Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

"Wang Chengzhu".

After hearing this clearly, Li Yunlong's expression changed instantly.

Could Wei Dayong really be a former bandit? He has a damn sharp eye!

He slammed his hand on the table, sending the wine bowl soaring high into the air: "What? Borrow Wang Chengzhu? No way! Absolutely not! He's my darling, my brother!"

Kong Jie watched with a smile, secretly amused: Wei Dayong had hit Li Yunlong's weak spot right from the start.

Wei Dayong, unhurried, poured Li Yunlong a bowl of wine: "Commander Li, don't rush, let me finish. The assault battalion's firepower is not bad, but it lacks a good gunner. I've heard of Wang Chengzhu's reputation. If he's willing to go and guide the training for three months, our assault battalion's artillery combat capability will be greatly improved."

"This..." Li Yunlong hesitated.

Kong Jie tried to smooth things over, saying, "Old Li, you don't have any cannons on hand right now, and Zhu Zi is just sitting around doing nothing anyway. Besides, it's only for three months; it's not like we're not going to pay you back."

Li Yunlong frowned, picked up the wine bowl, took a sip, and weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Wei Dayong noticed his hesitation, smiled slightly, and continued, "Is Commander Li afraid that once he goes to the assault battalion and sees the real equipment, he won't want to come back? Or does Commander Li not trust our credibility?"

"Bullshit!" Li Yunlong, his face flushed red with anger, slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Zhu Zi isn't that kind of person! Fine! You can have him! But it's a deal, three months! Not a single day more! If it's even one day longer, I'll bring my men to take him away!"

"Deal!" Wei Dayong cupped his hands in greeting. "Rest assured, Commander Li, Wang Chengzhu will be returned to his rightful owner in three months."

After the party ended and everyone returned home, Wei Dayong and Li Yunlong said goodbye to Kong Jie and went back to their respective posts.

The next morning, at the entrance of Black Cloud Village.

Wang Chengzhu stood there reluctantly, carrying a simple bundle of luggage on his back.

"Battalion Commander Wei, after three months, I'll go back to the New First Regiment," Wang Chengzhu said stubbornly. "If our regimental commander hadn't forced me to come, I could..."

Wei Dayong walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Wang, don't jump to conclusions. Although our assault battalion is disguised as bandits, our determination to fight the Japanese is no less than anyone else's."

Wang Chengzhu pursed his lips and said nothing more. He knew Li Yunlong's temper; since he had already agreed, there was no point in objecting anymore.

Ten instructors from the Independent Regiment arrived shortly afterward. They were all veterans in their thirties with fierce eyes, clearly seasoned veterans from the battlefield.

That afternoon, Wei Dayong instructed Lao Wu to inventory the supplies and have 20 rifles and 4000 rounds of ammunition delivered to the New First Regiment, with another batch sent to the Independent Regiment. These were spoils of war from the previous raid on the reinforced company of the First Battalion of the 358th Regiment.

Li Yunlong received the ammunition and beamed with joy. He patted the messenger on the shoulder and said, "Go back and tell Brother Wei that this deal was worthwhile! And tell Wang Chengzhu to give it a good lesson and make sure our New First Regiment gets some recognition!"

Kong Jie smiled and told the soldier who delivered the message, "Go back and tell Battalion Commander Wei that if you need anything in the future, just ask. The Independent Regiment will never hesitate to help!"

After arranging the delivery of supplies, Wei Dayong returned to his study and wrote a letter to Chu Yunfei.

In the letter, he requested that the assault battalion directly participate in the ambush of Sakata's regiment. He knew that Chu Yunfei was proud and probably wouldn't agree easily, but he still wanted to give it a try.

Three days later, Chu Yunfei's reply arrived.

Wei Dayong opened the envelope, read the contents, smiled, and handed the letter to Wang Xiao beside him: "Commander Chu is quite informal. But it's fine, we'll fight it ourselves."

Wang Xiao took the letter and glanced at it: "Battalion Commander, Chu Yunfei said, 'Your unit has only a hundred or so men, and their combat strength is limited. Please act freely and don't be bound by strict coordination.' He's looking down on us!"

