A Japanese soldier hurriedly ran out of the west entrance of the village to report the situation to the squadron leader.
The casualties of the puppet army were meaningless. The imperial army suffered nearly twenty casualties, the squad leader was killed, and a hole was torn in the west wall of the courtyard. Apart from that, the courtyard was still a large courtyard.
The squadron leader got angry on the spot, his pig face turned liver color, and he ordered on the spot: "The people besieging the compound should retreat to a safe area, and the mortars should be ready to fire." Then he waved to a squad of Japanese soldiers on standby nearby, and walked towards the village, ready to take command in person.
"Wait." The military police captain who was not supposed to be here suddenly spoke.
The Japanese squadron leader stopped and looked back in confusion. The military police captain was leaning on his saber and looking at the village with a serious expression. He only added: "We'll talk about it later."
It was strange enough that the military police captain came here with a few men out of the county to watch the battle. Now he suddenly stopped the action. Was he trying to intervene? The Japanese squadron leader was very upset, but he didn't dare to disobey. He wanted to ask for the reason, but seeing the captain's typical military police style, Yu Cui said nothing and stood aside, breathing heavily.
Not long after, another Japanese soldier hurried out of the village. He was the one who fired the shot at the gate of the compound. He ran up to the gendarmerie captain, said nothing, just stood at attention and nodded heavily at the captain.
The military police captain's frown finally relaxed a little, and he turned to look at the squadron leader: "Let them live, let them leave."
"who?"
"Those Eighth Route Army soldiers in the village."
The squadron leader's face turned from black to green in an instant, and he looked at the captain coldly without saying a word.
"I'll go back and explain to the major, now I want you to follow my orders," the military police captain said sternly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
The detective captain assisted the nearby imperial army and puppet army in identifying the escaped villagers, and then hurried to find the squadron leader to report on his work. When he turned the corner, he found two three-wheeled motorcycles parked on the side of the road. An officer was about to step into the sidecar seat of the motorcycle, apparently to leave.
The detective captain was stunned. How could his immediate superior be here? He hurried over and bowed more than 90 degrees to the military police captain on the spot.
The captain looked expressionlessly at the detective captain, who was smiling flatteringly, and asked, "I heard that you were the one who discovered and detained these Eighth Route Army soldiers?"
The detective captain raised his eyebrows and said, "Taijun, I was just about to report to you. I caught a big fish in the county, their No. 3. I successfully persuaded him with the might of the imperial army, and then followed the clues. I didn't expect to catch the Eighth Route Army... Later, I charged in front and led my men to chase and fight all the way..."
"Why didn't you report it in advance?" The Japanese captain coldly interrupted the detective captain's speech.
"Ah? I was..." Only then did he realize that the captain's face was not right, and he quickly stared blankly and stopped talking.
"You almost ruined my Sheep Head Plan, and I almost wanted to kill you. Since you want to make a contribution so much, then take your useless people and stay here to fight the Eighth Route Army." Then the military police captain sitting in the truck straightened his face, no longer looking at the detective captain, and waved his hand. Two three-wheeled motorcycles drove away along the path. The thick blue smoke that rushed out of the exhaust pipe choked the detective captain so much that he fanned his nose and could not open his eyes.
The sun was at its zenith, and it was almost noon.
The column of thick smoke in Xiaojiao Village has faded, and the fire in the courtyard is gradually dying out.
On the small road west of the village, three people were standing side by side quietly, staring blankly at the village. They didn't feel the sunburn at all, nor did they feel how hot the weather was, even though there was a hint of sweat on their faces.
The Japanese squadron leader stood in the middle, with his legs split, his hands behind his back, his face green, and a look of deep hatred and humiliation.
I don't understand a thousand times. As an imperial man, you should face the swords and guns. The perverts of the military police, do they treat the battlefield as a stage? Shame. They want to beat them, but they can't hurt anyone; they want to let them go, but they can't just let them go. Is this still fighting? A great shame
The detective captain stood on the right, his posture more like hunched over, with droopy brows and a bitter face, his head full of black lines.
I don't understand a million things. What is the Sheep Head Project? Can I eat it? I worked so hard for so many days, but I didn't even get a fake smile. I was almost shot. Who am I doing this for? I thought I was going to make the greatest contribution in my life, but now I have to eat my own teeth.
On the left stood the puppet army battalion commander, who was in a leisurely at-ease posture with his arms folded across his chest. His expression was rather complicated, neither good-looking nor ugly.
Long live understanding. There is a wise man in the Imperial Army. To win without fighting is the best strategy. Of course, the current situation is not related to this, but unfortunately, my level is limited and I can only say this one sentence. Who cares? It's better not to fight. The Imperial Army has only lost a few people, and the squadron leader's face has turned green. My brothers have already lost fifty people. Do you dare to fart
The most unlucky ones were the Japanese soldiers in charge of the mortars. They had already prepared everything and were squatting in the sun, waiting for the shells to be put into the muzzles. They had not received any orders until now. Their legs and arms were sore and hot, and they were sweating and staring. Is this a forgotten corner? They had said "ready to shoot, ready to shoot" several times, and had been preparing for an hour. They had posed but didn't say to shoot. What did that mean
Seeing that his men could no longer bear it, the head of the artillery gritted his teeth and ran behind the squadron leader to ask for instructions again, but the order he got was to send the mortars directly back to the county town.
