The War of Resistance Against Japan: Starting with a Calm View of Life and Death

"Boom! Boom!"

Two muffled thuds exploded below the city gate.

The Japanese machine guns on the city wall fell silent instantly, and several Japanese soldiers who had just poked their heads out were thrown over by the blast wave and fell down like broken sacks.

"Good! Well done!" Wang Quan slapped his thigh, his pistol almost going off accidentally. "Dongzi, those two shots were really satisfying! Look at those Japanese soldiers on the city wall, they're scared like turtles hiding in the sand!"

Zhou Jindong put down his binoculars and stared expressionlessly at the breach in the city wall.

As the smoke cleared, several Japanese soldiers' corpses could be seen hanging on the battlements, swaying in the wind.

"Don't be too happy yet," Zhou Jindong said coldly. "This is just a warning. That old devil Chida isn't easily intimidated."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several dark gun barrels suddenly appeared on the city wall, followed by a burst of rapid machine gun fire.

The bullets struck the earthen slope in front of Zhou Jindong and his men, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Take cover!" Zhou Jindong grabbed Zhao Laosi beside him, and the two rolled into the trench behind them.

"Captain, the Japanese reacted pretty quickly." Zhao Laosi spat out the sand in his mouth and snapped the bolt back on his rifle.

"The Chida Regiment is a Class A division, with many veterans and fierce firepower." Zhou Jindong leaned against the trench wall, patting the dirt off his head. "Those two shots were to let them know we're here. Now, it's time to see the main force."

Just then, a rapid bugle call suddenly came from the ridge behind them.

"Waaaaah—"

That was the bugle call of the Eighth Route Army, but this time it wasn't a charge, it was a mobilization.

Zhou Jindong suddenly stood up, climbed onto the edge of the moat, and looked back.

From the valley behind them, a sea of ​​gray military uniforms surged forth like a tide.

It wasn't the scattered guerrilla formation, but a neat four-column formation, with bayonets like a forest, their steps synchronized, making the ground buzz.

The first red flag fluttered in the wind, with the words "359th Brigade, 717th Regiment" written on it.

"It's Brigade Commander Wang's troops! They're our main force!" Wang Quan's voice trembled with excitement.

A tall horse galloped out from the ranks. The rider wore the same gray military uniform as Zhou Jindong, but the top button of his collar was fastened tightly, and a fine Browning pistol hung on his belt.

This man was none other than Brigade Commander Wang of the 359th Brigade.

He reined in his horse, his gaze sharp as lightning, scanning the area ahead before finally settling on Zhou Jindong.

"You are Zhou Jindong?" Brigade Commander Wang's voice boomed.

Zhou Jindong stood at attention and saluted: "Reporting to the brigade commander, Zhou Jindong, deputy captain of the Dongzhai Town guerrilla force, reporting for duty!"

Brigade Commander Wang dismounted swiftly, walked a few steps to Zhou Jindong, looked him up and down, and patted him on the shoulder: "Good lad! That old bastard Li Zhengming raved about you in the telegram, saying you're a hungry wolf. I don't think you're a wolf, you're more like a calf!"

The surrounding soldiers burst into laughter.

Zhou Jindong didn't smile. Pointing to the town of Kelan ahead, he said, "Brigade Commander, the main force of the Chida Regiment is in the town, about 1,100 men. Including the puppet troops, the total is 1,500. I just tested it with a grenade launcher. The city walls are sturdy, and the firing points are dense. A direct assault would result in heavy casualties."

Brigade Commander Wang took the binoculars from his guard, glanced at the county town, and sneered, "A direct assault? I'm not doing a losing proposition. We've brought three regiments this time, plus your guerrillas, over five thousand against their mere thousand. If we still launch a direct assault, I'll be a brigade commander for nothing!"

He turned around and shouted to his staff behind him, "Pass down the order! The 717th Regiment will surround the east and north of the city, the 718th Regiment will surround the west and south of the city, and the Independent Regiment, as the reserve, will construct a second line of defense five miles west of the city to intercept reinforcements from the Yangfangkou direction! Dig up all the roads and blow up all the bridges!"

"Yes, sir!" The staff officer saluted and ran off.

Brigade Commander Wang then looked at Zhou Jindong: "Zhou Jindong!"

"arrive!"

"Your guerrillas know the terrain well. Take control of all the wells and cisterns around the county town. Don't let the Japanese get into even a single ditch!" Brigade Commander Wang's eyes were fierce. "I'm going to starve them out!"

"Understood!" Zhou Jindong turned to Wang Quan and Zhang Fang and shouted, "First platoon, second platoon, follow me! Cut off the water supply outside the city!"

Kelan County is not large, but its city walls are thick.

Captain Chida stood on the city wall, looking at the main force of the Eighth Route Army that had suddenly appeared outside the city, his face ashen.

"Commander-in-Chief..." Chief of Staff Fujita Hiroshi stammered, his voice trembling, "The main force of the Eighth Route Army...it seems to be the 359th Brigade...we're surrounded! Are they about to launch an attack?!"

"Shut up!" Chida slapped Fujita Hiroshi across the face, pointing at the Eighth Route Army soldiers building fortifications outside the city. "Look closely, they're digging trenches and setting up machine guns. This is a long-term siege! Immediately send a telegram to the division headquarters requesting tactical guidance! No, requesting tactical air support!"

"Hai!" Fujita Hiroshi covered his face and ran towards the communications vehicle.

Ten minutes later, the communications soldier ran back, his face pale: "Regimental Commander... we can't send a message. The telephone line has been cut, and the radio is being severely jammed—it's all static!"

Chida swayed, only managing to grab the battlement to avoid falling.

He suddenly drew his sword and waved it at the sky, shouting, "Baka! This is impossible!"

Just then, a huge explosion was heard outside the city.

Chida rushed to the edge of the city wall and looked down. He saw that a stone bridge on the highway south of the city had been blown to pieces, with rubble flying everywhere.

Several sidecar motorcycles that had just set off to scout outside the city were buried in the rubble, still emitting black smoke.

"Reporting, Regiment Commander!" A major stumbled up, "The south gate is blocked! The Eighth Route Army has dug up the road and planted landmines at the intersection!"

"Where's Ximen?"

"A large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers have also been discovered at the West Gate, setting up heavy machine guns!"

Chida took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

He was a veteran soldier and knew that panicking at this moment would mean certain death.

"Order the troops to conserve ammunition," Chida said through gritted teeth. "No firing is permitted without my order. Gather all the food and ration it. Each person is only allowed two rice balls per day, and water...water must also be rationed."

"But the regimental commander..." Fujita Hiroshi said softly, "There are only three wells in the city, which is usually not enough, and now we're surrounded..."

Chida whirled around, his eyes blazing with murderous intent: "Then drink horse piss! Hold out for three days! The division headquarters will definitely send reinforcements!"

However, Chida's thinking was too simplistic.

Zhou Jindong and his men did not go far; they were in a blind spot at the foot of the city wall.

"Dongzi, that's a really underhanded trick." Wang Quan lay prone in the grass, looking at a small ditch not far away. "Just throw some dirty stuff upstream, and the water'll stink. Luckily we're upstream!"

"This is called divine assistance for those who are virtuous." Zhou Jindong examined the landmine in his hand. "If the Japanese want water, they'll have to drink our foot-washing water. Tell the soldiers to open up all the latrines and let the water flow into the water source. I don't believe the Japanese can drink it."

"Alright!" Wang Quan chuckled and led a few soldiers, crouching low, to run upstream along the canal.