Chapter 64

  The enemy's artillery fire finally stopped. Lu Shijie, the deputy commander of the 2nd company, listened carefully and hastily shouted: "Quickly, everyone return to your positions! The little devils are going to charge!"

  Two linked fortifications were built on the nine-turns mountain road, with the first two located in some mountain crevices on the back of the mountain waist. The last one was at the side of the valley entrance and was a proper defensive position built against the mountain. If the enemy could not be stopped by the first two lines, they would have to rely on the last line to fight to the death!

  The enemy's bombardment did not cause much damage to the position, and no one's shells would turn around. Only a few soldiers were scratched by flying debris. Lu Jizong mobilized Lü Jizong to go to the back, after all, this kid might be Xiao Ming's big brother-in-law in the future, and it wouldn't be appropriate if something happened here. Lü Jizong resolutely refused.

  Forty or fifty devils were making various tactical movements, cautiously advancing forward, and were about to enter the ambush circle. Lu Shijie was just about to open fire when Lü Jizong gently pulled him: "Let the bastards in, don't let a single one escape!"

  These Japanese troops advanced in small units, winding through the nine turns, turning three times and twice, becoming more and more terrifying with each turn. The terrain was steep and complex, and it was impossible to see anything twenty meters away...!

  The squadron leader ordered a small team to lead the way, with two teams following closely behind. If there was an unexpected situation, they could provide support at any time. Fortunately, everything went smoothly along the way, and as they moved forward, it seemed like a vast open space, which greatly relieved the Japanese army. On the plains, the Imperial Army still had great confidence!

  Just as they were about to exit the valley, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, more than a dozen hand grenades were thrown from the top of the mountain and exploded as soon as they hit the ground, leaving no time for them to dodge. Shrapnel flew back and forth in the narrow valley, with almost nowhere to hide. In an instant, the Japanese devils wailed and howled, and more than half of a small team of Japanese soldiers were injured.

  Before the Japanese army came to their senses, more than a dozen wine jars were thrown down from the mountain, shattering on impact and igniting a raging fire. A burning strip over 20 meters long separated the Japanese army from the valley entrance. Next, more than a dozen hand grenades were thrown down, at which point the devils either lay prone to avoid being burned or stood to avoid being blown up, and could only cower at the foot of the mountain, resigned to their fate!

  The platoon leader who followed heard the intense explosion in front, accompanied by the soldiers' miserable cries, and was shocked to order the small team beside him to go forward to support, and the small team behind quickly followed.

  The encounter of this small team was almost the same as before. As soon as they entered the ambush circle, the people above threw hand grenades non-stop, forcing the two teams to come together step by step. The calm Japanese army wanted to counterattack, but couldn't find anyone and were at a loss for a while.

  As the sound of explosions grew more intense, the company commander was worried and anxious. As soon as the third platoon arrived, he immediately launched an attack. When they approached the front line, they saw that the Imperial Army soldiers were disheveled and cowering at the foot of the mountain, firing their guns aimlessly. The commander's anger surged: "You, where is the dignity of the Imperial Army? Get up, prepare to charge!"

  As soon as the words fell, more than a dozen wine jars came crashing down from behind, followed by a raging fire. Hand grenades rained down like they were free, accompanied by petrol bombs. The Japanese army had nowhere to hide and finally erupted, desperately fleeing in all directions. At this moment, the sound of machine guns echoed from the mountain, and the bullets and hand grenades on the bodies of the soldiers who fell into the fierce fire were detonated, adding insult to injury for the escaping devils...

  At the third line of defense, several soldiers from the second company held guns, while others held clubs and guarded the valley entrance. Those who rushed out with guns were shot directly, while those who came out hugging their heads were knocked down with a club and dragged to one side - Lyu Jizong ordered them to capture alive! The big fire in the mountain valley and the miserable cries of the devils gradually subsided, and more than a dozen prisoners were captured. Lyu Jizong had the soldiers select several who were still intact and took them to Heifengxia to show off to the Japanese army outside.

  After the Japanese army paid a heavy price in Hulu Valley, they finally occupied the first line of defense. The commander ordered to take advantage of the victory and pursue, striving to capture the Flying Tiger Fort in one go. However, when they arrived at the middle of the mountain valley, the Japanese army was stunned: in front of them was a narrow path only 2-3 meters wide and 40-50 meters long, which would be their nightmare if the enemy had just one machine gun!

  The enemy also thought so, and it was not necessary to aim, the ricochets produced between the stone walls were enough to be fatal. Moreover, there were people observing from a distance, issuing instructions to the defenders from time to time. The grenades launched by the grenade launchers exploded in the narrow corridors, achieving an effect that the Japanese army had never seen before. The commander was helpless and ordered the attack to stop.

  The Japanese planes reappeared over the Flying Tigers' base, this time being extremely cautious. First, fighter jets repeatedly strafed the mountain top to ensure safety, and then bombers carried out a fierce bombing of each defensive position. However, from the bomber's perspective, the only obvious and valuable target on the mountain was now the Flying Tigers' base, but its location was very awkward, requiring a dive-bombing attack to hit accurately. The pilots were still shaken, hastily dropping their bombs before turning around and leaving.

  Outside Heifengxia, the Japanese commander couldn't help but launch another attack. This time the Japanese army went all out, with five tanks leading the way and a battalion of soldiers launching a group charge, a yellow torrent surging towards the Heifengxia Valley.

  The defenders of Heifengxia also launched a fierce attack, with rifles, submachine guns, and light and heavy machine guns all opening fire at the same time. The enemy fell in batches, but the devils behind them ignored their companions' lives and deaths, trampling over their bodies and closely following the tanks into the gorge.

