The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 659 Code Name: Overlord (Part 3)
At 5:02 PM, when it was already completely dark.

Location: In a wasteland to the left of a railway bridge between Changchun City and Jilin City.

Xie Heizi, the gift he gave to Hu Biao and the others as a tribute, turned out to be hostages for several young women and wives, and the head of a bandit gang on a certain mountain.

Looking over two hundred paces away, behind a small pillbox used by the Japanese to guard the railway bridge.

He instinctively swallowed, trying to calm his somewhat nervous emotions.

There's no way around it! Don't be fooled by his usual boasting about how awesome he and his fifty-odd old brothers are, how they can kill whoever they want, as if he's the boss of the entire Northeast.

But Xie Heizi still has some sense; he knows that those were just boasting after getting drunk.

Under normal circumstances, even a landlord with dozens of gunners, armed guards, and high walls, might not be able to take down a town with a force of one or two hundred men.

The fortified pillbox in front of them, with five or six Japanese soldiers and about twenty black-skinned dogs, and at least one light machine gun, was practically invincible to them; they usually avoided it.

However, today they not only have no way to avoid it, but they also have to take the initiative to destroy it.

To be more precise, their group of over fifty people, led by Ji Shouxing and his grandfather, were going to first take down this small pillbox and then blow up the railway bridge.

To prevent the Japanese troops in Jilin City from coming to support us by train.

Why not dismantle the railway tracks? Of course, it's because if the railway bridge is blown up, it will take the Japanese a long time to repair it.

Xie Heizi frankly admitted that he had no confidence whatsoever regarding this task, but he had already boasted about it; for a man from Northeast China, face is more important than life itself, so it seems he has no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

When a searchlight from the Japanese pillbox swept across a snowdrift in front of it.

Ji Shouxing suddenly waved his hand, and led Xie Heizi and 32 others to get up from the ground and tiptoe toward the watchtower.

Based on their previous observations, the searchlights on the watchtower rotated clockwise.

The time it takes to complete one rotation is about 500 counts, so we have to hurry.

As for the other twenty men in their group, they had already made their way across the ice to the other side of the railway bridge, where there was also a small watchtower guarding the bridge.

According to the plan, we'll wait until the fighting starts here.

They will launch an attack immediately, but it will only be a feint to hold back and block the Japanese soldiers and their accomplices.

They cautiously made their way towards the pillbox, silently counting to 200 in their minds.

Xie Heizi was pleasantly surprised to find that they were only 120 or 130 steps away from the small watchtower.

And once they reached this position, the Japanese didn't notice them at all. It seemed they could actually sneak up to the small pillbox, which made it much easier to fight them.

Unfortunately, he soon realized that he had been too optimistic.

After taking another thirty steps or so, even though they weren't illuminated by the searchlights, they were still spotted by the Japanese sentries in the small pillbox.

After a sharp cry of "Enemy attack!" rang out, several rifles in the pillbox opened fire.

Next, a Czech-made light machine gun joined the firing.

A hail of bullets rained down, and two of the people who were crouching low to approach were instantly knocked to the ground, their fates unknown; several faint groans were also heard, clearly indicating that they had been shot.

Extremely angry, Xie Heizi cursed out "Damn it!"

After cursing, he could only lie on the ground in frustration, pull out a pair of Mauser pistols, and lead his brothers to exchange fire with the Japanese soldiers and their comrades in the pillbox.

He himself knew that they were at a disadvantage in such a firefight, as they were no match for the Japanese in terms of firepower and cover.

They might even give up and want to retreat, but they'll likely lose many more brothers along the way.

Not to mention that we can take down this damn pillbox and then blow up the railway bridge.

At this critical moment, Grandpa Ji's voice rang in my ears: "Are you stupid? Didn't I tell you before that you should just throw grenades when this happens?"

Amidst the cursing, Xie Heizi finally realized what was happening, remembering what Ji Shouxing had instructed him to do earlier:

If you are discovered while sneaking towards the pillbox, don't worry about anything else. Just immediately swing your arms and throw as many grenades as possible at him, and leave the rest to him.

They even gave them seven or eight grenades, otherwise they really wouldn't have many of those.

Although he didn't know how Grandpa Ji could be so confident in the face of such a predicament, Xie Heizi instinctively carried out the order, shouting, "Grenade!"

After shouting, he pulled the pin on a grenade and threw it forcefully towards the small pillbox.

