The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 561 Bloodstained Mill (Two-in-One Chapter)

At the same time, Huang Adi and his group of 16 rushed out of the position to blow up the Japanese tanks; although the whole process went relatively smoothly, only one person survived and climbed into the trench.

On the second line of defense behind them, Hu Biao, who was watching the battle, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it sounds cruel, based on his previous combat experience, he was indeed mentally prepared for several waves of people to die before he could blow up the two Japanese tanks.

Fifteen people died, but the operation was successful in one go.

It can be said that it went quite smoothly, even a textbook example of a standard operation.

Turning his head, he casually gave an instruction to a lieutenant beside him and fifty or sixty soldiers armed with exceptionally good weapons, some carrying submachine guns, others light machine guns, and pistols:
"The Japanese iron turtle was destroyed, so the positions can hold out this time."

"Hu Yong, you guys don't need to be so tense anymore. Continue to rest and stand by."

When he spoke, Hu Biao's voice was also unusually hoarse, and his unshaven face looked quite tired and haggard.

There's no way around it! Even though this guy has been staying on the second line of defense since the defensive battle started and hasn't participated in much combat, he still manages to stay there.

However, this does not mean that his life was any easier than that of Ji Shouxing, Dali, Zanana, Uncle Bo, AT, Van Gogh, and other transmigrators who led their brothers to hold the line or who launched night raids.

If you really want to calculate it, Hu Biao has to work even harder.

Because of these personnel, they also have time for rotation and rest.

Hu Biao, however, could only stay on the second line of defense, keeping a close eye on the situation on the front line so that he could provide supplies in time should anything happen.

In addition, there are countless other miscellaneous things happening in the group.

Huang Yizhi, the temporary deputy chief of staff, has already dealt with a considerable number of them, but many more need to be sent to the second-line positions so that Commander Hu can deal with them during lulls in the fighting.

It started late at night on the 26th with the ambush on the Japanese 68th Infantry Regiment.

Thirty-eight or thirty-nine hours have passed since then, and Hu Biao and Commander Hu have not slept at all; they have been so busy that they haven't even had time to catch their breath.

In addition, this guy knew that even a small mistake in an order could cause dozens or hundreds of casualties, which created immense psychological pressure.

It's quite normal that he looks very tired and haggard these days.

"No wonder when we look at historical records in the modern world, they say that when our party's senior commanders were directing major battles, they would always suffer from headaches, high fevers and other ailments."

After the battle, once the tension in your nerves eases, you'll often faint.

He needed a long period of recuperation after the war, and his body couldn't fully recover, leaving him with many hidden injuries; in short, the title of commander sounds glamorous, but it's damn exhausting.

Shaking his head, which was throbbing slightly, Hu Biao thought to himself.

As for the small, well-equipped squad next to him, which was equipped with a large number of automatic and semi-automatic weapons and looked quite sophisticated, it was actually Hu's personal guard.

They are now staying by Hu Biao's side, in addition to their mission of protecting Commander Hu.

If a crisis occurs anywhere on the front line, they must be there immediately, because they have better equipment.

Among them was Lieutenant Hu Yong, who looked to be in his thirties and a few years older than Hu Biao.

The cover identity arranged for Hu Biao by the mysterious entity was, in fact, that of a distant cousin of his, who was still within the fifth rank.

Perhaps because of his kinship with Hu Biao, Hu Yong hesitated for a moment before speaking up: "Sixteenth Grandfather! This morning, we've lost another five or six hundred brothers."

If this fighting continues, there will be very few of the fellow villagers who came from Xinning left.

"Or, or rather! Let those who arrived this morning serve as reinforcements to hold the line, and also leave some seeds for the young people from our hometown of Xinning."

As the story progressed, Hu Yong and the other guards all wore pleading expressions on their faces.

Sixteenth Grandfather refers to Hu Biao's second branch in the Hu family clan of Hujia Village, where he was ranked sixteenth in a certain generation.

The people who arrived this morning were the defeated soldiers that Annie recruited in the rear last night. They set off overnight and have now arrived in four batches.

"I've told you so many times, in the military, everyone is addressed by their rank, don't call me Fourth Grandfather."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao frowned and cursed at Hu Yong, but he also knew that the kid was right.

We cannot allow the soldiers brought from Xinning to continue to be wasted on this bloody battlefield that drains lives like a millstone.

This idea does not mean that soldiers in other places don't value their lives.

However, after the defensive and attritional battles at Guantang Village, the Hunan Provincial Supplementary Regiment still had several fierce battles to fight.

Without these young men from Xinning as the backbone of the regiment, he wasn't very confident that he could win those fierce battles.

