Ambush at 3:50

  Everything was carried out in secret, the soldiers of the assault regiment gathered quietly, carrying light and heavy weapons, advancing towards Liujiadu under the cover of night. Lu Shuangyong did not tell everyone the purpose of this trip beforehand, until they arrived at the expected ambush site, he announced that they were going to fight against the National Army. The old soldiers had no reaction to this, only a few new recruits were hesitant. But it was too late, and no one dared to say anything. Yuan Jing let Wang Dacheng tell everyone about Pan Yishan's plan to release troops to rob Zhushantun, as a result, everyone's anger was ignited.

  Le Jialin had all the sewing machines in the hidden garment factory set up and arranged for the female workers to work overnight to rush-make Red Army uniforms. In fact, the production of the Red Army uniform itself was also relatively simple, and 30 sets of uniforms were completed within two or three hours. The red flag and military emblem were also ready, and Le Jialin arranged for several soldiers to deliver these things to Mukang.

  Luo Yi returned home and told Zeng Shan about what had happened during the day. Zeng Shan was furious when she heard that Pan Yishan dared to openly try to kidnap someone, and immediately ordered Luo Yi to go and get rid of Pan. Luo Yi comforted her by saying he had his own way of dealing with Pan Yishan, then told Zeng Shan to leave first and hide for the time being, in case Pan Yishan suddenly turned against them.

  "Where can I hide? I don't have any relatives here." Zeng Shan said with a worried look.

  "Otherwise, you go to the mine and go to your godmother's place." Luo Yi said.

  With the protection of two soldiers, Luo Yi sent Zeng Shan up the mountain overnight. Mrs. Zhang heard that a National Army company commander was so brazen as to want to take away Zeng Shan and was also indignant, scolding the National Army for being shameless.

  The next day, Le Jialin sent food and drink to the National Army as usual, and especially added a few jars of old wine, saying it was for the farewell of the old chiefs. After lunch, the National Army began to assemble and prepare to depart, Pan Yishan ordered the guard to find Luo Yi and urged him to send the silver dollars over.

  "Alright, alright." Luo Yi said politely to the guards, "After our repeated efforts, we have now raised 1200 yuan, and two wealthy families have agreed to contribute 800 yuan, but they don't have cash on hand and need to wait for the money to be sent from the county town. What do you think... should we ask the brothers to set off first and I'll make up for it later?"

  "Damn it, who knows when we can make up for it later." Pan Yishan scolded after receiving the report, "This Lu guy is playing tricks on me. Get him over here."

  Luo Yi obediently followed the guard to Pan Yishan and said with a bitter face: "Pan Lianchang, it's really because they haven't sent the money over yet. I'm also afraid of delaying the important military affairs of my brothers. If you can wait until 3 o'clock, I will definitely be able to gather the money for you, even if it's one dollar short... then... whatever, everything here is yours to take."

  "Three o'clock?" Pan Yishan looked up at the sky and hesitated.

  "Never mind, from here to Liujiadu, three hours is enough. If the brothers leave at 3 o'clock, they can arrive before 6 o'clock and it will still be daylight. You see, the things you entrusted yesterday, I let them go to the county town overnight to raise money, this should also take some time for a round trip."

  "Three points is just three points." Pan Yishan nodded, "Where's your sister? Let her come over and chat with us too."

  "Alas, don't mention it, this girl, I talked to her yesterday and she cried and made a fuss, running to her aunt's house. Don't worry, I'll definitely be able to persuade her. When your teacher returns, I'll hand her over to you. It's really a great opportunity for her to be a study companion in the Commander's household."

  After much ado, Pan Yishan was finally stabilized. Le Jialin found two residents in the town and disguised them as people rushing back from the city. At around 3 pm, they delivered 800 silver dollars to the headquarters of the shock troops. Pan Yishan's face looked much better, and he exchanged a few laughs with Luo Yi before setting off with his soldiers.

  They went ahead, and the two soldiers from the assault camp took a shortcut to deliver the message to Mukan. Lu Shuangyong also set up sentries on the road to provide early warning. Luo Yi led several soldiers who stayed in town as a precaution, following far behind the National Army, ready to join the battle after they entered the ambush circle.

  Because the national army had already searched here before, Pan Yishan led his troops to walk very carelessly. The soldiers were slack along the way and even shot at a wild rabbit they saw. The team was stretched out for a long time. Pan Yishan's mind was full of thoughts about when he could return to Zhushan Town to make another fortune, and also take away that beautiful village girl. He didn't carefully observe the place his troops were passing through. If he had paid a little attention, he would have found himself walking into a dead end, with strange rocks on both sides of the mountain slope, and a small path in between. If both ends were blocked, this would be an airtight pocket. Generally, when marching through such a place, one should send out scouts to explore the road first, and then let the main force pass through in batches. But now, a company of national army had rushed in so recklessly.

  "Note that the enemy vanguard has entered the ambush circle, prepare for battle." Xu Liangqing held up his binoculars and issued a low command.

  Gunslinger Jiang Huiming stood beside Xu Liangqing, excitedly stomping his feet: "Brother Xu, what should I do now?"

  "See that official over there?" Xu Liangqing pointed with his hand at Pan Yishan in the distance.

