I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 75 Early Spring, Lingering Blood Beneath Yin Mountain

"Old Yin, do you think that if the headquarters goes to Nanjing and Ningma to fight a lawsuit, their cavalry might turn back halfway? If that happens, all our efforts will have been in vain."

After lighting a cigarette for Political Commissar Yin, who had just put down his hoe, Commander Yang asked a question.

After taking a drag of his cigarette, Political Commissar Yin said, "If they really run away, then we'll just consider this place as a reclamation site."

Aren't the orders from headquarters very clear?

If their people enter our defense zone, we will resolutely eliminate them.

But before we eliminate them, we must first establish a legitimate claim to the cause.

Otherwise, if that bald guy makes a fuss about this, it will be disadvantageous for us.

The headquarters believes that Ningma's attack is just a prelude to other attacks; their real targets are our copper and molybdenum mines.

These two mines are our lifeline.

If we lose these two mines, our nascent industry will suffer a severe blow.

Such a loss is something we cannot afford.

So no matter what, if they dare to come, we must wipe them out completely.

But I think they will still come.

They have just defeated the troops we sent to the Hexi Corridor.

It was precisely at this time that he became arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

"Now that they've come, we can say we've avenged our brothers' units."

"Once they arrive, none of them will leave." Commander Yang took a deep drag on his cigarette butt.

They rolled up their sleeves and started digging the hole again.

More than 4,000 people worked from midnight yesterday until the evening of the following day.

Only then did Commander Yang order a rest.

The result of this day and night.

Apart from the largest valley where the Ningma cavalry were allowed in, and the two smaller valleys next to it.

Further out into the valley, the land resembles farmland that has just been plowed in the spring.

If someone who didn't know the inside story saw this scene, they would definitely think that someone had cleared land here to farm.

And at the valley exit, it looks even more like that, with long earthen ridges that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see.

They completely blocked the valley's exit.

The furrows were very deep, and the soil turned up by the plow piled up naturally on the sides of the furrows, like a low wall.

For these ground-based horses to cross, they can only be led by a person.

Even if a person walks on it, they might trip and fall if they're not careful.

The next morning, after breakfast...

Everyone continued to extend the ravines and horse traps to both sides and in front of the valley entrance.

All construction work was halted that evening.

At this moment, the reconnaissance squad sent out to the west, from the direction Ningma came from, sent back a message.

The main force of Ningma is still more than 30 kilometers away from the designated battlefield.

The Ningma cavalry split into two groups, one in front and one behind, with a gap of about three kilometers between them.

The entire marching column was about twelve or thirteen kilometers long.

Ningma's troops had four mountain guns, more than ten heavy machine guns, and it was difficult to count the number of light machine guns, but it was probably around twenty to thirty.

They have already set up camp and expect to arrive at the battlefield tomorrow afternoon.

After receiving the intelligence about the enemy situation, Regiment Commander Yang said to Political Commissar Yin and Chief of Staff Du, "Our guests will arrive tomorrow."

It all depends on whether they are satisfied with the feast we have prepared.

If they're not satisfied, we'll just add more ingredients.

Political Commissar Yin and Chief of Staff Du burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Around 1 p.m. on the second day, Ningma's advance scouts appeared at the entrance to the main valley.

In a valley where you can see the low slopes on both sides at a glance, you can tell at a glance whether there is an ambush.

However, some cavalrymen still managed to reach the low slopes on both sides to keep watch and observe from higher vantage points.

But looking around, there was nothing but endless low slopes to the north, south, and east.

In early spring, the ground of the Chule River is only dotted with tiny, newly sprouting grass tips.

"A light rain falls on the street, as soft as butter; the grass appears green from afar, but is barely visible up close."

This scene, where everything in the distance is green, but when you look down, you can't see many blades of grass sprouting from the ground, is a perfect depiction of early spring.

The scouts kept running forward, and about five kilometers behind them, Ningma's main force followed closely into the valley.

When Ma Hongshan's rearguard had already penetrated more than ten kilometers into the valley.

Suddenly, a cavalryman came running from the front.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, our forward troops have been blocked."

Commander Ma's initial attack failed.

Regiment Commander Ma requested artillery support from the brigade commander.

"Oh, so Madman Horse was stopped?"

How many people were blocking his way?

Were his thousand-plus cavalrymen just sitting around doing nothing?

Why didn't you think of going around it?

"Reporting to the brigade commander, we don't know how many people are blocking our way."

We encountered landmines and snipers.

We haven't seen a single person on the other side yet.

Commander Ma also wanted to go around it.

