Chapter Thirteen: Advancing in Blood

  Yi Anhua originally wanted to let the soldiers ignite smoke, blocking the Japanese defenders' line of sight. However, the heavens did not cooperate, and they were downwind, making it impossible to release smoke. The 259th Brigade had an artillery regiment with six artillery companies, totaling 24 field guns. The 137th Regiment had no artillery, but if they fired a barrage at the Japanese troops on the front line, the enemy would be unable to resist. However, Yi Anhua was still not too optimistic because he had been ordered to occupy Luo Zhuang and wait for reinforcements after completing his mission. Since the military department had already prepared reinforcements for them, this must be a fiercely contested place. Yi Anhua did not dare imagine how many Japanese troops would follow, and with each shot, their ammunition dwindled. He didn't dare hope that more ammunition would magically appear.

  Due to the previous consumption of ammunition at Wusongkou, apart from some surplus ammunition allocated from the 137th Regiment, the 259th Brigade had not received any replenishment, so their firearms and ammunition were relatively scarce compared to the 137th Regiment. It was impossible for Yi Anhua to ask the 137th Regiment for ammunition with a straight face. Now he has come up with the idea of capturing ammunition from the enemy's position. The Japanese soldiers have 120 rounds per capita, which is much more abundant than theirs. If there are reserve ammunition boxes, it would be even better. Therefore, Yi Anhua wants to end the battle quickly. He has deployed all his field artillery, and even at Wusongkou, he had never used all his field artillery at once before.

  Whether it was appropriate for Yi Anhua to launch a frontal assault on Ping is still questionable, but as a general with little actual combat experience, he chose to remain silent.

  Under the fluttering bandages flag is a simple temporary construction, behind which is hidden the 7th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Army's 10th Division. In this small area of Luoduo, the 7th Infantry Regiment with over 3,000 people can't even deploy their troops, without time to build trenches, the best firing point is just behind the remaining walls or on top of the houses that haven't collapsed yet. From a distance, they could also see that the number of troops in the 259th Brigade and the 137th Regiment far exceeded theirs, but they still firmly believed that the Chinese army, which would collapse with one blow, couldn't break through their defense line.

  Between the two confronting parties, there is a road about 5 meters wide. Outside the road are scattered ponds and fields. It's not easy to rush over.

  The bugle's shrill blast pierced the serene wilderness. For soldiers, the charge was the most brutal order, whether it was a deep chasm or a raging inferno ahead, they had to spread their legs and run forward. No one is born a hero, and no one can overcome the fear of death. However, if you retreat due to cowardice, the officer's pistol will unhesitatingly blow a bloody hole in your head. The numb obedience was a deep imprint left by the iron discipline of the army, having nothing to do with so-called righteousness.

  The bloody lesson had been verified that the dense attack would only make the corpses of the charging troops piled higher than the mountains in the sky. The dense formation would tie the hands and feet of the brothers behind, unable to fire continuously to suppress the enemy's firepower, while the shooting accuracy rate of the defending army would increase exponentially. This kind of attacking method, except for giving some psychological pressure to the defending army, was nothing but increasing casualties. The battalion-level charging unit advanced quickly in a loose formation, with 24 field guns continuously suppressing the Japanese machine gun and grenade points. The 259th Brigade had not had such good heavy firepower support for a long time, and while the pressure was greatly reduced, they felt slightly uncomfortable.

  The Japanese army was on the verge of collapse under the intense bombardment of the field artillery, although before the war, they had scattered distribution of grenade launchers and machine guns. However, our military had focused on defending against two directions of attack, making these heavy firepower relatively concentrated, which facilitated the 259th Artillery Regiment's more accurate strikes.

  Although the Japanese infantry regiment was equipped with 144 grenade launchers and an equal number of light machine guns, after four rounds of intense bombardment by 24 powerful field artillery pieces, these heavy firepower were reduced by half. Since the light machine guns and grenade launchers required specialized soldiers to operate, they needed a period of training to form strong combat effectiveness, which ordinary soldiers could not replace.

  In contrast, the Czech-made light machine guns used by the 259th Brigade had excellent shooting stability, allowing even non-machine gunners to take over and form strong combat effectiveness. For the first time, the 259th Brigade, which had been suppressed by the Japanese in terms of firepower, gained the upper hand today.

