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

Chapter 74 This deal wasn't a loss; they made two mortars in the process.
Not long after, Battalion Commander He Jianxin returned to report to Chen Ming.

"Reporting to the regimental commander, in this operation, our army annihilated a total of 523 Japanese soldiers, with 37 of our own soldiers killed, 21 seriously wounded, and 30 lightly wounded."

He Jianxin straightened his chest and said.

Because the Japanese soldiers would carry the bodies of their fallen soldiers out of the battlefield and pile them up, the statistics work was relatively easy to do.

Yes, there were no prisoners.

In the dictionary of the Independent Second Regiment, there are no Japanese soldiers who can be captured alive.

Chen Ming had personally witnessed countless civilians die at the hands of the Japanese devils, and he had always shown no mercy to them.

Under Chen Ming's leadership, the soldiers of the Independent Second Regiment never gave the Japanese a chance to surrender, as long as they were fighting the Japanese.

This battle was brilliantly fought, and it certainly boosted our prestige in front of our commanders and other fraternal units.

They didn't see their comrades from other units, but when they saw their battalion, the look in their eyes made them even happier than on their wedding night.

"Well played," Chen Ming said calmly.

"Not bad, the Second Independent Regiment has really opened my eyes this time. They are all good soldiers," the brigade commander exclaimed.

He now has a particular craving for the bodies of all the soldiers in the Independent Second Regiment, especially the artillerymen in Chen Ming's artillery battalion.

This is a technical branch of the military; it's not easy to train them.

The systematic training and development of our army's artillery system took from 41 to 43, and it was not until the establishment of the Yan'an Artillery School in 44 that the system was considered mature.

At present, every artilleryman is treated like a treasure.

Didn't you see how, in the Battle of Cangyunling, it took two cannonballs from the pillar to destroy the command post of the Sakata Regiment?
It's not something just anyone can do to get Li Yunlong, that old miser, to take out half a pound of sweet potato liquor.

Furthermore, we should also learn the infantry-artillery coordination tactics of the Independent 2nd Regiment.

Although it consumed a lot of shells, this battle alone used up nearly 800 shells, almost depleting a large portion of our resources.

But in the brigade commander's view, it was worth it.

They not only completed the headquarters' mission and eliminated the arrogant Yamazaki Battalion, which had penetrated deep into enemy territory, but also reduced the casualties of the soldiers.

In this battle, Chen Ming killed more than 500 Japanese soldiers, but suffered only more than 80 casualties himself.

If calculated by the death ratio, it reached 1:14, which is an astonishing ratio.

This was not an ambush; it was a fair and square positional battle. The fact that such an astonishing ratio was achieved speaks volumes about its value.

Mortar shells were manufactured in arsenals, as they were a renewable resource. Each shell cost about five silver dollars, and the pass rate was 70%.

The lives of soldiers are worth far more than artillery shells!

"Commander, this is the officer's sword we captured from that old Japanese devil Yamazaki." He Jianxin handed a finely crafted officer's sword to Chen Ming.

Chen Ming took it and saw that it was of excellent quality and even had some Japanese characters that Chen Ming couldn't understand engraved on it. This was no ordinary standard military knife.

It seems that Yamazaki, this old Japanese devil, is no ordinary person either.

However high his status was, he was now a charred corpse.

After briefly examining the officer's sword, Chen Ming lost interest.

A mere officer's sword wouldn't even catch his eye; it would have to be a general's sword at the very least.

"Brigadier, this is the officer's sword of that old devil Yamazaki. It's not an ordinary one. This battle was won under your command, so it's rightfully yours to take it."

Chen Ming handed the officer's sword to the brigade commander with a grin.

The brigade commander was taken aback upon hearing this, but he smiled and accepted the military knife.

"Since it's your kind gesture, I'll accept it. When I come to the brigade headquarters later, I'll give you a return gift."

Upon hearing the brigade commander's words, Chen Ming instinctively felt that something was amiss.

Why would I need to go to the brigade headquarters? It's so mysterious. Could it be that they've got their eyes on something I have and want to congratulate me when the other regimental commanders aren't around?
“Alright, but Brigade Commander, I have something to say.” Chen Ming nodded.

Since the brigade commander had told him to go to the brigade headquarters, Chen Ming couldn't refuse. After all, this was the brigade commander, and also Chen Ming's former superior.

"Go ahead."

"That's right. The Second Independent Regiment has trained too many artillerymen. I think our Eighth Route Army is short of artillerymen right now. I want to send some artillery backbone to the military region to support other brother units."

After considering it for a moment, Chen Ming spoke.

Of the troops Chen Ming brought this time, the only ones the brigade commander could currently consider were the artillery and guns of the Independent 2nd Regiment, and the sharpshooter company.

The brigade commander borrowed a platoon of soldiers from the sharpshooter company, and they still haven't returned them, and he probably never will.

The brigade commander was too embarrassed to ask Chen Ming's sharpshooter company soldiers again.

As for artillery, the brigade commander knew about the Independent 2nd Regiment's artillery; if he wanted it, he would have asked long ago.

Moreover, Chen Ming had recently surrendered the captured artillery pieces, and the brigade commander had allocated four mortars and one Type 92 infantry gun to the 2nd Independent Regiment.

There's no reason to take back what's been allocated.

Therefore, the only unit the brigade commander could consider was the artillery of the 2nd Independent Regiment.

So Chen Ming took the initiative to speak up and directly proposed the idea of ​​sending talented cadres to shut up the brigade commander.

After all, can something given voluntarily be the same as something you ask for?

