Black Flag Army

After two hours of rest, all the members of the operation team were awakened. At this moment, the clock pointed to three o'clock in the morning, but everyone packed their luggage quickly without complaint, lined up neatly, and was ready to go into battle at any time.

Led by Li Jinxi, the team headed towards Lushun City. Li Jinxi chose to lead everyone to enter from the foot of the city wall on the east side of the city. This was a well-considered decision. The Fengtian Army's defense line facing the northwest of Lushun City was heavily guarded, while the defense in the southeast port direction was relatively loose. After all, there were many Japanese warships and transport ships anchored in the port, as well as artillery and bunkers as barriers.

At the foot of the city wall on the east side of the city, Li Jinxi and two other male intelligence officers worked together to dig a small hole that could only accommodate one person. They took great risks and spent two months digging this hole secretly at night. In order to ensure safety and avoid being discovered by Japanese patrols, they usually covered the hole with straw.

This carefully planned passage became the key secret entrance to Lushun City and the hope for the team members to break through the enemy's defense line. Everyone knew the importance and danger of this mission, but they were not afraid.

The two female agents Dong Xuechun and Cao Feiyan shouldered the heavy responsibility and went deep into the tiger's den to carry out the mission. This action was undoubtedly full of endless humiliation and danger, but at the same time, the work pressure faced by the three male agents such as Li Jinxi was no less than that of them.

These brave and fearless male and female agents are in the enemy's hinterland, and if they are not careful, they may fall into an irretrievable situation. Not only do they have to face the enemy's close surveillance and cunning calculations, but they must also remain vigilant at all times to prevent their identities from being exposed. Every step is treading on thin ice, and the slightest mistake will bring disastrous consequences to the entire operation.

However, it was in this extreme environment that they showed their tenacious will and outstanding wisdom. Whether it was Dong Xuechun, Cao Feiyan, or Li Jinxi and others, they all fought wits and courage with the enemy in their own unique ways.

"How did you get to know those hunters?" Liu Zhendong lowered his voice and asked Li Jinxi in his ear.

Li Jinxi tilted his head slightly and answered in a low voice, "They are short of food and medicine, and I happen to have these things, so I use them to make friends with them! The Japanese control Lushun very strictly, but the control of the mountainous areas outside the city is relatively loose. They actually escaped from the Lushun Massacre, carrying national hatred and family grudges on their backs! They often assassinate those Japanese who are alone."

When they came out of the cave, they saw two people at the entrance holding flashlights and giving secret signals to meet them. These two people were the other two members of the intelligence team - Tang Tingxuan and Chen Tingwang.

Leng Hanbing looked at the two people in front of him and felt a little relieved. He turned to look at Li Jinxi and asked, "I heard that Lushunkou is now almost completely occupied by the Japanese, and the Chinese have become extremely scarce. Is that true?"

Li Jinxi nodded and replied in a low voice: "Yes, there are indeed not many Chinese in Lushunkou, but there are still about one-tenth of the population, about 7,000 people. These people are basically hardcore traitors who betrayed their motherland and worked for the Japanese. In addition, there are two special plainclothes teams in the city. Hu Biantai and Hu Fengzhi are the captains of these two plainclothes teams respectively."

Leng Hanbing frowned and asked in confusion: "How could there be so many traitors? Where did the Japanese find them from?"

Li Jinxi replied solemnly: "All this can be traced back to the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. At that time, the Japanese occupied Lushun, and they captured a large number of war refugees from all over the Northeast through deception, abduction and other means. Because there were many heavy, dirty, hard and tiring jobs in Lushun, the Japanese themselves were unwilling to undertake them, so they sent these older Chinese who were forced to be captured to do these labors. As for the young Chinese children, they were detained in schools and received brainwashing education. Time flies, and more than a decade has passed in a flash. These children gradually grew up in this repetitive brainwashing process. Among them were Hu Biantai and Hu Fengzhi, who eventually became loyal running dogs of the Japanese. As for the older Chinese at that time, most of them were exhausted in extremely harsh working conditions, and died of exhaustion or illness."

