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

Chapter 50 Annihilation of the Sakata Regiment
After the telegram was sent to headquarters, the CEO and all the leaders breathed a sigh of relief.

With so many troops deployed and so much ammunition used, we finally won.

However, after so much time, the Japanese troops from other directions have arrived to provide reinforcements, and they don't have much time left.

We can't keep fighting with the Japanese, or we'll lose the advantage we've gained so hard.

The commander stared at the map, quickly calculating the speed of the various Japanese forces and the formation of a new encirclement, and made a plan in mind.

"Immediately send a telegram to Chen Ming. I'm only giving them half an hour. Whether or not they can eliminate the remnants of the Sakata Regiment within that time, they must evacuate as quickly as possible to avoid being surrounded by Japanese reinforcements. This is a death order."

"At the same time, the soldiers of the 385th Brigade, the Independent Regiment, and the Special Service Regiment in the blocking positions were ordered to immediately take turns covering the retreat after receiving the order, and not to get entangled with the Japanese army any longer."

The Japanese army's Sakata Regiment was surrounded, causing a huge uproar among the Japanese troops.

Even Yoshio Shinotsuka, the commander of the First Army, was furious and ordered all surrounding units to rush to the rescue, regardless of any obstacles along the way, and to rescue the Sakata Regiment as quickly as possible.

Judging by the time, reinforcements from various Japanese forces were already approaching, and they could no longer afford to entangle themselves with the remnants of the Sakata Regiment for too long.

Otherwise, not only would they be unable to take the spoils with them, but the soldiers who participated in the battle would also be trapped in an even larger encirclement.

The soldiers had been fighting continuously, and their physical strength and ammunition were greatly depleted. If they were surrounded, it would be very difficult to break out.

The time allotted for Cangyun Ridge is no more than half an hour.

At that time, regardless of whether or not the Sakata Regiment can be eliminated, a retreat must be initiated.

Although the opportunity to annihilate an entire Japanese regiment was imminent, the commander had to consider the lives of the soldiers and the future of the unit.

It's not worth sacrificing thousands of soldiers just to eliminate a few hundred more people.

As the telegram reached the Second Independent Regiment, Chen Ming looked at it and, even if he didn't understand it, decided to carry out the orders from headquarters.

The headquarters' perspective was different from his; a group of seasoned veterans were not on the same level as Chen Ming, a regimental commander who had only fought for half a year.

Since headquarters only gave us half an hour, we should try to eliminate the remaining Japanese soldiers within that time. If all else fails, we should retreat.

After all, more than 3,000 Japanese soldiers have already been eliminated. Even if they can't eliminate these 500-plus Japanese soldiers in half an hour, there will definitely be very few left.

"Communications squad, immediately relay the headquarters' orders to each regiment. The orders are of utmost urgency and must not be misinterpreted."

Chen Ming shouted to the soldiers in the communications platoon.

"Make sure to complete the mission."

When the soldiers in the communications platoon heard Chen Ming say "extremely urgent" for the first time, they understood the importance of the order. They all mustered all their strength to wield their whips, making their horses neigh, and delivered the order to the regiment as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Chen Ming met with the New First Regiment and the 772nd Regiment at the Yaikou position.

Looking at the dark-skinned man whose face was covered in blood and whose broadsword was dulled from being slashed, Chen Ming knew that the man was Li Yunlong, the commander of the New First Regiment.

"Headquarters has given us only half an hour. Whether or not we can eliminate the remaining Japanese troops, we must begin to retreat. This is a direct order from the commander-in-chief."

Chen Ming emphasized the importance of the direct order.

Li Yunlong, the commander of the New First Regiment, and Cheng Xiazi, the commander of the 772nd Regiment, both turned solemn upon hearing the words "death order."

Even the usually audacious Li Yunlong remained silent this time, determined to annihilate the remnants of the Sakata Regiment within half an hour and avenge the fallen soldiers of the New First Regiment.

"Commander Li, Commander Cheng, time is of the essence, let's launch the attack." Chen Ming said to the two commanders. "Alright, since headquarters has given the order, even if I die on the battlefield, I will wipe out these little devils."

"Damn it, I've never fought such a satisfying battle before! My New First Regiment will wipe out the rest of the Japanese devils!" Li Yunlong shouted.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Li Yunlong led the remaining soldiers of the New First Regiment and charged down the cliff.

Chen Ming and Cheng the Blind Man from the 772nd Regiment were equally determined, leading the remaining soldiers in an attack against the Japanese.

"Da da di—da da di—du ——————!"

The bugler blew the horn of the general offensive with all his might!
Inspired by the bugle call for the general offensive and the shouts of the surrounding soldiers charging forward, the soldiers entered a state of extreme excitement, feeling their blood boiling.

This feeling is something that those who did not participate in this battle cannot understand.

Forgetting their fatigue and pain, those with bullets fired, and those without grabbed broadswords and slashed at the heads of the Japanese soldiers.

The three regiments at the cliff entrance, along with the two regiments on the flank, charged towards the remnants of the Sakata Regiment, which numbered less than five hundred men.

Melee combat is much faster than rifle duels.

With overwhelming numerical superiority, the soldiers began a fierce hand-to-hand battle with the remaining enemy forces in order to eliminate the Japanese as quickly as possible.

Every strike drew blood; with each swing, a Japanese soldier fell.

The remaining Japanese soldiers had already sent farewell telegrams and had no intention of returning alive. They were determined to fight to the death to take down a few Eighth Route Army soldiers.

However, with overwhelming numerical superiority, a single Japanese soldier had to face several bayonets simultaneously, and the number of Japanese soldiers who fell was always greater than that of the Eighth Route Army.

Before long, there were only a little over a hundred Japanese soldiers left on the battlefield, huddled together in the middle, defending back to back to avoid facing several Eighth Route Army soldiers at the same time.

Seeing that the enemy had formed this formation, the Eighth Route Army soldiers decided not to engage in bayonet fighting.

Two Type 24 heavy machine guns (modeled after Maxim guns) were brought up.

For the Japanese devils, you have to use machine guns to mow them down.

Seeing that the Eighth Route Army soldiers did not follow the Bushido code and after a brief hand-to-hand combat, the Japanese soldiers actually started mowing them down with machine guns.

Overwhelmed with despair, they began to charge toward the position of the two machine guns.

However, how could flesh and blood dare to charge at a heavy machine gun? This wasn't the Japanese Type 92 heavy machine gun!
More than a hundred Japanese soldiers fell to the guns before they had charged for long.

Chen Ming checked the time and found that only 24 minutes had passed.

"Quickly, retreat to the northwest immediately. Don't delay. Take as much of the spoils as you can, and leave nothing else behind."

Chen Ming shouted loudly on the battlefield.

The other regimental commanders all carried out the headquarters' orders without fail, making the most of the remaining time to take as much as they could and then quickly evacuate.

However, Li Yunlong was not happy about it.

"Damn it, Chen Tongluo, you're making a mountain out of a molehill! How could we possibly give up so many weapons and equipment?" Li Yunlong retorted.

(End of this chapter)