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

Chapter 192 Brigade Commander: Chen Ming dares to make fun of me!
Chen Ming gave the order: "Call the command center in Shimen."

"Our troops completely captured Datong at 8:12 a.m. on May 6."

"All Japanese and puppet troops in Datong were annihilated, including more than 4,000 Japanese soldiers and more than 3,000 puppet troops. More than 4,000 puppet troops were captured."

"Our unit suffered a total of over 5,300 casualties, including over 1,800 killed in action, over 3,500 wounded, and 103 missing."

"More than 7,800 rifles, more than 200 light and heavy machine guns, and more than 2.4 million rounds of ammunition were seized."

"Fifty-two artillery pieces, including eight 75mm mountain guns, six fortress-type 105mm cannons, sixteen infantry guns, fourteen mortars, eight anti-tank guns, and 42 tons of shells."

"The rest of the explosives, grenades, grenade launchers, and countless others."

"The seized grain amounted to at least 6000 tons, steel to 400 tons, 102 cars, more than 600 bicycles, more than 30 three-wheeled vehicles, three armored vehicles, two tanks, and more than 200 tons of fuel."

"1.4 tons of gold, and half a train car of ocean dollars and other currencies."

"All equipment from factories such as Datong Power Plant, Datong Steel Rolling Mill, Datong Machine Tool Plant, Datong Sugar Factory, and Datong Graphite Plant."

"12 tons of medicines and medical devices."

"A number of other supplies."

"Due to the abundance of seized supplies, estimated to exceed 15,000 tons, our unit needs more time to transport them."

"We request all departments to respond actively and support our department in transporting supplies."

"Eighth Route Army Independent Detachment, Chen Ming, urgent telegram."

Chen Ming sent a telegram to the brigade commander and headquarters.

First, let's talk about the brigade commander. After receiving Chen Ming's telegram, the brigade commander listened to the staff officer read it out word by word, and his eyes gradually widened.

"What did you say? Say it again?" the brigade commander asked uncertainly.

"Fine, I'll see it myself."

The brigade commander couldn't wait for the staff officer to read it again; he snatched the telegram and read it quickly.

The more I watched, the more excited I became. Eventually, my hands started trembling. It felt like I was dreaming, like it was all unreal.

"My God, try punching me! Am I still half asleep?"

When the brigade commander said this, Li Yunlong was somewhat tempted, but still dared not make a move.

That's what the brigade commander said. But if a real fight breaks out, when the brigade commander comes to settle accounts with him later, he'll have nowhere to cry.

Seeing that no one was hitting him, the brigade commander pinched his thigh.

"Hiss~ Hahaha, it's not a dream, I'm rich, I'm really rich!"

The brigade commander grimaced from the pain in his thigh, but he was secretly delighted.

This time, even the brigade commander covered for his subordinate Chen Ming. How could he do that without some compensation?
With so many supplies, how much benefit can he possibly gain?

The other officers present were also very pleased. The independent detachment had completely acquired the industrial equipment in Datong, which meant that their military industry would take off in the future.

There will be plenty of weapons available then. With weapons and ammunition, we can develop more troops and eliminate more Japanese devils.

The happiest cadre among them was none other than Kong Jie.

He was one of the three main forces of the Independent Detachment. This time, his leader, Chen Ming, captured a large number of weapons and ammunition in Datong.

When the time comes, we will definitely prioritize replenishing these key players.

Moreover, the large amount of grain captured this time will alleviate the army's food crisis, meaning that it can be expanded.

With a new batch of Japanese weapons, a large amount of food, and the ability to select outstanding soldiers from local armed forces at any time.

Expanding by one or two battalions is not difficult at all.

Li Yunlong was equally pleased; the brigade commander was about to make a fortune, which meant he could congratulate the brigade commander on his wealth.

The brigade commander has made such a fortune, surely he doesn't need his loyal old subordinate who has followed him so faithfully?
Of his three old comrades-in-arms, Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie, only Li Yunlong is still under the brigade commander's command.

Isn't this because Lao Li firmly believes in the brigade commander as his leader and is determined to follow him?
Surely you, Commander-in-Chief, can't let down Old Li's kindness?

Li Yunlong looked at the smiling Kong Jie, feeling a pang of jealousy: "So what if he made a fortune? What's so great about that? We're not envious at all, not even a little bit!"

