Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

the other side.

Zhou Tianyang was walking in the middle of the path.

The steps were still light, but the pace was a bit slower than before.

He turned his head to look at the soldiers who were hurrying behind him, his gaze sweeping over them one by one.

He quickly assessed the team's condition in his mind.

Deng Chen and his more than three hundred veterans were still walking at the front of the column.

Although their steps were not as light as before, they maintained their formation well, and no one fell behind.

Each of them carried at least two or three captured Type 38 rifles on their backs; some carried Type 96 light machine guns, while others carried ammunition boxes in pairs.

Ma Yong led the guard platoon to the rear of the column, responsible for bringing up the rear and observing.

He would stop every now and then and listen to what was happening behind him.

Once you're sure no pursuers are following, quicken your pace to catch up with the group.

Although the soldiers were exhausted, they still had the same high spirits they had after winning a battle.

Everyone was hurrying along in silence; no one spoke or made any unnecessary noise.

Zhou Tianyang withdrew his gaze and slowed his pace to wait for Deng Chen to turn back from the front.

The two walked side by side for a while, and Zhou Tianyang turned his head and asked a question.

"Battalion Commander Deng, how much longer can the soldiers hold out?"

Deng Chen thought for a moment, then glanced at his own team.

"Walking for another hour or so is no problem, but if we continue to travel with this heavy load, we will definitely have to stop and rest before dark."

Zhou Tianyang nodded, but did not immediately express his opinion.

He looked up and saw the path still winding its way out, the vegetation on both sides growing denser and the terrain gradually rising.

We walked for about half an hour more.

The road ahead begins to flatten out.

There is a slightly open mixed woodland on both sides of the road, and the clearings in the woodland are large enough to accommodate more than 300 people to rest separately.

"Let's rest here for a while."

Zhou Tianyang stopped and waved to the group behind him.

"Rest for half an hour, eat some dry food and drink some water, and then set off again."

After the order was passed down.

The soldiers gradually dispersed in the clearing in the forest.

Some people sat down against the tree trunk to untie their leg wraps, some took off their hats to fan themselves, and some unscrewed the lid of their water bottles and took several big gulps.

As usual, Ma Yong set up hidden sentries at the four corners of the woods.

Only after confirming that it was safe did we sit down on a flat rock at the edge of the forest.

He took out a piece of dry food from his pocket, broke it in half, and handed one half to Zhou Tianyang.

Zhou Tianyang took it, took a bite, and chewed slowly.

He unscrewed the kettle, took a small sip, and then put the kettle back on his waist.

Deng Chen sat next to him, also eating dry food.

He took a few bites and put the food down, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he were thinking about something.

He remained silent for a long while before speaking.

"Commander, I think the small path we're taking should allow us to bypass the outer perimeter of the Japanese-controlled area."

"But if I go a little further, the terrain will become more complicated, and there will be more forks in the road. I need to figure out the direction first."

Zhou Tianyang swallowed the dry food in his mouth and nodded.

"You make the arrangements."

"We need a few people to scout ahead; you can tell us."

Deng Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He stood up and waved to someone not far away.

The group immediately put down their dry rations and water bottles and quickly walked up to him.

"You, you, you, and you."

Deng Chen selected four people, all of whom were the most agile.

"Go west along that fork in the road for a few miles and check the road conditions. See if there are any signs of Japanese sentries or patrols."

"Return and report immediately once you've figured it out. Do not engage in combat with anyone, and do not expose yourself."

The four people nodded, without saying anything unnecessary.

He turned and quickly disappeared into the bushes along the path, soon vanishing from sight.

Zhou Tianyang watched the four figures disappear into the woods, then looked away and continued munching on the dry rations in his hand.

He did not rush the team to set off, nor did he show any anxiety.

They have been walking for almost two hours since they left the alley.

If the main force of the Japanese army arrives at the alleyway within half an hour after they leave.

At least an hour and a half has passed by now.

In that hour and a half, the Japanese soldiers could do a lot of things.

Blockade, search, contact surrounding strongholds, and deploy troops.

If they were just chasing west along the main road, they've already gone too far and lost their way.

But Zhou Tianyang knew in his heart that the Japanese soldiers were not fools.

The Japanese were able to react quickly after their main force was annihilated.

This shows that he is not the kind of person who would put all his eggs in one basket.

He will make other arrangements.

For example, contacting surrounding outposts to spread a wider net.

Zhou Tianyang finished his dry rations, patted the crumbs off his hands, stood up, and scanned the entire forest with his eyes.

The soldiers were getting up one after another to pack their gear; their thirty-minute break was almost over.

Everyone's physical strength has recovered somewhat compared to before.

He walked over to Ma Yong and said in a low voice.

"After we set off, tell everyone to be careful."

"I always felt that the road ahead wouldn't be too peaceful."

Ma Yong stuffed the last bite of dry rations into his mouth, patted the crumbs off his hands, and nodded.

"Commander, I've been thinking about this too."

"We launched two ambushes; it's impossible that the Japanese didn't react at all."

"The surrounding outposts have probably already been notified."

"Um."

Zhou Tianyang didn't say anything more and turned to walk back to the front of the line.

A few more minutes passed.

The bushes rustled, and the four scouts emerged from the woods.

They walked quickly up to Deng Chen, and the soldier in the lead said something in a low voice.

"Battalion Commander, there's a Japanese stronghold about two miles west of that fork in the road ahead."

"It's not a large-scale outpost, it looks like a small squad's base, but the walls and watchtowers are newly built, and the security is tighter than that of a typical outpost."

How many people are inside the base?

"It's hard to see clearly, but there are sentries on the watchtower and mobile sentries around the perimeter of the wall. There are at least thirty or forty people on the move."

"However, they showed no intention of coming out to patrol; they all stayed inside the stronghold and didn't move."

After listening, Deng Chen did not immediately make a judgment.

He turned around and walked up to Zhou Tianyang, briefly relaying the intelligence brought back by the four scouts.

After listening, Zhou Tianyang did not rush to express his opinion.

He mentally reviewed the location first, then looked up at the sky.

There are still about two hours until dark.

If we can bypass that outpost before it gets completely dark, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble.

"How long would it take to go around that outpost?"

"If we take the back road."

Deng Chen gestured with his hand.

"Go around to the farmland south of the stronghold, cross the ridges, and then turn back in the original direction. It's about three or four miles more."

"We can definitely get around it before dark."

Zhou Tianyang nodded.

"Then let's go around it."

"Don't get close to the stronghold, don't attract their attention, and walk past them safely."

Deng Chen responded and turned to walk towards the group.

The team set off again.

The scouts led the way.

He led the team around the field and crossed a ridge almost entirely covered with weeds.

Although the crops on both sides were growing well, they were trampled everywhere.

The soldiers crossed the field ridges one after another, forming a long line.

They moved a little faster than before, each wanting to cover as much distance as possible before nightfall.

However, after the procession passed through the farmland...

Just as we turned back onto the dirt road leading west, several figures suddenly appeared ahead.