Chapter Nineteen: Li Fugui Strikes Back

August 6, 1938, Morning, Xing'ergou

Standing before the ruins of the Xing'ergou Coal Mine, feeling the heat that had yet to dissipate, Li Fugui felt his blood rush to his head. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed. Although the Xing'ergou mine did not store any high-end weaponry, it was the nest egg he had painstakingly accumulated over a long period—the very foundation upon which he planned to leap from Heyuan County to a higher position.

Now, it was all gone. The workers, the equipment, the raw materials, the newly repaired weapons, and the stockpiled ammunition—everything had vanished. And that was not all; the opponents had even used explosives to demolish the brick-and-stone buildings and the mine shafts.

"Commander, it seems everything was hauled away, even the coke. The attackers ignited the coal piles in the mining area after the final demolition, which caused this massive fire," reported Du Yulin, commander of the First Battalion of the Security Regiment, as he trotted over. This man had once been a formidable figure in the underworld of Northern Shanxi. Known for his skill with a pair of box cannon pistols and his ruthless, murderous nature, he was nicknamed "Double-Gun Hunchback" or "Hunchback Du" because of his stooped posture.

"What about the people? Are there any corpses of the craftsmen?" Li Fugui’s fists clenched until they cracked. He had hoped that at least the things that were difficult to move might be left behind, along with the heavy equipment that shouldn't have been easily dismantled. Yet, they had taken everything. Even the planer he had acquired from Datong—which weighed three tons including its base and transmission system, with the base alone weighing 1.5 tons—could not have been moved without trucks.

"None. All the bodies were laid out in the open. Aside from five craftsmen and three foremen, the rest are our own brothers. Just like back at Yushugou, they were stripped clean, though they didn't behead anyone. The opposition deployed over two hundred men and fired nearly a hundred artillery shells; our men stood no chance," Du Yulin said, truly angry now. A large portion of the company stationed here consisted of his old followers from his days as a bandit. He had hoped his old comrades could live well here without suffering under the Japanese, but he never expected such an outcome.

He had carefully inspected the scene earlier. Many of his old brothers had been shot at close range from behind, and some had even been finished off with bayonets. It was clear that someone from their own side had betrayed them. However, he dared not speak of it nor investigate, for anyone he dared to question would surely react defensively. Desertion would be the least of his worries; getting shot in the back would be a far worse fate.

"Have those who fled been captured?" Li Fugui rubbed his nose, trying to stabilize his emotions. What was done was done; it had to be managed, especially so the Japanese wouldn't find out. Hirata Ichiro was not a man easily fooled.

"The ones who know the truth are likely in our hands. As for the coal workers, it shouldn't matter even if they did run off," Du Yulin replied with certainty after a moment of thought.

"Send everyone up to the mountains. Is it confirmed that the group from Laojun Temple is behind this?" Li Fugui nodded. Being able to hide this from the Japanese was a stroke of luck; he was deathly afraid of being made a scapegoat by them.

"Confirmed. A platoon leader saw soldiers from the Fourth Battalion among the attackers while he was fleeing. Combined with the fact that their equipment matched the Yushugou incident exactly, there’s no doubt," Du Yulin said, his frustration flaring at the mention of the Fourth Battalion. The Security Regiment was a complex mix of Northeastern Army, Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, bandits, and a small number of Shaanxi troops, not to mention the local thugs, opium addicts, and gamblers dragged in as cannon fodder. The strongest combat units were his First Battalion and the Fourth Battalion, which was centered on the Northeastern Army. The two battalions were often at odds, so they were naturally well-acquainted with each other's characteristics.

"Damn it, they think I'm made of clay just because I don't want to provoke them? Cangjing wants to blockade and nibble away at Laojun Temple? We will fully cooperate with the Gendarmerie’s blockade. On the soil of Heyuan County, are we to be lectured by others? What a joke!" Li Fugui gritted his teeth. In his view, this wasn't helping the Japanese; it was avenging himself. With such heavy losses, if he didn't retaliate, even his own men would look down on him.

"Rest assured, Commander. Even if they’ve swallowed our things, they’ll spit them back out. Laojun Temple is only a patch of land; it won't be hard to starve them out," Du Yulin said confidently. He had considered occupying Laojun Temple in the past, but the mountain lacked sufficient water, and there wasn't enough arable land nearby to produce food. As long as their supply lines were cut, the mountain would soon face a crisis. He didn't believe they had ample food supplies; with those 1,888 steps, transporting food by human labor was no easy task. He surmised the grain taken from Xing'ergou was likely hidden nearby.

