Chapter 15: The Blood Flag Dances in the Sky (Part 1)

  Wen Songyuan took the initiative to ask for it, and he himself went to the village to respond to Xing Yusheng's department. At this time, this live is not an easy one. If the rescue team is not careful, they may also get involved.

  Unlike Yu Juncai and other high-ranking officials, Wen Songyuan never thought about how to preserve the little power in his hands. In his opinion, everything he has today was given by Cheng Lao Da, so he didn't need to think about anything else, just follow Cheng Lao Da. Even if Cheng Jiaji let him lose all the troops in his hands, Wen Songyuan would only think that he had returned what Cheng Lao Da gave him.

  Yu Juncai, who already had two camps in Zhuangzi, naturally couldn't get what he wanted from Wen Songyuan's actions. At this time, he didn't want to lose his own troops, or else there would be no place for him in future battles. It was normal for him to want to keep some troops under his command. Moreover, Yu Juncai wasn't Wen Songyuan; he had a bit of personal ambition. This was also normal, as anyone who led soldiers in this chaotic world wanted their own power to grow stronger.

  Cheng Jiaji, on the other hand, considered that between two groups, he couldn't show obvious bias. So he had no choice but to agree to let Wen Songyuan lead a regiment to reinforce Zhuangli, and take the opportunity to withdraw Xing Yusheng's battered troops for rest and reorganization.

  Only let Wen Songyuan bring a battalion. Moreover, this battalion is not the main force of the 200th Regiment. This is also a lesson learned from Xing's unit.

  According to the little messenger, the Japanese were firing cannons very fiercely and accurately in the village, and most of the casualties in Xing Yusheng's unit were caused by the Japanese artillery. In light of this lesson, Cheng Jiaji reduced the number of troops deployed in the village. After all, Wen Songyuan's task was only to hold on for a few more hours in the village, and one battalion was enough. Moreover, the troops that went up to the independent brigade early in the morning did not say how much they could achieve, but at least they tied up about half of the Japanese army's forces. Cheng Jiaji knew that even though the 31st Division had less than a thousand men left in the village, they were an elite unit from the Northwest Army and had been fighting in the village for many days. With the support of the Independent Hundred Brigade, the remnants of the 31st Division had regained some strength and were not something that the Japanese could handle easily at this time.

  At this time, Cheng Jiaji no longer planned to occupy a fixed position in the village. He instructed Wen Congyuan: "You rely on the 31st Division's position in the village and make a few charges, just attract the attention of the little devils to yourself. Remember not to fight hard, I won't give you a single soldier before nightfall."

  Cheng Jiaji's method is a useless method. This shows that the Japanese have been staying in Zhuangzi for too long and have already turned the tables. At this time, going to fight with others is obviously not very cost-effective. Previously, Xing Yusheng did not make any major mistakes in command. However, two regiments went in and were defeated within two hours. The only way now is to let Wen Songyuan's troops launch a fierce attack, as long as they can gain an advantage and retreat quickly, making it difficult for the Japanese to respond effectively. Perhaps there will still be opportunities to rescue some of Xing Yusheng's troops trapped in Zhuangzi. At least, if you attack the Japanese, they will be confused for a while and won't immediately send troops to attack you.

  Cheng Jiaji had already made up his mind, and as soon as night fell, he concentrated all the remaining troops to launch a fierce attack on the Japanese, at least making it impossible for them to organize an effective counterattack by dawn. Of course, it would be best if they could retake most of the village in one go, just like in the original history. However, the trajectory of history had already undergone significant changes, and Cheng Jiaji did not have much confidence in the outcome of tonight's battle.

  "Don't worry, big brother. In a fight like this, we're the ancestors of the Japanese. Today I'm going to teach those little devils how to be human beings. How can you be human if you don't respect your ancestors?"

  Cheng Jiaji was familiar with this sentence, and it seemed that he had heard it somewhere before. However, at this moment, he didn't have the mind to think about these irrelevant things carefully.

  "Remember, just knock out the little devils and that's a great achievement. Don't do anything stupid because of a momentary impulse. This isn't Da Wang Village, those little devils have planes and cannons, and they're more familiar with the terrain than we are. With your limited abilities, if you really want to fight head-on, you'll be done for after just one charge! Don't blame me for being ruthless when the time comes!" Cheng Jiaji still feared that his younger brother, who had some shortcomings in certain aspects, would mess things up and couldn't help but remind him with a few more warning words.

