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

Chapter 285 Chief of Staff: Order 01, with
"Chief of Staff, please take note of the following deployment adjustments I'm making."

Chen Ming's voice came through the room, echoing in the conference room.

Outside, the roar of a train could be heard, along with the sound of whistles and the frantic loading and unloading of personnel and supplies.

Shuoxian is a railway city, and Chen Ming's command post was located not far from the train station.

The external environment was noisy, dynamic, and chaotic, but Chen Ming stood in such an environment and calmly and concisely issued his orders.

This is his calm, reserved, and unflappable leadership style, even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, the chief of staff immediately took out his notebook and pen, waiting for Chen Ming to continue.

"Strengthen the Huai Ren defense line with part of the second district and the fourth district, plus two independent guerrilla brigades;
"The first, second, seventh, and eighth guerrilla battalions, plus an independent regiment, will be used to contain the Japanese."

The Second Military Sub-district, along with two independent guerrilla brigades, blocked the main force of the Japanese army along the Fengzhen line.
The second and third cavalry battalions, plus the fourth battalion, were assigned to monitor the Huai'an and Xinghe areas.

The First Division, the Third Battalion, and the Fifth Battalion were stationed along the Zhuozishan and Wolongshan line to block the second wave of Japanese attacks.

The three districts serve as the general reserve team.

Repeat it for me!

With just a few words, Chen Ming assigned combat missions to a large and complex force.

Upon hearing Chen Ming's order, the chief of staff repeated it without any hesitation:

"Strengthen the Huai Ren defense line with part of the second district and the fourth district, plus two independent guerrilla brigades;
"The first, second, seventh, and eighth guerrilla battalions, plus an independent regiment, will be used to contain the Japanese."

The Second Military Sub-district, along with two independent guerrilla brigades, blocked the main force of the Japanese army along the Fengzhen line.
The second and third cavalry battalions, plus the fourth battalion, were assigned to monitor the Huai'an and Xinghe areas.

The first division, along with the third and fifth brigades, blocked the second wave of Japanese attacks along the Zhuozishan and Wolongshan line.

"The three districts serve as the general reserve force."

After repeating it, it was exactly the same as what Chen Ming had said.

After listening, Chen Ming nodded.

"I would like to add that the artillery detachment and the special forces detachment should be added to the Guihua area."

The political commissar began to speak.

Despite his position as political commissar, Zhang Zhengze's military skills are by no means lacking.

When Chen Ming went to the rear for training, he was the one who temporarily managed the troops and commanded their combat operations.

Chen Ming looked at the map and thought about the political commissar's suggestion for a moment, then decided there was no problem with it.

The artillery detachment is the trump card, a powerful firepower that has not yet been revealed.

Leaving the artillery detachment in the Guihua area could catch the Japanese off guard at crucial moments and play a decisive role.

As the only armored force under Chen Ming's command, the special forces detachment cannot be easily deployed to the battlefield.

This armored unit is highly capable and well-trained; as long as it doesn't show up, the Japanese will have to remain on guard.

This thing is like a giant mushroom; when not in use, it can maintain a deterrent effect for a long time.

Once used, its threat value will plummet.

"Ok, deal."

Chen Ming spoke calmly.

"Yes."

"woooooo"

The train at the train station outside slowly started moving, carrying his size and weight.

The cast-iron wheels crushed all the debris and scraps on the rails, rolling unstoppably forward in a definite direction, determining the future fate of the base.

After the order was issued, the chief of staff began to carry it out and relayed the order to all units.

"Hello, this is ***, command 01, by..."

The chief of staff, from the command post, relayed orders one by one to all units with combat missions.

01 is Chen Ming's code name, and 1 represents his position as commander.

The reason for using code names this time was to prevent the Japanese from intercepting our army's radio communications, and to avoid exposing the commander's identity by using numerical code names.

For example, when an order is issued from the command post, it is marked with 01 at the end. The officers below know that it is Chen Ming's order, but the enemy cannot decipher the specific mission after intercepting it.

It also reduced the risk of being located and prevented the Japanese from carrying out precision bombing.

The code name system severed the link between the commander's name and the radio signal, increasing the difficulty of enemy reconnaissance.

At the same time, the code name system can also optimize the command structure, with code names uniformly assigned according to job level, allowing for quick identification of the source of instructions.

For example, Chen Ming was codenamed 01, Zhang Zhengze was codenamed 02, while the Chief of Staff broke with convention and used the codename 03.

This code name will be widely used during the later Liberation War, and Chen Ming is using it now precisely because of its advantages.

After the chief of staff issued the order, the troops immediately sprang into action.

The operational deployment for this operation, spanning the distance from Datong to Jining, employs a tiered, in-depth defense strategy.