"By the way, does Chen Ming look down on our Lao Li? He even took over Kong Jie, that simpleton, while leaving our Lao Li, such a capable cadre, to fend for himself."

No one knew what Li Yunlong was thinking; they were all filled with joy.

The troops, mainly composed of the Independent Detachment, captured Datong and seized a huge amount of supplies. This detachment also made a great contribution!
Without their feint attack to draw the Japanese attention, Datong would definitely have been difficult to capture.

In other words, their contribution to the victory in the Datong Campaign is undeniable!
"Well done! After wiping out an entire regiment of Japanese soldiers in Datong, the Japanese forces stationed in Mongolia have suffered a major blow."

"The 26th Division, which was the absolute main force of the troops stationed in Mongolia, had one regiment wiped out by us and two battalions transferred away. Now we only have one infantry regiment and one infantry battalion left, as well as some other units."

"The key point is that we destroyed the headquarters of the 26th Division stationed in Datong this time."

"Let's see how those Japanese devils will defend such a large territory now," Kong Jie said happily.

As the cadre who had the most dealings with the Mongolian troops present, Kong Jie was most concerned about this adversary.

The core forces of the troops stationed in Mongolia consisted of two units. One was the 26th Division, which had eight regiments, including three infantry regiments, two artillery regiments, one engineer regiment, one supply regiment, and one reconnaissance unit (equivalent to a cavalry regiment).

The other was the Independent Mixed Second Brigade.

The Independent Mixed Brigade No. 2 was previously crippled by the Independent Detachment, and now the Japanese 26th Division is also in a state of semi-crippled condition.

In other words, the core strength of the troops stationed in Mongolia, now in the hands of the Independent Detachment, has been reduced by more than half.

As for the other puppet troops and puppet Mongolian troops, to be honest, even Kong Jie didn't take them seriously.

Kong Jie has become quite wealthy and has started to look down on the puppet army, which is not even a third-rate force.

In the past, when there was a shortage of guns and food, even a company of puppet troops would have attracted Kong Jie's attention.

But now, Kong Jie doesn't even take the puppet troops stationed in Mongolia, who number in the tens of thousands, seriously.

If they were to encounter the enemy on the battlefield, even the usually composed Kong Jie would dare to fight them head-on!

"Brigade Commander, didn't the telegram say that there are too many supplies to bring back? Shouldn't we be thinking about how to get everything back first?" Li Yunlong said.

Upon hearing Li Yunlong's words, the brigade commander realized that he might have been too happy for too long.

Previously, they were blinded by the enormous amount of spoils, only knowing that they were about to make a fortune. But now, the supplies in Datong are more than expected, and the most important thing is to get them all back.

Damn it, can't you let me be happy for a few more minutes?
"Damn it, with so many supplies, I'd be upset if we missed even a single pound," the brigade commander said.

"Order all units to change their original battle plans, head north to harass the Japanese from behind, and tie down the Japanese reinforcements to Datong, thus buying time for Chen Ming," the brigade commander said.

The original battle plan was that after the Independent Detachment captured Datong, they would take advantage of the Japanese troops' desperate reinforcements to Datong.

Taking advantage of the Japanese troops' attention being drawn to Datong, the brigade commander's unit launched a strong attack on the Jingxing mining area and destroyed the Jingxing mining area, which was rich in coking coal.

The War of Resistance Against Japan was a protracted war. We had to disrupt the Japanese army's resource acquisition channels, thwart their attempt to sustain the war through war, and cripple their logistics.

As long as we cripple the Japanese army's logistics, the Japanese will face logistical difficulties, and then they will be unable to launch large-scale wars, thus dragging the Japanese into a continuous war of attrition.

In this process, the Japanese army's manpower will be gradually eliminated, and the Japanese will be finished sooner or later.

Attacking the Jingxing mining area was also an important part of this.

The brigade commander led a force of 30,000 men, including the main force of Kong Jie's independent detachment. Their mission in Shimen was not just to attack the two county towns.

However, ensuring the transportation of supplies to Datong is the top priority right now; there will be opportunities to attack the mining area later.

But if all the supplies from Datong can't be transported back, then they'll really be gone.

