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

Chapter 248 Chen Ming Disperses Smoke! Xu Desheng: Put him on a pedestal!

After the situation was reported to headquarters, headquarters provided a response.

It's still about buying!

Trading 4.4 tons of liquor for twenty tanks is a very worthwhile deal.

Alcoholic beverages are brewed from grains, which are renewable resources; they simply consume some grains.

There are many ways to obtain them: you can brew them yourself, buy them from ordinary people, purchase them from other places, or even seize them from Japanese soldiers and puppet troops.

But tanks are equipment that you can't get anywhere even if you want to.

Trading 250 liters of liquor for a T-26 is an opportunity that's incredibly rare.

If it were a mountain town, they would be willing to buy even 4.4 tons, let alone 44 tons.

Therefore, after learning about the situation, the headquarters, after a brief consideration, immediately approved the purchase!
After reporting to the rear, permission was also granted.

Whether it's Chen Ming, the headquarters, or the rear, everyone agrees that this deal is worthwhile.

As long as we can eliminate the Japanese devils, it doesn't matter if life is a little hard; we've all endured hardship like this.

Throughout history, we have never lacked people who can endure hardship.

After reaching a consensus, the instructions were sent to Xu Desheng.

Upon learning this, Xu Desheng understood the situation and continued to drink with Pavel, trying to maintain this connection.

After the bargaining phase, the two became good buddies again. If it weren't for their different appearances, you would really think they were brothers.

Both of them were very happy.

Xu Desheng was pleased that he had made a contribution this time, using his advantages to secure a deal for 20 T-26 tanks for the base.

With these tanks added to the special forces, not only can the tanks lost in previous battles be recovered, but the combat effectiveness of the armored battalion can also be strengthened.

At the same time, by establishing a connection with Pavel, obtaining spare parts for tank logistics and maintenance will become much easier in the future.

Pavel was happy because he had managed to get his hands on a large quantity of alcohol.

Actually, the tanks in this transaction should be included in the weapons lists of the two divisions.

Because the Independent Detachment surrounded the Japanese 3rd Tank Division in Baotou, and the Independent Detachment itself had a tank unit and the skills to use tanks.

So the Soviet Far East Army held a meeting and discussed whether to add a batch of tanks to the equipment of the two divisions.

This would enhance the armored capabilities of the independent detachment, giving them a greater chance to eliminate the Japanese tank division in Baotou.

The tank division was of great importance to the Japanese. If the independent detachment could really wipe out the tank division in Baotou...

Then the attention of the Japanese Kwantung Army will be firmly drawn to the Independent Detachment.

This was what the Soviet army wanted to see, so the Far Eastern Command held a meeting to discuss whether to send in an additional batch of tanks.

When Pavel arrived, the headquarters was more inclined to increase the number of people who had visited.

If nothing unexpected happens, there is a very high probability that a batch of tanks will be added to the list of the second batch of weapons and ammunition shipments.

So when Xu Desheng tested him, Pavel readily agreed.

The plan was to take advantage of the information gap to make a kickback on the supplies, which led to this transaction.

Pavel's ability to act as a representative to transport supplies naturally stems from his own connections.

We'll report the situation when we get back and get the alcohol distributed; then there won't be any problems.

Otherwise, how could Pavel, a mere colonel and division commander, have dared to sell 20 tanks?

Tanks are important military weapons, and each one is limited in number.

Moreover, Pavel's division only had four tanks, which was far from enough to meet the demand of 20 tanks, so they had to get tanks from other divisions.

This is why Pavel insisted on only agreeing to trade 20 tanks.

With the planned 16 vehicles plus the 4 from his own division, that makes 20 vehicles.

At the dinner table, the two drank with their own thoughts in mind, and it ended with Pavel being knocked out by Xu Desheng.

After getting Pavel drunk, Xu Desheng got up and walked outside the camp. The cold wind from beyond the Great Wall blew on his cheeks, making him much more awake.

"Arrange for someone to settle Colonel Pavel in, and then begin inventorying the weapons and taking them back."

Xu Desheng spoke, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

After Pavel got drunk, the person who handed over his weapons became his adjutant.

The handover process went smoothly without any unexpected incidents. After Xu Desheng and his adjutant confirmed the list, the handover was completed.

To maintain confidentiality, these procedures were not formally signed.

After all, the Nationalist government is now the legitimate authority, and both sides need to sign an agreement to fulfill their international obligations.

For our military, in order to maintain secrecy and avoid political disputes, confirmation is made only through internal lists, secret telegrams, or verbal communication.

After the handover was completed, Xu Desheng led his men to transport the weapons and ammunition back to the base.

