Chapter 19: Lancheng Station (2)

  When the first flatcar arrived at the platform, the train began to brake. Machine guns, submachine guns and rifles shot the devils hiding behind the bunker into a state of panic. On the south side, one light machine gun and five submachine guns swept under several freight cars parked on track 6, and the devils under the cars were hit by multiple bullets whether they were dead or alive.

  Xu Liang said: "These two anti-aircraft machine guns can only be handled by our skilled men."

  Chen Hao said: "If you want to say, Liangying Chang and Xiaowangzi are at the highest level, but..."

  Xu Liang: "Alright, let them personally fire the anti-aircraft machine gun. I'll lead the assault team on the train, and have Company Commander Li Weiming assist me."

  Chen Hao: "No way, Brother Xu, you've just recovered from your injury, I'll lead the assault team."

  Xu Liang: "Brother, you have to personally command the mortar here. You know, I'm not as good at this as you are. Alright, let's not argue about it."

  The bunker for the anti-aircraft machine gun has been dug. The trench was dug forward with a slope, and the gun port was built and camouflaged. The mortar position was also constructed. Including the original ones of Deputy Commander Wang's group, there are now 4 mortars in total. The Second Battalion led by Deputy Commander Wang's men marched to the south side of the station via a detour.

  The train returned to Luoyang Railway Station for reorganization.

  The sleeper blocks on the second platform have been burned out, and the flames are gradually getting smaller.

  The wind blew gently, and the night sky was filled with the smell of gunpowder. The light rain had stopped. The sound of gunfire from the 28th Army's attack on the county seat continued unabated. The Lanfeng Railway Station area fell into temporary silence.

  Suddenly, "Boom! Boom!" The curved trajectory of the mortar shells cut through the night sky and landed one after another on the train cars parked at the station. The devils hiding in the car were blown into the air by the explosion, several wooden boards of the open-top train cars caught fire, and the flames illuminated the dark station before dawn.

  Then on the sand dunes south of the station, there were bursts of grenade explosions and various firearms opened fire.

  "Boom!" The enemy's mortar also started to counterattack, and immediately several shells fell continuously at the position where the enemy's mortar was launched. The enemy's artillery and gunners were wrapped together in thick smoke and fierce fire.

  The enemy's heavy machine gun on the bridge opened fire, but the enemy's machine gunner was immediately penetrated by the powerful high-explosive shells. The replacement machine gunner pulled the trigger and met the same fate. On the railway, a four-wheeled railcar with camouflage moved forward along the track, its Czech-style machine gun firing wildly at the switch house. Before the enemy could react, the railcar approached the switch house, throwing out several hand grenades from the car and behind it. In the smoke of the explosion, several black shadows jumped off the car and rushed into the switch house.

  A Japanese soldier with a bayonet charged towards the door, yelling. Liu Fen war swung his sword to block him and then slashed back at the soldier's right ear, causing him to fall down. Another wounded Japanese soldier lunged at Liu Fen war from the side with his bayonet, but Zhang Lin kicked him over from the window. The comrades following behind stabbed the fallen Japanese soldiers, whether they were dead or alive, as a matter of routine. One of the fallen Japanese soldiers had already reached for a hand grenade on his waist, but fortunately, he was stabbed just in time.

  Originally, Xu Liang chose 4 people from the brothers who joined the army from railway workers to participate in the raid on the switch house. Liu Fen was determined to follow and come, so he sent 5 people led by Zhang Lin to attack the switch house unexpectedly.

  A brother rushed towards the switch machine, his hand had just touched the handle of the switch machine when a 38-style rifle bullet knocked him down.

  "Yang Chunlin!" His good friend Wei Heizi shouted as he rushed over.

  Yang Chunlin became the first hero to die for his country after the establishment of the Ba Si Squad.

  The devil on the bridge was immediately swept away by intense machine gun fire.

  Wei Heizi hadn't reached the switch machine when he was hit by a bullet in the leg and fell down.

  Chen Hao was extremely anxious and ordered all kinds of artillery on the front line to fire continuously without interruption.

  Zhang Lin was furious, rolling out of the bunker and over to the machine gun, grabbing the handle, jumping up, operating it, and then falling back down, all in one breath. The enemy's bullets hit the machine gun with a loud clang. Zhang Lin pulled out a signal pistol and fired, "bang", a green flare shot up into the night sky.

  A dozen or so devils rushed out of the bunker in front of the platform, holding rifles and shouting wildly as they charged towards the signal house.

  "Ha! Now it's their turn to be targets!"

  Those dozen devils didn't manage to rush out very far and fell beside the railroad tracks under the firepower.

  The rumble of the train's approach came from the west, with 10 flatcars made of steel rails, sleepers and sandbags forming a shield at the front of the train, which was advancing at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour. The light and heavy machine guns on the cars were arranged in a staggered configuration, spewing out flames of revenge!

