Thirty

  Yan Weizheng was about to assign tasks to his subordinates, but saw that Fu Daogun had not brought his men to escort the children to retreat, but only sent a few of his men to lead Wu Hanhuai's team to withdraw northward.

  With the deafening sound of artillery explosions, Yan Wei rushed to Fu Daojun's side and shouted loudly: "Fu Zhi, this battle is not worth fighting! I'll stay behind to delay for a while before retreating, you don't need to bring your brothers to stay behind and increase casualties!"

  Fu Daojun looked at Yan Wei, who was covering his head with one hand and pressing his ears with the other, shouting: "Captain Yan, our base is over a dozen li away from here by mountain road. Even adults need to walk for half an hour, let alone some children. You can't hold out for long on your own with these people. When the time comes, neither we nor the children will be able to escape!"

  Although what he said seemed reasonable, in the end it was Fu Daojun who was unwilling to withdraw his troops first. Seeing that Fu Daojun had a sense of justice and was not afraid of danger, Yan Wei couldn't help but smile wryly and think: "With Fu Daojun's character, this time's situation is not considered a mistake!"

  If Yan Wei followed his usual style of leading troops, relying on the excellent military quality and firearms performance of his subordinates, he would have ordered his troops to open fire when the Japanese army advanced to 300 meters. But now, mixed with Fu Daojun's troops, Yan Wei was not in a position to take charge, and could only anxiously wait for Fu Daojun's orders.

  For the Communist army, Yan Wei was still familiar with it. Over the years, he had not fought less with the Communist army. He understood that the Communist army's equipment was low and the guns were outdated, and the ammunition was insufficient. Even if they had good guns and combat quality, they couldn't keep up with the coordination. Therefore, their consistent style of positional warfare was to let the enemy get close and then make precise shots, hoping to be able to eliminate one enemy with one bullet under the premise of outdated guns, insufficient ammunition, and low shooting level of soldiers! And unknowingly, this would also make it impossible to control personnel casualties again! This is also a fatal reason why the Communist army has developed rapidly over the years but has suffered astonishing losses!

  This way of fighting was clearly not what Yan Wei's troops were used to. Judging from Yan Wei's combat style, he had always been one to try to control the enemy within the effective range of his own rifles and take advantage of his superior equipment to shoot them down, thereby minimizing casualties on his own side. However, this approach required three conditions: first, the soldiers had to be skilled marksmen; second, they needed sufficient ammunition and logistical support; third, their guns had to have a longer effective range than those of the enemy. But at this point, it was clear that even Yan Wei's own elite Central Army troops, after two major battles with the Japanese without any reinforcements, did not have enough resources to exploit their advantages. So they could only grit their teeth and wait for Fu Dianjun's orders. However, the soldiers under him were clearly getting restless. They all thought: "If we let the enemy get any closer, we'll be able to see the stubble on their faces! Is this method of fighting going to make us follow the Communists' example and recklessly charge at the Japanese with bayonets?!" And so they kept turning around to look at Yan Wei.

  In fact, even if it really came to fighting the Japanese army with bayonets, this was absolutely not something Yan Wei's unit could do. Because Yan Wei had always despised taking lives in close combat and normally didn't let his subordinates attach bayonets to their rifles! All the bayonets assigned to the rifles of Yan Wei's guard unit were shiny and untouched in the equipment storage room, never having been used once! Some soldiers hadn't even attached a bayonet to their rifle before! They basically wouldn't know how to use it! Not to mention actually fighting with them!

  In Yan Wei's concept, a modern soldier should use the rifle in his hand to accurately shoot and kill the enemy within a controllable range! Holding a big knife and hugging an armed rifle to engage in close combat with the enemy is the cold weapon era of the ancients. Therefore, almost none of Yan Wei's soldiers will use bayonets on their rifles to engage in close combat with the enemy!

  Watching the Japanese army getting closer and closer under cannon fire, while his own soldiers were constantly being injured by Japanese artillery, Yan Wei realized that Fu Daojun was already familiar with this casualty law, but he couldn't continue to joke about the lives of his own soldiers. Adding to the one death and injury when they rescued them earlier! Now there are four casualties under his command! This is absolutely unbearable for Yan Wei!

  Although there is no countermeasure against the Japanese army's curved shooting infantry artillery, if the Japanese army is allowed to get closer, their grenade launchers can also play a role! As for the current lack of any fortifications or cover for oneself, it will undoubtedly come at a great cost!

  "The entire 32nd Army, listen to my orders! Launch a continuous attack on the Japanese army at the front line! Qu Fei, He Lan, pick out the big officers for me and take them down!" As soon as Yan Wei's voice fell, he took the lead and fired his short gun, resolving the first life of this battle with a fatal shot to the head.

