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

Chapter 245 It's time to give Chen Ming more responsibilities!
Inside the command post, all the Japanese officers fell silent after hearing Okamura's words.

What other options do they have now?
Since the defeat at the Battle of Midway, the North China Expeditionary Army has continued to allocate a large number of troops to support the Southern and Pacific theaters.

In the recent Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, the North China Expeditionary Army drew upon at least 17 infantry battalions as its core force.

This includes the main force of the 22nd Division, five battalions of the Oe Mixed Brigade, two battalions of the Nara Detachment, and other existing infantry battalions.

These troops returned in late September, and if they were put into combat immediately without rest and recuperation, they would not be able to exert much combat effectiveness.

The Japanese's secondary strongholds have now been handed over to the puppet troops for defense, greatly reducing the pressure on the base areas behind enemy lines.

It can be said that the North China Expeditionary Army has no troops available to deploy in the short term.

If they were to be forcibly mobilized, the entire Eighth Route Army in North China would not give up this opportunity to expand their gains.

When that time comes, once the hundreds of thousands of Eighth Route Army troops in North China start moving around, the entire North China region will be thrown into chaos.

This was unacceptable to the North China Expeditionary Army.

It can be said that although they still maintain control of the occupied territories, they are subject to constraints everywhere.

Although they were said to have occupied the city, they were actually firmly locked in various cities by the chains formed by our army's base areas.

This is a strategic victory of encircling the cities from the countryside.

"Why is no one saying anything? Does the empire not have a single general who can offer advice?"

Looking at the silent crowd, Okamura's tone was filled with suppressed anger, yet he was also helpless.

In the current situation, he cannot conjure troops out of thin air.

Without troops, even the most brilliant general, with outstanding strategy and tactics, cannot cook without rice.

Gangcun had no choice but to send out all his planes to scout the situation, hoping that the garrison in Guihua and Jining had only lost contact but had not yet fallen, thus delaying the Independent Detachment and buying more time to deal with the situation.

Headquarters.

The headquarters leaders were already waiting in the command room for the latest news from the independent detachment.

Chen Ming had been planning this campaign while he was studying in the rear, and all the leaders at headquarters were clear about the significance of this battle.

It can be said that from the moment Chen Ming ordered the general offensive, the headquarters leaders were waiting for news.

"Report, telegram from the Independent Detachment!"

An officer ran in from outside the command room, panting heavily, but looking very excited.

The leaders immediately understood upon seeing the cadre's performance—it was all set!
If they had suffered a defeat or their offensive had not gone smoothly, the officials who came to report would never have been so excited.

His delight meant that the telegram was good news.

"Reporting to the commander, a great victory! A great victory indeed!"

The cadre shouted excitedly.

"Read it quickly! Never mind, I'll read it myself."

The leader at the head of the group couldn't wait any longer. After receiving the telegram, he glanced at it briefly and, after understanding the general contents, his face lit up with immense joy.

He smiled and read it aloud, word by word:

捷报
To Headquarters:

During the Chahar-Suiyuan Campaign (October 12-14, 1942), under the correct command of the higher-level Party committee, all officers and soldiers fought bravely and made full use of their numerical and firepower advantages, achieving the following results:

26 enemy artillery pieces were destroyed and 13 artillery pieces were captured;
The main force of the Guihua and Jining garrison was basically wiped out, and two puppet army brigades were captured.
They annihilated the Japanese 13th Tank Regiment and captured countless supplies.

The Japanese 3rd Tank Division was cut off from its supply lines and besieged in Baotou, isolated and without support.

A total of 274 Japanese strongholds of various sizes were suppressed and destroyed.

This will achieve a reversal of the strategic balance between the enemy and ourselves in the Chahar-Suiyuan region and effectively support friendly forces in the Second World War zone.

The newly formed special forces detachment achieved a resounding victory in its first battle, demonstrating the prowess of our army's first special task force.

We are currently consolidating our gains and further expanding our army's influence in Chahar and Suiyuan.

This battle demonstrated national power and military might, and thwarted the enemy's ambition to invade!
Our army will continue to carry forward its fighting spirit, consolidate its victories, and resolutely defend our homeland!
This is to report our good news!

Independent Detachment Chen Ming's Unit!
October 14, 1942.

After the headquarters leader read the contents of the victory report word by word, everyone in the command post couldn't help but laugh.

The Independent Detachment captured Guihua, the central city of Suiyuan, and Jining, a city that opened up the road to the north.

This was of great significance, as it transformed the strategic landscape of Chahar and Suiyuan provinces and opened up channels to the outside world.

