Chapter Twenty-Four: Confrontation at Gui Xi

  "The devils have run away! We've won! Brothers, but this is on our own land, we must avenge Chen Zizhong and all the martyrs who sacrificed!" You Fei waved his gun in hand, shouting loudly.

  "Revenge! Revenge!" The warriors let out a thunderous cry.

  Yu Fei left a dozen or so people to clean up the battlefield, while the others divided into two groups and rushed to the two nearby enemy strongholds. Because the enemy had withdrawn personnel to participate in the attack on the county town, there were only seven or eight people in each stronghold. In this battle, Yu Fei's side captured 193 Type 38 rifles, three machine guns, two cannons, a grenade launcher, and a considerable amount of ammunition. Just enough to let the enemy taste the power of these things.

  The Qingyun team also learned from Lie Feng and stripped many devils' military uniforms. In this way, when attacking the devils' strongholds, neither of the two battlefields needed to fight hard.

  The Qingyun squad infiltrated the enemy's stronghold with elegant and effortless movements, looking even more relaxed than the battle-hardened Lie Feng. You Fei was with this team, witnessing their exquisite "technique" firsthand.

  The Japanese sentinel, holding his gun and shouting loudly, seemed to be suspicious of the few yellow-clad soldiers. Sun Qingyun, walking in front, calmly stretched out his hand as if to pass something over, and with a light flick, a dagger was lodged in the Japanese soldier's neck.

  "Gggg..." The oni let out a bubbling sound like boiling water. Another oni turned around and saw, "Ahh!"

  In the flash of lightning, Sun Qingyun somehow dodged over a distance of three or four meters, and at the same time jumped over several sandbags and barbed wire, pulling out the machine gun that was exposed in the gun hole. The heavy machine gun flew high into the air, hitting the head of the "ah!"-shouting devil right on target.

  You Fei was watching from a distance and muttered: "The machine gun won't be broken, will it? It looks like the force is too strong!"

  A Japanese soldier standing at a high place had just reacted, reaching for his gun, when he suddenly fell black and dropped down. Several members of the Qingyun team instantly broke into the midst of the Japanese soldiers, and a brutal close combat began. Of course, the brutality was for those Japanese soldiers. In front of a group of Sun Qingyun's carefully selected martial arts masters, hand-to-hand combat was suicidal.

  You Fei knew that the most critical period had passed, and the Qing Yun team's strength in close combat was much stronger than Lie Feng. If Lie Feng went up with fewer people, they would easily be at a disadvantage.

  The Stormtrooper squad didn't have a small number of people going up, the stronghold in front of them was that kind of double-layered fortress, and even if they broke through forcefully, they couldn't take it down at once.

  Wang Lie led a group of people to gather in front of the enemy sentry, and when he shouted "Eight quacking ducks! Ba Ga! Ba Ga!", the team members behind him had already made preparations. With Wang Lie's cold weapon in hand, rifle grenades, shells, machine gun bullets, and hand grenades began to greet the several firepower points on the strongpoint at close range.

  The one who fired the cannon was He Tianhao. Wasn't there a skilled gunner? Unfortunately, he died in battle a few times ago. He Tianhao and he had been honing their marksmanship skills for a long time and had gained some insights. Today, with just one shot, they silenced the machine gun on the flank.

  Taking advantage of the devils being caught off guard, a large group of people rushed forward, surrounding the devils in a sea of humanity.

  Before the attack, the warriors were informed that they should not show mercy to the devils, nor take prisoners, and must kill them in the shortest possible time to prevent these beasts from resorting to desperate measures. Our lives are precious, and it's not good to die with beasts. So, it's no wonder that several bayonets pierced a devil's body at the same time. Seven or eight devils were completely annihilated without making much noise in such a scale of attack.

  In this way, two strongholds were taken down again. The score of the Flying Army's elimination of devils today happened to add up to a total of 300.

  Tofu escaped back to the old nest, and before he could even sit down, he heard that two more strongholds had been taken out. After the Chinese army removed everything useful, they simply used explosives to flatten all the stronghold buildings.

  The unconscious Tofu wakes up with difficulty under the care of the guards, and the first thing he does is to report the battle situation to his superior, Mato Daito. As soon as the phone call connects, Tofu kneels down: "Commander! I, Tofu, did not complete the task you assigned me, failed to hold on to the occupied area, and lost most of the company's personnel. I request permission to commit seppuku to atone for my sin."