  The charging soldiers were greatly encouraged, rushing forward like madmen, shouting loudly. Facing the Japanese light machine guns' sweeping fire, the veteran soldiers didn't care at all, easily dodging left and right to avoid being hit. It was actually the accurate shooting of the rifle soldiers that they feared most; many soldiers were killed by rifle shots rather than machine gun sweeps.

  The Japanese soldiers' Type 38 rifles had a high initial velocity, with two bullets fired in quick succession, but as long as they didn't hit vital areas, they wouldn't be fatal. Many 259th Brigade soldiers who were hit in the legs or arms simply rested for a while before continuing to charge forward.

  The Japanese soldiers felt that the charging soldiers were exceptionally brave and fierce, but the hits on the enemy did not produce lethal damage. This contrast made the Japanese soldiers feel inexplicably suffocated, and their morale weakened somewhat.

  Yi Anhua, who had been closely observing the changes on the battlefield from the beginning, saw that the offensive had completely suppressed the enemy army and laughed with joy: "Good, very good, damn it, he's got his grandfather's balls, Feng Ping, two battalions of troops can actually completely suppress the devils' positions, haha, great, really great!"

  Looking at the attacking troops constantly falling in the fields, Feng Ping sighed: "Now every moment is a row of people falling down, and it's been three tenths of the troops who have died, and the casualties are heavy!"

  "Can there be no casualties on the battlefield? We are already quite good now, well, the artillery brothers should remember their first-class merits. If it weren't for their precise bombardment, the devils wouldn't have been suppressed so easily. Eh, what's going on? Why has the cannon fire stopped, Little Ghost Zhang! Little Ghost Zhang!" Yi Anhua roared in anger.

  The signal soldier ran over immediately, and Yi Anhua shouted at a small communication soldier named Zhang: "Little devil, go ask that bastard Lin Xun from the artillery regiment why they stopped firing!"

  "Yes, Travel Long!" Zhang Ou, who still looked quite young, heard the order and rushed towards the artillery position.

  Looking at Zhang's distant back, Feng Ping asked Yi Anhua: "This little devil looks like he's only 14 or 15 years old, how did he end up following your brother?"

  Yi Anhua sighed deeply, gazing at Zhang's back and sighing: "This kid is also a poor soul, an Northeasterner. At the age of eight, his parents were killed by devils, and Zhang, who was hiding in the kitchen haystack, was lucky to have escaped with his life. Then he headed south, begging along the way. Once I saw this child on the street, so thin that it was pitiful, and I took him under my wing. There must be tens of thousands of children like him who lost their parents at a young age. It's really miserable for these kids in times of turmoil. I hope our next generation won't have to suffer like we did. When will the day come when all Chinese people can have a peaceful and happy life? Ah!"

  Feng Ping silently nodded, at this moment he also thought of his wife and children at home, suddenly a deep sense of concern filled his chest, he took a deep breath, and Feng Ping forcibly suppressed the thoughts that had emerged.

  Before long, Zhang Dai ran back, panting heavily and said: "Commander, Lin Yinglong said... he said there are no more shells!!"

  "What!" Yi Anhua bellowed, his face iron-gray with rage. "Lin Xun that good-for-nothing, he's so skilled in martial arts that he's used up all my cannonballs! What am I supposed to use to defend our position now? Am I supposed to use Lin Xun's head as a cannonball?! How many heads does he have, damn it?! He doesn't want to live anymore!!" Yi Anhua was so angry that he pulled out his handgun from his waist and was about to charge towards the artillery position.

  Feng Ping grabbed Yi Anhua, who was furious, and chuckled: "I'm telling you, old Yi, what's the point of yelling? I was there when you gave orders to Lin Xun, and I clearly heard you say: 'You little devil, if a machine gun or grenade launcher appears on the enemy's position, use artillery to blast it out! If you can't destroy it, then kill him!' You didn't tell them to save ammunition, did you? Just now, the artillery formation was like that, I think you must have notified them in advance. Lin Xun couldn't help but bear with it either. However, their firepower suppression was quite successful, don't you see that the front row of troops has already charged to within 70 meters of the enemy's position? It's a draw! A draw!"

