Bright Sword: From Soldier to Brigade Commander

Chu Yunfei proposed three times to give up his position to Su Fei as the commander of the 358th Regiment and himself as the deputy commander, but Su Fei refused every time.

At Chu Yunfei's strong recommendation, three senior officers from the Jinsui Army—a corps commander, a division commander, and a chief of staff—came to the 358th Regiment to learn more about Su Fei. After Chu Yunfei explained Su Fei's achievements and verified them through investigation, they met directly with Su Fei, beaming and respectfully saying, "It's an honor for us that Mr. Su Fei has joined our Jinsui Army."

"A newly-built civilian cavalry regiment of over a thousand men was able to wipe out the Kuranaga Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Field Division, the Iwagami Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Cavalry Brigade, and an independent mortar battalion in one fell swoop. It's truly a miracle. Add to that the entire Japanese cavalry regiment you completely wiped out in the battle in the west. In fact, you wiped out the Japanese army's most ferocious and only ace cavalry brigade. Haha."

They requested Su Fei to go to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army Headquarters to accept the commendation from Commander Yan Huizhan and to be awarded an important military rank.

Su Fei refused, claiming that he was ill and could not leave, and asked to stay in the 358th Regiment to serve the country.

At the same time, he hoped to lead the army to fight alone, using the name of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army and accepting the military pay supply from the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Of course, all military achievements would belong to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

Three high-ranking officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army lamented: "There are still people who don't want to become officials and make money. The Eighth Route Army is really good at brainwashing people... Oh, education."

After exchanging telegrams, the Second War Zone Headquarters was informed and Su Fei was formally appointed as the advisor of the 358th Regiment, with the treatment of a full regimental-level officer and an additional captain rank.

In addition, a huge amount of special employment and resettlement allowance will be allocated separately.

This situation surprised Chu Yunfei and the three senior officers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Yan Laoxi's reputation for being stingy was well-deserved. This time, he spent a lot of money.

They originally wanted to give Su Fei at least an infantry reinforcement regiment and the rank of major general!

Su Fei insisted that he only had a hundred or so militiamen now, and it would be better for him to be promoted to captain or company commander. As for the future, it would depend on his military achievements!

The special resettlement allowance was received, after all, we really had to settle down, but it was the resettlement allowance for the Baijia Town militia company.

The long-term blood draw to form a cavalry regiment has caused the loss of able-bodied men in Baijia Town, and it is too difficult to recruit more soldiers.

Su Fei also arranged for his family. Bai Yan was pregnant, so Zhi Yuan and a few others took care of her. The remaining 20 or so people all joined the army as female soldiers.

They also mobilized people in the surrounding villages and quickly formed a team of more than 200 people. However, one was left behind to defend Baijia Town. A company of 130 people, plus more than 20 female soldiers, was officially launched.

358th Regiment Special Operations Company.

Changed into the uniform of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

Declare war on the enemy immediately, wash off the dirty water thrown on you by the enemy, and prove your innocence with practical actions.

We must also fulfill our duties as common people and defend our country.

The situation in this area has changed dramatically.

Under the crushing pressure of the Japanese army's iron wall, the Eighth Route Army Independent Regiment and the New 2nd Regiment temporarily retreated westward, leaving only a few guerrilla forces. The Japanese and puppet troops regrouped and made a comeback. Even the county town was under the control of the Japanese and puppet troops.

The main force of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army was also 35 miles away.

Su Fei has to face the enemy alone.

What are you afraid of?

Just when Su Fei's company was swearing to go to war, Chu Yunfei arrived with a cavalry platoon, personally saw them off, and also presented them with a mountain cannon and 80 rounds of ammunition.

Su Fei smiled and said, "Is this an apology?"

Chu Yunfei was stunned: "Brother Su, what do you mean?"

Su Fei said, "Many newspapers in Shanxi have been reporting extensively on my relationship with the Japanese special envoy and spy. I don't think it was entirely the Japanese who did it!"

Chu Yunfei laughed heartily: "In order to earn Brother Su's favor, I did put in some careful thought. However, Brother Su is very smart and clever. I am convinced!"

With the mountain artillery, Su Fei's tactics need to be fine-tuned.

Originally, he wanted a mortar.

Wanjia Town.

The Japanese and puppet troops were densely packed against the walls of the fortress, their gun barrels black. It was enough to give me claustrophobia.

According to intelligence, a Japanese infantry squad of 50 men and a battalion of more than 500 Imperial Army soldiers, commanded by Second Lieutenant Tsuruta and led by Li Duanzhang, had already built dense bunkers in Wanjia Town.

At a distance of 500 meters, Su Fei ordered the troops to stop and dig individual pits and trenches along natural obstacles such as ravines.

The mountain cannon was secretly disassembled and wrapped, and then reassembled under the supervision of Su Fei behind the bushes.

The deputy company commander and three platoon leaders quickly arranged the troops according to the pre-arranged plan.

The Japanese and puppet army's reconnaissance cavalry had already observed Su Fei's troops and returned to Wanjia Town from a distance.

