The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 326 The Ambush (Part Two) [Bonus Chapter 1250 for the Emergence of the Erotic Photographer]

At 12:07 noon, in a place called Suanzaopo in the southern part of Pingding County.

"Go back, go back! Don't come out. All of you, stay in the bunker. The bunker won't collapse. If you run around like this, you'll die even faster."

Squid, a complete novice who had just transmigrated, shouted at the top of his lungs.

Unfortunately, even though his voice was almost hoarse from shouting, his roar amidst the loud cannon fire still sounded barely audible.

Under such circumstances, Mo Yu gritted his teeth and made a crazy decision: brandishing his pistol, he rushed out of the bunker and into the midst of the Japanese artillery fire that was raging...

That said, with such a crazy reaction, Cuttlefish was forced into a corner.

He and Mr. Nanze brought with them the supply company attached to the Third Battalion, as well as seven guerrilla units, totaling more than 700 soldiers.

Around eight o'clock in the morning, they finally arrived at a place called Suanzaopo and set up their blocking position there.

Because here, unlike the Blind Man's Gully chosen by Zanana and the wizard, there is no advantageous terrain with only one dirt road passing between two mountains.

But it was on a steep slope in the middle of a dirt road that the Japanese soldiers had to climb a slope more than 100 meters long to successfully pass through.

Therefore, they built a fortification directly on the top of the slope, which would give them a considerable advantage in the event of a battle.

And that was indeed the case. Around 10:30 a.m., a group of Japanese soldiers, about two companies in size, who had set off from the neighboring Xiyang County, appeared at the bottom of the slope.

The Japanese attacked twice in succession, suffering more than half their casualties, but they couldn't even get within 30 meters of the hillside position, allowing Mo Yu and his men to hold them off quite easily.

But after 11:30 a.m., the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Another Japanese reinforcement force arrived at the foot of the slope and joined forces with the Japanese troops in Xiyang County. These newly arrived Japanese troops not only had a full-strength infantry battalion, but more importantly, they brought with them two independent artillery companies.

Upon arrival, the Japanese soldiers immediately lined up all 12 75mm mountain guns at the bottom of the slope and began a frenzied bombardment.

Even by that standard, the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment possessed the most advanced civil engineering construction concepts and capabilities of its time.

The defensive positions on the slope naturally had many reinforced anti-artillery holes, so they should not have been afraid of the Japanese's 75mm mountain guns.

The key issue is that, in addition to fortifications, the psychological quality and combat experience of the defending troops are also very important.

Even a complete novice like Cuttlefish knew perfectly well that this kind of anti-ballistic tunnel, supported by thick logs and covered with a 50-centimeter-thick layer of soil, was sturdy enough.

Even if hit by a 75mm shell from the Japanese, it can still defend itself.

But for the squid, who was experiencing such a bombardment for the first time, it felt as if the earth was shaking around it and the bombardment shelter above its head was about to collapse and bury it in the sand.

There was a strong urge to escape the bunker, to escape this damned position, to get as far away as possible.

Even Mo Yu, a time traveler and the deputy battalion commander of the Third Battalion, couldn't help but have such thoughts, let alone the supply company currently deployed on the position, plus the first and second guerrilla soldiers.

They were in the same situation as Zanana's side, consisting of old and young people who had been eliminated from the main force, or new recruits.

As the Japanese continued shelling, some of the things that Cuttlefish feared most came to pass:
A poor recruit was utterly terrified by the devastating artillery barrage and rushed out of the bunker where he was sheltering.

Amidst the raging shockwaves of the explosion and the flying debris on the battlefield, he ran around like a headless fly.

Even more critically, this recruit's behavior triggered a series of terrible consequences.

Soon after, several other soldiers who were on the verge of a mental breakdown were also affected and rushed out of the bunker and ran around aimlessly.

If we don't stop them, this kind of situation will likely become more and more common.

And that's how the scene at the beginning came about, with the squid yelling at the top of its lungs.

But how could the voice of a man like Cuttlefish compare to the continuous explosions of 75mm artillery shells?

Or to put it another way, even if they heard the squid's roar, those mentally broken warriors wouldn't listen to a word at that moment.

Knowing that he couldn't let the situation continue like this, or the consequences would be unimaginable, Cuttlefish immediately brandished a pistol and rushed out of the safe bunker.