The approximate number of weapons is as follows:

10,000 Mosin-Nagant rifles; approximately 1200 PPSh-41 submachine guns; 256 DP light machine guns; 128 Maxim heavy machine guns; and 300 anti-tank rifles.

野战火炮 96门，其中76毫米M1902/30师炮64门，122mm M1938榴弹炮32门。

45mm口径的M1937反坦克炮48门，25mm口径72-K高射炮24门，120毫米迫击炮36门。

140 trucks/tractors, each equipped with 120 radios.

More than 6 million bullets and more than 20,000 artillery shells of various types.

With so many weapons, transportation is a major challenge.

The Soviet army only agreed to transport them to Jining; the remaining journey would have to be arranged by the independent detachment itself.

But this didn't stump Chen Ming. "We have plenty of people, we don't lack anything."

The independent detachment also had its own cars and tractors, plus the 140 vehicles provided by the Soviet army this time, so transporting artillery was not a problem.

The remaining ammunition and firearms were transported using a combination of human and animal power.

The Independent Detachment has just finished a battle and is now ready to regroup.

The Japanese now have only one encircled tank division left in Suiyuan, and only Datong left in northern Shanxi.

There shouldn't be any accidents during the transport.

Take the Japanese soldiers in Datong for example; they wouldn't even dare to cause trouble for the Independent Detachment's supply transport team.

The Japanese soldiers in Datong were just thankful that the Independent Detachment wouldn't bother them.

In order to strengthen the defense of Datong and prevent the Independent Detachment from turning back to attack Datong after attacking Suiyuan and Jining.

The Japanese sent an additional regiment to Datong, bringing the total strength to about 7,000 men, which was equivalent to two regiments, together with the existing Datong garrison.

This was the last force of the Japanese troops stationed in Mongolia. The price was the withdrawal of troops from Wucheng, leaving Wucheng's defenses extremely weak. The Japanese could only reinforce Wucheng's defenses by sending reinforcements from Beiping.

With two regiments, defending Datong shouldn't be a big problem, but if they dare to leave the city for open field battles...

Facing the main force of the independent detachment, the Japanese had no confidence at all.

After all, in terms of firepower, the Japanese were inferior to the Independent Detachment.

The Japanese knew that the Independent Detachment had an armored battalion, and the destruction of their tank regiment was definitely related to this armored battalion.

Meanwhile, the main armored forces of the Japanese in North China are still surrounded by the Independent Detachment in Baotou.

Faced with the armored battalion of the Independent Detachment, the two Japanese regiments did not actually engage the Independent Detachment in the field, despite being outnumbered several times over and possessing armored forces.

Therefore, Chen Ming can take his time with the transport of weapons this time, without worrying about the Japanese causing trouble.

"I actually hope the Japanese devils will come looking for trouble on their own. Otherwise, they're hiding in their turtle shell in Datong, and we won't be able to knock them out until next year."

In the temporary command post in Jining, Chen Ming looked at the weapons transport team and said to Xu Desheng beside him.

"It's just the Japanese devils' turtle shell. Once we get familiar with these artillery pieces and train our artillery units, we'll be able to flip over even the toughest turtle shell."

Xu Desheng said confidently.

With strong weapons in hand, one can stand tall. The intensity of the war in Western Europe was incomparable to that in East Asia.

Even if the Soviet Far East Army was only a second-line force, its artillery firepower far exceeded that of the Japanese.

With the power Chen Ming currently possesses, once he masters the new weapons, he would dare to challenge even the most elite Japanese division, the so-called Steel Army Fifth Division.

It's normal for Xu Desheng not to take those seven thousand Japanese soldiers in Datong seriously.

They were just some second-line Japanese troops who were able to gain a foothold thanks to the strong fortifications in Datong.

If it really comes to field battles, it's just a matter of sending more weapons and equipment and adding some fertility to the fields.

However, even though he looked down on the Japanese army's strength, Chen Ming still said:

"We are now stronger than the Japanese in northern Shanxi."

"But while we can despise the enemy strategically, we must take them seriously tactically. When we actually fight the Japanese, we must be cautious and not let our guard down."

"You are now a military commander of a unit, and you should know that every order we issue is related to the lives of countless soldiers."

A mature commander should possess the qualities of loving his soldiers like his own children and using them with the same skill and dexterity as mud.

"Boss, I understand." Xu Desheng nodded heavily as he listened to Chen Ming's words.

Now that they've reached this point, they understand the weight they bear on their shoulders even more.

In the past, when the military was small, even if a decision was wrong, the impact would not be significant.

Now, if a wrong decision is made, it could lead to the complete collapse of the situation in a region, which in turn could affect the situation of the entire army.

The higher you stand, the more cautious you should be.

"Yes, Desheng, you did a great job this time. I'll recommend you for commendation when we get back."