  On the other end of the phone, Captain Mato cursed in his heart, "Do you need me to approve your seppuku?!" However, he didn't say that out loud. Instead, he spoke in a very gentle tone, "Captain Tofu, I believe you've done your best. This is just a small setback, and the responsibility lies with me for underestimating the enemy. Don't worry! I'll gather the troops and head to that not-so-peaceful area."

  "Hai! I request, to participate in the next battle, charge forward, to ensure our soldiers' honor." Tofu said. He already knew that he didn't need to cut his belly, and his words had a few more ounces of strength.

  "Bean Tofu! Huang Jun is carrying out the Nanjing campaign, and once Nanjing falls, the Chinese will lose their spiritual pillar. There are no more troops to replenish your squadron for now, so I'm granting your request, you'll be at the forefront of the charge. After all, some failures, even if small, aren't easy to accept! I give you the power to avenge." Mato said, hanging up the phone.

  Tofu slammed down the phone and slapped himself hard. To be honest, he no longer believed in so-called glory. Since being knocked off his feet twice, he felt that his own life was the most important thing. He's now very afraid of death, or else he would have cut open his belly long ago. But then he'd have to go on a charge, who knows how many more days he'll live? He began to regret coming to this country that didn't belong to him.

  ……

  In the county town, a funeral is being held for Chen Zhong and more than 40 other martyrs who died in this battle. At Chen Zhong's tomb, a stone monument with the inscription "One man guards the pass" has been erected. The funeral was simple but grand, with many people attending voluntarily. Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the 137th Regiment - the county primary school, new recruits are being enlisted continuously.

  The activity of the Japanese army around the four counties in Su Province has significantly decreased. The news that You Fei's troops won a victory spread quickly. It turns out that the devils are also afraid of guns, artillery and bullets! Some devil-worshiping rumors circulating among the people before were self-defeating. Within a few days, the armed forces in the four counties became active again. During Chen Zhi Zhong's funeral, a mysterious bandit force quietly approached a Japanese stronghold.

  The funeral was over, and the news of another victory in a neighboring county came. Amidst the loud cheers of the crowd, You Fei took out the appointment letter of the commander of the 259th Brigade and announced that he had received orders from his superiors to fully integrate various armed forces within the four counties of Su Province and reorganize the National Army's 259th Brigade. And vowed to fight against the devils until the end, defending the border and ensuring the safety of the people is the first purpose of the 259th Brigade.

  Youfei made some money during this period of fighting the devils, which was just used for team building. As the team grew stronger, everyone thought that there was no need to run away all day long. With these gradually trained soldiers, they could still withstand the devils' attacks. If they came in smaller numbers, we would eliminate them! The devils wouldn't send their entire division, would they? Now Youfei is the leader of a regiment, and he's not afraid of the devils' squadrons at all.

  You Fei also had a small abacus, and he spread the word that the enemy's stronghold, artillery tower had many guns, cannons and bullets, but the enemy was outnumbered, it would not be easy to defend each stronghold. Before reinforcements arrived, the team that took down the stronghold would definitely make a fortune. As soon as this news came out, a team from a neighboring county also went to attack Xiaopao Tower under the banner of avenging martyrs. It was their first time, they were well-prepared, and they succeeded. For a while, the enemy's artillery tower and small strongholds seemed like sesame seeds in everyone's eyes.

  That bandit armed force that took down the stronghold actually suffered quite a few casualties itself. But in this era, who would be willing to say they're cowards? Their external claims were also carefree and casual, the devils couldn't withstand a single blow, the cannon tower was full of treasures. This kind of claim attracted even more bearded men from all over. Those who took down strongholds would exaggerate even more. In just a few days, the outskirts of four counties in Su Province were ablaze with war, the devils seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, and the cannon tower was almost becoming synonymous with treasure trove.

  Various armed forces have disappeared quietly, and those that remain have developed faster and become more powerful.

  ……

  Captain Muto scowled at his subordinates in the command center, "The situation in the occupied area is infuriating. If those Chinese people don't know fear, then what's the difference between occupying these places and not? I've decided that on the 14th, we'll conduct a sweep of the four counties with the worst security. Even in such small places, we must establish effective rule. As for troublemakers? Just kill them all!"