  When the first flatcar arrived at the platform, the train began to brake. Machine guns, submachine guns and rifles shot the devils hiding behind the bunker into a state of panic. On the south side, one light machine gun and five submachine guns swept under several freight cars parked on track 6, and the devils under the cars were hit by multiple bullets whether they were dead or alive.

  The train crossed the bridge, still under the influence of inertia, and the brothers on the train jumped off one after another. Several submachine gunners, each with two brothers carrying red-tasseled guns or big knives by their side, rushed up to the bridge from the west staircase. At this time, they had already entered the enemy's heavy machine gun shooting dead angle on the bridge, and the enemy's long-range Type 38 rifle, which was fired once in a while, exposed its shortcomings in close combat without any cover. The devils guarding the bridge saw our soldiers with knives and spears rushing up to the bridge, mechanically retreated their rifles according to the "Infantry Drill Regulations", preparing for bayonet fighting, but under the fierce firepower of the submachine guns, they had no power to resist at all. The brothers holding knives and spears chopped and stabbed the fallen enemy soldiers wildly, and some even snatched up the Type 38 rifles and slung them over their shoulders. Li Weiming shouted: "Eliminate the enemy first, and then clean up the battlefield!"

  The bridge was quickly brought under control. Li Weiming seized a 92-style heavy machine gun, took a look and found it could still be used, ordered two brothers to lift it to the north side of the bridge, and fiercely opened fire at the enemy on top of the station building!

  The Second Company on the south side of the station also launched a fierce attack on the enemy on the sand dunes, and the retreating enemy on the sand dunes was intercepted by a light machine gun, 5 submachine guns and 10 red-tasseled guns that came down from the train, all were annihilated between the burning carriage on Track 6 and the south side of the sand dune.

  The train moved forward and stopped near the east side of the station. The two heavy machine guns in front of the flatcar shot the enemy on the east side of the station, causing them to flee in disarray, with the remaining devils retreating into the freight yard northeast of the station.

  The assault team that got off the train rushed towards the station building under the cover of firepower, crossing the railway between the second and first platforms.

  The Ba Si troops and the remnants of the 28th Army on the west side of the station also rushed over.

  Inside the station house and on the roof, the devils clung to the station house, fighting desperately. In the midst of exploding hand grenades and rifle fire, people kept falling down. The brothers, their eyes red with killing frenzy, charged into the station house under the cover of firepower, regardless of everything. The remaining devils retreated, bullets exhausted, bayonets raised, but only when the submachine gunners occasionally changed magazines did they have a chance to exchange one or two blows with the big knife wielders or long spear wielders. Most of the time, they were shot down before they could get within 2-3 meters of the submachine gunners and then finished off by the pursuing knife and spear wielders.

  The devils in the station house were quickly cleared out. The station house was occupied by our troops.

  Chen Hao and Xu Liang met to discuss, and together with the captured light and heavy machine guns, they were deployed on the top of the Tianqiao and station house towards the northeast corner of the cargo yard, fiercely opening fire on the remaining enemy. The four mortars also continuously bombarded.

  At 5:30, Lanfeng Railway Station was fully recovered, and all the defenders were annihilated.

  Xu Liang immediately led a battalion and the headquarters' directly-affiliated troops by train to raid Neihuangji Railway Station.

  The brothers in the first camp originally had no guns, and each of them got a Japanese-made 38-style rifle. On the truck, the old soldiers urgently taught them how to use it. Xu Liang brought two light and heavy machine guns, and the rest of the machine guns were left at Lanfeng Station. Chen Hao was afraid that they would not have enough firepower, and insisted that they bring a mortar. Liang You Tian and Xiao Wang Zi said that no matter what, they wanted to participate in the battle to attack Neihuangji, saying that last time they didn't get to be machine gunners long enough.

  Neihuang Station is a small station, with only 50 or 60 devils stationed there. These devils are mainly defending the east side of the station, and the troops from the Fifth War Zone who retreated west have already exchanged fire with them.

  The devils only sent a picket to the west, but the cunning devils destroyed a small section of the western railway while focusing on destroying the eastern railway.

  The sky was just getting light, and the train was approaching Neihuangji. The two Japanese sentries fired a shot and ran east, but were immediately knocked down by machine gun fire.

  Xu Liang ordered everyone to get off the train and charge. By the time the enemy on the east side reacted, Xu Liang and his men had already rushed to the west platform of the station, a fierce battle ensued, and the devils abandoned several corpses and retreated back to the east platform. The National Army on the east side immediately launched an attack upon hearing the sound of gunfire behind the enemy, and with both sides attacking, they recaptured Neihuangji Railway Station.