If all those supplies couldn't be brought back, the brigade commander would be heartbroken.

Headquarters, the headquarters has successfully completed its relocation and is out of danger. The radio can be turned back on.

After receiving the telegram from the Independent Detachment, the headquarters commanders' reaction was not much better than that of the brigade commander.

As the headquarters that oversees the entire Eighth Route Army, it knows best just how poor the Eighth Route Army is.

If all the supplies from Datong could be transported back, it would be a leap forward for the entire Eighth Route Army!
"He actually succeeded! This is Datong, a major city in the north!"

"Now our Eighth Route Army is famous in the international community. This is the first time we've captured a major military and resource town from the Japanese!" a commander said.

“Yes, we’ve been waiting for this day for so long, and we’ve finally made it!” another person said.

"Food, weapons, factory equipment, money, medicine—such a huge and abundant spoils! We're going to be rich!"

"However, we did not expect so many supplies, and our transportation capacity is insufficient."

The attack on a major city like Datong resulted in the capture of an enormous quantity and variety of spoils.

Not only Chen Ming, but even the headquarters leaders did not expect there to be so many.

It was truly a young woman getting married for the first time, and she had no experience whatsoever.

"Sigh, I wish I could fly to Datong right now and personally bring all the supplies back," said Chen Ming's direct supervisor.

“Who says otherwise? It would break my heart to leave so many supplies behind,” another person said.

"Haha, don't worry, just wait. Knowing Chen Ming as I do, the solution will be sent over by telegram soon," the boss said confidently.

Chen Ming, a cadre who knew Li Yunlong best, understood his thoughts and was willing to fight. He could see through Li Yunlong's ideas from the contents of this telegram.

If it were truly difficult, so much space would not have been spent reporting the quantity of captured supplies, with the difficulties only mentioned at the very end.

Even the difficulties were simply requests for active responses from various departments to support the transportation of supplies.

This telegram was actually a boast; Chen Ming must have figured out a way, and it wouldn't be long before it arrived.

"Now that you mention it, I can see it too. This isn't a telegram requesting support at all," a leader said with a chuckle.

"That's true, but we have to do something too. The Japanese are rushing to Datong at all costs, and the mobilization of their troops is so large and urgent that it has exposed quite a few weaknesses."

"The telegram requesting a positive response from all departments must be for this purpose," a staff officer said.

"That's right, it's time to adjust our strategy."

"."

Inside the command post, half an hour later, Chen Ming sent the independent detachment's new operational plan to the headquarters and the command post in Shimen via telegram.

Shimen Command Post.

Just as the brigade commander was about to issue the orders to the various units, he received another telegram from Chen Ming.

Upon seeing the telegram, even the brigade commander, though slow to react, immediately understood.

"Well, Chen Ming is making fun of me!" the brigade commander said with a smile and a shake of his head.

The hunter who spends all day hunting geese has now been pecked in the eye.

He used to be the one making fun of Chen Ming, but now he's been outmaneuvered.

"The supplies are truly dazzling, I never expected this," the brigade commander said.

He didn't express any dissatisfaction, he was just sighing.

I never imagined that one day I would be so blinded by the enormous amount of spoils that I would fail to notice Chen Ming's true intentions.

However, if he could capture this many supplies every time, Chen Ming could make fun of him every day.

"Chen Ming is really bold. After attacking Datong, he still dared to attack Wucheng when the Japanese were amassing a large force!"

"Since he dares to fight, I can't fall behind."

"Order all units, led by the Independent Regiment and the 772nd Regiment, plus two other regiments, to continue advancing northward as planned, to contain the Japanese reinforcements."

"The troops led by Kong Jie will continue to carry out the plan to raid the Jingxing mining area."

The brigade commander issued the order.

By having some troops tie down the Japanese reinforcements heading north to Datong, Chen Ming could create momentum and increase the likelihood that the Japanese would believe he was attacking Wucheng.

Meanwhile, another force, mainly composed of Kong Jie's elite troops, took advantage of the Japanese soldiers' relaxed vigilance and launched a direct attack on the Jingxing mining area.

The brigade commander is trying to fire a double shot!

If Chen Ming has such audacity, how could he, as a leader, lag behind?
P.S.: I'm moving today, so I'm taking a day off!

(End of this chapter)