So even those newly joined deserters, many of them probably haven't even had a chance to settle in yet.

Then we can only send them into the trenches to fight the Japanese to the death.

With this in mind, Hu Biao called over Elder Yu, the battalion commander of the Fourth Battalion, who was also on standby at the second-line position, ready to relieve them at any moment, and hurriedly gave him instructions:
"Silent one! You stay here and hold the fort for a bit, I have something to do."

Old Yu didn't speak, but readily nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

Upon seeing this, Hu Biao immediately took a water bottle from his waist, opened it, removed his helmet, and poured the boiled water over his head.

Only when the entire pot of water is poured out completely, leaving not a single drop, is the task considered finished.

This was simply because I didn't want to look listless in front of the new brothers I had never met.

Also, it's a good way to wash away the smell of gunpowder all over your face.

After that, under the protection of Hu Yong and seven or eight others, Hu Biao took off running towards a forest several miles away.

Hey! You read that right, the dignified Chairman Hu now relies entirely on his own two feet for transportation.

To rebuild the cavalry battalion led by Lao Ma and Xiao Henan, Commander Hu even contributed his own warhorse, which now runs everywhere.

Fortunately, thanks to their quick legs, Hu Biao and his group arrived at a bamboo forest covering hundreds of acres in just seventeen or eighteen minutes.

You can immediately see at least a thousand people gathered there, lying or sitting in groups of three or five, not at all like soldiers.

It's understandable, though. After rushing here overnight, they were all exhausted and needed a good rest.

The only thought was that after repelling this attack, they would need to send reinforcements to the front lines.

Hu Biao had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue with his plan to come here.

He asked the crucial question to the lieutenant who came to greet him—whom he remembered as the training staff officer of the regiment headquarters: "Have all these new brothers been registered?"

"Name, education level, whether you attended military academy, family background, and service record—all of this has been recorded." Upon hearing this, the lieutenant quickly replied.

Upon hearing this reply, Hu Biao knew that these people could now be considered members of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Moreover, if they die in battle, they know where to send a pension; provided that their families are still alive.

Immediately, Hu Biao took a tin megaphone from the other man, walked up a small mound, and shouted, "Brothers! Let's get acquainted. I am Hu Biao. Welcome to the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment."

As he addressed them, he didn't forget to give them a crisp military salute...

******
In his drowsy state, Liu Yanming was suddenly jolted awake when he heard the legendary arrival of Hu Biao and Commander Hu. He had been leaning against a bamboo pole, half asleep.

He suddenly stood up and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

When he saw that figure, whom he had seen countless times in the newspapers, now standing alive in front of him, and being solemnly saluted.

In an instant, Liu Yanming felt as if he had been electrocuted, filled with indescribable strength, and there was no trace of his previous fatigue.

He quickly stood up and returned Hu Biao's greeting, his eyes filled with an indescribable fervor.

The above-mentioned behavior is definitely not unique to Liu Yanming.

More accurately, every single one of the thousands of defeated soldiers in the bamboo forest reacted as if they were seeing an idol.

The main reason is that the highest-ranking officer on site was only a captain, a company commander.

They comprised 99% of the personnel, and each one of them was a common soldier.

For the junior officers and soldiers of the entire Chinese nation, the man before them was a legend, an idol.

Before August of 8, Hu Biao was just an ordinary commoner.

However, since enlisting, starting as a new recruit in a supplementary regiment, he gradually distinguished himself on the Shanghai-Nanjing battlefield, and made outstanding contributions in areas such as Taierzhuang, northwestern Shanxi, and southern Guangxi.

Although his personal military rank so far is only that of a lieutenant colonel and regimental commander of a Class B infantry regiment, that is only because there are bad people in the Nationalist government who are deliberately suppressing Commander Hu.

If it were someone with even a slight connection, they would at least be a lieutenant general.

More importantly, he gave himself a title: the leader of the Jin-Northwest Guerrilla Area, who reportedly commanded an army of 100,000.

In short, Hu Biao's experience of rising from a lowly soldier to achieve everything he has today through hard-fought battles perfectly embodies the ideal perception and recognition of these grassroots soldiers.

Unbeknownst to them, Hu Biao had acquired a terrifying appeal in their hearts.

It's perfectly normal that his mere appearance, a greeting, and a salute elicited such a fervent reaction from the routed soldiers.

Even during this process, these defeated soldiers, who had not even been in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment for a full day, felt the urge to 'die for Commander Hu' the moment they met him.

