Chapter 48: The Experience Summary of the 386th Brigade and the Movements of the Independent Mixed 1st Brigade

Several brigade-level officers exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

Given the haste, imperfections in the ambush positions and plans were virtually unavoidable. Furthermore, prior to the battle, no one could have anticipated such a situation arising.

Regiment Commander Cheng bore responsibility, certainly; with losses this heavy, the commanding officer indeed had to be held accountable. Yet, from the current perspective, no fundamental errors had been made.

Chief of Staff Li then pressed on, "What happened after the fighting started?"

"Our landmines and mortars performed exceptionally well at the very beginning of the engagement. Coupled with our light and heavy machine guns, we wiped out dozens of little Japanese in one breath."

"However, upon being ambushed, instead of retreating quickly, those Japanese soldiers stood their ground and returned fire, completely disregarding us."

"As the battle dragged on, our casualties mounted steadily. Their marksmanship was peerless, and their accuracy was terrifyingly high."

"According to post-battle statistics, we lost over twenty machine gunners. These were all fine comrades!"

Regiment Commander Cheng paused briefly, steadying his emotions, "And their mortar fire was extremely precise. Some soldiers reported afterwards that within fifty seconds of our light and heavy machine gun positions opening fire, the Japanese mortars would shell us right back..."

At this point, Regiment Commander Cheng still seemed haunted by the memory. "At the time, I ordered the troops to charge immediately, attempting to use our numerical superiority for close-quarters combat to wipe out the enemy."

Deputy Brigade Commander Chen chimed in, "That was the right idea!"

Political Commissar Wang also nodded. "Indeed. In that situation, shouldn't we resort to bayonet charges? We've always excelled at that kind of tactic, especially when dealing with those white-dog troops back in the days—"

Seeming to realize the impropriety of his phrasing—after all, this was the period of the Red-Blue cooperation—Political Commissar Wang paused for a moment and hastily corrected himself.

"Previously, in combat, hand-to-hand combat easily broke the enemy's morale."

"That is where the problem lay..." Regiment Commander Cheng sighed. "During the bayonet charge, our forces were completely outmatched. Those little Japanese soldiers cooperated with flawless coordination, fighting in small tactical groups."

"Even when wounded and surrounded, they showed no intention of surrendering whatsoever..."

"Their wounded soldiers would even detonate grenades to perish alongside our men."

"We suffered quite a few casualties because of this."

Regiment Commander Cheng continued recounting, "Moreover, the Japanese bayonet technique is genuinely formidable. Goddamn bastards, who knows what they eat, but every single one of those little Japanese is built like a young bull..."

"Clearly, the little Japanese have all received professional bayonet training, and their physical conditioning is vastly superior to that of our soldiers. Even the military backbones of our regiment, some of our veteran squad leaders, found it hard to gain the upper hand against them..."

"After this battle, we didn't capture a single prisoner. Some little Japanese who were wounded fell unconscious... and upon waking up, they either committed suicide or attacked our medics. One of our medics was killed as a result..."

At this point, Regiment Commander Cheng visibly struggled to keep his composure.

Li Yunlong patted him on the shoulder. "Those little Japanese are truly detestable."

"Though, come to think of it, we've also suffered our fair share of losses when fighting these bastards..."

Seeing the eyes of several superiors turn toward him, Li Yunlong explained, "However, we didn't engage in bayonet fights; we primarily relied on grenades to deal with them!"

"Some of the wounded Japanese soldiers, facing death, didn't think about how to survive, but rather about destroying their own firearms... This is the first time we've ever seen such a troop..."

"As for takeaways, there were some. We noticed that even during a rout, these little Japanese maintained basic tactical formations, avoiding blind panic or discarding their weapons and armor..."

Brigade Commander Chen nodded and put down his fountain pen. "Are there any other additions?"

Regiment Commander Cheng spoke up, "We discovered that when the little Japanese engage in bayonet combat, they spontaneously cluster together."

"Among these little Japanese, there is invariably one whose rifle has a national flag banner tied beneath the barrel..."

"Ah, that must be a squad leader or someone similar among the little Japanese, making it easy for them to find a core figure during the chaos..."

Li Yunlong stroked his chin and suggested, "Then wouldn't it be better to order the soldiers with good marksmanship to eliminate these little Japanese first in the future?"

"It's not that easy... Those little Japanese find cover extremely quickly, and their combat awareness and marksmanship are top-notch."

Brigade Commander Chen nodded. "We must figure out suitable tactics as soon as possible; otherwise, fighting like this results in unacceptable losses."

"Both of you share your thoughts as well. Is there anything that needs improvement—organization, personnel, or even tactical innovation? Speak your minds freely..."

......

The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.
Headquarters of the 358th Regiment.

Chu Yunfei stood before the operational map, occasionally fielding phone calls to the front lines to inquire about the situation.

Judging from the map, the Japanese 1st Independent Mixed Brigade had also mobilized and was already engaging the vanguard elements of the 3rd Battalion.

Upon realizing they were facing resistance, the enemy promptly changed course, bypassing the 3rd Battalion's blocking position.

Luo Weiguo requested permission to pursue; Chu Yunfei refused.

Though there were many roads leading to the Yuanping area, all of them had already been intercepted mid-route by the 358th Regiment.

If the little Japanese wanted to climb over mountains and ridges, Chu Yunfei wouldn't stop them.

Under the current circumstances, this portion of the Independent Mixed Brigade was highly likely to run straight into the 1st Battalion's left-flank blocking position.

When that time came, dispatching the 3rd Battalion to outflank them would not be too late.

"Commander, a telegram from General Wei... He is inquiring about our casualties and asking if we need cavalry reinforcements dispatched."

Chu Yunfei chuckled softly. Turning to look at Fang Ligong beside him, he remarked with emotion, "Brother Ligong, General Wei is certainly thoughtful."

"Reply to General Wei that our forces are currently in excellent condition, and ask him not to worry!"

"Yes!"

Fang Ligong then continued his report, "Additionally, Commander, the 386th Brigade sent a telegram an hour ago stating that they completely annihilated the transport detachment of the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade..."

"Completely annihilated?"

Fang Ligong nodded. "Yes, completely annihilated!"

Chu Yunfei nodded approvingly. "It seems our friendly forces possess even greater combat capability than we imagined. Send a telegram on my behalf to thank Senior Schoolmate Chen for his timely assistance..."

"Commander... should we seek instructions from General Yan first?"

Hearing this, Chu Yunfei fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Brother Ligong... such minor matters are merely a private courtesy; there is no need to report this to General Yan..."

"Understood!"

After Fang Ligong departed, Chu Yunfei's consciousness drifted back to the operational map.

Right now, adjusting the defensive deployment was of the utmost priority.

The 3rd Battalion's blocking position was no longer needed there; should they be sent to reinforce the 1st Battalion, or deployed to strike the enemy's rear?

Chu Yunfei remained somewhat hesitant.

Although the 1st Independent Mixed Brigade was not large in number, it was heavily equipped with numerous heavy weapons.

According to intelligence, this batch of enemy forces even possessed four or five armored cars and tanks.

This was going to be tricky...