The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 500 Ambush (Part 1) (Combined Chapter)

"Baka! We're almost at Zijing Pass, everything is safe now."

After turning a bend, the winding mountain road ahead, with a mountain ridge on the left and a cliff not far to the right, suddenly widened up.

The key point is that as long as you look up slightly, you can see the Zijing Pass a kilometer or two away, as well as the hundreds of soldiers and civilians lined up at the pass to welcome you. Gangcun Ninji silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, in a voice only he could hear, he muttered the first sentence.

Okamura Tsutomu's relieved expression and reaction were merely a microcosm of the collective thoughts of this group of hundreds of Japanese soldiers.

The main reason for this is Okamura Ninji.

The old Japanese soldier had set off from Laiyuan County early in the morning full of confidence; however, after the convoy had only traveled about ten kilometers, a sense of crisis inexplicably arose in his heart.

As the convoy continued to move forward, this inexplicable sense of crisis in his heart became more and more obvious, and he always felt that something bad was about to happen.

He immediately ordered the convoy to speed up, and the soldiers rallied their spirits and increased their vigilance, trying to reach Zijing Pass as soon as possible.

Because there is a garrison there with strong fortifications; they can even send someone to notify the 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade to send troops to provide support.

In short, Okamura Tsutomu believed that he would be completely safe once he reached Zijing Pass.

Unexpectedly, their journey was disrupted by a road collapse halfway through, delaying their trip by at least two hours.

While the soldiers were clearing the collapsed road surface, the old Japanese soldier was on tenterhooks for quite a while, fearing that a large number of Eighth Route Army troops would launch an attack.

At the same time, his nervousness also significantly affected the other Japanese officers and soldiers traveling with him.

They assumed that this lieutenant general from headquarters knew some secret information they were unaware of, or that there was great danger in the journey.

It meant that the hundreds of Japanese soldiers in the convoy were on high alert the whole way.

Fortunately, Zijing Pass was already in sight, and at their speed, they could arrive in just a few minutes.

Immediately, all the hundreds of Japanese soldiers in the entire team relaxed their tense nerves, just as Annie had predicted.

Both body and mind relaxed, resulting in a significant decrease in reaction time.

No one noticed that the lead Type 92 heavy armored vehicle was about to drive over two stacked stones on the side of the road.

But what great danger did these two unassuming stones represent to them?

Of course, even if some of the Japanese soldiers noticed this at that moment, it would be too late...

For Mr. Minami, who was holding a Czech light machine gun with a magazine full of SMK-H armor-piercing rounds, the moment the Japanese soldiers moved from the wheel to the level of the two stones, it was the signal for him to take action.

Minutes earlier, after spotting the Japanese armored vehicle leading the way, the guy with the gap in his teeth knew he was in for a job, and a very crucial one at that.

I must destroy this thing immediately, before it has a chance to attack.

Otherwise, the tank cannons and heavy machine guns on it would be terrifying firepower that these ambushers could not withstand.

With the above understanding in mind, Mr. Nanze first took a deep breath.

A second later, he pulled the trigger and fired two three-round bursts at the driver's position of the Japanese armored vehicle in the lead.

Then, he slightly adjusted the muzzle to point it toward the 37mm tank turret, pulled the trigger, and never let go of his finger.

The gunfire continued in a 'rat-a-tat-tat' pattern until all 14 remaining bullets were fired.

As it turns out, the Japanese, who were always stingy, could only put up a show of power on the Chinese battlefield, where anti-armor weapons were scarce.

In other battlefields, it would be like a thin-skinned coffin.

Even the lead armored vehicle, among the various armored vehicles used by the Japanese, was already considered a relatively heavy model.

However, the side armor is only 8 millimeters thick, with a slight angle of inclination.

This level of protection could only stop the firepower of the Nationalist Army's rifles and the most common Type 24 heavy machine guns.

When faced with the SMK-H armor-piercing round, this most basic anti-armor method in Western battlefields is completely inadequate.

Under Mr. Nanze's continuous attacks, the armored vehicle's side armor was easily riddled with clear bullet holes; it was as easy as poking tofu with chopsticks.

First, the Japanese driver was killed, and the out-of-control armored vehicle continued to rush forward for more than ten meters before coming to a complete stop.

Then, the 37mm tank gun on top, which had just started to turn slightly in this direction, also came to a complete stop.

Those were the Japanese tank crew and machine gunners who reacted quite quickly after being suddenly attacked, trying to launch a counterattack in the direction from which the attack came.

As soon as they started to move, they were all killed or injured.

This was arguably the most threatening fire point in the Japanese convoy, which Mr. Nanze easily resolved.

The only pity is that Mr. Nanze didn't even have time to look at such a brilliant result, let alone show off.

This guy broke his right leg yesterday when he tumbled off a cliff.

The moment he emptied the magazine, he grabbed the machine gun and rolled repeatedly on the spot, rolling until he reached the next pre-set firing point seven or eight meters away before stopping.

