Chapter 95: Ding Wei Copies Li Muzhi’s Homework
“Brother, where is the Japanese invaders’ mine?” Li Yunlong immediately asked.
“Not far from here, three kilometers to the east.” The prisoner of war quickly said, “I also scouted the defense situation there with my men. As long as we can blast an opening and charge in, taking the mine won’t be difficult.”
“How do you know the defenses so well?” Li Yunlong asked suspiciously.
“Working for the Japanese invaders was too exhausting. I was thinking of escaping.” The prisoner of war explained.
“Then quickly draw me a defense map of the mine.” Li Yunlong sharpened his knife eagerly.
“Good, no problem.” This prisoner of war took the paper and pen handed over by Ding Wei, quickly and skillfully.
In no time, he drew the mine’s defenses clearly.
“Dabiao, immediately send men to recon the situation. Be quick.” Li Yunlong immediately ordered Zhang Dabiao.
Although the prisoner of war’s words were encouraging, as commander, he still had to have it verified.
“Yes, Regiment Commander.” Zhang Dabiao took men and went personally.
“Old Ding, here’s the plan: we’ll split our troops. I’ll hit the mine, you clear out the strongholds and sentry posts.” Li Yunlong looked at this map. His Independent Regiment taking half the prisoners of war would have enough troops.
Robbing this mine would make even more noise.
They must get the stuff back at the fastest speed.
That meant no more sneaking along slowly; they had to force march.
Those sentry posts and strongholds along the way had to be taken out in advance.
This would also fulfill the Brigade Commander’s mission smoothly.
“All the prisoner soldiers go with you, and New First Regiment’s Second and Third Battalions too.” Ding Wei thought for a moment.
He didn’t know the mine’s specifics yet, but since it was a Japanese invaders’ key site, there would definitely be plenty of profits.
Letting Li Yunlong take more men would maximize the captures without missing anything.
“You’ll only take one battalion. Is that enough troops?” Li Yunlong was stunned. Even with the Hell Cannon, that was too few troops.
“Most of those sentry posts and strongholds are puppet army, just for show.” Ding Wei was confident. “We just put the Hell Cannon right in front of them. If they don’t surrender, we shell them. That’ll scare them to death.”
“Haha, Old Ding, you’re a scheming advisor, and your psychological tactics are top-notch.” Li Yunlong laughed heartily and immediately felt reassured.
Indeed, the Hell Cannon’s reputation wasn’t hype.
At any stronghold or sentry post, the puppet soldiers would all be scared shitless.
If any were blind, one cannon shot, and they’d behave.
The most direct example was Factory Director Old Li Brother taking the Hell Cannon to Sunjiabao Stronghold for a test. One cannonball had the puppet soldiers there shitting and pissing themselves in surrender.
Ding Wei was directly copying Li Muzhi’s playbook.
“But for the captures from the strongholds and sentry posts, won’t you be short on manpower?” Li Yunlong remembered this detail. Ding Wei looked like one battalion, but really just over two hundred men, at most a reinforced company.
“How could manpower be short? Once the puppet army at the strongholds and sentry posts surrender, aren’t they the manpower?” Ding Wei had an on-site resource attitude.
The grain and other supplies at the sentry posts and strongholds could be carried by the captives.
His soldiers only needed to carry guns and ammunition. Perfect.
“Hahaha.” Li Yunlong laughed again. “True, true. Old Ding, you scheming advisor have a better brain than Kong Er Lengzi. Of course, compared to me, you’re still short one hair.”
“How could it be short one hair?”
“I have more hair than you.” Li Yunlong looked at Ding Wei like he was nearly bald.
“Get lost. Nothing good comes out of a dog’s mouth.” Ding Wei tossed a line at Li Yunlong and instructed: “The Brigade Commander always has me watch you. Now I can’t watch you anymore, Old Li. Remember, after taking the mine, withdraw at top speed. No side adventures.”
Ding Wei wasn’t dumb; his mind was clear as a mirror.
Why did the Brigade Commander have him tag along with Li Yunlong’s action?
To keep Li Yunlong on a leash at key moments.
Now Ding Wei had to clear the return path and open the way for the transportation team. He had to go handle it personally and couldn’t stay with Li Yunlong.
“Old Ding, don’t worry. Brother here absolutely won’t make trouble for you.” Li Yunlong nodded seriously.
“Regiment Commander Chu, are you coming back with me, or going with Li Yunlong?” Ding Wei was preparing to leave with one battalion and the Hell Cannon, looking at Chu Yunfei.
Chu Yunfei still had a guard company. Ding Wei thought if Chu Yunfei came back with him, that’d be good too.
His guard company had good equipment and could help make a show of force, adding to the effect.
“I’ll go with Brother Yunlong.” Chu Yunfei was also curious what kind of mine the Japanese invaders’ was.
Plus, Chu Yunfei had a feeling that sticking with Li Yunlong side would bring a surprise.
“Alright.” Ding Wei nodded, then said to Li Yunlong, “Old Li, take good care of our friendly forces’ Regiment Commander Chu.”
