Chapter 46: If I Die

  As soon as they returned to their position, Zhang Lieyang immediately ordered: "Pile the bodies of the devils outside our fallen comrades! Quick! Time is running out!"

  Upon hearing Zhang Lieyang's order, the special forces members moved the enemy corpses to the front of the position without saying a word and piled them into trenches. At the same time, they also collected ammunition.

  Just as the special forces were busy, Zhang Lieyang looked at his watch and took a deep breath. After a while, the special forces had cleaned up the position and sat down in pairs to rest temporarily.

  Looking at the two unsuccessful attacks, Kotani Genichi angrily said: "I'd like to see who can withstand our many attacks!" He took off his outer garment, tied a headband on his head, drew his commander's sword and led all the troops in the big unit to launch an attack on the Qingyun Road position!

  The sniper who had been observing the enemy's movements through his scope immediately reported to Zhang Lieyang after seeing the enemy approaching their position. Zhang Lieyang quickly picked up his binoculars and looked over. When the enemy was about 200 meters away, Zhang Lieyang smiled and said to Zhang Xiangwu, "When they enter within 100 meters, fire all the grenades! Let them taste the flavor of being bombed!" He then turned to the other special forces members and said, "Load up your magazines, wait for my command! We'll give these devils a good reception!"

  Kōda Hikoichi led a large contingent of Japanese soldiers swaggering towards Zhang Lieyang's position. As they approached steadily, when Kōda Hikoichi and his men were one hundred meters away from Zhang Lieyang's position, Kōda Hikoichi laughed loudly and said: "The Chinese have been annihilated by our artillery, let's go take over the position!"

  Just after that, Shoichi Yamada shouted: "Get down!" But it was too late. Under the continuous attack of the grenade launcher, the devils suddenly panicked and then Zhang Lieyang fired a shot at one of the devil's commanders and shouted: "Fire!"

  The powerful firepower of the grenade launcher and Thompson submachine gun as well as the PPSh-41 submachine gun was fully demonstrated, and Xiang Tianyi, who was close at hand, was instantly turned into a sieve by the submachine gun. Some quick-witted devils immediately fell to the ground and slowly retreated backwards.

  After an hour of intense crossfire, Zhang Lieyang and the special warfare soldiers all sat paralyzed in the trenches! At this time, Fang Zhenghai, who was resting with his soldiers, rushed to reinforce the sound of gunfire. He looked through the trench at the devils lying on the ground in front of the position and exclaimed: "Wow! So many were eliminated at once!"

  Upon hearing Fang Zhenghai's words, Zhang Lieyang smiled and said: "Have some of the brothers pick up all the enemy's ammunition! Otherwise, if the enemy launches another attack, our ammunition won't be enough!"

  "Brother, don't worry! I've already sent someone!" Fang Zhenghai sat down beside Zhang Lieyang and lit a cigarette for him. Zhang Lieyang smiled and said, "No need! You smoke it yourself!"

  Akane Shin'ichirō, who had been frustrated for a long time, glared at his adjutant and asked: "Have you figured out which unit of the Chinese army is in front of us?! Why are they equipped with so many automatic weapons?! This unit can't possibly be the 19th Army of China!"

  "Report to the major, we have investigated and found that this guard unit was secretly deployed in Shanghai during the ceasefire. It's just a reinforced company! Now this company is affiliated with the 1st Battalion of the 119th Regiment of the 60th Division of the 19th Route Army!" The staff officer said with a pale face.

  "Get West! Bring me the entire instructor corps right now!" Akira Shinichiro said seriously.

  After a while, the phone was connected and the staff officer handed it to Akiyuki Shin'ichirō. Akiyuki took the phone and respectfully said: "Reporting to the Division Commander, our unit has encountered fierce resistance from a mysterious unit of the Chinese army on the Qingyun Road front line! This unit is equipped with American and Soviet-made automatic weapons!"

  "What? When did China transfer this division to Shanghai?" asked Lieutenant General Teiichi Inoue, the commander of the 14th Division.

  "It was discovered that this unit of the enemy army had been secretly deployed at the beginning of the war! Therefore, our intelligence agency did not detect it at first!" said Akizuki Shin'ichirō seriously.

  "Alright! Akane, tomorrow I'll dispatch the heavy artillery unit to assist you! Tonight, let our empire's brave warriors get a good rest!" Inoue Tei said seriously.

  "Cough! Thank you!" Autumn Water Shinichiro hung up the phone.

  In the trenches on Qingyun Road, Fang Zhenghai asked in confusion: "Brother, why are your soldiers drawing crosses on the bullets?"

  Zhang Lieyang smiled and took out a bullet from his body, saying: "After drawing a cross on the bullet, it becomes a dum-dum bullet. This kind of bullet is explicitly prohibited in international conventions. Because this kind of bullet can bring bigger wounds to people, making those who were only slightly injured by ordinary bullets severely injured!"

  "No wonder! It turns out there's a knack to this too!" Fang Zhenghai said as he took the bullet from Zhang Lieyang's hand.

  Zhang Lieyang looked at the sky and said to Fang Zhenghai, "If I'm not mistaken, we'll have a fierce battle tomorrow! At that time, let's have a good fight!"

  "Alright! If I die in battle tomorrow, help me deliver this package to my wife! Let her know that her husband died gloriously for the country, not in a civil war!" As he spoke, Fang Zhenghai pulled out a package from his undershirt pocket.

  Zhang Lieyang slowly took over the bundle and said, "Brother Fang, don't worry! If something happens to you, I'll take care of your wife and child!"

  "Brother, with your words, I'm at ease!" Fang Zhenghai said with a smile to Zhang Lieyang: "Alright, brother, you'd better hurry up and take a nap too! This way, we'll have some strength for tomorrow's battle!"

  "Alright! I'm going to rest now!" Zhang Lieyang said as he turned and left.

  On the morning of February 16, 1932, at around 7 o'clock, a shell from a heavy artillery woke Zhang Lieyang up. As soon as he woke up, Zhang Lieyang immediately pulled Fang Zhenghai and all the soldiers to scatter and hide in the buildings near the position. As soon as they entered the building, Fang Zhenghai looked at Zhang Lieyang and said: "Brother, why did you pull me in here?!"

  "You're crazy! Don't you know to dodge the enemy's heavy artillery?" Zhang Lieyang said angrily.

  "Brother, the enemy's heavy artillery doesn't necessarily have to fire at us! Why should we hide?!" Fang Zhenghai asked in puzzlement.

  "What's going on here! The devils were just test-firing, once they get a clear coordinate, we'll be in for it!" Zhang Lieyang hadn't finished speaking when the heavy artillery shells exploded at the position on Qingyun Road, shattering the glass of the buildings with the blast wave. Fang Zhenghai pressed Zhang Lieyang tightly under his own body.

  After a while, the explosion stopped. Fang Zhenghai immediately got up and said: "Brothers, follow me back to the camp!" As he spoke, Fang Zhenghai took his gun and walked out of the building.

  No sooner had they returned to the camp than they saw the devils standing in rows, advancing towards the camp with bayonets. Seeing this scene, Zhang Lieyang smiled and said: "Brother Fang, get all the brothers ready! It's possible that we'll have a bayonet fight with the little devils at any time!"