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

Chapter 276 The Brigade Commander's Old Wound Relapses, Chen Ming's Solution
After reading the appointment telegram, Chen Ming handed it to the excited and thrilled chief of staff.

The chief of staff looked at the contents of the telegram, and even though Chen Ming had read it aloud and he had seen it with his own eyes, he still couldn't quite believe it.

After all, he had only been back in China for a short time, and he was already being given an important position as the chief of staff of the Independent Detachment, a special unit.

Now, he has been promoted almost without regard to precedent, and at the same time has the special privilege of concurrently serving as the military commander of an artillery detachment, which is something he never dared to dream of.

Because whether in terms of seniority or merit, there are people who are superior to him.

He also held the position of chief of staff, making it extremely difficult to concurrently serve as a military commander.

"Old Chen, what's going on? Why would JW issue such an appointment?"

After the initial excitement subsided, the chief of staff looked at Chen Ming with a puzzled expression.

"This is my proposal; I suggest you serve as the acting commander of the artillery detachment."

Chen Ming spoke up.

"What? You suggested it to ZY? I was..."

The chief of staff said in surprise, but before he could speak, Chen Ming interrupted him.

"I know what you're trying to say, but this decision is one I've thought through carefully."

"With your abilities, you should have no problem serving as the commander of an artillery detachment."

"Moreover, you are one of the few officers in our unit with experience in artillery clusters. If you don't come, who will?"

Chen Ming said with a smile.

Hearing Chen Ming say this, the chief of staff still had some concerns:
"However, I am already the chief of staff of the independent detachment. If I were to take on this position, I might not be able to properly manage the work of the artillery detachment."

His concern is understandable, as both positions are important and key positions.

Work is indispensable.

Whether it's the chief of staff of an independent detachment or the commander of an artillery detachment, both are core positions with high authority and influence.

It is difficult for an average person to fully handle the work of two positions.

In other words, artillery detachments have a special nature, and they usually follow the command organs.

For ordinary field troops, it would be even more difficult for the chief of staff to concurrently serve as the military commander of the field troops.

This is also why it is rare for someone in our army to hold multiple positions, because a person's energy is limited, and holding multiple positions will distract them and affect the overall operational coordination of the army.

“JW and I have carefully considered your concerns.”

"Comrade Zhao Gang, the political commissar of the artillery detachment, is a capable cadre who is both literate and skilled in military affairs. He can share some of your workload."

"Comrade Zhang Yousheng, the chief of staff of the artillery detachment, is also an experienced cadre and can be in charge of some of the work."

"Look, our artillery detachment hasn't had any problems since it was established."

"So you can relax and don't need to worry that taking on a concurrent role will affect your work."

"At the same time, when the Spring Festival comes, our cadres who went to the rear for training will return."

"At that time, Comrade Wang Dafei can also share some of the work."

"Now that JW's appointment has been made, we can't disobey the organization's arrangements."

Chen Ming patiently explained.

Chen Ming was well aware of the chief of staff's doubts.

But he must have made this decision after careful consideration and deliberation.

The artillery detachment is no ordinary unit; its importance is crucial to Chen Ming and to the entire unit.

How could Chen Ming not have thought this through?
Zhao Gang is a cadre who is both literate and skilled in military affairs. He has been learning very quickly during this period and has already developed a strong ability to organize artillery.

After all, he was a top student who graduated from Yenching University and furthered his studies at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, so he learned things very quickly.

With the added bonus of Chen Ming's badge set, learning becomes even faster.

Zhang Yousheng was the earliest artilleryman in the independent detachment and had rich combat experience.

He did not give up his studies. Under the guidance of Soviet artillery experts, he made great progress, which even caught Chen Ming's attention.

With him around, there shouldn't be any problems with the artillery detachment's actual combat orders being executed.

With these two officers in place, the command and execution framework of the artillery detachment was basically complete.

The chief of staff's task is to issue orders based on the battlefield situation, just like Chen Ming, without consuming too much energy.

Chen Ming has experienced this firsthand. After the establishment of a standardized staff system, the pressure on him when commanding operations was greatly reduced.

No longer do we need to command the overall battlefield while also attending to local battles and constantly processing information, as we did before.

Fighting a battle feels more tiring than running a marathon.

As for the Chief of Staff's work in the independent detachment, since there is basically no fighting now, it doesn't require much effort.

By the time a major battle occurs, the officers of the Independent Detachment who went to the rear for training have already returned.

