Resistance against Japan: Starting with the local militia

Chapter 78 The Japanese Intrigue

"We won! We won! We won!" The victorious soldiers could not hide their joy, jumping and shouting excitedly, releasing their elation.

Tang Weiguo plopped down on the ground, quietly watching the celebrating soldiers around him, feeling exceptionally calm.

Tang Weiguo subconsciously reached into his pocket, wanting to take out a cigarette. He felt around and found his pockets were empty. Suddenly, he laughed to himself. He hadn't smoked since he transmigrated.

"Commander, we won! Commander!" Zhou Liansheng ran to Tang Weiguo's side, squatted down, and excitedly shook Tang Weiguo's shoulder vigorously.

"Okay, okay, I know, if you keep shaking me I'll fall apart." Tang Weiguo quickly pushed Zhou Liansheng away.

"Winning streak".

"Here, Commander."

"Tell the soldiers to celebrate when we get back. Now, order all the soldiers to clean up the battlefield immediately and prepare to retreat. We don't know if the Japanese devils will come back."

"Yes, Commander." Zhou Liansheng happily ordered the soldiers to clean up.

At this moment, Niu Dali ran towards his location from a distance and said to Tang Weiguo.

"Commander, why are you on the battlefield? No wonder I couldn't find you at the command post. Those guys, Xiao Hu and his men, are really something, daring to send your commander to the battlefield." Niu Dali looked at Tang Weiguo with disapproval.

Not only in his eyes, but in the eyes of the entire regiment, the regimental commander's life was of utmost importance; even if the entire regiment were to perish, it would be to protect the commander's safety.

“What’s wrong with the regimental commander? The regimental commander is also a member of the regiment. Have you forgotten the equality between officers and soldiers that I’ve always taught you? This time, when you go back, you’ll be punished by copying the militia’s discipline 100 times.”

"Commander, please, let's talk this over." Niu Dali shivered as if he had thought of something terrible.

"Was the retreat of that attacking Japanese company your doing?" Tang Weiguo asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"I told you, you can't hide it from the regimental commander. Regimental commander, I have to apologize to you first. I led the reconnaissance battalion to flank and raid the Japanese command post without your orders and destroyed the Japanese command post. It's just that the enemy's reinforcements came too fast, and I didn't have time to check the enemy's situation. I just don't know if we managed to kill the Japanese commander."

"This doesn't need to be self-criticized; I want to praise you. Opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting. If you rely on asking for orders to fight, by the time you get there, it'll be too late. As frontline commanders, once you receive orders, how you fight is your business, but one thing is certain: you must complete the orders."

"I ordered you to return immediately to provide support after transporting the goods back, and you did that perfectly," Tang Weiguo said with a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment, Commander." Niu Dali chuckled sheepishly.

"Alright, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Immediately send a reconnaissance team to investigate the situation in the rear. The Japanese have gotten in touch with us."

"Yes, Commander, I'll go right away."

"Commander Tang, damn it, we won!" Li Yunfei said as he walked over with Zhao Xiaogang.

"Alas, it was only a partial victory. We sacrificed too much in this battle," Tang Weiguo sighed as he stood up from the ground.

“They all sacrificed themselves for the Chinese nation, and future generations of Chinese people will remember them,” Zhao Xiaogang advised.

Having served in the military for many years, Zhao Xiaogang had long been accustomed to life and death. He knew that although Tang Weiguo was a regimental commander, he was still a young man who had just grown up and needed time to adapt.

"Commander Li, we need to quickly clean up the battlefield and evacuate." Tang Weiguo stopped talking about sad things and instead discussed matters with Commander Li.

"Yes, I am currently working hard to clean up the soldiers in the Independent Regiment."

"As for the fallen soldiers, Commander Tang, we'll bury them on the spot and bring them home later," Li Yunfei said with reluctance. Although he also wanted to bring all the fallen soldiers back, the reality didn't allow it; there simply weren't enough people to do it.

Upon hearing this, Tang Weiguo paused for a moment, then said softly:

"Green hills everywhere bury loyal bones, why need a horsehide to wrap the corpse and return home?"

"Communications officer," Tang Weiguo called out.

"arrive."

"Order the fallen soldiers to be buried on the spot and marked, so that we can come and take them home in person later."

"Yes, Captain."

After giving his instructions, Tang Weiguo fell silent and watched the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield in front of him.

Time passed quickly, and Tang Weiguo saw that the soldiers had finished cleaning up the battlefield. Finally, Tang Weiguo led all the soldiers...

Shots were fired at the burial site of fallen soldiers to pay tribute.

"Soldiers, let's go home." Tang Weiguo led the remaining soldiers toward Wolong Mountain.

Meanwhile, in the Japanese headquarters in Taiyuan, a Japanese soldier was reporting to the commander in front of him.

"What's the status of the military train supplies? Have they been recovered?" Commander Murashita asked anxiously.

"Reporting to the Commander, according to the report from the Fujino Battalion, the Fujino Battalion that went to pursue the enemy engaged in a fierce battle with the troops that attacked the train. Fujino Kiichi was killed in action, and the Fujino Battalion now has only one company remaining."

"They've lost track of the supplies," reported Commander Murashita's confidant.

"You idiot! Fujino is a complete waste. He can't even catch up with supplies with the strength of a whole battalion!" Murashita Masakawa roared.

"Commander, what about the gold in the car? How are we going to explain this to those powerful figures back home?"

"Confess? Confess what? A bunch of greedy bastards! How much have I smuggled for them? Aren't they satisfied? This batch of gold was never meant to be seen in the open. If anyone else finds out, we'll all be court-martialed," Murashita Masakawa cursed.

"Should we continue to arrange for other battalions to pursue this batch of supplies?" the confidant asked.

"The fact that they were able to defeat the Fujino Battalion shows that their strength is not to be underestimated. We would need at least two battalions to deal with them. Currently, the Eighth Route Army is rampant in our controlled area. If we were to withdraw two battalions, it would have an impact on other areas."

"Moreover, this batch of gold is too sensitive. If others find out, it will be troublesome. We are now like the old Chinese saying, 'a mute eating bitter melon, unable to express our suffering.'"

"Commander, Your Excellency, should we let them go?"

"Let them go? Ha, my stuff isn't so easy to eat. Once the Empire's offensive in southern China stops, I'll request permission from the North China Command to deploy several divisions to wipe out the Eighth Route Army in the vicinity. We'll eliminate this bunch of enemies then," Murashita Masakawa said with a sneer.

"You're to send a battalion to replace Fujino's battalion and garrison their county town. First, find out the enemy's situation thoroughly. When the time comes, wipe them out completely," Murashita Masakawa ordered.

"Yes, Commander, I'll make the arrangements immediately." With that, Murashita Masakawa left the room.