novelAbuy Chapter 49 Harassment Warfare
Chapter 49 Harassment Warfare
The Japanese firepower coverage lasted only a few minutes before ceasing this meaningless waste.
Subsequently, under the shouts and spurs of the Japanese soldiers, some of the still-shaken traitors, with mournful faces, dragged the wounded and the dead back together to form a loose unit, cautiously inching forward.
Meanwhile, the Japanese soldiers tightened their formation even further and sent out scouts to search and advance along the hillsides on both flanks.
However, Zhao Dahu's second row was like a persistent, insidious disease, or a ghost in the mountains.
Relying on the relatively familiar terrain, they moved flexibly between several pre-selected sniping positions with good visibility and easy retreat.
Whenever the Japanese and puppet troops relaxed their guard or tried to speed through a dangerous section of road, sniper shots would rang out again from unexpected angles!
"Thud!" A puppet army platoon leader who was walking on the side of the puppet army and peeking around fell to the ground.
"Rat-a-tat-tat..." A burst of machine gun bullets swept across the front of the Japanese scout team, forcing them to hurriedly lie down.
"Boom!" A grenade that seemed to come from nowhere exploded in the middle of the puppet army's ranks. Although it did not cause too many casualties, it triggered even greater panic and chaos.
Each attack was brief and precise, and each retreat was swift and covert.
Despite their superior firepower and tight formation, the Japanese soldiers were unable to catch this elusive Eighth Route Army unit and could only passively take hits, their marching speed as slow as a tortoise.
They had advanced only three or four miles from Eagle's Beak when the sun began to set. More than a dozen more casualties had been added to the ranks. More importantly, a sense of restlessness, exhaustion, and unease began to spread among the troops, especially among the already demoralized puppet soldiers.
Yang Zheng saw all of this and wore a satisfied smile.
Zhao Dahu executed the order very well this time, and carried out the tactical intention of harassing and wearing down the enemy well, without acting rashly and engaging in a head-on fight.
Now we'll see what happens tonight. We'll see if the Japanese dare to march at night. If they do, Yang Zheng will personally take command and teach the Japanese a lesson, should the opportunity arise.
If they decide to set up camp here, then let Zhao Dahu have some fun with them, so they won't even be able to sleep soundly.
Meanwhile, Liu Tiegang led the soldiers of the railway detachment and 100 civilians to bypass the Japanese guards and quietly approach the railway perimeter.
"Brother Zhou, inform the villagers we're moving out tonight," Liu Tiegang said to Zhou Shunzi, adding, "Our soldiers will be on guard around the area; you guys focus all your efforts on prying up the rails!"
Zhou Shunzi was essentially the temporary manager of these 100 civilians. He patted his chest and assured them, "Don't worry, Platoon Leader Liu, this is our specialty. We guarantee we won't mess things up!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Zhou!" Liu Tiegang saluted him, and then quickly arranged the deployment of the 20 soldiers in the railway detachment.
Two light machine guns guarded the two road intersections, while riflemen remained concealed and on guard around the perimeter, ready to fire warning shots at the first sign of Japanese soldiers approaching.
The nearest Japanese stronghold to them at the moment was the Datian stronghold, which was under reconstruction, but there weren't many Japanese soldiers inside, and they didn't dare to leave easily.
With the harassment of the Japanese infantry company on the other side, the Japanese troops at the Daejeon stronghold would certainly be even less likely to make any rash moves.
Therefore, they are very safe during tonight's operation.
As night deepened and the last rays of dawn disappeared below the horizon, the Japanese and puppet troops, who had been ordered to sweep through the area, finally dragged their weary steps to a relatively open area.
Although the Japanese company commander was filled with resentment, he knew that marching on the mountain road at night was even more dangerous, so he had no choice but to order them to set up camp on the spot and set up guards.
With campfires lit and makeshift tents erected, the Japanese and puppet troops began cooking. However, their "camping" was destined to fail.
*Smack!*
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Zhao Dahu resolutely carried out Yang Zheng's orders. After having his best soldiers eliminate the Japanese and puppet troops' sentries, he led his men to approach quietly and then let his soldiers fight freely.
They would fire whenever they had the chance, even if they missed, they could practice their marksmanship and also terrify the Japanese and puppet troops for a while.
Most importantly, the Japanese soldiers lit a bonfire, which provided them with the best view and made them visible.
The soldiers in the second platoon took turns, one squad at a time, hiding in twos and threes. In the open darkness, they would fire a shot and then quickly disappear into the shadows.
The enemy is in the open, while we are in the shadows; the advantage lies with us.
"Baka!" The Japanese company commander quickly realized this, his anger burning fiercely. He immediately reacted and gave the order:
"Yoshino Squad, immediately launch a concealed attack. Flares will help you identify the enemy in 10 minutes!"
"Hi!!"
A small Japanese infantry squad was dispatched, intending to quietly disperse and hide, and then, with the aid of illumination, launch a surprise counterattack to annihilate the Eighth Route Army in one fell swoop.
But the Japanese soldiers said he handled it very well, though they couldn't quite say so, because the campfire was still burning when the infantry squad was moving, and Zhao Dahu had seen their actions.
"Ha, the Japanese are trying to play dirty tricks. Send a signal for the third squad to quietly withdraw! Also, get the machine guns ready."
Having fought the Japanese for over a year, Zhao Dahu was well aware of their tactics. He immediately saw through their plans and quickly came up with an idea.
Ten minutes passed quickly.
"Thump...whoosh...bang bang!!"
Two flares were fired into the sky by the Japanese using a grenade launcher, illuminating the surrounding area.
The Japanese platoon leader, Yoshino, immediately shouted, "Lock onto the enemy immediately! Open fire!!!"
The Japanese soldiers who had launched the attack immediately widened their eyes and scanned the surroundings, but where were they?
The Eighth Route Army didn't see it, but they heard a roar!
"Aim carefully, then fire!!"
Zhao Dahu locked his rifle on a Japanese soldier and pulled the trigger without hesitation. At the same time, the other soldiers in the second platoon also opened fire.
"Slap slap slap!!"
"Da da da!!!"
In an instant, countless deadly bullets flew towards the Japanese soldiers from the outer perimeter.
"Baka!! Hide!!"
Yoshino immediately ducked his head, his face filled with anger.
Meanwhile, Yang Zheng, who was in the distance, held up his binoculars and smiled faintly.
"That guy Da Hu doesn't use his brain at all when I'm around, but he's quite quick-witted when he's acting alone."
As Yang Zheng continued watching, he saw the Japanese grenades immediately hurled at the second platoon, and the heavy machine guns also opened fire.
Although the distance was far and there was no line of sight, it did not cause many casualties to Zhao Dahu and his men, but it did force them to retreat.
After the flares went out, the Japanese Yoshino squad quickly went into hiding, clearly sacrificing the rest of their infantry squad in exchange for the rest of more troops.
P.S.: I feel like I wrote it in a bit too much detail, which is a bit of a dilemma, but if I go too far in describing the battles, it seems like something is missing, since this is, after all, a novel about the War of Resistance against Japan.