Bright Sword: From Soldier to Brigade Commander

Su Fei's guess was correct. The Japanese army was using its main force to surround Baijia Town, vowing to completely wipe out the birthplace of Su Fei's cavalry regiment from the earth.

The battle is unprecedentedly fierce!

A 1400-man force led by Colonel Iwagami of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Cavalry Brigade of the Japanese Army, plus a supporting Imperial Army infantry regiment of more than 900 people, surrounded Baijia Town.

In Wanjia Town, an infantry regiment of the 9th Independent Mixed Brigade with nearly 4000 people is stationed there, waiting for news of the decisive battle.

The Japanese army judged from various channels that the Independent Regiment and the Su Fei Cavalry Regiment had successfully returned to the east, and was furious. The commander of the army, Yoshio Shinozuka, personally issued a combat order, with Colonel Fumio Takatake, the deputy chief of staff of the First Army, as the commander-in-chief, commanding a cavalry regiment and an infantry regiment totaling 5500 people, plus an Imperial Army front army of 15,000 people, and must annihilate these enemies.

Colonel Yamamoto Ikki had actively requested to take command, but was rejected because he was in charge of special warfare in the west to hunt down important targets such as the Eighth Route Army Headquarters, the 129th Division, and the 386th Brigade. Their special forces' reconnaissance and positioning, and their calls for aircraft bombing, almost wiped out the Eighth Route Army Headquarters!

A deputy chief of staff was killed and many cadres and soldiers were killed or injured.

The Japanese First Army was very satisfied with the results and efficiency of Yamamoto's special forces.

Shinozuka Yoshio urged Yamamoto's troops to continue the pursuit.

The Baijia Town battlefield is just a secondary battlefield.

Japanese Deputy Chief of Staff Colonel Takatake Fumio flew to the county town by plane.

The county town here has been captured by the Japanese army.

Because the New 2nd Infantry Regiment, commanded by Commander Kong Jie, stationed in the county town, had already evacuated and turned west to participate in the battle to support the main force of the Eighth Route Army's breakout, in order to protect military secrets and prevent the Japanese from deciphering their telegrams and tracking their whereabouts, they implemented radio silence and were only responsible to the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

Su Fei was unaware of the situation of Kong Jie's Infantry Regiment, nor was he aware of the Japanese army's full-scale siege. They implemented an iron wall encirclement and a sledgehammer-killing tactic against his troops and the remnants of the independent regiment. More than 2 Japanese and puppet troops set up numerous ambushes against them in the area centered on Baijia Town.

Gao Wuxun's identity and experience make him fond of macro strategies and his arrangements are foolproof!

The first ambush was in Hulu Valley, the original base of the Eighth Route Army Independent Regiment.

An infantry company and some puppet troops were ambushed, with a total number of nearly 300 people.

Deliberately use the puppet cavalry as bait to lure Su Fei's troops into the trap!

Once Su Fei's troops fell into the trap and headed straight into Hulu Valley, they would be completely wiped out.

No matter if you are a cavalry regiment, or have the remnants of an independent regiment and hundreds of rescued civilians attached, it will not work. Even if you have three to five thousand people, or even tens of thousands of people, as long as all of you enter the valley, you will be completely surrounded and your escape route will be cut off.

Gao Wuxun judged that about 500 of Su Fei's troops were still combat-ready, and no more than 1000 at most. Therefore, arranging 300 Japanese and Imperial Army troops in Hulu Valley was more than enough.

If the Eighth Route Army marched into Hulu Valley under the guidance of the three puppet troops as bait, the Japanese and puppet troops ambushed at the first obstacle wall defense line would immediately change their tactics.

A class of Japanese soldiers, plus some Imperial Army soldiers, all disguised themselves as Imperial Army soldiers and surrendered voluntarily, guiding the Eighth Route Army further into Hulu Valley.

The rest of the personnel immediately dispersed and hid in the houses on both sides.

The Japanese and puppet troops lurking in the east would deliberately expose themselves, flee in panic, and paralyze the Eighth Route Army.

After the Eighth Route Army completely entered the valley, the ambushing Japanese and puppet troops, including the Japanese and puppet army firepower points on the cliffs on both sides of the mountains, would open fire one after another.

First, the troops on the cliff threw grenades and smoke bombs down the mountain to disrupt the Eighth Route Army's vision, causing them to panic, and then released poison gas.

After opening some green barrels and red tubes of poison gas bombs, they rolled down the mountain, directly poisoning and suffocating a large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers.

The Japanese troops hiding in the darkness of Hulu Valley, wearing gas masks and armed with weapons, came out to attack the remnants of the Eighth Route Army who were still resisting stubbornly and completely wiped them out.

As for the escape of the remnants of the Eighth Route Army, it was harmless.

A Japanese cavalry squad has been lying in ambush in a valley not far to the west. Once the Eighth Route Army enters the valley, they will launch an all-out attack and firmly block the valley. Three light machine guns and more than 50 cavalrymen are fully capable of doing the job. No matter how many remnants of the Eighth Route Army come out, they will be killed on the spot!

