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墨書 Inktalez
At this moment, the Japanese Army had already filled the hillside with bodies. Under the concentrated fire of eighteen guns and sporadic grenade attacks, the battlefield was littered with the corpses of the Japanese soldiers, and it seemed that each squad had barely a member left. The cunning Colonel, however, was hiding behind two machine guns at the back of the line with his staff officers. He knew that at this distance, the accuracy of grenade launchers was generally poor; as long as they kept moving, the chances of being hit were almost zero.
The casualties among those on the hillside were also severe. From the continuous sound of gunfire at the beginning to the intermittent shots now, Wang Dacheng clearly understood that their ability to hold out was entirely reliant on the terrain and dense firepower. When the bullets ran out, it would be time for bayonets to see blood; he just didn't know if they could hold out until then.
At that moment, Zhang Gosheng, to Wang Dacheng's left, suddenly let out a cry and turned to shout, "Damn those Japanese kids! Brother Dacheng, our brothers on the left have all been killed!"
Meanwhile, gunfire from the right side had also diminished. Wang Dacheng felt a pang in his heart; these were seasoned veterans who had survived many battles. What a pity! He dared not take the time to assess the situation on both sides. At this point, it was no longer up to either side; they had to kill this commander before reinforcements from the Japanese Army arrived. Otherwise, their fallen brothers would have died in vain! With that thought, Wang Dacheng steeled his resolve and looked at the few remaining comrades beside him.
Before Wang Dacheng could give an order, Yang Zhu suddenly cursed, "Damn you, Japanese devils!" He rolled over and dashed toward the right flank. Liu Tie and Wu Yong exchanged glances and quickly followed suit toward the left flank. In an instant, gunfire erupted again from that side.
Wang Dacheng knew it wouldn't hold for long; each person only carried one magazine, along with some ammunition left by brothers who had retreated earlier—at most five magazines—and their grenades were nearly used up.
At this point, only Wu Yong remained with a grenade launcher. He suddenly straightened up to look down below and then quickly crouched down to load a grenade. With a forceful pull of the trigger, a sharp whistling sound pierced through the air before a loud explosion erupted at one of the machine gun positions on the left. "Good!" Wang Dacheng exclaimed in relief.
Wu Yong stood up again for a quick glance but stumbled slightly before crouching down to reload rapidly. Moments later, another grenade whistled toward the Japanese Army, silencing another machine gun!
"Well done!" Wang Dacheng shouted excitedly! Without machine gun cover, he saw the Colonel waving his war blade and charging forward with what remained of his troops!
"Wu Yong! Wu Yong! Quick, another one! Hurry!" Wang Dacheng yelled, but there was no response. Frustrated, he turned around.
Wu Yong was slumped beside the grenade launcher, his right hand propping himself up while his left hand clutched his abdomen, blood flowing profusely between his fingers; he was almost sitting in a pool of blood. "Wu Yong! You've been hit!" Wang Dacheng rushed over to support him.
Wang Dacheng quickly assessed Wu Yong's injury; it appeared that a bullet had pierced his abdomen—he was gravely wounded. He pressed his hand against Wu Yong's wound but didn't know what else to do.
Wu Yong lifted his head and managed a weak smile at Wang Dacheng. "Last one!" Trembling, he brought a grenade up to his chest and kissed it lightly. "Be good! Listen well! It's up to you now!"
Wang Dacheng felt a wave of sadness wash over him. It was he who had made the decision to take this risk, but now, because of that choice, he had nearly sacrificed all his brothers' lives. Was it worth it? He felt lost as he silently took the Grenade from Wu Yong's hands. The Grenade was black, with one red and one yellow stripe running along its body, and a brass band at the bottom. Wang Dacheng knew it was filled with explosives.
Wu Yong's breathing grew heavier. "Brother, let's coordinate! Be my eyes!" He leaned against the launcher, smiling at Wang Dacheng.
Wang Dacheng looked at Wu Yong's youthful face. Though pale, there was an unexpected calmness in his eyes that pierced Wang Dacheng's heart. Six years in the army, and how many times had he helplessly watched his brothers die? How many more excellent comrades would have to sacrifice their lives to drive away the Japanese devils?
"Dacheng, what do we do? The Japanese devils are getting closer!" Zhang Gosheng shouted from the left. He fired several rounds to halt the advance of the enemy. Suddenly, a bullet struck Wang Dacheng's helmet with a loud clang, startling him. He quickly took the Grenade and gently placed it into the launcher, glancing back at the rapidly approaching Japanese Army on the hillside. "About forty meters!" he calculated.