What Liu Yanming and the other defeated soldiers didn't expect was that the opportunity to die would come so quickly. And during that process, even for these seasoned veterans, it felt like hellish hardship and torment.

Commander Hu lowered his salute, and with a friendly smile on his face, he called out, "Brothers, have you all had lunch? Have you finished eating?"

"We're full! There's plenty of braised donkey meat; we're all stuffed."

Thinking of the sumptuous meal they had enjoyed at noon, Liu Yanming and the others shouted in response, their cheerful voices carrying far and wide.

Then, Commander Hu's expression suddenly turned serious, and his tone became extremely solemn:

"Brothers! You have marched all night and just arrived and joined the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment. I, Hu Biao, should give you a few days to rest and recuperate."

We should even prepare some food and drinks to welcome you and wash away the dust of your journey.

However, facing the Japanese's desperate attack, our regiment has suffered heavy casualties and currently has no fresh troops to fill the trenches, so we have no choice but to send you into battle immediately.

So I, Hu Biao, am truly sorry for what I have done to you all. If you survive the war, I will definitely pour you a drink to atone for my sins.

"I command! All personnel present, immediately follow me on a run to the second-line positions to organize yourselves, collect weapons and ammunition, and then enter the trenches one by one to hold off the Japanese and eliminate them."

After saying that, Commander Hu turned around and led the way in running.

After a moment or two of stunned silence, and before anyone knew who started it, everyone swarmed around and ran towards the battlefield filled with the sounds of intense gunfire and explosions...

Fifty minutes later, Liu Yanming, who was serving as the acting company commander of the 7th Supplementary Company of the Hunan Provincial Supplementary Regiment of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, arrived.

Carrying a box of bullets, crouching low, he led 72 brothers from the company, rushing along a trench towards position number one and three.

Throughout the entire process, his face was filled with indescribable bewilderment and confusion.

Things were developing so fast that he couldn't quite keep up.

After they ran forward and successfully reached the World War II position, Commander Hu immediately organized them into groups.

The specific methods and processes were incredibly simple, brutal, and surprisingly efficient.

He simply gestured with his arm, roughly circling out about sixty or seventy people, and then shouted something to them:
"Remember this, from now on you are the members of the 1st Supplementary Company."

"By the way! Are there any officers inside? If so, raise your hand and report your original unit number, rank, and position."

At this request, a young man wearing glasses raised his arm and said, "Reporting to Commander Hu, my name is Ma Qianli, formerly a second lieutenant clerk in the 60th Division."

After nodding, Commander Hu issued another order.

"Lieutenant Ma Qianli, from now on you are the acting company commander of the 1st Supplementary Company. Take them aside immediately to collect their weapons."

Oh, and remember to write each of their names on their clothes. I won't go into the details.

In other words, a company of troops can be successfully organized in just one or two minutes.

Under the same exact same operation, Liu Yanming became the company commander of the 7th Supplementary Company, an acting company commander with only seventy-odd men, not even reaching full strength.

We just received the weapons and ammunition and wrote everyone's name on their clothes.

The order rang in his ears: "7th Supplementary Regiment, proceed immediately to support Position One, hurry!"

So, he only knew about half of the brothers in the company, and didn't even remember the names of the other half, when their battle began.

Such a magical experience, who wouldn't be dumbfounded?
Fortunately, the group of over seventy people quickly arrived at the No. 1 position.

A tall, imposing man with the rank of lieutenant colonel immediately issued orders to them, preventing them from being stunned:

"Listen up! I am Chen Tang, the battalion commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion. Stop daydreaming and hurry up and help reinforce the fortifications before the Japanese come up."

Subsequently, under the guidance of Commander Chen and the veterans, Liu Yanming and others busied themselves reinforcing the fortifications.

As a veteran, Liu Yanming had naturally built many fortifications over the years, but after spending about 20 minutes to complete the initial reinforcement of the fortifications on position number one,

He finally understood what it meant to boast without doing anything, and to not be able to move a train by pushing it.

The fortifications and light weapons of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment were superior to all the fortifications they had built before, in terms of ingenious design, sturdy support, layout of firing points, and powerful firepower.

So much so that once he was there, a tremendous sense of pride welled up in his heart: "With such firepower and fortifications, no matter how many Japanese devils come, they won't be enough to kill."

Then, without warning, the piercing air raid siren sounded on the position.

Commander Chen pulled out a kerosene lighter, and while lighting a fire, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Air raid! Everyone to the bunkers!"

Then, Liu Yanming, who was hiding in the bomb shelter, was subjected to an unprecedented and fierce bombing.

