Chapter 70: The Annihilation of Redstone Village (Part 1)

  Red Stone Beach, formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, with the lava cooling and depositing to form a vast expanse of reddish-brown rocks. Under the sunlight, the red color is particularly striking, hence the locals call it Red Stone Beach.

  The mountain is not high, but it's steep and rugged, with strange rocks standing everywhere, and many gullies and caves. There are few tall fir trees on the mountain, but instead, there are dense thickets of low-growing shrubs that locals call "crawling pines", which are good for hiding one's tracks. A winding mountain road passes through here, the only strategic pass leading north, with treacherous terrain.

  The next day at more than 9 o'clock in the morning, the vanguard troops of the first and second battalions, with over 1,600 people, finally arrived here.

  Without resting, Tang Qiuli led the commanders of all levels to inspect the terrain immediately, select ambush locations, and arrange pre-set positions. Everyone looked at each other in admiration, it was indeed a good place for an ambush. The terrain on the hillside was advantageous for defense but not for offense. There were natural caves on the hillside, larger ones could hide more than 20 people, smaller ones could hide eight or nine people, which could minimize casualties from enemy fire. Behind the hillside, there were several large natural caves that were located in a blind spot of firepower, where the wounded and ammunition, supplies, etc. could be arranged. The natural terrain saved a lot of effort even for building fortifications.

  At over eleven o'clock, the three major teams, artillery team and logistics, new recruits team, medical detachment all arrived.

  Tang Qiu began to deploy on horseback, choosing a section of the ditch with a relatively wide and hidden terrain as the ambush battlefield. The 2nd battalion was deployed on the eastern mountain ridge, the 3rd battalion was deployed on the western mountain ridge, using natural cover to establish a solid firepower support point. The 1st battalion constructed fortifications in the front of the ditch, blocking the direction of the enemy's breakthrough.

  At the entrance of the mountain valley, a large amount of explosives was pre-buried. This is the narrowest part of the entire ambush area, with two mountains facing each other and only one line of sky visible. When the devils entered the ambush circle, they immediately detonated it, and a large number of rocks poured down to fill the mountain pass, cutting off the devils' retreat route.

  In comparison, the responsibility of the first battalion is much heavier than that of other battalions. In this direction, the mountains on both sides are wider apart, and it's unrealistic to blast and block the road. After the devils suffered a sudden attack, their retreat was cut off, and the mountains on both sides were easy to defend but hard to attack. They would inevitably try to break through and escape by force, putting all the pressure on the first battalion. This is also what Tang Qiuli is more worried about.

  All, Tang Qiuli and Li Honggang carefully studied the plan, still adopting the old method at Yingzi Ridge, pouring water to freeze ice, building solid defensive fortifications. They also drew out a platoon of troops from two other battalions to reinforce the first battalion. Moreover, they allocated 20 Czech-style light machine guns, 5 heavy machine guns and 15 grenade launchers to the front line of defense. The special battalion rushed back and immediately joined the front line of defense.

  After finishing all this, Tang Qiuli and Liu Tienan, Feng Jiwu arrived at the artillery position. There were twenty infantry guns and forty-five howitzers distributed on both sides of the mountain ridge. The artillerymen were busy leveling the gun positions. He took a look and felt that something was not quite right, so he called Zheng Yong over and pointed to the direction of the enemy's position, saying: "Commander Zheng, once we open fire on both sides, the devils will definitely break through in that direction. Your artillery position is at a dead angle in that direction, how can you provide firepower support for the First Battalion?"

  Zheng Yong carefully observed for a moment, then slapped his forehead, "Hey! Mistake, mistake, I'll adjust immediately!" A few people studied it and finally decided that four infantry guns and five mortars would provide firepower support to the first company. They pre-set the coordinates, so as soon as the devils charged in that direction, they would be covered by firepower.

  Tang Qiuli and the others arrived at the back mountain, in a cave, the medical team had already prepared rescue equipment, Zhou Yushan was giving new recruits pre-war mobilization, several squadron leaders were teaching some new soldiers how to use weapons, busy as can be. Seeing Commander Tang and the others arrive, they rushed forward to salute, warmly greeting them. Tang Qiuli looked at these new soldiers, this was his reserve team, hopefully he wouldn't have to use them, all of them were new recruits!

  They also inspected the logistics team, several hundred horses, all of which were hidden in several mountain caves. All the horses were quietly eating fodder there. Some soldiers were busy distributing ammunition to the combat troops, busy but not chaotic. The three of them looked at each other and smiled. Zhou Yushan, this team leader, was quite competent, whether it was managing the logistics team or the new recruits team, he was in his element. Red Army officials who had encountered difficulties were different.