  At this time, the most advanced Japanese army was less than 180 meters away from their own position. Yan Wei even began to regret cooperating with Fu Daojun! To know that if a shell fired by a Japanese grenade launcher fell in the center of their own position now, all living people within a radius of 20 meters would have to change their identity and find another place to live!

  One hundred and eighty meters is a concept, for Yan Weibao's troops, this is just the daily shooting range training distance! At this distance, soldiers who can hit the target circle can shoot through the Japanese army's head with one shot! Even if it's zero ring! As long as they can hit the target, they will definitely be able to shoot one bullet at a time without missing! Ignoring the enemy's movement and shooting overlap factors, after Yan Weibao's troops finished their high-speed continuous shooting of two rounds per person, more than 100 Japanese corpses were left on the attacking position below the hill! Moreover, not even one Japanese grenade launcher was fired successfully! All were taken care of by Qu Fei and He Lan in the first moment.

  Looking far away, it should be the Japanese army's two small teams' this round of big momentum in the must-win posture attack, now leaving behind seven or eight Japanese soldiers who crawled up from the ground and pretended to be dead, holding their own rifles and desperately rolling and crawling back! Who says the Japanese army doesn't care about their lives when fighting? The ones who don't care about their lives are the Kamikaze daredevil squad! Even they have to inhale enough opium to numb their nerves and turn themselves into a zombie first!

  "Fire, He Lan!" Yan Wei gave the order and completed all actions to replace two bullet bridges within four seconds. He took a kneeling position, aiming his gun at a Japanese soldier who was running away with a posture that resembled a monkey!

  After a few gunshots, the vast wavy grassland below the hill was devoid of any signs of life! The Japanese artillery fire also stopped its attack at some point, and it was clear that they were also staring in astonishment at the unbelievable scene before them. Just moments before, the air had been filled with the deafening sounds of gunfire, but now it was suddenly eerily quiet. A gentle breeze blew by, dispersing the last wisps of smoke left behind by the exploding shells between the two armies' positions. The distant mountains occasionally echoed with the sweet songs of birds, which, combined with the silence, created an atmosphere that made everyone feel a sense of serenity and tranquility. If it weren't for the over 100 Japanese corpses strewn about at the foot of the hill, Yan Wei would have felt like lying down to enjoy the beauty of nature while smoking a cigarette.

  Yan Wei turned his head to see that Fu Daojun had already arrived in front of his own formation, clearly having been watching him all along. Seeing Yan Wei look at him, he gave a somewhat unnatural smile in return. The smile was so unnatural, so complex!

  At this time, Fu Da-jun had even switched positions with the Japanese army and was thinking about what would happen if he were to lead his troops against the National Army lieutenant colonel who was not much higher than himself.

  Fu Da-jun thought for a moment and then smiled: "Colonel Yan, I think I'm starting to understand why our Red Army has always been defeated whenever we encounter your Guan Garrison Command. It's true that every soldier under Commander Guan is a hero who surpasses all others! You are indeed the true elite of the National Army, the undefeated legend! I salute you!"

  Yan Wei smiled slightly and said, "Captain Fu is overpraising us. It's just that the Japanese troops in front of us are not up to par! If we had encountered the Taiwanese puppet army - the Hata branch team, I'm afraid the situation would be far from ideal now! Even if it were the Japanese Kwantung Army that our National Army fought against at the Great Wall Pass a few years ago, this Japanese army is still far inferior!"

  He stood up, took a step forward, patted Fu Daojun's shoulder and handed him a cigarette to smoke. After lighting it and taking a deep drag, Yan Wei sighed: "Actually, when people say that the Japanese army is well-trained and powerful in battle, they are referring to the one million Kwantung Army stationed outside the pass. These Kwantung Army troops have a tradition of combat, and their two wars against Russia over the years have allowed them to be forged and tempered in the fire of war! Generation after generation has finally formed an invincible steel soul! Coupled with their Japanese samurai spirit and absolute loyalty to their Japanese emperor! No matter which country's soldiers encounter them, it will be a nightmare!"

  Fu Daojun listened with a frown, and couldn't help but secretly laugh in his heart: "What's wrong with you again? Could it be that your Communist Army will one day fight against the Japanese Kwantung Army on the battlefield?" But thinking twice, this statement is also unreliable! Just like today, didn't they end up fighting even though they didn't want to?