The other three brothers also made the same move, only about a second slower than Xie Heizi.

Four grenades fell one after another from a distance of forty to fifty meters from the pillbox, and soon after they exploded.

The powerful shockwave from the explosion immediately blasted the snow on the ground high into the air.

Large amounts of snowflakes swirled up, forming a dense snow fog that almost completely obscured the view of the Japanese soldiers and the black-skinned dog on the pillbox.

Just as the snowflakes were flying around, Xie Heizi saw Grandpa Ji rush forward like a leopard.

In just a few seconds, he rushed to a position less than fifty meters from the pillbox, then bent his knees and slid down to his knees.

As he slid up to his knees, Ji Shouxing took a cloth bag from behind his back that he had been carrying.

After tearing the bag off, a strange, thick pipe was revealed.

Then, Xie Heizi saw a scene that, even many years later, he would always mention when he got drunk and boasted to others:
A brilliant flash of light lit up the night, flying like a shooting star towards the small pillbox and hitting the light machine gun that was firing.

The next second, the small pillbox, which Xie Heizi considered invincible, was blasted open with a terrifying gash.

The most threatening light machine gun, along with three nearby Type 38 rifles, was shot down on the spot; the remaining twenty or so rifles also stopped firing as if they were stunned.

With just one blow, the fighting spirit of the small building was shattered.

Thirty seconds later, a rifle carrying a white bed sheet emerged from the gaping hole and began to be waved around.

A voice, thick with a thick Northeastern accent, rang out, trembling with sobs:

"Heroes outside, please spare us! The Japanese soldiers in the pillbox were all killed by your cannon fire. We are willing to surrender now."

"Damn it! If we could get our hands on one of these thick-barreled single-person cannons, wouldn't it be a guaranteed hit every time we smashed kilns and kidnapped hostages?"

This was the only thought in Xie Heizi's mind at that moment...

At the same time, similar things were happening in some areas around Changchun.

Besides Ji Shouxing and Xie Heizi, who led a group of over fifty men to blow up the railway bridge, Hu Biao also sent out seven other teams to block Japanese reinforcements.

Although these teams had fewer members than Ji Shouxing and his group.

There were at most twenty people, and sometimes as few as ten.

However, at this time, they buried some DIY pressure-activated mines on some railways and highways; then they hid by the roadside, preparing to open fire in the chaos after the Japanese reinforcements arrived and were hit.

With this small force, it was naturally impossible to completely stop the Japanese reinforcements, but these brothers from bandit backgrounds had already received instructions from Hu Biao:

There's no need for a direct confrontation. Just fire a few shots from a distance and lay one or two landmines. If things look bad, run away as fast as you can. After running a few miles, you can repeat the harassment again.

Therefore, Iwasa Rokuro, the person in charge of the "Tiger Killing" plan, was destined not to live to see these reinforcements arrive.

More importantly, all these actions to eliminate the Japanese reserve forces were only the beginning of Hu Biao and his men's forceful, no! It should be said, their 'overlord' plan...

******
At 6:26 p.m., in a building in Changchun City where only Japanese soldiers and high-ranking traitors were allowed to live.

The 15-year-old Japanese boy, Tatsuya Shiraishi, paced back and forth in the living room like a caged beast, a bamboo sword slung over his shoulder.

Throughout the process, his mouth kept opening and closing, and he seemed to be muttering and cursing something, appearing quite anxious and restless.

There's no way around it! In just a few minutes, at 6:30 pm tonight, the victory celebration will be held at Datong Square.

It is said that a large number of Kwantung Army soldiers and important figures from the puppet state of Manchukuo will participate in such a conference.

At that time, Commander Umejin and others will deliver important speeches and publicly display the bodies of General Zhao, the big bandit leader, as well as several important members of Hu Biao's team.

A generous reward will be publicly awarded to Zhang Qingyu, the Chinese agent who killed General Zhao; medals will be awarded to some imperial warriors who killed members of Hu Biao's team.

Finally, there will be fireworks and an open-air cocktail party and dance.

In short, all of the above was incredibly tempting for Shiraishi Tatsuya; he could not only witness the power of the empire and the bravery of its warriors, but also have a good time.

The key issue is that they had already received a secret notification:

After dark tonight, all civilians of the Empire must stay at home; and no matter what happens during this time, even if they hear a fire burning in their neighbor's house or gunshots ringing out at their doorstep.

