The leading Japanese soldiers were all wet. They looked at each other and saw doubts in each other's eyes.
Baoying can be regarded as an important town along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps had just conquered this place, but why were their defenses so lax? Not even a single fixed sentry was found, not to mention mobile sentries.
If something goes wrong, it must be a monster. These Japanese soldiers are experienced elites. They estimate that their whereabouts have been exposed. Maybe the Jiangsu North Corps has set up an ambush in the city, waiting for them to infiltrate inside.
Looking at the dark and silent city, in the invisible darkness, it is impossible to tell how many guns have been aimed at the outside of the city. The Japanese soldiers who were breathing heavily and leaning against the city wall were in a dilemma.
If they enter the city now, once there is an ambush in the city, they will definitely be the first to be attacked, and they will not be able to escape.
But they had no choice but to enter the city, because a large army was already coming, and they had to take the lead to explore the way and get a clear idea of the situation. Even if they knew the danger, they had to bite the bullet.
The leading Japanese second lieutenant patted a Japanese soldier on the shoulder, pointed towards the darkness where he came from, and asked him to go back and report the situation.
The Japs leader understood, nodded, and then turned around and jumped back into the darkness where he came from.
When the main force of the Japs who came from behind heard the splashing of the muddy water in front, they all lay down in the muddy water one after another. Soon they discovered that it was their own people who came back.
"We found no Chinese sentries. The city is very quiet. I'm afraid there is an ambush in the city."
The dripping Japanese soldier quickly found the Japanese captain Takahashi and reported the unusual situation in a hurried tone.
"No sentry?"
Japanese Captain Takahashi frowned, the situation was indeed a bit unusual.
"Order the troops to stand by and go in with a small team to test it out."
The arrow was on the string and they had to be fired. Now they were only a few hundred meters away from the city wall. It was unrealistic to retreat now. They could only hide temporarily and let people go in to test them.
"Hiyi!"
The Japanese messenger quickly got into the rain curtain with Captain Takahashi's order, whispered a few words to the Japanese officer lying on the ground in front of him as if he was facing an enemy, and conveyed the order.
"Yoshino-san, take people into the city to test the firepower of the Chinese." Soon, the Japanese squadron leader pointed to a Japanese squad leader.
The team leader named Yoshino was complaining endlessly, but there was no way out now, so he waved his hand behind him.
The Japanese soldiers who were lying on their wet brothers quickly got up and ran towards the city wall in a scattered formation.
"How is it going?"
Soon, Captain Yoshino led his men to the base of the city wall and hid against the wall. He found the second lieutenant who was leading the army and asked in a low voice.
"The situation is unusual. I'm worried that this is a trap set by the Chinese." the Japs' second lieutenant, the leading soldier, answered truthfully.
The Japanese team leader Yoshino stuck his head out and took a few glances into the city along the gap in the ruins after the bombing. It was pitch black and he could see everything clearly.
But now that the troops behind him could not wait too long, he finally decided to take the risk and enter the city.
"The first detachment will cover, the second detachment will go up, and the third detachment will be responsible for the response. If it encounters an ambush, it will retreat..."
The Japanese squad leader Yoshino summoned his three infantry squad leaders to his side and quickly issued the order to enter the city.
"Set off!"
When the Japanese team leader Yoshino was about to issue an action order, the Japanese second lieutenant held him back and pointed at the gap.
Yoshino, the leader of the Japs squad, understood this and did not lead his men in through the city gate. Instead, he climbed in along the gap in the city wall that had been blown up by their planes a few days ago.
The Japanese soldiers tiptoed very carefully. After entering the city, they walked close to the wall, with the butts of their rifles on their shoulders. They walked back-to-back toward the eight-room defense and slowly walked deeper into the city.
The Japanese plane bombings caused many houses in the city to collapse and turn into ruins. Although the residents in the city cleaned up some, there are still some ruins lying everywhere.
The Japanese soldiers entered the city and faced the dark ruins with their hearts in their throats.
"Woof woof woof!"
When Captain Yoshino and the Japanese soldiers had just turned around a street intersection, suddenly there was the sound of a growling dog barking in front of them.
The sudden barking of dogs made the entire dead city seem to come alive. The barking of dogs continued one after another, and many houses in the city turned on their lights.
The barking of dogs exposed the Japanese soldiers, and they all lay down on the ground, ready to receive bullets from all directions.
Unfortunately, no bullets were fired at them. Instead, the door of a courtyard next to them opened with a creak.
A middle-aged man carrying a lantern heard the dog barking outside, got up and came out to check the situation.
When this middle-aged man holding a lantern saw standing at the door and saw the black muzzle pointing at him, his whole person froze like a sculpture.
"Ah! Devil!"
Soon, the man came to his senses and recognized these ugly, wet faces holding bayonets as Japanese soldiers. He screamed, threw down the lantern, turned around and ran into the house.
The two Japs looked fierce and stepped after him. They knocked the man over in the mud with their rifle butts, and then the two men pulled him up.
"Your, tell me, where do the guerrillas live?"
The Japanese squad leader Yoshino stepped forward with a dark face and questioned the frightened middle-aged man.
At this time, some of the remaining Japanese soldiers formed a semicircle to defend outwards, while others rushed into the house and controlled the entire family with bayonets.
"Taijun, Taijun, I am a good citizen, I am a good citizen, please spare us."
After confirming that these were Japanese soldiers, the man hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Tell us where the guerrillas are, otherwise they will all die!" Yoshino, the Japanese squad leader, threatened.
The middle-aged man was about to burst into tears, regretting not evacuating with the Northern Jiangsu guerrillas.
"They've been gone for a few days. There are no guerrillas in the city..." In order to survive, the middle-aged man quickly confessed.
"Nani?" Captain Yoshino said with disbelief on his face when he heard that the guerrillas had evacuated.
"Where did they evacuate to?" Captain Yoshino asked again.
"Taijun, they didn't tell me, and I don't know either."
"Huh?!" Yoshino's eyes widened, making the middle-aged man's legs feel weak.
"I really don't know, I really don't know."
At this time, the second lieutenant of the Japs' leading soldiers who entered the city at the same time also walked into the courtyard with two Japs.
"Yoshino-kun, no Chinese guerrillas have been found in the city," the Japs' leading second lieutenant said.
After receiving the evidence from the second lieutenant of the Japs' leading soldiers, the team leader Yoshino finally breathed a sigh of relief, waved his hand, and led the Japs soldiers to put down the frightened middle-aged man who turned pale, and left the yard.
"Immediately report to the Captain that this is an empty city and the Chinese guerrillas have evacuated."
"Hey Yi!" the two Japanese soldiers responded quickly and ran towards the street and out of the city.
The Japanese team leader Yoshino was still worried. He waved to the team leaders and said: "You guys go to the east, north and west of the city to search to make sure there are no Chinese guerrillas in the city."
"Hiyi!"
The three Japanese infantry detachment leaders all took the order, and the three Japanese groups disappeared into the darkness at the end of the street with bayonets in hand.