The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 472 Successfully Taken (Two-in-One Chapter)

"26, 27, 28, 29~"

Hiding behind the bunker on the right, Black Star curled up as much as he could, silently counting the numbers above.

He used a few fingers of his left hand to clench the fuse of a wooden-handled grenade in his right hand.

On the ground to his right, in the most convenient spot, were three wooden-handled grenades with their caps removed and fuses pulled out.

At this moment, the expression on Black Star's face was one of indescribable solemnity and determination.

The reason for this was that he knew he absolutely could not continue fighting while being relentlessly suppressed.

Once they took cover behind the bunker and the two sides engaged in a firefight, although the Japanese light and heavy machine guns and rifles couldn't hit them, the grenades they threw posed a significant threat.

After all, the bunker and the pillbox were only 20 meters apart.

The Japanese soldiers could easily throw grenades over this distance from the top of the pillbox.

Just now, if it weren't for Lao Yu, who was right next to him, being quick-witted and kicking a grenade that had landed nearby far away, all four or five of them would have been killed on the spot.

But if this continues, we'll be killed or injured by Japanese grenades sooner or later, so we have to break this deadlock quickly.

How to break the deadlock? The answer is, of course, to throw grenades.

They threw wooden-handled grenades through the narrow firing ports into the pillbox, blowing up the Japanese light and heavy machine guns and killing the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops inside.

Let those guys who are throwing grenades at him know what it means to show off your skills in front of Guan Yu.

Therefore, the numbers that Black Star silently recited at the beginning.

Actually, they were counting the number of bullets fired by a Type 92 heavy machine gun inside the pillbox, the most powerful weapon in the Japanese pillbox.

This thing uses metal plates for ammunition feeding, with 30 bullets on each plate.

Once the shell is fired, even if it's operated by a skilled veteran Japanese soldier, it takes a while to replace it with a new shell plate.

There's no way around it! If this thing is tilted even slightly after being inserted, it can cause it to jam.

Black Star's plan was simple: take advantage of this window of opportunity when the Japanese were at their strongest; at this distance, he was quite confident in his grenade throwing accuracy.

However, in the bunker now, besides the Type 92 heavy machine gun with the most powerful firepower, there is also a Type 91 light machine gun and a Czech light machine gun, as well as more than twenty rifles, making the firepower quite fierce.

If I don't suppress them, I'm afraid I won't have many chances to make a move.

However, in order to disguise themselves, they only had some Hanyang rifles and shotguns. The former had a slow rate of fire, and the latter was completely inaccurate after 20 meters.

More importantly, Bo Shu's team's top sniper went awry; he fired three shots but missed every single target, effectively destroying their strongest suppressive firepower.

Even so, we have no choice but to take a gamble.

As the 30th shot rang out from the Type 92 heavy machine gun in the pillbox, Black Star shouted, "Cover me!"

When he shouted this, Black Star, who was huddled behind the bunker, did not immediately straighten up. He simply pulled the fuse of the wooden-handled grenade in his hand.

He did this for two reasons.

First, the grenade must be held in your hand for at least two seconds so that it explodes quickly when thrown into the pillbox; the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops have no chance to pick it up or throw it out.

Secondly, he hoped that in those two seconds, his other comrades could suppress the firepower in the pillbox, giving him some opportunity to throw grenades.

Even he himself knew that this so-called 'hope and opportunity' would require his comrades to risk their lives to obtain it...

That's exactly right! When I heard someone shout "Cover me!"

Uncle Bo, Lao Yu, Lao San, the guard, Mo Shuiyan, Mr. Nan Ze, Xiao Cui, the foreman, Lao Che, Sister Yi, Xin Huo and others straightened up from behind the bunker immediately.

Instead of using shotguns, which would be inaccurate at slightly longer distances, they picked up the Hanyang Type 88 rifles and Type 38 rifles that they had previously used to disguise their identities and fired at the multiple firing ports of the pillbox.

Almost simultaneously, gunfire erupted, and a light machine gun that was firing was immediately silenced.

There were also four or five other firing ports where Japanese soldiers and traitors, who were setting up their rifles and preparing to fire, had blood spurts on their heads, faces, and necks and were immediately knocked to the ground.

However, after firing a shot, the group did not retreat back into the bunker as they had done before, waiting to pull the bolt, load a bullet, and then pop out to fire again.

Instead, he remained kneeling upright in place, rapidly pulling the bolt and loading the bullet.

There was no other way! This was the only way to maintain the highest rate of fire, using this old-fashioned bolt-action rifle to suppress the firepower in the pillbox and buy Black Star time.

If you get hit during this time, you can only blame your bad luck.

Thus, a fierce exchange of fire began on the right side of Mendun Mountain.

