Chapter Eleven: Lanfeng Railway Station

  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.

  In the plain area, the train ran relatively fast, and it took about 40 minutes for the 4th battalion to arrive at Luowang Station, which is 10 kilometers away from Lanfeng Station. A major officer of the 28th Army Independent Regiment was waiting for them here. As soon as they met, the major said: "Our regiment commander ordered you to immediately pull up and join the attack!"

  Chen Hao suppressed his anger and asked: "What's the situation ahead?"

  "The enemy is using the station building and overpass as cover, with very strong firepower. There are enemy covering forces on both the north and south sides of the station. Our army has circled around several times but hasn't succeeded, so we can only launch a strong attack from west to east. It's all open terrain, not a single bit of cover, alas, casualties are heavy."

  "How many troops does the enemy have guarding the station?"

  "There's probably a whole battalion. The enemy is making the station a key defensive point, but our side isn't taking it seriously at all, not even any heavy weapons, sigh." The major couldn't help but complain.

  "Where is your squad leader?" Xu Liang wanted to hear more about the situation from the friendly forces who had participated in the attack earlier.

  "Our unit is stationed at this station, and the commander has ordered you to proceed immediately to the front line to join the attack."

  "What?" Chen Hao was furious as soon as he heard it: "A battalion command post that directly attacks Lanfeng Station is actually set up 10 kilometers away from the front line in the rear, this is absurd!"

  "Major, what's your name?"

  "Deputy Commander of the 28th Army Independent Regiment Major Zhang Li."

  "Deputy Zhang, didn't you receive the order? The First War Zone's order to us is to take over your attack mission. Quickly take us to your regimental headquarters, I need to arrange with your regimental commander for the handover and defense!"

  Look at Zhang Li, who seems a bit hesitant. Chen Hao said: "This is the order given by Commander Cheng of the First War Zone himself to my regiment half an hour ago!" He pointed to the troops behind him, "See, Commander Cheng has given all the weapons of the guard to our regiment for use. Take us there quickly, if we delay military action, I'll kill you! Zhang Lin, go and invite General Geng over, let's go together."

  "Yes!"

  Deputy Zhang's attitude immediately became respectful, leading Chen, Xu, Geng and four teams of guards to find their battalion commander.

  Entering the station house, it was dark inside. Turning a corner, I saw a bright light ahead and a voice asked: "Who?"

  "I am Zhang Li."

  "Hey, Deputy Zhang, what took you so long to get back? I thought you'd run off ahead of time! Quick, come change your clothes. The battalion commander is waiting for me and if you don't arrive soon, I'll have to leave without you." Just then, the man suddenly saw Chen Hao and his group emerging from the shadows behind Deputy Zhang, and he stood there with his mouth agape.

  Chen Hao's face was stern, he waved his hand, Zhang Lin stepped forward and took the gun from the plainclothes man, pushing him into the team office.

  The whole department is empty and deserted, in a state of complete disarray.

  "What's going on?"

  That man was speechless. Xu Liang asked Zhang Li: "What does he do?"

  "He is our team's logistics officer Tong Shaoqiang."

  "Where is your squad leader?"

  "This..."

  "Nothing to say?" Chen Hao gave Zhang Lin a meaningful glance.

  Zhang Lin pulled out a dagger and pressed it against Tong Shaoqiang's throat.

  "I'm saying, I'm saying, our Commander Zhang said that the First War Zone has sent a security regiment to reinforce us, which means they've already run out of troops. Our main forces are no good, and if we send in the security regiment, not only will they be unable to capture the position, but they won't even be able to hold it. They'll collapse quickly, and by then it will be too late to retreat. Let's have the battalion headquarters personnel change into plain clothes..."

  "Escaped?" Chen Hao was furious, "This bastard!"

  The phone on the table rang. Chen Hao ordered Zhang Li: "Answer the phone!"

  "Hello, Deputy Commander Wang, this is Zhang Li."

  "Who's there?"

  "Frontline outpost, Deputy Commander Wang."

  "What did you say?"

  "He prepared to organize another attack and requested the regimental headquarters to increase its forces."

  "Do you still have military strength?"

  "There is also a regiment near the division headquarters that has not been used, and the division's direct subordinate unit is also near Luowang Railway Station."

  "Why didn't you reinforce earlier?"

  "This? Commander Zhang won't allow it. Without his orders, no one can mobilize these reserve troops."

