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

Chapter 65 Encirclement and reinforcements
As a result, some of the remaining Japanese soldiers immediately hid in the main bunker inside the train station, while others used other cover to fight back, attempting to put up a stubborn resistance using reinforced concrete fortifications while waiting for reinforcements from the nearby county town.

After the soldiers rushed into the train station, they first eliminated the scattered Japanese soldiers, then destroyed the secondary bunkers surrounding the main bunker, and began attacking the main Japanese bunker.

"Battalion Commander, the Japanese are firing too hard from their bunker, the soldiers can't get through!" a company commander shouted.

Inside the main bunker, there were still more than fifty Japanese soldiers defending the area using powerful machine gun fire and reinforced concrete fortifications that were four meters high and 0.5 meters thick.

Without heavy artillery, it was difficult to inflict casualties on the Japanese troops inside. Even the Type 92 infantry gun could not cause much damage to the reinforced concrete fortifications. The only option was for engineers to use explosive charges to demolish them.

"Battalion Commander, let me lead the soldiers, grab the explosives, and charge up to blow up the Japanese pillbox."

Seeing the Japanese heavy machine guns roaring with fire, the second company commander of the second battalion volunteered for battle.

"Why are you rushing in? You've been with me for so long, why can't you use your brain when fighting? Have you forgotten why we followed the regimental commander to attack the Huting stronghold last time?"

The battalion commander slapped the company commander on the head and roared angrily.

You need to use your brain when fighting a war; don't just think about reckless attacks.

While there is still a way, we cannot let our soldiers risk their lives in the charge.

"Company commander, bring up my flying thunder cannon."

It's just reinforced concrete. If we don't have heavy artillery, we'll use the Flying Thunder Cannon, which has an even larger propellant charge than heavy artillery.

If the standard explosive charge isn't enough, then sacrifice some range and use a heavy explosive charge.

Second Battalion Commander Li Yousheng refused to believe that a 25-kilogram explosive charge couldn't take down the Japanese bunker!
"Yes."

Having chosen to go to the train station, how could Chen Ming not have made preparations?

He equipped the Second Battalion, which was in charge of the main attack, with three specially reinforced flying thunder cannons, which could fire heavy explosive charges weighing up to 25 kilograms.

However, the range has been shortened to 60 meters.

After the three flying thunder cannons were brought up, Li Yousheng deployed them on the secondary bunkers surrounding the main Japanese bunker.

At this point, the secondary bunker had already been captured, and the fortifications built by the Japanese could be used to cover the Flying Thunder Cannon, preventing it from being attacked by the Japanese machine guns and grenade launchers.

Inside the main bunker of the station, the fifty-odd Japanese soldiers felt somewhat relieved after seeing that the Eighth Route Army had once again been repelled by their firepower and had not organized another charge.

"It seems the enemy has run out of options. As long as we wait for reinforcements from the county town, we can launch a coordinated attack from within and without, and wipe out this enemy force from the center."

The Japanese company commander smiled.

Although we suffered heavy losses due to a surprise attack by the enemy, it was because there were too many enemies, including artillery; it was normal that we couldn't win.

He now relied on the fortifications to hold off an attack by more than a thousand enemy soldiers with just over fifty men, preventing the station from falling completely into enemy hands.

Once the reinforcements from the county town and the Yangquan direction arrive, annihilating this force will not only be a victory, but will also be a meritorious act!

"Immediately urge the garrison troops in the county town and the Fourth Brigade of Yangquan to provide support as soon as possible. My troops will hold out until reinforcements arrive and then annihilate this enemy force."

Inside the main bunker, the passageway was buried deep underground and connected directly to the Fourth Brigade in Yangquan. It was also equipped with a radio station.

Once a battle breaks out, the Fourth Brigade in the Yangquan direction will be informed immediately.

Twenty minutes later, the Japanese troops in Shouyang County mobilized, sending out more than four hundred soldiers to support the train station, while only a little over one hundred Japanese soldiers and puppet troops remained in the county town.

"After waiting for so long, it finally came out."

Seeing that the Japanese soldiers who had been hiding in the county town had finally come out, Chen Ming smiled.

The combined number of Japanese soldiers at the several train stations and surrounding outposts totaled no more than three or four hundred.

The Independent 2nd Regiment has a mortar company, and since it was tasked with the main attack, the division headquarters issued a Type 92 infantry gun and thirty rounds of ammunition.

