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

Chapter 52: Let Chen Ming return to the rear to recuperate and study.
Back at the rear, the final results of the Battle of Cangyun Ridge have been tallied.

The Japanese army annihilated an entire regiment, and together with the Japanese soldiers killed in the blocking battle, the total number of Japanese casualties was more than 4300, with the number of wounded unknown.

Our army suffered a total of over 3700 dead and over 2300 wounded.
The main casualties were caused by the blocking battle before the annihilation of the Sakata Regiment and the blocking of the reinforcements of the 36th Division.

Of the original 1500-strong regiment, only 600 remained; and of the original 2,200-strong independent regiment, only 500 remained.

The Independent Regiment, which suffered the heaviest casualties, was reduced from over 1100 men to less than 300. The unit was almost wiped out.

Of the officers at the company level and above, only one battalion commander, two company commanders, and regimental commander Kong Jie remained. All other officers, soldiers, and political instructors, including the political commissar of the independent regiment, had heroically sacrificed their lives.

The other regiments also suffered casualties.

In terms of casualties, this battle was a great victory, a fair and square victory in open field combat.

In terms of impact, it was also a major victory.

They established the reputation of the Eighth Route Army and dealt a heavy blow to the arrogant and overbearing attitude of the Japanese army.

The Independent Second Regiment, which made great contributions in the Battle of Cangyunling, was awarded the title of "Heroic Regiment of the Battle of Cangyunling".

Material rewards included priority distribution of captured weapons and ammunition, and the distribution of scarce Japanese supplies such as canned food and cigarettes as temporary rewards.

Priority should be given to recruiting new soldiers or reorganizing local armed forces.

The other groups also received their own rewards.

The only exception was that all the soldiers of the New First Regiment were rewarded, but Regiment Commander Li Yunlong handled it differently.

Our army has always been clear about rewarding and punishing merits and demerits; merits are merits and demerits are demerits, and they should not be confused.

The New First Regiment, led by Li Yunlong, played a crucial role in the Battle of Cangyunling, in the complete annihilation of the Sakata Regiment.

However, it is also a fact that Li Yunlong disobeyed orders on the battlefield, and this serious violation of discipline cannot be overlooked just because he made a contribution.

Otherwise, if others follow suit, how will the military manage them?
The reason our army can maintain its purity and combat effectiveness amidst material scarcity is because of its iron discipline and clear reward and punishment mechanism.

Thus, Li Yunlong, with his handsome features, became the director of the clothing factory. However, headquarters also rewarded him for his contributions in the Battle of Cangyunling.

Li Yunlong was very resentful when he learned that he had made a meritorious contribution but had been removed from his position as regimental commander and made the director of a clothing factory.

After the brigade commander personally spoke with Li Yunlong and patiently explained the headquarters' considerations for handling his case, Li Yunlong ultimately accepted the outcome.

"So what if I'm doing embroidery? It's no big deal."

This time was different from before. Last time, although Li Yunlong defeated the Sakata Regiment head-on and destroyed the Sakata Regiment Command Post, he also caused great casualties to the troops.

Therefore, the new regiment was not commended, and Li Yunlong was even removed from his position as commander of the main force regiment, so Li Yunlong had grievances.

This time, however, the new regiment made a great contribution, and the headquarters awarded it the honorary title of "Cangyunling Battle Assault Regiment".

An honorary title—that's an honor that countless military units dream of.

He was rewarded for his merits, but punished for disobeying orders on the battlefield. This was a fair system of rewards and punishments, which Li Yunlong could accept.

The headquarters has not yet issued Chen Ming's personal reward, as he is still undergoing treatment.

"How's the situation?"

At the field hospital, the commander-in-chief, the division commander, and the brigade commander all arrived and inquired about the doctor Chen Ming's injuries.

"Commander Chen lost too much blood and suffered internal organ damage. His injuries were very serious, but fortunately, he was rescued in time and is now out of danger."

"However, Commander Chen needs to rest for a few months and cannot command combat or engage in strenuous exercise in the short term." The doctor told Chen Ming about his condition without reservation.

"That's good. I knew this kid wouldn't die so easily at the hands of the Japanese." The brigade commander said.

"Well, although we can't command operations for the time being, it's good that everyone is safe," the division commander said.

"Didn't I say last time that we should send Chen Ming to the rear to study? This is perfect, he can learn while recovering from his injuries. We can give him more responsibilities when he comes back," the boss said.

This operation, unlike the previous one where Chen Ming ambushed the train, was conducted under the command of headquarters.

Chen Ming gave a full report on the operation and situation, giving headquarters a more direct understanding of his abilities.

This kind of rough gem, if properly nurtured and trained in the rear, will become an outstanding cadre capable of handling things independently when he returns.

Upon hearing the commander's words, the division commander and brigade commander remembered and immediately spoke up:

“I think it’s a good idea. The intensity of the training is much lower than that of commanding operations. Besides, I’d like to see Chen Ming after I return to the rear,” the brigade commander added.

"support."

"However, Chen Ming has gone to the rear for training, so who will lead the Independent Second Regiment?" the commander-in-chief asked.
"The Second Independent Regiment suffered heavy casualties in this battle, with only a little over 500 men left. They need to rest and recuperate to restore their fighting strength."

During this period, the Eighth Route Army was in dire need of cadres, especially military cadres.

Now that Chen Ming has been wounded and is recuperating and studying in the rear, the Independent Second Regiment is without a military commander.

In ordinary military units, the political commissar can temporarily take charge of the work.

The Second Independent Regiment was short of cadres, so Chen Ming served as both the political commissar and the regimental commander, without a political commissar assigned to it.

With Chen Ming gone, there was no one left to take charge of the work.

"In my opinion, Wang Dafei, the battalion commander of the 2nd Independent Regiment, fought bravely and performed very well in the defense of the cliff pass. He was also one of the original members of the district squad. We can promote him to deputy regimental commander and temporarily put him in charge of the work," the brigade commander suggested.

"Let's move the Second Independent Regiment to the vicinity of headquarters for a period of rest and recuperation. With headquarters keeping an eye on things, nothing will go wrong."

"Okay." The boss nodded, then asked.

"What about the new First Regiment? Li Yunlong has been dismissed, so a new regimental commander must be sent to take over the new First Regiment."

Li Yunlong had just been transferred to be the director of the clothing factory; they couldn't just send him back after he'd only been there a few days.

Then the punishment from headquarters would become a joke.

The division commander and brigade commander fell into thought upon hearing the general's question.

However, they couldn't think of any cadres who could take over the new regiment for the time being.

Either they lack the ability, or everyone has their own duties; in short, no cadres can be transferred out.

Seeing that the brigade commander and division commander did not answer, the general thought for a while and then thought of Ding Wei, who was also going to study.

"Alright, cancel the order for Ding Wei to go to Yan'an for training. We can discuss the training later. Let him focus on getting the new First Regiment up and running first," the commander said.

This was a last resort; there was a severe shortage of military officers, so we had no choice but to call Ding Wei back.

Ding Wei and Li Yunlong were old comrades-in-arms, and Li Yunlong was more likely to accept Ding Wei taking over the new First Regiment.

(End of this chapter)