135: Chapter 45 Northeast Suppression

After the smoke of battle at sea had dissipated, Li Ling turned his gaze to the north.

The Northeast, that vast expanse of black soil, was one of the most prosperous regions of the Qingxia Kingdom, yet it was also the place where various forces were most complexly entrenched.

Although Japan had been defeated in the naval battle, they had left behind a large number of remnants and sleeper agents in the Northeast.

Some had infiltrated the local warlord troops, becoming staff officers beside commanders; others disguised themselves as merchants and commoners, running shops in towns while secretly passing on intelligence; some even controlled the security forces of several remote counties, stirring in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity.

"Sir, according to satellite reconnaissance and intelligence reports, there are at least three major remnant forces in the Northeast currently," Chen Zhiyuan said, standing before a map and pointing to several locations in the Northeast. "The first group is the remnants of the Japan Kwantung Army, numbering about three thousand. They are entrenched in an abandoned fortress in the Changbai Mountains, equipped with Heavy Machine Guns, Mortars, and a few old-fashioned mountain guns. Their commander is a colonel named Major Yamamoto Ichiro, who participated in the First Sino-Japanese War. He is rich in combat experience and is known as the 'Iron Wall' within the Kwantung Army."

"The second group consists of a portion of local warlord forces, about two thousand strong, stationed in a small town outside Shenyang. Nominally, they are a local security regiment, but in reality, they are secretly in contact with the Japan remnant forces, occasionally attacking our reconnaissance and transport teams. Their regimental commander is surnamed Ma, a wily old fox who is extremely familiar with the local terrain."

"The third group is a bandit armed force of about one thousand five hundred, operating along the Heilongjiang River. They specialize in robbing passing merchant ships and villages, seizing large amounts of property and weapons. There are even rumors that they possess a few Heavy Machine Guns obtained from the Russian army, and their firepower is quite fierce."

Li Ling listened, his fingers tapping gently on the tabletop in a slow, steady rhythm. As he heard about each target, he quickly assessed its combat effectiveness and threat level in his mind.

"Three thousand, two thousand, one thousand five—that adds up to over six thousand people," he stood up. "It's not a large number, but if we don't deal with them in time, they will spread like a malignant tumor, which will be even more troublesome later. There is a bigger war to be fought in the north, and we cannot let these guys cause trouble behind our backs."

He walked to the map and pondered for a moment. "Pass the order: the Third Army Group is to detach two brigades to coordinate with the Special Forces and prioritize the cleanup of the Kwantung Army remnants in the Changbai Mountains. That is the largest group; once we take them out, the rest will lose confidence and be easier to deal with."

"As for the second and third groups, let the local troops and security regiments handle them. Tell them to just contain the enemy and wait for the main force to be free to deal with them all at once. They are not allowed to act rashly or alert the enemy."

"Yes, sir!"

After the order was issued, the two main force units set off for the Northeast simultaneously. Trains sped along the tracks, and the white smoke spewed by the steam locomotives traced arcs across the gray winter sky. In the carriages, soldiers leaned against each other, dozing off with their rifles resting on their knees and steel helmets placed by their feet, swaying to the rhythmic sound of the wheels.

The cleanup operation in the Changbai Mountain region was the highlight of the entire campaign.

The mountainous terrain was complex with dense forests, and the winter snow was knee-deep, making it difficult for men and horses to travel. The cold wind blew from Siberia, carrying ice pellets that whipped against the face like knife cuts. The Japan remnants occupied an abandoned Japanese-style fortress built halfway up the mountain. It had a wide field of vision, and the surrounding area was open ground, leaving any attack exposed to the defenders' firepower. The fortress walls were built of granite and were two meters thick; ordinary field artillery could not penetrate them at all.

"This place is easy to defend and hard to attack," a brigade commander from the Third Army Group said, standing at the foot of the mountain and observing the distant fortress through binoculars. "If we launch a frontal assault, casualties will be heavy. Look at that firing port; there are at least three layers of interlocking fire. Anyone who dares to charge up there is just throwing their life away."

"That's why we can't attack head-on," said Special Forces squad leader Commander Zhao Tieshan, squatting on a rock with a map in his hand. "I have an idea. Although this fortress is sturdy from the front, there is a small path behind the mountain that was used by the garrison to transport supplies back in the day. That road should be abandoned now, but if we can sneak up it, we can catch them off guard from behind."

The brigade commander looked at the location of the path: "Is that path passable for men?"

