Chapter 39: Four Times the Enemy

Chapter 39: Four Times the Enemy

With extreme tension, the brigade commander took the telegram and lowered his head to read it.

Upon seeing the content, his brow immediately furrowed deeply.

He felt a slight relief—it wasn’t that troublemaker Li Yunlong causing problems again.

But his frown deepened because he learned that Ichiro Hirata from Heyuan County, after discovering that Qiu Village had been captured by the New First Regiment, had recklessly increased the encircling forces.

Hirata had pulled an additional puppet regiment this time, meaning the New First Regiment now faced over three thousand puppet soldiers.

Including a company of Japanese troops, the enemy’s strength was four times that of Li Yunlong’s New First Regiment.

That was why the deputy commander had said Li Yunlong had stirred up quite a mess.

“Old Chen, you’d better hurry back and take charge,” the deputy commander said to the brigade commander. “Tell Li Yunlong not to act recklessly. If he can’t handle it, the New First Regiment should withdraw.”

“Understood, Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff. I’m leaving now,” the brigade commander said hastily as he took his leave.

Once the brigade commander left, the deputy commander turned to the chief of staff. “Contact Old Liu from the 129th Division and tell him not to reveal the true strength of the 129th Division.”

The 18th Group Army had secretly expanded its forces without informing either General Chiang or the Japanese.

If their strength was exposed, not only would they face retaliation from Chiang, but more importantly, the deputy commander was secretly planning a large-scale raid. Prematurely revealing their strength would invite heavy Japanese encirclement and likely cause the operation to fail.

Facing these three thousand puppet soldiers and a company of Japanese troops with just Li Yunlong’s New First Regiment and the Independent Regiment was a daunting challenge.

The 772nd and 771st Regiments of the 386th Brigade were tied down by other enemies and couldn’t support the New First Regiment. Deploying other units from the 129th Division would reveal their true strength.

“Yes,” the chief of staff responded.

—

New First Regiment Headquarters

“Damn it, that Ichiro Hirata really respects our Old Li,” Li Yunlong said after receiving the latest intelligence. He learned that Hirata had sent Jiang Deshui with three puppet regiments accompanied by a company of Japanese troops.

“Regimental Commander, the enemy’s strength vastly surpasses ours. I think it would be wise to avoid direct confrontation,” Deputy Commander Zhong Zhicheng advised. “Though our weapons and ammunition are sufficient, our combat effectiveness still needs time to gel. Facing an enemy several times our size isn’t a wise choice.”

“Old Zhong, you handle logistics; I’m in charge of combat decisions,” Li Yunlong replied bluntly. “They’re clearly targeting my New First Regiment. You tell me to avoid the fight—our territory is so limited, where exactly do you want me to hide?”

“But the Japanese and puppet forces are four times our size…” Zhong Zhicheng began.

Li Yunlong cut him off. “So what if it’s four times? Even if it were all Japanese, I’d still fight them! Besides, there’s only one company of Japanese; the rest are puppet soldiers. That makes it all the more reason to fight. Our New First Regiment didn’t grow strong by being scared! Old Zhong, if you’re afraid, you can take the logistics staff and avoid the fight. As for me, I won’t retreat. Hirata has handed me such a big meal; if I don’t eat it, I won’t sleep tonight.”

Zhong Zhicheng fell silent.

“Commander, how do we fight this battle?” Zhang Dabiao asked.

“Take a look at the sand table,” Li Yunlong said, pointing to the model in front of them. “Our New First Regiment’s territory stretches more than thirty kilometers in depth, mostly mountainous terrain. The Japanese and puppet forces have to rely on their own legs to enter and encircle us. We’ll occupy all the mountain passes and high ground in advance, along with other key points. We’ll use guerrilla tactics, hit-and-run attacks, and minefields to harass them for ten to fifteen days until they’re exhausted. Then, we’ll call in Kong Erleng’s Independent Regiment and pick a good spot to finish them off together.”

“Commander, where exactly is this good spot?” someone asked.

“Why ask so early? When the Japanese and puppets are worn out, the right place will naturally appear,” Li Yunlong answered, then turned to Wu Ze. “Wu Ze, do you have anything to add?”

“No, Commander. Your strategy is flawless,” Wu Ze shook his head.

Wu Ze had no objections to Li Yunlong’s plan to fight the more than three thousand Japanese and puppet soldiers sent by Hirata.

Back on Cangyun Ridge, Li Yunlong’s New First Regiment had faced off head-on with the Sakata Regiment of the Fourth Brigade, breaking out of a siege. That battle was far more difficult, trapped in encirclement and forced into positional warfare, yet Li Yunlong still upheld the New First Regiment’s reputation.

Now, though the New First Regiment had only about eight hundred soldiers, they could bring in the Independent Regiment for support. The combined forces would not be fewer than when they fought on Cangyun Ridge. Their weapons and equipment were no worse, and they even had an Italian artillery piece.

Moreover, this time Li Yunlong could employ guerrilla tactics more suited to his style. With the terrain advantage and support from the Independent Regiment, the battle against Hirata’s more than three thousand Japanese and puppets, though yet to begin, already had a foreseeable outcome.

“If you think of a better plan, tell me immediately,” Li Yunlong said to Wu Ze.

“Understood, Commander,” Wu Ze nodded.

“Since the plan is settled, I’ll start assigning tasks,” Li Yunlong quickly began issuing orders.

On the third day after the assignments, the brigade commander arrived.

“Li Yunlong, looking at your stance, you’re planning to take on all these three thousand plus Japanese and puppet soldiers yourself,” the brigade commander scolded, glaring at him. “Are you not afraid of bursting your stomach?”

“Commander, you say that, but our New First Regiment has been sidelined for too long. Now Hirata has sent us a feast we can’t miss,” Li Yunlong replied earnestly.

“Your strategy to wear down the enemy is sound, but your troop strength is too small. Even with the Independent Regiment, it’s not enough,” the brigade commander said.

“Commander, are you suggesting to send the 772nd and 771st Regiments to support us? That would be great!” Li Yunlong laughed. “If they come, they’ll have to follow my command.”

He was eager to command the 772nd Regiment, led by that formidable blind soldier Cheng. The thought pleased him immensely.

“You’re dreaming,” the brigade commander interrupted. “The 772nd and 771st Regiments are each tied down by their own enemies and can’t spare troops. The other units of the 129th Division cannot be mobilized either. The deputy commander said we must not reveal too much of our strength.”

“No support, no support,” Li Yunlong said. “Then Kong Erleng and I will finish this feast ourselves. The six artillery pieces we capture will belong to the New First Regiment.”

Hirata had now deployed an additional puppet regiment, bringing the number of artillery pieces to six.

“Look at you, wanting six artillery pieces for just one regiment! Then how many should my brigade get? Fifty?” the brigade commander swore.

“Not enough, not enough. For the sake of your great reputation, Commander, a hundred artillery pieces wouldn’t be too many,” Li Yunlong flattered.

(End of Chapter)