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

"Of course not." Brigade Commander Wang raised his head, his eyes sharp. "We'll use the old method—trapping them! But this time, it's not just about trapping them; we'll also be attacking reinforcements!"

He turned to look at Zhou Jindong: "Zhou Jindong!"

"arrive!"

How many people are in your guerrilla force now?

"Reporting to the brigade commander, we have incorporated several scattered anti-Japanese squads from the surrounding area in the past two days, and now we have about five hundred people."

"Good! Five hundred men, wow. Others suffer heavy losses in battle, but you keep growing stronger! You truly deserve the praise Minister Li gave you; your guerrilla unit is now equivalent to half a regiment under my command!"

Commander Wang pointed to Wuzhai City on the map, "I'm giving you a mission. Your guerrilla force, in coordination with the 2nd Battalion of the 718th Regiment, will surround Wuzhai and kill it. I won't let you attack the city; you'll build fortifications outside, dig trenches, and set up sniper positions. I want to make sure Qian Tian can't even sleep at night!"

"Yes!" Zhou Jindong answered loudly.

"Commander Zhang!" Brigade Commander Wang looked at the commander of the 717th Regiment again.

"arrive!"

"Take the 717th Regiment and advance to the ambush position between Wuzhai and Sancha. If the Japanese in Sancha dare to come out to reinforce, you must drive them back! Only defend, no attack; pin them down on the road!"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!" Commander Zhang saluted.

"Also, the 358th Brigade has already moved," Brigade Commander Wang pointed to the other side of the map. "They will advance to the area between Yijing and Shenchi, cutting off transportation along this line. This time, we not only want to wipe out Chida, but also completely sever the Japanese transportation lines in this area!"

Upon receiving the order, the troops quickly deployed.

Zhou Jindong led the guerrillas to cooperate with the Second Battalion of the 718th Regiment to begin constructing fortifications three miles outside Wuzhai City.

This time it's not just simple trenches, but building a blockade line.

"Hurry up! Cut this tree down and make a fortified camp!" Zhou Jindong, holding an entrenching tool, dug the soil with his soldiers.

Wang Quan led his men to lay landmines in front.

"Dongzi, we're going to make a fortune this time," Wang Quan chuckled as he planted the landmines.

"What kind of fortune are you trying to make?" Zhou Jindong wiped his sweat.

"I heard that the older brothers from the 358th Brigade are here this time. They are the main force among the main forces, and they are well-equipped! If we can get two mortars from them, we won't have to sacrifice lives to attack strongholds in the future."

"Stop dreaming! Those are their treasures, do you think they'd give them to you? If we want guns and cannons, we'll have to steal them from the Japanese ourselves!"

Besides, didn't you notice Sun Erniu is missing? I sent him with a small squad to 'scavenge' along the route the Japanese devils retreated from Chita! Hopefully they'll find something good. As for you…”

Zhou Jindong rolled his eyes at him. "Get to work and bury the mines deeper so the Japanese mine detectors don't find them."

While Zhou Jindong was busy digging trenches, Qian Tian in Wuzhai City was staring blankly at the map.

"Commander, we just received a telegram." Yoshino Yuto came in with a deciphered telegram.

Chida snatched it away, glanced at it, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

The telegram came from the division headquarters and contained very little information: the main force of the Eighth Route Army has been spotted in Yijing, Sancha, and Shenchi. The transportation lines have been cut off, and reinforcements are temporarily unable to be dispatched. Please hold your positions and wait for reinforcements.

"Baka!" Chida crumpled the telegram into a ball and slammed it to the ground. "This is a death sentence! Why am I so unlucky? Why does the Eighth Route Army have to target only me?"

"Commander, what do we do now? The food in the city is only enough for three days," Captain Yamamoto asked cautiously.

Chida gritted his teeth and paced back and forth in the room.

"We can't just wait to die. The Eighth Route Army is definitely building fortifications now, trying to starve us out. We must take advantage of their unstable foothold and break out!" Chida suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Yamamoto!"

