Bright Sword: From Soldier to Brigade Commander

However, they were in no hurry to set off.

Instead, they set up a new ambush circle around them.

That’s right. After suffering a setback, Japanese Major General Shimazu quickly led his main force to track and pursue and arrived at the ambush circle.

On an open field on the north bank of the Sanggan River, Japanese scout cavalrymen scanned the horseshoe prints on the ground with flashlights and sent out a signal: "Safe, the enemy seems to be advancing westward."

Before the ambush circle, 200 men from Su Fei's army dismounted and hid on the north side.

Individual soldier pits were dug and hidden with thatch, more than 300 meters away from the road.

The Japanese army was most concerned about the southern river bank, which was the most vulnerable to ambush.

Soon, the Japanese army advanced westward along the horseshoe prints.

Using flashlights to continuously illuminate the ground situation, the Japanese and puppet troops' infantry and cavalry increased their speed.

When the Japanese troops passed more than 500 meters, the Su Fei troops lurking in the north suddenly opened fire! 100 81 automatic rifles, plus 20 light and heavy machine guns, fired crazily at the Japanese troops.

The Japanese marching troops suffered a devastating blow.

They also fired flares to show the positions of the Japanese and puppet troops.

At this time, the Su Fei troops in the west turned back and attacked the Japanese army, using mortars and other fierce bombardments.

Su Fei's army of more than 50 people crossed the Sanggan River from the south, and fiercely fired automatic rifles at the Japanese and puppet troops from the rear, and also bombarded them with 35 grenades.

The Japanese and puppet troops were in chaos.

The main force of the Japanese and puppet troops' infantry and cavalry, more than 2500 people, were defeated and fled in panic.

Major General Shimazu was injured and was helped onto his horse by his guards, and fled in a panic.

Su Fei's troops pursued the enemy and shot them in groups.

After the enemy escaped, they searched the battlefield and re-shot all the wounded Japanese and puppet soldiers, leaving no one behind.

A total of 1800 bodies and seriously injured people were found.

More than 400 horses, 4 infantry guns, 2 mountain guns, and a large number of other artillery, light and heavy machine guns, etc. were seized.

There are too many weapons and ammunition.

The excess that cannot be taken away will be pushed directly into the mud on the edge of the Sanggan River!

Without any rest, "Soldiers, our target is Datong. Attack Datong now! Because the enemy will definitely send reinforcements from Datong to Datong City! Datong must be empty. This is our best chance. Datong is a historical city. Once it is captured, it will severely damage the enemy's morale."

All the officers and soldiers were excited, even the new recruits were shouting.

They had been bullied by the Japanese, puppet troops and traitors for many years, and finally they could hold their heads high and feel proud.

They ran at the fastest speed and arrived at the city of Datong!

At five o'clock in the morning, the city of Datong was shrouded in haze. The spring was chilly and the crows were cawing hoarsely on the branches outside the city. Everyone's chickens and dogs were also unwilling to be lonely.

Avoiding the bunker stronghold outside the city, Su Fei's cavalry squad waited for a while.

When the dawn came, the Japanese sentry on duty yawned and prepared to be replaced.

Three horsemen galloped to the city gate: "Quick, the enemy is attacking, the enemy is attacking."

Three people fell off their horses one after another.

The Japanese army was shocked. When they saw what happened from the city wall, they immediately observed and went out of the city to check. They rescued the three wounded Japanese cavalrymen back to the city.

At this time, several mortar shells were whistling towards the south gate of Datong City.

Then, when the Japanese troops were awakened and hurriedly reached the city walls and bunkers, more shells fell on their heads.

Mortars, mountain artillery, infantry guns, the sky collapsed and the earth cracked.

Then, hundreds of cavalry launched a crazy charge towards Datong City.

The Japanese troops could hardly gain a foothold on the city walls.

More than 40 mortars were like active volcanoes, pouring anger and flames onto the city of Datong.

Then the artillery fire extended.

When the Japanese army sprayed machine gun fire from the city walls and bunkers and strafed the cavalry, many cavalrymen dismounted and used 35 grenade launchers to aim and bomb the enemy.

Directly fire the shells into the enemy's firing holes and kill the enemy.

The cavalry crossed the weak fire line of the Japanese army and arrived at the city. At this time, the city gate was wide open!

It turned out that the three so-called wounded Japanese cavalry soldiers were just an introduction.

They entered the city and without waiting for the Japanese army to inspect and interrogate them, the mortar shells confused the enemy. They took the opportunity to pull out their pistols and shoot, killing the enemies around them. They began to hide in the city gate and continued to assassinate the enemies around them.

Listening to the sounds of battle and observing the situation, they immediately opened the city gates.

Su Fei's cavalry rushed in and used 81 rifles to crazily fire at the enemy.

Troops of over a thousand men entered the city one after another.

Relying on powerful light weapons, the Japanese and puppet troops in Datong City, as well as the coerced traitor militia, numbering four to five thousand, were beaten to pieces, with most of them killed or wounded.

