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

Chapter 230 Six Hundred Men Demonstrate the Might of Three Thousand

Before the smoke of battle had even cleared, the results of the battlefield inventory were already laid out before Liu Tengjie:

In this battle, a total of 187 Japanese soldiers and 230 puppet troops were killed, and more than 200 puppet troops were captured. The remaining 200-plus puppet troops scattered and fled under the cover of night.

The seized supplies were also plentiful.

Among the more than 400 rifles, there were the Type 38 rifles commonly used by the Japanese, as well as the Liaoning Type 13 rifles left over from the former Northeast Army.
Nine light machine guns, mostly Type 91 light machine guns, and two Type 92 heavy machine guns, still warm from the war.
Eight grenade launchers were neatly arranged to one side, next to which were two full boxes of shells;

The most surprising thing was that the two mortars that the Japanese company had been equipped with for independent operations were also captured intact, with the gun barrels gleaming and even the gun carriages undamaged.

In addition, there were tens of thousands of bullets, more than two hundred hand grenades, and supplies such as compressed biscuits and canned food carried by the Japanese soldiers, piled up on the open ground like a small mountain.

Seeing the fleeing puppet troops, Liu Tengjie waved his hand, not ordering his soldiers to give chase.

"They're just opportunists; they'll run away if they want."

He explained to the officials around him:

"Firstly, they scattered too much, there are many forks in the mountain road, and our forces are limited, so chasing them would be time-consuming and laborious."

Secondly, even if we catch them and bring them back, we'll need to assign more people to guard them, which will only divert our resources.

That being said, he knew in his heart that the most important thing right now was not to pursue and suppress the puppet troops.

Instead, before the news of the Japanese being wiped out in the Chengde direction could spread, they quickly launched a surprise attack on the Japanese and puppet troops in the Chifeng direction.

This is the most important thing right now.

The cleanup of the battlefield was swift; the soldiers skillfully sorted and packed weapons and ammunition, and gathered up usable supplies.

Liu Tengjie left a squad of soldiers behind and asked them to contact villagers in nearby villages to help transport the captured supplies back.

"The villagers have been hoping for our victory for a long time. Letting them come and help will not only save us effort, but also let them see the combat effectiveness of our troops sooner, so that they can feel at ease."

Sure enough, not long after, the villagers arrived pushing wheelbarrows and carrying shoulder poles.

Seeing the guns and ammunition on the ground, everyone's eyes lit up. They helped carry them, excitedly saying:
"That's amazing! They actually wiped out the Japanese devils!"

After processing the supplies, the advance team immediately set off lightly, heading towards Chifeng.

They abandoned all unnecessary supplies, each carrying only weapons, ammunition, and a small amount of dry rations, and swiftly traversed the mountains and forests.

At this moment, speed is life.

We must reach the enemy's camp before news of the Japanese being annihilated in Chengde reaches Chifeng.

Liu Tengjie knew perfectly well that the combat effectiveness of a well-prepared Japanese and puppet army was vastly different from that of an unprepared one.
Once the Japanese troops in Chifeng learn of the devastation in Chengde, they will inevitably strengthen their vigilance, making it difficult to control casualties if they attempt a surprise attack.

The Japanese and puppet troops' garrison in the direction of Chifeng was about 30 kilometers away from the ambush point.

For the advance team soldiers, this was not a difficult problem.

As the elite of the independent detachment, their daily field training starts at 20 kilometers, and traversing mountains and valleys is commonplace for them.

Moreover, the bandit suppression efforts had yielded a considerable amount of spoils, allowing the soldiers to eat meat at every meal, which boosted their energy levels.

In the darkness of night, the soldiers marched in unison, their breathing even, their footsteps creating a steady rhythm in the mountains and forests.

At 4:30 a.m., when the sky was just beginning to lighten, the advance team arrived on time at the outskirts of the Japanese and puppet troops' encampment in the direction of Chifeng.

This is precisely when people are most tired.

Even the most energetic person would start to feel sleepy by this time, let alone a sentry who has been on guard duty for most of the night.

Liu Tengjie had long since figured out this pattern: Chen Ming, the old leader of the Independent Detachment, particularly liked to launch surprise attacks at four or five in the morning when commanding operations.

Because he knew that at this time the enemy's vigilance was lowest, making it the easiest time to succeed.

"how is the situation?"

Liu Tengjie quietly crept to the observation post and asked in a low voice.

The soldier in charge of observation immediately came over and reported in a low voice:
"Reporting to the captain, the Japanese set up camp to rest after dark and haven't made any moves since. We've counted the sentries; there are twelve in total, all of them Japanese."

The puppet troops were all sleeping in their tents, and the people responsible for the outer perimeter were also puppet troops; they seemed very lax.

Furthermore, after observing for over half an hour, we found that the guard posts changed shifts approximately every thirty minutes, and the chaos was most intense during shift changes.

Upon hearing "twelve sentry posts," Liu Tengjie raised an eyebrow.

According to the Japanese military manual, one-third of the troops must be left on guard at night during combat, so as to deal with emergencies and ensure that the main force can rest.