In addition, the Japanese 3rd Tank Division was cut off at Baotou, cutting off its supply lines to the railway.

Without supplies and fuel, no matter how strong the Japanese tank divisions are, they will eventually be annihilated.

Unless the Japanese army receives sufficient reinforcements to relieve the predicament of the 3rd Tank Division, this tank division, which has only been formed for a few months, will be doomed.

But can the Japanese still muster any troops now?

Our military leaders are more aware of the current situation of the Japanese in North China than the Japanese themselves are.

Because of their traditional skills, the Japanese soldiers commonly engaged in deception and cover-ups, which was a regular occurrence in their military operations.

For example, even months later, most people in Japan still believe that the Japanese navy's defeat at Midway was a great victory.

If such a major defeat could be concealed, what chance would the Japanese have of sporadic losses in North China?
It could be said that the people who knew the Japanese best were actually the Japanese's enemies.

Everyone present knew that the Japanese would definitely not be able to mobilize reinforcements to rescue the besieged 3rd Tank Division in the short term.

They also lacked the strength to retake Jining and Guihua.

Defending a city and attacking a city are two completely different things.

When defending a city, you don't need to worry too much about logistics; you just need to defend against attacks.

If we launch an offensive, given the Japanese army's current fragile supply capabilities, their main force might run out of supplies before they even reach Jining.

Of course, there is one more crucial question.

Winter is just around the corner.

Suiyuan and Chahar are not southern regions. Once winter arrives, the difficulty of winter warfare for the army will increase exponentially.

In winter, temperatures in places like Suiyuan and Chahar can drop below minus forty degrees Celsius. Under such conditions, even the strongest person would not be able to withstand it.

Under these circumstances, neither the Japanese nor Chen Ming would launch an offensive in winter.

In other words, at least until the weather warms up next year, the provinces of Suiyuan and Chahar will be under the control of our army.

The Japanese tank division in Baotou will also be trapped and killed in Baotou.

How could the headquarters leaders not be happy about such a victory that directly impacted the strategic landscape of North China?

"Hahaha, this battle was well fought! It showed the might of our Eighth Route Army!"

"Indeed, this is a great victory, and it must be publicized properly," a leader said.

"But wouldn't that touch a nerve with that person?" one person raised their opinion.

"What's there to be afraid of? If we don't publicize this battle, will that guy in the mountain city not know?" a leader said decisively.

"Alright, once the detailed battle results are tallied and the photos taken by the independent detachment are sent over, we will immediately organize a publicity campaign."

"Yes, immediately send this good news to the rear so that our comrades there can also be happy."

"Yes."

After sending the telegram to the rear, the headquarters leaders continued their discussion.

However, the discussion was no longer about the war, but about Chen Ming's situation.

"Comrade Chen Ming is now married and has a family, and the work in Chare needs someone to take charge. It's time to give him more responsibility."

A leader wearing glasses spoke up. "Yes, we had planned to do this before, but Comrade Chen Ming himself requested that it be postponed."

"But now the time is ripe, and he can no longer postpone it if he wants to."

The brigade commander also spoke up.

“Good. After the independent detachment has finished handling the work, let Comrade Chen Ming come to headquarters.”

"."

Northern Route Army.

Fu knew that large groups of local Eighth Route Army forces had been attacking Guihua and Jining in the past two days.

He also knew that the Japanese 3rd Tank Division in Baotou had dispatched a regiment to provide support.

As troops operating in Suiyuan, the Northern Route Army was extremely sensitive to the movements of the Japanese in Baotou and Guihua.

However, it happened to be Chen Ming's wedding day, and the people he sent to congratulate him reported that the security forces in Shuoxian County had been greatly strengthened.

Chen Ming himself also held his wedding in Shuoxian County.

Therefore, he never imagined that the troops attacking Guihua and Jining would be the main force of the Independent Detachment.

His idea was similar to Okamura's: the local armed forces' attack on the two cities was probably just a feint to draw the Japanese attention.

Today, however, the forward reconnaissance troops reported that signs of large-scale artillery bombardment were discovered along the Guihua, Jining and Daheihe lines.

At the same time, a large number of independent detachments and main forces launched fierce attacks on the Japanese troops in the three locations.

The team sent to Shuoxian County also lost contact for several hours.

He only just received the intelligence from the people in Shuoxian.

Apart from appearing in Shuoxian yesterday, Chen Ming has not been seen all day today.

Their movements were temporarily restricted by Zhang Zhengze under the pretext of investigating Japanese spy files, thus controlling the flow of information.

