Chapter 1 The Rush

After placing the Fei County Security First Regiment below Huangtu Ridge, the Lunan Detachment immediately began a forced march along the road to Xuzhou.

Gu Xiuming led the main First Regiment, along with the Yishui Security First Regiment and the Sishui Security First Regiment, a total of three regiments, to Zhangjia, twenty kilometers away from Huangtu Ridge.

Zhangjia was located on the Yi River and was not originally famous. However, after the Battle of Xuzhou, it was the only place on the Yi River with a makeshift bridge that could handle cars.

The other bridges that had been destroyed in the fighting had not been organized for repair.

Just like the saying, there is only one path up Mount Hua. This time, if the Japanese devils wanted to rescue the Deep River Great Ambition Brigade, they would definitely send the fastest mechanized team. Such a team had high requirements for roads, so they could only go from the Chenlou direction.

Moreover, Gu Xiuming believed that the Japanese reinforcements could only be sent from Xuzhou, because it was the closest place to the Japanese devils surrounded on Huangtu Ridge and the only place that could send a large number of Japanese devils.

That was why Gu Xiuming led his team to Chenlou. He wanted to take his team to the bridge near Chenlou before the Japanese devils arrived.

Gu Xiuming was not thinking of blowing up the bridge to stop the Japanese devils from advancing. He just wanted to set up an ambush on both ends of the bridge and give the Japanese devils a good surprise here.

"Although there are many roads from Xuzhou to Huangtu Ridge, there is only one road that can be driven on," Chief of Staff Ichihara Taiyu said, pointing at the map.

At the end, he added, "Captain Deep River Great Ambition and his team also took this marching route."

Since it had been said that there was only one road to choose from, what choice was there to make?

Just take this road!

Captain Yamada Yusuke made the decision. Although the Japanese devils who were going to rescue the Deep River Great Ambition Brigade were not only infantry, the tank team’s Suiki Aozora was of low rank and could not speak.

Captain Yoshimizu Eimu of the Cavalry Brigade could say a few words, but he also felt that since there was only one road that could be driven on, then just take this one.

The three teams set off immediately. Leading the way were ten or so three-wheeled motorcycles, followed by more than fifty troop carriers. This was the Yamada Yusuke Infantry Brigade.

Behind them was the tank squadron of Suiki Aozora, six tanks, six armored vehicles, and six supply vehicles loaded with oil drums.

Tanks and armored vehicles were heavy oil consumers, so it was really not easy for these vehicles to drive all seventy kilometers on their own.

Behind them was Yoshimizu Eimu's Cavalry Brigade. It was not that they did not want to be at the forefront, but the horses could not stand the seventy-kilometer road in this season. In order to maintain combat effectiveness, the Cavalry Brigade would definitely arrive much later than the first two teams.

However, they were not the slowest. Behind them were also followed by a battalion from the Seventeenth Independent Mixed Brigade and two regiments from the Thirty-seventh Puppet Army.

Adding up all the forces, there were two infantry battalions, two thousand five hundred Japanese devils, two puppet infantry regiments, three thousand people, one cavalry battalion, more than seven hundred Japanese devils, plus the tank squadron, nearly one hundred Japanese devils, a total of more than six thousand three hundred people of various arms to rescue the Deep River Great Ambition Brigade on Huangtu Ridge.

Captain Deep River Great Ambition received a telegram from Brigade Commander Soratani Shunji: knowing that the rescue team had already set off from Xuzhou, and there was a team of more than six thousand people, which was equivalent to the number of an ordinary infantry brigade.

From this, it could be seen how much the Tenth Independent Mixed Brigade valued its team.

Of course, Captain Deep River Great Ambition would not enjoy such news alone. He made the news public. The Japanese devils trapped on Huangtu Ridge heard that a team of more than six thousand Japanese devils was coming to rescue them.

These originally dispirited Japanese devils were instantly resurrected with full health. They began to cheer and look forward to how they would take revenge on the National Revolutionary Army soldiers who were surrounding them after the reinforcements arrived.

Looking at the faces of his subordinates, which were full of excitement and flushed, the Japanese devils began to become congested, and the morale of the Japanese devils, which had been depressed after being hit, began to recover.

This was a good thing. Captain Deep River Great Ambition was finally relieved: it should be no problem for them to hold on here for a few hours, or even a few days.

On Huangtu Ridge, both ammunition and food and drinking water were very sufficient. This was Lü Chengyun's bandit den, and these things were originally prepared sufficiently, even meat and fine wine were prepared a lot in this bandit den.

There were even pigs and sheep in the pen. The Japanese devils who had just been forced up the mountain were not in the mood. At that time, they were panicked, unable to eat or sleep well, and had no energy to do anything.

Now it was different. Knowing that reinforcements had already set off from Xuzhou, these Japanese devils suddenly had thoughts.

