Chapter 15: The First Victory (Part 1)

  Guojia Camp Town is a small town, this town has been since the Yuan Dynasty, and was once the military camp where General Guo Ying of the Ming Dynasty stationed his troops, hence the name Guojia Camp.

  The county town covers an area of ten square kilometers, with a straight street running north-south, each one is three miles long. The streets are paved with bluestone slabs, which have been worn smooth like mirrors over time. On both sides of the street, various shops and stores are lined up in scales, with people coming and going inside and outside the shops, very prosperous.

  A team of Japanese soldiers marched over from the other end of the street, all wearing earth-yellow uniforms, with puttees wrapped around their legs, carrying turtle-shell-like steel helmets on their backs, and military caps with a sun emblem on top of their heads, with the curtain at the back of their heads shaking slightly as they walked.

  People coming and going on the street, as soon as they saw these arrogant Japanese soldiers, all gave way and retreated far away. Especially some young women, who shunned them like a plague god.

  Japanese troops have occupied this county town for more than a month. It was heard recently that Chengde has also been occupied by the Japanese army, and now the Japanese army is preparing to move south, pressing tightly on Xifengkou and Lengkou lines, entering North China from the narrow pass of the Great Wall.

  Qin Yang and his friends were sitting in a teahouse at the corner of the street, gazing out at the scene outside.

  In order for the special warfare team members to hone their military skills in actual combat, he and Ma Zhan-ting deliberated for a long time and decided that Qin Yang would lead the special warfare team into this county town, waiting for an opportunity to wipe out the enemy's stronghold, which would not only strike at the enemy's arrogance but also allow the special warfare team members to learn how to integrate their training into actual combat.

  Qin Yang knew that a soldier who had not experienced actual combat could not be considered a true soldier, and only those who had undergone the trials of blood and fire could truly grow up.

  The teapot on the table had been refilled with water several times, and the tea leaves in the bowl had lost their flavor. However, Vice Squad Leader Tie Tou, who was a local and familiar with the county town, had not returned after being sent out to gather information by Qin Yang. Qin Yang was getting anxious as he wanted to know how many Japanese troops were stationed inside the city and what kind of weapons they were equipped with.

  They came into the county town this time, and they didn't have much money on them. If they couldn't take down the Japanese military base tonight, they might have to find a broken temple to temporarily stay in for the night.

  Qin Yang turned his head and asked the class monitor, "Iron Head won't have gone gambling again, will he?"

  Tie Tou is a good person in every way, but his biggest problem is that he loves to gamble. When he was in the Northeast Army, Ma Zhan Ting scolded him countless times, even tying him to a stake and whipping him with a wet whip, but it didn't change this bad habit of his.

  After entering the special warfare brigade, under the strict training discipline of the special warfare team, plus it's hard to get out of the valley, his gambling habit gradually faded away. For more than half a year, he hasn't relapsed. That's why Qin Yang assigned him to carry out the reconnaissance mission this time.

  "I think he wouldn't, although he's a bit of a gambler, but he still knows what's important and what's not. For something as important as today, he should know what to prioritize!" Yue Hai said in a deep voice, as he and Tie Tou were from the same company and squad, and were familiar with each other's temperaments, so he spoke up.

  Qin Yang sighed and looked out of the window, "I hope so!"

  The stairs transmitted a loud thud of footsteps, and a tall, dark iron-like man ran up from downstairs, sweating profusely, wiping his head with his sleeve while running. The heavy footsteps made the wooden floorboards tremble. Seeing Qin Yang, he opened his mouth to shout "Instructor" from afar.

  Qin Yang hastily waved his hand to stop him, this is a tea house, a place where dragons and fishes are mixed together, in this place one cannot easily reveal their identity, otherwise there will be trouble later.

  Tie Tou ran to the edge of the table, took a deep breath, grabbed a bowl of cold tea from the table, and poured it down his throat.

  "Ah ah, that's mine!" Han Xueming exclaimed anxiously.

  Tie Tou didn't respond to him, and in a low voice said to Qin Yang: "Officer, I've gathered information that the Japanese troops here have a total of one platoon with 70 people, two heavy machine guns, six light machine guns, ten grenade launchers, 65 rifles, and also a puppet army unit of over 30 people!"

  Qin Yang nodded after listening, the situation of Tie Tou's reconnaissance was almost the same as what he had observed. Since there were only so many devils, he didn't mind taking this team as the first prey of the War Soul Special Warfare Brigade. Moreover, inside the devil's guard, there was also a small arsenal and material warehouse, which were exactly what the special warfare brigade urgently needed now.

  Winter is approaching, and the warriors are still wearing single clothes. Although it's okay during training, they can't keep warm when returning to the cave. Even lighting several bonfires in the large hall of the cave has little effect. If this time we can take down the small team of devils, open the arsenal and supply depot, not only can we help the special forces overcome their difficulties, but also greatly enhance the strength of the special forces.

  Tie Tou pulled out two large handfuls of silver coins from his pocket and poured them onto the table, the crisp sound of the coins hitting the table drew the attention of all the customers in the teahouse. A few people's eyes gleamed with greed, but after taking a look at the fierce and powerful men standing beside Qin Yang, they retreated.