"Combat effectiveness is proven in battle." Wei Dayong waved his hand. "Chu Yunfei is a smart man; he's afraid we'll disrupt his plans. But it's alright, we weren't counting on him anyway."

"Then what do we do?" Wang Xiao asked.

"Contact Li Yunlong and Kong Jie, let's discuss an ambush plan." Wei Dayong stood up, walked to the map, and said, "Chu Yunfei isn't counting on us, so we can just improvise."

Wei Dayong sent someone to invite Li Yunlong and Kong Jie. The three of them sat around the map and discussed in detail the ambush of the Sakata Brigade.

Originally, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie each expressed their own opinions, neither willing to concede to the other. However, when Wei Dayong presented his plan, the two were somewhat dumbfounded.

Could Wei Dayong really be a regular soldier?

The sheer extravagance of this plan almost blinded them!

In the end, while cursing the rich dog, the two agreed to Wei Dayong's plan with beaming smiles.

After the discussion, Wei Dayong called Ma Feng over: "Ma Feng, go to Daguzhen again."

Ma Feng was taken aback: "Battalion Commander, where are we going?"

"Go buy some grenades from our future partners," Wei Dayong said. "We have quite a few, but against a tough opponent like the Sakata Brigade, even more isn't enough."

Ma Feng's eyes lit up: "Understood! Don't worry, Battalion Commander, I'll definitely get it done!"

A day later, Ma Feng arrived at Dagu Town and went directly to the headquarters of the 358th Regiment.

Chu Yunfei was looking at a map in his study when he heard that Ma Feng had arrived. He put down the map and had someone bring him in.

"Commander Chu." Ma Feng saluted.

Chu Yunfei glanced at him: "What does Wei Dayong want now?"

"Our leader sent me to buy some hand grenades," Ma Feng said. "He said he has a phobia of insufficient firepower; the village doesn't have artillery, so he can only rely on his arms to swing them!"

Chu Yunfei frowned: "You're paying for it yourselves?"

"Yes." Ma Feng nodded. "Our boss said he doesn't want to owe anyone favors."

Chu Yunfei remained silent for a moment. Although he didn't want to get involved in these petty squabbles, he didn't object either. So he said, "I do know someone, the deputy director of the logistics department of the 71st Division of the Jin-Sui Army, surnamed Liu. He has a lot of ammunition, but... he's not easy to deal with."

Ma Feng smiled slightly: "Commander Chu, don't worry, I have a way."

Chu Yunfei glanced at him, said nothing more, but had someone write a note and handed it to Ma Feng: "Take this to him and say that I introduced him."

"Thank you, Commander Chu!" Ma Feng took the note and turned to leave.

Chu Yunfei watched Ma Feng's retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips: "This Wei Dayong is quite a smart man. Money is just a pile of worthless paper if you don't use it. He knows to find channels to buy ammunition to replenish his strength instead of relying on robbing."

Even now, he still believes that Wei Dayong and his gang are really bandits from Black Cloud Village!

Ma Feng took the note and went to Deputy Director Liu.

Deputy Director Liu, in his forties and overweight, greeted everyone with a smile. He took the slip of paper, glanced at it, and then sized Ma Feng up and down: "Introduced by Commander Chu? Which unit are you from?"

"From Black Cloud Village," Ma Feng said bluntly. "Director Liu, I'd like to buy some hand grenades."

Deputy Director Liu's expression changed, and he waved his hand, "No, no! The higher-ups have strictly forbid any dealings with the Communists; that's a capital offense!"

Ma Feng smiled slightly, took out five small yellow croakers from his pocket, and placed them on the table: "Director Liu, you've misunderstood. I'm a bandit, not a communist. The higher-ups have strictly forbidden trading with communists, but they didn't say I couldn't trade with bandits."

Deputy Director Liu stared intently at the five small yellow croakers, his throat bobbing.