The pigs in the pen were dragged out and killed! The wine in the cellar was moved out and poured!

Even the most advanced Japanese devils, Captain Deep River Great Ambition did not forget them, and ordered the Japanese devils to carry a few jars of wine over and let them take two sips on the front line.

They braved the occasional cold shots and cold cannons to start killing pigs and slaughtering sheep.

Captain Deep River Great Ambition did not stop them when he saw the Japanese devils looking happy. For him, now as long as he could keep the morale of the Japanese devils high, he would approve of whatever these Japanese devils did.

At this time, the entire Huangtu Ridge was filled with smoke. The Japanese devils were starting fires and leading pigs.

The dried shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and white fungus that Lü Chengyun's gang of bandits had stored up were all cheap for these Japanese devils.

They turned the entire bandit's nest upside down, not only finding a large number of mountain goods, but also finding the treasures that Lü Chengyun hid in a cellar: more than two thousand silver dollars, ten kilograms of gold and silver.

These things made Captain Deep River Great Ambition very happy. He pointed to the batch of treasures and said, "This gang of bandits has a very bad conscience. We have been here for more than two days, and they have not taken these things out.

It can be seen that they have been in contact with the guerrillas outside from the beginning, and set up a trap for us to drill.

After we are fooled, they will continue to be their bandits."

The entire Deep River Brigade had the highest rank, so of course whatever it said was right.

It seemed that it was still unwilling to be surrounded here, and this pot should only be carried by Lü Chengyun's gang of bandits.

It was just that this gang of bandits had been killed by many members of the First Regiment of the Lunan Detachment, and the rest had been shot by him.

In addition, some bandit family members were all killed by Brigade Commander Soratani Shunji in Xuzhou City.

Without these bandits taking the initiative to carry the pot, Captain Deep River Great Ambition had to personally explain it.

Obviously, the Japanese devils under his command did not have much intention to care about and understand this kind of thing. These ordinary Japanese devils had already come out of the edge of death.

Since they knew that more than six thousand Japanese devils and puppet troops had set off from Xuzhou to rescue them, the Japanese devils of the entire Deep River Great Ambition Brigade already felt that they had saved their lives. Now they were concerned about when the pigs could be killed. They had already drunk a lot of wine, and the pigs were still howling.

The more chaotic the scene was, the more at ease these Japanese devils felt.

Song Guo'an, the commander of the Fei County Security First Regiment, which was surrounding Huangtu Ridge at the foot of the mountain, although he only had one arm left, his excitement today was definitely no less than that of the Japanese devils waiting to drink and eat meat on the top of the mountain.

He came to the front line again, walking all the way from the fortifications, nodding as he walked.

The trenches dug by the soldiers of his regiment had very obvious characteristics. The fortifications were not just a straight trench.

Instead, on the side of a straight trench facing Huangtu Ridge, every two or three meters, a single-soldier hole in the shape of a jar was dug out.

This single-soldier hole had a small mouth and a large interior. People could drill in from the direction of the fortifications. When firing, only a head was exposed as a target.

If there was artillery bombardment, the head would shrink and hide in the jar, which was very safe.

Company Commander Min Zishi was squatting in the fortifications and talking to several soldiers. When he saw the regimental commander coming, he quickly stood up.

Song Guo'an pressed his hand down, signaling him to lower his head. He walked closer and said, "We are on the battlefield now. You are tall. Standing up like this, if you are discovered by the Japanese devils and shot, or hit by a stray bullet, it will not be good."

Company Commander Min Zishi said embarrassedly, "I was too excited when I saw the regimental commander coming."

Song Guo'an said, "No matter who comes, battlefield discipline must be observed, especially since you are still a company commander and must set an example for the entire company."

Min Zishi could only say, "Yes! Regimental commander! I was wrong."

Song Guo'an said, "The fortifications you dug today are particularly good, creative, and thoughtful. They are particularly good for dealing with the Japanese devils' artillery bombardment. You have done a good job.

When you were training in the village, your marksmanship was famous. Now you go and see if there is a chance to find a target."

Min Zishi, who had just been criticized by the regimental commander, immediately became happy when he heard the regimental commander praise his good trenches.

When he heard the regimental commander order him to snipe, he immediately bent over and took his gun into a jar hole.

Song Guo'an looked over from the trench and could only see a messy black hair emerging from the ground.

If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't tell it was a human head. Only the black hair exposed his target after all.

Song Guo'an immediately called Min Zishi back and personally made him a camouflage hat with weeds before letting him go again.

This time, when the soldiers in the entire company saw the company commander emerging from the ground, they could not easily see that there was a person hidden there even if they looked closely.

This time, they understood why they could always see the regular army soldiers wearing a messy, straw-woven hat on their heads. It turned out that it was used for camouflage.