  "Hum! What's going on?! Tell Deputy Commander Wang that the troops sent by the First War Zone have arrived and can take over his position in 10 minutes."

  "Yes. Hey, Deputy Commander Wang, our reserve team is no longer needed. The reinforcement troops from the First War Zone have arrived and can take over your position in 10 minutes. Which unit is it? Kaifeng Fourth Security Regiment."

  "Zhang Deputy Officer, tell Zhang Battalion Commander to bring up our reserve troops. We've been attacking for half the night and our casualties are heavy, but the enemy's losses aren't small either. They're almost unable to hold on. If we withdraw now and let the Security Regiment take over, where will our National Army's main force put its face?"

  "No way, Deputy Commander Wang, are you thinking of disobeying orders?" The deputy officer's tone was quite arrogant.

  "We'll attack even without reinforcements! You bunch of cowardly bastards!"

  "What? You dare..."

  The deputy officer finished speaking, and the other party slammed down the phone with a "bang".

  Director Zhang saw the angry eyes of several people in the house and immediately woke up from his usual arrogant habit, involuntarily shuddering.

  Chen Hao said: "Let's drive to Lanfeng Railway Station immediately and we'll all go to that bus carriage to discuss the situation."

  Geng Zhongyue said: "I brought the drawings of Lanfeng Station, maybe it will be useful for you."

  Xu Liang said: "This is great."

  Chen Hao said to Zhang Li: "You, come with us and be in charge of contacting the front-line troops. How about it?"

  "Yes, yes, I'm going, I'm going."

  "What about this person with the surname Tong?" Zhang Lin asked.

  "Deserters will be executed on the spot!"

  Tong Shaolin wanted to beg for mercy, but before he could even cry out, Zhang Lin's dagger had already swept across his throat. With a kick, the corpse fell backwards like a sack of cloth. Zhang Li was so frightened that her whole body shook again.

  Geng Zhongyue unfolded the map in the carriage. The Lanfeng Station is surrounded by plains, with the county town not far to the north and large tracts of farmland to the south. Near the station, there is a sand dune about 10 meters high. Inside the station, there are two platforms and six railway tracks. To the northeast of the station building is the cargo yard. On both sides of the east and west boundaries of the station, there is a switch house...

  The gunfire ahead suddenly became intense. The train stopped about two kilometers from Lanfeng Station.

  Chen and Xu led a squad of guards "escorting" Deputy Zhang out of the car, they were preparing to go to the front line to observe the situation, Geng Zhongyue also insisted on following them.

  In a bunker 500 meters away from Lanfeng Station, they met Deputy Commander Wang. At this time, the brothers of the 28th Army Independent Regiment launched another attack on the station under the command of Deputy Commander Wang. Light and heavy machine guns and mortars fired at the enemy in the station and on both sides, with about a squad of National Army soldiers crawling eastward in a dispersed formation at the forefront of the position. The enemy's heavy machine gun on the overpass was spitting fire wildly. On the west side of the two platforms, the enemy had built fortifications, and sandbags were piled up between the two platforms as cover. The top of the overpass had apparently been reinforced with steel rails, sleepers, and other materials. From time to time, shells could be seen exploding on it. However, the enemy's firepower on the overpass was not knocked out. On the platform, some spare sleepers were burning fiercely.

  Suddenly, on the sand dunes south of the station, a burst of hand grenades exploded, accompanied by the sound of Czech-style light machine guns and Type 79 rifles. A group of National Army soldiers charged up the sand dunes. The remaining few devils picked up their bayonets and desperately resisted, but were quickly eliminated. After occupying the sand dunes, the National Army immediately launched a charge into the station. The devils on the roof of the station building turned their machine guns to the south and swept the area with fire. Deputy Commander Wang ordered the mortar to fire, and the devil's machine gun on the roof was blown into the sky amidst the explosion. Immediately, the devil's mortars and grenade launchers also fired at our military's covering firepower points. Explosions erupted one after another near Deputy Commander Wang's command post. On several freight cars parked on track 6, bursts of Type 38 gunfire rang out from under the cars, and soldiers charging into the station from the sand dunes fell to the ground one after another. On the sand dunes, several light machine guns engaged in fierce crossfire with the devils. Soldiers crawling forward on their bellies under the command of their officers jumped up and charged forward, but were cut down by the devil's firepower, and those who remained were forced to lie flat on the ground, still taking casualties.