Ma Feng pressed his advantage: "Director Liu, a batch of hand grenades, 5000 silver dollars, 400 boxes. What do you think?"

Deputy Director Liu picked up a small yellow croaker, weighed it in his hand, looked around, and lowered his voice, saying, "You're making me make a mistake..."

"Director Liu, you can't say that," Ma Feng said with a smile. "The ammunition belongs to the military, but the money can be your own."

Think about it, these ammunition are just sitting in the warehouse anyway, why not exchange them for some tangible benefits? Besides, regularly disposing of expired ammunition is also a sign of your responsibility, isn't it?

Deputy Director Liu was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright. As long as the Party and the State continue to pay this month's salary, I will be loyal to the Party and the State!"

However, let me make this clear from the start: this is a secret between you, me, and heaven. If anything goes wrong, I won't know anything.

"Don't worry, Director Liu," Ma Feng patted his chest, "We Black Cloud Village people are very tight-lipped."

Deputy Director Liu sent someone to the warehouse to fetch 400 boxes of hand grenades, and also had 500 entrenching tools brought over.

"Brother Ma," Deputy Director Liu said in a low voice, a smile plastered on his face, "consider these 500 entrenching tools a gift from your brother."

If you find our weapons and ammunition easy to use, you can come back to me anytime.

The warehouse might contain expired ammunition, but also other things...

Ma Feng was taken aback, but then he understood. This Deputy Director Liu was trying to curry favor, wanting to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with Black Cloud Village.

"Thank you very much, Director Liu!" Ma Feng cupped his hands in thanks. "I'll be troubling you a lot in the future, Director Liu."

Deputy Director Liu patted him on the shoulder: "Brother Ma, you're too kind. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. I still have some influence in the logistics department, as long as..."

He glanced meaningfully at the small yellow croaker on the table, but didn't say anything more.

Ma Feng understood and nodded, saying, "Director Liu, rest assured, we at Black Cloud Stronghold value loyalty above all else. Money is just an external thing; once we're brothers, we'll naturally share the good times!"

Deputy Director Liu nodded in satisfaction and had the goods loaded onto the vehicle.

Ma Feng paid the money and had it transported back to Black Cloud Village overnight.

Each box contains 50 pieces, so 400 boxes would be 20000 pieces. Adding to that 500 entrenching tools, this purchase was quite fruitful.

Looking at the mountain of grenades and entrenching tools piled up in the warehouse, Wei Dayong nodded in satisfaction: "Good! With these, we're much more confident in dealing with the Sakata Regiment!"

After all, with such excellent examples already set, he only needs to follow suit!

Time passed day by day, and the day of the great battle drew ever closer.

Eight days later, in a valley outside Luye County.

This is a long, narrow valley running east to west, flanked by rolling hills. The highest point is no more than 100 meters high, but the slopes are steep and the forests are dense. The valley is less than 100 meters wide at its narrowest point and no more than 300 meters wide at its widest point, making it an excellent location for an ambush.

Chu Yunfei personally led the 358th Regiment, which entered the valley in a grand procession half a day ahead of schedule.

This time, Chu Yunfei went all out. He wanted to show the Sakata Regiment the power of the 358th Regiment, and he also wanted to show Wei Dayong what the strength of a regular army was like.

Compared to the original timeline, where he only deployed Qian Bojun's unit, this time he chose to send out his entire force!

The 358th Regiment, as the main force of the Jin-Sui Army and the apple of Yan Xishan's eye, was a super reinforced regiment.

It is well-organized and well-equipped.

The regiment consists of four infantry battalions, one artillery battalion, one machine gun company, one communications platoon, and one medical team, with a total strength of over 5200 personnel.

武器装备方面，全团配备中正式步枪3800支、晋造六五式步枪600支、轻机枪120挺、重机枪24挺、晋造13式75毫米山炮8门、晋造75毫米迫击炮12门。

Among them, the artillery battalion was Chu Yunfei's trump card, equipped with eight Shanxi-made Type 13 75mm mountain guns, each gun was carried by six mules and horses, and operated by a crew of six, with a maximum range of 6000 meters.

