Bright Sword: Construction starts from southeastern Shanxi

When Zhou Shi and others finished counting the ammunition consumption, casualties and spoils of war, the results were a little beyond their expectations.

They were surprised to find that the most consumed items in this battle were artillery shells and light and heavy machine gun bullets, but not to a particularly large extent. Conventional rifle ammunition was not consumed much, and the remaining ammunition was enough for them to fight two or three major battles. This meant that they still had enough ammunition reserves to deal with possible future battles.

At the same time, regarding the casualties, the number of casualties in this battle was not large, mainly lightly wounded and seriously injured, especially the lightly wounded, and there were not too many casualties. In addition, they also seized a large amount of weapons, equipment and supplies, which could be used to expand more troops.

So, Cai Xu took the collected data and began to report to Zeng Jiwen.

"Brigade Commander, we have gained a lot from this battle."

"Over at Huangyadi, we seized over 500 Type 38 rifles, of which about 400 were intact, and the rest could be repaired, numbering in the dozens. We also seized over 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 20 Type 96 light machine guns, 15 of which were intact, 16 Type 96 light machine guns, 13 of which were intact, 12 Type 92 heavy machine guns, 8 of which were intact, over 40,000 rounds of light machine gun ammunition, over 10,000 rounds of heavy machine gun ammunition, and over 3000 grenades."

"In terms of artillery, there are four 70mm Type 4 infantry guns, all intact, with 140 rounds of ammunition. There are also fifty grenade launchers, all mostly intact, with over 200 rounds of ammunition. In addition, the battalion also has six additional 60mm mortars, all captured, with 240 rounds of ammunition."

"In addition, there were over 100 war horses, over 300 pack horses, two radio stations, all of which were unfortunately damaged, and one ton of various supplies, including medical supplies."

"The main reason is that the terrain at Huangyadi is dangerous, and the Japanese army's large forces cannot deploy. Many Japanese soldiers huddled together and were eliminated by us before they could even open their fire. His artillery squad was targeted by us from the very beginning, otherwise, we would not have been able to capture so many artillery pieces." Huang Hanjia explained on the side.

Zeng Jiwen nodded. Indeed, under normal circumstances, with so many artillery pieces, once the Japanese army found that the situation was unfavorable to them, they would immediately blow up the artillery and light and heavy machine guns to prevent them from being captured by the enemy. This time, they also took advantage of the terrain and quickly captured the Ishikawa Battalion.

"In addition, in the Huangyadi battle, our army lost 5 men, seriously injured 12, and slightly injured more than 50. Many of them were pierced by the Japanese Type 38 rifles. It can be said that the results of the battle were extremely great."

Zeng Jiwen was not surprised at all when he heard this. After all, in the original time and space, his classmate had killed more than 300 people here, with only more than 10 casualties. Such a result was not beyond his expectation.

After finishing reading, Cai Xu continued.

"During the ambush at Lianhua Mountain, we captured approximately 1100 Type 38 rifles, of which 800 were intact, over 80,000 rounds of ammunition, over 80 light machine guns, 60 of which were intact, 30 Type 92 heavy machine guns, 18 of which were intact, over 60,000 rounds of light machine gun ammunition, over 20,000 rounds of heavy machine gun ammunition, and over 7000 grenades."

"For artillery, there are four 70mm Type 92 infantry guns, all intact, with 140 rounds of ammunition. There are four 75mm Type 41 mountain guns, with 160 rounds of ammunition, all intact, with 80 shell barrels, 50 of which are intact, and over 500 rounds of ammunition."

"In addition, there were over 50 war horses, over 200 pack horses, eight radios, four of which were intact, over 20 vehicles, 30 barrels of gasoline, over 1200 kilograms of explosives, and sulfa powder for 1000 men. In addition, there were 4 tons of other supplies."