When the Japanese army launched a group charge using the streets as cover, Su Fei's troops used automatic rifles and various artillery to reap the spoils crazily.

The crazier the Japanese army gets, the more excited Su Fei's troops become!

The militia quickly fled and the puppet troops also hid one after another. The Japanese army was forced to flee from the north gate.

Under the guidance of the people, Su Fei's troops occupied the entire city, immediately confiscated the Japanese weapons depot and material warehouse, hunted down important members of the Japanese and puppet troops, and mobilized the people of the city to help hunt down the traitor leaders.

The Japanese garrison headquarters, a symbol of the evil den occupied by the Japanese army, was set on fire.

All the hardcore traitors who were arrested and caused great public outrage were beheaded to serve as a warning to others.

Some of the Japanese and puppet troops' rations were taken away, and the rest were distributed to the people.

More than 500 Japanese and puppet army horses and more than 1000 pack horses in the city were all taken away.

Just two hours after entering the city, Su Fei's troops quickly retreated with the spoils.

Here, more than 300 people were mobilized to join the army.

Money and supplies were given to the families, and the new recruits were allowed to ride war horses, so many young men rushed to join.

Especially those who had served as guides for Su Fei's troops, they followed because they were afraid that the Japanese army would retaliate again.

In fact, after Su Fei's army evacuated, they found that more than 600 new recruits had arrived.

They are all cavalry, riding horses to speed up.

After changing into the uniforms of the Japanese and puppet troops, the entire army was divided into three echelons and quickly moved south.

Avoid enemy bunkers, turrets and strongholds.

If not, then use infantry guns and mountain guns to bombard it and blow it down for me!

Along the way, they were constantly intercepted by the Japanese army.

They were all small-scale troops, because the large Japanese forces were looking for the main force of the enemy in Zhangyuan, Xuanhua, Datong, Datong City and other places.

The cavalry of Su Fei's army was dispatched in a mysterious way, leaving the Japanese confused.

The successive "falls" of the important political and military towns of Zhangyuan and Datong also shocked the Japanese army. They all retreated into hiding and did not dare to fight rashly.

Facing a small group of Japanese devils, Su Fei directly eliminated them.

Let the artillery fire at me and let the cavalry chase me.

Sweep me with the automatic rifle!

In two days, we returned to the base in northwestern Shanxi, the Hudun stronghold!

Return safely.

When they returned, Duan Peng's troops had already returned.

Su Fei's troops grew larger and larger, reaching more than 2000 people.

There were also more than 3000 war horses.

This expedition was a brilliant success!

The army was expanded by 6000 men, and more than 7000 war horses were captured, along with countless other artillery and ammunition.

Two famous cities were restored at one time!

Nearly 10,000 Japanese soldiers were eliminated!

Countless strongholds were taken down!

Therefore, when faced with these achievements, many cadres of the Northwest Shanxi Cavalry Column praised them again and again.

Li Yunlong could hardly hide his jealousy and dejection: "It's true that the apprentice teaches the master but the teacher starves to death. When I was the commander of the New 1st Regiment, you were still wetting your pants. In just a few years, you have been a brigade commander, a division commander, an army commander, and now a column commander. Alas, it's true that people will die if you compare them with others, and goods will be thrown away if you compare them with others!"

Su Fei stood at attention and saluted: "Master, you are my forever master. My achievements are your achievements."

Political Commissar Zhao Gang also noticed Li Yunlong's mood and comforted him, "Old Li, Su Fei is too outstanding. We all feel pressure, not just you. It's just like you said. You are the regiment commander, I graduated from a prestigious university, and I have been trained by the Party for many years. Yet, we are not as good as Comrade Su Fei! But look at how humble Comrade Su Fei is. You, Old Li, can't do that. You always talk about me. We really should learn from Comrade Su Fei. For example, Comrade Su Fei invented the automatic rifle and .35 grenade launcher. Can you come up with them? If you can't do it, then you can't do it. Even if you get angry, it's not okay. Haha."

Xing Zhiguo, Shen Quan, and others also tried to persuade Li Yunlong to be more open-minded. "Isn't he just a commander in name only? Look, he still has to stand at attention and salute you."

Su Fei sat down and patted Li Yunlong on the shoulder: "Master, you are really no match for me. My master is much more powerful than yours! Master, how about I give you the Japanese woman I captured earlier as your concubine as compensation?"

Li Yunlong burst into laughter. "Pah, what kind of lousy apprentice are you? You're always trying to trick your master?"

Su Fei narrated the entire battle process.

In short, the battle was full of adventure and uncertainty, but the tactics were used properly and were quite satisfactory. The key to its success was the merits of the 81 automatic rifle and 35 grenade. Otherwise, it would have been impossible!

