I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

That afternoon, the old man on the village wall spent most of the day guarding the weapons with trepidation. Fortunately, after the three rounds of shelling in the morning, the Japanese did not make any further moves, and he was relieved by another group of people at dinner time without any major incident.

The night watch went smoothly as well, with everyone sound asleep, leaning against the village wall. The seven fairies even huddled together for warmth, making the grown men wish they could join them!

At three o'clock in the morning, a cannon shot rang out from the direction of the back mountain! It woke up everyone in the village, as well as the Japanese and puppet troops guarding the two ends.

"boom!"

The shells struck the puppet troops' fortifications on the hill behind the mountain. The soldiers, still half-asleep, jolted awake and scrambled to their feet, looking around. Unfortunately, it was pitch black and they couldn't see anything!

"boom!"

"boom!"

Two more cannon shots rang out, the shells only a dozen meters away from the puppet troops' fortifications! The spray of sand and gravel covered many people from head to toe!

"Enemy attack! Fire back!" Wang Daben was hit by sand and gravel, and with a command, he ordered the artillery to fire back.

The puppet troops behind them were completely dumbfounded! In the pitch black, where were they supposed to fire their cannons?

"Why aren't you firing yet? What are you dawdling about?" Wang Daben shouted at the artillerymen behind the gunners.

"Captain, we can't see anyone at all, so where are we firing?" The artilleryman was extremely aggrieved. How could he fire if he couldn't even see anyone?

"Uh... who cares where we fire! Just keep firing towards the village! Fire now!" Wang Daben ordered.

"Huh? Yes!" The artilleryman sighed in exasperation. So all this time they were just being told to fire randomly! If they had known this would happen, they would have opened fire earlier!

"Boom boom boom!"

"boom!"

"Boom boom boom!"

"boom!"

So the two sides engaged in a fierce artillery duel on the back hill, and the smell of gunpowder instantly filled the entire area! Neither side showed any sign of backing down, and the fighting was incredibly intense!

As for the results? Well, let's just say they're laughable!

……

At the exit, the sound of artillery fire instantly alerted the drowsy Japanese soldiers! Each one stared with wide, round eyes into the darkness, ready to unleash a burst of bullets at the slightest disturbance!

One person fired, and the others followed suit. Soon, gunfire erupted throughout the valley!

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

No matter what I hit, the sound of gunfire gives me a sense of security! As long as I can still fire a gun, it proves I'm still alive!

"Stop shooting!"

Nagano Yokosuke hurriedly crawled out of the tent, raised his torch, and looked into the distance. There wasn't a soul in sight as far as he could see; beyond that, it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything at all. He wondered what these people were doing, firing off like that.

After fighting for so long, not a single person retaliated; obviously, there was no one there!

"Who fired the first shot?" Nagano Yokosuke asked angrily.

“It’s me!” a Japanese soldier stood up and said.

"What did you discover?" Nagano Yokoo continued to ask.

"I heard a noise over there!" the soldier said, pointing in a direction.

When the flashlight was shone, the branches and leaves in the roadside bushes were smashed to pieces, and there was nothing but broken branches and rotten leaves on the ground!

"Baka!" Nagano Yokosuke cursed and stepped forward, slapping several people across the face!

"Clap clap clap!"

The slap was incredibly loud!

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers dared not resist and instead stood even straighter!

"Grab your flashlight and stay alert!" Nagano Yokosuke yelled and turned to leave.

"Yes, sir!" the lieutenant beside him replied.

The distant artillery fire continued fiercely. Nagano Yokoo stood beside the fortifications, listening intently to the distant cannon fire, lost in thought.

“Senior! This is clearly a feint!” Inoue Masao said as he walked over, his left arm in a sling across his chest.

"Oh! What is their purpose?" It's not hard to see that it's a feint, but it's hard to see the underlying intention.

"My subordinates suspect that the enemy has prepared on the stockade wall to lure us closer for an attack, hoping to inflict greater damage or even wipe us out in one fell swoop!" Inoue Masao said after a moment of contemplation.

"Hmm! This isn't hard to verify!" Nagano Yokoo gave the order after a moment's thought.

"Scout, quickly scout out the situation on the stockade wall!"

"Hi!" the soldier replied.

If the fortified walls are indeed heavily fortified as my junior student said, it proves they are indeed waiting for them to attack. After all, the enemy has explosive arrows, which would be even more lethal in the dark!

The soldiers returned quickly, and just as they had guessed, the stockade was on high alert, with several more wooden tubes for firing arrows!

"Alright! Let them do whatever they want! We'll just guard the exit and stay put. Do they think they can come and launch a sneak attack with just a dozen or so people?" Nagano Yoko said, feeling more at ease.

Once the enemy's scheme is exposed, as long as the front and rear exits are secured, the enemy will be invincible, and eliminating the people inside will only be a matter of time!

To be honest, the other side wasn't incompetent after all! During the day, they harassed the enemy with empty shells, and at night, the other side would launch a feint attack to lure them in. This time, it's a draw!

The soldiers' behavior wasn't entirely incomprehensible. The exploding arrows from the previous days' battle had left a lasting impression on them. Being awakened by cannon fire and reacting like startled birds to the slightest disturbance was understandable. After all, so many people were still lying in Huichuntang!

Just as the two were about to leave and return to their tent to get some more sleep, trouble struck!

"Shhhhhhh!"

"Boom boom boom!"

A rain of arrows, seemingly from nowhere, suddenly covered the area! This was followed by wailing and howling like ghosts!

"There! It's coming from this direction! Fire back!" the lieutenant shouted, pointing his flashlight toward the woods on the left.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Boom boom boom boom!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted immediately, and the two sides engaged in fierce combat!

Nagano Yokoo and Inoue Masao quickly lay down and exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with shock! There were only a dozen or so people, yet they dared to ambush them!

Rockets exploded continuously among the Japanese soldiers, targeting not only fortifications but also clusters of green houses! Sleeping Japanese soldiers were sprayed with iron filings, and their cries of agony made the night even more terrifying!

"boom!"

One tent was ignited by the gunpowder sprayed from the explosion, and then the surrounding tents caught fire, instantly illuminating the entire area as bright as day!

"Halfway up the mountain! Fire!" Masao Inoue shouted, pointing in the direction from which the arrows were coming.

"Fire!" Nagano Yoko also saw the forest halfway up the mountain. At this distance, only artillery could hurt the enemy!

"Boom boom boom boom!" The sound of artillery fire rang out immediately, and shells exploded in the distance, destroying a mountainside. Trees, along with mud and sand, rolled all over the ground!