Japanese Second Lieutenant Tsuruta was very cautious. Not knowing which Shanxi-Suiyuan Army unit was coming, all the personnel went up to the city wall to guard.

"The enemy only has a little over 100 infantrymen, and they dare to attack the city? Are they bait?"

Li Duanzhang, the puppet army captain, had just inquired about the scout cavalry, and since they were puppet troops, he grinned and said, "They are the troops of Su Fei, the cuckolded local tyrant of Baijiazhuang. The cavalry watched them coming over there!"

After Tsuruta asked about the origin of the green hat, he also laughed.

The uniforms of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army are scary, and Su Fei's reputation is also scary. However, he only has one company of troops now, and there are obviously dozens of female soldiers. Isn't this a bait?

In Tsuruta's opinion, a distance of more than 400 meters is a safe distance.

The effective range of the Shanxi-made rifles of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not meet this standard at all. Even the Japanese 38 rifles were not very effective at such long distances. The infantry squad's mortars and three grenade launchers could certainly hit them, but Su Fei's troops were very scattered, and the attack effect was difficult to be satisfactory.

The key point is that Tsuruta wants to know what Su Fei’s troops are doing here.

Anyway, it’s not too late to fight after you figure it out.

The 81mm mortar equipped by Tsuruta's team has a maximum range of 3800 meters, and the Type 89 grenade launcher has a range of 670 meters, which can catch up.

He was worried that behind Su Fei, there was a powerful reinforced regiment, the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, waiting to expose the Japanese firepower points in Wanjia Town.

"What's the enemy's intention in lighting so many fireworks?" a Japanese sergeant reminded.

Indeed, more than 400 meters away, more than 500 meters away, and even further away, there were soldiers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army lighting some fires, adding wormwood, which created thick black smoke.

Hetian and Li Duanzhang studied it repeatedly and thought that it was just a smokescreen to scare people. No, it might be to cover the main force from the rear to come quietly.

To attack Wanjia Town, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army had no confidence without a regiment, and would not dare to come without a battalion.

"Orders, aim all three light machine guns, three grenade launchers, and one mortar behind the smoke screen to observe the enemy's main force!"

"Huh, who doesn't know this little trick?"

What Hetian and Li Duanzhang didn't know was that Su Fei had predicted their psychology and knew that they would not open fire easily, so he arranged the battle position in a swaggering manner.

When the mountain artillery advanced to a distance of more than 400 meters, it was like putting bayonets on the cannons and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

While the Japanese army was still observing, discussing, and puzzled, the mountain artillery was already ready.

Su Fei carefully calculated the shooting parameters and ordered the artillery to fire.

boom!

The first shot hit the city wall, directly sending more than a dozen Japanese and puppet soldiers into the sky!

Blood splattered, the broken limbs of the Japanese and puppet soldiers flew everywhere, and some injured people screamed instinctively.

Four seconds later, the second shell hit the Japanese army's heads!

The third shot, the fourth shot!

Within one minute, Commander Su Fei fired 18 artillery shells, blowing up the Japanese and puppet army's defensive positions hundreds of meters away on the south gate wall of Wanjia Town.

Although the mountain cannon was manufactured by the Shanxi system and its quality was far inferior to the Japanese Type 41 and the latest Type 94, it still had its advantages: fast speed, large caliber, and flat trajectory. It was an infantry cannon with a larger caliber and power!

Only the Japanese regiments were equipped with it.

It is much lighter than field artillery and has strong mobility, making it particularly suitable for mountain warfare.

However, it was usually used at a long distance of three to five thousand meters for fire suppression. The Japanese army never dreamed that Su Fei had equipped the mountain cannon with a bayonet, fired at close range, and aimed precisely!

Uses shrapnel.

A large number of high-explosive fragments caused terrible casualties to the Japanese army.

Moreover, Su Fei estimated the positions of the Japanese mortars and grenade launchers based on the movements of the Japanese army and bombarded these places first.

It was also Tsuruta's fault for being careless and displaying all this heavy firepower and staring at the distance.

What about people?

If a large number of Shanxi-Suiyuan Army draft horses really came pulling cannons, he would quickly disperse the artillery fire.

If there were only a large number of Shanxi-Suiyuan Army infantry and cavalry, he would take the initiative, bombard them with mortars, and hit them head-on!

Now, the Japanese mortar and grenade launcher soldiers were all lying dead on the ground or groaning with serious injuries. How could they fight? Even if they wanted to fight, they were worried about the artillery and hurriedly dragged their weapons and ammunition to escape from the dense and narrow suicide zone of the city wall.

The city wall is an excellent defensive position if there is a gunfight, but it is a grave if there is an artillery battle!

Lieutenant Tsuruta retreated early, but was still injured in the left arm by a piece of shrapnel, causing pain to the bone!

Li Duanzhang's left ear was cut off by shrapnel!

A Japanese squad lost one-third of its troops.

A battalion of puppet troops lost almost an entire company!