With the three intelligence officers sending covert signals from time to time, they dodged several Japanese patrols and approached the tall red building step by step. That was the Kwantung Army Headquarters. Two sentries were killed at the entrance of the headquarters a few days ago, and the murderer has not been caught yet. Now there are four sentries, two hidden and two visible. But this is not a problem for Leng Hanbing and Liu Zhendong, the two masters. After careful observation, they found two hidden sentries hiding in the jungle and asked Liu Tainan and Min Kailong to sneak up from behind. The two people acted at the same time, covering their mouths and cutting their throats. It was as fast as lightning. The two hidden sentries did not react at all and fell softly. Leng Hanbing and Liu Zhendong cooperated tacitly and fired at the same time with sniper rifles. The silencer covered the gunshots. Both visible sentries were hit in the throat. They wanted to shout but couldn't make a sound. They fell to the ground and died silently.

A member who had mastered the lock picking technique quietly walked to the iron gate, took out the tool, and operated it skillfully, and soon pried the door lock open. The door slowly opened, and the action team members sneaked into the yard one by one. At this moment, suddenly, a fierce roar came from the yard. It turned out that a huge Japanese wolfhound discovered their whereabouts.

The barking of the big wolfhound was like thunder, breaking the silence of the night. Although Liu Zhendong reacted quickly and shot it dead, it was too late. Several other wolfhounds also started barking, and the whole yard fell into chaos in an instant.

At the same time, all the lights in the building were turned on, and the searchlights on the corner towers were also turned on. The strong light illuminated the entire area, just like daylight. The figures of the action team were exposed to the enemy's vision without reservation.

To make matters worse, the machine gunner next to the searchlight immediately began to fire, and dense bullets rained down on the action team members. Faced with the sudden attack, the action team members had to respond hastily. They sought cover in the hail of bullets and tried to avoid the enemy's firepower. However, the enemy was obviously well prepared. They took advantage of the terrain and powerful firepower to put the action team into a passive situation.

Leng Hanbing's eyes were as sharp as an eagle. He held the gun tightly in his hand, aimed and pulled the trigger as fast as lightning. In an instant, the searchlight went out and darkness enveloped the entire battlefield. At the same time, Liu Zhendong showed amazing shooting skills and hit the Japanese machine gunner accurately. However, in that brief moment, the machine gunner hastily fired a burst of bullets. This sudden firepower caused five brave team members to fall to the ground, and their blood dyed the land red. Liu Zhendong felt heartbroken and was in so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

Seeing this, another machine gunner rushed forward fiercely and tried to continue firing. However, since the searchlight had been destroyed, the surroundings were in darkness and the team members had already dispersed. This time, the machine gun fire did not cause any casualties. Leng Hanbing led a group of team members into the red building without hesitation and launched a fierce attack on the second floor. Liu Zhendong led the rest of the team members to hold on to the first floor and resolutely stopped the enemy's advance.

In this intense battle scene, every action is full of danger and uncertainty. The team members fought a desperate battle with the enemy with fearless courage and tenacious perseverance. They knew that only by uniting and fighting bravely can they achieve the final victory. In the darkness, they relied on the tacit understanding and trust between each other, worked closely together, and worked hard to achieve their goals.

A Japanese patrol rushed over and exchanged fire with Liu Zhendong's blocking troops. People on both sides were shot and fell to the ground. The action team led by Liu Zhendong had sniper rifles, light machine guns, and rocket launchers in their hands. The firepower was strong, and the patrol team was quickly killed and wounded. But more Japanese troops rushed over from all directions. Liu Zhendong and others were caught in a hard battle, and their ammunition was getting less and less.

When Leng Hanbing and his men attacked the second floor, they were also sniped by the guards of the Kwantung Army Commander. They shot at the guards from the rooms, windows, and stair corners. While killing the guards, Leng Hanbing's men were also shot and fell to the ground. The casualties were heavy, and even Leng Hanbing and Min Kailong were injured. Leng Hanbing's lightning gun was fully utilized, and the Japanese guards fell under his gun one by one.

Commander Tachibana Shoichirō originally lived on the second floor. After being awakened, he fled to the third floor with the help of the guards. After Leng Hanbing failed on the second floor, he attacked the third floor. The action team members and the Japanese guards engaged in a hand-to-hand fight, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.

