The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 325 The Ambush (Part 1) [Combined Chapter]

...I remember having this question when watching war movies and TV shows before?
Why were the bodyguards of many officers in the Nationalist Army and the Communist Party so young, sometimes even just teenagers?

They usually help take care of daily life and relay military orders, which is fine.

But what if a fight breaks out? Can their small frames protect the officers?
After several trips through the area, I realized that rather than having these teenagers protect the officers, it was more accurate to say that the officers were taking care of them in this way.

For a long time, we did just that, selecting some young soldiers to serve as our bodyguards.

Unfortunately, even so, during our many journeys, of all the junior guards who came and went like a revolving door, only a handful were ultimately able to survive...

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

At 10:03 a.m., in Xiazigou, about 30 miles from Pingding County, on a small roadside hill that has no name on the map.

"Commander, commander, I see Japanese soldiers!"

There were quite a few Japanese soldiers; they must have all come from Yangquan City. They were marching at a brisk pace, and they would arrive in no more than fifteen minutes.

A young soldier who claimed to be 16 years old, but was extremely thin due to long-term malnutrition, looked like he was only twelve or thirteen.

He rushed to Zanana and, panting, gave his report.

Zanana, who was originally reinforcing a bomb shelter with a shovel, immediately threw it down and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Attention everyone, First and Second Companies, immediately move into the trenches and prepare for battle. Third Company, as the reserve, is on standby at any time."

That's right! Zanana, this humanoid female tyrannosaurus, has been assigned to the Pingding County area to lead a team to carry out ambush operations.

More precisely, one of the keys to whether or not we can capture Ping'an County is whether we can successfully block the Japanese reinforcements and buy enough time for the attack.

The vast majority of the time-traveler team members were deployed to the ambush.

Currently, outside Ping'an County, only Hu Biao, Xiao Cui, Lao Ma (who is considered wounded), and Xiao Henan are commanding the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment to attack the county town.

The other eight transmigrators—Zanana, the Wizard, Chaozi, Mr. Nanze, Van Gogh, Lao Yu, the Warehouse Manager, and Moyu—are paired up.

They were each responsible for blocking attacks in one of the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

Before they set off, they all received a death order from Hu Biao:

No matter the cost, even if all the blocking troops are wiped out, we must stop the Japanese reinforcements before nightfall.

Under these circumstances, Zanana and the wizard became partners.

He led six supplementary companies of the First Battalion, totaling 630 to 640 men, to Xiazigou to block the Japanese reinforcements coming from the west of Pingding County.

The decision to choose Blind Man's Gully as the battlefield was the result of careful research by her and the wizard.

The area is surrounded by continuous, steep mountains, with only a dirt road leading to Pingding County, making it a necessary route for Japanese reinforcements.

On either side of the dirt road, barely wide enough for one car to pass, there was a small hill about a hundred meters high. As long as we held this position and opened fire from above, the Japanese reinforcements would have no chance of getting through.

Furthermore, the positions on the two hilltops are not far apart and can provide mutual fire support, making it an excellent sniping battlefield.

So around 7:30 in the morning, after the two men and their brothers arrived here, they decisively split up.

One man led three companies of soldiers to two hilltops on the left and right sides and began to quickly build fortifications.

By the time the Japanese were about to arrive, the fortifications were almost complete; however, when the order to prepare for battle was issued, Zanana still lacked confidence.

No other reason than that the primary objective of this operation was to capture Pingding County and annihilate Fujioka Takeoma and his Independent Mixed Brigade No. 9.

The main battlefield in the county town must be the place where the strongest fighting force is stationed.

As a result, Zanana and others could only lead their weakest subordinate companies, or even guerrillas and security teams, to undertake this arduous sniping mission.

What do you think of these troops? They are the worst in terms of both personnel quality and equipment.

Or to put it more bluntly, the tough young men who have trained a few extra days are now incorporated into the main force, and along with them, the slightly better weapons and equipment are also assigned to the main force.

The troops that Zanana leads today consist of either new recruits who have just learned to shoot or elderly people and children.

In terms of weaponry, the weapons and equipment were all old Hanyang rifles, single-handed rifles, and single-handed rifles that the main force had discarded. The Type 91 light machine gun, which Hu Biao and his men used to despise, was now considered a treasure and core firepower here.

The only saving grace was that before they left, these blocking troops emptied the secret warehouse of the arsenal, which slightly strengthened their firepower.

Even so, Zanana still felt more insecure than ever before.

Compared to the last time they crossed over, they felt even less confident about holding their ground in Taierzhuang; at least when they held their ground there, they had some advantage in light weapons.

Given the situation, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and fight back desperately.