  Deputy Commander Wang was furious, shouting hoarsely: "Heavy machine guns, fire! Mortar, open fire, open fire! Don't stop, use up all the shells!"

  The devils assembled reinforcements from the cargo yard and counterattacked around the east of the station, heading south to the sandy hills. The 6th stock of goods on the train also rushed out to counterattack. As the gunfire subsided, the sounds of impact, angry curses, and mournful cries continued to come from the sandy hills, soon falling silent. Only 7 or 8 brothers who had launched a feigned attack in front retreated under fire cover. Deputy Commander Wang stomped his foot in anger: "I'll fuck your eight generations of little Japan!"

  "Are you here to reinforce?"

  "Yes, Deputy Commander Wang, I have been ordered to take over your battalion's attack on Lanfeng Railway Station!"

  "This is Chen Tuanzhang and Xu Fu Tuanzhang of Kaifeng's 4th Security Regiment."

  "Look! Even the captain of the security team knows how to lead by example and be loyal to the country. What about our own main force, the national army? What about our battalion? Our direct unit? What is Captain Zhang doing?"

  Xu Liang said: "Your Commander Zhang has changed into casual clothes and fled with his trusted followers."

  "What?" Deputy Commander Wang glared at Zhang Li furiously. "Then why didn't you little brat run with them together?"

  Zhang Li trembled with fear under his glare: "I, I..."

  Xu Liang said, "Forget it, Deputy Commander Wang. He was at Luo Wang Station to pick us up and didn't have time to leave. The one surnamed Tong from the brigade headquarters had already changed into casual clothes, and Zhang Commander's matter was confessed by him. We've executed this deserter on the spot."

  "Well done, brother. It's a pity that things were messed up by these sons of bitches who usually show off their power, it's really a loss for our 28th Army."

  Xu Liang continued: "Brother, your previous frontal feint and main attack from the south were quite good tactics, unfortunately, it was a case of 'snatching defeat from the jaws of victory'. In my humble opinion, the two things that pose the greatest threat to us are: first, the open area of 400-500 meters in front of us, and second, the enemy's heavy machine gun firepower on the sky bridge."

  "Little brother, you've hit the nail on the head. These two places have cost us dearly. That overpass, mortar fire can't take it out, it's a real headache."

  Xu Liang said: "The enemy may have used steel rails and the like to reinforce the firepower points on top. However, we have two high-mounted machine guns that can completely suppress and lock down the firepower points on the bridge from a distance."

  "What if the enemy uses mortars against your machine guns?"

  Chen Hao continued: "From the exchange of fire just now, the enemy only fired two mortars, and the accuracy was poor. Probably it was a temporarily supplemented gunner. I have determined the position of the enemy's mortar, and when we attack later, we will eliminate them first. Even if the enemy changes its position or has other mortars, as long as they dare to fire, I will immediately knock them out."

  "Commander Chen, the enemy's artillery fire is much weaker than yesterday, but are you so sure?" Wang Deputy Commander stared at Chen Hao with wide eyes.

  Xu Liang smiled and said: "Don't worry, Captain Chen is an excellent student of the artillery department, and he has also practiced on the battlefield in Shanghai. He has destroyed the enemy's tanks and planes."

  "Good, good, those who have drunk ink are indeed stronger than me." Deputy Commander Wang praised, but still had doubts in his heart.

  "But even if we suppress the enemy's firepower, this several hundred meters of charging distance is completely exposed without any cover or concealment, it's simply a shooting range. Even if the enemy uses rifles to fire at us individually, our casualties will still be heavy."

  "It seems we have to learn from Deputy Commander Wang's tactics and make a detour from the south."

  "Wouldn't it be easier if we just rushed into the station?"

  "Yes, in close combat, we concentrated our submachine gun firepower. When the enemy wanted to engage in bayonet fighting, we had already knocked them down at a distance of 10-20 meters. The enemy's rifles fired one shot at a time and needed to aim, while in close combat they could only use bayonets, which were no match for our dozens of submachine guns." Xu Liang's understanding of individual weapons was far superior to that of the Japanese Army's decision-makers.

  "That's good," said Geng Zhongyue, "We'll take the train and rush in. The train is much faster than running, and we can cover 500 meters in less than a minute. Moreover, our men can hide on the train, and those rails, sleepers, and sandbags can build many solid firing points."

  "But can we get into the station?"

