Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 344 Weakening
"Commander Kumamoto, our reinforcements have been transferred to the Ninth War Zone. We are short of both manpower and supplies."

Commander Muto Juichi, commander of the 21st Brigade, frowned and said to Division Commander Kumamoto, "Right now, our Imperial Army has a total strength of only about 25,000 men, and with the puppet troops, it's only about 40,000..."

Kawashima has already been killed, and Miyai could not be saved. Now, the Japanese brigades following Kumamoto Division Commander are the 21st Brigade and the Takeuchi Brigade from the First World War Zone.

The Takeuchi Brigade also suffered significant losses.

Because Yoshio Shinotsuka was in a hurry to carry out the sweep, neither the Takeuchi Brigade, the 21st Brigade, nor the Kumamoto Division were at full strength.

One division plus two brigades, totaling 25,000 troops, barely qualifying as a Class A division.

Before Muto Juichi could finish speaking, Division Commander Kumamoto angrily interrupted, "We underestimated them before, fell into the Eighth Route Army's trap, and lost our supplies, which led to our failure in the mopping-up operation. As long as we learn from this lesson and don't destroy our supplies, the Eighth Route Army is only three regular divisions; they simply don't have the ability to fight us head-on. Our 20,000-plus Imperial Army troops are more than enough to sweep them away!"

Knowing full well that I would come back and continue the sweep, the Eighth Route Army took over the natural gas arsenal. This is clearly a continued provocation against me!
Even without Commander Yoshio Shinozuka's orders, I must seize the time to launch the operation.

"Commander Kumamoto, these three divisions of the Eighth Route Army are indeed not worthy of confronting us head-on, but their base area is very large. Even if we add the puppet army to encircle them, our forces will still be insufficient," Muto Juichi questioned. "Moreover, they only have three divisions on the surface, but they have secretly developed many more troops. We don't know exactly how many there are."

The encirclement was not strong enough and could easily be broken through by the Eighth Route Army, so they quickly moved away.

As for how many teams the Eighth Route Army had secretly developed, even the bald man's side didn't know, and we on our side knew even less.

If the number is large, even if they are a mob.

But the greatest use of a mob on the battlefield is to deplete the enemy's ammunition.

The worst-case scenario is that there are too many of these rabble, and we will use up too much of our ammunition. Then the regular Eighth Route Army might take the opportunity to attack, and we will definitely suffer losses.

“This time, I’m going to change my approach,” Commander Kumamoto said, shaking his head. “I will no longer choose to encircle them.”

It is foolish to disperse troops to encircle an enemy when there are insufficient forces, and it also makes it easy for the Eighth Route Army to defeat them one by one.

After all, the Eighth Route Army is no longer what it used to be. They are no longer the group of beggars who couldn't get enough to eat and lacked guns and ammunition. Their arsenals are now providing them with very powerful weapons.

"Then how do we do it?" Muto Eleven asked.

"Our troops are rampaging through the Eighth Route Army's base area. Don't let the troops scatter, stick together as one!" Division Commander Kumamoto said through gritted teeth. "Wherever we go, kill them all, burn them all, loot them all. I don't believe we can't force the main force of the Eighth Route Army out. If we're lucky, we might even stumble upon their arsenal. Once we find their arsenal, we'll have their lifeline in our grasp."

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.” Muto nodded. “We started this sweep too hastily, and we haven’t had time to make many preparations. We really can’t use the old methods anymore. As long as our troops don’t disperse, there is absolutely no possibility of failure. As long as we are invincible, even if we can’t wipe out the Eighth Route Army in a short time, we can still turn their base upside down and make them restless.”

The previous sweep failed not only because our logistical supplies were destroyed, but also because our sweeping forces were severely dispersed and were defeated piecemeal by the Chinese.

This time, with our forces united, unless the main forces of the Eighth Route Army unite to fight us to the death, we cannot possibly lose the battle.

Under the new strategy of the Kumamoto Division Commander, the Japanese troops, along with their collaborators, charged directly and savagely towards the Eighth Route Army base like a pack of tigers descending from the mountains.

Due to the overwhelming force of the Japanese and their collaborators, the Eighth Route Army lacked the capability for direct confrontation and resorted to guerrilla tactics such as harassment and landmine warfare to outmaneuver them.

