The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 478 Proofreading [Two-in-One Chapter]

More than twenty weapons on the ground opened fire wildly, and one of the bullets that flew into the air finally shattered the cockpit canopy and struck the Japanese pilot in the neck.

The Japanese pilot shuddered, immediately clutching the wound on his neck with both hands, and collapsed into his seat like a lump of mud.

Although he didn't die immediately, he only lived for a little longer, about half a minute.

Misfortune never comes singly; this perfectly describes the Japanese pilot's situation.

After being thrown four times in a row, the grenade thrown by Black Star finally took effect; the resulting shockwave and a large amount of shrapnel caused one of the air-cooled engines in the nose of the aircraft to malfunction and quickly shut down.

Although an aircraft that has lost power can still glide for a distance, there is a possibility of an emergency landing.

The Japanese pilot, weakened by the gunshot wound, had no strength left to pull the control stick and control the direction and angle of the aircraft's flight.

They could only watch helplessly as the plane crashed straight into a cliff face made of rock.

Finally, as the cliff grew closer and larger before them, the Japanese pilot shouted his last word: No!

Then, the Japanese plane that had caused Hu Biao and his men so much harm and threat crashed into the cliff face, causing a huge explosion on the spot.

Unfortunately, Hu Biao and his men didn't even have time to properly appreciate such a gratifying scene, or even to take a single glance at it.

Not only because the sniper, Uncle Bo, had already started firing from the sniper position a little behind them, indicating that the Japanese ground troops were not far away.

More importantly, Hu Biao and other veterans had an inexplicable intuition.

The Japanese suffered several losses at their hands, with casualties exceeding that of a company. Logically, in order to successfully complete the main combat mission of the mopping-up operation, they should not be pursued again.

But they kept chasing after us; something must have gone wrong.

Furthermore, the Japanese were just bad, not stupid. They knew perfectly well that a pursuer of this size would be useless against them, so there must have been more than just a hundred or so military police.

There must be some other arrangements they are unaware of yet, but which are quite terrible and malicious.

In short, although they did not communicate at all, they had already reached a consensus: they could not stay here for long and had to leave immediately, as quickly as possible.

Therefore, after vaguely seeing the Japanese pilots in the sky being shot, Hu Biao knew that the biggest problem had been solved, but more troubles were yet to come. He had no time to watch the footage of the Japanese planes crashing.

In the very first moment, he roared out a series of retreat orders:
"Retreat, retreat to the west. Don't pick up the sheep bones on the ground, don't bother with them. Just take the mutton and rice with you, they can fill your stomach just the same."

"Foreman, Shizi, you two carry the two wounded soldiers on your backs; Boss Lady, Xiaocui, and Sister Yi, you three take care of the female students and children."

After saying that, Hu Biao hoisted a bag of rice onto his shoulder and took the lead in preparing to evacuate urgently.

After running only a few steps, some unexpected events occurred; however, upon closer examination, these unexpected events seemed to be quite logical.

Specifically, under Hu Biao's orders, the foreman immediately went to the wounded soldier who was closest to him.

In other words, besides Fang Youcai, the only other soldier from the 7th Company ran over; after getting closer, the foreman saw the other's injuries and his heart skipped a beat.

Because the other person had been shot at least three times in the stomach, a bloody mess was immediately visible upon inspection.

If this were in a modern world, this kind of injury, while troublesome, wouldn't be considered fatal; after all, apart from the intestines, there aren't many other organs in the abdomen.

As long as the injured person is operated on in time, they can survive the infection period. It's just that some intestines will be removed, and they will have to go to the toilet more frequently in the future.

But in the current environment of hasty evacuation, there is no time to operate on him, so this Eighth Route Army soldier is basically doomed.

Even so, the foreman still bent down and grabbed the other man's arm, preparing to carry him away.

What else? Can we just ignore the wounded ancestors who fought to the death against the invaders for the sake of the country and the nation?

To the contractor's utter surprise, his hand was only halfway out when the soldier shoved him away and shouted:
"Don't worry about me, you guys get out of here."

