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

Chapter 198 Our commander asked me to pass on a message to you

Jining.

After an hour of rapid maneuvering, the vanguard successfully reached the outskirts of Jining.

The Japanese and puppet troops in Jining were now in chaos and in a state of panic.

The puppet troops, in particular, lived in constant fear.

The puppet troops were unaware of the news that the Japanese detachment had been completely annihilated, but they weren't stupid and could guess what had happened.

The Eighth Route Army rushed over from the direction of the Japanese troops who had gone out, but they did not see a single Japanese soldier.

Moreover, they were facing an elite force from an independent detachment, a semi-mechanized elite force.

The result is self-evident: most of the Japanese soldiers who went out were killed.

Right now, there's only one company of Japanese soldiers left in the city, plus their two thousand-plus puppet troops. They have no chance of winning against the elite Independent Detachment.

A single battalion of Japanese soldiers wouldn't be enough to hold off an independent detachment for several hours, let alone a company of Japanese soldiers plus their puppet troops.

The puppet troops inside the city were already thinking about how to surrender in order to save their lives, especially the commanders of the two puppet regiments.

Other puppet troops could live after surrendering, but those who were the ringleaders had almost no hope of survival once they were put on trial.

No one wants to die. It's better to live a miserable life than to die. Who would want to die if they could live?

But how to survive is the question.

So the commanders of the two puppet legions got together to discuss the matter.

"Brother Wang, we're in big trouble this time. The elite Eighth Route Army is here, and our city simply can't withstand their attack."

"Although the Japanese say that reinforcements will arrive soon, we still have a chance as long as we hold on."

"But everyone knows that the Japanese reinforcements would have to run from the central Hebei region to get here, and they would have to be blocked by the Eighth Route Army along the way, so it was impossible for them to arrive in time."

"As for the Japanese in Guihua and Baotou, how many are there? They can't all come to support us, otherwise the Northern Route Army wouldn't have given up this good opportunity. At most, they would have sent one or two battalions."

The puppet army commander surnamed Zhang began his analysis.

The puppet army commander surnamed Wang frowned, coughed at his pipe, and looked worried.

"So what can we do now? Even if we surrender, the brothers below can live, but the two of us definitely won't."

“I’ve heard from the brothers who were captured by the Eighth Route Army that the Eighth Route Army only punishes the ringleaders, and we two, as regimental commanders, are undoubtedly the ringleaders,” said the regimental commander surnamed Wang.

"Why don't we rebel? We can wipe out the Japanese in the city and then hand over Jining to the Eighth Route Army. That way, we'll have the credit for the uprising on the battlefield and the county seat, and our lives should be saved."

The puppet army commander surnamed Zhang offered his suggestion.

"I'd like to do that too, but the problem is I can't beat them!"

"Although the Japanese only numbered a little over a hundred, they guarded the key positions and firing points within the city, so our brothers didn't dare to make any moves."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that our two regiments together have more than two thousand people; we're not of one mind at all."

"Letting them bully ordinary people is fine, but when it comes to fighting the Japanese, very few people dare to go up. At most, three or four hundred people would dare to fight alongside us."

The puppet army commander surnamed Wang said with a bitter face.

"Sigh, the Eighth Route Army's policies are too powerful. They have directly caused many of our brothers to lose their will to fight. They think that as long as they surrender after the city falls, they can save their lives. Not many people are willing to fight us to the death."

The puppet army commander surnamed Zhang sighed.

Given the choice between surrendering and living versus resisting and dying, any person with a sound mind would choose the safer option.

Besides, surrendering to the Eighth Route Army is not a shameful thing. Those puppet troops can even surrender to the Japanese and become traitors.

What does this little thing even matter?

Upon hearing this, the puppet army commander surnamed Wang also looked worried, his mind racing as he tried to find a way to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.

"I've got it! I have an idea!"

"What can we do? Say it quickly!"

Upon hearing that the other party had a solution, the regimental commander surnamed Zhang immediately pressed for details.

"We can take advantage of the fact that the Eighth Route Army has not yet attacked Jining and send someone to deliver a message to the Eighth Route Army, saying that we want to revolt on the battlefield."

"When the Eighth Route Army attacks, we'll rebel right here in the city, kill the Japanese devils, and surrender the city!"

“We can tell our brothers that the Japanese are planning to force us all to the city walls to fight the Eighth Route Army and send us to our deaths.”

"But we two won't watch our brothers die in vain. We've already talked to the Eighth Route Army about launching a battlefield uprising to save our brothers' lives."

"However, the Eighth Route Army wanted to test whether we were truly surrendering, fearing that we were feigning surrender. The way to prove it was to eliminate the Japanese soldiers at the city gate and open the city gate for the Eighth Route Army."

"So, on the Eighth Route Army's side, we were the troops who led a large-scale uprising and surrendered the city."

"We contacted the Eighth Route Army to save the lives of our brothers down there."