……

386th Brigade Headquarters

"This time, the Japanese troops are not dispersed. They are like a herd of bulls, rampaging through our base area. Although guerrilla tactics can keep us at bay, it will take too long." The brigade commander looked at the location of the Japanese troops on the map, his brows furrowed.

In the past, when the Japanese launched mopping-up operations, we couldn't defeat them head-on, so we could retreat.

But it doesn't work now.

The main reason was that the arsenal had grown too large, and the relocation of so many equipment and its entire operation could not be hidden from the Japanese planes in the sky.

Once this location is exposed, it's no joke.

Furthermore, the border region's arsenal is also working hard to produce weapons and ammunition for our army. Even producing one more day's worth of weapons and ammunition is of paramount importance, so we cannot allow the border region's arsenal to easily stop production.

The deputy brigade commander also frowned: "Yes, in the past, no matter how long we fought the Japanese guerrillas, we didn't care and we could hold on. But now it's different. If this goes on for too long, the Japanese might accidentally stumble upon our border region's arsenal. We need to find a way to disperse these Japanese as soon as possible."

"It won't be easy to disperse them," the brigade commander shook his head. "They launched another sweep in such a hasty manner, which shows they know where their weaknesses lie. Therefore, they will not easily divide their forces; we will have to think of other ways."

"Reporting to the brigade commander, Regiment Commander Li has arrived." At this moment, someone outside reported.

"Let him in." The brigade commander nodded; Li Yunlong was someone he had specifically called over.

This kid is a natural-born warrior; he always has a way to handle things in crucial moments. Let's see what good ideas he has.

Li Yunlong entered quickly and saluted the brigade commander: "Greetings, Brigade Commander! Li Yunlong, Commander of the Independent Regiment, reporting for duty!"

"Alright, stop playing dumb with me." The brigade commander waved his hand and said directly, "The Japanese mopping-up operations have started again. They're all united and rampaging through our base area. Do you have any ideas?"

"Didn't headquarters already set up a fake arsenal?" Li Yunlong asked suspiciously. "Wouldn't it work if we lured our elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army there, and then united to fight the Japanese?"

The elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army have quickly mobilized their forces, making a show of helping.

But Li Yunlong could figure out what they were up to even with his toes.

At that time, by using their strength against them, we can then launch a final all-out attack and most likely still be able to take down the Japanese.

"This plan from headquarters still carries risks. What if our elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army run away halfway through when things turn bad? In the end, if our army fights the Japanese head-on, the casualties will definitely be high." The brigade commander said solemnly.

"Yes, that's true." Li Yunlong nodded. Neither the elite troops nor the Jin-Sui Army were stupid; they had both been used by him before. This time, they would definitely have to be extremely careful.

To deal with these Japanese devils, we'll probably have to rely on ourselves in the end.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yunlong asked, "Brigade Commander, where is this fake arsenal located at headquarters?"

Although Li Yunlong knew that headquarters was setting up a fake arsenal, he didn't know its exact location.

"Here," the brigade commander quickly pointed out on the map to Li Yunlong.

Li Yunlong immediately looked over and pondered, "This is indeed a good location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. When the Japanese launch a strong attack here, we can take the opportunity to surround them from the outside, but if we want to severely damage them in one fell swoop, our casualties will probably be considerable. If we can find a way to weaken the Japanese forces in advance, it will definitely be easier to deal with them later."

"How do we weaken them?" the brigade commander asked.

“I do know a good place,” Li Yunlong said, pointing to another place name on the map: Wild Boar Valley.

The brigade commander looked at Wild Boar Valley, puzzled: "This location is good, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but what advantages does it have compared to the fake arsenal location chosen by headquarters?"

“The advantage is that water resources are very scarce here,” Li Yunlong said. “As long as the Japanese get here, we can trap them and do a good job. Maybe then we won’t even need to take action ourselves. Our elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army will be vying to do the work for us.”

"Hahaha." The deputy brigade commander laughed and said to the brigade commander, "Brigade commander, you know what, Li Yunlong really does have some clever ideas at crucial moments."

Once the Japanese are lured here, we no longer need to fight them head-on; we only need to suppress them with heavy artillery fire and prevent them from coming out.