"Hurry! My injuries are so severe, I'm sure I won't survive. Rather than dying on the way and becoming a burden to you, leave me more bullets and grenades, and I'll cover your retreat."

The words had barely faded when the thugs' voices echoed from a short distance away:

"Don't worry about me, you guys just need to leave."

It turned out that, coincidentally, the two men who were injured while shooting the plane made the decision at the same time to stay behind so as not to hinder the others' escape.

Faced with such a demand, the foreman and the two newcomers were completely dumbfounded and at a loss.

Fortunately, Hu Biao also heard the demands of the two thugs.

He didn't stop walking. After a half-second of silence, he made a decision and shouted at the crucial moment: "Let them cover our retreat, and leave a few more grenades."

In a way, the request from the two individuals was granted on behalf of the time-traveling team and the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Then, he shouted at the top of his lungs to Uncle Bo and the others who were sniping, "Old Cucumber, you guys catch up right now, you don't need to snipe anymore."

However, in all the voices above, everyone could hear the deep sorrow in the voice of the man who shouted those words.

This proves that he only reluctantly agreed to the request while enduring the pain at the center of his body.

Upon hearing the commotion, the others were inexplicably filled with a sense of tragic grandeur.

The fact that the two thugs volunteered to cover the retreat set an example for everyone, or at least set a precedent for what they were saying:

If they become incapacitated in the coming period, they should cover the rear to avoid burdening more people.

Under Hu Biao's orders, the foreman and Shizi solemnly said "Take care" to the people they were originally planning to carry away.

He quickly took several small melon grenades, some bullets and magazines from his body, and placed them next to the two men.

The difference between the two was that, before leaving, the foreman thought of something and, with an extremely serious attitude, asked the Eighth Route Army soldier a question:
"Comrade! May I ask your name, where you're from, and how old you are?"

This is the foreman recalling the seriously wounded soldier who committed suicide with a Mauser pistol right in front of him last night; now, he doesn't even know the name of this great predecessor.

Not to mention, if I can actually return to the modern world alive in the future, I can call out the name of this ancestor, light a cigarette for him, offer him a cup of wine, and pay a small tribute to express my feelings.

"Chu Hui, from Zhangliuzhuang Town, Gaobeidian, I'm 23 years old this year," the Eighth Route Army soldier covered in blood replied, forcing a smile.

The foreman didn't speak, but nodded vigorously, making sure he remembered the above information.

Not far from him, Cross dropped four grenades in quick succession. With red eyes, he was about to leave when a thug suddenly grabbed his arm.

At the time, Cross, who thought the thugs had changed their minds, was not surprised but rather pleased.

Even after the thug changed his mind, he still weighed 170-180 pounds with only one leg, making the journey of evacuation by carrying him on his back extremely difficult.

But so what? These are his cross-strait companions, his comrades-in-arms, but definitely not a burden.

But after the thug grabbed Cross's right hand, what he said wasn't that he was now willing to back down; he simply uttered an unexpected request:

"Brother, if you can, please take care of Song Jie for me and try to keep her alive as long as possible."

Of the three female students, Song Jie was the most pretty and delicate-looking, a fact that Shi Zi naturally knew.

Shizi had no idea why the thug had asked him to take care of the other person, or what kind of relationship or connection existed between them.

However, that's not important. What's important is that you've just graduated from university and entered society, and your eyes still retain a kind of clarity and naivety that hasn't been beaten down by society.

This was the first time in his life he had encountered such a solemn scene, like entrusting one's children to someone on one's deathbed.

A strange sense of tragic grandeur welled up uncontrollably in the young man's heart, and even a line of ancient poetry flashed through his mind:
Three cups of Turanuo, Wuyue is light.

A surge of passion welled up within him, rushing straight to the top of his head, making him instantly lose his temper. He had only one thought: even if he died in the crossfire of the Japanese soldiers, he would fulfill his henchman's dying wish and protect Song Jie.

All these thoughts ultimately culminated in a solemn promise from the mouth of the cross: "Okay."

"Thanks, bro. Consider it a favor I owe you."

