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

Chapter 271 Successful withdrawal! Battle over!
At 5:30 a.m., Luo Jian's troops in the south were ready.

Meanwhile, Li Yousheng and Wang Gui's troops in the west also launched a fierce attack on Baotou City.

Mortars, infantry guns, grenade launchers, and domestically produced 50mm and 60mm caliber mortars fired shells at the Japanese soldiers in Baotou as if they were free.

The chief of staff has given instructions: do not conserve ammunition, fire as many as you can, and make a show of force.

Only by establishing a strong momentum will the Japanese divert their energy and troops to the west.

Therefore, Li Yousheng and Wang Gui directly engaged in a massive artillery barrage.

The amount of artillery shells delivered west of Baotou can now be measured in tons.

A large number of shells exploded on the walls of Baotou, scattering countless fragments.

The intense artillery bombardment left the Japanese division commander with no doubt that the Eighth Route Army was about to launch an attack on the city after taking control of the outer defensive lines.

At the same time, he overturned his previous guess and began to doubt the information coming from the expeditionary force headquarters.

"A shelling of this scale must mean that the main force of the Independent Detachment has come; otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to have such a scale."

"We've been fooled! The main force of the independent detachment must have secretly moved here. The information received by headquarters is false!"

"Immediately issue orders to strengthen the defenses on the west side. We must hold our ground and not let the Eighth Route Army get in!"

The Japanese division commander gave the order angrily, his tone extremely serious.

Previously, his 13th Tank Regiment was destroyed because the Expeditionary Army was deceived by the Independent Detachment, believing that the main force of the Independent Detachment was mobilized for the safety of Chen Ming's wedding.

This led them to make incorrect judgments, which resulted in the loss of large tracts of land in Chahar and Suiyuan.

Even one of his tank regiments was wiped out.

Having learned his lesson once, the commander of the Japanese tank division no longer trusted the judgment of the expeditionary army headquarters.

He worried that if he trusted them a few more times, he would be completely ripped off.

After the Japanese division commander issued the order, the Japanese troops in other directions each transferred some troops to strengthen the defense of the west.

This resulted in the defenses on the three sides other than the west being significantly weakened.

However, the Japanese were not worried. Judging from the shelling from the west, the main force of the Independent Detachment should be in this area.

Even if the independent detachment launches an attack on the other three directions, it will be very difficult to take them down due to insufficient artillery.

At least it won't be breached quickly, and the Japanese division commander can calmly mobilize troops to strengthen the defenses.

The troops stationed in Mongolia and the independent detachment are old rivals, and both sides have a basic understanding of each other's strength.

The Japanese division commander had a rough idea of ​​how much firepower the independent detachment had.

After the Japanese troops were moved, Duan Peng, who was hiding south of Baotou, clearly felt that there were far fewer Japanese troops to the south.

"It seems that our troops outside the city have cleared out the puppet troops and started the second phase of the operation."

"Tell the soldiers to get ready. As soon as the cannons fire outside the city, we'll launch a surprise attack on the Japanese from the rear and fight our way out!"

"We must fight our way out of Baotou in front of the Japanese devils and return to our base to be commended!"

Duan Peng addressed the officers of the special operations team.

It was exactly six o'clock.

It is now the winter solstice, the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere, and the latest daylight time in Baotou.

There was still about an hour and a half until dawn.

Suddenly, a fierce artillery barrage erupted from the south of Baotou.

This is the artillery of Luo Jian's troops unleashing its power!
The sudden shelling caught the Japanese off guard and caused a moment of panic.

The Japanese troops defending the south were no longer Japanese infantry.

The elite infantry of the Japanese tank division in Baotou have been transferred to the west to reinforce the defense line, as the pressure from the west is too great.

In the other directions, there were only a small number of Japanese infantry, along with some technical troops, defending the area.

Faced with the sudden attack, the inexperienced Japanese soldiers seemed a bit flustered, but they quickly began to defend themselves under the command of experienced Japanese officers.

Meanwhile, the special operations brigade, under the cover of artillery fire, began to sneak towards the southeast corner from the rear.

There is a gap there, big enough for one person to pass through, but it's not visible from the outside.

They discovered it when they were observing from inside the city, but the Japanese blocked it by pouring water to freeze it.

Behind the breach, there was a sturdy fortress with firing ports directly facing it.

This is the retreat route chosen by Duan Peng.

Because he knew that once the battle started, they would definitely be unable to take their original route into the city.

They had to find another way, and this gap, patched up with mud and ice, became their breakthrough.

Compared to the solid city wall, this location is obviously not as sturdy and can be blasted open with explosives.

