The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 426 Student Army (You might get an extra chapter for Kagyu)
...Every inch of our land was bought with blood; ten thousand youths made ten thousand soldiers.

It must be said that the slogan shouted by the bald principal was indeed quite impressive.

Because I clearly remember that when I first heard this slogan in the modern world, I was filled with indescribable excitement, wishing I could be born a few decades earlier to take up arms and fight the Japanese invaders.

But after traveling through time many times and encountering these so-called educated youths, and fighting alongside them, one realizes how many tragic stories lie behind such a slogan...

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

Amidst a series of highly rhythmic 'rat-a-tat-tat' machine gun shots, a 19-year-old thug sat in the passenger seat of a Mercedes-Benz L3000 truck.

He was holding a Czech-made light machine gun and firing it with practiced ease.

They knocked down one Japanese soldier after another who tried to rush up and block their advance.

All I can say is that the battlefield is the best teacher. Don't be fooled by the fact that this is the first time this guy has participated in time travel; he has already experienced far too many battles since arriving here.

At Gaofeng Pass, Kunlun Pass, and the ambush on the Independent Mixed Brigade 19, battle after battle followed, like donkeys in a production team, they were almost never idle.

After numerous battles, including several near-death experiences, the henchman has naturally grown stronger.

Whether it's individual combat or commanding battles, he seems quite adept at it.

Sure enough! The Czech light machine gun in his hand, with a newly replaced magazine, hadn't even finished firing when a loud bang suddenly came from the truck he was on.

Then, after a violent shaking, the truck came to a complete stop.

Ignoring the sharp pain in my head as the truck swayed and my head slammed into a steel plate on one side.

The thug immediately yelled at the driver, "What's going on? Can't you keep driving?"

"Sir, the left front wheel must have been blown out by the Japanese bullet, and we can't drive it anymore. What do we do now?" the driver replied immediately, his voice filled with panic.

Upon hearing this, the thug felt a sense of helplessness.

There was no other way! Even though this Mercedes-Benz L3000 truck imported from Germany was the best truck they could find among the Central Army and the Guangxi Army in the Guinan battlefield.

However, the economical six-cylinder diesel engine that this vehicle is equipped with only has 65 to 75 horsepower, and its standard load capacity is 3 tons.

Then the problem arose: after reserving the necessary weight for the troops, weapons, and ammunition to be carried, the steel plates and sandbags added when modifying the trucks were only placed in some key areas.

Furthermore, their thickness and quantity are limited, so their defensive capabilities are naturally also limited.

Otherwise, the vehicle's weight would prevent it from accelerating.

So, even though they knew the truck's tires would be a significant weakness, they simply welded on a semi-enclosed steel plate cover.

The Japanese soldiers reacted quickly enough and shot out the front wheel, rendering the truck immobile.

Although he was feeling depressed, the thugs showed no sign of worry on the surface. Instead, they appeared quite confident, which did not cause their subordinates any concern.

His tone of voice showed absolutely no sign of panic:

"It's alright! We'll just hold our ground. You take over the machine gun now, I'll go check the back of the carriage."

Seeing the thug so calm, the driver's panic disappeared. He took the machine gun and began firing in bursts.

It should be noted that, according to the operational plan, these modified trucks of the assault team would not follow the armored units and cavalry ahead and charge all the way to the end.

Instead, a truck would stop voluntarily every fifty meters or so.

The reason for this arrangement is that if they all rush forward at once, the speed of the following infantry will definitely not be able to keep up, resulting in a disconnect.

So if after they break through, the gap they finally managed to create is then seized upon by the Japanese and blocked again, wouldn't they be incredibly frustrated?

So every fifty meters or so a truck stops, with steel plates added to both sides of the cargo bed and sandbags hung on it, and the trucks are equipped with a number of light and heavy weapons.

Wouldn't that be like a bunker, able to use firepower to prevent the Japanese from closing in?

