The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 262 Capturing the Flag (Part 1)

In fact, Hu Biao didn't know why the Japanese were so slow in their work; even when things were at their most urgent, they didn't just set the regimental flag on fire.

They still insist on going through the motions and holding some kind of offering and burning ceremony.

He didn't know the specifics of such a burning ceremony, or how much time it would take.

However, he knew that the group of Japanese soldiers on the hill should now have at least two regimental flags, namely the 10th Infantry Regiment and the 63rd Infantry Regiment.

There is also a regimental flag of an artillery regiment, which is only a possibility.

It is unknown whether this artillery regiment was used to reinforce the Setani Detachment during the Battle of Taierzhuang.

Hu Biao also knew that if they wanted to seize the Japanese regimental flag, they had better be quick.

They also knew that whether or not they wanted to seize the Japanese regimental flags, they had to get the consent of their comrades behind them.

Why? If they didn't try to seize the regimental flag, they could simply leave behind a third of their forces to monitor the Japanese soldiers on the mound.

The remaining two-thirds of the troops were deployed in platoons to hunt down the fleeing soldiers.

In this way, not a single Japanese soldier from the Setani Detachment will be able to escape, and they will definitely achieve their initial operational objectives.

If they wanted to seize the Japanese regimental flag, they would have to launch a frontal assault on the Japanese troops entrenched on the mound.

Given the limited terrain, there is absolutely no room for shortcuts, and heavy casualties are inevitable.

This means that some brothers who wouldn't have died in battle were killed in this battle to capture the flag; since these brothers' lives were at stake, it was natural to ask about it beforehand.

After figuring out all the key points mentioned above in a very short time,
Hu Biao and Commander Hu, who had remained silent after handing over command to Annie during the cavalry attack, finally spoke up.

He stood up on his horse, stepping on the stirrups, and pointed his large sword, whose blade already had several nicks, at the direction of the mound.

Speaking in a language that everyone could understand, he said aloud:
"Brothers, do you see that group of Japanese soldiers who are about to rush up the mound? They're planning to hold a simple religious ceremony there first, and then burn a few regimental flags."

As long as we don't capture these regimental flags, the Japanese will replace them with new ones.

Then the Japanese troops that we wiped out today will rebuild on their island and continue to kill and burn in our China.

So I thought I'd take advantage of their ritual to seize these regimental flags.

However, this would mean a direct confrontation with the Japanese, and many people might die before we could even seize these regimental flags. Whether or not to do it is entirely up to everyone.

Raise your hand if you're willing to go; the minority will obey the majority.

As soon as Hu Biao's voice fell, Jin Laohei, a chivalrous figure who had always served as the flag bearer of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment and was also known as "Black Hawk," was revealed.

He immediately raised the battle flag, now bearing several bullet holes and a smear of blood that could be either from the Japanese or his own brothers, high with one hand.

He shouted, "So what if I die? Losing my head is just a scar the size of a bowl. I'll be a hero again in eighteen years."

Even if it costs us our lives, we must seize that Japanese regimental flag today; Commander Hu, it doesn't matter if others refuse to go, we brothers from Jinjiazhai on Chuwang Mountain will go with you.”

As if to confirm his statement, the man who had come with him to help Hu Biao immediately raised his hand.

However, the number of people has decreased by one compared to when they first arrived.

The man was killed in the first charge; after being shot in the chest and abdomen, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Unfortunately, his right foot got caught in the stirrup, and he was immediately dragged forward by the warhorse.

By the time Annie led everyone through the enemy lines and out of the effective range of the Japanese rifles, and stopped the horse, the man was already dead, his back mangled beyond recognition.

Fortunately, the men of Jinjiazhai were not frightened by this; on the contrary, they became even more ferocious.

With Jin Laohei and others taking the lead, in a very short time, all the cavalrymen raised an arm holding various bloody weapons.

