Chapter 5 Down to the Front (Part 2)

  Zhang Songling's eyes immediately turned red, and he raised the box cannon, firing wildly at the devils holding the Type 38 rifles. "Rat-a-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat..." He fired no less than twenty rounds in one breath, but only one of them might have hit the target, while the others went off in unknown directions. The devil's light machine gunner immediately discovered his position and abandoned their pursuit of Zhu Laocong, spitting out several tongues of flame at him. Fortunately, the hiding place he was seeking was still relatively concealed, so most of the devils' bullets hit the rocks, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

  Taking advantage of the enemy machine gunner's busy suppression of Zhang Songling, Lao Gou and Hu Fengrui changed their angle and fired at the machine gun again, killing another light machine gunner. However, the enemy's deputy shooter immediately pushed away the corpse of the deceased and continued to pull the trigger. Rows of machine gun bullets swept over, pinning down Lao Gou and Hu Fengrui, making it impossible for them to lift their heads.

  "Boom——" "Boom——" "Boom——" The devils' grenade launchers started firing again, covering the surrounding area with fire and smoke. One of the squad members was a bit slow in moving, and was hit by shrapnel, without even making a sound, he fell to the ground. Another squad member rushed forward to rescue his comrade, but was spotted by the devils' machine gunner, and was swept away, stumbling several steps before tumbling down the cliff with a blood-curdling scream.

  At the critical moment, Zhu Lao Cong's figure appeared again behind another big tree, firing alternately with his two guns, silencing the enemy's light machine gun. Seven or eight 38-style rifles simultaneously took aim at him, and bullets drew straight lines through the forest and weeds. Zhu Lao Cong was hit in the shoulder and thigh at the same time, he shook a few times, fell to the slope, then hooked his uninjured leg around a small tree, continuing to exchange fire with the enemy with one hand.

  "Little devils, come on, come on! Taste the ferocity of Grandpa!" He laughed loudly as he fired his gun, as if he was attending a grand feast. A grenade whizzed down, sending countless branches and leaves flying everywhere. Amidst the flames, Zhu Lao's figure suddenly rose high into the air, standing upright with his hand flipping sideways, the shotgun naming each of the devils one by one...

  "Old Zhu!" "Brother Zhu!" The other squad members also had red eyes, and from their new hiding place, they stuck out their arms and fired to help Old Zhu make a heroic last stand. The enemy's light machine gun was silenced once again, two deputy shooters and one main shooter were hit and killed one after another, crying out in agony as they died. Another machine gun team had to hastily relocate, and while running, the main shooter was shot dead by Lao Gou, and a deputy shooter was hit by two bullets, his life or death unknown. The last deputy shooter managed to jump behind a boulder with his machine gun, but without coordination from his comrades, his machine gun could no longer produce continuous firepower.

  "Boom——" "Boom——" "Boom——" A new round of grenades flew in, disrupting the small squad's counterattack rhythm again. Taking advantage of this gap, the little devil's machine gunner and ordinary infantrymen redeployed under the command of a small squad leader.

  When the smoke and dust of the grenade dissipated, the enemy's firepower advantage became more apparent. Two light machine guns, more than 40 Type 38 rifles, and three grenade launchers coordinated with each other, launching a simultaneous attack on the small squad from multiple angles, both in the air and on the ground. Lao Gou, Hu Fengshou, and Shi Liangcai worked together several times, using their accurate marksmanship to disrupt the enemy's attacking rhythm. However, soon the machine gun fire and rifle shots rang out again like popping beans. The enemy soldiers had undergone rigorous training, and almost every one of them had participated in four or five battles, making them proficient in forming crossfire and operating the Type 38 rifles with ease. Even if they didn't shoot as accurately as regular machine gunners, they could still threaten every corner of the battlefield with their abundant ammunition.

  Two militiamen were hit by the enemy's random gunfire and fell to the ground in agony. Hu Feng was also injured, with a bullet passing through his cheek, covering him in blood. A comrade beside him was enraged and shot down an enemy soldier. Immediately following, two enemy machine guns crossed paths and swept over, hitting this brother's exposed shoulder and neck, leaving them a bloody mess.

  "Old Zhang, I'll fight to the end with you!" A comrade jumped up from a short distance in front of Zhang Songling, firing his rifle left and right, knocking down two devils, but he himself was also hit and fell to the ground. Zhang Songling crawled to his side using his hands and feet, trying to bandage his wounds. But he found that this comrade, whom he had known for less than three days, had already stopped breathing, his eyes wide open in a fixed stare.

  He reached out and gently closed the other's eyelids. Zhang Songling silently took the place of the former, stretched out his right hand to find the enemy's shadow with a box cannon. It was still a bit far away, and the little devil had rich battlefield experience, knowing the pros and cons of the box cannon. Before having absolute control, he did not dare to shorten the distance between the two sides to within 50 meters. Zhang Songling gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down, continuing to aim carefully, the shadow of the little devil's squad leader slowly grew larger in his pupils, becoming clear, and was slowly locked by the aiming star.

