NCCnovel Chapter 4 Qinglong Village
Chapter 4 Qinglong Village
Before they knew it, the end of the year was approaching, and everyone's clothes had already been replaced with thick cotton-padded coats. With the New Year fast approaching, Tang Weiguo gave the soldiers a well-deserved holiday, allowing them to go home and spend time with their families, and also gave each of them two silver dollars as a holiday allowance. He told them to buy a couple more pounds of meat and have a good New Year.
Tang Weiguo considered it a small gesture, but it left a deep impression on the soldiers, and their loyalty to him increased significantly, which was something Tang Weiguo never expected.
Tang Weiguo, accompanied by the old butler and Hu Xiaohu, spent his first Spring Festival after transmigrating. Watching the joyful crowds under the fireworks, a deep worry lingered in Tang Weiguo's heart. Next year would be 37 years old, and the Japanese would begin their full-scale invasion. Tang Weiguo quickly thought, "When soldiers come, I will meet them head-on; when floods come, I will protect Tangjia Town."
Amidst the festive atmosphere of the New Year, it was now March of the 26th year of the Republic of China. Spring breezes swept through, and all things began to revive.
.....
Inside the operations center, a room in the Tang family's house that had been converted into a quartermaster's quarters, sat officers of various ranks from the militia. They chatted amongst themselves, but when Tang Weiguo arrived, they all fell silent.
"Everyone has been training for more than half a year, and it's time for us to engage in actual combat. An army that doesn't experience real combat is ultimately just a pretty face with no substance," Tang Weiguo said.
"Commander, how should we fight? The soldiers' swords are itching for a fight." Tang Xiaohu was eager to try, a typical warmonger.
"Bandits." Tang Weiguo had already planned who he was going to attack.
"We should also contribute to our hometown, carry forward the spirit of our local soldiers, and show everyone our strength," Tang Weiguo quickly added.
"Now, let Steward Niu give you a briefing," Tang Weiguo said.
During his training under Tang Weiguo, Niu Dali made rapid progress. Coupled with his great strength, he was so strong that it would take three to five other members of the special forces team to beat him. He was also quick-witted and resourceful, a stark contrast to his previous simple and honest self. As a result, Tang Weiguo promoted him to the position of platoon leader and stopped serving as the reconnaissance platoon leader himself.
"Everyone, look here." Niu Dali pointed to a sand table in the middle of the room, which detailed the mountains, rivers, roads, passes, counties, towns, and villages within a 100-mile radius of Tangjia Town. Tang Weiguo and his reconnaissance platoon wore out countless pairs of shoes to complete the recording of this sand table.
At first, the soldiers in the reconnaissance platoon didn't understand why they needed a sand table. They thought a map would suffice, and besides, they were all locals who didn't even need one. But after the sand table was built, everyone realized how important it was. Various terrain features were immediately apparent, making it much easier to command the battle.
The people's respect for the group leader grew stronger.
"The bandits near our Tangjia Town are entrenched in the Wolong Mountain area to the north, called Qinglong Village. They claim to have a thousand men, but according to our reconnaissance, they only number six or seven hundred."
Then Niu Dali pointed out the location of the bandits to everyone.
"Qinglong Village is located at the highest peak in the northern part of Wolong Mountain. The mountain is steep and easy to defend, with only one road leading up the mountain. Moreover, Qinglong Village has built fortifications on both sides of the road and equipped them with heavy firepower such as machine guns. Once the mountain road is blocked by firepower, it is very difficult to attack."
Furthermore, we learned from local hunters that Qinglong Village also has a small path leading to the Taihang Mountains, which can be used to retreat to the mountains in case of emergency.
"Qinglong Village has about 800 men, most of whom are equipped with Hanyang rifles, hunting rifles, and other weapons like knives and spears. However, nearly 200 of them are equipped with the same Shanxi-made Type 38 rifles as us, and they are also armed with machine guns, so their firepower should not be underestimated."
"In addition, the leader of Qinglong Village is called Shang Liangshan. He is cunning and treacherous, cautious in his actions, and cruel by nature. He burns, kills, and robs under the guise of acting on behalf of Heaven, committing all kinds of evil deeds. He is also good at management and has managed Qinglong Village as if it were an ironclad fortress. Several Jin-Sui Army units have previously tried to suppress the bandits, but all of them have returned empty-handed."
"Therefore, based on the information we currently have, Qinglong Village is a formidable band of outlaws, and they will be difficult to defeat," Niu Dali concluded.