They all shouted in unison, "Capture the flag! Capture the flag! Capture the Japanese regimental flag!"

Hundreds of people shouted at the same time, and their voices immediately carried far, drowning out all other noises.

Amidst the resounding sounds that echoed across the battlefield, Hu Biao and Annie exchanged a knowing glance and smiled, their hearts now free of any lingering concerns.

The next second, the two men simultaneously whipped the horse's already bloodied rump. The exhausted mount let out a painful neigh, then squeezed out its last bit of strength and galloped off once more.

Hu Biao and Annie took the lead and charged towards the mound, which was about 700 or 800 meters away.

Behind them, there were about 370 or 380 brothers who were also whipping their mounts and charging after them.

At that moment, they didn't care about anything else.

All that remained in his mind and eyes was that mound, the Japanese soldiers on it, and the regimental flags that they had surrounded.

This commotion triggered a series of chain reactions...

******
A few seconds later, another cavalry unit led by Lao Yu, Mr. Nan Ze, and Van Gogh, and a small caravan led by Zanana, Mo Shuiyan, and the Wizard.

After realizing what Hu Biao and his men were planning to do...

They were all whipping their warhorses, or directing their chariots to turn around hastily, all rushing towards that mound.

The fact that these three teams did not rest for a while to recover their strength as before, but instead immediately sent a message to the hill, made the Japanese soldiers understand the situation very quickly.

The few hundred Japanese soldiers who had just rushed to the mound, except for a small number of those guarding the regimental flag, immediately began the burning ceremony.

Everyone else, regardless of rank or position, relied on this mound and the surrounding terrain.

They began hastily setting up defenses, intending to buy enough time for the burning ceremony.

It's quite amazing, even somewhat incomprehensible.

Some Japanese soldiers, who had already scattered in fear along with other defeated soldiers, realized that their regimental flag was in danger.

They even turned back and charged back, firing at the charging troops from a distance, or blocking their path with bayonets, and even doing some more outrageous things.

It can only be said that the regimental flag really had a magical power over the Japanese soldiers.

Fortunately, the number of those who returned to fight back was not a large proportion of the total number of Japanese soldiers who had fled; thus, the battle of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment began with these fleeing soldiers who were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

In a burst of gunfire, Van Gogh emptied the magazine of his Czech light machine gun and knocked down a Japanese soldier who had rushed to his left and was about 20 or 30 meters away.

The moment the Japanese soldier fell to the ground, Van Gogh felt a sense of relief.

Because these Japanese soldiers were really crazy, as soon as they got close, they would immediately pull the pin on their hand grenades; in this self-destructive way, they would stop their advance.

They were caught off guard as they charged forward, and after being hit by two self-destructions, their cavalry suffered over ten casualties.

But the next second, Van Gogh's expression changed, and he cursed out a "f***ing" curse.

The main problem was that when he reached for the spare magazine on his chest with his free left hand, he found nothing.

It turns out that the many magazines we had prepared were all emptied.

One major reason for this awkward situation is that they manually loaded the magazines, which was simply too slow and inefficient.

Normally it's fine, but in situations like this where there's no time to rest and an attack is launched immediately.

This led to situations where magazines were emptied before even reaching the target location.

"How could I forget about that quick-loading reload device? By the way, we should be able to bring that thing over, right? Even if we can't, it's quite easy to make one ourselves. We must prepare one next time."

After discarding the light machine gun, which had become a burden due to the lack of new magazines, Van Gogh muttered this to himself.

However, he also knew that the premise of preparing a quick-load device next time was that he could survive the battle later.

Achieving that level seems very difficult.

Compared to their cavalry unit, another cavalry unit led by Hu Biao and Annie had already reached the very edge of the hill, and a battle with the Japanese had broken out.

The sheer brutality and gore were enough to send chills down the spine of this time traveler, who had participated in the street battles of Tengxian and Taierzhuang, after just a glimpse from afar…

(End of this chapter)