Chapter 25: Night Battle! (Part 2)

  Thirty miles away, the temporary command post of the 36th Brigade.

  Just after settling the command post, the new commander of the 36th Brigade, Nakagawa Hiroshi, had not even had time to drink a cup of hot tea when an urgent phone call suddenly rang out. The deputy brigade commander, Honda Tsuyoshi, who took office at the same time as Nakagawa, quickly picked up the phone and said "moshimoshi" twice, his face changing color immediately.

  Nakagawa Hiroshi asked in a low voice: "Honda-kun, what's going on?"

  Honda had just put down the phone and said solemnly: "The 3rd Battalion, 5th Company's Tengyuan squad and Sakai squad were ambushed by the Chinese army half an hour ago, with heavy casualties!"

  "Hakka Yaru." Nakagawa Hiro heard this and his face suddenly changed, shouting loudly, "This is impossible! The military spirit of these remnants of the rebel army has completely dissipated, their will to fight has been thoroughly lost. At this time, they can only be hiding in the mountains trembling with fear, how dare they turn back to ambush the Imperial Army?"

  Honda Tsuyoshi stood up straight and said: "Your Excellency, this is a fact."

  Nakagawa's face turned pale and he asked: "What happened to Tengyuan team and Sakai team?"

  "Colonel, the situation is this." Honda explained hastily, "After Teng Yuan's squad was ambushed, Sakai's squad rushed to reinforce them quickly. When Sakai's squad arrived, the Chinese army had just left. Sakai's squad then pursued in hot haste, but unexpectedly, the Chinese army laid an ambush along the way while retreating!"

  "What did you say?" Nakagawa said calmly, "Retreating while laying an ambush?"

  "Yes, General," said Honda Katsu sternly. "Sakai reported that this Burmese army is very good at using the cover of night to make flanking maneuvers and even better at using terrain to build dense machine gun firepower. Most importantly, the tactical literacy of this Burmese army is extremely high, and their ability to execute the commander's tactical intentions is also extremely resolute. It is said that in order to cover the main force's flanking movement, three Burmese soldiers dared to intercept an entire Imperial Army squad on the highway!"

  "What?" Colonel Nakagawa's face changed color with anger. "Three Chinese soldiers dare to intercept an entire Imperial Army squad?"

  "Yes." Honda Tsune's expression turned grave. "Sakai reported that his troops had a firm grip on the Chinese army's tail, and with just a bit more effort, they would have been able to crush them. But the final outcome of the battle was completely beyond his expectations. Unbeknownst to him, his troops were suddenly outflanked by the Chinese army on both sides and in the rear, ultimately leading to their defeat."

  "Hachigaya Ru." Nakagawa Hiro said incredulously, "How can those stupid Chinese pigs possibly master the profound tactics of night warfare?"

  "Honda Katsu said without hesitation: 'Your Excellency, various signs indicate that this group of Indian troops has not lost their will to fight at all, and it is highly likely that they will use the cover of night to launch a counterattack against the Imperial Army. In order to avoid unnecessary losses, should we order each squadron and platoon to stop advancing and withdraw?'"

  "Pull back our troops?" Commander Nakagawa frowned and said, "Won't this let those Vietnamese soldiers get away?"

  "Honnda Kodo said, 'General, don't worry. Looking at the map, the entire Songhu area is flat, and the nine peaks of Matsue are the only mountainous areas within hundreds of miles. If the Chinese army really hides in the nine peaks of Matsue and doesn't come out, it will take some effort to find them. But if they leave the mountains and escape into the plains, that's basically looking for death. Our air force will find them.'"

  "Alright." Colonel Nakagawa thought for a moment and finally nodded, "Order, each squadron, each platoon to stop advancing and defend their current position!"

  …………

  Song County Jiufeng, north foot of Xiao Kunshan Mountain.

  The officers and men of the Bao Shan camp had finished clearing the battlefield and were rushing to rest.

  It now seems that Yue Weihan's intention has been fully achieved. After two consecutive small victories, the morale of this defeated army quickly recovered. That's how things are: after many victories, a mob can become an elite force; after many defeats, even the most elite troops will become a mob.

  Now, taking advantage of the fact that these defeated soldiers are still in high spirits, we must quickly lead them to transfer. Although Song Prefecture's Jiufeng Mountain area is good, it is a strategic dead place and this place absolutely cannot be stayed for long.

  "Map!" Yue Weihan suddenly stretched out his hand and exclaimed.

  Liu Xin has now become Yue Weihan's confidential secretary, and he quickly took out the military map from his pocket and helped Yue Weihan spread it out on a stone by the side of the road. Liu Tiezhu hurriedly handed Yue Weihan a flashlight, which he turned on to examine the map for a moment before muttering to himself, "It seems that this should be Xiao Kunshan, the northernmost part of Song Prefecture's Jiufeng."