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "At present, the battle of Nanjing is at a critical juncture. We cannot spare more manpower for such a small place as our garrison. Our original formation had four squadrons, and now we have three left. The heavy machine gun squadron and the mountain artillery squadron directly under the battalion will also be put into battle this time! With over 1,500 Imperial soldiers, combined with advanced weapons, if we can't defeat those bandits... I'll go with you all... Heh heh! Does everyone know what to do?"

  "Ah-ha!"

  ……

  A large contingent of devils came to commit a crime, and the devil's defense on the periphery of the four counties became even more empty. All the big and small bearded troops went out to take advantage of the devils who stayed behind. Only the troops of You Fei's family were left in front of the large contingent of devils.

  Mokuto didn't expect the vanguard to advance, but the rear was suddenly bustling like a boiling pot. He intended to provide reinforcements, but he couldn't let go of the main culprit, Yu Fei, who was right in front of him. Mokuto's face darkened again, ordering the troops to advance quickly and engage in a decisive battle with Yu Fei's forces as soon as possible.

  At this time, You Fei was sitting in his department, dispatching small troops to harass the devils and slow down their pace. He also ordered people to widely distribute heroic posters, contacting various armed forces to launch surprise attacks on the devil's main force, and welcoming various armed forces to send personnel to observe, learn from and study the 259th Brigade. He Tianhao suggested that in the liaison letter, only mention patriotic armed forces, not government troops or bandits. In this way, the various forces would not have a sense of inferiority towards the 259th Brigade.

  Communications soldiers went out wave after wave, and there were more than a dozen observers sent by various "patriotic armed forces". The 259th Brigade was in high spirits from top to bottom. You Fei seemed to want to make a big move.

  At this time, there was a small episode. An old scholar came to see You Fei, shaking and trembling, and said: "General You! Change the place of battle! The county town is densely populated, and after the war, it will inevitably lead to bloodshed. It's inevitable that people will be killed!" The old man was so old that he couldn't guess what he was saying, and as he spoke, he wanted to kneel down to You Fei. You Fei quickly supported him and said: "Don't worry! Our troops will set out immediately. This county town is not worth defending. The civilians also need to be evacuated."

  Finally getting rid of the old man, You Fei bluntly said: "The final battle will take place there! It's still a secret for now! But we need to retreat from the county town immediately. We'll also mobilize the common people to leave together."

  Relocating the villagers, You Fei already had experience with this, sending people to persuade them that it was only a temporary withdrawal and they would return once the devils were chased away. He gave the villagers ample time to retreat. The villagers retreated in batches, not all at once, but instead left the city in several groups to play hide-and-seek with the devils.

  The Matō Corps had been on a streak of bad luck since entering the four-county joint defense area in Suzhou Province. As soon as they crossed the border, they stepped on a landmine and blew up four Japanese soldiers. The entire corps continued to advance, but under the guidance of a group of guerrilla fighters who were sometimes present and sometimes absent, they got lost in the plains. When they turned back to get back on track, they found that several artillery vehicles had sunk deep into the mud, and even the Japanese soldiers who came to lift them out were stuck up to their waists. The leader of the Japanese army, Tōji, hastily ordered his engineers to take measurements, but even he, a cunning and experienced veteran, was shocked - what a huge artificial swamp!

  Matou looked around and said with relief, "Fortunately, this plain is not suitable for ambushes. Otherwise, our artillery would be trapped and our firepower would be greatly affected." Beside him, Tofu Koganei, the company commander who was doing nothing, was about to say that he had been ambushed last time when all the devils discovered the vague figures emerging from all directions.

  "Battle preparation! Battle preparation!" A loud shout, and the devils quickly formed a defensive formation. However, the other side only lazily fired a few shots and then stopped moving. The devil soldiers began to counterattack, and their firepower was still quite fierce. In the end, Motofuji used a company to launch a charge, and when they arrived at the predetermined Chinese army's position, they found that they had long since disappeared without a trace. Except for a few landmines' explosions that made seven or eight devils overjoyed and unable to get up again, everything was extremely calm.

