Chapter 66: A Narrow Escape

  That evening, Zhao Xiao Feng led Shi Li and ten machine gunners to sneak near the east gate under the cover of night. "Good guy!" Zhao Xiao Feng exclaimed: "I didn't expect Hongshan to develop so quickly!"

  The military camp at the east gate was already overcrowded and couldn't accommodate Hongshan's troops, with nearly 3,000 soldiers currently stationed in tents outside the city.

  In his headquarters in Hongshan, he was meeting with his eight regimental commanders and deputy commanders. These people were the original "four beams and eight pillars" under Zhong Liang's command.

  "Commander! We can't stay here any longer! Let's go find Commander Zhao!"

  "No way!" Hong Shan said firmly: "The commander has not given the order, we can't go there either!"

  Li Fan glanced at Zhou Huashen and Liu Shengli, who also stood up, saying: "Commander! Now we are strong and powerful, why not rebel? It's a good opportunity to severely strike the Japanese!"

  "No way!" Hongshan said again.

  "Commander! We can't just stay holed up in Fengtian forever, can we? What if the Japanese order us to attack our own people?" Zhou Huashen said.

  "Seize the opportunity!" Hong Shan was like a miser, absolutely not saying anything extra.

  "Report!" The soldier shouted at the door.

  "Speak!"

  "Telephone call from Commander Honma Masaharu of Japan, Commander please answer!"

  "Hmm!" Hong Shan said: "Turn around!" He continued to pick up the phone on the table.

  On the other end of the phone, Ben Zhuang's low and solemn voice came through: "Commander Hong! There is a mission now! Tomorrow morning, you will lead your army into Fengtian and eliminate several dozen people from the Young Marshal's Mansion!"

  "Yes!" Hong Shan replied without hesitation.

  "Unfair!" Kita Renzaburou and Fujita Susumu immediately protested in unison to Motojirou Honjou after hearing the phone call: "We were about to win, how can we let that Chinese pig take advantage of us?!"

  "Bastard!" Benjou cursed.

  Tsuchihashi Kenji immediately spoke up and explained, "This is a good opportunity to test the loyalty of this group of people towards us. No matter who enters the Young Marshal's Mansion first, the achievement of capturing Shenyang will be attributed to both generals!"

  Itanaka Masashirō and Fujita Susumu finally sat down.

  "From now on!" Ben Zhuang Fan ordered: "You two must be highly vigilant! Keep a close eye on Hong Shan! If they make any unusual moves, eliminate them immediately!"

  "Hi!"

  "Commander!" Gao Xisheng spoke up: "What does Ben Zhuangfan want with you now?"

  "Tomorrow we'll enter the city and sweep it clean!" Hong Shan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

  "Report!" The soldier shouted again at the door.

  "What's up?" Hong Shan asked impatiently.

  "Commander! Shiriri has arrived!"

  "Ah!" Hong Shan excitedly got up and said: "Quick! Quick! Let him come in!"

  "Yes!"

  Gao Xisheng had just opened the door when he saw Zhao Xiaofeng, made up and accompanied by Shi Li, walking in.

  "Commander!" Hong Shan and the others immediately stood up and saluted, their excited expressions indescribable.

  "Sit down!" Zhao Xiao Feng waved his hand, commanding them to sit down. He took a sip of the clear tea handed over by Hong Shan before speaking with a smile: "Hong Shan! You've been developing very quickly recently!"

  "Never mind!" Hong Shan said: "Commander! Don't look at the increasing number of soldiers outside, but there are really too few people who can be loyal to our Northeast Anti-Japanese Army! There are still Japanese spies mixed inside!"

  "Oh!" Zhao Xiaofeng laughed and said: "This even more shows your talent!"

  Hong Shan exclaimed in surprise: "Commander, why have you come here alone? Weren't you in Heilongjiang?"

  Zhao Xiaofeng didn't beat around the bush and immediately said: "I'm here for the ** in the city!"

  "What?" Hong Shan exclaimed: "Are you here to rescue them?"

  "Yes!" Zhao Xiao Feng nodded and said: "I must save these people! You quickly think of a way!"

  "Alright!" Hong Shan rubbed his bald head and immediately said: "Commander, go rest first! We'll come up with a countermeasure right away!"

  "No!" Zhao Xiao Feng shook his head and said: "I'm not tired! Let's study together!"

  From Hong Shan's mouth, Zhao Xiao Feng learned that the current number of troops in Hong Shan's Royal Collaboration Army First Division had already exceeded 5,000 people. Except for the original 1,000 Northeast Anti-Japanese Army soldiers, the remaining 4,000 were mostly Han traitors who came to surrender or defect to Japan, so their credibility was not high.

  And tomorrow's action, Hongshan was still unable to shake off the surveillance of the Japanese, which left everyone at a loss. This meeting, ten people studied until midnight before coming up with a relatively mature plan.

  The next morning, Hongshan led Zhao Xiaofeng, who was disguised as a guard, and Shi Li led part of the two brigades into the city.

  One thousand five hundred people entered the battlefield under the surveillance of the Japanese, at this time, Yang Jingyu's ammunition had been used up and was at a dead end!

  Gao Xisheng led the 500 Northeast Anti-Japanese Army soldiers, driving out over a hundred suspected traitors and charging towards the Daqing Building's position. Zhao Xiaofeng and Shi Li followed closely behind the over a hundred traitors.

  On the battlefield, inside and out were all guarded by Hongshan's troops, even a fly couldn't fly in.