Fu Ke is no simple man. He caused Chen Ming to disappear from Shuoxian and the main force of the Independent Detachment to appear on the battlefield attacking Guihua and Jining.

He basically figured out what was going on.

"Chen Ming is a man of great courage and determination!"

"Unexpectedly, under the guise of the wedding, they secretly transferred their main force away and attacked Guihua and Jining at the same time."

"Isn't he afraid of breaking his teeth?"

"If the Japanese realize that Shuoxian is no longer defended by the main force of the Independent Detachment, and they mobilize troops from the surrounding areas, Shuoxian will be in danger, and his wife will also be in danger."

"But now it's proven that Chen Ming succeeded."

"We successfully deceived the Japanese, us, and the mountain city, and captured Guihua and Jining in a single day."

At this point, a hint of melancholy crept into his voice.

The Northern Route Army, also known as the Suiyuan Army.

Guihua was the central city of Suiyuan. Taking Guihua would allow them to radiate influence to the surrounding areas and control most of Suiyuan.

Fu had always dreamed of conquering Suiyuan, but now, Guihua had been taken by Chen Ming.

His nominal position as the commander of Suiyuan was truly nominal, comparable to that of Commander Yan.

The key point is that the fighting power displayed by the independent detachment alarmed him.

They were surprisingly capable of attacking the cities of Guihua and Jining simultaneously, while also having to spare resources to deal with the Japanese tank division in Baotou.

His Suiyuan Army now consists of only one core 35th Army, with a force of just over 10,000 men.

He had to be cautious and develop long-term plans when dealing with any of these cities.

But now, this neighbor of mine is capable of fighting on multiple fronts, and his strength is undeniable.

"Taking back to Suiyuan will be extremely difficult!"

Fu couldn't help but sigh.

"Now the battles in Guihua and Jining are almost over, the Eighth Route Army flags have been planted, and the overall situation is settled."

"Winter is coming soon, and the Japanese will not be able to gather their forces to retake Huisui in winter. This means that Chen Ming will have at least six months to prepare before the weather warms up next year."

"Six months? With the Eighth Route Army's ability to manage base areas, will Suiyuan still belong to the Fu family by then?"

mountain city.

The captain also slammed his fist on the table.

"Damn it, they can't even handle this simple task. They've let a Japanese spy infiltrate the ranks. They've completely lost face."

"And that Chen Ming, he actually used his marriage as a cover to secretly attack Guihua and Jining with the people we sent."

"What a brilliant plan! But now Suiyuan is about to fall into his hands, and the Communist Party's strength will increase again."

The captain pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling extremely frustrated.

I've spent money, lost face, and failed to achieve my goal.

He doesn't know how many people are secretly laughing at him.

Upon arriving in Guihua, Chen Ming personally inspected the battle results on the tanks.

The spoils from this battle were quite substantial, and Guihua, as the central city of Suiyuan, held a status equivalent to Taiyuan in Shanxi Province.

Although Suiyuan's importance and resources cannot compare with those of Shanxi Province, it is still a province. As its core city, Guihua's resources are far superior to those of ordinary cities.

The situation in Jining is similar; it also possesses abundant resources.

The Independent Detachment captured a great deal during the Chahar-Rehe Campaign.

The results of the battles against the enemy were also very impressive.

A few who were fast enough managed to escape through gaps in the encirclement.

It's still that basic military knowledge: in large-scale military operations, positions are divided into sections, with gaps between them.

Large armies cannot pass through, but small units may be able to slip through the gaps.

Like a fishing net, it can catch big fish, but small fish smaller than the mesh can escape.

This is one of the reasons why incorporating this tactic into military terminology can be effective.

These escaped Japanese soldiers and puppet troops were just small fry.

Those Japanese soldiers who didn't escape were either either wiped out or surrendered.

The Japanese soldiers were basically wiped out.

Besides the Japanese soldiers who were blown to pieces, the remaining Japanese soldiers, no matter how outrageous their deaths were, were all shot again to ensure they wouldn't rise from the dead.

The city was also being purged to restore order and eliminate traitors.

Those who become traitors, defect to the enemy, and sell out their country shall be tried; those who deserve to be executed shall be shot, and those who deserve labor reform shall be sent to mines for reform and atonement.

All illegal property within the city was also seized.

However, for those businessmen whose situations were not so serious, a more moderate approach was adopted.

Having just experienced a major war, normal trade is essential for a region to resume operations and recover.

Uniting the business community is conducive to maintaining the stability of the base area.

However, Chen Ming doesn't need to worry about these things; there are comrades specifically in charge of this aspect.

Chen Ming only needs to focus on overall coordination.

(End of this chapter)