The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 321 Success (Two-in-One Chapter)

In a very short time, AT completed the adjustment of the muzzle direction of the Type 98 20mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft gun, aiming it at the group of Japanese soldiers who had hurriedly gotten up and were charging towards the barracks.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped onto the firing pedal.

Immediately when the anti-aircraft guns opened fire, their distinctive heavy, muffled thuds resounded, truly demonstrating to the ATs what anti-aircraft guns looked like when they were leveled.

Even the smallest model with a 20mm caliber is still an extremely cruel weapon for infantry.

At a distance of over 300 meters, there was a Japanese soldier wielding a samurai sword, but he was shirtless and his rank could not be seen. It could only be said that he was an officer.

Just a second ago, he was shouting something wildly at the other Japanese soldiers.

The next second, his shoulder was only grazed by the shell, but his arm and most of his shoulder exploded, and blood mist instantly filled a large area around him.

A moment later, the Japanese officer collapsed to the ground.

Whether he died or not is no longer important, because even if he were rescued, he would only be a severely disabled person who would waste the Japanese army's food supplies.

Even before the Japanese officer fell, the AT continued to crank the anti-aircraft gun's azimuth mechanism, keeping the muzzle height constant while continuously rotating it left and right.

Every time the anti-aircraft gun's built-in mechanical sight successfully captured the silhouette of a Japanese soldier...

His left foot would instinctively step on the firing pedal, sending out two shells.

So when the AT opened fire, the Japanese soldiers who were the most numerous and posed the greatest threat, and who were charging from the direction of the barracks, were in big trouble.

Although this thing, due to its rate of fire, cannot kill Japanese soldiers as quickly or efficiently as a Type 24 heavy machine gun.

But the psychological pressure on people is a completely different concept.

As his comrades were repeatedly shot to pieces, a rain of blood formed over the area around the leader; many more Japanese soldiers, though not hit by bullets, were quickly pulled from the bloody mess.

Such a terrifying scene was enough to break even the fiercest Japanese soldiers' spirits.

No matter how frantically the officers shouted and drove them away, none of them dared to continue charging. They only dared to lie on the cold ground and fire at the ATs from a distance.

But the problem that AT and the others encountered earlier is now the same problem that the Japanese are facing.

The dense barrage of bullets struck the bulletproof shield of the anti-aircraft gun, making a constant clanging sound, but it couldn't cause any real damage to the AT.

In other words, AT and a few others, relying solely on this Type 98 20mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft gun, blocked the biggest wave of threat from the Japanese.

At the same time, the operation of laying down the Japanese anti-aircraft guns to fight them was truly exhilarating for AT.

Unfortunately, this exhilarating feeling didn't last long at all; it felt like it ended as soon as it began.

Just as he was getting into the swing of things, he clearly stepped on the firing pedal, but instead of firing, he heard a muffled thud and the enormous vibration of the cannon barrel when it was fired.

After a moment of stunned silence, AT realized that the magazine of this thing was empty.

Because the Japanese had such a terrible small-caliber anti-aircraft gun, which used a magazine with only 15 rounds, its firepower sustainability was extremely poor.

Left with no other option, AT could only shout, "Two men, change the magazines, the rest of you open fire for suppression."

Under such an order, seven brothers who rushed into the Japanese anti-aircraft position with him, two of whom carried spare magazines over to help replace them.

The other five men either carried their own submachine guns or picked up Japanese Type 5 rifles and fired wildly.

Even though the five of them had fired with all their might, compared to the power or the sheer impact of the anti-aircraft gun, it was still far inferior.

The Japanese soldiers, who had been pinned down 300 meters away and only dared to lie on the ground firing their guns, immediately got up and rushed towards this side in a swarm.

Therefore, AT previously thought that using just this one anti-aircraft gun would completely stop the Japanese from doing their thing.

It's just a beautiful illusion; it's impossible to achieve at all.

While his two comrades were helping him change the magazine, AT turned around again to look at the other comrades sabotaging the plane, about a hundred meters behind him.
After glancing at it briefly, the unemployed white-collar worker from the modern world felt increasingly helpless.

He even felt so bad for his own mistakes that he wanted to give himself a good scolding on the spot.

Speaking of which! AT has forgotten when he watched an old movie, there was a scene where a group of our soldiers stormed into the Japanese airfield, intending to sabotage the planes.

As it was the first time I'd ever seen an airplane so close up, I had absolutely no idea how to damage it.

Even the officers leading the team lacked this knowledge.

This led to scenes of people randomly shooting at the fuselage, even smashing it with gun butts, and hacking at it with bayonets and broadswords, resulting in a situation where a single aircraft was not completely damaged even after half a day.

In response to this plot, before officially sneaking into the airport, AT deliberately took an extra precaution, telling his men to just shoot the Japanese planes' fuel tanks.

Because the Japanese planes were burning aviation gasoline, bullets would explode and burn as soon as they came into contact with the gasoline.