It also shows that you understand the bigger picture and are sensible.

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, the brigade commander burst into laughter. "You guys, do you see that? This is a good comrade from my 386th Brigade. Even though he's no longer in the 386th Brigade, he still thinks about his 'home base'."

The brigade commander originally wanted to stall Chen Ming for a bit before speaking up, but Chen Ming was so understanding that he took the initiative to speak before he could even say anything.

Sending cadres to the military region to support brother units—look how conscientious they are!

Chen Ming is a good comrade!
“Especially you, Li Yunlong, you should learn from this. Stop asking me for cadres and weapons all the time. I’m not Sun Wukong, I can’t conjure up cadres and weapons for you.”

The brigade commander pointed at Li Yunlong.

In contrast, the more she looked at Chen Ming, the more she liked him.

The regimental commanders of the 386th Brigade looked at Chen Ming differently now, filled with admiration.

Not only is he good at fighting and developing his troops, but he can also please the brigade commander. No wonder the brigade commander likes Chen Ming.

Li Yunlong lowered his head and sighed inwardly. With such a formidable opponent as Chen Ming, the road to regaining the brigade commander's favor was long and arduous.

"Is there any difficulty that the Second Independent Regiment needs to resolve? If so, please speak up, and I will definitely help you if I can," the brigade commander said to Chen Ming.

Since Chen Ming is so sensible, he should at least do something in return.

"Hehe, the brigade commander really understands me." Chen Ming took the opportunity to climb up the ladder.

"It's like this, Brigade Commander. The Independent Second Regiment now has more than 3,000 soldiers, but most of them are still uneducated and uncultured. I was wondering if you could send a group of officers to the Independent Second Regiment to teach the soldiers to read."

The Second Independent Regiment was originally reorganized from district squads, unlike other regiments, especially numbered regiments, which had many veteran Red Army soldiers and a high literacy rate.

They were originally ordinary people, barely literate, and the local armed forces that were later incorporated into them also had a low literacy rate.

In order to improve the combat effectiveness of the troops, cultural development must be enhanced.

Many people believe that fighting a war is all about marksmanship and courage. What use is culture?

This perception is actually completely wrong!

In the military field, educational level has a significant impact on the combat effectiveness of troops.

Soldiers with higher levels of education require far less time to be trained into technical branches than illiterate soldiers.

Educated soldiers can understand and execute orders more quickly, including more complex combat orders.

Otherwise, they won't even be able to read a map. Once they arrive in an unfamiliar place and can only rely on the map, they will become blind and won't even know where their troops are.

At the same time, educational level can also affect the penetration of political education.

A force with faith and a deep understanding of the advanced ideology of our Party has a combat effectiveness that ordinary troops cannot match.

Therefore, Chen Ming has been dedicated to improving the cultural level of the soldiers in the Second Independent Regiment.

However, the Second Independent Regiment was still severely lacking in literate cadres.

Many of the instructors assigned by the brigade headquarters last time sacrificed their lives.

They have faith, and in battle they are often the most fiercely charged, unstoppable.

If Chen Ming hadn't strictly ordered his troops to stop the political instructor, there might not be many of the officers the brigade headquarters had given them.

“Okay, I’ll select a group of suitable officers and send them over when I get back.” The brigade commander nodded in agreement without any hesitation.

Chen Ming's request was in line with the Party's policy of sending a group of cadres to teach the soldiers to read. How could the brigade commander refuse such a request?

It's not a difficult thing.

"Thank you, Brigade Commander."

Chen Ming saluted and stood at attention, speaking solemnly.

Seeing his expression, the commander seemed to think that the brigade commander had done him a great favor, which made the brigade commander very happy.

The other regimental commanders were filled with admiration for Chen Ming. He could make the brigade commander so happy with just a few words. They had to learn this skill.

If I learn it, it will be a piece of cake for me to ask the brigade commander for weapons and equipment in the future.

Next, it was time to distribute the spoils.

The brigade commander distributed all the shells and some ammunition to Chen Ming's Independent 2nd Regiment, and also gave Chen Ming two Japanese mortars.

This can be considered a reward for the valiant fighting of the Second Independent Regiment.

As for firearms and ammunition, since the Second Independent Regiment already has sufficient firearms, they did not distribute any.

Of these weapons and ammunition, some were allocated to the 772nd Regiment, which contributed to this effort, while the rest remained at the brigade headquarters.

When Chen Ming counted the shells, he was overjoyed to find that not only had he replenished the more than 300 shells he had used, but he had also gained two extra mortars.

This deal wasn't a loss!

Sending cadres to the military region was something Chen Ming would have done anyway.

The 2nd Independent Regiment has more artillery than cannons, so keeping them in the regiment wouldn't be of much use. This isn't a bank where you can deposit money and earn interest.

It would be better to provide support to other units, firstly for the sake of the future of these artillerymen.

Experienced artillerymen would be key personnel in other units and would receive special training. As long as they don't die, their future after victory is bright.

Secondly, the cadres were sent to other units, which also allowed them to contribute to the cause of the War of Resistance.

With an additional experienced artilleryman, other units can form an artillery unit capable of eliminating even more Japanese soldiers.
Otherwise, even if all the soldiers of the Independent Second Regiment were made of iron, how many nails could they crush?
P.S.: Three chapters, 9,000 words today! Please vote! I confess, I played games until 7:30 PM before starting to write, only managing four hours. I hope you readers will use your votes to encourage me to spend more time writing and updating. Please give me your votes, thank you!

(End of this chapter)