Bright Sword: Iron Will 41

Chapter 41: Things Are Looking Grim

Six captured Type 94 75 mm mountain guns were lined up.

Wang Feng set up his temporary command post next to the artillery positions.

Capturing these six mountain guns was incredibly lucky; it was enough to make him laugh in his dreams. It represented a quantum leap in the long-range firepower of the Provisional First Brigade.

As mountain guns suited for mountainous terrain, they were also designed for convenient transport.

The total weight of a fully assembled gun was over 500 kilograms.

While seemingly heavy, they were still relatively easy to transport. With skilled artillery crews, the guns could be disassembled into 11 parts in 5 minutes. Assembly was also simple.

“Adjust the firing data, prepare to fire!”

The mountain gun battalion had just been formed and lacked suitable artillery commanders. Zhao Fangyuan, wielding a signal flag, temporarily served as the battalion commander. Reserve troops were temporarily assigned to act as transporters for the mountain gun battalion.

Regarding the artillery, Wang Feng had already planned ahead.

Back in the 414th Regiment, Wang Feng had given his soldiers basic training. They weren’t experts in everything, but they had some experience in various aspects.

“Quick, quick, quick, get that shell over here!”

“Adjust the angle, adjust the angle! What are you doing with that?!”

“What do you know? Get lost, don’t get in the way!”

Watching his soldiers’ clumsy and unskilled handling of the mountain guns, Wang Feng couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed. It seemed that systematic training for the soldiers, especially for newly recruited soldiers, was crucial.

After much chaos, the pre-launch preparations were finally completed. The First Regiment was ready to attack.

Zhao Fangyuan received the signal and raised his signal flag high. He shouted:

“Ready!”

“Prepare!”

“Fire!”

With the order given, six 75mm mountain guns fired simultaneously.

On the Japanese front lines at Dong Paochi, the Provisional First Brigade’s troops were spotted by Japanese scouts as soon as they approached.

But the Japanese were outnumbered and did not choose to attack proactively. Instead, they used pre-constructed fortifications to delay the attack, hiding behind their cover.

Orders had already been received from the front line: primarily hold the rear for three hours. Then the main force would break through the Shanxi Defense Army’s lines and break out from the northwest.

Bang.

Shells streaked across the sky, landing near the Japanese positions. Only two shells inflicted effective damage on the Japanese; the other four, due to inaccurate aim, only kicked up clouds of dust.

The sound of artillery became the signal for the attack!

Zhang Hu fired the first shot, and then the First Regiment, using its numerical advantage, suppressed the Japanese with intense fire.

“First Battalion, Second Battalion flanking attacks, Third Battalion covering the front.”

“Quickly!”

The Japanese positions were located on a hilltop. To make it impossible for attacking troops to hide, they had cleared all trees on either side. The First Regiment soldiers had no cover during their charge.

*Da da da!*

Inside the hilltop bunkers, Japanese heavy machine guns continuously sprayed bullets; a fierce barrage of fire directly blocked the path of the advance. The soldiers charging forward, with no cover, were forced to keep their heads down and huddle at the foot of the hill.

Inside the Provisional First Brigade command post, Zhao Fangyuan hurried in, his expression anxious: “Commander, things are looking grim!”

“Baguan Zhengsiro is determined to let the 21st Infantry Brigade break out. He’s launched a large-scale air strike, the scale of which is unprecedented.”

“The frontline troops have been forced to retreat continuously, the encirclement is precarious, and the Japanese will break out from the Tuanchengkou area in the northwest soon.”

Wang Feng abruptly stood up, his brows furrowed: “Didn’t Commander Yan send reinforcements to Tuanchengkou?!”

“Why is it still this bad?!”

After the Eighth Route Army annihilated the Japanese baggage train, Yan Laosi, seeing that there was still room for maneuver at Pingxing Pass, decided to make a major effort there. He immediately deployed three brigades to reinforce the Tuanchengkou front line.