He picked up a new magazine that had been placed there beforehand and began changing the magazine on the Czech light machine gun.

After replacing the magazine, Mr. Minamizawa did not continue firing the light machine gun; instead, he picked up a Type 38 rifle and aimed it at a Japanese sergeant...

*****
When Mr. Nanze pulled the trigger, a three-round burst killed the driver of the leading armored vehicle, slowing it down further and further.

Both sides on the battlefield reacted quickly and took their own actions.

However, in comparison, Hu Biao's side, which had been prepared in advance, quickly threw the Japanese soldiers on the highway into chaos after their sudden attack.

Although he was a novice in time travel, thanks to his rich combat experience on the Russian battlefield, the foreman was definitely not a battlefield newbie.

Especially in the few days since he traveled here, after becoming familiar with various individual weapons from World War II, the foreman has become quite good at marksmanship.

He fired three consecutive bursts from the light machine gun in his hand.

The driver of the last Japanese truck in the convoy had his head blown off, and the splattering of blood and brain matter immediately blocked the windshield.

Immediately afterwards, the foreman also punctured one of the tires on the other side.

The truck, which suddenly lost control, drove forward for a distance before coming to a stop after swerving sideways, completely blocking the section of the dirt road that could barely accommodate two trucks.

This eliminated any possibility for the Japanese convoy to reverse and escape the ambush.

Meanwhile, ahead of the lead armored vehicle, a truck was being driven by a Japanese soldier whose skills were quite good.

Seeing that the armored vehicle ahead was slowing down and about to stop.

He decisively floored the accelerator, causing the truck he was driving to accelerate rapidly amidst the roar of the engine.

The drivers behind him followed suit one by one.

It was entirely a matter of relying on the speed of the truck to force their way through the ambush zone, rush to Zijing Pass, and avoid getting too entangled with the ambush attackers.

Given that their trucks could reach Zijing Pass in just over a minute at full speed, such a response was perfectly acceptable, and could even be described as excellent.

Just as the truck sped along the narrow dirt road, its cab having just passed the lead armored vehicle, riddled with bullet holes and now completely stopped, a loud explosion rang out.

The lead Japanese truck, by sheer bad luck, ran over a landmine.

Although the black powder landmine had limited power, it still blasted the cab floor and one of the front wheels to smithereens, causing the Japanese truck to slide forward two or three steps before coming to a stop.

Together with the lead armored vehicle, they completely blocked the dirt road from both the left and right.

This effectively blocked the Japanese convoy's advance, effectively shutting it off on that section of dirt road. Seeing their path blocked, the Japanese drivers tried to brake, but the trucks, having just floored the accelerator, were not so easily brought to a stop.

In an instant, several trucks collided head-on, making the road even more congested.

At the same time, Hu Biao and his men also opened fire with all their might, launching a full-scale attack on the Japanese soldiers on the dirt road, constantly creating greater panic.

However, the two people who caused the most damage to the Japanese were Annie and Mo Shuiyan.

Annie set up an MG34 general-purpose machine gun about 150 meters from the dirt road and opened fire on the Japanese convoy.

This thing has already earned a terrifying reputation as the "Hillary Chainsaw" on Western battlefields, which is now clearly evident.

The Japanese soldiers accompanying the convoy were felled like grass.

With its terrifying rate of fire, it was not uncommon for Japanese soldiers to have their arms and legs blown off or broken on the spot, or to be cut in half at the waist.

Such injuries would not kill the Japanese soldier immediately.

Having lost their fighting ability, they fell to the ground, emitting piercing wails and screams, which made the surviving Japanese soldiers around them even more panicked.

The Japanese soldiers in the truck cab and cargo compartment were not much better off; they were often shot dead as soon as they got up, without even a chance to jump out of the truck.

The latter, Mo Shuiyan, dragged a broken leg and knelt in a single-soldier bunker.

With his left hand holding an 87-type grenade launcher, he picked up a series of small melon grenades with his right hand, stuffed them inside, and launched them quickly.

After each small melon grenade was fired, Mo Shuiyan would casually adjust the muzzle and firing angle of the grenade launcher with a nonchalant expression.

Ironically, even with such casual adjustments, the melon grenades fired from the grenade launcher were surprisingly accurate.

Each shot landed either among a group of Japanese soldiers or next to a truck, with the shrapnel flying from the explosion taking down several targets.

There was even a small melon grenade that landed precisely under the fuel tank of a truck.

Those who frequently read books about fighting the Japanese know that Japanese trucks during World War II were primarily fueled by gasoline.

So after the melon grenade exploded, it also successfully detonated the fuel tank of the Japanese truck, causing an even more violent explosion.

In this more violent explosion, truck parts and sacks from the cargo compartment flew in all directions, knocking even more Japanese soldiers to the ground.

Some sacks were torn open mid-air, and the white rice inside spilled out everywhere.

