The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

Taking advantage of a blind spot, three Japanese soldiers climbed out of a drainage outlet in the south gate of the city wall and, clinging to the base of the wall, moved like geckos into the ditch.

However, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Some people had already predicted the Japanese's prediction.

Zhou Jindong was in an abandoned brick kiln on the east side of the South Gate at that moment.

This location is excellent, offering a wide field of vision and a clear view of every inch of land below the city wall, while also being in a blind spot for the Japanese army's fire.

He was holding the Type 98 sniper rifle that he had captured from the Japanese, with a tattered cloth wrapped around the barrel to prevent glare.

"Captain, there's movement." Zhao Laosi, lying prone beside him, pointed to the base of the city wall.

Zhou Jindong squinted and, through the 4x scope, clearly saw three furtive figures emerging from the drain.

They carried no guns, only water bottles on their backs and daggers at their waists, and moved very quietly.

"Want some water? I'll let you drink your fill." Zhou Jindong sneered, his finger lightly resting on the trigger.

These three Japanese veterans were very cunning.

They didn't run in a straight line; instead, they used the terrain, sometimes rolling into craters, sometimes hiding behind rocks.

The first Japanese soldier ran the fastest. He used an earthen embankment as cover and rushed to the riverbank in a few strides.

He lay on the ground and observed for a while. Seeing that there were no gunshots, he quickly took out his water bottle and scooped water from a low-lying puddle.

Zhou Jindong's crosshair was firmly positioned over the back of his head.

At this distance, 350 meters, with a light breeze and moderate humidity, Zhou Jindong didn't even need to correct the trajectory.

"Bang!"

A shot rang out.

The Japanese soldier who had just dipped his canteen into the puddle suddenly had his head explode and fell into the water like a rotten watermelon.

The red blood instantly spread in the murky puddle.

The remaining two Japanese soldiers reacted extremely quickly; the moment they heard the gunshot, they rolled on the spot and hid behind a large blue stone.

"Great marksmanship!" Wang Quan exclaimed in a low voice from the side.

"Don't rush, there are two more." Zhou Jindong said expressionlessly, pulling back the bolt, ejecting the spent cartridge, and reloading.

The two Japanese soldiers hiding behind the rock were terrified.

They hadn't expected that the Eighth Route Army had snipers, and that they were so well hidden.

The two exchanged a few words in hushed Japanese and decided to go their separate ways.

One went left, the other right, using smoke grenades for cover.

One of the Japanese soldiers suddenly detonated a smoke grenade, and white smoke billowed up.

Using the smoke as cover, he got up and ran back.

Zhou Jindong didn't even look at the smoke; his eyes were fixed on the half-foot protruding from the other side of the rock.

That was the Japanese soldier who ran to the right. He thought the stone could cover his body, but he forgot to cover his feet.

Zhou Jindong held his breath and adjusted his breathing rate.

"Bang!"

The second shot rang out.

The bullet struck the ankle precisely, and the immense kinetic energy shattered the foot, sending bone fragments and blood splattering everywhere.

"ah--!"

The Japanese soldier screamed and fell to the ground, rolling around clutching his broken leg.

Zhou Jindong did not fire a follow-up shot, but quickly shifted his aim to the Japanese soldier who was using the smoke to run back.

The Japanese soldier had already run twenty meters and was about to disappear into the drain.

Zhou Jindong anticipated his running route and struck the ground in front of him ahead of time.

The Japanese soldier, thinking he had missed, continued running.

"Bang!"

The third shot.

The bullet hit him in the lower back.

The bullet pierced through the cotton-padded coat and penetrated the kidney.

The Japanese soldier's body stiffened, and he collapsed as if his spine had been removed. The water bottle in his hand rolled far away, spilling water all over the ground.

There's only one left, the one whose leg was broken.

The Japanese soldier lay on the ground, looking desperately at the Japanese troops on the city wall.

He hoped the machine guns on the city wall could suppress the sniper so he could climb back up.

The Japanese troops on the city wall did indeed open fire. Several Type 96 machine guns were firing wildly towards the brick kiln. Bullets hit the walls of the kiln with a thud, and gravel flew everywhere.

"Dongzi, be careful!" Wang Quan pressed Zhou Jindong's head down.

Zhou Jindong pushed Wang Quan's hand away and observed calmly.

The Japanese machine gunners were firing blindly, completely unaware of his exact location.

He changed the firing port, protruding the barrel from the side.

The Japanese soldier with the broken leg was still crawling back, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground.

He crawled along, crying out for help.

Chida, watching this scene from the city wall, gritted his teeth: "Machine guns! Suppress that cave! Now!"

But it was too late.

Zhou Jindong's crosshairs locked onto the crawling target once again.

This time, he aimed for the Japanese soldier's cervical spine.

"Is it worth it for that little bit of water?" Zhou Jindong murmured, then pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet entered the Japanese soldier's neck from the back and exited from the front.

The Japanese soldier's body twitched violently, his head lolled to the side, and he remained completely still.

Three elite soldiers were all killed in less than five minutes.

They didn't get a single drop of water; they spilled it all on the ground, where it mixed into the soil.

The Japanese troops on the city wall were deathly silent.

Chida looked at the three corpses below the city, and the command sword in his hand clattered to the ground.

It’s over.

If we can't even get water, how can we defend this city?

The Japanese soldiers on the city wall looked at the few water bottles on the ground and swallowed hard.

Some people couldn't resist rushing down to get water bottles, but were stopped by officers—that would only attract the snipers of the Eighth Route Army.

Chida sat on a bench in the command post, holding a dusty command sword in his hand, the cherry blossom pattern on the scabbard already blurred.

He listened to the occasional sniper shots coming from outside the city; it was the Eighth Route Army guerrillas harassing him with sniper fire. Every shot felt like a blow to his nerves.

Yoshino Yuto huddled in the corner, holding the empty military water bottle in his hands, his eyes unfocused.

"Commander, are we really going to take this step?" Yoshino Yuto's voice was hoarse. "The Fujita Company only has less than eighty men left. If we add more, we really won't even have the manpower to defend headquarters."

Chida suddenly stood up and slammed his command sword heavily on the table, making the map on the table jump.

He turned around, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Yoshino Yuto.

"Defend? With what? With your bones?" Chida's voice was low but carried a fierce edge. "The city's wells have been dry for three days! The wounded are wailing, and the soldiers are drinking horse urine! If we hold out for two more days, we'll all starve to death on the city walls, even before the Eighth Route Army invades!"

Holding out in this isolated city, with no reinforcements arriving, Kelan is in a dead end!

Chida walked up to the map and jabbed his finger hard at the north of the city.

"I've calculated it. The garrison in the north of the city was recently rotated, and the fortifications haven't been fully completed yet."

"As long as we concentrate all our artillery fire and blast a breach at one point, even if Fujita's company is wiped out, we will tear a hole before the enemy's reserves can catch up."

Chida turned his head, his eyes as fierce as a wolf's. "I want you to lead the remaining main force and follow behind. Once Fujita is wiped out, you'll take the lead. Even if you're the only one left, as long as we break through the Eighth Route Army's lines, we'll have a chance to survive!"