The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 263 Capturing the Flag (Part Two)

That's right! The only words to describe this 'capture the flag' battle are "tragic" and "bloody".

When Hu Biao felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if struck by a swung sledgehammer, he knew he had been shot.

The only saving grace is that fighting on horseback is more energy-efficient.

Under these circumstances, Hu Biao and his men prepared some extra gadgets on their person.

For example, Hu Biao had inserted an extra DIY bulletproof plate into his chest and abdomen, giving him a stronger defensive capability; therefore, the shot did not penetrate the plate, and his ribs were not broken.

However, the enormous impact of the bullet and the resulting pain were unavoidable. Hu Biao felt as if his ribs had been fractured, and for a moment his mouth twisted in pain.

But at this moment, the deadbeat couldn't care less about such things.

Because at this moment, during their charge, they had already reached within fifty meters of the group of Japanese soldiers who were hastily setting up a defensive line around the mound.

As they charged forward, the Japanese soldiers kept firing relentlessly.

This resulted in them being hit by far more bullets than ever before.

As a result, brothers were constantly being shot off their horses, especially those who charged at the very front; the number and speed of their casualties were quite alarming.

Leaving aside others, the shroud battle flag of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment has now been carried by three different flag bearers.

When he reached a distance of 300 meters from the mound, it seemed that the good luck of "Black Hawk" Jin Laohei, this chivalrous hero, had been used up in the previous battle.

Amidst a hail of bullets, a bullet suddenly struck his neck; the 6.5mm caliber bullet shattered his trachea and carotid artery instantly.

Blood splattered high, some even landing on the battle flag he was holding.

This instantly added some mottled and glaring colors to the originally white flag.

Despite such severe injuries and excruciating pain, "Black Hawk" Jin Laohei was still incredibly brave. While clutching his wound with one hand, he forced himself to hold up the battle flag with the other, facing his brothers who were also from Jinjia Village.

It was also from their Jinjiazhai village that a second-in-command delivered it.

At this point, Jin Laohei could no longer utter a sound.

But with his eyes, he still conveyed a clear message to his former comrades: "Protect this battle flag well, it must not fall."

After handing over the battle flag, "Black Hawk" Jin Laohei immediately dismounted with a relaxed expression.

The second-in-command, with red eyes and clenched teeth, continued forward, charging to a distance of 160 or 170 meters, when a burst of bullets came flying from the opposite side.

In an instant, several spurts of blood erupted from his chest and abdomen. Then, the second-in-command felt weak all over, his body swaying violently on the horse, and he was about to fall off.

But then he thought of the village chief, and the message and final instructions he conveyed with his eyes before he died.

With his last ounce of strength, the second-in-command gripped the horse's belly tightly with his legs, glancing left and right as if trying to pass the battle flag to the other brothers from the Jin family village.

Upon seeing it, I was immediately overcome with sorrow.

Unbeknownst to him, of the six brothers from Jinjiazhai who had come with their leader to help Hu Tuanzuo after hearing the news, only he remained.

And he himself was seriously injured. It was clear that he would not survive.

Just as the leader once said, for these江湖人 (jianghu people), losing their heads is nothing more than a scar the size of a bowl; they'll be heroes again in eighteen years.

If that were the case, the second-in-command wouldn't be so grief-stricken.

The main concern was what to do with this battle flag. He felt he was about to give up, and the flag representing the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment might fall to the ground in the next second.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, a warhorse rushed up from behind.

A strong, rough hand successfully took the shaky battle flag from the second-in-command's hands.

However, the second-in-command couldn't help but lose his composure briefly after seeing the newcomer's face; for the newcomer was Zhao Family Village at the foot of Zifang Mountain, known in the martial arts world as "One-Eyed Dragon" Zhao Big Eyes.

A bandit leader who had a long-standing feud with the Jin family village, and who had even fought with them many times and had some blood feuds with them.

However, the second-in-command reacted in a flash:
Compared to the momentous event of fighting the Japanese alongside Commander Hu, capturing enemy generals and flags, the feud between Jinjiazhai and Zhaojiazhuang, which stemmed from petty gains or concerns about saving face, is truly insignificant.

Thinking of all this, he forced a smile at Zhao Daye; the smile was rather unpleasant, but it was full of the meaning of 'let bygones be bygones'.

After laughing, the second-in-command felt a sense of relief but could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.

The second-in-command, his chest and abdomen covered in blood, had already died before he even fully landed.

Therefore, the second-in-command did not see this situation. At the moment he fell, Zhao Daye did not even have time to return a smile to his old rival.

This expresses the attitude of Zhao Family Village, which is also willing to put aside past grievances.

A sharp pain shot through his waist; he had already been shot. Clutching his wound, Zhao Daye roared out in a voice choked with pain:
"Everyone from Zhao Family Village, come and protect the flag."

Even if every man in Zhao Family Village dies today, we will not let the battle flag of our Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment fall.

With a shout of "Good!", several men from Zhao Family Village whipped their warhorses and chased after Zhao Daye, standing guard beside him and ready to take over the flag at any moment.

Or perhaps it was a preparation to be knocked off one's horse by Japanese bullets.

Even among these men, two who had already been shot showed an indescribable determination on their faces.

Therefore, don't be fooled by the fact that the Japanese soldiers valued their regimental flag more than their own lives.

Although Hu Biao did not emphasize the importance of the shroud battle flag in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, the rabble who had only joined a few days ago regarded it as something extremely important and were willing to risk their lives to protect.

Indeed! Nobody said anything about what to do for this flag.

But that doesn't mean they won't do something after the battle flag is about to fall.

Even if a large portion of them do this not because they understand any sense of national righteousness, but simply because of some laughable sense of brotherhood.

There are also some principles that I've seen and heard in plays and dramas...

******
The scene of everyone guarding the battle flag was naturally seen by Hu Biao, who was lying on his horse's back to reduce his exposed area during the charge.

But even if he saw it, there's nothing he can do now.

Moreover, the casualties among the Jin family villagers were merely a microcosm of the losses suffered by their 300-plus cavalrymen during their charge.

Many more died from being shot, falling from their horses, or their horses being hit.

Even after a long battle, the mules and horses, already exhausted, collapsed from exhaustion during their frantic charge, throwing their riders to their deaths.

In short, not much time has passed since the start of this flag-capturing charge.

It's likely that nearly a hundred of our brothers have already been killed or injured; the casualties are quite alarming.

Fortunately, they have now finally reached a distance of within fifty meters, which can provide some basic assurance of the accuracy and power of their fire from horseback.

Finally, we can fight back; we won't just be taking hits without fighting back.

With this thought in mind, Hu Biao shouted "Fire!" and quickly sat up straight on his horse, firing an MP28 submachine gun.

Because once the trigger was pulled, the finger never let go.

In a very short time, a 32-round original magazine was completely emptied.

The moment he released the machine gun, Hu Biao simultaneously drew a lever-action shotgun and a Browning 1911 pistol with both hands, and fired at top speed.

When the fire started, the other surviving members of the cavalry also opened fire desperately.

Just like in the previous charge battles, they planned to unleash as many bullets as possible in the shortest amount of time, and then charge forward with various melee weapons to slash and kill.

The difference is that in previous battles, they could strike and retreat quickly, making good use of the speed and impact of mules and horses, resulting in fewer casualties.

Now, all we can do is fight to the death...

(End of this chapter)