"It is, but it's very difficult to traverse," Commander Zhao Tieshan said. "We need to climb a section of a cliff, and there might be snow and ice on the path, making it very slippery. However, this is not a problem for my team members. We have been training in the mountains for over half a year, just waiting for a mission like this."

The brigade commander hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, you go first. Once you succeed, we will launch a frontal attack."

"No problem."

The operation began that night.

Commander Zhao Tieshan led twenty Special Forces members, wearing white camouflage suits, as they moved silently under the moonlight. They crawled through the snow, each step careful and cautious, trying their best not to make a sound. The moonlight shone on the snow, reflecting a silvery glow that stretched their shadows long and faint. After nearly four hours of trekking, they finally reached the rear of the fortress.

Sure enough, there was a narrow path winding upward, disappearing into the dense forest. The path was covered in thick snow, and in some places, it had turned to ice, making it slippery and easy to fall if one wasn't careful. Beside the road was a steep cliff, pitch black below, with no bottom in sight; only the sound of the wind echoed in the valley.

Commander Zhao Tieshan signaled, and the team members climbed onto the path one by one, moving like a string of white ghosts in the night. Some used ice axes to chisel into the ice for leverage, while others used ropes to guide each other, holding their breath with every step. The cold wind poured into their collars, freezing their lips purple, but no one stopped.

When they reached the back wall of the fortress, it was already past three in the morning. There was no moon in the sky, only a few sparse stars twinkling. Commander Zhao Tieshan pressed against the wall and listened for a while; faint snoring and the crackling of burning firewood came from inside. The defenders were clearly still fast asleep, completely unaware that danger was approaching.

"Go," Commander Zhao Tieshan lowered his voice and gestured.

The team members acted quickly. Some formed a human ladder to climb over the wall, their movements as light as cats; some used daggers to pry open the lock on the back door, the lock cylinder emitting a faint metallic friction sound; others set up sniper rifles, aiming at the sentries. The entire process was as tacit as if it had been rehearsed countless times, with almost no sound produced.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

With two soft sounds, the sentries fell into pools of blood, not even having time to let out a scream. Immediately after, the Special Forces members rushed into the fortress like tigers descending a mountain. The suppressed submachine guns in their hands spat tongues of fire, tracing brief streaks of light in the darkness, knocking down those Japan soldiers who were still asleep one by one. The muffled sounds of the silencers echoed against the stone walls, like the sound of beating a quilt, dull and brief.

"Enemy attack!" Someone finally woke up, but it was too late. The Special Forces had already seized control of the fortress's main passages and firepower points. The beams of flashlights crisscrossed in the darkness, and gunshots reflected back and forth between the stone walls, creating a chaotic din. The Japan soldiers scurried about in the chaos; some rushed barefoot toward the weapon racks, some tried to climb out of windows to escape, and some collided and fell in the darkness.

"Don't let them organize!" Commander Zhao Tieshan shouted while firing. "Cut off their communications! Machine gunner, suppress the west passage!"

At the foot of the mountain, the brigade commander heard the gunfire from the fortress and knew the Special Forces had succeeded, so he immediately ordered: "Attack! All troops, attack! The First Battalion will outflank from the left, the Second Battalion will charge from the front, and the Third Battalion will act as the reserve force!"

Thousands of soldiers launched a charge in the morning light, their battle cries shaking the heavens and earth, echoing in the valley. Military boots crunched densely on the snow, sounding like a violent rainstorm. Those Japan soldiers who had just been awakened hadn't fully grasped the situation when they saw Tang Army soldiers charging up from all over the mountains. The bayonets on their rifles glinted coldly in the morning light, like a surging silver wave, pouring up from the foot of the mountain, layer upon layer, endless and inexhaustible.

Inside the fortress, the Special Forces had already seized control of most of the area. The Japan soldiers were compressed into the last few rooms, putting up their final resistance. Bullets shot out from the door cracks, striking the stone walls and sparking. Commander Zhao Tieshan threw a stun grenade inside; after the white light and deafening sound, a series of screams and coughing came from within.

"Charge!" He led the way and rushed in.

Most of the enemies in the room had been stunned, and only a few were still struggling to fire before being quickly subdued by the Special Forces. The Japan soldiers collapsed on the ground; some were curled up covering their ears, some were coughing violently, and some had vacant eyes, as if they had lost their souls.

"Surrender! We surrender!" Major Yamamoto Ichiro's voice came from the corner of the room, hoarse and desperate. He sat slumped at the base of the wall, still clutching a pistol that was out of ammunition, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

The battle ended in less than two hours. Of the three thousand Japan remnants, over five hundred were killed, and over two thousand were captured; only a few escaped into the deep mountains in the chaos, but they had completely lost their combat effectiveness. Those stragglers who fled into the deep mountains could not survive more than a few days in the minus thirty-degree cold; they would either freeze to death or come out and surrender themselves.

