Bright Sword: This unit is really ruthless

A few days later, a piece of news spread throughout the northwest Shanxi base: a certain unit of the Eighth Route Army wiped out the Sakata Regiment of the Japanese Army in a battle at Cangyunling and seized a large number of weapons and ammunition.

When the news reached the cave, it immediately caused an uproar.

There was jubilation at the Eighth Route Army headquarters.

"Okay, good fight!"

"Zhang Ling is such a lucky guy!"

"This battle has demonstrated the power of our Eighth Route Army and the ambition of the Dragon Nation!"

……

However, amid the cheers, there was an old man with a frown on his face. There was no joy at all, but instead he was full of worry.

He is the deputy commander-in-chief - the big leader.

"Leader, what's wrong with you?"

The deputy chief of staff standing nearby noticed the abnormality of the leader and couldn't help but ask.

The big leader didn't say anything, but just walked to the map and stared at Cangyun Ridge on the map, as if he wanted to see through that piece of land.

After a long while, he slowly opened his mouth and said in a heavy tone: "Although we won this battle, the victory was too strange. I always feel that things are not that simple..."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and then a messenger ran in quickly, holding a telegram in his hand and with an anxious look on his face.

"Report to the leader, urgent call from headquarters!"

The leader's heart sank, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

He took the telegram, unfolded it, and his face suddenly turned livid.

"What's wrong, leader?" The leader asked hurriedly upon seeing this.

The leader took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then said in a deep voice: "The Japanese army mobilized heavy troops and launched a large-scale sweep of the base area in northwest Shanxi..."

"What?!" The leader was horrified, "Then... Zhang Ling and the others..."

The big leader didn't say anything, but just clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of worry and anger.

He knew that a more brutal battle was about to begin...

When the smoke cleared, Zhang Ling coughed violently, and the dust choked him so much that he could hardly open his eyes. He wiped the dust off his face and looked at the hellish scene in front of him, but he didn't feel any joy in his heart.

Two artillery shells almost buried the entire Sakata Regiment. Zhang Ling didn't know how many of them were vicious invaders and how many were ordinary soldiers who were forced to join in, nor did he want to know.

He only knew that from today on, he was no longer the weak college student, but a soldier fighting bravely and an avenger.

"Battalion Commander, are you okay?" Xu Erniu ran over covered in dust and asked with concern.

Zhang Ling waved his hands to indicate that he was fine, but his eyes fell on the mortar. It was their last weapon and their only hope.

"Erniu, take down the cannon and let's go!"

"Dismantled? But..." Xu Erniu was a little puzzled. They had captured this cannon with great difficulty. Isn't it a pity that it just exploded like this?

Zhang Ling did not explain, but silently took down the gun carriage and carried it on his shoulder.

"This is an order!" He said in a cold tone, leaving no room for doubt.

Xu Erniu didn't dare to ask any more questions. He called on everyone else to work together to dismantle the mortar into parts and take them away.

On Cangyun Ridge, only devastation and rising smoke were left, as if silently telling of the cruelty of war.

……

Three days later, in Jin, a remote mountain village.

Zhang Ling and his group arrived at the village entrance, all in tattered clothes and exhausted. They had been walking for three days and three nights and were almost out of ammunition and food.

"Battalion Commander, Lijia Village is just ahead. Shall we go in and take a rest?" Xu Erniu suggested, pointing to a small village with smoke rising from chimneys not far away.

Zhang Ling nodded. He urgently needed to find a safe place to rest and get some food.

Lijia Village is not big, with dozens of households built against the mountain. It looks quiet and peaceful, in sharp contrast to the war-torn world outside.

"Fellow villager, we are passers-by passing here. Can you let us stay for one night?" Zhang Ling walked into a house and asked politely.

An old man opened the door. He looked Zhang Ling and others up and down, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

"You are……"

"Old man, we are from the Eighth Route Army. We are passing by here and would like to stay for one night. We won't stay for free. We will pay." Zhang Ling said as he took out a silver dollar from his pocket.

When the old man saw the silver dollar, his eyes lit up, but then he shook his head.

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's just that..." The old man looked embarrassed, "The village has been in turmoil recently, you should go somewhere else."

"Not peaceful? What's going on?" Zhang Ling frowned, with a bad feeling in his heart.

"Alas, it's all because of those damned bandits!" The old man sighed and said indignantly, "A few days ago, a group of bandits came down the mountain to rob, took away most of the food in the village, and also kidnapped several young girls. Now the villagers are in a panic, afraid that those bandits will come again..."

When he heard the word "bandit", a cold light flashed in Zhang Ling's eyes.

Bandits? He was just worried about having no place to vent his anger!

