Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

"Hahaha, this is very similar to me. These two packs of cigarettes are my rations for this month. They are a personal gift to him. Tell him to fight well. When the war is over, I will throw him a celebration party!"

"Yes!"

Ding Wei looked at the two packs of cigarettes on the table and carefully put them into his pocket.

"Tell me about Li Yunlong. I'm very interested in him!"

"Yes!" Ding Wei silently said in his heart: "Li Yunlong, Li Yunlong, if you don't give me a platoon, or even a company's worth of equipment when you go back this time, you will be unworthy of my praise for you today!"

Soon the Eighth Route Army headquarters received a reply from the base.

"This battle is of great significance. We must publicize it widely so that people all over the country know that the Japanese are not invincible. As long as we unite as one, the Japanese will inevitably be destroyed!"

At headquarters, the army commander and the chief of general staff pondered the telegram for a moment and said, "Our superiors have asked us to expand our publicity efforts. I think we can't just send two telegrams like before. We need to publish the details of this battle, as well as the photos of the recapture of Ping'an County!"

The Chief of General Staff nodded and said, "Indeed, the last time Li Yunlong captured Japanese Lieutenant General Shinozuka Kazuo, the puppet government immediately published a newspaper, accusing us of fabricating rumors and gathering a group of traitors to attack us in the newspaper. This time, we must be fully prepared and not give them any chance to fight back!"

"Well, the military is a battlefield, and public opinion is also a battlefield. We can't let our guard down on either front. Immediately call the Independent Column and ask if they have a camera. If not, we'll send them one. We must clearly capture the situation in Ping'an County. Oh, and also take a picture of that devil, Kazuo Shinozuka, so the people can see the true face of the puppet government!"

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

After the Chief of General Staff sent the telegram, the Army Commander looked at Ping'an County in a daze. When the Chief of General Staff saw this, he immediately said, "Army Commander, are you worried about how to reward Li Yunlong?"

The commander nodded and said, "Well, the last time Li Yunlong killed Shinozuka Kazuo, the independent column was only a regimental-level direct column at that time, so he was rewarded. This time it will be difficult. We can't learn from that guy in Yamashiro and lose the medal and the Flying Tiger flag!"

The reward for Li Yunlong from Shancheng has arrived, and this time the action is faster than ever before.

It was just a commendation order, awarding Li Yunlong a first-class Yunhui Medal and a Flying Tiger Flag, and there was no other expression.

"I think they're having a headache over there too. I think they're just thinking about getting rid of it and not having to worry about it anymore. They've already cheated themselves into giving themselves a reward, unlike us who still have to worry about it!"

"Hahaha, I actually hope there will be more headaches like this!"

After the commander finished speaking, he walked to the front of the map, drew a circle within the scope of Ping'an County, and said, "Li Yunlong's independent column's defense zone has not been confirmed. Chief of Staff, do you think this will work?"

The commander drew a circle and said, "Give this entire area to Li Yunlong, cancel the Independent Column designation, and rename it the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Independent Column, with twelve detachments under its command. What do you say?"

The Chief of General Staff nodded and said, "That's certainly possible, but Li Yunlong currently has less than 2,000 men under his command. Giving him so many positions won't work without soldiers!"

"Then merge the Ninth Column in northern Hebei into Li Yunlong's Jin-Cha-Ji Independent Column. The Ninth Column just suffered a defeat in a Japanese raid, with heavy casualties. It's in need of adjustments, and merging it into Li Yunlong's army is a good fit!"

"Well, this is feasible. Let Li Yunlong figure out the remaining organization!"

"Well! It's decided. I want to see how big a wave this kid Li Yunlong can stir up in the Jin-Cha-Ji region!"

"Hahaha, I think it must be big!"

At this time, Li Yunlong had just crawled out of the cellar in Ping'an County, and he could still see the Japanese planes flying away in the sky.

"It's not over yet, is it?"

Li Yunlong spat out the dirt in his mouth and then dusted off the dirt on his body. Ever since the 13th Regiment was destroyed, the Japanese bombers have never stopped flying.

"Old Li, the spoils are counted. This is the spoils from this battle!"

At this time, Zhao Gang crawled out of another cellar, brushing off the dirt on his body while handing over the notebook in his hand.