Once the battle started, the Japanese troops and the Imperial Army who had deliberately fled to show weakness on the east side of the valley would return to fight, wearing gas masks and shooting at the Eighth Route Army.

The Eighth Route Army could not break out from both sides of the valley, nor could they escape by climbing the cliffs on both sides of the mountains, nor could they hide in the dark corners of the houses and the valley. With no way up to the sky and no way down to the earth, they could only wait to die!

There must be many Eighth Route Army soldiers who were knocked unconscious by the poison gas and captured. Then, the Japanese army could use these prisoners to completely avenge the Japanese officers and soldiers who died while chasing the Eighth Route Army along the way.

Use the most cruel punishment to retaliate and boost the morale of the Japanese army!

This is the first step!

Of course, Colonel Gao Wuxun is not an ordinary person, an ordinary Japanese military officer.

He thought a lot.

For example, after entering Hulugu, the Eighth Route Army did not enter in full force, but instead used part of it as a guard force? Why was the strength of this guard force far greater than that of a Japanese cavalry squad?

Colonel Gao Wuxun believes that the probability does not exceed 5%, but it still needs to be considered.

it's fine!

Once the battle in Hulu Valley breaks out, the Eighth Route Army's western guard force will most likely take the lead and attack the valley to support, or counterattack on the cliffs on both sides of the mountains. In this way, the number of guard troops on the west will be reduced, and all attention will be on the east. A lurking cavalry squad and a machine gun unit of the Japanese army will suddenly attack and defeat the Eighth Route Army's guard force!

There is another consideration. What if the Eighth Route Army sends a troop to take a detour in other directions and rush to the east of Hulu Valley to intercept and completely annihilate the Japanese troops and the Imperial Army in Hulu Valley?

Therefore, he deployed a Japanese infantry squad, a cavalry squad, and an Imperial Army company to the east of Hulu Valley.

This is a clever move.

Once the Eighth Route Army cunningly sent out guard troops to bypass from other directions, they would be ambushed by these Japanese ambushes.

Anyway, no matter what happens, the Eighth Route Army is doomed and annihilated.

Also, what if the Eighth Route Army became alert when entering Hulu Valley?

It doesn't matter, you should be vigilant, the outcome will be the same.

Unless you stand outside the barrier wall defense line and dare not go in!

The Eighth Route Army broke through from the west and came here after a long journey. The men and horses were exhausted. How could they not quickly find a place to settle down?

How could he not be furious when he heard that his home base had been taken over by his rivals?

The Eighth Route Army will definitely storm Hulu Valley!

The second possibility is, what if the Eighth Route Army discovered the Japanese army's intentions in front of the obstacle wall for various reasons?

The Japanese army immediately opened fire, killing a large number of the Eighth Route Army. After a battle, they quickly showed weakness and retreated, which encouraged the Eighth Route Army to attack the heart of the valley. In Hulu Valley, they took advantage of the complex terrain and resisted step by step. After luring them all into the valley, they blocked them from the front and back, suppressed them with the firepower points on the cliffs on both sides of the mountains, and finally used the ultimate weapon - poison gas bombs.

The third possibility is that the remnants of the Eighth Route Army became frightened birds and really did not dare to enter the valley. Instead, they immediately retreated and broke out to the west or other directions?

It doesn't matter. The cavalry squad and machine gun unit on the west side of the valley will immediately track and pursue them, and at the same time send out signals to guide the Japanese troops and the Imperial Army ambushing in Hulu Valley to chase and kill them together!

At that time, the cavalry squad, infantry squad and Imperial Army company ambushed in the east of Hulu Valley also quickly caught up as reserve forces.

Apart from anything else, two cavalry squads of one hundred people were enough to hold on to the Eighth Route Army and inflict heavy damage.

Once the news is confirmed, the cavalry squad will use walkie-talkies to report to the cavalry regiment stationed around Baijia Town. The cavalry regiment will then withdraw from the encirclement, allowing the Imperial Army team to continue to encircle Baijia Town, while they will focus on hunting down the remnants of the Eighth Route Army.

The 4th Cavalry Brigade had already known that one of their cavalry regiments had been completely wiped out by the Su Fei Cavalry Regiment.

Although they couldn't believe that a cavalry regiment of the Eighth Route Army could crush a cavalry regiment of the Japanese Army, they still believed that the destruction of their cavalry regiment was definitely related to Su Fei's cavalry regiment and Li Yunlong's independent regiment.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!

eye for eye!

The cavalry regiment of the 4th Brigade must hunt down the Su Fei Cavalry Regiment and completely destroy them, letting them know that the Imperial Army's cavalry unit is invincible!

Moreover, around Hulu Valley, there were more than 1 Imperial Army troops stationed in various counties and towns at distances of 50 and 100 miles, forcing the people to dig trenches and build obstacle walls, and use roads and strongholds to restore the prison network.

