can directly replenish weapons and ammunition on the battlefield, enhancing the sustainability of firepower.

Now, this assault team is only one Japanese guard unit, a company of Japanese soldiers, away from completing their objective.

This Japanese factory protection squadron was essentially just a labor supervision team disguised in military uniforms, far inferior to the Japanese field troops.

In addition, there has been almost no war in Datong for a long time, resulting in a lack of military skills.

Faced with the ferocious commandos, these troops were quickly routed.

This commando team successfully took control of the Japanese machine tool factory and the arsenal, including the workers and technicians.

These Japanese soldiers were not killed because they were inside the factory, and some key equipment was operated by Japanese soldiers.

Ordinary workers have no opportunity to learn at all.

These technicians are still useful; it would be a waste to kill them.

These technicians were not as fanatical as the brainwashed Japanese soldiers, nor were they brainwashed by the Bushido spirit.

After packing them up and taking them back, we can give them a brainwashing—no, I mean a reformatory education—and they will have a great chance of being used by us.

This was something Chen Ming specifically instructed.

Besides this team of commandos, the other commandos also took control of several key factories in Datong City.

Examples include Datong Power Plant, Datong Steel Rolling Mill, and Datong Graphite Plant.

Unfortunately, Datong originally had an arsenal, but after it was occupied by the Japanese, the best equipment from these arsenals was transported to Northeast China.

The less desirable ones were transported to Taiyuan and merged with the Taiyuan Arsenal.

Otherwise, if they had captured the Japanese arsenal, the Independent Detachment's weapons production capacity could have reached a new level.

After the assault team captured the core factory in Datong, they used the Japanese factory's fortifications to build defenses, waiting for the main force to take over the factory.

Meanwhile, the main force behind them was also engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese.

The Japanese and puppet troops defending Datong had a large number of troops stationed in the fortifications outside the city.

The troops stationed in the defensive chain outside Datong City accounted for about 70% of the total Datong garrison.

There were not many Japanese soldiers in Datong City, only one elite battalion, about two thousand puppet troops, and the city's military police and intelligence agencies.

The Independent Detachment's attack was very sudden; they stormed into Datong City and engaged in combat with the Japanese troops inside the city.

Therefore, in the local battles within Datong City, the Independent Detachment had an absolute numerical advantage.

After the main force of the independent detachment successfully entered the city, it immediately began to advance towards the city center.

Due to the rapid infiltration of several assault teams and the return of reinforcements, the Japanese troops were successfully pushed into the center of the city by the main force of the Independent Detachment.

The defending Japanese are now caught in a pincer movement, unable to ignore the assault teams, as their targets are the core of the Japanese forces within Datong.

They could control them, but they didn't have enough troops to stop the main force of the independent detachment, so they could only be pushed aside.

Of course, this was just the Japanese's own idea. In reality, even if the Japanese garrison in the city committed all its forces to fighting against the main force of the Independent Detachment, it would be difficult to withstand the Independent Detachment's offensive.

Given the current situation, victory in the Battle of Datong is practically assured.

The young soldiers were eager to make a name for themselves.

The attacking soldiers should now be thinking about how to earn more merits and honors from the Battle of Datong.

After the Japanese defensive forces were overwhelmed, they turned to street fighting and maneuvering with the independent detachment, attempting to wait for reinforcements from outside the city to enter.

"Why, why can't we contact the division headquarters? If there are no reinforcements, the Eighth Route Army will occupy most of Datong!" a Japanese officer roared in despair.

"I don't know. We can't get through on the phone, and we can't contact the division headquarters by radio. We've even lost contact with the soldiers we sent to make contact," another Japanese officer said.

When the Eighth Route Army began its attack on the city, they inexplicably lost contact with the headquarters of the 26th Division stationed in Datong.

This means that these troops have lost their command and can only spontaneously devote themselves to blocking the independent detachment's attack.

However, without unified command and control, it would be extremely difficult to defend Datong.

The reason why the Japanese lost contact can be traced back to half an hour earlier.

Half an hour ago, at exactly midnight.

When the Independent Detachment bombarded the ground, the headquarters of the Japanese 26th Division in Datong was immediately startled by the huge explosion.

"What's going on? Where's the explosion? And why is there the sound of heavy artillery?"

Commander Taro Nishihara of the 26th Division hurriedly put on his clothes and asked.

As soon as he finished speaking, gunshots rang out outside the headquarters of the 26th Division.

"Da da da!"

These are special operations team members and sharpshooter squad members led by Duan Peng.

"What happened? Why are there gunshots outside the division headquarters?"

Taro Nishihara suddenly looked outside, and an advisor quickly ran in.

"Reporting to the general, the garrison command has been attacked, and the guards are engaged in firefight with the attacking enemy."