  Actually, from the moment he entered the teahouse, Qin Yang had noticed that those people were abnormal. Although they all wore long gowns and wore hats on their heads, Qin Yang saw a strong murderous aura in their eyes.

  Only those who often kill people and take lives lightly have such eyes, so Qin Yang can be sure that these people are either bandits or great thieves.

  "Hmph, good for you that you know better, otherwise I wouldn't mind sending you on your way!"

  Seeing several people dispel their unfavorable thoughts, Qin Yang also ignored them, and the few people beside Yue Hai also loosened their grip on the hidden pistols. They were all from a pile of dead men, especially after Qin Yang's devil-like training, that bloodthirsty personality became even stronger, of course they didn't mind cleaning up these small fish before taking down the Japanese.

  Qin Yang glanced at the silver coins on the table, two large piles, totaling forty or fifty pieces. He looked up and asked Tie Tou: "Tie Tou, where did this come from?"

  Iron Head hummed and hawed, as if he had something to say but didn't dare to speak out. The big man's tense hands rubbed the hem of his garment, unable to utter a single word.

  Qin Yang understood, his face sank, and his sharp eyes stared at Tie Tou.

  "Are you going to gamble again?" Qin Yang asked in a low voice.

  Tie Tou didn't say anything.

  Silence means consent!

  "What did I just tell you?" Qin Yang almost spat out the words one by one, his tone cold enough to freeze.

  Tie Tou hung his head like a child who had done something wrong and didn't say a word.

  Since arriving in this valley, the special forces members have gone from being dissatisfied with Qin Yang to admiring him like an idol, and their respect for their instructor has been deeply ingrained. They were won over by the kind of Chinese military demeanor that Qin Yang embodied, and many people who originally had shortcomings slowly became aware of and corrected their own flaws.

  Tie Tou also made an effort to change his own bad habit of being a compulsive gambler, and had not relapsed since then. But this time, he went to the casino for a special reason.

  Those who had been watching the silver coins closely slipped away and paid their bill quietly when Qin Yang got angry. As an old hand who had been on the road for a long time, Qin Yang made them feel uneasy in their hearts. Although it was just a hunch, they believed that the outcome of doing business with this dark-faced man would be terrible, because such intuition had saved them several times at critical moments of life and death.

  Qin Yangrong suppressed his anger and asked Tie Tou: "Speak, what's going on?"

  "It was like that, didn't you ask me to go and gather information? I remembered that there was a childhood friend who was a squad leader in the puppet army, that kid loved to gamble, every time he lost all his money, he would definitely be found in the casino, so I went to the casino."

  "At that time, I really saw that little guy and then helped him win a lot of money. During the process of winning money, he asked about the detailed situation of the Japanese army. These are what he shared with me, and I took them all out as expenses for the war soul!"

  Upon hearing this, Qin Yang's anger dissipated a bit. He knew he had wrongly blamed Tie Tou. Although Tie Tou had violated discipline this time, it was indeed understandable under the circumstances. So he forgave Tie Tou this time, but warned him not to let it happen again. Tie Tou swore an oath that there would be no next time, and the matter was dropped.

  The sky gradually turned dark, and the people in the teahouse became fewer and fewer. The shops on the street were closing one after another, and the originally bustling streets became desolate.

  Qin Yang looked around and saw that there were only a few people left in the teahouse, so he stood up, paid for his tea, and led Tie Tou and the others out of the teahouse.

  Crossing two streets, avoiding the Japanese patrol team at the garrison, Qin Yang led the special warfare team to gather in a place not far from the Japanese military base. There was an abandoned house here, and it turned out that the special warfare team members had already entered this house in batches. Qin Yang and his men were originally the first to enter the city, but because they went to the teahouse to investigate the situation, they became the last batch to arrive here.

  Qin Yang unfolded a topographic map drawn according to Tie Tou's description, and with a wave of his hand, the special warfare team members immediately gathered around.

  Han Xueming held up a flashlight, casting a beam of light on the map. Qin Yang pointed to the map and said: "You see, the Japanese army's stronghold is a three-section mansion with a front and back courtyard. There are watchtowers at all four corners, each equipped with a 92-type heavy machine gun. The entire compound is divided into three layers. The front yard is where the more than 30 puppet soldiers live, residing in the east and west wings. After passing through the front gate, you enter the middle courtyard, which is where the Japanese army lives. It's a four-section compound, but the Japanese are scattered about, so we need to act quickly. Everyone must be swift and decisive when entering, try not to let the Japanese make any noise. As for the Japanese arsenal, it should be in the last courtyard. There are 4 Japanese soldiers guarding it 24 hours a day, making it difficult to get close. I'll take Yue Hai and Jiao Ming to handle this part. The rest of you will split into two teams, one led by Squad Leader and the other by Tie Tou, and carry out the mission separately!"

  Qin Yang glanced at his watch and then looked around at the excited faces beside him, saying in a low voice: "Now, let's move!"

  The special forces soldiers pulled down their specially tailored masks and disappeared like ghosts into the dark shadows.

  Qin Yang pulled out a gun from his waist, swung his hand and led Yue Hai and Jiao Ming to sneak into the Japanese army's rear courtyard.