This person is made of iron, and food is made of steel; if you don't eat, you'll be starving.

Without water, let's see what these little devils will use to cook.

Without water, even the most robust Japanese soldier wouldn't last long.

Once the exhausted Japanese soldiers were dehydrated and their fighting capacity was greatly reduced, the elite troops and the Jin-Sui Army never missed the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and win the battle against the defeated enemy.

The brigade commander laughed and said, "Li Yunlong, your idea is not bad. The fake arsenal doesn't have much stuff, so you can suggest to headquarters that we move it to Wild Boar Valley as soon as possible." Li Yunlong added, "Brigade commander, I think you should listen to Lao Ding's idea. At critical moments, Lao Ding's bad ideas are much more despicable than mine."

"Ding Wei is already on his way." The brigade commander nodded. When he called Li Yunlong over, he also sent someone to summon Ding Wei.

Ding Wei has strategic vision, so we should definitely listen to his opinion.

Got it.

Soon, a report came from outside: "Brigade Commander, Regiment Commander Ding has arrived."

"Let him in," the brigade commander nodded.

Soon, Ding Wei entered and saluted the brigade commander: "Brigade Commander."

"Ding Wei, the Japanese army is rampaging through our base area. Li Yunlong suggests we lure them to the water-scarce Wild Boar Valley and take them down when they're weaker." The brigade commander cut to the chase. "What do you think?"

"This is a good idea. These Japanese soldiers refuse to split up. If we can lure them all to the waterless Wild Boar Valley, we can trap them effectively." Ding Wei looked at the map and praised the idea.

The human body can go three to five days without food, but water cannot.

Moreover, the Japanese soldiers were on the march and fighting, which caused them to lose even more moisture through sweat evaporation.

If you don't replenish your fluids in time, you will quickly become dehydrated.

"It's a good idea," the brigade commander said. "But the Japanese aren't stupid. It's possible they know there's no water in Wild Boar Valley and won't cross it easily. What other ways are there to weaken their strength?"

After all, the brigade commander still had to consider the possibility that the Japanese would not fall for the trap.

If the Japanese don't fall for the trap, then it will still be difficult to handle.

Anything can happen on the battlefield.

“Well…” Ding Wei looked at the map and pondered for a moment, then looked up at the brigade commander: “Brigade commander, I’ve thought of a very underhanded method, but it’s a bit too underhanded…”

Before Ding Wei could finish speaking, Li Yunlong interrupted him: "Old Ding, if your methods weren't ruthless, the brigade commander wouldn't have called you here. Hurry up and tell us what you've got."

"Ding Wei, tell us what you think." The brigade commander looked at Ding Wei with great interest, wanting to see just how "too mean" Ding Wei was.

Ding Wei then said, "To retaliate against us, Yoshio Shinotsuka dropped a bacteriological bomb on our base. Although we have isolated the area where it was dropped, the bacteria won't disappear so quickly. If the Japanese troops sneak into the area affected by the bacteriological bomb, and the infection spreads rapidly among their troops..."

Before Ding Wei could finish speaking, Li Yunlong slammed his fist on the table: "Old Ding, you're really something else!"

Li Yunlong never expected that Ding Wei would actually make the Japanese suffer the consequences of their own actions!

This method is a million times better than Old Li's.

Those damned Japanese devils dropped bacteriological bombs; they're utterly inhuman. They deserve to be punished for their own actions.

The brigade commander said with a serious expression: "Yes, this method is indeed extremely vicious. These Japanese devils have no bottom line in war, so they should be made to suffer the consequences."

"I'm going to headquarters right away." After summarizing the details, the brigade commander looked at Li Yunlong and Ding Wei, "You two, continue to take the time to rest and recuperate. Without my orders, especially you, Li Yunlong, are not allowed to go out and cause trouble for me, understand?"

Li Yunlong and Ding Wei's troops caused trouble behind Japanese lines in Taiyuan. Although they achieved brilliant results, the troops suffered heavy losses.

The brigade commander has given them a strict order to take a rest.

“Brigadier General, didn’t the director of the Cui Village arsenal assign a seamless steel pipe factory? Why don’t I take this opportunity to set it up…” Li Yunlong couldn’t sit still.

