Chapter 25: The Military Flag in the Smoke

  When the boulder blocked the Japanese army's road to climb up to the high ground of Mengzi Ridge Great Wall, not only did the Japanese troops below make a mess, but Wang Changhai in the distance was also shocked. He didn't expect that Qin Yang still had such a tactic of mutual destruction.

  The mountain road was isolated, and the troops on both sides of the mountain peak would inevitably engage in a desperate struggle for survival. Now that the number of Japanese troops and the 29th Army's garrison is roughly equal, it is likely to end in mutual destruction. Moreover, with the mountain road blocked, even if the people on the mountain survive the battle, they will not be able to hold out for long without food.

  The original Japanese garrison on the mountain, although not small in number, had limited supplies due to their hasty deployment. After several days of consumption, they were almost depleted. The Japanese troops responsible for resupplying them had expected to arrive within a day or two. However, with the mountain road blocked and impassable for at least half a month, even if food was transported, it couldn't be delivered, let alone now that the 29th Army was on top, not Japanese soldiers.

  Just now, Dai'er asked him for directions, but he didn't respond. Dai'er was angry and didn't tell him about the path from behind the mountain that could be used to safely descend. So Wang Changhai didn't know that people on the mountain could use that place to come down safely.

  Before he could turn around, intense gunfire came from the front left and right sides, behind the Japanese army. Bullets whizzed out of the woods, sending the panicked Japanese soldiers fleeing in all directions, creating chaos below the mountain.

  Wang Changhai heard the gunfire and his face turned black with rage, cursing: "These bastards, didn't they see the explosion on the mountain just now? The road is already blocked, what are they shooting for?"

  It turned out that the troops who launched an attack on the Japanese army at the foot of the mountain were the 4th and 5th companies of the 2nd battalion of Wang Changhai's 217 regiment. They also followed Wang Changhai's previous deployment, firing to attract the attention of the main force of the Japanese army, but forgot that the mountain road was impassable, and it was useless to attract them over.

  "Since we've already started, let's have a good fight!" Wang Changhai made up his mind and walked down from the mountain slope.

  Wang Changhai is not a man who fears trouble either. Since the battle has started, he no longer considers other things and focuses his attention on the war.

  After the blows of He Jianguo, Qin Yang and others on the mountain peak, plus the successive deaths of Ito and Kawahara, the cavalry regiment at the foot of the mountain not only lost nearly 2,000 men, but also had extremely low morale. The 29th Army's attack made the originally chaotic Japanese soldiers even more chaotic, with people crowding, pushing and shoving each other, and even raising their rifles to hit people around them. Some Japanese officers who attempted to restore order shot and killed a few people, but it had little effect.

  In contrast, two companies of the 217th Regiment were well-rested and had previously occupied advantageous positions, which put the Japanese at a disadvantage in this ebb and flow.

  Although the Japanese army also organized some counter-attacks, under the coordination of the two battalions, not only did they fail to break through the 217th Regiment's defense line, but they also lost more than 200 men.

  Wang Changhai's sharp observation of the Japanese soldiers' defeat was certain, and he turned back to shout: "Sixth Company, you launch a frontal assault, no matter what price you pay, you must thoroughly crush their will!"

  "Commander, just you wait and see! If we can't defeat these sons of turtles, I'll cut off my own head and give it to you!"

  The 6 warriors who had been holding back their strength for half a day, under the leadership of their company commander who had made a military oath, charged towards the Japanese army like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds.

  Under the fierce impact of the 6th company, the Japanese army finally collapsed. The cavalrymen rushed to their war horses, jumped up and turned the horse's head to escape on the mountain road they came from. Some Japanese soldiers who didn't have time to ride horses were even running on the ground, occasionally someone would fall on the vines on the ground, then get up and continue running forward.

  Wang Changhai did not expect the battle to evolve into this situation, he excitedly stood up and loudly commanded: "Order the whole regiment to pursue, the team guard squad immediately followed me to rush to the foot of Mengzi Ridge, see if there is a way to get on the mountain!"

  The orderly responded with a shout and immediately sounded the charge.

