Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 295 I disagree
"Old Li, Political Commissar Zhao, let's go."

After exchanging words with Li Yunlong for a while, Ding Wei saw that his old comrade-in-arms's expression had softened considerably, and he could at least stand up straight and curse. So Ding Wei stopped joking, grabbed Li Yunlong's arm, called Zhao Gang, and headed deeper into the town.

"Old Ding, where are we going?" Li Yunlong was being pulled along by him, still a little confused.

"Stop talking nonsense, just come with me." Ding Wei ignored Li Yunlong and pulled him inside.

The three men passed through the noisy assembly point and arrived at a large courtyard built of blue bricks. Four heavily armed sentries stood at the entrance of the courtyard. They were dressed in crisp German M36 uniforms, wearing steel helmets, and carrying not ordinary rifles, but a kind of short-barreled automatic weapon with a peculiar design.

They stood ramrod straight, their eyes sharp. When they saw Ding Wei and the others, they simply gave a standard salute before a sergeant stepped forward to verify their identities. The entire process was meticulous, exuding the strictness of a modern military.

Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes. The sentries at the gate alone were more imposing than any elite Nationalist army unit they had ever seen.

Upon entering the courtyard, the house directly opposite was brightly lit.

As you push open the door, a wave of heat mixed with tobacco and sweat hits you.

The room was enormous, with a huge map in the center that meticulously depicted the topography and landforms around Taiyuan.

More than a dozen officers were discussing something in hushed tones around the sand table. They were wearing the same German-style military uniforms as the sentries at the gate, with their collar insignia and shoulder boards gleaming. Li Yunlong glanced at them but did not find any officers with ranks lower than lieutenant colonel.

What surprised Li Yunlong even more was that among the group of Chinese officers with yellow skin and black eyes, there were also several tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed white men. They were also wearing the uniforms of the militia officers and were pointing at the sand table, having a heated discussion with the Chinese officers next to them in fluent English.

The atmosphere in the room was tense and efficient, filled with the chilling anticipation of an impending battle.

Ding Wei led the two men forward and pointed to one of the middle-aged colonels, who was tall and had a resolute face, and introduced him: "Old Li, let me introduce you. This is Colonel Li Gaoyuan, the commander of the First Infantry Regiment of the Shanxi Militia."

He then turned to the two most conspicuous white officers: "These two are the commanders of the 1st and 2nd Armored Regiments, Colonel John and Colonel Full, respectively."

Li Yunlong's eyes widened instantly. An armored regiment? And two foreign devils as regimental commanders?
Ignoring his shock, Ding Wei continued the introduction: "This is Colonel Wu Qingyun, commander of the 6th Infantry Regiment. These two are Colonels Zhang Zhihao and Xiong Junfeng, commanders of the 1st and 2nd Artillery Regiments, respectively. This is..."

Ding Wei introduced all the main commanders in the room in one breath. Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang's brains went blank for a moment. Infantry regiment, armored regiment, artillery regiment, anti-aircraft regiment... What kind of god-like configuration is this!

After Ding Wei finished his introduction, Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang finally came to their senses, quickly composed themselves, and greeted the imposing militia officers one by one.

Although Li Yunlong was inwardly turmoil, he maintained his rough and tough demeanor. However, when shaking hands, he used exceptionally strong force, especially when shaking hands with the two artillery regimental commanders. The light in his eyes was so intense that it looked like he wanted to devour them, which frightened Zhang Zhihao and the other man into quickly pulling their hands away and retreating to the back of the crowd.

Since everyone was a soldier, after introductions, they quickly got down to business.

Li Gaoyuan said to Ding Wei and Li Yunlong, "Commander Li, Commander Ding, you've come at the right time. There are some things I want to discuss with you."

He pointed to the map and said, "Please look, this is the outer defense line of Taiyuan."

Yoshio Shinotsuka set up two ring-shaped defensive lines here, constructing a large number of bunkers, pillboxes, and trenches. The 36th Division of the Japanese Army, totaling 1.5 men, was stationed on these two ring-shaped defensive lines.

Our mission is to break through these two lines of defense and enter Taiyuan City in the shortest possible time.

Although some of the Japanese bunkers and trenches have been destroyed by our aircraft, many fortifications and bunkers still remain. Our ground troops need to clear them out. Do you have any good suggestions?

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Li Yunlong then said bluntly, "Commander Li, we're all from the same clan, so I'll just be frank."

Before we arrived, the brigade commander told us that our two regiments were there to assist in the attack on Taiyuan. He assured us that we would follow his orders and cooperate fully with any reasonable command.

Hearing Li Yunlong's quick agreement, Li Gaoyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As a commander with formal military training, what he feared most was encountering friendly forces that disobeyed orders and acted on their own initiative during joint operations.