Wu Yong smiled faintly and awkwardly adjusted the launcher to a vertical angle before pulling the trigger with all his strength. With a soft thud, the Grenade shot out, tracing a high arc through the air. Wang Dacheng couldn't help but look down the hill; the remaining Japanese soldiers were charging forward under their Colonel's command, while further back came waves of Japanese troops responding to the commotion.
With a resounding boom, the last Grenade landed squarely among the Japanese devils, sending them tumbling in chaos. Wang Dacheng slammed his fist into the ground. "Well done! Wu Yong, you hit them!" Zhang Gosheng shouted excitedly.
"Did I hit? Did I take out that Japanese devil commander?" Wu Yong's voice grew weaker from behind.
As the smoke cleared, Wang Dacheng could see clearly that the Colonel was alive and well, rallying what remained of his men to continue their charge up the slope.
Zhang Gosheng dared not speak, only sobbing quietly. Wang Dacheng couldn't bear to look back at Wu Yong's hopeful eyes; he gritted his teeth and said hoarsely, "You did it! Brother, you accomplished something! You took out their Regimental Commander!"
"I... I took out their Regimental Commander? Hehe," was the last thing Wang Dacheng heard from Wu Yong.
Wang Dacheng did not turn back. He discarded his empty submachine gun and reached behind him to draw out his Great Sword. Fixing his gaze on the Japanese devils below, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "Wu Yong, rest easy! I promise you they won't get past today!"
At that moment, someone shouted from the left ridge, "Wang Squad Leader! I'm Liu Tie! I've run out of bullets! I'm going ahead!"
Wang Dacheng turned his head and saw Liu Tie rolling down the slope. By the time he reached the charging Japanese Army, several soldiers, their eyes bloodshot with rage, plunged their bayonets into him. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion! Liu Tie burst apart, taking down several Japanese soldiers with him. It turned out that all his brothers on the left had already perished. Severely injured, Liu Tie clutched his last grenade and rolled into the midst of the Japanese soldiers, launching a suicide counterattack.
Before Wang Dacheng could react, another figure leaped out from the right. "Brother Dacheng, I'm going ahead! In the next life, I'll still fight alongside you against the Japanese devils!" It was Yang Zhu, the last brother remaining on the right side. He had been shot multiple times in the legs and torso, but in his final moments, he mimicked Liu Tie and rolled out with all his might!
The remaining Japanese Army had already been shaken by the previous explosion. Now they were scattering in panic while trying to shoot at Yang Zhu. Desperately, Yang Zhu rolled over to where a Colonel stood beside a Lieutenant and pulled the pin on his grenade, startling the Colonel into a frantic roll away from danger. With a loud bang, a spray of blood erupted as both the column and the Lieutenant met their end.
"Zhuzi!" Wang Dacheng's heart felt like it was being sliced open; he was consumed by rage. He sprang to his feet. "Zhang Gosheng! It's just you and me now! Are you afraid?!"
"Afraid of what?!" Zhang Gosheng's eyes were also red as he drew his sword from his back.
"Good! Let's fight the Japanese devils! Kill!" Wang Dacheng raised his sword and charged forward.
"Kill!" Zhang Gosheng shouted wildly as he followed closely behind.
In just a dozen or so meters, they engaged in combat. The Japanese devils had suffered heavy losses; aside from those who were injured along the way, only the Colonel and six soldiers remained standing.
The remaining Japanese soldiers readied their weapons for close combat as Wang Dacheng charged into their ranks like a fierce tiger. With his right hand, he swung his sword upward from behind him, deflecting a thrust aimed at him by one of the Japanese soldiers. Following that, he executed an arc with his blade, striking at the soldier's neck! With a sickening thud, the head flew off, blood spraying up to one or two meters high!
Wang Dacheng kicked aside the headless soldier and dodged another thrust from a nearby Japanese devil. In one swift motion, he grabbed a Type 38 rifle with his left hand and pulled a soldier toward him. His great sword sliced upward along the rifle barrel, first severing the soldier's fingers before cleaving into his chest—he would not survive this.
At that moment, four bayonets lunged toward Wang Dacheng simultaneously. He quickly dodged one but was still pierced by two others—one in his waist and another in his left arm. The last bayonet aimed straight for his chest!
Just as it was about to strike, a great sword swept in to deflect it—Zhang Gosheng had arrived!
Zhang Gosheng deflected the Bayonet and charged into the Japanese Soldier who was unable to draw his sword in time. Caught off guard, the two Japanese Soldiers lost their balance, and their rifles slipped from their hands, falling towards Wang Dacheng.
