Bright Sword: From Soldier to Brigade Commander

The fighting on the western front was also intense, with both sides shooting at each other. In some places, the Japanese army relied on their precise shooting capabilities to suppress Su Fei's army, rushing to the front, stabbing and throwing grenades at Su Fei's army.

Su Fei's army was unwilling to show weakness. Behind them was indeed the Tang River. They had to fight to the death and could not escape. The new recruits here were shocked by the brutal scenes of the enemy reported before the war and were filled with righteous indignation. Now they were also fighting desperately.

The two sides fought to the point where they almost shot each other face to face.

Although the weapons performance and strength of the Third Regiment of Su Fei's army were much inferior, it had trenches and fortifications to rely on. The Japanese army was completely exposed and suffered far more casualties than Su Fei's army.

Su Fei personally led hundreds of officers and soldiers to transport the simple mortars by trucks and horse-drawn carriages to a distance of 2500 meters behind the Japanese troops and immediately launched a bombing.

The bombing of more than 20 mortars brought the morale of the Japanese army to the bottom.

The Japanese soldiers suffered countless casualties in the fight and were forced to flee to both sides.

The artillery fire extended and the pursuit continued. In the end, only more than 200 Japanese soldiers escaped.

Su Fei immediately led the troops and quickly headed east to return to the Japanese side. Along the way, he seized all the enemy's weapons and ammunition.

The officers, soldiers and civilians in the east also began to pack up the enemy's supplies, and finally, they marched towards the county town in a mighty force.

There are too many supplies!

If we cannot transfer in time, we will be recaptured by the Japanese army.

However, after a hard battle, Su Fei's army had less than half of its 3000 men left in the two regiments.

It was difficult for more than 1000 people to carry the equipment of their two teams.

Also, even if they could take everything away, if they went west, they would have to cross the Tang River. The river was not too deep, and without a regular ferry, the 36 captured enemy mountain cannons and a large amount of ammunition could not be transported across.

There is no bridge.

Su Fei's troops crossed the river by swimming through waist-deep water.

If the Japanese army wants to cross, a bridge needs to be built.

How to do?

Su Fei had already received intelligence. When the other two Japanese troops of the 110th Division heard the news, they immediately changed direction and came to the rescue. They also sent a fast column, cavalry and armored vehicles, and infantry also came in trucks.

How to do?

The weapons we had acquired could not be thrown away, especially the 36 mountain guns and the few shells they had consumed, plus the 6 infantry guns, more than 30 mortars, more than 50 light and heavy machine guns, and 46 grenade launchers...

The officers and soldiers suggested that blowing up the enemy's mountain artillery, carrying light weapons, and riding captured Japanese war horses back to the base would be a great victory.

"Commander, Commander, we are already very powerful. There are more than 3,000 of us. Look at the corpses all over the ground. We have killed more than 5,000 Japanese soldiers!"

"Commander, hurry up and leave. Otherwise, we will be surrounded by the Japanese and won't be able to go back."

Su Fei had an idea!

Things must never be lost.

Send 200 soldiers, plus more than 100 local people, driving trucks or riding horses, to the surrounding villages and people to call out, looking for more people to come, on the condition that they help Su Fei's troops transport military supplies. They can seize the Japanese army's personal belongings, military boots, clothes, belts, hats, and engineer shovels. As for the Japanese army's swords and rifles, they can also take them away!

You can grab whatever is on the ground!

Only artillery and machine guns remained.

Su Fei led his troops to set up defensive positions along the vast battlefield and changed into Japanese military uniforms.

After a while, many people came.

The farthest village transported by truck is more than ten miles away.

Men and women of all ages.

Trucks brought in more than 2,000 people, and all 80 trucks were full. Many people were still hanging on the sides, like the style of riding on the South Asian coast.

As soon as these people got off the car, they started looting crazily.

Behind the truck, there were a large number of people coming, thousands of them in a crowd.

There is strength in numbers, and in a blink of an eye, the ground was searched clean.

Su Fei also recruited people to help with the transportation at a high price, on the condition that they would be given a warhorse upon arrival. The Japanese devils' military horses, whether they were riding horses, draft horses, or pack horses, were all improved tall and strong horses, shiny and valuable!

Just young people.

So can women.

Suddenly, more than 2000 people applied for the job.

They quickly organized themselves into a team, appointed veterans as officers, and formed a team of more than 3,000 people, marching towards Wanxian County!

They did not retreat, nor did they engage in battle left or right. Instead, they continued to advance like a sharp knife, and went straight to one of the Japanese army's strongholds, the county seat of Wanxian!

Completely destroy the Japanese base along the way.

It is speculated that this county town had a large amount of Japanese military storage supplies and more than 10,000 artillery shells.

It was still beyond the enemy's expectations.

