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

Chapter 269 Where can you find a leader like Chen Ming?

Wang Gui continued to organize his troops to attack, fiercely assaulting the Japanese and puppet troops' positions.

The artillery in the battalion was all concentrated and was bombarded on the Japanese and puppet troops' positions as if it were free.

The chief of staff has already called to scold them, saying that while other units have achieved good results, their battalion is stagnating.

Wang Gui was too ashamed to go back and see the chief of staff.

"Comrades, charge! We can't let the other brother units look down on us. Eliminate the Japanese devils and take the position!"

"Da da di—da da di—du ——————!"

Under the resounding bugle call, the soldiers of Wang Gui's unit were all filled with a surge of energy.

An army driven by desperation is bound to win, and this time they fought with unparalleled ferocity.

Wang Gui even went to the front line to directly command the operation.

Now, the Japanese and puppet troops' front lines on other fronts have collapsed, and the Japanese forces in the east are being attacked from the rear and flanks.

The Japanese and puppet troops on the position were struggling to hold out against attacks from three directions simultaneously, and could no longer hold on.

Finally, Wang Gui and his troops broke through their direction.

The hundreds of Japanese and puppet troops on the position were quickly divided into small groups and eliminated one by one during the close combat with Wang Gui's troops.

Wang Gui's unit was, after all, one of the main forces of the independent detachment, and its combat effectiveness and the quality of its soldiers were still very outstanding.

Once the Japanese and puppet troops on the position lost their advantageous terrain, they were no longer able to fight against Wang Gui's troops.

They were quickly annihilated by Wang Gui's main force; some died, and others surrendered.

The remaining Japanese and puppet troops were forced to abandon their positions and rush towards Baotou.

This group of Japanese and puppet troops joined forces with the puppet army that had been previously defeated by Li Yousheng, and together they surged toward the city gate of Baotou.

Once they get there and into the city, they will be safe.

It's nighttime now, and you can't see anything, but you can hear gunfire everywhere, and there's an attack going on everywhere.

The Japanese and puppet troops outside the city had no idea how many Eighth Route Army soldiers were attacking.

In their minds, the Eighth Route Army's massive artillery barrage before the attack meant that the main force was launching a general offensive.

Considering the large number of troops and powerful firepower of the main force of the independent detachment.

The Japanese and puppet troops outside the city knew they were no match for them and that staying outside the city meant certain death.

Only by entering the city and having the city walls to rely on could they find a way to survive.

"Open the city gates quickly! The Eighth Route Army's firepower is too strong!"

"Help me! Open the city gate!"

"Ono-kun, we're from the same hometown, please help me get up here."

"."

At the east gate of Baotou, thousands of Japanese and puppet troops gathered and shouted at the Japanese soldiers defending the city.

They wanted the Japanese soldiers inside the city to open the city gates and let them in.

Among them were puppet troops and Japanese soldiers who had been routed and terrified.

While the Bushido spirit can certainly brainwash people, it's impossible for everyone to be brainwashed.

Faced with life and death, the Japanese soldiers, whose wills were not firm, cared little for that damned Bushido spirit.

Living is a biological instinct, and humans are no exception.

However, the Japanese and puppet troops inside the city did not open the city gates when they were knocking on them from outside.

Firstly, the division headquarters had previously issued an order to strengthen the city wall defenses, and in order to carry out this order, they certainly could not easily open the city gates.

Not to mention that the city gate was already blocked with a lot of things, and it would take more than three to five minutes to clear it.

Simply opening the city gates would allow the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city to swarm in, inevitably impacting the city's defenses.

Allowing a routed army to break into the defensive system would inevitably destabilize the defensive chain; even a fool wouldn't do that.

Furthermore, if the Eighth Route Army were to follow the Japanese and puppet troops into the city when they opened the city gates, their defense of the city walls would be rendered meaningless.

At that time, by using this method to spread the influence, a large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers will flood into the city, rendering Baotou's city wall defense chain completely meaningless.

The Japanese officer in charge of reinforcing the city walls could not bear this responsibility.

He would not make any changes without orders from the division headquarters.

Previously, when the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city were attacked from both sides by the main force of the Independent Detachment, they did not receive orders to provide support and could only watch from inside the city.

Of course, this was based on the fact that Duan Peng led his special forces team to intercept and kill Japanese communications soldiers and disrupt the Japanese command and communication system.

The Japanese soldiers responsible for the city wall defenses, of course, did not receive orders from headquarters.

In other words, apart from the order issued by the Japanese division commander to strengthen defenses before Duan Peng and the special forces attacked the Japanese division headquarters, the rest of the time was spent on this.

Subsequent orders were basically intercepted by Duan Peng and his group.

This does not include orders sent by the Japanese via radio.

However, the Japanese radios were only issued to the battalion level, and orders from the Japanese division headquarters could only be issued to the battalion level at most.

