Chapter Fifteen: Blood Debt Repaid in Blood

  Nakamura led the remaining 100 or so Japanese troops in a relentless pursuit, as he judged that the enemy were only scattered armed men who had not undergone rigorous training.

  Chen Jifan didn't bother the devils again, Zhao Jun's landmine on his back only had a few, they were too precious to use against these devils. However, most of the "Divine Eagles" seemed not to understand, in their impression, the captain and several team leaders dared to rush into the devil's camp alone, killing them all without leaving one behind. How could they be so fierce in battle yet still bring a retreat route, especially since they had just sent twenty or thirty devils to the afterlife?

  "It's about time Song Guantou spoke up: 'What? You're not satisfied? We were satisfied at the Luo store, but what happened? One by one, we let people blow us to kingdom come. Not even a shadow of the enemy was seen. I don't care anymore, following the captain is just great, those little devils suffered such a huge loss, and we didn't even lose a single hair. What? You said you're not fighting? Who told you that? If we don't fight, will we be wandering around in this wilderness? Let me tell you, first we'll drag these fat devils to thinness, then kill them off one by one, only then can we have some real fun.'"

  The devils are right in front of us, but the militiamen not only didn't get to fight, they were protected by Chen Jifang and Zhong Dingcheng like precious treasures. Many militia soldiers had some thoughts in their minds, and once they started thinking, it wasn't very motivating. Chen Jifang slightly shook his head, it seems that no matter how much training is done, those who haven't been on the battlefield are all rookies, need to think of a way to boost morale.

  "Everyone is here, assemble!" Chen Jifan suddenly shouted loudly to the team.

  The team quickly assembled.

  "The devils are right behind us. Some soldiers felt uneasy in their hearts, thinking that we were not fighting the devils but being beaten by them. Alright, Deng Fangshu!"

  Yes!

  "Tell everyone, from the establishment of our troops to now, how many battles we have fought, how many devils we have eliminated, and how many casualties we have suffered."

  "Yes", Deng Fangshun bowed, turned around to face everyone, "'Divine Eagle' anti-Japanese special operations team since its establishment, has fought two battles. The first battle, our side had 12 people participating, annihilating a Japanese field infantry squad without any casualties; the second time, ambushing the Japanese Itō detachment, our side had 39 people participating, annihilating over 100 people from the Itō detachment, with one of our men injured and no deaths. That's all!"

  "Get in line!"

  "Yes."

  "Song Guanhu is out of the list!"

  Exist

  "You are veterans who have participated in the Battle of Songhu, tell me, what is the combat effectiveness of the devils?"

  "Yes! The devils are generally very accurate with their guns, and they're also fierce in close combat. I've personally seen three of them take down seven or eight of our brothers in a row. What's more, the devils have a kind of desperate energy, fighting to the death without regard for their own lives." Song Guantou replied expressionlessly.

  "In your opinion, if we two or three hundred people charge down, can we annihilate this group of devils?"

  "This can be done! However, there will be a lot of casualties, especially for new recruits who have just entered the battlefield. In the National Army, it was always the new recruits who died the fastest and in the largest numbers."

  "Very well, enlisted."

  Chen Jifang continued, "Faced with these beasts that are not as good as devils, I also want to pick up the machine gun and rush over for a burst of fire. But has everyone thought about it? After we finish off these devils, how many of us will be left? What should we do with the remaining devils? Should we let our fellow villagers block the bullets?" Chen Jifang's tone became increasingly severe.

  "I'm telling you, on the battlefield, our 'Divine Eagle' warriors' lives are forever more precious than the enemy's worthless lives! To not lose your life on the battlefield, besides relying on hard training in peacetime, you must also use your brain during battle! Earlier, Song Guantao said that the enemy's combat strength is strong, but it's a fact that his National Army comrades paid with their lives! However, the enemy is not without weaknesses. Firstly, they are less familiar with the terrain than we are, so we can slowly wear them down; secondly, they are arrogant and look down on others, fundamentally underestimating our true strength. So as long as we remain calm, this group of enemies will eventually be finished off. Does everyone have confidence?"