  After all the preparations were completed, it was already around 4 pm. The devils would arrive soon. The troops rushed to eat and rest. They returned to the command center, which was set up in a cave near the top of the mountain. The view was wide and could overlook the entire battlefield.

  Inside the cave, the radio and walkie-talkie at the communication center had established contact with the troops, and were adjusting frequencies. The telegraph key "tick-tock" sounded, creating a tense pre-battle atmosphere. He immediately asked the signalman to call out Qiuquan. Over the earphones, Qiuquan's voice was extremely excited, which reassured him somewhat.

  Qiuquan said: "Along the way, they followed behind the enemy's butt, making it difficult for the enemy to eat and rest well. They knocked out over 200 enemies in small skirmishes without suffering any casualties themselves. Now, the enemy has reached the outer perimeter of Hongshiwa, and it is estimated that within two hours, they will enter the ambush circle. Perhaps due to the treacherous terrain, the enemy has become more cautious, strengthening their search and vigilance efforts. They are no longer harassing the enemy and are now rushing back to join forces with the main troops ahead of the enemy."

  Everything was under control, Tang Qiu relaxed and suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness, his eyelids heavy beyond control. Wrapped in his coat, he leaned against the stone wall of the cave and fell fast asleep, still clutching a half-eaten pancake in his hand, his face now showing a hint of childishness.

  The noisy cave suddenly became quiet, the in-and-out counselors and communicators all slowed down their pace, and the loud shouting clerks also lowered their voices.

  Standing in front of a map, Liu Tienan and Feng Jiwu, who were studying the problem with their staff officers, simultaneously looked up and exchanged a glance. Liu Tienan took off his overcoat and gently covered Tang Qiuli with it. His eyes were filled with a kind of fraternal concern. It was hard for him to bear the heavy burden at such a young age. The future of the troops and the lives of thousands of people depended on him alone. What were we doing when we were sixteen? Our hearts were still pure, our minds were still open, how much unknown wisdom did he have in him?

  It was just over twenty minutes later that Tang Qiuli suddenly opened his eyes. How did I fall asleep? With a great enemy in front of him, he still had the leisure to sleep. He shook his head in annoyance.

  Feng Ji Wu said regretfully: "Commander, you should sleep for a while! It's only been twenty minutes, we're watching here!"

  After a good sleep, it's no wonder the old people say that sleeping too much is not as good as taking a nap. Tang Qiuli felt refreshed and invigorated, and his fatigue was swept away. He did a few exercises, "Are the devils here?" he asked, under the dim light, his dark eyes sparkled.

  "Not yet, we've already sent out scouts along the way. As soon as there's news, we'll know right away," Liu Tiehan replied, and then continued to say: "Commander, come eat quickly, it's all cold, I saved it for you!" Tang Qiuli took a look and exclaimed, "Hey! The food isn't bad at all, there's soup, dishes, and even specially made five-spice dried meat. This was also something that Tang Qiuli had specifically requested from the logistics department, to ensure that the troops' meat supply was guaranteed. For this, Zhang Quan didn't hesitate to rack his brains, no matter what it took. The commander required that the soldiers' physical strength be maintained, and he finally came up with this idea."

  A large amount of cured and dried meat, easy to store, convenient to carry, and delicious in taste. Once issued to the troops, it delighted the soldiers. During the march and battle, when there was no time to cook, eating a few pieces of dried meat and grabbing a handful of snow would satisfy their hunger and fill their stomachs. Everyone said this was good stuff, so it became the standard ration for the troops.

  After dinner, the sky had already darkened, windless, cold air piercing to the bone, dry and cold, a change in weather was coming, another heavy snowfall was approaching.

  Tang Qiuli stood at the entrance of the cave, gazing out at the vast expanse of Kanto in the night, her thoughts drifting far and wide.

  Behind came the voice of Feng Ji Wu, "Commander, the front scout sent a message that the vanguard of the devils has approached the valley entrance", several binoculars were aimed at the direction of the valley entrance.

  In the dark of night, two beams of light pierced through the darkness, like the eyes of a venomous snake. Then, the lights of horse lamps, flashlights and torches swarmed in like a horde of ghosts. The sound of engines roaring to life was clear and distinct. The devils were up to their old tricks again - first came the armored vehicles leading the way, followed by infantrymen, with artillery bringing up the rear.