"What exactly is going on? Why are the enemy attacking the city and even deploying heavy artillery?"

Taro Nishihara was completely bewildered.

He was sleeping soundly when suddenly the enemy attacked the city. Based on his rich experience, he judged that the explosions outside the city definitely involved heavy artillery with a caliber of 100 mm or more!
"I don't know. We're currently trying to contact the troops outside the city, but we can't get through on the phone."

"Could it be that the Independent Detachment is attacking Datong? No, isn't the main force of the Independent Detachment in Shimen?"

"But if it wasn't an independent detachment, then which army was fighting in Datong?"

Taro Nishihara was confused.

News from Gangcun in Shimen indicates that the main force of the Independent Detachment is currently in a standoff with the Japanese army in Shimen.

Among the Eighth Route Army, only the four 150mm howitzers of the Independent Detachment possessed artillery with a caliber of 100mm or larger.

Currently, only the Eighth Route Army and the Northern Route Army have the potential to attack Datong.

However, the Northern Route Army did not have heavy artillery with a caliber of 100 mm or larger, so it was impossible for them to be troops outside the city.

"Immediately call Shimen to inquire whether the main force of the Independent Detachment is in Shimen; send someone to contact the detachments outside the city to find out the situation."

"In addition, mobilize the headquarters guard forces to eliminate the enemy attacking the garrison headquarters from the outside."

Taro Nishihara ordered.

The most important thing now is to figure out exactly what happened.

Not long after Taro Nishihara gave the order, an aide rushed in.

"Reporting to the general, the enemy attacking the headquarters has broken in. Please evacuate first," the staff officer said in a panic.

"What? The enemy has breached the headquarters? What are the headquarters guards doing?" Nishihara Taro asked incredulously.

"The troops defending the headquarters suffered heavy losses. The enemy's firepower was too strong, and they broke into the headquarters in just a few rounds of attacks."

"The front gate of the headquarters has now fallen. Please retreat from the rear, General."

The staff officer spoke up.

"Baka! I, the commander of the 26th Division, the garrison commander of Datong, and a lieutenant general of the Empire, have been driven out of headquarters by a small group of enemies!"

Taro Nishihara looked extremely unwell.

Being forced to relocate from headquarters was tantamount to stepping on his face and shoving him into a cesspool.

However, despite his reluctance, Taro Nishihara chose to retreat from the rear.

Duan Peng and his men have already captured the front gate of the Datong Garrison Command and are now advancing inside.

The Datong Garrison Command is the brain of Datong's defense system. If this place is destroyed, the Datong garrison will lose its command system.

Without a commander, it would be easier for the main force of the troops to attack Datong, and fewer soldiers would be sacrificed.

"Hurry, blow open the Japanese gate!"

Duan Peng shouted loudly.

"boom!"

An explosion rang out, and the gate of the Japanese garrison headquarters was successfully blown open.

"Charge in, destroy the Japanese headquarters, and capture the Japanese lieutenant general alive!" Duan Peng shouted excitedly.

Duan Peng led his men into the Japanese garrison headquarters, where they were met by a group of Japanese military police who blocked their way.

"Quickly, counterattack! Protect the general! We absolutely cannot let the enemy break in!" the Japanese military police roared.

But before they could organize their defenses, they were met with several bursts of bullets.

"Da da da, da da da!"

The submachine guns equipped by the special forces spewed fire, mercilessly reaping the lives of the Japanese military police.

The Japanese military police headquarters was attacked, and there was simply not enough defensive force to defend it in a short period of time.

Even if reinforcements were called in from other places, they would be blocked by the soldiers responsible for blocking the Japanese reinforcements.

After eliminating the Japanese military police blocking their way, Duan Peng continued his attack.

"Team One, take control of the Japanese radio station; Team Two, secure the main gate; Team Three, follow me and continue the attack to destroy the Japanese command post."

Duan Peng issued the order.

The attack force, composed of special operations teams and sharpshooter battalions, immediately split into three groups and began to take control of the Japanese headquarters.

The team of soldiers who attacked the Japanese radio station entered the Japanese communications area and fired several magazines of bullets without saying a word.

No matter who's inside, eliminate them all first.

Destroying the Japanese radio station meant that the Japanese command had lost its means of communication with the outside world.

As for the telephone line, it was cut long ago.

The second squad of soldiers who were controlling the gate of the Japanese headquarters immediately found a favorable location to form a defense and block the Japanese reinforcements from the outside.

Duan Peng led three teams of soldiers directly into the central courtyard of the Japanese headquarters.

"Boom boom boom!"

More than twenty grenades were thrown into the central courtyard, and a series of explosions rang out, indiscriminately killing the Japanese soldiers inside.

Duan Peng took the opportunity to enter the central courtyard of the Japanese headquarters.

