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

Chapter 297 Li Yunlong: What is a battle of attrition? This is it!
Upon receiving the order from headquarters, all the troops in the Baotou area became excited.

Previously, without orders, and in order to conceal their true capabilities, they only used a portion of the heavy weapons that Chen Ming had allocated to them.

Having powerful weapons at their disposal but not using them to fight the Japanese was incredibly frustrating for all the officers and soldiers.

But for the sake of the overall situation, to win this battle, and to prevent the Japanese from discovering anything in advance, they had to endure it.

Now, the command has ordered that there is no need to hide anything; a full-scale attack is necessary.

They could finally test the power of their weapons.

"Quick, quick, bring all our babies up!"

"Where's the machine gun company? Hurry up, yes, all of you, get to your positions."

"Hello, two rocket artillery batteries? Command orders you to immediately move into your designated positions and await further instructions."

"Mountain Artillery Battalion, this is Li Yunlong. Command orders you to prepare immediately and blast those damn Japanese devils to smithereens at any time."

"."

Orders were issued from Li Yunlong's command post and relayed to all the troops in the Baotou area.

With orders from headquarters, the battle in Baotou would be commanded by Li Yunlong, with cadres sent from headquarters to supervise the operation.

To prevent Li Yunlong from making any rash moves.

Two hours later, the troops outside Baotou were ready.

"Check the time."

Li Yunlong addressed the group of cadres.

The group checked their pocket watches and confirmed the exact time.

"Pass on my order: at 3:00 PM sharp, all troops will launch a full-scale attack!"

"We must make a show of force and let the Japanese devils know that we are not to be trifled with."

Li Yunlong waved his hand, his heart overflowing with pride, displaying an air of high spirits.

Time passed slowly, and when the clock struck three, all the troops opened fire simultaneously in unison.

"Shhhhhh!"

"Shhhhhh!"

"."

This is the sound of two rocket artillery batteries firing 88mm rockets.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"."

This is the sound of twelve 120mm heavy mortars firing.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

"."

This is the sound of artillery shells being fired from the guns of the mountain artillery battalion.

With the modification of the production line at Arsenal 417, and with the addition of Soviet equipment and technology, the arsenal was able to mass-produce 75mm mountain gun shells.

With enough shells available, the mountain guns that had been forced to be stored away due to a lack of shells could now be put to use.

In addition to the mountain guns that could not be taken away in the past, and the mountain guns that were destroyed by the Japanese themselves, after being repaired, a considerable number of mountain guns were still accumulated.

Li Yunlong's unit received a mountain artillery battalion temporarily allocated by headquarters.

Rocket launchers, heavy mortars, mountain guns, and other mortars of various calibers, infantry guns, anti-tank guns, and machine guns fired simultaneously.

In just a moment, the entire city of Baotou was engulfed in flames, covered by a large number of shells, turning it into a pot of steel porridge.

"That was awesome, fucking awesome!"

"This is the first time I've ever fought such a costly battle."

"In the past, it was always the Japanese who bombarded us with artillery. Now we can finally let them taste what it's like to be bombarded by artillery."

Li Yunlong stood on a station northeast of Baotou, looking through binoculars at the Japanese positions in the distance, which were covered by artillery fire.

I let out a long breath, feeling incredibly relieved.

Li Yunlong felt that this feeling was ten thousand times more comfortable than when he was on his wedding night!
“It’s breathtaking, it’s breathtaking!”

"Is this the strength of Chief Chen? This is only a portion of the weapons they allocated, yet they already have such abundant firepower."

"The firepower of the other main forces is many times stronger than this."

"No wonder he dared to face attacks from three Japanese divisions at the same time."

Commanders from other units were impressed by the density of artillery fire at Baotou.

Having experienced it firsthand today, they finally understand just how powerful Chen Ming truly is.

He is undoubtedly the most renowned general, a living legend.

It's important to know that back then, Chen Ming's team was just a small district squad of a dozen or so people, and they were dirt poor.

In just four years, tremendous changes have taken place.

The difference between the two is so vast it can only be described as the difference between heaven and earth.

Such a legendary story is something even storytellers wouldn't dare to tell.

They even felt that the plays produced by the cultural troupe were too conservative, failing to depict even a fraction of Chen Ming's glorious deeds.

The Chinese troops throughout the Baotou area felt as refreshed as eating an ice-cold watermelon on a hot summer day when they saw the Japanese soldiers being bombed.

Meanwhile, the Japanese troops in Baotou were in dire straits.

The Eighth Route Army, which had been peaceful and only engaged in small-scale attacks, suddenly unleashed such powerful firepower.