Wang Dacheng gritted his teeth against the pain and slashed down, knocking the Japanese Devil on his right to the ground. He reached out with his left hand to grab the head of the Japanese Devil on his left, then reversed his grip on the knife and swiftly cut across the neck of the Japanese Soldier in his embrace. The soldier fell silently.
Just as Wang Dacheng caught his breath and looked up, a flash of steel caught his eye. A Japanese Sword, gleaming with a fierce light, came slicing down towards him. Wang Dacheng quickly dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. The War Blade missed him and instead cleaved through the body of the Japanese Soldier he had just dispatched, severing it cleanly in two.
Wang Dacheng's heart sank! What a powerful blade! He turned to see it was that Colonel. The man had removed his jacket, revealing a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, wielding a sword in both hands. With a flick of his wrist, blood splattered onto the ground, glistening in the fading sunlight.
At that moment, Zhang Gosheng was struggling against two remaining Japanese Soldiers. Wang Dacheng felt a surge of urgency; he abandoned thoughts of the Colonel and rushed towards Zhang Gosheng's skirmish.
The Japanese Devil commander roared in anger, "Bagua!" as he pursued from behind.
Wang Dacheng used his momentum to knock aside a tall Japanese Devil's Rifle nearby and shouted to Zhang Gosheng, "Distract that Japanese Devil officer! Don't engage him directly; keep moving and buy me some time!"
Zhang Gosheng responded loudly, "Understood!" The two men crossed paths; Zhang Gosheng faced off against the Colonel while Wang Dacheng confronted the two Japanese Soldiers.
Wang Dacheng maintained his speed as he charged at one of the shorter Japanese Soldiers ahead. He needed to end this quickly because he knew Zhang Gosheng would not be able to match the Colonel for long; at most, he could hold him off for a few rounds. Moreover, reinforcements were less than a kilometer away. If not for concerns about friendly fire, many more would have already fallen here.
As Wang Dacheng rushed forward, he swung his Great Sword at the enemy. Seeing the ferocity of his attack made the Japanese Soldier feel disheartened. He mustered all his strength to parry with his Type 38 Rifle. "Long Wind! Break!" Wang Dacheng shouted. With a crack, Long Wind severed the rifle in half and continued its momentum, slicing through half of the Japanese Devil's skull!
Ignoring the pain coursing through him, Wang Dacheng halted briefly to pull out his sword from the Japanese Devil's head and swept it horizontally towards the tall Japanese Soldier. At that moment, this soldier was already terrified by Wang Dacheng's frenzied assault. Seeing his comrade's gruesome death made him tremble in fear; he dropped his gun and fled down the hillside.
Wang Dacheng was now blinded by rage; with a swift motion, he hurled his long hair back and heard a soft sound as it embedded itself deep into the back of the fleeing Japanese Soldier just as he had barely taken three steps away.
Wang Dacheng stepped forward, just pulling the knife out of the Japanese Soldier when he heard a cry behind him. He turned around abruptly to find Zhang Gosheng stabbed in the stomach by the Japanese Colonel, his right hand severed at the blade, while his left hand gripped the knife embedded in his belly. "Dacheng! Quick! Come here! I've got his knife!" Zhang Gosheng shouted loudly.
A chill ran through Wang Dacheng's heart as he hurried over. Just as he took two steps, he heard the Japanese Colonel exhale sharply, "Hey!" With a powerful push and twist, the Colonel swung the knife, pulling it out of Zhang Gosheng's body. Zhang Gosheng staggered, half of his body drenched in red; he softened and collapsed to the ground.
"Damn you!" Wang Dacheng roared as he rushed forward. At that moment, the Japanese Devil had turned around, pointing the knife at Wang Dacheng. With a flick of his wrist, blood splattered from the blade onto Wang Dacheng's face.
Wang Dacheng's eyes were instantly blinded by blood, slowing his advance. The Japanese Devil seized the opportunity and slashed at him! Wang Dacheng wiped his eyes with his left hand, hearing the sound of the blade slicing through the air. He quickly raised his Great Sword to block in the general direction.
With a clang, the broad back of the Great Sword successfully intercepted the Japanese Devil's strike!
Quickly wiping away the blood from his eyes, Wang Dacheng looked up to glare at the Japanese Colonel. Covered in blood and grime, he resembled a demon emerging from hell, causing the Colonel to shiver involuntarily.