They are prepared to use some extreme measures to drive these new recruits back.

Having just emerged from the bunker, before he could even make out the scattered recruits amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Squid instinctively raised his left arm to shield his head and face. This instinctive action saved Squid's life.

Just as he raised his arm, a shell landed a dozen meters away, creating a large crater and sending a cloud of mud and sand flying in all directions.

A clump of mud and sand came crashing down on the cuttlefish.

Not only did the blows sting the squid's body, but the key issue was that a fist-sized stone was also mixed in, which coincidentally hit his arm, which he was using to shield his head and face.

With a faint 'crack' sound, the bone in his forearm was broken, and the squid's face contorted in pain.

Even so, Cuttlefish still staggered forward and ran to a few rumbling recruits.

Before the subsequent shells could fall and explode, suppressing his pity and reluctance, Cuttlefish shot and killed the first one with a single shot.

Then, while the other recruits were instinctively stunned, he kicked them repeatedly while yelling at them until his voice was hoarse:
"Go back immediately to the artillery bunker. Anyone who runs away will be killed without mercy."

After being kicked several times, the terrified recruits finally came to their senses and ran towards the nearby artillery shelter.

Seeing this, the squid finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, just as he was about to find a shelter nearby, the whistling sound of shells cutting through the air grew louder and louder.

Instinctively, he once again raised his arm to shield his head and face.

Unfortunately, this time the shell landed just a meter or two away from him.

Then, the number of transmigrators immediately decreased by one. It was only at this point that they began to suffer losses; whether this was fortunate or unfortunate is hard to say…

******
At 12:15, the Japanese shelling, which had lasted for 20 minutes, finally stopped; immediately, Mr. Minami rushed out of the bunker where he was hiding.

This guy is no wonder he's a veteran who spent his last time in Tengxian and Taierzhuang, those bloody meat grinders.

Having witnessed the Japanese 150mm heavy artillery and even aerial bombardment, he remained remarkably calm about the bombardment by the Japanese with their 75mm small cannons.

Unfortunately, he soon lost his composure.

As he rushed out of the bunker, he glanced down the hillside and saw two companies of Japanese infantry already marching to their positions, ready to attack.

He immediately shouted, "Prepare for battle! The Japanese are coming up soon!"

At his command, several soldiers rushed out of the bunkers and lay down on the trenches covered with loose soil, weapons in hand.

However, the area further to the left, which is the section of the battlefield that Squid is in charge of commanding, is now in complete chaos.

Upon seeing this, Nanze's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the squid's condition might be dire.

He immediately ran off, shouting from afar, "Old salted fish, old salted fish~"

"Old Salted Fish" is Cuttlefish's nickname. Mr. Nanze shouted it so loudly because he had been hiding in a bombardment bunker after experiencing a shelling.

Now everyone looks disheveled, and their clothes are no longer recognizable as their original color.

So for a short time, it's really difficult to distinguish the squid man from the crowd that looks like it was pulled out of a pile of mud.

Soon after, a voice choked with sobs rang out: "Commander Nan, Commander Mo is gone. He was blown up by the Japanese artillery shells. We can't even find a piece of his body that's even slightly larger."

The squid was gone before the fierce battle even began. Upon hearing this answer, Mr. Nanze felt dizzy and almost fainted.

New recruits fear artillery, veterans fear machine guns, and Cuttlefish was essentially a new recruit, so this battlefield experience was so vivid and bloody.

Having steadied himself, Mr. Nanze took a deep breath, calmed his complex emotions, and then roared out a command:
"Stop looking for those old salted fish. If they survived the war, keep looking. If they're all dead, bury them here. There's no need to look for them."

"Everyone, prepare for battle immediately, Company Commander Sun! From this moment forward, I appoint you as acting deputy battalion commander, in charge of commanding this section of the defensive line."

Then, as if premonishing something, Mr. Nanze added:
"Remember this! If I die too, then Company Commander Sun will take over command; if Company Commander Sun dies, the other guerrilla captains will take over; if all the guerrilla captains are dead, then the platoon leaders and squad leaders will take over."

"As long as there's one of us alive before nightfall, we must stay here and fight to the death, not retreating an inch..."

(End of this chapter)