Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-Four Blocking Positions
"The Japs have become a tired army, and their ammunition is running out. As long as we block them for a few more hours, our main force will be able to defeat them from behind!"
Yang Ling was already well aware of the situation of the Maruyama Brigade, so he was ready to take a risk and fight to stop them. Of course, the price of this risk was high, and he might even have to confess to all the hundreds of brothers.
The brothers hated the Japanese with a deep hatred, but they also knew in their hearts that last night, with the cover of night and complex terrain, he could attack and kill the Japanese without restraint and hold them back.
But now it is very difficult to stop the Japanese who are about to leave the mountainous area. Moreover, the only weapons they have are bayonets and not even a grenade. This battle is impossible to fight.
"I'm going to set up a position at the entrance to the mountain to stop the Japanese." Yang Ling did not hide his thoughts at all.
Because he knew that a few hundred people would take a huge risk if they blocked thousands of Japs head-on. Although the Japs were running out of ammunition, there was still a high chance that they would be annihilated.
Although he is the leader of these brothers, he has no right to let them follow him to death, so he speaks openly and lets the brothers choose whether to go or not.
After the brothers heard Yang Ling's words, the atmosphere froze. They lowered their heads and remained silent with different expressions. They knew the consequences of blocking the Japanese frontally.
"Those who are willing to go with me raise their hands, and those who are unwilling to go will stay here to rest and wait for the main force to turn around."
It is not easy for these brothers to follow him. Yang Ling is prepared to do whatever he wants. If he cannot stop the Japs, it only means that the Japs are lucky.
"Vice-General, we have all died several times. The worst we can do is die again. When we get to the Lord of Hell, I will still beat the Japanese!" Wang Huzi raised his head first to express his stance.
Yang Ling looked at this hard-blooded man who had followed him in bloody battles until now, and gently patted his shoulder: "Good brother!"
"Sir Yang, we have no ammunition..." Company Commander Shunzi looked at Yang Ling with a look of embarrassment on his earth-covered face and told him about the real problems they were facing.
Niu Dagen said fiercely before Yang Ling could say anything: "We don't have bullets, but we still have bayonets! We can still poke a few holes in the Japanese!"
"Yes, we still have bayonets, and when we stab the Japanese, they still scream!" The brothers' emotions were aroused. Although they knew they were going to die to stop the enemy, no one flinched.
"Vice-General, let's go with you! I have already lived enough. When I die, I can join my brothers in fighting the Japanese. My life has not been in vain."
"Sir, our brothers are not cowards. Don't worry. Unless we are all dead, the Japanese will never return to Ruichang!"
...
The brothers with disheveled hair and blood-red eyes all spoke one after another, their words full of the will to die.
Yang Ling's eyes slowly moved from the bodies of these brothers who were covered in scars and whose military uniforms were so rotten and dirty that the original color could not be seen clearly.
Looking at the eyes of his brothers who were determined to die, and looking at their sallow and thin bodies, his nose felt a little sore. It was such a group of people who had left their homes to protect this country and the last dignity of this nation.
"Sir Yang, let's go too!" Zhang Heizi and his brothers also gritted their teeth and spoke.
Looking at these brothers who were determined to follow him to the death, Yang Ling put his feet together and stood up to salute them with a military salute.
"If you die, let's go see the Lord of Hell together! I, Yang Ling, will definitely live alone! If I'm still alive, we'll drink, eat, and fight the Japanese together!"
This was a fight to the death, and no one backed down. They only wanted to block the thousands of Japanese from the Maruyama Brigade and let this mountain become their burial place.
Sandao Liang, a little-known little place, became the last position Yang Ling and others chose to stop the Japanese.
Standing on the hillside of Sandaoliang, they could look up and see the lush mountains. Looking in the other direction were the gently rolling hilly areas, where large areas of crops were growing vigorously.
The Japanese were almost at the mountain pass, and the brothers were busy nervously. There was no time to build trenches, so they dug foxholes on the spot.
Wang Huzi was leading his people to dump a lot of earthen jars and other things from a nearby village, and was nervously making simple Molotov cocktails. The gasoline they brought from Ruichang County was now put to use.
The ammunition had been exhausted, and most of the brothers only had a relatively sharp bayonet left. They silently put the bayonet on their rifles, wiped the blood on it, and prepared to drink blood again.
"Blacksmith, Beard, Lao Niu, you take people to hide in the pine forest opposite, polish the bayonets, and charge when the Japanese are blocked. Remember, the purpose of our first battle is to grab enough ammunition."
Yang Ling gathered all the platoon leaders of the general company and made a simple tactical arrangement. Although he had no ammunition, he would not sit still and prepare to rob the Japanese.
Several veteran company commanders and more than 300 brothers hid in the pine forest near the road, while Yang Ling and the rest were divided into several waves, carrying simple incendiary bottles and ambushing them.
When Yang Ling was patrolling everywhere and making final arrangements, the observation sentry who climbed up the tree shouted: "The Japanese are coming!"
Without Yang Ling's instructions, the brothers stopped what they were doing and jumped into their own foxholes.
The vanguard unit led by the Japanese Army Cao Dajiao was very lucky. They cleared countless fake traps along the way and completed the last section of the mountain road without any danger.
After climbing over the mountain ridge in front, you will find a hilly area with no danger to defend. Even if there are enemies, you can see them from a distance. At least your safety is guaranteed, which is much better than this mountainous area with limited vision.
Thinking of the constant attacks on Wo Huo in the mountainous areas, Dajiao Kanyi even imagined that it would be great if the Chinese troops could attack them in the hilly areas, and he would kill them all.
Just when he was about to breathe a sigh of relief and complete this frightened task of scouting the way, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something floating on the mountain ridge not far away from the corner of his eye.
He didn't close his eyes all night, thinking that he had been deceived. When he rubbed his eyes and opened them again, his face suddenly became gloomy.
The thing floating in the field of vision was nothing else, but a flag that they were all too familiar with. Although it was dark with smoke and had several holes, he still recognized it as the flag of the Chinese army.
"There are enemies ahead!"
As soon as the big horn officer shouted, the Japanese soldiers around him subconsciously lay down to hide, because he had already seen that around the fluttering flag, behind the dug-out soil were dug foxholes.
"Quickly report to the captain that there is a Chinese Army position on the mountain ridge."
Sergeant Dajiao was not stupid enough to attack with his own infantry detachment. It was only right to report to the superior as soon as possible.
If he had not experienced the nightmare last night, the always arrogant Dajiao Guanyi would have rushed forward with his infantry detachment without hesitation and captured the position on the mountain ridge.
But he had seen the powerful fighting power of those Chinese troops last night. He was now frightened and did not dare to be careless anymore. If there were still heavy troops ambushed behind the mountain ridge, he might not be able to come back if he rushed up.