Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

The ancestral hall in Kaoshan Village was brightly lit, and I stood in front of the map.

"There are eleven more strongholds on the outskirts of Langu County." I moved my finger across the map. "Dawangzhuang and Lijiaji are the two largest, each garrisoned by a small R army squad and a puppet army company. The other nine strongholds are smaller in scale."

Zhao Dahai said worriedly, "Company Commander, although Langu County is a small county town, it still has city walls. We only have more than 500 people. It is too risky to launch a direct attack on the county town."

"Who said we were going to launch a full-scale attack?" I smiled slightly. "We're going to make the Japanese surrender the county town on their own."

At three o'clock in the morning, outside the Dawangzhuang stronghold

Dressed in black, I quickly crept into the bushes outside the stronghold. The stronghold was heavily guarded, with searchlights constantly scanning the surroundings from the four watchtowers.

Luck was on full display again, and another puppet soldier emerged, pulling up his pants and humming a tune, clearly out to relieve himself.

I'm starting to have my doubts. Could it be the urination controller?

The opportunity came. I moved closer silently, and the instant he lifted his shirt, I covered his mouth with my left hand and plunged the dagger into his heart with precision in my right. Without even struggling, he collapsed into my arms.

I quickly dragged the body into the bushes, and using my transformation powers, I instantly transformed into the appearance of this puppet soldier. After straightening my uniform, I swaggered through the small door and returned to the stronghold.

"Wang Laosi, why are you taking so long to pee?" A puppet army sentry leaned against the wall and asked lazily.

"My stomach isn't feeling well." This god of transformation is too abnormal. I don't even need to imitate it. As long as I open my mouth, it's the original voice of this body.

Using this suit as cover, I swaggered toward the first watchtower on the east side, where two Japanese sentries were huddled together smoking.

"Changing shifts?" a Japanese sentry asked without looking up, speaking in broken Chinese.

"I came early because I was worried you'd get tired, sir," I said obsequiously, while simultaneously closing in on him, my dagger already slicing across his throat. Before the other sentry could react, my second stab had already plunged into his heart.

Using the same method, I quickly cleared the second guard tower on the west side.

With both guard towers cleared, I opened the gate to the stronghold and gestured into the darkness. Zhao Dahai immediately led the soldiers in single file.

"Split up," I ordered in a low voice. "First platoon, clear the south barracks; second platoon, clear the north barracks. Use knives if possible."

The soldiers split into several groups and quickly dispersed. I personally led a group towards the puppet army barracks to the south. Pushing open the door, I found twelve puppet soldiers fast asleep, their snores filling the air.

We swiftly dispatched them all.

Just as we were clearing the third barracks, an unexpected incident occurred. While one soldier was dealing with a Japanese soldier, the enemy realized what was happening and started shouting.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

In an instant, the entire stronghold erupted in chaos.

The furious roar of R Army Commander Kameda echoed from the command post, and the surviving R Army hastily organized a counterattack.

Fortunately, we have eliminated more than half of the enemies inside the stronghold, and the guard towers are all our men.

"Operate according to plan!" I shouted the order, and at the same time raised my gun to return fire, killing a Japanese soldier who was running towards the machine gun.

"Cumulative kills have reached 100. Skill drawing in progress. Congratulations, host, you have obtained the skill: Wudang Ladder Cloud Leap."

A strange power surged through my legs, and I felt my body become incredibly light.

Kameda, with the remaining dozen or so Japanese soldiers, stubbornly resisted from the command post. I used the ladder to quickly pick up the machine gun on the ground, and in a few leaps, I jumped onto the roof of the command post.

The Japanese have seen machine guns firing at heads with no recoil. I'm cheating, you know?

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat, a long line of bullets devoured the lives of the Japanese soldiers below. With their deaths, the battle drew to a close. While taking inventory of the battlefield, Zhao Dahai excitedly reported, "Company Commander, we've captured two intact mortars, along with a large quantity of ammunition and food."

I checked the time; it was around 3 a.m. "Immediately clean up the battlefield. Send 100 men behind with the wounded; the rest of you come with me. Destination: Zhao Family Market!"

After a half-hour forced march, we arrived at the outskirts of Zhao Family Market. This was a larger stronghold than Dawangzhuang, garrisoned by three squads of the R Army and a company of puppet troops.