However, to plant the explosives, the fortress behind the breach must be dealt with.

Otherwise, with a machine gun inside the fortress, no matter how many men they have, they won't be able to break out.

"Get ready, it's time!"

Duan Peng then gave the final order.

At this time, the special forces members had already changed into Japanese soldiers' uniforms.

These clothes were obtained by intercepting Japanese soldiers inside the city.

At Duan Peng's command, Duan Peng led more than a hundred special forces soldiers dressed in Japanese uniforms and swaggered onto the street, quickly running towards the bunker.

The Japanese soldiers did not notice the suddenly appearing troops.

Because their attention is now entirely focused on the troops attacking outside the city.

Moreover, Baotou was their stronghold, and even the puppet troops had difficulty getting in. How could they have imagined that a force of over a hundred men would come in?
After Duan Peng led his troops closer to the bunker, they finally attracted the attention of the Japanese soldiers inside.

However, after seeing Duan Peng and the others' clothes, they did not suspect anything.

"We rushed here to provide support as soon as we learned of the attack from the south."

"How is the situation now?"

Upon approaching, Duan Peng took the initiative and immediately asked in Japanese.

Duan Peng's military rank was that of a captain, the rank of company commander in the Japanese army.

The Japanese soldier inside the bunker was just a squad leader, with the rank of second lieutenant.

The two teams are two levels apart.

Upon seeing Duan Peng's rank, the Japanese squad leader immediately ran out of the bunker, saluted, and reported.

"Reporting to the commander, we have suddenly encountered a fierce attack from the Eighth Route Army on the south side. Our communication system has malfunctioned and we are unable to contact our superiors."

Duan Peng was the one who sabotaged the Japanese army's communication system.

He couldn't let the Japanese verify their identities over the phone.

As for telegraphs? It's obviously impossible for a squad to be equipped with one.

"I see. When we arrived to provide support, we were attacked by an unknown number of enemy troops. The enemy that destroyed the communication system was probably this group."

Duan Peng spoke in Japanese.

Duan Peng's words dispelled the Japanese squad leader's doubts about the signs of battle on Duan Peng and his men.

After all, there are only a hundred or so people. Calling it a squadron would be too few, and calling it a team would be too many.

If the city was attacked by an unknown enemy, that would be reasonable.

The fact that there was an unknown number of enemies inside the city was no longer a secret among the Japanese soldiers.

Many Japanese soldiers had fought against this unspecified number of enemies.

"We've used up a lot of ammunition. I request to replenish some here before heading to provide support!"

Duan Peng put forward his requirements.

"Hey, no problem!"

"Please wait here, I will have the ammunition brought out immediately."

The Japanese squad leader agreed to this reasonable request.

According to regulations, Japanese companies were not allowed to directly enter the bunkers guarded by squads to replenish ammunition; usually, squad members inside the bunkers would carry the ammunition out for handover. However, Duan Peng clearly could not accept this regulation.

"We need to enter the bunker for a rapid replenishment. The situation is urgent, and even a minute's delay could cause irreparable damage."

Duan Peng said in a firm tone.

"Sir, this is against regulations."

"Snapped!"

A loud slap rang out, and the Japanese squad leader's face immediately stung.

The way the Japanese soldiers slapped each other was also quite sophisticated; their wrists had to be flexible and the slapping motion smooth.

When it's slapped onto the Japanese soldier's face, it should make a slapping sound.

It's not as simple as ordinary people imagine; there are techniques involved in hitting someone with brute force.

The ideal pain is a burning, throbbing pain, the kind that leaves you dazed but not mentally disturbed.

That's more like a real Japanese officer.

To play the role of a Japanese soldier, one must pay attention to details, and Duan Peng learned these details from Zhou Weiguo.

He was quite shocked when he learned it; there were so many rules and regulations involved in slapping someone.

This slap instantly dispelled the last doubts in the Japanese squad leader's mind.

Right!

That's exactly how it felt when his direct superior slapped him!
"Hai!" The Japanese squad leader immediately stood at attention and shouted "Hai!"

Keep your body upright, chin up, hands behind your back, without blocking or dodging.

Even though the other party is not my direct superior.

But among the Japanese soldiers, it was common for superiors to attack subordinates without hesitation.

A higher rank can have a crushing effect, especially since Duan Peng's military rank was two ranks higher than that of the Japanese squad leader.

This was an internal regulation within the Japanese army, stipulating that superiors could impose "personal sanctions" on subordinates, including punching, whipping with belts, kicking with leather shoes, etc., without any reason.

The Japanese soldiers regarded slapping someone as a "gift from their superiors," and the louder the slap, the more "respectful" it was.

