Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 292 Who Will Dominate?

Two days later, in Wutai County, at the Shanxi Militia Command.

The smoke of battle that had hung over Taiyuan finally dissipated temporarily, but the shadow of war grew ever thicker, making it hard to breathe.

The saturation bombardment of Japanese positions on the outskirts of Taiyuan lasted for two days and two nights.

During those 48 hours of what could only be described as frenzy, all the combat-ready aircraft of the Shanxi militia flight squadron were deployed. More than a hundred bombers and attack aircraft of various types, like tireless steel falcons, took turns launching attacks, raining down nearly 6,000 tons of various types of aerial bombs and incendiary bombs on the Japanese army's carefully constructed defensive fortifications.

This was an absolute destruction from the sky that the Japanese army had never experienced since the outbreak of the invasion of China.

Such intense and continuous bombing had a devastating effect.

According to preliminary assessments from aerial reconnaissance, more than 50 percent of the trenches on the outer perimeter of the Japanese forces were destroyed or filled in, and 70 percent of the permanent and semi-permanent bunkers and pillboxes were directly destroyed.

As for casualties, although precise figures are not yet available, intelligence from reconnaissance aircraft indicates that ambulance sirens have been constantly blaring in major hospitals in Taiyuan for the past two days, all wards are full, and even the corridors are filled with groaning wounded soldiers.

The air strikes were just an appetizer; the real deciding factor was the thunderous strike from the ground forces. And for this strike, they prepared an incredibly generous "gift" for the Japanese army.

After two days of getting to know each other and working together, they have developed a preliminary understanding.

Just then, a young intelligence officer carrying a leather document bag walked briskly to the sand table.

With a sharp "snap," he stood at attention, saluted, and said in a loud voice.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, Commander Bai, and Brigade Commander Chen, these are photos taken by the Flight Reconnaissance Squadron two hours ago after conducting the latest round of aerial reconnaissance over the Japanese positions. They have been developed!"

After saying that, he opened the file bag, took out dozens of ten-inch black and white photos, and neatly arranged them on an empty table next to the sand table.

Su Yaoyang picked up a photo first. The photo had an extremely high angle and clearly showed a Japanese army position that had been bombed to the point of resembling the surface of the moon.

The once orderly trenches have become fragmented, with huge shell craters connecting one another, and the once sturdy bunkers are now just ruins and rubble.

"Well done."

Su Yaoyang smiled with satisfaction and handed the photo to Commander Chen beside him. "It seems our pilots have lived up to our expectations."

"After dropping five or six thousand tons of bombs, Yoshio Shinotsuka must be heartbroken and jumping up and down right now, right?"

Bai Chongxi also picked up a few sheets and examined them carefully. He pointed lightly at a bombed artillery position and said, "The artillery position here has been completely destroyed. The machine gun positions on the flank and the two bunkers have also been destroyed."

By attacking from this direction, our casualties can be minimized.

Commander Chen took the photos and was deeply moved.

Looking at the photos of the fortified positions that had been razed to the ground, and then thinking of his soldiers who had been equipped with brand-new Japanese gear and were eager to fight, a strong sense of confidence welled up within him.

He nodded heavily: "With such air support, coupled with the courage of our 386th Brigade soldiers, I am confident that we can take the outer positions of Taiyuan within three to four days."

That confident and bold statement further boosted the morale in the command center.

He placed the photo on the table, put his arms on his hips, and continued his previous statement with great bravado:

"Now that preparations are complete, let our brigade take over the main attack! We guarantee that we will break through Taiyuan's outer defenses within three days!"

"and many more……"

Just as he finished speaking and was about to accept Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi's approval, Su Yaoyang suddenly spoke up, interrupting him.

Su Yaoyang frowned slightly, his eyes sharpening as he stared at Brigade Commander Chen and asked:
"Commander Chen, if I heard you correctly, you mean... you want your unit to be the main attacking force in this general offensive?"

Hearing this, he was taken aback for a moment, then said matter-of-factly, "Of course! Otherwise, why would we have traveled hundreds of miles through the mountains just to watch a show?"

He has always been a man who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, and who always repays kindness.

In his view, the 386th Brigade had just arrived in Wutai County and were unfamiliar with the place and its people. Without saying a word, Su Yaoyang replaced the equipment of the entire brigade with new equipment, from rifles and machine guns to radios and walkie-talkies. He also promised that there would be enough ammunition, as much as they could take.

They handled things so openly and generously. If the Eighth Route Army were still stingy and hiding in the back to pick up the scraps in the most crucial battle, would they still be considered valiant men? Wouldn't people gossip about them if word got out?

