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

Chapter 272 Post-War Summary! The Enraged Japanese Division Commander

After the chief of staff issued the order to retreat, the entire offensive force in Baotou was put on hold.

All the cannons stopped roaring, and the attacking soldiers also ceased their offensive.

"Command orders: Alternating cover during the retreat!"

The orders echoed across the battlefield, and the cadres who heard them understood perfectly.

All strategic objectives of this operation have been successfully achieved.

In other words, they have already won!

"Comrades, we've won! Retreat!"

In the early morning light, the soldiers retreated like the tide.

From high above, they look like ants marching, quickly converging at a designated location.

The Japanese soldiers in Baotou were completely baffled. Why had the Eighth Route Army, who had been fighting so fiercely just moments before, suddenly withdrawn?
The withdrawal was carried out very cleanly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

The Japanese soldiers on the front lines were very puzzled. Did the Eighth Route Army have some kind of conspiracy?
Some Japanese officers seemed to have thought of something and immediately shouted loudly:

"Take cover! The Eighth Route Army might be launching another large-scale artillery barrage!"

This statement seems abrupt, almost unbelievable.

In the past, the words "Eighth Route Army" and "mass artillery bombardment" would never be associated under any circumstances.

But things are different now. They have witnessed the massive artillery barrage of the Eighth Route Army, a terrifying firepower that can cover a large area in an instant.

A large number of Japanese soldiers died in that shelling, dying without any reaction and without even a chance to find cover.

Because its instantaneous strike speed is too fast.

Ordinary artillery, at least, would have a few shells fired for calibration before a large-scale bombardment, giving them some time to evade.

But rocket artillery is different; their error can easily be hundreds of meters, so what kind of calibration do they need?
Once you've got a general idea of ​​the area, you can just use firepower to cover the rest.

Under heavy artillery fire, accuracy becomes irrelevant.

At the suggestion of the Japanese officers, a large number of Japanese soldiers immediately took cover in bunkers, preparing to face the possible artillery fire that might follow.

However, the independent detachment had used up all the rocket launchers it brought, so where would they get any extra rockets to fire?
The Japanese were destined not to live to see it.

News of the halt of the attack outside Baotou reached the Japanese division headquarters.

The Japanese division commander was so angry that his eyes turned red as he looked at the reports from his troops.

"Baga, Baga, way to go!"

"They're all useless, utterly useless!"

Judging from the current situation, their losses have been devastating.

Of the two oil depots in the city, one was completely destroyed and the other was partially destroyed.

They were unable to save the person during the firefighting operation.

Once oil catches fire, it's not so easy to put it out.

The intense heat from the fire continuously heated the oil storage equipment beneath the oil depot, ultimately triggering a massive explosion.

More than 60 Japanese soldiers who participated in the rescue were killed in the bombing, and more than 100 were burned.

The only gain they achieved was that the soldiers risked their lives to retrieve more than thirty barrels of oil.

This amount of oil isn't even enough for them to use at full capacity for a day!
What can this possibly do?
Even if there was one unused oil depot, the total amount of oil inside would not be enough to support their journey to Guihua.

It can be said that their tank division has completely lost its mobility and is trapped in Baotou.

If the Japanese reinforcements are unable to clear the route from Datong to Baotou and transport fuel, then...

Then his tank division would have to abandon most of its equipment and break through.

In addition to the loss of fuel, the loss of other materials was also very serious.

One of the ammunition depots in Baotou was blown up, triggering a massive explosion that affected other warehouses.

Other military supplies also suffered significant losses.

The situation for the Japanese troops in Baotou became even worse after they had completely lost logistical support.

The most critical issue is the loss of personnel.

In this attack, more than 1,300 Japanese soldiers from the tank division were killed in action.

More than 2,800 people were injured.

The vast majority of these casualties were caused by artillery fire.

It can be said that in this battle, in terms of artillery combat, they suffered a complete and utter defeat.

With nearly three thousand wounded, it's uncertain how many can be saved in the winter when medicine is scarce.

This was another devastating blow to the Japanese.

In addition, the puppet troops responsible for the outer defense chain of Baotou were also almost completely wiped out.

An entire puppet military division, a force of over five thousand men.

They were all wiped out in one night; some died, and others surrendered.

The Japanese division commander couldn't understand why a division of over 5,000 men was completely annihilated in one night.

They were backed by strong fortifications and had artillery support from the Japanese.

