Adjutant Liu asked: "Third Leader, how many Japanese troops have come?"
Wang Dayong really didn't know. He said truthfully: "The islanders in the village only said that their troops were coming. They didn't say how many people came."
Xu Dalong nodded and said, "Okay, Third Leader, you can go up the mountain."
After Wang Dayong left, Xu Dalong said to Adjutant Liu and Battalion Commanders Wei and Song: "The Japanese army will come over soon, and I'm afraid we will have to fight with them. What do you think? Do you dare?"
Xu Dalong has a great reputation. Although Adjutant Liu and others are a little afraid of the Japanese army, I believe that with Xu Dalong here, they will definitely not suffer. They have also heard that no matter who cooperates with Xu Dalong, they will gain a lot. They also hope that by following Xu Dalong, they can win a great battle, receive awards for meritorious service, and be promoted to a higher position. They all said they were following orders.
Xu Dalong is now a guest of the 74th Army. He is a famous anti-Japanese hero. If something happens on the territory of the 74th Army, it may not be easy to explain to his superiors.
Adjutant Liu sent a telegram to the military headquarters, explaining the situation here and requesting that more troops be sent for reinforcements.
The military headquarters quickly responded with a telegram, saying that they would send another infantry regiment and they would be able to arrive at Tongniu Village in about seven hours.
Xu Dalong asked Battalion Commander Wei to bring him a local map, asked about the situation of the Japanese and puppet troops in this area, and determined the direction in which the Japanese troops were coming. He asked Battalion Commander Wei to send out guides and scouts from the special force to monitor the enemy. He left a company behind to block the road down the mountain from Tongniuzhai, and then temporarily evacuated with the large troops.
After leaving the sight of the people in Tongniu Village, the troops stopped advancing.
Xu Dalong asked Adjutant Liu and Battalion Commanders Wei and Song to summon all the officers above the company. The staff members spread the map on the ground and everyone gathered in a circle.
Xu Dalong pointed at the map and said, "Have you seen it? There is a hilly area here, which is the only way for the Japanese army to reach Tongniu Village. Let's set up an ambush here to catch the Japanese army by surprise."
The officers looked at the hilly area, which was almost 15km away from here, and couldn't help but hesitate.
Battalion Commander Wei said: "The Japanese army is only four or five hours away from here. It has been more than half an hour now. We are still so far away from this hilly area. I am afraid that the Japanese army has already left before we arrive. We’ve passed this hilly area. If this is the case, I’m afraid it won’t be an ambush and will only become an encounter.”
Here he stopped. Xu Dalong also knew what he meant. In a field battle with the Japanese army, the Guo army did not have the confidence at all. They didn't know how many Japanese troops came. Even if the two sides were equal in strength, the Guo army would not be their opponent.
Xu Dalong said: "Don't worry, the Japanese army will not bring more than one infantry brigade at most. The Japanese army is very arrogant. To put it bluntly, they will not use a pair of troops to deal with the Guo army.
Besides, Tongniu Village is not a strategic location, and the Japanese army will not send large troops here. "
Although Xu Dalong's words were a bit straightforward, the officers all acknowledged that what Xu Dalong said was reasonable, and their worries became less.
Xu Dalong said: "The Japanese army will be very cautious when using troops. When they left the barracks and went to Tongniu Village, they would also check the terrain along the way. It was precisely because they judged that we could not reach this hilly area in a short time, so they Let's relax our vigilance and we'll have a chance to ambush them."
The officers nodded frequently when they heard this. They were very emotional. The Xu Dalong in front of them was indeed extraordinary in his military use. No wonder he could always win the battle.
Xu Dalong said: "The next thing will be done by the brothers of the Guo Army. It is only 30 miles away. As long as everyone works harder, we will definitely be able to get in front of the Japanese army.
Do you think this is okay? We set off immediately and started a rapid march towards the hilly area. Not all people are required to be able to get there. Those who are weak and sick will be left behind, and whoever can get there will be counted. I won't let the brothers' hard work go in vain. As long as they can arrive at the battlefield on time, each person will be rewarded with 20 oceans. Those who can make it to the halfway point will be rewarded with five oceans. "
Seeing Xu Dalong's generous move, the officers all said there was no problem and immediately returned to their respective companies to announce the news.