To this end, AT also urgently pointed out to them the approximate locations of the fuel tanks of several aircraft models, including the Type 95 fighter jet and the Type 96 land-based attack aircraft, currently at the airport.

He originally thought that even if he missed the fuel tank once or twice, it would just be a matter of firing a few more shots.

However, in his haste, he overlooked an important detail:

The Japanese army aviation units used these older aircraft produced in the early stages, which basically lacked bulletproof designs for their fuel tanks; so much so that the soldiers and air force called them "lighters," because if the fuel tank was hit, it would explode and burst into flames.

However, even the smallest aircraft machine guns used by soldiers still used 7.92mm heavy ammunition.

Compared to the Thompson submachine guns and Mauser pistols in the hands of these brothers, the power and penetrating power of these guns were far superior.

Anyway, when AT looked back, he found that his brothers were firing at the plane's fuel tanks, but it didn't have much effect; the damage was quickly repaired by the Japanese ground crew afterward.

Despite the continuous gunfire, only two planes have been shot down so far.

Seeing that shooting was ineffective, some of the brothers instinctively pulled out their hand grenades, tied several together, and prepared to blow up the plane.

It turned out that the aircraft's fuselage was smooth and the wings were tilted, making it impossible to secure the grenade immediately. While these were not insurmountable problems, they required more time and were more complicated to handle.

In short, these Japanese planes can still be destroyed.

However, there is a prerequisite: he needs to hold out longer and buy more time.

After reaching the above conclusion, AT turned around dejectedly. At this moment, his two brothers had just helped him change the magazine, and the Japanese soldiers took the opportunity to rush forward fifty or sixty meters.

He stepped on the pedal and fired. The powerful shells instantly blew up two or three more Japanese soldiers, causing the rest to fall to the ground again.

Even though he slowed down his firing rate as much as possible this time, the mere 15-round magazine was quickly emptied; while they were changing magazines, the Japanese soldiers continued to charge.

Aside from speeding up magazine changes and reducing the stop-fire time, the AT couldn't do much else for the time being.

This happened repeatedly. After hurriedly changing the magazine again, the AT was about to fire again when it caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of its eye and immediately yelled "Get down!"

As he shouted, he covered his head with his hands and lay down on the anti-aircraft gun.

Just as AT was lying down, a grenade from a grenade launcher landed on a sandbag not far to his left and exploded; AT felt a sharp pain on the left side of his body, not knowing how many shrapnel fragments had been embedded in it.

"I wonder how things are going on Annie's side. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for much longer so that the brothers can destroy all the Japanese planes."

Despite the excruciating pain, AT continued firing the anti-aircraft gun, thinking to himself.

In a very short time, this damn anti-aircraft gun magazine was emptied again.

"Two more people, help me change..." He couldn't even finish shouting that one sentence, because he started coughing violently halfway through.

I don't know if it was his lungs or some other organ that was injured by shrapnel. So, that damned nickname "Consumptive Demon" is practically welded to his head, and he can't get rid of it no matter what, right?
******
Compared to AT's arduous battle, Annie's situation was much better.

The reason for this is probably because at that time, the Japanese were only more extravagant than the Chinese. Compared to the real powers, they were still too poor and stingy.

After the attack, the Japanese soldiers probably thought that aircraft and other equipment were more important than pilots.

Therefore, since the start of the war, most of the Japanese soldiers instinctively rushed to the area where the planes were parked, and the number of reinforcements that went to the pilots' quarters was not large.

This undoubtedly made the process of Annie and the others' actions much easier.

The specific process is as follows:
Annie was also complaining at the time, wondering who was talking about her behind her back at such a crucial moment, and why they were so gossipy. She was desperately trying to suppress the urge to sneeze.

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Let her know that their good luck tonight has come to an end, and AT has already been exposed before the agreed time of 5 a.m.

What to do? Of course, sneeze first, since you don't have to hold it in anymore.

With a sneeze, 'Achoo!' Annie suddenly realized that being able to sneeze freely was such a happy and comfortable thing.

Then, the girl didn't even have time to lift her sleeve to wipe her nose.

He shouted, "Qiu Kuiyong, take four brothers and stop the Japanese. The other four brothers, come with me. We can't let a single Japanese pilot escape."

After saying that, he picked up his submachine gun and rushed toward a group of brick and wood bungalows no more than twenty meters away.

Based on their previous intelligence and reconnaissance with binoculars, they believed that a group of Japanese pilots were living in these relatively better-equipped buildings.

Apart from a few high-ranking officers, the remaining pilots should be in groups of six.

In a sprint, Annie led the way to the door of the leftmost house, and with a sudden kick, she forcefully broke open the door.

The moment the door was kicked open, Annie could see, by the light of a courtyard lamp outside, six Japanese soldiers who had been hastily awakened inside.

She was sitting on the bed getting dressed, but hadn't even put on her coat properly.