  "I carefully observed with binoculars, the 3rd track on the south side of the 2nd platform, the enemy did not set up obstacles, and the switch into the station was also intact. As long as we occupy the switch house, switch the incoming track to the 3rd track, the train can rush in."

  "The key is not to let the enemy destroy the locomotive!"

  "It's okay if it's broken, the train can rush over with inertia, but that would be more troublesome and require manual braking. In this case, we can retreat to Luowang Station for reorganization, put the locomotive at the tail of the train and push it forward."

  "Alright, that's it. Let the brothers get off the bus. Captain Wang, you've worked hard. Please take your brothers and withdraw. We'll take over the position."

  "No, Commander Chen, I'm willing to lead the remaining brothers to follow your command. We have sworn an oath before our superiors that if we can't take down Lanfeng Station, this place will be our tomb where we die for our country. We'll fight the devils to the death."

  "Well done, Brother Wang! You are a role model for our soldiers, and I admire you."

  "Aw, brother, don't praise me anymore, I'm ashamed."

  "Have the brothers quickly build high-angle machine gun bunkers and mortar positions. The second battalion will circle around to the south to prepare for a feint attack. The regimental headquarters' special forces and the machine gun company will ride on flatcars as the assault team." Chen Hao looked at Xu Liang: "What do you think, Brother Xu?"

  "It can be done, but the assault team should be strengthened, with one battalion deploying two companies. Each submachine gunner will be accompanied by two comrades armed only with grenades and bayonets/long spears to charge forward as a group during close combat. Light and heavy machine guns will be mounted on vehicles, providing cover for the flanks after entering the station, prioritizing the north side, and suppressing enemy firepower in the station building. Seize control of the overpass and station building. Meanwhile, all troops on the south and west sides will launch a full-scale assault."

  Chen Hao nodded: "Alright, the feint on the south side will start first. We'll use mortars to bombard those few cars inside the station, so that the devils on top won't throw hand grenades at our train after our assault team enters the station. That would be troublesome. Also, lure the enemy's mortar to counterattack and take them out, so they won't cause trouble for our locomotive."

  "But how did you occupy that attic?"

  "We brought a four-wheeled railcar for construction, which can hold 7 or 8 people at most. We'll put some wooden boards and sandbags on it as cover, and send a few brothers with hand grenades to charge over. Commander Chen, Brother Xu, this job is too tough for your brothers to handle, I, Old Gao, have to do it myself."

  "No way." Chen Hao and Xu Liang said in unison, "With so many worker brothers, there should be no shortage of people who can repair the railway. You still need to lead people to repair the railway, you can't take this risk."

  Chen Hao saw that Geng Zhongyue still wanted to argue, so he said: "Don't argue anymore, Geng Duanzhang. When we set out, Commander Cheng had a word, and the military and civilians are under my command!"

  Xu Liang said: "These two anti-aircraft machine guns can only be handled by our strong 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 they had, there were 4 mortars in total. The second battalion led by Deputy Regimental Commander Wang took a detour to the south side of the station.

  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 tore through the night sky and landed one after another on the train cars parked at the station. The devils crouching in the train cars 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 sandy hill south of the station, the sound of hand grenades exploding and various guns firing was heard.

  "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, Liu Fen warily swung his sword to block it, and with a backhand swing, chopped down on the soldier's right ear root. The soldier let out a scream as he fell to the ground. Another wounded Japanese soldier lunged at Liu Fen war from the side with his bayonet, but Zhang Lin kicked him to the ground from the window. The comrades following behind stabbed the fallen Japanese soldiers, regardless of whether they were dead or alive. 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 even reached the switch machine when he was hit by a bullet in the leg and fell to the ground.

  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, firing, and then falling back down. The enemy's bullets made the machine gun ring out loudly. Zhang Lin pulled out a signal pistol and fired it, "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 every few rounds, exposed its shortcomings in close combat. 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 Manual", preparing for bayonet fighting, but under the fierce firepower of the submachine guns, they had no power to resist. The brothers holding knives and spears hacked and stabbed the fallen enemy soldiers wildly, and some even snatched the Type 38 rifles from them 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 of Track 6 and the south side 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 on and off the train rushed towards the station building under the cover of firepower across the railway between the second platform and the first platform.

  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 soon 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 car, 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 heavy machine guns.

  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, sandwiching them from both sides, and recaptured Neihuangji Railway Station.