"exist!"

"You take a company and break out from the south gate tonight, advancing towards Yijing! As long as we can secure the supply line, we'll survive!"

Captain Yamamoto looked troubled: "Regimental Commander, the area outside the south gate is swarming with Eighth Route Army guerrillas. These local Eighth Route Army guerrillas are cunning and treacherous, I'm afraid..."

"What are you afraid of! This is an order!" Chida drew his command sword and held it to Yamamoto's neck. "If you don't go, I'll cut you down right now!"

Captain Yamamoto shuddered and bowed his head: "Hai! Oh my god!"

Late that night, the south gate of Wuzhai was quietly opened.

Captain Yamamoto led over two hundred Japanese soldiers, crouching low as they charged out.

They didn't dare take the main road, but instead felt their way out along the ditch.

They had barely gone a mile when the lead soldier suddenly stepped on a landmine.

"boom!"

The loud noise was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen beams of flashlight suddenly lit up on the hillsides on both sides, crisscrossing and shining into the Japanese troops.

"beat!"

Zhou Jindong gave the order.

The machine gun positions that had been lying in ambush instantly spewed fire.

The sounds of various guns—the Type 96 light machine gun, the Czech ZB vz. 16, the Type 38 rifle, and the shotgun—were interwoven into a deadly web of fire.

A large number of Japanese soldiers fell instantly.

"There's an ambush! Take cover!" Captain Yamamoto roared, lying on the ground.

But this was an open area with absolutely no shelter.

Zhou Jindong lay prone on the position, his Type 98 sniper rifle searching for a target in the darkness.

He saw an officer wielding a sword, organizing his soldiers to fight back.

"You're asking for it," Zhou Jindong muttered, pulling the trigger.

"Bang!"

The officer's head exploded like a watermelon, and his body slumped to the ground.

"Eighth Route Army snipers! Take cover!" The Japanese troops were thrown into chaos.

Just then, the mortars of the 2nd Battalion of the 718th Regiment also opened fire.

"Tong! Tong! Tong!"

The shells whistled as they crashed into the Japanese troops.

Every shell that landed created a scene of severed limbs.

Captain Yamamoto was in despair.

He discovered that half of the men he had brought with him had been killed or wounded within just ten minutes.

"Retreat! Retreat back to the city immediately!" Captain Yamamoto scrambled back as fast as he could.

The Japanese troops, who had been so aggressive just moments before, now scurried back like dogs with their spines broken.

Zhou Jindong watched the fleeing Japanese soldiers and sneered, "Coming and going as they please? Wang Quan, take the second platoon and circle around to the flank, cut off their retreat!"

"Alright!" Wang Quan led the group over like ghosts.

The Japanese soldiers had just reached the city gate and hadn't even had a chance to knock when the machine guns on the side opened fire.

Bullets blocked the city gate, and several Japanese soldiers who ran ahead were riddled with bullets, their bodies blocking the entrance.

"Don't shoot! They're our own people!" Captain Yamamoto shouted desperately from below the castle.

The Japanese soldiers on the city wall dared not fire, fearing they might accidentally injure their own men, and could only watch helplessly.

While they were hesitating, Zhou Jindong led the main force of the guerrillas and pressed forward.

"Charge! Don't let them close the city gates!" Zhou Jindong roared.

The guerrilla fighters, bayonets at their heels, charged forward with shouts.

Captain Yamamoto looked at the Eighth Route Army soldiers rushing towards him, then at the tightly closed city gates, and closed his eyes in despair.

He drew his sword and stabbed himself hard in the abdomen.

"puff!"

Fresh blood gushed out.

When the remaining Japanese soldiers saw that their commander was dead, they completely collapsed. Some knelt down and surrendered, while others were shot to death.

The entire battle, from start to finish, took less than half an hour.

Of the two hundred Japanese soldiers, fewer than fifty were lucky enough to escape back into the city; the rest remained outside the city gates.

Now, the Japanese troops in Wuzhai really didn't dare to move an inch!