The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 481 A Long Night (Part 3) [Combined Chapter]

Time: 10:22 pm.

Specific location: Unknown.

Since around 4 p.m., Hu Biao and his men had been heading westward through mountainous and hilly terrain where Japanese trucks and horses could not travel.

During this period, battles broke out with the Japanese from time to time, and in their panic, they often took a roundabout and detour.

After a while, they had no idea where they were.

Even Fang Youcai and the veterans, Eighth Route Army soldiers who had carried out combat missions in Yi County many times, were now completely bewildered and had no idea where they were.

However, the above situation does not change the fact that they all know one thing: they must find a way to get rid of that particularly troublesome group of Japanese soldiers behind them.

This group of Japanese soldiers, though only numbering seventy or eighty, were far too cunning.

Since it suddenly appeared from the side half an hour ago and chased after them, it didn't try to catch up with them and kill them like the other Japanese soldiers.

They were suspended at least 200 meters behind them, firing continuously from that distance.

Even though firing in the dark greatly reduced their accuracy, and they fired hundreds of shots without hitting anyone, the sight of bullets whizzing past them still put considerable psychological pressure on everyone.

After all, if you walk the dark road too often, you'll eventually run into a ghost. If the Japanese devils throw too many bullets at you, some unlucky souls will eventually be hit.

Being constantly harassed by the Japanese soldiers behind us doesn't seem like a good solution; if we encounter the Japanese intercepting forces again in front, wouldn't we be caught in a pincer movement?

Their situation will only get worse by then.

However, it proved quite difficult for Hu Biao and his men to eliminate these Japanese soldiers.

Should we have a group of people lie in ambush and secretly launch an attack on the Japanese? We tried it, but the results were limited.

The Japanese sent out five or six scouts behind them, at least fifty meters ahead of the main force. This meant that each ambush could only kill a few of these scouts at most.

Should we launch a counter-offensive to annihilate them? That would be even less effective.
These cunning Japanese devils would turn around and run away immediately, without even engaging in a direct confrontation; when everyone had to start retreating again, they would continue to chase after them.

It gives the impression of being like a stubborn, irritating plaster that you can't get rid of—it's utterly disgusting...

A minute later, under the relentless long-range fire of the Japanese soldiers who were chasing them like leeches, someone in the desperately advancing team was finally shot.

The unlucky guy who got shot was Old Car, a newbie who just joined this time.

Compared to the deafening effect of being hit by a shell not long ago, this injury is somewhat insignificant.

He was only grazed by a bullet on his left arm, which bit off a small amount of skin and flesh; it did not affect his mobility or even his combat ability.

The key issue is that a bag of rice he had taken from the somewhat tired foreman just over ten minutes earlier had been shot through.

Immediately, the white rice flowed out from the gun hole.

As the old cart continued forward, it flowed out continuously, spreading out a long rice noodle on the ground.

Unfortunately, given the current hasty evacuation situation, the wound on my shoulder is causing a sharp, tearing pain with every movement.

The old car, busy making its way, didn't even realize that the weight on its shoulders was gradually decreasing.

The people behind him didn't look down at their feet, so naturally they couldn't notice the long rice noodle that had appeared on the ground.

When Xiao Cui, who was following behind the old car and pulling Cong Yu, the female student, along the way, she inadvertently discovered this situation.

The rice bags that were once bulging are now only about a third of their original size.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he shouted, "Old cart, old cart, the rice is leaking."

Seeing that the old car continued to move forward without any reaction, Xiao Cui finally realized that she had been so confused by the continuous fighting and traveling that she had forgotten that the old car had been deafened by the noise.

With a wry smile, he temporarily released Cong Yu, who had been dragged along by him to keep up with the group's pace.

With legs that were weak from the long journey and intense hunger, he strode forward, ready to catch up with the old car and remind him with his actions.

You should know! The people in the team are still able to push forward with all their might.

Besides unleashing a fierce determination within them, the hope of breaking through the Japanese encirclement and cooking immediately after breaking through was also a major source of motivation for them.

Before long, Xiao Cui's outstretched hand patted the old car's uninjured shoulder.

The frustrating situation has happened again.

As Xiao Cui felt a sharp pain in her back, her lower body seemed to lose all sensation, causing her to collapse to the ground like a lump of mud.

With the medical knowledge that Xiaocui has recently been cramming on, she doesn't even need to touch the wound with her other hand.

Xiao Cui, who had a wry smile on her face, had basically guessed what had happened.

He was simply unlucky enough to be shot, and the bullet hit his spine at the junction of his back, chest, and waist, causing severe damage to the cauda equina in that area, which ultimately led to paralysis of his lower body.

So, what should be done after losing the ability to move?

The thugs and Chu Hui have already set an example for everyone, so there's no need to go into detail about how to do it.

When Cong Yu saw this, her face filled with terror, she staggered towards Xiao Cui, intending to help her up. But Xiao Cui pushed her away, shouting loudly:

"Don't worry about me, keep running, you must fight your way out with them."

