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

Chapter 70 Winning Hearts and Minds: The Efforts of Underground Party Comrades

"Don't worry, Commander Li, I'm here to give you a plan." The refined middle-aged man smiled slightly.

"Sir, please speak."

"Outside the city, there are now more than 2,000 Eighth Route Army soldiers surrounding Shouyang County. In this attack on Shouyang, a total of more than 5,000 soldiers have been mobilized, with both light and heavy weapons."

The middle-aged man did not rush to reveal his purpose, but instead explained the situation of the enemy and our own forces in detail, continuing to pressure the psychological defenses of the puppet army commander.

"You heard that burst of intense artillery fire outside the city, right? That's the firepower of our artillery battalion. Otherwise, why do you think more than four hundred Japanese soldiers were wiped out so easily?"

"The troops outside the city are led by the Independent 2nd Regiment, which fought in the Battle of Cangyunling. Have you heard of the Independent 2nd Regiment?" the middle-aged man asked.

Upon hearing the other party's words, the fake legion commander was terrified.

Unexpectedly, the troops outside numbered more than five thousand, not just two thousand, and crucially, they even deployed an artillery battalion!
There were only a little over a hundred Japanese soldiers and his more than five hundred men in Shouyang County.

The difference in strength is too great; there's simply no chance of holding on!
"I know. In the Battle of Cangyunling, the Sakata Regiment was severely damaged. Your army fought bravely. I heard that this Independent Second Regiment is also known as the Hero Regiment of the Battle of Cangyunling."

The fake legion commander answered honestly.

"It wasn't just a heavy blow, it was a complete annihilation. The Sakata Regiment, with over 3,600 men, was wiped out by our Eighth Route Army in the Battle of Cangyunling," the middle-aged man corrected.

"Half a year has passed, has Commander Li heard any news about the Sakata Regiment?"

Upon hearing this, the fake legion commander hesitated.

The Sakata Regiment was a regiment of the 36th Division under the First Army, while the Japanese troops stationed in Shouyang County belonged to the 4th Independent Mixed Brigade under the First Army.

Logically, after half a year, one should have heard some news, but even now, the fake legion commander hasn't heard anything about the Sakata Regiment's activities.

He originally thought it was a military secret, that the Japanese were good at keeping it secret, but now, after hearing what this Eighth Route Army soldier said, it was very likely that they really had been completely annihilated.

That's the Sakata Regiment, a field regiment!

They were actually wiped out by the Eighth Route Army, and the troops besieging the city now are the same troops that played a crucial role in that battle, so you can imagine how strong their fighting power is.

"I understand, please teach me, sir," the fake legion commander pleaded.

Since the other party risked coming to see me and claimed to be here to save my life, they must have a way.

"Don't panic. Let me ask you, how do the combat capabilities of the puppet troops in the city compare to those of the Japanese military police?" the middle-aged man said with a gentle smile.

"We can't win in open field combat."

The fake legion commander told the truth.

Even if the enemy was a military police force with weaker combat capabilities than field troops, he couldn't defeat them with just over five hundred men under his command.

"What if an attack is launched suddenly while the city is being defended?"

"I understand. Sir, you mean I should lead my troops to ambush the Japanese while they are defending the city," the puppet army commander said.

"It's about abandoning darkness and embracing light. We are all Chinese, why should we help the Japanese fight our own people?"

“You were forced to do this before, and you, Commander Li, didn’t do anything heinous. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here; the artillery battalion would have opened fire directly, captured the county town, and put you on trial,” the middle-aged man said.

"Yes, yes, yes, abandon darkness and embrace the light."

The fake legion commander was calculating his chances of winning.

If he tried to defend the county town with the Japanese, he would definitely not be able to hold it, and the final result would be that he was captured and killed.

It's even possible that the other party not only contacted him, but also his subordinates.

The fake legion commander knew very well what his men were like. If they could save their lives by betraying him, he would definitely do so without hesitation.

At that point, they might have to risk their lives to save themselves.

If they surrender, there's still a chance of victory if over 500 men suddenly attack the Japanese.

More than 500 men fought against more than 100 Japanese soldiers at close range. When they were about to die because they couldn't win, they would fight desperately, otherwise they would definitely not survive if they were defeated by the Japanese.

On one side were more than 5,000 elite troops outside the city, and on the other side were more than 100 Japanese military police.

After weighing the pro-fake army's options, the commander of the puppet army made a tough decision!
It's done!

"Alright, I'll gather my confidants right now and prepare to abandon the darkness and join the light to kill the Japanese devils. We Chinese don't fight Chinese."

"Alright, as long as Commander Li can abandon the darkness and embrace the light, our army can guarantee your safety." The middle-aged man smiled.

"Can you really guarantee my safety?" the fake legion commander repeatedly asked.

"Commander Li has never harmed the people or helped the Japanese invaders to harm his own compatriots. Our army has always treated such surrendered personnel with preferential treatment."

"That's fine, that's fine."

The fake army commander breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that his cowardice had saved him.

Normally, he was worried that the assassination squad would kill him, so he wouldn't dare to do anything so heinous. At most, he would eat without paying, find some brothels to patronize, or collect some protection money.

I never imagined that my cowardice would actually save my life today.

"May I ask who you are, sir? How can I find you in the future?" the fake legion commander asked.

"Zhang Fang, an underground party member."