  Another sharp whistling sound came from the sky, and before the grenade landed, Zhang Songling pulled the trigger. The right chest of the little devil's squad leader burst out a string of blood flowers, and he fell to the ground with a scream. The grenade also fell from the sky at the same time, covering Zhang Songling's figure with mud and smoke.

  "Little fatty! Little fatty!" Shi Liangcai shouted hoarsely, risking being swept by the enemy's machine guns, and rushed into the smoke from behind. He saw a corpse that had been smoked black about four meters away from the crater. As he reached out to push it, the corpse suddenly turned over by itself, revealing two rows of white teeth.

  "It seems, I'm not dead yet!" Zhang Songling laughed as he crawled up, his face showing a few hints of madness. Two new wounds appeared on his left shoulder, with blood beads emerging one after another, but he didn't feel any pain at all. He continued to hold the box cannon seriously, trying to find a new target.

  "Fall back, retreat!" Shi Liangcai didn't bother to get angry with Zhang Songling, grabbed the man's collar and pulled him backwards. "The devils' grenade launchers will reach here soon, hurry up and retreat with me!"

  "Ah!" Zhang Songling shook his dazed head and followed Shi Liangcai, retreating to a new hiding spot before the smoke cleared. Several grenades landed at his feet, lifting the entire boulder he had been hiding behind off the ground and sending it tumbling into the valley.

  "Boom——""Boom——""Boom——""Boom——""Boom——""Boom——"The sound of grenade launchers was incessant. The little devil squad leader who was hit by Zhang Songling should be considered an important figure. His injury made the devils thoroughly enraged.

  "Boom!" "Boom" "Boom!" "Boom!" ... The explosion sounds rose and fell, completely covering the place where the small squad had just hidden. Taking advantage of the smoke cover, Lao Gou and Hu Feng dragged the injured Huang Xiaomao back quickly. They retreated all the way to Shi Liangcai and Zhang Songling's hiding place before stopping to catch their breath.

  A team of twelve people, now only five are left. One of them is seriously injured and can no longer charge with the others. At this moment, it will take at least another hour and a half before the sky completely darkens.

  Although he was unwilling to admit it in his heart, the old man had painfully come to the conclusion that this rescue operation had completely failed. The devils had taken advantage of their numerical superiority, firepower and combat experience to regain and firmly occupy the initiative on the battlefield. If they continued to fight, they would probably be annihilated before nightfall.

  However, he could not immediately withdraw with his brothers. The devils' light machine guns and 38 guns had a long range, and there were excellent marksmen in the team. If they withdrew before it was completely dark, leaving their backs to the devils, the small squad would probably face annihilation.

  "Lao Hu, Lao Huang and I will stay behind to hold off the devils! Shi Tou and Xiao Pangzi, go back and send a message to Chi Shizhang! If he can spare some men, have him send someone to rescue Old Ji and the others. If he really can't spare anyone...". The battalion commander Lao Gou let out a soft sigh as he looked at his loyal comrades, "Then just let him kill more devils in the future, I'll follow Old Ji to heaven and watch over him!"

  "Let Old Hu take Little Pang back, I don't know the way!" Perhaps for the first time in his life, Shi Liangcai openly defied his superior.

  "Get out!" Old Gou glared, shouting loudly. "Take the little fatty away immediately and get out! Don't forget that our Special Operations Team's ledger is still in your bag!"

  "I've already collected most of the money from selling old guns and usury. The rest, let Xiao Pang collect it!" Shi Liangcai became arrogant and reckless, blurting out all the secrets of the special operations team. "Anyway, those people in the military department also have a share. As long as the account book is in Xiao Pang's hands, we won't worry about not being able to collect it back!"

  "Ah..." Old Gou raised his hand and gave Shi Liangcai a neck chop, trying to subdue him with force. Shi Liangcai was knocked to the ground, but he struggled back up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and continued to glare at him with a cold expression.

  Lao Gou raised his hand for the second time, but couldn't bring himself to hit again. He sighed and said in a low voice: "Forget it, let Xiao Pangzi handle it then. Old Hu..."

  "That little fatty is so big, he can't be lost!" Hu Feng didn't even bother to reason with him, and from his hiding place, he poked out the box cannon and knocked down a Japanese soldier who was crouching and moving forward. "The little devil will be here soon, I don't have time to bother with you!"

  The battalion commander, Old Gou, was so angry that he was panting heavily, but he couldn't do anything to Hu Fengshou. He could only turn his head and vent his anger on the little devil's head. Shi Liangcai looked at the situation on the battlefield, hid behind a rock, and solemnly took off his backpack from his shoulder and forced it into Zhang Songling's hands. "Remember, this account book cannot be handed over to anyone. Unless you are about to die!"

  "Brother Shi..." Zhang Songling's lips trembled as he hugged his backpack tightly. He had just listened to the quarrel between everyone, and not a single word was left unspoken. He wanted to refuse this task that might save his life, but seeing Shi Liangcai's warm eyes, his nose felt sour, and he couldn't say a complete sentence.