"That's right! Hurry up and catch up with the old cart ahead, tell him the rice is leaking; if even a little bit more leaks, everyone will starve to death, even if they escape."

Perhaps it was because of the hardships of the past few days that Cong Yu, a young lady from a wealthy family in the capital who had always been pampered and had never experienced hardship, was under tremendous psychological pressure.

Now I see Xiao Cui, who has been taking care of me all along, is also seriously injured and lying on the ground.

We are about to embark on a mission where we are certain to die and must cover the retreat.

Cong Yu, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old female student, finally broke down completely; her legs went weak and she slumped down next to Xiao Cui.

Then all she could do was cry helplessly, and she didn't do what Xiao Cui told her to do at all.

In her haste, Xiao Cui couldn't put on her usual caring older sister persona and gently comfort the girl.

With a heavy heart, I knew I had no choice but to use drastic measures.

She raised her right hand and slapped Cong Yu hard across the right cheek, cursing, "Cry, cry your mother's ass! Get lost, you little bastard, or I'll smear your face!"

Xiao Cui's slap was so forceful that it swelled up one side of Cong Yu's small face, which was no bigger than a palm.

However, what was most damaging to Cong Yu was the part of Xiao Cui's sudden curse that threatened to ruin her face.

Instinctively, he sprang up from the ground and sprinted forward.

Cong Yu is a rare female college student these days, so there's no doubt about her intelligence.

So after running a few steps, she realized that this was all Xiao Cui's provocation, and that everything she did was for her own good, to help her survive.

So she continued running forward for the rest of the time.

He kept turning back to look at the older sister, his eyes filled with sorrow and reluctance.

Fortunately, during this process, she remembered that Xiao Cui had told her to remind Lao Che about the leaked rice; after catching up, she patted the deaf man on the shoulder and pointed to the rice bag on his left shoulder.

After seeing Cong Yu's gesture, Lao Che was shocked and realized what was happening.

I quickly adjusted the rice bag, turning the leaking nozzle upwards, and finally stopped the remaining rice, which was only about a quarter full, from flowing out.

After the female student Cong Yu got up and ran away, Huang Adi, AT, Lao San, Lao K and the other two who were covering the rear also came to Xiao Cui's side while fighting and retreating.

Seeing Xiao Cui slumped to the ground with a resolute expression from afar, they sighed deeply and knew what had happened and what was about to happen. Therefore, they made no move to help Xiao Cui up, nor did they offer any words of comfort.

After taking a first-aid kit from Xiao Cui, he casually pulled out a magazine or a grenade from his person and threw it next to Xiao Cui before continuing his retreat, even speeding up the process.

Of course, this does not mean that they have little affection for Xiao Cui, their teammate.

Rather, it was the fact that the young man who was initially the thug had volunteered to cover the retreat that had led the others to a tacit understanding and consensus:

Anyone who loses their ability to move must not become a burden to the team. Instead, they should stay behind to cover the rear and try to hold off the Japanese for as long as possible.

Even that damn bastard would be the same in this situation.

Therefore, if they continue to dawdle with Xiao Cui, it would be a huge waste and irresponsible act towards this partner who took the initiative to cover the retreat...

******
Just like before, when she was the one who chose to cover the rear, before the Japanese soldiers caught up from behind, Xiao Cui adjusted all the magazines, grenades, pistols, daggers and other weapons to the positions that were easiest for her to reach.

All the preparations were made in preparation for the end of my journey through time.

Kill more Japanese soldiers and buy everyone more time.

The difference was that, while crawling to a shallow ditch by the roadside using her hands as her sniping position, Xiao Cui tried rolling over on the spot.

But then I discovered that I had completely lost all feeling in my lower back.

This means she cannot use her waist strength to roll and maneuver to evade the Japanese attacks; she can only stand still and endure the blows.

But so what? As long as Xiao Cui is still alive, the Japanese devils won't be able to get through here.

Having made up her mind, the Japanese soldiers appeared before Xiao Cui's eyes; they were still a small squad of six scouts.

They crouched low and jogged to catch up.

During this process, in addition to continuously firing their guns forward.

He kept glancing around the alleyway, even firing a shot at a suspicious area to prevent anyone from lying in ambush, showing a rather cautious demeanor.

Even so, Xiao Cui still showed no intention of firing, instead lying firmly in the shallow pit, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Only when the footsteps became clearer and the Japanese soldiers rushed within twenty meters did they suddenly raise their upper bodies.

Holding the MP28 submachine gun in his hand, he pulled the trigger all the way to the bottom.

Thus began Xiao Cui's solo battle. She didn't know how long she could hold out, she only knew that she would hold out as long as she could.

In just a few seconds, the MP28 submachine gun, which could hold 32 rounds, was used.

However, in order to prevent the spring from jamming, the magazine, which only contained 30 rounds, was emptied by Xiao Cui in one go; a sniper squad of six Japanese soldiers had been completely wiped out.

