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

Half a day later, Chida, who had originally planned to be a coward, broke down again!

He gritted his teeth, and with his sword, he chopped off a piece of the table corner.

He glared at Yoshino Yuto with bloodshot eyes and roared, "Did the division headquarters really issue a death order? The troops in Pianguan, Hequ, and Baode are all to withdraw?"

Yoshino Yuto shrank back, not daring to look at Chida's face, and whispered, "Hai. The telegram we just received says that not only us, but the entire Imperial Army in northwestern Shanxi is retreating."

This siege operation in northwestern Shanxi was a complete failure!

The brigade commander said that if they didn't retreat soon, they would be surrounded and annihilated by the Eighth Route Army. The Suzuki Battalion in Pianguan had already burned their heavy equipment and was heading towards Shenchi; he told us to go to Yijing to meet them.

"Baka!" Chida kicked the table over, scattering maps all over the floor. "I knew it! I knew these bastards were unreliable! They made us take the brunt of the damage while they reaped the benefits! Now they want us to go to Yijing, which is surrounded by Eighth Route Army ambushes!"

"Commander, what should we do? Should we stay here, or...?"

"Guard my ass!" Chida grabbed his hat and slammed it on his head. "Pack your things and get out of here! Under cover of darkness, slip out through the south gate. Tell Yamamoto to lead the way with his men. If the Eighth Route Army gets involved, I'll skin him alive!"

At the same moment, three miles outside Wuzhai City, behind a hillside, Zhou Jindong was lying in the grass, staring intently at the south gate of Wuzhai through binoculars.

"Dongzi, there's movement!" Wang Quan nudged Zhou Jindong's arm.

Zhou Jindong put down his binoculars, a grin spreading across his face. "Pass down the order: everyone prepare for battle. The Japanese are about to run away."

"They're running away already? I haven't laid enough mines yet!" Wang Quan rubbed his hands excitedly upon hearing that a war was about to break out.

"Enough nonsense. Have Zhao Laosi take the second platoon to blow up the stone bridge leading to Yijing. Once the bridge is broken, the Japanese will have to take a detour, and then Commander Zhang of the 717th Regiment will be able to catch them off guard." Zhou Jindong ordered while checking the bolt of his rifle, "First platoon, follow me."

The night was as deep as if ink had been spilled, and the south gate of Wuzhai quietly opened a crack.

Captain Yamamoto, leading two companies of Japanese soldiers, crouched low as they emerged.

We had only walked less than two miles.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the Japanese soldier was sent flying into the sky without even uttering a sound.

"Enemy attack! Take cover!" Captain Yamamoto lay prone on the ground.

Before the Japanese soldiers could find cover, machine guns on the hillside opened fire.

Zhou Jindong's Type 98 sniper rifle killed them one by one.

Wang Quan, holding a Type 96 machine gun, opened fire on the crowd below.

Bullets struck the dirt road, kicking up clouds of dust, and the dozen or so Japanese soldiers running ahead were instantly riddled with bullets.

"Charge! Don't let the Japanese get away!" Zhou Jindong shouted and led the charge.

The guerrilla fighters shouted as they rushed down the hillside, throwing grenades at the Japanese soldiers like rain.

Explosions rang out one after another, and flames illuminated half the sky.

Captain Yamamoto was so anxious his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets. He brandished his sword and shouted, "Counterattack! Hold them off! The regimental commander's main force is behind us; we can't let the Eighth Route Army get through!"

The Japanese soldiers were indeed highly skilled. Although they were caught off guard, they quickly organized a counterattack.

Several Type 11 machine guns were positioned in the middle of the road, spitting fire wildly and pinning down the soldiers charging ahead, preventing them from raising their heads.

"Dongzi, the Japanese firepower is too strong, we can't get through!" Wang Quan rolled over to Zhou Jindong's side, his face covered in soot.

Zhou Jindong wiped the dirt off his face and stared at the machine guns: "Where's Zhao Laosi? Tell him to take some men and sneak over there, take out those machine gun positions!"

"They left a long time ago!" Wang Quan had barely finished speaking when several grenades were thrown out of the bushes to his side.

"Boom! Boom!"

The Japanese machine guns stopped firing, and parts flew everywhere.

"Good opportunity! Charge! Sound the charge!" Zhou Jindong raised his pistol and fired a burst of bullets.

The resounding bugle call echoed through the valley.

The guerrilla fighters, bayonets at their heels, charged into the Japanese ranks like a pack of hungry wolves.

The two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the narrow mountain road.

Zhou Jindong was confronted by a Japanese sergeant who charged at him, bayonet in hand, yelling.

Zhou Jindong dodged to the side, slamming the butt of his rifle into the sergeant's wrist with a crack, breaking it.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Jindong tripped and kicked the sergeant to the ground, and then plunged the bayonet in his hand into the sergeant's neck.

Hot blood sprayed all over Zhou Jindong's face, but he didn't even wipe it off, and looked up to find his next target.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

Chida has brought up the main force.

Chida sat on his horse, looking at the blocked mountain road and the troops fighting ahead, and was so angry that he almost fell off his horse.

Why did the same thing happen again?

The scene before him was all too familiar to him!

"Baka ya ka! Yamamoto, that good-for-nothing! How can he not even clear a path properly!" Chida drew his command sword. "Yoshino! Take the guards up there and hold back the Eighth Route Army ahead! No matter the cost, we must get through this canyon before dawn!"

Yoshino Yuto gritted his teeth and led his men to charge forward.

With the addition of fresh troops, the Japanese offensive intensified.

Upon seeing the arrival of reinforcements, Captain Yamamoto led his remaining troops in a counter-offensive.

Zhou Jindong frowned as he looked at the large number of Japanese soldiers surging forward.

The current situation is unfavorable for the guerrillas; the enemy has too many people, and they will definitely suffer losses if they fight head-on.

"Retreat! Retreat to the mountains on both sides! Don't fight them head-on!" Zhou Jindong decisively issued the retreat order.

The guerrilla fighters moved extremely quickly. Upon hearing the order, they scattered in a flash and scrambled up the hillsides on both sides like monkeys.

Chida watched the fleeing guerrillas but did not order a pursuit.

His primary task now is to escape, not to annihilate the enemy.

"Keep going! Full speed ahead!" Chida roared.

The remnants of the Japanese army, leaving behind dozens of corpses, stumbled and rushed across the canyon.

By daybreak, Chida's troops had finally joined up with the Japanese troops who had retreated from Pianguan and Hequ outside Yijing Town.

At this point, the Japanese army was in a terrible state. The soldiers were dressed in rags, many had lost their shoes, and were walking barefoot on the gravel road with blisters all over their feet.

On the city wall of Yijing Town, the Japanese army battalion commander stationed there looked down at the group of people who looked like beggars and was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth.

"Is this the Chida Regiment? How did it get like this?"

Chida had no time to care about what others thought. He led his men into Yijing Town, and the first thing he did was find water to drink, and the second thing was find food.

Before he could even settle in, a sentry rushed in, shouting, "Reporting, Captain! A large number of Eighth Route Army soldiers have been spotted outside town! They're building fortifications!"

Chida's teacup fell to the ground with a "crash" and shattered: "Where did these Eighth Route Army soldiers come from? Didn't we just leave them behind?"