The Courtyard House: The Little Red Devil Returning from the Peninsula

The sound of a heavy machine gun is different from that of a rifle.

Its sound was deep and continuous, like someone hammering the bones of the city wall, one blow after another, causing dust to fall from the cracks in the bricks.

Zhao Weiguo lay prone behind the barricade, the blue line in front of him obscured by a thick red arc.

[Enemy firepower threat: Type 92 heavy machine gun]

[Range: 800 meters effective kill]

Ammunition reserves: Sufficient

[Recommendation: Avoid exposure and find blind spots for firing.]

Bullets swept past the city wall, hitting sandbags, and yellow dust, like flour blown by the wind, covered faces.

The soldier surnamed Meng had just peeked out when his hat brim was knocked off, and he was pushed back down by the deputy battalion commander.

Don't look up!

"But their engineers are almost at the base of the wall!"

Zhao Weiguo didn't look outside the city; he only stared at the location of the heavy machine gun.

Beside the dilapidated house east of the bridge, Japanese soldiers mounted a heavy machine gun on a cart, the cart leaning sideways to block most of the gunner's view. The assistant gunner knelt beside it, feeding ammunition, while two riflemen squatted nearby for cover.

What's more troublesome is that they've become smarter.

The heavy machine guns didn't fire at a single point; instead, they swept back and forth, blocking the entire section of the city wall. Anyone who dared to peek out was met with a barrage of bullets.

The deputy battalion commander lay prone behind a sandbag, his face pressed against the city bricks.

"Mr. Zhao, about our cannon..."

Zhao Weiguo shook his head.

"The cannon barrel was stuffed with broken bricks and iron nails, its range was less than twenty meters. They were fifty meters away."

"What should we do then?"

Zhao Weiguo looked at the two Czech-made light machine guns on the city wall.

There are only two and a half springboards left.

He then looked at the remaining five grenades.

not enough.

Old Xu leaned against the sandbag, the bandage under his ribs soaked red again. He was panting, his voice hoarse like a broken saw.

"Mr. Zhao, how about... we take a gamble?"

What are we competing for?

"I led the big sword squad down and cut down that machine gun."

Zhao Weiguo glanced at him.

You can't even stand up straight now.

"I can crawl over there."

"He was riddled with bullets halfway up the mountain."

Old Xu gritted his teeth, but his eyes were still fixed on the outside of the city.

Outside the city, two teams of engineers had already pressed against the base of the wall. Holding explosive charges, they leaned against the wall and began stuffing them into the cracks. Heavy machine guns suppressed the top of the wall, while riflemen provided cover on the flanks, their coordination as smooth as an oiled machine.

The battalion deputy's fingers gripped the last grenade.

"If we don't fight now, the wall will collapse."

Zhao Weiguo suddenly spoke.

"Skinny soldier."

The skinny soldier lay sprawled to the side, his face covered in ash.

"arrive!"

"Are you fast on your feet?"

I came in third in the whole city.

"That's enough."

Zhao Weiguo removed the breechblock from the Type 92 infantry gun, picked up a few broken bricks from the ground, wrapped them in a rag, and handed them to the skinny soldier.

"Take it."

The skinny soldier was stunned.

"This is……"

"A fake explosive charge."

The soldier surnamed Meng's eyes lit up.

"You want to lure them into using machine guns?"

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

"The skinny soldier ran from the right-hand concealed position to the left-hand gatehouse, holding his bag high so they could see him. As soon as the machine gun turned, we fired at the sapper."

The deputy battalion commander's throat bobbed.

Zhao Weiguo looked at the skinny soldier.

"You have to run faster than a bullet."

The skinny soldier took the cloth bag, his hand trembled slightly, and then he gritted his teeth.

"Mr. Zhao, what if I run too slowly..."

"If you run too slowly, I'll erect a monument for you."

The skinny soldier cursed and, clutching his cloth bag, crept towards the hidden stack on the right.

Zhao Weiguo turned to look at the deputy battalion commander.

"Machine guns ready. The moment the skinny soldier moves, you focus on the engineers. Ignore the heavy machine guns; fire in three seconds, then retreat."

The deputy battalion commander nodded and beckoned to the gunners of the two light machine guns.

"Listen to Mr. Zhao! Three seconds! Finish and get out of here!"

On the city wall, everyone held their breath.

The skinny soldier squatted behind the hidden stack, holding a cloth bag in both hands, his legs trembling.

Zhao Weiguo raised his hand.

"three."

The skinny soldier took a deep breath.

"two."

His legs were tense.

"One—Run!"

The skinny soldier rushed out from behind the concealed battlements, holding a cloth bag high, and ran wildly to the left along the inner side of the city wall.

The heavy machine guns outside the city immediately turned.

Da da da da!

Bullets chased after the skinny soldier's heels, hitting the city bricks and sending sparks flying. The skinny soldier ran like a rabbit being chased by a dog, his cloth bag swaying above his head, his legs almost cramping.

It was in that very moment.

Zhao Weiguo roared.

"beat!"

Two light machine guns emerged from the gap simultaneously, their muzzles pressed against the base of the wall.

Da da da!

The engineers were caught off guard. Two of them carrying explosives fell, and the rest tried to run, but the riflemen on the city wall pressed down again.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

A series of screams erupted at the base of the wall.

three seconds.

The deputy battalion commander shouted.

"withdraw!"

The two machine guns immediately retreated behind the ramparts.

The heavy machine guns outside the city finally reacted, turning their muzzles back towards the gap, and bullets sent bricks flying everywhere from the spot where the machine guns had been protruding.

But there was no one left on the city wall.

The skinny soldier rushed to the left gatehouse, plunged headfirst into the sandbag, his chest heaving violently, and his legs too weak to stand up.

The soldier surnamed Meng rushed over to help him up.

Are you alright?

The skinny soldier was panting like a bellows, his face covered in sweat and mud.

"I...I'm still alive?"

Old Xu grinned, his teeth filled with blood and foam.

"You run faster than a rabbit."

The deputy battalion commander lay down at the edge of the barricade and took a look through binoculars.

At the base of the wall, the engineering corps was scattered. Two men carrying explosive charges fell to the ground, while the rest dragged the wounded soldiers away.

He put down the binoculars, and his face twitched.

"Mr. Zhao, the engineers have withdrawn."

Zhao Weiguo did not breathe a sigh of relief.

He stared at the heavy machine gun outside the city.

The gun is still there.

Moreover, another group of Japanese troops advanced from the east side of the bridge.

This time it wasn't the engineers.

They were infantrymen, followed by officers.

The officer raised his sword and shouted something.

The infantry began to advance.

Dense formation.

Zhao Weiguo's gaze darkened.

"They're still going to charge."

The deputy battalion commander glanced at the remaining ammunition.

There is only one ammunition box left.

There are only three grenades left.

Only one and a half magazines remained for the two light machine guns.

He turned to look at Zhao Weiguo, his throat tightening.

"Mr. Zhao, we..."

Zhao Weiguo interrupted him.

"They can still fight."

What are we going to use to fight?

Zhao Weiguo looked at the soldiers on the city wall, their faces covered in dust and dirt.

Some were changing their last magazine, some were pulling out their bayonets, and others were holding empty guns, their eyes still fixed on the outside of the city.

He turned to look at the deputy battalion commander.

"Give me your life."