The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 586 Encirclement Completed (Two-in-One Chapter)

Two minutes later, when Old Ma finally reached the number of Japanese soldiers killed in the battle that night, he was 20.

Suddenly, when he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, his expression changed drastically.

He suddenly pulled on his warhorse, and before the horse could even stop, he tumbled off its back in a disheveled manner, rushing towards a Type 92 heavy machine gun on the left side of the defensive line that the Japanese had originally built.

His strong reaction was all because he had seen something dangerous out of the corner of his eye.

A dark mass of figures, at least a thousand Japanese soldiers, were advancing towards the campsite along the dirt road riddled with potholes, the path through the rice paddies, and some vegetable fields.

It must have been a friendly regiment from the 27th Army. Even the Japanese soldiers at the 3rd Division's encampment in the foreground couldn't be held back in 20 minutes.

The Japanese soldiers in the forward encampment sent a large number of troops to support the 6th Division's encampment.

In fact, the battle situation at their campsite was going quite smoothly at the moment.

However, the 74th Army soldiers are still on the left flank, besieging the last remaining Japanese troops defending the upper reaches.

The cavalry battalion, now down to about 160 or 170 men, is splitting up to hunt down the few remaining Japanese soldiers.

In other words, if the Japanese 3rd Division's reinforcements had arrived just two or three minutes later, Lao Ma and the others would have been able to hold off the Japanese soldiers more easily.

Unfortunately, because their allies were so incompetent, they simply didn't have those precious two or three minutes.

Complaining, cursing, or having the bastards later complain to the principal and Commander Xue about this friendly force—none of it matters at this moment.

The most crucial thing is to find a way to stop these Japanese reinforcements and prevent them from having a chance to rush into the encampment and cause trouble.

Knowing that charging forward on horseback would likely not stop the Japanese soldiers, Old Ma decisively dismounted and scrambled towards the Type 92 heavy machine gun.

He didn't forget to shout at the top of his lungs:
"Everyone in the cavalry battalion, move closer to me. Except for two squads left to guard the rear, everyone else, follow me to immediately form a defensive line. Even if we are killed from behind, don't worry about what happens behind us. We must stop these Japanese devils."

After shouting, Old Ma had already rushed to the Type 92 heavy machine gun.

Reaching out and gripping the handle at the rear, Old Ma slightly adjusted the muzzle of his gun before unleashing a furious barrage of fire at the Japanese figures who had already charged more than 300 meters away.

In a very short time, the almost brand-new thirty-round ammunition feed plate was completely emptied.

Not only did Lao Ma quickly kill 26 Japanese soldiers, but the key point is that several of the Japanese soldiers who rushed to the front were instantly taken down.

The Japanese soldiers following behind also instinctively slowed their pace.

At that very moment, more than twenty brothers who had been fighting alongside Old Ma in the campsite...

After realizing what was happening, they dismounted, picked up the Japanese soldiers' Type 38 rifles, and rushed up to the defensive line, firing at the Japanese soldiers in the distance.

There was also a clever little fellow who rushed straight to Old Ma's side, picked up a brand-new ammunition feed plate, and volunteered to act as the assistant shooter.

Before long, the clever little fellow cooperated with Old Ma to replace the ammunition feed plate.

The moment Old Ma picked up the Type 92 heavy machine gun again and opened fire on the Japanese soldiers once more, he felt a great sense of relief.

He knew that the brothers of the 74th Army were not stupid and would react promptly after hearing the commotion.

Aside from leaving a small group to continue besieging and killing the Japanese soldiers on the defensive line.

Most of the remaining people must have rushed over frantically, either to clear out the remaining Japanese soldiers in the camp or to help them organize a defensive line.

Therefore, if they can hold on for just two more minutes, they will be able to weather this huge crisis.

However, Lao Ma soon realized once again that for a man, two minutes is actually a rather long time, and it is really difficult to persevere.

Because of the reinforcements from the 6th Division, the Japanese soldiers, after instinctively slowing their pace, immediately began to counterattack.

This counterattack immediately demonstrated that even after their physical strength, morale, and spirit had been continuously depleted, the remaining combat power of the Japanese elite divisions remained formidable.

After all, no matter how bright the moonlight was tonight, it was far less visible than during the day; but these Japanese soldiers had amazing accuracy with their rifles at a distance of more than 300 meters.

After hundreds of rifles, along with several light machine guns, opened fire, they immediately posed a huge threat to Lao Ma and his team.