  More than a hundred traitors had just slowed down, and Gao Xisheng immediately shot one, scaring those who feared death to rush frantically towards the Grand Mansion.

  Fortunately, they didn't encounter any obstruction! The traitor who had just entered the Grand Mansion suddenly heard a dense and intense gunfire, which was his own people shooting from behind! They were mysteriously killed before they could even figure out what was happening.

  Zhao Xiaofeng yanked off his hat and rushed forward, "Second Brother! Third Brother! Fourth Sister!"

  "Ah!" Yang Jingyu, who had been tightly holding the fuse, almost pulled the trigger of the hand grenade in his hand due to surprise. Just now, he heard the dense footsteps and thought that when the enemy approached, he would pull the pin and take a few devils with him as a shield. But unexpectedly, they were fighting among themselves! What's even more frightening is that he had already started hallucinating, thinking that his big brother Zhao Xiaofeng had come to rescue him!

  Zhao Xiaofeng saw the hand grenade in Yang Jingyu's hand, and with his large hands shaking constantly, he immediately pounced on him to hold down Yang Jingyu's hands! A soldier next to him saw a yellow dog rushing over and immediately picked up a bayonet without asking any questions and stabbed it into Zhao Xiaofeng's back.

  As soon as Shi Li saw this scene, he also rushed up and grabbed his arm, shouting: "Stop! We are the Northeast Anti-Japanese Army!"

  "Ah!" More than a dozen surviving soldiers heard this and were stunned, and when they saw Zhao Xiao Feng's appearance, Yang Jing Yu immediately excitedly fainted.

  "Fast!" Zhao Xiao Feng commanded: "Make the gunfire more intense! Add some explosive sounds!"

  "Hurry!" Shi Li shouted: "Put on the yellow dog's clothes for them and disguise them as wounded men to be transported out in batches!"

  Immediately, more than a dozen soldiers of the anti-Japanese army took out military uniforms from their bundles and put them on these surviving wounded soldiers, and two men carried them outwards.

  At this time, the gunfire inside the Daqing Building became even more intense! Along with sporadic explosions, suddenly, Gao Xisheng rushed out of the entrance of the Daqing Building and shouted: "Quickly retreat! The bomb is about to explode!"

  In an instant, the more than 100 soldiers still left in the Daqing Building rushed out frantically! Dozens of their own soldiers who were shot and wounded by each other also began to move out with the support of their comrades.

  "Damn it! Chinese people are afraid of death!" Fujita Susumu, who was standing at a high place holding binoculars, cursed immediately. He didn't notice any flaws at all.

  Only Tsuchihara Kenji shook his head, but he didn't know where the problem was either. Anyway, he felt a bit off!

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!..." A series of deafening explosions shook half of Fengtian City, causing it to tremble with fear. Fujita Jin stared in shock at the Daqing Building, which was still spewing out thick smoke, and the several hundred defeated Imperial Japanese Army soldiers fleeing from the scene, shouting: "What?! You actually have such a large firepower?!"

  At this time, Hongshan had already reported the battle situation here to Ben Zhuangfan: "Commander! The ** in the Daqing Building have all been eliminated! I also lost more than 100 brothers!"

  "Hurray!" Ben Zhuang Fan said in stiff Chinese: "Your merit is great! Now you can return to the camp!"

  "Yes!" Hong Shan immediately ordered the soldiers to carry the wounded and head out of the east gate.

  Tsuchihara Genji watched them hurry away, feeling more and more uneasy. He immediately picked up the phone to Honjo Shigeru: "Commander! I have a bad feeling about this!"

  "What?" asked Benzo Furuki in a strange tone.

  "Why is it that some of our undercover agents who entered the Dai Qing Lou never came out again?" asked Tōyama no Genji.

  "Hongzhuang Fan stopped for a moment and said: 'Are you sure none of our undercover agents have been exposed?'"

  Tsuchihashi replied firmly, "Yes, sir! I know several people who died inside the Dai Qing Lou, and some of the wounded soldiers are also suspicious. The injuries of a few men in front look like old wounds!"

  "What?" Ben Zhuang Feng suddenly jumped up and shouted: "Chase! Hong Shan must be suspicious!"

  "Hey!" Tofu Hidenji immediately shouted: "Order the troops to gather at the east gate! Immediately surround Hongshan's troops!"

  In an instant, several thousand Japanese soldiers who had been lurking around began to encircle Hongshan's military camp.

  Hong Shan rode on horseback and said to Zhao Xiaofeng: "Commander! This move is a risky chess game! I'd better follow you back to the base!"

  "No way!" Zhao Xiao Feng said resolutely: "You must stay! What I need most now is to put a timed bomb next to the Japanese! Alright, when we reach the city gate, I'll lead people to hide in the hidden cave on the side, and at night I'll take the opportunity to escape. At that time, you must think of a way to cover for us!"

  "Yes!" Hong Shan nodded and said: "Commander, take care of yourself!"

  Zhao Xiaofeng nodded, and immediately led ten machine gunners along with Shi Li and Yang Jingyu, Zhao Shangzhi, Xiao Lei and twelve others to rush into the hidden cave that was originally dug for a surprise attack on the enemy.

  Just as they had barely covered themselves, a large group of Japanese soldiers began to charge towards the army at Hongshan from behind! Shi Li looked out from between the rocks and stuck out his tongue, silently exclaiming: "Close call!"

  "Halt! Halt!" Lieutenant General Tōyama Kenji commanded as several thousand Japanese soldiers had already surrounded Hong Shan's troops.