This caught the Japanese troops in Baotou off guard, making them think that Chen Ming's main force had arrived.

They originally expected that Baotou was a secondary battlefield, and that the outcome would never be decided by Baotou.

Instead, it was the Jining area where the main forces of both sides were fighting.

Once the battle in Jining is resolved, the outcome in Baotou will naturally be determined.

Therefore, when the Japanese troops in Jining sent a telegram reporting their victories and unimpeded passage,

The Japanese soldiers in Baotou were very happy.

They knew that if the two divisions in the Jining area won, their crisis of being besieged in Baotou could be resolved smoothly.

Even after receiving supplies, they were able to continue fighting on the battlefield, using their tank division's formidable tank units to exact revenge on the Eighth Route Army.

Through revenge, he swept away the gloom that had surrounded him for half a year and finally triumphed.

However, the dramatic change in the situation caught them completely off guard.

Judging from the firepower of the Eighth Route Army outside Baotou, this seems to be the main force of the Eighth Route Army!

The Japanese troops suffered heavy losses from the powerful artillery fire.

"Baka! Report the situation to headquarters immediately! The Baotou area has been subjected to fierce artillery fire from the Eighth Route Army!"

"Preliminary estimates suggest that the Eighth Route Army deployed at least a hundred artillery pieces!"

"The commander of the Japanese tank division said angrily."

After a six-month siege, their 3rd Tank Division was severely weakened and suffered heavy casualties.

They are now extremely weak, lack food, and the wounded lack medicine. Many wounded soldiers can only watch helplessly as infection and disease devour their lives.

Now, without supplies, they can't withstand any major setbacks.

They desperately need supplies and support.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hold out for long against the Eighth Route Army's overwhelming firepower.

After all, much of the supplies in Baotou had been destroyed by rocket artillery in the last battle commanded by the Chief of Staff.

They only have one week's worth of food left, and after that, they will run out of food.

"Hi Yi!"

"Tap tap tap." Inside the Datong command post, hurried footsteps could be heard, reflecting the anxiety of the person making them.

"Reporting to the commander, Baotou has been subjected to heavy artillery fire from the Eighth Route Army, and the garrison in Baotou has suffered heavy losses."

"Preliminary estimates suggest that the Eighth Route Army deployed at least a hundred artillery pieces."

"At the same time, a large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers appeared on the outskirts of Baotou, and their numbers were so great that they covered the mountains."

The Japanese staff officer anxiously reported the telegram sent by the Japanese troops in Baotou to Gangcun.

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Okamura's eyes widened, and he slammed his hand on the table, standing up.

The Japanese staff officer read the telegram aloud again.

Okamura was still somewhat skeptical, so he grabbed the telegram and hurriedly began to read it.

"How could this be? How could there be so many Eighth Route Army soldiers in Baotou, and with such powerful firepower?"

"Could it be that the main force of the Eighth Route Army is really in Baotou?"

“No!” Okamura shook his head, quickly dismissing his own idea.

If the main force of the Eighth Route Army was in Baotou, then what kind of Eighth Route Army was it that had a division under his command confronting them in the Huai'ren area?
Surely it's impossible for so many troops from the Eighth Route Army to suddenly appear?
The troops in other Eighth Route Army base areas were all being monitored, and he couldn't possibly be unaware of any major moves they made.

A series of messages flashed through Gangcun's mind, helping him unravel the mystery before him.

Like peeling back layers of silk, he removed distracting information and gradually arrived at a conclusion.

"The troops in the Baotou area may not be the main force of the independent detachment, but they certainly have strong firepower."

"The Eighth Route Army in Baotou suddenly changed course, revealing their full firepower and launching a full-scale attack on Baotou. I think they were in a hurry."

Okamura then stated his conclusion.

"Why is that?" the Japanese chief of staff asked, puzzled.

Although he was experienced, he lacked Okamura's quick wit and found it difficult to analyze the situation clearly in a short time.

"We sent out a bomber squadron this morning to bomb the Eighth Route Army's tank base. Although we suffered some losses, we did destroy all of the Eighth Route Army's tank units."

"Without its armored forces as a trump card, the Eighth Route Army had no chance of turning the tide in the battle in the Jining area."

"As long as our troops in Jining continue to advance towards Guihua, once we capture Guihua, we can reach Baotou and rescue the besieged tank division."

"If you were the Eighth Route Army at this time, what would you do?"

Okamura did not answer directly, but instead analyzed the situation and then raised a question.

"Lord Okamura, based on your analysis, if I were a member of the Eighth Route Army..."

"We've run out of cards. If we continue fighting, we'll get nothing, and even the armored division in Baotou will be rescued."

