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

Chapter 79 The Siege of Meng County, Japanese Battalion Provides Support

"Let's wait until it gets dark, and after the Japanese are asleep, we'll fire two shots to destroy their fortifications, then charge in and bombard them with grenades and grenades."

"Once we defeat the Japanese, the puppet troops will be no threat."

Luo Jian spoke up.

"Okay, I'll do whatever Brother Luo says."

Xiao Tianyin nodded and said.

After figuring out their strategy, the two hundred-plus soldiers lay in ambush, waiting for nightfall.

Until midnight, a strange bird call came, and the plants on a hillside not far from Changchi Town suddenly started to move.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be soldiers from the hidden Independent Second Regiment.

"Sneak into town quietly, and don't fire any shots to alert the Japanese," Luo Jian whispered instruction.

The soldiers moved stealthily under the cover of night, with those in the back holding onto the hem of the clothes of those in front to avoid falling in the pitch-black mountains.

Upon approaching the town, the artillerymen first assembled the Type 92 infantry guns and adjusted the firing angle, while the other soldiers set up grenade launchers.

As the soldiers took their positions, Luo Jian gave the order, and the infantry guns opened fire on the enemy's fortifications. At the same time, the soldiers operating grenade launchers also fired grenades at the Japanese camp.

"Bang bang!"

The loud explosion was particularly noticeable in the darkness.

Upon hearing the commotion, the Japanese sentries immediately issued a warning.

However, the shells had already been fired, and by then it was too late.

Two infantry guns destroyed the pillboxes built by the Japanese, while a large number of grenade launchers caused massive casualties among the sleeping Japanese soldiers.

Before the soldiers even started their charge, one squad of Japanese soldiers was down to only twenty men.

As soon as the artillery fire stopped, the soldiers immediately launched an attack, stormed into the Japanese camp, and began to encircle and annihilate the remaining Japanese troops.

The entire process lasted only twenty minutes, and all the Japanese soldiers in Changchi Town were wiped out.

Of the more than one hundred puppet soldiers, more than twenty were killed by grenades, and the rest surrendered.

At this point, Changchi Town was taken over by the Second Independent Regiment.

"Brother Luo, that battle was so exhilarating!"

Looking at the corpses of Japanese soldiers scattered on the ground, along with the captured weapons and ammunition, Xiao Tianyin said happily.

"Back when I was a guerrilla, I never saw so many Japanese soldiers wiped out at once and so many weapons captured. It was much more exciting to fight in the main force."

Seeing Xiao Tianyin's excited expression, Luo Jian proudly said, "This is just a small matter. There will be many more battles to fight in the future."

"The Battle of Lijiapo was a truly massive event. Shells were being fired at the Japanese soldiers as if they were free."

"As soon as the artillery fire stopped, our battalion charged straight into the Japanese positions, and those damned Yamazaki Battalion were completely wiped out."

"Brother Luo is truly amazing, I admire him greatly," Xiao Tianyin immediately praised.

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the commander's excellent leadership," Luo Jian said modestly.

This raid on Changchi Town ended with 13 casualties, 56 Japanese soldiers and 27 puppet soldiers killed, and 91 puppet soldiers captured.

They captured 137 rifles, over 8,900 rounds of ammunition, four light machine guns with over 6,000 rounds of ammunition, three grenade launchers, and other supplies, mainly food.

They made a small fortune.

The fact that they were able to achieve such outstanding results while Chen Ming was away is due to the fact that the soldiers of the Independent Second Regiment were well-equipped and well-trained.

They also relied on the support of the people, who were the eyes and ears of our army. With the intelligence provided by the people, the soldiers of the Fourth Battalion were able to understand the Japanese army's deployment.

They used artillery fire to accurately strike the Japanese, achieving remarkable results at minimal cost.

Meanwhile, battles like the one between Luo Jian and Xiao Tianyin were still taking place throughout Meng County.

In just three days, the strongholds around Meng County were almost completely wiped out, leaving only one or two strongholds that were deliberately left unattacked.

Inside Meng County town, a Japanese major angrily slammed his fist on the table.

"Baka! It's been three days, and more than two hundred soldiers of the Locust Army have been attacked by an unknown force. They still haven't found out which unit was responsible. They're all useless."

The Japanese major was both angry and terrified.

This enemy is mysterious and powerful.

In the past three days, most of their strongholds outside the city have been destroyed by unknown enemies, with only a small number of survivors escaping back.

The entire battle lasted no more than two hours at most, and they couldn't even wait for reinforcements from the Japanese troops in the county town.

What's frightening is that these strongholds weren't taken down one by one; several strongholds were taken down simultaneously in one night.

The key point is that there was a small squad of Japanese soldiers and a company of puppet troops inside.

If a stronghold with this troop deployment cannot hold out for long, it means that the enemy is very powerful and has the strength to attack a county town.

Now there are only two hundred Japanese soldiers and three hundred puppet troops left to guard the county town, which is not enough to give the Japanese major a sense of security.

"Report to the Fourth Brigade immediately: Meng County has been attacked by the enemy's main force, and most of the outer strongholds have been eliminated. Request the brigade to carry out a sweep of the area around Meng County to ensure the safety of Meng County."

Knowing he was no match for this mysterious enemy, the Japanese major reported to his superiors, requesting reinforcements to sweep through the Independent 2nd Regiment.

The Fourth Brigade, upon receiving the telegram, took the situation in Meng County very seriously.

An infantry battalion and two infantry companies were immediately dispatched, totaling more than 1,400 men.

Head to Meng County to search for this enemy force active there, find their main force, and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

The large-scale troop movement by the Japanese alarmed Chen Ming.

"Damn, this fish is pretty big! Perfect timing to make napalm bombs, I was just worried about not having any Japanese to barbecue!"

Upon receiving the intelligence, Chen Ming immediately decided to lure the infantry battalion into the mountains and annihilate the enemy there.

Chen Ming immediately assembled a force of over two thousand men from the first, second, and third battalions, deploying them in layers to lure the Japanese deep into the mountains.

Inside the operations conference room, the three main battalion commanders were arguing fiercely, each vying to be the lead attacker.

"Commander, our First Battalion fought the last battle at Lijiapo. We have the largest number of men and the strongest fighting force. Let us lead the main attack this time," said He Jianxin, the battalion commander of the First Battalion.

"Why should your First Battalion lead the attack? Our Second Battalion is no coward either. We're just as good at fighting the Japanese. Regimental Commander, let our Second Battalion take over. If we can't take down this group of Japanese, you can execute me if you want," retorted Li Yousheng, the Second Battalion Commander.

"You two stop arguing, it's upsetting. I think we should let our Third Battalion handle this," said Wang Gui, the Third Battalion Commander.

“Look at what you’re talking about. With just your Third Battalion, do you think you can launch a major attack?” He Jianxin said.

The Third Battalion was the smallest and weakest of the three main battalions.

"Alright, stop arguing! We're all comrades in the same trench, what's there to argue about? This time, there's no distinction between main attack and supporting attack, everyone's a main attacker!" Chen Ming shouted.

Upon hearing that even the weakest battalion, the Third Battalion, could launch the main attack, the Third Battalion commander immediately smiled.

"Third Battalion Commander, don't grin like an angel. If any battalion drops the ball this time, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Yes, Captain."

P.S.: After this battle, the protagonist will level up. Guess what position he'll be promoted to? All the readers' pseudonyms are already set up, and the double monthly tickets are almost gone, so please vote!
(End of this chapter)