Chapter 29: The Fierce Battle of Xigou

  Xigou Village, located on the edge of Shuiliandong Lake. It is also a transportation hub leading to Xiyan. In Xigou Village, where battles are taking place, the Xianrendong Cave is not far away, and Hu Zhiyong has already heard the sound of artillery fire. Driving at full speed, it takes more than an hour to arrive at the command post of the Second Regiment.

  "Master, bandits drank chicken blood, how come they're attacking Zhuanghe so desperately?" Hu Zhiyong arrived, and the second battalion commander Ma Xiandeng smiled and came out to greet him.

  "Zhuanghe has many wealthy families, and there are three famous big families: Hu, Chen, and Shi. Moreover, Zhuanghe is a place where merchant ships gather, so it's a piece of fat meat that attracts them." Hu Zhiyong introduced, and took over Ma Xian's binoculars to observe the battle situation.

  "There are over three thousand people, with several broken cannons and one gun per person. I estimate that they won't have too much ammunition, so let the soldiers build trenches to defend themselves and wait for an opportunity to annihilate this group of bandits!" Ma Xian Deng presented his battle plan, looking at Hu Zhi Yong's reaction.

  "Good!" Hu Zhiyong put down the telescope: "I have ordered the cavalry and artillery to set out from here, and here you will give me a beautiful infantry, cavalry and artillery coordinated battle."

  "Am I in command?" Ma Xian Tong stuck out his tongue: "With so many troops and three different systems, aren't you afraid I'll make mistakes in commanding?"

  "Remember, you can't be the squad leader forever, and you need to master new combat skills. I'll make you my chief of staff, there are plenty of weird ideas!" Hu Zhiyong chuckled, seeing Kameyama bring people over.

  "Hu Shizhang, I have some good news for you!" Kameyama was afraid that Hu Zhiyong would be overly anxious, so he immediately shared the good news.

  "Good news?" Hu Zhiyong smiled wryly: "From last night to now, I haven't blinked an eye, and there are still over 3,000 bandits in front of me attacking. If you want to talk about good things, it's that I've had enough of guns and cannons."

  "Due to the chaotic security situation in the surrounding areas, the military department has ordered you to take over Xiyang County and Dundong Gushan Town. You can expand another division and form two divisions and one military department. Hehe, your appointment as military commander will arrive soon."

  Hu Zhiyong thought for a long time, sighed and said: "I don't like to lead troops, I prefer to do business. But I have to consider your suggestion, because in order to keep Zhuanghe safe, I must defend the line of Xiyan County and Gushan Town!"

  "I knew you didn't have enough military expenses, so handing over these areas to you is a consideration of your military expenditures. To be honest, the frontline troops are tight, and it's only reluctantly that we're handing over this area to you." Kameada said, raising his binoculars to observe the bandits in front of him.

  The cavalry troops arrived, and Ma Xianzhang dispatched a battalion of cavalry towards the direction of the Wang family's mansion: "You must pay attention to coordinating with my regiment's first battalion, you must block this group of bandits here and not let them escape!"

  "Yes!" The cavalry regiment commander was Ma Xian's old subordinate, and seeing his old superior give the order to go into battle, he saluted happily and led his men out of the command center.

  Gu Ding looked at this cavalry in surprise and said thoughtfully, "Not bad, a strong general has no weak soldiers, your subordinates are all very capable!"

  "Captain, the prisoners you handed over to me are all serving in the Imperial Army. The equipment was established by myself at my own expense." Hu Zhiyong said with a smile: "I still need prisoners, pick some strong ones for me?"

  "Alright, I'll take care of it right now!" Kameyama was just about to bring up the matter. The frontline troops had captured a large number of prisoners, and if they were to be guarded, it would disperse the Imperial Army's main force. Killing them would also provoke even more intense resistance from the Northeastern people. Releasing them was out of the question. Now, Hu Zhiyong had set an example for him, and utilizing transformation was the most correct approach.