"That would be a huge loss, suffering enormous losses without achieving much."

"If the war goes like this, I, as the commander of the Eighth Route Army, will certainly find it difficult to bear this responsibility."

"At this point, in order to reduce my responsibility and avoid punishment, I might concentrate the forces at my disposal and wipe out the tank division in Baotou first."

"Then retreat across the board. In this way, we will have wiped out an enemy armored division, and the loss of our own armored forces will be insignificant."

"When making external propaganda, we can use the claim that we wiped out an enemy tank division in the first battle to cover up our own losses."

"This way, you not only avoid responsibility and punishment, but you also gain tremendous honor and fame."

The Japanese chief of staff shared his idea of ​​putting himself in the other's shoes.

Under normal circumstances, this logic is sound.

Because of the information asymmetry, the Japanese soldiers were unable to make accurate judgments, and their thinking easily went astray.

"Yes, I think so too."

"With the Eighth Route Army losing its trump card, the battle in the Jining area had no chance of turning back."

"So this morning, after we destroyed the Eighth Route Army's armored forces, the Eighth Route Army reacted immediately."

"First, the garrison in Jining withdrew completely and moved to the vicinity of Zhuozishan, where it was easier to hold out."

"Prepare to continue blocking our troops there."

"Because of the destruction of the armored forces, the Eighth Route Army's goal of using the armored forces to break out from the rear was thwarted, and continuing to defend Jining had lost its strategic significance."

"That's why the 14th and 57th Divisions, which traveled from Fengzhen to Jining, were able to take Jining without any obstacles or bloodshed."

"In addition to abandoning Jining and blocking our army at Zhuozishan, the Eighth Route Army also accelerated its offensive in the Baotou area."

"The attempt was to use the blocking action at Zhuozishan to slow down our advance and, in the meantime, wipe out our armored division in Baotou."

"However, the Eighth Route Army is obviously in a hurry. Even if our troops in Baotou are weak, they cannot be taken down by the Eighth Route Army in a few days if they are defending the city. It will take a long time."

"So now the race between us and the Eighth Route Army is a race against time."

"It seems that the Eighth Route Army captured Jining before our army broke through the Zhuozishan defense line and reached Baotou."

"We are faster and will reach Jining first, shattering the Eighth Route Army's illusions in one fell swoop."

Okamura now had a smile on his face.

"Lord Okamura is truly visionary; I admire him greatly."

The Japanese chief of staff did not hold back in his praise.

"Haha, now is not the time to talk about these things."

"Send a telegram to the 14th and 57th Divisions, ordering them to accelerate their offensive, break through the Eighth Route Army's Zhuozishan defense line, capture Guihua, and advance directly to Baotou!"

"We must be quick and not waste any time. We must intercept the Eighth Route Army troops in Baotou from the rear before they have time to retreat."

Okamura gave the order.

"Hi Yi!"

Baotou.

Li Yunlong had a really good time today.

The rocket artillery is very powerful; although it is only 88mm in caliber, its power is still considerable.

Nowadays, arsenals are gradually shifting their focus in producing 107mm rocket launchers.

This type of rocket launcher is more powerful, has a longer range, and is more suitable for use by large forces.

The original design of the 88mm rocket launcher was for small-scale battles.

However, after receiving production equipment and technology from the Soviet army, its application scenarios became comparable.

Whether it's rocket launchers, mortars, or anti-tank guns, they can all supplement some firepower.

If more powerful artillery is needed, a 107mm rocket launcher can also be used.

Therefore, the 88mm rocket launcher is already facing retirement.

If you can build 88mm, why not just build 107mm?
Anyway, these rocket launchers are all detachable, so infantry can carry them around and move them.

"Da Biao, tally up today's casualty figures!"

Li Yunlong spoke to Zhang Dabiao.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, the casualty figures for our regiment and other units have been tallied. A total of 672 people have been killed or wounded."

Upon hearing the casualty figures, Li Yunlong was filled with emotion.

Despite such a fierce attack, the casualty figures still managed to remain in the triple digits.

In the past, this would have been impossible.

This is an adaptation brought about by superior firepower.

Li Yunlong knew that the number of Japanese casualties in Baotou was definitely more than double this.

"By the way, Commander, the headquarters has been moved to Guihua. The commander has ordered you to go to Guihua tonight to attend a meeting."

Zhang Dabiao added.

The decisive battle is imminent. Chen Ming's command post has been moved from Huai Ren to Gui Sui, where he will be stationed to direct operations.

"I understand. I'll take the train there tonight and come back on the supply train tomorrow morning."

Li Yunlong yelled and continued to stroke the rocket launcher that had performed so well today.

(End of this chapter)