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

Chapter 86 Troop Reorganization
Now that it is winter, the Japanese army is no longer carrying out any large-scale operations.

Winter's freezing temperatures make logistical arrangements difficult for large-scale military operations, especially in the mountainous regions where the Eighth Route Army's bases are located, where logistics are even more challenging.

Regarding the Kawasaki Battalion, which was annihilated by the Independent 2nd Regiment, the Japanese army concealed the true situation and claimed that it had killed more than 1,000 Eighth Route Army soldiers while losing 103 of its own.

This incident didn't cause much of a stir because the shock of Li Yunlong killing a Japanese major general was simply too great.

It perfectly overshadowed the brilliance of the Second Independent Regiment.

Chen Ming didn't care at all; he was content to make a fortune quietly.

Since we've already gained all the benefits, what's the use of those empty titles?
As long as we get tangible benefits, that's enough.

Although the Japanese army covered up the news of the Kawasaki Battalion's complete annihilation and denied it entirely.

However, in private, they secretly sent a negotiation team to try to redeem the four lost mountain guns with other weapons, equipment, and prisoners of war.

The negotiations were bound to fail; the four cannons that had been acquired would absolutely not be returned to the Japanese.

When negotiations failed, the Japanese changed their demands, wanting to exchange 102 of our prisoners of war and captured underground party members for the bodies of the Japanese major general and officers killed by the Independent Regiment.

The disappearance of the remains of high-ranking military officers has a significant impact on morale, which is a political propaganda necessity.

Coupled with the Japanese military's Bushido tradition, deeply influenced by the Bushido spirit of "the corpse must not be dishonored," they believed that allowing the enemy to obtain the remains would damage the "prestige of the Japanese army."

Therefore, the Japanese army had to retrieve the remains of the high-ranking officers who had died in battle, no matter what.

Headquarters.

"We've already asked for instructions, and the reply was that we can make the exchange, and we must rescue the captured comrades," the commander said.

For the Japanese army, it was a political propaganda need; for our army, it was the same.

Our army has always adhered to the principle of never abandoning or giving up.

Soldiers captured during the War of Resistance Against Japan must be rescued no matter what.

It can be said that, apart from the artillery issue not being resolved, the exchange of remains and prisoners of war was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

After returning to the Independent Second Regiment's base, Chen Ming began the reorganization of the troops.

In addition to the reorganization, the soldiers of the Independent 2nd Regiment who sacrificed their lives in the previous battle to attack the Japanese railway line were also commended.

Platoon Leader Fan, who heroically sacrificed his life by pressing a grenade down with his body to protect supplies, was awarded the honor of First-Class Combat Hero.

The soldiers who endured their injuries and ultimately sacrificed their lives to maintain concealment during the ambush on the Japanese troops in Shouyang were also awarded the honor of First-Class Combat Hero.

The company also received the honorary title of model company.

The organization will never forget the heroes who sacrificed their lives.

For their families, there are ways to provide material assistance and emotional support.

Both material support and emotional comfort must be provided.

In short, we cannot let the gloriously sacrificed soldiers shed blood and tears.

Chen Ming personally delivered honors and living supplies to the families of the heroes who sacrificed their lives in the Second Independent Regiment.

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, we can't let them have a proper family reunion, but we must make sure to meet their basic needs as much as possible.

In addition to visiting and comforting the families of martyrs, Chen Ming also reorganized the militia forces within the military sub-district.

As local armed forces, guerrilla brigades primarily assist main forces in carrying out combat missions.

To support the development of the militia, Chen Ming distributed some obsolete weapons, as well as hand grenades, landmines, and other weapons produced by the arsenal.

Help the militia to develop combat effectiveness.

this day.

Chen Ming is coordinating resources and selecting cadres to go to local militia units to guide their work, similar to how the brigade headquarters sent Chen Ming and his group of cadres to local armed forces.

Two soldiers covered in blood were helped in by Chen Ming's guards.

"Xiao Fei, what's going on? Weren't you guys going to deliver weapons to the comrades in the county brigade?"

Chen Ming asked.

Chen Ming recognized the two soldiers; they were both responsible for guarding the detachment headquarters and had been sent by Chen Ming to transport weapons to support local troops.

"Reporting to the detachment commander, when we were delivering weapons to the Yangquan County Brigade, we were robbed by a group of bandits. Of the entire squad, only Lao Zhang and I returned."

"All the other soldiers sacrificed themselves to protect the weapons. In the end, the squad leader detonated a grenade to cover us as we relayed the message back."

"Team leader, you have to avenge us! Our squad leader has suffered so much!"

Upon seeing Chen Ming, Xiao Fei couldn't help but shed tears.

Despite being shot, he ran such a long way without uttering a sound until he met Chen Ming, the person who could stand up for them, at which point he couldn't stop his tears.

It was the other soldiers and the squad leader in the platoon who sacrificed their lives to allow them to return and deliver the message.

Upon hearing Xiao Fei's report, Chen Ming's anger flared up instantly.

"Da Biao, order the communications company to assemble!"

Chen Ming walked out of the brigade headquarters and shouted directly.

Upon hearing this, Da Biao was furious and quickly went to call the communications company.

Before long, the soldiers from the communications company arrived.

"Now, contact my troops stationed abroad immediately; there's a combat mission."

Chen Ming gave the order to the soldiers of the communications company.

After receiving orders, some of the soldiers in the communications company rode off on horseback to notify units that did not have radios or telephone lines.

Some contacted the three teams outside the base via telephone and radio.

The commotion at the brigade headquarters was quite loud. Hearing the commotion, Political Commissar Zhang Zhengze saw the furious Chen Ming and immediately asked:

"Old Chen, what happened?"

