Chapter 8, The Transport Squadron (II)

As we progressed, the fields on the left side of the mountain road gradually receded, revealing a pond whose depth was indiscernible; this was a place used by the nearby villagers for water storage

Due to the sufficient concealment of this transportation route and the remarkable speed and convenience of this mountain path, Captain Xiao Gu considers it an excellent transportation route

Captain Xiao Gu has not yet had the chance to shout for cover

The three machine gun teams of the enemy, equipped with six Type 11 light machine guns and three grenade launcher teams with six grenade launchers, immediately launched a counterattack

Dozens of grenades suddenly swayed down from the hillside at various angles

Bang

Taking the rifle from a soldier beside him, Kong Jie quickly halted, knelt to shoot, chambered a round, steadied the weapon, aimed, and fired in one fluid motion

Seeing this scene, Captain Xiao Gu shouted orders, and several rifle teams immediately launched a counterattack against the enemy on the hillside

Lieutenant Otani, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, immediately issued the combat orders

The gunners at the grenade launcher positions are no exception

The machine gun fire had not yet been sustained for long, and it seemed that enemies on the hillside had locked onto the machine gunners. One by one, the gunners operating the machine guns were shot down by the opposing forces.

The superior firepower of the Japanese transport squadron found itself momentarily without a role to play

The water in the pond is very clear. During the last two visits here, Captain Xiao Gu had the leisure to daydream about whether he could take some time to bring fishing gear and go fishing.

The Japanese soldiers were all well-trained; in contrast, the accompanying puppet troops were a beat slower in their reactions. When ambushed, the Japanese soldiers did not panic, quickly using the transport vehicles as cover and engaging in a shootout with the enemy on the earthen slope.

Captain Xiao Gu realized that the situation was dire; what he had originally considered to be an absolutely concealed transport route had unexpectedly been ambushed by such a formidable enemy force.

Captain Xiao Gu heard that, compared to the transportation route he had chosen, the other routes to Ping'an County always faced harassment and surprise attacks from the Eighth Route Army whenever there was a shipment of supplies

Intense attacks were followed in quick succession by the explosions of grenades

There is an ambush

This thought had just taken root in Captain Xiao Gu's mind when a sudden solitary gunshot rang out, followed closely by a downpour of gunfire akin to raindrops.

Life swiftly and rapidly passes by, and with a heart full of reluctance, Captain Xiao Gu locks his wide-open eyes on the direction of the pond not far away...! ... Farewell, my hometown

Even the incessantly thrown grenades gradually fell silent

Cover

The soldiers of the Independent Regiment on the hillside, under the leadership of Kong Jie, charged down like fierce tigers, swiftly descending the slope with the cover of machine gun positions and firing squads, engaging in close combat with the Japanese and puppet troops of the transport convoy.

The most important aspect is the absolute concealment of this transportation route, allowing us to avoid the harassment of the troublesome Eighth Route Army

As an outstanding talent from the Imperial Military Academy, Captain Xiaogu has been on the battlefield multiple times and possesses rich experience in on-site command

On the hillside, as Kong Jie, who was leading the charge, was about to reach the bottom of the slope, he looked up and caught sight of the enemy soldier holding a command knife high in the air

It is evident that the opposing side does not have sufficient ammunition

The offensive was even more intense, with wave after wave, leaving him no opportunity to catch his breath

The bullet was fired out during high-speed rotation

The opponent's firepower was only initially fierce, which indeed startled him, as he was merely a transport squad and this time did not carry heavy weapons

... ...

From the configuration of the opposing forces at hetushu.com, Captain Xiao Gu can confirm that this is undoubtedly the main force of the Eighth Route Army

The ambushed opponent was clearly an expert in command, dividing the machine gun fire into four or five points, interweaving from different angles on the hillside to create a nearly impenetrable web of fire below.

This point is very much in line with the characteristics of the Eighth Route Army's lack of ammunition

A roar echoed from the hillside: "Throw down all the grenades!"

A brutal close-quarters battle is imminent

The transportation route he chose, Xiaolin Gou Mountain Road, was exceptionally smooth during the first two trips, with no issues arising

The gunfire suddenly erupted from the hillside on the right, just as Captain Xiao Gu was leading the transport team to the middle position of the pond on the left.

Captain Xiao Gu was taken aback; he had never anticipated that the enemy would be so reckless, launching an all-out assault right from the start. His entire plan had fallen apart.

The urgent and high-pitched sound of the horn spread from the hillside, echoing in the sky above the Xiaolin Valley mountainous area

"Unfortunately, this is ultimately not my hometown!" murmured Captain Xiao Gu.

Thus, for this transportation, Captain Xiao Gu, like the previous two times, was full of confidence, believing that there would be no mishaps along the way

Although the battle has lasted less than five minutes up to this point

Then, on the hillside, a series of dark, long-handled iron lumps began to fall down.

His machine guns and grenade launcher positions had not yet been deployed, yet the enemy unexpectedly launched an assault with such urgency

The five machine gun fire points are still roaring wildly

Captain Xiao Gu immediately recognized the object, and he almost shouted the order: "Grenade! Take cover, take cover—"

Beep beep beep beep beep

The vanguard, having advanced approximately 200 meters ahead of the team, has signaled with flags that everything is normal ahead and safe passage is permitted

At this point, despite the casualties in the transport squad exceeding one-third, Captain Xiao Gu did not panic. In his view, as long as he completed the construction of the machine gun and grenade launcher positions, once his superior firepower unleashed its fangs, this ambushed opponent would surely meet a grim fate.

Cover the grenade launcher team, fire!

Captain Gu, who was directing from several meters away with a raised command sword, was shot in the forehead and fell to the ground on the spot

In the first round of gunfire, dozens of people on the right side of the transport convoy fell unexpectedly.

Captain Xiao Gu nodded upon receiving the message and commanded the team to continue moving forward

The voice from the hillside shouted again: "All units charge, sound the charge horn!"

Not long after, the opposing firepower gradually weakened, especially the several machine gun positions, which had originally been firing continuously but surprisingly began to fire in bursts later on

However, he still keenly identified the weaknesses of this enemy force

Amidst the intense explosions of dozens of grenades falling down, the smoke almost completely enveloped the middle section of Xiaolin Valley Mountain Road's reservoir.

This is the third time Captain Ota, the squadron leader of the Japanese army, has transported supplies via the Xiaolin Valley mountain road.

Gun

Captain Xiao Gu does not understand Chinese, but he can guess that it must be a command issued by the opposing commander.

Machine gun! Immediately construct machine gun emplacements!

As the commanding team continued to advance, Captain Xiao Gu's attention was almost entirely drawn to the rippling surface of the pond on the left side of the mountain road. In his hometown, before he participated in the war, there had also been a similar pond.

The construction of the machine gun emplacements is remarkably clever, to the extent that Captain Xiao Gu could not immediately ascertain the exact location of the enemy's machine gun positions

Contrary to his imagination of ammunition scarcity, this ambushing Eighth Route Army unit exhibited exceptionally fierce firepower

Captain Gu, who quickly regained his composure from the hazy emotions of missing his hometown, swiftly drew his command sword and shouted orders for the troops to rapidly construct counter-offensive fortifications