Chapter 43

  Li Tie and Er Gouzi Dui Zhang arrived at the patrol team's location by car.

  The militiaman who came to report was covered in injuries and had been carried here by sentries from the nearby post.

  The militia reported that the devils had surrounded several villages near Wujiayu early in the morning, bringing with them several wolf dogs. It's unclear what happened next, but they quickly found many sacks of grain and food belonging to fellow villagers. The Wujiayu Militia Regiment was dispersed before it could even set up its defense, and the regiment commander and most of the militiamen died heroically, with only a small number escaping from Wujiayu.

  Li Tie immediately understood. It must be that the devils had tampered with the sacks and then used the wolf dog's keen sense of smell, so they were able to find the sacks quickly. Since the villagers used the sacks to store grain, they also found the grain. The devils are really cunning.

  The militiamen also said that the devils brought many big carts, loaded all the grain onto the big carts, and because of their opposition to the devils' seizure of grain, many fellow villagers in Wujiaying were beaten to death.

  Li Tie glanced at his watch, it was almost noon. He estimated that the devils had left Wu Jia Village for at least two or three hours, but since they had many large trucks, he estimated they couldn't run fast, and by taking turns driving cars, they should be able to catch up soon.

  Lian and part of the patrol team followed him, bidding farewell to the squad leader. Li Tie chased after the direction where the devils retreated.

  The road occasionally has dung left by livestock, so it's easy to identify the direction.

  And these devils and puppet soldiers who were looting grain, at this time were excitedly rushing back and forth, never expecting that they could loot so much grain so easily.

  A chubby translator with a sly smile on his face said to the leading Japanese lieutenant: "The Imperial Army is really powerful, just using a small trick and they got so much grain. The Eighth Route Army was still in the dark, how did the Imperial Army find the sacks all at once? Hehe."

  "Yo Xi, means small in meaning, imperial army's, clever and great."

  The devil captain was overjoyed, this trip out was really easy, it seemed that he would be promoted soon, and when he returned, he would at least become a junior lieutenant.

  "Dada dada, dada dada..."

  A burst of machine gun fire shattered the Japanese lieutenant's dream of promotion, and several devils and puppet soldiers fell to the ground with bullets, even a small number of livestock were hit, directly falling to the ground, along with the cart being pulled down.

  The team suddenly fell into chaos.

  "Charge! Ambush on the Eighth Route Army, counterattack, strike and kill!"

  The lieutenant devil drew out his command knife and commanded the devils to prepare for a counterattack.

  The fake army heard this momentum, and most of them fled in all directions, while the devils quickly lay down on the spot, preparing to counterattack from behind.

  However, contrary to their expectations, there was no one in sight behind them. Where did the machine gun fire come from just now?

  The machine gun fire had stopped long ago, if it weren't for the corpses of the wounded soldiers and the fallen livestock on the ground, the devils would have thought it was just a dream.

  Just as the devils were bewildered, a car appeared from around the bend in the back, followed by the sound of machine gun fire and the whistling of bullets flying over.

  The host has arrived!

  The devils started shooting at the car, but since the car was moving very fast, most of the bullets fell behind it. The few bullets that did hit the car had no effect on it.

  The car was getting closer and closer to the devils, and the devils' bullets were hitting the car more and more, even shattering the windshield in front.

  We're just one or two hundred meters away from the devils now.

  Li Tie ignited the rocket tube, and ten rockets with long tongues of flame shot towards the devils.

  The devils were stunned, so stunned that they even forgot to open fire, watching as a sheet of flames flew towards them. Although the speed was not fast, and they could even see the black warhead on the rocket, they just couldn't move their legs to escape, and watched with wide eyes as the rocket flew past them and then exploded.

  Bursts of flames flashed by, bursts of bloody mist floated by, pieces of broken limbs flew by, and the devils on the ground thinned out a lot.

  The remaining devils let out a loud "Oh——" and took off running, their two short legs alternating as they pounded the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The grain carts were completely abandoned.

  The Eighth Route Army's secret weapon has appeared again, let alone these few people, even if a few more come, what can they do? Think about it, at the beginning, a company of soldiers didn't even get off the truck and were blown up like roasted pigs. What can these few people withstand? As for food, when their lives are not guaranteed, what's the point of having food?

  Gathered up the battlefield, and returned with a great victory.

  "The cunning of the Eighth Route Army is really great, the old cat's not sending out its tiger, you think I'm in a critical condition?" Looking at his defeated subordinates returning, Itai was extremely angry.

  "It's the tiger who doesn't show its might, you think I'm a sick cat, sir." The fat translator next to him quietly reminded Banda that his Chinese was not good and the words he used were not suitable.

  "My sick cat or on the verge of death, I will avenge, I will eliminate all the traitors."

  Devil's Battlefield

  A group of devils and one or two puppet army officers sat on both sides of a long table, all staring at the end of the table under a large band-aid flag where Bantan Taikun stood.

