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

Chapter 298 The Chief of Staff's Leather Shoes, the Political Commissar's Face

Gui Sui.

Chen Ming's command post has been moved here.

Previously, in order to mislead the Japanese, a high-powered radio was used to let them know that the Independent Detachment's command post was in Shuoxian County.

Now it's unnecessary; the Japanese have already entered the encirclement, and all that's left is to close the door and beat them.

Therefore, in order to more conveniently command operations, Chen Ming's command post has been moved to Guihua.

He was stationed in Guihua to command the battle at Zhuozishan.

The next morning, a group of cadres who had participated in the battle began a meeting.

This included Li Yunlong, a representative from the Baotou area; Kong Jie, the general reserve force of Guihua; He Jianxin from the Zhuozi position; and the captains of several other brigades.

Ding Wei and Wang Dafei did not come.

Wang Dafei continued to defend Huai Ren, disguised as a command post.

Ding Wei has been transferred to Shangdu and can't come over right now.

There was still some time before the meeting, and the chief of staff returned from inspecting the position.

As soon as he got back, before he even had a chance to wipe his face, he started polishing his leather shoes by the sink.

Chen Ming and Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze sat down and saw the Chief of Staff polishing his shoes. The Political Commissar jokingly said with a smile:
"Our chief of staff always makes sure to polish his shoes before coming back; washing his face is secondary."

"You want to be presentable, but you don't care about appearances, hahaha."

The chief of staff laughed along with the political commissar's teasing.

"This is a habit our chief of staff developed in Frunze."

"I'm afraid I won't get my diploma if I don't know how to polish leather shoes."

Chen Ming said with a smile.

Hearing the two joking around, the chief of staff also told a little joke:

“When I was studying at the military academy, there was a Soviet colonel who shared a room with me.”

"Once he accidentally polished my leather shoes, and I pretended not to know."

The next day, he asked me in bewilderment, "Hey, Comrade, why are my leather shoes not shiny even after two coats of polish, while yours are shiny without any polishing?"

"Do you have any good ideas?"

The chief of staff said in a funny, high-pitched voice.

"Haha, you should tell him I'll wipe it for you," the political commissar said with a laugh.

Upon hearing this, all three of them burst into laughter.

Shining shoes is like folding blankets into neat squares in our army—it cultivates discipline among soldiers. We folded blankets, the Soviets shone shoes, and the French ironed shirts; the purpose was the same.

Not only discipline, but also neat, clean and upright attire can enhance a sense of honor.

The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the conference room.

"It's almost time, let's go in."

Chen Ming spoke up.

When Chen Ming entered the conference room, all the cadres stood up.

"Time is limited, let's finish the meeting quickly and implement it immediately."

Chen Ming gestured for the meeting to begin.

After receiving instructions, the chief of staff walked to the sand table in the middle of the conference room and began to analyze it.

"Now, the enemy's two divisions are divided into two routes. One route is advancing westward along the Ping-Sui Railway. This route is the Japanese 14th Division, which has strong combat capabilities and is the enemy's core offensive route."

"Another route will take a flanking maneuver from the mountainous flank northeast of Zhuozishan and launch a diversionary attack from Rose Camp."

"The two groups of Japanese soldiers advanced side by side, attempting to cut our army in two directions like a giant pair of pincers and devour us."

"Our army is currently deployed in a triangular formation at Zhuozishan by the newly formed First, Second, and Third Battalions of He Jianxin's troops as the frontal defensive force."

"Among them, He Jianxin's newly formed First Battalion was deployed in Zhuozi County, while the other two newly formed battalions were deployed on the high ground on both sides, forming a pocket shape."

"The Third Brigade is deployed in the area of ​​Malianba and Huangshaba, south of Zhuozi."

"The Fifth Battalion is deployed at Fangshanyingliang, northeast of Zhuozi, to defend against flank interference from the Japanese 57th Division."

"The artillery detachment has two artillery battalions deployed in Xishan, and the artillery detachment's heavy artillery battalion is deployed in Quanziliang, behind Zhuozi."

"The special operations detachment is deployed in the southwest of Youzhong Banner."

"Ding Wei's main force is deployed in Shangdu, north of Jining."

"Kong Jie's troops were deployed in Guihua as the general reserve force, ready to provide support at any time."

"This is the current troop deployment situation for both sides."

The chief of staff outlined the strategic situation of both sides in one breath.

Judging from the sand table, the Zhuozi area has been transformed into a huge pocket formation by Chen Ming.

As long as the Japanese invaders enter the Zhuozi area, the special forces will strike out from the north and, together with the two newly formed battalions deployed on the flank by He Jianxin's troops, will be able to compress the Japanese into a very small area.