Judging from their distinctive leather jackets, it was clear that these guys must be Japanese pilots; they hadn't come to the wrong place.

Without any hesitation, he picked up his submachine gun and opened fire.

She had only fired two or three shots when another brother, holding a Mauser pistol in each hand, squeezed through the doorway and joined the firing frenzy.

Under the intense firepower of the two men and three guns, six of the Japanese pilots were quickly killed on the spot.

The other three brothers, of course, wouldn't be idle at such a crucial moment.

Two of the brothers kept firing, trapping all the Japanese soldiers in the other houses who, seeing the situation was dire, were trying to rush out.

The other brother didn't even bother to kick the door down; he smashed the window with the butt of his rifle and then stepped aside.

After holding a grenade in his hand for two or three seconds, he quickly threw it through the broken window, and it soon exploded violently.

With large amounts of sawdust and textile fragments flying out of the windows from the shockwave of the explosion, the Japanese soldiers inside were effectively dealt with.

In just over a minute, the Japanese pilots were completely wiped out.

It is said that the Japanese can only train 200 pilots in a year; this one minute of victory alone is an astonishing loss that has crippled them.

Throughout the entire process, only one brother was shot in the arm by the Japanese gunman, making it exceptionally smooth.

The few Japanese soldiers who came to reinforce from other places were only five men, including Qiu Kuiyong.

At the same time, Annie also learned that the process of AT bombing the plane was not very smooth.

No other reason than that! Even during the battle, she was deliberately listening to the explosions in the parking area; only one or two explosions were heard, indicating that very few planes were successfully destroyed.

Fortunately, after taking out all the pilots, it didn't really matter whether all the planes were destroyed.

Although the Japanese still had planes and pilots in other places, they couldn't get to Taiyuan in a short time; by the time they arrived, the pacification of the county town would have been achieved.

In short, they can now safely evacuate.

Having thought of this, Annie immediately sped toward one of the several trucks parked on an open space outside the pilots' dormitory, specifically an Isuzu Type 94 truck.

Annie had her reasons for choosing this truck.

Or, during the rest period after each time travel, the time travelers would not only learn various historical knowledge, but also some equipment knowledge.

This kind of learning plays a crucial role at this time.

Because Anne remembered one thing: the Isuzu Type 94 truck was electrically started, not something that required a long crank to start.

In temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius, the thought of starting a car with a crank handle is enough to send chills down your spine.

Annie yanked open the car door, jumped into the driver's seat, and pulled out two wires from just below the steering wheel.

After severing the two wires and connecting them, the starter motor began to hum; it seems that this starting method, which is almost obsolete in modern dimensions, is still useful in the present.

Perhaps due to the cold weather, the truck still failed to start after three attempts to jump-start the power cord.

On the contrary, Qiu Kuiyong and three others had already died in the fierce battle with the Japanese.

Now only he and another brother are left, hiding behind a coal pile, constantly exchanging fire with the Japanese. It seems they won't be able to hold out for much longer.

Fortunately, the truck started on the fourth hitchhiking attempt.

After letting out a huge sigh of relief, Annie familiarized herself with the car's brakes and gears while shouting, "Qiu Kuiyong, hurry up and get in the car!"

Unexpectedly, Qiu Kuiyong shouted out without turning his head:
"The Japanese are sticking too tight. Chief of Staff, you can leave now. Just kill a few more Japanese to avenge me."

With a shout of "Okay!", Annie floored the gas pedal and, steering the wheel with her four brothers, decisively began the evacuation.

But no one noticed that the girl's eyes were already red.

In the time that followed, the truck sped through the Japanese bullets and soon came to a sudden stop in front of the anti-aircraft position where AT was located. At this time, the Japanese soldiers had rushed to within 30 meters of it.

With the cover of his four brothers, AT struggled with his last bit of strength to climb into the passenger seat, during which he was shot two or three more times.

I was so exhausted that I collapsed in the passenger seat, not even having the strength to close the door.

The truck was also hit by bullets, clanging and clattering. It's unclear how many bullets it took, but fortunately, the fuel tank and tires weren't damaged.

Then, Anne drove another hundred meters or so, pulling the brothers who had now destroyed seventeen or eighteen planes onto the vehicle, before finally crashing through the barbed wire and driving into the now frozen, hard wilderness.

Only when she rushed out of the airport did Annie have the time to ask AT, who was slumped over in the passenger seat:
"AT, are you alright? Can you hold on?"

Upon hearing this, AT struggled to lift his head, about to say something like, "I won't die," or "The Japanese haven't even invented the bullets that can kill me yet."

His mouth seemed to be out of control, and he started coughing violently, making "Kang Kang Kang" sounds, even louder than a roaring engine.

After a moment of silence, Annie drew a signal pistol from her waist with her left hand and fired a burst into the air.

Upon seeing this signal signifying success, the communications officer waiting outside was invigorated and immediately sent a brief telegram to the communications office of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment:

Tiger tiger tiger...

(End of this chapter)