Then the message was relayed from the Japanese battalion to the troops below.

Units below the brigade level mainly rely on telephone lines and signalmen to transmit orders.

This inevitably involved special operations teams, which meant that orders from the Japanese battalion down to the company and squad levels could only be partially relayed, and even then, squad-level or higher units had to be dispatched to escort them.

Otherwise, they would be eliminated by special forces soldiers with submachine guns.

The rocket artillery barrage before the attack left Baotou's outer city in ruins, providing the special forces with ample cover.

You can hide inside any collapsed wall.

In the darkness of night, during urban warfare, special forces teams armed with submachine guns can maximize their advantages, resulting in a rapid increase in combat effectiveness.

An eleven-man squad could easily suppress a small Japanese unit.

Secondly, in the eyes of the Japanese soldiers, the troops outside the city who lost their positions and fled in defeat were seen as cowardly by the Japanese soldiers inside the city.

The soldiers of the Empire should be brave and fearless, and must never do such a cowardly thing.

They will not tolerate cowardice.

Instead of holding their ground outside the city, they were routed and tried to enter the city. How could the Japanese soldiers inside the city possibly agree to that?

The Japanese never treated the puppet troops outside the city as human beings; they were just expendable resources, and once they died, they were gone.

As for the defeated Japanese soldiers mixed in, in the eyes of the Japanese soldiers in the city, they deserved to die even more than the puppet troops.

Instead of serving His Majesty the Heavenly Locust with their lives, they dared to desert their posts. Even if they survive, they will be executed.

For the reasons mentioned above, when the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city knocked on the gate, the Japanese soldiers inside the city not only did not open the gate, but also opened fire and killed some of the Japanese and puppet troops.

"Everyone, take up your weapons and return to your positions to continue the resistance!"

"Anyone who dares to continue blocking the city walls will be killed without exception!"

The Japanese officer on the city wall shouted angrily.

"No! The Eighth Route Army is too strong! We can't beat them!"

"I want to live, I don't want to die!"

"Mom, I want to go home!"

"."

When the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city arrived at the city gate, they not only failed to receive rescue, but were also shot dead by machine guns, forcing them to return to continue fighting, and their psychological defenses collapsed immediately.

"I'm Japanese! I'm Japanese! Why won't you save me?"

"You damn Japanese devils, I'll curse your ancestors!"

Faced with machine gun fire, some of the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city wept, while others cursed. Enraged that the Japanese and puppet troops outside the city refused to return to their positions and continue to die, the Japanese soldiers on the city wall directly ordered their machine gunners to continue firing!

"Go back immediately, return to your positions, and continue the resistance!"

He gave the order angrily.

However, how could a defeated team suddenly rekindle its fighting spirit?

The troops outside the city retreated a certain distance, but then refused to retreat any further.

At this moment, Wang Gui's troops and Li Yousheng's troops successfully joined forces and together surrounded and pressed the Japanese and puppet troops gathered at the East Gate.

"Old Li, what do we do now? Should we just wipe out these Japanese and puppet troops?"

Wang Gui asked Li Yousheng.

"If it were me, I would have wiped out these damn Japanese devils and puppet troops with a few bursts of bullets."

"However, they have now lost their will to fight, and the Japanese are refusing them entry into the city. It's no longer feasible for us to pursue them into the city."

"Report the intelligence to headquarters first, don't act on your own."

Li Yousheng spoke first.

When it comes to adhering to rules and discipline, Li Yousheng is definitely number one among the captains of the three ordinary brigades.

Because he came from a puppet army background, his identity was more sensitive, and he naturally had to be more cautious in his actions.

When Wang Gui heard Li Yousheng's last words, "Don't act on your own," he immediately felt a chill.

Wang Gui still vividly remembers the scene where he led his troops into attack on his own initiative when he annihilated the Kawasaki Battalion, and was severely scolded by Chen Ming.

Now it seems like the scene is repeating itself. As long as he leads his troops to attack, the more than a thousand Japanese and puppet troops at the East Gate will definitely be no match for him.

Because a force that has lost its organizational structure and lacks unified command and fighting spirit is no longer combat effective, no matter how large it is.

Let alone just a thousand or so people, even if there were tens of thousands, once their organization is disrupted, they would still be considered militarily incapable of fighting.

Even if the number of Japanese and puppet troops at the East Gate increased tenfold or twentyfold, Wang Gui would still dare to attack.

He can annihilate these people with very few casualties.

Such a victory might be a great achievement in other units, but it might not be so in the context of an independent detachment.

Wang Gui dared not launch an attack without authorization, which had nothing to do with the commander's right to make on-the-spot decisions on the battlefield.

If the Japanese and puppet troops at the East Gate continue to fire in resistance, then Wang Gui has no choice but to launch an attack.

