Bright Sword: From Northwest Shanxi to Shangganling

Chapter 3 Crossing the River
After Chen Chengxing rushed back to the New Second Regiment from the brigade headquarters, he immediately convened a meeting of cadres at the company level and above.

At the beginning of the meeting, Chen Chengxing first explained the mission of the New Second Regiment.

"Captain, it has to be you. Captain Li of the New First Regiment is a notorious troublemaker. I didn't expect you could snatch the task from him." Luo Ping, deputy commander of the New Second Regiment, said with a smile.

"Well, he and I are old comrades in the Fourth Front Army. As soon as this guy sticks his butt out, I know what he is going to do. It's easy for me to get hold of his words." Chen Chengxing waved his hand and smiled.

"What do you think about this mission?" Chen Chengxing asked.

This is the first time the troops fight against the Japanese, so Chen Chengxing must understand everyone's thoughts in advance.

"What's there to say, Commander? We have been fighting the Guo Party for so many years. We have seen everything," said the battalion commander Xu Wu in a relaxed manner.

"That's right!" Second Battalion Commander Zheng Hua and Third Battalion Commander Sun Xun also echoed.

After hearing what several people said, Chen Chengxing's face became a little solemn.

That's what worries him the most.

"Let me tell you, the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army and the Kuomintang are completely different!" Chen Chengxing said seriously.

The others were somewhat relaxed at first, but after seeing Chen Chengxing's expression, they all straightened their attitudes.

"You have to know that Japan is different from China. Japan is an industrial country, so their equipment is far more powerful than the Kuomintang army," said Chen Chengxing.

The weapons of the Eighth Route Army were beggars' compared with those of the Kuomintang, not to mention the Japanese. The Japanese troops in the early days were fully equipped with light and heavy weapons and were armed to the teeth.

"The Japanese troops are all elite troops who have been trained for many years and have been brainwashed by the spirit of Bushido since childhood. They are all fearless and ruthless, so everyone must not take it lightly," Chen Chengxing explained.

After hearing Chen Chengxing's words, everyone became serious.

The combat effectiveness of a troop that has undergone years of military training, is well-equipped, and fights fearlessly should not be underestimated.

"But everyone doesn't have to worry too much. As long as we use the right tactics, we can make the best use of our strengths and avoid our weaknesses. Then the Japanese won't be able to do anything to us." Chen Chengxing said, looking at the crowd with serious expressions.

He just wanted everyone not to take it lightly, but he didn't want everyone to back down before the battle even started.

Hearing this, everyone's mood changed.

Yes, we all have one head on two shoulders, so who is afraid of whom?

The Japanese are powerful in combat, but I am no pushover either. Who is better will be revealed on the battlefield!

After the meeting, the entire regiment immediately began intensive preparations. This time, they would not be able to return without defeating the Japanese. The regiment had a lot of things to deal with, including a large number of unnecessary documents and items.

This time the troops have to travel hundreds of kilometers, so it is impossible for them to advance with all kinds of miscellaneous items.

The next day, early in the morning.

After breakfast, the troops left their base and headed towards the Yellow River ferry.

Deputy Regiment Commander Luo Ping led the first battalion as the vanguard in the front, while Chen Chengxing led the second and third battalions as well as the troops directly under the regiment headquarters in the rear.

The journey was peaceful.

But when Chen Chengxing was about to reach the Yellow River ferry, an accident happened.

A messenger ran back from the front and reported: "Commander, go and have a look. The deputy commander and the deputy commander of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army are fighting!"

"What?!" Chen Chengxing thought he had heard it wrong.

Didn't the New Second Regiment go to help the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army fight? Even if the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army did not allow them to cross the river due to the organization, they would not fight.

"Order the troops to march quickly! Rush to the Yellow River ferry as quickly as possible!" Chen Chengxing ordered.

Now no matter what the reason is, I must rush to the Yellow River ferry as quickly as possible to prevent the situation from getting out of control.

