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

Chapter 293 Full Retreat, Preparing for the Decisive Battle!
The location of the Japanese 14th Division's command post was naturally provided by Chen Ming.

Gaojiayao was the location of the headquarters of the Japanese 14th Division.

Sanyingzi is another location about five kilometers away.

As for how the coordinates were obtained, Ding Wei did not investigate further.

Given his limited perspective, it's normal that he couldn't understand Chen Ming's judgment.

In his mind, these coordinates were probably deduced by Chen Ming based on clues on the battlefield and his absolute mastery of the terrain.

Ding Wei knew that the only way to successfully withdraw was to first throw the enemy into chaos.

Using artillery to strike enemy command posts is a highly efficient method.

Under Ding Wei's orders, an artillery company and a company of soldiers from Ding Wei's unit, carrying six 120mm mortars, set off for Sanyingzi under the cover of night.

They chose a very secret route, preferring to take a longer route rather than let the Japanese detect them.

Five hours later, around 12:30 a.m.

After several hours of trekking, the troops finally arrived at their designated location.

Upon arriving at the designated location, they did not stop but immediately began assembling the cannons.

In order for the main force to retreat smoothly, they must cherish every minute and every second.

Completing the mission a minute faster means fewer soldiers will be sacrificed.

"Reporting to headquarters, our unit is ready."

The artillery company commander gave the order.

Not long after, Ding Wei's order came.

"Command orders my unit to strike the ** coordinates at 1:00 AM sharp, and then immediately retreat after firing five rapid shots."

After receiving the order, the artillery company commander glanced at his pocket watch; only five minutes remained.

"Attention, all personnel! Heed my command!"

It was one o'clock in the morning.

"Five rapid-fire rounds, fire!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"."

After firing all five shells, the artillery company commander immediately shouted.

"Quickly, dismantle the cannons and retreat immediately!"

As he spoke, he immediately took the lead in disassembling the mortar to facilitate a quick relocation.

At this time, the first round of shells had not yet landed.

A distance of five kilometers would take approximately twenty-five seconds, based on the mortar's flight speed.

The interval between the five rapid shots is approximately 3-4 seconds.

In other words, during the time between the launch and the landing of the first shell, the artillery battery had already fired all its shells and was preparing to move.

"Bang bang bang!"

When the first volley of shells landed in the Japanese camp, a huge fireball immediately erupted.

A 120mm mortar shell weighs 16 kilograms and has a propellant charge of about 1.5 kilograms, which is roughly equivalent to the propellant charge of a 100-105mm howitzer.

However, its actual killing effect is close to that of a 122mm howitzer because the mortar's trajectory is high and the fragmentation coverage is wider.

It was jokingly called the poor man's grenade launcher.

Imagine the terrifying scene when six 120mm mortars fire five rounds of rapid fire, unleashing a total of thirty shells at the same spot.

The Japanese soldiers at the 14th Division headquarters didn't have to go through all that trouble; they could experience it firsthand.

Of the thirty shells fired, about twenty-two missed their mark, and only eight came close to the Japanese division headquarters.

One of the shots even hit a position less than eight meters from the Japanese division headquarters.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"."

The Japanese division headquarters and the division's directly subordinate units surrounding it suffered.

The 120mm mortar is highly effective against infantry.

In just one surprise attack, approximately 160 people were killed, including signalmen, medics, servicemen, and some cavalrymen from the search corps.

Even two staff officers from the Japanese division headquarters were killed in the bombing.

The commander of the Japanese 14th Division fared no better; the shell that came within eight meters of the division headquarters blew away the bunkers covering the command post.

A rock the size of a fist was sent flying and broke his left calf.

When the surviving Japanese soldiers near the division headquarters pulled him out of the rubble, Noda, the commander of the 14th Division, already wore a mask of pain on his face.

"Baka! Why was the location of the command post leaked? How did the Eighth Route Army find this place?"

Noda roared angrily, his teeth bared in pain, clutching his broken leg tightly with both hands.

"Lord Noda, now is not the time to talk about this. The command post has been exposed and must be moved immediately."

A disheveled Japanese staff officer shouted anxiously, ordering someone to carry Noda on a makeshift stretcher and run.

Since the command post was precisely attacked by the Eighth Route Army, it means that the location of the command post has been exposed.

In this situation, the command post could be subjected to a second artillery barrage at any time.

This is extremely dangerous!
Therefore, they had to be evacuated immediately.