  The light at the entrance of the valley suddenly stopped, and Tang Qiu got off his horse to realize a problem. The devils saw that the terrain was treacherous here, and they might have come to conduct a firepower reconnaissance first? He immediately asked Feng Ji Wu to inform each unit to enter the bunker immediately and avoid the devil's reconnaissance fire. Without the command of the command department, even if the shells fell on their bodies, they were not allowed to open fire. Feng Ji Wu was busy arranging this.

  As expected, more than ten minutes later, a dull thunder-like sound came from outside the valley, and several flames roared through the air, followed by shells exploding on both sides of the mountain ridge where the troops were ambushing. The devils still had field artillery? Immediately after, mortar shells and grenade launcher shells also poured in, and for a while, the two mountain ridges were bombed with flames rising everywhere, and rocks flying all over the place. Feng Jiawu looked at Tang Qiuli's back with admiration, fortunately, the commander saw through the enemy's tricks, otherwise, the troops would have been exposed on the front line, this wave of artillery fire was enough to make them drink a pot, and the casualties were not small.

  The enemy's artillery fire lasted for over twenty minutes before gradually stopping, and the valley was filled with a pungent smell of gunpowder.

  The lanterns began to move, and after the artillery reconnaissance, the devils started marching again.

  Actually, the old devil leading the team, Okazaki, was having a very frustrating day. Ever since leaving that small mountain village, the troops didn't know what armed forces were following them, shooting cold guns from behind their backs. The troops set up a formation, but couldn't even catch a glimpse of a person's shadow, it was as annoying as flies. Along the way, more than 200 soldiers had been injured or killed, especially last night when they were camping, several portable stoves were shot and damaged, forcing the proud Imperial Army soldiers to eat raw rice. Chinese people, not warriors at all, just a group of cowardly ghosts, sneaking around doing their dirty work!

  However, that small village still left an impression on me. The Imperial Army soldiers showed off their martial arts skills and taught a lesson to those Manchurians who dared to collude with the Anti-Japanese League, especially that beautiful 17- or 18-year-old flower girl who was specially selected by my subordinates as a gift for me. Originally, after raping her, I would have taken her back to the military camp to enjoy her for a few days. But she actually bit me, a dignified officer of the Imperial Japanese Army! In a fit of rage, I gave her to more than a dozen of my guards, all of whom were robust sons of the Emperor. Listening to the flower girl's miserable cries, I finally felt like I had vented my anger. This is what happens when you dare to resist the Imperial Army.

  We were supposed to pass through here at noon today, but those damn Chinese people delayed our march.

  Arriving at the Hongshi Pass, Okazaki looked at the terrain and took a deep breath, feeling uneasy. He beckoned to Liu Yanwang, the commander of the Nationalist troops, and asked him about the terrain in detail. After Liu's explanation, Okazaki felt even more uneasy, his heart sinking a bit.

  He turned his eyes and came up with an idea, wanting Liu Yanwang's national army to search forward along the mountain ridges on both sides, covering the main force of the imperial army through here. As soon as Liu Yanwang heard it, he cursed in his heart, you Japanese people don't dare to walk, in the dark, on the desolate mountains and wild ridges, that's what humans do? In fact, in the eyes of the devils, you are not even a person, at most a dog.

  Liu Yanwang thought for a moment, and decided to push this errand away. He also knew that his subordinates, those young masters, were used to robbing and harming the common people, and now they would definitely not be able to climb the mountain in the dark. Liu Yanwang gritted his teeth and exaggerated the difficulties by a thousand times, saying that if it was like that, the imperial army wouldn't be able to leave Hongshi Gorge even tomorrow night.

  Okazaki listened and also made sense, so what to do? Can't say you're afraid of being ambushed, that would lose face for the Imperial Army! Several heads gathered together and came up with this idea.

  After a burst of chaotic gunfire, Okazaki felt relieved and put his mind at ease. Even if there were anti-Japanese elements hiding here, they would have been blown to pieces by now.

  "Hurry up and open the way!" The large group of devils continued their march.

  On the mountain, the warriors emerged from the cave, shaking off the dust on their bodies. The previous cannonball didn't even hurt a single hair, but the falling earth made it a bit hard to open their eyes.

  Soon, the warriors entered the battlefield. In the dark night, thousands of pairs of vengeful eyes and countless black gun barrels stared tightly at the Japanese devils and traitors who were walking step by step into the ambush circle.

  （）

  ;