"Mortars, take position!" I ordered. "The rest of you, don't hold back your ammunition. No need to leave the trenches, just fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shells rained down on the stronghold one after another, the explosions deafening. The Japanese soldiers and puppet troops inside were terrified, thinking it was the main force of the Chinese army attacking them. After all, with the surrounding strongholds falling one after another, who else could it be but the main force?

About half an hour later, a scout reported: "Company commander, a large number of Japanese troops have been mobilized from the direction of the county town, at least five companies, totaling 1000 men, are marching rapidly towards us. Reinforcements have also been dispatched from other strongholds!"

"Looks like the Japanese have hired reinforcements too, otherwise, including the garrison, their numbers would be too many. But good, you've finally broken out of your shell." I smiled slightly. "Notify the county brigade and district squads to proceed according to plan!"

As soon as the remaining small outposts in Langu County were mobilized, they fell into our pre-arranged ambush. The county brigade successfully captured Xiaowangzhuang, and the district brigade also captured Lijia Gou.

"The Japanese have vehicles, and they'll be here in about forty minutes. When the Japanese reinforcements are about fifteen minutes away from you, retreat in stages according to plan and wait for us at Black Wind Gorge." After arranging the follow-up, I led the remaining main force straight to Langu County.

It was almost six o'clock when we arrived at the foot of Langu County. The ancient city wall was ten meters high, the city gate was tightly closed, and the guards on the city wall were on high alert.

"Looks like I'll have to use the new skill." I observed the defenses on the city wall. "You guys wait here for my signal. As soon as I give the signal, no matter what's going on ahead, charge!"

"Yes," my soldiers now completely trust me.

I arrived at the side of the county town, used my light-footed skills to scale the city wall with a few quick movements, and cleared a safe area along the wall. I descended and opened the city gate. The moment the gate opened, the soldiers surged in like a tide. The Japanese soldiers reacted, but it was too late.

My soldiers charged into the city like madmen.

"Split up!" I shouted the order. "First platoon, take control of the city gates; second platoon, seize the armory!"

The street fighting inside the city was extremely fierce. Although most of the Japanese soldiers had left the city, a company was left to defend it, along with the puppet troops. So, on every street, both sides were fighting with their lives and blood.

We suffered casualties, but the Japanese suffered even greater casualties.

At an intersection, an R army machine gun emplacement suppressed our attack. I used my light footwork to leap onto the roof and approached from the side, taking out the firing point with a few grenades.

After more than half an hour of fierce fighting, we have basically taken control of the county town.

"Messenger!" I shouted, "Immediately notify all platoons that, except for the necessary garrison troops, all other personnel should assemble at the south of the city as planned."

Upon receiving the order, all departments immediately took action.

Zhao Dahai's platoon was clearing out the remaining enemy troops when they heard the order to regroup. Wang Tiezhu's second platoon was still occupying the armory and quickly handed over the defense.

Everyone knew that taking over the county was only the first step in the plan.

The troops quickly assembled in the south of the city. I looked at these soldiers who had just gone through a fierce battle; their eyes showed no fatigue, only anticipation for the next battle.

Defend the city?

That would be too passive. I want to annihilate all five squadrons of Japanese soldiers in Black Wind Gorge.

"Let's go, destination: Black Wind Gorge!"

The troops advanced towards Black Wind Gorge at a rapid pace. Reconnaissance soldiers along the way continuously reported on the battle situation:

"The third platoon successfully held off the Japanese army using landmines north of Blackwind Gorge!"

"The R army is launching a full-scale attack!"

Every piece of news was in line with the plan. When we arrived at the south side of Blackwind Gorge, we could hear the sounds of fierce fighting in the distance. I immediately climbed to a high point to observe, and saw that the gorge was filled with smoke, and the R army was frantically attacking the hills on both sides.

The third platoon suffered heavy casualties, but the position remained intact.

Black Wind Gorge is a treacherous terrain, with a narrow dirt road in the middle and low hills on both sides. If the R army occupies any of the hills, the entire blocking plan will fail completely.

"Deploy as planned!" I gave the order.

The first platoon moved to the left flank, the second platoon flanked to the right flank, and I picked up a machine gun and used the ladder-like vertical movement to quickly move towards the northern highlands.

"Company Commander!" Li Cheng, the platoon leader of the third platoon, covered in blood, shouted in surprise.

"Continue to hold them off!" I set up the machine gun and aimed it at the charging R troops.

The god of guns made the machine gun seem to come alive in my hands.

With bursts and sweeps, every bullet hit its target precisely, repelling the two waves of R troops' assaults and leaving dozens of corpses in front of the position.