When the smoke cleared, the valley was in a mess, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder. Zhang Ling coughed violently, and the dust choked him to tears.

"Battalion Commander, are you okay?" Xu Erniu ran over, covered in dust and dust, his face full of anxiety.

Zhang Ling waved his hands to indicate that he was fine, but his eyes were fixed on the ruins that had been razed to the ground.

"Those damn Japanese devils, this time they finally get a taste of our power!" Xu Erniu spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm and said viciously.

"Don't be careless," Zhang Ling said in a hoarse voice, "the enemy's reinforcements will arrive soon, we have to retreat quickly!"

No one dared to delay, cleaned up the mess, and quickly disappeared into the vast mountains and forests.

……

As night fell and the sky was dotted with stars, Zhang Ling and his team hid in a hidden cave, lit a bonfire, and roasted a wild rabbit "borrowed" from a nearby farmer's house.

"Battalion Commander, what should we do next?" Xu Erniu tore off a piece of rabbit meat and asked vaguely while chewing it.

Zhang Ling did not say anything, but just stared at the jumping flames silently, his eyes were deep, as if he could see through time and space and see the future.

He knew that this victory was only temporary, and with his current strength, he could not shake the Japanese rule in North China. He needed a stronger force and more helpers to finally complete his revenge plan.

"Erniu, do you still remember the time when we were in Nanjing?" Zhang Ling suddenly spoke, with a hint of nostalgia and grief in his tone.

Xu Erniu was stunned for a moment, then he understood. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by deep hatred.

"Why don't you remember? I will never forget it in my life!" Xu Erniu gritted his teeth and said, "Those beasts killed all our brothers and..."

At this point, Xu Erniu's voice choked and he could not continue.

Zhang Ling patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Erniu, I promise you that one day, I will take you back to Nanjing and kill all those damned Japanese devils to avenge our dead brothers!"

"Go back to Nanjing!"

"revenge!"

The others also shouted with red eyes. They were all survivors who had escaped from that hell on earth and carried a deep blood feud on their shoulders.

"Just shouting slogans is useless," Zhang Ling swept his eyes over the crowd, his tone firm, "If we want revenge, we have to become stronger! Starting tomorrow, everyone will intensify their training. I will train you all into the most elite fighters!"

"Yes!" everyone answered in unison, with the fire of revenge burning in their eyes.

……

In the following days, Zhang Ling led his team to conduct guerrilla warfare, avoiding the encirclement and suppression of the Japanese army while looking for opportunities to attack the enemy.

Under his leadership, this group of soldiers, which was originally just a motley crowd, gradually grew into an iron-blooded force that made the Japanese army tremble in fear.

However, Zhang Ling knew clearly that his current enemy was not only the brutal Japanese army, but also other forces lurking in the dark...

One day, Zhang Ling received a mysterious letter with only one sentence in it: "If you want revenge, come to Beiping!"

Zhang Ling looked at the letter with a dangerous light in his eyes. He knew it was time to meet the man hiding behind the scenes...

The smoke gradually dissipated, and Zhang Ling waved his hand to signal everyone to evacuate. Cangyun Ridge was in ruins, and the smell of scorched earth and smoke filled the air. He knew that the Sakata Regiment was finished, and was completely buried under the rocks.

"Battalion Commander, we had such a great time fighting this battle!" Xu Erniu was carrying a mortar, his face flushed with excitement, "The Japanese will definitely be blown to pieces this time!"

"Yes, battalion commander, you didn't see it. The hilltop was flattened. If there are still survivors, God must be blind!" Another soldier echoed.

Zhang Ling did not say anything, but just looked at the mountain in the distance that was razed to the ground. There was no joy in his eyes, only endless coldness.

He knew this was just the beginning.

This victory was just a spark in the vast darkness. What he had to do was to let this spark spread across the prairie and devour all those invaders and enemies!

"Let's go back to the village!" Zhang Ling jumped on his horse, his tone was cold, without a trace of warmth.

No one dared to say anything and just followed him silently towards the village at the foot of the mountain.

When they returned to the village, the villagers had already heard the news of their victory. They were so excited that they surrounded them like they were welcoming triumphant heroes.

"Captain Zhang, you are amazing! You destroyed the Japanese artillery position with just one shot!"

"Yes, yes. Our village was bullied so badly by the Japanese before. This time we can finally vent our anger!"

"Captain Zhang, you are truly our benefactor!"

The villagers talked at once, their eyes full of gratitude and admiration.

Zhang Ling had no expression on his face and just nodded lightly. He had heard too many such compliments in his previous life, and hearing them again now, there was no ripple in his heart.