Otherwise, whether it's a second shelling or a surprise attack on the command post by the Eighth Route Army, there is a risk of paralyzing the command system.

Noda knew this, so he immediately issued the order to relocate.

However, due to the urgency of the situation, the soldiers responsible for carrying Noda were not so gentle.

Noda's broken lower leg was in excruciating pain after such a bumpy transfer, and he was sweating profusely.

At the start of the shelling, Ding Wei simultaneously issued the order for a counter-attack.

Before the charge, Ding Wei concentrated all of his troops' artillery firepower to strike the Japanese forward positions.

Under the cover of artillery fire, the soldiers charged desperately toward the Japanese positions.

Upon learning that the division headquarters had been attacked, the Japanese had no choice but to allocate a portion of their forces to protect the headquarters and the command system.

On the battlefield, the survival of the division headquarters is more important than the gains or losses on local fronts, unless the main force is surrounded and cannot be divided.

But this division of troops backfired.

The Japanese 14th Division had already detached some of its forces to flank and assist the 57th Division in carrying out its flanking maneuver.

Troops also need to be deployed in other directions, as the troop strength on the front line was not very sufficient to begin with.

They reasoned that the Eighth Route Army would not be able to launch a frontal attack on their defenses, so they didn't need to worry about the Eighth Route Army breaking through their front lines.

On the contrary, since the start of the battle, the Eighth Route Army has been in a defensive and retreating posture.

What they should be considering is how to surround and annihilate the Eighth Route Army.

Now, some troops have been diverted to reinforce and protect the command post, further reducing the number of troops on the front line.

Faced with the Eighth Route Army's stance of "not only not retreating, but also attacking them," the Japanese front line of defense was directly breached.

Under the charge of two battalions of Ding Wei's troops, the front line was pushed forward by one kilometer.

The Japanese troops retreated hastily, abandoning a large amount of supplies, and only managed to temporarily stabilize the front line after withdrawing their forces.

At this time, the Japanese division commander finally moved to the regimental headquarters of a regiment below him.

Command was restored through the regimental headquarters. "Order all units to hold the line and prevent a second wave of attacks from the Eighth Route Army."

The Japanese division commander's face was contorted with pain.

The Eighth Route Army's attack caught him off guard and even blew off one of his legs.

Although he was angry, he was not too worried about the Eighth Route Army's counterattack.

In his view, this was the Eighth Route Army's last desperate attempt after reaching a dead end.

They wanted to cripple the 14th Division's command system by attacking his headquarters, thus reversing the tide of the war.

However, the Eighth Route Army was unlucky; that round of shelling did not kill him, allowing him to continue commanding and stabilizing the front line.

Now, all he needs to do is stabilize the situation and restore command and communication before he can launch a counterattack.

The frontal direction that was just attacked, which appeared to be in retreat, has been pushed forward by one kilometer.

In reality, apart from some personnel and troop losses, the damage was not severe.

The Eighth Route Army's final assault force numbered only a little over a thousand.

The advantage is still on his side.

While the Japanese were on high alert, preparing to prevent a second attack by the Eighth Route Army.

Ding Wei has issued an order for a full retreat and has planted a large number of explosives in the direction of Fengzhen.

When the Japanese soldiers recovered and prepared to counterattack and retake the position, they found that the Eighth Route Army had already fled.

The Japanese soldiers who entered Fengzhen also triggered Ding Wei's backup plan, and were sent up into the sky by the explosion, scattered here and there.

"Baga! Damn Eighth Route Army!"

The 14th Division Commander, Noda, lay on a stretcher, cursing angrily.

He knew he had been tricked by the Eighth Route Army!

The enemy's fierce counterattack was actually a bluff to prepare for their retreat.

Their real objective was to strike their command post, create chaos within it, and simultaneously use the counter-charge to create the illusion of a counterattack.

When the Japanese soldiers were ready for battle, they seized the opportunity to retreat quickly.

Most importantly, he, a lieutenant general and division commander of a Class A division, almost died under the artillery fire of the Eighth Route Army.

This made Noda feel extremely humiliated; the Eighth Route Army, whom he looked down upon, had caused him to lose face.

"Order the troops to pursue them immediately! We cannot let this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers escape!"

Driven by the pain, Noda gave the order to pursue.

However, how could the hastily pursuing Japanese troops possibly catch up with Ding Wei's well-prepared unit?

Instead, many soldiers were killed or wounded by landmines laid along the way on Ding Wei's orders.

The Japanese pursuit was forced to slow down.