Having received assurances, the puppet army commander immediately summoned his two trusted confidants and explained the matter to them.

“Brother-in-law, I think we can do it. Following the Japanese is a sure way to die, so we might as well take a gamble.” “Yeah, even if the uprising fails in the end, I’ll still be considered a hero. After becoming a traitor, I’ve been removed from the family register and people talk behind my back every day.”

Two trusted confidants persuaded him.

"Yes, I called you here because I want to start an uprising," the fake legion commander said.

“However, Wang Daneng of the Third Battalion has committed many evil deeds. Even if he revolts, he will probably die. He will likely stick with the Japanese to the bitter end. We must deal with him first, otherwise things might go wrong,” said the puppet army commander’s brother-in-law.

"Well, I'll try to get him and the Japanese military police captain here later. We can launch a surprise attack and take them out, then things will be much easier."

"I need you to find a few trustworthy brothers to do this."

Upon hearing what the puppet army commander said, his brother-in-law immediately said, "Brother-in-law, I'll take care of the personnel matters. I have more than a dozen fellow villagers under my command, and they are absolutely trustworthy."

"Alright, then it's up to you. After you take care of the Japanese military police captain and Wang Daneng, immediately take over the Third Battalion and launch an attack on the Japanese."

The fake legion commander clapped his hands and said.

"I'll make arrangements right away."

"Yes, it must be done in secret. We can't let the Japanese and Wang Daneng have any preparations in advance."

"I understand, brother-in-law. I know what's important."

The Japanese military police captain and the commander of the third battalion of the puppet army were suddenly invited by the puppet army commander, who claimed that there was a problem with the city's defense and asked them to come and discuss it.

The two men had no suspicions. The puppet army commander was usually timid and panicked when he saw the Eighth Route Army besieging the city.

They had inspected the city's defenses and found no major problems; perhaps the other side was just being paranoid again.

When his boss called him, Wang Daneng naturally had to go.

The Japanese military police captain, in order to temporarily stabilize the puppet troops and rely on their strength to defend the city, naturally went as well.

Ultimately, as soon as the two entered the fake legion commander's room, their weapons were disarmed and they were taken into custody by his confidants.

"What are you doing? I'm here to see the regimental commander!" Battalion Commander Wang Daneng was completely bewildered and hadn't figured out what was going on.

"Baka! Are you going to betray the Locust Army? Aren't you afraid that when the Locust Army reinforcements arrive, they'll come after you?" the Japanese military police captain threatened.

"Don't waste words with them, take care of them immediately," the fake legion commander ordered fiercely.

Upon receiving the order, the trusted aide immediately covered the mouths of the two men, resulting in the latter falling to their deaths.

The commander of the puppet army's third battalion never understood why the regimental commander had suddenly killed him when he had only come to attend a meeting.

They always seemed to have such a good time drinking and hanging out together, they were practically sworn brothers.

The Japanese military police captain never expected that the usually timid puppet army commander would dare to betray the Japanese army and even kill him.

"Commander, it's all taken care of," the trusted aide reported.

"Yes, contact the brothers immediately, take over the Third Battalion right away, and attack the Japanese."

"Yes."

After the Japanese military police captain was killed, the military police in the county town were unaware that the puppet troops had revolted.

Faced with the sudden attack, the military police, having lost their command system and scattered, immediately lost more than seventy men. The remaining men were also in a bad situation, hiding in their barracks and putting up a stubborn resistance.

When the puppet army's Third Battalion learned that their regimental commander had defected and their battalion commander had been killed, they immediately turned their guns on the rebel forces and joined their ranks.

When it comes to understanding the situation, the puppet troops have never disappointed.

If you can't beat it, just join.

Anyway, they were unwilling to defend the city and couldn't defend it, so they might as well join the rebellion with the regimental commander. Even if they failed in the end, the higher-ups would be the ones to take the blame.

Ultimately, with the addition of the Third Battalion, and facing an attack by more than 500 puppet troops, the remaining forty-odd Japanese soldiers were mostly killed in action.

The puppet army excels at winning battles when things are going well, and now that they've revolted, the more than 5,000 troops outside the city have become their protectors.

Upon learning that only about twenty of the more than one hundred Japanese soldiers remained and were still putting up a stubborn resistance, the puppet regiment commander felt reassured and immediately sent men to open the city gates to allow the Independent Second Regiment soldiers outside to come to his aid.

After learning about the situation in the city through the three-dimensional combat map, Chen Ming immediately ordered his troops to enter the county town and take over the town and the Japanese warehouses.

Meanwhile, Chen Ming met with the middle-aged man in the city.

"Reporting to the commander, Zhang Fang, an underground party member, is reporting for duty."

Zhang Fang made a great contribution to the successful capture of Shouyang County without bloodshed.

It was he who disregarded his own safety and risked his life to contact the puppet army commander and persuade the enemy to revolt, which made it easy to capture the county town and preserve the large amount of supplies stored there.

Chen Ming was the commander of the main force regiment, and Zhang Fang was an underground party member. Although they had different roles, they were both fighting for the great revolutionary cause in their own ways.

"Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Zhang Fang."

Chen Ming and Zhang Fang held hands tightly.

“Now that your identity has been exposed, just stay with the troops for now. I’ll report to my superiors when we get back and then we’ll make further arrangements,” Chen Ming said.

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)