The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 266 Capturing the Flag (Part 5)

After sprinting at a speed comparable to a 100-meter dash, she reached a position not far from the mound. Looking at the battle situation before her, Zanana, despite holding a light machine gun, was unable to fire it at all.

It wasn't until she rushed over that she realized the two sides were completely entangled in the fight.

If she were to open fire rashly, she would certainly injure the brothers of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Even because of the obstruction of these people, she was unable to fire at the Japanese soldiers who were holding the burning ceremony on the top of the mound for a moment because there was no field of fire.

What to do? This was not a problem for Zanana at all.

So what if you can't fire a gun and can only engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese? Then let's fight! Zanana, who has a huge advantage in physical fitness, is quite eager to try.

Immediately, he prepared to turn the Type 96 light machine gun he was holding around and take it in his hand.

He brandished his rifle butt and smashed the skulls of the Japanese soldiers one by one.

Just then, her eyes lit up as she discovered something that surprised her: a large halberd left behind by a fallen comrade.

Judging from the appearance, this brother who died in battle might have been a street performer wielding a large sword before joining the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Of course! This unfortunate brother's profession is not important. What is important is that this big knife is 2.5 to 2.6 meters long, with a bright and sharp blade. Isn't this thing much more useful than a Type 96 light machine gun?
With that in mind, Zanana threw away the cumbersome machine gun in her hand and picked up the large Guan Dao (a type of Chinese halberd) from the ground.

After acquiring the broadsword, it felt to weigh around twelve or thirteen kilograms, which was still a bit too light for Zanana; but for now, she could only make do with it.

After rushing forward with both hands gripping the long hilt of the knife, a Japanese sergeant who had just stabbed one of his own men was targeted by Zanana.

This girl didn't know any of the techniques for using the Guan Dao (a type of Chinese sword), so she simply swung her weapon and slashed fiercely at the Japanese soldier's head.

As expected of a sergeant-ranking elite veteran, the Japanese soldier, facing the cleaving blade coming down on his head, hastily raised his Type 38 rifle high with both hands, preparing to parry first.

Once the knife is slashed, there's no room for further discussion.

After a flash of bright light, the Type 38 rifle was cleaved in two; the finely crafted steel barrel was no more sturdy than a stick of firewood.

Then, the gleaming blade continued forward, cleaving open the Type 90 steel helmet and the top of the skull of another Japanese soldier.

That terrifying power was such that when the great halberd was wielded by the powerful humanoid female tyrannosaurus, its destructive power was truly insane.

Then, the crucial question arises.

Could it be that these people from the DIY team, led by the fierce Zanana, managed to storm the top of the hill and seize the team flag?
Of course not, things are not that simple.

With a large guan dao in hand, Zanana was incredibly fierce, and in no time she had killed three or four Japanese soldiers.

However, soon after, even more Japanese soldiers, led by a major, charged forward fearlessly, greatly delaying the girl's advance.

Therefore, the people who truly delayed the Japanese burning ceremony were Mo Shuiyan and the shaman, among others.

Mo Shuiyan rushed to a position about eighty meters away from the mound.

He suddenly stopped, squatted down, and placed the base of a Type 89 grenade launcher on the ground at an angle of about 45 degrees.

Even as he was panting, he didn't forget to shout, "Someone come here, help me blow up the Japanese devils on top of the mound!"

That's right! That was the tactic Mo Shuiyan had in mind before getting out of the car.

The plan was to use the indirect firepower of a DIY mortar launcher to kill the Japanese soldiers who were holding a burning ceremony, in response to the situation where their gunfire was blocked and they could not fire directly.

Although this method has a considerable probability of destroying the regimental flag as well.

But no matter what, it's still better than the Japanese setting fire to the regimental flag and burning it to ashes, right?
Mo Shuiyan's idea was sound, but unfortunately, some other issues arose.

