Chapter 37: Forging Ahead 4

  The vanguard of the First Guard Regiment was getting closer and closer to the ambush circle, and Gao Quan's eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement behind his back. His lips moved slightly, savoring the joy of the impending victory like a long-awaited rain shower. From the moment the reconnaissance team leader of the First Guard Regiment appeared earlier, Gao Quan had clearly understood that he had already won half the battle, and with so much preparation beforehand, as long as nothing unexpected happened...

  A group of peasants who had just picked up their guns, under the stimulation of money, swarmed towards the pass of Tongguan. The poor combat quality made the middle-aged and stout captain frown, but there were still dozens of scouts on both sides of the mountain ridge, carefully searching for the way forward, if he didn't make another plan!

  A sea of enemies, chaotic footsteps "trampling" the severe cold of winter, snow "whooshing" and fluttering down from the mountain top, under the white snow powder, a row of heads poked out, wolf-like eyes gleaming with dark light, slowly pressing against the shoulders were rifles, stripped of their grass-covered large-caliber muzzles, tightly grasped in hands were launchers, scarce hand grenades with opened covers piled up in front of good hands, this thing is only useful in close combat, and the mountain ditch less than 40 meters from the ridge was just within its maximum effective range!

  Deputy Commander Chen's hand, affectionately pressed on the shoulder of the heavy machine gunner, as the pillar of the entire division's firepower, the firing power of this heavy machine gun was decided by the commander-in-chief above the regimental level! The scarce quilt and winter clothes wrapped around the heavy machine gun were carefully removed by the machine gunner, the canvas ammunition belt had been inserted into the feeding port, and the cross-shaped sighting hole was slowly moving to the left with the enemy's most densely packed troops.

  A team of over 3,000 people, even if lined up six in a row, would be more than one li long! "One-sixth! ...one-third..." Deputy Commander Chen silently counted the number of enemies entering the ambush circle.

  "Old Liang, you said that tall and powerful one, eight feet tall, with a tiger's head, cow horns, an elephant's nose, and bear paws, is he the one?" Young Wang San, with his short hair standing on end like a hedgehog's quills, his face unable to conceal his excitement and fear, his chin covered in a thin layer of downy hair. The rifle slung over his shoulder, its stock and other parts worn smooth as jade, the cold barrel and trigger wrapped thickly in a layer of cloth, carelessly hung from Wang San's shoulder.

  Perhaps it was the sound of footsteps that was too loud, or perhaps it was the heavy breathing that was too oppressive. Old Liang, a veteran soldier for many years, did not bother to pay attention to this nervous young recruit. Instead, he looked at the nearly vertical cliffs on both sides with a worried expression, and the distant thunder-like explosions that kept ringing out. The familiar smell of gunpowder and killing intent in the air, as well as the tension of the new recruits, made him feel as if he had returned to the days when the revolutionary army was fighting against Wu Peifu's elite dagger squad in Henan, a feeling that was both mysterious and full of crisis.

  Looking at the old Lao Liangtou who was lost in thought and ignoring him, Wang San did not bother to disturb this guy who even the team leader would respectfully call "Old Lao Liangtou". Because Old Lao Liangtou, who was over 50 years old, had killed little Japanese and foreign devils in the Gansu army during the Xinhai Revolution. Whether it was the Beiyang government or various warlords fighting each other, or the Northern Expedition Army marching north, Old Lao Liangtou had personally experienced them all. If this veteran who had been through a hundred battles was not treated with respect, his own troops would suffer an unclear defeat.

  So as soon as Old Liang stopped and looked around at the terrain, everyone's heart sank to the very bottom! "Enemy ambush!" The old soldiers who had suffered a crushing defeat due to being ambushed by the Red 25th Army immediately went on high alert! When they saw dozens of their comrades scattered on the desolate mountainside, they still couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. After all, they had been taught a painful lesson last time! This painful lesson was truly worth remembering for a lifetime!

  After a while, Old Liang hesitated and slowly moved his numb feet, which were like lead weights, under his urging. However, his face was still filled with deep doubts: "It's impossible that they wouldn't set up an ambush in such good terrain! Could the enemy really be foolish enough to launch a full-on attack on that pass?" His incredulous face grew even more worried.