In this situation, even if there were more than 5,000 wild boars on the position, the Eighth Route Army would not be able to capture them all on the battlefield.

The annihilation of the puppet troops caused a major headache for the Japanese division commander, who had previously looked down on them and treated them as cannon fodder.

Now that it's gone, he has no choice but to take it seriously.

The complete annihilation of the puppet troops meant that there were no more cannon fodder left to defend the outer perimeter of Baotou.

In order to prevent the Eighth Route Army from directly reaching the walls of Baotou, they had to detach some troops to reinforce the puppet army's defenses.

This further strained the already heavy casualties of the Japanese troops.

Now, even if we recruit able-bodied men from the inner city to fill the gaps, it won't work.

They suffered heavy weapon losses and could no longer fire their guns.

We can't just send them to fill in the lines without issuing them guns, can we?

Of course, the Japanese were capable of doing such a thing.

However, it has to be effective first.

Without guns, they can't function effectively, and we still need to replenish their food supplies. Most importantly, we have to guard against them turning against us. It's better to just use the Japanese soldiers.

Faced with the current situation, the Japanese division commander had lost all strength and means, and was at a loss for what to do.

"By the way, have the unidentified enemies that appeared in the city been captured yet?"

In desperation, the Japanese division commander asked a question.

If it weren't for this unit guiding the Eighth Route Army artillery outside the city, he wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses.

The following unit then launched a reckless attack on his division headquarters.

Although they were repelled, the unit then turned around and attacked their communication systems.

As a result, communications within Baotou City suffered a severe blow, and orders from the Japanese division headquarters could not be effectively delivered to the troops below.

This resulted in chaotic troop movements, rendering them unable to function effectively.

This is why the battle was fought so humiliatingly and resulted in heavy losses!
It can be said that the Japanese division commander's first hatred was for the entire Independent Detachment, and within that unit, his second resentment was for this particular unit.

Upon hearing the division commander's question, a Japanese officer lowered his head in shame.

"Reporting to the commander, no trace of the unit has been found in the city."

"After the Eighth Route Army withdrew, this unit completely disappeared."

"I dispatched troops for a comprehensive search, but found nothing." "However, news came from the southern defense forces."

"They reported that there was a bunker in the city, and all the soldiers inside died inside the bunker, but there was no trace of the Eighth Route Army attacking the bunker."

"It is speculated that the Eighth Route Army changed their uniforms and infiltrated the bunker, launching an attack from the inside."

"A breach was also found in the south wall, suggesting that the troops escaped through the breach."

"The time was probably around the time when the Eighth Route Army stopped its attack and retreated. It's possible that the Eighth Route Army only completely stopped its attack after they retreated."

After the Japanese officer finished speaking, the angry curses of the Japanese division commander were heard.

"Baka yarou, is the person in charge of that bunker an idiot? Does he think the Empire's regulations are toilet paper?"

"A unit of the Eighth Route Army actually managed to infiltrate the bunker!"

The Japanese division commander was furious.

According to regulations, the troops responsible for defending bunkers are guaranteed independence, and even their superiors cannot directly enter them.

However, he was now told that the bunker's defense squad had disregarded regulations and allowed the Eighth Route Army to swagger into the bunker.

Ultimately, this allowed the Eighth Route Army to escape the city successfully, which made him furious.
Hearing the division commander's angry curses, the Japanese officers dared not utter a word.

Judging from the intelligence at the scene, the squad leader in charge of defending the bunker had a face swollen like a pig's head, clearly having been slapped quite a few times.

He could already deduce in his mind how the Eighth Route Army had infiltrated the bunker.

It was nothing more than an officer disguised as a squad leader of higher rank, who then used "personal punishment" to beat the squad leader.

Then, taking advantage of the Japanese soldiers' hierarchical pressure, they forced their way into the bunker.

The Japanese officer knew what was going on, but he couldn't report it to the Japanese division commander.

Could he possibly say that the situation was caused by the oppressive hierarchical system within the Japanese army?

This would be tantamount to denying the entire hierarchical system within the Japanese army, which could lead to deaths.

The Japanese officer dared not speak, because if he did, the best-case scenario would be that he would be slapped repeatedly by the Japanese division commander for no reason.

In the worst-case scenario, they might be falsely accused and killed.

After venting his frustrations, the Japanese division commander sent a telegram to headquarters in utter despair and sorrow, explaining the situation.

