As time continued to pass, there was a dead silence around the mountain road that was winding between the mountain roads. The scorching sun continued to emit light and heat. The Japanese troops marching on the mountain road with little cover were also unbearably hot.
A Japanese transport team appeared from the end of the foothills and gradually approached.
This is a Japanese transport squadron, with a total number of members of No. 172 (not yet full).
The task carried out by the Japanese this time was to transport a batch of supplies from the county town to some strongholds on the periphery of the Independent Regiment's guerrilla zone to support the Japanese and puppet troops stationed in the strongholds.
"These days, the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army has become more and more aggressive. I heard that they often carry out raids around the stronghold, and there are also many snipers ambushing them. The imperial soldiers in the stronghold don't dare to show their faces at all."
"Those who dared to leave the stronghold were either injured or killed on the spot at worst. The rations hoarded in the stronghold could only be wasted. It was actually reduced to the point where our county had to transport supplies to use them."
Japanese Lieutenant Squadron Leader Takeo Harada spoke with some indignation in his words.
"Is the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army really so difficult to deal with? I would rather compete with the troops of the Independent Regiment."
The Japanese adjutant beside him said nothing.
Who doesn’t know how to brag?
The Sakata Alliance, the 4th Mixed Brigade, and the Ishii Alliance probably thought the same way.
The results of it? The tragic defeat at the hands of the independent group became history.
…
The team continued to move forward. Despite Takeo Harada's previous arrogance, in fact, the closer he got to the direction of the independent group, the more unreasonable he felt in his heart.
In addition, what these Eighth Route Army likes to do most is to cut off the material supply to the imperial troops.
Even though he was traveling secretly and chose a trail in the mountains and forests, he would inevitably be ambushed by the Eighth Route Army.
Therefore, Harada Takeo still behaved very cautiously.
Whenever he encounters a place where an ambush might be hidden on both sides of the mountain road, Harada Takeo will immediately order the troops to stop advancing and let the scouts enter both sides of the mountain road in advance to conduct reconnaissance. Only after it is confirmed that it is safe, the transport team will continue to move forward.
In this way, Harada Takeo led the transport team and gradually walked towards the ambush circle of Shen Quan and his party.
From a distance, he saw dense forests on the steep slopes on both sides of the mountain road. At a glance, his field of vision was blocked by the woods. Harada Takeo immediately became vigilant. He raised his binoculars, walked up a dirt slope, and took the lead to look at the mountains on both sides. I only observed the forest for a long time, but I didn't see any movement.
After returning to the team, Harada Takeo said to the adjutant: "In the area ahead, the woods on both sides of the mountain road are densely covered. It is easy to hide ambushes, so we have to guard against them."
The adjutant said: "Your Excellency, squadron commander, will you send scouts to investigate the situation?"
Harada Takeo shook his head and said: "The area of the two dense forests is too large. We don't have many manpower. It will take time and effort to complete the investigation. In this way, we will conduct a fire reconnaissance."
"Hi!"
After the order was issued, there were several Japs from the machine gun team. They formed a group of three, with two people serving as supports. They raised the tripod of the light machine gun and one person set up the gun to shoot. They fired suddenly towards the forest on both sides of the mountain road for a while. Some Japanese artillery fired some shells at the mountains and forests on both sides.
Boom——
The sound of the explosion broke the dead silence of the mountain forest. Takeo Harada used a telescope to look at both sides of the mountain road, but still saw no movement. He could only see the places where the shells exploded, with broken trees and flying grass blades.
On the right side of the mountain road, somewhere in the prepared ambush site behind the slope ridge, Shen Wenyue was awakened by the sound of gunfire from the Japanese reconnaissance fire.
Next to him, the little soldier assigned by Shen Quan to protect Shen Wenyue lowered his voice slightly and said, "Listen to this movement, it should be the little Japs conducting fire reconnaissance."
Shen Wenyue nodded, admiring the foresight of Second Battalion Commander Shen Quan. The Japanese had indeed carried out fire reconnaissance. If the main force had been deployed at the forward ambush location, they would have been detected by fire reconnaissance at this moment.
