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

Chapter 209 Tank Battalion Acquired, Noon Saburo's End!

"fire!"

A Japanese Type 95 light tank turned its Type 94 37mm gun around and fired a shell at a Japanese machine gun position.

"boom!"

"Boom!"

The direct-fire artillery was extremely accurate, and the Japanese machine gun positions were destroyed in an instant.

"Charge forward and crush those damn Japanese devils!"

The tank commander shouted.

After the Japanese machine gun position was destroyed, two machine gun squads of Japanese soldiers were still alive and tried to escape the range of the armored company's tanks.

However, even if they survived a direct hit from a shell, the physical damage would not be enough to help them evade the tank's attack.

As the tank drew ever closer, hurtling towards them, the Japanese soldiers desperately grabbed their rifles and smashed them against the tank's hull.

"Ahhh!"

As expected, the rifle butt posed no threat to the inside of the tank, and didn't even leave a white mark.

Although the Japanese Type 95 light tank had very thin armor that could be penetrated by heavy machine guns, it was not something that could be damaged by a gun butt.

This wasn't the Pacific War; the Eighth Route Army the Japanese were facing didn't need anti-tank weapons at all, so it was impossible for the Japanese to charge at tanks with spiking grenades and perish together.

Because of the suddenness of the attack, the Japanese were unable to quickly organize effective countermeasures against the armored forces.

The more than 30 Japanese tanks stationed in the tank camp were directly exposed to the advance team's advance force after their barracks were breached by the armored company.

The main infantry force of Ding Wei's unit, which followed behind the armored company, directly annihilated a large number of Japanese tank soldiers.

Without soldiers to drive them, these tanks naturally become nothing more than lumps of iron.

Driving a tank is a technical job; it's not as simple as getting into the tank, stepping on the gas, and starting off.

After the armored company eliminated the Japanese forces capable of threatening tanks, the rest of the battle was pretty much as expected.

The tanks and armored vehicles of the armored company rampaged through the Japanese camp, while a battalion of infantry from Ding Wei's unit divided and surrounded them.

Xu Desheng's cavalry battalion maneuvered around the perimeter, cutting off and compressing the Japanese troops' operational space.

In less than an hour, the gunfire in the Japanese tank camp subsided, leaving only a few sporadic shots.

This is soldiers finishing off the Japanese soldiers' corpses to prevent them from rising from the dead.

Finishing off an enemy is a good habit; with the arsenal's current production capacity, there's no shortage of bullets.

An hour later, the battle was completely over.

In this battle, all Japanese tank crews, as well as the two infantry companies escorting them, and the supply and logistics personnel in the camp, were wiped out.

There were approximately 700 Japanese soldiers in total, with no prisoners taken.

These Japanese soldiers were the backbone of the 5th Tank Regiment drawn from the Japanese Kwantung Army. Before the formation of the 3rd Division on the battlefield was completed, they were wiped out by the advance team of the Independent Detachment outside Jining.

This was the first time the Independent Detachment had fought against the Japanese Kwantung Army, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Mobile warfare is really exhilarating! More than 700 Japanese soldiers and more than 30 tanks were wiped out by us in less than an hour."

Zhou Weiguo said with a smile.

He studied mechanized warfare in Germany, but due to the national circumstances, he had to switch to special operations.

Now that I'm back to my old profession, I feel incredibly happy.

“These look like the Japanese Kwantung Army. No wonder they were so arrogant. We’ve already reached our doorstep before they realized what was happening,” said Wang Huaibao, battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of Ding Wei’s unit.

"That's right, it was indeed the Japanese Kwantung Army. Relying on their superior status and strong combat power, they were much more arrogant than the Japanese troops inside the Great Wall."

"This battle has shown us that the Japanese Kwantung Army is indeed difficult to fight, but no matter how difficult it is, we have managed to take them down."

"Our armored company stormed into the camp directly. Even the Japanese Amako's guards were useless and couldn't make a fuss at all."

Zhou Weiguo said with a smile.

The Japanese Kwantung Army had never fought against the Independent Detachment and didn't really pay much attention to it.

The Kwantung Army was directly subordinate to the Japanese emperor's "Imperial Guard," which gave the Kwantung Army a superior status.

In terms of both resource allocation and combat power, they were far superior to the Japanese forces inside the Great Wall.

This fostered the arrogant and domineering style of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

They believed that no matter how strong the independent detachment was, it could not threaten their superior force consisting of more than thirty tanks.

Twenty of them were Type 95 light tanks and twelve were Type 97 medium tanks.

The Type 97 medium tank is far superior to the Type 95 lightly armored tank; its combat capability is much stronger.

In addition, the Japanese planes were conducting reconnaissance of the Independent Detachment during the day and did not discover any large-scale mobilization of the Independent Detachment.

