Chapter 7

Suddenly, a series of explosions sounded from ahead, followed by the firing of the Type 79 rifles, then a cacophony of charging and screaming. The Japanese temporarily ceased their firing on the small street. The company commander felt that something must have happened to the Japanese in front, but he didn't know what. According to the mission orders, the 2nd Company was to be on the left flank of the street, and the 3rd Company was to be on the right flank, forming a defensive line with the 1st Company. The task was to hold the position temporarily and wait for the 2nd and 3rd Battalions to arrive before advancing. By feeling, it seemed that some friendly forces had reached the front, but he didn't know who. Should he charge or not? The order was to hold, and the situation ahead was unclear. This...

A squad of Japanese soldiers was quietly advancing from south to north, slipping through the alleys like rats, crossing broken walls, and passing through courtyards. They were supposed to encounter the 2nd Platoon head-on, but the 2nd Platoon had turned left toward the small street before the encounter, missing them.

The Japanese soldiers crouched and cautiously moved forward, finally stopping and gesturing to pass information back. They had discovered a building where the enemy was hiding, with an unknown number of people, but they saw the muzzles of guns protruding from the windows. The squad of over fifty men then split into two groups. One group took cover in nearby buildings to set up firing positions, while the other group quietly approached the target building. Two Japanese soldiers crept to the base of the window, each pulling a Type 91 hand grenade from their bags, gently pulling the pins...

The main difference between the Type 91 hand grenade and the wooden-handled grenade, besides the shape, was the ignition method. The wooden-handled grenade had a pull-cord that ignited the fuse, while the Type 91 had an impact-activated fuse with a delay of about seven to eight seconds. Before use, the top cap had to be struck or knocked off. It could also be launched from a grenade launcher, though it didn't have the range of a standard grenade, it could still fly over 200 meters. Later, the Japanese replaced it with the Type 97 hand grenade. During the War of Resistance, the Chinese commonly referred to it as the "48 petals."

When Liu Erdan opened his eyes, he saw a misty sky, or perhaps it was a red haze. He stared blankly for a while, then finally remembered what had happened as the last one to jump through the window. His body was covered in dust, and the blood from the corners of his eyes, mouth, and behind his ears had started to clot, sticky and mixed with dirt, turning brown, forming strange grooves on his young, earth-gray face and neck.

Leaning on his rifle, he struggled to climb out of the dusty rubble, wobbling to his feet. A layer of gray dust slid off his body, rippling outward before it touched the ground and dispersing.

I want to go home, I just want to go home, I have to go home... Father might still be working in the fields. I need to help him; I can't let him do it alone. Father's legs are not good, I must go. I have to leave, or Mother will scold me. Although she always hesitates to hit me, I'll go...

Hu Yi, who had been watching near the window, was puzzled. The sound of the hand grenades exploding was strange, and it seemed to have happened on the Japanese defensive line on the small street. Apart from the platoon scattered around the small building, only the 2nd Platoon was in front. Their task was to probe the Japanese flank, but if it was the 2nd Platoon, why did they end up on the small street? If that was the case, it would be bad.

Wang Laokou was also drawn to the window by the explosions, looking around. "Xiao Hu, do you think it might be Da Huangya, that reckless guy, who turned and attacked the small street? But why is the 1st Company on the street not responding?"

"It could also be the 2nd Company on the east side of the small street. I hope it's not the 2nd Platoon!" Hu Yi sighed.

"Yeah, I hope not. Otherwise, we won't know when the Japanese will pop up right under our noses."

Hu Yi was not only worried that the 2nd Platoon might miss the Japanese, but also that they didn't know how many Japanese had landed or how many were deployed on the opposite side. Everything was unknown. Judging from the gunfire on the small street, the Japanese guarding it were at least a squad, and even a squad had over fifty men. Unless the Japanese were bunched together, if they were spread out in two or three lines, even if the 2nd Platoon caught them off guard, the outcome would be dire. Unless the 1st Company launched a charge to support them. Since the 1st Company was not moving, the situation did not look good.

The mist was still thick, and Wang Laokou's eyes were sore. He turned and leaned against the window, picked up the half-smoked cigarette that had been extinguished by the explosion, and lit it again, grumbling, "That damn Da Huangya, a complete scoundrel obsessed with promotion and wealth. By seniority and ability, he shouldn't be the 2nd Platoon leader. A mere five silver dollars made the company commander blind. I think this 2nd Platoon will eventually be led into a ditch by him."

Zhao Yong, listening to Wang Laokou's complaints downstairs, asked, "Platoon leader, how much did you pay? I want to save some pay to take over your position someday."

"Me? Get lost! You'll never take over my position, even if you die."

Hearing Wang Laokou and Zhao Yong bickering, Dage and Xiaizi chuckled.

"Situation!"

Hearing Hu Yi's low command, Wang Laokou extinguished his cigarette, pulled back the bolt of his rifle with a swift click, and crouched by the window. Dage also aimed his rifle at the window. Looking out from the south window of the small building, a gray figure staggered out of the alley about fifty meters ahead...

The Japanese soldiers at the base of the wall had just pulled the pins of their hand grenades when they saw a dusty figure emerge from the corner, leaning on a rifle, staring at them in a daze.

Clang—The window behind them suddenly opened, and the Type 11 light machine gun began to roar, the Japanese providing cover firing without hesitation.

A spray of blood, another spray, and another, as the bullets hit Liu Erdan, he swayed involuntarily, until he was pinned to the ground, his gray eyes looking up at the gray sky. I have to go help Father work...

Almost simultaneously with the machine gun fire, three shots rang out from the second floor of the small building. Dage's shot hit the window frame, Hu Yi's shot hit the ground, and the third shot directly pierced the heart of a Japanese soldier lying on the ground with a hand grenade. The other Japanese soldier, finally reacting from his shock, struck the hand grenade on the ground and, without waiting for the delay, threw it into the window above, then darted behind a pile of debris.

Seven or eight soldiers from the 1st Platoon were hiding in this room, including the 3rd Company commander, who was drinking from a water bottle with his sleeves rolled up. Suddenly, the sharp sound of the Type 11 machine gun rang out through the window, accompanied by the distinctive whistling of 6.5mm bullets and the sound of bullets hitting the ground nearby. A bullet then hit the window frame next to him, and he spat out the water. Japanese! Crouching down, he threw the water bottle and reached for his gun, only to see a hand grenade fly in through the window, landing at his feet and still spinning. A soldier next to him, who had seen this, froze, eyes wide with terror, and fell to the ground, kicking and writhing in fear, unable to speak.

"Damn you!" The 3rd Company commander stepped on the spinning hand grenade, bent down, picked it up, and threw it back out the window. Boom—"Cowards, what are you standing there for? Start shooting!" He then crouched by the window, pulling out his pistol.