  Yi Anhua panted heavily, her mood slightly calmer, while Zhang Ai was still pale with fear, standing rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, not daring to move. Feng Ping waved his hand at Zhang Ai and said, "Little ghost, go away, this has nothing to do with you, wait over there." Zhang Ai's eyes darted towards Yi Anhua for a long time, seeing that she didn't show any signs of losing her temper, he tiptoed quietly to the side.

  "Haha, Old Yi, you were just boasting about how well the artillery company did, but now you're blaming Lin Xun for not helping you save ammunition. You think that if you could have even more intense firepower to suppress them, it would be great!" Feng Ping said with a laugh, patting Yi Anhua's shoulder.

  Yi Anhua smiled bitterly: "If it weren't for the defense after taking down the position, I would have thrown as many shells as possible at the devils' heads. But we're not rich, are we? After throwing them all away, when you want to use this thing again, you'll be grasping at nothing. Look at what happened in just a moment - without artillery fire, two companies of the 146th Regiment were wiped out, and on the 147th Regiment's side, although it was better, an entire company was instantly annihilated. The cost of hundreds of lives is that we advanced only fifty meters, and these last fifty meters are the most difficult!"

  Looking at the heroic and tragic scene of 259 troops charging forward, Feng Ping felt a surge of inexplicable emotion and heartache. He was comforted by the bravery of the soldiers fighting to protect their homes and country, but also saddened by the continuous fall of his comrades. With intense emotions, Feng Ping said: "General Yi, I represent the 1,953 soldiers of the 137th Regiment in asking for your permission. Let us join the fight! You can't just let us stand by and watch as our brothers from the 259th Regiment fall one by one. This would be an unforgivable injustice to our comrades. As their commander, I request and demand that you deploy the 137th Regiment to the front line!"

  "Wait a little longer, just wait a little longer..." Yi Anhua said in a low voice.

  Feng Ping shouted: "Lao Yi, I understand that the combat effectiveness of my troops is far from comparable to that of the 259th Brigade, but they are not made of paper and straw either. If you continue to insist on this, I will suspect that you are doubting the fighting spirit and quality of the soldiers of the 137th Regiment and my command ability as a regimental commander!"

  Yi Anhua opened his mouth several times, but couldn't say anything. Under the sharp and piercing gaze of Feng Ping, Yi Anhua could only sigh and say: "Well, I really can't do anything about you, so let's do it this way. The 146th regiment on the west side has suffered relatively heavy casualties, so you'll cooperate with the 146th regiment to insert from the west side and try to tear open a gap in the enemy's formation before the 147th regiment on the east side. As long as we can tear open a seam, our superior forces here will be able to easily swallow up the enemy!"

  "Alright, Old Yi, rest assured, I will lead the brothers to charge into the enemy's belly, stir and smash them, and swallow them with blood, hahaha!!" As soon as he heard that he could lead his troops to charge forward and attack the enemy's position, Feng Ping's face lit up with a bright smile, and he straightened his uniform before taking big strides.

  Yi Anhua saw Feng Ping's majestic appearance as he led his troops out to battle, and hastily blocked his way, frowning and saying: "What are you doing?!"

  "Leading the brothers to charge into battle, Old Yi, they are my brothers I brought out, although most of them are local rascals and not many good ones, but since they became my soldiers, they are our brothers. Today, whoever fights alongside me and sheds blood together with me is my brother. Since we are brothers, going to the battlefield for the country and nation is a matter of course. I don't know if you still have any doubts after I say this?" Feng said calmly.

  Yi Anhua hastily said: "How can you personally take the field? If something happens to you, who will lead your brothers? Do you think I'm hiding behind the battle array and watching from afar as my own men fight in the front lines just for fun? It's because I'm the highest commander, many important decisions have to be made by me, so you're not allowed to go!"

  "After I die, you can promote a general from my department to be the regiment commander. You are actually the highest commander of the 259th Brigade and the 137th Regiment, so you must stay in a safe place. But I don't have that consideration, so I have to charge with my brothers. Why should I not die? What's the use of being wrapped in horsehide after death? In eighteen years, there will be another tough guy. By then, if the devils haven't been driven out of China, we'll still be fighting them!" Feng Ping turned his head, pushed away Yi Anhua's blocking arm, and strode towards the camp of the 137th Regiment.