At that time, fighting against Japan was a national cause. If Chiang Kai-shek put the hat of sabotaging the anti-Japanese war on their heads, the New Second Regiment would probably be disbanded on the spot. When Chen Chengxing led the troops to the Yellow River ferry in a hurry, he saw Luo Ping angrily scolding the deputy commander of the 358th Regiment.

"Damn it! What do you think we're going to do when we cross the river? To celebrate a birthday?! I'm going to fight the Japanese! I'm going to risk my life! And you're still here to stop us?!"

Luo Ping is from Sichuan, but he left home when he was young, so you can hardly hear him speaking Sichuan dialect in his daily life. But once he gets anxious and wants to curse, his voice will have the intonation of Sichuan dialect.

"I am also following orders! Troops that are not on the organization list are not allowed to cross the river! You can go back and ask about your organization situation." The deputy commander of the 358th Regiment of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army said with a smirk.

"Organization? You're talking to me about organization? If that damn Ministry of Military and Political Affairs gave us an organization of 100 divisions, how could you not find it?!" Luo Ping said angrily.

“这我无能为力！在名单上386旅就只有771团和772团2个团的编制，其余部队不能通过渡口！”358团的副团长强硬说道。

Seeing that this person was unmoved, Luo Ping also became furious and pulled out his revolver: "Wow, you immortal! Are you going to let go of the road? If not, don't blame me for shooting you!"

At this moment, the atmosphere at the entire Yellow River ferry became tense, and everyone pointed their guns at each other.

"Stop it!" At the critical moment, Chen Chengxing shouted, interrupting their confrontation.

"Put away your guns." Chen Chengxing walked to the front and ordered.

Now is not the time to challenge the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

In order to promote the anti-Japanese united front, the superiors suffered a lot of grievances from Chiang Kai-shek, but for the sake of national justice, they all endured it, and there was no reason why the New Second Regiment should be an exception.

"Old Chen, you're here. This bastard said he couldn't find our organization, so he wouldn't let us cross the river." Luo Ping said.

"I understand, Lao Luo. This is my fault. Our superiors have given orders and we have been assigned to the 772nd Regiment. It's just that you ran too fast in the front and I couldn't catch up with you." Chen Chengxing said.

"We are the vanguard battalion of the 772nd Regiment. The main force is behind us. Can we cross the river now?" Chen Chengxing looked at the deputy commander of the 358th Regiment.

Now he only needed to give the 358th Regiment a plausible reason. After all, the front-line soldiers were different from the Kuomintang's senior officials. They were the ones who were actually fighting against the Japs, so they naturally hoped that as many troops as possible would participate in the war.

This person did not appear or be mentioned later. It is presumed that he died on the front line. After all, when the 358th Regiment and the Sakata Regiment encountered each other, there were heavy casualties.

Chen Chengxing still has respect for such people. No matter what his identity is, he can be regarded as a national hero.

"772nd Regiment Vanguard Battalion? That's no problem!"

"Someone come here! Remove the roadblocks and let them pass!" The deputy commander of the 358th Regiment stepped aside and saluted.

After Chen Chengxing returned the greeting, he waved his hand and said, "Cross the river!"

Watching the Eighth Route Army gradually disappearing on the bridge, a soldier nearby asked, "Deputy Regiment Commander, how many people are there in the vanguard battalion of the 772nd Regiment?"

"Hehe." The deputy commander of the 358th Regiment smiled and said nothing.

In fact, he knew very well that the changes in the organization and the Vanguard Battalion of the 772nd Regiment were just nonsense.

But this was all he needed. After all, the Eighth Route Army's number was only listed up to the regiment level on the list. As for how many battalions were under the regiment, that was not his business. Even if his superiors investigated, he would have been deceived, not made a mistake.

"Deputy Commander, someone else is coming!" the sentry in front shouted.

"Stop them and ask which regiment they are from."

"Why won't you let me pass?"

"How did the New Second Regiment get through just now?! But the New First Regiment can't?!"

"Bullshit! What Vanguard Camp?! How come I didn't know about it?!"

"You don't recognize my organization? Do you recognize that machine gun?"

(End of this chapter)