But this group of Japanese soldiers was different; they only left twelve men on guard duty, a small detachment, which was completely incompatible with the manual requirements.

"These Kwantung Army soldiers are really incredibly arrogant."

Liu Tengjie sneered inwardly; he knew all too well what this arrogant mentality meant.

The Japanese soldiers believed from the bottom of their hearts that as long as the Kwantung Army was mobilized, the "Eighth Route Army" would have been so frightened that they would have fled at the mere sight of them and would not have dared to launch a night attack on them.

This is a golden opportunity.

Liu Tengjie clenched his fist, his voice firm:

"Proceed according to the pre-set plan, and take care of these arrogant Japanese devils!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately sprang into action, their movements mirroring those used in their previous ambush of the Japanese in Chengde.

A good tactic is one that wins battles, without any fancy tactics.

The special operations team once again took the lead, sneaking towards the Japanese outpost under the cover of darkness before dawn.

The changing of the guard had just begun, and several Japanese sentries were passing their rifles to each other, unaware of the dark figure behind them.

"Thud!" "Thud!" Several muffled thuds rang out as the Japanese sentries fell one by one, without even having time to sound the alarm.

Having taken control of the sentry posts, the main force immediately launched an attack.

"Charge!" The soldiers' shouts pierced the night sky, grenades rained down on the Japanese tents, and the firepower of light machine guns and submachine guns instantly covered the core area of ​​the camp.

The Japanese troops in the Chifeng direction were even more incompetent than those in Chengde.

They had already let their guard down because of their arrogance, and now that they were suddenly attacked, they were in complete chaos.

Some Japanese soldiers were blown up by grenades before they could even put their clothes on properly;
Some tried to pick up guns to resist, but were pierced through the chest by the soldiers' bayonets.

The puppet troops were terrified. Seeing the Japanese being defeated, they threw down their guns and fled into the mountains, without even the courage to resist.

In just fifteen minutes, the Japanese resistance completely collapsed.

Thirty minutes later, the battle was essentially over. The camp was littered with Japanese corpses and scattered weapons.

Only a few Japanese soldiers were still putting up a stubborn resistance, but they were quickly dealt with by the soldiers.

"Report, Captain! We've captured a high-ranking Japanese officer alive!"

Just as Liu Tengjie was taking stock of the battlefield, a soldier from the reconnaissance company ran over excitedly, followed by two soldiers carrying a Japanese officer whose face was covered in dust, whose body was covered in wounds, and who had been knocked unconscious by the explosion.

Liu Tengjie leaned closer to take a look, and his eyes immediately lit up.

The Japanese officer, wearing the rank of major on his shoulder and several medals pinned to his chest, was the battalion commander of this Japanese unit!
"Okay! Okay!"

Liu Tengjie couldn't help but laugh out loud. Capturing Japanese officers alive, especially officers of battalion commander rank, was even more difficult than winning a major battle.

It should be noted that the suicide rate of Japanese officers was extremely high. Once the battle situation turned unfavorable, they would either take their soldiers with them in a "suicide pact" or commit seppuku themselves.

Capturing a major battalion commander was an unexpected bonus.

"Haha, Sato sent a large battalion plus more than two thousand puppet troops to surround and annihilate us, and what happened? Even his battalion commander was captured alive by us!"

Liu Tengjie patted the Japanese battalion commander on the shoulder, his tone full of sarcasm.

"I'd like to see what face the Kwantung Army still has to be arrogant now!"

He immediately gave the order to the soldiers around him:
"Keep a close eye on him, keep a close watch on him, and absolutely do not let him commit suicide! After the battle, we'll use him to spread the word. Let the people of Chifeng see that even if the enemy's forces outnumber ours five to one, our vanguard can still crush their encirclement!"

Liu Tengjie had already made up his mind.

The crimes committed by the 9th Independent Garrison of the Kwantung Army in the Chifeng area were so heinous that the local people hated them with a passion, and countless families were destroyed because of them.

Although according to the policy of treating prisoners of war well, this Japanese battalion commander could not be directly punished, a public trial could be held so that the people could accuse him of his crimes in person.

If the people become enraged and something "accident" happens, then you can't blame anyone else.

By the time the battlefield was cleaned up, it was almost dawn.

Liu Tengjie frowned as he looked at the rising sun in the east.

The third Japanese and puppet troops' base is even further away from here; even if they set off now, it would take them five hours of forced marching to get there.

The soldiers had been fighting all night and were extremely exhausted. If they continued to march, it would only give the enemy an advantage.

More importantly, the fleeing puppet troops may have already spread the news. Once the third Japanese and puppet troops receive the news, they will inevitably strengthen their vigilance, making it much more difficult to launch a surprise attack.

Moreover, given the temperament of the Kwantung Army, upon learning that two units had been annihilated, they would certainly send additional troops in retaliation, making it too dangerous for them to remain outside.

"Withdraw! Return to the base!" Liu Tengjie made a decisive decision and issued the retreat order.

Meanwhile, the headquarters of the Japanese Ninth Independent Garrison in Chifeng was in complete chaos.

Commander Sato held the telegram, his face ashen.