"Cumulative kills reached 100, skill drawing in progress... Skill obtained: King of Throwing"

Just then, the observation post shouted, "The Japanese are setting up artillery positions!"

I peered over and saw the R army urgently deploying four mountain guns at the other end of the canyon. Once these guns were in place, the entire blocking position would face annihilation.

"Give me all the grenades!" I shouted.

The soldiers immediately gathered all the grenades they had on them, took a deep breath, and felt the effects of their newly acquired King of Throwing skills.

The first grenade was thrown, tracing a perfect parabola, and landed precisely next to a mountain gun.

boom!

The artillery crew members fell to the ground immediately.

Almost simultaneously, R army counter-attack shells whistled as they landed on our positions.

"Lie down!"

A loud bang exploded to the left front, and a mixture of dirt, gravel, and scorching heat rushed towards us.

I shook my head, still dazed from the shock, and looked up to see several soldiers who had been so energetic just moments before now lying in pools of blood. A young soldier clutched his abdomen, his intestines spilling out, and stared blankly at me, muttering, "Mother..."

"Damn you little devils, fuck your ancestors!"

"Suppressive fire! Don't let the Japanese artillery fire rise!" I roared, my hands moving even faster. The second, the third... the grenades seemed to have eyes, flying one after another towards the Japanese artillery positions.

One of them landed precisely in an open ammunition box.

boom!!!

The deafening explosion seemed to make the entire valley tremble. The R army's artillery positions were instantly engulfed by a huge fireball and thick smoke, and shattered gun barrels and parts were thrown into the air.

The remaining cannons were also turned into twisted scrap metal in the chain of explosions. The R army lost its most important artillery support, and its offensive clearly stalled.

But we paid the price for it; more than twenty soldiers fell in that round of shelling.

"The Japanese devils are going to fight to the death, Company Commander, we don't have many bullets left!" Zhao Dahai's voice was hoarse, and blood seeped from the bandage wrapped around his arm.

"Fix bayonets!!!"

The R soldiers charged at us with bayonets fixed. "Comrades! For our fallen comrades! Kill!" I picked up my rifle with the bayonet fixed and was the first to leap out of the makeshift cover.

As Old Li once said, "When two people meet on a narrow path, the brave one will win!"

The entire Black Wind Valley was transformed into a bloody battlefield of hand-to-hand combat, with the sounds of clashing bayonets, roars, screams, and groans mingling together.

I wielded a large sword like a god of war, each swing drawing blood and flesh. Enemies fell in droves, but the R army was simply too numerous.

Just as one soldier stabbed a Japanese soldier to death with his bayonet, another bayonet pierced his side. Another soldier pulled the pin on his last grenade, shouting "You little devils, I'll fuck your grandma!" and charged into the enemy ranks, dying alongside them.

Every minute, every second, someone falls.

Blood stained the yellow earth beneath their feet, pooling into trickles that flowed down the hillside. The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder and the nauseating stench of blood.

Our numbers are dwindling, from three hundred to over two hundred, and then to less than one hundred and fifty. But every soldier who is still standing has an indomitable flame burning in their eyes, and no one has retreated a single step!

My uniform was already torn, and my face and body were covered in the enemy's blood.

I am immortal, and I am insane.

The fierce battle lasted until noon. When I smashed the skull of the last R army officer who was putting up a stubborn resistance, the entire canyon finally quieted down.

A deathly silence.

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared, and under the blood-red setting sun, as far as the eye could see in Black Wind Valley, there were only corpses. We had won; with three hundred soldiers, we had annihilated nearly a thousand Japanese troops.

But none of the survivors cheered.

I walked on the battlefield and looked around.

Most of the familiar faces from before the departure now lie quietly on this land they protected with their lives. A medic is kneeling beside a seriously wounded soldier, futilely pressing on his chest, tears mixed with blood streaming down the young man's face.

Zhao Dahai silently walked to my side. This tough man's eyes were red at this moment, and his voice choked with emotion: "Company Commander, Li Cheng is gone."

I patted his unaffected shoulder, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't say a word.

The setting sun cast long, long shadows as we stood amidst the remains of our fallen comrades, silently removing our military caps. This hard-won victory was won at the cost of countless brothers' lives.

This heavy price makes the word "victory" seem so weighty.

Standing atop the hill, I gazed into the distance, the sunlight falling on my face.

This national war is not over yet.