Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou led the brothers from the three companies to fight with the Japs until the afternoon. Although they fought hard left and right, the Japs were well prepared and were eventually surrounded by the Japs by a river.
Generally speaking, it is trapped in a tight siege.
Most of the brothers in the three companies were lost in the half-day breakout battle, and those who were still alive were exhausted, covered in scars and covered in mud, and were no longer human.
The Japanese set a trap for Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou and others, thinking that annihilating them would be easy.
However, the little Japs underestimated the tenacity of Huagou and his guerrilla brothers to survive in desperate situations. They broke through several Japs encirclements in a row and almost broke through.
The fighting for most of the day caused Hua Gou and his brothers to suffer heavy casualties. The road to breakout was littered with corpses. The Japanese did not gain any advantage, and there were also many casualties.
At this moment, the Japs surrounded Hua Gou and the others by a river. The Japs who had chased and blocked them all were so tired that they did not launch an attack immediately. Instead, they gathered around to eat and rest, preparing to eat and drink before dealing with them.
Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou and the others were faced with the heavy Japanese troops surrounding them. They were exhausted and could not run away. They knew that there was little hope of breaking out, so they simply built a position on the spot and fought with the Japanese while resting and replenishing their strength. They waited until dark to see if they could
Can't find opportunities.
The Japs had arrogance in their bones, but facing such a group of guerrillas with astonishing combat capabilities, they did not dare to rush forward rashly, but just waited around for the new troops to arrive.
To take what the guerrilla brothers always say, the meat is already covered in the pot, so there is no need to lift the lid in such a hurry.
Groups of Japanese soldiers were coming from all directions, surrounding Hua Gou and the others three levels inside and three levels outside. The situation became even more serious.
The guerrilla brothers who were trapped in the siege ignored their tiredness and used their hands and feet to build fortifications on the spot, preparing to fight to the end. If the Japanese wanted to destroy them, it would be absolutely impossible without paying a small price.
The weather has cleared up, but the ground is still wet and full of water. Fortunately, the rainwater has penetrated into the soil, making it much easier for the brothers to dig out fortifications.
The brothers had been exposed to soil work when they were training in the Northern Jiangsu Guerrilla Corps. They didn't have many tools at the moment, so they used bayonets and hand planing.
Foxholes were formed one after another under them, and then the foxholes were connected to form shallow trenches.
When the little devil saw Hua Gou and the others building fortifications, he tried to rush forward, but the brothers had already stabilized their position and were no longer so panicked.
A burst of gunfire and grenade launchers hit the enemy, and the Japanese had to retreat from the range of their rifles after leaving behind dozens of corpses.
The Japanese's grenades also fired back at Huagou and the others, blasting mud pits on the ground, which in turn helped Huagou and the others build fortifications.
Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou and others were building fortifications right in front of the little Japs. Although the Japs were angry, they were helpless.
When the Japs brought up the heavy machine guns and mortars, Hua Gou and the others had almost completed the construction of the fortifications.
"The number of imps is increasing, and it will be difficult for us to break through."
Watching the groups of Japanese armed with all kinds of weapons walking along the ridges of the paddy fields to the outside to join the Japanese surrounding them, Hua Gou and the others' hearts sank to the bottom.
"As long as we hold on until dark, we can find an opportunity to break out."
Huagou looked at his gray-headed brothers covered in blood. Although he felt regretful, he had to force himself to cheer up because he was now the supreme commander here.
Huagou kept cheering up the demoralized brothers: "Besides, if the battalion commander knew that we were surrounded, they would not leave us alone. They would definitely find a way to rescue us and tell the brothers that persistence is victory."
"Batalion deputy, but we don't have much ammunition..."
The first company commander and his deputy have both been killed in action, and now the first platoon commander serves as the commander. He spoke frankly about the difficulties they faced.
After hearing the words of the platoon leader, everyone's expressions became extremely solemn. Their ammunition had been almost consumed in the previous battles, and was indeed about to run out at this moment.
"How much is left?"
Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou knew that the amount of ammunition was related to whether they could hold out until dark. After being reminded, he also took it seriously.
"We still have more than fifty brothers in the company. Each of us has less than two bullets and only about twenty grenades left."
"what about you?"
Huagou's face was solemn, and his eyes turned to the other two company commanders.
"My second company is about the same. Some brothers have run out of bullets, and those who have bullets don't have more than five rounds."
"Our heavy machine gun was lost during the breakout. The light machine gun still has more than 200 rounds of ammunition, the grenade platoon still has five grenades, and the mortar still has two shells..."
I am afraid that the remaining ammunition cannot last even one battle, but there are still four or five hours before dark, and Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou has never experienced such a predicament.
"The light machine gun consumes too much bullets. Let's distribute 100 rounds of bullets to the brothers' hands, leaving 100 rounds for emergencies. We should also save some grenades." Hua Gou had to ask the brothers to evenly distribute the ammunition.
use.
"Lieutenant of the battalion, I do have a solution for the ammunition." The second company commander thought for a while and then said.
"What can we do?" After hearing the words of the second company commander, everyone's spirits were shocked.
"When the Japs attack later, move closer and attack again. Maybe you can get some ammunition."
"But what if the Japanese are approaching and our firepower is weak and we can't stop them?" the commander of the machine gun company said worriedly.
A flash of ferociousness flashed across Huagou's face and he said: "It's better if they rush in. The bayonets in our hands are not fire sticks for stabbing!"
"Brothers, as soon as we put on this military uniform, we should be prepared to die for our country. Go down and tell the brothers to prepare to fight to the death!" Huagou glanced at the company and platoon leaders with a cold look, with a hint of determination in his tone.
"Fight to the death!"
Even the platoon commanders were all veterans and had experienced many fierce battles. They had long had the consciousness of being wrapped in horse leather, and they all started roaring with murderous intent.
"Lieutenant, some brothers are dying." While they were discussing here, a brother came running over and said.
"Let's all take up our positions. I'll go take a look."
Deputy battalion commander Hua Gou waved to the company and platoon leaders and followed the brother straight to the place where the wounded were.
Because they were surrounded during a battle, in order to break out of the siege lightly, Hua Gou and the others lost almost everything they could throw away when they broke out, including all their stretchers.
At this moment, more than 20 dying wounded were lying on the ground, with only a layer of reed stalks brought from the river under their bodies. The blood had seeped into the soil, making the mud glow with a strange bright red color.
These brothers were all injured during the Japanese bombardment just now, and some of the fragments had their stomachs scratched. They were tightly restrained by military uniforms, but their breath was getting weaker and weaker.
"Brother, I can't help you..."
Hua Gou knelt down and looked at his brothers who were covered in wounds. His heart was full of guilt. If he hadn't acted rashly, he would not have fallen into the trap of the Japanese.
"Bing, Battalion Deputy, I don't blame you..." Looking at the remorseful dog, the brother forced a smile on his painful face.
"I can't... I can't do it anymore. After I die, send a letter to my family and tell my father that I can no longer fulfill my filial piety..."
Seeing the pain on this brother's face and his broken voice, the brothers around him couldn't help but shed tears.
Huagou held this brother's hand, his eyes were moist, and he nodded hard: "I will definitely send you a message. As long as there is one brother alive, he will send the message."
"My home is in Henan...Liujia Village, east of Zhongmu, Henan..." This brother died before he could finish his words.
"Who knows Zhongmu?" Hua Gou, the deputy battalion commander, gently put down the brother, raised his head and asked the brothers around him with tears on their faces.
"My home is more than two hundred miles away from Zhongmou, but the New Eighth Division blasted a hole in the Yellow River two years ago, and it's completely flooded..." A brother said in a dignified voice.
After hearing what this brother said, Deputy Battalion Commander Hua Gou and the brothers around him fell silent.
"Write down the address. Whoever breaks out, no matter what happens over there, must send the letter over." After being silent for a while, Hua Gou ordered.