"Baka! Who are you? My Regimental Commander will be furious!" the Japanese Colonel exclaimed angrily. He couldn't fathom who would dare to ambush him with such a small group and almost succeed! Meanwhile, he stole a glance behind Wang Dacheng; five or six hundred meters away was the tide of the Japanese Army approaching rapidly.
Wang Dacheng's face darkened as he gripped his knife tightly. He swung it upward in a reverse motion toward the Colonel. The Colonel hurriedly brought both hands down to counter with his own blade. Clang! Sparks flew as both blades met, leaving subtle gaps on their edges.
Clang clang! In a flurry of sparks and sounds, they exchanged blows four or five times before suddenly separating. Both men couldn't help but glance at their blades, noticing several gaps appearing on each edge.
Wang Dacheng merely glanced at his blade before charging forward again. The Colonel had no choice but to raise his weapon in defense. They clashed several more times without either gaining an advantage over the other.
Suddenly, Wang Dacheng executed a horizontal slash. The Colonel raised his knife outward to block it. Wang Dacheng stepped forward immediately, creating an arc as he aimed for the Colonel's head! At that moment, he stepped on something and suddenly slipped, losing his balance and nearly falling at the Colonel's feet!
The Colonel was overjoyed and swiftly reversed his grip on the knife, plunging it downward!
Wang Dacheng seemed to have guessed the thoughts of Bu Shang. As he fell to the ground, he rolled sideways, but in his haste, he thrust his knife into the empty ground. Just as he was about to pull it out, he suddenly felt a chill in his legs! Bu Shang looked down and let out a shriek; his legs had been severed at the knees by Wang Dacheng!
It turned out that Wang Dacheng, seeing the stalemate dragging on, decided to take a risky move. He deliberately feigned an attack to lure Bu Shang into thinking he had the upper hand, knowing that Bu Shang would not hold back and would surely strike hard. So, taking advantage of the moment while rolling, he made a swift cut and severed Bu Shang's legs!
Bu Shang was in agony, sweat pouring down his face as he rolled on the ground, still gripping the knife handle. Without hesitation, Wang Dacheng got up and struck down again. In a moment of desperation, Bu Shang twisted the knife to deflect the blow.
With a loud clang, Bu Shang failed to notice that a subtle crack had appeared along the blade's edge. He could never have imagined that this crack would one day lead his grandson down an irreversible path many years later.
Bu Shang's grip was already compromised from the shock, and Wang Dacheng swiftly kicked the knife away. He cast a cold glance at Bu Shang before turning to leave. Just as Bu Shang was puzzled by this, Wang Dacheng approached carrying Zhang Gosheng's lifeless body. He placed Zhang Gosheng's hand around the long knife and softly said, "Zhang Gosheng, I know you can take down a Japanese Devil officer; just look at me!"
Wang Dacheng forcefully swung Zhang Gosheng's hand forward. Bu Shang felt a chill around his neck, and the last image he saw was of reinforcements rushing in under the fading light of sunset.
Wang Dacheng clutched Zhang Gosheng tightly as he struggled up the hillside. At the moment night fell, they disappeared into the vast forest behind the slope.
Epilogue: During the Changde Campaign, Major General Xu Guozhang of the National Army's 150th Division led his troops in fierce resistance against Bu Shang's forces in northwest Zou City. They repelled numerous attacks from Bu Shang’s regiment until the 20th when Major General Xu Guozhang was unfortunately killed in action while leading an all-out assault. On the evening of the 21st, the Buchang Battalion finally broke into Zou City. Around 8 PM that night, Commander Iwanaga Wataru of the 116th Division ordered them to advance into northwest Changde from the north gate for an attack on Changde. The Buchang Battalion set off overnight and reached high ground twelve kilometers northwest of Changde by 11 AM the next day. The Chinese defenders fought back fiercely, leading to a stalemate between both sides. At 3 PM, with support from Japanese Army aircraft, Bu Shang’s regiment launched a desperate charge and broke through positions held by the Forty-Fourth Army, capturing Huangtu Mountain.
On the morning of the 23rd around 7 AM, Bu Shang’s regiment set out from Huangtu Mountain and advanced through Yangjia Bridge to important outer strongholds north of Shagang in northwest Changde. A Chinese battalion fought valiantly against them, repelling dozens of attacks from Bu Shang’s regiment. The Japanese Army found themselves in a precarious situation; at around 4 PM, Bu Shang called for a meeting with his battalion commanders to adjust their deployment and demanded that Shagang be captured by 5 PM. Just as Bu Shang was surveying the terrain, a grenade fired by Chinese defenders killed him along with Lieutenant Hiroo Tahara, his operations officer.
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