  Yi Anhua could only watch as Feng Ping walked away with large strides, sighing repeatedly. He knew he couldn't stop Feng Ping, this southern stubborn cow. Looking at Feng Ping's relatively short stature compared to himself, Yi Anhua couldn't help but think that although his body wasn't very tall, his temper was as strong as a bull. The fierce energy emanating from him made people feel both helpless and admiring of Feng Ping.

  He rushed forward, the wind whistling past his ears, and Feng Ping felt that his entire body was filled with unexhausted energy. His bright eyes stared straight at the soldiers of the 137th Regiment not far in front of him.

  "Look, the battalion commander is here! The battalion commander is here!!" It was unclear who shouted first, but the originally listless soldiers of the 137th Battalion immediately perked up, standing up straight and tall, afraid that Commander Feng would not see their spirited appearance. Most of the people in the 137th Battalion were street-smart "activists", not to say they were all fearless tough guys, but each one was a proud person who valued face, now serving as soldiers and having to crouch down with their heads bowed as reserve troops made everyone feel extremely depressed. Even the people from the 259th Brigade looked at them with disdain, feeling that they were being looked down upon, subconsciously shrinking their heads. Now seeing Commander Feng approaching, who had always stayed by Yi Anhua's side, afraid of not letting them go to battle, they immediately transformed from their original listless state to becoming spirited and fierce.

  Feng Ping walked to the front of the disorganized troops and shouted, "Damn it! I've arrived and you're all still standing there like fools. Do I need to hammer each and every one of you into the ground?" The awakened battalion commander was frightened and quickly ordered his men to form up, and nearly two thousand people were soon arranged in an orderly manner.

  Feng Ping nodded secretly in his heart, finally looking like something. At this time, someone in the team shouted loudly: "Captain, are we going to fight to the death?"

  Feng Ping burst out laughing and said: "Brothers, we've finally waited for the opportunity. One mile west of our front line is our target. We'll break through the enemy's defense lines and insert ourselves into their formation. What we need to do is wipe out all the enemy soldiers, not a single one left behind. All prisoners will be killed without mercy. Has everyone remembered that?"

  "Kill! Roar~"

  "Kill! Roar~"

  A loud roar burst forth from the mouths of the officers and men of the 137th Regiment.

  "Damn it!" Yufei shouted loudly in the team.

  "Damn it!"

  "Damn it!"

  ……

  A wave of curses louder than the last echoed through the battlefield, and Yi Anhua, who was not far away, couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  Feng Ping felt a bit embarrassed on his face, it was rare to see people shouting slogans in other troops. Feng Ping knew that these people used to have the habit of scolding and cursing, now shouting slogans wasn't something he couldn't understand, but shouting so loudly still made him feel a bit unnatural as a commander.

  "Heavily coughing several times to cover up the unnatural expression on his face, Feng Ping ordered: "Now I command that the 1st and 2nd battalions as the first echelon, in two waves, attack the enemy's western defensive position. The 3rd and 4th battalions will follow as the second echelon to maintain continuous attacks. My requirement is not to retreat a single step, only to advance forward. Any soldier who shows cowardice or retreats will be executed on the spot. And I will lead the 1st battalion in the first wave, today I will fight alongside you! Drive out the Tartars, revive our great China!"

  The team leader, Feng Ping, actually led by example!!! A huge voice echoed in the hearts of every soldier in the 137th regiment, silent, dead silence, all soldiers looked at Feng Ping with a stunned expression, even You Fei was shocked at this moment, he stared blankly at Feng Ping, and like all other soldiers, his eyes slowly filled with a kind of respect, this thing is very hard to appear on these people, they don't trust anyone, especially not the officials, but now they have developed genuine respect for Feng Ping, which shook out their truest reaction from the bottom of their hearts - obedience, absolute obedience.

  The sound of gunfire is still deafening, but the scene that was imagined to be a hail of bullets and smoke just a few days ago has become all too familiar for the soldiers of the 137th Regiment. It's hard not to say that people's adaptability to their environment is quite remarkable, especially for these local rascals.