Therefore, he volunteered almost without hesitation to take on the toughest challenge outside Taiyuan.

He never expected that his sincere and determined proposal would be met with a cold shower from Su Yaoyang as soon as he uttered it.

Su Yaoyang's expression turned extremely serious. He shook his head and directly rejected the suggestion. "Commander Chen, please forgive my bluntness."

Looking at the bewildered man, Su Yaoyang said decisively, "I don't think it's a good idea to put your department in the lead right now. Please... let me explain..."

His eyebrows were already raised, and his face showed confusion and a hint of anger at being slighted. He seemed about to start arguing, but Su Yaoyang quickly raised his hand, making a gesture to calm him down, and spoke first:

"I say this not because I don't trust your unit's combat capabilities, nor because I look down on the soldiers of the 386th Brigade."

On the contrary, it is precisely because I value it that I cannot agree.

There are two reasons for this…

Seeing the slight displeasure in Commander Chen's eyes, Su Yaoyang remained calm. He held up two fingers and explained unhurriedly:
"First, in our initial operational plan, the selection of the main attacking force, the direction of attack, the timing of the assault, and even the firing data of each artillery position have all been simulated and rehearsed countless times by the General Staff. The relevant troops have also conducted several live-fire exercises for this purpose."

It can be said that the entire plan is like a precision clock, with every gear fitting perfectly.

If we suddenly change the main attacking force now, it would be tantamount to scrapping the entire plan and starting over. This would not only disrupt our operational rhythm, but would also be of no benefit to the final capture of Taiyuan.

He paused, giving Commander Chen time to process this first reason, before his tone became serious.

"The second and most important point."

Su Yaoyang's gaze swept over the remaining Japanese positions marked in red on the sand table. "Although most of the Japanese outer defenses have been destroyed by our planes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse."

The remaining bunkers, crossfire points, and anti-tank teams hidden in the ruins will still inflict considerable casualties on the main attacking force.

Simply using infantry to tackle this tough challenge will come at a significant cost.

He looked at Commander Chen and spoke frankly.

"Therefore, the troops we prepared for the first wave of the main attack consisted of our two armored regiments and two infantry regiments."

They would utilize the tanks' heavy armor and powerful firepower as the spearhead of their assault, forcefully tearing through the Japanese defenses and opening a path for subsequent troops.

At this point, he changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of apology, but his attitude remained exceptionally firm.

"If we rashly replace your unit with yours to take over the main attack mission, I may offend you by saying that although your unit has a strong fighting spirit and rich combat experience, I must say that you have no experience in combined arms operations with large-scale armored groups, and you lack the ability to coordinate infantry and artillery under the support of group artillery fire."

On the ever-changing battlefield, if we rashly allow you to cooperate with our armored forces, the chances of friendly fire will greatly increase if coordination fails. I don't want to see our tank fire accidentally wound our own friendly forces.

"Commander Chen, what do you say?"

Su Yaoyang's words were reasonable and well-founded. They pointed out the objective difficulties in tactics and fully considered the actual situation of the 386th Brigade. His words were direct but full of sincerity.

After hearing this explanation, Brigade Commander Chen, who had initially looked displeased, gradually calmed down and began to ponder.

He wasn't someone who couldn't listen to reason. The "infantry-tank coordination" and "infantry-artillery coordination" that Su Yaoyang mentioned were indeed the biggest weaknesses of their Eighth Route Army at the moment.

Sending a group of infantrymen accustomed to guerrilla warfare and flanking maneuvers to launch a frontal assault in coordination with a massive tank formation was a risk that he, as a veteran general, understood better than anyone.

He fell silent for a moment.

The command post fell silent for a moment, with only the soft ticking of the telegraph machine remaining.

Bai Chongxi, who was standing to the side, slowly spoke up, trying to smooth things over in his Mandarin with a Guangxi accent: "Brigadier Chen, what Mingxi said is absolutely right."

War is not a dinner party, nor is it an act of impulse.

"Good steel should be used where it's needed most. Let the militia's armored units tackle the toughest challenges. Once they've breached the Japanese lines, then your elite 386th Brigade can charge through the gap, divide and encircle the enemy, and expand your gains. That's the safest and least damaging strategy."

"Commander Su, Commander Bai is right, it was indeed my oversight."

Commander Chen chuckled and said, "I was only thinking about having a good fight, but I ignored the actual situation."

How about this? The Japanese forces on the perimeter are quite numerous, a full division. It's a bit too much for just your two armored regiments and two infantry regiments to deal with them.

How about this? I'll send two more regiments to assist you, so they can fight alongside you. What do you think?

"I think it's a good idea!" Su Yaoyang and Bai Chongxi exchanged a glance and readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)