  "Hurry up and leave, without you this burden, we might still have a chance to escape from under the devils' eyelids!" Shi Liangcai joked with a smile, as if he had gotten rid of a big burden, and easily turned around, lying behind a rock to shoot at the devils. The devils' remaining forces had all been pressed forward, using machine guns for cover, they advanced in groups of three or five, alternating between moving forward and shooting. Every few steps, they would lie down on the ground and fire off rows of vicious bullets.

  Lao Gou and his men couldn't stop this wave of attack, even if they hadn't fought many battles, Zhang Songling knew that death was just around the corner. He raised the box cannon and fired the last few bullets at the devils. Just as he was about to turn around and retreat, he suddenly found that more than a dozen devils had already circled back to the halfway up the mountain slope, falling down like wheat straw hit by hailstones.

  "Chirp!" "Chirp!" "Chirp!" "Chirp!" "Chirp!" The unique sound of the 38th Division's special forces echoed from the mountain slope. The bullets didn't fly towards Lao Gou and the others, but instead hit the Japanese machine gunner's head. Two Japanese machine guns fell silent at the same time. Before the Japanese deputy shooter could push away the corpse of the main shooter to take his place, another round of old-fashioned Hanyang-made rifle fire rang out. The two Japanese deputy shooters covered their chests, their faces filled with disbelief.

  "Our people have arrived, our people have arrived!" Zhang Songling excitedly shouted loudly, dizzily firing the trigger, and the remaining bullets in the rifle didn't know where they went. But the devils couldn't care about him anymore, on the slope to the side, at least fifty different types of rifles were firing, making the little devils flee in panic.

  "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" Several wooden-handled grenades exploded among the devils. Compared to the devil's grenades, the killing effect was simply pitiful, the only advantage being that a thick smoke instantly rose high into the air, almost blocking the vision of all people on both sides. Immediately following, a shrill suona sound echoed across the mountain slope, hundreds of robust men, wearing clothes of various colors, carrying big knives, long spears, rifles, pistols, and even bird guns, shouting as they charged down from the mountain slope, seeing little devils and striking them with a single blow.

  The devilish company commander, Oshima, stood up from his hiding place, shouting loudly while holding a command sword. Several bullets flew over, breaking the command sword and shooting out several blood holes in his chest.

  In a situation where they were about to win, they were suddenly ambushed by several times more Chinese soldiers. The commander of the island was killed before their eyes, and the enemy's troops quickly collapsed. The little devil who was shot in the right chest by Zhang Songling was supported by two soldiers, and he fled south in a panic. A robust Han man with a red-tasseled spear caught up with him and stabbed him from behind. The two devils who were supporting their superior were greatly shocked and turned around in despair, using rifles that had not even been bayoneted to wildly shoot at the Chinese people who had killed their superior. The red-tasseled spear trembled, and the two rifles were immediately raised into the blue sky. Following this, the bright gun tip was inserted into the devils' chests one by one, pulled out, inserted, and pulled out, thoroughly finishing off the two devils.

  More Chinese came rushing down the hillside and clashed with the devils. Most of them had only big knives or red-tasseled spears in their hands. Most of them had patches upon patches on their clothes. But they were entirely different from those Chinese peasants Zhang Songling had met before, for when facing the little devils, they fought as bravely as regular soldiers.

  "They, they are..." Shi Liangcai and Hu Fengshou were also stunned. Especially the latter, who didn't know whether it was due to excitement or the wound on his cheek, pointed at the reinforcements who looked like both farmers and warriors, stuttering and unable to speak in complete sentences.

  "Retreat!" Old Gou was the first to recover from his shock, grabbing Hu Feng and Shi Liangcai with one hand each, and turning around to leave. He no longer needed to worry about Huang Xiaomao, who had closed his eyes contentedly after the sound of the suona had started earlier.

  "Lao Ji, Lao Ji..." Hu Fengshou didn't dare disobey his superior, struggling while pointing with his hand towards the back.

  "The little devils' retreat was cut off by others, and once they knew the news, they didn't bother to chase after Lao Ji anymore!" It's no wonder he's the camp commander; with just one sentence, Lao Gou explained most of the situation. However, regarding the identity of their savior, he didn't mention a word. Not only did he himself not say anything, but he also glared at everyone with his eyes, "When we get back, no one is allowed to say who saved us. The fact is, they never intended to save us; they had already gone to ambush on the mountain slope!"

  The latter half of the sentence, however, was somewhat disingenuous. Zhang Songling surreptitiously glanced at Hu Fengshou and Shi Liangcai, seeing that these two men, who were far older than himself, did not refute Old Gou, so he swallowed back the words that had already reached his lips.

  When the four of them stepped onto the mountain top, the shouting and killing sounds from below had completely subsided. Zhang Songling quietly turned his head to look back, just in time to see a few men with patches all over their bodies walking towards where everyone had last hidden, lifting up Huang Xiaomao's body. One of them looked very much like Fang Guoqiang from behind, but they were too far apart and he couldn't see clearly.

  As he rubbed his eyes hard, ready to confirm whether the other was Fang Guoqiang or not. Those several farmer-dressed guys had already disappeared into the crowd. On the crowded mountain road, there were patchwork clothes everywhere, and it was difficult to distinguish between them unless they walked very close.