However, one of the Japanese corporals was also quite formidable.

Even after being hit by three bullets in the chest and abdomen, he struggled to his knees after falling to the ground, picked up a Type 38 rifle, and prepared to continue firing at Xiao Cui.

Unfortunately, just as she was about to pull the trigger, Xiao Cui drew her pistol from her waist and fired with lightning speed.

With just one shot, the Japanese corporal was struck squarely on the top of the head, killing him instantly.

At 2 minutes and 21 seconds into the single-person sniping battle, Xiao Cui was hit in a vital spot by the Japanese for the first time in this battle, a bullet striking her chest.

Even with the protection of a DIY bulletproof plate in this position, the poor girl almost passed out from the intense impact of the 6.5mm Arisaka rifle bullet.

As soon as she regained her composure, she gritted her teeth, picked up a small melon grenade, pulled the safety pin, tapped it on her helmet, and threw it away.

The grenade arced through the air and landed at least forty meters away, killing two Japanese soldiers who rushed up.

At 4 minutes and 03 seconds, Xiao Cui was seriously injured.

When she caught a glimpse of a small black star hurtling towards her out of the corner of her eye, she instinctively ducked down and covered her head with her hands.

This was a high-explosive grenade fired from a Japanese veteran's grenade launcher, with excellent accuracy; after the explosion that occurred just a few meters away, she felt as if she had been blown to pieces.

My whole body ached, especially my left hand, which became numb and barely responsive to my commands.

But the next second, she still fired with one hand while holding the submachine gun, riddling the chest and abdomen of a Japanese soldier who had rushed within twenty meters.

At 5 minutes and 17 seconds, Xiao Cui, lying in the shallow pit, entered a near-death state.

She looked at the starry sky, which seemed exceptionally deep and beautiful tonight, but her face showed a strong sense of resentment.

This intense sense of resentment stemmed not from the fact that her current time-travel journey was about to end, and she didn't know when she would be able to travel through time again.

Rather, she felt that the time she had spent holding off the Japanese was still too short, not even as long as the thug's.

You should know! Compared to her, this guy was still a newbie. When she was first issued a submachine gun by the team, the thugs were still carrying Hanyang rifles.

With such resentment and regret, Xiao Cui let out a long sigh and then completely lost all life.

What she didn't know was that although she didn't snipe the Japanese soldiers for as long as the thugs, due to some special reasons, she achieved a better effect in delaying the Japanese pursuit...

Two minutes later, this Japanese commander, who had been sticking to Hu Biao and his men like a leech for quite some time, was now behind them.

A second lieutenant in his early twenties slowly walked up to Xiao Cui's body.

He looked at the petite corpse before him, which, despite being covered in wounds and its face stained with the grime of gunpowder, still revealed itself to be that of a young girl in the prime of her life.

After letting out a long sigh, Ito Yamano's face was filled with a strangely complicated expression.

It should be noted that this Lieutenant Ito Yamano is actually the current temporary commander of the Iijima Company, the Japanese unit that initially pursued Hu Biao and his men.

Former Commander Captain Iijima was stripped of his rank by Brigade Commander Goro Mano due to poor performance in combat, which gave him the opportunity to lead his troops in pursuit of Hu Biao and his men.

Lieutenant Ito, as expected of a graduate of the island nation's army academy with excellent grades.

Even though his forces numbered less than a hundred, this unique "dog skin plaster" tactic still caused Hu Biao and his men considerable trouble and problems.

During that period, Ito Yamano was filled with an indescribable sense of pride and satisfaction.

It seemed that he had successfully entangled the target and finally waited for friendly forces to arrive to provide assistance. After successfully completing the mission, he earned the appreciation of Brigade Commander Goro Mano.

He first became a company commander, and then rose through the ranks to become battalion commander, regimental commander, and so on.

Ultimately, he, the second son of a farmer's family in Sapporo, became a distinguished general in the empire.

But at this moment, Ito Yamano no longer had the confidence he had before, and even had a strong doubt about whether the empire could eventually conquer the land of China.

There's no other reason than that when these young girls, as beautiful as flowers in the sky, took up arms to fight them.

How could a mere island nation with only four islands possibly defeat such a powerful opponent?

He opened his mouth, and the words "Give this woman a proper burial" were about to slip out; but remembering Brigade Commander Goro Mano's strict order that all corpses must be sent there, he held back.

However, he could no longer maintain the mindset of continuing to pursue his goals.

After speaking, he issued another order: "Rest on the spot for half an hour."

Upon hearing this order, the Japanese soldiers of the Iijima Company, whose number of survivors had dwindled to less than fifty, all wore expressions of relief.

It was precisely because of this that Hu Biao and his men finally shook off the Japanese pursuers who were like a persistent leech.

Unfortunately, this did not mean that they could relax from then on; because the Iijima Company was just a small, insignificant force among the many troops the Japanese had deployed to hunt them down.

Even so, it gave Hu Biao and his group a precious respite...

(End of this chapter)