With infantry artillery present, the strongholds around Shouyang Station could be taken out with just a few shots.

Is it really worth Chen Ming's main force regiment, plus the local armed forces he mobilized, totaling about 5,000 people, to be dispatched with such a small number of enemies? This is the first time Chen Ming has commanded a force of nearly 5,000 people since returning from his studies. He would be letting down those who taught him if he didn't launch a major attack.

If it were just a matter of attacking a few strongholds and stations, the Independent 2nd Regiment's firepower could take them down in three hours, without needing other regiments to provide cover.

If we're going to do something, let's do something big. We'll besiege the enemy stronghold and lure the Japanese out of Shouyang County, annihilate them, and then take the county town.

As a county town on the Zhengtai Railway line, Shouyang County has a large amount of stored supplies. If Shouyang is captured, the weapon and equipment shortage of the Independent Second Regiment can be completely solved in one go.

"Tell Li Yousheng not to rush to take the stronghold, otherwise the Japanese in the county town will retreat again," Chen Ming said to the communications soldier.

"Yes."

The communications soldier immediately ran towards the Second Battalion, which was leading the attack.

"The regimental commander ordered the Second Battalion not to rush to take down the Japanese bunker, but to wait until the Japanese troops in the county town were lured out before attacking."

"clear."

After the communications soldier left, Li Yousheng immediately gave the order.

"After the Flying Thunder Cannon has adjusted its firing angle, it shall remain stationary for the time being and await the battalion commander's order. It shall then use grenade launchers to attack the Japanese bunkers in succession, making an offensive posture, but do not organize a charge."

"We need to make the Japanese soldiers inside the bunker think that we can't do anything to them, so that we can lure the Japanese soldiers out of the county town."

"Yes."

The company commanders of the Second Battalion immediately began to make arrangements.

Grenade launchers were not very effective against the Japanese bunkers, but they could make the Japanese feel that the attack was intense and confuse the Japanese soldiers inside the bunkers.

Chen Ming's command post, located between the county town and the train station, allowed his three-dimensional combat map to cover the entire battlefield.

Apart from the soldiers attacking the Japanese station.

The engineering company, reconnaissance company, and railway guerrillas responsible for sabotaging the railway lines also detonated explosives at various railway nodes, blowing up and dismantling the Japanese railways.

Some soldiers were responsible for transporting the dismantled rails away.

This is a valuable resource! The Eighth Route Army is desperately short of high-quality steel. Transporting the rails back will allow them to manufacture more weapons and ammunition to fight the Japanese and also help them quickly repair the railway.

The Zhengtai Railway rails are 12 meters long each, weighing 360 kilograms, and require 8-12 soldiers to carry them with the help of wooden poles and ropes.

Fortunately, we don't have much else, but we have a lot of people, and we can never have too many railway tracks.

This time, it wasn't just the main force that was contributing; a significant number of people and local armed forces were also mobilized.

Half an hour later, when the Japanese troops were some distance away from the scene in Shouyang County, Chen Ming gave the order.

"Order: The Second Battalion must take the bunker inside the station within ten minutes. If they fail, leave a platoon and the remaining guerrillas to monitor the Japanese soldiers inside the bunker."

"The remaining troops, machine gun company, immediately turn around and launch an attack on the Japanese reinforcements."

"The general reserve force, the sharpshooter company, will infiltrate between the supporting Japanese troops and the county town, cut off the Japanese troops' route back to the county town, and join forces with the soldiers of the Second Battalion to encircle and annihilate these more than four hundred Japanese soldiers."

"After the artillery company engages the Japanese, use up all the remaining mortar shells. Tell Zhang Yousheng not to worry about the shells; you can capture more. Once you take the county town, you can have as many as you want."

The Japanese army dispatched more than 400 Japanese soldiers to Shouyang County, leaving only the military police and puppet troops in the county town.

Chen Ming didn't take the Japanese military police and puppet troops seriously at all.

Two battalions, along with regimental-level troops and local armed forces, totaling over 1,600 men, wiped out the more than 400 Japanese soldiers who had left the city.

The county town is like meat in a bowl; you can eat it whenever you want.

There are also guerrillas hiding in the county town, who can play a significant role in crucial moments and help the main force take the county town!

(End of this chapter)