As long as there is any movement, it will be exposed immediately.
The current situation is that there are only a very small number of observation posts left in the dense forests on both sides of the mountain road.
With such a large area of dense forest and the Japanese firing aimlessly, the possibility of hitting the observation post soldiers was very slim.
In this way, the Japanese troops at the foot of the mountain road used machine guns and grenade fire to investigate the dense forests on both sides for a minute or two. Seeing that there was no movement, Takeo Harada issued an order to cease fire, and then waved his hand: "Keep going! "
The Japanese army obviously believed that there was no eight-way ambush in the dense forests on both sides of the mountain road.
Otherwise, the previous machine gun fire reconnaissance and artillery bombardment should have exposed the movement.
After the Japanese troops on the mountain road continued to advance, Shen Quan arranged forward observation posts on both sides of the mountain road. They immediately jumped back from the tree trunks at the ridgeline with a wide view, and conveyed the news to Shen Quan and his party with gestures.
In accordance with the pre-war preparation plan, the soldiers, led by Second Battalion Commander Shen Quan, used the cover of the dense forest to quietly move from the prepared ambush site to the forward ambush site, and lurked again with the help of surrounding bunkers, quietly Waiting for the Japanese army to step into the ambush circle.
"The little devil was fooled. When they enter the ambush circle, this battle will be won."
The soldier responsible for protecting Shen Wenyue said proudly.
Not long after, the battle at the mountain road started instantly.
Shen Wenyue, who was still hiding in the rear position, only heard the intensive sound of artillery and gunfire coming from the mountain roads, which seemed to be vaguely mixed with the screams belonging to the Japanese army and the shouts of the independent regiment soldiers echoing in the mountains and forests. Killing sound.
Various sounds intertwined in this hidden mountain road.
It was more thrilling than any piece of music Shen Wenyue had ever heard before.
When the battle lasted for the third minute, the sound of fighting coming from the mountains and forests had intensified from the initial sudden outbreak to gradually stopping at this moment. Shen Wenyue could not sit still and said to the soldiers beside him:
"Xiao Wu, the scenes of the frontline soldiers fighting bravely are so precious. If photographed, it can become an eternal memorial. Whether it is used for publicity or memories in the future, it will be good. I want to rush ahead and take some photos. May I?"
The little soldier quickly shook his head: "No, the battalion commander told me to protect Reporter Shen every step of the way. In addition, the battalion commander specifically told me not to let Reporter Shen run around."
"I just want to take some photos." Shen Wenyue said.
The little soldier thought for a while: "Reporter Shen, it's too dangerous ahead. Let me help you take pictures!"
"You know how to shoot with a camera?"
"This...can't!"
"Don't worry, I'm just shooting on the edge of the battlefield, there's no danger."
Shen Wenyue said and smiled sweetly. This smile made the pure white soldier a little dazzled and stunned for a moment. Shen Wenyue, who had also retreated from the ambush front, had already followed the original route and ran towards the forward ambush point.
The little warrior didn't come to his senses for a moment and couldn't stop him. He quickly followed after reacting.
Hurrying to the previous ambush site, Shen Wenyue took advantage of the condescending terrain and wide field of view to look down. Shen Wenyue happened to see Shen Quan leading the soldiers to eliminate the remaining Japanese troops.
The charge horn had already sounded. After less than three minutes of fierce firepower, while the ambush circle was still shrouded in smoke, Shen Quan directly issued a charge order for a quick victory.
The soldiers of the first echelon advanced first, and after throwing grenades, the machine gunners, melee riflemen, and shotgun teams of the subsequent echelons quickly advanced to clear the battlefield and eliminate the remaining enemy forces.
An ambush broke out suddenly. The two sides fought for less than five minutes, and the battle seemed to be coming to an end.
The independent regiment's ambush was obviously carried out from four directions at the same time. The main ambush points on both sides of the mountain road plus the interception points in the east and west directions were like an encirclement circle, which quickly shrank and wiped out the Japanese troops in the ambush circle in one fell swoop.
