Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 351 Reinforcements Arrive
"Whoosh...whoosh..."

The bullets flew past my scalp with a sharp whooshing sound, hitting the tree trunks and mud behind me, splashing up sprays of sawdust and mud.

Cao Dawang, the platoon leader of the third platoon of the first company of the third battalion, ignored this and bent over, keeping his body low to the ground, running forward with all his might, his feet treading on wet, slippery leaves and mud.

Behind him, dozens of brothers from the third platoon also bent over, forming a loose formation, closely following their platoon leader's steps.

Using the terrain as cover, the group rushed down a small hill and temporarily escaped the damned line of fire.

Cao Dawang leaned against the earthen slope, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently like a bellows.

He quickly poked his head out, glanced at the situation on the other side for a fraction of a second, and then swiftly pulled his head back in.

He looked back and saw dozens of soldiers leaning against the earthen slope, their chests heaving, their eyes fixed on him, awaiting orders.

Cao Dawang beckoned to the three squad leaders following behind him. The three immediately crouched down and huddled together in a circle.

Cao Dawang lowered his voice and spoke very quickly: "To the right, about a hundred meters away, there is a Japanese machine gun emplacement."

A Type 92 heavy machine gun was mounted behind a fortification made of sandbags, with a very small firing muzzle, making it difficult for our riflemen to hit it.

He continued, "Old Zhang, Wei Yunfeng, you two take the brothers from the first and second squads, spread out, find good positions, and use your squad's machine guns and everyone's rifles to suppress that firing point. Don't hold back your bullets, fire as fast as you can!"

Then, his gaze turned to the third squad leader, a young sergeant with a noticeable black mole on his right cheek. "Old Shao, once the firepower is suppressed, you immediately lead the brothers of the third squad to approach from the side."

Your mission is simple: use explosives to blow that bastard's firing point to smithereens! Got it?

"Understood!" The three nodded in unison, their eyes flashing with a fierce light.

Once the order was given, the operation commenced immediately.

Old Zhang and Wei Yunfeng quickly led their respective teams, using the earthen slopes and trees for cover, and dispersed to the two flanks.

Soon, the machine gunners of the first squad set up an M1919 general-purpose machine gun under a tree root.

"Da da da da da..."

A heavy gunshot rang out instantly, and a whip of fire made of tracer bullets lashed precisely at the muzzle of the Japanese machine gun.

The remaining soldiers also took cover, raised their M1 Garand rifles, and began firing rapidly in semi-automatic mode at the firing point.

The crisp gunshots rang out in succession, and a dense barrage of 7.62mm rifle bullets and machine gun shells pounded on the Japanese sandbag fortifications like hail, sending sand and gravel flying everywhere.

The once arrogant Type 92 heavy machine gun's distinctive "clucking" sound instantly fell silent, clearly rendered powerless by the sudden and intense firepower, resulting in a brief halt in its fire.

"Great opportunity!" Shao Jiechuan's eyes lit up, and he waved his hand sharply, shouting, "Class Three, follow me!"

After saying that, he was the first to dart out from behind the earthen slope, carrying a canvas bag, and quickly ran towards the woods on the right.

Behind him, seven or eight soldiers from the third squad, also carrying guns, followed closely behind him, their figures quickly disappearing into the dense, rain-soaked woods.

Shao Jiechuan moved with exceptional speed. Carrying the heavy canvas explosive pack, he took advantage of the brief gap created by his own firepower and was the first to rush to the blind spot below the Japanese machine gun position.

The slippery mud made him stumble, but he quickly regained his balance, pressing his back tightly against the cold, damp slope, breathing heavily.

The soldiers behind him followed one after another, each one of them hiding close to the slope, just like him.

However, the cruelty of the battlefield never gives people a chance to catch their breath.

In those few short seconds, the suppressed Type 92 heavy machine gun, after a brief pause, resumed its terrifying "clucking" sound and began to spew deadly fire again, thanks to the frantic operation of the Japanese machine gunners behind the fortifications.

A young soldier, trailing at the back of the column and moving a fraction of a second slower, had just been exposed to the line of fire.

A burst of 7.7mm bullets caught up with him instantly and pierced his chest and abdomen.

The bullet's immense kinetic energy propelled him backward. He didn't even have time to scream before the Garand rifle flew from his hand, and he collapsed silently into the muddy pool of blood, like a tattered sack. The blood was quickly washed away and diluted by the rain, staining a small patch of land red.

This scene was clearly captured by Shao Jiechuan, who had just peeked out to observe.

