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

Chapter 40 Attacking the Tiger Pavilion Stronghold
Seven days later, the recruitment work of the Independent Second Regiment was almost complete, and the number of soldiers had been increased to more than a thousand.

However, they haven't been training for very long and haven't yet developed effective combat capabilities.

After discussion, headquarters formulated an operational plan to counter the Japanese army's upcoming anti-mopping-up operation.

Before the Japanese troops can fully assemble, we must eliminate all the strongholds, large and small, that are anchored in the base area, in order to prepare for the upcoming counter-sweep.

The mission of the Independent Second Regiment was to eliminate the Japanese strongholds around the county town.

"Finally, we can unleash our full potential and get things done."

Upon receiving the order, Chen Ming immediately assembled his troops.

Besides the new recruits with no combat experience who had to stay at the base for training, Chen Ming also incorporated the militia recruited from the local armed forces into the army, using the method of experienced soldiers mentoring new recruits to quickly build up combat effectiveness.

"Now, I announce the combat orders: First Company of the First Battalion, in coordination with two local district squads, will take down the Xicun stronghold. Second Company of the First Battalion, plus one district squad, will take down the Lijiacun stronghold."

"The first battalion, third company, plus a platoon of sharpshooters, will wipe out the puppet troops' positions around Ping'an County."

"Second Battalion, follow me to take down the Japanese stronghold at Huting."

"Yes."

With the order issued, the battalion and company commanders received their combat orders.

The Third Battalion, having suffered heavy casualties and not yet recovered its combat effectiveness, remained to be responsible for security and training.

The Xicun stronghold had a small squad of Japanese soldiers and puppet troops, and the Lijiacun stronghold had the same troop configuration.

One company plus a squad of soldiers is enough.

Previously, the Independent Second Regiment lacked heavy weapons, and taking direct hits on pillboxes resulted in significant casualties. Chen Ming was unwilling to engage in such a losing proposition.

The Independent 2nd Regiment now has mortars, light and heavy machine guns, and the soldiers are well-trained. Their weapons, equipment, and personnel quality are no less than those of the Japanese.

If you still can't take down a small outpost with only one squad, you might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.

As for the other strongholds garrisoned by the puppet troops, it's not that Chen Ming looks down on them, but given the puppet troops' combat strength, they can still put up a fight even with the strongholds.

But once they expose their artillery, they won't be long before they surrender.

The Huting stronghold was a medium-sized stronghold of the Japanese army, with a company of Japanese soldiers. Its defensive fortifications mainly consisted of brick and stone pillboxes, trenches, and wooden fences, controlling the transportation lines within a radius of 10 to 20 kilometers.

To deal with such a tough nut to crack, Chen Ming planned to personally lead about three hundred soldiers from the Second Battalion to take it down.

"Second Battalion Commander, bring my five Flying Thunder Cannons and blast those damn Japanese devils to pieces!"

"Yes, sir," said Li Yousheng, the second battalion commander, saluting.

The Flying Thunder Cannon, also known as the Heartless Cannon, was famous for its great power, short range, and poor accuracy.

Mortars were not very effective against brick and stone strongholds like the Huting stronghold, as their indirect fire was not very effective and could not effectively threaten the Japanese soldiers inside.

Based on his memory, Chen Ming told the skilled old craftsmen in the repair company about his idea of ​​the "heartless cannon".

With the support of a Level 3 scientific research badge and the wisdom of the working people, the Heartless Cannon was produced in no time.

After testing, the range can reach 150 to 200 meters.

With the addition of ammonium nitrate explosives, the Japanese troops at the Huting stronghold would be in serious trouble.

So what if you can't aim accurately? I'll deploy five heartless cannons and unleash a barrage of fire!

Under the cover of night, Chen Ming led the soldiers of the Second Battalion to a position about 300 meters from the Huting stronghold.

It was already 1 a.m., but Chen Ming was not in a hurry to start setting up the Heartless Cannon.

As we all know, people are most sleepy around four or five in the morning. The machine guns in the Japanese strongholds and pillboxes were all pre-set with firing parameters, so as long as the Japanese reacted quickly, they could sweep through the area with great accuracy.

The Japanese medium-sized stronghold was not a simple building; it resembled a small castle, surrounded by trenches, barbed wire, barracks, walls, and several intersecting machine gun emplacements.

The surrounding area had also been cleared, and there were almost no effective shelters within a few hundred meters to hide a large force.

If we launch a rash attack, it could very likely result in unnecessary casualties.

What Chen Ming had to do was to give the Japanese no time to react, and at the very beginning, when the Japanese were most drowsy, send them to meet their maker.

Four o'clock in the morning.

Chen Ming ordered the soldiers to start digging the pit to place the heartless cannon.

"Keep your movements quiet, don't let the Japanese sentries hear you," Chen Ming whispered.

At night, any sound or movement becomes exceptionally noticeable.

Because of substandard materials, the unscrupulous cannon had to be buried in the ground to reduce the risk of it exploding.

Otherwise, if the barrel explodes and the Japanese soldiers aren't killed, but instead one of our own soldiers is sacrificed by his own weapon, that would be too unjust.

After digging the pit, Chen Ming adjusted the firing parameters again and again.

With a three-dimensional combat map, Chen Ming was able to accurately calculate the location, distance, and firing angle of the Japanese pillboxes.

After Chen Ming's adjustments, the shell's error would never exceed ten meters.

The effective blast radius of the "heartless cannon" exceeded twenty meters.

"Get ready, listen to my command, and run immediately after lighting the fire."

Chen Ming gave instructions to the five soldiers in charge of lighting the fire.

"Ready, ignite!"

As soon as the order was given, the five soldiers lit the fuses almost simultaneously, then turned and ran for their lives.

They had witnessed the power of the Flying Thunder Cannon; if it were to explode accidentally, a person could be torn to pieces.

late at night.

The Japanese soldiers in the pillbox were fast asleep.

Tiger Pavilion is a medium-sized stronghold, so there's no need to worry about enemies launching attacks from time to time like they would with smaller strongholds.

With its brick and stone structure and more than 300 soldiers, the Eighth Route Army, lacking heavy weapons, was not afraid of any number of people coming.

In the event of a large-scale attack, reinforcements could be called upon. The reinforcements from the county town could arrive at the Huting stronghold in less than two hours.

Especially the period from 39 to the early 40s was the most difficult time for China.

Therefore, the Japanese soldiers in the Huting stronghold lived a very comfortable life. They only needed to guard the stronghold and patrol the surrounding transportation lines.

Enjoying roast chicken and fine wine provided by the puppet army every day, and occasionally having the chance to meet beautiful women, life couldn't be more comfortable.

The Japanese machine gunner on the watchtower was already half asleep, dreaming that the roast chicken he ate yesterday was really delicious.

Suddenly, a loud thud startled it awake.

The Japanese machine gunner groggily opened his eyes and saw five meteors, each streaked with fire, flying toward him.

"それは流星ですか?" (Is it a shooting star?)
But then it realized, how could a meteor be so close!
These are artillery shells!
"Avoid the cannon!" (Avoid the cannon!)
The Japanese machine gunner let out a desperate cry, watching helplessly as the sparking shells fell into the stronghold.

(End of this chapter)