A large group of the Japanese army, numbering more than a thousand men and bringing with them several hundred puppet troops, were approaching along the southern path. A part of their troops were sent to encircle the enemy from the east to block the northern entrance to Wuming Village.
Gao Yidao, with his head wrapped in bandages, stood by the path in the south of the village, frowning tightly and staring in the direction of the road. It was a fact that the Japanese invaders had come, and he had to accept it even if he was unwilling. The villagers had already crossed the West Mountain, and this became the only good thing. How long could the 100 or so people in the Second Company hold off the Japanese invaders? The Japanese invaders were already going around the East Mountain to encircle the North Road. As long as they formed a two-sided pincer attack, the Second Company would be immediately wiped out. Follow the villagers to the west? You can't run ahead of the people, right? You can't run far behind the villagers. If you take the Second Company to the north right now, you may still have time to evacuate. The problem is that the people in the West Mountain have not run far, and they will inevitably suffer if the Second Company leaves. This problem is like a mountain pressing on Gao Yidao's heart, making him so entangled that he can't breathe.
In the same situation, different commanders would adopt different combat methods because of their different temperaments. Gao Yidao was a man of strong character, but he was not a reckless man. He was a man of roughness but with a fine mind. He couldn't bear to just run away with the Second Company, and he was unwilling to let the Japanese eat him alive when they got stuck here.
After a fierce ideological struggle, Gao Yidao finally made up his mind. The villagers wanted to be saved. This was a matter of principle. He would save as many as possible. The Second Company could not be destroyed. If the Second Company was destroyed, Gao Yidao was unwilling to accept it. He finally gritted his teeth and issued an order.
The first platoon abandoned the roadside position at the south end and retreated into the village houses to fight street battles to the death. They were not allowed to retreat unless ordered to do so. All the wounded soldiers who were recovering were assigned to the first platoon. Those who could shoot were given guns, and those who could not shoot were given grenades. The second and third platoons went to the north of the village to block the small road for defense, blocking the Japanese from encircling Dongshan and guarding the retreat route.
Gao Yidao's idea was obvious. In order to delay the enemy, the soldiers and wounded in the first row were destined to become cannon fodder. When they could no longer delay the enemy, he would lead the second and third rows to break out and retreat to the north, while attracting the enemy to pursue. It must be said that in this situation, Gao Yidao's decision was not wrong and was beyond reproach.
Hu Yi and Xiao Hongying climbed to the top of Dongshan Mountain, and soon Ma Liang also came up.
"Brother, why are we coming to Dongshan if we don't follow the people and run west?"
"Let's run east."
“Ah?” Ma Liang leaned over and looked at the cliff not far to the east: “Here, there’s no way down here?”
Hu Yi pointed to a bush nearby and said, "There is a long rope there. You can climb down." This long rope was used by Hu Yi to train Xiao Hongying to climb. It was usually thrown on the top of the East Mountain.
Ma Liang couldn't help but sigh, this Hu brother is indeed a deserter, this is considered to be preparing for a rainy day, right? It's right to listen to the old soldier, it's true. "Brother, what are we waiting for, let's go." As he said this, he walked towards the bushes and picked up a bundle of long ropes.
Hu Yi found a rock to sit on and rubbed his temples. He was still in pain from the sequelae of the concussion. "We can't leave now. The Japanese should be passing below and encircling us from the north. When we hear gunfire from the north, we'll go down."
The Japanese knew through preliminary reconnaissance that there should be a guard at the south end of the village, but when the main force arrived there was nothing, so they went straight into the village. They were met with a row of cold guns and a wave of grenades. The Eighth Route Army gave up the periphery and went straight to street fighting, which was a bit troublesome. They hastily mounted machine guns and opened fire, and a rain of bullets swept into the village. It didn't seem to have any effect, but at least the gunfire of the Eighth Route Army became sparse, so the infantry in front tried to attack again, and they were about to enter, but as a result, another wave of grenades was thrown out of the window and wall cracks behind the house, rumbling, and cold guns. Listening to the gunfire, there were not many Eighth Route Army, at most one reinforced platoon, but the trouble they caused was not small, and the Japanese were so angry that they stamped their feet.
Then they put up the grenade launcher and basically didn't need to aim, they just fired at the village. Dozens of grenades were thrown down with a crackling sound, and even though the power of the grenades was limited, they still made the village full of smoke and flying bricks and soil.
The Japanese lieutenant put down the telescope. The troops that were encircling the north should be in place. It seemed that the Eighth Route Army had few people. As long as the hole was sealed, they would basically be unable to escape. There was no need to charge hard and make unnecessary sacrifices. It would be better to add fuel to the fire. So he ordered the artillery that had just caught up to use it. This time it was a long-distance campaign. The biggest firepower was the 90mm mortar. They simply found a position, assembled and deployed it, estimated the wind direction, observed the distance, and finally started to put shells into the muzzle.
Gao Yidao commanded the second and third platoons, and at the northern intersection, he gritted his teeth and blocked a wave of hasty attacks by the flanking Japanese. More than a dozen soldiers were sacrificed, and many more were injured. He turned his head and looked at the nameless village engulfed in artillery fire. He silently hung the sharp bayonet on the muzzle of the gun and gave a solemn order: "Prepare to break out!"
Ma Liang was the first to climb down the rope, followed by Xiao Hongying. Hu Yi stood on the cliff at the top of the East Mountain and took out his pocket watch to check the time. The battle had been going on for half an hour, and the gunfire from the north had not stopped. The fighting power of the Second Company was much better than he had expected. Gao Yidao was not a reckless man, and he tried his best. He closed the watch case with a click and put it back in his pocket, took a deep breath, bent down and tightened the rope, and was the last one to disappear at the top of the East Mountain.
Luo Fugui was carrying a machine gun and walking in the mountain stream. He could not hold on any longer and finally threw the machine gun into the ditch. He sat on the ground like a sick bear and pulled up the broken water bottle he carried with him to drink. However, the water bottle was upside down and not a drop of water flowed out. He looked up at the empty water bottle stupidly for a while and threw it into the ditch.
Damn it, from last night till now, not a grain of rice sticks to my teeth, I am so hungry that my stomach is sticking to my back, and now I don’t even have water to drink. Why am I, Luo Fugui, so miserable? If I continue to wander around like this, I will starve to death sooner or later. It seems that I have to find a village to settle down first. The problem is that there are few villages nearby, and most of them have been ravaged by the bandits of Black Wind Mountain. Especially for my tall body, anyone who sees me will remember it for a lifetime, and I may not be able to get a good result if I enter the village.
No, I can't throw away the machine gun yet. I can only scare people by carrying the gun into the village. Then I thought, some villagers are very tough. What if they don't buy it and really fight me to death? Otherwise, maybe I can sell the machine gun? It can also be used to buy food? Although the machine gun is too heavy, I can't throw it away for now.
After resting for a while, Luo Fugui sighed, got up again, went down to the ditch to pick up the machine gun, carried it on his back, and continued on his way with his tall back swaying.
Just as he was about to walk out of the mountain stream and turned the corner, he suddenly ran into three people. As both sides looked at each other in shock, Luo Fugui panicked and took off the machine gun on his shoulder and held it in his arms: "Damn it! Don't move! Don't mess around! This is a machine gun in my hand!"