  "That's their company commander," said Jiang Huiming. The National Army had been stationed in the town for some time, and Jiang Huiming had also met Pan Yishan before, knowing that he was the leader of this unit.

  "Take aim at him. When I say fire, you take him down with one shot."

  "Where did you come from?"

  "Head, are you confident? If not, hit the chest."

  "With a bit of force... wouldn't he just die from a brain hemorrhage?" Jiang Huiming asked a silly question.

  Xu Liangqing patted his head: "Nonsense, this is war, you think it's kids playing house?"

  "Got it, interesting."

  The National Army marched closer and closer, and the whole team entered a pocket-shaped valley. Xu Liangqing waved his hand down: "Open fire."

  His voice was not loud, only Jiang Huiming beside him could hear it. Before his words fell to the ground, the bullets in the gun had already been fired. With a loud bang, Pan Yishan's head burst open and he fell to the ground with a thud.

  "Red Army! Red Army!" The Nationalist soldiers cried out in disorder and scattered to find cover to counterattack.

  Before the National Army could retreat, a heavy machine gun and four light machine guns suddenly burst into cheers. Bullets poured into the valley like raindrops, and in an instant, dozens of corpses fell to the ground. Lu Shuangyong had long forgotten what his duties were, pushing the heavy machine gunner aside as his deputy, holding the gun handle himself and firing wildly.

  "Ha! Revenge!" He shouted, imitating Luo Yi's catchphrase, "Today I will avenge the great master, avenge our fallen brothers!"

  "We have traitors among us!"

  "There is a large contingent of Red Army troops!"

  The National Army soldiers were dizzy from the intense firepower, and their formation was completely disrupted. At this time, it was just after 5 pm, and the sky was darkening. From the top of the mountain looking down, you could still see very clearly, but from the bottom of the mountain looking up, it was a hazy misty scene, making it impossible to judge how many ambushes the enemy had laid.

  A squad leader saw the situation was unfavorable and shouted while waving his pistol: "Machine gun cover, withdraw quickly!"

  As he spoke, he led the way in the direction they had come from, a group of soldiers following closely behind him.

  They hadn't run many steps when another heavy machine gun also started firing wildly in the direction they were coming from, blocking their retreat. The one operating this machine gun was Su Xiaofeng, another fierce warrior of the assault regiment. Next to him, two light machine guns and more than a dozen rifles also opened fire simultaneously. The National Army soldiers who were escaping fell down again, and the remaining ones hastily rolled into the ditch by the side of the road to take cover.

  "Look, we've encountered a large Red Army force!" a soldier cried out. At that time, it was rare for a Red Army battalion to be equipped with even one heavy machine gun, but in this ambush circle, there were actually two heavy machine guns and six light machine guns, which logically meant that this was at least the strength of a Red Army regiment.

  "Hold your ground!" The enemy platoon leader commanded.

  A National Army machine gunner set up his machine gun and fired back at the mountain. But before he finished firing a burst of bullets, an unknown sniper shot accurately hit his head, and the machine gun fell silent. The deputy machine gunner took over, just about to open fire, when another sniper shot hit him in the same way, and he fell on the gun, motionless.

  The intense machine gun fire from the assault battalion had stopped, and in just a few minutes, the National Army had lost more than half of its soldiers. The remaining ones could only disperse and hide behind rocks or in ditches, futilely returning fire with their rifles. The soldiers of the assault battalion shouldered their rifles and began to use the enemy troops in the valley as targets for shooting practice. The effect of 300 rounds of ammunition training was very evident, although the soldiers' shooting did not achieve the effect of one shot one kill, but basically every bullet hit its mark, at least leaving a hole in the hands or legs of the National Army soldiers.

  The snipers trained by Luo Yi were even more in their element in this battle, hiding on both sides of the high ground with a broad view, and the enemy's hiding places in the valley could be seen at a glance. They held their guns and called out the names of the National Army soldiers one by one, shooting them so that the National Army soldiers could only hold their heads and huddle together, unable to fight back at all.

  "Don't shoot anymore, we surrender!" someone in the dying National Army shouted. His cry quickly got a response from other companions, and for a time, the cry of "surrender" rose and fell.

  "Sound the charge!" Yuan Jing ordered Peng Lihu, who was standing beside her. Peng Lihu had previously blown the suona and had a good foundation. After Yuan Jing's crash training, he could now blow the Red Army's charge like a pro.

  "Ding ding ding……" The charge sounded, and 30 soldiers from the assault battalion, wearing red army uniforms, rushed out from all directions, shouting slogans of "Surrender or be killed" and pounced on the remaining enemy in the valley. After the brief battle earlier, only more than 20 mobile National Army soldiers were left, and when they heard the charge of the Red Army, they completely lost their will to fight, throwing away their guns one by one, raising their hands high, and crouching in their original hiding places waiting to be captured. These people really didn't dare to come out, the snipers from the assault battalion had completely intimidated them.

  "Is that it?" Luo Yi arrived, panting, just as the gunfire had completely stopped. Red flags fluttered in the valley, and soldiers clad in gray uniforms, a makeshift version of the Red Army, were sweeping the battlefield. If not for the occasional kick at an actual corpse underfoot, Luo Yi would have almost suspected he was on a movie set - it was so realistic.