Chapter 4 The Flag Flutters (For A Moment)

  Just as the crowd had hidden their bodies behind a pile of rocks, a group of Japanese devils came swaggering along the village stone road. There were only over ten people in total, and there was only one machine gun. As for the "cannon" that made a huge noise earlier, it was an iron tube about the thickness of a child's arm, light and easy to carry by hand, and it was clear that it wasn't a heavy firepower!

  Just a dozen or so stinky fish and rotten shrimp, yet they managed to disperse the "Iron Blood Anti-Japanese, Protect Home and Country, Village Autonomous Federation" of over a thousand people. It's really not right to say whether it was because they were too strong or the Iron Blood Federation was too incompetent. Finally, after counting the number of enemy troops, Zhao Erzi and the others were all ashamed with black and purple faces, even the normally calm and composed old military advisor felt embarrassed, the Peking Opera tune humming in his mouth unconsciously changed key.

  Along the rural dirt road, a small group of Japanese soldiers advancing forward also found an old hunchbacked military advisor sitting on a abandoned millstone at the village entrance, and were startled by the old man's crazy behavior. They had a very deep impression of this hunchbacked old man, because on the more than 40-mile mountain road from Beller Manor to Wei Family Manor, he was the only one who led his men in resistance against the Imperial Japanese Army. Although those flying bullets did not cause any actual losses for the imperial army, compared to those who surrendered and fled in the past few days, it still made the little devils both surprised and delighted.

  Surprisingly, there are still people who don't know life or death, daring to go against the great Japanese Imperial Army. Happily, I've finally met an opponent who dares to fire a gun, so this journey won't be too boring. When "punishing" the villages below, we'll have sufficient reason.

  The old man's calm and composed demeanor, however, made the little devil suspicious. He was about to be killed, yet he hummed a tune as if nothing was wrong. Even the empire's top warriors might not have been able to show such composure before committing seppuku. "Is he fearless?" Sergeant Nishimura Kogorō, who led the squad, furrowed his brow and stopped the troops 300 meters away from the village entrance. He beckoned the temporary interpreter, Kin-san, over and asked in Japanese, "Kin-san, what's going on? The old man opposite us seems to be fearless?"

  "Hey, hey, I understand, I understand!" The surname Jin traitor's Japanese language level was very limited, and he could only barely make out the general meaning of Nishimura Kogoro's questions. He nodded and bowed, stuttering as he replied, "He, he is called Wei Ding, a former Qing dynasty scholar. According to the people at Beile Manor, this person has a good reputation in the area. You know, we Chinese, many scholars are quite eccentric. Sometimes they would rather die than not put on a fearless front!"

  "He's a learned man, no wonder!" Nishimura Shogoro was also bewildered by the half-baked Japanese spoken by the Korean collaborator Jin. However, his rank in the army was too low, and he didn't have the qualifications to choose someone more suitable to guide him, so he had to make do with what he had, "In our great Empire of Japan, many learned men are also very eccentric. But our Empire respects learned men the most. Go tell him to lead the people in the village to surrender. I will arrange for a military doctor to treat his wounds and we absolutely won't..."

  As if resisting a great temptation, Nishimura Kogoro swallowed his saliva and resolutely added, "We will not disturb the people in their village, but pass through directly. Their previous offense against the Imperial Army can also be written off!"

  "Wow! Wow!" Jin Fan translated, bowing repeatedly, with tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes. "You are truly magnanimous, a great and powerful teacher, a teacher of benevolence and righteousness. I'll go pass on the message right away, you just wait!"

  After finishing flattering, he wiped the sweat from his palm onto his front lapel a few times and ran towards the village entrance. "Old master, old master! Don't shoot, tell your people not to shoot! I'm just responsible for delivering messages, just responsible for delivering messages. The Japanese said they respect knowledgeable people and won't pursue your previous offense. They also promised that no one in the village will be harmed! They also promised to invite the best doctor to treat your wounds. Old master, old master, you'd better stop messing around. The 29th Army is finished, even if you have the ability, can you surpass Song Zheyuan?"

  "Bring the envoy to me, behead him and establish authority!" The old military advisor's eyes were wide open, his eyebrows raised, and he gave orders with a stern wind.

  "Got it!" Zhang Songling stretched out his arm from behind the pile of stones and fired a shot at the traitor's forehead. The bullet whizzed away with a "ping" sound, its whereabouts unknown. Jin Hanjian was frightened pale, rolling and crawling back, shouting loudly to General Xicun Xiaowu, "General Xicun, they are obstinately refusing to surrender, obstinately refusing to surrender!"

  No need to ask, Nishimura Kogoro also knew that his proposal was ruthlessly rejected by the other party. He smiled and said carelessly: "Don't call me General, I am Sergeant Nishimura. They refused my proposal, very good. The Empire respects brave warriors the most, I want to give him a chance to keep his pride!"

  Having said that, he swung his short gun and shouted loudly: "Disperse, prepare for attack!"

