Chapter 70: The Battle of Kanzi Enters a Fierce Stage
Nomura and Suzuki were scolding Chen Shaoqin loudly in the middle of the village when Han Yingchang led a large group of people rushing out from the woods on the right, holding light machine guns and Zhongzheng rifles to shoot at the Little Devils. For a time, rows of bullets shot towards Nomura and Suzuki's side, with the whizzing sound never-ending in their ears.
Nomura saw the situation was not good, the devils beside him were shot down by the opponent in a large area, and the remaining ones all followed him and Suzuki to hide behind a big tree, not daring to move: "Damn it, those Chinese people want to consume our personnel and ammunition bit by bit, even relying on the density of this forest to make us circle around inside the forest, until we are dizzy and tired, then rush out, at that time, let alone we have no way to resist, even if we barely pick up the guns in our hands, it's hard to change our defeat!"
Noguchi's analysis at this time already guessed Chen Shaoqin's strategy, knowing that he and all the devils under his command had fallen into Chen Shaoqin's trap. If they continued to follow Chen Shaoqin like this, it was likely that these people would lose their lives here.
"What are we going to do? Are we, the great Imperial Japanese Army, really going to be buried in this forest?" Suzuki heard Nomura's words and deeply felt that they were already on the brink of death. This unprecedented fear suddenly enveloped his entire body, causing Suzuki to lose his basic will to fight, and even the ghost soldiers they brought with them almost all fell into despair.
"Don't panic, since we've seen through Chen Shaoqin's conspiracy, we must have a way to break it!" Yamamura was relatively calm, as the leader of this group of Japanese soldiers. Whether or not the soldiers could regain their composure depended on his ability, so no matter what, he couldn't show any panic. After a brief silence, he immediately ordered Suzuki, "Like this, you lead a small team to organize a counterattack with firepower. I believe those Chinese won't engage in a fierce battle with us. Once they discover our counterattacking strength, they'll definitely retreat from the woods. Then we'll accurately charge forward in one direction and can't continue pursuing these scattered soldiers!"
"Ha!" Suzuki seemed to have gained some confidence after hearing this, and immediately responded. He then turned around and had all the Japanese soldiers next to him line up their rifles and fire at Captain Han's group simultaneously. This method could temporarily increase firepower in the absence of heavy machine guns and mortars, creating a machine gun-like effect. Behind these Japanese soldiers firing in unison was another row of reserve soldiers waiting to replace them and maintain continuous firepower.
The counterattack firepower of the devils suddenly became strong, and more than a dozen brothers brought by Captain Han were sacrificed in the front line. In an instant, the little devils turned the situation around, almost forming a standoff with Captain Han's firepower, and the number of casualties on both sides continued to increase.
"Captain Chen's order is to take them for a walk, now the little devils want to fight us to the death. We're not going to play with them, brothers, retreat!" Colonel Han saw that things were not going well and if they continued fighting, all his brothers would be lost here. He hastily gave the order to retreat and quickly led his brothers through the forest, running towards the depths of the forest. However, after running out for dozens of meters, the soldier responsible for rear guard and observation came back to report that the little devils were not following them. This left Colonel Han baffled, so he could only lead his brothers back to Captain Chen's location to discuss a strategy with him.
"What? I said Old Han, how did you come back so quickly? Didn't you say you were going to take the little devils for a walk around?" Xue Yumei asked curiously as she saw Battalion Commander Han returning from the small path in front. Although she didn't understand strategies and tactics, she was very sensitive about time-related matters.
"Never mind, the little devil didn't follow us in the first place. I was also wondering what kind of trick this little devil is playing!" Captain Han said to Xue Yumei with a dejected expression, hanging his head low. This might be something he least wanted to mention, but since things had already come to this point, even if it meant embarrassing himself, he had to finish what he was saying. After all, not doing what he said before would also leave him feeling guilty.
"Let's see, what's going on?" Chen Shaoqin was piqued by Han Yingchang's words, and according to reason, the little devils had already fallen into their trap. Even if they discovered it was a setup, it would be too late, as they had no room for maneuvering. So he was certain that Han Yingchang wouldn't be so crestfallen, but now it seemed to be the opposite, which made him hard to understand.
"Earlier, the team I led attacked smoothly and easily destroyed the enemy's heavy firepower in a surprise attack. I thought that with just one charge, we could take down the enemy, but unexpectedly, these devils concentrated their remaining Type 38 rifles, lined them up in front of us, and fired at us together. They even prepared second and third rows to alternate fire, controlling even the time it took to reload bullets. My brothers suffered heavy casualties, with 17 killed, 9 seriously injured, and 35 lightly injured, losing 61 brothers in an instant. I had no choice but to order the team to retreat, but these devils didn't follow us, instead charging towards the direction of Hidden River Village. I arranged for two companies to block them there, but I believe that with their ferocity, they won't be able to hold on for much longer!" Captain Han said angrily, but he had no solution.
"It seems that the commander of this unit should be our old opponent, Oyama. Otherwise, they wouldn't have discovered the mystery in my strategic deployment. Now that the little devils know what we're going to do, they must be planning to break through from the side of Yincun and completely give up their pursuit of us." Chen Shaoqin listened to Han's words and seemed to have a bad premonition. How formidable Oyama was, only his comrades in War Eagle knew, so he didn't dare hesitate and immediately gave orders: "Old Liu, bring the War Eagle brothers to support the two companies' brothers, you must block the little devils at Kanzi!"
"Alright, I'll take them over right away!" Lao Liu said as he hastily assembled the troops, planning to lead his brothers to support the battle on the other side of Kanzi.
"Wait a minute, remember to pick two brothers with good marksmanship, take out the little devil's messenger and radio station, don't let the little devil contact the other side of Yinkhe, otherwise it will be a pincer movement against us, bursting in the center!" Chen Shaoqin immediately called out to Liu when he saw him about to leave, continuing to command.
"Really? You big fool, didn't you say that those little devils received the order to defend the Hidden River Village at all costs? How is it possible for them to suddenly mobilize troops? Besides, if this Nozawa wants to gather reinforcements, by the time Captain Han returns, they would have already sent a message to the outside little devils!" Xue Yumei heard Chen Shaoqin's words and didn't wait for Liu Ying to respond before asking questions full of doubt.
"Previously, Nomura had intended to surround and annihilate us, focusing on the encirclement, so he wouldn't easily mobilize his outer troops. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Now that General Han has retreated back, giving up some territory to their defensive line, with Nomura's arrogant personality, he absolutely won't mobilize his outer troops to provide support at this time. He can't afford to lose face like that. However, under the desperate resistance of General Han's two battalions, the battle is intensifying, and it's hard to predict what will happen if it drags on. Therefore, we must take precautions beforehand and cut off Nomura's communication with the outside world!" Chen Shaoqin carefully analyzed, seemingly thinking through every detail, not letting any small aspect slip by.