At this time, Liu Zhendong and others on the first floor were in an increasingly difficult situation. They had less and less ammunition, while the Japanese mortar shells kept coming one after another. Most of Liu Zhendong's men were killed, leaving only a few. Liu Zhendong's leg was also injured. Liu Tainan used the last two rockets to destroy two mortars, but the Japanese pushed in a Type 92 infantry gun from outside the gate. Liu Zhendong's heart sank when he saw this, knowing that he could not escape today, so he ordered Liu Tainan to fire a red flare out of the window.

When Leng Hanbing saw the red flare, he knew that Liu Zhendong could not hold on any longer, so he fired two rockets at the enemy crowd, because he had vaguely seen a high-ranking Japanese officer hiding among the crowd. After firing, he threw away the rocket launcher and hurried downstairs without caring whether he hit the target or not.

After the rocket exploded, a group of people were blown down, including Commander Tachibana Shoichiro. He screamed in agony. Although he was seriously injured, he was not dead yet. Several guards shouted in fear for the military doctor to come quickly. Dong Xuechun, who was beside him, took advantage of the chaos to pull out the hidden steel spike and stabbed him from the back, killing him. When the military doctor in a white coat arrived, Commander Tachibana Shoichiro had already died. Since Dong Xuechun was forcibly taken to the headquarters five days ago, Commander Tachibana Shoichiro has not let her go back.

Leng Hanbing rushed downstairs quickly. After reaching the first floor, he said to Liu Zhendong anxiously, "Hurry up! We have to leave here!" However, Liu Zhendong responded with a bitter face, "My leg is broken and I can't move at all! There are too many enemies. If no one stays to stop them, none of us can escape. So, someone must stay behind to cover your retreat. You guys go quickly, and I'll be responsible for covering your retreat."

Hearing this, Leng Hanbing snatched the machine gun from Liu Zhendong without hesitation, and turned to Liu Tainan and issued a decisive order: "You immediately carry Commander Liu and leave here immediately! I will be responsible for covering you. I am the captain of this operation, and this is the order!"

Seeing the critical situation, Liu Tainan ignored Liu Zhendong's strong objection and resolutely carried him on his back, turned around and ran forward. At this moment, the rockets had blown several shocking gaps in the courtyard wall. Liu Tainan, under the protection of several brave team members, chose to break out from one of the relatively small gaps without hesitation.

However, they did not easily escape the enemy's pursuit. A group of extremely brutal and ferocious Japanese soldiers quickly rushed up to try to stop their escape. Facing the fierce enemy, Leng Hanbing and Min Kailong were not afraid. They each held a machine gun and bravely fired. Dense bullets poured out like raindrops, ruthlessly shooting at those fierce Japanese soldiers. The Japanese soldiers fell to the ground one after another, blood splattered everywhere, and the scene was extremely tragic.

However, just when they thought they had temporarily repelled the enemy, something unexpected happened. The Type 92 infantry gun suddenly opened fire, making a deafening noise. Along with the noise, Leng Hanbing and Min Kailong were blown away by the powerful shock wave of the explosion, and their bodies drew an arc in the air before falling heavily to the ground.

On February 27, 1920, Leng Hanbing died heroically in the assassination attempt on the commander of the Kwantung Army at the age of 24.

The next day at noon, the news of Leng Hanbing's death reached Di Xiong's office in Beitang City. Di Xiong turned pale and took out a yellowed old photo from the drawer. The photo was a group photo of six people. These were the six founders of Xihe Club when it was first established eight years ago. They were Di Xiong, Leng Hanbing, Bai Xiuling, Hong Tianlie, Wu Chunlei, and Wu Chunfeng. Now half of the people in the photo are gone. When Tian Mengxue walked into the office, she saw Di Xiong looking at the photo with tears in his eyes. She was shocked and dared not speak for a while.

Di Xiong wiped away his tears and said, "Just say whatever you want to say!"

Tian Mengxue said, "Beijing opera star Liu Xikui, under the pressure of Cao Zhongshan, sent someone to show the seal you gave him to Dashengkui Trading Company. The Beijing Intelligence Station sent the action team leader Yao Tiechui to shoot Cao Zhongshan in the thigh. When the guards rushed him to the hospital, Liu Xikui took advantage of the chaos to escape from Beijing and flew to Beitang City."