  Yue Weihan pondered over the map for a moment, then instructed Liu Tiezhu: "Tiezhu, go and call Cao Lianchang and the others over."

  Yue Weihan is about to convene a military meeting. To say that based on Cao Xinglong and the others' current level, they are not even qualified to make any suggestions to Yue Weihan. However, Yue Weihan is well aware that in battle, it relies on collective strength. As the saying goes, "one hero needs three helpers". Without a group of capable generals supporting him, his troops would not be able to possess strong combat power.

  So from now on, Yue Weihan must consciously cultivate the tactical command ability of his main military officers.

  "Yes." Liu Tiezhu responded and left to carry out the order. Soon, Cao Xinglong, Chi Chengfeng, and Niu Dagen, the three company commanders, arrived in front of Yue Weihan.

  Yu Weihan said straightforwardly: "I called you here for one thing, what's next?"

  "His grandma, I really haven't thought about this problem, but I'm also too lazy to think about it." Chi Chengfeng said straightforwardly, "Yingzuo, you say what to do and I'll listen to you, old Chi will follow your lead."

  Yue Weihan nodded slightly, this Chi Chengfeng's characteristic is that he dares to fight and dare to fight, if given a clear task, he can do better than anyone else. But if you want him to exert his subjective initiative and independently command a battle, it would be somewhat difficult for him.

  However, Yue Weihan also understood that good generals are not born, but are forged in the fire of war.

  For example, the famous General Peng in the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, as well as General Xu, were not they also from humble origins? Yet, through years of tempering in the flames of war, did they not grow strong and robust? Whether it's tactical literacy or campaign command ability, compared to those Huangpu-born generals in the National Army, they are more than a match.

  So, Yue Weihan firmly believed that with time, Chi Chengfeng, this big roughneck, would definitely grow up.

  Yue Weihan's gaze turned to Cao Xinglong again. Among the three battalion commanders of Baoshan Camp, Cao Xinglong had the highest starting point, because he had been following Old Battalion Commander Yao Changqing since he was 14 years old. Yao Changqing was a genuine graduate of Huangpu, and Cao Xinglong should have learned some skills by osmosis.

  Cao Xinglong said: "Camp seat, I think it's not suitable to stay here for a long time, we should transfer as soon as possible."

  Yue Weihan nodded and said: "So tell me, where should we transfer?"

  Cao Xinglong said: "I think we should move south."

  Yue Weihan said: "Tell me your reason."

  Cao Xinglong said: "After the little devils occupy Shanghai, they will definitely attack Nanjing next. According to the little devils' consistent tactics, they will definitely send a detachment to attack Wuhan in order to cut off the railway line from Nanjing to the southwest. If we move north or west, we will be heading straight into the arms of the main enemy force. Moving east would mean going back to Shanghai, which is not an option. Therefore, our only choice is to retreat south."

  Yue Weihan couldn't help but look at him with a different attitude now, it seemed that this war was indeed quite a tempering experience.

  I remember when Yue Weihan first met Cao Xinglong, Cao Xinglong was just a security team leader who didn't want to think too much beside Yao Changqing. But in just a few days, Cao Xinglong became completely different, his thinking became clear and logical, but he still lacked a bit of maturity.

  Yue Weihan smiled and said: "Dalong, have you thought about the reaction of the devils?"

  "What about the devils' reaction?" Cao Xinglong said, "The devils probably won't let us off easily."

  "Now that we've reached this point, the little devils will not easily let us go." Yue Weihan said, "This can be seen from the fact that they dispatched two reconnaissance planes and over a dozen bombers to deal with us yesterday. With our limited military strength, it's not worth the enemy making such a big fuss, but they've done just that, showing that the devils have already hated us to the bone."

  Cao Xinglong said with a solemn expression: "In that case, it's going to be troublesome. From the map, we can see that within several hundred miles around Songjiang Jiufeng, it's all flat terrain. We won't be able to escape in just one night. Once daylight breaks, the devils will send out reconnaissance planes and we'll have nowhere to hide! Furthermore, the Shanghai area has a complex network of waterways. If our whereabouts are exposed, the little devils' troops can quickly arrive by both land and water, and the consequences will be unthinkable!"

  "What's up?" Niu Dageng scratched his head and said indifferently, "At worst, we'll just have to fight those little devils."

  "No, fighting is not done in such a reckless manner." Yue Weihan said coldly, "It's the same old saying, one must think things through! Dalong, you just watch and see, I, Yue Weihan, don't dare say that I can bring every single brother out, but bringing the vast majority of brothers to safety is something I am confident in. The little devils are troublesome, but after all, this is our Chinese people's territory!"