Old Ma himself was in a better position because the Type 92 heavy machine gun he was operating was placed behind a pile of sandbags, leaving only an opening for observation and firing.

At such a distance, it would be quite difficult for the Japanese to hit him.

For a time, although the sandbags in front of him were constantly being hit by bullets, he didn't have to worry about being injured by the Japanese bullets.

But those cavalrymen who were firing their found Type 38 rifles on the front line, or those who were galloping towards the front line to join the defense, were not as lucky as Old Ma.

Under the relentless barrage of bullets from the Japanese soldiers, people were constantly being knocked to the ground.

Those brothers who weren't hit by bullets were also hit so hard that they couldn't lift their heads for a moment.

Another crucial point is that, although the Japanese rifles were ineffective against Lao Ma...

However, they still had other weapons that posed a significant threat to Old Ma and his assistant gunner, and they quickly came over.

When the newly installed ammunition feed plate had only fired two-thirds of its thirty bullets.

Sensing an imminent threat, Old Ma immediately grabbed the shoulder of his assistant marksman and rolled to one side repeatedly.

As the two rolled five or six times, two grenades from a grenade launcher landed almost simultaneously at their previous spot, causing a violent explosion.

Dense shrapnel flew overhead, and mud and sand kicked up by the explosion pelted them.

Having narrowly escaped death, the two were covered in scrapes and bruises, looking quite disheveled and dirty.

Ignoring the numerous burning abrasions on his body, Old Ma rushed back to the Type 92 heavy machine gun the moment the explosion subsided, ready to continue firing.

There was no other way! This thing was a key firepower point for them to block the Japanese invaders.

Before he could even reach the heavy machine gun, he was forced to look at the bolt of the Type 92 heavy machine gun, which was now clearly deformed.

This means it was damaged in the explosion and is no longer able to fire.

While Old Ma and his men's firepower was greatly reduced, hundreds of Japanese soldiers charged forward again.

Fortunately, at this moment, more than a dozen cavalrymen dismounted and arrived in time; they had three submachine guns and opened fire on the Japanese soldiers.

With such firepower, they were able to halt the Japanese advance.

However, Lao Ma also knew that this couldn't go on forever.

So when he picked up a Type 38 rifle and cocked it to chamber a round, presumably after the new recruit had caught up, he also shouted out a string of words:
"Zhi Xiang! Are you fucking dead?"

"If they're not dead, open fire immediately! The grenade launcher at 10 o'clock, the light machine gun at 12 o'clock, that bunch of Japanese soldiers at 1 o'clock... take them all out quickly!"

As he shouted, he raised his Type 38 rifle and fired a shot, bringing down a Japanese major who was waving a pistol and directing an attack 270 or 280 meters away.

Unfortunately, before Lao Ma could press on and kill the main gunner of a Type 96 light machine gun, which posed a significant threat and was located not far from the Japanese major, he was caught off guard.

That inexplicable sense of danger, which he couldn't explain scientifically, struck him again, forcing him to tumble and roll around in a sorry state once more.

Sure enough, after he rolled seven or eight meters, another grenade fired from a grenade launcher landed in his original spot.

Good heavens! He's now being closely watched by the Japanese grenade launcher squad.

Old Ma was a veteran member of the time-traveler team, having participated in countless fierce battles, but the number of times he was so humiliated by the Japanese was truly rare.

Furious, he yelled again, "Zhi Xiang! Can't you even do this job? If you can't, go home and nurse your kids. Let someone else take charge of the artillery."

If you're capable, then act quickly and take down those targets.

Oh, right! We also need to add a grenade launcher at the 11 o'clock position, quick, quick, quick!

As the last "fast" was uttered, Lao Ma had already moved to a position about ten meters away, raised his gun, pulled the trigger, and killed the main gunner of the Type 96 light machine gun who had been eyeing him for a while.

The moment the gunshot rang out, I instinctively counted down a number in my mind: 32...

******
At the same time, when Lao Ma was feeling extremely frustrated and had to change locations after each attack, he was also feeling extremely frustrated.

Thirty or forty meters behind Lao Ma, Zhi Xiang, who had just stopped, had a livid face and was internally cursing:
"Damn it! You rattled off five or six targets in one go, telling me to take them down as soon as possible; do you think this is ordering food at a restaurant, or a stand-up comedy routine where you recite the menu?"

Clearly, he not only heard Old Ma's string of demands, but also felt immense pressure because of them.

Despite his inner complaints and the pressure he felt, he knew that Old Ma had no other choice.

