Bright Sword: From Soldier to Brigade Commander

The brigade staff officer immediately reminded them, "Commendations, using trenches to close in on the enemy isn't very logical! We've already studied this. The enemy has a large number of mortars and grenade launchers. Our trenches can't protect us from the indirect fire overhead. Furthermore, enemy reinforcements are approaching from three directions. We've mobilized at least seven regiments to attack and stop them, totaling over 20,000 men. Such a large-scale concentration of forces is very dangerous. If Japanese planes come to bomb, or if more field troops are mobilized to close in, our main force could be counter-encircled or even annihilated! Therefore, the remaining time we have to siege the Yamazaki Battalion is no more than three hours! Isn't it too late to implement the tactic of digging a large number of trenches?"

The brigade commander clenched his fists. "Yes, independent guerrilla warfare, not letting up on mobile warfare under favorable conditions. Some people, sometimes... Li Yunlong, can you dig a communication trench and get closer to the enemy in an hour? This way, the distance for launching a charge will be greatly shortened, and the possibility of success will be greatly increased! However, in the process, we will have to risk the threat of enemy artillery bombardment, and the losses will not be small!"

Li Yunlong continued to observe with a telescope and asked about the duration of the siege, the number of attacks launched by the Eighth Route Army, and the frequency of Japanese artillery use.

The brigade staff officer suddenly woke up, "Brigade Commander, Commander Li, I understand. I've been keeping statistics. So far, the Japanese Lijiaopo Yamazaki Battalion has fired at least 200 mortar shells, more than 50 anti-tank shells, and 22 consecutive rounds of 20mm and 25mm machine guns during its counterattack. So, you're saying that after all this fighting and our repeated attacks, the Yamazaki Battalion's ammunition supply is running low."

Li Yunlong chuckled, "I bet! So, Brigade Commander, this staff comrade, and all of us, this tough job, our independent regiment has accepted, but it will take two hours! Our troops will dig trenches, risk losses, and when we are 150 meters away from the enemy, launch a sudden charge, fire all mortar shells to suppress the enemy, and when we rush to the enemy position, bombard them with grenades and kill them with bayonets!"

As he was speaking, the brigade commander received a call and his face lit up with joy. "Comrades, the division headquarters has reported that our army has suspended the attack. The main attack mission will be handed over to our brigade, and the attack time can be extended to five hours! Li Yunlong, your independent regiment can easily dig a communication trench close to the enemy position, directly digging 50 meters or even 40 meters. This will not only avoid the enemy's grenade damage, but also completely blow the enemy to pieces with a grenade swarm! Don't worry, our brigade still has enough grenades!"

Li Yunlong was overjoyed and saluted, standing at attention. "The Independent Regiment guarantees to complete the mission! We must not allow a single Japanese soldier to leap! Come here, Zhang Dabiao, go inform the soldiers of your First Battalion to dig a communication trench! Lijiaopo is indeed steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack, but the height is limited, so the amount of trench digging we have to do is not large!"

Zhang Dabiao agreed and left, but was intercepted by Su Fei: "Captain, how many trenches do you want to dig?"

Li Yunlong patted Su Fei's shoulder and said confidently, "Dig at least 10 trenches on a 150-meter wide surface. With so many trenches and a wide attack area, even the Japanese will be panicked! Haha."

Su Fei asked, "The serpentine track, from digging at the bottom of the hillside to the Yamazaki Battalion's position on the hillside, is about 600 meters. If we dig 50 meters, we need to dig a straight distance of 550 meters. A trench needs to be at least 1.8 meters deep and two people wide. This earthwork task is really arduous..."

The brigade commander frowned: "Comrade Su Fei, Captain Li's approach is in line with the needs of the attack. Do you have a better idea?"

The other commanders, except Ding Wei and Kong Jie, were all unfamiliar faces. They were very annoyed that Su Fei, a young warrior who looked like a child, interrupted them twice in a row.

"Don't waste time! The independent regiment will dig trenches. Our regiment is willing to contribute all the shovels and hoes!"

Su Fei resisted the interference: "My plan is to dig a trench 150 to 120 meters away from the enemy. If the brigade commander agrees to my troops assisting, I guarantee to help the independent regiment complete the mission as quickly as possible and at the lowest cost. By the way, brigade commander, I belong to the independent regiment, but I am a non-staff member! No, no, although I am a non-staff member, I am also a member of the independent regiment!"

what?

what?

Li Yunlong was anxious: "Su Fei, you, Goudan, get out of here, are you kidding me? Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. This is an attack from above, not an ambush for the Japanese!"

Several unfamiliar regimental commanders and political commissars also sneered at Su Fei: "Who is this? So arrogant?"

The brigade commander seemed to be thinking: "Comrade Su Fei, Commander Su Fei! What is your specific plan?"

Su Fei was irritated by the disgusted expressions of the unfamiliar regimental commanders and political commissars, as well as several brigade cadres. "We can't announce it now. Everyone will know when I give my summary report at the victory celebration after the battle!"

what?

Dozens of regimental commanders, political commissars, staff officers, other cadres, and some brigade guards were instantly ignited and became agitated.

"who do you think You Are?"

The brigade commander waved his hand for silence. "He's a renowned combat hero, a special meritorious serviceman, Comrade Su Fei. He led the Baijia Town militia to annihilate the Imperial Army Cavalry Battalion, suffering 61 casualties. He defeated the Yamazaki Battalion in two battles, annihilating over 330 enemy troops..."

what?

Everyone exclaimed.

"Did they deceive the Hanzhuang stronghold with zero casualties before?"

"It's this kid, yeah! He cheated the Japs twice and caused them so much trouble. Haha, he also attacked the Xiaolizhuang stronghold. What a tough guy! I didn't expect him to be so young!"

Li Yunlong pulled Su Fei and said, "Yes, that's what the brigade commander said. This is a cadre trained by our independent regiment and he is now the regiment commander. I believe what he said. Brigade commander, shall we start working now?"

Before the brigade commander could say anything, Li Yunlong hurriedly pulled Su Fei away.

The first battalion of the independent regiment was assembled.

Su Fei asked them to recuperate and he selected 120 of the 150 soldiers he brought with him to start digging.

"The everyday engineer shovel? You have so many of these good things? Damn, no wonder you're so arrogant! This thing is good at digging soil, it's light and handy, and it's very easy to dig!" Li Yunlong smiled as soon as he saw the tool.

Su Fei's troops dug at the fastest speed. They were divided into several working groups and worked in shifts. They also sent several teams, holding shields with steel plates installed and covered with wet cotton cloth, and advanced fifty meters or even a hundred meters from the bottom of the mountain to the front. With multiple points digging at the same time, the speed increased by who knows how many times!

"Is this possible? This little bastard is just full of clever ideas!" Li Yunlong was surprised and delighted, and praised him endlessly.

The brigade commander and many cadres in the distance were also observing and were overjoyed.

"There's another trick? The project will be completed much earlier than planned!"

"At a young age, he's already creating a legend!"

The Japanese army began to panic.

They had indeed won successive battles, killing and wounding over a thousand Eighth Route Army soldiers! However, they had also suffered considerable losses, especially their artillery shells, which had been almost completely depleted. This had allowed the Eighth Route Army's trench-based tactics to succeed, and their doom was sealed!