There were still many Japanese soldiers on the ground in the courtyard who had not been killed by the bomb, but were only injured.

Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers fired three shots at the Japanese soldiers' heads and chests, regardless of whether they moved or not.

Two shots to the chest and one to the head—even if the Japanese soldier wasn't killed by the explosion, he's definitely dead by now.

After entering the central courtyard, the Japanese had no defensive fortifications left.

After all, Datong was an important town with extremely strong defenses.

If the outer defense chain is breached by the enemy, no matter how many defensive fortifications the headquarters has, it will be useless.

Therefore, apart from a few bunkers and machine gun positions outside the headquarters, the Japanese headquarters had no other defensive fortifications.

This allowed Duan Peng and his group to move freely within the Japanese headquarters.

After passing through the middle courtyard, Duan Peng and his team successfully entered the backyard, where they saw dozens of Japanese soldiers, including several Japanese soldiers wearing general's uniforms.

"It's a Japanese general!"

When Duan Peng saw these Japanese soldiers, his eyes lit up and his muscles trembled with excitement.

"Eliminate these Japanese devils, and the great achievement will be right before us!" Duan Peng shouted loudly.

"Da da da."

The special forces soldiers roared as they fired their submachine guns at the Japanese troops.

"Protect the general!"

The Japanese soldiers collectively stood in front of several high-ranking Japanese officers, using their bodies to block the bullets fired by the special operations team members.

However, this was clearly futile.

How could these Japanese soldiers be a match for Duan Peng and his men? They were quickly wiped out, and even some of the high-ranking Japanese officers died under gunfire.

"Shoot down the legs of high-ranking Japanese officials and capture them alive—that would be a great achievement!" Duan Peng shouted.

"boom!"

The soldiers, eager to earn merit, had already opened fire before Duan Peng finished speaking.

The bullet struck Nishihara Taro's leg precisely.

"what!"

Taro Nishihara screamed in agony, the intense pain nearly causing him to collapse to the ground, but a Japanese staff officer caught him.

"Quickly, take the general and leave. I'll hold them off."

After handing Taro Nishihara over to someone nearby, the staff officer immediately pulled out a grenade and charged toward the special operations team members.

"Da da da!"

Several gunshots rang out, and the Japanese staff officer's head was smashed into a teapot shape.

However, the grenade in his hand was still detonated, and Duan Peng and the others were forced to take cover.

"General, take this side path." The Japanese officer, supporting Nishihara Taro, led him through a low doorway.

"Quick, chase them! If you can't capture them alive, shoot them dead!" Duan Peng said anxiously as he saw the cooked duck about to fly away.

Duan Peng originally thought that capturing them alive would be more meritorious, so he did not use powerful firepower to kill the Japanese soldiers immediately.

But now, seeing that the Japanese soldiers are about to escape, who cares about capturing them alive or not?

Let's get the credit first.

Duan Peng led his men in pursuit, but the small door was a natural defensive fortification; as long as the door was held, it would be difficult for the enemy to break through.

The Japanese officers behind the gate used the terrain to put up a desperate resistance.

Seeing that they couldn't break through, Duan Peng immediately gave the order:
"Damn it, bring on the grenades!"

Upon receiving the order, several special forces soldiers took out grenades and threw them all behind the small door.

"Boom boom boom!"

A huge explosion rang out, and everyone behind the small door was killed by the grenade explosion and shrapnel.

Even Nishihara Taro, who had been carried along for some distance, was shot through the lower back by a piece of shrapnel.

Judging from the location of the shrapnel, it's highly likely he'll lose his kidney.

Unfortunately, after Duan Peng led his men through the small door, Nishihara Taro had already been helped onto an armored vehicle and sped away into the distance.

"Damn it, the commander always says you learn from your mistakes, and I, Duan Peng, have really learned my lesson today." Duan Peng slapped his thigh in regret.

If they had taken out the high-ranking Japanese officers at headquarters with a single burst of fire from the beginning, the Japanese division commander wouldn't have escaped.

Now that the people are already on the armored vehicles, the special operations brigade has no armored weapons and can only watch the Japanese armored vehicles leave.

"Damn it, this big achievement might end up going to that kid Zhao Yuan." Duan Peng said bitterly.

Now that Datong City has fallen, the only possible escape route for the armored vehicle carrying the Japanese division commander is eastward.

The independent detachment controlled the northwest, south, and north sides of Datong, except for the east.

That's the direction of Wucheng, which was also the main base of the Japanese army stationed in Mongolia.

However, the East was not without troops; Chen Ming's cavalry detachment and armored company were deployed in that location.

The first task was to block the Japanese reinforcements, and the second was to intercept the Japanese and puppet troops retreating from Datong.

