Chapter 30: The Devil Major's Braid Was Lifted

  "Zhao Zhibang, Zhao Zhibang..." Sitting in the trench, Li Liansheng looked up at the sound and saw Company Commander Zhang Daman running over, followed by more than a dozen soldiers. Li Liansheng knew that Zhang Daman had brought these soldiers from the second row behind him. It seemed that Zhang Daman also knew about Zhao Zhibang being hit by the shell, as the rifles of the soldiers behind him were already equipped with bayonets. Without the firepower of machine guns and having lost a skilled sniper like Zhao Zhibang to take out the enemy's machine gun, their casualties would be even higher under the sweep of the Japanese army's four machine guns. At this point, the only way to hold onto their position might be the one method they least wanted to use - close combat with bayonets.

  Zhang Damao called out several times to Zhao Zhibang in the individual pit a few meters ahead, but there was no response. With tears still on his face, he walked up to Li Liansheng and kicked him in the foot.

  It was unclear whether it was because he had just finished crying or because Zhao Zhibang was hit by a shell and triggered his anger, but Zhang Damao's eyes were now completely red. He glared at Li Liansheng before loudly shouting: "Fix bayonets!"

  Upon hearing the officer's order, Zhang 'Misty' Dragon dropped his machine gun and picked up a rifle from a soldier who had already lost his breath in the trench. Like other soldiers, he placed the bayonet hanging on his waist at the front of the gun.

  Without the suppressive fire of machine guns and Zhao Zhibang's divine shooting, the Japanese army's machine guns started firing again with a "da-da-da" sound. Following the sound of the machine guns was the Japanese commander, waving his military sword and shouting like a ghost. With the commander's shout, the Japanese soldiers who had just fallen to the ground began to charge again.

  Everyone had their rifles at the ready, bayonets fixed, waiting for the company commander's order to charge. Perhaps because of Qi Dazui and Zhao Zhibang, not one soldier, including the new recruits, showed any sign of fear in his eyes. The more than 20 soldiers of the Jingwei squad, who had been holding their breath all day, were especially eager, their eyes wide with anticipation, as if they couldn't wait to charge down the mountain.

  "Grenades ready..." At this time, the vanguard of the Japanese army had already rushed to the foot of the mountain. Those who climbed faster had already climbed up the mountain. If it weren't for the steep terrain, they might have already climbed halfway up the mountain. Throwing a wave of grenades before charging was also the usual tactic of the defending middle school team.

  Just as Zhang Damao was about to pull the pin on his grenade, a shot rang out from a few meters away where Zhao Zhibang was hiding in a foxhole. This was immediately followed by several more shots, and the sound of machine guns from the Japanese army's position suddenly thinned out considerably.

  "Throw hand grenades, bayonet down, ready to fire!" As soon as Zhao Zhibang's gunshot was heard, Zhang Daman and Li Liansheng shouted almost simultaneously. In an instant, the hand grenade exploded at the foot of the mountain, and three or four of the more than a dozen Japanese soldiers who had climbed up first were blown into the air, but the others continued to climb up without stopping.

  Those Japanese soldiers didn't notice that the machine guns behind them had fallen silent, nor did they notice that in the trench where a Chinese soldier's head was just visible, another black gun barrel had appeared. By the time they realized it, it was too late. At such close range and from a higher position, the shooting was no different from putting a gun to their heads and pulling the trigger. In an instant, more than 20 Japanese soldiers who were charging at the front fell in front of the Chinese army's position, just 30 meters away. They might have still been wondering where the four machine guns that had been used to suppress the Chinese army had gone as they fell.

  The "Japanese" army in front was completely wiped out and became the mid-team's appetizer, the remaining ones who had not yet rushed up were so anxious that they wanted to dig themselves into the ground, their mouths cursing while searching for a better hiding place. However, before the battle, Zhang Damao had already cleared all obstacles at the foot of the mountain, and even if they crouched lower, it was hard to escape the mid-team's shooting from above. The "Japanese" army in the back finally disappeared after several rounds of machine gun fire.

  "Zhao Zhibang, come back quickly! Come back!" Zhang Damao shouted anxiously. Zhang Damao was anxious, but the Japanese commander opposite him was even more anxious. Originally, he had seen his soldiers charge up to the middle team's position and were just about to make a final dash to break through. Unexpectedly, the Chinese sniper who had been thought to have been blown away suddenly reappeared. In just a few minutes, four machine guns plus the temporary emergency deployment of 12 Japanese soldiers fell in the blood pool. What made him even more anxious was that the more than 40 soldiers at the foot of the mountain were being eliminated one by one like targets by the Chinese team. It seemed that not many would be able to charge back.

  The Japanese army lying at the foot of the mountain finally realized that they might not be able to return if they continued to lie there, after waiting in vain for their rear machine gun support. A Japanese sergeant shouted a few times and stood up, running wildly towards the back, but before he could run a few steps, he fell to the ground motionless. The remaining Japanese soldiers, except for seven or eight who ran back with long legs, all lay on the ground with their buttocks facing the Chinese army's position, motionless.

  "Eight Gaha Road, Ha Ya Valley" Looking at the dozens of Japanese military corpses lying in front of him, a Japanese commander who had just been hiding in a depression stood up and waved his command knife wildly, shouting. Without machine gunners to "shoot", Zhao Zhibang would not miss this opportunity. Just as the Japanese officer was shouting, two 92-type cannons opened fire, and a righteous bullet hit his chest. He seemed unwilling to admit defeat, despite blood gushing out of the gunshot wound, he didn't fall down, but instead slammed his command knife on the ground, still shouting wildly in his mouth. However, he no longer had the chance to see the cannonballs fired from the two 92-type cannons, because at that moment, Zhao Zhibang added another mark to his brow, and after twisting a few times, he fell down.

  "Damn it... The 'Japanese' are a major, haha..." Zhang Damao held up his binoculars and looked at the fallen "Japanese" military officer, bursting into laughter. The opposing "Japanese" army seemed to be a battalion, and the major who had just fallen should be their highest commander.

  Zhang Damao looked at the bodies of the Japanese soldiers in front of the position and knew that he had made it through today.

  The Japanese army's 92 artillery, which was prepared for revenge, did not fire because they knew it would be meaningless. Now they had to mourn their comrades who died in the battlefield and carry back the bodies of their dead officers to summarize the lessons learned. It was also not the right time to retrieve the bodies of the devils who had already returned to the East.