  As a newly formed unit of less than three months, it took more than half a month to restore the physical strength of the soldiers who were recruited. Adding to that, there was a shortage of ammunition and the clumsiness of rural soldiers, as well as the scarcity of veterans and officers. Therefore, the actual combat effectiveness of this unit is not much better than that of the militia! If they encounter the enemy's main force...

  The biting cold wind seemed to have frozen people's minds, looking at the vast land, Chen Deputy Commander slowly pushed the heavy machine gunner next to him with his almost stiff arm, and then shook the commander of the 228th Regiment next to him. The bodies that were trembling slightly in the withered grass all started moving, but how could the spicy peppers withstand the severe cold of Qinling? Looking at everyone's efforts to aim while shaking, Chen Deputy Commander was not feeling well!

  Suddenly, the exploding landmine buried the enemy in a blanket of white snow. The "ga ga" heavy machine gun finally fired first under careful care! Bullets flew from left to right, stirring up a bloody mist among the enemy ranks, row after row of enemies fell heavily to the ground. Large-caliber guns desperately sprayed their power at the enemy just inches away, and the massive muzzle flames almost directly burned the enemy's body!

  Rows of submachine guns, under the cover of light machine gun bursts, swept like a continuous machine gun; grenade throwers became an efficient machine, constantly throwing grenades in the most accurate way to the enemy's side.

  A fierce explosion! A burst of blood mist! Flying snowflakes! Black, red, and white filled Wang San's eyes! No surprise, no fear or excitement, just a dull stare! But Old Liang, as he rolled to the ground, conveniently swept Wang San down with one kick!

  A force of over 3,000 people was suddenly stunned! Although the firepower of the 74th Division could not cover all the troops of the Kuomintang at once, it could at least stun the enemy in the first instant!

  The enemy was in a state of panic, with those in the back unaware of what was happening, while those in the front turned around to assess the situation, and those in the middle were instantly mowed down by intense firepower! Taking advantage of the situation, Gao Daquan immediately led his team of over 300 men, armed with large knives and pistols, to charge towards the enemy's rear reserve team! Fang Zongliang, leaving behind over a hundred men to monitor the enemy, led the rest of the over 300 men to launch a surprise counterattack!

  After two volleys of gunfire, the 228th and 229th regiments also charged down from the mountain ridges on both sides! Blocking in front and intercepting behind, two big knives cut off!

  Gao Quanwan wants to annihilate the enemy right here! For this tofu-like army, Gao Quanwan doesn't want others to have a sense of awe in terms of numbers! Only by quickly annihilating this army can the 74th Division possibly stand firm in the Ningxia-Fuping area!

  Cries of killing, explosions, this army was caught off guard by the 74th division's swift and fierce attack! Moreover, this army had been divided into three segments that could not support each other. Without command, it suffered a severe blow. All of this was a disaster for an army that had just been formed less than three months ago.

  With an icy intent, the Big Knife Troop, like a sharp steel thorn, swiftly inserted itself into the rear of the Nationalist Party, and then, like a hot knife cutting through butter, cut open an irreparable gap in the tofu dregs troops!

  It's not that Gaoquan is so powerful, but rather the enemy's forces in this area are incredibly strong, with as many as 1,500 troops! So in Gaoquan's mind, he can only defeat this group of enemies first and then join forces with the vanguard to annihilate the less than 1,000 enemies up ahead before having the strength to return and devour this group of enemies.

  But he didn't expect that the enemy's high-ranking officer had already been blown to pieces by landmines and grenades in the previous explosion! Who made their regimental officers always gather around the regimental commander, who made them surrounded by so many guards, and who made those guards equipped with rifles that made the Red Army's eyes shine?

  Young company commanders, even battalion commanders, who had been with the unit for only three months, were unfamiliar to their soldiers. There was an incident where a soldier lined up in the wrong formation in the morning. The troops were in disarray, and soldiers couldn't find their officers, while officers couldn't find their soldiers. Without organized resistance, coupled with the brutal and merciless slaughter, the blood-soaked bodies were like a demon descending upon the earth, intimidating everyone who wanted to resist or didn't want to resist!

  It's all over! Completely and utterly over! As a veteran, Old Liang knew that despite having many soldiers gathered around him, his unit was doomed to lose. Everywhere, people were running wildly in shock, while others who had seen the large number of soldiers gathering around Old Liang and wanted to surrender were being mowed down by intense gunfire, row after row falling to the ground! The pools of bright red blood scared the soldiers, causing them to slowly retreat...

  Chapter One...