"Hunchback, remember, do not engage in a head-on collision. These guns are our own; we cannot afford to lose more. Just gather some 'elites' every now and then to put on a show," Li Fugui instructed solemnly.

***

"Don't worry, we’ve brought in a batch of guys from the Datong opium dens who couldn't pay their debts to 'join the army.' Almost three hundred men—that's plenty!" Du Yulin understood exactly what Li Fugui meant: it was all about showing the Japanese that they were suffering heavy losses after a desperate, bloody battle. Without that, how could they expect the Japanese to provide more guns and money?

***

That same day, Laojun Temple felt the pressure. Several merchant groups they had agreements with vanished, and even the peddlers who usually frequented the area disappeared. Furthermore, the village elders and local officials came to complain, explaining that the puppet troops had begun blocking traffic, preventing movement in or out and forcibly arresting people. By evening, it was confirmed that dozens had been seized.

The puppet troops' countermeasure was within Wang Yue's expectations, though no one expected it to be so swift. Fortunately, the most critical food shortage had been alleviated, and other basic needs were met. However, if the noose continued to tighten, it would inevitably impact Laojun Temple. If they couldn't break the blockade, they would have to consider relocating.

At the first light of the 7th, Meng Fanle led the captured soldiers, under the cover of artillery, to raid a puppet troop checkpoint. Unlike previous encounters where they crumbled at a touch, this time the puppet troops relied on fortifications to launch a counterattack. What’s more, they immediately fired a red signal flare into the sky. Before the prisoners could even finish clearing the battlefield, Japanese Chiyoda armored cars arrived. The Yamazaki Detachment was locked in a standoff with the 358th Regiment in Dagu Town, but they had left their tank squadron to Hirata Ichiro. The Gendarmerie used these armored cars to form two quick-reaction squads specifically to deal with Laojun Temple and the Independent Regiment. Li Yunlong’s progress over the past two days had been stalled, and he had nearly been cornered.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Meng Fanle led his men and ran for their lives, losing 11 rifles in the process. Although they managed to drag back one Shanxi-made Type 38 heavy machine gun, the losses were significant. These battle-hardened prisoners were valuable assets; Li Yunlong had wanted them the moment he saw them, but Wang Yue had ignored him.

Subsequently, small Japanese-led puppet units infiltrated the area around Laojun Temple, beginning to harass the prisoners who descended the mountain to fetch water. The Independent Detachment immediately launched a counterattack, but the results were negligible. The opponents used Type 38 rifles, which were quiet, produced almost no muzzle flash, and left little smoke, making it difficult for fixed firing points on the mountain to provide accurate cover.

Ground-based encirclement was impossible because the Independent Detachment lacked the manpower; searching the Laojun Mountains would require thousands of troops and the willingness to accept heavy losses. With no other choice, Wang Yue activated two hidden bunkers at the foot of the mountain, which finally secured the water source. Everyone knew, however, that this was merely a stopgap measure, as the water source was a live spring; if the Japanese realized this, poisoning the water would be a trivial matter.

Sure enough, by evening, the quartermaster He Danan discovered that the water brought up the mountain was starting to taste strange. While the toxicity wasn't high yet, it was no longer safe to drink. Fortunately, they still had a reserve, but this wasn't a long-term solution.

Japanese armored cars also appeared around Laojun Mountain, provoking them from outside their artillery range. They even provided cover for artillery to fire several incendiary shells, igniting parts of the forest around the mountain. From the heights of Laojun Mountain, it was clear that the burning areas were all locations with mountain roads or easily traversable terrain—it was obvious the Japanese intended to further escalate the blockade.

The Independent Detachment sent an artillery squad with a dismantled Hotchkiss five-barrel machine gun to launch a counterattack, destroying one Japanese Chiyoda armored car and sending the tank squadron fleeing in panic. With only 6mm of armor, the vehicle was no match for 37mm steel-core shells; even Mauser pointed bullets could penetrate the junk within 300 meters.

The artillery squad seized three Type 91 light machine guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition before retreating. They realized there were many small enemy harassment teams in the woods, and their success this time had been sheer luck. Still, destroying a Japanese armored car was enough to make the enemy feel the pain. The Chiyoda armored car wasn't produced in high numbers—only about 200 were made—which was likely less than what major industrial powers produced in a single day.

