Chapter 27

After Hu Hao finished his meal, he still saw no movement from the Japanese, which made him even more puzzled, "It can't be. The Japanese should be anxious now. They are eager to rescue the 20th Division. How can they just stay here calmly? There must be something wrong!"

"It's impossible to clear the mines on the road. Whether it's Japanese soldiers, animals, or machines, they can't clear the mines I laid in such a short time. How are they going to do it?" Hu Hao kept pondering.

"Damn, it's from the sky, it's planes. You Japanese are ruthless!" Hu Hao thought and immediately grabbed his gun and other things and ran to the back. He didn't care about anything else now. These aerial bombs were not like artillery shells; they came in a continuous stream and had a huge impact. His small body couldn't withstand them.

Hu Hao ran straight back to the defense line. The soldiers who saw him return were a bit incredulous.

"Wasn't Er Lengzi having a great time killing the Japanese at the front? Why is he running back? Is something about to happen?" Many of the veteran soldiers tightened their grips on their guns when they saw Hu Hao.

Hu Hao ignored the soldiers' murmurs and went straight to the command post. Everyone there was busy, and Colonel Zhang was frowning while holding a telegram.

"Brother, I'm back," Hu Hao shouted as he entered.

Colonel Zhang was taken aback and didn't react immediately. When he did, he was about to unfasten his belt.

"Brother, brother, wait, I have something important to report," Hu Hao immediately shouted. He didn't want to get beaten.

"You dare to come back, you little brat. What did you promise me? Fine, tell me what happened first, then I'll beat you," Colonel Zhang held the belt in his hand, and the political commissar and chief of staff quickly stood by his side.

"Brother, the Japanese are likely to break through our minefield this afternoon," Hu Hao said.

"Hmm, aren't the Japanese still at their starting point? How can they break through our minefield so quickly?" the chief of staff asked curiously.

"Brother, this morning, the Japanese sent tank troops to lead the way, but they didn't get far before our mines blew up five of their tanks. The rest retreated. I was also engaging them, but around noon, they all withdrew. I was puzzled because the Japanese have tried every method but couldn't clear the mines. They must be anxious, so I think they will send planes to bomb this road," Hu Hao explained.

"Hmm, are you sure?" Colonel Zhang asked.

"Yes, it's almost certain. Otherwise, the Japanese won't be able to pass through my minefield in a short time," Hu Hao nodded confidently.

"No wonder!" Colonel Zhang said, holding up the telegram.

"What's wrong, Old Zhang?" the political commissar asked.

"Take a look. This is the intelligence we received from headquarters. It says that four bombers took off from the Beiping airport and are heading towards our base. I thought the Japanese might be going to rescue the 20th Division, but now it seems they are coming for us," Colonel Zhang said.

"Brother, you should order the soldiers to take cover now. The Japanese will definitely bomb our defense line," Hu Hao said.

"Alright, pass the order immediately, have the soldiers hide!" Colonel Zhang said to a communications soldier nearby.

After the communications soldier left, Colonel Zhang looked at Hu Hao and asked, "What's with the gun you're carrying? I've never seen it before."

Hu Hao, hearing this, immediately took off his sniper rifle and said, "Brother, this is American-made. I got it from the Japanese camp."

"You went to the Japanese camp again?" Colonel Zhang shouted loudly.

"Ah! I did. It was too cold last night, so I went to the Japanese side to warm up. I even got a pack of cigarettes and had some roasted mutton. Then I traded my Type 38 rifle for this one," Hu Hao said proudly.

"I told you not to go to the Japanese camp to warm up. Why didn't they roast you instead?" Colonel Zhang was about to hit him with the belt, but the chief of staff and the political commissar quickly stopped him.

Seeing this, Hu Hao immediately ran out, not wanting to stay there any longer.

After Hu Hao left, the political commissar said, "Alright, Old Zhang, Er Lengzi is fine now, and he killed over a thousand Japanese at the front. That's a great achievement. You can't beat him."

"That's right, Old Zhang. Er Lengzi didn't make a big mistake. At most, he didn't follow your orders. Besides, as the saying goes, a general far from home can sometimes ignore the emperor's commands," the chief of staff added.

"General my ass. He's not even a good soldier," Colonel Zhang said, pacing back and forth.

"We have to hold the Japanese for at least three more days according to the plan. Now, the 14th Division of the Japanese has over 18,000 well-trained veterans with ample firepower. This battle will be tough," Colonel Zhang said.

"Indeed. We thought the minefield would delay the Japanese for a few days, but we didn't expect them to use bombers. Now our minefield can't stop their advance," the chief of staff said.

"Whatever. We have no room for maneuver. We can only fight the Japanese here. Even if only one of us is left, as long as we can hold the Japanese here for three days, we win," Colonel Zhang said.

About half an hour later, the Japanese bombers arrived, dropping bombs along the road, bombing it back and forth several times. The entire road was destroyed. They also flew over the Eighth Route Army's defense line and dropped many bombs, but fortunately, the order had been given early, and the soldiers had taken many defensive measures. Even so, the Eighth Route Army suffered significant losses, with over 100 dead and 200 injured.

Hu Hao watched the Japanese planes bomb back and forth, but he had no way to stop them. The planes flew too high, and his gun couldn't reach them, even if he could hit them, he couldn't bring them down.

After the Japanese planes flew away, the soldiers returned to their trenches, preparing to face the Japanese.

Hu Hao used his rifle's scope to look at the bombed road, which was now full of craters. This was good, as the Japanese heavy equipment wouldn't be able to advance, and they would have to send infantry with light equipment.

Hu Hao found a good position, set up his sniper rifle and Type 38 rifle, and waited for the Japanese to attack.

During the wait, Hu Hao could still hear intermittent explosions, probably from unexploded mines that the Japanese had stepped on. After about an hour, Hu Hao saw the Japanese vanguard through his sniper rifle's scope.

"The Japanese are here, everyone prepare for battle," a company commander's voice came from behind. Hu Hao, being part of Colonel Zhang's unit, could go to any company he wanted to fight.