Chapter 7: A Brief Trial of the Bull Knife

"What the hell, damn it!" Yang Dashu stared wide-eyed, fixated on the scattered Japanese soldiers lying all over the ground, his face filled with disbelief. "When did these little devils become so weak? A whole squad, more than fifty of them, could have fought our battalion for half a day before. What the hell, they were taken out just like that?"

What is this? Xu Rui, however, coldly smiled and said, "This is merely a small test of my skills."

Xu Rui peered through the gaps in the ruins and roughly counted, there were at least fifty enemy soldiers, a whole squad

In the blink of an eye, more than fifty enemy soldiers caught in the ambush circle mostly fell into pools of blood

Of course, this is not the main point; the main point is that he has just received an order from the division headquarters. His immediate superior's immediate superior, His Highness Prince Fushimi of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, has just arrived and will be visiting Wuxi

Although the enemy is ferocious, once they fall into a trap, they are just as much lambs waiting to be slaughtered

After firing five rounds, Xu Rui did not have time to reload and rushed out with his rifle raised

These more than twenty remnants of soldiers are all veterans who have survived through bloody battles. Their ability to live to this day speaks volumes; in terms of physical fitness and individual combat capability, they are the elite among soldiers, not inferior even to the well-trained enemy troops. Xu Rui and that veteran are like tigers entering a flock of sheep, with none of their subordinates being a match for them.

Even Lin Feng, a senior general who had undergone short-term training at the Army University, could not discern the essence of the inverted triangle ambush formation, yet this old soldier saw through it at a glance; this person undoubtedly has an extraordinary background

However, moments later, Tachibana Koji's good mood quickly vanished.

If His Highness the Prince were to suddenly arrive in Wuxi at this moment, it would not only fail to leave a good impression on him, but it might instead create an impression of incompetence, making future promotions unlikely. At least until His Highness the Prince is reassigned, Tachibana Kikuji should abandon any thoughts of advancing to a general position, and he might even be reassigned back to the Army Headquarters to serve as a staff officer

Two submachine guns, along with more than twenty large-caliber rifles, opened fire simultaneously, and the dense bullets poured down like raindrops onto the enemy caught in the ambush circle. Three firing points, arranged in a fan shape, crazily unleashed their firepower, weaving a firepower net with no dead angles. The enemy was completely stunned, not knowing which direction to counterattack or where to hide.

More than twenty remnants of soldiers quickly began to gather weapons and ammunition

With a single command from Xu Rui, more than twenty remnants of soldiers opened fire almost simultaneously

Despite the reports from the sweep troops indicating the emergence of a highly formidable remnant of the Nationalist Army in the center of Wuxi City, and the fact that three sweep teams have already lost contact, Tachibana Koji does not believe that such a small contingent of Nationalist remnants can alter the situation. The overall outcome of the Battle of Wuxi has been determined, and the Chinese are already powerless to change their fate

Sheep and lions have always been relative; when sheep learn tactics, they can easily tear apart lions, and when lions accidentally fall into traps, they can also be easily torn apart by sheep

As of now, during the Battle of Songhu, the National Revolutionary Army has rarely recorded any instances of completely annihilating Japanese troops, even at the squad level

Yang Dashu was astonished, and Lin Feng was even more surprised. He had already witnessed Xu Rui's combat skills and marksmanship, and initially thought that Xu Rui was merely an exceptionally strong soldier. However, he did not expect that Xu Rui also possessed such advanced command skills. This seemingly ordinary ambush had decisively taken out an entire squad of enemy infantry.

If all goes well, the battle will certainly conclude before noon

"The officer's sword? You are dreaming your grand autumn dream; this is the officer's sword."

Fortunately, the veteran is no easy target. He charges left and right, lunges forward, and occasionally makes a sudden stop. A variety of tactical evasion maneuvers emerge one after another. Coupled with the obstacles of broken walls and ruins, the bullets from the enemy always seem to miss the mark by just a little bit. In the midst of the chase, the veteran leads the enemy into the ambush position.

The veteran seemed to sense something, paused, turned back to Xu Rui, and added, "Chinese veteran"

In the end, more than half of the last dozen or so enemies were killed by Xu Rui and that veteran, while the remaining ones were also slaughtered by over twenty remaining soldiers with chaotic strikes. In less than two minutes, an entire infantry squad, consisting of more than fifty enemies, was completely annihilated. By the time Yang Dashu and Lin Feng rushed over, there was not a single enemy left alive

This is unacceptable; such a situation must absolutely not occur

Indeed impressive. The veteran let out a long sigh and said, "Three shooting points, each responsible for a 120-degree firing angle, perfectly create a crossfire with no blind spots. As long as the firepower is strong enough, the three of them can easily take out a squad or even a platoon. However, such tactics are only applicable in urban warfare or jungle warfare."

In less than two minutes, more than fifty enemies were finished, all of them!

Xu Rui took out a cigarette and glanced thoughtfully at the veteran

Amidst the clamor, Xu Rui approached the old soldier and asked, "How is it?"

"A small test of skill?" Lin Feng was taken aback upon hearing this and said, "Brother Xu, do you mean..."

Lin Feng did not know whether other divisions had records of completely annihilating the Japanese army, but the temporarily organized 79th Division had never before completely eliminated Japanese troops at the squad level or above; not even a fully organized main force division had achieved this. Yet today, Xu Rui led a mere handful of remnants to accomplish this. Is this true

What did you say?" Tachibana Koji suddenly looked up and said, "A small team?"

