Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

As the Japanese gradually entered the encirclement of the two regiments, Zeng Jiwen decisively ordered the artillery to open fire, and six artillery pieces rapidly fired at most of the Japanese troops of the 79th Regiment. After three rapid rounds, the lookout observed the direction of the Japanese army's evasion, adjusted the angle again, and opened fire again. After firing three rounds, he decisively moved the artillery position.

Later, snipers on the hillsides on both sides immediately targeted Japanese sergeants and mid-level officers and began to shoot them in the head one by one. If they saw a machine gunner setting up a machine gun, they would immediately kill him. In this round of attacks, the entire Japanese regiment suffered heavy casualties, with most of the sergeants and heavy firepower marksmen killed. The Japanese counterattack could only rely on rifle bursts.

Then, the second wave of the attack began. Light and heavy machine guns on both sides of the hillside opened fire, forming a crisscrossing fire network that continuously harvested the remaining Japanese forces. At the forefront, the vanguard of the two squadrons of the 1st Battalion were almost completely killed and wounded by the attacks of the 1st Battalion of the 783rd Regiment. The overwhelming firepower forced the Japanese to retreat towards the regiment headquarters, leaving piles of corpses on the road as a testimony to the fierce attack they had just encountered.

At this moment, the regimental commander, Morimoto, was in a state of panic. In the previous attack, his chief of staff had been struck in the chest by a stray bullet and fallen to the ground, dead. He himself had been dragged by his guards into a corner hidden between a car and a rocky roadside. Watching all this, Morimoto's face was filled with disbelief.

He was filled with suspicion. Weren't the enemy near Huangyadi? How could they suddenly appear on his way south? He had two battalions of troops, so how could they dare to ambush him? Without time to think, Morimoto looked at the situation in front of him. He needed to quickly determine the weak points of the enemy's firepower and break out. Otherwise, his troops would suffer heavy losses and the division commander would not let him go.

Morimoto listened to the gunshots around him and immediately judged that the firepower of one side was stronger. Although the firepower of the other side was not weak, from the gunshots, he judged that the enemy's strength on the small hill on the other side was not large. Moreover, he had just seen the retreat of the first battalion and understood that this battalion was basically dead in name only.

The gunfire from the rear was quite weak, but Morimoto didn't dare to take the risk. He had just arrived and knew that it was a plain with open terrain. Although it was easy to evacuate, he only had one battalion of troops. If he broke out from there, the entire regiment would suffer heavy casualties. The most urgent thing was to immediately occupy the small hill next to it and hold on until the division commander's large force provided support. Perhaps he could still preserve most of his forces.

Immediately, Morimoto said to the messenger, "Order the Third Battalion to immediately attack the small hill to the east, eliminate the enemy on the hill, occupy the hill and hold it, and wait for support from the division."

Soon after, just as Zeng Jiwen had predicted, the Japanese army began to attack the hillside opposite Lianhua Mountain. The third battalion of the 782nd Regiment was guarding the hillside.

Li Yunlong led a company of soldiers and started from the middle of the mountain. He divided the entire company into several small groups based on squads. They moved through various ravines and rocks, firing continuously. The Japanese troops attacking the hillside would occasionally be met with cold gunfire from the small groups. Slowly, Li Yunlong and his troops pretended to be defeated by the Japanese and began to retreat towards the top of the mountain.

Because the slope was not steep, the small force of the Third Battalion fought against the Japanese, who gradually began to occupy the halfway point. Zeng Jiwen, seeing that the Japanese had already committed most of their forces to attacking the Third Battalion, once again ordered the artillery to launch a covering fire attack on the enemy. Li Yunlong, his face filled with excitement, immediately ordered the soldiers to detonate the explosives buried halfway up the mountain, and then arranged for the bomb crew to begin dropping bombs forward. Over two hundred grenades instantly exploded around the Japanese.

"Bugler, blow the charge!" Li Yunlong shouted immediately.

As the charge horn sounded, the other hidden soldiers of the Third Battalion immediately rushed to grab their rifles, forming groups of three and starting to fire down the mountain as they continued to close in. When the other troops began to see most of the Third Battalion rushing down the hillside, they immediately understood that the decisive battle had begun, and then the entire battlefield was filled with the sound of the charge horn.

The 79th Regiment's commander, gazing at the numerous figures in gray uniforms around him, knew he was doomed. He would have risked heavy casualties to break out of Zhangzhuang, the rear. Immediately, he ordered his men to send a farewell telegram to the division and burn the regimental flag, beginning his final, desperate struggle.

Soon, the remaining 500 or so Japanese soldiers were entangled with the advancing Eighth Route Army soldiers. On the battlefield, three Eighth Route Army soldiers formed groups, surrounding each Japanese soldier and engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat. The bayonets of both sides flashed coldly in the air, clashing with crisp sounds.

The soldiers of the 389th Brigade fought a desperate battle with the Japanese army with their tenacious fighting spirit and superb assassination skills. The three of them worked closely together and supported each other, leaving no loopholes for the Japanese army.

Time slowly passed, and two hours later, the gunfire on the ambush battlefield gradually subsided. After fierce fighting, the two Japanese battalions had been completely annihilated. The soldiers' faces were filled with excitement, their eyes gleaming with victory. In this battle, they had once again written a glorious chapter in history, successfully encircling and annihilating a Japanese field regiment. This victory was undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the currently troubled War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, greatly boosting the morale of the military and civilians across the country.

While cleaning the battlefield, Zeng Jiwen felt a heavy heart. He looked at the fallen soldiers silently, and his mood could not calm down for a long time. He knew that every life was so precious, but this war had made their lives lost forever.

Zeng Jiwen led the brigade's people slowly towards the battlefield, carefully crossing the land destroyed by war. The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood.

The battle was fierce, with both sides engaged in a desperate struggle across less than two kilometers of land. On the battlefield, the remains of the soldiers and the bodies of the Japanese soldiers intertwined, creating a tragic scene. Their faces still bore the expressions of battle: some furious, some determined, some pained. These soldiers defended the dignity of this country and the honor of their nation with their lives.

Zeng Jiwen stood there quietly, gazing at the land tinged with the scent of death. He thought of the comrades who had fought alongside him, from the Great Revolution to the Autumn Harvest Campaign to the Anti-Encirclement and Suppression Campaign, many of whom had left this world forever. He felt a wave of grief, but he knew that such incidents would become a frequent occurrence in the future, and as a commander, he had to pull himself together.

Zeng Jiwen took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. He turned and said to the soldiers cleaning the battlefield, "We must remember the sacrifices of these martyrs. Their spirit will inspire us to move forward." The soldiers nodded, their eyes filled with respect and determination.

Afterwards, Zeng Jiwen led his troops to continue clearing the battlefield. They carefully collected the soldiers' remains and prepared to send them back to the rear for burial.

After clearing the battlefield, Zeng Jiwen looked back, his heart filled with emotion. While the battle was won, it came at a price. He knew more challenges lay ahead, and only by constantly strengthening himself could he defend this land.