Shen Wenyue, who arrived, ignored the shock in her heart and quickly raised the camera in her hand. After finding a suitable distance, she hurriedly started taking pictures.
After taking a few long shots, Shen Wenyue rushed towards the ended battlefield, preparing to take some photos nearby.
The little warrior behind him has already followed, always alert to his surroundings.
After the two got close, they passed through the mountain road and saw the corpses of Japanese invaders. Most of them were mutilated by shelling. glutinous rice
Shen Wenyue had been to the front line, but this was probably the first time she felt the horror of war at such a close range. Although she did not vomit like someone who had seen such a situation for the first time, her face was still affected by such a tragic situation. The bottom is slightly whitish.
As they continued to advance, Shen Wenyue was about to rush to where Shen Quan was, when a Japanese man who was not dead suddenly stood up with a strange scream, pulled the gun bolt and pointed the gun at Shen Wenyue.
boom--
The gunshot rang out, and the Japanese man who was not dead was hit in the chest by a bullet and lay down again.
At the critical moment, the little soldier responsible for protecting Shen Wenyue took action in time and killed the Japanese who was not dead with his rifle.
Shen Yue looked back and saw that the shy little warrior who had been following her before and would blush when he smiled at him was now killing the little devil without any hesitation.
"Reporter Shen, you have to be careful. These little devils are very hateful. As long as they are not dead, they may sneak up and shoot you at any time."
The little soldier pulled the bolt of the gun again, while watching his surroundings, he walked closer to Shen Wenyue and said.
Shen Quan, who was not far away, heard the gunfire and rushed over. When he saw Shen Wenyue, he cursed at the little soldier beside him: "Xiao Wu, what did you do? Didn't I tell you to be optimistic about Reporter Shen?"
Shen Wenyue said hurriedly: "Captain Shen, I don't blame Xiao Wu. I came here myself. Xiao Wu saved me just now."
Shen Quan frowned and said, "Miss Shen, the battlefield is no child's play. People may die at any time. I can't guarantee your safety while you are here."
Shen Wenyue nodded and said: "Please rest assured, Commander Shen, the front-line reporters interviewed on the spot are not flowers in the greenhouse. I will be responsible for my actions. Although I am not as brave as the Eighth Route Army soldiers who charged into the battle, I am here." Conducting on-site interviews, I was also mentally prepared to face death at any time.”
Let's talk. Shen Wenyue, who is not delicate and pretentious, changed the topic and asked in an on-the-spot interview: "From the beginning of the battle to the present, I carefully checked my watch and found that it was only five minutes and twenty-seven seconds. In such a short period of time, a squadron of the Japanese army was wiped out." Although I have seen the military strength with my own eyes, it is still hard to imagine, Battalion Commander Shen, how on earth did you do it?"
Chen Quan smiled and said: "Did it take five minutes and twenty-seven seconds? Speaking of which, every time we fight an ambush battle, we pay attention to quick victory, but I really haven't paid attention to the specific time it took."
"As for the reason that Reporter Shen is asking about? I don't know what to say. I can only say that these little devils are too weak."
"The Japs are too weak?" During the interview, Shen Wenyue, who had already taken out his shorthand notebook, was stunned and a little dumbfounded. What is the reason for this? I have never heard any Chinese army dare to say that the Japanese army is too weak.
There seems to be a consensus among the national army that the Japanese have strong combat effectiveness.
However, Shen Quan firmly believed in his answer, "It's just too weak. After all, this is just a transport force of the Japs, not as good as the regular combat troops of the Japs.
In addition, Reporter Shen should also know that when the Anti-Japanese War first broke out, the troops of the Japanese Division A were elite. As for these Japanese soldiers now, they are just second-rate troops of the Second Division responsible for public security and are not worth mentioning. . "
Click——
Shen Quan pointed at Jiangshan, with a confident look on his face, which was captured by Shen Wenyue on the side.
The flash of the camera woke up the second battalion commander. The second battalion commander was stunned and said, "Reporter Shen, did you just take a picture of me?"
Shen Wenyue nodded.
"You mean, I might be in the newspaper and people all over the country can see me like Shen Quan?" Shen Quan's eyes widened.