Just as Lao Yu had blown apart the left cheek of a Japanese soldier on the top floor with a single shot, he was shot in the heart as soon as he began to pull the bolt of his rifle.

Thanks to the two layers of DIY bulletproof plates padded on his chest, the bullets failed to penetrate Lao Yu's body.

But the powerful impact made Lao Yu feel as if he had been hit hard in the chest with a hammer. The intense pain was one thing, but the worst part was that his heart seemed to stop for a second or two.

During this cardiac arrest, I could vaguely see my great-grandmother in my mind.

After calming down a little, he gritted his teeth and pulled back the bolt, and after the bullet was chambered, he pulled the trigger again, firing a shot hastily.

Although they didn't kill or wound the enemy, they successfully forced back a puppet soldier who, under the command of the Japanese, was about to rush to a firing port with a rifle.

Mo Shuiyan fired a shot, killing a Japanese soldier who was about to throw a grenade from the rooftop.

The Japanese soldier, still holding a grenade, swayed and fell from the top floor.

Mo Shuiyan didn't even have time to be happy about this victory for half a second. He clearly saw that on the rooftop, it seemed that another puppet soldier was about to throw a grenade.

He gripped the bolt with his right hand, pulled and pushed it to chamber a new bullet.

But at that moment, a 6.5mm rifle bullet came from the direction of the pillbox and hit his right index finger, severing the finger that had pulled the trigger, leaving only a short piece.

Despite the excruciating pain in his fingers, Mo Shuiyan switched his rifle to a left-handed trigger position and quickly pulled the trigger, killing the puppet soldier who was about to throw a grenade.

In short, everyone knew the importance of this moment, and even after being hit, they continued to fire.

With only a few broken rifles and far fewer men, they managed to suppress all the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops in the pillbox in a short period of time.

The most crucial figure among them was Uncle Bo, the sniper who had previously underperformed.

The key reason why he missed all three shots in the previous battle was that he used a secondhand Hanyang rifle for each shot.

It was like a test shot; I found out how much their trajectories deviated and memorized it.

And then! Naturally, it was his turn to perform.

Uncle Bo knelt down and kept firing at the pillbox, while two defecting puppet soldiers beside him helped him pull the bolt and load bullets to ensure the speed and continuity of his firepower.

With his method of firing three guns at once, he managed to suppress two firing ports all by himself.

Behind one of the firing ports was a crucial Japanese light machine gun, the Type 96 (or Type 11) light machine gun.

Every Japanese soldier and puppet army soldier who was sent up was killed or wounded by a bullet before they could even pull the trigger.

As for why Uncle Bo's target after firing was not the Type 92 heavy machine gun in the pillbox, which had the strongest firepower and posed the greatest threat?
It can only be said that Black Star would never waste the opportunity created by his comrades risking their lives.

He held a wooden-handled grenade with the fuse pulled, counted a couple of times, straightened up, and hurled it towards the firing port of the Type 92 heavy machine gun. The smoking grenade tumbled through the air before seemingly flying with eyes into the narrow firing port.

It exploded the moment it hit the ground, and dense fragments began to rage in the shockwave.

In addition to knocking down the assistant gunner who was about to step in after pushing the main gunner aside, he also took down several Japanese soldiers and puppet troops nearby.

After throwing the first wooden-handled grenade, without even glancing at whether it had hit the firing port, Black Star grabbed another wooden-handled grenade from the side.

After pulling the fuse, he held it in his hand, counted twice, and then threw it away.

This time, the tumbling grenade was thrown into a firing port on the first floor of the pillbox.

Whether it was a misperception or not, even amidst the intense gunfire, Black Star and the others faintly heard screams of terror coming from the pillbox.

Soon after, they realized that this was not an illusion, but the very thing that terrified the Japanese soldiers and puppet troops in the pillbox.

These watchtowers, located far from the city, naturally couldn't have any electricity input.

To power the searchlights, the Japanese had to equip them with a gasoline generator.

The Japanese were quite bold; they placed a large oil drum containing gasoline, along with some reserve ammunition, on one side of the first floor.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no problem with this approach, since in their memory, the Eighth Route Army did not have any decent artillery and could not possibly breach the sturdy walls of the blockhouse.

The bullets don't curve, so even if they come in through the firing port, they won't hit the gasoline and ammunition.

But bullets don't curve, while the wooden-handled grenades thrown by Black Star do.

At that moment, Black Star had just picked up the second wooden-handled grenade from the ground and pulled the fuse, and a huge explosion occurred in the pillbox.

It was like a small volcano erupting from inside the pillbox.

A massive burst of fire and shockwave, mixed with a large amount of blood, flesh, and debris, erupted from the firing ports and the top, scattering across a vast area like a shower of petals.

Among them was a severely deformed Type 90 steel helmet that slammed into the bunker next to Black Star with a 'thud,' almost hitting him squarely.

