Bright Sword: Starting from Obtaining the Equipment Slot

"From Majia Gou to the POW camp, the road passes through a mountain pass. That place has steep slopes on both sides, with only one road in the middle—a perfect spot for an ambush. I never hold grudges, because if I do, I settle them that very night!"

Wang Xiao listened from the side, his eyes lighting up.

"Company commander, are you planning to pull off another heist?"

"right."

Old Wu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He knew he couldn't persuade Wei Dayong.

He had witnessed it firsthand; this man was incredibly murderous, and if he could kill one pair, he would definitely not let another go!

What terrible things did the Japanese soldiers in the prisoner-of-war camp do to deserve encountering this scourge?

"Alright, I'll take them now."

He turned and ran back into the depression, where he began calling for the logistics platoon soldiers and prisoners of war to assemble.

The prisoners of war had just been assigned weapons when they heard Old Wu call for them to assemble, and they all stood up.

Old Wu stood at the front of the line and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Those who can walk on their own, stand on the left; those who need help, stand on the right; those who really can't walk, stay here, and I'll arrange for someone to carry them!"

The prisoners of war were in disarray for a while, then slowly split into two groups.

Old Wu walked up to the wounded soldiers who couldn't walk, examined their wounds one by one, and then called on a few soldiers from the logistics platoon.

"You, carry this one. You, carry that one. And you, the one with the leg injury, help him walk. Listen carefully, it's okay to walk slowly, the important thing is not to drop him."

After arranging for the wounded, Lao Wu walked up to Liu Nian'an.

"Liu Nian'an, you take ten men and lead the way to scout ahead. The rest of you follow me, walking on both sides of the column and protecting the brothers in the middle."

Liu Nian'an straightened his back.

"Yes, platoon leader."

Old Wu turned around and saluted Wei Dayong.

"Company commander, we're leaving now."

Wei Dayong nodded.

"Be careful on the road. If you encounter any trouble, don't fight back. Send someone back to report first."

"clear."

Old Wu turned around and waved to the group.

"Set off!"

The logistics platoon soldiers escorted the prisoners of war along the gully north of the depression, heading towards the valley.

The line stretched out very long and moved very slowly.

Wei Dayong stood in the depression, watching them walk away, and then turned around.

"Wang Xiao, Hou Yue."

The two of them ran quickly to him.

"Company Commander."

Wei Dayong looked at them.

"Have the soldiers check their weapons, fully load their ammunition, and prepare their grenades. We'll depart in five minutes."

Wang Xiao and Hou Yue responded simultaneously and turned to make the arrangements.

One minute later, the soldiers of the first and third platoons had lined up in the depression.

Wei Dayong walked to the front of the line and glanced at everyone.

"That last battle was well fought, but it's not over yet. The brothers in the second platoon are still on their way. They lured the Japanese away, and now it's our turn to take care of the pursuers."

The soldiers gripped their guns tightly. No one spoke, but their eyes shone with light.

"Set off."

Wei Dayong led the way westward.

Wang Xiao and Hou Yue followed behind him with two platoons of soldiers.

The road was difficult to walk on at night; the gravel underfoot would slip and fall from time to time, making a clattering sound.

As Wei Dayong walked, he activated his "Observe in All Directions" feature, mentally mapping out the terrain within a three-kilometer radius.

After walking for about forty minutes, we could see the outline of the valley that Wei Dayong had mentioned in the distance.

This is a valley nestled between two mountains. At the bottom of the valley is a highway, with steep slopes on both sides covered with shrubs and dwarf pine trees.

Wei Dayong stopped behind a short pine tree and raised his binoculars to look west.

The highway was deserted; there were no cars or people.

"We're not there yet." Wei Dayong put down his binoculars and said to Wang Xiao and Hou Yue behind him, "Let's set up our position first."

He pointed to the steep slope on the north side of the road.

"Hou Yue, you take three platoons and ambush on the north slope. Set up two light machine guns in that position—"

He pointed to a protruding rock on the slope.

"That location offers the best view, covering the entire stretch of highway."

Hou Yue glanced in the direction Wei Dayong pointed and nodded.

"clear."

"Wang Xiao, you take a platoon of the main force and ambush on the south slope. Ma Fenghuai's heavy machine gun is positioned at the easternmost bend."

Wei Dayong moved his finger to a sharp bend on the east side of the road.

"The Japanese convoy must slow down when it passes this bend; that's the best time to open fire."

Once all the Japanese soldiers were inside the ambush zone, Ma Fenghuai's heavy machine guns opened fire first, crippling the lead vehicle and blocking their retreat. Then, the light machine guns on the north and south flanks opened fire simultaneously, providing crossfire.

Wang Xiao nodded.

"Remember, this ambush is different from the last one. The Japanese failed to catch up with us in Majia Gou, so they'll definitely be on guard on their way back. Therefore, we can't rush things; we must wait until they're all inside the ambush area before we make our move."

Wei Dayong emphasized it again.

"Anyone who fires prematurely and exposes the position will be court-martialed."

Wang Xiao and Hou Yue both nodded.

"Go."

The two platoon leaders, along with their respective soldiers, began setting up their positions.

Hou Yue led the third platoon up the north slope. The soldiers lay down behind the bushes, set up two light machine guns in the crevices of the rocks, and covered the barrels with dry branches.

The assistant gunner took the magazine out of the magazine pouch, placed it beside him, and checked the feed port again.

Hou Yue lay down next to the machine gunner and whispered, "When the fighting starts, sweep the driver's cab first, take out the driver, and the vehicle won't be able to move."

"Understood, Platoon Leader."

Wang Xiao led a platoon of main force to the south slope. The soldiers dispersed and lay prone behind the earthen embankment and tree roots.

Ma Fenghuai carried the heavy machine gun barrel, while the assistant gunner carried the tripod. The two of them climbed to the sharp bend on the east side of the road and began to set up the machine gun.

"Gun barrel." Ma Fenghuai held out his hand.

The assistant gunner pulled the barrel out of its canvas case and handed it to him.

Ma Fenghuai installed the barrel into the gun body, pulled the bolt, heard a click as it locked in place, and then inserted the thirty-round magazine into the feed port.

He lay prone behind the heavy machine gun, gripped the handles with both hands, and glanced at the road through the scope.

The view was clear; the bend in the road was less than fifty meters directly in front of the gun barrel.

"Ready?" Ma Fenghuai said to the assistant gunner beside him. "After I fire, keep an eye on the feed port. If the magazine catches, tap it with your hand."

"clear."

Wei Dayong lay prone behind a large rock on the north side of the road, the highest point from which he could see the entire ambush zone.

He placed the submachine gun on the rock and tucked two hand grenades into his waistband.

Wang Xiao crouched down and ran over from the south slope, then lay down next to Wei Dayong.

The wind blew from the mountain valley, rustling the bushes.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, movement finally appeared on the highway to the west.

First, the beams of headlights swept across from the mountain pass, followed by the roar of the engine.

Wei Dayong raised his binoculars and saw three trucks driving towards him along the road.

The first truck was filled with Japanese soldiers, and the second and third trucks were also full of people.

Three trucks, each carrying about thirty soldiers, totaling more than a hundred people.

"They're here." Wei Dayong put down his binoculars and said to Wang Xiao beside him, "Pass down the order to prepare for battle."

Wang Xiao crouched low and ran back to the south slope to relay the order to every soldier.

Hou Yue, who was on the north slope, also received the order and patted the machine gunner on the shoulder.

"Stay calm and wait until they're all inside before you fight."