When the Japanese cavalry and the infantry regiment of Wanjia Town waited for an opportunity and launched a full-scale pursuit, the infantry of Su Fei Cavalry Regiment and the Independent Regiment could not escape the cage network no matter what!

It was difficult to move forward, and they were blocked and harassed everywhere. The Su Fei Cavalry Regiment and the Independent Regiment Infantry were blocked by ditches and walls, and they would soon be caught up and besieged.

At that time, the Japanese cavalry regiment would adopt a tactic of encircling but not attacking, harassing the Eighth Route Army from all sides, making it anxious, difficult to supply, and causing its combat effectiveness to drop sharply.

The main force of the Japanese infantry regiment arrived at an accelerated speed, became the main force of the siege, and launched a truly crushing and violent attack!

This infantry regiment is a reinforced force.

Although at this time, the Japanese army was short of strategic materials and the firepower of each unit was severely reduced, compared with the Eighth Route Army and the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, this Japanese infantry regiment was still very strong.

It has a regimental artillery squadron with 4 mountain guns, and an infantry artillery squadron with 4 infantry guns. In addition, it is equipped with a mortar battalion with 36 medium mortars!

The Japanese infantry regiment's grassroots units also had 45 light mortars.

25毫米高射炮4门，20毫米，25毫米机关炮12门，重机枪12挺……

The Japanese army also carried a large number of poison gas bombs. Once the battle started, they could directly take away all the remnants of the Su Fei Cavalry Regiment and the Independent Regiment!

This situation was something that Su Fei and Li Yunlong's independent regiment had never expected.

The enemy situation here is far more serious than that in the west.

To the west, the entire Eighth Route Army is targeted, and the Independent Regiment is just one of the targets. Here, Su Fei Cavalry Regiment and the Independent Regiment are the top priorities.

The remnants of the independent regiment were only dozens of people, and the civilians who came to rescue were only hundreds of people. The Su Fei Cavalry Regiment was the enemy's biggest target for elimination.

Use a cavalry regiment of 1000 people to deal with more than 5000 Japanese and puppet troops?

It's just a dream.

However, when Su Fei heard the gunfire in Baijia Town and realized the seriousness of the problem, the Japanese army was also terrified!

On the cliffs of Hulu Valley, Japanese commander Lieutenant Takahashi Motoichi sent a final wail via walkie-talkie, reporting to Colonel Iwagami, commander of the cavalry regiment: The Eighth Route Army had discovered our intentions and was launching an offensive. What was disturbing was that they possessed powerful artillery. We were bombarded to the point of being unable to raise our heads, and I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer...

On the west side of Hulu Valley, a cavalry captain in a Japanese ambush reported in panic, "The Eighth Route Army's artillery fire is fierce. Hulu Valley is a bloody disaster. I'm afraid our entire army has been annihilated!"

They also reported that about 500 Chinese cavalrymen, riding war horses and carrying a considerable number of machine guns and mortars, took a detour to the north with the intention of outflanking the east side of Hulu Valley!

"Please be careful, Commander. The Eighth Route Army is very cunning. Not only are they wearing our uniforms, but they also carry artillery and machine guns in quantities we've never seen before!"

To the east of Hulu Valley, a combined force of Japanese cavalry and infantry squads, along with an Imperial Army company, also urgently called for help. "The enemy was wearing our uniforms. We were temporarily on the sidelines until we could no longer identify them. However, they spotted us and immediately set up artillery fire. They had at least six mortars and over 30 light machine guns. Over half our troops were killed or wounded before we could even begin the fight. Now we can only resist while fighting!"

Colonel Iwakami, commander of the cavalry regiment, was shocked.

Colonel Takatake Fumio, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Japanese First Army stationed in Wanjia Town, was also shocked.

Colonel Kuranaga, commander of the Japanese infantry regiment stationed in Wanjia Town, was also shocked.

Aren’t these Eighth Route Army remnants?

Didn’t they suffer heavy losses and huge consumption in their breakout and escape?

What the three Japanese colonels didn't know was that the intelligence provided by their intelligence department was incomplete.

The Japanese army, who were too concerned about reputation and were reluctant to admit their problems, only said that the Japanese troops intercepted and pursued along the way suffered heavy losses, and boasted about the huge results of the battle, covering up the fact that a large amount of Japanese equipment, about three infantry and cavalry battalions of weapons and ammunition, were seized by Su Fei's troops!

Fortunately, Colonel Gao Wuxun quickly regained his confidence: "It's just a small setback. I still have three traps. The first is the pursuit of the cavalry regiment, the second is the siege of the infantry regiment, and the third is the cage of the Imperial Army. These Eighth Route Army and Su Fei Cavalry Regiment can't escape!"

He ordered the remaining Japanese troops on the east side of Hulu Valley to flee to Baijia Town to attract Su Fei's cavalry to pursue them.

He ordered the Imperial Army to launch a fierce attack on Baijia Town. This was the base of Su Fei's cavalry regiment and his many wives and concubines. They had to attack where they could save the enemy!