These people were more skilled at operating the DIY mortar launchers, and their aim was better. They had already used up their last few shells.

We could only make do with the Type 89 grenade launcher that we had captured from the Japanese.

Fortunately, even without firing specialized ammunition, this thing can still achieve a maximum range of over 150 meters when firing small melon grenades, which is more than enough.

After Mo Shuiyan shouted, one of his men came to his side. He took out a Type 91 grenade, twisted a small gunpowder launcher into the bottom, and then inserted it into the grenade launcher's tube.

The reason for inserting it is that a gunpowder launcher is twisted on beforehand.

It needs to explode to generate high-pressure gas in order to propel the grenade out.

After Mo Shuiyan pulled the trigger, the Little Melon grenade was successfully launched with a not-so-loud explosion.

Unfortunately, using the grenade launcher requires a lot of experience, making it quite unfriendly to beginners.

Unsurprisingly, the melon grenade missed its target.

It flew straight over the mound and landed behind it; because it couldn't see where it landed, it didn't know how far it had gone or whether it had accidentally hurt any of its own brethren.

All we can know is that the angle and distance are wrong.

While silently cursing under his breath, Mo Shuiyan adjusted the screw on the grenade launcher, which affected the firing distance, and shouted out again:
"Quick, one more!"

Two or three seconds later, another small melon grenade flew out, and the adjusted grenade launcher went astray again, missing the target once more.

Fortunately, at that moment, the wizard arrived with a Type 89 grenade launcher and joined in the firing.

Moreover, this grenade launcher had an extremely high rate of fire; elite Japanese veterans could fire an astonishing 25 rounds per minute.

Even if the wizard and Mo Shuiyan, among other novices, had a slow rate of fire, they could still fire ten or so shots per minute without any problem.

Once the number of grenades and grenades used to attack increased, to put it nicely, quantitative change led to qualitative change; to put it bluntly, it was just a lucky fluke.

A lieutenant who was 1.7 meters tall, which was considered very tall among the Japanese soldiers.

Just as he took out a match to light it, a small melon grenade landed next to him.

These small melon grenades, which fly in the air for a while, explode very quickly after landing, almost before anyone can react.

Instantly, amidst the shockwave of the explosion and the raging shrapnel, they were engulfed in chaos.

Not only was the Japanese lieutenant thrown into the air, but several Japanese soldiers who were holding a ceremony nearby were also cleanly and swiftly brought down on the spot.

******
It should be noted that at this moment, there are two Japanese regimental flags on the top of the mound, one of the 10th Infantry Regiment and the other of the 63rd Infantry Regiment.

They were each led by a separate flag-bearing team, and each team held their own burning ceremony at a distance of about ten meters.

The flag-bearing squad of the 10th Regiment was faster, but just as they were about to light the fire, they were hit by a small melon grenade, and all of them were taken down.

This scene immediately added fuel to the fire.

This made everything on the battlefield increasingly chaotic and intense.

The flag-bearing squad of the 63rd Regiment didn't even bother to finish the burning ceremony; they quickly struck a match and lit the regimental flag that had been rolled up on the ground in front of them.

This stuff was originally flammable fabric, and after being doused with kerosene, it immediately burst into flames.

In the darkness of night, flames and thick black smoke rose high into the air, visible from a great distance, suggesting that it would be burned to ashes in a very short time.

At the moment the regimental flag was lit, all the flag-bearing personnel of the 63rd Regiment rushed towards the regimental flag of the 10th Regiment.

The flag was only rolled two or three meters on the ground by the blast wave during the previous explosion, and was not damaged much.

So they had to help their colleagues burn the regimental flag as well.

Besides them, Major General Kei Seya, the Japanese soldier, also led a group of men towards the regimental flag, intending to help burn this deadly thing.

Meanwhile, Hu Biao and his men were greatly encouraged and charged desperately toward the top of the mound; unfortunately, the Japanese resistance remained resolute...

(End of this chapter)