But the opposite side was all farmland that had just been turned over.

The warhorses couldn't run on that surface.

If you're slow, you'll get shot.

Many of our brothers perished in those fields.

There were landmines in some places that could have been bypassed, and my brothers were all killed in the explosions.

"Farmland?" Ma Hongshan frowned and thought for a moment.

Perhaps it was those peasants who cleared this land.

But with landmines and snipers around, this might be one of their small, remote units.

They wanted to slow down their advance and buy time for their rear.

"Follow up from behind, artillery unit, accelerate forward with me." After giving the order, Ma Hongshan immediately led his personal guard company on horseback and galloped forward.

At this moment, Ma Hongshan had no idea that he was already in hell.

The path he came from behind has been slowly closed off.

When Ma Hongshan was in the telescope.

He saw the farmland, several hundred meters wide, stretching across the road in front of him in the distance.

There were also warhorses lying on the ground howling and neighing, and the corpses of cavalrymen.

He couldn't help but gasp.

Because that several hundred meters of farmland completely blocked his way out.

And in more distant places, there is no land that has ever been turned over.

Look at the soil that's been turned over; it was only recently turned over, and the color hasn't changed yet.

That's when he realized something was wrong.

"Madman, have you sent out scouts to both sides?"

"Reporting to the brigade commander, they have been dispatched and are currently conducting reconnaissance in both directions." Ma Fengzi had just finished speaking.

Several cavalrymen ran back one after another from the low slopes on both sides.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, our north side is blocked. Behind the second mountain ridge, there are horse traps everywhere, and deep ditches like those in the farmland."

The brothers weren't paying attention when they crossed the ridge, and they were immediately knocked down by the horse trap on the back slope.

Then three or four of them were killed by snipers from the other side.

"Reporting to the brigade commander, it's the same on the south side, behind the second ridge. There are horse traps and deep ditches everywhere. We've lost two brothers there too."

Upon hearing the reports from the scouts on both sides, Ma Hongshan's back was immediately drenched in cold sweat.

"This is a trap."

Madman Ma, take your men and run as fast as you can, all the way out of this low hill.

This is a trap; we can't let them cut off our escape route.

"Yes," even the madman Ma sensed something was wrong at this point.

The front and both sides are completely blocked off; what else could this be but an ambush?

If their escape route is also blocked at this point, then they will all be finished.

Ma Fengzi may be crazy in battle, but he's not stupid.

After receiving the order, he led his thousand-strong cavalry regiment and began to flee for their lives. However, they had only run seven or eight kilometers past the rear guard, who were still heading east with surprised expressions.

A series of explosions rang out right beneath their feet.

Because they were running desperately backward, there were no more cavalrymen sent out to scout ahead.

Even if they are sent out, they may not be able to run as fast as the main force. At this time, the most important thing is time.

But it was all too late.

Just as Ma Fengzi led his Ningma cavalry in a loose, frontal charge towards the rear.

The yellowish-brown anti-cavalry mines, which were indistinguishable from the ground, were detonated one after another.

The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, and the rider was instantly thrown a great distance by the enormous inertia. He was lucky enough to break an arm or a leg.

Those who were unlucky had their necks broken and died on the spot.

Human behavior has inertia.

Although the entire valley is five or six kilometers wide.

But where people walk, it's always the middle part.

Because this part has the least amount of gravel and stones.

Most of the sand and gravel are blown by the wind over the years to the vicinity of the base of the low slope.

Therefore, the width of this wide valley that is truly suitable for galloping horses is only two or three kilometers.

Normally, no one would think that such a width is narrow.

But now, Madman Ma thinks it's too narrow inside.

As they galloped away on horseback.

The width of the entire cavalry regiment gradually increased to more than two kilometers.

It almost completely fills the width of the space where a horse can gallop.

But when the lead cavalryman stepped on the first string of landmines...

The entire path forward was almost completely blocked in an instant.

With over a thousand people riding horses at high speed, it's not something you can just stop on a whim.

Although everyone was a veteran cavalryman, they all consciously tried to maintain a loose formation.

However, when the cavalry and warhorses in front are suddenly killed by explosions, it is not so easy for those behind to rein in their horses immediately.

As a result, the cavalrymen behind either charged out and triggered more landmines, or were tripped by the fallen warhorses in front of them.

Within a space approximately two kilometers wide, the neighing of warhorses and the dying cries of cavalrymen suddenly filled the air.

The cavalry following behind either reined in their horses or ran towards the open spaces on either side.

Just as Ma Fengzi and his cavalry were still in shock.