And the effect was so good. They couldn't see clearly even though they were so close. If they looked from a distance of several hundred meters, it would be even more difficult to find.

The soldiers of the First Company all quickly got themselves one, and even Regimental Commander Song Guo'an had one on his head.

Company Commander Min Zishi entered the outpost and began to look for targets. The other soldiers in the First Company did not just watch from the side. They all entered the jar holes, one by one holding their guns and staring at the bandit's nest in front, hoping that the Japanese devils would accidentally show their heads and let them pick up a bargain.

Opportunity always favors those who are prepared. About ten minutes after the soldiers of the First Company entered the state, one of the Japanese devils hiding in the bandit's nest leaned out from the wall of the village, exposing most of his body.

Sergeant Ishizu Yushin was almost fifty years old. He had been fighting on this land for thirty years with the Japanese devils, and he was still just an ordinary soldier.

He had always been somewhat unhappy in his heart, but in the Japanese devils' rank-conscious team, he never dared to expose his little thoughts.

Today, the Deep River Great Ambition Brigade entered the bandit's nest, and the captain sent the cellar wine stored by the bandits to the front line to boost morale.

Sergeant Ishizu Yushin drank a few more cups without realizing it. Wine emboldened people. Urged by several Japanese devils, he stood up intentionally by the wall of the village, and was about to untie his pants and take a piss.

The Japanese devils believed that this would insult the Lunan Detachment surrounding them. For these Japanese devils who did not dare to break through and did not dare to fight, they could only express their anger in this way.

More than a hundred pairs of eyes of Min Zishi's First Company in the distance were staring at him. They had been prepared for a long time. Suddenly, they found that there was a target. At least fifty soldiers fired at the same time.

Company Commander Min Zishi also fired a shot. They only saw the Japanese devil's hand just reaching his waistband, and blood flowers kept flashing on his head and chest, which were all signs of being shot.

Sergeant Ishizu Yushin fell backward, and the Japanese devils who had urged him quickly bent over and lowered their heads to observe.

With just one glance, they could see that he was beyond saving. He had been shot four times in the head. The back of his head was completely gone, and his face was gone. There were four small holes on his face, and the back of his head was full of big holes. He had been hit by at least ten bullets in his body.

How could this be saved?

Regimental Commander Song Guo'an watched the Japanese devil stand up and be knocked down in less than ten seconds, obviously dead.

He happily said to Min Zishi, who had already returned to report, "Good job! First Company, good job!

That's it, send soldiers to watch in turn, and if there is a chance, shoot the Japanese devils. If you kill a Japanese devil, there will be one less Japanese devil."

Company Commander Min Zishi quickly said, "Yes! I will let a platoon watch in different places, and everyone will take turns to ensure that the Japanese devils dare not raise their heads."

Song Guo'an patted him on the shoulder: "Good job! Your company is considered the opening red of our regiment."

Walking past the position of the First Company, he arrived at the Second Company.

Company Commander Yu Zizhen of the Second Company was still drilling in the jar hole, staring at the Japanese devils. He heard the signalman report that the regimental commander was here.

Then he came out of it and reported to Song Guo'an: "The Japanese devils are hiding behind the wall of the village. We have to blow up the wall to make it easier to fight."

Song Guo'an looked at him without a straw hat on his head and smiled, pointing to his own head: "Pass down the order, everyone has one of these."

He ordered his signalman: "Go and notify the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Companies that everyone must have such a straw hat on their head.

Don't just pluck them on the edge of the trenches, go a little further, don't let the Japanese devils see it."

After giving the order, he said to Company Commander Yu Zizhen of the Second Company, "Company Commander Yu! We are surrounding the Japanese devils here now, not letting them run away.

This is a bait, waiting for the Japanese devils in the distance to run over to save them. Regiment Commander Gu and the others are waiting outside to fight the Japanese devils' reinforcements.

We here cannot let the Japanese devils run away, nor can we kill them. Without the bait, the Japanese devils in the distance will not come over, and our trap will not work."

Company Commander Yu understood, and he quickly said: "Regimental commander! We have already deployed three layers of directional bombs in front of our position.

I have also arranged the heavy machine guns. When the Japanese devils rush out, I will push the machine guns forward and open fire immediately."

Regarding the use of heavy machine guns, although they were only a security regiment, with only two heavy machine guns, they were still the same earth tanks as a regular regiment.

As long as the position was prepared in front, it could be pushed out when the Japanese devils attacked, which could not only catch them by surprise, but also protect the heavy machine guns to the greatest extent.

Regimental Commander Song Guo'an said with a smile: "Good job! Fighting is like planting crops, put more effort into it and you will definitely be able to fight well."

Regimental Commander Song Guo'an looked at his defense line again without any relaxation before returning to the regimental command post to sit down and rest.

When he was in the First Regiment before, he was just a platoon leader. Now suddenly leading a regiment to fight, the pressure was very high.