"Sir, the Changbai Mountain cleanup operation is complete!" The report from the frontline commander came over the radio, his voice unable to suppress his excitement. "Over five hundred enemy troops killed, over two thousand captured, and large quantities of weapons and ammunition seized. Our army suffered over thirty casualties, with over seventy wounded. The fortress works are basically intact and can be used as our forward stronghold."

Li Ling received the telegram in the command post, and a smile finally appeared on his face. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his throbbing temples: "Good. Tell Commander Zhao Tieshan he did a great job. When he returns, I will personally decorate him. Also, have the engineer company reinforce that fortress; it can serve as an important stronghold for us in the Northeast in the future."

"Yes, sir!"

After the success of the Changbai Mountain cleanup, the remaining two remnant forces were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. Some tried to flee, while others suffered internal fractures. As for the security regiment outside Shenyang, upon learning the news that the Changbai Mountain remnants had been completely annihilated, the regimental commander fled overnight with a few trusted confidants, not even having time to take the military payroll. The remaining soldiers, leaderless, raised the flag of surrender one morning; over five hundred men were reorganized, their weapons were all turned in, and they were incorporated into the local security forces.

The bandit armed force along the Heilongjiang River simply disbanded on the spot. The chief had gone missing, the second-in-command had taken dozens of people to join a Russian gang, and the rest went their separate ways. Some hid in the deep mountains, some fled to neighboring countries, and some surrendered directly and were incorporated into the local security regiment. The legendary Heavy Machine Guns were finally discovered in an abandoned cave; the barrels were rusted, the ammunition belts were scattered all over the floor, and it was clear they hadn't been maintained for a long time.

In just half a month, the remnant forces in the Northeast were basically purged. The intelligence department wrote in its report: "There are no longer any organized hostile armed forces in the Northeast region. The remnant forces number less than two hundred and have gone underground, posing no threat. It is recommended to continue strengthening surveillance of border areas to prevent the infiltration of foreign forces."

Li Ling stood before the map in the command post, watching the marks labeled "Cleared" in the Northeast region, and a long-lost sense of relief welled up in his heart. He picked up a red pen, drew a circle over the last unmarked area, and then struck it with a heavy cross.

"System," he whispered in his heart. "The Northeast is done."

"Hmm," the system's voice was calm, but faintly carried a hint of approval. "The host's speed is nearly a week faster than the system expected. It seems the host's command ability has improved again. Especially in that battle at Changbai Mountain, the coordination between the Special Forces and the frontal troops was quite tacit, with no coordination errors."

"Of course," Li Ling smiled and tossed the red pen back onto the table. "I am a man who wants to be an Emperor; I can't be too slow."

"Host, you are getting arrogant again."

"Let me be arrogant then," Li Ling turned and walked out of the command post. "Anyway, no one can pull me down now. Those warlords should be losing sleep."

Outside the window, the winter sun pierced through the clouds and sprinkled onto the snow-covered earth, illuminating the whole world and making it bright and warm. The snow began to melt under the sun, and icicles on the eaves dripped water, creating small pits on the bluestone road. In the distance, a few sparrows hopped on the branches, chirping as if announcing the arrival of spring.

Li Ling took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs, refreshing and invigorating. He tightened the collar of his military overcoat and looked at the snow gradually melting in the distance, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously.

"Pass the order," he said to his adjutant. "Three days from now, convene a meeting of all high-ranking generals to discuss the Northern Expedition plan. The Northeast has been pacified; it's time to deal with those warlords in the north. Tell all units to seize the time to rest and replenish; we will get down to real business after spring begins."

"Yes, sir!"

The adjutant took the order and left. Li Ling stood alone in the courtyard, looking at the northern sky. There, a new storm was brewing, and new challenges were waiting. But he was ready, and his soldiers were ready too.

In the distance, the sea surface shimmered, and a cargo ship was slowly sailing out of the port. The sound of its whistle echoed in the morning breeze, long and magnificent. Seagulls circled in the sky, their wings flashing silver in the sunlight, as if painting the first stroke of color for the coming spring.

A new journey was about to begin. And that military flag fluttering on the Changbai Mountain was snapping in the cold wind, as if blowing a horn for the impending war. The wind blew across the flag, making a taut sound, as if announcing the end of one era and the beginning of another.