  "Yes."

  "Speak louder, didn't you eat?"

  Yes!

  "Alright, now I order, continue marching."

  After the mobilization, the team's morale was clearly different. Chen Jifan had a plan in his mind. He wanted to organize the "Shenying" main force to launch a surprise attack on the devils at night, not seeking to annihilate them completely, but just to exhaust and consume the enemy.

  Zhong Dingcheng and others were called over to discuss, everyone felt that it was feasible. Zhong Dingcheng thought the opportunity was rare, also good to test the results of more than a month's training on the mountain.

  Wen Chuanhao led the sniper team and Zhao Jun's reconnaissance team returned one after another, and the snipers killed 8 more people. Zhao Jun also personally took down 3 devils.

  "Head, sorry about that, the devils are too cunning and hard to deal with, I only managed to take out 3 of them." Zhao Jun seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

  Chen Jifan first let his teammates go down and rest, saying that they would have a good spirit tonight and still have to sing.

  The attack was scheduled for 2:00 am, when people were most likely to be drowsy. Chen Jifang had the "Divine Eagle" take turns resting during the day and eating well. The militiamen with guns followed the troops and lay in ambush nearby as a response, but did not participate in the attack. Those who temporarily did not have guns withdrew to a safe area to hide.

  Nakamura now has less than 100 people, still underestimating the enemy. A few scattered Chinese troops have already made more than 30 Imperial warriors sacrifice their lives. If they can't capture these people, not only will they be unable to give an account to their superiors, but also they won't be able to face these Imperial heroes in the future.

  Nakamura silently wiped his battle sword, his face was gloomy and a bit frightening, but he didn't know that he wouldn't have a future anymore, his life had already entered the countdown.

  The devils' every move was under the surveillance of "Shenying", and after a day's pursuit, the devils finally got a chance to rest at night. Although Captain Nakamura ordered each department not to be careless, and set up sentries and patrols, many soldiers soon fell asleep.

  Chen Jifan gathered all the 03-style assault rifles, light machine guns and submachine guns of the whole team, and then each person was equipped with hand grenades as the first assault team. The grenade launcher, sniper and the remaining soldiers were commanded by Wen Chuanhao to cover the perimeter. This time Chen Jifan wanted to launch a surprise attack on the devils, catching them off guard.

  In January, the mountain village was still very cold. The devils could not help but start a fire no matter how strong they were. However, the firelight provided an excellent target for the "Eagle" to attack.

  Each unit moved to the vicinity of the enemy's campsite according to plan and lay in ambush. At 2 o'clock in the morning, the attack was officially launched. Wen Chuanhao first commanded the grenade launcher to fire at the enemy's tent and bonfire. The effective range of this grenade launcher can reach 500 meters, which increased the suddenness of the attack in the dark night. The whistling sound of the grenades broke through the air, and the devils were all too familiar with this sound. "Enemy attack!" The devils scrambled to find a place to hide, and explosions erupted throughout the campsite. As soon as the two rounds of grenade launchers ended, Chen Jifan commanded the assault team to immediately launch a charge at the devils. In the chaos, the devils who were hastily organizing resistance had no time to use heavy weapons. In close combat, the Type 38 rifle was no match for the powerful firepower network composed of light machine guns, assault rifles, and submachine guns. Some devils tried to charge with bayonets, but were shot down as soon as they stood up. Others were aiming their guns when they were easily picked off by snipers. Machine guns were a nightmare, and under the strict "care" of the snipers, no one could get close to them. In just five minutes, more than a dozen people, under the cover of grenade launchers and snipers, "combed" through the devil's campsite, and any devils who approached the assault team were shot down. Under the powerful firepower network, the devils had no way to organize an effective counterattack.