Just before the battle, when Zanana was feeling inexplicably anxious, she suddenly heard a timid voice in her ear:
"Commander, you didn't even have dinner last night. It looks like the Japanese won't be up for a while. Why don't you eat some steamed buns to tide you over?"

Upon hearing this, Zanana instinctively turned her head and discovered that the speaker was the young soldier who had just delivered the message.

At that moment, he carefully opened a handkerchief, inside which were two multigrain steamed buns, and handed them to her.

Judging from the fact that the steamed buns weren't too hard, they must have kept them close to their bodies, warming them with their body heat, which is why they didn't freeze solid in the cold winter.

Seeing this, Zanana couldn't resist touching the other person's head.

She said gently, "Xiao Zhong, I'm not hungry right now, you should eat it."

Oh, and remember to be alert when the fighting starts, dodge some of the Japanese bullets. You're the only one left in the Zhong family.

Even a humanoid female tyrant like Zanana seemed so gentle at this moment, because this little soldier was her bodyguard, Zhong Gousheng.

Even though almost two months have passed, Zanana still remembers the first time she met this young soldier.

On a morning when the temperature was already below zero, a barefoot teenager herded more than eighty sheep to the temporary camp of the First Battalion.

He told her in a serious tone: His name is Zhong Gousheng, and according to others, he is almost 16 years old.

When I was two years old, my mother jumped into the old well at the entrance of the village to avoid being captured and abused by bandits; when I was five years old, my father went down into the well to dig coal and the well collapsed, and he has not been able to dig it out to this day.

From that year onward, he made a living by herding sheep for landlords.

I never remember ever being full, never wearing a decent piece of clothing or shoes, and always sleeping in the landlord's sheepfold.

So this young boy, who didn't understand the principles of defending the country, joined the army simply to get a full meal.

At the time, Zanana did not intend to take this frail, half-grown child who was not even as tall as a rifle. However, Zhong Gousheng pleaded with her for several days and finally agreed.

Incidentally, he also arranged for him to be his bodyguard.

He didn't expect him to protect her in case of real trouble; he was just pitying his background and wanted to arrange for him to be in a relatively safer position.

Unexpectedly, perhaps because poor children mature early, Zhong Gousheng took on the daily duties of a bodyguard very well and took excellent care of her.

It actually gave her a life of luxury, like a rich young lady who had everything done for her.

In addition, I learned many lessons and understood the true meaning of fighting the Japanese invaders.

Faced with Zanana's instructions, Zhong Gousheng nodded; however, he did not eat the two mixed grain buns, but instead wrapped them up again with a handkerchief and carefully put them into his pocket.

Then, Zanana couldn't care less about her young bodyguard anymore. Because soon after, Japanese reinforcements heading to Pingding County arrived…

******
Just seeing nearly 800 Japanese soldiers, lined up in two long columns, running all the way, was a sight to behold.

The wizard, who was lying on the other side of the mountain, couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Good heavens."

According to their previous intelligence, Yangquan was a key transportation hub, so the Japanese stationed more troops there than in other counties.

However, it was only a large battalion, with a force of about 1,100 men.

This time, in order to rescue Fujioka Takeoma and his men in Pingding County, more than two-thirds of their forces were mobilized.

This shows just how anxious and frantic the Japanese are right now. It will probably be even more difficult than expected to stop the large number of Japanese reinforcements today.

Even so, this battle is still unavoidable.

After calming himself down, when he saw that the Japanese soldiers running at the front were already within a hundred meters, the wizard picked up a DIY mortar launcher, slung it over his shoulder, and began to aim.

Because they had already built this thing once before, outside of Taierzhuang, during their last time travel.

This time, after being remade, many details have been improved, increasing the range to 120 meters and the accuracy to be higher than before.

Additionally, there is a stamped inscription of 'Necromancers fabricate' on the transmitter's casing.

The meaning of these stamps, literally translated, is "made by a wizard," and figuratively, it means "a necromancer's artifact." In short, it's just this guy's perverse sense of humor, and it's not important at all.

Importantly, this happened after the wizard pulled the trigger.

A mortar shell manufactured by the Zhangjiayu Arsenal, with a caliber of 60 mm, a cast iron casing, and smokeless powder propellant, immediately drew a beautiful arc in the air and flew towards the vanguard of the Japanese troops.

The shell exploded immediately upon landing, knocking three Japanese soldiers who were jogging to the ground.

After being suddenly attacked, many more Japanese soldiers who were on a forced march instinctively followed the tactics in the Infantry Manual and ran to the sides of the dirt road.

Once they found some natural cover, they would open fire on the ambushers and simultaneously organize their troops to launch a counterattack.

However, during their rest period, the seasoned time travelers had practically worn out the "Infantry Manual," and the wizard and Zanana had already anticipated the Japanese army's reaction.