After saying this, Cai Xu said with a heavy face, "Then let's talk about our army's casualties. In this battle, we lost 150 men, 200 were seriously injured, and over 500 were slightly injured, for a total of 850 casualties."

Upon hearing this number, everyone at the brigade headquarters was filled with grief. There was no other way. The terrain near Lotus Mountain was mostly open, and the Japanese were numerous. This was only after the Japanese heavy artillery and artillery had been neutralized. Otherwise, if the Japanese heavy artillery had been allowed to fire recklessly, the casualties would have been unimaginable. Many soldiers died at the hands of the Japanese's precise marksmanship, and even more were pierced through the bones by rifle bullets. Fortunately, as long as the Type 38 rifles didn't hit vital points, the rest of the problem wouldn't be a big deal.

"The heaviest casualties in this battle were suffered by the 3rd Battalion of the 782nd Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the 783rd Regiment. One was the first to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese, while the other attacked a Japanese battalion head-on on the plains. The 1st Battalion of the 783rd Regiment suffered the most casualties, nearly 70, with over 120 seriously injured. The 3rd Battalion suffered over 50 deaths, over 60 seriously injured, and the most minor injuries, over 300. It can be said that almost everyone was injured."

"It's normal. The Third Battalion was the first to start fighting with the remaining 500-odd Japanese soldiers and then engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Fortunately, they were divided into groups of three, and the other battalions followed closely, so the Third Battalion did not suffer heavy casualties." Zeng Jiwen said with a heavy face.

The detailed summary of this battle allowed the brigade to witness the formidable combat capabilities of the Japanese conventional field troops. After all, their troops were elite veterans who had fought across 25,000 miles, and their firepower was roughly on par with the Japanese. Taking advantage of the terrain, they suddenly eliminated the Japanese heavy weapons firepower, and then engaged in a decisive battle. Under such circumstances, achieving such a significant victory was a testament to the exceptional combat effectiveness of the 389th Brigade, compared to other units.

At the same time, this also taught everyone in the brigade a lesson: in the battle with the Japanese army, it is necessary to give priority to destroying the enemy's heavy firepower. If it is not possible to capture it, then concentrate firepower to destroy it first. Otherwise, the subsequent battle will cause great casualties to the troops.

After sorting out these, Zeng Jiwen asked the telegraph operator to send the situation of the battle to the general headquarters and his hometown in northern Shaanxi, which were operating with the 129th Division. This once again caused a strong shock in the general headquarters. The excited deputy commander ate an extra bowl of rice that night.

Zeng Jiwen then discussed the distribution of equipment and post-battle arrangements with the brigade. The captured equipment was prioritized for four battalions, leaving five battalions without full complements of light and heavy machine guns. All captured light and heavy machine guns, including grenade launchers, were distributed to the squads and platoons. The brigade retained only the remaining nearly 2,000 Type 38 rifles and 50 rounds of ammunition for each. The remaining ammunition was distributed to the various regiments, who were then assigned to operate as battalion units. The brigade would no longer distribute supplies and ammunition for an extended period.

The remaining stock was over a hundred war horses, enough to form a cavalry company directly under the brigade headquarters. A nearby pasture could provide fodder for the horses. Meanwhile, the eight captured Type 92 infantry guns and four Type 41 rifles were organized into three artillery batteries. The six 60mm mortars were no longer deployed, but instead stored in a warehouse awaiting the formation of a new regiment.

The group then discussed winter expansion and base building. After this battle, the 389th Brigade's work in Heshun and Xiyang would be well underway. The immediate priority was to expand the ranks. Each of the three locations would form a new battalion to train local guerrillas and militia. Then, some battalion commanders would be dispatched to the towns and villages to develop grassroots regiments. Furthermore, based on the specific conditions of each location, deputy regiment commanders would be responsible for developing grassroots regiments. Those that performed well in the later stages would be directly assigned to the brigade headquarters for operational command.

At the same time, the storm of this operation began to spread across the country and the world.