Chapter 471

  On December 23, 1931, the Japanese army began a large-scale invasion towards Jinzhou. They divided their troops into two routes: one route with the Second Division, Independent Mixed Eighth Brigade and Independent Guard First Regiment departed from Fengtian to invade Jinzhou; another route with the Twentieth Division and Independent Mixed Thirty-Ninth Brigade invaded Jinzhou from the direction of Yingkou.

  These two routes of Japanese troops were all equipped with various long-range heavy artillery, mountain guns, field guns, as well as light tanks and medium tanks, and they also carried armored trains. They attempted to exceed the Chinese army's firepower and capture Jinzhou in one fell swoop. The Japanese predicted that they would launch a large-scale attack on Jinzhou starting from December 24th.

  It seems that after Li Bin's arrival, the three Japanese troops and one puppet army company that were annihilated before and after have not affected the course of history so far. The butterfly's wings flutter lightly but have not yet triggered the butterfly effect, after all, the butterfly effect is only possible in the future.

  But this time, Li Bin wants more than just the butterfly's wings fluttering lightly, he wants a huge wave!

  In terms of military strength, the Japanese army had over 50,000 soldiers, while the Chinese army had more than 60,000. Although the number of troops was similar, the Japanese army possessed hundreds of large and small artillery pieces and had air support, whereas the Chinese army had only a few 75mm mountain guns and a limited number of mortars, with almost no heavy weapons at all. In terms of soldier quality, the Japanese were mostly seasoned veterans, while many in the Chinese army had hardly ever fired a gun!

  On the night of the 22nd, Li Bin took Hong Biao and his "T-34 tank unit", sharpshooter squad, sniper squad and special forces squad to leave Jinzhou City for the Goubangzi defense line. Before leaving Jinzhou, he issued a notice to Liu Hanshan, the commander of the armored train: "Commander Liu, hurry to the Daling River defense line and stand by at all times, keep in touch with the radio station, and strike immediately upon receiving orders!"

  Li Bin separated the two batches of sniper students, and the thirty qualified students naturally became snipers. The seventy eliminated sharpshooters were also his treasures, and those people were led by him in person.

  At 3 am on the 23rd, Li Bin arrived at Goubangzi. The soldiers of the Righteous and Brave Army and the officers and men of the 19th Brigade of the Northeastern Army who were sleeping soundly in their barracks were all called out from their warm beds. The grassroots commanders of each unit were all concentrated in front of Li Bin.

  "Brothers! The Japanese, after their last failed attack, are going to concentrate a large force and launch a crazy attack on our defense line! It is expected that they will launch a crazy attack on our defense line from tonight to tomorrow morning! From now on, I require each of you to bring your weapons into the trenches! You must eat and sleep in the trenches! To prevent the Japanese from launching a sudden surprise attack!"

  After finishing speaking, Li Bin glanced at the grassroots military officers and turned to face Hong Biao, saying: "Hong Biao, have someone bring wine!"

  Wine jars and wine bowls were brought out, each person holding a wine bowl. Li Bin let out a loud roar: "Kill the Japanese pirates! Return my rivers and mountains! Brothers, when the time comes, I will fight with you on the front lines!" After finishing speaking, he led by example, raising his wine bowl to drink it all in one gulp, and then smashing it to the ground with a loud "clatter".

  "Kill all Japanese pirates! Return our rivers and mountains!" The officers all raised their wine cups and drained them in one gulp.

  When the officers returned to their respective units and led the soldiers into the trenches, Li Bin gathered his sniper team, special forces squad, and sharpshooter squad on the parade ground. His eyes scanned around in a circle, his face red with excitement, as he began to speak in a loud voice: "Brothers, you are all my elite troops! Today, you will become the first dare-to-die unit! After dawn breaks, the enemy's armored train will pass through TianTaiZhuang railway station! You must know that the 150mm heavy artillery on the armored train is a huge threat to our defensive positions! Moreover, the sturdy armor of the armored train is also a great threat to our infantry! Now what I want to do is lead you, this dare-to-die unit, to TianTaiZhuang railway station and blow that damned armored train to smithereens!"

  After listening to Li Bin's words, everyone suddenly realized that Li Bin had gathered them together to prepare for blowing up the enemy's armored train! Hong Biao hastily grabbed Li Bin around the waist: "Commander, you absolutely can't go! It's too dangerous! If something happens to you, we'll be like a dragon without a head!"

  "Let me go!" Li Bin struggled free from Hong Biao. "The little devils have occupied my three eastern provinces, killing so many of my people! What do I, Li Bin, have to fear for my own life? Since I came here, I've never thought about living to return!"

  "Sit down, but you've been working hard for many days and should rest. Let me lead the team here." Hong Biao advised. Almost everyone knelt down: "Sir, you can't go!"