Wang Dafei was the chief of staff of an independent detachment, and he was very capable. The only thing he lacked was seniority.

With him back, the work of the Independent Detachment Staff will be easier and will not affect the work of the Artillery Detachment.

After hearing Chen Ming's words, the chief of staff thought for a moment and then his expression became firm.

"Then I will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements."

"Haha, that's more like it. Keep the appointment letter safe. I'll personally escort you to your new post tomorrow."

"I have something I want to discuss with you now."

Chen Ming took the chief of staff's hand and led him to the map.

"I plan to transfer the Taiyue Independent Regiment to the Baotou direction."

"With the addition of the Daqingshan Detachment and several other units, our troops in Baotou were completely liberated."

"What do you think of this suggestion? Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Chen Ming then shared his thoughts.

Upon hearing Chen Ming's idea, the chief of staff looked at the map and first asked:
"Independent Regiment? Is that Li Yunlong's regiment?"

Independent regiments are a relatively common designation in our army.

Besides Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment, the 115th Division also had an Independent Regiment, as did the 385th Brigade.

Even the unit where Zhou Weiguo originally served was later reorganized into the Tiger Head Mountain Independent Regiment.

Chen Ming nodded: "That's right, it's Li Yunlong's regiment. I didn't expect you to think of him as soon as I mentioned it."

The chief of staff smiled and said, "Who in our army doesn't know the name Li Yunlong?"

"He was dismissed just a few days after being promoted; he's the first person to be removed from office like this."

"You can't help but know these kinds of officials."

For a chief of staff like himself, who is extremely strict with discipline and almost inhumane.

Li Yunlong, a cadre, left a very deep impression on him.

He couldn't say he liked Li Yunlong, but he also couldn't say he disliked him.

However, this is all based on the fact that Li Yunlong is not part of the independent detachment's combat order and is not under his jurisdiction.

If Li Yunlong were an officer in the Independent Detachment, under the Chief of Staff, it would be considered a favor if he were only made a company commander.

"That's true. Not only in our troops, but even in the Nationalist army, Li Yunlong's reputation has spread."

"The phrase 'seven ups and eight downs' describes a person's mood for others, but for Li Yunlong, it describes him as a person."

Chen Ming chuckled and joked, "Haha, hearing you say that, I'd like to meet this official."

The chief of staff said with a smile.

"The chances are definitely not small. The political commissar of the artillery detachment is the same political commissar who was originally the political commissar of Li Yunlong's Independent Regiment."

"Given Li Yunlong's personality, once you become the commander of the artillery detachment, you'll inevitably see him quite often."

Chen Ming spoke up.

"Then I must see this renowned 'fierce horse' for myself."

"I think it's appropriate to transfer the Independent Regiment to Baotou."

"Now that it's winter, the Japanese oil depot in Baotou has been blown up, and they have lost the ability to break out."

"During this period, the Japanese troops in Baotou did not make any moves, as if they were stuck in Baotou waiting for rescue."

"Therefore, we don't need to station so many troops in Baotou. It's more appropriate to allocate troops to prepare for the decisive battle against the Japanese."

"Li Yunlong's independent regiment has more than 5,000 men. After being supplemented with Soviet weapons, their equipment is quite good, and their combat effectiveness is guaranteed."

"With the addition of several other troops, it is enough to besiege Baotou."

"Even if the Japanese in Baotou want to fight to the death, they cannot break out of the encirclement in a short time. We have enough time to deploy troops to encircle and annihilate them."

The chief of staff agreed with Chen Ming's proposal.

The Japanese troops in Baotou are not a particularly significant threat to the current war situation.

If it weren't for the difficulty of mobilizing large armies in winter, and the fact that the Japanese had done a good job of fortifying Baotou's city defenses.

The Japanese soldiers in Baotou could have been wrapped up and eaten long ago.

It can be said that the Japanese troops in Baotou now are all capable of fighting, as long as they have sufficient manpower and equipment.

If the siege continues, we can build up an army to wipe out Baotou and achieve great military exploits.

Of course, this is conditional: the Independent Detachment's defenses must not be breached by several Japanese divisions in next year's battles.

As long as the Japanese reinforcements cannot break through the Independent Detachment's defenses and transport supplies to Baotou to replenish the Japanese forces there, their combat effectiveness will not be very strong.

After all, it will be 43 in a few days, and the Japanese army's decline is very obvious, with setbacks on all fronts.

