Noisy gunfire rang out. The puppet army and guerrilla officers and soldiers were desperately pulling their rifle bolts to shoot. The smoke of gunfire filled the air, and the smell of blood also filled the air.
Japanese Captain Kasai Sadao stood motionless on the ridge. Seeing those cowardly puppet soldiers crawling forward to attack, he seemed a little impatient.
Several trenches outside Qinghe Town were built very neatly. In addition to two heavy machine guns, there were at least five Czech light machine guns.
Among the guerrilla columns in this area of northern Jiangsu, this level of strength is pretty good, at least much stronger than those guerrilla groups that only have a few dozen people and all kinds of old-fashioned rifles.
It is precisely because Zhang Liechen and his guerrillas are powerful that they should be eliminated. Japanese Captain Kasai Sadao has made up his mind not to give up until Qinghe Town is captured.
The puppet army's attack had undoubtedly exposed the firepower of the guerrilla defenders in Qinghe Town. Japanese Captain Kasai Sadao waved to the second lieutenant who was standing not far away watching the battle, and he was ready to take action.
"Squadron Captain——"
When the Japanese second lieutenant saw Kasai Sadao waving, he hurried over and bowed heavily.
A cold and stern look flashed in Kasai Sadao's eyes, and he ordered: "Knock out the machine gun of the man, and let the grenade squad go up too..."
"Hiyi!"
Soon the Japanese second lieutenant turned around and started shouting.
The Japanese artillery unit has already been prepared, the firing parameters have been corrected, and they are just waiting for this order.
When the Japanese grenadiers pressed forward at the risk of their waists, the Japanese Type 92 infantry cannon shuddered violently, and the shells roared and slammed into the guerrilla position.
"Boom!"
The high-explosive bomb hit the ground and exploded, and the smoke and dust that rose up immediately enveloped a large area. The five or six guerrilla officers and soldiers who were lying down and shooting were immediately blown away, and then fell heavily to the ground.
"The Imperial Army is supporting us! Charge!"
Seeing the smoke rising from the guerrilla positions greatly encouraged the puppet troops. The puppet battalion commander Zhang Laizi roared excitedly as if he had been given a shot of chicken blood.
"Boom!"
The shells fell on the guerrillas' position again, and the heavy machine gun that was roaring and firing was immediately blown to pieces. The flying fragments were embedded in many nearby bodies, and they screamed in pain.
The Japanese's artillery shells seemed to have eyes, and they hit wherever they pointed. The defenders' machine gun fire support points were damaged one after another, and one by one they misfired in the smoke and dust of the explosion.
Without the heavy firepower cover of the machine guns, the defenders' momentum was as weak as ever. The puppet army's machine guns fired desperately alternately, causing the trench soil to splash and the guerrilla officers and soldiers unable to raise their heads.
"Come on!"
The puppet troops also took advantage of the situation and swarmed up, and the situation suddenly became tense.
"Bang! Bang!"
The Japanese soldiers' grenade launchers also followed. They hid behind the puppet troops and fired grenades continuously. Officers and soldiers were constantly swept away by the air waves of the explosion, and their bodies were covered in blood after being scratched by the explosive fragments.
"Captain, I can't hold it anymore! Get out quickly!"
Seeing that the casualties in the trenches were increasing, nearly a thousand puppet troops had already rushed up in a dark mass, and the speed of rifle fire could not stop them.
"No retreat! Hold on!"
Zhang Liechen did not expect that the situation would take a turn for the worse, but he had no other choice. This was the stronghold of their third guerrilla detachment. Where could they retreat? They could only fight desperately.
There were noises everywhere, bullets were flying in the air, and choking smoke had enveloped the position.
Although the casualties of the guerrilla officers and soldiers continued to increase, Zhang Liechen refused to allow them to retreat, so they had no choice but to carry on.
They kept pulling the bolts of their guns and shooting, but bullets flew towards them, and they soon slipped and fell in the trench covered in blood.
"Hit! Beat me hard!"
Zhang Liechen roared angrily, knocking down several puppet soldiers who rushed towards him with a single stroke.
Before he had time to change the magazine, a grenade exploded not far away from him. With a boom, he was violently knocked off his head by the air wave, and his whole body was covered with a thick layer of mud.
Under the joint clearing of the Japanese grenades and infantry artillery, the fortifications and trenches they dug outside the town were as fragile as tofu at the moment, giving them no sense of security.
"Captain! Captain! The puppet troops from the left are rushing in!"
Zhang Liechen's head was dizzy and his ears were buzzing. He struggled to get up from the ground, and a brother covered in blood ran over.
Zhang Liechen looked to the left and saw nearly a hundred puppet troops pouring in through the gap. The brothers guarding that position were constantly falling to the ground under close fire.
The puppet soldiers were usually intimidating and insignificant. They would rather lie on the ground and shoot at each other than risk their own lives. They seemed harmless to humans and animals.
But now when they saw that the guerrillas could not hold their position, they bared their fangs and pressed forward with a fierce look on their faces. They wanted to show off in front of their masters so that they could take advantage of the guerrilla officers and soldiers.
Use your life to claim credit and reward.
"Those bastards! Come with me and suppress them!"
Seeing these ferocious puppet troops rushing into the trenches and slaughtering his brothers, Zhang Liechen was stunned and wanted to rush over.
"Captain, withdraw. If we fight again, all of our brothers will be dead!" Zhang Liechen was grabbed tightly by a brother.
With the bombardment of Japanese grenades and infantry artillery, their position was already shaky and could not withstand it at all.
Although Zhang Liechen was very unwilling, the situation was stronger than his own, and he could not order the officers and soldiers of the guerrilla detachment to withdraw to the town.
"Cover! Escape to town!"
After receiving the order, the officers and soldiers of the guerrilla detachment took turns covering the retreat, regardless of the bodies of their fallen comrades.
"Puff!"
Bullets flew randomly, causing smoke and dust to scatter on the ground. Those brothers who retreated to cover placed their rifles on their shoulders and fired. However, as soon as they fired a shot, they themselves were hit by more than ten bullets, and their casualties continued to increase.
"Hahaha, charge! Capture Zhang Liechen alive!"
The puppet troops were like crazy wild dogs at this moment. When they saw the retreating guerrilla officers and soldiers, they pounced on them desperately, trying to tear off a piece of flesh.
Zhang Liechen and the others had just run into the town out of breath when they ran into a group of puppet troops. It turned out that while they were fighting fiercely from the front, a group of puppet troops outflanked and rushed into the town from behind.
The two sides met in the town. They pulled the bolts of their guns without any explanation and started shooting. They were shooting at such close range that it was almost impossible to hide. The people in front fell into a pool of blood.
"Brothers! Get out!"
Now there are wolves in front of them and tigers in the back. Zhang Liechen and the others are in danger of destruction. Zhang Liechen also knows that they are doomed, but he is unwilling to give in. He shoots down a puppet soldier who rushes in front of him and leads the surviving people to the outside.
They rushed out desperately, but they could not stop the oncoming puppet army, and they were quickly rushed to pieces.
The gunshots of the battle gradually moved towards the town, and the Japanese captain Sadao Kasai who was fighting outside the town had a smile on his face. He knew that Zhang Liechen and the others were finished, and he had won the victory.
"Pursue with all our strength and be sure to completely eliminate them!" the Japanese captain ordered.
More than a hundred Japanese infantrymen who had been standing still also took action. They had not participated in the battle since they were recharging their strength. Now that the overall situation was decided, they could go and clean up the mess.