Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

Instead of answering directly, Wei Dayong asked in return, "Have you heard of Black Cloud Stronghold?"

Wang Xiao was taken aback, then nodded: "Black Cloud Stronghold? Isn't that a notorious bandit stronghold in western Shanxi? I ​​heard their leader is Xie Baoqing, and he has over a hundred men under his command. They occupy a mountain and rule as kings, specializing in robbing passing caravans. I've also heard that they've never targeted the poor."

"That's right." Wei Dayong's gaze was deep. "This Black Cloud Stronghold is what I want to attack!"

"Attack Black Cloud Stronghold?" Wang Xiao's face showed surprise. "Battalion Commander, that's a tough nut to crack. They have the advantage of terrain, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, those bandits are all desperate criminals, not easy to deal with."

Zhou Huaiyuan and Hou Yue, who were standing nearby, also came over. When they heard Wei Dayong's words, they both looked puzzled.

"Battalion Commander, why are we attacking Black Cloud Stronghold?" Zhou Huaiyuan asked.

Wei Dayong scanned the crowd and slowly said, "There are several reasons. First, Black Cloud Village is located in a no-man's-land, beyond the reach of the Japanese army, puppet troops, Eighth Route Army, and Jin-Sui Army. If we take it down, we will have a stable base."

"Secondly, Black Cloud Stronghold has been operating for many years and must have accumulated a lot of resources, including food, ammunition, and money. Taking it down will greatly replenish our strength."

"Third, those bandits have been harassing passing merchants for a long time, committing all kinds of atrocities such as burning, killing, and looting. By eliminating this scourge for the people, we can also win the hearts of the local people."

"The most important thing is the fourth point." Wei Dayong paused, then lowered his voice, "After we take Black Cloud Village, we can pretend to be bandits."

In this way, the Japanese army wouldn't treat us as a regular force to besiege and suppress, the puppet troops wouldn't dare to provoke us easily, and the Eighth Route Army and the Jin-Sui Army wouldn't pay too much attention to us.

"We can use our bandit identity to secretly grow stronger, and then reveal our true identity when the time is right!"

Of course, there is another reason, which is not convenient to say, and that is to avenge the original owner!

He didn't want to live a peaceful life only to be killed off by a plot device.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"The battalion commander is right!" Wang Xiao was the first to speak up. "Black Cloud Village is indeed a good place."

"However," Zhou Huaiyuan frowned, "Black Cloud Stronghold is heavily defended. How do we break in?"

Wei Dayong smiled slightly: "You don't need to worry about that. I have inside information."

"According to intelligence, Black Cloud Stronghold is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one mountain road in and out. They have about 150 people, divided into three parts: the front stronghold, the middle stronghold, and the rear stronghold."

"The front village is the first line of defense, the middle village is the main residential area, where the chief Xie Baoqing lives. The rear village is where the warehouses and reserve forces are located, and most importantly, there is a tunnel leading out of the mountains."

Everyone was surprised after hearing the information Wei Dayong provided.

"Battalion Commander, where did this intelligence come from?" Zhou Wenxu couldn't help but ask.

"You don't need to worry about that." Wei Dayong certainly wouldn't say that this intelligence came from memories of the future. "In short, the intelligence is absolutely reliable."

"Since the intelligence is so detailed, let's get started!" Hou Yue slapped his thigh and said excitedly.

"Okay!" Wei Dayong nodded. "However, let's rest for a day first, get the team organized, and prepare all the supplies before we set off."

The next day, the assault battalion got busy.

Old Wu led the logistics platoon in inventorying supplies and packing up everything usable. Wang Xiao was busy reorganizing the three companies and assigning personnel to their posts. Wei Dayong personally trained the guard platoon, teaching them how to use weapons captured from the Japanese special forces.

On the morning of the third day, just as dawn was breaking, the assault battalion set off.

A group of over three hundred people, carrying all their belongings, set off along the mountain path towards Black Cloud Village.

After trekking over mountains and valleys, stopping and starting along the way, and after more than a day of travel, we finally arrived at the outskirts of Black Cloud Village.

Wei Dayong found a secluded hillside and had the team stop to rest. He pretended to pick up his binoculars, but actually focused his mind on them.

With his "Six Directions Observation" skill activated, information about the terrain and personnel within a five-kilometer radius was clearly presented in his mind.