The first line of defense: with Fengzhen as the core, and in coordination with the surrounding mountains (such as Mituo Mountain) to carry out forward resistance.

The second line of defense: deploying mobile forces along the Longshengzhuang-Hongshaba line to threaten the enemy's flank.

Core defense line: Hold the Guancun-Suji high ground at all costs, as the final barrier for the defense of Jining city.

The local armed forces responsible for this section of the defense line consisted of Ding Wei's troops and two independent guerrilla brigades.

Ding Wei's combat style and tactics are a trinity of "flexible tactics + strategic prediction + efficient resource utilization".

Tactically, avoid direct confrontation, make good use of terrain and fortifications to weaken the enemy, and achieve the objective at the lowest cost.

Strategically, we should transcend the limitations of the battlefield and plan from a geopolitical and long-term defense perspective.

In terms of command, remain calm and decisive, and make the most of existing resources, such as troops, equipment, and intelligence.

From Datong to Jining, the terrain is complex, consisting mostly of hills and ravines, making it suitable for deploying ambush and blocking forces.

Deploying Ding Wei's troops here allows them to fully utilize their abilities and play a greater role.

He Jianxin's troops under Chen Ming were good at fighting tough battles, so they stayed behind to fight hard battles against the Japanese in the Zhuozishan and Wolongshan areas after the loss of Jining.

Wang Dafei's troops, being newly reorganized from local armed forces, still lagged behind the main force in combat effectiveness, so Chen Ming did not place them on the battlefield where they would directly fight the Japanese.

Instead, they remained in the Huai-Ren area, relying on the numerous defensive fortifications built there during the standoff with the Japanese in Datong.

Otherwise, if the Japanese hadn't attacked Jining first, but instead had rushed towards the core area of ​​the Independent Detachment, the consequences would have been extremely serious.

Although the Fourth Division still lags behind the main force in field combat capabilities.

However, with the help of strong fortifications, this gap can be narrowed indefinitely, and the troops can play the same role as the main force.

After all, they were selected from eight guerrilla brigades plus a large number of local armed forces.

Even if we take the main force as an example, how bad can its combat effectiveness be?

Kong Jie's troops, serving as the general reserve and core mobile force, were deployed to the battlefield at critical moments to turn the tide of the war.

As for Li Yunlong's troops and other units in Baotou, they launched a feint attack on Baotou to put pressure on the Japanese.

We must put enough pressure on the Japanese to force them to attack Jining and keep them occupied.

Otherwise, if the Japanese hadn't attacked Jining, but instead attacked Huai'ren and Shuoxian directly...

The Huai Ren area has flat terrain, which is conducive to the deployment of Japanese mechanized troops. With the defensive forces left by Chen Ming, it would be difficult to stop the attack of three Japanese divisions.

While Chen Ming was dealing with the Japanese attack, the Japanese were not idle either.

After a division of the Japanese Kwantung Army arrived in Datong, they did not wait for the rest of the troops. Instead, a young officer led a regiment and set off towards the Fengzhen area.

This move caught Chen Ming off guard, and even Gangcun was surprised.

This has actually been a long-standing tradition among the Japanese, especially within the Kwantung Army.

The Kwantung Army staff officers effectively controlled operational decision-making, often bypassing the Tokyo high command and acting independently.

Staff officers were generally influenced by militaristic ideology and were keen on "making meritorious contributions".

In addition, the Kwantung Army, which prided itself on being the "flower of the Imperial Army," had an aggressive fighting style. For example, in 1937, Seishiro Itagaki disregarded the orders of the North China Area Army and led the 5th Division to attack Shanxi Province on his own, disrupting the overall deployment of the Japanese army.

This time, the Japanese Kwantung Army fought together with the Japanese troops inside the Great Wall.

The two were in competition with each other within the Japanese army.

It's not surprising that they preemptively attacked key targets in order to seize the initiative, disrupting the original plan.

Chen Ming hadn't expected that this Japanese Kwantung Army officer would be so arrogant, completely disregarding Ding Wei's army at the Fengzhen defense line.

They dared to launch a solo attack with only a regiment of soldiers.

Although it was somewhat unexpected, it did not affect Chen Ming's plans.

This even made Chen Ming somewhat happy.

"The Japanese devils are practically handing us a free opportunity."

"I was worried that the Japanese Kwantung Army would attack our core area directly in order to gain greater military achievements."

"That would cause us a lot of trouble."

"I didn't expect them to send troops to attack Fengzhen first."

"Once this unit moves, it will be difficult to turn back."

"Once this regiment is deployed, the other Japanese soldiers certainly won't ignore it."