"Tiger, are these bandits from Qinglong Village the same bandits who attacked us last year?" Tang Weiguo suddenly remembered the bandits he had encountered when he first transmigrated, who were also the culprits who caused the original owner's death.
"Commander, yes, it's that gang of bandits," Tang Xiaohu confirmed.
“Alright, let’s have a good talk with him this time, and take revenge for the robbery,” Tang Weiguo said.
"So, how do we attack Qinglong Village next? Everyone, please offer your suggestions," Tang Weiguo asked.
After thinking for a while, they looked at each other, but no one dared to speak.
Seeing this, Tang Weiguo thought to himself that the officers' tactical training needed to be planned ahead of time.
Seeing that most of them were silent, Tang Weiguo spoke up.
"According to the introduction by the sergeant above, Qinglong Village is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a forced attack, I believe that with everyone's current combat strength, there will be no problem." After such a long period of training, Tang Xiaohu was full of confidence in his soldiers.
"However, this would result in greater casualties. It's not worth trading the lives of our soldiers for the lives of bandits."
"Therefore, we can only outsmart them and find a way to lure the bandits down from the mountain, then ambush them on the way and catch them off guard."
"Moreover, I suspect that the easiest place for bandits to ambush is Sanjiaji. Sanjiaji is the only way to the county town, and the mountains on both sides of the road are high and the forests are dense, making it easy to hide troops and set up ambushes."
"What other opinions do you have?"
"The commander is right. According to the information we've gathered, Sanjiaji is a regular location for the Qinglongzhai bandits to rob traveling merchants. We can hide in the small valley behind Sanjiaji, and once the bandits attack, we can quickly surround them from both sides," Niu Dali added. After so many days of reconnaissance, Niu Dali knew the surrounding terrain like the back of his hand.
"Commander, the most crucial issue in this plan is how to lure the bandits down the mountain, and how to entice them to come down?" Zhao Dazhuang said.
"Grain, Commander, we need grain. It's just the beginning of spring, and the bandits who have been holed up in the mountains all winter are most in need of grain, making them the easiest targets to come down and rob. If we get a batch of grain as bait, we can lure the bandits of Qinglong Village into a trap, drawing most of them down the mountain, and then we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"Moreover, the most suitable place for us to transport a large amount of grain is Sanjiaji. Other places are too small to consume so much food at once," Tang Xiaohu added.
"Grain, that's a good bait. Even the landlords don't have any grain stored up anymore," Tang Weiguo said half-jokingly.
"Haha, everyone is sitting here laughing."
Tang Weiguo's plan to lure the enemy down the mountain was unanimously approved. With everyone's suggestions and advice, a complete plan to draw the enemy out of their hole was presented to them.
At the end of the meeting, Tang Weiguo announced the order.
"Tang Xiaohu led the 1st Company to carry out the decoy plan. But note that when they arrived at Sanjiaji, they should pretend to have accidentally discovered the bandits, and then immediately retreat slowly to lure the bandits forward and gradually establish a defensive position on the spot."
"The artillery platoon will move with you. Make sure the mortars are well hidden."
"Yes!" Tang Xiaohu and artillery platoon leader Sun Xiangqian stood up and shouted.
"At that time, I will lead the guard squad to act with you."
"Commander, it's too dangerous. You should stay in the rear and continue commanding."
"That's right, that's right, Commander, safety is the most important thing."
"Enough talk, my mind is made up. Besides, I'm the regimental commander. If I don't charge, who will? Remember, with me, we're invincible." Tang Weiguo was full of confidence in the soldiers he had personally trained.
"The Second Company is hidden in a small ravine in Sanjiaji. They will attack the bandits from behind enemy lines. Note that the operation should only begin after the First Company has engaged the bandits."
"Yes." Zhao Dazhuang stood up.
"Reconnaissance platoon, your mission is to locate the bandits' artillery positions before the battle begins and eliminate them as soon as possible. Based on previous military operations against bandits, the bandits have cannons, and more than one, so everyone must not let their guard down."
"Niu Dali, do you have confidence?" Tang Weiguo shouted.
"No problem, Commander. I guarantee the enemy won't be able to fire a single shell," Niu Dali stood up and accepted the order.
"it is good."
"Reconnaissance platoon, ambush the bandits on their way up the mountain, and make sure none escape," Tang Weiguo ordered again.
"Received, mission accomplished," Wu Dashan replied.
"This is our first real combat operation. When you get back, you must repeatedly remind the soldiers not to be careless and to proceed with caution in everything they do."
"The operation is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Everyone should prepare in the next few days and check the weapons and ammunition. Early the day after tomorrow, I will lead the first company to buy food."
"receive."