On the other hand, the upcoming Sakata Regiment, as an elite force of the Japanese army, should not be underestimated.

The Sakata Regiment consisted of three infantry battalions, one artillery company, one transport company, and one communications platoon, with a total strength of over 4000 men.

武器装备方面，三八式步枪2800支、九六式轻机枪108挺、九二式重机枪18挺、九七式81毫米曲射步兵炮12门、九二式步兵炮6门、掷弹筒54具，另有卡车30余辆、骡马200余匹。

In terms of troop strength, the 358th Regiment had a numerical advantage, but the Sakata Regiment had a slight edge in heavy weapons and individual soldier quality.

Chu Yunfei stood on a high ground two kilometers away and raised his binoculars to observe the terrain.

"Pass on my order: give them a good beating in a bit. I want to see if these Japanese pigs know what pain is!"

Chu Yunfei turned to his staff officer and said, "The First Battalion under Qian Bojun will be deployed at the western exit of the valley, responsible for frontal blocking. They must suppress the vanguard of the Sakata Regiment outside the valley. The other battalions will be deployed as follows..."

After he finished making his arrangements, the battalions and companies quickly sprang into action.

The battalion of Qian Bojun, with more than 2000 men, constructed three lines of defense at the western exit of the valley.

The first line of defense consisted of two companies, which dug trenches and set up light machine guns and grenade launchers, taking advantage of the terrain.

The second line of defense consisted of a company, with heavy machine gun positions set up 50 meters behind the first line of defense.

The third line of defense consists of the battalion headquarters' directly subordinate units and the remaining two companies, which serve as reserves and are ready to provide support at any time.

The Second Battalion, commanded by Wu Ziqiang, with over 800 men, deployed on the hills north of the valley.

The hillside was steep, and the soldiers of the Second Battalion used rocks and trees as cover to position light machine guns and mortars on high ground, forming a dense network of fire.

Each platoon was equipped with observation posts to closely monitor the movements in the valley.

The Third Battalion, commanded by Wang Boyuan, consisted of over 800 men. They deployed on the hills south of the valley, with a similar layout to the Second Battalion, but with a greater emphasis on defense to prevent the Japanese from breaking out from the south.

More than 800 men from Wu Lang's Fourth Battalion, in coordination with the regimental guard platoon, deployed around the temporary command post.

The artillery battalion, consisting of over 400 men, set up 20 cannons of various types on the high ground, aiming the muzzles at three key positions in the valley. The artillerymen were conducting final calibrations to ensure that the shells would accurately hit their targets.

The machine gun company, consisting of over 120 men, was divided into three groups and assigned to three battalions. Each group consisted of 40 men and carried four heavy machine guns to enhance the firepower suppression capability of the forward positions.

Once the entire deployment was complete, more than 3000 soldiers were distributed on both sides of the valley and at the exit, forming a tight ambush circle.

Qian Bojun stood on the battalion's position, looking at the entrance to the valley in the distance, and sneered: "The Sakata Regiment? I'll make sure they never return!"

Zhang Fugui, the deputy battalion commander beside him, whispered a reminder: "Battalion commander, the regimental commander said not to underestimate the enemy."

Qian Bojun curled his lip: "Underestimating the enemy? I, Qian Bojun, have fought so many battles, when have I ever underestimated the enemy? They're just a bunch of little beasts, mere chickens and dogs!"

Zhang Fugui fell silent, but a sense of unease lingered in his heart. He knew that the Sakata Regiment was no ordinary Japanese army, but rather the elite of the elite.

Chu Yunfei glanced at his pocket watch and looked towards the entrance of the valley through his binoculars.

The valley was silent, with only the rustling of the wind through the grass and trees.

He felt a slight disappointment. He had expected Wei Dayong to come, but the bandit leader hadn't shown up.

However disappointed, the battle must still be fought.

Time flies, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

As the soldiers waited, the sound of hurried footsteps and rumbling vehicles gradually approached from afar.

The forwards of the Sakata United team began to enter the valley entrance.

A great war is about to break out!