Upon hearing the promise of the cross, the thugs showed a relieved expression; then they looked in the direction from which the Japanese soldiers had attacked, their faces filled with an indescribable sense of despair.

Thus, after leaving two people behind to cover their retreat, Hu Biao and his group quickly began to evacuate westward.

After running a certain distance, both adults and children, as if strongly attracted by something, would involuntarily turn back again and again. The reason they kept turning back wasn't to see if the Japanese soldiers were catching up.

Actually, one reason is that they looked at that pot of mutton they had been looking forward to for most of the day but ultimately failed to get to eat; just from that aroma, they knew it must be extremely delicious.

It's a pity I didn't get to try it; I really wanted to taste it! Even just one bite would have been nice.

Secondly, look at the thugs who took the initiative to cover the rear, Chu Hui, and the student who was already dead, because these were their comrades and partners.

If there were even the slightest possibility, why would anyone be willing to abandon them...

*****
After organizing all his magazines and grenades and placing them in the most convenient spot, the thug patiently lay down behind a small mound of earth, waiting for the Japanese soldiers to arrive.

And the arrival of the end time for my own time-travel journey.

During this process, it's unclear whether people's thoughts are particularly active before they die.

Two figures, completely different in hairstyle and attire but identical in face and temperament, uncontrollably surged into the young man's heart.

The first one was a female classmate he had liked since junior high school in his modern world, and had liked for many years, even thinking countless times that he would marry her.

The next one is Song Jie, whom he met during this time travel.

Originally, during his last time travel, the thug planned to confess his feelings to the female classmate as soon as he returned to the modern world and launch a bold pursuit.

As soon as he traveled back in time, he discovered the bamboo tube belonging to the student army, who was now living a wonderful new life in the modern world.

My emotions were greatly affected, so much so that my original plan to confess my feelings was delayed for several days.

On the night before his time travel was about to begin, he finally mustered up the courage to have Tony do his hair before heading to the other school with Xian.

I'm going to confess my feelings to that girl, no matter what the outcome.

Then, when they arrived at the school gate, they saw the other person and a tall, thin boy, chatting and laughing as they strolled around.

The relationship between the two seems to require little speculation.

The thug's reaction at the time was not to stop or disturb the other party, but simply toss the flowers into the trash can and turn around and go home.

If it weren't for the fact that there would be another time travel in a few hours, the heartbroken young people would have been ready to get drunk.

Even so, he decided to seal his heart and lock away love from now on, and never fall in love with any woman again.

Unexpectedly, after this time travel, he encountered Song Jie, who looked and had a similar temperament, and instinctively felt a strong sense of kinship with her.

Of course, it's just a strong sense of familiarity.

Many times, when the thugs looked at Song Jie in a daze, they were only thinking about the female classmate from the modern world. They never thought about having anything happen between them to make up for the regrets in the modern world.

It was based on this sense of closeness that he asked the cross-staff member to take care of Song Jie as much as possible.

All of this active thinking came to a complete halt when several figures in tan military uniforms emerged from a thicket of bushes about 80 or 90 meters away.

He didn't think too much, nor did he aim the gun; it was purely instinct honed from numerous battles.

The thug picked up the MP28 submachine gun, adjusted the muzzle slightly by feel, and pulled the trigger all the way to the bottom. After holding it for two or three seconds, he gently pulled the trigger again and again.

A few seconds later, he rolled over repeatedly on the spot, rolling all the way to a distance of five or six meters, before quickly pulling out a magazine and changing it.

Those who don't know much about the game might not see anything particularly impressive about the actions of the players mentioned above.

However, Chu Chuhui, who was lying on his knees about twenty meters to the right of the thug, behind a rock with his rifle set up, couldn't help but secretly shout "Good!"

The MP28 submachine gun has two different firing modes, burst and single shot, which are controlled entirely by the trigger travel; pulling the trigger all the way down fires burst fire, while gently pulling the trigger one shot at a time fires single shot.

In other words, after the two sides came face to face, the thugs first fired about twenty bullets in the general direction of the Japanese soldiers.