Fortunately, it was this commotion that woke Black Star up.

He was unaware that he had detonated the ammunition and gasoline cans, and was so stunned by the incredible explosion that he was momentarily bewildered.

For a moment, he was completely bewildered. He had only thrown a wooden-handled grenade, not an aerial bomb.

After being startled awake and choked by the smoke, he realized he was still holding a wooden-handled grenade with the pin already pulled.

He immediately threw it away as if it were a hot potato.

The grenade, after flying more than ten meters through the air, exploded violently before even hitting the ground completely...

******
The sudden, violent explosion on the opposite hilltop could not be kept secret from Hu Biao and his men.

At that time, they were hurriedly collecting weapons and ammunition in the pillboxes and bunkers, especially light machine gun ammunition and grenade launchers.

They planned to leave one or two people behind, while the rest rushed to the opposite hilltop to provide support.

The two hills may not look far apart, but after going down and up the hill, it can easily take seven or eight minutes.

Given such a long time, it's hard to say whether you'll even get to eat hot shit.

Fortunately, seeing such a huge explosion, it was clear that the Japanese soldiers who were stubbornly resisting in the pillbox had been dealt with by this guy, and they no longer needed to go over there.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief immediately.

After throwing down his Type 38 rifle, Hu Biao muttered, "Damn it! Old Cucumber, Big Fool, and Silent Gourd finally didn't capsize in the gutter."

At this point, the Japanese stronghold at Mendun Mountain had been completely wiped out by Hu Biao and his men.

Since there wasn't much left on the right hilltop, Black Star and the others cleaned up the battlefield a bit before heading to the left hilltop.

After the meeting, both sides were quite pleasantly surprised.

On the one hand, the casualties in this battle were far less than expected.

Six people died in the battle; all of them were former puppet troops who had defected.

Among the transmigrators, only two suffered slightly more serious injuries. Mo Shuiyan had a finger broken, and Lao Yu likely had three fractured ribs.

The others only suffered minor scratches from bullets and shrapnel, which were hardly a problem.

On the other hand, there is the issue of material supply.

Even though Hu Biao and his men were few in number and needed to consider the crucial issue of traveling light along the way, it was inevitable that most of the spoils would not be able to be taken away.

If we only consider the equipment and supplies they could use and planned to take with them, then this raid on the pillbox was quite worthwhile.

Regarding weapons and ammunition, there was one Czech-made light machine gun that was about 50% new, and five spare magazines.

One Type 91 light machine gun, equipped with 300 rounds of ammunition, which fit perfectly into three 100-round ammunition boxes; one Type 87 grenade launcher; and each person was provided with at least six small melon grenades.

Mo Shuiyan, the team's top grenade launcher operator, carried an entire backpack full of them.

After all, even though he lost his right index finger, he could still pull the trigger with his left hand, but his marksmanship accuracy was still significantly affected; so in the following battle, he planned to use the grenade launcher to provide fire support.

In addition, there were two Mauser pistols, 430 rounds of 7.63*25mm pistol ammunition, and a Japanese junior officer's samurai sword.

It should be noted that Hu Biao and his men used original German MP28 submachine guns, which also used this type of ammunition.

The capture of these bullets was an unexpected surprise, giving everyone at least an extra magazine of ammunition for their submachine guns.

Regarding food, the group planned to take away one bag each of rice and flour, as well as about 2 kilograms of lard.

Although the two bags of grain together only weighed about 80 kilograms, it wouldn't last the 36-person team for more than a few days.

The problem is that after carrying the necessary weapons and ammunition, carrying more food would affect the efficiency of the journey.

Fortunately, before the food ran out, Hu Biao and his team had enough time to inspect each of the three suspected mission locations and confirm whether they were indeed the places mentioned in the order.

But the most important thing is that the fat sheep, along with a whole bunch of ingredients and seasonings such as dried chili peppers, cabbage, radishes, vermicelli, and sesame paste, will all be packed up and taken away without leaving a single thing.

After Hu Biao had wandered around the kitchen, he even had Shizi, a novice, carry a large pot from the kitchen away.

The purpose was to show off my culinary skills and cook a mutton hot pot for everyone once we reached a safe location, so we could all enjoy a good meal together.

This juicy and flavorful meal is comparable to two regular meals.

In summary, Hu Biao and his team can be said to have gained a great deal.

Of course, there was also a regret: the Japanese soldiers at the Mendunshan stronghold originally had a military radio, but it was unfortunately placed in a pillbox on the right side of the hill.

With that wild explosion, the radio station was blown to smithereens.

Forget about reusing the captured equipment; even finding a few vacuum tubes wouldn't be enough to repair the radios that Hu Biao and his men had damaged.

Even now, Hu Biao and his men are still unable to contact any friendly forces...

(End of this chapter)