Now, in just a few days, the cavalry column has expanded by thousands of people. Not only has Su Fei made smooth progress, but Li Yunlong has also gone south to attack the Japanese army and won a victory. With the expansion of more than 1,500 troops, the cavalry column now has a total strength of people, with sufficient troops and excellent equipment, so we can let go and work hard.

Li Yunlong planned that the troops would advance southward, from Pingyuan City, to Xinzhou City, to Taiyuan City, step by step, to erode the sphere of influence of the Japanese and puppet troops along the way, and remove enemy bunkers, strongholds, and towns!

"With such a strong force, if we don't attack Taiyuan, we're simply begging for food with a golden bowl in our hands! I must personally destroy the Japanese Taiyuan headquarters and capture that old devil Shinozuka Yoshio alive."

Su Fei also agreed, but the tactics were not frontal advancement, but mainly mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, with the main goal being to kill the enemy's manpower, not the gains and losses of a city or a place.

"Well said! Well said, my apprentice is smart and correct! And he has great insight! The rest of you haven't thought of it, right? Hahaha." Li Yunlong slapped his thigh, feeling very proud.

Get ready now.

Su Fei rested for three days.

I fell into a deep sleep and fell asleep right after eating. I was so sleepy.

When he woke up one day, he found that he had been showered. He was shocked. He got up and saw Chu Yiyi and Ning Wan'er. "You guys?"

Chu Yiyi smiled sweetly: "Are you embarrassed? We are a family. I see you have been on the expedition for several days, and your clothes are smelly... What? Why are you staring at me? Of course Ning Wan'er can listen. She even helps me. Pfft, what are you making a fuss about? She is my best friend and we swore to marry the same husband. Are you taking advantage of me and pretending to be nice?"

Su Fei was extremely shocked by the coquettish tone of Chu Yiyi and Ning Wan'er. He used to be quite reserved.

"Please agree, okay? Wan'er admires great heroes, heroes of the War of Resistance. You are one of them. You won't let Wan'er down, will you?"

Su Fei felt embarrassed.

However, when he thought of Bai Yan, Meng Zhiyuan, the withering fragrance of Zu Fanglin, and Zhu Zimo's lonely hometown, he felt sad and quickly found an excuse to hide away.

"Su Fei, Commander Su, you're really famous now!"

On the way, I met the political commissar who said that now, newspapers from all walks of life were commenting on the National Army's heroic feat of recaptured Zhangyuan and Datong twice.

The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has sent a note to the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, demanding the return of its arsenal and Su Fei cavalry unit.

Not only was the note sent, but the wording was also strong.

The Nationalist government also worked hard to publicize this major victory of the National Army in newspapers to offset the defeat of the Burma Expeditionary Force and boost the morale of the National Army and the people across the country.

However, the Kuomintang newspapers reported that this was done by the cavalry unit under the command of General Zu, a direct line of the Kuomintang army.

Haha, interesting.

Su Fei didn’t care about this. Anyway, in the end, all ancestors returned to their roots, and it was all the Chinese people’s war of resistance!

However, Su Fei soon saw something different.

He rode outside for a ride, followed by several guards, and Chu Yiyi followed: "Commander, my brother, General Chu Yunfei, sent you a telegram."

Su Fei took the telegram and said, "Brother Su Fei, thanks to my efforts, the government has officially appointed you as the commander of the cavalry group army under the Hebei-Chahar War Zone! Please take up the post immediately!"

Hebei-Chahar War Zone?

Su Fei was shocked.

Chu Yiyi threw a coquettish glance: "Commander, please don't let my brother down."

What should I do?

Su Fei simply ignored him and hurried to the arsenal to get busy. The military experts and technicians were very happy because their production capacity had expanded thanks to the efforts of Political Commissar Zhao. Su Fei emphasized that most of the hard work of the military workers was also in his own military achievements, which made everyone very excited. "Commander, you saved us, and besides, the design drawings are also yours!"

Su Fei suggested that everyone should immediately develop white phosphorus bombs and shotgun shells specifically for infantry. These did not require special drawings, just the idea. Some things, such as white phosphorus bombs, already existed in the army, although they were mainly used as smoke bombs.

What Su Fei meant was to develop it into offensive ammunition for use on the battlefield. Anyway, the international convention banned it after World War II, and it was not further recognized internationally until more than 30 years later.

Thanks to Su Fei's efforts, the arsenal quickly produced white phosphorus shells and shotgun shells.

A few days passed by unknowingly.

Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, Shen Quan, Xing Zhiguo and others suddenly came, surrounding a man, Brigade Commander Chen.

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Brigadier General Chen enthusiastically praised Su Fei's military exploits. "Today, I'm here to see you off. I hope you can return to the Hebei-Chahar War Zone and assume command of the Cavalry Army. This is an order from the Nationalist government and headquarters. For the sake of a united front and to promote true resistance in the Hebei-Chahar War Zone, we must put an end to friction. We support you!"

There were already dozens of Nationalist Army officers and cavalry outside, "Commander, we are here to greet you!"