The Japanese Kwantung Army, which was preparing to form the 3rd Tank Division, never expected that the Eighth Route Army could launch a surprise attack on nearly 100 kilometers in one night, directly assaulting their tank unit that had just arrived in Jining for rest and reorganization.

When the tanks of the armored company stormed into the Japanese camp, some Japanese soldiers had just woken up and hadn't even put on their clothes yet.

In this situation, even the most elite Japanese troops could not turn the tide after losing the initiative, being outnumbered, and having their anti-tank weapons destroyed.

"Chief of Staff, we have captured thirty-two tanks, all in perfect condition, and countless barrels of fuel!"

The cadres who were organizing the cleanup of the battlefield shouted excitedly.

More than thirty tanks!
They've really made a fortune this time!

Their independent detachment's armored company has thirteen tanks, and this raid has demonstrated the formidable combat power of their armored forces.

More than 700 elite Japanese Kwantung Army soldiers were wiped out before they even made a ripple.

If these 32 tanks are added, the armored company of the independent detachment will become an armored battalion, suddenly possessing 45 tanks and 17 armored vehicles!

He didn't even dare to imagine how much damage an armored battalion could cause on the battlefield.

"Then what are we waiting for? Take them all away! Don't leave the Japanese a single screw behind!"

Zhou Weiguo said excitedly.

"Yes!"

Of all those present, Zhou Weiguo and Zhao Yuan from the armored company were the happiest.

Zhao Yuan was pleased because his armored company's strength would be significantly enhanced, transforming it from a tactical support force into a strategic mobile force.

He himself will be promoted again because of this great achievement.

Of course, it's impossible for him to become the commander of an armored battalion; even if he were to be promoted exceptionally, it wouldn't be in this way.

Chen Ming was able to be promoted directly from a company-level squad to a regimental level because he was already a battalion-level officer during the Red Army period.

If it weren't for his heroic injuries in multiple battles, he would have been a regimental commander long ago under normal circumstances.

The reorganization of the district squad into an independent second regiment, with Chen Ming as the regimental commander, was a unique case and cannot be replicated.

However, although he cannot be directly promoted to the position of commander of an armored battalion, he can still serve as a deputy.

The armored company commander is a high-ranking officer, not a regular company commander, but a deputy battalion commander. Judging from his recent achievements, a promotion from deputy battalion commander to deputy regimental commander shouldn't be a problem.

After all, besides Zhou Weiguo, he's the only one in the entire unit who understands armored warfare.

Zhou Weiguo was happy because of the increased strength of his troops, which meant they had more power to eliminate more Japanese soldiers.

Fighting the Japanese to this extent, isn't it more comfortable than when I was in the National Revolutionary Army?

Moreover, Chen Ming valued him highly, appointing him as the deputy chief of staff of the independent detachment.

He is one of the core command members of the independent detachment.

Given such high regard, if Zhou Weiguo stayed with the Nationalist Army, would the Nationalist Army allow him to serve as the deputy chief of staff of an army group?
If he had stuck to one path, he might still be a cannon fodder regimental commander now.

The work of transporting supplies is in full swing. Large quantities of fuel are being loaded onto trucks, and the soldiers who were originally traveling by truck are now marching on foot.

The captured tanks were driven by trained tank crews, with soldiers carrying supplies sitting on them, and headed towards the base area.

Chen Ming's plan was to take over the Japanese tank camp and then immediately withdraw the armored forces to prevent the Japanese from sending aircraft to destroy the tanks that had been captured with great difficulty.

Meanwhile, some infantry units covered the withdrawal of armored units, while others cooperated with cavalry units to create the appearance of attacking Jining from its outskirts.

This would distract the Japanese troops, potentially causing them to misjudge the true purpose of the Independent Detachment, allowing the armored forces to withdraw smoothly.

As for using captured tanks to ambush Japanese reinforcements, Chen Ming had not considered this possibility.

It's not worth it. If we drag it out until dawn, the Japanese planes will be able to take off, and our armored forces will be in great danger.

In this operation, the air defense battalion of the Independent Detachment was not deployed, and they were still somewhat ineffective against the Japanese aircraft.

We've finally managed to save up some money; we can't just let it all go to waste.

We can fight the Japanese anytime; there's no need to rush.

Jining.

The Japanese soldiers in Jining had already discovered that the tank camp outside the city had been attacked, and they hurriedly made a phone call to inquire.

"Baka! This is a matter for our Kwantung Army. They're just some Chinese who are going to their deaths. You bunch of idiots, mind your own business."

In the command room of the Japanese tank camp, Zhou Weiguo received inquiries from the Japanese troops in Jining and humiliated them in his Kyoto-accented Japanese.