The officer's saber is quite good, hey, big cat, take off the coat you are wearing

In comparison, Chief of Staff Lin Feng resembles a trainee soldier

"Old soldier?" Xu Rui smiled faintly, but his eyes narrowed.

However, if an entire infantry squad loses communication, the situation becomes serious

When the veteran leaped over a broken wall and disappeared from the view of the enemy soldiers, Xu Rui suddenly stood up with his Type 38 rifle and shot down one of the enemy machine gunners at the rear of the formation with a single shot

In the Battle of Wuxi, the Tachibana Brigade engaged three divisions of the Chinese army head-on and achieved a complete victory, undoubtedly leaving a significant mark on the career of Tachibana Koji.

The door curtain of the military tent was forcefully lifted, and Kobayashi Jiro rushed in, reporting: "Commander of the regiment, the Akita detachment reports that one of their support teams has suddenly lost contact"

Xu Rui turned around and shouted at the twenty or so remaining soldiers who were scavenging for spoils: "The reinforcements from the little devils will arrive soon, hurry up and gather the ammunition, prepare to relocate!"

It must be said that the people of Japan in this era exhibit an almost fanatical admiration for the Japanese imperial family. It is under the influence of this pathological fervor that this small nation, often referred to as 'Little Japan,' has unleashed tremendous energy, nearly bringing the weak giant that is China to its knees.

What are you doing? This is my trophy, why should I give it to you? I simply won't.

Thinking of this, Tachibana Koji's mood became unprecedentedly good

Does this not imply that there are still Chinese military forces with a regiment-level establishment or higher within the city of Wuxi

The veteran nodded slightly and walked away with a cold expression

Lin Feng walked up to Xu Rui and sincerely said: "Xu, you are impressive"

This time, even Yang Dashu did not question Xu Rui's orders anymore

Xu Rui nodded slightly and said in a deep voice: "Indeed, this is just the beginning; there are even greater surprises awaiting the enemy. I want the little devils to know that the Chinese are not to be trifled with"

Tachibana Koji took out a white towel and meticulously wiped the military sword, especially the chrysanthemum and star symbols representing the imperial family on the hilt, which he polished to a spotless shine

Upon seeing the veteran approaching, Xu Rui quickly stood up and waved to signal.

If his performance gains the prince's approval, he will surely rise to prominence from then on

A few sweep teams lost contact, but Tachibana Koji did not mind, as many sweep teams had already been reduced to fewer than ten members after experiencing multiple battles. Some sweep teams even consisted of only three or four people. It would not be surprising if such sweep teams encountered a larger number of remnants of the Nationalist army and were completely annihilated.

More than twenty remnants of soldiers, lying in ambush among the ruins on both sides, sprang up with bayonets in hand, engaging in a close-quarters battle with the last remaining dozen or so terrified enemy soldiers

In the next moment, Lin Feng from the ambush point on the left and Yang Dashu from the ambush point on the right also opened fire fiercely

The veteran immediately sprinted towards the direction where Xu Rui was hiding. In the next moment, a large group of enemy soldiers rushed out from around the corner, shouting and chasing while continuously firing their guns. The marksmanship of the enemy soldiers was indeed impressive; even while running at high speed, they were able to shoot with great accuracy

Xu Rui lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, savoring the comfort brought by the thick smoke rolling in his lungs, while asking the veteran: "Tell me, what is your name?"

Xu Rui threw the cigarette he had taken two puffs from onto the ground and extinguished it, then looked up at the veteran and said: "Chinese veteran, the ambush formation we just used is called the inverted triangle ambush formation"

In ordinary times, veterans like Yang Dahua would certainly obey Chief of Staff Lin Feng, but in the current dire circumstances where death could come at any moment, they are even more willing to follow an outstanding commander like Xu Rui! Because by following Xu Rui, they have a greater chance of winning battles and a better chance of preserving their lives

Nine? You can brag all you want, I have taken down eighteen.

"Veteran." The veteran uttered this phrase, then turned and left.

... ...

I lost it, come over here and take a look at what kind of cigarette this is

According to the combat capabilities of the Chinese and Japanese armies, to eliminate a Japanese infantry squad, the Chinese army would require at least one battalion. Considering that the Chinese army has just suffered a defeat on the battlefield of Songhu and has not had time to regroup before being thrown into the defense of Wuxi, even with two battalions of troops, it would not necessarily be easy for the Chinese army to completely eliminate a fully organized Japanese squad.

At this moment, Tachibana Koji's mood is undoubtedly excellent

While firing his weapon, Xu Rui shouted loudly, "Fire!"

Lin Feng, upon hearing this, felt a chill run down his spine. Turning back, he saw that more than twenty remnants of soldiers had already fallen into a state of revelry, rummaging through the spoils from the enemy while engaging in boastful chatter.

Old Seven, how many did you take down

Goodness, could this be the officer's sword? I have struck it rich

The more adverse the circumstances, the more the value of an excellent commander is highlighted. Although Lin Feng's time with the remnants of the temporarily assembled 79th Division and Xu Rui was short, even less than two hours, Xu Rui's solid military qualities and his skilled, exceptional command techniques had completely won over these veterans.

Does this not imply that the resistance of the Chinese army is far from over, and that it is not yet time to celebrate the victory of the Battle of Wuxi