The bombs dropped by the Japanese seemed endless; later, heavy artillery bombardment, including 120mm and 150mm shells, must have been added.

It felt as if the Japanese were going to use countless bombs to flatten the entire position.

He felt the ground beneath his feet, the bomb shelters around him, and everything else was shaking violently; the large supporting logs he had previously thought were creaking and groaning, as if they were more fragile than chopsticks.

The gun emplacement above his head will eventually collapse completely, burying him inside.

In indescribable torment, Liu Yanming lost track of how much time had passed.

But he survived. The bomb shelter above his head looked like it was about to collapse every second, but it held up and didn't bury him.

Finally, the piercing air raid siren subsided completely.

Amidst Chen Tang's shouts of "Come out, prepare for battle!", Liu Yanming staggered out of the artillery shelter, looked around, and was completely dumbfounded.

He was horrified to discover that the position he had thought was impregnable had now been almost completely destroyed.

Countless other artillery shelters were destroyed, burying over 70 men from his 7th Supplementary Company.

To make matters worse, the sound of heavy hooves approached from ahead.

Looking towards the front of the position, they could see a large, dark mass of cavalry charging towards the first line of defense; among them, there were at least three hundred Japanese cavalrymen charging towards their first position.

They are now about four or five hundred meters away from the position.

However, the Japanese warhorses had already begun to gradually increase their speed, and once the warhorses started charging, they would be able to reach the position in no time.

In an instant, countless problems flooded Liu Yanming's mind:
The Japanese are about to charge up. What will happen to the brothers who are buried? The fortifications are almost completely destroyed. Where will they set up defensive lines and firing positions?

With their current remaining troops and firepower, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand the frenzied attacks of these Japanese cavalry.
"Commander Chen, what should we do now?" In a great panic, Liu Yanming asked Chen Tang, his voice unconsciously filled with panic.

Although he didn't ask all the questions, Chen Tang seemed to understand them all.

He answered, his voice unusually calm:

"We didn't care about the brothers who were buried; it was better for them to die than for everyone to die. If there were no trenches, we would find a shell crater, lie down, and then fire as hard as we could."

As for whether they can hold on? They should be able to.

As soon as Chen Tang finished speaking, a dozen or so wounded soldiers who were already on the battlefield shouted, "Commander Chen, please tell Regiment Commander Hu that your families have asked him to help them get some relief."

As they spoke, they rushed out of the position, clutching explosive packs and a large number of grenades, and lay down one by one among the Japanese soldiers' corpses in front of the position.

In a flash of inspiration, Liu Yanming understood their plan: lie there pretending to be dead, and when the Japanese cavalry charged, detonate the explosives and grenades on their bodies.

Because he understood, a tremendous anger rose in Liu Yanming's heart.

He lay prone in a crater where the soil was still scalding hot from the explosion, picked up a light machine gun, and began firing wildly…

Around 8 p.m. that evening, Hu Biao, who had been feeling sleepy and had a headache since the evening, woke up after dozing off for more than an hour, amidst a shoving motion.

Then, he saw Huang Yizhi's face, which had become increasingly round despite his long-term dieting.

Seeing that he was awake, Huang Yizhi said, "You damn bastard! I have two good news and one bad news. Which one do you want to hear?"

"Okay then." Hu Biao instinctively said, feeling as if his head was stuffed with a lump of paste.

Huang Yizhi: "The first piece of good news is that, including the batch of defeated soldiers who just arrived, the boss's wife and sister-in-law sent more than 600 people over this afternoon."

The second piece of good news is that the foreman, Lao Che, Xin Huo, Ji Shouxing, and Dali, all of whom are semi-newbies and complete novices, have already been relieved of their posts after dark.

After yesterday's battle, they look somewhat better now; they must have improved from the training.

Stimulated by this good news, Hu Biao clearly felt much better.

Unfortunately, Huang Yizhi then delivered the final piece of bad news: "The bad news is that the Japanese attack this afternoon was exceptionally fierce."

Cavalry, 120mm and 150mm heavy artillery, were also used in our attack; the routed soldiers who arrived this morning are now almost entirely wiped out.

After hearing the bad news, Hu Biao silently smoked a cigarette to suppress the pain in his heart.

As he stood up, he said, "Come on! Come with me to meet those new brothers. They might be filling in later. Tonight, you keep watch at the WWII position. I'll take them up there."

Huang Yizhi instinctively wanted to object, even to curse.

Putting aside all that, how could he possibly manage all that on his own? A commander personally going to the front lines to fight a war of attrition? That's just ridiculous.

But when he was about to voice his objection, he realized something and ended up saying "yes" instead...

(End of this chapter)