  Yan Wei did not want to lose morale on the battlefield, so he smiled again: "But what about the Kwantung Army? Haven't we fought against them before? Didn't we kill thousands of them at the Great Wall? Our former commander Yang Ju was a famous general in the war, and with just one regiment, he defeated an entire standard brigade of the Japanese Kwantung Army!"

  "I think the Kwantung Army is powerful, but mainly because we are not powerful enough! At any time, it's the same reason. If you are strong yourself, then the problem will become very small! Commander Fu Zhi, if there is a chance in the future, our two troops will join forces to deal with the Japanese Kwantung Army, that would be satisfying! As for this Japanese troop in front of us, I think it's just a semi-professional team temporarily assembled from Japan's domestic forces to fight against our country in the Battle of Wuhan! Don't mention their artillery firing is crooked and has no rules to speak of! Just now, in that attack, was there even one soldier who fired his rifle accurately? It's simply a mob!"

  Yan Wei's intention was to boost Fu Da Jun's morale, but the more he spoke, the more it made Fu Da Jun feel disheartened! Indeed, Yan Wei had just mentioned that this motley crew of theirs had almost been wiped out by a small squad from their own side. If they called others a motley crew, what did that make them? For years, the Red Army had been saying they were fighting against the Nationalist Army, but in reality, most of the time they were fighting against local warlords who had defected to their side or miscellaneous troops that couldn't be more mixed. Even then, due to various factors and complex reasons, no one had ever taken out their full strength to engage in a real battle with the Red Army! As for facing off against the Nationalist Army's elite troops, never mind others, but when it came to this particular unit under Guan Linzhen's command, when had they ever gained the upper hand? Xu Xiangqian, Cai Shenxi, Kuang Jixun, Chen Geng, Lin Biao, Xu Haidong, He Long - which of these top generals on their side hadn't clashed with Guan Linzhen before? And in the end, who had emerged victorious? Either they died or suffered a crushing defeat! They used to have doubts about this, but now, just looking at this small-time regimental commander under Guan's command was enough to make them realize the difference was as vast as ten million li! Don't even mention Guan himself, let alone that Yang Hucheng from Taiyuan! If they really encountered him, they'd probably surrender immediately and it would be too late!

  Yan Wei didn't know what Fu Da Jun was thinking at this moment, and thought he was worried about the next wave of Japanese attacks. So he said: "Commander Fu doesn't need to worry, looking at it now, a prolonged war is indeed very unfavorable for our army. Just talking about this position without any fortifications is simply impossible to fight, facing the Japanese artillery and infantry we can only rely on luck and human lives! Moreover, the Japanese can also reinforce their troops at any time. However, fortunately, we are not prepared to die with the Japanese here either! You see if we hold on for another half an hour, can the children safely withdraw?"

  Fu Da-jun said, "Hold on for another half an hour and my troops will arrive! With Colonel Yan's help, at the sound of my order, we'll launch a full-scale attack and wipe out these rabbits in one fell swoop!" Fu Da-jun also wanted to show off his strength to this old enemy who had been fighting against their Red Army for many years.

  Yan Wei thought to himself, "With one order, charge down the mountain! To sing praises of their merits and virtues, that would be like a mighty tiger charging down the mountain, straight into the heart of the enemy! In reality, that would be two fools rushing to their deaths amidst a hail of bullets! If half of our troops can escape within 100 meters, then the Japanese army's marksmanship is only at the level of kindergarten students! What a heavy responsibility I bear! Am I here to play with you? It seems that the reason why this bandit has not been eliminated for many years and instead grows stronger is definitely not due to Fu Daujun's theories! Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago!"

  "It's Commander Fu, once our reinforcements arrive, the Japanese reinforcements might also arrive! Moreover, the Japanese are well-equipped and mechanized, transporting troops quickly. I'm afraid we won't have an advantage in terms of troop strength! Not to mention that even if Commander Fu laughs at me, there probably aren't any other Chinese military units within Hubei province that can provide reinforcements right now! And it's unlikely that the main force of your New Fourth Army will be able to receive the message and arrive in time to support us. I think it would be better for us to hold on a bit longer and then retreat when the opportunity arises!"

  In fact, Fu Da-jun was not really willing to fight the Japanese army to the death! Otherwise, he would have taken his troops to Wuhan to participate in the defense war more than a month ago! How could there still be time to hide here and develop some base area! It's just that seeing Yan Wei's department fighting so bravely for a while couldn't get off the stage, now seeing Yan Wei bearing heavy responsibilities and not willing to fight for a long time, he took advantage of the situation and said: "Okay, after all, it's a big deal entrusted by the leaders, today we'll tolerate these little devils first! There's plenty of time in the future, don't worry about not having the opportunity to clean up this bunch of bastards!"

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