  A dozen Japanese soldiers quickly spread out in a skirmish line, covering each other as they advanced layer by layer. In the blink of an eye, they had pushed forward from 300 meters outside the mill to within 200 meters. The grenadier found a suitable position and began preparations for launching under the cover of his companions, constantly adjusting the angle and height. Nishimura Kogorō saw this and immediately furrowed his brow, scolding in a low voice, "Taenaka, don't waste grenades! Using a grenade launcher on an already injured old man, don't you think that's too wasteful? You've already wasted four grenades on the way here! Do you know that the Empire's people are working overtime to equip us with enough ammunition?"

  "Hey!" The grenadier, called Ota, turned red in the face and answered loudly. His rank was Gocho, one level lower than Nishimura's Gunnery Sergeant. So even if he was angry in his heart, he didn't dare disobey the other's orders.

  The light machine gun quickly moved into a suitable firing position. Upon hearing Nishimura Kogorō scolding ōta Gochō, the machine gunners, fearing they would be blamed for wasting ammunition, pulled the trigger and fired a short burst near the abandoned millstone before stopping their attack.

  The bullet hit the stone, sparks flying everywhere. Old General Wei Ding smiled slightly, his body not moving an inch. Zhang Songling and Zhao Erzi were tense with anxiety in their hearts, but they also knew that at such a distance, shooting would be futile. So they simply shrunk their bodies behind the pile of stones, ignoring the footsteps and battle cries of the Japanese soldiers outside the village.

  "Warrior!" Nishimura Kogoro, who had been trained in the way of the warrior since childhood, greatly admired the calm and collected demeanor of the old military advisor Wei Ding. He gave a thumbs up and continued to command, "Advance, no one is allowed to kill him. I will personally shoot the bullet into his chest, giving him the honor he deserves!"

  "Hey!" The devils had been trained like puppets, never questioning their superiors' orders. Holding their Type 38 rifles, they covered each other and continued to advance quickly. In the blink of an eye, except for the machine gun squad and grenade launcher squad, most soldiers entered within eighty meters of the village entrance, still without encountering any resistance.

  Several lower-ranking soldiers couldn't hold back, led by Sergeant Saneyoshi Masao, they raised their Type 38 rifles and fired exploratory shots at the suspicious location in a kneeling position. "Bang!" "Bang!" The bullets hit the pile of stones, sparks flying everywhere. Zhang Songling, Zhao Erzi and others continued to lie behind the stone heap, their bodies trembling like sieves, but their palms tightly grasped the gun handles, ignoring the commotion above their heads.

  Two or three rounds of shooting, no response was received. Sergeant Saneyoshi Masao's mind was a bit confused, according to his experience, even regular soldiers would not be able to hold their breath like this. Could it be that there is only an old man in the village entrance who is delaying time? He looked at Village Chief Koichi, who had the same confusion in his eyes. He gritted his teeth, holding the Type 38 rifle, and slowly stood up straight.

  "Kuwahara, attack and advance! The honor of being the first to enter the village is yours!" Sergeant Nishimura gave the order with a wave of his pistol. With his approval, Superior Private Kuwahara Masao immediately quickened his pace, leading several nearby Imperial Japanese Army privates in a swift charge towards the entrance of the village.

  "Charge!" The old military advisor with a hump on his back grabbed a fist-sized stone and slammed it onto the abandoned millstone below. "Crack!" The stone shattered, and Zhang Songling, Zhao Erzi, and others quickly poked out half of their bodies from behind the pile of broken stones, firing bullets fiercely at the Japanese soldiers who were within arm's reach.

  Two muzzle-loaders, three Hanyang-made guns, fired with the momentum of at least one infantry squad. Zhang Songling didn't care about hitting or not, left and right hands alternately opening fire. Zhao Erzi and others also rolled back and forth, picking up stones and piling them behind the prepared Hanyang-made guns, firing one after another.

  The devils were caught off guard, leaving behind two corpses and scrambling to find cover. Another devil soldier was wounded, rolling around in a pool of blood while firing his 38 rifle randomly without any target. It seemed that only by doing so could he prove his bravery.

  "Hahaha——" The old military advisor burst out laughing, the low hum of the opera quickly turning into a clear and loud singing: "I only have two people, Qintong and I. I have no ambushes or troops. Don't think wildly and be restless. Come, come, come, please go up to the city tower and listen to me play the zither."

  In the midst of chaotic gunfire, a clear song stood out as particularly jarring. Little General Xicun's anger turned to shame, and he rushed over to the light machine gunner in two or three strides, pushing him aside and personally laying down suppressive fire on the stone pile. The remaining devils also scrambled to find firing positions, pulling the bolts of their guns and sending bullets flying towards Zhang Songling and the others like they were worthless.

  The usually strict and harsh training allowed the Japanese soldiers to quickly regain their momentum. In just two rounds of rapid fire, Zhang Songling and others were suppressed and couldn't lift their heads. However, in a very tacit understanding, from Sergeant Nishimura to ordinary privates, all the Japanese deliberately kept their gun muzzles away from the old military advisor's position on the camelback. They wanted to let the old man see with his own eyes how the Chinese soldiers under his command were being eliminated one by one by the brave Imperial warriors. They wanted to kill everyone in the village in front of the old man, making him regret until death for his reckless behavior of opposing the Great Japanese Empire.

