Traveling through 1937, starting from the Battle of Songhu

Chapter 373 The Japs Enter the Mountains

It was nine o'clock in the evening. With the 37th Battalion returning safely to the Xianyaling base, Zhou Qianli, the chief steward, finally felt relieved.

The base is currently guarded by only some logistics and civilian personnel, and no one would feel at ease.

The independent regiment has been developing for nearly a year. The team that was finally put together, together with the teachers, medical staff supported by the Eighth Route Army, and students who came to defect, are all staying in Xianyaling at this time. If they are wiped out by the Japanese, Gu Changfeng will be in real trouble.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly and most of the people were able to enter the mountains safely, so all they had to do next was wait for the Japanese attack.

"Old Wu, the main force is on its way back and is expected to arrive in two hours. Then we can have some fun with the Japs."

Zhou Qianli's face, which had been serious all day, finally showed a smile at this moment. He had to take care of all aspects and prevent large-scale casualties among the people. The pressure was really great.

When Wu Mazi heard this, his expression relaxed immediately and he said with a smile, "You're finally back."

The words were brief, but what they contained was like a mountain being lifted off the ground.

He was also under a lot of pressure. In fact, if the Japanese had not divided their troops, it would have been very difficult for them to defeat a Japanese regiment, and the casualties would have been much greater.

The Seventh Battalion has not been on the battlefield for a long time, and the Third Battalion suffered heavy losses in the last blocking battle, so its combat effectiveness is not as strong as before.

Fortunately, the two battalions had a lot of artillery combined, so they didn't feel much pressure facing a large group of Japanese soldiers.

This time, after retreating from the mountains, Xiaowu of the special forces team went to a village a few kilometers away from the Japanese to lie in ambush.

"Team 25 on alert, everyone else rest, and the communications team, listen out for news from our brothers outside."

Xiaowu couldn't rest assured with a group of Japanese soldiers in the mountains, so there were special forces watching the Japanese soldiers not far away. It can be said that every move of Mizukawa Kita was under the surveillance of the special forces.

"Captain, the Japs seem to have gone deep into the mountains and forests."

The special forces had just stopped and turned on the radio when they received this message.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately became nervous and looked at the signalman and ordered, "Contact the regiment headquarters and see if there are any civilians in the surrounding mountains."

"Yes, Captain."

The Japanese invaders entered the deep mountains, and this situation made everyone feel helpless. They had been fighting for so long and had just stopped to rest. If there were any civilians around, they would definitely have to set off again.

The regiment headquarters located in Xianyaling quickly received the news and immediately began to search for the locations reported by the militia companies.

Soon after, the situation was reported back to the special forces. Xiao Wu looked at the telegram and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

There is indeed a group of people living in the deep mountains, but they are very hidden and it is impossible for people without familiarity to find the way in.

In fact, it was already night. After searching for several hours, Mizukawa Kita announced that they would set up camp on the spot.

It was too cold in the mountains and the Japanese soldiers couldn't bear it. As the brigade commander, Mizukawa Kita had to take this into consideration.

At ten o'clock in the evening, the team members reported back the movements of the Japanese invaders. Xiaowu was completely relieved. After ordering people to change shifts, the special forces team entered their rest time.

Mizukawa Kita didn't make any movement, but the Ghana Battalion, which was severely damaged by the 37th Battalion, sneaked back to Majia Town.

The total strength of the Ghana Battalion was more than 1000 troops, plus more than 1500 puppet troops. They were defeated by the 400th Battalion. At this time, there were only dozens of puppet troops left, and there were only more than Japanese soldiers.

The key point is that when the Ghana Battalion was being beaten by the 37th Battalion, all its mortars were gone, leaving only some grenade launchers.

"Damn it! These Chinese have too much firepower."

Lieutenant Colonel Ghana said angrily, "It's really embarrassing."

"Captain, these Chinese soldiers have already left."

Captain Ishino reported, as if he had not heard what the captain had just said.

He didn't dare say anything. Everyone was embarrassed, and he wasn't much better off.

When Lieutenant Colonel Gana heard Ishino's words, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he said angrily: "The brigade commander has led the team to find the Chinese people. Let's go into the mountains too."

The night was not a problem for the Japanese soldiers. When their Ghana Battalion fought against the National Army, they had many night battles and stayed in the mountains for several days in a row when times were difficult.

"Captain, the weather is too cold, isn't it..."

Before Ishino could finish his words, Gana stared at Ishino and roared, "The warriors of the empire are not afraid of hardships. They fight for the holy war and for His Majesty the Emperor. What does this little bit of cold mean to them?"

This angry scolding left Ishino speechless.

After a pause, Lieutenant Colonel Ghana softened his tone and said, "Mr. Ishino, we have a deep hatred for the Gaojiazhen army."

"The division headquarters ordered us to dig up the roots of the independent regiment. For these Chinese, the people are their roots. So, do you understand?"

Unlike Mizukawa, the Ghana Brigade had not yet entered the mountains, so they were not aware of the coldness in the mountains. If he knew, he wondered whether he would regret his choice at this moment.

With Ghana's order, the Japanese soldiers ate some salted fish rice balls and continued on their journey. This time, their goal was to find the Chinese people hiding in the mountains and forests.

Outside the village, the soldiers left behind by the militia company to guard the village had already discovered that the Japanese had entered the village, but they were few in number, and it was impossible for them to take action against more than 400 Japanese.

"Platoon leader, the devils are coming out."

The soldiers who were staring at the village exit soon discovered that hundreds of Japanese soldiers were walking towards them, and immediately reported the situation to Ma Xiaoxi.

"The devils left the village at this hour of night?"

Doubts filled Ma Xiaoxi's mind. He really couldn't understand why the Japanese were not sleeping in the middle of the night.

"Have the Japanese brought all their weapons and equipment?" Ma Xiaoxi asked.

The soldier nodded and said, "Our people have been keeping an eye on the village. The Japanese didn't leave anything behind; they took everything away."

"Not good." Ma Xiaoxi almost cried out in surprise. The Japanese were acting abnormally and were heading towards the back mountain again. It seemed that they had no other target except them.

"Platoon leader, what's wrong?" The soldier became nervous when he saw Ma Xiaoxi like this.

"Quick, tell the brothers to string the grenades in the ambush. We are in trouble."

Ma Xiaoxi didn't have time to explain so much. The Japanese were right in front of them, and they had to ensure the safety of the people in Majia Village.

"Yes, platoon leader." The soldier quickly bent over and ran towards the back mountain.

In fact, the people of Majia Village were not far away from the village. After leaving the back mountain and crossing a few more mountains, they reached their hiding place. They were in a valley.

The main reason is that there is a cave to hide in, otherwise the people of Majia Village would not choose such a close place.

"Company Commander, the Japanese seem to be preparing to enter the mountains. I have asked the brothers to tie up the grenades placed everywhere."

In a sheltered area on the back mountain, Ma Sanjingang, the company commander of the Majia Village militia company, heard this news after reporting to the regiment headquarters. He immediately became anxious.

"Communicator, contact the regiment headquarters immediately. The Japanese have reached our side. Request support from the regiment headquarters."

Although he was well aware of the current situation of the regiment, he had to do this for the sake of the people of Majia Village.