The soldiers of the Guo Army have no faith at all. They just eat food and serve as soldiers. Everyone became excited when they heard that they could get so many oceans. Not to mention those who are strong, even those who are weak and sick are determined to grit their teeth and rush to the battlefield.
The morale of the officers and soldiers of the Guo army was high. When the commander gave the order, they ran away and ran away.
The officers were also very happy to see this scene. After knowing that every soldier can get 20 oceans, they, the officers, can definitely get more. This is not the most important thing. If they can fight a big victory with Xu Dalong, they will have the capital to get promoted and make a fortune, and their future will be bright. Therefore, these officers, like the soldiers, spread their long legs and ran all the way.
In order to boost morale and set an example for the soldiers, Xu Dalong did not ride a horse, but just ran forward like the soldiers of the Guo Army.
When they were about to arrive at the hilly area, the scouts from the special forces team came back and said that the incoming Japanese troops were less than an infantry brigade, between 600 and 700 people.
The officers saw that Xu Dalong's judgment was so accurate and felt that they were outnumbered, which increased their confidence in victory. Although they were very tired, they still gritted their teeth and persevered.
The officers and soldiers of the Fruit Army finally arrived in front of the Japanese army and arrived at the hilly area. It seems that the temptation of the ocean is very strong. When the officers and soldiers of the two battalions set out, there were more than 900 people in total, and more than 850 people insisted on rushing to the battlefield.
Everything was as Xu Dalong expected. The Japanese army was very arrogant. They looked down on the Guo Army's troops at all. They believed that as long as they encountered the Guo Army's troops, they would not dare to fight at all, and they would retreat directly even if they did not collapse.
The Japanese army never expected that they would dare to come here and ambush them. Therefore, the Japanese army was not prepared at all and marched along the road in neat queues. The soldiers carried their guns on their shoulders, and the artillery they brought did not even take off their gun jackets.
Seeing the Japanese army entering the ambush circle, Xu Dalong aimed at the Japanese captain riding a tall horse and shot him in the head.
Hearing Xu Dalong's gunfire, the officers and soldiers of the Guo Army also opened fire violently at the Japanese marching brigade. The terrain they chose was very favorable. The Japanese troops marching on the highway had nowhere to hide under the dense rain of bullets, and the officers and soldiers were able to easily throw grenades into the Japanese ranks.
The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, losing more than half of their troops before they had time to deploy.
Xu Dalong understood these Guojun troops and could not expect them to go up and fight the Japanese with bayonets. Therefore, he did not issue an order to charge, but only used firepower to eliminate the Japanese troops on the road.
The main targets of Xu Dalong and the special forces were Japanese officers and machine gunners. There are more than 30 people in a special operations unit and more than 30 sniper rifles. In such a good terrain, almost all shots are missed.
Japanese officers were killed one after another, and they could not organize effective resistance at all. The machine gunners were all killed and were unable to take advantage of their firepower.
The officers and soldiers of the Japanese army could only fight on their own, and their combat effectiveness was greatly weakened. They were surrounded in a narrow ravine with nowhere to hide, and suffered extremely heavy casualties.
When the battle lasted 20 minutes, there were less than 100 Japanese troops left on the road.
The officers and soldiers of the Guo army became more and more excited and courageous as they fought. Many officers and soldiers took the initiative to move forward and throw grenades down the mountain.
The battle continued for another ten minutes, and there were basically no Japanese soldiers alive at the foot of the mountain.
Seeing that it was almost done, Xu Dalong gave the order to charge.
The officers and soldiers of the Guo Army were best at fighting against the wind. Seeing that the Japanese below were no longer able to resist, they rushed down with great momentum, holding bayonets and shouting loudly.
The battle ended quickly, and the officers and soldiers of the Guo Army felt like they were dreaming about such a result. They never dared to imagine that they could kill a Japanese infantry brigade just by themselves. After the officers and soldiers were stunned for a while, they burst into cheers of victory.
When the casualties were counted, the officers and soldiers of the Guo Army became even more surprised. They ate a total of more than 670 Japanese, and their own casualties were only about 40. Such a result was something they could not even dream of before.
The officers all lamented that the same Guo army troops had been suppressed by the Japanese army in previous battles. Even if they surrounded the Japanese army with several times the force, they could not annihilate them. Their own casualties were often several times or even ten times greater than that of the Japanese army. Japanese army. But now that the commander has just been changed, there is such a huge disparity in the outcome of the battle. The officers all looked at Xu Dalong with admiration.