Ding Wei's troops set out from Shangdu, cutting off the road between Zhuozi and Jining, thus closing the mouth of the bag and making it difficult for the Japanese to escape.

Next, several units will gradually tighten the encirclement, thus achieving a complete encirclement of the two Japanese divisions.

At that time, two field artillery battalions, one heavy artillery battalion, and rocket artillery units will fire their cannons in unison.

Countless shells falling into a narrow area could inflict devastating damage on the Japanese.

The artillery power in Chen Ming's hands is even greater than that of the current Japanese First Army, and it is more than enough to deal with two divisions whose operational range has been compressed.

Most importantly, Chen Ming never allowed this powerful artillery unit to be exposed on the battlefield.

According to current Japanese intelligence, the Eighth Route Army does not possess these artillery pieces.

The sheer volume of damage caused by the combined power of artillery and the element of surprise is unimaginable.

After the chief of staff finished speaking, Chen Ming continued:

"The Chief of Staff's analysis is correct; that's the situation now."

"We now have an absolute advantage in terms of terrain."

"In terms of firepower, we have surpassed the Japanese."

"In terms of troop strength, we are also 1.5 times that of the Japanese."

"In this battle, I have the advantage!"

Chen Ming first gave a speech to boost morale and emphasize the certainty of victory, and then began to assign combat tasks.

"Li Yunlong, listen to my order. I command you to continue to intensify the offensive in the Baotou area. Make the momentum even greater, so that the Japanese will get anxious and have no choice but to speed up and crash headlong into our pocket."

"Yes, sir! I guarantee I will complete the mission!" Li Yunlong stood up, saluted, and accepted the order.

"He Jianxin, listen to my order. When the Japanese attack Zhuozi, your troops will outflank them from both flanks to expand the encirclement. At the same time, you must prevent the Japanese from breaking through the Zhuozi position and block their escape routes on both flanks."

"Yes." He Jianxin stood up and saluted.

"Luo Jian, listen to my order. I command you to hold the mountain camp ridge high ground and protect the flank of the army. Do not allow the Japanese 57th Division to cross the line and threaten the flank of the army."

"We guarantee to complete the mission; we'll hold the position as long as we're here!" Luo Jian stood up and saluted, his tone firm.

"."

Chen Ming relayed deployment orders one after another directly at the meeting.

The meeting will end after the final order is issued.

"Okay, the mission is clear now. Everyone, return to your positions. I haven't prepared lunch."

Chen Ming spoke up.

"Yes!"

The commanders stood up, saluted Chen Ming, and prepared to leave.

"Hey Zhang, run over and tell the kitchen to make noodles. Let the leaders of each brigade and district eat before they go back," Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze said to the orderly beside him.

"Yes!"

The operational deployment has been completed, and after receiving orders, the commanders of each unit immediately returned to their units to begin adjusting their deployments.

They all knew that by nightfall at the latest, the Japanese troops would have finished resting in Jining and would begin their advance towards Zhuozi.

The decisive battle is about to begin!

"We didn't dismantle the railway from Jining to Guihua, just to make it easier for the Japanese to transport heavy weapons."

"At the speed of the train, the Japanese could launch an attack as early as tomorrow morning."

"However, it would be difficult for the Japanese to transport all their troops and heavy weapons over in a short period of time with just one railway."

"Therefore, the first to arrive on the battlefield will be the Japanese 14th Division, which is the enemy that our front line will face."

"Comrades, do you have confidence in the Japanese Class A divisions?"

He Jianxin addressed the newly formed battalion commanders and battalion commanders in his command post.

"Have confidence!"

"If the Second Military Sub-district could hold off the attacks of two Japanese divisions for several days, our First Military Sub-district absolutely cannot lose face!"

"We will ensure that the Japanese devils do not set foot on our positions!"

All the cadres spoke up to make their guarantees.

"Very good, I know you are confident, but words don't count, we have to see the results on the battlefield."

"Whether we can surpass Division Two depends on our performance in this game!"

"If you play well, I'll recommend you for credit; if you don't play well, you'll all have to do extra training!"

He Jianxin slammed his hammer on the table, the sound steady and powerful.

When Ding Wei withdrew from Jining, he did not destroy or take away all the trains in Jining.

In an abandoned warehouse, Ding Wei left behind a locomotive and carried out some minor damage.

This damage was not difficult for the Japanese to repair; it would be fixed in no time.

Ding Wei intended to use this locomotive to his advantage, leveraging its superior speed to force the Japanese to make a choice.

To quickly support Baotou and reach the Zhuozi area, heavy weapons had to be transported by train.

However, the train's capacity was limited, and the Japanese could not transport both divisions at the same time; they could only choose one.

This would cause the two Japanese divisions to become separated, with the Japanese division that arrived in the Zhuozi area first having a two-day time difference with the division that arrived later.