Such allies not only cannot provide assistance, but will also bring countless unpredictable variables to the entire operation plan due to various unexpected actions.

This is also what he is most worried about.

However, judging from the reactions of Li Yunlong and Ding Wei, these two Eighth Route Army regimental commanders were both sensible and understanding men. They didn't act arrogantly or boss people around just because they were there to help. Instead, they adopted a humble attitude and cooperated fully. As a result, the battle became much easier to fight.

Thinking of this, a sincere smile appeared on Li Gaoyuan's usually tense face, and the tense atmosphere in the command post seemed to ease a little. "In that case, let me first talk about the combat plan that our staff just discussed."

He picked up a red and blue pencil again, pointing with the red end to the huge map on the wall. "Our plan is as follows."

His pen traced the outer defensive line south of Taiyuan on the map: "Since the outer defensive line of Taiyuan is more than ten kilometers long, if we push forward along the entire line, it will not only disperse our superior firepower, but also give the enemy time to react. Therefore, we do not need to launch a full-scale offensive at the beginning."

He pointed heavily at two hills marked with red circles on the map: "We just need to concentrate our efforts and take down the two bunker complexes, Hill 369 and Hill 287."

These two hills were two strongpoints on the Japanese army's southern defense line. Once they were captured, the entire southern defense line of the Japanese army would be essentially lost.

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's gazes followed the movement of his pen, their eyes sharpening.

They were all seasoned commanders who immediately grasped the essence of this "focused breakthrough, using key points to overcome overall obstacles" tactic.

Li Gaoyuan continued, "Once we take these two places, our armored forces and artillery can advance forward. Based on this, we can expand our occupation area to the surrounding areas, like tearing open a gap, and completely disrupt, divide, and nibble away at the Japanese army's outer defense line."

Once we've taken over the outer defenses, it will be time for our final assault and to capture Taiyuan in one fell swoop!

His words were clear and concise. Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Zhao Gang, who were standing nearby, exchanged glances. The plan was highly feasible and would make good use of the Shanxi militia's firepower advantage.

When Li Gaoyuan finished his explanation, the command post fell into a brief silence, with only the ticking of the telegraph machine remaining.

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei digested this rather advanced fighting style for them, and then Li Yunlong spoke first:

"Commander Li, we have listened to the plan formulated by your unit, and we approve of it."

But I have another question. What tasks do you plan to assign to Lao Ding and me?

Upon hearing this, Li Gaoyuan pondered for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts. He glanced at Li Yunlong and Ding Wei, then recalled the Eighth Route Army soldiers he had often seen, who were poorly equipped but full of spirit.

After a while, he said in a tone that was as tactful as possible: "This is what I think, because your unit... has no experience in combined arms operations and large-scale combined arms operations."

Therefore, in tomorrow's attack, they can be used as the second echelon, that is, the reserve team.

"Once our first wave launches its attack and breaks through the enemy's defenses, you can then follow behind and join the battle to wipe out the remaining enemy forces. What do you think?"

"No! No, no!"

Before Li Gaoyuan could finish speaking, Li Yunlong shook his head vigorously, his attitude so resolute that there was no room for negotiation.

"Commander Li, I know you're looking out for me and Lao Ding, worried that our men might suffer too many casualties. We appreciate your kindness. But this is not what Lao Ding and I want!"

He took a step forward and raised his voice: "Besides, we're here to fight the Japanese, not to follow behind you and pick up their scraps."

Of course, we do like the Japanese devils' swagger, but we also have our pride! We understand the principle of not accepting undeserved rewards!

He looked around, his gaze finally settling on the map, and then made a suggestion that surprised Li Gaoyuan and the others: "I think... let's just stop dividing into first and second tiers."

"Our two families have a total of four regiments, which can take turns attacking. Each regiment will focus on the main attack for half a day! No one can slack off, and no one can try to take advantage! What do you think?"

This... will work too?
Li Gaoyuan and the staff officers around him exchanged bewildered glances. Their minds were filled with meticulous calculations and tactical maneuvers. They had never seen such a simple and brutal fighting style, like a country bumpkin arm wrestling. This was completely contrary to military science!
He subconsciously exchanged glances with the staff officers around him, and then whispered a few words to each other.

Finally, looking at Li Yunlong's face, which screamed "If you don't give me the main attack position, I'll fight you!", Li Gaoyuan smiled helplessly but with a hint of admiration. He understood that the best way to deal with such a fierce general was to give him the toughest challenge.

He took a deep breath, nodded, and made a decision: "Alright! Since Commander Li has said so, let's settle on that."

Our First and Second Regiments, along with your Independent Regiment and the New First Regiment, will take turns leading the attack!

He picked up a pencil and redrawn the attack sequence on the map, his tone becoming more decisive: "Next, let's discuss the specific issues of artillery support and coordinated operations!"

(End of this chapter)