It was late at night.
The Ninth Company had been walking for three or four hours, heading eastward for nearly twenty or thirty miles.
Hu Yi lay on the upper beam with his telescope in hand, staring into the dark ravine. Luo Fugui leaned against Hu Yi's side with a machine gun, quietly staring at the fire in the distant ravine.
Chen Chong and Tang Dagou rested nervously in the mountain col behind the high ground, not far from Hu Yi. Squad Leader Wang and Company Commander Chen looked at each other and continued to enjoy the moonlight scenery.
After a while, Hu Yi put down the telescope, subconsciously pulled off his hat fan, turned around and asked, "Are you sure that's a Japanese?"
Wang Liujin couldn't help but stretched his neck: "There must be two comrades down there who have observed it closely!"
"how many people?"
"Well, there were only a dozen of them, and they sent out sentries to prevent them from getting too close. If they hadn't lit a fire, we wouldn't have noticed them!"
"More than a dozen? It's impossible for the Japs to be divided into small groups to sweep away. There should be at least one small group ahead!"
"Boss Hu, it's better now. There are Japanese soldiers blocking the front and chasing troops behind!" Luo Fugui cursed when faced with such a situation.
"Then, what should we do now?" Company Commander Chen couldn't help but ask.
"Retreat immediately, turn south from the intersection you just passed, bypass this group of Japs and then go east!" Hu Yi ordered without hesitation.
The Japs were still hanging far behind, occasionally shooting at Duanhouba Road. They were still several miles away from the fork in the mountain ridge behind them. The gunshots from the north did not make the Japs change the direction of pursuit, but they sent another squad of Japs to reconnoiter. .
The Ninth Company retreated, thus getting closer to the pursuing Japs. Hu Yi was worried and Li Xiangduan sent Tang Dagou to lead his squad back for reinforcements. Wang Liujin led people to monitor the east hillside to prevent the Japs from listening. Come closer to the sound of gunfire.
The situation is unclear and it is impossible to judge whether the Japanese appeared in the east or not, whether they were the Japanese who got the news and rushed over.
The Ninth Company has a killer weapon, it can be used anywhere in the mountains, there is nothing to worry about, and the firepower is sufficient. If it is only those dozen Japs, they can even open their fangs and wipe out those few Japs. The enemy's situation is unknown, and they can't afford to hide.
"Boss Hu, there are also Japanese soldiers in the east. We are attacked from both sides. Do you think we should find a cliff and slip down to hide for a while?"
"Hide? What do dozens of people eat?" Chen Chong answered the question first.
"At worst, I can only eat wild vegetables for two days, and I still have a few cans!" The shameless man didn't care about the opinions of people who had been short of food for a long time.
"Captain Hu, we really belong to you, the Japanese are really here to double-team us!" Captain Chen was happy but worried, but in a good mood. It turns out that fighting is not a head-to-head confrontation with the enemy.
"Squad Leader Wang, take the people south, bypass the group of Japs to the east, and continue heading east!"
"Yes!" Squad leader Liujin asked a soldier to notify the observing soldiers of the special agent squad to retreat, and he led two soldiers to turn south first.
Dozens of people clung to the side of the mountain, following the soldiers from the special service squad, heading south. A stretcher squeezed in from behind: "There are only a dozen or so Japs, why are they running away? My aunt will crush them to death!"
"More than a dozen? When have you ever seen a Japs team of more than a dozen people in the mountains? When has the number been less than a small team?" Speaking of Japs, Luo Fugui answered listlessly.
"Uh... that's true. This little devil is very timid. Every time he raids, he comes in groups! When are we going to run?" He yawned and fell on the stretcher again.
"A small team of Japs would still be afraid of being ambushed?" Hao Yun next to him asked an inappropriate question. In his impression, a squad of Japs could chase a platoon of the National Army into pursuit.
"Damn it, do you really think that the devil has three heads and six arms?" Poluo looked at this tough guy with disdain.
On a small highland in the distance, Tang Dagou was lying on the top of the highland, leisurely watching Li Xiang below, and the Japanese who were about a hundred meters behind were firing cold shots at each other. Several figures were retreating to Tang Dagou's high ground while fighting.
The Japanese saw the few Eighth Route Army ahead bathing in the moonlight, running up a ridge along the gentle slope. The first class immediately approached cautiously. About a hundred meters ahead, the Eighth Route Army disappeared on the top of the ridge.
We have seen this happen many times. The Japs immediately dispersed when they reached the gentle slope. The Japs on the edge quickly dispersed to the edges of the cliffs on both sides, pressing up the mountain ridge in a fan shape.
When the soldiers led by Li Xiang arrived at the east side of the mountain ridge, they all stopped and panted rapidly. They turned their heads and saw Tang Dagou lying there, and asked directly: "Why are you here?"
"What the hell, Chief Hu asked me to come and support you personally. What, do you have any objections?"
"Then let me thank you first?" Li Xiang turned his head: "Let's go!"
Walking without any sloppiness!
"Hey, what the hell, what's your attitude?" He yelled at Li Xiang's back in the distance.
"Big dog, how about we withdraw too?"
"What the hell, call me monitor"
"Oh, Squad Leader Tang, how about we run away?"
"What the hell, you just know how to run away. Since when did we have an advantage? The Japs are down there. I'll kill him if I throw two stones! Get ready, follow my orders, and you'll be rewarded for killing a Japs..."
"Uh, a piece of the ocean?"
"I'm going to give you a real treat!"
"Ah..."
"Listen, what's that sound?"
"What is that sound?" Tang Dagou pricked up his ears and finally distinguished the faint thumping sound in the mountain wind, and then a low whistling sound came from the sky.
"Everyone lay down with their heads in their hands, it's a Japanese grenade!"
All the subordinates heard it, and then, the ground on the mountain ridge trembled slightly several times, grenades exploded on the hillside, shrapnel flew westward with fine stone fragments, and larger stones that could not be moved by the shock wave jumped and rolled down the slope. , gradually forming a majestic shock.
"What the hell...retreat...retreat..."
Tang Dagou did not expect that for the first time he acted alone, he would be beaten by the Japanese with grenades in the face. He was stunned for a moment and quickly ordered a retreat.
As soon as he stood up and ran back, he suddenly turned his head and shouted at the soldiers who were still lying on the ground holding their heads: "What the hell, run! Run!"
The shrunken soldiers quickly got up and ran eastward following Li Xiang and others.
Because the Japs' team was far away from the high point, they chased each other under the moonlight for most of the night. They were nervous and tired. Based on previous experience, the Eighth Route Army would probably ambush and fire cold shots on the high ground. The second lieutenant who followed them, He couldn't help but burst into anger. As soon as he reached the high ground, he angrily ordered the grenade to fire upward first.
The Ninth Company left a soldier waiting at the fork in the road.
"Captain Hu, there is a big river to the east. There is no bridge to the south. The people have all run away, and there are probably no ferries. We may not be able to cross it!" The guerrilla soldier leading the way turned to Hu Yi and said with panic on his face.
"Is there a river? Haha, it's great to have a river!" Luo Fugui, who was behind Hu Yi, became energetic again, with a happy face, which made the soldier confused.
"How far is it from the mountain pass after crossing the river?" Hu Yi asked expressionlessly.
"It's closer to the north. It's forty to fifty miles, and it takes almost half of the day! There's also a mountain pass to the south. You have to climb a few more mountains, and you have to walk at least ten or twenty miles more!"
