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墨書 Inktalez
At this point, it was too late to look back. Wang Dacheng leaped forward, sprinting toward a nearby Japanese Soldier. The sudden noise caught the soldier's attention, and when he turned around, he was met with the sight of a Great Sword whistling toward his neck.
Having just taken down that Japanese Soldier, another one nearby had already aimed his gun at Wang Dacheng. A chill ran down Wang Dacheng's spine as he thought he was about to meet his end. Just then, a Japanese Bayonet flew past him from behind, striking the soldier in the neck. He dropped his weapon with a gurgling sound and slowly collapsed, clutching his throat.
Wang Dacheng quickly glanced back and saw Wu Yong getting up from the ground, having thrown the Bayonet during his run. Without time to express his gratitude, Wang Dacheng grabbed the Great Sword and dashed toward the last campfire.
When Wang Dacheng reached the fire, he discovered two Japanese Soldiers; one lay dead on the ground while the other was grappling with Yang Zhu. A few steps away from the deceased soldier lay one of their brothers. With no time to examine closely, Wang Dacheng forcefully yanked the collar of the Japanese Soldier who was on top of Yang Zhu. Once he freed Yang Zhu, he swept the blade of the Great Sword across the soldier's neck. The soldier convulsed violently for a moment before falling still.
He tossed the body onto the fire to extinguish its flames and rushed over to his fallen brother—Fang Ziquan! A Bayonet was lodged in his chest, and he was struggling to breathe. Yang Zhu sobbed as he knelt beside Fang Ziquan, tears streaming down his face. Through his intermittent cries, Wang Dacheng learned that during an ambush, a sudden turn by a Japanese Soldier had revealed Fang Ziquan and Yang Zhu's position. To prevent the enemy from firing, Fang Ziquan and Yang Zhu had grappled with one soldier but unexpectedly, Fang Ziquan received a fatal blow.
Wang Dacheng felt a deep sorrow; although he had been prepared for the reality that not everyone would survive this war, losing a comrade who had fought alongside him left him speechless with grief.
Holding Fang Ziquan in his arms, Wang Dacheng murmured, "Ziquan, go now. Rest easy. I swear that I will make those Japanese Devils pay with ten lives for yours!"
At that moment, whether it was from hearing Wang Dacheng's promise or not, Fang Ziquan suddenly gripped Wang Dacheng's arm tightly, lifted his head, stared wide-eyed at him, and took his last breath.
After closing Fang Ziquan's eyes, there was no time for further sorrow. Wang Dacheng turned and called out softly, "Clear the battlefield! Wu Yong, take your men and drag away the bodies of those Japanese Devils; everyone else search for useful equipment."
The group silently obeyed and dispersed. Wang Dacheng ran toward several pack mules; from experience, he knew they likely carried heavy weapons.
Sure enough, aside from Rations, Wang Dacheng discovered a grenade launcher strapped to one mule and an ammo bag containing several Grenades on another side. He silently praised his luck and quickly called for Wu Yong to come over and take a look.
Upon receiving the news, Wu Yong rushed over and exclaimed joyfully upon seeing the grenade launcher, "This is it! This is it!"
With no time for detailed inspection, Wang Dacheng hurriedly slung the grenade launcher over his shoulder and signaled everyone to retreat. Wu Yong grabbed the ammo bag filled with Grenades and followed closely behind Wang Dacheng as they swiftly evacuated the scene, disappearing into the vast darkness of night.
As they entered the jungle along the roadside, Wu Yong panted and asked, "Wang Squad Leader, what’s our next move?"
Wang Dacheng paused for a moment and turned back, saying, "One after another, don't lead the way. We must catch up with the Regimental Command Post!"
He then ordered Yang Zhu and Zhang Gosheng to act as the Vanguard, clearing the path ahead while gathering the remaining members a little further back to follow along.
The group desperately navigated through the mountains and forests but could not catch up with the tail of the Japanese Army. As the light began to fade, in order not to expose their position, Wang Dacheng had no choice but to order the team to stop and rest in place. After collecting some rations from the Japanese Army, Wang Dacheng felt more confident about tracking down this Regimental Command Post. He decided not to rush and allowed everyone to rest in the woods. After a night of travel, everyone was parched and hungry, eagerly searching for water and food.
Wu Yong was nearby examining the captured grenade launchers and grenades. As he looked closer, he frowned; among the eight grenades seized, only six were explosive rounds, while two were 89-type smoke grenades. These had black bodies with a red band and two white bands; there was a white Japanese letter on the cylindrical part, and a copper band at the bottom. The interior contained hexachloroethane mixed smoke agents, with fuses that were 89-type time-delay fuses, which had basically no lethality.