"In addition to the 1,126 guns and other weapons provided to the Independent Regiment, we also seized 1,672 Japanese rifles, over 30,000 rounds of ammunition, 67 usable grenade launchers, 7 usable mortars, one infantry gun, but the gun mount is damaged and needs repairs, a total of 53 light and heavy machine guns, and other military supplies..."

Looking at the spoils, a smile appeared on Li Yunlong's face. This was the supplies of an entire Japanese regiment. Except for the lack of ammunition, the weapons could allow Li Yunlong to expand his army by at least another 3,000 people.

"Commander, Commander, we've contacted the devils!"

At this time, Old Xing also rode a horse and rushed over from a distance. When he saw Li Yunlong, he immediately handed him a telegram: "The Japanese have agreed to redeem the bodies. Ten dollars each. Please ask us for the specific time of the transaction!"

"How many devil corpses do we have?"

"There are over 2,400 recognizable human corpses!"

"Twenty-four thousand dollars, well, that's a good deal. Let's make a deal with the Japanese. We'll trade it together in two days when we exchange Shinozuka Kazuo's body. Old Xing, please go to our old friends and buy some weapons and ammunition. Take as many anti-aircraft guns as you can. Oh, and ask them if they have any sugar for sale. We'll take all they have!"

The successive good news made Li Yunlong feel particularly good. The signalman trotted over to Li Yunlong and said, "Report, the division headquarters sent a telegram saying that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will send someone to inspect the battlefield and review the results of the battle. They will also supervise the exchange of Shinozuka Kazuo's body. They also said that a piece of equipment sent from the mountain city will also be coming with them."

"Damn it! The battle is over, and these guys show up. We are the Eighth Route Army, not the National Army. Who are we looking down on? Are you afraid that I will exaggerate my military achievements?"

Li Yunlong scoffed at the arrival of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's observers, but the bullet production line purchased by Shancheng made Li Yunlong smile again. Li Yunlong was also worried that Boss Dai would take the money but not do the job.

Note 1: The first two lines are from Qi Yi's poem "Spring Rain" in the late Tang and Five Dynasties period. The last two lines are written by me casually, so please don't take them seriously.

Chapter 155 The Devil's Secret Weapon

"How are those students now?"

The battle in Ping'an County has ended. Li Yunlong thought of the group of students who came before. There were more than 30 talents there. They were only given simple arrangements at that time. Now they need to be assigned suitable positions according to their abilities.

"Several mechanical engineering students are currently at Black Cloud Mountain. They're all quite skilled in hands-on work and are even giving private lessons to the comrades at the Arsenal. They're clamoring to build the drawings in your notebook."

After hearing this, Li Yunlong said to a guard beside him, "Send this paper to Heiyun Mountain and give it to Jia Ji personally. Tell him that if he can build what is on the blueprint, I will give him a great merit!"

"Yes!"

The guard immediately put the drawings away carefully, mounted his horse, and headed towards Black Cloud Mountain.

What Li Yunlong gave was a sketch of the Katyusha rocket that he had drawn himself. Li Yunlong had always wanted to study this thing to supplement the insufficient firepower of the independent column.

However, there was not enough time and the project was always stranded. The Katyusha rocket is largely equivalent to a large-scale bazooka, which is launched by the engine and propeller at the tail and the gunpowder in the warhead at the head to kill the enemy.

However, due to range issues, the tail wing needs to be redesigned. In addition, there are various other issues such as the power system, which requires a lot of energy. Li Yunlong needs to manage a column, so he has no time to design. This is a good opportunity for Jia Ji and others to practice. With the foundation of rockets, it should not be a problem for these students studying mechanical engineering to tinker with one or two test bombs.

At that time, I will make suggestions for improvements based on the problems found during the test, and the development of the Katyusha rocket should be completed soon. This is why Li Yunlong needs a large amount of white sugar.

"Where's Liao Yaquan?"

"There are indeed some problems. She has been helping to rescue the wounded in the rear since the battle began. The wounded she treated didn't have any major problems, but she often asks questions about you, and occasionally asks about the sneak attack on Taiyuan. Should we do it?"

Li Yunlong shook his head and said, "Don't alert the enemy for now, Monk Wei, Monk Wei!"

"Captain, I'm here!"

Monk Wei still liked to call Li Yunlong "Regiment Commander", but Li Yunlong was too lazy to correct him. Anyway, "Regiment Commander" sounded more intimate than "Commander".

"Are there any comrades who followed us to Taiyuan and were injured in this battle?"