"As long as Ding Wei keeps this regiment in check, the Japanese will only be able to keep pouring more troops into it."

"The fighter jet that we've been racking our brains for has actually been delivered right to our doorstep by the Japanese devils, hahaha."

Inside the command center, Chen Ming spoke to everyone in a relaxed tone.

There's a saying that goes something like this: "It's not the clever people who rack their brains that's scary, it's the fools who suddenly have a brilliant idea."

The group of people in the command headquarters racked their brains for a solution, but it was solved by the Japanese themselves with a "brilliant idea".

"Haha, if I don't seize this opportunity, I won't be able to sleep well in the future."

Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze joked.

"If we leave this regiment in Fengzhen, will the political commissar be able to sleep soundly?"

The chief of staff said humorously.

After everyone finished their banter, Chen Ming solemnly gave the order:
"Chief of staff, tell Ding Wei to make sure that this Japanese regiment is held back, lured deep into the hills of Fengzhen, and left there so that they can neither advance nor retreat."

"I want to force the Japanese to reinforce their troops and make this regiment the breakthrough point in this battle."

Upon receiving the order, the chief of staff immediately began to execute it:
"Is it Yangcun? Order 01: We must hold back this reckless Japanese regiment, lure them deeper, and force the Japanese to reinforce their troops."

"Yangcun" was Ding Weibu's temporary code name used for encryption.

Correspondingly, He Jianxin's troops were called "Lijiapo", Kong Jie's troops were called "Erhekou", and Wang Dafei's troops were called "Xiaowangzhuang".

They all used place names for encryption, the purpose of which was to prevent the Japanese from detecting them.

Of course, this is also because there are few teams within an independent detachment, and using place names as codes makes it less likely to cause confusion.

As the number of military unit designations increases, these designations will be used to issue orders, combining both identification efficiency and confidentiality.

While the atmosphere was relaxed on the Independent Detachment's side, the reaction of the Japanese side was in stark contrast.

"You idiots, a bunch of stupid pigs, brutes!"

Even with Gangcun's excellent composure, he was still quite angry.

First, the swaggering relocation of the two Kwantung Army divisions disrupted his operational plans and undermined his advanced capabilities.

And in less than two weeks, it happened again.

This time, it wasn't even a division-level officer; a regimental-level officer dared to launch an attack without authorization, disrupting his plans once again.

Did these Kwantung Army soldiers even take him seriously? Did they treat him, the temporary commander, like he was invisible?
"Immediately order the regiment to withdraw!"

Okamura immediately gave the order.

"Sir, the wing has lost communication and cannot be contacted."

The Japanese officer reported with a bitter face.

"idiot!"

Okamura started cursing again.

Having only launched the attack a few days ago, it was impossible for them to be annihilated; otherwise, the troops in Datong would have been completely unaware of the situation.

After all, wanting a joint team would be a huge undertaking, and Datong is not far from Fengzhen, only fifty kilometers away.

This distance is quite far, but as long as this regiment engages in battle with the Eighth Route Army, the troops in Datong will definitely be able to detect it.

Since no battle has been detected and contact has been lost, there is only one possibility.

In order to disobey orders, this regiment deliberately cut off communication.

If no telegram is received, then Okamura's orders cannot be transmitted, and naturally there is no question of disobeying orders.

This action was intolerable for Okamura, or for any commander.

Take Li Yunlong for example. If Li Yunlong had a radio during a major battle...

He led his troops out of command without following the battle plan and even cut off the radio.

Those who know Li Yunlong understand his personality; those who don't might think he's betrayed his country and defected to the enemy.

Such behavior, once verified, will absolutely be subject to a military court.

Even if Li Yunlong had the greatest courage in the world, he wouldn't dare to do such a thing.

Because he understood that there was a difference between disobeying orders and disobeying orders in general.

Even if the brigade commander cherished him and the headquarters leaders liked him, they would still have to execute Ma Su with tears in their eyes if they did this.

However, the Japanese Kwantung Army did this, and it wasn't the first time.

Just like the September 18 Incident, it's almost become a tradition.

As a commander, Okamura could not tolerate it either, and immediately lodged a protest with the Kwantung Army Headquarters.

The Kwantung Army headquarters simply sent a telegram to the division, instructing them to investigate the matter, and that was the end of it.

This result chilled him to the bone, even though he already knew what was going to happen.

The Kwantung Army was a separate entity and the General Army, while Okamura was not yet qualified to serve as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army.

It's normal for the other party to ignore him.

As Okamura looked at the telegram from the Kwantung Army, a sense of despair welled up in his heart for the first time.

"Damn it, the empire was destroyed by these brutes!"

P.S.: I had some free time today, so I wrote this in my spare time.
(End of this chapter)