  This time, Yu Cong was a bit impatient. He casually responded with a series of "uh-huhs" as he quickly walked out of the house, clearly afraid that Cheng Jiaji would continue to nag him about something.

  Wen Songyuan ran extremely fast, as if something was chasing him from behind. Cheng Jiaji couldn't help but laugh, he liked Wen Songyuan more and more.

  Twenty minutes later, on the south bank of the canal.

  The brothers of the 200th regiment were vastly different from their pre-war performance just a few hours ago when they marched into Tai'er Zhuang under Xing Yusheng's command. Most of the new recruits in the 199th regiment were originally good citizens who had never done anything wrong, so it was natural for them to feel tense and fearful as they entered the battlefield for the first time. Except for a few old soldiers, the entire troop was pale-faced and their hearts were pounding loudly, as if they were about to jump out of their chests.

  Compared to the 199th regiment, the 200th regiment was busy sorting out their weapons and counting the ammunition that had just been distributed to each person. These people were all fierce-looking and exuding a strong killing aura. Perhaps they didn't look as neat in formation as the 199th regiment, but at least they had a more powerful presence than those pale-faced scholars. Some of them were actively discussing loudly about how much a Japanese devil's head was worth in dollars, which clearly sparked everyone's interest. Often, over a dozen people would gather together, talking incessantly, and from time to time, bursts of happy laughter would erupt from the crowd.

  Wen Song Yuan looked at his brothers under him, who were about to go into battle, and not one of them showed any sign of fear. He couldn't help but feel proud of his ability to judge people and choose the right ones.

  Unlike others, when recruiting soldiers in Xuzhou, others are all selecting some enthusiastic and patriotic young super freshmen.

  Wen Songyuan, on the other hand, would recruit anyone who met his so-called "noble" standards. He dared to enlist all sorts of people into the army, even several notorious thieves who had just escaped from prison, truly embodying the principle of "only talent is promoted".

  Unexpectedly, there is one right in front of us. It turns out that Xiao Yanzi's flying thief Tū Sān is now a formal national army officer, the deputy captain of the 200th regiment guard platoon.

  To think that it was only three days ago that Tú Sān was still a prisoner on death row. Wén Sòng Yuǎn learned from people on the street about this guy's impressive skills and immediately brought people to take him away under the pretext of being involved in a military arms theft case. The police station naturally did not comply, and reported it to the garrison commander. It was a big deal back then because of this guy. In the end, it was only when Chéng Jiā Jì came forward and asked that powerful and almost omnipotent Xiè Gāo Cān to come out and mediate that the matter was settled. However, Wén Sòng Yuǎn was scolded by Chéng Jiā Jì several times because of this. But just for Tú Sān's excellent marksmanship and agility, Wén Sòng Yuǎn felt that even if he were scolded eight more times by Old Master Chéng, it would be worth it.

  In Wen Songyuan's 200th Regiment, there were quite a few fugitives who had escaped into the army after getting into trouble, enough to form an entire reinforced company. As for those hoodlums from Xuzhou City who had joined the 200th Regiment, they were too numerous to count.

  To know that Xuzhou City is currently the headquarters of the War Zone Command, law and order are being tightened up every month and every day. The public security authorities not only prohibit drugs and gambling, but also cut off their financial resources. What's even more deadly is that no matter what happens, they will be required to solve the case within a time limit. In order to keep their jobs, the military police are forcing the leaders of various gangs to hand over people to take the blame every now and then.

  For a time, the danger of being a hoodlum in Xuzhou increased unprecedentedly. It is said that it has been listed as one of the top ten most dangerous occupations in Xuzhou. I heard that this time, the 200th Division is recruiting soldiers, and anyone who can breathe and has guts can go to participate. The backbone members of various large clubs in Xuzhou have joined the army to fight against Japan and defend their homes. As for these guys who are used to fighting and killing every day, Wen Songyuan will take them all as long as they have enough courage.

  Wen Songyuan had his own way of leading the army, and the combat effectiveness of the 200th regiment soared in a very short period of time, almost rivaling that of the 199th regiment. It was for this reason that Cheng Jiaji tacitly approved of his actions beyond the circle.