You thought I would retreat, but I was like a black tiger tearing out my heart!

Once there, we will rely on the existing equipment and supplies to fight a decisive battle with the enemy!

In the minds of Su Fei and all the officers and soldiers, the battle to destroy the enemy's 110th Division Command and its direct troops was enough and they had made enough money.

Even if I died in the decisive battle with the Japanese army in Wanxian County, it would be worth it!

After they left, a large number of people came after hearing the news, one after another.

The Japanese soldiers on the ground were stripped like chickens.

The people were very sensible and buried the bodies of the Kuomintang soldiers.

No one touched their clothes.

When they heard that Su Fei's troops were marching towards Wanxian County and continuing to fight the Japanese, many local people were moved.

"The national army is fighting so hard."

"The Nationalist Army has been so kind to us ordinary people along the way."

Some underground party members and militiamen arrived and seized a large number of weapons and ammunition.

"Let's go. We have weapons in our hands. Why should we be afraid of the Japanese?" These people mobilized the masses to cooperate with the national army in fighting.

The large amount of blood, corpses, weapons and ammunition on the battlefield deeply shocked everyone. After burying the bodies of our soldiers, these people were also very excited. They followed the trajectory of Su Fei's troops and rushed towards Wan County.

Some people who had been harmed by the Japanese, bullied by the puppet army, and blackmailed by traitors and hooligans tried to fire their guns. The guns were very good, real Type 38 rifles!

"Let's go, fight the devils and kill the traitors!"

A rolling torrent!

On the city wall of the county town, the Japanese army was under martial law, obviously aware of the battle here.

Su Fei commanded his troops to set up an artillery position 3000 meters away. The infantry and some civilians served as the vanguard and approached the enemy's city wall to within 300 meters. The mountain artillery shells hit the enemy like hail, and the Japanese troops on the county wall flew directly into the sky.

The infantry and civilians easily entered the city.

The remaining Japanese troops fled in panic.

Occupied the county town.

Under the guidance of the people, they quickly occupied the enemy's warehouse. It was a huge warehouse, the forward base of the Japanese 110th Division, with items piled up like mountains.

Su Fei decided to fight the Japanese army here!

There is one advantage here, a complete city wall is equivalent to a powerful fortification complex.

There are also enough artillery shells, bullets and other military supplies.

If things are difficult to take away, it is better to consume them on the spot.

……

All the artillery was transported into the county town, and the 36 mountain cannons were divided into four parts and aimed at four directions. At the same time, the mountain cannons were camouflaged.

Mobilize the people to join the army and fight.

On the one hand, they preached the brutality of the Japanese and puppet troops and the significance of defending the country. On the other hand, they lured them with benefits and distributed all the spoils equally to the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle and the civilians. Thirdly, they boasted about the military exploits of the national army, especially the ambush battle east of Tanghe, in which the Japanese 110th Division headquarters and its direct subordinate units, totaling more than 7000 people, were wiped out in one fell swoop. Our Chinese army and civilians are no worse than the devils.

What made Su Fei happy was that the publicity was very effective, and more than 1000 county residents joined in.

What made them even happier was that the people outside the city came one after another, and many of the people who had reaped rich rewards on the battlefield ahead came over again.

There were also more than 500 underground party members and militia companies who were willing to come voluntarily.

Then cooperate!

Use a small number of core artillery officers to command and let a large number of civilians join the artillery.

The infantry is the focus of attention. A veteran is asked to lead two recruits, quickly explain combat skills, how to use weapons, and other combat experiences, and command the construction of fortifications.

Su Fei also directed the people to build tunnels and air-raid shelters in the county town.

Almost all the people in the county town with a population of more than 5000 were mobilized.

Outside the city, a large number of trenches were built and some officers and soldiers were deployed as peripheral positions.

Finally, under Su Fei's banner, more than 7000 soldiers and civilians were united and the county city was transformed into a solid fortress.

It has more than 5000 rifles, including mortars, more than 80 75mm caliber cannons, more than 150 light and heavy machine guns, and more than 90 grenade launchers.

While setting up the positions, they organized women into propaganda teams to discuss content and carry out propaganda and agitation among the military and civilians.

The troops were organized into five regiments, one in each of the four directions, with a general reserve in the middle.

Improve command at all levels and unify command methods and signals.

All the non-military civilians in the city joined the engineering team to dig trenches, tunnels and air-raid shelters.

Move all the shells and other supplies into the air-raid shelter.

By organizing machine guns and heavy machine guns into several anti-aircraft firepower points, the intensity of the Japanese army's bombing of the county town can be reduced.

Cavalry were sent to scout outside and the people were warned to flee immediately to avoid being affected by the war and being killed by the Japanese and puppet troops.

