Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 133 Stand still
"Hey! Didn't the commander say we were going to block enemy reinforcements? Why aren't we making a move?"

Duan Peng looked at the Japanese soldiers walking past him on their way to Ping'an County to reinforce the troops, and asked them in great confusion.

Wang Gensheng was very pleased to see the waves of Japanese soldiers going to reinforce the city, because in terms of numbers, the number of Japanese soldiers coming out of Taiyuan County had exceeded one regiment, and was close to two regiments, which was the strength of a sergeant.

It should be noted that Wang Gensheng had inquired with Liu, the translator, long ago that only one regiment of soldiers was stationed in Taiyuan County.

Therefore, the number of Japanese reinforcements now exceeds that of a regiment, so the most likely scenario is that Yoshio Shinotsuka left only about a battalion of troops inside Taihara Castle.

While Wang Gensheng was waiting for the reinforcements from the Taiyuan front area to move further away before taking action, Ding Wei, the commander of the New First Regiment, was already holding an operational meeting.

At the headquarters of the New First Regiment, the staff officer carrying a heavy intelligence load said to Ding Wei:

"The Japanese troops attempting to pass through our defense zone come from two directions: one is the Sato Regiment of the Japanese Army stationed in Taigu, and the other is the Takeya Regiment from Zhangzhuang!"

After the staff officer finished speaking, someone asked:

"What kind of equipment do the Japanese soldiers have?!"

The intelligence officer immediately reported:
"The cavalry and light infantry lacked heavy firepower, but these Japanese soldiers seemed unwilling to fight. They quickly broke off contact after encountering only a small group of local troops and took a detour!"

After hearing this report, Ding Wei looked at the map and said:
"It seems something big has happened to Li Yunlong, otherwise the enemy's reinforcements wouldn't be advancing so recklessly towards Ping'an County!"

Regarding Ding Wei's words, Intelligence Staff Officer Li analyzed:
"Could it be that Ping'an County has been attacked? There's only one independent regiment there! With such a small force, how dare Li Yunlong attack a county town!"

Upon hearing the intelligence officer's uncertainty, Ding Wei immediately said:
"It's very possible that there's nothing in this world that Li Yunlong wouldn't dare to do. If he had one or two lion-sized troops, he would dare to attack Taiyuan!"

Having said that, Kong Jie had also made up his mind to fight, and immediately said to Staff Officer Li:

"Staff Officer Li relayed my order: the front-line troops are to let the enemy cavalry pass and focus all their efforts on blocking the enemy infantry. The second-line troops must intercept the enemy infantry at Erdaohuzi! We must not allow the enemy to advance an inch!"

"Yes!"

With Ding Wei's order given, Staff Officer Li naturally carried it out without any objection. Just after Staff Officer Li left, the political officer of the New First Regiment spoke up:

"Shouldn't the regimental commander ask his superiors for instructions?"

In response to the political criticism, Ding Wei immediately said:

"There's no time to wait! Opportunities in war change in an instant, and they can be lost in the blink of an eye. If you rely on asking for orders to fight, you can forget about catching up with the next big thing!"

Despite Ding Wei's words, Zheng Wei still expressed his concerns:
"The problem is that if we fight like this, it will definitely cause a chain reaction. Our brother units and friendly forces in the surrounding areas might also be involved in the battle. Who knows if the General Headquarters will blame us in the future? After all, the General Headquarters has to consider the overall situation!"

In response, Ding Wei said:

"If I had a radio, I would definitely ask the headquarters for instructions, but we don't! Rather than missing a good opportunity, we should strike decisively. No matter if this enemy is going to reinforce or not, even if they are going to celebrate a birthday, we can't let them succeed!"

Just as Ding Wei made up his mind to block the Japanese reinforcements to Ping'an County, Chu Yunfei of the 358th Regiment also received intelligence that the Japanese were moving to reinforce Ping'an County. So he spoke up:

"Strange, who has the audacity to launch such a high-profile attack on Ping'an County!"