They had to hit those targets he pointed out so that their limited manpower and firepower on the defensive line could keep the Japanese reinforcements from the 3rd Division out before the brothers of the 74th Army arrived.

If the Japanese soldiers manage to charge up, then the plan to annihilate the 6th Division tonight will be completely ruined.

After taking a deep breath, he shoved the mortar barrel off his shoulder and directly onto the ground without using a base or stand, then hugged the barrel to his chest.

This is because the commander was in a hurry and couldn't wait to fully assemble the mortar, so he could only use this 'freestyle firing' tactic.

While holding the tube, he didn't forget to shout at his men, who were all dumbfounded and seeing this for the first time, "What are you all standing there for? Load the ammunition!"

After shouting, Zhi Xiang hugged the cannon barrel and adjusted the muzzle angle. Just as he finished adjusting it, an 82mm shell was inserted into the breech.

With a muffled thud, the shell flew out.

But when the shells landed, he found that the Japanese grenade launcher squad he had just aimed at and was about to take down had veered more than 20 meters away and hadn't been hit at all.

Upon seeing this, Zhi Xiang's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He actually knew why this result occurred; firstly, the 'freestyle shooting' tactic was simply too difficult to execute.

Secondly, and most importantly, faced with such a terrible and frustrating battle situation, his mind became chaotic, which greatly affected his calculations of ballistics and shell impact points.

What to do? It's easy.

The veterans in the time traveler team had already shared their experience with him on how to deal with such situations.

With a 'smack', Zhi Xiang slapped himself hard across the back; one side of his face swelled up visibly, and his mouth tasted of blood.

And you know what? This method really works! Zhixiang immediately felt his head throbbing with blood, and his anxious heart miraculously calmed down.

As he shouted "Again!", he readjusted the angle of the cannon barrel he was holding in his arms once again.

With another muffled thud, a new shell was fired, this time successfully hitting the target and blowing the entire Japanese grenade launcher squad into the air.

Seeing this, the elephant's spirits soared even higher, and as it adjusted the direction of the cannon, even the sound of "Again!" it uttered was filled with joy.

In a very short time afterward, the command "Come again" kept ringing out from the elephant's mouth.

Shells were fired one after another, one, two, three... until 15 shells were fired, emptying the shells carried by the brothers behind him.

Although his condition at this moment was better than ever before.

The 15 shells he fired were not without hits; every single one struck its target.

However, eight shells successfully landed in positions that could inflict significant damage on the targets, taking down the most lethal targets among the Japanese reinforcements, such as machine gunners, grenade launchers, and officers.

In short, thanks to the crucial round of rapid artillery suppression and the arrival of the cavalry battalion, they finally survived the most difficult two minutes.

After the last shell was fired, more than two hundred people from the 74th Army rushed to the front.

A little behind them, thousands more were running frantically towards them.

The first two hundred or so soldiers to arrive played a crucial role. After they lay prone in the trenches and opened fire, the Japanese reinforcements, who had already advanced less than a hundred meters to the front line, were completely suppressed.

Upon witnessing this scene, Lao Ma and Zhi Xiang were overjoyed.

After decisively discarding the cannon barrel, Zhi Xiang picked up an M1 Garand rifle from his back and led the others to rush towards Lao Ma's position on the defensive line.

They were artillerymen. So what if they ran out of shells? They could still fight the Japanese after picking up rifles.

After a moment of relief, Old Ma recalled Zhi Xiang's excellent performance earlier.

Well done! Of course, that's a compliment.

Thinking of all this, Old Ma turned back to the elephant galloping towards him, gave it a thumbs up, and shouted:
"Zhi Xiang, well done! You're a natural-born soldier."

Seeing Old Ma's thumbs-up and hearing the praise from him, Zhi Xiang couldn't help but start complaining again:
"Damn it! One-Eyed Dragon is just like Deadbeat, he has a dog face, and he can change his mind in an instant, faster than the summer weather."

But even while he was complaining, he couldn't help but have a big smile on his face.

Honestly, who doesn't like to hear nice things? Besides, the feeling of taking down a whole group of Japanese soldiers with one shot is quite exhilarating and satisfying, even more so than just shivering a few times.

Just a second later, the image before him, which had been looking on in astonishment, changed drastically.

He opened his mouth to remind Old Ma to get out of the way.

Even at this moment, Old Ma, who was giving Zhi Xiang a thumbs-up in praise, knew he was in danger and had to hide immediately after seeing Zhi Xiang's sudden change in expression.

