Chapter Sixteen: The Longest Afternoon (Part 2)

  Although he was very nervous about Wen Congyuan's safety in his heart, at this critical moment, Cheng Jiaji also couldn't just watch Wen Congyuan and others' movements blankly.

  Cheng Jiaji immediately turned around and gave several important orders to the combat staff of the Travel Department. One was to order all artillery fire to conduct strong blocking shots at the combined Japanese tanks and infantry, in coordination with Wen Songyuan's actions. Another was to order the new recruits' camp and the guard company to prepare for a counterattack, and immediately ordered Yu Juncai to withdraw a relatively intact company from other positions to support him. In his heart, Cheng Jiaji still couldn't bear to part with Wen Songyuan, that reckless guy, and if he had the chance, Cheng Jiaji would still want to bring this rascal back alive and give him two slaps in the face.

  The last order was the most important, which was to let Gao Shiqi lead the two main battalions waiting outside the village to be ready to enter the village and join the battle at any time. If the troops in the village were not strong enough, he could immediately send these two battalions into the village to join the battle.

  Having arranged all this, Cheng Jiaji immediately picked up the binoculars he had just put down for less than a minute to focus on the movements of the dare-to-die corps led by Wen Songyuan.

  Butcher San has never been as serious about doing something in his entire life as he is today. He has also never wanted to succeed at something so much.

  Tu San, an orphan since childhood, was adopted by an old man at the age of three and entered Yunlonghui, a branch of Yanzimen. By the time he officially came out as a master at seventeen, Tu San had already developed excellent martial arts skills.

  For seven or eight years, Tu San had made a big name for himself in Xuzhou City and also made many enemies. This time, Tu San was caught off guard and thrown into the death cell, it was because of Hong E's good friend, Red Sister, who betrayed him that the police were able to catch him red-handed. And what forced this Red Sister, named Yu Fang, to betray him was a wealthy family he had offended years ago. That wealthy family took Yu Fang's only younger brother hostage and threatened her, which led to Tu San being thrown into the death cell.

  In the dead prison, Tu Sancai finally learned about the ins and outs of this matter from Yu Fang's mouth. He didn't blame Yu Fang, but instead regretted in his heart why he hadn't redeemed her earlier and fled together.

  When Zhang San was about to leave this world, Wen Songyuan gave him a new life and also had someone redeem Yu Fang's body, settling her and her brother in the military camp.

  Tu San changed his name and became Tu Jingguo, the former flying thief transformed into a dignified national army lieutenant. Although this national army lieutenant's monthly salary was not enough to cover the cost of a meal that Tu San had when he was a flying thief,

  But in the two days before going to the front line, it was the happiest time for Tu Jingguo's generation. No need to hide and seek, no need to be startled at night, and no need to avoid all acquaintances on the street. This life under the sun made Tu Jingguo feel a kind of happiness that he had never felt in his 26 years of life.

  From that moment on, he decided to spend his life for Wen Cong yuan, going through thick and thin. This was not because Wen Cong yuan had saved his life. For those who mixed in the rivers and lakes, owing someone a life was not a big deal, and they would find opportunities to repay it. Very few people would devote their lives to serving others for this reason.

  The reason why Wen Songyuan made Tu Jingguo so grateful and tearful is actually simple, it's just because Wen Songyuan not only redeemed Yu Fang but also helped him and Yu Fang get married and settle down.

  On the eve of the departure of the great army, Wen Songyuan invited many gentry from Xuzhou and all the regimental officers of the Independent Hundred Regiment to gather at the Four Seas Hotel in Xuzhou for the wedding of Tu Jingguo and Qin Yuru. Even the famous anti-war hero Cheng Jiaji was forced by Wen Songyuan to become the master of ceremonies for Tu Jingguo's wedding.

  Cheng Jiaji became the master of ceremonies for this wedding, and the dignitaries from Xuzhou didn't want to lose face in front of this war hero with a bright future, so they all came to congratulate. Even officials from the Longguan Department, such as Xie Gaocan, and several key figures from the Public Security Command attended the wedding of this former bandit, just to save face for Cheng Jiaji.

  The Jianghu people value face, speak of loyalty and righteousness, and take life and death lightly. That day, Tu Jingguo got drunk, and the next day he was carried onto the military vehicle by his brothers.

  Such kindness is also following Wen Songyuan to fight against the devils and serve the country. In Tu Jingguo's place, he will not slack off. Today, at least 7 or 8 devils fell under Tu Jingguo's hands. However, compared to what he is about to do soon, this is nothing.

  Butcher Jingguo's current task is to blow up the tracks of a Japanese Type 94 light armored vehicle, of course Butcher Jingguo doesn't know what that thing is called, his comrades all call it "Big Turtle Box".

  Wen Songyuan's plan was simple and crazy. In short, he would lead twenty or so brothers, carrying explosives, to charge forward and attract the attention of the Japanese tanks and infantry. The real killer move, however, was that Tu Jingguo and several other skilled former gangsters would pretend to be hit during the charge, then disguise themselves as corpses, and when the Japanese were not paying attention, sneak up to the tank and blow off its tracks.

  Butcher Jingguo is now just in front of a Japanese army tank, not far away, moving back and forth, bitterly waiting for the opportunity created by his brothers with their lives to appear.

