In the dark night, heavy rain poured down, and I couldn't see my fingers. Some low-lying areas were filled with turbid muddy water, and swarms of earthworms burrowed out of the soil.
The Japanese prisoner-of-war camp surrounded by cold barbed wire was quiet. The beam of searchlight passed through the rain and fog, swinging back and forth on the empty wasteland around the camp. Wherever the beam passed, there was a pale light, and there were no ghosts.
There were a few Japs in raincoats standing on the 50-meter-high sentry tower. The firelight at the corners of their mouths was flashing and they were smoking to pass the long night.
At this moment, the Japanese 13th Division is fighting fiercely in Yichang with the troops of China's re-established Sixth Theater District. Although it is not a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, small-scale battles continue day and night.
Although Dangyang is considered a new occupied area, after all, it is behind the 13th Division. Even if the Chinese Army wants to attack Dangyang, the 13th Division in front will give a warning.
Moreover, the Battle of Zaoyi had just ended. More than two months of fighting had not only exhausted the Japanese troops, but the Chinese ** Corps had also suffered heavy losses. The 18th Japanese Mixed Brigade stationed in Dangyang did not believe that the Chinese ** Corps now had
Ability to break through the 13th Division's defense line and attack Dangyang they occupied.
Therefore, the main task of the 18th Japanese Mixed Brigade stationed in Dangyang is not to guard against the Chinese Army, but to support the local famous squires, hoping to establish a maintenance meeting as soon as possible to help them stabilize the security and stability of this area.
To rule, it performs occupation and garrison tasks.
It is precisely because of various reasons that the security of the temporary prisoner-of-war camp where a large number of Chinese captured officers and soldiers are detained is not airtight, but tight on the outside and loose on the inside.
After all, with a strengthened squadron stationed there, ordinary guerrillas would have to attack the enemy with force if they dared to come. But if the squadron wanted to come, they had to bypass the blockade of the 13th Division.
But what the Japanese did not expect was that the Sixth War Zone would send Yang Ling and his team, a battle-hardened unit, deep behind enemy lines to rescue these captured Chinese officers and soldiers.
It was late at night, and except for the heavy rain, there was silence between heaven and earth. Even the Japanese sentries had gone into various barracks to hide from the rain, so there was not even a single Japanese outside the temporary prisoner of war camp.
Only behind the sandbags at the gate of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, more than a dozen Japanese soldiers in raincoats were still holding on to their posts, with machine guns set up on the sandbags.
The trees around the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp had been cut down, leaving only some grass, but this did not affect their vision and shooting range.
At this moment, in this large field covered with weeds, more than a hundred officers and soldiers from a squadron of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade led by Zhang Tie were crawling in the muddy water, cautiously heading towards the Japanese prisoner of war camp.
The sound of heavy rain covered up the noise they accidentally made, and the dark night restricted the Japs' vision, and they did not realize that the danger was gradually approaching.
Yang Ling divided the officers and soldiers of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade into three teams. One squadron was responsible for the reserve team covering the evacuation, one squadron was responsible for reaching in from the flanks to rescue people, and the last squadron was responsible for frontal attacks to attract firepower.
At this moment, Zhang Tie and the others were already soaked to the skin. Their bodies were camouflaged by woven weeds, almost blending in with the surrounding environment. However, the coldness coming from their abdomens still made them feel a chill.
The Japanese's searchlight beam slowly swept through the darkness. Except for a lot of weeds, the Japanese smoking on the sentry tower did not find anything.
But when the searchlight left the area, the grass seemed to come alive, slowly squirming and approaching the barbed wire fence outside the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.
"Kacha——"
The sound of cutting the barbed wire was muffled by the heavy rain. Soon, more than ten large holes were cut in a place that was blind to the Japs' vision.
Zhang Tie, the squadron leader of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade, patted the shoulders of the brothers behind him, and then everyone followed the cut gap into the camp silently like water.
The leaders of the team are all veterans of the Flame Special Warfare Brigade, and they are fully confident in this kind of infiltration, because they have trained in this subject.
The officers and soldiers who were later added to the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade had also fought in battles and had excellent psychological quality. Once they were exposed and discovered by the Japanese in advance, no one would be able to take advantage of them, so they were all extra cautious.
The officers and soldiers of the Lieyan Special Operations Brigade who followed the cut barbed wire into the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp walked as close to the walls of the buildings as possible, walking in the dark shadows to avoid being illuminated by street lights.
The sound of treading shoes in the muddy water was heard, and Zhang Tie, the squadron leader of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade who was walking in front, stopped abruptly and retracted behind the wall.
Under the dim street lights, a Japs patrol team of more than a dozen Japs wearing raincoats and carrying guns patrolled over from a distance.
The brothers of the Lieyan Special Warfare Brigade were hiding under the corner of a row of houses on the roadside. Watching the Japanese getting closer and closer, their breathing became rapid.
A brother gently raised the muzzle of the flower machine gun in his hand, preparing to strike first if he was discovered.
Perhaps the heavy rain and darkness limited the sight and hearing of the Japanese patrol, but they were unable to notice the officers and soldiers of the Flame Special Operations Brigade who were hiding under the wall so close at hand.
It wasn't until the footsteps of the Japanese patrol faded away that the brothers here breathed a long sigh of relief. The secret passage was very dangerous. After all, it was still several hundred meters away from the barracks where the prisoners were held in the prisoner of war camp.
If he was discovered on the edge of the camp and the Japanese stationed inside discovered it, it would inevitably be a fierce battle, which might cause heavy casualties to the unarmed captured officers and soldiers.
"Split up -"
Seeing the Japanese patrol walking away, Zhang Tie lowered his voice and waved.
The officers and soldiers of the Lieyan Special Operations Brigade who had sneaked into the prisoner-of-war camp crouched and dispersed, while the soldiers of the demolition team placed the military detonators and explosive bags they had brought in everywhere to detonate them at critical moments.
Another group of officers and soldiers, led by Zhang Tie, followed the information provided by the guerrillas and went straight to the rows of barracks where the captured officers and soldiers were detained.
"Hua Hua!"
The Japs sentries who were guarding everywhere in raincoats were easily cut by the leading soldiers of the investigation team of the Flame Special Forces Brigade who touched them from the left and right sides. They were put to the ground before they could make any sound.'
"Teams 1, 2, 3, and 4 keep an eye on the Japs' barracks for me. If any Japs try to come out, beat me up!" Zhang Tie ordered, pointing in the direction of the Japs' barracks.
Dozens of officers and soldiers from four teams quickly built a simple defense line between the barracks of the captured officers and soldiers and the Japanese garrison using houses and sandbags.
Zhang Tie, on the other hand, led people straight to the barracks where the captured officers and soldiers were detained. They broke into the house with guns in hand, and immediately woke up the captured officers and soldiers sleeping inside.
Dozens of captured officers and soldiers were held in one room. They were overcrowded and lying on the damp ground covered with only some straw. They were all frightened by the sudden intrusion.
Zhang Tie turned on the flashlight and ordered to the awakened captured officers and soldiers: "Don't make any noise, everyone. I am sent by Commander Chen of the Sixth War Zone to rescue you. Everyone, follow my instructions!"
These captured officers and soldiers have always been very uneasy. After all, many of their officers have been dragged out and killed by the Japanese these days in order to force them to surrender. They are afraid that the Japanese will kill them at some point.
Someone broke in in the middle of the night. They were frightened, thinking that the Japanese were going to attack them, but who knew it was their rescuer? Many people immediately cried with joy.