But by then, it was too late to do anything.

It turns out that as the battle progressed, this Japanese reinforcement unit carried a Type 92 infantry gun, which was now pushed to a position of 350 to 360 meters.

The artillery crew aimed a shell at the spot where Lao Ma was, firing it directly.

Zhi Xiang's expression changed drastically when he saw the muzzle flash in the night as the cannon fired, prompting him to prepare to warn the enemy.

However, the shells from the Type 92 infantry gun traveled at speeds many times faster than those from a grenade launcher; at such a short distance, although Old Ma realized the danger was approaching, he had no time to react.

In my mind, the subconscious reaction of 'squatting down' almost immediately came to mind.

A 70mm shell came whistling through the air and landed right at his feet.

The ensuing violent explosion severed Old Ma's legs, while his upper body was sent flying high into the air by the shockwave.

It flew seven or eight meters before landing, crashing down next to the elephant that had just rushed over.

Just as he crashed heavily to the ground, Old Ma, who had been unconscious from the pain, opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, only to be jolted awake by the pain.

As a seasoned veteran who had died once in his previous transmigrations, Old Ma was extremely familiar with the current situation.

He knew all too well that he was probably about to be fired.

Because he could be perfectly resurrected as long as he returned to the modern world, Old Ma wasn't particularly afraid of his impending death.

This thing can jump around again in the blink of an eye.

The crux of the matter is that he has only killed 37 Japanese soldiers so far; not counting the 6 that Xiao Henan forced on him, he still has 4 Japanese soldiers to kill.

So when Zhixiang instinctively took out a piece of gauze from a small emergency medical kit at his waist, bent down to press it on the most serious wound on Lao Ma's body, and then began to rescue him.

The old horse, who had lost both legs, suddenly grabbed Zhixiang's collar tightly.

With a voice barely audible due to blood and foam constantly bubbling from his mouth, he roared, "Ten! Give me ten more!"

Having just finished shouting those few words, Old Ma spat out a mouthful of blood with a 'pfft' and then breathed his last.

Poor Zhi Xiang, this newbie who just transmigrated this time, was completely stunned.

Not only was it a bad omen, but the blood Old Ma spat out before he died also splattered all over his face.

The key point is that in the time before, he ate a total of 36 mouthfuls of pickled cabbage and secretly made up his mind that he would not be done until he killed 36 Japanese soldiers.

Thanks to the power of the shells, of the eight shells that hit the Japanese soldiers, the least effective one killed two Japanese soldiers, and the most effective one could have killed five or six.

Therefore, some injuries are excluded from the kill count.

Zhi Xiang secretly estimated that he had already killed 29 Japanese soldiers. If he killed 7 more Japanese soldiers, he would have completed that heavy task.

Now things are better; he finally understood the meaning of Old Ma's dying words.

Knowing that they had been forced to take on ten more Japanese soldiers, and that they had run out of ammunition and had no means to quickly kill the enemy.

Finally, with a curse of "Damn it!", Zhi Xiang raised his arm and wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve; then he picked up his M1 Garand rifle and jumped into the trench ahead.

He figured it out: aside from fighting to the death, he shouldn't think too much and should just do his best.

Ten minutes later, the Japanese soldiers in their camp were completely wiped out, and the Japanese reinforcements, seeing that they could not gain any advantage, slowly retreated.

By this time, the National Revolutionary Army had completely encircled the Japanese 6th Division.

The moment the Japanese reinforcements retreated, Zhixiang roared:

"Quickly, quickly, quickly! Everyone, reinforce the trenches and collect the Japanese machine guns and ammunition. The Japanese will launch an even fiercer attack later."

The situation pointed out in the command to grasp the image is absolutely correct.

The friendly forces were having a worse effect on containing the 3rd Division than they had anticipated.

Therefore, it wouldn't take long for the Japanese troops in the more distant positions to continuously send reinforcements to the rear, attempting to rescue the 6th Division, which was completely surrounded.

At that time, they and the brothers of the 74th Army will be subjected to a relentless and frenzied attack.

However, there are ways to reduce the strength of the Japanese reinforcements.

The premise is that the Hawk-3 fighter jet Mina is currently piloting can blow up a makeshift pontoon bridge built by the Japanese on the Miluo River, several miles ahead.

In that case, they would only need to face a Japanese force of about three or four thousand men on the Miluo River side.

And some Japanese reinforcements who crossed the river by swimming and small boats, but their numbers should be quite limited...

(End of this chapter)