The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 467 Identity Issues

It was 7:06 AM on the second day after this time travel.

Hu Biao and his group, now reduced to only 36 people, set off once again along the Great Wall, striding towards Mendun Mountain, which was more than ten miles away.

During their march, Hu Biao and his men not only needed to send out a few veterans as scouts to avoid running into the Japanese search party.

They also needed to look up from time to time and glance at the surrounding sky; so that they could take cover immediately if they spotted Japanese planes.

And he would occasionally glance back to prevent the Japanese pursuers from appearing behind him.

Fortunately, they had an unusually smooth journey, and none of the Japanese search teams, planes, or pursuers appeared.

With everything going smoothly, our travel efficiency was also excellent.

After traveling for more than two hours, by 9:30 a.m., they were only three miles away from Mendun Mountain.

Such a smooth process was undoubtedly a very good omen for their operation to take down the Japanese stronghold today, which made everyone feel much more relaxed.

What they didn't know was that at the same time, just as they set off from the mountain valley where they had spent the night, something related to them was happening...

With a 'Baka!' sound, Goro Mano slapped his big butt out hard.

Because he acted out of anger, this big bastard showed no mercy whatsoever.

In an instant, Captain Iijima, who had just received a solid slap, was knocked to the ground like a wooden stake, and one of his cheeks swelled up at a visible speed.

Even Captain Iijima lost a bloody molar during his fall.

Even though Captain Iijima got up from the ground a second later, stood up straight with his chest out and stomach in, and shouted "Hi-ee~" with his head drooping,

He adopted an utterly obedient stance, willing to be whipped.

Mano Goro, the major general and brigade commander of the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese army, did not lose any of his anger.

Amidst shouts of "Baka!", one merciless blow after another was delivered; in no time, Captain Iijima was beaten until his head resembled a pig's head.

There was no other way! Goro Mano received the news from the Iijima Company in the middle of the night that they had not only failed to complete their mission in the pursuit of that mysterious unit, but had also suffered heavy casualties.

Before dawn, he hurriedly made his way here, escorted by three or four hundred cavalrymen.

They had prepared themselves mentally for the worst, knowing that the losses suffered by the Iijima Battalion would be substantial.

When he arrived at the ancient city wall of Dalongmen, a huge surge of anger shot straight to his head, almost causing Goro Mano to faint from rage.

Because the casualties and results here far exceeded his worst-case scenario estimate.

It's important to know that the Iijima Company was a standard infantry company with a total of 180 men.

With the night attack launched in the middle of the night, Goro Mano only saw about eighty soldiers lined up to welcome him.

Even according to Captain Iijima, there were still more than a dozen wounded soldiers who could not come to welcome him, the brigade commander.

This also prevented the squadron from suffering more than half its casualties, failing to capture any opponents, and achieving only seven victories.

Oh, right! Those seven corpses were lined up in a row on the ground to one side in the distance.

Four of them were wrapped in bandages, clearly indicating they were seriously injured.

Therefore, it's more accurate to say that these four opponents either committed suicide or gave up voluntarily, rather than being killed by the Iijima Company.

In previous battles, it was an infantry battalion of the Independent Mixed Brigade No. 2.

In a direct confrontation, they could at least fight against two or three regiments of the Eighth Route Army with inferior equipment and even gain a certain advantage.

Mano Goro had long been filled with an inexplicable arrogance; he had never achieved such a humiliating result before, and he was almost driven mad with anger...

*****
Amidst the resounding slaps, Goro Mano unleashed a barrage of blows, slapping Captain Iijima, that good-for-nothing, countless times.

He only stopped moving after feeling a sharp pain in his palm and discovering that his snow-white gloves were covered in blood and saliva.

The violent emotions in his heart subsided somewhat, and his intelligence regained its dominance.

It's clear that even if Captain Iijima is incompetent, the quality and combat prowess of his Imperial warriors are beyond doubt. The fundamental reason for this disastrous outcome is the overwhelming strength of their mysterious adversaries.

He became increasingly curious about the identities of these people.

Driven by this intense curiosity, he began to examine each of the seven dead bodies, trying to find some useful clues.

Goro Mano only glanced at the first five corpses and didn't pay much attention to them.

Because these were all the attire of Eighth Route Army soldiers, which he had seen too many of before, there was nothing unusual about them.

The only noteworthy point is that the fatal wounds of the seriously wounded soldiers revealed that four of them had committed suicide, which made him even more convinced that Captain Iijima was a useless piece of trash.

Goro Mano merely glanced at the sixth corpse.

Aside from being slightly surprised that a man could be so effeminate, I didn't think much more about it.

This situation changed when he stood before the seventh corpse, the warehouse manager's body, his expression immediately becoming serious.

How so? There are two main reasons.

Firstly, just like the old Chinese saying, "Even a dead tiger retains its power."

Even though the warehouse manager was now riddled with shrapnel from grenades and had long since stopped breathing, he still gave Goro Mano the illusion that this middle-aged man might jump up and fight at any moment.

He had only heard of such a situation in some legends.

This single detail was enough for Goro Mano to realize that this person must have an extraordinary background.

Secondly, right next to the warehouse manager's body, his weapons, equipment, and personal belongings were all taken out and neatly placed aside.

So much so that when Goro Mano looked over, he was somewhat dumbfounded.

The weapons on display included a Mauser sniper rifle, a short-barreled shotgun, a Browning M1911 pistol, and a multi-purpose military knife.

Two small melon grenades and two wooden-handled grenades, plus a whole bunch of bullets of various types.

Compared to the local guerrillas that Goro Mano remembered, the warehouse manager's equipment was luxurious to the point of being extravagant.

This feeling was especially strong when he picked up that original German Mauser sniper rifle and experienced its terrifying range and accuracy under a 6x scope.

In addition, there were camouflage cloths, gas masks, binoculars, watches, some US dollars, British pounds, Japanese military scrip, and many other personal items.

After the initial shock, Goro Mano had some vague suspicions that he had discovered traces of some large fish.

This guess was just too astonishing and crucial, making him both hesitant to believe it and certain.

Therefore, he summoned his adjutant and hastily issued an order:
"Immediately, at the fastest speed, send this body, along with his weapons, equipment, and personal belongings, to the military police stationed in Yi County."

Tell them to analyze this person's true identity for me as quickly as possible.

Oh, and tell Major Tanaka that the analysis results are strictly confidential and he is not allowed to tell anyone else.

Seeing the solemn expression on Shinjiro's face, the adjutant dared not delay any longer; he hurriedly left with the warehouse manager's body and weapons under the escort of a cavalry squad.

After watching the adjutant leave, Goro Mano didn't even feel like giving Captain Iijima another glance.

Pointing to a former second lieutenant from the Iijima Company, he casually asked, "Second Lieutenant, what's your name? Did you attend military academy?"

The lieutenant, who had a vague feeling that something good was about to happen to him, immediately bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle before answering:

"Reporting to the brigade commander, my name is Ito Yamano, and I graduated from the Imperial Army Officer School."

After silently nodding, Goro Mano began to instruct: "From now on, you will be acting as the company commander of this squadron."

"Now, take the radio and set off immediately to continue tracking down those fleeing Chinese. Once you find them, don't attack; just report their exact location via radio and keep them in suspense."

With another shout of "Hey!", Lieutenant Ito Yamano was overjoyed.

Captain Iijima, though his face was swollen like a pig's head and his expression was unreadable, his eyes held an indescribable resentment; not directed at Goro Mano, but at Hu Biao and the group that had broken through the encirclement...

(End of this chapter)