Just as I remembered from my previous life, Black Cloud Stronghold was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only a narrow mountain path leading to the gate. The stronghold was built against the mountain and divided into three parts: front, middle, and rear, each patrolled by bandits.

At the gate of the stockade, a heavy machine gun was mounted high up, and several bandits paced back and forth nearby. From the high vantage point, a sentry vigilantly observed the surroundings.

Wei Dayong put down his binoculars and said to Wang Xiao and the others, "The situation is consistent with the intelligence. Black Cloud Stronghold is indeed difficult to attack, but it is not without weaknesses."

He pointed to the distant mountain stronghold and began to deploy his battle plan: "I will divide the troops into three routes. One route, led by Wang Xiao, will be a company that will impersonate the Eighth Route Army and attack the gate from the front to draw enemy fire."

Remember, you don't need to launch a full-scale attack; just draw their attention to them.

"The Second Company, led by Zhou Huaiyuan, will climb up the cliff on the east side to launch a surprise attack on the high ground. Once successful, they will control the firing positions above and turn their guns to fire at the enemy."

"The Third Company, led by Hou Yue, infiltrated through the tunnel in the back village, then opened the back door, coordinating with the outside."

"I led the guard platoon as an assault force, ready to support all directions at any time."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wei Dayong glanced at the sky; the sun was almost setting. "It's getting late. Let's rest tonight and launch the attack first thing tomorrow morning."

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the assault battalion began its operation.

Wang Xiao led his company along the mountain road, approaching the gate of Heiyun Village.

"Halt! What are you doing?" The sentry on the gate spotted them and shouted.

Wang Xiao raised his gun and shouted, "We are the Eighth Route Army! You bandits of Black Cloud Village, listen up! Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or we will launch a full-scale attack!"

The bandits on the gate laughed loudly: "You few think you can take down Black Cloud Stronghold? Dream on!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy machine gun began to fire wildly.

Bullets rained down, and Wang Xiao quickly led his company of soldiers to take cover behind rocks by the roadside.

"The battalion commander is right, the position of this heavy machine gun is indeed crucial," Ma Fenghuai whispered to Wang Xiao from behind a rock.

"Don't rush, let's stick to the plan," Wang Xiao said calmly. "Our mission is to draw enemy fire, not to launch a full-scale assault."

He picked up a grenade, pulled the safety pin, tapped it, and threw it towards the gate of the stockade.

The grenade exploded in front of the village gate. Although it did not cause much damage, it made the bandits nervous.

At the same time, Zhou Huaiyuan led the Second Company to launch a surprise attack from the eastern cliff.

The cliff was incredibly steep, standing eight or nine zhang high, making it impossible for ordinary soldiers to climb. But the Second Company had a climbing expert—Fu Zhuo.

It can only be said that the prisoner-of-war camp was full of hidden talents; those who survived all had one or two special skills!

Fu Zhuo grew up in the mountains, so climbing cliffs was as easy for him as walking a mountain path.

He tied the rope around his waist and, using both hands and feet, climbed upwards with the agility of a monkey. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had reached the top of the cliff.

The sentry on the cliff top was focused on the battle in front of him, unaware that someone had already crept up from behind.

Fu Zhuo quietly approached the sentry from behind, covered his mouth with one hand, and took out a dagger with the other, making a light slash.

The sentry collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

After confirming that there were no other enemies around, Fu Zhuo threw the three ropes off the cliff.

"Come up!" Fu Zhuo gave a safety signal to those below.

Zhou Huaiyuan immediately led the soldiers of the Second Company to climb up the cliff one by one using ropes. In less than fifteen minutes, the entire Second Company had reached the top of the cliff using more than ten ropes.

Zhou Huaiyuan led the soldiers of the Second Company to quickly occupy the high ground and control the firing points above.

"Brothers, turn your guns around and fire at the enemy!" Zhou Huaiyuan shouted.

The heavy machine guns were turned around and opened fire fiercely on the bandits at the gate of the stronghold.

The bandits at the gate were thrown into chaos, not expecting to be attacked from behind.

Just then, Hou Yue led the Third Company and infiltrated Black Cloud Village through the tunnel.

As he crawled through the tunnel, his mind wandered. His own battalion commander was truly resourceful, even possessing intelligence like this!

At the same time, they were filled with anxiety, unsure of the accuracy of the information. If there was any mistake, they would be handing themselves over to their deaths...