  Five minutes later, Nakamura, still in a state of shock, found that the gunfire was gradually weakening. When the surrounding gunfire completely stopped, Nakamura ordered his subordinates to take stock of the casualties. The casualty figures made him feel both angry and frustrated: 19 people were killed and 28 injured. The enemy had planned this out, these Chinese troops were not the disorganized mob he had imagined, from their use of grenade launchers and snipers, as well as their firepower in close combat, it was clear that they were well-trained, familiar with the Imperial Army's tactics, and had excellent individual combat capabilities. Although Nakamura was brutal, he was not reckless, and decided to leave this damned place at dawn and move towards the headquarters of General Oshima, if those despicable Chinese dared to pursue him, his light and heavy machine guns would certainly make them taste the bitterness.

  "It's clear, one head. There are still 74 people in total, with 33 wounded, and all the weapons are here." After dawn, Zhao Jun led his men to conduct a careful tracking and reconnaissance of Nakamura's troops, and then reported the results to Chen Jifa.

  After more than two days of harassment, the Japanese army's strength of over 130 men had been reduced by half, with many wounded, while our side still maintained a record of no casualties. Now that we have an absolute advantage in numbers, if we continue to harass, the remaining little devils will definitely stay here. The problem is that this way, the militia will not get practical combat training and lose the significance of bringing them out. Chen Jifan made a bold decision: to use all his forces to launch a surprise attack on the enemy. A bayonet charge? How is that possible? Those militiamen who had never seen blood were absolutely no match for the Japanese soldiers. However, if the militiamen could face the Japanese face-to-face and see them die in front of them, it would be very beneficial for their growth. Besides, this way we can also capture as many enemy bullets as possible.

  "Warriors, comrades, after two days of fierce fighting, the devils have been beaten by us and are now short of breath. According to reconnaissance, the devils are now preparing to move closer to their main forces. Shall we let these beasts who have harmed our fellow villagers slip away from under our noses?"

  "Absolutely not!"

  "Comrades, in the Han Dynasty there was a general named Chen Tang, who once said: 'Those who offend the great Han will be punished no matter how far away they are!' Now, these little Japanese devils are killing people and setting fires on our land, doing all sorts of evil. We must make them pay for their crimes in blood! The time for comrades to take revenge has arrived. I order you: fix bayonets, chase after this gang of ghosts, surround them, and annihilate them!"

  The pre-war mobilization was very effective, but Chen Jifang knew that a head-on confrontation with the devils would inevitably result in casualties. However, constantly relying on sneak attacks was extremely detrimental to the growth of the troops. Only by engaging in a head-on battle and emerging victorious could the morale of the troops be fundamentally boosted, allowing the militia soldiers to grow up more quickly.

  The remaining 70 or so devils dragged the wounded and equipment, stumbling through the mountains and forests. Their every move was completely grasped by Zhao Jun's reconnaissance team. So Chen Jifan led all 300 people to surround the devils very smoothly. Soldiers value speed, Chen Jifan would not give the devils time to set up defenses. After five rocket launchers fired two rounds at the devil's gathering place, everyone launched a final charge under the cover of snipers.

  When the grenade landed on his head once again, Captain Nakamura finally understood that this time he could not escape no matter what. Only he couldn't understand how he was defeated so thoroughly, more than 130 elite soldiers of the Imperial Army, without even seeing the enemy's appearance. The Chinese government army would never have such combat effectiveness and morale, so were these armed forces in front of him just the civilian armed forces of the Chinese people? If that was the case, the prospects for the Empire's holy war in China were worrying...

  The constant mortar fire raining down on their heads had a devastating impact on the morale of the Japanese troops, and the continuous explosions sending the bodies and wounded comrades flying through the air left these devils completely demoralized. Faced with the charge of over 300 men who came at them without hesitation, many of the devils hastily raised their guns to fire, but of course they still had no chance to use their light machine guns or mortars, because those were always the primary targets for the sharpshooters of the "Divine Eagles".

  There were about 60 living devils and wounded soldiers, with twenty or thirty devils forming a small circle around the wounded. With a single order from Nakamura, the devils retreated outward with bullets, their backs against each other, stabbing outward with bayonets.