Or, you can come to the county town immediately and help the national army fight.

Within three hours, more than 3,000 people entered the county town!

They came to fight.

Among them, more than 500 people caught up after seizing guns and bullets from the battlefield.

When faced with major issues of right and wrong, the Chinese people remain very united.

As long as you have weapons, you will dare to fight.

The county town was too small, so Su Fei moved the headquarters, troops and positions of the four regiments outside the city.

A forward position was established more than 1,500 meters away from the county seat.

telegraph!

A message was sent to the defenders of Shahe Town, asking them to judge the situation and fight on their own. Anyway, don't count on the main force to come to the rescue, because the main force will have a decisive battle with the enemy's main force. By the way, perhaps the enemy troops will not go.

If you don't see the enemy within three days, abandon your position and go to Wanxian County to attack the enemy from the flank!

A telegram was sent to Commander Zu, reporting the battle situation and requesting reinforcements as much as possible.

He sent a telegram to Li Yunlong of the Independent Regiment, requesting him to use the Eighth Route Army's channels to request the Eighth Route Army and guerrillas here to harass the enemy, tie down the enemy, and help him.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Su Fei decided to fight to the death with the enemy.

Only by using the main force in a decisive battle and thoroughly inflicting pain on the enemy will the enemy stop being so arrogant.

Japanese reconnaissance planes came and circled continuously.

Su Fei's troops used machine guns and heavy machine guns to fire upward into the sky, damaging the enemy plane, which then fled with a long trail of smoke.

Even with powerful artillery, sophisticated weapons, and sufficient ammunition, Su Fei was still not satisfied, because this was just pure defense, and passive defense was always passive.

Recruit 300 brave soldiers and civilians to form ten death squads, each carrying several rifles, two machine guns, and a mortar with 30 rounds of ammunition. They will stay away from the county town and lurk in villages five kilometers or even ten kilometers away, observing the situation and attacking the Japanese from behind when they have the chance.

It is best to act at night.

The Eighth Route Army guerrillas and militia are given priority because they have experience.

By the way, they should mobilize more people when appropriate.

Six hours later, a cavalry squadron, the vanguard of the Japanese army, had reached the front line position 1,500 meters away from Wanxian County.

The search team kept their distance.

They learned from the reports they received from aerial reconnaissance that the Chinese army was stationed there.

While they were searching, suddenly, a group of heads and some black gun muzzles emerged from the weeds and gullies. The Japanese soldiers were quick to shoot and killed one attacker on the spot.

This was the only achievement of the Japanese search team of more than 40 people.

With a volley of gunfire, 31 members of the Japanese cavalry squad who were searching were killed on the spot, and the rest were injured and fled, and rolled down again.

The Japanese army did not expect that there were ambushes of the Chinese army so far away.

The Chinese soldiers and civilians on the front line immediately came out and stole the devils' horses, weapons and ammunition to replenish their own resources.

The first game of the West Route Team got off to a good start.

Immediately transfer through communication trenches and natural gullies.

It is a partial transfer.

Let the Japanese see it.

The Japanese infantry came over immediately, scouting and shooting as they advanced.

Their squad leader saw through his telescope that the attackers had retreated at least two hundred meters, some crawling and tumbling, dragging their horses with them.

The Japanese army no longer suspected that there were still Chinese soldiers and civilians in the trenches, and they moved very quickly.

When they were fifty meters away, the soldiers and civilians left behind in the company launched another surprise attack, killing and wounding more than 50 Japanese soldiers on the spot.

The sudden attack of 4 light machine guns and the shooting of more than 30 rifles dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army again.

The Japanese army began fighting, and the two armies fired at each other using fortifications and natural ravines.

The Japanese army used grenade launchers and mortars to bombard.

The battalion commander at the front was equipped with a walkie-talkie and seized a lot of items.

The artillery was notified.

On the spot, three mountain cannons were test-fired in the direction of the Japanese army. The battalion commander and the frontline soldiers and civilians communicated via walkie-talkies and provided immediate guidance. The artillery shells continuously bombarded the Japanese frontline infantry group.

The Japanese army suffered heavy casualties.

However, the main force of the Japanese army has been coming in continuously!

The suicide squads deployed outside the city were equipped with one squad in each direction. When they found the enemy, they would immediately report the number of enemies, their density, which village and direction they were in, and any markings on the road.

After receiving the news, Su Fei personally ordered the artillery to launch a surprise fire attack!

A Japanese infantry battalion was spotted when it hurriedly marched 3000 meters into the main road west of the county town.

"Rapid fire attack!"

Almost all the artillery fire at once!

The 1st Infantry Battalion of the 139th Infantry Regiment of the 18th Brigade of the Japanese Army, with over 1200 men, thought they were safe and advanced slowly in a massive formation...