Unlike the deathly despair within the Japanese ranks, the retreating Independent Detachment troops were much more cheerful.

It's almost like singing and dancing.

Except for some troops that remained in the outer perimeter of Baotou to continue surrounding it, the rest of the troops temporarily returned to the surrounding towns to replenish their supplies.

After the injured were stabilized, they were transferred by train to Jining for treatment.

Today, apart from parts of the Tongpu Railway, the Ping-Sui Railway section from Fengzhen-Jining-Guihua-Tumoqi is also under the control of the Independent Detachment.

Chen Ming naturally chose to use trains, a mode of transportation that carries a large volume of cargo and is fast.

Using it in front of the Japanese was to let them know that the Independent Detachment had transformed from a guerrilla force into a powerful field force.

The ability to mobilize so much ammunition and supplies during the winter to support the operations of tens of thousands of people was also thanks to this railway line.

Otherwise, transporting so many supplies on the freezing grassland would be deadly.

Inside Jining City.

Chen Ming has arrived in Jining, where he awaits the triumphant return of the Chief of Staff and the troops.

When the train carrying the troops arrived at Baotou Railway Station, the area outside the station was packed with people.

Even the cold winter could not dampen the people's enthusiasm for welcoming the heroes!
At first, Wang Dabiao was worried that the large number of people gathered there, a mixed bag of people, might pose a danger to Chen Ming.

Chen Ming didn't care at all, and instead criticized Da Biao.

They cannot be afraid of the people, nor can they deny the enthusiasm of the people.

When the train arrived, the soldiers on board received a hero's welcome.

Wherever the soldiers went, the people welcomed them wholeheartedly, bringing them all sorts of gifts.

However, the soldiers upheld discipline and did not take a single needle or thread from the people, which once again improved their image in the hearts of the people.

Some of the bolder civilians even went so far as to seize sons-in-law, hoping to introduce their daughters to the returning soldiers.

This made the soldier who was caught blush deeply, which made the other soldiers burst into laughter.

After welcoming the returning troops, the chief of staff reported the details of the Battle of Baotou to Chen Ming at the command post in Jining.

Chen Ming listened attentively to the chief of staff's report, nodding occasionally.

Although he could observe the situation of the Battle of Baotou through the secondary map.

However, it would be much better to hear a report from the chief of staff, the frontline commander.

Chen Ming was very satisfied with the Chief of Staff's performance in this battle.

After experiencing a real battle, the chief of staff has become more composed and has made great progress.

Chen Ming then supplemented the chief of staff based on some shortcomings in this operation.

After all, Chen Ming has fought many battles, many of which were much larger in scale than this one.

In terms of practical experience, Chen Ming is definitely in an advantageous position.

Even the chief of staff couldn't compare to him in this respect.

"This battle was fought well; it seems those years of studying abroad weren't wasted!"

Chen Ming said with a smile.

"It was the soldiers' concerted efforts that led to such great results. If it were any of our troops in that situation, the outcome would be about the same."

The chief of staff said modestly.

"Hey, don't be so modest. Commanding a battle with so many people isn't something just anyone can do well."

"You can count the number of officers in our unit who can command so many people on one hand."

"When I first commanded a battle of this scale, my performance was probably not as good as yours."

Chen Ming said with a smile.

"Haha, you say I'm being modest, but you're the most modest one."

"Who in the entire army, in the whole country, doesn't know your capabilities?"

“I dare say now that you are definitely at the top of the list of people that Japanese devil Okamura most wants to get rid of.”

The chief of staff joked.

"The Japanese devils want my life, but they're hundreds of years too early."

"Hahaha."

After making the joke, Chen Ming asked again:
"It seems the commander of the puppet army division died on the battlefield this time?"

When Chen Ming asked the question, he looked into the chief of staff's eyes.

The chief of staff understood Chen Ming's implied meaning and shook his head.

"This was not my arrangement."

"According to the reports from the surrendered puppet troops, the puppet army division commander stood in a conspicuous place and shouted loudly during the uprising."

"As a result, he was ambushed by a kid hiding in the shadows and shot in the chest. He died on the spot and could not be saved."

Chen Ming looked into the chief of staff's eyes and nodded.

"That's good. Make sure to resettle the prisoners of war as soon as possible."

"Let's also report the name of the fallen puppet army division commander."

(End of this chapter)