The number of elite troops that can be deployed has been greatly reduced, as have the resources.

The proportion of underage and elderly soldiers in the Japanese security forces has increased.

Food, ammunition, and fuel are all in short supply, and the logistics system is on the verge of collapse.

Some Japanese soldiers even suffered non-combat casualties due to hunger.

Take, for example, the canned beef that the Japanese soldiers used to love eating.

Now, fish and pork are being used to impersonate beef, and some canned goods are even made by soaking grains in cow's blood.

Our soldiers' opinion of the Japanese canned beef changed from a delicacy to "pig swill."

As the chief of staff of the independent detachment, he could certainly see the changes in the Japanese soldiers.

Therefore, it was concluded that the Japanese tank division in Baotou was no longer a particularly significant threat.

After all, it was just an armored unit that had been formed for a few months and hadn't been training for long before it was driven into Baotou by the independent detachment.

What kind of combat capability does this kind of force have?

If it were any other Japanese tank division, the chief of staff wouldn't have dared to draw such a conclusion.

Because those tank divisions had been established and trained for a long time, even after two fuel depots were destroyed...

Even if they manage to break out with the remaining fuel and form a smaller tank force, they still pose a significant threat.

"In that case, I'll go to the brigade commander the day after tomorrow to discuss it with him, and then submit a report to headquarters."

Chen Ming spoke up.

The transfer of Li Yunlong definitely needed to be discussed with the brigade commander.

However, Chen Ming had nothing to worry about, since the brigade commander knew his style of military discipline.

It's impossible to bring the Independent Regiment and Li Yunlong together like Kong Jie and Ding Wei did.

After the Independent Regiment was transferred to Baotou, and the Independent Detachment finished fighting the major battles on the main battlefield, they turned their attention to dealing with Baotou.

Independent regiments can also participate in the battle and gain merits and supplies.

The Japanese troops in Baotou consisted of an entire armored division and its supplies.

Although part of it was destroyed by the independent detachment, it was still a huge fortune.

After Chen Ming and the chief of staff reached a consensus on transferring the independent regiment to Baotou, the next step was to rotate other units to Baotou as well.

Finally, a transfer plan was devised. Chen Ming put the plan away, intending to take it with him when he went to see the brigade commander.

Two days later, Chen Ming, carrying the transfer plan, set off for the location of the brigade commander.

After several days of trekking, under the protection of the guard force, Chen Ming successfully arrived at his destination.

"Brigade Commander, Brigade Commander, I've come to see you!"

As soon as he entered the military headquarters, Chen Ming quickened his pace.

When Chen Ming entered the brigade commander's room, he was not stopped by the guards, who simply saluted him.

Given Chen Ming's relationship with the brigade commander, who in the entire organization doesn't know Chen Ming?
Upon entering the room, Chen Ming smelled a medicinal odor, and the brigade commander was sitting by the stove.

Upon seeing Chen Ming arrive, a happy smile appeared on his face.

He tried to stand up, but his face was pale and he was grimacing.

Chen Ming was taken aback and quickly stepped forward to support the brigade commander to prevent him from falling.

"Brigade Commander, what's going on?"

Chen Ming asked with concern.

Hearing Chen Ming's concern, the brigade commander smiled through his pain:
"It's an old problem. My left leg tends to hurt when it gets cold. This winter has been particularly cold, and I can't even walk steadily."

"You little rascal, you're not going to laugh at me for looking like this, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming immediately understood.

During the Battle of Huichang in August 1927, the brigade commander suffered broken tibia and fibula in his left leg, and his knee tendon was ruptured.

The doctors even suggested amputation, but the brigade commander insisted on saving the leg.

Due to delayed treatment and subsequent relocation with the military, his leg injury left him with serious sequelae.

Then the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan broke out, and the brigade commander had to command his troops in field operations for a long time, so his injury never healed.

In addition, there were lasting effects on my heart.

It can be said that the brigade commander's life was full of scars, but he never stopped burning himself for the revolution.

How could Chen Ming possibly laugh at someone who had dedicated his life to the revolutionary cause?

"Brigadier, what are you saying? Even tigers have their moments of rest, how can I possibly laugh at your misfortune?"

Chen Ming said with heartache.

His mind settled down as he looked at the two gleaming badges in his badge system.

"Level 5 Medical Badge: Increases cure rate by 100%".

"Level 5 Recovery Badge: Increases injury recovery speed by 100%"

(End of this chapter)