  "Taniguchi, it's your turn to show off!" After a while, seeing that there was no movement behind the pile of stones, Nishimura Kogorō stopped suppressing fire and ran forward with his light machine gun for dozens of steps. He came up behind a superior private named Taniguchi and gently pushed his shoulder.

  "Hey!" Sergeant Nigoroshi Jiro promptly replied, holding up his Type 38 rifle and taking the lead, "Yaa Kichi..."

  Choi Toshin swiftly pulled out the gun barrel and shot a bullet into Sōtarō's chest. The unlucky Sōtarō didn't even have time to call out to his soldiers before he fell backwards, face up. Dark blood flowed onto China's fertile soil.

  "Beat it, beat it hard!" Little General Cao was almost driven mad by the village of Xi Cun. He pulled the trigger again and swept the light machine gun back and forth at the pile of stones.

  Since receiving the order to attack, this small group of devils has been advancing smoothly without encountering any strong resistance. Suddenly they hit a hard bone and under the intense anger, they went crazy, aiming at suspicious targets behind piles of stones and continuously pulling the trigger.

  Zhang Songling and Zhao Erzi, among others, also sought opportunities to continuously fire at the Japanese soldiers. However, they had not received formal training after all, so although bullets flew around the Japanese soldiers' heads, it was difficult to hit the target. "Mine!" With the experience of killing enemies earlier, Cui Tusheng was full of confidence, and after a few rolls, he arrived at another prepared Han Yang rifle, picked it up, and slowly poked the barrel out from behind a pile of stones.

  "Bang!" He fired a shot at the leading Japanese sergeant, but failed to hit his target like before. Just as he was about to duck and hide, a bullet came from the side and splashed a string of blood flowers under his neck.

  "Ah!" Choi Tae-seong dropped his gun and instinctively covered his wound. A few more wicked bullets flew over, smashing his skull into a pulp.

  Blood and brains splattered everywhere, covering Zhao Erzi's hands and face. Enraged, Zhao Erzi pushed aside Cui Tusheng's headless corpse, darted behind another pile of rubble, grabbed the Hanyang rifle, and quickly cocked the trigger.

  Superior Private Sanada was shot in the shoulder and fell to the ground, crying out in pain. A lower-ranking soldier rushed over, pulled out a bandage, and stopped the bleeding on the spot. Choi Lao Ba took advantage of the opportunity, aimed at the Japanese soldier with his Han Yang rifle, and knocked him down with one shot. A burst of light machine gun fire whizzed by, sweeping away both him and the scattered rocks in front of him, and also pushed them down from the pile of rocks.

  "Old Eighth Uncle!" Little Wuzi rushed back from the rear mountain, crying out loudly, and fired his Hanyang rifle at the devils in a standing position. The devil's light machine gun quickly turned its muzzle and spat out flames. Little Wuzi's body shook, and several blood flowers burst forth as he slowly fell over.

  "Devils, I'll fight you to the end!" Zhao Erzi's eyes turned completely red with rage, and he grabbed his Hanyang rifle, firing wildly at the light machine gun position. Zhang Songling also couldn't care about hiding anymore, and two shotgun barrels poked out from behind the stone pile, continuously pulling the trigger.

  Xiao Juncao was shot in the upper arm by a stray bullet and rolled away from the machine gun. A shooter quickly filled the gap, firing two shots that sent Zhao Erzi flying backwards, blood splattering everywhere.

  Zhang Songling's shotgun finally made a comeback, with two consecutive bullets hitting the machine gunner and sending him straight to see the Sun God. A short distance away, Sergeant Ta received permission from Sergeant Nishimura and quickly pulled the trigger of the grenade launcher. The hand grenade whizzed over a distance of over 100 meters, landing right in front of the rubble pile where Zhang Songling was hiding. Immediately after, a massive explosion sounded, with black smoke filled with debris and mud covering his eyes.

  "There are only two of us, me and the lute-playing child. I have no ambushes or soldiers. Don't be distracted by wild thoughts, just come, come, come into the city and listen to my lute playing." This was the last sound he heard before losing consciousness.

  The old military advisor Wei Ding, who had long been trapped in the play and couldn't extricate himself, wiped the blood from his face, slowly stood up, and smiled as he walked towards the swarming Japanese soldiers.

  He is Zhuge Liang, this life did not find the big ear Liu Xuande, but accidentally took Zhao Zilong's job, alone broke into the siege... This play, there is no Three Kingdoms, in reality, it was sung by him with great enthusiasm.

  Note: Gunso, a Japanese military rank, equivalent to Sergeant, can take on roles such as deputy platoon leader or squad leader.

  Note 2: From the traditional Peking Opera repertoire, "The Empty City Strategy".