Just as it seemed the historical situation was about to be reversed, a critical flaw appeared at the last moment. Days of effort were about to be wasted.

Truly, every advance is met with a greater counter-advance.

Zhao Fangyuan sighed: “Commander, the headquarters has sent word: the Japanese are fiercely attacking Ruyue Pass; the troops that were supposed to be sent to Pingxing Pass have been diverted there for reinforcements.”

Ruyue Pass?

Wang Feng’s brow unfurrowed, and he paced back and forth in the room.

From a strategic perspective, the Japanese main attack was at Yanmen Pass; Pingxing Pass was only a secondary attack. In front of Yanmen Pass, Tojo Hideki had two divisions—far more than those under Baguan Zhengsiro.

Ruyue Pass is located between Yanmen Pass and Pingxing Pass. Its importance is no less than the two passes. If Ruyue Pass falls, the influx of Japanese troops will split the Shanxi Defense Army into two segments. The troops on the Pingxing Pass side would be easily attacked by the Japanese from both sides.

“Sigh.”

Wang Feng sighed.

The entire Shanxi battlefield involved hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides. With such a large scale of engagement, a brigade’s force was like a small boat in a vast ocean. A few thousand people were just a string of numbers on Yan Laosi’s desk.

Zhao Fangyuan said beside him: “Commander, what should we do?”

Wang Feng remained silent; the only sound in the command post was the dull thud of boots.

After a moment, he raised his head.

“Fight!”

“Why not fight?”

“With the enemy at the gates, how can we not fight?”

“We cannot overly rely on friendly forces.”

“If the frontline troops withdraw, we become the main attackers!”

“No matter what, even if we can’t completely eliminate them, we have to bite a chunk of flesh off those Japanese devils!”

“Send a telegram to the Second Regiment!”

“Change the attack method, cooperate with the First Regiment, encircle the Japanese on the hilltop. In half an hour, I want to take the front line position!”

Zhao Fangyuan’s heart was lifted; he snapped his heels together and stood straight: “This subordinate understands!”

On the battlefield, both sides were locked in a stalemate.

The 686th Regiment’s attack was slightly late. Because its right flank was attacked, the Japanese on the hilltop were forced to divert some troops to provide support.

*Da da da!*

The Japanese on the high ground had built a total of four makeshift bunkers. Inside the bunkers, machine guns desperately sprayed bullets, sweeping down at the enemy below.

Zhang Hu watched anxiously from the rear: “Infantry cannons?”

“Get that thing for me!”

The Type 92 infantry cannon had a wide range of uses. It could be used for indirect or direct fire.

Bang!

After several battles, the gunners’ skills had improved significantly. The first shell hit its target precisely, hitting a Japanese bunker.

Watching the debris flying in the air and the silenced machine gun positions, Zhang Hu laughed out loud.

“Damn Japanese devils, artillery, keep firing!”

At the same time, Wang Feng, using an overlooking vantage point, obtained the Second Regiment’s precise location. Its First Battalion had already sent two companies to the rear of the Japanese forces and was about to launch an attack.

The Japanese on the high ground were highly alert and immediately turned their guns, aiming at the Shanxi Defense Army soldiers below. The Japanese were not numerous but were indeed strong fighters. The bare hilltop, with no cover to obstruct the line of sight, gave the Japanese soldiers extremely high shooting accuracy, which was utilized to its full potential.

But the Provisional First Brigade’s soldiers, having been through so many battles, were not pushovers.

“Kill!”

Forming small attack groups of three or three, they charged towards the high ground, yelling wildly. When soldiers in front fell, those behind immediately filled the gap. They carved a bloody path, fighting their way to the Japanese.

“Sir, we’re surrounded!”

“The Chinese army has charged into the position from behind.”

The Japanese commander was a lieutenant, probably a regimental staff officer, temporarily deployed to command three companies.

“Baka!”

“Fight on! Drive the damned Chinese soldiers down!”

“Quickly!”

(Chapter end)

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