If possible, Song Guo'an would rather go back to being a platoon leader, but he knew that it was impossible for the company commander in the regular team of the Lunan Detachment to be sent to the security regiment.

They had more important tasks!

Gu Xiuming was leading the First Regiment on a forced march. They spent two hours traveling the twenty kilometers to reach their destination.

Looking at the pontoon bridge on the Yi River, which was built by many small boats, Gu Xiuming smiled.

He ordered: "The First and Second Companies will be ambushed on the left and right sides of the west side of the bridge, setting up directional bombs, and be careful not to blow up the pontoon bridge.

The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Companies will immediately build a riverbed bridge upstream, with the bridge surface forty centimeters below the water surface.

The Eleventh and Twelfth Companies will go to the east side of the bridge and lie in ambush, a little further away from the bridge surface. After hearing the order, they will rush out and block the Japanese devils' retreat.

If the Japanese devils are powerful, they will immediately retreat from the newly built riverbed bridge, and immediately destroy the riverbed bridge and the pontoon bridge.

The Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Companies will set up two more lines of resistance behind the First and Second Companies. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Companies will be the reserve team after the riverbed bridge is built."

The Sishui Security First Regiment was strengthened to each company according to the task assignment of the regular First Regiment.

As a result, there were six companies of soldiers building bridges in the Yi River, and thousands of people began to build an underwater pontoon bridge two kilometers below the pontoon bridge.

They kept driving piles into the river, tying ropes, and placing wooden boards. The Lunan Detachment was expanded from a few companies of the Special Forces Brigade, absorbing many puppet troops.

Since May, they had been training intensively, doing everything completely according to the training methods of the Special Forces Brigade.

Every day, they practiced bayonet fighting from the morning, practiced running and physical fitness in the morning, and practiced marksmanship, military skills, and various engineering operations in the afternoon.

There were also literacy classes in the evening, with instructors talking to them about their families, teaching them to read, and explaining the truth.

Although the weapons of the current Lunan Detachment were not as good as those in Jurong, the morale and combat skills of the soldiers were not bad.

Like today's riverbed bridge, the soldiers of the First Regiment had practiced in ordinary training.

The officers and soldiers of the First Regiment were very skilled in engineering operations, but the militiamen of the Security First Regiment were more focused on stabbing and shooting in their usual training.

They were still very uncomfortable with this kind of riverbed bridge construction, but these people were all strong men, not good at technology, but good at physical strength.

Helping out, swinging hammers to smash wooden stakes were all good hands.

These militiamen who had been farmers not long ago felt that this kind of life was very fun.

Since they were called together and set off with the regular army, all the treatments were the same as the regular army. They had meat every day, and the rice was full. These young men ate well and slept well, and they were very energetic.

Gu Xiuming was afraid that the distance from the pontoon bridge was too close and would be discovered by the Japanese devils, so the fortifications of the First and Second Companies were only dug shallowly, and they were also more than two hundred meters away from the pontoon bridge.

Five hundred meters behind the First and Second Companies was the defense line of the Sixth and Seventh Companies, and their fortifications had to be dug much better.

According to Gu Xiuming's idea, after the Japanese devils crossed the pontoon bridge, let them keep walking forward, all the way to the bottom line of the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Companies, before launching an attack.

At this time, the Sixth, Seventh, First, and Second Companies along the way could all open fire, and strive to surround the Japanese devils.

Captain Yamada Yusuke commanded his team to set off from Xuzhou. The motorcycle team led by the front was led by Captain Maeguchi Ryosuke. His team was a fully motorized team. The entire team had thirteen motorcycles, and the equipment was also different from the ordinary Japanese team.

Each motorcycle was equipped with a light machine gun, which made it easier for them to fire while driving.

According to the speed of the Maeguchi Ryosuke team, they could rush to Huangtu Ridge in two hours, but with just such a team, even if they reached their destination, they would not have much effect.

Therefore, they could only suppress their speed and drive slowly in front, clearing the way for the entire team behind them.

Such a team was very majestic when it set off from Xuzhou City.

The thirteen motorcycles cleared the way in front, and each motorcycle had a small flag inserted on it, waving in the wind.

At the same time, a light machine gun was mounted on the sidecar of the motorcycle, which looked very impressive.

Behind them were more than fifty cars, each car carrying more than twenty Japanese devils, all armed to the teeth, very majestic.

Today, the people in Xuzhou City had opened their eyes. They had just seen the Japanese devils escorting a large group of people to be shot, and now they saw such a majestic team of Japanese devils leaving the city.

Some traitors who had a good relationship with the Japanese devils pointed to the team of Japanese devils leaving the city and said excitedly: "Do you know? The people who were shot in the morning were all family members of bandits on Huangtu Ridge.

Now the Taikun (Japanese army) has sent a large army to suppress the bandits."