If they don't want to kill them, how dare they use mortars? If they can't be used, what's the point of leaving them behind? If the Eighth Route Army in the village accidentally sees that they brought mortars but didn't greet them, will they be exposed? Isn't it embarrassing? Yu Cui went back first and pretended that he didn't bring them. So the two mortar teams that were temporarily reinforced packed up and withdrew.
The puppet army battalion commander asked the green-faced Japanese squadron leader a question at the right time: "Taijun, it's getting late, what do you think... should we make arrangements first? Or should we let the brothers have lunch first?"
The squadron leader sighed and said in stiff Chinese: "The Eighth Route Army...wait until dark...to break out. It must be from the north, so...when dark, the Eighth Route Army will attack the south first. Understand?"
The puppet army battalion commander immediately revealed an understanding expression: "What the lady said is absolutely right. Then we will surround them from the east, south and west directions and fight them until dark, and then let them run away on their own.
The detective captain on the other side curled his lips and said, "Captain Wu, please think it through first, okay? The Eighth Route Army originally wanted to run north, but with your arrangement, there is no one in the north. Who would dare to run north if they are smart? If they don't run north at that time, how can the Queen know where they are going? Wouldn't it be a mess? What if we accidentally block them again?"
Captain Wu said disapprovingly: "So what? At worst we can just turn around and run. You're not worried at all. With the speed you ran this morning, even the Eighth Route Army couldn't catch up with you even if they died of exhaustion."
"Hey, how can you talk like that? I was..."
The Japanese squadron leader patted the detective captain on the shoulder and said, "You are right. Order: Detective team, north of the compound. Captain Wu, east, south, west. Outside the Imperial Army Village."
The detective captain shuddered on the spot: "Taijun, right now our detective team... only has a dozen people left, and then..."
The squadron leader raised his hand, signaling him to shut up, then pointed his finger at his chest with a cold face and said: "You started this, you end it"
The puppet army battalion commander mouthed the word to the detective captain but did not speak out loud.
In Xiaojiao Village, in an inconspicuous courtyard near the main compound.
Ma Liang leaned over a gap in the wall and looked around nervously, muttering to the yard behind him, "Brother, why do I feel so strange? It's been such a long time, and there's been no movement at all. Isn't this wrong?"
Hu Yi sat in the shade of the corner with one leg bent, his rifle leaning against his shoulder, rubbing his temples with both hands. His headache hadn't stopped yet, and the scenery in his eyes had become a little pale, accompanied by a slight trance, as if he was on the verge of losing consciousness.
I tried hard to force myself to stay focused. I couldn't do it again in this situation. This damn feeling was too uncomfortable. Although I didn't want to talk in this state, in order to stay awake, I still answered Ma Liang's question: "They went to have lunch." I didn't think about this sentence carefully, I just said it casually.
"Brother, there is a water tank in the room, why don't you go wash your face."
After the grenade-throwing battle, Ma Liang noticed that Hu Yi was not in good condition and was worried that he might have that strange old illness.
"I'm fine, I just have a headache."
Although he said this, Hu Yi still stood up and walked into the house. After a splash of cold water on his face, he seemed to be much clearer.
On the other side of the yard, Luo Fugui, who was sitting against the wall, hugged his machine gun and asked Wu Shitou in a bored tone, "Fool, don't you have any ideas? Why don't you feel scared?"
"I do."
"What?"
“Yes.”
"What are you thinking about?"
"Girl."
"That wicked thing beats you every day, and you still miss her?"
"It doesn't hurt."
"Damn it, you're such a bitch, I've never hit you before, why don't you miss me?"
Wu Shitou stared at Luo Fugui blankly for a while, and gave the final answer woodenly: "She looks like my mother."
"..." The bored Luo Fugui was finally speechless. He felt that he was bored to death.
After answering the command in a low voice, Liu Jianqiang first handed the eight Type 38 rifles tied together into the hole at the bottom of the courtyard wall, waited for the people inside to help pull them in, and then climbed in.
Shi Cheng had heard the news and ran over here: "How are you?"
"Nothing." Liu Jianqiang entered the yard, not even bothering to brush off the dust on his body, and asked Shi Cheng directly: "How about you guys?"
"One died, one was seriously injured, and two were slightly injured. All because of the explosion."
"The platoon leader asked you to switch to this. The Type 79 rifles are no longer needed. Gather all the pointed Type 79 bullets and I will take them out to the machine guns." As Liu Jianqiang spoke, he took off several bullet boxes slung across his body, and removed the eight sheathed bayonets hanging behind his waist and placed them on the ground.
Shi Cheng nodded: "Did the platoon leader... say what to do next?"
"No. He only asked me to tell you four words: Very good. Artillery proof."
Shi Cheng said nothing more.
Embers are burning, smoke is lingering, it is actually a very bright noon sky, but it is a pity that people who cannot see their fate cannot see it, they are ready to be tenacious until they sacrifice
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