Chapter 146: Helping To Liven Things Up
Perhaps even he himself felt a bit embarrassed, Li Yunlong put on a stern face, “The matter is settled like this. I’m the regiment commander, and I have the final say!”
“Yes!”
Zhang Dabiao held back his laughter, saluted, and agreed.
Seeing the extremely lavish equipment of the team at the foot of the mountain, the envious and jealous Li Yunlong cursed under his breath as he led his team away.
Meanwhile, the impact of the fall of Wutaixian was fermenting at a speed far exceeding the expectations of those involved.
After receiving the news of the fall of Wutaixian, the commander of the Second Independent Mixed Brigade, Kitayama Yuwang, knew that things had gotten serious and immediately reported to Lieutenant General Meizun Meijiro, the commander of the First Army, requesting more reinforcements.
“Investigate… immediately investigate for me where exactly this Chinese army came from?”
In the First Army headquarters in Taiyuan, Meizun Meijiro flew into a rage at Chief of Staff Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi（, the first Japanese he had seen with so many obscure characters in his name）, a major general.
“Your Excellency Commander, we have already investigated it.”
Facing the furious Meizun Meijiro, Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi remained calm and unhurried, pulling a document from his briefcase and handing it to him with both hands.
Meizun Meijiro took the document, threw it on the table without even looking at it, “Tell me, what is the background of that unit, and who is its commander?”
“Hai!”
Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi bowed slightly and then said: “According to the report from our special intelligence personnel left in Wutaixian, the commander of this unit is named Su Yaoyang. The unit he leads belongs to a force called the Shanxi Militia.”
“Shanxi Militia?”
Meizun Meijiro was stunned for a moment, “Why have I never heard of this unit’s name before?”
“Your Excellency Commander is not aware.” Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi added: “Perhaps if I mention another name, you will understand. The predecessor of the Shanxi Militia was called the Nanjing Security Regiment.”
“Nanjing Security Regiment?”
Meizun Meijiro muttered a couple of times, his body suddenly shivered, and he abruptly raised his voice: “I remember now, it’s that unit that last year in Nanjing disregarded international law and brazenly released poison gas against the Imperial Army, causing heavy losses to the Sixth Division.
And just a while ago, it was the Nanjing Security Regiment that dealt a heavy blow to the Tenth Division and the Sixteenth Division at Taierzhuang?”
“That’s them.”
Seeing Meizun Meijiro’s shocked expression, Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi smiled bitterly and nodded. In fact, when he first heard about the origins of that unit earlier, his reaction had been even worse than Meizun Meijiro’s.
“This is bad.”
Meizun Meijiro’s expression became grave. He slowly stood up, walked to the wall, looked at the large map hanging on the wall, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said: “If it’s confirmed to be the Nanjing Security Regiment led by Su Yaoyang, then Wutaixian cannot be held. Kitayama Yuwang and his Second Independent Mixed Brigade are no match for Su Yaoyang.”
If half a year ago, someone had said that a full Independent Mixed Brigade of the great Japanese Empire could not defeat a local security regiment, they would probably be laughed out of their teeth.
If that person was a senior Japanese Army general, it would be even more outrageous; they might be warned or even removed from active duty on charges of shaking military morale.
But now, not only did Meizun Meijiro say it openly, even the listener did not object, but tacitly accepted this fact.
Suddenly, Kashiwabuchi Kazuichi’s expression changed, “Oh no… Kitayama just sent a telegram. He just dispatched two battalions to reinforce Wutaixian!”
Meizun Meijiro’s gaze sharpened, “Quick… immediately telegram Kitayama Yuwang and tell him to withdraw the troops at once!”
The two men’s reactions could not be called slow, but their warning was still a bit late. By the time Kitayama Yuwang received the telegram, the two battalions he had sent had already engaged the Chinese army.
Shifting the view back to the Wutaixian area.
The two battalions dispatched by Kitayama Yuwang set out from Xiangding County and Meng County respectively, heading straight for Wutaixian. One of them even carried four Type 94 37mm rapid-fire cannons, specifically to deal with the Chinese tanks.
The battalion coming from Xiangding County ran headlong into the positions set up by the 6th Battalion led by Hou Tianyou. The two sides instantly engaged in fierce firefight. On the other side, the 5th Battalion led by Liang Zefeng encountered some trouble.
Liang Zefeng wiped the sweat from his forehead; his military uniform was already soaked with sweat, sticking uncomfortably to his back.
The mountain wind at Xiaoling Peak carried the choking smell of gunpowder straight at him. He narrowed his eyes and saw the smoke rising from the ridge ahead like a twisting gray snake.
A force wearing gray uniforms was shuttling through the ravines and slopes, their figures appearing and disappearing.
They moved in groups of three, providing alternating cover as they withdrew. The gunfire was sporadic but precise. Amid the sound of bullets grazing tree bark, a tall and thin man suddenly popped out from behind a rock, shot down the nearest pursuing Japanese soldier with one shot, then crouched and slipped into the bushes.
Liang Zefeng raised his binoculars and found that the opponent’s tactics were extremely flexible, like a school of fish in a mountain stream, suddenly gathering and dispersing, always disappearing behind cover before the Japanese machine gunners could react.
He also saw a young soldier whose arm was grazed by a stray bullet, but he gritted his teeth, rested his rifle on a tree branch, and continued firing.
Then, the Japanese at the foot of the mountain began bombarding with grenade launchers, the explosions sending gravel and dust tumbling down.
Suddenly, a commander in gray uniform blew a copper whistle, its shrill trill piercing the clamor.
Accompanied by the whistle, the sniping soldiers immediately withdrew toward the steep slope to the northwest, their movements as crisp as if rehearsed a thousand times.
“Tsk…”
Liang Zefeng sucked in his teeth. The opposing force’s fighting style was too flexible, slippery as loaches. Their commander was definitely a tough opponent.
“Battalion commander… what do we do?” The 3rd Company commander came over to ask.
Liang Zefeng hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Of course we help. No matter what, they are a Chinese force resisting Japan. Commander Su also said that as long as we encounter any unit fighting the Japanese, no matter who they are, we have to help them out!
3rd Company commander, you and the 2nd Company commander flank from the left and right sides respectively. I’ll lead the 1st Company and the machine gun artillery company to support that brother unit from the rear.
Remember, move fast. Engage the enemy quickly before the Japanese react, use the advantages of our semi-automatic rifles and submachine guns to suppress the enemy, then rapidly eliminate their living forces.”
“Understood!”
Soon, the 2nd and 3rd Companies quickly flanked from the left and right sides. When they were two or three hundred meters from the Japanese, Liang Zefeng also ordered the machine gun artillery company to open fire.
The so-called machine gun artillery company was a new firepower reinforcement company established by Su Yaoyang for each infantry battalion.
This company was equipped with nine M2 12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns and six M2 60mm mortars to enhance the unit’s assault capabilities.