Chen Ming took out a cigarette and handed it to Xu Desheng.

The moment Xu Desheng saw the cigarette box, his eyes narrowed sharply.

"Boss, could this be..."

"Yes, this is a reward for you."

Chen Ming nodded and said with a smile.

After receiving Chen Ming's affirmative answer, Xu Desheng's breathing became a little rapid, and his hands trembled slightly as he took the cigarette, handling it with care.

He had heard from Da Biao that Commander Chen Ming had a few packs of special cigarettes.

But I've never had the chance to see him, and I've never seen Chen Ming draw cigarettes before.

According to Da Biao, after Chen Ming returned, he distributed a few units from the headquarters and collected the rest.

During the Chahar-Suiyuan Campaign, Chen Ming only drew one tube before the general offensive began.

Xu Desheng was overjoyed that Chen Ming would reward him with one this time.

It was as if he wasn't holding a cigarette, but a treasure as heavy as Mount Tai.

"Boss, can I smoke my own first? Can I keep this cigarette to take home?"

Xu Desheng asked, his face flushed.

Seeing the other party's reaction, Chen Ming smiled.

I looked just like this the first time I went back.

"Whatever you want, you can even take it home and worship it," Chen Ming said with a smile.

"Hehe, it's going to be enshrined." Xu Desheng chuckled foolishly.

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing Xu Desheng's words, Chen Ming laughed.

After successfully transporting the weapons back to the headquarters of the independent detachment, a group of uninvited guests arrived.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Chen Ming felt a headache coming on, wishing he could disappear into the ground and never be found.

"Chen Ming, where are you planning to run off to? Are you not welcoming us at all?"

A man wearing a leather coat and holding a riding crop saw Chen Ming and immediately shouted.

When Chen Ming saw the brigade commander, he rubbed his temples and put on a smile.

"No way, Brigade Commander, esteemed officers, what brings you here?"

Seeing Chen Ming's expression, everyone burst into laughter.

"What wind? We can smell weapons and cannons, it smells really good."

"You've recently struck it rich, how could we not come and congratulate you?"

The brigade commander said with a smile.

More than 10,000 rifles, 400 machine guns, more than 200 cannons, and more than 5 million rounds of ammunition.

With so many weapons and ammunition, it's safe to say that Chen Ming is now the richest person in the entire army.

Taking down the rich and powerful is our tradition.

Now the brigade commander is just leading his men to carry on the fine traditions, isn't he?

Listening to the brigade commander's words and looking at the increasingly high-ranking people behind him, Chen Ming knew that he wouldn't be able to get away with this without paying a heavy price.

He wasn't against distributing weapons and ammunition.

The independent detachment has acquired so many weapons and ammunition that they cannot use them all; they have a surplus of weapons.

Distributing surplus weapons to other units is a matter of discipline.

As a student of his teacher, Chen Ming's vision naturally extended beyond a single independent detachment; he saw the bigger picture.

However, the fact that the brigade commander brought someone who seemed to be wishing someone good fortune caught Chen Ming off guard.

What troubled Chen Ming was the safety of so many high-ranking officials.

With so many people coming together, aren't we afraid of any dangers on the way?

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Ming led the brigade commander and several other officers into the conference room of the independent detachment.

The meeting agenda naturally revolved around the allocation of weapons, and of course, there was no shortage of concern for Chen Ming before the meeting began.

You're beholden to someone who pays you a price.

After the meeting began, Chen Ming presented the allocation plan, which he had devised in Jining.

Simply put, the main purpose was to allocate light weapons and a portion of heavy weapons according to the combat intensity and needs of each base area.

For example, our troops in southern Shanxi have a larger number of soldiers and the intensity of combat is higher, so more soldiers are assigned to them.

The Jin-Sui region had a small population and an independent detachment as a buffer, resulting in lower combat intensity and fewer personnel assigned to it.

Based on these conditions, Chen Ming made a reasonable allocation plan.

When Chen Ming announced his allocation plan, it received unanimous approval from everyone.

There's no other reason than that Chen Ming was too generous; he took out almost all the light weapons from this aid shipment, and also provided most of the ammunition.

It can be said that they were very sincere, and the number of weapons and ammunition received by each base was enormous.

The brigade commander alone received more than 3,000 rifles, more than 30 machine guns, and 12 cannons.

They also acquired 800,000 rounds of ammunition.

The other bases also received varying amounts of weapons and ammunition.

Of course, this cannon is not one of the Soviet-made weapons, but rather a small-caliber artillery piece that Chen Ming is preparing to replace.

How could everyone not be happy to receive so many weapons and ammunition at once?

After all, this is a weapon obtained by "robbing the rich".

(End of this chapter)