  "Rest? I want to rest, but the little devils won't let us rest! I have long sworn that until the day we drive the devils out of Northeast China, I, Li Bin, will not rest for a single day! Even in death, I will not close my eyes!"

  Everyone shed tears, with such a commander who leads by example, what else can these soldiers say? In fact, Li Bin knew that although his sniper squad and special forces had undergone some training, they still didn't have much experience. If he didn't go himself, even if one person from the team was lost, he would be heartbroken. Only by going in person and directing on the spot could he ensure that this team played its greatest role.

  "Depart!" With Li Bin's loud shout, two hundred strong men mounted their war horses and galloped towards the direction of TianTaiZhuang Railway Station.

  At 6:00 in the morning, two hundred strong men arrived at Tiantai Town, where a regiment of Northeastern Army soldiers were stationed. Regimental Commander Sun Yutian saw Li Bin personally leading a small team to come here, and he hurriedly came forward to greet him: "General, how did you get here?"

  Li Bin returned a salute: "Colonel Sun, there are only six hours left. The Japanese devils will launch an attack on your position soon! I must come to the front line in person to command the battle!"

  "Colonel Sun was shocked and asked with wide eyes: 'How did you know that the enemy will arrive here in six hours?'"

  "This has nothing to do with you! From now on, you will take orders directly from me!" Li Bin shouted.

  "Yes!" Sun Yutian shouted loudly, "The five hundred officers and soldiers of my camp will follow your orders to move at any time!"

  Li Bin continued to ask: "How is the progress of destroying the North Ning Railway?"

  Sun Yutian replied, "The Old North Wind has already sabotaged the enemy's railway lines, but I estimate that the enemy will repair the railways soon. According to our scouts' reports, an armored train is heading this way, and because of the sabotage, they are being held up, and those enemies are repairing the road."

  "Very well! Pass on my order: all officers and soldiers of the entire battalion are to withdraw from Tiantai Village!" Li Bin gave the command.

  "Why withdraw?" Colonel Sun asked in surprise.

  "The devils will mobilize two infantry companies, two cavalry squads, an artillery company and a column of armored trains to attack. Do you think one battalion can hold this place?" Li Bin asked back.

  That is to say, the devils will mobilize 600 or 700 men, equipped with heavy weapons and launch a crazy attack on them. With the combat effectiveness of one regiment of the Northeast Army, it is impossible to defend Tianzhuang Village. To say nothing of other things, just the Japanese army's 75mm mountain guns and the 150mm heavy guns on the armored train can quickly flatten the entire town.

  Sun Yutian knew that this was definitely not tenable, but he really couldn't think of any other good methods, so he asked: "Zhang, are we just going to give up Tiantai Village like this?"

  "It's not about giving up the land for nothing! It's about flexible warfare! I want you to withdraw not to make unnecessary sacrifices! We're fighting a war, not to occupy more territory, but to eliminate the enemy's living forces!" Li Bin explained, "Think about it, Japan has only so many people, we eliminate hundreds of them today, and then hundreds more tomorrow, in just a few years they won't have enough troops to fight us!"

  Sun Ying Chang somewhat understood and replied: "Yes! I'll follow your orders! Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it!"

  Soon, Li Bin made arrangements: "Withdraw the Sun Camp's troops and our sniper squad from Tiantai Village, and go to the vicinity of Weijia Gou Railway Line. When the devils' armored train arrives for repairs, let the snipers shoot and kill the enemy. Remember not to get entangled in battle, after shooting and killing a few enemies, your camp and the sniper squad will quickly retreat, attracting the devils' infantry and cavalry, passing through Tiantai Village and retreating towards Gou Bangzi, drawing away the devils' infantry and cavalry! At that time, our special forces squad and sniper squad will naturally deal with the armored train!"

  "Yes!" Sun Yingzhong led the order to retreat. He was about to leave, but was stopped by Li Bin: "My 70 sharpshooters are handed over to you! You must bring them back to Gou Bangzi intact!"

  Sun Yingchang led his men away, and Li Bin turned to Huang Hua and said: "Huang Hua, I'm entrusting you with a task. Bring all the people of Tiantai Village back to Gou Bangzi! Ensure their safety at all costs!"

  "No! I won't leave, I want to stay and fight the devils!" Huang Hua was very unhappy when she heard that she had to leave.

  Li Bin's face turned stern: "This is an order! You must guarantee the safety of these civilians for me. Want to fight the devils? There will be plenty of opportunities later!"

  Military orders are like mountains, and Huang Hua had no choice but to agree.

  After all the arrangements were made, Li Bin led twenty-nine snipers and one hundred special soldiers to start laying an ambush around Tiantai Town Railway Station, waiting for the enemy's armored train to arrive.

  First, he arranged for snipers to be stationed at various sniper points, then he had to personally lead Fang Juntian and the others in action.