  However, the puppet troops in various places and the to-be-established Manchukuo could not accommodate so many people. Many units even dared not accept them, fearing that these people would turn their guns around once they were armed!

  Ma Xiandeng had already understood Hu Zhiyong's intention and looked at the young master with excitement and gratitude: "He is thinking of a way to save us!"

  For the bandits, Hu Zhiyong was absolutely merciless. These people only care about food and drink, women and money. After the artillery regiment arrived, Ma Xian Deng placed a battalion of artillerymen on the mountain slope in front of the division headquarters, ordering them to quickly establish positions and prepare for shelling.

  Gu Ding saw that Hu Zhiyong did not command in person and sat with him on a distant hillside to observe the battle situation.

  The bandits really fought to the death, and after each defeat, they quickly organized a new charge. Hu Zhiyong laughed loudly, he couldn't believe that such a team dared to provoke him.

  Gu Ding was surprised, the rifle fire wasn't intense, but every bullet would eliminate an enemy, and it wasn't until a large group of bandits charged into the front line that the machine guns and hand grenades would launch a full-scale attack.

  "Great marksmanship!" Kameda couldn't help but praise. At this moment, he had experienced Hu Zhiyong's overwhelming momentum and saw his ruthless iron-blooded tactics.

  After the artillery was ready, a fierce bombardment began to take effect. The uninterrupted barrage from far and near suddenly intimidated the attacking bandits. The bandit leader Ye Ma Hong had one leg blown off, and nearly two-fifths of the bandits were killed or wounded.

  "Charge!" As soon as the cannon fire stopped, the cavalry unit began to charge forward.

  Eight hundred war horses whinnied forward, shining sabers and gunfire ringing out in succession.

  "With a knife in his left hand and a gun in his right hand, aren't they afraid of falling off the horse?" Kameda asked in surprise about this cavalry tactic.

  "War horses, all of them have received special training. They can sense the strength between the legs of the cavalryman, so they know where to run." Hu Zhiyong didn't want to introduce too much, some secrets would not be told to this devil lieutenant.

  "Have you modified all your handguns?" Kameda was very sharp and from the number of bullets fired, he knew that this handgun could fire twenty rounds or even more.

  "Yes, I installed a magazine and modified some of the devices." Hu Zhiyong secretly felt a chill in his heart, fearing that Gu Ding would discover something from this matter.

  Fortunately, the infantry began to counterattack at this time. The rapid movement of the infantry instantly attracted Kameyama's eyeballs. Hu Zhiyong finally breathed a sigh of relief and watched the large-scale counterattack of two battalions of the Second Regiment.

  "Kill!" The sound of killing continued, and the charging troops skillfully utilized the geographical terrain to dodge and fire their weapons. Especially the second team's guard company, a uniform wave of submachine guns formed a massive firepower network. Most of the bandits began to kneel down and surrender, but the bullets seemed not to have noticed their actions, still beckoning them over.

  "Run for your lives! They don't take prisoners!" The bandits were stunned. The Zhuanghe troops were going to wipe them out completely!

  "Where's he going!" Grenades came flying over one after another, the fifty-meter distance was blown up with smoke and flames everywhere, limbs and body parts scattered all over the ground.

  The combat troops formed a siege, and Kameyama laughed and said: "If all of you Huaxia are like this troop, it will be world-class!"

  "It will be!" Hu Zhiyong said lightly: "Decades later, the Chinese will have more advanced troops than this!"

  "Do you think we will inevitably lose in a war between China and Japan?" Kame asked cunningly.

  "Major, Huaxia is a vast country. Do you think an island nation can really occupy this land for long?" Hu Zhiyong didn't say it directly, instead he let Kameyama think about the question.

  Kameida thought for a long time before saying, "Your words are truly sincere!" Kameida bid farewell and Ma Xian Deng walked over, laughing loudly: "Young master, you're not old, but you're very cunning."

  "Get out!" Hu Zhiyong cursed with a smile, and walked to the car beside Ma Xian Deng, saying: "We must sweep the battlefield clean, this time there are not many dead. Remember, report our losses, and have the wounded brothers treated as soon as possible."