In later generations, this practice even evolved into a paid service (500 yen per slap), where female shop assistants would perform slaps that were "not painful enough to be pleasurable".

All I can say is that the Japanese are pretty twisted.

Duan Peng wasn't satisfied with just one slap, so he slapped him several more times.

The Japanese squad leader would shout "Yes, sir!" every time he was hit.

They only stopped after Duan Peng's hand was hurt from being hit in the face by the Japanese squad leader.

By this time, the Japanese squad leader's wound was swollen, but he dared not show any dissatisfaction.

"Baka! You've delayed the battle, can you take responsibility for that?"

Duan Peng shouted a reprimand.

"Hi Yi!"

Having learned their lesson from Duan Peng, the Japanese squad leader dared not stop them, allowing Duan Peng and his men to enter the bunker without incident.

The Japanese squad leader even thoughtfully loaded the bullets into Duan Peng's sidearm.

"Sir, the ammunition has been replenished!"

The Japanese squad leader said respectfully.

Duan Peng looked at the other man's face, which was swollen like a pig's head, with satisfaction, and slightly raised the muzzle of his gun.

"boom!"

After a gunshot rang out, the Japanese squad leader looked at Duan Peng in disbelief, not understanding why the other side would shoot him.

Corporal punishment is one thing, but it shouldn't lead to someone killing themselves.

After Duan Peng fired his gun, the other special forces members, who had already loaded their bullets, did not hesitate and opened fire directly on the Japanese soldiers.

Once inside the bunker, the special forces team numbered over a hundred, while the Japanese soldiers inside numbered less than fifty.

The numbers were now twice as many, and it was another surprise attack.

The battle ended as expected; in less than a minute, the special forces team wiped out all the Japanese soldiers inside the bunker.

The sounds of artillery and gunfire outside effectively masked the noise made by the special forces.

"Immediately deploy explosives to blast open a breach!"

Duan Peng immediately gave the order.

Having dealt with the Japanese soldiers inside the bunker, the only remaining Japanese soldier capable of monitoring the breach was gone.

Under the cover of night, the special forces soldiers quickly placed the explosives.

With a loud explosion, the gap that the Japanese soldiers had blocked with mud and water that had been frozen was blown open, leaving a gap large enough for one person to pass through.

At the same time, the Japanese searchlights nearby were destroyed by skilled marksmen from the special forces.

Even the location where the generator was located was destroyed by two grenade launchers.

It was impossible for the Japanese to restore the lighting in a short time.

Taking advantage of the Japanese soldiers losing sight of them, the special forces soldiers immediately fired a purple special signal flare.

This is a signal for the agreed-upon retreat.

As soon as the signal flare was fired, the troops outside the city spotted it immediately.

"Stop the shelling!"

Luo Jian immediately ordered a halt to the shelling.

If the shelling continues, the special forces team could be hit by friendly fire while they are withdrawing, resulting in casualties.

Some of the shells used in this operation were substandard.

The power and launch are fine, but the accuracy is much worse.

Sometimes, significant deviations can occur.

This is a way to clear out inventory, firing inferior shells in battlefields where accuracy requirements are lower.

After the shelling stopped, Duan Peng did not hesitate and immediately led his troops out through the breach, weaving through the fortifications left by the puppet troops outside the city to avoid bullets that might come from behind.

At this moment, the Japanese soldiers reacted quickly, finding flares in the warehouse and firing them.

But this takes time, and in that time, the special forces have already withdrawn completely from the breach.

Once inside the outer defensive fortifications, the Japanese found it difficult to pose a threat to the special forces moving through the trenches.

In the end, the Japanese could only watch the special forces team leave, unable to do anything about it.

After Duan Peng and Luo Jian successfully reunited, Duan Peng immediately gave Luo Jian a big hug.

"Thanks to your cover, we successfully withdrew. Now the Japanese won't be able to sleep!"

Duan Peng patted Luo Jian on the back.

"We're all comrades in the revolution, no need for thanks!"

"Your special forces team has done another great service this time. Don't forget to treat me to a celebratory drink when you get back!"

Luo Jian said happily.

"Don't worry, as long as the leader rewards us with drinks, I'll have a sip and you'll have a sip too, Lao Luo."

Duan Peng said happily.

"A gentleman's word is as good as his bond; you might not be able to keep your promise later!"

"Let's report the situation first. The chief of staff has been waiting for your news," Luo Jian said.

"Ah."

Soon, news of the special operations team's successful withdrawal reached the General Staff.

Upon learning this, the chief of staff knew that the operation had achieved all its objectives.

So the order to retreat was given!
(End of this chapter)