“In this way, we can tie ourselves and our brothers together, even our lives, and win over more brothers to join us in the uprising.”

The regimental commander, surnamed Wang, shared his thoughts.

To put it bluntly, it was about exploiting information asymmetry to maneuver between the Eighth Route Army and its puppet troops.

Policies to resolve the divisions between Eighth Route Army officers and ordinary soldiers, and between lower-ranking officers.

The originally opposing relationships were re-bound into a community of shared interests.

For the Eighth Route Army, taking the initiative to contact them and leading their troops in a battlefield uprising to surrender the city is completely different from being passively surrendered after the city has been captured.

The former deserves credit, the latter does not.

For the soldiers, when the Japanese tried to force them to their deaths, their commanders gave them a way out: to revolt together with their commanders.

At the same time, they used rhetoric to tell them that not following their uprising meant they were going down the same path as the Japanese.

When the Eighth Route Army invaded, the first people they dealt with were those traitors who were loyal to the Japanese.

In this way, their fates became intertwined with that of their superiors. When they revolted, they were not fighting for their superiors, but fighting to survive.

The fact that Commander Wang was able to become a puppet army commander shows he must have some skill; at least he had some experience in manipulating people's hearts.

After listening to what the regimental commander surnamed Wang said, the Zhang regimental commander pondered the feasibility of the matter, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"That's what we'll do. I'll gather my trusted confidants immediately!"

Therefore, the two puppet army commanders summoned their confidants to discuss the matter, while closely monitoring any puppet soldiers who might inform on them.

"Jining is definitely not going to hold out. If anyone dares to inform the Japanese and blindly follows them, they will definitely not survive when the Eighth Route Army invades."

"There are only a little over a hundred Japanese soldiers in the city, while we have more than two thousand. Do you think it's harder to deal with a little over a hundred Japanese soldiers, or with tens of thousands of Eighth Route Army soldiers outside the city?"

"If you want to live, join me in the uprising, take down the dozen or so Japanese soldiers at the city gate, and welcome the Eighth Route Army into the city."

"Once the Eighth Route Army enters the city, the Japanese devils inside will be finished. Then all of us brothers will be alive and won't be forced to our deaths by the Japanese devils!"

The puppet army commander surnamed Wang addressed his troops in this manner.

Ordinary soldiers in this era had limited access to information, with a large portion of the information they received coming from their superiors.

Basically, they could only receive whatever information their superiors said and had no choice but to obey their orders.

Most of the puppet troops had already believed the puppet commander's words and had made their own plans.

A small number of clever and quick-witted puppet soldiers guessed some of the inside story, but remained silent.

At this point, if there are any objections, or if the false commander is directly exposed...

He would most likely be accused of disrupting morale and trying to wholeheartedly follow the Japanese and be executed.

They're not stupid. Once the majority has made their decision, the opinions of the minority are no longer important; on the contrary, they might become the target of criticism!
Upon reaching a consensus, the puppet army commander immediately dispatched a trusted confidant to secretly contact He Ping, the political commissar of He Jianxin's unit and the commander of the vanguard. After learning the purpose of the visit, He Ping ordered the puppet army's personnel to be brought in.

Chen Ming told them that when jackals break into our home, we should unite all possible forces to divide the jackals and drive them out first.

He Ping would not refuse the possibility of taking Jining and eliminating the Japanese at a lower cost.

After driving away the jackals, they closed the door and cleaned the house.

"Bring them in," He Ping ordered.

After a thorough search, the puppet army representative was brought before He Ping.

"Sir, our regimental commander asked me to pass on a message to you."

As soon as they entered, the puppet army representative immediately spoke.

"Go on," He Ping said.

"Our regimental commander said that we surrendered to the Japanese out of desperation, just to beg for a way to survive."

"But we are still Chinese after all, and we really don't want to risk our lives for the Japanese now."

"During the years we followed the Japanese, they never treated us like human beings. We lived worse than dogs."

"Now that our Chinese army has fought back, we can finally turn the tide again."

“When your army attacks the county town, we can launch an uprising inside the town to help eliminate the Japanese soldiers at the city gate, open the city gate to welcome the army into the town and eliminate the Japanese soldiers.”

The puppet army representative explained the full purpose of their visit.

He Ping knew what the other side was thinking. They were worried about the power of their troops and afraid of being purged after they captured the city.

The so-called uprising was nothing more than a means to save one's life.

As for the idea of ​​national righteousness, if it were true, why not start a rebellion at any time when a large army is pressing in?
However, He Ping did not point it out. Judging by actions rather than intentions, at least the other side's act of rebellion was good.

"Is that all?" He Ping asked after the puppet army representative finished speaking.

"What else?" the puppet army representative asked, puzzled.

"Aren't there any conditions?" He Ping asked again.

"No, no, our commander said that our uprising is unconditional and we don't need any conditions," the puppet army representative quickly replied.

Upon hearing this, He Ping's lips curled up slightly.