The brigade commander interrupted: "We've taken over the Taiyuan Arsenal. They already have equipment for making seamless steel pipes. There's no rush now. Besides, that seamless steel pipe factory is so far away. Long-distance raids are no joke."

“We have the equipment to make seamless steel pipes, but Old Li thinks the more the better,” Li Yunlong laughed. “The troops are getting new recruits, and training on the parade ground is nowhere near as fast as going straight to the battlefield.”

"Ding Wei, you keep an eye on Li Yunlong for me." The brigade commander tossed Ding Wei these words and then quickly left the brigade headquarters.

"You two go back and rest the troops as soon as possible," the deputy brigade commander ordered Li Yunlong and Ding Wei. "If we want to fight tough battles, in addition to having good weapons, the quality of our soldiers is also very important."

"Yes, sir." Li Yunlong and Ding Wei saluted and walked out of the brigade headquarters.

"Old Ding, are we really just going to stay home and do nothing?" Li Yunlong leaned closer to Ding Wei. "This time, the Kumamoto Division's army came to sweep through again, and the brigade commander won't let us participate. It's really a waste of time."

"Old Li, the main problem is that our two units have suffered too many losses. Let's take some time to rest and recuperate," Ding Wei advised. "This war could go on for who knows how many years. You want to fight the Japanese, are you worried about not being able to?"

"I don't have such a strong desire to fight the Japanese right now. I just want to get more stuff and equipment for Brother Li's side," Li Yunlong said, scratching his forehead.

“But the seamless steel pipe factory that the director of the Cui Village arsenal mentioned is too far away; we really can’t reach it.” Ding Wei shook his head, understanding what Li Yunlong was thinking.

It's fair to say that Li Muzhi is now the pillar of our logistics.

Providing him with more equipment would definitely be of great significance.

But you also have to consider your own circumstances.

"The Japanese Kumamoto Division is currently waging a large-scale mopping-up operation, while Yoshio Shinotsuka is reorganizing internally. This is a rare opportunity for us." Li Yunlong, unwilling to give up, looked at Ding Wei and said, "Old Ding, think about it. If the Kumamoto Division is wiped out this time, how angry will the Japanese military headquarters be? If they launch another mopping-up operation, it will probably be on an unprecedented scale, causing a huge uproar. At that time, our base will be completely surrounded, and the opportunity to take over that even more distant seamless steel pipe factory will probably be gone."

“But we two don’t have enough troops.” Ding Wei shook his head, understanding the logic behind Li Yunlong’s words.

Regardless of which of his and Li Yunlong's methods worked, the final outcome for the Kumamoto Division was always a tragic one.

This will definitely anger the Japanese military headquarters, and the next sweep will inevitably be bloody and brutal.

The Japanese were far superior to us. Back then, we fought and maneuvered against them, which must have been incredibly intense. It would have been difficult to destroy their factories again.

"Let's call Gao Liujin along," Li Yunlong said. "I've already received word that Gao Liujin's team has grown to three thousand men."

"Three thousand people?" Ding Wei was stunned when he heard this: "Our current teams have only just broken through a thousand people again. How can Gao Liujin be so efficient?"

This time, the trouble in the rear of Taiyuan caused great losses to Gao Liujin's troops. When they withdrew, only a few hundred veterans were left.

In such a short time, Gao Liujin has expanded to three thousand people. How is this reckless guy so powerful?

"He got a general's sword, didn't he? He presented it to his brigade commander, and I don't know what got into his brigade commander, but he suddenly got so many more men. I'm so envious!" Li Yunlong said, drooling. "Unlike me, I kindly offered a general's sword to my brigade commander, and what did I get in return? I just got a scolding for nothing."

"I see." Ding Wei pondered for a moment and said, "Then you should contact Gao Liujin as soon as possible and ask him if he is willing to cooperate with us."

Ding Wei was naturally still following the brigade commander's orders.

If there are no conditions, let's just subdue Li Yunlong.

If we have the resources, we'll do it.

Since the seamless steel pipe factory has its eye on it, it has to be acquired.

"Okay, no problem." Li patted his chest confidently. Gao Liujin was just a simple-minded guy with strong limbs, much easier to fool than Kong Erlengzi.

(End of this chapter)