"Yes, Yu Zhigan was bitten by a Japanese soldier and his arm was injured!"

"Call him over!"

"Yes!"

Soon, Yu Zhigan came to Li Yunlong with a bandage on his arm: "Commander."

"How's your arm injury?"

"Report, a minor injury, bitten by a stray bullet from the Japanese. I should be able to recover in two days!"

"I have a mission for you!"

"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"

Yu Zhigan had already agreed to the mission without even hearing the details. Li Yunlong looked at Yu Zhigan's fearless attitude and said with a smile, "Okay, it's not a dangerous mission. Go to the field hospital in the rear and lie down for two days, then you..."

Li Yunlong whispered this, then patted Yu Zhigan on the shoulder and asked, "Can you complete the task?"

"Report and ensure the mission is completed!"

"Go!"

"Yes!"

At this moment, a dozen cavalrymen rushed over from a distance. After seeing Li Yunlong, they quickly dismounted and said, "Report, Commander, Battalion Commander Sun is injured!"

"How's the injury?"

Although Li Yunlong had previously wanted to remove Sun Desheng from his position as cavalry battalion commander and let him specialize in training cavalry and new recruits in assassination, Li Yunlong liked Sun Desheng very much.

"They're still being rescued at the 772nd Regiment's field hospital!"

After hearing this, Li Yunlong immediately said, "Come here, send a telegram to the 772nd Regiment immediately. I hope they will do everything they can to save Sun Desheng. I, Li Yunlong, owe them a favor. You guys go to the 772nd Regiment immediately with the medicine!"

As Li Yunlong spoke, he entered the command center and took out morphine and other medicines for emergency use by commanders and cadres and handed them over.

"Yes!"

After receiving the morphine, the soldier pulled out a flag from his pocket and said, "Commander, the deputy battalion commander asked me to give this to you. I saw the Japanese were about to burn this flag. It must be very important!"

Li Yunlong took the flag, which was a bit tattered. After opening it, a smile immediately appeared on his face. "I had someone look for the Japanese regimental flag, but I didn't expect it to be captured by the cavalry battalion!"

As he spoke, Li Yunlong spread out the flag of the 13th Regiment and looked at it carefully, then rubbed it and stuffed it into his pocket.

When Li Yunlong captured the first flag of the Sakata Regiment, he treated it as a treasure. Now that he has captured the second one, it doesn't matter to him anymore.

Li Yunlong planned to hand over this flag as one of the irrefutable evidences of the annihilation of the 13th Regiment.

Compared to Li Yunlong who was busy dealing with post-war work.

The atmosphere in the First Army Headquarters in Taiyuan City was much more depressing.

"Your Highness, I am willing to take full responsibility for the annihilation of the 13th Regiment!" Kanda Masatane stood in front of Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko with a face full of shame and said in a low voice.

"Kanda-kun, you don't have to blame yourself too much. The battle in Ping'an County is over. The empire can still afford the loss of a regiment, but Zhongtiao Mountain!"

Kanda Masatane immediately said seriously, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. If anything unexpected happens, I am willing to commit seppuku to thank the locusts!"

Kanda Masatane was under great pressure. An entire regiment was wiped out and no one could escape. This was the first time such a thing happened on the Chinese battlefield. If Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko held him accountable, he could remove him from his position as division commander on the spot.

"Very good. I will report to headquarters regarding the 13th Regiment. I hope this incident will not affect the subsequent battles of your 6th Division. The battle of Zhongtiao Mountain cannot be lost!"

"Hayi!"

After Kanda Masatane left, Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko took a photo of Li Yunlong and looked at it carefully: "Li Yunlong, you are really an interesting opponent. Let you be arrogant for a few days!"

After saying this, he put down Li Yunlong's photo and picked up a telegram from the Kwantung Army next to him.

After reading the contents of the telegram, Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko showed a satisfied smile on his face. He looked at the confidential secretary beside him and said, "When can the things I need be delivered?"

"Report, the Kwantung Army Headquarters has dispatched troops for transportation, and Unit 731 has also sent specialized experts to accompany the cargo. It is expected to arrive at Taiyuan in two days!"

"Yoshi, immediately notify all troops along the railway and strengthen their defenses. No mistakes can be made!"

"Hayi!"

Chapter 156 General Yang, you don’t want to…

Three days after the Battle of Ping'angle, the Independent Column Headquarters outside Ping'an County.