  Nakamura finally saw his nightmare. Seven people walked out in front of the squad, seven fully armed people. Their faces, helmets, backpacks and uniforms were all painted with colorful camouflage patterns, their combat boots were clearly better than the leather shoes of the Imperial soldiers, more importantly, the guns in their hands. Those were guns he had never seen before, and they were being pointed at him by their owners in the same posture.

  "Drop your weapons!" Chen Jifan commanded in Japanese.

  Good heavens! The other side can actually speak Japanese. Nakamura spoke in Japanese to Chen Jifang: "The warriors of the Great Empire of Japan will never surrender, if you are true warriors, we are willing to settle the battle with the method of warriors until all die. Please respect the request of the warrior, thank you." After finishing, he bowed deeply.

  "Dog fart warriors! You beasts are also worthy of being called warriors?" Chen Jifeng said disdainfully, "In my eyes, you Japanese people, from the emperor to the soldiers, are unadulterated beasts and perverts! You only know how to slaughter civilians, I won't duel with you because you're not qualified!"

  When Chen Jifang insulted their emperor, all the devils raised their guns with a "whoosh".

  Chen Jifang remained unmoved and continued: "We Chinese only know that blood debts must be repaid with blood, today all of you must die!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and fired a shot, and a Japanese soldier behind Nakamura fell down.

  "Slow down!" Nakamura shouted loudly, "You Chinese are good at sneak attacks. If you fight us face to face, you're no match for us."

  "I can't see that you'll still use the Intimidation Method. Alright! You can choose one from among us seven people. If you win, I guarantee they won't give you a hard time."

  Nakamura chose Hu Yunfeng.

  Hu Yunfeng threw his gun back, put down his backpack, then pulled out a military knife from his boot and slowly walked forward.

  "Ah!" Nakamura raised his hands and swung his sword, but Hu Yunfeng smiled coldly and dodged to the side. With a swift palm strike, he hit Nakamura's wrist, causing him to cry out in pain. The samurai's sword fell to the ground, and before he could react, Hu Yunfeng stepped on his knee, forcing him to kneel down. Seizing the opportunity, Hu Yunfeng grabbed Nakamura's neck with both hands and twisted it, sending him to meet the Sun Goddess.

  Hu Yunfeng's skilled killing technique stunned all the Japanese soldiers. For a long time, the Chinese had given them the impression of being weak and easily bullied, but the Chinese soldier in front of them had sent Lieutenant Nakamura to his death with just one move, and the desperate Japanese immediately began a suicidal charge, crazily charging towards the crowd with bayonets.

  Chen Jifan didn't think of taking prisoners, so with a wave of his hand, all the guns on the "Divine Eagle" fired revenge bullets at the remaining devils. After a burst of gunfire, there were no more standing devils, only less than 30 wounded devils moaning on the ground.

  Chen Jifang ordered the militiamen behind him to move forward and stab the wounded Japanese soldiers with bayonets.

  "Captain, I don't think this is right. It seems to be a violation of international conventions." Song Guantao and Deng Fangshun, who were standing beside him, also advised against it.

  Chen Jifeng turned around and loudly asked the "Divine Eagle" members: "Do you guys think so too?"

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  "First, they are not captives. If you go to help them, they will kill you without hesitation; second, no one can get away with killing our comrades without paying the price, and being injured is no exception. I want you to understand that 'blood for blood, tooth for tooth' will be the motto of my 'Divine Eagle'; third, all militia brothers have received training, but if they haven't had the experience of directly killing devils, they can't be considered true warriors. So these devils must die, and they must be killed by the hands of our militia brothers. Any questions?"

  Everyone fell silent, under Chen Jifang's strict orders, 240 militia soldiers began to massacre the wounded devils, but many people still couldn't bring themselves to do it. Chen Jifang didn't force them too much either, after confirming that all the devils were dead, he ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up and prepared for the next battle.