  The enemy military conference is being held.

  "According to the intelligence provided by White Fox, I can confirm that the main force of the Eighth Route Army is located approximately 20 kilometers east of Wujiashan, with around 300-400 people equipped with the most advanced weapons currently possessed by the Imperial Army, as well as some secret weapons. Due to White Fox's relatively low position, we cannot obtain more detailed intelligence at present, but from his reports, we can infer that the Eighth Route Army also has an arsenal, which is likely where these mysterious weapons are produced. Although their lethality is not great, they have a significant deterrent effect, making it difficult for the Imperial Army to defend against them. It is said that this arsenal is under the responsibility of Li Tie, a battalion commander in the Eighth Route Army, and no one else has been there before. We need to conduct reconnaissance on this location and strive to eliminate it as soon as possible. Additionally, the Eighth Route Army also has an artillery company with two 92-style infantry cannons equipped by the Imperial Army, but it is estimated that they may be short of ammunition. This is a strong enemy we must pay attention to! Therefore, I command:"

  "Attention!" All the devils and puppet troops stood at attention, listening to Itai's orders.

  "Our action this time, the main purpose is to annihilate the Eighth Route Army's living forces and defeat the nearby Eighth Route armed forces. Therefore, we must be direct and not be misled by guerrilla units, eliminate all obstacles and head straight for the Eighth Route's main force. Now I order:"

  "Yamaguchi, you lead your battalion as the vanguard and march openly. The main purpose is to scout out the enemy's main position, prevent guerrilla forces from harassing us, and ensure road safety for the main force."

  "Hey! Please rest assured, Mr. Itai, I will definitely live up to your trust!"

  "Songshan, take your squadron as the rear guard and be in charge of logistics supply for the whole battalion."

  "Hey! Please rest assured, Mr. Itai, I will definitely live up to your trust!"

  "The rest of you gentlemen, as the main force, divide into four routes, let's fight to the death with me and the Eighth Route Army!"

  "Hey!!!!!"

  Upon receiving the intelligence sent by Number One, Li Tie and Er Gou's faces revealed a wry smile. It was as if they had been stealing melons and were hit by artillery fire. Good grief, the devils had really gone all out this time - over 1,000 Japanese troops, four infantry guns, nine cars, and more than 2,000 puppet soldiers in tow, totaling over 3,000 men. Each person was worth a dozen or more.

  As for that, even if we count ourselves in full, the main force is only about 200 people, and even with the militia added, there are not three thousand people. Although the stockpiled ammunition is several dozen times that of three thousand, who can guarantee to kill a devil with one shot?

  The Japanese troops divided into five routes and launched an attack on the base area with the cooperation of the puppet army.

  Since receiving the intelligence report, Er Gou's battalion commander gathered the main cadres of each company to convey this information and sent a telegram to the superior authorities to report on the military situation and request support. He also ordered everyone to make preparations and fight bravely against the enemy, resolutely repelling their attack.

  Each militia unit also moved out, striking the devils along the way, trying to block the devils and slow them down as much as possible, in order to win as much time as possible for the main force.

  But the devils are determined to find and attack the main force of the Eighth Route Army, turning a deaf ear to the guerrilla attacks along the way.

  There are guerrilla teams firing at the devils' marching troops, easy to handle, send a small team to clear them out, and the rest of the main force will not stop, continue marching, looking for the Eighth Route Army's work.

  On the road, they encountered landmines set by the guerrilla troops. No problem, just send a group of sheep to clear the way ahead, and the ones that got blown up would make for lunch, no need to even kill them. At this time, the main mines used by the Eighth Route Army were mostly tripwire-activated, with only a small number of pressure-activated ones, and due to their poor quality, many didn't work as intended. The guerrilla troops' mines were even worse, with many being pull-ring activated. As a result, the Japanese army quickly broke through the minefield set by the guerrilla troops. Some guerrilla fighters almost got caught by the Japanese. If it weren't for their familiarity with the terrain, they might have become prisoners of war.

  As for other harassment methods, they are not even worth mentioning. That legendary trick of putting firecrackers in an iron bucket to mimic the sound of machine guns is something the devils wouldn't even bother to look at. They were certain that the main force of the Eighth Route Army had not been mobilized, and this was just a way for the local bandits to harass them. Moreover, there wasn't even the sound of bullets flying overhead, so what's the use of just hearing the noise? Isn't it just welcoming the Imperial Army with firecrackers?

  Destroying the road is no big deal, those devils all have engineer shovels, dozens of people work together and the road is fixed immediately. As long as it can be walked temporarily, the requirements are very low. There's a pothole on the road, there's a large stone block, they're all trivial matters.

  As a result, the guerrilla's tactics were exhausted, and the devils didn't care at all, their speed never slowed down.

  In just one day, half of the land was lost!