Shen Wenyue nodded again.
Chen Quan was startled, and then excitement appeared on his face. He quickly adjusted his military uniform, tied the first button that he had never worn before, put his diagonal hat back on, held the shell gun in his hand, and made With a majestic look, he said seriously: "Reporter Shen, this is my first time in the newspaper! You said you wanted to take a photo of me, so I'm ready. What did it look like just now? It's okay now, please Shen The reporter will take another picture of me."
"What our Eighth Route Army pays attention to is neat military appearance and strict discipline. What we just looked like is not a big deal."
Shen Wenyue looked at the camera and said helplessly: "I'm sorry, I just ran out of film."
Chen Quan: "..."
It’s over, what just happened has damaged our glorious image!
Shen Quan, who looked depressed, made Shen Wenyue on the side snicker.
In Shen Wenyue's view, Commander Shen's true feelings were revealed just now, which makes it more real. This is the reporter's favorite material.
At the same time, he also had some emotions:
Looking at the suddenly humorous and even cute second battalion commander in front of her, Shen Wenyue couldn't even connect him with the iron-blooded general who had led the soldiers to fight bravely and was even a little cruel when facing the Japanese invaders.
Then, Shen Wenyue continued on-the-spot interviews, and also interviewed some platoon leaders, squad leaders, and soldiers who participated in the battle, and took notes.
Chen Quan continued to direct the soldiers to seize the time to clean the battlefield.
Since the battlefield was located between the Japanese stronghold and the county town, it was not suitable to stay for a long time. After quickly cleaning the battlefield, Shen Quan ordered to return and leave.
On the way back, the bodies of eight more warriors who died heroically were found in the team.
Two of them are monitors and three are deputy monitors.
Shen Wenyue once learned about this in an interview with Kong Jie. In the Eighth Route Army, the casualty rate of cadres was very high.
Without him, every time they charge into battle, the squad and platoon leaders of the Eighth Route Army would take the lead.
Generals are not afraid of death, and soldiers are not greedy for life. This is vividly demonstrated in the Eighth Route Army.
Looking at the eight sacrificed soldiers in front of her, Shen Wenyue remembered that before the ambush started, she had interviewed one of the old squad leaders.
The sacrifice of eight soldiers resulted in the destruction of a Japanese squadron.
If it were in the national army camp, Shen Wenyue knew that this would be a huge victory and would definitely be widely reported and publicized.
At this moment, she still saw only calm on the faces of these Eighth Route Army soldiers and cadres.
Eight people were killed, which was much better than the minimum standard previously set by Shen Quan.
But in the expressions of these Eighth Route Army soldiers, especially in the flashing tears of the comrades carrying and carrying the bodies of these fallen soldiers, Shen Wenyue knew that the "eight" would never be just a number in the Eighth Route Army troops.
"This is the departure of eight like-minded comrades and comrades who share life and death together!"
"We want to cry in our hearts, but we still have to smile on our faces."
"Our Eighth Route Army pays attention to the spirit of revolutionary optimism. Sacrifice and death will only inspire the living soldiers to continue to move forward bravely. Just face all difficulties and sufferings with a smile."
"While we are saddened by the sacrifices of these comrades, we are also proud of the bravery of these comrades. This is the highest honor for soldiers!"
Shen Quan spoke slowly.
More than a hundred soldiers around him responded in unison:
"We are always ready to dedicate everything to the revolutionary cause, including our own lives!"
On the way back, Shen Wenyue listened to all this. When recording it in her shorthand notebook, the right hand holding the pen trembled slightly, and tears rolled in her eyes. She wrote these words word by word, which made her cry, and again. The shocking words were written down in the notebook exactly.
In the last sentence of summary, Shen Wenyue wrote:
"The fighting power displayed by the Independent Regiment of the Eighth Route Army is shocking. Behind this fighting power is the joint construction of blood and tears, faith and willpower. The emergence of this unit will surely shock the whole of China..."
"The Eighth Route Army is a well-deserved iron-blooded army, a benevolent and righteous army, and a heroic army..."
…
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