Everyone must keep their doors tightly shut and stay at home, or they will face severe punishment. The reason? Hu Biao's gang might come into the city tonight to cause trouble. To avoid a tragedy in Jiamusi, everyone must stay home.

Perhaps she was annoyed by the commotion her son was making.

He was sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper. It was about Shiraishi Asazo, the father of a senior technician at a factory. He was quite speechless.

He slammed down the newspaper in his hand and said:

"Tatsuya, you'll be a high school student soon, so please be more mature in your speech and actions, okay?"

Upon hearing this, the Japanese boy's face showed disdain, and he retorted loudly, "Come on! After graduating from junior high school, I don't have to go to high school."

"I want to join the Imperial Army, I want to become a warrior of His Majesty the Heavenly Locust; I will use rifles and bayonets to teach those lowly Chinese a lesson and safeguard the interests of the Empire."

Hearing his son's words, Shiraishi Asazo was filled with indescribable anger.

His anger was definitely not because of the so-called imperial interests his son spoke of, but rather because of the shameless plunder and oppression of more than 30 million fellow countrymen in Northeast China.

These are the Japanese immigrants who have been profiting from human suffering for many years and hope to continue doing so.

My mindset had long been firmly established: the rich black soil of Northeast China was not something that the lowly Chinese people were qualified to occupy; only they were qualified to be the masters of this place.

What truly troubled this middle-aged Japanese man was that he had originally hoped his only child, Tatsuya, would become a senior engineer in the future.

But my son wanted to join the army, and he wouldn't change his mind no matter what I said.

Enraged, he wanted to punch the boy and teach him a lesson; but just as he stood up, his wife, who was less than 1.5 meters tall but weighed 200 kilograms, came out of the kitchen and happened to see the scene.

She immediately roared like a lioness: "What do you want to do, Shiraishi Asazo? Tatsuya is still a child, can't you be a little more patient?"

After scolding her husband, Ayako turned to her only son and spoke in an unusually gentle voice:

"Tatsuya, although we can't go out to attend today's victory celebration, it will be broadcast live on the radio. Listening to the radio at home is the same thing."

As she spoke, she turned on a radio in the house and started tuning in.

Just like the content discussed by the Japanese family mentioned above.

In order to appease the more than 100,000 Japanese civilians in the new capital who were unable to leave their homes, Iwasa Rokuro decided to broadcast the victory celebration that evening in a certain sense.

What the Japanese military police commander didn't know was that this would be their most fatal weakness tonight...

At the same time, in the Shandong cuisine restaurant that the Military Intelligence Bureau's Changchun Station used to conceal their identities and gather intelligence, in an attic that was usually used to store miscellaneous items.

After working for a while, Old K finally put down the screwdriver in his hand.

Shizi wiped his forehead, not knowing whether it was from exhaustion or anxiety, his forehead was covered in sweat.

Pointing to a strangely shaped machine on the table, he said to Annie, "Boss lady! It's ready. Now, if you want, you can hack into the Japanese army's wireless broadcasting system at any time."

Upon hearing this, Anne breathed a huge sigh of relief.

This is a DIY electronic device that was created by the time-traveling team, all the talents in electronic technology, and after using up all the vacuum tubes brought from the modern world.

However, the most crucial factor in the success of the 'Overlord' plan was...

So, after removing the wizard and Mo Shuiyan who were leading the avalanche, and Ji Shouxing who was leading the troops to delay the Japanese reinforcements...

Currently, Hu Biao and his team only have fewer than 1600 people available to them.

At first glance, there seem to be quite a few, each with the strength of a regiment, and almost every one of them has extensive combat experience.

Even though they had dealt with the Japanese reserves, the city's layout and the 20,000 to 30,000 troops and armed personnel were beyond their ability to handle.

What to do? Of course, we should let the Japanese soldiers and civilians in the city descend into chaos, just like they did in Jiamusi, making them our biggest asset.

The Japanese seem to have made many arrangements in response to this.

However, the Japanese soon realized that the time travelers, with over 80 years of advanced military theory and experience, could overcome the basic requirements.

It will show them what real special operations and asymmetric warfare are like...

At 6:30, this included the numerous radios in Tatsuya Shiraishi's house, as well as the loudspeakers scattered throughout the new capital city.

First came a hissing sound of electricity, followed by a Japanese woman speaking in somewhat broken Chinese:
"Fellow countrymen of the Great Manchuria, listeners of the Empire, this is the New Beijing Broadcasting Station."