The Japanese soldier who called Jining to inquire heard Zhou Weiguo's fluent Kyoto-accented Japanese and was arrogant and domineering, showing no regard for human beings.

There was no suspicion whatsoever, as if this was how officers from Kyoto in the Kwantung Army should treat them.

In addition, the troops stationed in Mongolia had been utterly defeated by the Independent Detachment during this period, so the high command had no choice but to transfer some elite troops from the Kwantung Army to form the 3rd Tank Division to clean up their mess.

The Japanese troops stationed in Mongolia were even more humiliated.

They deserve to be criticized; their troops stationed in Mongolia have performed terribly.

If Zhou Weiguo had answered the Japanese soldiers in Jining in a polite and courteous manner, they might have suspected that something was really amiss.

"Damn Noon Saburo, why hasn't he committed seppuku yet? He's made our Mongolian army lose all face."

The young Japanese officers in Jining openly cursed.

In their view, the current situation of the troops stationed in Mongolia is entirely due to the incompetence of Commander Noon Saburo.

Faced with such a huge defeat, even losing Datong, Commander Noon Saburo still hasn't committed seppuku to atone for his sins.

He is a disgrace to the empire. How can he face His Majesty the Emperor?
After hanging up the phone, the Japanese officer in Jining immediately reported the situation.

Inside the headquarters of the Japanese army stationed in Mongolia, the chief of staff of the Japanese army stationed in Mongolia did not suspect anything after learning about it.

The Kwantung Army has always acted this way, relying on its status to look down on the troops inside the Great Wall.

However, they do have the right to be arrogant.

The large amount of resources allocated to the Japanese Kwantung Army resulted in its weapons and equipment being extremely sophisticated.

There were more than 30 tanks on the outskirts of Jining this time, more than all the troops stationed in Mongolia combined.

Including those destroyed and captured by the Independent Detachment, the troops stationed in Mongolia now have less than ten tanks available.

The Kwantung Army, on the other hand, could easily mobilize dozens of tanks. In comparison, they were practically treated like stepchildren.

Zhou Weiguo's talent came into play once again, buying the armored forces two hours to withdraw.

With the speed of armored forces, two hours is enough to withdraw to a safe area, and there is no need to fear the Japanese planes anymore.

As for why it's two hours?
After the armored forces withdrew, Ding Wei's 500 men, plus the cavalry battalion, totaling about 1,000 men, launched an attack on the Japanese positions outside Jining.

The troops raised the banner of the Independent Detachment, which greatly frightened the Japanese soldiers in Jining.

They immediately requested assistance from the Japanese tank camp outside Jining, asking them to deploy armored forces to repel the Independent Detachment.

However, in this deserted tank camp, there was no one to respond to him.

At this point, the Japanese soldiers in Jining realized something was wrong.

Even if the Kwantung Army was arrogant and domineering, it wouldn't just stand by and watch Jining be attacked without doing anything; it would at least offer some symbolic assistance.

Why isn't she answering the phone?

The Japanese soldiers in Jining immediately called the Mongolian military headquarters, requesting them to contact the tank camp and send out reconnaissance planes to investigate the situation.

When the Japanese reconnaissance planes arrived over the tank camp, they found only an empty tank camp, with even the tents removed.

Even the most foolish Japanese soldiers realized what was happening at this point.

The Independent Detachment's attack on Jining was a pretense; their real purpose was to attack the armored camp.

Looking at the armored camp, stripped naked, a sea of ​​white corpses, and not a single tank wreckage in sight.

The Japanese command in Mongolia had realized that the tank camp had been successfully raided by the Eighth Route Army, and that all the tanks had been taken away.

"Tired, destroy."

Deep within the headquarters of the Mongolian garrison, when Noon Saburo heard the news, he felt little emotional.

He learned from the forces behind him that the decision on his case from headquarters was about to be made.

There isn't much time left for him.

Unable to wait for the order to commit seppuku, Noon Saburo chose to accompany Shinotsuka Yoshio first.

Only in this way can the shame on him be lessened by the spirit of Bushido, and his family will not be implicated.

In this situation, let alone the tanks that the Kwantung Army was supporting in preparing to form the 3rd Tank Division being attacked by the Eighth Route Army.

Even if the Eighth Route Army were to launch a second attack on Datong, or even on Wucheng, where the headquarters of the Mongolian Army was located, he would not be greatly affected.

"Chen Ming, Independent Detachment, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

Noon Saburo cursed angrily and chose the same ending as Shinotsuka Yoshio.

However, he was not as good as Yoshio Shinotsuka, who ultimately chose to be the second.

P.S.: I've been following the drama all day and almost forgot to write anything, but luckily I made it in time.

(End of this chapter)