Chen Ming wanted to use the time difference between these two days to his advantage, to attack one and block the other.

As for whether the Japanese will fall for it?
Chen Ming wasn't too worried about this. After all, so much groundwork had been laid, even the most timid and cautious mouse wouldn't have much of a guard left.

Moreover, Baotou is currently facing a full-scale attack from the Eighth Route Army!

Every day of delay carries a risk, so the Japanese had no choice but to hurry.

Our gaze then fell upon Li Yunlong.

After the meeting, Li Yunlong took a train bound for Baotou.

Guihua was Chen Ming's large-scale military logistics base in Suiyuan, and it possessed a large amount of combat supplies.

Li Yunlong's troops were tasked with building morale and convincing the Japanese that the Eighth Route Army was launching a full-scale attack on Baotou.

To create a powerful impression, weapons and ammunition are essential.

Therefore, the train from Guihua to Baotou was loaded with supplies and ammunition.

When Li Yunlong took the train, he didn't sit in a carriage; instead, he found a carriage used for storing artillery shells and slept there.

In his words, Old Li had been terrified of poverty before, and seeing so many weapons and ammunition for the first time felt like rats entering a granary.

For Li Yunlong, lying in a pile of artillery shells was like an ordinary person lying in a pile of gold.

These shells are very valuable; they cost two small yellow croakers to buy one on the black market.

It wouldn't be inappropriate to say that Li Yunlong slept with a whole carriage full of gold.

For him, why would he need Xiuqin if he could sleep with a cannonball in his arms?

For Li Yunlong at this time, his wife's charm was no match for a train carload of weapons and ammunition!

Upon returning to Baotou, the soldiers who had received the notification were waiting at the train station early in the morning.

As soon as the train came to a stop, the soldiers couldn't wait to start unloading the weapons and ammunition from the train and throwing them into positional warfare against the Japanese.

"Go easy on me, all of you. These ammunition are precious. I think you've forgotten the hardships of the past after just a couple of good meals."

Li Yunlong mingled among the group, carrying loads and directing the workers while laughing and joking.

With the new ammunition supply, the troops in Baotou immediately deployed it to the battlefield.

At 4 p.m., the troops in the Baotou area launched a new offensive.

The Japanese troops in Baotou could only cower inside the city and endure the barrage of ammunition.

The situation in Baotou was sent to the Japanese command post in Datong.

Inside the command post, Gangcun looked at the telegram from Baotou, and his resolve grew even stronger.

"In the Baotou area, the Eighth Route Army has deployed so much firepower that it has almost depleted their resources."

"It seems the Eighth Route Army is really anxious now, eager to take Baotou and won't give up easily."

Okamura looked at the telegram and spoke to the Japanese officers around him.

Although the term "sunk cost" did not appear until 48.

But everyone understands this concept.

The Eighth Route Army has deployed so many weapons and ammunition that its reserves are almost depleted.

The Eighth Route Army did not have its own industrial system, only small workshops for the production of weapons and ammunition.

With this production model, even if more production is increased, the output will not be much larger.

The amount of ammunition deployed in the Baotou area, combined with the previous deployment in the Fengzhen area, was, in Gangcun's estimation, close to the Eighth Route Army's limit.

The fact that they paid such a high price shows the Eighth Route Army's determination to take Baotou.

However, there was one thing that Okamura couldn't understand: why the Eighth Route Army was able to develop a weapon like a rocket launcher.

This kind of weapon shouldn't be something the Eighth Route Army could produce.

The Japanese are also researching it internally, but it hasn't officially started mass production yet.

Therefore, the technology could not have originated from the Japanese army.

The only possibility is the giant bear from the north.

However, it's unlikely that the Soviet Union would share the technology for this new type of weapon with the Eighth Route Army.

This is something Okamura couldn't understand. Objectively speaking, the Eighth Route Army should not have been able to produce a weapon like a rocket launcher.

However, Chen Ming eventually succeeded.

Under a series of conditions and coincidences, coupled with the significant research-oriented bonuses provided by Chen Ming's badge group.

Using an unexploded rocket that they had acquired, they created a knock-off of the 107mm rocket launcher.

"Order the troops in the Jining area to speed up, break through the Eighth Route Army's defenses, and advance directly to Baotou."

"Cooperate with the tank division in Baotou to launch a central attack on the Eighth Route Army, severely damaging or even annihilating them in one fell swoop."

"Furthermore, the divisions in the Huai'ren area must keep a close watch on the main force of the independent detachment in the Huai'ren area at all costs, and not allow them to have the opportunity to support Baotou!"

Okamura issued the order.

P.S.: I'm changing the title tomorrow. The new title is "Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Changjin Lake, a Hundred Battles, a Hundred Victories".

(End of this chapter)