Bright Sword: Iron Will 31

Chapter 31: A Sudden Shift in the Situation

Daylight broke, and the 21st Infantry Regiment immediately launched its attack. Due to the night raid, the Japanese offensive was slightly slower during the day. Thanks to a batch of military aid allocated by the Sixth Group Army, the Provisional First Regiment repeatedly repelled the Japanese attacks.

Inside the regimental command post.

Wang Feng sat on a bench, eating while switching his view to the 3D operational map. In wartime, there weren’t many niceties; a corner of the map on the table served as a makeshift dinner table. Two steamed buns, a bowl of stewed cabbage with a few thick slices of meat.

Zhao Fangyuan quickly approached, presenting a telegram with both hands: “Commander, the latest battle report from Pingxing Pass.”

Wang Feng chewed his bun: “Read it!”

Bang!

A shell streaked across the sky, landing directly on a corner of the command post.

In an instant, the entire command post shook violently, and fine sand rained down from the ceiling.

Wang Feng brushed the dust from his neck, grinning: “Damn it! This Banzai Itagaki really doesn’t want me to eat my meal!” (Itagaki Seishiro, a prominent Japanese general during the Second Sino-Japanese War).

Zhao Fangyuan was anxious: “Commander, let me get you another meal.”

Wang Feng waved his hand. With the sound of the shell, the Japanese launched another round of attacks; there was no time to eat.

“Continue reading the telegram.”

“Yes!”

“The Japanese forces under Tojo Hideki (Tojo Hideki, Prime Minister of Japan during World War II) have been attacking Yanmen Pass and Ruyuekou for days. Our defending troops are fiercely resisting, engaging in repeated bloody battles with the Japanese, repelling the enemy outside the passes.”

“Also, a unit from the Japanese Fifth Division, departing from Hunyuan, attempted a surprise attack on the headquarters at Daying Town. They were discovered near Taianling by our army, and their plan failed.”

Hearing “Daying Town,” Wang Feng’s heart sank; he quickly rushed to the strategic map.

“Are there any other news about the Japanese surprise attack on Daying Town?”

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: “Commander, this is a dispatch from the Sixth Group Army; it only says this much.”

“I’ll send someone to investigate immediately!”

Wang Feng stopped him: “Wait.”

“The situation is changing rapidly. By the time our men reach Daying Town, it may be too late. First, we must do our utmost to defend our positions!”

“Tell Zhang Hu to contract the defense line and preserve our effective combat strength.”

Daying Town was behind Pingxing Pass, and the Sixth Group Army’s headquarters was located there.

The Japanese flanking force, departing from Hunyuan, was spotted by friendly troops, and their plan to surprise attack the headquarters failed. This was indeed good news.

But Taianling…

The position of this flanking force appeared right behind Tuanchengkou.

Itagaki Seishiro had suffered consecutive defeats on the main battlefield and might redirect this force to attack Tuanchengkou from the rear flank.

If that happened, not only would the Tuanchengkou position be untenable, but their retreat route would also be cut off.

“Send a telegram to Commander Gao Guizi: A large Japanese force has appeared near Taianling. Be vigilant against flanking attacks!”

Zhao Fangyuan also realized the urgency: “Understood, I’ll do it right away!”

Wang Feng put his hands behind his back, switching his view to an overhead perspective.

The 21st Infantry Regiment had deployed the Fifth Field Artillery Regiment directly under the division. The battlefield was filled with artillery fire; deafening explosions followed one after another.

The attacking Japanese were still the same—concentrating superior firepower on a specific defensive point, conducting penetration and infiltration operations.

But as long as the commanding officers responsible for defense could acutely observe changes in the battlefield situation, timely deploy troops for reinforcements, and be wary of flanking forces, they could ensure that the positions wouldn’t be lost.

In this regard, both Zhang Hu and Liu Zhijian, benefiting from Wang Feng’s careful instruction, performed very well.

Daying Town. Sixth Group Army Headquarters.

“Cuiya, what do you mean by this?”

“The Commander-in-Chief’s intentions are clear to both of us. Chu Qingbo is whispering in the Commander’s ear again…”

Yang Aiyuon sighed, pacing back and forth in the office.

The two had met at the Baoding Military Academy, becoming close friends.

Sun Chu looked out of the window: “Xingru, the troops stationed at Tuanchengkou are not just Gao Guizi’s.”

“Wang Feng and Gao Guizi jointly sent a telegram requesting reinforcements. If we only allocate aid to the Provisional First Regiment, others may have complaints!”

“Besides, this is not the first time Gao Guizi has sent a telegram requesting reinforcements. I previously rejected them all, claiming a lack of manpower…”

Saying this, he placed the telegram on the table.

—A final plea, please consider!

Yang Aiyuon glanced down at it without speaking.

Fearing complaints was a pretense; winning over Wang Feng, a rising star in the military, was the real reason.

Besides, the Provisional First Regiment was originally a unit of the 33rd Army, and Sun Chu was also concurrently serving as the army commander.

Being close to the water gets the moon first (near water, first moon; to take advantage of one’s proximity); there was nothing wrong with doing so. (This is an idiom referring to benefiting from one’s advantageous position.)

If it were anyone else, they would probably have done the same thing.

But the mistake was sending the same weapons and equipment to Gao Guizi as well.

Commander Yan had always been strongly opposed to the appearance of Central Army troops in Shanxi Province. Even now that Datong had fallen and was unable to resist the Japanese offensive, he still hadn’t allowed Wei Lihuang’s troops to cross the Yellow River.

Yang Aiyuon walked to Sun Chu, lowering his voice: “Cuiya, if this happens again, you must never act this way.”

“Commander Yan has sent personnel from the Military Supplies Department to personally supervise and inspect the flow of materials in the Sixth Group Army.”

A faint worry appeared on Sun Chu’s brow.

During this period, Commander Yan was heavily influenced by the Nanjing Nationalist Government leader (referring to Chiang Kai-shek), often issuing orders that went all the way down to the grassroots.

This directly interfered with the operational command of grassroots troops, resulting in high-ranking officers above becoming little more than figureheads.

Now, calling it an inspection was nothing more than directly interfering with logistics and supplies.

“Xingru, Pingxing Pass is crucial. The Japanese invasion is difficult to resist; Tuanchengkou cannot be lost. Should we provide more support?”

Yang Aiyuon nodded: “Your 33rd Army has an elite reinforced regiment resting in the rear.”

“Why not deploy them to replace Wang Feng’s Provisional First Regiment?”

Sun Chu nodded. The elite reinforced regiment he mentioned was Chu Yunfei’s 358th Regiment.

“Instead of replacing the Provisional First Regiment and letting them rest in the rear, it would be better to have them bypass the left flank of Tuanchengkou, head to Caijiayu, cooperate with the Eighth Route Army’s 115th Division, and cut off the Japanese retreat route.”

Yang Aiyuon pondered for a moment before agreeing to the plan.

“Let’s use the Provisional First Regiment as a surprise force to show the mighty military power of the Shanxi Defense Army. We can’t let the Eighth Route Army underestimate us.”

“But Wang Feng is a person who needs to be used cautiously!”

Sun Chu shook his head with a smile: “Xingru, don’t worry. This man’s entire foundation is in Shanxi. Even if he is truly a direct subordinate of Nanjing, once he’s on Shanxi soil, he will have to do as we say.”

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