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

Chapter 27 Lurking
Two days later, with the soldiers moving around day and night, the troops gradually reached the designated location.

Xiaotangshan is a hill about five kilometers away from the Zhengtai Railway, offering a commanding view.

The transport of military supplies by the Japanese army was an absolute top secret, and it was extremely difficult to find out about it in advance.

Chen Ming had no choice but to resort to this cumbersome method: lying in ambush near the railway and observing the interiors of passing trains using a three-dimensional combat map.

We will strike once the target is located.

After being promoted to regimental commander, Chen Ming's mental three-dimensional combat map expanded to a range of ten kilometers, giving him more reaction time.

"Greetings, Commander. He Yifa, captain of the Railway Guerrilla, reporting for duty. Please give instructions."

A man in his thirties, with dark skin and a resolute face, saluted Chen Ming.

He was the captain of the railway guerrillas active in the area.

"Don't call me 'Commander,' just call me Comrade Chen Ming or Old Chen. Didn't we have a great collaboration last time?" Chen Ming said with a smile.

Chen Ming met He Yifa the last time he led his team to raid the Zhengtai Railway.

When it comes to railway guerrilla warfare, He Yifa is a professional, after all, the name of his team contains the words "railway".

It was precisely through the cooperation and concerted efforts of both sides that Chen Ming was able to lead his team to successfully ambush the Japanese train last time.

He Yifa looked at Chen Ming, feeling a little jealous.

The last time they cooperated, the other party was just a squad leader, a platoon-level cadre, while their own Railway Guerrilla was a battalion-level unit.

At that time, the enemy's district squad only had a little over a hundred men, but they were very well equipped. They were equipped not only with Type 38 rifles, but also with a number of light and heavy machine guns, and even mortars.

That guy, as soon as the battle started, the Japanese soldiers fell like wheat being harvested. It was the first time He Yifa had ever fought such a satisfying battle.

But now, in such a short time, the other party has transformed into a regimental commander.

“Then I’ll call you Old Chen,” He Yifa said.

“Hey, that’s more like it. Calling him ‘Commander’ is too formal, Lao He,” Chen Ming said with a smile.

"Hahaha." He Yifa laughed heartily, and soon regained the feeling of getting along when they first cooperated, unaffected by Chen Ming's change in status.

"So you're looking for me this time because you have designs on the Japanese trains?"

“Now that the troops have been reorganized, there’s a shortage of weapons and equipment. What do we do when we don’t have equipment? We’ll ask the Japanese for it,” Chen Ming said.

"Haha, can that little devil give it to you?"

"What if they won't give it to us? We'll just beat them to death and take it ourselves."

"Hahaha."

"Old Chen, you arrange the combat mission. Our Railway Guerrilla Team of over a hundred people will fully cooperate, but..." He Yifa paused for a moment.

"Oh, I thought it was something else. Just take the same amount of spoils as last time. You're not going to lose out, are you?"

Chen Ming knew the other party wanted to talk about the distribution of the spoils. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, so he spoke up frankly and generously.

"Alright, you decide how to fight, and the Railway Guerrilla Team will carry it out without hesitation," He Yifa assured, patting his chest.

After the last collaboration, Chen Ming distributed a lot of weapons to the guerrillas who were cooperating with him, and the guerrillas suddenly became wealthy.

If they could achieve the same level of success as last time, He Yifa could expand his force from over a hundred men to over two hundred.

"Well, tell me about the train schedules the Japanese have been running lately," Chen Ming asked directly, without mincing words.

He Yifa thought for a moment and said, "Recently, it seems that the Japanese have started martial law because of our attack on the train transporting supplies last time."

“Now the Japanese soldiers patrol the railway from time to time. Every day, the Japanese iron turtles patrol two or three times.”

When Chen Ming heard He Yifa say that the Japanese army had armored trains patrolling two or three times a day, he felt a chill.

Armored trains are not easy to deal with. Without armor-piercing cannons, there is no way to deal with them. Rifle and machine gun fire on them can only produce a few sparks.

It seems we can only rely on secret weapons. Chen Ming's willingness to launch a second attack on the Japanese railway transport line wasn't entirely unprepared.

This time he brought a powerful weapon. With it, Chen Ming was confident that he could take down not just one Japanese armored train, but even ten.

"What about the recent train transport schedules for the Japanese? When exactly are they transporting goods?" Chen Ming continued to ask.

"For safety reasons, the Japanese usually transport supplies in the afternoon when visibility is good. Before that, they will have a patrol team patrolling one or two hours in advance," He Yifa said.

"Hmm." After hearing He Yifa's description, Chen Ming made up his mind.

Chen Ming began to formulate a battle plan.

late at night.

Under Chen Ming's orders, the soldiers of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion began to sneak towards the railway and, under the guidance of the guerrillas, planted explosives.

When it comes to blasting railways, people are professionals; everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

Chen Ming then opened a three-dimensional combat map to warn the soldiers who were planting explosives.

Now that the map has expanded to ten kilometers, Chen Ming can detect any movement within this ten-kilometer radius immediately.

After the explosives were planted, Chen Ming ordered all the soldiers to hide and wait for the Japanese train to pass by.

For three consecutive days, several Japanese trains passed by, but Chen Ming did not make any move.

Through the map, he could see the troop deployment and cargo transported by the Japanese on the train.

After discovering that the coal being transported was all ordinary coal, Chen Ming did not order his team to attack.

"Commander, have a steamed bun."

Battalion Commander Dafei brought two hard, dry baked buns and handed them to Chen Ming.

"Ah."

Chen Ming took the steamed bun and soaked it in cold water for a long time until it was soft enough to chew before he started eating it.

"How are the soldiers doing?" Chen Ming asked.

"Everything's fine," Dafei said, taking a bite of his steamed bun, his jaw muscles showing how hard he was biting.

Chen Ming sighed.

For the sake of concealment, the soldiers could not light fires or boil water. They could only eat hard bread that could break their teeth, with only cold water. In the dead of winter, they would lie on the ground for an entire day.

Several soldiers have already fallen ill from the cold.

The conditions were even more difficult for the guerrillas.

Lacking warm clothing, many soldiers, instead of falling to the Japanese guns in the desolate wilderness this month, succumbed to the bitter cold because they couldn't expose their ranks.

But the soldiers had no complaints, because they did it to fight the Japanese invaders, avenge their grievances, and protect their homeland.

After finishing his meal, Chen Ming arrived at the location of He Yifa's guerrilla unit.

"How's the situation?"

"This is not good. Six more soldiers have fallen and we have to retreat to the rear for medical treatment," He Yifa said.

"Why don't the guerrillas retreat first? You're short on clothes, and it's really tough in the snow this winter. We'll still give you the supplies we've captured," Chen Ming said.

He truly couldn't bear to see the guerrilla fighters fall one by one from the bitter cold; such non-combat casualties were simply too frustrating.

Hearing Chen Ming say that, He Yifa's eyes widened immediately: "What kind of talk is that? It sounds a bit harsh to me!"

"We are both Eighth Route Army troops, but your main force can hold out in battle. Our local troops are not made of clay either."

"Now, on behalf of the guerrillas, I want to make a statement: no matter how long your main force holds out, we will fight to the end. If you don't withdraw, we will resolutely not withdraw!"

(End of this chapter)