“A bunch of bandits, they’ve gone too far! They robbed us of our things and beat our soldiers. I sent people to deliver weapons to the local armed forces, but they stole the weapons and equipment.”

"If I don't avenge this, I'm not Chen Ming!" Since arriving in this era, when has Chen Ming ever been bullied like this?

He didn't even take the Japanese soldier Chen Ming seriously, yet a group of bandits from the mountains dared to steal his weapons.

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, Zhang Zhengze knew that things were in serious trouble.

He knew Chen Ming's personality very well; once he made a decision, no one could persuade him otherwise.

Chen Ming is easy to talk to about anything in normal times, but when it comes to matters of principle, he will never back down.

"What is the situation regarding casualties among the soldiers?"

"Of the 12 soldiers in the squad, only two came back. If I don't make these bandits pay the price, I don't deserve to be the captain of this detachment."

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, Zhang Zhengze knew that the bandits in and around the Fourth Division would probably not exist this time.

He didn't stop them, but instead said, "I propose that, in order to ensure that the villagers can have a peaceful New Year, the Independent Detachment should decide to wipe out the bandits in the surrounding area."

Zhang Zheng said this for Chen Ming's sake.

Chen Ming is no longer a regimental commander, but a detachment commander. He cannot launch a military operation under the pretext of revenge.

Chen Ming nodded: "Let's call Dafei over in a bit and have a short meeting."

The political commissar's words calmed Chen Ming down a bit. Now that he was the detachment leader, every move he made had to be standardized.

Not long after, Dafei arrived.

"Team leader, I agree with your instructions."

Dafei unconditionally agreed to any instructions Chen Ming gave him.

“Alright, now let’s talk about how many bandits are in and around our fourth district.” Chen Ming nodded and began to speak.

"Within the Fourth Division, there are approximately forty bandit groups, of which nineteen have more than thirty members and twelve have more than one hundred members," the political commissar said.

He was more familiar with the situation in his jurisdiction than Chen Ming was.

Knowing how many people and how much land each village has is one of the tasks he undertakes.

"so much?"

Hearing this number, Chen Ming was also taken aback.

They had only been in the vicinity of Meng County for a short time and were unaware that such a small county and its surrounding area could harbor so many bandits.

This density is a bit exaggerated.

"This only includes those who acted badly. Some people who went up the mountain to farm were not actually bandits, so they were not included in the calculation."

"The bandits who robbed our transport team in Black Cloud Mountain this time should be from Black Cloud Village, which is entrenched in Black Cloud Mountain. I think the leader's surname is Xie," the political commissar said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming suddenly understood.

Unexpectedly, the bandits of Black Cloud Village didn't offend Li Yunlong, but instead provoked the Independent Detachment first.

"Black Cloud Stronghold, is it?"

“Old Chen, Black Cloud Stronghold is located on Black Cloud Mountain. It has a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The stronghold is also very well hidden. They have not only robbed our Eighth Route Army, but also the Japanese and the Jin Army. No one could do anything about them,” the political commissar added.

"That's because he hasn't met me yet. What do you mean by easy to defend and difficult to attack? Once the cannons are set up, he can't fly away even if he has wings," Chen Ming said confidently.

With a three-dimensional combat map, the concept of a concealed location simply doesn't exist.

"Dafei, draft a combat report, and once it's done, get it signed by me and the political commissar," Chen Ming said to Dafei.

Now that the Second Independent Regiment has been reorganized into an independent detachment, it still has some autonomy.

Chen Ming can make decisions on trivial matters like suppressing bandits.

"Yes."

Dafei nodded.

After that, Chen Ming began to issue combat orders.

The First Brigade was responsible for suppressing bandits in the northern and eastern parts of Meng County, while the Third Brigade was responsible for the southern and western parts of Meng County.

The Fourth Battalion of the Independent Detachment, personally led by Chen Ming, was to meet the bandits of Black Cloud Village and see if they really had the guts to do something so audacious.

The Second Battalion was responsible for continuing the siege of Meng County and blocking the supply lines of the remaining Japanese troops in Meng County.

After Chen Ming wiped out the Kawasaki Battalion last time, he did not directly attack Meng County, but chose to continue the siege.

Let's see if the Japanese troops from the Yangquan direction will continue to provide support.

Anyway, it's already winter, and the Japanese army won't launch a large-scale operation, so Chen Ming isn't afraid of Japanese reinforcements from the Yangquan direction.

As long as the reinforcements do not exceed one regiment, Chen Ming is confident he can make a move.

With the issuance of the combat orders, all units received them.

"Tell the soldiers that whether they can have a prosperous year depends on whether they can wipe out all the bandits."

"Yes."

After the troops set off, Chen Ming sent the combat report to the brigade commander.

There's no problem reporting this operation to the brigade commander.

Given the brigade commander's personality, he wouldn't disagree with such a thing.

When the telegram was reported to the brigade headquarters, the brigade commander only glanced at it a few times before approving it.

"It's just suppressing bandits, why do you have to report such a trivial matter to me?" the brigade commander said with a smile.

Even before the independent detachment was reorganized, it was able to annihilate a Japanese battalion of more than 1,400 men.

Suppressing bandits was really not a big deal for an independent detachment that had an artillery battalion.

However, the brigade commander was still somewhat happy despite saying that.

Unlike Li Yunlong, Chen Ming was different. Recently, Li Yunlong had led his troops to ambush a Japanese transport team without asking for permission. If it weren't for a batch of supplies being delivered to the brigade headquarters at the end, the brigade commander would have had to make a trip to the Independent Regiment.

(End of this chapter)