  The 217th Brigade soldiers, who had been hiding in the jungle, heard the bugle call and got up from the ground, drew their big knives from behind their backs, and shouted as they chased after the fleeing Japanese cavalry.

  "Hey, you little scamp! Don't hurt those horses, they're treasures!" Wang Changhai shouted to the departing 4th Company Commander.

  A chase battle unfolded on the mountain road, although the cavalry's speed was not slow, but most of the 29th Army soldiers were from poor families and had been accustomed to running around in the wilderness since childhood. After entering the 29th Army, they had been fighting north and south, and had already trained a pair of iron feet, making their speed comparable to that of the Japanese cavalry at this time. Moreover, on the mountain road, the Japanese cavalry was crowded together, and their speed could not be increased, so they gradually caught up with the Japanese cavalry.

  A warrior leapt up, his large knife spinning like a windmill, chopping towards the Japanese soldier on horseback. The Japanese soldier heard the shout behind him, turned around and met it with the cavalry sword in his hand. The two knives clashed together.

  The warrior, taking advantage of the momentum from his previous charge, swung up his large knife and gained an advantage over the Japanese soldier's sword. The Japanese soldier shook on horseback for a moment before falling off the horse's neck. Before he could get to his feet, the large knife had already chopped into his neck, going in more than three inches deep. Then, with a horizontal drag by the warrior, it cut through his trachea and ended his struggle.

  The warrior raised his large knife and was about to chop down the warhorse that stood quietly there without its master.

  The squad leader rushed over from behind, took one look and scolded fiercely: "You good-for-nothing, this is a treasure! You'll pay for it if you chop it down. Get out of here!"

  The warrior smiled and rode past his war horse in pursuit of the enemy in front of him.

  The hillside was littered with the bodies of Japanese soldiers, most of whom were dismembered in some way - missing an arm or a leg, or an ear. The horses that had lost their masters stood beside the corpses, whinnying mournfully and occasionally nudging their lifeless owners with soft muzzles.

  Wang Changhai did not follow the crowd in pursuit, he brought the team guard to the foot of Mengzi Ridge, along the mountain road paved with Japanese corpses, walking up the mountain, and from time to time, you can see the bodies of the 29th Army soldiers who rolled down the cliff with the Japanese.

  Looking at these comrades who had fought side by side, those familiar or unfamiliar faces seemed to appear in front of him again, and Wang Changhai felt very uncomfortable.

  "Squad leader, look!" a soldier shouted from ahead.

  Wang Changhai stepped forward quickly, parted the warriors surrounding him, and saw the scene in front of him.

  A soldier of the 29th Army leaned against a stone wall, already dead, with a flag of the 29th Army in his right hand, riddled with bullets.

  Looking at the warrior who was still standing upright with four daggers inserted in his body, but still stubbornly holding on to the tattered military flag in his hand, Wang Changhai suddenly felt a lump in his throat, as if something was stuck inside him, making it hard for him to breathe freely.

  Two warriors stepped forward, wanting to pry open his hands and take down the military flag, but they busied themselves for half a day without being able to pry open his tightly clenched fists.

  Wang Changhai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but not a word came out. He suddenly raised his head and held back the tears that had already reached the corners of his eyes.

  "Brother, I'm proud of you, rest in peace!"

  He raised his hand, and Wang Changhai gently stroked the soldier's eyes. As his palm slowly swept across, the soldier's originally wide-open eyes closed, and his tightly clenched right hand also relaxed, allowing the military flag to slide out of his grasp.

  A low sobbing sound came from around, these twenty-nine army hot-blooded men who were as strong as the majestic Taihang Mountain, actually fell down in tears.

  Several warriors lifted up his body and walked down the mountain!

  Wang Changhai bent down and picked up the tattered military flag from the ground, then raised it high with both hands.

  In the sky still filled with gunpowder smoke, the military flag is waving in the wind!

  ……

  Today is the second chapter, and there will be another one tonight. Everyone remembers to watch it on time! Friends who like it, please move your mouse a little, add a click, collect, and recommend, let Ling Tian write more energetically, haha!