  The 200th Regiment's camp stood on the banks of the canal for seven or eight minutes, and Wen Songyuan finally spoke slowly. (He was so calm because he knew that Xing Yuansheng's troops would still have at least an hour to hold out. If not, it would be useless to boost the morale of his subordinates before entering the village. After the battle of Dawangzhuang, he had experienced the strength of the little devils' combat power. If only comparing tactical skills, his own camp couldn't even beat a Japanese company, let alone fight against a battalion-level enemy.)

  Wen Songyuan had his own way. With a wave of his hand, the wine and meat that had been prepared before departing from Xuzhou were brought out in large quantities. Several officers from the battalion headquarters were distributing bonus money to each officer and soldier for the battle, with each soldier receiving 10 taels of silver and officers receiving double that amount.

  "Alright, everyone, take a few bites of meat and then each of you grab a bowl of wine. Wen Songyuan spoke up: 'Brothers, I won't speak nicely, nor do I have any knowledge, but my old boss is a knowledgeable person. He told me, what is war? Simply put, it's two people fighting, whoever wins gets to rape the other's wife and daughter. Now the Japanese are on top, so they come to our land to rape our women. If we win, we can go to Japan Island, and do to them in Tokyo what they did in Nanjing ten times over! Brothers, don't you want that?'"

  "I want!"

  What he said was extremely to the taste of these Xuzhou thugs, and there was constant applause as he spoke. By the last sentence, it was a thunderous response, and the emotions of these hundreds of people had been stirred up, each one letting his words stir their hearts. (The Second Hundred Gang is indeed a patriotic gang!)

  "Think of going to Tokyo to have fun, we can't afford to lose this battle!" After saying this, Wen Congyuan picked up a military flag and rushed to the front of the team, shouting at his subordinates: "Today I'll be in the front line, you just follow me, whoever retreats one step, I, Wen Congyuan, swear to make him die without a whole corpse!" After finishing speaking, he drained the bowl of hot wine in his hand and marched towards the Zhuangzi with big strides.

  With wine in hand, meat in mouth, brothers by side, the leader (boss) takes the lead, the blood of the two hundred troops' brothers is hot enough to scorch their internal organs.

  A company commander stood up silently and took over the military flag of his own team, standing at the forefront of his troops. One by one, the troops followed their commanders closely behind Wen Songyuan's pace into the village of Zhuangzi amidst intense artillery fire.

  "Director, where did you get so much money? The total amount of money in the team's manager's office is not that much." Ma Siyuan, the chief of staff of the 200th regiment, ran two steps to catch up with Wen Songyuan and asked. His intuition told him that his troublesome superior had made another mistake.

  "I just brought it from Wu Baozi's place." Wu Baozi was the head of the logistics department of the 100th Independent Brigade, and he was notoriously stingy.

  "How could you let him lend you so much money, Tuan?" Wu Baozi was not an easy person to talk to. Ma Siyuan was almost certain that Wen Songyuan had used some sort of violent means.

  "I've set up the machine gun at the entrance of the military supplies depot." This answer just confirmed Ma Siyuan's guess. Of course, he wouldn't feel proud of his clever calculation at this time.

  "Commander, what you're doing is a violation of military law!" As a graduate of the Central Military Academy and an orthodox military man, Ma Siyuan naturally couldn't agree with Wen Songyuan's behavior.

  "If we can do this job beautifully today, Boss Cheng won't care about this little money." Wen Songyuan replied confidently.

  "What if we lose?" Ma Siyuan asked.

  "If I lose, will I still have the face to live and walk out of this village?" Looking at Wen Congyuan's still smiling face, Ma Siyuan savored the meaning of his words, which carried a sense of desperation. For a moment, Ma Siyuan was stunned, and when he came back to himself, he couldn't help but think that perhaps Wen Congyuan was more suited to being a soldier than himself and other officers who had graduated from military academies. In terms of commanding battles, Wen Congyuan may have just begun, but in terms of bravery, he was not someone Ma Siyuan could compare to. A military officer can be trained in everything, but this kind of spirit cannot be cultivated.

  The military flag is fluttering.

  The 3rd Battalion of the 200th Regiment and the Guard Platoon of the Regiment Headquarters, totaling 483 men, under the command of Regiment Commander Wen Songyuan, entered Tai'erzhuang which was in a fierce battle at around 10:00 on April 5, 1938.