Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 50 Without further ado
Not far from the Guogongguan (National Mansion), in a small alley, the cold winter sun shone weakly through the gloomy sky, casting its light on the road.

The alley was lined with dilapidated blue brick walls, their mottled marks a testament to a once-prosperous corner, now shrouded in heavy smoke and fear. The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder and decay, making it hard to breathe.

In the midst of this tranquility, gunshots shattered the silence, accompanied by piercing screams and desperate cries.

The fleeing crowd surged into the narrow alley from all directions like frightened birds. They were ragged and terrified, scattering in all directions to escape their pursuers.

In the distance, one can see corpses lying across the street, some who have just fallen, and others who will never rise again.

Deep within the alley, a living hell of chaos and despair lay. More than a dozen Japanese soldiers were indiscriminately slaughtering the local residents, their shrill screams and pleas for mercy echoing throughout the place. But to those beasts from Japan, these pleas only fueled their arrogance.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still, leaving only the deafening gunshots and the sight of people struggling helplessly and tragically amidst the devastation...

at the same time
On a street near the church, dozens of soldiers dressed in German military uniforms were gathered around a Chaffee tank, looking around curiously. Some of the bolder ones even touched it, showing great interest.

John, who was appointed as the tank commander by Su Yaoyang, had also changed into a German-style military uniform, wearing a tank helmet with a headset clipped to it, making him look quite presentable.

Surrounding him were several tank crew members he had selected, one of whom, a small and thin man, was none other than Qiao Erdan, whom Su Yaoyang had chosen from the defeated soldiers yesterday.

“I know you’re all still unfamiliar with this stuff, and the boss is giving us very little time, so I can only talk about the important things.”

John spoke to the four tank crew members, including Qiao Erdan, in his broken Chinese: "To get this thing running, you need five crew members: commander, gunner, loader, driver, and co-driver."

Logically, as your commander, my position should be tank commander, but for now I can only serve as driver for the time being, since none of you know how to drive this thing.

Now I'll give you a detailed introduction to your respective roles, and get this thing moving..."

Upstairs in a building not far away, Su Yaoyang, Li Gaoyuan, and Huang Guantao were standing by the window watching John enthusiastically explain the structure of the tank to a few temporarily selected tank soldiers.

Huang Guantao said with some concern, "Commander, do you really think John can get this guy going?"

"Who knows?" Su Yaoyang shrugged. "It would be best if it could be started, but even if it can't, it's just a waste of time."

"You're not wasting time, you're wasting an expensive tank, okay?"

Huang Guantao and Li Gaoyuan, standing to the side, secretly grumbled to themselves.

They've become somewhat numb to Su Yaoyang's almost magical abilities; they wouldn't be surprised if he conjured a warship out of thin air.

However, Li Gaoyuan still asked with some concern: "I've seen tanks quite often. After all, our training unit had an armored regiment back then, equipped with British Vickers tanks and German Sd-Kfz tanks."

Although I don't know much about tanks, I see that they are all used in groups. Even if John can drive that tank, there is only one tank. Isn't that too few?

"This single tank could easily be destroyed by the Japanese."

"Of course I know that, but what can I do?" Su Yaoyang said helplessly, "We only have so many people. Let alone tank soldiers, we only have a few people who can drive. Even if we had extra tanks, no one would know how to drive them."

The reason I got this tank is to bolster our offensive capabilities. Think about it, when we break out, having a tank like this leading the charge will save us so many brothers from dying!

"Well...that's true."

Li Gaoyuan and Huang Guantao nodded in unison.

They were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, and they knew perfectly well how much enemy fire could be drawn by having such an invincible iron figure charging at the forefront, thus reducing their own casualties.

Just then, a thick plume of smoke suddenly began to billow from the rear of the Chaffee tank below, and then the entire tank suddenly moved, scaring the soldiers watching from the sidelines into scattering and fleeing.

Su Yaoyang and the other two couldn't help but laugh, but then they looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

They did not blame the soldiers for their cowardice, but lamented the state of their country's defense capabilities.

Tanks have been around for decades, but most Chinese soldiers have never seen one in their lives, so it's understandable that they would be surprised when they first saw one.

"Let's go!"

Suddenly, Su Yaoyang lost interest, waved his hand, and walked back first.

As soon as the three returned to the church, they saw a figure hurrying in from outside. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was Xu Dapeng, who had just gone out to conduct reconnaissance.

"Big Greenhouse, why are you back so soon?" Li Gaoyuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Dapeng's face was ashen, his eyes bloodshot, and he was panting heavily: "Instructor, Commander, the Japanese devils... the Japanese devils are massacring civilians in the city. The city is full of corpses now. The Japanese devils have gone mad!"

"What...is that so?" Huang Guantao was shocked and furious when he heard this. "This violates international law. How dare the Japanese?"

Knowing this outcome all along, Su Yaoyang closed his eyes in anguish. What was bound to happen had finally come. Was this calamity inevitable?

"Why wouldn't they dare?" Su Yaoyang sneered. "Our country is weak. Even if the Japanese did this, what could we do?"

Just like when the Japanese were at war with our country, they would release poison gas at the drop of a hat, which was extremely rampant. But do you think they would dare to release poison gas when they were at war with the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France?

Isn't it because we lack equivalent countermeasures?

The two fell silent; the cruelty of the law of the jungle was stark and brutal at that moment.

Li Gaoyuan suddenly said, "Commander, I think we should break out as soon as possible. Once the Japanese army has cleared out the remaining forces in the city, it will be impossible for us to leave."

"I think so too."

Su Yaoyang nodded, "This matter should be done sooner rather than later. I think we should break through in two days at most."

(End of this chapter)