"Fuck those Japanese devils' ancestors for eight generations!"

Shao Jiechuan's eyes instantly turned red! The fallen soldier was a new recruit who had only recently joined the company. Just a moment ago, he was alive and well following behind him, but the next moment he was a cold corpse. Overwhelming anger and grief made his eyes turn red instantly.

Without any further hesitation, he gripped the pin of the fuse on the explosive charge with his right hand and pulled it hard with all his might.

With a soft "hiss," the fuse was successfully lit.

Without even glancing at it, he used all his strength to throw the heavy canvas bag overhead toward the machine gun emplacement that was spitting fire!

The canvas bag traced a less-than-graceful parabola in the air and landed precisely behind the sandbag fortifications.

At the same time, Shao Jiechuan used all the strength he had in his life to shout at the top of his lungs, "Watch out for an explosion..."

"Watch out for an explosion..."

The soldiers around him who heard his shout, whether it was the brothers of the third squad beside him or the first and second squads responsible for providing cover in the distance, all seemed to reflexively shout along.

Before the shouts had even faded, everyone immediately crouched down, covered their ears tightly with their hands, and opened their mouths as wide as possible to balance the enormous pressure the blast wave was putting on their internal organs.

Time seemed to be stretched out at this moment.

Five seconds later

"boom……"

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shook the entire earth violently. Even Cao Dawang, who was directing operations from behind a distant earthen mound, felt a tingling sensation under his feet.

A huge fireball, mixed with black smoke, flames, and dirt, suddenly rose from the Japanese machine gun position.

The seemingly sturdy sandbag fortifications, the heavy Type 92 machine guns, and the three Japanese soldiers behind them were all torn to shreds in an instant, mixed with mud and gravel, and thrown high into the sky before falling like rain.

The heavy machine gun emplacement, which had been arrogantly spewing fire, was now reduced to a charred crater still emitting blue smoke. The explosive charge that Shao Jiechuan had thrown out, despite its unremarkable appearance, was just a square block about 40 centimeters long, 25 centimeters wide, and 15 centimeters thick, made of durable canvas with wire mesh sewn between it.

However, its interior was packed with ten kilograms of high-purity TNT explosives.

This weapon, specifically designed for demolition, is extremely powerful and very safe. It will not explode even if it is hit by a bullet; it can only be detonated by a special detonator.

At this moment, it demonstrated its terrifying value in the most direct way.

"superior……"

Seeing the firing point destroyed, Cao Dawang jumped out of his bunker and shouted, "Brothers, charge!"

"kill……"

Seeing this, the soldiers behind him also rushed forward, a group of them bypassing the third squad of soldiers and continuing their attack...

Just as Su Yaoyang was directing his troops in a fierce battle with the 27th Division, Chief of Staff Pi Ruoyu strode over, wiped the rain off his face, and spoke with barely concealed excitement.

"Commander-in-Chief... the vanguard of the Eighth Route Army has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Su Yaoyang's spirits lifted.

Soon, a unit of Eighth Route Army soldiers, equally covered in mud but full of spirit, appeared behind the militia's position.

When Su Yaoyang got out of the car to greet the other commander, he saw a familiar figure.

Through the rain, a tall, resolute-looking middle-aged soldier strode forward, surrounded by several guards.

"Commander Su...we meet again!" The other person's hearty laughter pierced through the sound of rain and reached his ears.

"Brigade Commander... why is it you guys?"

Su Yaoyang's face showed surprise.

He never expected that the first to arrive would be the 386th Brigade, which he had just parted ways with, and the one leading the team was the brigade commander himself.

The brigade commander strode forward, smiling as he extended his calloused hand to him: "Why can't it be me? It seems Commander Su is surprised to see me."

"Not really."

Su Yaoyang gripped the brigade commander's hand tightly, feeling the strength and warmth from his palm, and smiled, "I just said goodbye to you a few days ago, and I never expected to be fighting side by side with you on the battlefield in this way today. It's really beyond my expectations."

"Alright, we'll have plenty of time to catch up after the battle. Now, let's get down to business." The brigade commander waved his hand, his smile fading, and his sharp eyes scanned the surrounding terrain before getting straight to the point.

Seeing the brigade commander's decisive action, Su Yaoyang was slightly taken aback, but then he understood what the other party was thinking.

The brigade commander was worried about the Independent Regiment that was directly confronting the main force of the Japanese army on Panlong Ridge. Li Yunlong was an old subordinate of his 386th Brigade, so this friendship was naturally extraordinary.