In Tongniu Village, Kurosawa has been waiting for news from Yamashita. He was very confident that as soon as the Japanese army arrived, the fruit army at the foot of the mountain would either be wiped out or driven away. By then, the bandits in Tongniu Village would still be at his mercy.
The people in Tongniu Village were also watching, waiting for the outcome of the battle between the Japanese and Guojun troops. In fact, in their minds, they also believed that the Guo army was not a match for the Japanese army. Otherwise, they would not be so afraid of the islanders.
In the evening, the sentry at the gate of the village ran into the meeting hall and shouted: "Master, many teams have come down from the mountain."
Li Baokui asked eagerly: "Who is coming?"
The sentry took a breath and said, "They are the officers and soldiers who surrounded us earlier."
"What's going on? Didn't the islanders come?" Li Baokui, Gao Youyou and others were full of doubts.
They left the meeting hall and came to the village gate to look down the mountain. As expected, all the troops at the foot of the mountain were Guojun.
Someone at the bottom of the mountain shouted: "Brothers from Tongniu Village, the islanders have come to an infantry brigade, and thousands of people have been wiped out by us. If you don't believe it, you can look here."
Following the shouts, the officers and soldiers of the Guo Army piled a large amount of Japanese equipment in front of the team.
Li Baokui, Gao Youyou and others were all dumbfounded. They really didn't expect that the fruit army at the foot of the mountain would be so powerful.
Li Baokui wiped his cold sweat and said to Wang Dayong: "Brother Dayong, go down the mountain again and talk to them. Don't annoy them. Depending on the situation, if you really can't get any oil or water, we will agree to let him go." .”
After Wang Dayong went down the mountain, he only stayed for a short while and then came back.
Li Baokui stepped forward and said, "How was the discussion with them? What do they want?"
Wang Dayong said: "Chief Xu is very talkative. He said that as long as you release him, his conditions will still be given to us."
Gao Youyou said with some worry: "They didn't ask us to hand over those islanders, right?"
Li Baokui is also worried about this problem, which will make him feel very embarrassed. He looked at Wang Dayong nervously.
Wang Dayong shook his head and said: "Mr. Xu didn't mention this matter at all. He just said that we should release him."
The reason why Xu Dalong still met the conditions he had previously agreed to with the bandits was because he did not dare to take risks and did not want to cause trouble because of a little money issue. In his mind, Chu Yun'er was very important and could not be measured by mere money.
After listening to Wang Dayong's words, Li Baokui breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Okay, okay, please come out quickly. Brother Dayong, I'd better trouble you to send the person down the mountain."
Chu Yun'er was locked in a room and surrounded by several fat women all day long. She was really depressed to death. She was looking forward to Xu Dalong coming to save her, and her days were almost like years.
Although Xu Dalong led the troops of the Guo Army to surround the stronghold, neither side fired any shots. Chu Yun'er was locked in the back house and could not hear anything going on outside.
She was reading a book to pass the time out of boredom when the door opened and Li Baokui and others walked in.
Chu Yun'er stood up vigilantly and shouted angrily: "What are you going to do?"
Li Baokui said with a smile: "Miss Chu, please don't get me wrong. It was not me who caught you up the mountain, but Yang Jinlong. Now that he is dead, I will send someone to take you down the mountain."
Chu Yun'er felt happy. She knew that the bandits must not be so kind. Someone must have forced them to do this.
She first thought of Xu Dalong and asked, "Is it my brother Dalong who has come to pick me up?"
Li Baokui smiled awkwardly and said, "Miss Chu, just go down the mountain."
Soon the door of the cottage opened, and Wang Dayong walked down with Chu Yun'er.
Chu Yun'er saw a familiar figure among the crowd from a distance, but it was still a bit far away and could not be seen clearly.
After walking some distance further, she finally saw clearly the familiar and friendly face in the crowd that she had longed for. She ran desperately down the mountain and came to Xu Dalong.
She called out "Brother Dalong" and jumped directly into Xu Dalong's arms.
She felt very wronged, shed tears, beat Xu Dalong's generous chest with her fists, and cried: "Brother Dalong, why did you come here?"
Looking at the beautiful lady with pear blossoms and rain in front of him, Xu Dalong couldn't help but hold her in his arms.
(End of chapter)
