Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 17 These are just a small group of remnants of the enemy, no need to worry

After the New Second Regiment had almost cleaned up the battlefield.

Just as they were about to start evacuating, Chen Chengxing saw a hundred or so civilians holding white flags and walking towards them.

"They must have been forced by the Japanese to collect the bodies." Luo Ping also saw these ordinary people, who were pulling some empty carts.

"That's great, let's retreat." Chen Chengxing said with a smile.

The New Second Regiment retreated in front of the body-collecting team, which just happened to confuse the Japanese.

The common people holding white flags did not move forward. After all, the Eighth Route Army was not well-known in Shanxi, and the common people did not know what kind of people they were.

After the New Second Regiment left, these ordinary people mustered up the courage to step forward to collect the bodies.

At this time, only a loincloth was left on the Japanese soldier's body on the ground.

Although the Japanese loincloths can be washed and used to make shoe soles, the New Second Regiment is now behind enemy lines and has no time to deal with these things.

We are in the midst of a war and it is impossible for the Japanese soldiers to take a bath. And if these things are not washed for a long time and piled up together, the smell they emit will not be very pleasant. Those who understand will understand.

On the hill behind the common people, several Japanese soldiers were lying there observing the situation on the battlefield. They were forcing civilians to collect the bodies. If there was no one to supervise, the bodies might be thrown into the ditch to feed the wolves.

"Baga, the combat effectiveness of this unit should not be underestimated." A Japanese squad leader said while observing the battlefield.

"I heard from the soldiers who broke through that the armband this unit wore was the Eighteenth Group Army, so it should be the army reorganized by the Red Party."

"Souga. No wonder." The Japanese squad leader nodded.

The Japs were relatively well-informed about the Kuomintang and the Red Party. If they wanted to invade China, they had to know the situation in China very well.

They also understood the strength of the Red Party troops.

After these Japanese soldiers retreated to Yanmen Pass and reported what they saw.

Masao Watanabe, the captain of the 5th Independent Mixed Brigade's Supply Battalion, said confidently, "This is just a small group of enemy troops running around. They are probably the remnants of the enemy that were defeated in the previous battle of Ruyuekou. They must have fled by now, so there is no need to worry."

"Captain, please be careful and ask the brigade commander to send troops to clean up the mess." said the deputy captain Shinji Yokoi.

"Mr. Yokoi, I'm afraid we are running out of time. We need to replenish the supplies that were ambushed to the front line as soon as possible. If the battle is delayed, both you and I will be held responsible." Watanabe Masao said.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and the soldiers who lack warmth have begun to complain. If this continues, I'm afraid someone's head will have to be borrowed for use.

Masao Watanabe does not think that his brain is redundant, nor does he want to lend it to others.

However, Watanabe Masao felt that Yokoi Shinji's concerns were not entirely unreasonable, so he added: "Send a telegram to Suicheng, asking them to hurry up and transport the supplies, and also send a cavalry team."

With the addition of cavalry, the offensive and defensive capabilities of the baggage train should be strengthened.

"Hai!"

After Yokoi Shinji left, Watanabe Masao came to the window, looked at the undulating mountains, and said with a smile: "What magnificent mountains and rivers these are! It won't be long before they belong to the Empire of Italy!"

After Chen Chengxing led the New Second Regiment out of Erlipu, they did not go too far along the road. When passing a mountain pass, he turned around and led the troops into the mountains.

At night, the New Second Regiment quietly entered the ambush site again under cover of darkness.

This time, Chen Chengxing did not put his troops in their original positions, but set up an ambush south of Erlang Temple. Although the area south of Erlang Temple was not as steep as the area around Erlipu, there were mountain ridges on both sides of the road. Although setting up an ambush here was not as perfect as that in Erlipu, it was enough.

Chen Chengxing placed the first battalion and the regiment headquarters on the left side of the road, and the second and third battalions on the right side, attacking the Japanese from both sides.

However, after Chen Chengxing set up the pocket formation, no Japanese soldiers passed by on this road for two consecutive days, not even the small groups of Japanese soldiers that occasionally passed by before.

On the third day, it started to drizzle at dawn, and the rain got heavier and heavier.

"Captain, do we need to retreat? The Japanese may not come." Xu Wu approached Chen Chengxing and said.

Many people in the New Second Regiment are now soaked. If this continues, they will be at risk of hypothermia.

Chen Chengxing was very clear about the situation of the New Second Regiment, but he did not agree to Xu Wu's request. Instead, he said, "Let the comrades hold on for a while. After this battle, when things settle down, we can stew cabbage in cans!"

The New Second Regiment is running out of time. The Japanese have stopped sending reinforcements, which means they have gained the upper hand. It will probably take only a few days for the Japanese to break through Xinkou. This may very well be the last time the New Second Regiment causes trouble in the Japanese lair.

Chen Chengxing was really unwilling to retreat like this. After all, the system task had been issued, which meant that the Japanese supply team would definitely pass through here again.

"Okay." Xu Wu nodded.

Everyone had no choice but to follow Chen Chengxing's insistence, and Luo Ping, who was leading the team on the other side of the road, had no way to change Chen Chengxing's order.

However, when the soldiers heard that the cabbage stew was canned, their morale boosted. A big meat meal was a treat only available during the Chinese New Year.

"Lao Sun, do you think the Japanese will really come?" Second Battalion Commander Zheng Hua huddled in a cat-ear hole in the trench, trying his best to protect himself from getting wet in the rain.

"Don't push in anymore. Do you understand the smell you smell?" Third Battalion Commander Sun Xun ignored Zheng Hua's question and just wanted to push him out.

In the previous ambush, although the New Second Regiment suffered very few casualties, many of them were covered in the blood of the Japanese.

They had no place to wash, and for three days, the smell of blood and sweat was mixed together. You can imagine how it smelled.

"You're a grown man, and you're still afraid of this?" Zheng Hua had no intention of going out at all. He squatted there motionless. It was raining outside now, and he would get a bubble on his head if he went out now.

"Besides, Third Battalion Commander, why don't you smell the smell on yourself? I think you are like a crow standing on a pig - you can see the blackness of others but not your own blackness."

Sun Xun was almost choked to death by Zheng Hua's words.

It's because I smell bad that I don't want you to squeeze in here. The two smells together will multiply the intensity many times over.

However, Zheng Hua had already brought up the issue of whether he was a grown man or not, so Sun Xun could only stop talking for the time being.

"Let me ask you, do you think the Japanese will come?" Seeing that Sun Xun didn't speak, Zheng Hua asked again.

"I don't know either, but since the captain is so determined, he should be sure." Sun Xun said, pinching his nose.

"I hope the Japanese will come soon." Zheng Hua scratched his head.

Just as Sun Xun was about to speak, a communicator suddenly reported in a low voice: "Second Battalion Commander, Third Battalion Commander, the devils are coming."

Zheng Hua and Sun Xun looked at each other, then immediately crawled out of the cat ear hole, lay on the ridge and raised the telescope.

(End of this chapter)