Therefore, Duan Peng said that the credit for capturing or killing the commander of the Japanese 26th Division might go to Zhao Yuan, the armored company commander.

Only an armored company could catch up with and destroy the Japanese armored vehicles.

But it's too late to regret it now. The people have all run away, and the Japanese devils can't just obediently come back to their deaths.

"Immediately collect important documents from the Japanese headquarters, lay booby traps, and then evacuate!" Duan Peng ordered.

Chen Ming's mission for him was to create chaos in Datong and seize the opportunity to attack the Japanese command post.

He has now completed his mission perfectly.

The chaos was enough: a raid on the Japanese headquarters and the destruction of their command system.

What Duan Peng needs to do now is to reinforce the main force of the sharpshooter battalion that is attacking the Japanese armory.

As the garrison of the Japanese 26th Division, the warehouses in Datong City were unimaginably wealthy.

These are the key figures from the special operations brigade and the sharpshooter brigade.

However, Duan Peng led most of the special operations brigade soldiers and a small number of sharpshooter brigade soldiers to attack the Japanese headquarters.

Meanwhile, Li Yong, the captain of the sharpshooter brigade, led most of the sharpshooter brigade soldiers, along with a small number of special operations brigade soldiers, to attack the armory.

"We've successfully completed our mission here. I wonder how things are going on Old Li's side? Did he manage to take over the Japanese armory?" Duan Peng thought to himself.

As two elite sniper squads and a special operations squad of the independent detachment, the two teams have always been competing with each other.

It's a matter of which team can achieve more merit.

The sharpshooter squad primarily earns merit by eliminating a large number of enemy soldiers, while the special operations team primarily earns merit by infiltrating and hiding.

This time, two teams were dispatched simultaneously to attack two important targets in Datong.

Duan Peng and Li Yong had agreed before the battle to see whose team could complete the mission the fastest.

After Duan Peng finished dealing with the Japanese garrison command, he immediately led his men to the Japanese armory.

When Duan Peng and his men arrived, they discovered that the sharpshooter squad had already taken control of the Japanese armory.

"Old Duan, you're too late. Our sharpshooter squad has already finished the battle, haha."

Li Yong wore a happy smile.

"Old Li, I've come all this way, which means I've completed my mission. You guys look like you've just finished a battle, right? This time, I should have won," Duan Peng said with a smile.

"Hmph, if we weren't worried about accidentally blowing up the Japanese armory, we would have finished the war long ago," Li Yong said resentfully.

"By the way, did you capture the Japanese division commander?" Li Yong continued.

Duan Peng's smile froze when he heard Li Yong's question.

It’s really hard to pick up any pot!

Damn it, now Li Yong is going to seize on this and make fun of me.

When Li Yong saw that Duan Peng suddenly stopped talking, he knew that Duan Peng probably hadn't captured the Japanese division commander.

"Hehe, our sharpshooter squad wiped out the Japanese arsenal's guards; not a single one escaped."

"If we calculate it that way, I should be considered the winner," Li Yong said.

"Humph!"

Duan Peng snorted coldly.

"The Japanese can't escape. I've already wounded their division commander. They can't get away."

"I reported it to the commander, and the commander will send someone to intercept the Japanese division commander."

Duan Peng spoke up.

"Really? That's great!" Li Yong said happily.

He was naturally very happy to have defeated Duan Peng.

But he would be even happier if he could capture the Japanese division commander.

High-ranking Japanese officers were not so easy to eliminate. After so long of the War of Resistance, the number of Japanese generals who were killed was very small.

If they could eliminate the Japanese division commander, their independent detachment would set a record for our army.

Li Yong and Duan Peng didn't talk for long. After a brief exchange, they quickly set about building a defense system to protect this important arsenal.

The main force of the county town has already entered the city. As long as we hold out until the main force arrives, the weapons and ammunition in this armory will be entirely the property of the independent detachment.

Without unified command, the Japanese troops in the city, facing an increasing number of independent fighters, could not sustain their operations even with street fighting, as they were losing ground without reinforcements.

The soldiers advanced smoothly, compressing the Japanese troops' operational space and controlling the captured area.

As for the puppet troops, most of their forces were deployed in the defensive chain surrounding Datong, leaving the number of puppet troops inside the city to begin with.

In addition, the puppet troops had limited fighting spirit and did not pose much of an obstacle to the attacking soldiers.

Many puppet troops surrendered immediately upon seeing the main force of the Independent Detachment approaching.

The situation regarding the battle within Datong city is now clear.

Meanwhile, Gangcun in Shimen only received news of the attack on Datong at this time!

P.S.: A long chapter of 10,000 words! I've reached 10,000 words again today! Please vote for me! I haven't even fished yet, so please vote for me! It really means a lot to me.

(End of this chapter)