  "Bah! Chinese! Cowardly like a mouse!" Mokuto muttered with some disdain. However, next to him, Tofu picked up on the underlying tone. Mokuto didn't use "Shina", but instead used the word "China", which meant he had some respect for his opponent, and saying they were cowardly was actually just lamenting his own incompetence and lack of strategy.

  He glanced at Dou Huang with a faint smile. "Heh heh heh!" He laughed, "Dou Huang, we can't just keep circling around here! I'll arrange a great task for you, go do it!"

  "Ah-ha!" Tofu responded reflexively.

  ……

  After Yu Fei spread out the troops, in order to contact each platoon and squad in a timely manner, he racked his brains, but the effects were not very good. In the end, it was He Tianhao who thought of a solution, taking advantage of the open view on the plain, setting up a series of signal trees, with leaves that were dense on one side and sparse on the other, adjusting the direction of the trees to simply contact each branch team, dispersing and gathering.

  The troops were just about to disappear in the woods and fields of the vast plain, only to reappear suddenly everywhere. Even the flying troops were always ready to move at any time. This made the observation teams sent by various "patriotic armed forces" extremely frustrated. However, the flying troops seemed to be very pleased with this. "Haha! I want to hit him once and then not hit him again, he can't catch me no matter what. We just want to leave such an impression on the devils, making them know it's hard to deal with us."

  Wandered around for two days, it seemed like there was no problem. But that day a group of people covered in blood and tatters came. You Fei went forward to ask about the situation, more than ten fellow villagers were crying uncontrollably, only one young man gritted his teeth and spoke out about their encounter:

  The devils suddenly rushed into the village, gathering all the villagers in the middle of the village at the Wang family's large compound. One devil pointed to a machine gun and spoke stiffly in Chinese: "Do you know? This is a machine gun, it can fire many shots in one second, if you don't fear, and continue to help the bandit army, we will use this gun to kill all of you!" The villagers didn't make a sound, the devils immediately dragged out two people and shot them with the machine gun until they were unrecognizable. The crowd became chaotic, the devil soldiers rushed in and stabbed with bayonets, also shooting at those who ran far away.

  The boy's voice was still relatively clear: "At that time, I hid in the toilet pit and shouted to my dad to come over. My dad was too fat and couldn't get in, so he went to climb over the short wall of the toilet. As soon as he got on top of the wall, he was shot dead by a gun. He remained still on the wall. I knew he was already dead. My younger brother's name is Jiabao, only six years old. I saw him in the crowd and shouted, 'Jiabao, Jiabao, come quickly to your older brother!' Jiabao ran two steps, then a Japanese devil came with a bayonet and stabbed... stabbed... more than ten or twenty times..."

  The young man who had been trying his best to remain calm finally broke down in tears.

  Another old man said: "Our village has more than a thousand people, and now there are only over ten people left. Just now when I came over, I saw that Guixi Village was also occupied by the devils. They don't let go of any village!"

  After having the villagers sent away, You Fei turned his back and didn't speak for half a day. Jiang Zhuang came up and just called out "Big Brother!" when You Fei waved his hand and cut him off.

  The silent flying revealed a frightening aura, and the flying slowly straightened up, saying: "Damn it! If this continues, by the time we've finished touring these four counties, they'll have killed us all off. This is our country after all!"

  "Pass on my orders!" Yu Fei began to roar, "Qingyun and Lie Feng two squads, immediately enter Guixi Village to rescue the old villagers. All other troops, along the Guixi River, set up defensive formations, quickly build fortifications. Communication soldiers contact other patriotic armed forces. Just say, this battle we will win for sure, can cooperate with the devils, after finishing the matter I'll give him formal establishment and gun rewards, don't care about him, let him be a free and easy 'grass head king'."

  Although some members of the Liè Fēng and Qīng Yún units had sneaked into Guì Xī Village only to find it empty, with no more locals left to rescue. However, all Chinese armed forces from the four counties were converging on a small river outside Zhuō Gè Village.

  The commander of the Oni's squad, having detected Yūhi's movements, looked at Tōta with a self-satisfied expression and issued orders to his entire squad: "Immediately clean the large cannon. Concentrate all troops. Prepare to launch a fatal attack on that Yūhi."

  On the banks of the shallow Guixi River, both sides are making preparations...