Chapter 22

"Boom, boom, boom." The entire road was plowed by the Japanese artillery shells, at least the first 2 to 3 sections were bombed, and even Colonel Zhang could see the explosions.

"Hmm, what's going on? Why are the Japanese using artillery?" the political commissar said.

"The Japanese are using artillery to clear the way. It's dangerous for Er Lengzi now," Colonel Zhang said.

"Colonel, Colonel," the soldier who had just run back shouted.

"What is it? Weren't you at the front? Why did you come back? Did something happen? Did something happen to Er Lengzi?" Colonel Zhang walked over and asked urgently.

"No, nothing happened. Just now, Platoon Leader Li asked me to come back for more bullets. Er Lengzi's bullets are almost gone," the soldier said.

"Hmm! That's good. Why did he use so many bullets? Didn't he bring hundreds of bullets this morning?" Colonel Zhang asked.

"Colonel, you don't know. The Japanese are so scared of Er Lengzi that they don't dare to come forward. He killed at least 200 to 300 Japanese just now. So Platoon Leader Li is afraid that Er Lengzi's bullets won't be enough and asked me to come back for more," the soldier said.

"Hmm, good, he did well. You go find Old Yang from the logistics department and tell him to bring 1000 bullets and a few more guns. I'm afraid Er Lengzi will need them," Colonel Zhang said.

"I say, Old Zhang, didn't you disagree with Er Lengzi going up there at first?" the political commissar asked.

"Ha, I was afraid he would get hurt. But now, where can we hide to avoid trouble? We are soldiers," Colonel Zhang said and walked away.

However, this artillery bombardment put Er Lengzi in a tough spot. If it weren't for his Inner Strength Technique, he would have suffocated under the soil. The Japanese artillery shells had buried Hu Hao's position completely.

Hu Hao dug through the soil, "Spit," "Damn Japanese, their weapons are getting more and more powerful."

Hu Hao patted the soil off himself and continued to observe the Japanese movements.

Now, a large Japanese force had arrived. The road was filled with Japanese soldiers. A Japanese major general came to the damaged road and picked up his binoculars.

"Damn, why is the vanguard still here? Don't you know that the 20th Division has been surrounded by the Eighth Route Army?" Major General Tōjō Kōshi angrily slapped the face of the lieutenant general in front of him and scolded him.

"Yes, sir, the Eighth Route Army has destroyed the entire road, and our large force can't advance. Moreover, they have laid mines all over the road, and our mine detectors can't find them, so the progress is slow," the lieutenant general said.

"Hmm, did the artillery bombardment clear the mines?" Major General Tōjō Kōshi asked.

"It should have cleared them. Our carpet bombing probably left no mines behind," the lieutenant general said.

"Good, organize the troops and move out," Major General Tōjō Kōshi said.

"Yes, sir."

Hu Hao, on the hill, saw the Japanese organizing their troops. With just one rifle, he couldn't do much. Although the Japanese had used artillery, not many mines had actually been detonated. Hu Hao had already considered these situations and didn't dare to stay there. He knew that there weren't many mines left in front, and most had already exploded.

Er Lengzi then crawled back, trying not to be discovered by the Japanese. He crawled to the position where Little Li had been, but Little Li had already left to dig another position.

Hu Hao hid in the position and saw Little Li and another soldier coming his way.

"What are you doing?" Hu Hao asked in a low voice.

"Ah, Er Lengzi, you came down," Little Li was a bit surprised to see Hu Hao in the position.

"Yes, I came down. If I didn't, I would be waiting to die!" Hu Hao said.

"What are you here for?" Hu Hao asked.

"We brought you some ammunition, in case you run out," Little Li said, crouching into the position.

"Yes, I'm running low. Bring it over, and you two go back. The Japanese main force is coming, and they will be here soon. It's better for you to stay far away," Hu Hao said.

Little Li handed a bag full of bullets to Hu Hao, who took it.

"Er Lengzi, be careful. Now, only you are engaging the Japanese. If you can't handle it, retreat," Little Li said.

"I know, go back," Hu Hao said.

The Japanese vanguard had changed. The 59th Regiment, which had been wiped out by one-third by Hu Hao, including their regimental commander and chief of staff, was now replaced by the 2nd Regiment.

Hu Hao watched as they advanced in formation and laughed.

"Hey, little Japanese, you're all coming together to die. Alright, I'll let you sit on the landmines I prepared for you," Er Lengzi said.

At the same time, he started aiming. As soon as the Japanese came, he would shoot and immediately retreat.

Before Hu Hao could shoot, an unfortunate Japanese soldier stepped on a mine.

"Boom," a large area was directly blown up.

The other Japanese soldiers tried to move to the side, but the more they moved, the more likely they were to step on the mines Hu Hao had buried.

Boom, boom, the explosions continued. The 2nd Regiment's commander was almost in tears. "Damn, weren't the mines supposed to be mostly cleared by the artillery? Why are there still so many? With my 3000-strong regiment, we will lose at least a thousand or so, dead or injured. This is a trap."

Hu Hao was overjoyed. It was too satisfying. When the explosives detonated, the Japanese were thrown up, and the pebbles flew like bullets, causing injuries or deaths.

Er Lengzi didn't stay either. He immediately picked up his gun and continued to retreat. If the Japanese got angry, this place wouldn't be safe.

"Damn, weren't the mines supposed to be mostly cleared? Why are there still so many?" Major General Tōjō Kōshi asked Lieutenant General Guan Yuwu.

Guan Yuwu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Sir, we don't know. We used artillery to detonate many mines, but why are there still so many?"

"Damn."

Major General Tōjō Kōshi looked at his watch. It was already 3:30 PM. It was winter, and it got dark early. According to the orders, he should be attacking the Eighth Route Army's base by now, but they hadn't even left the city yet.

"Send a message to the 20th Division, tell them we are attacking the Eighth Route Army and that they must hold out for a few more days. Also, order the troops to camp outside the city tonight and have all the regimental commanders meet in the city tonight," Major General Tōjō Kōshi said.

After the messenger left, Major General Tōjō Kōshi got into his car and returned to the city. It was impossible to reach the Eighth Route Army's base and attack today. It would be better to let the soldiers rest early and think of a solution.