The Japanese company in the Chengde direction was completely wiped out, leaving not a single survivor; only a few puppet soldiers escaped back.

"Baka! The empire's warriors died on the battlefield, and you coward dare to come back!"

Sato drew his Type 1 General pistol from his waist and pointed it at the kneeling puppet soldier.

The puppet soldier trembled with fear and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me! I risked my life to escape so I could send the message back!"

"Boom!"

Gunshots rang out, and the puppet soldiers fell to the ground in pools of blood.

Sato stared at the corpse on the ground, his chest still heaving.

He needed someone to vent his anger on, and this escaped puppet soldier became the perfect scapegoat.

The puppet soldier who died couldn't understand why, despite bringing back important intelligence, he was still executed.

If I had known this would happen, I would have preferred to have fled with the other puppet troops and become a bandit.

Even after killing the puppet troops, Sato's anger had not subsided.

He immediately ordered the dispatch of two additional infantry battalions to reinforce the Chifeng area, determined to annihilate this group of "local guerrillas".

At the same time, he contacted the Japanese battalion headquarters in the Chifeng direction via radio, instructing them to remain in place and wait for reinforcements to arrive before taking action.

At this moment, Sato finally realized that the fighting power of this "local guerrilla" force far exceeded his expectations.

A company plus six hundred puppet troops couldn't even hold out for half a day. It seems the previous intelligence was wrong. This enemy force was definitely not a "small unit of six hundred men".

But after waiting for a long time, he still did not receive a reply from the brigade in Chifeng.

An ominous premonition welled up in Sato's heart, and he muttered to himself:
"Could it be... that something happened along the way too?"

To verify his suspicions, he immediately applied to his superiors to dispatch a reconnaissance plane to the Japanese base in the direction of Chifeng.

As the commander of the independent garrison, he still had the authority to dispatch a reconnaissance aircraft.

Not long after, the reconnaissance plane sent back a message.

The pilot, flying over the Japanese garrison in the direction of Chifeng, saw that the ground was littered with Japanese corpses and burned tents, clearly indicating that the area had been attacked.

"Baka! Baka yarou!"

Sato was so angry he almost threw the binoculars in his hand; he was furious he felt like his lungs were about to explode.

In just one night, most of the battalion he sent out, plus more than a thousand puppet troops, were wiped out!

What frustrates him even more is that, to this day, he still doesn't know the enemy's specific unit number or actual troop strength.

"This group of Eighth Route Army guerrillas is definitely more than six hundred! There are at least three thousand of them!"

Sato gritted his teeth and wrote down the strength of the advance team in the report.

In his view, the advance team must have concealed its forces; otherwise, it would be impossible to explain its disastrous defeat or to give an account to its superiors.

When the Kwantung Army headquarters received Sato's report, the officials were all full of doubt:
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

How could a force of three thousand men have infiltrated Rehe undetected?
"It must be that Sato failed in his battle and deliberately exaggerated the enemy's strength in an attempt to evade responsibility!"

"What did you say?!"

Sato yelled angrily on the phone.

Do you know how many of my soldiers died in battle? Almost half a battalion!

You actually said I'm shirking responsibility?

The two argued heatedly on the phone, their faces turning red, and they almost came to blows on the spot.

Ultimately, the Kwantung Army Headquarters decided to send additional troops.

Chifeng was the front line for defending against the southward advance of the Soviet Union and also the core area for suppressing anti-Japanese forces; it could not be lost.

They agreed to send two additional battalions to Sato, instructing him to thoroughly investigate the true situation of the Eighth Route Army in the Chifeng area and completely eliminate them.

Meanwhile, the advance team had safely returned to their base.

Their base was a mountain stronghold left behind by a bandit group that had been wiped out previously.

The stronghold was built halfway up the mountain, surrounded by steep cliffs, with only one narrow path leading up to it, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

What's even more remarkable is that there's a natural cave behind the village, with interconnected passages that can not only hide people but also connect to an underground river.

Walk two kilometers along the underground river to reach a hidden exit outside the mountains.

This is practically a base that God prepared for the advance team!

Liu Tengjie was very satisfied with this location.

With this mountain stronghold and cave, even if the Japanese came to retaliate, they would have enough room to maneuver.

"Report the results of the battle to the Fourth Military Sub-district Command immediately."

After returning to the camp, Liu Tengjie gave the order.

As this was the first battle fought against the Japanese in the Chifeng area, and we achieved such great results, we naturally had to report the good news to our superiors.

Let them know that the advance team is making very good progress in the Chifeng area.

At this time, four and a half battalions of Japanese troops were closing in on the mountainous area of ​​Chifeng.

However, due to an underestimation of the size of the advance team, coupled with the fact that the advance team's location was well-hidden and its forces were small, the advance team's strength was underestimated.

It shouldn't be a problem to dodge it.

Liu Tengjie was determined not to meet with this group of Japanese soldiers. He would wait until they left before figuring out how to deal with them.

In Yan'an, Chen Ming received information about the troops and the progress of the advance team.

Although he has gone to the rear for training, the army is currently in a critical period of development, and he can still stay in the rear to provide guidance.

(End of this chapter)