Noda had no choice but to issue an order to cease the pursuit and rest on the spot until dawn.

Once it gets light, visibility improves, and the risks decrease.

"Now we have the victory firmly in our grasp. Judging from the Eighth Route Army's counterattack, their forces are already insufficient. As long as we advance steadily, we will soon reach Jining."

"After taking Jining, the next step is to capture Guihua, and we will soon be able to rescue the trapped tank division."

"Once the tank division returns to its unit, combined with its armored strength and the powerful firepower of my division, it will be able to..."

"By concentrating the strength of three divisions plus one tank division, we will surely be able to inflict a devastating blow on the Eighth Route Army in the Huairen-Shuoxian area."

"The Eighth Route Army's fortifications are very strong, letting those cowards inside the Great Wall know that our Kwantung Army is the elite of the Empire."

Noda addressed the soldiers and officers below who were being counter-attacked by the Eighth Route Army after their command post was attacked.

The Eighth Route Army directly attacked the command post and pushed the front line back by one kilometer.

At this time, the morale of the 14th Division was dampened.

As a seasoned division commander, he knew that at times like these, it was essential to boost morale.

Morale is something that cannot be seen or touched, but it can greatly affect the combat effectiveness of a unit.

Just like an army with high morale, even if its weapons and equipment are inadequate, it can still exert a stronger fighting force by relying on its morale and courage.

A unit with low morale, no matter how good its weapons and equipment, will find it difficult to exert its due combat effectiveness and will easily become discouraged after encountering setbacks.

After Noda's analysis, the Japanese officers of the 14th Division regained their confidence.

Yes, the Eighth Route Army had only launched a decent counter-offensive and almost destroyed their command post.

However, their division commander was not dead, but only wounded.

Moreover, he continued to command the battle despite his injuries, which showed them the division commander's Bushido spirit.

With that in mind, they went down to reassure the troops.

Prepare for the next day's battle.

The next morning, as usual, four Japanese reconnaissance planes went to Fengzhen to scout, but they found no trace of the Eighth Route Army.

Undeterred, they scouted towards Chahar Right Front Banner again, but still found no trace of the Eighth Route Army.

When the news reached the 14th Division, Noda knew that the Eighth Route Army had already fled.

However, despite what the report said, he did not let his guard down and still sent out a large number of scouts to prevent the main force from being ambushed.

This time, Ding Wei indeed did not set up any ambushes along the way.

Because we are about to enter the second phase of the battle.

After Ding Wei retreated to Jining, he took over the city's defenses and carried out a brief period of rest and recuperation.

At this moment, Chen Mingyi's order was directly transmitted to Ding Wei's unit.

"Order 01: Ding Wei's troops are to withdraw completely from Jining, head north to Shangdu to hide, and await further orders."

Inside the command post, Chen Ming had his chief of staff send a telegram to Ding Wei.

Ding Wei's troops have suffered heavy losses; three-fifths of Chu Yunfei are now dead.

Although it hasn't been seriously injured yet, its fighting strength remains very strong.

However, Chen Ming still decided to have Ding Wei's troops temporarily withdraw to Shangdu, north of Jining.

First, Ding Wei's unit was given a temporary rest to handle troop matters.

Secondly, a large force was deployed in Shangdu to prepare for the decisive battle to come.

That's right, Chen Ming has already decided to go straight to the decisive battle and there's no need to continue showing weakness to the enemy.

The Japanese are advancing very quickly and will reach Jining by tonight at the latest, where they will launch their attack tomorrow.

After arriving in Jining, they were already quite a distance from Datong, making it difficult for the Japanese to escape.

Let the Japanese pass through Jining, allowing them to advance faster towards the Zhuozishan defense line, the decisive battleground Chen Ming prepared for them.

After Ding Wei's troops were transferred to Shangdu, they could attack Jining from the rear when the decisive battle began, closing the ambush and cutting off the Japanese retreat.

At that time, the Japanese will be trapped in the hilly area between Zhuozishan and Jining.

Zhuozishan is mostly hilly and mountainous with little flat land, with an average altitude of 1750 meters.

The terrain is characterized by a mix of mountains and valleys, such as the Shahe Valley, which makes it easy for troops to be divided and heavy equipment to be difficult to move.

For other units, this place is not suitable as a location for large-scale decisive battles.

But for Chen Ming, this was just right.

His own troops also started out developing their skills in mountain warfare.

They were much more familiar with mountain warfare than the Japanese.

(End of this chapter)