Even if they missed their target, the barrage of bullets threw them into disarray, leaving them no time to hold their Type 38 rifles and demonstrate their marksmanship in their hasty dodges.

While these Japanese soldiers were in disarray, the thugs launched another round of exceptionally precise bursts of fire, finally taking them down one by one.

His immediate roll to the side was merely a reaction to avoid being retaliated against by the Japanese.

Sure enough! Just as the thug changed to a new magazine, three more Japanese soldiers rushed out and opened fire on the spot where he had just been.

The 6.5mm caliber Arisaka bullet has strong penetrating power and easily pierced through a small mound.

If the thugs were still hiding in the same spot, they might get shot now.

After the three Japanese soldiers finished firing, two of them were immediately taken down by the henchmen with burst fire; before the henchmen could fire, Chu Hui shot and killed the remaining one.

In summary, within this short period of time, the thugs demonstrated remarkable familiarity with their weapons, decisiveness and proficiency in executing tactical maneuvers, and precision in marksmanship.

Unfortunately, the only way the thug with a broken leg can move is by rolling left and right.

After the initial panic, with overwhelming superior numbers and firepower, all the thugs and Chu Hui could do was hold out a little longer before dying.

Even if they could hold out for just half a minute longer, Hu Biao and his men could retreat a further distance.

So here's the question: how long did the thugs hold out in total?
In 3 minutes and 27 seconds, the Japanese had already set up two light machine guns one after the other. Their fierce firepower immediately made it difficult for the thugs and Chu Hui to lift their heads.

Seeing this, a dozen or so Japanese soldiers seized the opportunity and rushed over quickly.

The thug immediately threw a grenade, pulled the pin, tapped it on his helmet, and started counting down the seconds.

After counting to three, he lay on the ground and threw the grenade with all his might.

The grenade didn't land completely, so it was already at a height of about two meters, which coincidentally created a more lethal airburst effect.

After three or four Japanese soldiers were instantly knocked down, the remaining Japanese soldiers quickly lay on the ground, no longer daring to fully comprehend the situation.

At 5 minutes and 13 seconds, a loud explosion came from the right. The thugs instinctively turned their heads and saw that Fa Chuhui had been blown away by a grenade fired from a grenade launcher.

"Comrade! Wait for me a moment, I should be there soon, and then we can all walk together on the road to the underworld."

As he muttered this to himself, the thug fired another burst of bullets; however, his movements were several minutes slower than before.

There's no other way! The fact that he's still alive after losing blood from his broken leg and being hit by several bullets and shrapnel is a miracle in itself.

At 7 minutes and 36 seconds, the thug threw away his submachine gun, pulled out a pistol, and continued firing because he had run out of bullets.

At 8 minutes and 51 seconds, the thug fired the last bullet from his pistol and then let go, causing the pistol to fall to the ground.

He didn't save the last bullet or a grenade for himself, because there was no need for it; after struggling to sit up, he gave the Japanese soldiers a big middle finger and held that position until he died.

Another minute passed before Major Tanaka walked up to the thug's corpse.

After glancing silently at the thug, his emotions were extremely complex.

Some of them were happy, because the thugs' strong performance and fighting spirit further proved that the mysterious team they were chasing was Hu Biao and his partners.

As long as he catches and eliminates them, he will rise to great heights.

Another part of them was somewhat inexplicably worried that Hu Biao and the others would still escape.

Even with the rapid mobility of railways and highways, and the Yamazaki Battalion having laid a tight net, they were still somewhat uneasy.

These people are far stronger than he estimated, just as he would never have believed before.

A member with a broken leg, accompanied by a wounded Eighth Route Army soldier, managed to hold them off for almost ten minutes, inflicting a terrifying number of casualties on them, numbering twenty to thirty.

"No way! Hu Biao, the Tiger of Shanghai, and his companions, no matter how powerful they are, are just ordinary people. Besides, they brought a lot of children with them. They definitely can't escape."

Tanaka told himself this and encouraged himself.

Then, he yelled at his men, "Hurry up, run faster, you must catch those Chinese!"

(End of this chapter)