While constructing the fortifications, they also prepared some surprises for them along the roadside.

So when these Japanese soldiers rushed down the dirt road, they didn't even have time to hide behind some rocks and earthen slopes, set up their weapons, or start a counterattack.

One by one, the anti-personnel mines were triggered by their panicked footsteps.

Amidst the terrified gazes of the Japanese soldiers, a low explosion followed, and small, dark figures sprang up from the ground.

After the projectiles reached a height of 70 or 80 centimeters, almost reaching their waists, they exploded again.

This explosion was not only much louder, but it also sent a dense spray of tiny objects flying in all directions, nearly turning their lower bodies into sieves.

The excruciating pain rendered them unable to stand, causing them to collapse to the ground and scream in agony.

Because there were enough anti-personnel mines, explosions rang out on both sides of the road, and metal fragments, stones, and porcelain shards flew everywhere.

A very short time later, at least 120 or 130 Japanese soldiers collapsed to the ground screaming because their lower body injuries were too severe.

There were even more Japanese soldiers who had injuries to their lower bodies but were still staggering and hadn't fallen.

Therefore, these pre-buried anti-personnel mines, despite the number of Japanese soldiers killed directly, only amounted to a mere dozen or so.

However, this caused at least three hundred casualties among the Japanese in a very short period of time, and this was only the beginning.

Because after the wizard fired a mortar shell, he immediately threw away the DIY launcher and picked up a submachine gun.

Almost simultaneously, Zanana on another hilltop shouted "Attack!"

Immediately, the four companies, totaling 420 men, stationed on the two hilltops opened fire on the panicked Japanese soldiers.

Although some soldiers equipped with single-edged swords and homemade guns did not fire, only about 180 or 190 guns opened fire.

Despite having only one old-fashioned Maxim heavy machine gun, four light machine guns of various models, and seven or eight submachine guns, they still achieved good results.

The panicked Japanese soldiers were constantly being shot down, as easily as shooting rabbits.

In the end, the battle only lasted about ten minutes.

The original 800 or so Japanese soldiers had dwindled to only 450 or 460 who had retreated to the hilltop garrison, where they finally stopped firing when their rifles were out of range.

More than 300 Japanese soldiers were left behind, but less than a third of them were killed.

But it doesn't matter. Even if these Japanese soldiers aren't dead now, their lower bodies have been blown to shreds. Once they lose their mobility, they can only wait to die on the spot.

On the contrary, the sight of them struggling and crawling on the ground, along with their screams, would create greater psychological pressure on the Japanese soldiers who had retreated out of firing range.

Seeing such a great victory, the rookie soldiers of the First Battalion Supplementary Company immediately cheered loudly.

You should know! After killing so many Japanese soldiers, their casualties were only in the single digits.

Unfortunately, they didn't notice that the two officers who led them to such a brilliant victory, although they had some smiles on their faces, were quite forced.

The main reason is that both the wizard and Zanana knew one thing:
The battle had only just begun; in the time to come, they would have to endure countless and fierce attacks from the Japanese.

Unfortunately, the anti-personnel mines deployed on both sides of the road were completely used up in the battle just now.

In the time that followed, there was no possibility of redeploying; they were even unable to clean up the battlefield, despite their lack of weapons.

In short, starting with the next battle, the fighting between the two sides will be nothing short of grueling, hard-fought battles...

It is estimated that they received a strict order from the high command of the Japanese First Army, requiring them to arrive in Pingding County by a certain date.

The next battle began much faster than between the wizard and Zanana.

Less than 20 minutes later, the two Type 92 infantry guns, which had been at the very back of the Japanese marching column, had been set up in artillery positions a kilometer away.

A Japanese major, presumably a high-ranking officer, stood beside the cannon, considered the situation for a moment, and then selected the hill where Zanana was located as the next target for the artillery barrage.

What this Japanese colonel didn't know was that he had been teetering on the brink of death for a long time.

The reason is simple: Zanana had been aiming the 20mm sniper rifle she brought from her time travel at him for quite some time.

However, they haven't decided whether to reveal themselves prematurely because they still have such a powerful weapon in their possession, which is why they haven't actually fired the shot yet.

"Forget it! Save the first shot. At least take down a Japanese regimental commander, or maybe a tank."

Finally, having made up her mind, Zanana effortlessly transferred the massive 68-kilogram sniper rifle into her hands, shouting as she did so:

"Leave one observation post behind, and the rest of you immediately go into the artillery shelter. The Japanese are about to fire."

After shouting, she crawled into a custom-made bunker, big enough to squeeze in at least three other soldiers; just as they settled in, the distinctive whistling sound of shells tearing through the air rang in their ears...

(End of this chapter)