It's too awful.

"retreat!"

Su Fei gave the order and everyone quickly dismantled the mountain cannon and carried it away on mules and horses.

The troops quickly retreated.

The curling smoke and faint flames were still mocking and intimidating the Japanese and puppet troops.

When the Japanese and puppet troops discovered them, the reconnaissance cavalry went out to patrol. When He Tian and Li Duan Zhang heard the news, they were furious: "Liar, hateful, liar, despicable."

Before they could finish their words, suddenly, a thunderclap sounded thousands of meters away. They looked up in shock and suddenly saw a cannonball: "Get down!"

boom!

This time, it was white phosphorus incendiary bombs. A large number of flame modules scattered like flowers from heaven, descending gracefully and enveloping a vast area. Thick smoke billowed, and soon ignited intractable and inaccessible flames within the city walls and the town.

Then, four more white phosphorus incendiary bombs flew over.

The people in the town were dodging and screaming, and the Japanese and puppet troops were running away in panic, looking very embarrassed. Even Hetian and Li Duanzhang were in a hurry to hide, because everyone knew that white phosphorus was the fire of hell!

It took a long time before the Japanese and puppet troops dared to come out and drive the people out to put out the fire.

The call came.

The Japanese garrison officer in the county town asked Tsuruta what was going on. Tsuruta was quite honest and explained everything in detail. He was severely reprimanded by Captain Morita: "You are such an idiot!"

Morita's opinion was to let him attack and use superior forces to hunt down and annihilate Su Fei's troops, but after careful consideration, Tsuruta stubbornly refused.

He planned to launch a surprise attack on Baijia Town at night.

In this way, we can catch them off guard and wipe them out in one fell swoop!

In the evening, Hetian and Li Duanzhang took all their men and left Wanjia Town. The wounded were also transported to the county town with the help of the town's maintenance association.

"I don't want Wanjia Town, I only want the heads of Baijia Town!"

Hetian vowed to wipe out Su Fei's troops, and then station troops in the famous Baijia Town, which many Japanese soldiers feared, to achieve his own achievements!

Tsuruta not only wants to take revenge, but also wants to establish merit and be promoted to lieutenant or captain. From now on, he can no longer endure Morita's bullying.

Li Duanzhang had heard that Su Fei had more than 30 wives and concubines, all of whom were as beautiful as flowers. Moreover, he had heard that these beauties, after passing through many hands, were still mostly virgins. He had been itching to have one of them, and he firmly supported Hetian's approach.

The Japanese and puppet troops rarely gave up Wanjia Town, leaving no soldiers behind, and the entire army went straight to Baijia Town.

At one o'clock in the morning, the Japanese and puppet troops surrounded the town and carefully drove some civilians to serve as cannon fodder to conduct reconnaissance. After a long time, they finally found that the town was empty.

Hetian and Li Duanzhang entered the town.

"Search for the enemy's underground tunnels immediately, those stinky rats!"

Tsuruta is not without insight.

However, Li Duanzhang raised a new question: "Tsuruta Taijun, Su Fei is an extremely cunning man. He has now joined the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army. Will they set an ambush nearby? Will we fall for it? Was the previous artillery attack just a tactic to provoke him?"

what?

This sentence reminded Tsuruta, and he hurriedly ordered a retreat without making any sound.

The troops fled back to Wanjia Town in a hurry. Along the way, they were extremely frightened and worried that they would be ambushed. When they finally returned home and arrived at Wanjia Town, they immediately deployed a guard force.

At this time, gunshots rang out more than 300 meters outside the town!

Tsuruta was shocked and very grateful. He immediately ordered the entire army to attack the city.

"Su Fei and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army are so stupid that they didn't even launch a surprise attack along the way. They are as cowardly as mice, haha."

"If we set an ambush on the way, at least half of our troops will be killed or wounded!"

Li Duanzhang also urged the Imperial Army to fight hard and climb the city wall. "Don't worry, their cannons won't fire accurately at night, and they don't have many shells. They will have used up all of them long ago."

It doesn’t matter whether others believe it or not, Li Duanzhang has to brag about it anyway.

The Japanese and puppet troops climbed onto the city walls and not only opened fire, but also bombarded it with mortars and grenade launchers, and strafed it with machine guns.

However, as the battle went on, Tsuruta found that the firepower of the Japanese and puppet troops was getting weaker and weaker, and he immediately shouted loudly.

Li Duanzhang also cursed the Imperial Army loudly, telling them to stop pretending to be dead and beat them hard!

While he was speaking, Tsuruta felt a chill on his neck, his vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.

Li Duanzhang was patted on the shoulder and immediately turned around and said angrily: "How dare you pat me..."

puff.

His heart was beating violently and hurting so much that he covered his heart with his hands as if he had been electrocuted and slowly squatted down.

I held some cold, flat metal in my hands, a shit knife...

Half an hour later, the battle was over.

Su Fei took advantage of the enemy's sneak attack and lurked in the town with more than 20 veterans, including himself, and killed them all.