This fake legion commander was smart enough to know that he had no chance to negotiate.

Whether the puppet troops surrendered or not did not have a significant impact on the capture of Jining by the vanguard.

After all, as long as they make a public announcement before attacking the city and guarantee the safety of the puppet troops who do not resist after capturing Jining, they can succeed.

Most of the puppet troops in the city would lose their will to fight, and whether or not they revolted would not have a particularly significant impact.

The puppet army commander knew that if he made demands and angered the Eighth Route Army, he might end up with nothing.

It would be better to obediently revolt unconditionally and be sensible.

The Eighth Route Army will spare their lives for propaganda purposes, considering their sensible nature.

“Alright, go back and tell your regimental commander that my unit accepts your uprising. The main force will attack the city from the south at eight o'clock this morning. I hope your unit will cooperate,” He Ping said.

"Yes, I will go back immediately and tell the regimental commander to cooperate with your army to eliminate the Japanese devils," the puppet army representative said excitedly.

After the puppet army representative left, He Ping spoke.

"The troops will launch a normal attack on the city, with the main attack coming from the west, while increasing the number of troops launching a feint attack from the south."

"If the puppet troops in the south do not revolt as planned, then attack Jining from the west to lock down the situation."

"If the puppet troops on the south side successfully revolt and open the city gates, then the west and south sides will be the main attacking forces."

"The cavalry battalion maneuvered to the north and east of Jining and annihilated the fleeing enemy."

"The reconnaissance company will go west to scout ahead and keep an eye on the Japanese reinforcements."

He Ping made some adjustments to the plan.

He did not fully believe the puppet troops' claim of surrender, and the attack on the city proceeded according to the normal plan.

Whether the puppet troops truly surrendered or not had little impact on the siege.

If the puppet troops staged a rebellion and revealed the intelligence to the Japanese, it would be exactly what He Ping wanted.

After the Japanese and puppet troops in the city moved their main force to the south, the attack from the west would be smoother, and they would be able to enter Jining more quickly and secure victory.

If the puppet troops were to actually revolt, it would simply add another main attack direction, making it a joint attack from the west and south.

Both sides of Jining will be liberated; there will be no surprises.

After making the arrangements, He Ping reported the situation to Chen Ming's command post.

After receiving the telegram, Chen Ming carefully reviewed it and then issued instructions.

"agree."

It was eight o'clock in the morning.

The attacking troops were ready.

The Japanese soldiers and puppet troops in Jining all gripped their guns tightly, their hearts pounding with tension.

"Don't worry, sir! My troops will fight to the death and will never let the Eighth Route Army get in!" the puppet regiment commander assured the Japanese captain.

The remaining puppet troops also declared that as long as some of them were still alive, they would never allow the Eighth Route Army to attack and enter the city.

The Japanese lieutenant was surprised and uncertain when he saw the previously listless puppet troops suddenly stand up straight.

How did the puppet troops change their nature?

"Sir, I've thought it through. With a formidable enemy at hand, if the Eighth Route Army were to invade Jining, I would definitely not survive after all the evil I've committed."

"Our only way out now is to hold Jining and wait for reinforcements from the main force."

"Tens of thousands of troops are heading our way. The Eighth Route Army may not dare to attack Jining for long. We still have a chance."

The puppet army commander sensed the Japanese soldiers' suspicion and quickly delivered the explanation he had prepared.

The Japanese lieutenant felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this, but he did not take the words of the puppet army commander seriously.

Did he really expect a large army to come to his aid? That was just a rhetoric he used to deceive these puppet troops and prevent them from collapsing so quickly.

In fact, the remaining Japanese soldiers in Jining all knew that after a battalion of the garrison was annihilated in the field by the Eighth Route Army, they would have no chance to hold Jining.

All we can do now is fight to the death, uphold the Bushido spirit, and deplete the remaining strength of the Independent Detachment.

"Yoshi, the commander at headquarters has called us, saying that reinforcements have arrived from Baotou and Guihua, and the main force has recaptured Huai'an and is now attacking Xinghe."

"If we hold out until noon, the Eighth Route Army will retreat."

"After all, no army dares to confront more than 40,000 Imperial soldiers!"

"As long as we hold Jining, we'll have plenty of gold coins."

The Japanese lieutenant spoke up.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! My troops will fight to the death! We will never retreat!" The puppet army commander bowed and pledged his loyalty.

After leaving, the fake regimental commander spat and muttered under his breath:

"Screw your reinforcements! I'm not some fool. Once the Eighth Route Army enters the city, none of you beasts who treat me like dogs will survive."

"Tell the brothers that as soon as the Eighth Route Army fires its cannons, they should immediately move in and welcome the main force into the city!" the puppet army commander ordered.

P.S.: What a bad day! I lost my driver's license, bank cards, ID card, and student ID. I have absolutely no motivation to write. It's not like I just wanted to update this.
(End of this chapter)