The officers and soldiers of the guerrillas suddenly disappeared, and the wilderness with withered vegetation became eerily quiet. Even the birds did not know where they were hiding.
The five Japanese soldiers looked like statues, lying motionless in ambush beside a stream, wearing sacks. The damp soil made their abdomens feel cold.
They have been lying here for two full days. At the beginning, there were sporadic gunshots and explosions from nearby. It was their infiltrated companions who were attacking the guerrillas.
But since yesterday, the sounds of gunfire and explosions have disappeared, and the wilderness has become lifeless. Not to mention the guerrillas, the people who infiltrated with them don't know where they are hiding.
Could it be that the guerrillas had moved? Or they had given up attacking their gun towers and strongholds. Otherwise, how could they have been guarding for two days without seeing them coming.
A Japanese soldier with a thirsty mouth stuck out his tongue to lick the dew on the weeds. Although the creek was just two hundred meters away, they did not dare to fetch water. Who knew if there would be a guerrilla hunting group?
He is also ambushing on the other side like them.
"Kuroda-san, is there anything left to eat?"
A hungry Japanese soldier gently pushed another companion who was lying motionless on the ground.
They also carried dry food when they set out, but after all, it was the first time to carry out such a latent shooting mission, so they were not well prepared. In less than two days, the dry food was all eaten up, and they were not able to kill an enemy yet.
Make them very frustrated.
"I only have one cookie left."
When called, the prisoner carefully took out a wrapped biscuit, cut it in half, and handed half over.
"Thank you Kuroda-san." The Japanese soldier took the biscuit, quickly stuffed it into his mouth and started chewing it hungrily.
It was indeed a torture to lie down in such cold and damp grass, especially after lying in wait for two days without attacking the target. This state made the Japanese almost go crazy.
They have now begun to pray in their hearts that a few guerrilla officers and soldiers will appear soon for them to shoot, so that they can return to hand over the mission.
But what they didn't know was that the guerrilla officers and soldiers had actually detoured behind them overnight and opened a big net waiting for them.
It has to be said that these Japanese soldiers have very high combat qualities. Although it is their first time to carry out such a mission, they are able to ambush in one place for two days, which can be regarded as very patient.
But patience alone is not enough. Facing their hungry stomachs, their physical strength is rapidly losing and their concentration is becoming less and less concentrated.
"Hold on until noon. If no guerrillas show up yet, we will retreat."
Facing the dead wilderness, the Japanese sergeant leading the team had to consider retreating and going back to replenish food.
After all, if they keep waiting like this, they may starve to death before the guerrillas arrive.
Compared with the Japanese soldiers who had amazing endurance, the puppet army teams were far behind. Although they had also undergone rigorous training by the Japanese, after all, the training time was short.
"Damn it, these guerrillas should be scared away by us, right?"
"Who knows..."
Looking at the deserted road, the five puppet soldiers ambushing behind the low hill beside the road seemed a little impatient.
When they first infiltrated, they attacked a guerrilla fighting group. Although it was a sneak attack, they only killed one person and the other two ran away.
They originally wanted to wait and ambush here and continue to attack, but after waiting and waiting, there was no sign of the guerrillas. As time went by, their patience was rapidly running away.
"Boss, what should we do?" A puppet soldier pushed up his big-brimmed hat and asked a puppet squad leader in a low voice.
The puppet squad leader also murmured in his heart that the guerrillas had been very active in the past few days, attacking their patrols, checkpoints and gun towers.
But as soon as they counterattacked, the guerrillas suddenly disappeared without a trace, and he couldn't figure out what the guerrillas were up to.
"Why don't we retreat first? There's no sound of gunfire around here. Maybe the guerrillas have been scared away, and we'll just stay here to starve and freeze."
Seeing that the squad leader of the puppet army did not speak, a puppet soldier who was dizzy from hunger suggested.
After thinking about it for a while, the squad leader of the puppet army agreed to retreat: "Okay, let's withdraw and take the body of the guerrilla that was killed. It's not like our trip was in vain. We can take it back so we can communicate with each other."
While the Japanese infiltration combat groups everywhere were still hungry and lurking, preparing to shoot the active guerrillas, most of the puppet army groups could no longer stand the hunger and began to retreat to prepare to go back to replenish food.
But these retreating puppet troops did not know that on their way back, the guerrilla officers and soldiers led by Yang Ling were polishing their bayonets and waiting for them.
"Someone is coming, prepare to fight!"
In a forest full of fallen leaves, the guerrilla company commander Wang Huzi, whose body was covered with dead leaves, heard the movement outside and waved behind him in a low voice.
Yang Ling dispersed the guerrillas of the two combat companies and ambush them near the roads and alleys leading to Qinghe Town, just to catch these puppet soldiers off guard.
Wang Huzi's company is responsible for several nearby roads and controlling two creeks. Once the Japanese or puppet troops return and pass through, they will be dealt with on the spot.
Not long after Wang Huzi finished speaking, a puppet soldier wearing a big-brimmed hat carefully entered the forest with a gun. He was the leading soldier of the puppet army.
"Safety!"
The puppet soldier was very alert. He half-crouched and looked around for a while. After confirming that there was no danger, he stood up and waved to the outside of the woods.
Soon, three more puppet soldiers entered the woods with guns in hand. They were a fighting group. They attempted to pass through the woods and take a path back to Qinghe Town.
These puppet soldiers who were selected to perform tasks were all elite, and had been rigorously trained by the Japanese advisers. Although they were not as good as the little Japanese soldiers, they were much more ferocious than the average puppet soldiers, and they exuded a strong aura.
Seeing these puppet soldiers wearing big-brimmed hats walking into the woods one after another, the guerrilla officers and soldiers who were ambushing in this forest gnashed their teeth with hatred. They wanted to cut these traitors and scum into pieces with a thousand knives.
"Brother, we don't need to be so careful. The guerrillas have already disappeared. Why don't we take the main road and have to go back through the woods?" A puppet soldier complained in a low voice as he walked.
"What do you know? Be careful when sailing. Who knows if there are guerrillas ambushing near the road. Those guerrillas are very tight." The leading puppet soldier replied while looking around.
"Xiaosan, please go to the front. This guerrilla group suddenly disappeared without a trace. You can't even see a single person. I always feel something is wrong. Let's not capsize in the gutter."
"yes!"
The lean puppet soldier who received the order responded, then opened up the treetops with both hands and prepared to go to the front for reconnaissance.
But he didn't notice where he was standing. A big hand suddenly reached out from the dead branches and leaves, grabbed his ankle fiercely, and pulled it down with great force. His body couldn't help but roll to the ground.
"Oops!" The puppet soldier suddenly lost his center of gravity and fell to the ground, causing the puppet soldier to scream immediately.
Several other puppet soldiers who were speaking were also attracted their attention. Looking up, a man who suddenly jumped up was holding a sharp bayonet and stabbed it into the throat of the fallen puppet soldier. A bloody arrow immediately
It flew out.
"Damn it, there's an ambush!" The leading puppet soldier reacted the fastest and hurriedly lowered his head to pull the bolt of his gun.
However, a strong wind hit him, and before he could unbuckle the gun, something hit him hard on the head. His head felt dizzy, and he staggered and fell to the ground.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
"ah!"
Screams rang out, and in the sight of the fallen puppet soldiers, several of his companions were screaming and being stabbed with knives, and the blades pulled out from their bodies were still dripping with blood.
…
Two minutes later, the woods became quiet again, but the blood stains on the dead leaves showed that someone had just died here.