Even the infantrymen who rushed in after tearing open the gaps could use these trucks to build a stronger defensive line.

Therefore, after the front tire was shot out and the truck stopped, the thug was only annoyed and not worried. After all, according to the plan, after driving another seven or eight meters, one of the trucks in the convoy needed to stop voluntarily.

However, in the following time, when the thugs used a modified door that allowed them to go directly from the driver's seat to the small door of the carriage and crawl into the carriage.

Upon seeing the soldiers firing various weapons at the outside world, the thugs couldn't help but feel worried.

At 19 years old, he was the youngest among all the time travelers, and people usually took care of him to some extent.

However, compared to the soldiers in the carriage, he was the oldest.

These soldiers were either seventeen or eighteen years old or just over fifteen, and each of them looked very young.

Yet, during the battle, every face displayed an unwavering determination.

The reason is simple: they were the student army of the Guangxi Army, most of whom were high school students before enlisting, and a small number were teachers' college students and university students.

So, every single one of them is indeed quite young.

To be more specific, it was the third batch of student soldiers recruited by the Guangxi Army after the fall of Wuhan and Guangzhou, in order to strengthen rear defenses and replenish troops.

Originally, they planned to recruit 1000 people, but later they recruited 4000 directly, led by Xia Wei, who had once recruited Hu Biao in the name of the Guangxi Clique. This is also the reason why they are here.

Because they have knowledge, and they understand the principle that without a country, there is no home.

Therefore, their fighting spirit was stronger. In fact, Hu Biao originally did not intend to let them join such a dangerous mission, but they all wrote a letter in blood and sent it over.

Thus, in this modified vehicle convoy, there was a vehicle belonging to the student army.

Out of a desire to help them, the thugs took them with them, but with the truck rendered immobile, it seemed like a mistake...

The thug's worries didn't last long.

Not a very short time later, the infantry behind them had already rushed up.

The Japanese soldiers realized that as long as these trucks were present, their turtle formation would not be able to close, thus putting them at risk of being defeated one by one.

So, large numbers of Japanese soldiers attacked from both sides, and the immense pressure left the thugs with no time to think.

This continued until the thugs, who had been lying on the sandbags, opened fire and killed a veteran Japanese soldier. Suddenly, a spurt of warm blood splashed onto his face.

Turning his head, he saw a student soldier named Hua Yong, who was no more than sixteen years old and had fine downy hair on the corners of his mouth, lying backward on the wooden planks of the carriage.

A gunshot wound in his chest caused his face to contort in pain.

Instinctively, the thug pulled out a piece of gauze and pressed it against the wound while loudly reassuring the victim, "Press on the wound, you'll be fine, you'll definitely survive."

Even if he only glanced at the wound, he knew that Hua Yong was beyond saving.

But what else can he do besides offer such verbal comfort?
However, Hua Yong forced a smile at him and said, "Brother! You don't need to worry, and you don't need to be sad. I'm not afraid of death."

It was this title of "brother" that completely broke the thug's defenses; he often considered himself a child, so what did the person who called him Hua Yong mean? Was his life just beginning?

In an instant, the words of comfort that the thug was about to say were all swallowed back down.

Hua Yong seemed to sense that death was approaching him, and continued to comfort the thugs.

With trembling hands, he groped for a bamboo tube in his schoolbag and comforted himself, saying, "Brother! A dozen days ago, when our company was surrounded by the Japanese in a bamboo forest, I thought I was going to die."

Then I heard that Kunlun Pass had fallen and the Japanese had hastily retreated; it was as if I had gained more than ten days, so I had nothing to regret.

Oh, right! I even carved my last words on this bamboo tube back then…

As Hua Yong spoke, his voice grew softer and softer until his head lolled to the side and he was completely lifeless. His hand loosened, and the bamboo tube rolled to Da Shou's feet.

The thug instinctively glanced at it and saw the following passage written on it:

One day, we will raise our Blue Sky with a White Sun flag atop Mount Fuji!

(End of this chapter)