  "Yes!" Ma Xian Deng replied as he returned to headquarters.

  In the county seat of Zhuanghe, prisoners of war from Dandong and Dalian were being transported in. The residents of the city regarded these people as bandits who had been captured, and many people gathered to watch and curse them continuously.

  "Compatriots, they are the anti-Japanese warriors on the front line, they are brave soldiers who were captured. From now on, they will fight with us together, please don't insult them anymore!"

  As soon as he returned to the city, such a thing happened. Hu Zhiyong couldn't wait for the Japanese army in front of him to start his speech.

  "Who told you to fight together? We are Huaxia people, not traitors like Han!" A voice rang out from the queue, staring at Hu Zhiyong with hostility.

  "If that's the case, if you're not willing to stay, I can let you go!" Hu Zhiyong walked up to him, pulled out a cigarette and said: "Here, light this cigarette and smoke it. If you still want to leave after finishing it, I'll immediately send someone to escort you out of Zhuanghe territory!"

  "Really?" The tall, square-faced soldier looked at Hu Zhiyong in surprise, thinking he was being teased.

  "You can ask them." Hu Zhiyong pointed to the surrounding soldiers and pulled over Deputy Commander Liang Chengfu: "They are all like you, captured on the front line and sent here. Want to leave? Anytime is fine, but you must leave openly!"

  "Alright, I'm leaving now!" The tall soldier took the cigarette without courtesy, lit it and said: "I've made up my mind, send me out of Zhuanghe territory!"

  "So anxious?" Hu Zhiyong couldn't help but laugh, he admired the soldier and had a good impression of his straightforwardness: "Even if you want to leave, you have to get your wound treated first. Don't believe me? Alright! Hu Yaowei, take three silver coins and a bag of dry rations, send this brother off!"

  "Yes!" Hu Yaowei took out three big ocean coins and handed over his own dry ration bag. With a wave of his hand, a car came over, and the soldier in the car very politely said to the tall man: "Please, I'll take you to the Gaizhou border crossing!"

  "Really seeing me off?" The tall officer was puzzled, he didn't believe there were enemies who treated him like this.

  "Little brother, the young master brought you here to save us. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do! Where can you go if you leave? Beiping is in imminent danger and will soon be occupied by the Japanese army. I suggest you stay and take a look, and if you still want to leave afterwards, you won't regret it." Liang Chengfu said tactfully, walking up to him and speaking softly into his ear.

  "Really?" The tall man walked up to Hu Zhiyong, looked him up and down for a moment, then gave a military salute: "I'm Lu Xiaosheng, a regiment commander. Please allow me to stay and observe before making a decision!"

  "Alright! Lu Yingchang, select 2,500 soldiers from these troops and form a regiment. You will temporarily act as the regiment commander. First, go to the hospital for a physical examination, and after you've recovered from your injuries, I'll assign instructors to train the troops!" Hu Zhiyong gave the order with a smile, and then asked the captives: "Who else is an officer? Please report your position."

  The captives looked at each other, standing silently in distrust. Liang Chengfu shook his head: "Forget it, treat the illness first and talk later, if not, we can draw officers from the instructional team to form a new one."

  "It's freezing outside, don't stand on the street anymore. Hurry up and arrange a place for my brothers to change their clothes and have a full meal." Hu Zhiyong bid farewell to everyone and rushed to the hospital to pick up his mother. The hospital was in chaos, but after negotiating with the doctor, he took his mother home for treatment.

  On the square of the main street, rows of green tents were set up. A hot charcoal basin was burning, and a group of women were distributing clothes to everyone. Hu Mu saw so many wounded soldiers on the stretcher and looked at her son with concern: "Is the front line fighting fiercely?"

  "Mom, these are Japanese prisoners of war brought by the National Army. I've brought them over." Hu Zhiyong followed the stretcher, bending his waist and speaking softly to his mother.

  "You're a good son of your mother!" Hu Mu was very excited, he knew that San Er had rescued these people from the Japanese army.