Su Yaoyang stopped rambling and turned to point to the mountain peaks shrouded in rain and mist on both sides, directly explaining the current predicament: "Brigade Commander, you see, the Japanese army has now dispatched at least one regiment of blocking troops, stationed on these two mountain peaks on both sides of the road."

Taking advantage of their superior elevation, they blocked our path with machine guns and grenade launchers.

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat somber: "If our army wants to pass through this highway smoothly and rush to the aid of Panlongling, we must remove these two obstacles and occupy these two hilltops."

But with such heavy rain, our artillery fire is completely ineffective for observation and firing, and our tank units can't climb the muddy slopes. We can only rely on infantry to launch repeated assaults. As you can see, casualties are considerable, so the offensive is extremely slow.

At this point, he pointed to the wounded soldiers lying on makeshift stretchers behind him and the sporadic gunfire that occasionally rang out from the distant mountains and forests, a look of helplessness on his face.

Just as Su Yaoyang and the brigade commander were nervously assessing the situation ahead, a figure parted the rain and strode quickly towards them.

The visitor was Political Commissar Wang of the 386th Brigade. He walked quickly to the brigade commander's side, but did not immediately interrupt their conversation. Instead, he listened silently as the two analyzed the battle situation.

When Su Yaoyang mentioned that tanks couldn't climb slopes to launch a direct assault on the hilltop, Political Commissar Wang frowned slightly and finally couldn't help but interject with a question:

"Commander Su."

He pointed to the road blocked by the Japanese army in the distance, "Since the main force of the Japanese army is entrenched on the high ground on both sides to block the road, can we... take advantage of the armored advantage of the tanks, ignore the fire from both sides, and directly form a convoy to force our way through the blocked section? As long as the armored force of the main force can get through and rush straight to the rear of Panlong Ridge to attack the main force of the 27th Division, the Japanese blocking fire on the mountain will naturally be lifted. Wouldn't that be easier than a direct assault on the mountain?"

The atmosphere at the scene suddenly froze when Political Commissar Wang said this.

Su Yaoyang was visibly taken aback, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back. Chief of Staff Pi Ruoyu, standing beside him, hadn't expected this suggestion either. He couldn't help but cover his mouth with his fist, coughing lightly twice, and quickly glanced at Su Yaoyang.

The brigade commander's face flushed slightly, and he glanced at Su Yaoyang and Pi Ruoyu with a hint of embarrassment.

He turned to Political Commissar Wang and explained:
"Old Wang, the actual situation on the battlefield is not that simple... Yes, tank armor is indeed not afraid of Japanese small arms bullets, but that does not mean that it is wise to let tank units leave the infantry cover and carry out assault missions alone."

He continued, "The key is that tanks themselves have extremely large blind spots."

The commander and driver could only observe through the limited periscope; the surrounding area and the bottom were almost dead zones.

Once separated from the protection of infantry, in such complex mountainous and forested terrain, with torrential rain, muddy roads, and extremely low visibility, the Japanese infantry could easily infiltrate and approach.

All they needed was for one person to crawl under the tank with a charge of explosives, or hide in a depression and use cluster grenades to sever the tracks, or brave the rain to climb onto the roof and stuff explosives or pour gasoline into the observation ports and engine compartment… and the tank would instantly become a lone, live target!

Upon hearing this, Su Yaoyang and Pi Ruoyu exchanged a glance, their eyes showing surprise.

"Moreover, the ground conditions caused by the heavy rain make it extremely difficult for tanks to move. If they are surrounded by infantry, they will be unable to move or fight effectively, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

When Pi Ruoyu heard the brigade commander's analysis, which was clear, logical, and to the point, he couldn't help but take a closer look at the Eighth Route Army brigade commander, as if he wanted to reassess the general's military competence.

Su Yaoyang gave a thumbs up: "Brigade Commander, I never expected that you would not only be good at guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare, but also have such a thorough understanding of the operational characteristics and risks of modern armored forces. Every word you say hits the nail on the head! I admire you! I truly admire you!"

Faced with Su Yaoyang's praise, the brigade commander simply smiled and waved his hand: "Commander Su, you flatter me. I've just had some experience with the various branches of the military before and have some understanding of their characteristics."

"The most urgent task now is to figure out how to tackle these two tough challenges." His gaze returned to the two high grounds shrouded in rain and mist, quickly steer the conversation back to the most pressing problem at hand.

(End of this chapter)