At this moment, a staff officer from the 358th Regiment also spoke up:

"Judging from the map's location, only Li Yunlong's forces can quickly gather enough strength to attack the county town!"

Chu Yunfei looked at the map and said:
"That doesn't make sense! There are battles in Fu'an, Luyang, and Shuiquan. The entire northwestern Shanxi is in chaos. Even if Li Yunlong were to wreak havoc on the sea, where would he get so many Wind Fire Wheels from!"

However, just as Chu Yunfei was analyzing the situation, an intelligence officer came over and reported:

"Commander, a small unit of the Eighth Route Army under Li Yunlong in the Jieyangou direction has engaged in firefight with Japanese troops coming from the Taiyuan direction. The Third Battalion requests permission from the regimental headquarters to send reinforcements!"

Upon hearing this news, Chu Yunfei immediately went to look at the large map hanging on the wall and said:

"This is reinforcements for Ping An. What is the enemy's firepower?"

Upon hearing the greeting, the intelligence officer delivering the message said:
"It's a light cavalry force, but it's followed by a large infantry unit, and they're also equipped with heavy weapons. But the Third Battalion says the enemy isn't interested in fighting and is eager to advance south!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunfei immediately gave the order:

"Send the artillery battalion and the fourth battalion to reinforce the third battalion. The first battalion is to flank the rear. Remember, deploy in echelons and engage in segmented blocking. No matter who is fighting Ping'an, the 358th Regiment will definitely lend a hand!"

Just as Chu Yunfei's side engaged in combat with the Japanese, Kong Jie, upon hearing from the cavalrymen gathering intelligence that surrounding troops were also exchanging fire with the Japanese, said:
"This is getting interesting. The battle is getting more and more intense. I think the headquarters is confused right now, but I think I'm starting to understand. It's probably because that kid Li Yunlong has caused trouble again. Otherwise, why would the Japanese be desperately moving towards Ping'an?"

Upon hearing Kong Jie's analysis, the intelligence officer of the New Second Regiment asked in bewilderment:
"Commander, you think the Independent Regiment is making a big move, but there's only one regiment's main force in that area, and the troops aren't many!"

In response, Kong Jie said:
"Who knows what this kid is up to? He might actually be attacking the county town! This kid's attack has mobilized us all. He's even more powerful than the Lion Chief!"

However, just as Kong Jie finished speaking, the phone at the headquarters of the New Second Regiment rang, and they received a report from the First Battalion at the front that a large number of Japanese troops, about two regiments in strength, were approaching from the direction of Taiyuan. The First Battalion was taking advantage of the terrain to put up a step-by-step resistance.

Upon hearing this, Kong Jie immediately said:
"That was awesome! So awesome!"
The fighting is getting increasingly intense! Even the Japanese soldiers from Taihara have been mobilized. It seems the Japanese are truly desperate this time. If that's the case, I absolutely cannot let them cross our defense zone.

The intelligence officer frowned and said:
"Commander, this isn't right! Logically, the Japanese troops from Taiyuan should have passed through the cavalry regiment's defense zone before reaching us, but we haven't received any information about the cavalry regiment engaging in combat!"

In response to the intelligence officer's doubts, Kong Jie said:

“Wang Gensheng’s cavalry regiment will naturally not stop them. Wang Gensheng has always liked to fight surprise attacks, raids, and annihilation battles. He either doesn’t make a move, or when he does, he annihilates the enemy. He would never fight a defensive battle like this! Besides, his cavalry regiment only has about a thousand men. It’s an elite force. How can such a small force withstand such attrition? Moreover, positional defense is not the job of cavalry.”

That's right, the two regiments of Japanese soldiers that Kong Jiexin's Second Regiment encountered were the same two regiments of Japanese soldiers that Wang Gensheng had let go.

(End of this chapter)