Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 164 Don't be afraid of losses, just do it!
"According to the reconnaissance company's statistics, our artillery bombardment last night destroyed 127 Japanese trucks and 3 tanks. We found 1,630 Japanese corpses in the valley. As for the wounded, we did not see any; they must have all been taken away by the Japanese."

Based on a casualty ratio of 1:3, the Japanese army suffered at least two thousand wounded. This means last night's shelling rendered at least one Japanese regiment combat ineffective – a major victory!

Upon receiving the report from the reconnaissance company, the operations staff officer of the regiment excitedly addressed Li Gaoyuan.

"This is indeed good news." Li Gaoyuan smiled. In fact, even he himself did not expect that the shelling last night would achieve such a significant result. This should be considered an unexpected joy.

He pondered for a moment, then immediately said, "Send the results to the commander-in-chief immediately, and ask headquarters for instructions on the next operational plan."

The operations staff officer responded and was about to turn and leave when Li Gaoyuan stopped him. "Immediately order the troops to begin evacuation, especially the artillery regiment, which must hide well. I reckon the Japanese planes are coming soon."

"Yes!"

The operations staff saluted, then turned to relay the order.

After the staff officer left, Li Gaoyuan stepped out of the tent, took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, and his mind, which had been clear all night, became a little more alert.

But I still have no idea what to do next.

Although the shelling in the early morning caused heavy losses to the Japanese army, such losses did not cripple the 20th Division. If the 20th Division continued to advance, its single regiment would not be able to withstand the Japanese army.

Fortunately, the Second Regiment will arrive by noon. With two regiments at our disposal, even if we can't win, we should be able to fight and retreat without any problem. However, if we retreat back to Wutai County in such a disgraceful manner, the mission will be considered a failure.

The thought that if they retreated like this, the 20th Division's more than 20,000 troops would be able to march straight to Wutai County filled him with resentment.

He had witnessed how much effort Su Yaoyang had put into Wutai County over the past few months. If the two sides were to fight in Wutai County, all their efforts over the past few days would be in vain.

Most importantly, Wutai County is the foundation of the Shanxi militia. If Wutai County is lost, the Shanxi militia will immediately become like water without a source or a tree without roots, and they may really have no choice but to withdraw from Shanxi.

"No... I can't just be kicked out like this."

Li Gaoyuan slammed the cigarette butt in his hand to the ground and said coldly, "Even if the 20th Division has three heads and six arms, I'll still go for it. Even if I have to wipe out the entire army, I'll still knock the Japanese devils' teeth out."

"Someone... relay my order: order the troops to immediately retreat to Wolf Valley and set up a defensive line there. We must block the Japanese devils here."

"Commander, are we not going to attack Xinxian anymore?"

"Those Japanese devils have already set up their ammunition depots in the residential area, what's the point of us fighting? Retreat... retreat to Wolf Valley right now!"

"Yes!"

…………

"Commander, Li Gaoyuan called. He has decided to set up defensive positions in Wild Wolf Valley to block the Japanese army. He also said that even if he dies in battle, he will never let the Japanese cross the line."

"Oh……"

Su Yaoyang immediately stood up, walked to the large map hanging on the wall, and found the location of Wild Wolf Valley at a glance.

Wild Wolf Valley is more of a hill than a valley, with a large sloping hillside running from south to north. The highway leading to Dingxiang and Wutai passes by the foot of the mountain.

If the Japanese army wanted to pass through, they had to take over this hill; otherwise, the Japanese would have a commanding position and could be easily trapped by mortars.

After pondering for a long time, Su Yaoyang suddenly remembered something: "Right... what about our armored battalion? Now that it's dawn, why not send it to launch a preemptive attack on the Japanese?" "This..."

Pi Ruoyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Commander Li said that the Japanese army has suffered such a great loss, and they will definitely send out planes to retaliate. Sending out armored units during the day is too risky."

He believed it was best to reserve the armored forces for the most critical moment.

"Hey... this Li Gaoyuan, how come I didn't realize he was such a miser?"

Su Yaoyang cursed in annoyance.

Although I have some reservations about Li Gaoyuan's actions, I can understand them.

Armored units are more precious than gold.

Take the Sherman tanks that were just put into service, for example. Each Sherman was worth $50,000, which is equivalent to one million dollars.

If one silver dollar could buy thirty kilograms of rice, then one Sherman tank could buy three hundred million kilograms of rice. With such an exorbitant price, who wouldn't treasure it like a precious gem?

If his impulsiveness were to lead to the destruction of the armored battalion, Li Gaoyuan would probably be heartbroken to the point of vomiting blood.

In contrast, it's different for infantry. These days, how much is a human life worth? And how much is a rifle worth?

Give each infantryman a rifle, train them for a few months, and they'll be ready for battle. The cost-effectiveness is far superior to that of a tank.

Well, this kind of viewpoint is indeed incomprehensible to people in the 21st century, but it is normal for people of this era.

Having been with the militia for so long, Pi Ruoyu had come to understand Su Yaoyang's temperament better. Seeing his expression, he knew that his boss had some reservations about Li Gaoyuan.

He then comforted him from the side, saying, "Commander... after all, the armored battalion was trained by you from scratch."

They are also our most elite offensive force, and we will certainly be extremely cautious in using them. If I were in command, I wouldn't be willing to take such risks either.

"You guys."

Su Yaoyang shook his head helplessly, then said, "Telegram to Li Gaoyuan immediately: don't be sad about those tanks, and don't be afraid of losses. The armored battalion was trained to fight the Japanese. If we are reluctant to use them because we are sad about them, then we will be going against the original intention of creating it."

"Okay, I will convey your message to Commander Li."

"Go... tell Li Gaoyuan, it's good."

"Don't be afraid of suffering too much loss. At worst, we can retreat to the mountains and fight a guerrilla war together, right?"

At this moment, Pi Ruoyu suddenly admired Su Yaoyang. Although Su Yaoyang was far inferior to them in terms of military skills or tactical command, his boss was far superior to himself and everyone else in the militia in terms of courage and strategic vision.

In particular, he had a clear understanding of the world situation, the domestic situation in Japan, and the conflicts between the army and navy. He even pointed out their shortcomings more than once. Based on this alone, he was qualified to serve as a senior advisor in the Ministry of Military Affairs.

After understanding this, his gaze towards Su Yaoyang held even more admiration.

Without hesitation, he replied, "Understood... I'll go right away."

(End of this chapter)