Chu Yunfei’s guard company had over a hundred men. Going with Li Yunlong, they might help him somehow.
What?
Could Chu Yunfei lend his guard company to Li Yunlong?
No need to worry then. If Li Yunlong needed it, he’d figure it out.
“Haha, Old Ding, don’t worry.” Li Yunlong nodded.
“If Zhang Dabiao’s recon doesn’t check out, don’t force it. Withdraw at top speed, got it?” Ding Wei gave a final instruction.
“Got it, Old Ding. How’d you get so nagging?”
Ding Wei took one battalion and left quickly. Chu Yunfei looked at Li Yunlong: “Regiment Commander Li, can Regimental Commander Ding make it with two hundred men?”
Chu Yunfei had sneaked along this whole way and knew those strongholds and sentry posts on the return route.
Two hundred was really too few. Bigger sentry posts had a whole battalion of troops.
“Regiment Commander Chu, no need to worry about that.” Li Yunlong wasn’t concerned at all. Psychological tactics relied on strategy, not troop numbers.
That scheming advisor Ding Wei thought fast, copying Li Muzhi’s playbook on the spot. If he still couldn’t pull it off, better not hang with Old Li anymore. He didn’t want dead weight.
“Brothers, let’s head to the mine right now.” Even though Zhang Dabiao’s men hadn’t reported back, Li Yunlong wanted to seize time.
“Yes, Regiment Commander Li.” Over a thousand direct lineage prisoners of war were all fired up, following Li Yunlong.
Helping the Japanese invaders work, every one of them had pent-up rage.
Now they could finally vent.
Even if many were still bare-handed.
But once the team broke in, stones, sticks, even teeth and fists could be weapons.
“Regiment Commander, if I remember right, on the way back, those sentry posts and strongholds’ puppet soldiers together have nearly seven or eight hundred troops.” Captain Sun Ming was following along with Chu Yunfei’s team and Li Yunlong’s. On the road, Captain Sun Ming raised the question, thinking Ding Wei’s troops were too few.
“We won’t worry about Regimental Commander Ding. Let’s focus on what’s ahead.” Chu Yunfei pointed. “I’m really curious what this Japanese invaders’ mine has that needs heavy cannons to crack.”
When Li Yunlong brought the team to the mine, he was a bit stunned.
The mine’s defenses were indeed strong. The Japanese invaders had turned a whole mountain into a fortress.
It looked like an impregnable turtle shell.
Ordinary infantry guns and mountain cannons couldn’t breach the defenses.
Without heavy firepower, it was impossible to take.
“Regiment Commander, from my initial recon, the Japanese invaders’ defenses all match up.” Zhang Dabiao had just finished recon and came to report to Li Yunlong.
“Mm.” Li Yunlong acknowledged and said: “Immediately form an assault team. You’ll be the assault captain.”
“Yes, Regiment Commander.”
Li Yunlong had Zhang Dabiao form the assault team while issuing combat orders to the rest.
Mainly Independent Regiment troops up front, prisoner soldiers behind.
After all, the weapons and ammunition captured from the concentration camp couldn’t arm all the prisoner soldiers. Most were still empty-handed.
The prisoner soldiers were very satisfied and touched by Li Yunlong’s arrangement.
On their side, for fighting wars, they often put cannon fodder up front and elites behind.
Here with the Eighth Route Army, they were placed behind, not as cannon fodder.
“Regiment Commander Chu, I’m about to start the attack. Do you plan to charge in with me, or watch from here?” Li Yunlong methodically deployed, and before the assault, glanced at Chu Yunfei’s guard company.
Half the guard company had submachine guns, fierce firepower. If they helped out, it’d be good.
“Regiment Commander Li, if Chu helps you out and we take this mine, how much are you planning to give Chu?” Chu Yunfei asked.
“Regiment Commander Chu, you’re from a big house. Don’t compete with us poor farmers.” Li Yunlong said seriously. “Can’t lower your noble status.”
“Brother Yunlong really knows how to joke. This is a mine!” Chu Yunfei was speechless. So I’d work for free? My guard company’s bullets aren’t free, and my guard company soldiers’ lives aren’t cheap?
“Haha.” Li Yunlong laughed. “Forget it, Brother Yunfei. Pretend Brother said nothing.”
Li Yunlong thought to himself, your guard company—I’ll get you in on it eventually. Wait and see.
As Li Yunlong maneuvered the Hell Cannon to aim at the mine, Captain Sun Ming said to Chu Yunfei: “Regiment Commander, we really not joining?”
The mine’s defenses were so fortified; there must be plenty of profits inside.
Watching the Eighth Route Army get rich while we stand by felt really sour.
After all, we were Jin Sui Army, regular army with status.
What were they, Eighth Route? Just a bunch of beggars.
Good stuff around, we can’t eat it, letting beggars have it isn’t right.
“Forget it.” Chu Yunfei waved it off, self-aware. This Li Yunlong clearly wanted to eat alone and have us work for free!
Competing with them wasn’t suitable.
His guard company only had over a hundred men; they had over a thousand. If things went bad, they might get pissed and disarm his guard company. That’d be real trouble.