On the other side, Gu Yufei received the latest intelligence regarding Dagu Town. Learning that the 358th Regiment was pinned down by over 1,000 Japanese troops, the Second War Zone Headquarters neither planned a counterattack nor provided support. Instead, they ordered the 358th Regiment to retreat southward into Ping'an County. Even Yamazaki Jiro was stunned; after trading several counterattacks with Qian Bojun, he had actually considered retiring, only to find that his opponent had lost his nerve first.

The 358th Regiment had several times the manpower of the Yamazaki Detachment, equal firepower, and a pre-constructed fortification system with pre-calculated artillery firing coordinates. Yamazaki had been struggling just to deal with a single battalion of the 358th Regiment, let alone the other units waiting in the wings. Yet, they had simply run away. It was truly absurd.

***

With the Yamazaki Detachment freed up, their next targets were the New First Regiment and Laojun Temple. Having fought continuously for so long, Li Yunlong was not short on weapons and ammunition, but his troops were exhausted. He couldn't let the New First Regiment be crippled protecting Laojun Temple.

On the 8th, the Yamazaki Detachment occupied the New First Regiment’s base at Xiaoli Village. Li Yunlong had already led his troops into the mountains and could no longer harass the Japanese in Heyuan County. However, he had escorted Yan Shuzhai and his men back, aiming to continue their business. This fellow had managed to scrounge up another 56 Type 38 rifles and wanted to trade them to the Independent Detachment for domestically produced rifles, specifically the Shanxi-made Type 65.

At present, the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army hadn't yet been equipped with the inferior rifles produced in Guangyuan and Chenggu, so the quality of the Shanxi-made Type 65 was still quite decent. Later, when they started using railway steel to forge barrels, the quality plummeted to the point where it was on par with the Eighth Route Army’s homemade cavalry rifles, with the barrels lasting only a few hundred rounds. This was compounded by a change in caliber from 6.5mm to 7.9mm, which drastically reduced the lifespan of the existing rifles.

Wang Yue did not skimp; he gave Li Yunlong 56 Shanxi-made Type 65 rifles and 56 old "Old Sleeve" (Hanyang 88) rifles, along with 2,000 rounds of black-powder ammunition reloaded by Li Fugui’s side. He wouldn't use this stuff himself, but giving it to Li Yunlong was a favor. The Eighth Route Army were professionals when it came to using inferior ammunition—they knew exactly how to adjust the sights and when to clean the chamber.

After questioning Yan Shuzhai, Wang Yue learned that Li Yunlong had actually traded the Shanxi-made Type 65s to the 772nd Regiment in exchange for this batch of Type 38s, making a profit of dozens of rifles in a single flip. One had to admit, Li Yunlong was a master of business; it was a mystery how he had tricked Cheng Shifa.

Yan Shuzhai had also traded four Honda bicycles from Li Yunlong at the cost of four Dreyse rifles. They were brand new, with the maintenance kits and spare parts still sealed. These were useless in Li Yunlong’s hands, but their value far exceeded that of the four Dreyse rifles. Wang Yue couldn't quite determine if he had come out on the losing end.

The other piece of news Yan Shuzhai brought back was that the Japanese were building bunkers along the roads leading from the mountains to the outside world. They were larger, sturdier, and featured multi-layered composite walls that were far beyond what a 37mm autocannon could easily smash. Once these Japanese bunkers were completed, Laojun Mountain would no longer be able to receive any supplies from the direction of Heyuan County.

Without supplies, Laojun Mountain would gradually wither and perish. The Japanese clearly believed the same. Strangely enough, Yamazaki Jiro didn't seem like the type to sit still; why hadn't he moved yet?

Finally, Gu Yufei obtained the latest intelligence through her connections with the Military Statistics Bureau. It turned out that Qian Bojun was behind it again. Distrustful of the officers at the Second War Zone Headquarters and fearing they would sell him out to the Japanese, he had stayed behind with a mortar platoon when the rest of the army retreated. Seizing the moment, he launched a sudden artillery strike on Yamazaki Jiro’s headquarters. While the specific details were still unknown, it was confirmed that Qian Bojun had indeed taken out the Yamazaki Detachment's command center.

With such a major incident, it was understandable that the Yamazaki Detachment was temporarily paralyzed, but the question remained: how long could this state of affairs last?