  At this time, the Chinese army's artillery fire was unprecedentedly fierce on the Japanese infantry advancing behind the tanks, and the intensity of the artillery fire made the tanks shake. This is when Cheng Jiaji concentrated all his artillerymen to create a last chance for Wen Songyuan's dare-to-die corps, which had already lost more than half its men.

  When they saw the opportunity arise, Tu Jingguo and several other old rivers almost simultaneously jumped up and rushed towards their respective targets. In this rush, no one was prepared to turn back!

  Relying on the good skills honed through over a decade of hard practice, Tu Jingguo exerted himself and his entire body sprang forward, sticking close to the ground as he approached the Japanese tank. The other veterans also showed off their skills, each using their own methods to get close to the enemy's tanks. They all shared the same thought: as long as they could get close enough, they would risk their lives to blow up these few monstrous vehicles.

  Relying on the cover of the thunderous cannon fire and smoke-filled sky, Tu Jingguo successfully approached a Japanese tank, carefully placing the five-kilogram explosive package in his arms onto the track of the slowly advancing enemy vehicle. He then pulled the fuse. However, at that moment, a devil from the rear tank discovered him and unleashed a hail of heavy machine gun fire. With years of being hunted down, Tu Jingguo had developed an instinctive reaction to danger, allowing him to dodge the bullets swiftly. Unfortunately, at such close range, human movement couldn't outpace the speed of the bullets. Although Tu Jingguo managed to avoid most of the shots from behind, he was still hit by one bullet in his left arm. The 13mm caliber heavy machine gun bullet had an astonishing killing power at such a short distance. Tu Jingguo's left arm was severed cleanly, and the intense pain almost made him pass out. However, his last shred of sanity reminded him that this wasn't a place to sleep. With great effort, he endured the excruciating agony and slid into a nearby crater with a burst of strength. This action saved his life. Just as he slid into the hole, the Japanese unleashed their second barrage of bullets, riddling the spot where he had just been with holes, ensuring that if he were still there, he would have been killed for sure.

  But Tu Jingguo's misfortune had not yet ended, as soon as he entered the pit, he was knocked unconscious by the shockwave generated by the explosion of the zha medicine package that he himself had placed on the Japanese army vehicle.

  When the smoke and dust of the Chinese army's artillery fire dissipated, Cheng Ai saw clearly through his binoculars that all three Japanese tanks in front of him were emitting thick smoke. Except for one tank where a devil was still firing wildly with a heavy machine gun, the other two tanks had fallen into a deep sleep.

  It was no longer the initial battlefield, and Cheng Jiaji understood that the devils on the two tanks must have been stunned by the shock of the explosion when the tracks were broken, and they would wake up soon.

  Cheng Jiaji, not wanting to give up this great opportunity for a counterattack, hastily led the four or five hundred people who had gathered on the battlefield in a counterattack against the Japanese army, which was still reeling from the previous artillery bombardment.

  Unlike the night battle at Dawangzhuang on that day, this counterattack was different. Cheng Jiasheng did not always charge forward. When he encountered the enemy, he had already been left far behind by those officers and soldiers who were extremely excited to see the Japanese tanks being blown up.

  This is also understandable, as Cheng Jiaji's strong point was not in competing with the Japanese in close combat. Moreover, the purpose of this charge was not to defeat the two large units of Japanese troops facing them, but rather to rescue Wen Songyuan and his men, so one Ma Sanbao would have been enough, and it was really unnecessary for Commander-in-Chief Cheng to take personal action.

  The Japanese army's combat strength is indeed formidable, but the fact that their tanks were all blown up by the Chinese military has dealt a huge psychological blow to them. Just now, they were again battered by the Chinese army's artillery fire (at this time, the Japanese army had already run out of ammunition, and their previous attack was entirely dependent on the tanks' intimidation). The Japanese army's morale is now extremely weak.

  Seeing row upon row of Chinese troops charging towards him with submachine guns, (the front row of guards had dozens of submachine guns, all lined up together with light machine guns in the first row of the assault team.) Captain Iizuka of the Japanese army was actually intimidated by the momentum of the Chinese army, and for a moment he was hesitant to advance or retreat. He didn't dare to order a full retreat, fearing military law would be enforced. Continuing to attack the Chinese army's artillery fire wasn't something to be trifled with, and without the cover of tanks, Captain Iizuka really had no confidence in launching an assault against an enemy with superior firepower and infantry advantages. General Cheng Ji seeing this naturally wouldn't show any courtesy to the Japanese, and another barrage of artillery fire suddenly attacked, although they had used up their last shells, but it also made the Japanese, who were always bullying the Chinese army with their superior firepower, completely collapse mentally.

  The retreat of this Japanese army directly led to the withdrawal of the entire Japanese line, and the second attack by the Japanese in the afternoon was also the most ferocious one that was finally repelled.

  Cheng Jiaji let out a sigh of relief at the same time, received some good news that Wen Songyuan was still alive and only suffered several minor injuries.

  After receiving this good news, Cheng Jiaji, who was relieved, ordered all the officers above the regiment to hold a meeting. According to the current situation of the Japanese, he wondered if his plan should be adjusted?