The celebration has officially begun, and tonight I, Mieko, will be providing live coverage of the entire event.

As I can see, His Majesty the Emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo is walking towards the center of the platform; according to the agenda, he will deliver a Lantern Festival address…”

At this moment, the Japanese soldiers in Datong Square clapped thunderously, and all the traitors of the puppet state of Manchukuo knelt on the ground, shouting "Long live the emperor!"

The last emperor, now 36 years old, was momentarily lost in thought as he watched the lively scene before him.

Once he realized what was happening, an indescribable sense of pride and satisfaction welled up inside him.

Completely forgetting the reality that he was merely a puppet of the Japanese, and the frustration of being a dog for the Japanese every day, he really thought that his big green dog was working again.

With such a wonderful mood, he gently tapped the microphone in front of him, intending to test if it was powered on.

But as he struck, a series of explosions rang out from multiple directions in the new capital; it was as if his gentle action had caused a great disaster.

It filled him with immense fear, and with a tremor, he collapsed to the ground.

However, the puppet emperor's disheveled appearance went largely unnoticed; at least, no one of even slightly higher status paid him any attention.

Because these people know some inside information and know what the real goal of today's victory celebration is.

So after a huge 'thump' in their hearts, they had only one thought: Hu Biao, the Tiger of Shanghai, and his partners had finally arrived.

Shouldn't they only have three or four hundred men, and currently be relentlessly pursued by the 247th Infantry Regiment, a force of more than one battalion? Why are they still able to cause such a commotion?

Instinctively, they sensed a great unease.

Unfortunately, by this point, it's too late for them to do anything...

After hearing the explosion, Old K pressed a button on the DIY electronic device on the table, a large red button.

A piercing static hum emanated from the numerous loudspeakers and radios throughout the city; this hum lasted for a full seven or eight seconds before finally stopping.

As a green light on the machine lit up, Cross gestured 'OK' to Annie.

This 'OK' gesture signifies that this DIY electronic device has completely interfered with the Japanese's wireless broadcasting signals throughout the entire city of Changchun.

What the Japanese soldiers will hear next is what they want them to hear; then they will be led by the nose to do things that please them.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Annie spoke into a microphone in front of her.

Suddenly, voices filled with utter terror and feigned composure, delivered in standard Osaka accents, echoed through every corner of the city via radio waves:
"Fellow Imperial Compatriots, my colleague Mieko has just suffered a misfortune, and I will now issue an urgent notice to everyone."

According to the information we just received, Hu Biao's gang had secretly infiltrated the city three days ago.

By the time we discovered it, they had already shamelessly deployed a newly developed 'special operations agent' that they had intercepted from the Empire into the waterworks.

In the past two or three days, anyone who has come into contact with tap water has been poisoned.

This toxin will take effect a week after poisoning, and there will be no abnormal symptoms before the onset; once it takes effect, it is characterized by high fever, widespread ulceration, and 100% lethality.

However, there is no need to worry too much, because there are 10,000 doses of antidote in the Xinjing Special Municipal Special Hospital; as long as it is injected as soon as possible, there is still a very high probability of being cured.

Therefore, compatriots who hear this broadcast are urged to immediately go to the Special Hospital in Xinjing Special City for injection and detoxification.

Attention! Hu Biao's gang has infiltrated our city with a large number of thugs, and a significant portion of them are disguised as imperial soldiers, soldiers of the puppet state of Manchukuo, and even police officers.

You can trust these damn thugs; they will definitely prevent us from getting to the hospital to save ourselves.

Therefore, when you go out, please carry a weapon if possible; if anyone tries to stop you or opens fire, do not hesitate to retaliate and kill them.

That's right! Hu Biao and his men created chaos in Changchun by using advanced technology to interfere with and hijack the Japanese radio broadcasts, spreading this terrifying rumor.

The key lies in the terrifying consequences of the so-called 'special operations agent' after it takes effect.

There was also the situation where the hospital only had 10,000 doses of antidote, while there were 100,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians in the city alone.

Ask any normal person, who would willingly die in agony with their body covered in sores? So, in order to survive, the evil in their hearts will be unleashed in a frenzy, making Changchun City even more chaotic than Jiamusi City that night.

Of course, all of the above situations are just Hu Biao and his team's predictions.

We'll have to wait and see how it goes. To paraphrase an old saying from a few years ago: Don't rush! Let the dust settle...

(End of this chapter)