A terrifying thing happened: a hissing sound suddenly came from the sky.

Without even looking up, Madman Ma shouted, "Fire! Spread out!"

Then he immediately turned his horse around.

But just as he was about to turn his horse around, he heard an even more terrifying, not-so-crisp "clattering" sound coming from his left and right diagonally in front of him.

That was the sound of a Type 24 heavy machine gun firing.

The sound was deep and powerful, but the bullets flew towards the cavalry that had gathered together, like water being poured.

The sound of mortar shells exploding, the sound of bullets whizzing through the air.

Screams, wails, curses, and shouts filled the air.

This vast valley quickly became the grandest sacrificial site in this great battle.

And Ma Fengzi and his cavalry regiment became the sacrifices in this ritual.

The madman didn't escape.

Just as he was about to turn the horse around, a 7.92mm bullet pierced his neck.

As his head hung halfway down, his cloudy eyes seemed to be trying to see something.

The second bullet, with its immense impact, knocked him off his horse.

At this moment, darkness has become his eternity.

Despair had now filled Ma Hongshan's mind.

When the remnants of Ma Fengzi's troops who had run back from the rear cried to Ma Hongshan that their retreat route had been blocked, Ma Fengzi was killed on the spot.

Of the more than 1,000 men in Ma Fengzi's regiment, only more than 300 returned.

Ma Hongshan was truly filled with despair.

He wanted to contact Ma Hongkui in the rear.

However, his radio station was damaged in the strong winds that hit him as soon as he came out.

Although the radio operator wanted to fix it, he couldn't make bricks without straw; there were no replacement parts available, so he could only watch helplessly.

Ma Hongshan also wanted to rush out from the front or the left or right sides.

But the shallow ditches that made one's scalp crawl and the countless horse traps made it impossible for any of the warhorses to run.

He tried using the 75mm mountain gun he carried to bombard the enemy.

But where are his enemies?
But now, he hasn't even seen a shadow of his enemy.

He also wanted the cavalry to dismount and sneak out little by little.

But there were sniper shots almost everywhere and a small shell (grenades) flying in from who-knows-where.

This left all the cavalrymen who had abandoned their warhorses bewildered and disoriented.

Ma Hongshan had never fought a battle like this before.

He fought against both fierce and cowardly enemies.

But he had never fought against an unseen enemy.

He also tried to have his personal guards find a way out under the cover of night.

But the campfires lit in all directions at night illuminated every possible place to venture out.

His men also planned to sneak across the unlit areas from the relatively darker parts of the campfire when it dimmed.

But the landmines, which were almost everywhere, blew them up, causing them to scream and howl in terror.

Everyone gave up.

On the sixth day, Ma Hongshan was trapped in this valley where the enemy neither attacked nor could they break out.

Almost everyone under his command collapsed.

A person can go five or six days without food, but can still crawl.

But if a person doesn't drink water for three days, he will almost dry himself out.

If you don't drink water for five days.

That person would be so weak that they wouldn't even have the strength to move.

When Ma Hongshan and his group first arrived in this valley.

They had prepared drinking water supplies at the starting point.

According to their plan, they brought enough water to last them two days.

Because it only takes one day to reach the next water supply point.

So the water supply for two days is sufficient.

When they first got trapped here, they never imagined they would be trapped here forever.

They would also water their horses.

But the next day, they could only give the horse half a cup of water.

On the third day, everyone's water supply was halved, and the horses were no longer given water.

By the fourth day, only a little water remained.

By the fifth day, the water had completely disappeared.

By the sixth day, everyone had given up hope.

"Tengjiao, I order you to surrender with the rest of your brothers."

This is the last order I'm giving you.

Ma Hongshan spoke in his hoarse voice to Ma Tengjiao, the commander of the Second Regiment under his command.

"Brigade Commander, you can't do something like this. As long as we're alive, there's hope."

"Brigade Commander, we all need to follow you to survive!" Ma Tengjiao managed to utter a complete sentence with difficulty, his voice barely audible.

Other personnel from the brigade headquarters also shouted in hoarse voices, "Brigade Commander, we still have to follow you! Please don't do anything rash!"

Looking at the group of people in front of him.

Ma Hongshan couldn't help but give a wry smile.

He knew that among these people, there were genuinely those who wanted him to survive.

But most of them were probably afraid that if they died, they would surrender and then be punished by Ma Hongkui.

Finally, he let out a deep sigh.

Ma Hongshan said, "Tengjiao, go raise the white flag. I have to lead my brothers to survive."

(End of this chapter)