A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

When actually fighting bayonet on the battlefield, it's not about shouting "Kill! Kill!" The "Kill!" sound is just a shout in the preparatory posture or starting stance during normal training. It can boost morale, invigorate the enemy, and create psychological pressure and interference.

The real moment of combat on the battlefield is actually a muffled roar like "Ya ya! Wa wa! Ah ah!" or, like Wang Zhi, uttering nothing at all. This is because the Chinese pronunciation of "Kill!" uses a retroflex consonant, and shouting it out would somewhat reveal one's strength.

Song Hongfei and his two companions formed a triangular formation, cooperating and covering each other to cover all angles of the near-circular encirclement. When one of them lunged, the other two would provide cover to prevent the enemy from taking advantage of any openings and launching a sneak attack.

Musk and his team were now in dire straits. They had never witnessed such masterful three-man team assassination tactics. The triangular defensive formation of the three men was like a hedgehog; no matter which direction they attacked one of them, they had to simultaneously worry about the backup of the other two. Often, while someone was thrusting or parrying an opponent's attack, they would block a blow from the front, only to be unexpectedly stabbed down from the side. Then the opponent would immediately retreat, reverting to the hedgehog formation, leaving them with no way to attack. Teammates were constantly being stabbed and falling back.

Song Hongfei and his two-man combat team, wielding three wooden spears, kept thrusting and parrying like a revolving lantern. They were fierce on the offensive and tight on the defensive, leaving their opponents constantly on the defensive.

Musk's group, also hot-blooded and fierce military academy students, found their opponents invincible and were helpless. At this moment, they were both angry and impatient. Some of them got carried away and their most courageous and fierce members charged forward recklessly, and the two sides quickly turned into a melee.

The two sides immediately grappled into a chaotic, hand-to-hand combat. Both were bloodthirsty, and the sounds of wooden spears clashing, spears striking flesh, fists and feet colliding, screams of pain, shouts of anger, and roars bursting from throats all blended together.

The opposing force, a dozen or so men, formed almost three concentric circles. Those in the inner circle were either stabbing in with wooden spears, lunging forward, or crashing in; those slightly outside were in a frenzy, holding their spears upside down and swinging the butts in with deadly force; those in the outermost circle, unable to hit or see inside, surged forward, pushing those in front straight in. Butts of spears and fists rained down indiscriminately on those inside, friend or foe, in utter chaos, devoid of any semblance of order.

There was nowhere to hide or block at that moment. Song Hongfei took several solid blows. He was furious and roared, kicking out with all his might! The kick landed squarely on the wooden spear in the arms of the man in front of him. The spear snapped with a "crack," and the man was sent flying, spear and all, flying back and crashing into a teammate behind him. The two of them rolled to the ground together.

In the next few seconds, those nearby witnessed a superb assassination performance, swift and clean, without any unnecessary movements, each shot fatal, utterly spectacular.

Suddenly, Song Hongfei lunged forward. The man on his left, who was also a skilled fighter, parried with his wooden spear. With a "crack," the two spears collided. Song Hongfei used the force of the impact to twist and press the wooden spear, straightening the spearhead immediately. Instead of retracting to gather power, he lunged forward in a bow stance and thrust the wooden spear forward again. His opponent had no way to stop him and was stabbed in the chest, staggering backward.

At the same time, a wooden spear thrust fiercely from the man on the right. Song Hongfei's body suddenly and incredibly shifted to the side, the spear grazing past his chest. Song Hongfei's spear then flashed out again, and the man's lunging body seemed to collide with the spearhead, his chest hitting Song Hongfei's. The impact produced a dull thud, and the man's face contorted in pain. Song Hongfei then delivered a flying kick, sending the man flying back, and he smoothly withdrew his spear.

At that moment, an opponent who suddenly attacked from behind was struck squarely in the face by the butt of his rifle, which he swiftly pulled back. The man felt a dizzying sensation and stumbled backward. Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet, otherwise his head would likely have been shattered. Immediately afterward, Song Hongfei swung the butt of his rifle forward in an arc, like a punch, smashing it into the back of a teammate who had just been knocked down and was getting up.

Then Song Hongfei crouched down in a lunge position. Before the other side could react, the barrel of his gun swept across the ground with a powerful, semi-circular sweeping motion. Three of the other side screamed and staggered away, clutching their calves. One of them was a little slower and was then stabbed to the ground by Song Hongfei's gun.

Within a few exchanges, Song Hongfei knocked down several of the enemy's men, creating a gap in the encirclement.

Song Hongfei roared, "Kill! Smash that son of a bitch!"

Wang Zhi and Zhang Yi responded and shouted, "Kill! Kill!"

The three-person combat team, brimming with momentum, launched their attack!

The opposing crowd was shocked, never expecting these three to be so powerful. Those in the inner circle were caught off guard and tried to defend themselves, but it was all in vain. They were all pierced to the ground by the three exquisitely coordinated, unpredictable wooden spears.

Those inside could no longer hold out, their fighting spirit waned, and they hastily retreated. But at the same time, those outside continued to pour in, leaving those inside like sandwiched biscuits, with nowhere to retreat and their movements becoming increasingly chaotic. In an instant, the enemy's formation was in complete disarray, rendering them incapable of effective attack or defense.

The three-man fighting team launched a fierce counterattack. The enemy's inner circle was powerless to resist, watching helplessly as their teammates were brutally stabbed to the ground one by one. They panicked even more, turning to push their way out, only to be shoved from both sides, rendering them even more immobile, like lambs to the slaughter. Finally, the enemy's inner circle broke apart, desperately pushing through the outer perimeter to escape.

Before those who had just rushed in from the outer circle could react, they saw three men, their eyes bloodshot and faces contorted with rage, pouncing like hungry tigers on sheep. Three powerful wooden spears came crashing down, the muffled thuds echoing as each spear struck flesh. Those struck fell to the ground, howling in agony, their screams filling the air. Those who hadn't been hit were even more terrified, losing all will to fight, and hastily turned and retreated.

The three-person combat team, riding high on their momentum, pressed their advantage.

Song Hongfei, Zhang Yi, and Wang Zhi had been holding back their anger for years, and now they were finally ready to unleash it. They chased their opponents from the training shed all the way to the training field, where the enemy was routed, fleeing in disarray.

Three men, like gods of war, brandished bayonets and relentlessly pursued a group of people. The dozen or so ahead fled in terror, their tails between their legs. Those who were slower were caught by the three men and stabbed down, howling in agony.

This scene was breathtaking, leaving the cadets and faculty who witnessed it on-site and in the surrounding area stunned and deeply impressed. So much so that the legend of this battle continued to circulate at West Point for many years afterward.