Wang Dacheng leaned against a large tree, drinking water vigorously. Wu Yong thought for a moment before walking over to ask, "Wang Squad Leader, aren't we going to continue? Where do we go next to find the Japanese Army's command post?"
Wang Dacheng glanced at him and pulled out an operational map from a sealed bag on his back. This was distributed to them by Commander Li Lin before their departure for retreat purposes.
Wang Dacheng unfolded the map and pointed at it, saying, "We’ve chased all night without catching up with the Japanese Army. Why? It’s very likely that they have already repelled Xu Shizhang's attack and are now counterattacking without pause. I estimate that the Japanese Army has already taken Zou City!"
Wu Yong studied the map carefully and suddenly gasped, "Zou City is northwest of Changde! If the Japanese Army continues their assault, they could directly attack Changde from the north gate!"
Wang Dacheng nodded, pointing at two strategic points outside Changde: Yellow Leaf Mountain and Shagang Road. "The Buchang Battalion must capture these three points sequentially if they are to attack from Changde's north gate. General Wan of the Forty-Fourth Army will definitely be stationed at these locations. We’ll take a detour—not too far or too close—trailing behind the Japanese Army and look for an opportunity to strike once; this will help alleviate some pressure on Changde's defenders."
Wu Yong nodded in agreement but stared at the map for a moment before suddenly asking, "Wang Squad Leader, what do you think our chances are?"
Wang Dacheng straightened up, brushed off some dust from his clothes casually, and replied nonchalantly, "One in a thousand." Wu Yong felt a surge of frustration at that response.
After resting briefly, Wang Dacheng explained the situation simply to everyone. They all considered it but couldn't come up with a better plan. Since retreating also meant heading toward Changde at this point, no one voiced any objections.
Thus, Wang Dacheng's group rested during the day and marched quickly at night. Finally, on the morning of the twenty-second, they caught up with most of the Japanese Army just as it began its assault on Huangtu Mountain Heights.
The battle raged unusually fiercely, with gunfire echoing from early morning until afternoon. As everyone anxiously waited, Wang Dacheng spotted the Sun Flag fluttering atop Yellow Leaf Mountain. He slowly lowered his binoculars and turned to the others behind him, saying, "The Buchang Battalion has captured Huangtu Mountain. Only the last line of defense at Changde Gate remains with Shagang. Brothers, it's our turn to show our support for the brothers defending the city!"
The Japanese Army had taken Huangtu Mountain and was regrouping there. At this moment, Wang Dacheng found the makeshift Command Post, but unfortunately, due to the distance and tight defenses, there was little chance to get close. Wang Dacheng led everyone to maintain their position in the forest at the same elevation as the command post, observing the movements of the Japanese Army.
At six in the morning, the Japanese Army set off towards Shagang, located six miles away. That was the last outer defense line outside Changde; if it fell, Changde would be laid bare before the Japanese Army.
Wang Dacheng hurriedly woke everyone up. The group closely followed the Japanese Army's command unit until they reached Shagang Position. A tide of Japanese soldiers surged toward Shagang Position. Through his binoculars, Wang Dacheng saw a group of officers directing operations from a dirt mound less than a kilometer away, next to a Machine Gun Position that faced Shagang, surrounded by a ring of scattered infantry for protection. A large number of Japanese soldiers were gathering on the side road near the dirt mound, preparing to charge. Just a few hundred meters from where Wang Dacheng stood in the forest was a higher Hilltop with an unobstructed view; if they could set up a mortar there, hitting another Hilltop would be no problem.
An opportunity had arisen! Wang Dacheng thought.
After gathering everyone together, Wang Dacheng briefly explained the situation and shared his idea: "Less than a kilometer away is the Japanese Army's command unit. If we can reach that Hilltop nearby, we can secretly take out their commander with mortars and then withdraw calmly. Are you willing to do this?"
Perhaps due to their frustration from being constantly beaten by the Japanese Army, everyone eagerly rubbed their fists at his words. Especially Zhang Gosheng, who sparkled with excitement at the thought of taking out the Japanese Army's regimental commander. At this moment, Wang Dacheng handed the mortar to Wu Yong and instructed him, "When I and the brothers cover you, you need to climb up to Hilltop and set up the mortar. Make sure you aim well; we’re not very skilled with this thing and are counting on you. And remember! Don’t expose yourself; fire from behind Hilltop at an angle. Even if the Japanese Army discovers us, they won't be able to hit you. We will buy you time. As long as their commander doesn’t notice your mortar, he will think we are just a harassment team and won’t retreat. You’ll have your chance; do you understand?"
Wu Yong nodded solemnly and handed his ammunition bag to Zhang Fa, who was with him. Wang Dacheng took one last look at everyone and waved his hand decisively. "Action!"
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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