Even amidst such intense fighting, and having ate quite a bit of smoked wolf jerky before the battle, the group wasn't actually that hungry.

Upon catching a glimpse of the white rice in their peripheral vision, these people couldn't help but swallow hard.

Then they mustered their spirits and continued to unleash their firepower on the Japanese soldiers.

The fact that Hu Biao and the others behaved this way can only be attributed to the fact that they had been starving for the past few days and had developed an instinctive thirst for food.

It was also as the sacks filled with rice were flying through the air that a scene flashed through Mo Shuiyan's mind in a flash.

He couldn't help but quickly turn his head and glance at a trench about a hundred meters behind him.

At this moment, a ten-and-a-half-year-old girl and the little girl from the cultural troupe were peeking out nervously, watching this side. If they found anyone injured, they would rush over to help.

She glanced at the grass standing there blankly, but a relieved smile appeared on her face.

It was all because of what he saw in the image that appeared in Mo Shuiyan's mind just now:

At the same time and place in another world, when the Japanese were conducting a large-scale mopping-up operation, the time travelers were not present, so these children naturally had no way to kill the two wolves and fill their stomachs.

As a result, the child, Cao'er, was starved to death.

She starved to death with a smile on her face, because as she starved to death, she hallucinated and found that her eyes could see things again, including the stars in the sky.

As the child lay dying, he was still murmuring in his childish voice: "The stars in the sky are so bright and beautiful!"

After the battle began, the landmines planted by the children also overturned a truck, revealing a large number of rice sacks on the truck.

The ten-and-a-half-year-old instinctively rushed forward.

He rushed to the overturned truck and quickly stuffed rice into his pockets.

Unfortunately, they were quickly discovered by other Japanese soldiers. These inhuman beasts kept firing at the ten-and-a-half-year-old.

Amidst the whistling bullets, the ten-and-a-half-year-old burst into tears.

Not only was she terrified, but she also felt extremely wronged.

He simply wanted the veterans, Fifteen, and the others to have a proper meal, instead of being treated like livestock, eating wild vegetables all day long. What did he do wrong?

Even amidst loud sobs, the ten-and-a-half-year-old didn't stop filling his pocket with rice.

Therefore, Mo Shuiyan was originally worried about all the troubles she would encounter after this transmigration.

For example, there was no opportunity for them to recruit more soldiers and build up their forces; there was no time for them to use their skills and craftsmanship to create more powerful equipment.

The intense resentment and anger caused by not being able to get food and having developed psychological trauma and physical discomfort from eating raw wild vegetables suddenly turned into calmness and open-mindedness.

It just prevented the tragedy of Cao'er starving to death and the ten-and-a-half-year-old crying while filling rice containers amidst flying bullets.

So everything he went through this time is nothing, and it's all worth voting for.

Although the above description was extensive, it only took Mo Shuiyan a couple of seconds; after giving Cao'er and Shi Sui a smile from afar.

As Mo Shuiyan turned back, she stuffed another small melon grenade into the grenade launcher and fired it with a 'thud'.

In the blink of an eye, it landed about 130 or 140 meters away.

He instantly felled a Japanese lieutenant who was brandishing a samurai sword and shouting wildly; presumably trying to organize the panicked Japanese soldiers around him to fight back...

To be honest, in 1930, before the Pacific War, the Japanese troops stationed in China, who had not yet had a large number of veterans transferred to their posts, were still quite elite.

Even when suddenly attacked and suffering considerable casualties, they still demonstrated extremely high professionalism.

Under the spontaneous organization of junior officers and veterans, some Japanese soldiers jumped out of the troop transport trucks and moved out together with the infantry accompanying the convoy.

A small group hid behind or under cars, hastily picking up their Type 38 rifles to prepare for a counterattack.

A large portion of them ran to the sides of the road, looking for mounds of earth, ditches, stones, or anything else that could serve as natural obstacles.

Before long, the counterattack will be launched against Hu Biao and his men, and the firepower will become increasingly fierce.

Fortunately, Hu Biao and his team still had some arrangements to make.

Soon after, a Japanese soldier who was hurrying toward a small mound of earth suddenly heard a crisp sound from the sole of his left foot, which was wearing a Showa 5 military boot.

At the same time, a sharp pain shot through the sole of my foot; it turned out that a bullet from the ground had pierced my foot.

In excruciating pain, the Japanese soldier could no longer maintain his balance and collapsed to the ground with a scream, startling another Japanese private nearby.

Instinctively, the private changed his forward pace and began to sprint to one side.

As a result, after running only three or five steps, he stepped on a landmine that Hu Biao and his men had buried, and another violent explosion occurred, knocking down the Japanese soldier and five or six other Japanese soldiers around him.

Hu Biao and his men had buried a total of five landmines and over a hundred bullet mines along the roadside.

In the very short time that followed, as the Japanese soldiers rushed about like headless flies, most of the explosives were detonated, bringing their panic to its peak...

(End of this chapter)