The Rise of the Youth in the War of Resistance

On August 8th, the sun was scorching and the heat was unbearable.

The county town was shrouded in an oppressive silence, with only the rolling heat waves seeming to foreshadow the coming storm.

The enemy adopted the tactic of dividing its troops into four groups. Like a pack of extremely hungry wolves discovering their prey, they rushed towards the county town from all directions with bared fangs and claws and aggressive momentum.

The enemy troops responsible for attacking the east gate were particularly arrogant and domineering. They were not only numerous but also well-equipped.

Those vicious enemies quickly erected several steps of towering ladders. The shadows of the ladders were like huge monsters covering the city walls, stretching straight to the walls, in an attempt to climb into the city.

At the same time, dense bullets whizzed past the top of the city wall like a swarm of crazy locusts, forming a fire network that provided strong cover for the enemy soldiers climbing the ladders.

On the battlefield filled with smoke, there was a young soldier named Zhao Shao, with a posture as straight as a pine tree and eyes as firm as iron.

Not far from him was the resourceful and decisive peasant army commander Wang Yaxin. Wang Yaxin was tall with a resolute face. At this moment, he was observing the movements of the enemy with a frown. He pursed his lips and his eyes were deep and solemn.

The unshaven deputy regiment commander, Yuan Wencai, gripped his broadsword tightly, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight. He cursed the enemy in a low voice:

"These sons of bitches, I'll chop them all down!"

……

In Zhao Shao's squad, there was Xiao Si, a coward who loved life and feared death. Xiao Si was thin and frail. His face was slightly pale at the moment, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He said in a trembling voice:

"There are too many enemies here. Can we handle it?"

Li Xi, who was straightforward, glared at Xiao Si and shouted:

"What are you afraid of!

They haven’t come up yet!”

Li Xi's eyes were burning with anger, and his hands were tightly gripping the gun.

In the silent afternoon, he just stared quietly ahead. He was thin, but exuded a calmness, as if he was thinking about how to deal with the situation.

The obedient Liu San followed Zhao Shao's footsteps closely, and said nervously but firmly:

"Squad Leader Zhao, I've taken note of everything you said!"

Zhao Shao reminded again:

"If you start fighting, keep your head down and do what I tell you."

Wang Zuo, who was in the direction of the west city, had a look of determination and courage in his eyes. He shouted loudly:

"Brothers, don't be afraid! We have homes and people behind us. Let's fight them!"

Zhao Shao looked at the enemies surging in front of him like a tide, and a surge of blood and pride surged in his heart. He shouted:

"Don't be afraid, everyone!

Even if we die, we must die with dignity!"

Li Xi followed and shouted:

"right!

Killing one is enough to cover the cost, killing two is a profit!"

Zhao Shao turned to look at Xiao Si and said sternly:

"Xiao Si, now is not the time to be afraid, pick up your gun!"

Xiao Si gritted his teeth and raised his gun tremblingly.

Zhao Shao continued to shout:

"Brothers, get ready!"

Then Liu San, Xiao Si and others loaded their guns.

With just a command, deadly bullets can be spit out from the black muzzle.

The enemy gradually approached the city wall, and the heavy footsteps and shouts seemed to shake the earth.

When the enemy entered the range, Regimental Commander Wang Yaxin made a prompt decision and gave the order:

"shot!"

In an instant, gunshots rang out from the city wall.

Zhao Shao quickly raised the rifle in his hand and aimed at the enemy below. His eyes were calm and focused, and every time he pulled the trigger, he was accompanied by a roar.

"Bang! Bang!"

After a few gunshots, several enemy soldiers fell from the ladders screaming.

But the enemy troops continued to pour in, and the pressure on the city walls grew greater and greater.

Xiao Si looked at his comrades falling around him, his legs began to tremble unconsciously, and his heart was filled with fear.

"this……

How can we beat this..."

he muttered.

When Li Xi heard his words, he turned around and glared at him:

"You coward, if you dare to back down, I'll be the first one to not let you go!"

As he spoke, Li Xi shot even more bravely. His face was covered in black, but he was unaware of it. He looked like a god of war who had returned from hell.

In Dongcheng, while directing the battle, Captain Wang Yaxin shouted:

"Everyone, don't panic. Concentrate your firepower and attack the enemies on the ladders first!"

His voice was steady and powerful, as if it gave the soldiers a reassurance.

The enemy's commander, Zhu Kan, was supervising the battle from the rear, a smug smile on his face:

"Humph, this county will be ours sooner or later."

Chief of Staff Qian Youcai echoed:

"Captain, you are wise. They are just putting up a desperate resistance."

The commander of the first battalion, Jiang Shi, personally led the soldiers in the charge, shouting:

"Go! The first one to reach the city wall will be rewarded!"

Zhao Shao's forehead was also covered with sweat, and his arms were sore from continuous shooting, but his eyes remained firm.

He looked at his comrades around him, and a feeling of unwillingness welled up in his heart.

At this moment, a shell suddenly exploded not far away, and the powerful impact knocked Zhao Shao to the ground.

He shook his head and struggled to get up, only to find that Wu Xiao was lying injured in a pool of blood beside him.

He was hit by shrapnel in the abdomen in the afternoon. He covered the wound with both hands, blood kept flowing out from between his fingers, and his eyes were full of pain and reluctance.

"Afternoon!"

Zhao Shao shouted and rushed over to help him up.

Wu Hou's lips trembled slightly, and he wanted to say something but was too weak to speak.

Zhao Shao's eyes were moist. He gently put down his gun, stood up, picked up his machine gun and roared:

"I'll fight you!"

At this time, the situation on the battlefield became increasingly critical.

Most of the defenders on the city wall had suffered casualties, but the enemy troops continued to pour in.

Zhao Shao knew in his heart that if this continued, the county town would surely fall.

Captain Wang Yaxin was extremely anxious when he saw the tragic scene in front of him. Suddenly, he had an idea and came up with a risky plan.

He quickly summoned the soldiers around him and shouted:

"Brothers, let's bring the oil drums and quilts over here, pour oil on them, throw them under the ladders, and burn them!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers on guard immediately took action.

Although Liu Xin was thin, he burst out with tremendous strength at this moment. Together with several soldiers, he struggled to roll the heavy oil barrel to the side of the city wall.

Zhao Shaoze, Li Xi and others soaked the quilt in oil and then set it on fire.

"Throw!"

Following Wang Yaxin's order, burning quilts and oil drums were thrown towards the ladder.

The flames spread instantly, and the enemy army was burned by the sudden fire, screaming and howling like ghosts. Many soldiers fell from the ladders and were smashed to pieces.

But the enemy did not retreat. They adjusted their tactics. Some soldiers continued to climb the ladders, while others concentrated their firepower on attacking the soldiers who were throwing incendiary objects on the city wall.

Zhao Shao and others struggled to avoid the hail of bullets and continued to look for opportunities to fight back.

.........