Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 135 Capture alive
Despite wearing full armor weighing 80 pounds, plus a light machine gun and ammunition, bringing the total load to 150 pounds, Wang Gensheng's running speed remained largely unaffected.

Soon Wang Gensheng arrived at the county government office in the center of Taiyuan City. The county government office was surrounded by walls, and the walls were quite high, about four meters high.

The reason it was built so high was naturally to defend against enemies. You see, the county government office was the most important place in ancient times; it was the core of a city.

Therefore, in order to prevent a sudden rebellion in the city from impacting the county government, the county government was not only surrounded by high walls, but also occupied a considerable area, reaching tens of thousands of square meters.

Of course, because the size of each county town is different, the size of the county government office is also different. Some county government offices are large, and some are small, but even the smallest county government office is more than 10,000 square meters.

Take the Taiyuan County Government Office as an example. It covers an area of ​​more than 35,000 square meters, with a width of more than 170 meters from east to west and a length of about 200 meters from north to south.

The county government office was rectangular and easy to defend. There was only one gate to the entire county government office. After entering through the county government office gate, it could be divided into four parts. Each of the four parts was separated by a wall and could only be entered through one gate.

The county government office faces south and consists of three axes and five courtyards.

The five gates are the main entrances to the county government office from the outside. On the left and right sides are the living quarters of the yamen runners and the prison where criminals are held.

Then there's the ceremonial gate, the main hall, the second hall, and the third hall. The entire county government office is a hard-roofed building with blue bricks and gray tiles.

At this moment, Wang Gensheng and his assault team, Groups One and Two, had arrived at the main gate of the county government office.

At this moment, two heavy machine guns were set up directly at the main gate, forming a crossfire from the left and right.

Without hesitation, Wang Gensheng used two grenades to blow up the two machine guns that hadn't even had a chance to fire yet.

Then, the light machine gun fire suppressed the Japanese soldiers, forcing them to hide behind the county government gate and not dare to show their faces.

However, Wang Gensheng did not rush to attack, but instead said to Duan Peng:
"Duan Peng, you take the second assault team and surround this county government office. Make sure not a single Japanese soldier gets away."

Upon hearing Wang Gensheng's order, Duan Peng did not hesitate and led the second assault team to encircle the enemy.

As for Wang Gensheng, he looked at the tightly closed gate of the county government office.

Without the slightest hesitation, he took out several grenades, wrapped them in strips of cloth, and then detonated one of them to light the fuse before starting the countdown.

Three seconds later, Wang Gensheng threw it out.

The grenade in the package exploded, causing the other grenades to detonate.

Moreover, Wang Gensheng timed the attack perfectly; the cluster grenade exploded the moment it touched the county government gate.

Although the main gate of the county government office was made of thick solid wood, such thick solid wood could probably protect against arrows and knife cuts.

However, it is still impossible to withstand the power of a grenade explosion, especially when multiple grenades are bundled together.

Behind the shattered gate, tense Japanese soldiers were visible.

Wang Gensheng showed no mercy and immediately opened fire, killing the man instantly. Then, Wang Gensheng charged inside with his machine gun, not lingering there. After throwing a few grenades into the rooms on either side where people might be hiding, he led his assault team to continue their charge towards the main hall.

Just as Wang Gensheng led his assault team to break through the county government gate.

Yoshio Shinotsuka's advisor said:
"Jingjun, let's retreat! Blow up the back wall of the county government office and leave from the back."

At this moment, Yoshio Shinotsuka remained calm and thoughtfully said:

"Is this some kind of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' strategy? The Eighth Route Army knows they can't withstand our reinforcements and that Taiyuan's forces are currently weak, so they're taking advantage of the situation to launch a strong attack on Taiyuan. This will force the troops supporting Ping'an County to turn back, and then..."

Unfortunately, before Yoshio Shinotsuka could finish speaking, the door to the operations hall was kicked open by Wang Gensheng.

This really shocked Yoshio Shinotsuka, considering that the county government had two squadrons of nearly four hundred men serving as defense personnel.

Even so, the intruders still managed to rush here so quickly.

Without wasting any words, Wang Gensheng quickly stepped forward and kicked Shinotsuka Yoshio, who was trying to draw his gun, to the ground. Then, he opened fire with the light machine gun in his hand, mowing down all the Japanese soldiers in the operations hall except for Shinotsuka Yoshio.

Wang Gensheng, relying on surprise, firepower, and bulletproof vests, easily took down Yoshio Shinotsuka.

However, while Wang Gensheng's side was fighting easily, the regiments that helped Li Yunlong block the Japanese reinforcements were having a tough time.

Under Yoshio Shinotsuka's forceful orders, the Japanese reinforcements fought with considerable ferocity.

The staff officer Ding Wei had sent to investigate the battle situation returned and reported:

"Commander, the enemy's offensive is fierce, like they've gone mad. They've launched seven or eight attacks on our forward positions in one go, with large-scale charges and artillery covering the charges. The artillery is also fierce, with large-caliber heavy guns. The Second Battalion has suffered heavy casualties, but the position is still in our hands."

Upon hearing the report, Ding Wei muttered to himself:

"The enemy is going all out! This group of enemies has received a death order to reinforce the Ping'an area at all costs!"

Seeing Ding Wei hesitate, the staff officer said, "Commander, it's probably not a good idea for us to hold out at the front. If we join the battle without orders, and the headquarters investigates, we can't afford the responsibility!"

Ding Wei nodded in agreement upon hearing the staff officer's words.
"Yes! We need to think of a way. If we withdraw from our position now and open the road to let the enemy in, our regiment can be assured of safety and won't have to bear any responsibility. But Li Yunlong's situation will be dangerous! The more frantic the enemy is, the more it shows the necessity of our blocking action! Letting the enemy pass through at this time would be irresponsible to the Independent Regiment!"

Hearing Ding Wei's concerns, the operations staff officer understood the need to consider the feelings of other units, and immediately said:
"We must find a way that satisfies both the enemy's reinforcements and our own troop casualties!"

Ding Wei thought for a moment, then looked at the map on the wall behind him and said to the operations staff:
"Come on! Look, our regiment's defense zone extends thirty kilometers in depth, including passes, bridges, and more than a dozen high points that can control the highway. Here's what we'll do: First, mobilize local armed forces and militia to lay landmines along the highway and on both sides of the highway. The density must be high; use all our resources. Second, send out small units to occupy the passes and high points along the highway, resisting step by step and slowing down the enemy's advance. Third, destroy all the bridges within the defense zone!"

However, upon hearing Ding Wei's decision to blow up the bridge, the operations staff immediately said:
"What? You blew up the whole bridge? Are we still supposed to cross it?!"

Ding Wei, however, remained unconcerned and said:
"The situation is urgent now, let's blow it up first! Fourth, order the front-line troops to withdraw from their positions, clear the way for the enemy to enter, and use guerrilla warfare to harass the enemy. In short, there is only one principle: to stop the enemy from reinforcing at all costs."

(End of this chapter)