  Watanabe, the commander of the expeditionary force, was observing the battlefield situation through binoculars. The bravery and fearlessness of the Imperial Army soldiers made him feel very pleased. However, what happened next made his hands and feet turn cold: strange objects began to be thrown down from the mountain, which were not hand grenades or gasoline bottles. It wasn't until the sound came that he realized they were large-caliber shell heads, and even people carrying shell heads jumped down from above, accurately landing on the tanks, causing them to split into four or five pieces, and the shells inside the tank exploded again...

  For a time, the canyon was filled with explosions that seemed to come from all directions, Japanese soldiers were thrown into the air, their limbs and bodies flying in all directions. Those who managed to escape the blasts were then hit by rocks sent flying through the air, letting out blood-curdling screams...

  The Japanese commander's heart sank, and he hastily ordered a retreat, concentrating all light and heavy weapons to cover. The defenders on the mountain were enraged, braving the hail of bullets, manipulating their weapons, frantically reaping the lives of Japanese soldiers, regardless of themselves, and people fell down one after another until the barrel was already red-hot.

  The sound of gunfire weakened, and the Japanese soldiers who had been lying on the ground as if they had been granted a great amnesty, scrambled to their feet and ran wildly towards their own positions, ignoring their fallen comrades who were crying out in pain. The defenders no longer showed mercy to the Japanese soldiers who came to rescue the wounded, and the sparse gunfire was extremely accurate, leaving the Japanese to watch helplessly as their companions slowly died in agony...

  Watanabe ordered a halt to the attack, and suddenly realized why the Imperial Army's previous attack on Feihu Fort had been unsuccessful. In fact, they had done quite well, but that unfortunate chief of staff was still relieved of his duties! Now with air support, if he couldn't advance again, wouldn't he be ordered to commit seppuku?

  The sun is already in the west, if it's still inconclusive by tonight, once the enemy catches their breath and comes back tomorrow, who knows what will happen. If we continue to attack strongly, our troops will suffer too much loss, which will also affect the encirclement plan...!

  Watanabe broke out in a cold sweat and gritted his teeth, ordering: "Send someone to collect data and analyze it. Are there any conditions for using the decisive weapon?"

  The mountain village was unusually quiet, except for the crackling sound of burning grass and wood, reminding people that it had just gone through a disaster, everything seemed to have returned to calm.

  Xiao Ming sat in a chair in the hall with his eyes closed, Shan Wa Zi sat beside him, and on the table were the complete equipment of the two people. The warriors who came and went to collect things also didn't speak, busy with their own affairs. Since the Japanese army had invested so much, it was impossible to give up halfway, Xiao Ming ordered that all the things in the mountain stronghold be transferred, even the telephone lines had been withdrawn, leaving only a few broken tables and chairs in the empty hall.

  The battlefield returned to calmness, Lin Xiuzhi and Lü Jizong returned to the main hall to report on the battle situation: The gourd valley's Sichuan army lost one and a half rows, with many wounded; Jiudao Bay is still good, only a dozen soldiers were injured in the air raid, but they captured a dozen prisoners; Heifengxia's situation is unclear!

  "Oh, and there are captives?" Xiao Ming came with interest, "Where, take me to see!"

  "Nine bends, those who were bombed to death by the Japanese planes, several of them died, and the rest are also on their last breath. There were a few who were originally going to be sent to Heifengxia, but now they don't know what's going on because of the Japanese air raid!" Lü Jizong sighed bitterly.

  "Alright, let's go to Heifengxia and take a look. I wonder how many casualties there are in Xinchengshan!" Xiao Ming stood up, dressed and turned his head to say to Lin Xiuchang: "Old Lin, send someone to notify Hulu Valley and Jiudao Bay, prepare for evacuation, quietly move useless things into the mountains first, don't let the devils notice!"

  Arriving at Heifengxia, I realized how difficult it was to climb Xincheng Mountain. As the main target of attack, Heifengxia suffered most of the bombing and now its original appearance can hardly be seen.

  Xin Chengshan had just come down from the mountain and saw Xiao Ming with a sour face: "Second master, this little devil is probably crazy! Look at the corpses of the devils all over the outside, if it weren't for the brothers' desperate blocking, I'm afraid..." He shook his head and sighed constantly.

  "How many more people do you have here?" Xiao Ming asked in a low voice.

  "I just went up to take a look, and we've lost over 50 men in the ups and downs. If those little devils launch another two charges, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on!" Xīn Chéng Shān still had lingering fears about the Japanese army's desperate momentum. If it weren't for the geographical advantage, his own troops might have already been routed. Now he finally understood the difficulties!

  Xiao Ming thought for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, let's not stick to our positions. Have the brothers prepare to retreat. If the Japanese don't attack again today, we'll lay explosives tonight and withdraw into the mountains. Let's play a game of cat and mouse with those little devils and exhaust them!"

  As they spoke, the roar of an airplane was heard in the air again. Xiao Ming looked up and saw that it was a Japanese reconnaissance plane. He said to Lü Jizong in surprise: "Damn it, we've been thoroughly investigated by them, what's the point of reconnaissance? What is this little devil doing?"

  Lü Jizong couldn't say anything either, and turned to ask Xin Chengshan: "Old Xin, have you ever brought a few Japanese soldiers through the nine bends?"

  "There are, being pressed from behind, I heard that two more were blown up on the way here."

  Xiao Ming smiled and said, "Don't leave it here, let them take it to the mountain stronghold, find a wooden stake and tie it up. If the devils dare to come up the mountain, give them a warning shot first!"