But now the enemy has little resistance left, and the probability of them being captured is high. If Wang Gui continues to lead his troops to attack...

If this gets reported, he might be in serious trouble.

Thinking back to the scene where Chen Ming scolded him, Wang Gui's body trembled involuntarily.

Although the current commander is Chief of Staff Liu, not Chen Ming personally in command.

Wang Gui didn't dare to make decisions on his own, after all, the new chief of staff also had a fiery temper, even more so than Chen Ming.

Few officers in the military have escaped being scolded; in fact, he even earned the nickname "Living Thunder God."

"Then let's report the situation to headquarters."

Wang Gui agreed to Li Yousheng's suggestion.

Before long, the situation was reported to the command center.

The chief of staff looked at the contents of the telegram, stroking his chin in thought.

The more than 1,000 Japanese and puppet troops who had lost their will to fight were already a considerable enemy force.

If we launch an attack, we can wipe them out completely in less than half an hour.

Eliminating the opponent is naturally the simplest option, requiring little effort.

But now that the independent detachment has reached this size, simply killing people is no longer the goal that Chen Ming and his team are pursuing.

When considering a situation, in addition to eliminating the enemy, we must also take into account political, economic, and other factors.

If we were to capture these thousand-plus Japanese and puppet troops, the effect of using the Japanese soldiers to shoot and kill puppet troops and even our own men might not be less than the effect of annihilating all of them.

At the same time, capturing these Japanese and puppet troops was tantamount to annihilating the enemy.

After deliberating for a few minutes, the chief of staff made a decision.

"Send a telegram to the rear command headquarters explaining the situation."

The chief of staff issued the order.

Since this was his first time independently commanding a battle as a frontline commander, he lacked certain experience.

Therefore, he would definitely report this matter to Chen Ming first to see if he had any other opinions.

Not long after, Chen Ming called back, which could be summarized in just two sentences.

"Now the Chief of Staff is in charge of the front line. Everything is decided by the Chief of Staff. There is no need to consider Chen Ming's own ideas."

"Go for it boldly, and Chen Ming will take responsibility for whatever happens."

With just those two sentences, the chief of staff felt a deep sense of trust.

Chen Ming delegated complete authority and did not interfere in the battles at the front, which showed his confidence in his own abilities.

The word "delegation" sounds simple, but how many people can truly do it?
Look at the battalion commander next door. When the fighting gets intense, how often does he issue orders directly to his superiors without regard to his rank?

In an attempt to evade micro-management and shut down communication equipment, they even issued an airdrop order, which was a bizarre operation that ultimately led to the annihilation of the entire unit.

As for someone like Chen Ming, as the commander, you have complete control over how the battle is fought on the front lines, without needing to report to him or request instructions.

He can fight without restraint; Chen Ming only cares about the result.

At the same time, if anything happens, Chen Ming can still shoulder the responsibility.

Where can you find a leader like this?

Who wouldn't like someone who doesn't give bad advice and can take responsibility when things go wrong?
If the battalion commander had qualities like Chen Ming, he might not win, but at least he wouldn't lose so quickly.

It can only be said that character determines destiny.

After receiving Chen Ming's reply, the chief of staff had no more reservations and immediately sent a telegram to Li Yousheng and Wang Gui's troops at the front.

We can persuade the Japanese and puppet troops at the East Gate to surrender, and we must resolutely eliminate those who are stubborn and unyielding.

After receiving the order, Wang Gui and Li Yousheng felt reassured and immediately ordered their men to make a public announcement.

"Listen up, you people over there! Our Eighth Route Army treats prisoners of war well. As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender, we guarantee your safety."

“The Japanese soldiers inside the city are shooting at you, completely abandoning you and forcing you to your deaths. You don’t need to die for them in vain.”

"The Japanese devils in the city don't treat you like human beings, so you don't need to continue to be loyal to them."

"Think about your families. If you die here, how will they live?"

After addressing the puppet troops, Li Yousheng sent someone to address them in Japanese.

He even brought out a cassette recorder and played Japanese folk songs such as "Homesick Song" to break down the psychological defenses of the Japanese soldiers in the puppet army.

"Why do you guys carry this thing around with you all the time?"

Wang Gui looked at Li Yousheng and saw that he had even brought out a tape recorder, which even contained Japanese folk songs, and asked in surprise.

Which military unit carries this thing into battle?

"Haha, our brigade has done the most work in persuading people to surrender, so we've gotten used to carrying this thing with us. I didn't expect it to come in handy this time."

Li Yousheng said with a smile.

When the Independent Detachment was trying to persuade the Japanese and puppet troops who were holding out to surrender, Li Yousheng's troops were the ones who did the work because of their special status and rich experience.

Out of habit, they brought it along this time when they went to war.

This time, we can combine it with folk songs from the Japanese people's hometowns and shout slogans to break down their psychological defenses.

(End of this chapter)